Counting Calories

Today is my resting day as far as working out goes, so I thought I'd talk to you about counting calories.

I am currently using the website my fitness pal. It's a great resource for providing a community of people and support as well as a calorie tracker, workout tracker, and calorie tracker. They even have a free app for your smartphone! (If you're smart enough to have one of those.. I'm not yet.. haha) I also used to use Spark people and still keep up with their blogs because they have some great tips as well. If you're just wanting to count calories and not have a tracker, I would suggest calorie king.

Today could have been better as far as calories went, BUT I did really really well. I just adjusted my calorie count down by about 200 calories, so I wasn't sure how well I would do with that. However, today I hit my new calorie goal EXACTLY. I was so proud. Especially since I ate Long John Silver's popcorn shrimp for lunch.. with fries.. and hushpuppies..

BUT I ate two big helpings of meatless taco salad for dinner. Lettuce, homemade guacomole, tomatoes, and black beans with a little green salsa on the top.. SCRUMPTIOUS! That kept me on track for my calorie goal today. I'm very proud of myself.

I promise it looked better in person.. dumb camera phone..

It's also a good thing knowing that my mom knows that I'm trying to eat healthier. When I shake my head at bacon-wrapped hot dogs (no lie, she suggested this.. she was on pinterest), she understands it's not that I'm saying no to her suggestion because I'm being picky. I'm just being healthy! Especially due to my slight lack of control at lunch today.

In other news, I have at least a couple people who are interested in doing the Couch to 5k with me starting in October. I would totally be up for having an accountability group either here or on facebook. It would be wonderful for me considering my sister the runner (mentioned previously) is not home to force encourage me to go on runs. So, what do you think? Who's up for it? Let  me know in the comments! Feel free to make suggestions about whether or not we should make a facebook page or whatnot. Love ya'll. It's bedtime. Stay healthy!

Healthy Choices Aren't Easy

Trust me. I know. That's why this weight has been on me for so long. When I was in high school.. and if I'm being honest probably most of my life.. I ate whatever tasted good: cheeseburgers, fries, pizza.. if it's unhealthy and tasted good, I probably ate it. Not to say I didn't eat good foods. I loved fruit and some vegetables growing up. I just didn't connect the fact that I was fat to what I was eating.

I probably weighed my most in high school. I never actually weighed myself, but I was pretty big. Tomorrow I will hunt down some old photos that I can share with you. My first semester of college I lost 15 lbs.. just because I walked to my classes and around campus. Pitiful, but it was weight loss. I returned home and everyone noticed. That's when I realized I needed to do something. My second semester I was required to go to the gym for one of my classes. I lost more weight. I don't know the exact amount, but I was probably somewhere around 240 or 245.. which is where I basically stayed [or varied up and down from] for a while.

Now.. This morning, I weighed in at 231.8. I call that a victory. I know I may have weighed less at some point during my journey in life, but as long as the number is going in the downward direction.. I'm happy.

Today, my healthy choice was not eating the fried cheese melt at Denny's. Instead, I ordered a veggie burger with lots of delicious veggie toppings and the only condiment I used on it was mustard. I'm proud of myself.

Also, as someone who was called fat a lot.. I'm going to put this on my scale when I buy my own. Love J.K. Rowling.

I know what you're thinking..

"She hasn't posted in a while. She must be completely off her goals. That's the only time she doesn't post."

Well, I'm proud to say that you.. would be wrong.

I have consistently [mostly] been working out every morning to my Bob Harper dvd. I actually quite enjoy it.. not the workout, but how it makes me feel afterwards.

I feel:

• accomplished
• energized
• alive
• powerful
• amazing

and many other words that you can come up with on your own.

This doesn't mean I am going to stop posting. I just hadn't had anything entertaining to post.. and sometimes it feels as if I have no readers..  it's just the way it feels when you blog and there's no comments.. no comments = no readers..

I am going to continue doing this for myself. To keep myself accountable.. plus I just like blogging. It's fun! 

This month's goal has been to make working out a consistent habit of mine. I am going to be starting a new job soon, so it will be interesting to see how I can continue to make exercise a priority when I actually have more of a schedule than what my parents have me do around the house.

Being about 11 days out from October, I think I can share my October goal with you. My goal for October [and November..and possibly December.. it's a 9 week (approximately) goal] is to complete the Couch to 5k program. I want to be able to run a 5k by Christmas.. without stopping. Preferably sooner. My sister is a big runner and I'd love to go running with her for real.. and keep up. Rather than her slowing to my pace. *fingers crossed*

I hope we can run and talk like this :)

Honesty time..

I did not want to get out of bed today. I did not want to work out today. I was (and still am) sore all over. I thought.. no one will know.. I can just sleep in until 10.. it'll all be good..

Well I can tell you the sleeping in did happen, however.. when I got out of bed (already in my work out clothes) and found that there was no one in the house.. I remembered my brother wasn't going to be home until noon.. MY EXCUSE HAD VANISHED!

It became my choice. Was I going to CHOOSE to sit on the couch and watch tv or lounge around on the computer? Or was I going to CHOOSE to put in that dvd and do the workout? Guess what?

I DID IT!!!

I conquered my own lazy self and worked out.. and I did the full hour!

I am so excited and proud of myself.. you have no idea! INSERTING HAPPY DANCE HERE>>>

I am writing this blog to keep me motivated, but man it is still hard to keep going. I'll see ya'll later.. If I can ever stop watching this happy dance!

Oh and p.s. going on a retreat this weekend. May not be updating for a couple days. Love ya'll!

I Hate Bob Harper

and I mean that in the nicest way possible. I just did the 1 hour strength workout from this dvd >>>>>

I had only done the 20 minute beginner session before today (actually I did it yesterday too) and thought that it was hard, but not hard enough. If I want to burn off all the extra fat that I have suffocating the best me inside, I needed to step it up. Bob was going to help me do that.

And boy did he  help. Only 15 minutes in, I was already in body-shaking pain. Now, this may be because I am an incredibly out of shape over 220 lb woman trying to keep up with the likes of Bob Harper and his helpful fitness gurus.. but I like to think that it burned just as much for them. (Actually at the end of the workout, Bob has to start yelling at them to keep going and they were yelling out in the extreme effort it took them to do it.. it made me feel a lot better about how hard I thought it was)

I was planning on rewarding myself with a really long hot shower.. however, my legs could only hold me up for so long.. so it was a short rewarding shower haha!

Yesterday, I talked to someone who reads my blog and she told me how well she thought I was doing and that was really encouraging to me (thanks Kelsey!) In return, I was able to encourage her to get started. She is going to start the 30-day shred with Jillian Michaels. Good luck, Kelsey!

I'd love to hear what some of the rest of you are planning on doing to reach your fitness goals. The end of 2012 is closer than we think. I do NOT want losing weight to be my number one New Year's Resolution AGAIN. I REFUSE. Talk to me.. I'd love to hear from you.

And to finish off, here's a funny gif to explain why I like to work out by myself at home sometimes..

What I think I look like while working out..

What I actually look like.

Vacation stinks..

..for my diet..blehh..

I had a very enjoyable 2 week vacation with my family to go to Illinois and drop off my sister at school. We then zig-zagged back home across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It was a great time, but...

I ate awfully. Not all the time, but most of the time. The problem with constantly being on the road is constantly eating junk. Whether it's pizza in the hotel room or stopping off at McDonald's or something similar and snarfing it down before jumping back in the car.

Also, it meant I didn't work out as often as I should have. One day at my grandparent's house, I went for a run with my sister, and that was great. Also, we walked at a couple zoos A LOT.. but it still wasn't enough.. I gained quite a bit of weight back..

This does NOT mean I will quit. This does NOT mean I'm giving up. This does NOT mean I won't reach my goals.

I have found a new motivation. I have mentioned the Shaytards and Shay Carl in previous posts, and he has a weight loss motivation month this month called Shaytember. Below is a video that inspired me at first. I hope it inspires you too.

Join me for Shaytember. Just do it.