Calorie Counting

Well, you inspired me to start counting my calories :)

I found an awesome app for my phone called "My Fitness Pal". I've counted calories before and this is easier than any website/app I've used. One big reason--if the food you are eating is packaged you can use your cell phone camera to take a picture of your barcode and it automatically adds it! Amazing! Also it learns from you so as you track your foods its easier to add those foods again---so were I to have grape tomatoes and feta cheese for a snack tomorrow it'd be a cinch to add.

It also can track exercise and water intake :)

Brilliant. So far I'm on track for keeping calories around what I burn for the day...but have gone beyond the target number I need to meet to lose a pound per week...I love how counting calories really helps you become aware of where you can blow it--so quickly. Ouch.

Those late night sweet fixes are killing me.

True Confessions

I'm going to have to count calories every day for the rest of the week to stick with my Resolution of 5 days out of 7. Because the last two have been atrocious. The Monday holiday found me breakfasting with friends, and then munching on leftovers, and then eating dinner with the fam before feasting on brownie sundaes at FHE. There are red flags all over the place in that "sentence!" So Monday wasn't good.

Then today I started out well with a nice workout and a healthy breakfast. But then we went to lunch for a meeting, and my lunch wasn't too awful but they served it with a piece of delicious carrot cake (to which I seem to never be able to turn down), and then we returned for more meetings with a side of Smart Cookies. I gave blood today and had to eat the cookies afterward--plus juice--and came home to see that my best bet for dinner was to finish the leftover entree from Friday night's Olive Garden foray. And you can guarantee THAT wasn't healthy. *sigh*

So...tomorrow we begin anew. I think that's actually the best way to approach a Resolution. Its okay if you fall off the metaphorical horse. Just make sure you get back up again ASAP! And I intend to do exactly that.

And please disregard the numerous grammatical misadventures in this post. I'm tired.

Finding time to work out is hard to do

My life right now is busy. Busy busy busy. I take care of a baby all day long, try to keep our house clean, laundry done, make homecooked meals (because it's cheaper, tastes good, and has less calories than eating out), save money by using coupons at the grocery store, prepare my RS lesson, craft because its what I like to do, and find a little time for me...Oh and I work 20 hours a week. Oh and I'm not sleeping at night because I stay up late usually working or getting a little me time and then in the next couple hours get up one or two times to feed a baby. Because my sleep is so fragmented I never feel really rested and end up trying to cat nap in the morning when my baby takes her best nap.

These are not excuses and they're not really complaints either. I'm just presenting the challenges to working out for me. I constantly have a million things to do--I don't even get to shower every day for heavens sake. But I want to work out, it makes me feel good.

Add to all this that I was sick last week and you can understand why I only worked out once. This week so far, none. :( But I know that tomorrow, Saturday, I will have time to work out (and Joe will be here to help with the baby to make those 20 minutes for the 30 Day Shred happen)

I am going to keep trying because the thing is that I've got one thing going for me this time--I want to work out. The desire is there. And that's a big thing actually. It's not a I should work out feeling, but a I want to. One count in my favor :)

So I'll keep battling and I know it'll be MUCH easier to work out once my 7 month old baby decides to sleep through the night. If she slept 7pm-7am and I went to bed at midnight then it would be 7 hours of sleep and I wouldn't feel like I need to nap during her morning nap--exercise done, before noon. But until that happens...I'll just keep trying to fit it in and pat myself on the back when I can.

So there you go. This is a fitness confessions blog after all. If all we did was post when we had crazy success it wouldn't be as much of an accountability measure.

P.S. way to be on the calorie counting. I agree that it definitely works.

Weighing In

So I've been counting calories like a madwoman since January 3rd. REALLY being strict with myself. I've also been aiming to drink my full 8 glasses of water a day, and doing a pretty good job with it. After all, our thirst is often disguised as hunger so when we keep ourselves hydrated, we don't eat as much. At least, that's what they tell me.

Anyway, when I stepped on the scale for the Week 1 weigh-in I was expecting great things. I mean, this was a week off the holiday binging, and strict calorie counting, and 6 days of workouts--it was bound to be good. But...it wasn't. I didn't GAIN any weight, but I didn't drop a thing. NOTHING. Not even a measly 0.1 lbs. This--as anyone can guess--was frustrating.

I pushed on, though. I kept up the strict calorie counting and the hardcore workouts. And I thought about it. I realized that my Week 1 weigh-in came toward the end of my Monthly Vistor, and that's a time when I generally retain water anyway. So--though it was a day or two early--I declared today another Weigh-In. And...it was better. More like what I was expecting. Yippee!! I've dropped a couple pounds, and I intend to keep that trend going.

Calorie Counting WORKS people. Do it!

It is Resolved...

One of the aerobics instructors at my gym gave a little soap box the other morning about New Years Resolutions. The key one being that you shouldn't have a Resolution that involves a particular weight. I agree with that. She suggested something like, "I resolve to go to the gym 3 times a week" or something. I don't really have a problem hitting the gym regularly (though it wasn't always that way...) so I'm intending to focus my health resolution on counting calories.

My Resolution is to count calories 5 days a week. I'll use the MyPlate application on Livestrong.com, and not only count but set the goal to keep the calories consumed under the allowable amount (for my profile).

Here's to a Calorie Conscious 2011!

30 Day Shred -- Day 1

My 30 Day Shred arrived in the mail today (along with my 3lb weights. I know 3lbs is nothing big, but I'll work my way up). And I could have made excuses to wait and start tomorrow or next week "it's a new week" or whatever. But no. I did it today. During my baby's nap (instead of working or showering or whatever).

This is a blog for fitness confessions so I'll confess:

I did the whole thing, but I modified, I wimped at parts. But at the end I also pushed myself. The cardio was challenging but more so was the weights. There's a LOT of upper body stuff in that work out and my upper body...well, it needs working out. So on the positive side there's a lot of room for improvement. I wasn't perfect but I feel good. Right after I finished I was exhausted, but just a few minutes later I felt exhilarated and excited to try again tomorrow.

I love the endorphin rush. Awesomeness.

Also it was so good to see you yesterday. Joe and I were talking about you on the way home. How you are so awesome and really have it all together in your life right now but not in an intimidating way, just in an inspiring way. You make me want to be better. Thanks for being my friend...for what, like 15 years now?

Post-baby 30 day shred

Lets be serious, I thought I'd be able to work out much sooner after having a baby. But balancing work and my high maintenance little lady has proven difficult. At 7 months she STILL isn't sleeping through the night and I've decided to stop waiting for that to happen and just make time to work out.

I've basically already lost my baby weight (which is something to celebrate) but I really had some weight to shed before that. I don't really have a goal #, more a goal size. A size 10 is my realistic goal--last time I was a 10 I was really happy there. That's where I was in high school. It's a good size for me. A size 8, for my body shape (very hippy) would be a dream. In pounds, for me, that means I need to lose about 35 pounds. Yikes. But doable. At 1 or 2 pounds a week I could be there by spring.

Anyway The Plan

We're really lucky to have a nice gym in our clubhouse here at the apartment complex -- good weights and machines and literally I can see the workout room from my apartment, it's so close it's ridiculous. And it has cable TV, TV is a major help for me when working out. So I plan on going over there and doing some running (on the eliptical at first and then outside when it warms up) and some weights too as part of my regular routine.

But I felt like I needed something to kickstart me. Something fast but effective (time is a premium here). Something I could do even if my baby's nap is short.

I've heard rave reviews from multiple friends about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. So I bought it on Amazon. It was $8.99 and after buying I got a promotional $5 credit for a video on demand rental so in the end it only cost me $3.99. NICE!

I also got some small hand weights since I hear you need them for the video (and my RS triceps need them too..cough cough...).

I'm going to take my measurements in addition to charting my weight before starting and I plan on doing the challenge of 30 days straight (though taking off Sundays). I hear it's a real challenge but the fact it's short helps you stay motivated to just push through and do it. And online I see that it produces results--good toning. And that's what matters to me more than pounds dropped--inches matter more. Who cares what I weigh if my clothes feel good and I feel less flabby.

Anyway it should arrive later this week. I'm excited to get started.

Any tips? I'm thinking to take it easy--level 1, lots of pre/post stretching, and drinking plenty of water. Anything else? I'll be back to post my fitness confessions...update you on how it goes.

See you tonight at the Braintrust party, it should be fun.