Some things to remember:
--The first step is at least trying.
--If you mess up or miss a day..........just pick it right back up the next day!!! No self loathing, no condemnation, no EXCUSES.
I will be updating this page daily (or almost daily...), so you can feel free to check in on me in my journey. Please leave a comment on your own progress as well. The journey is better when shared!
Days Twenty-Seven-Thirty:
Sorry it's been so long since I wrote the conclusion to this saga. I've been busy with life and have also experienced a death in my extended family that has been difficult. I will sum this up by saying that I have not been perfect and am disappointed at the mistakes and slip ups I've occasionally encountered, but overall am pleased that I attempted such a challenge.
The 30 days are now over, but I am still attempting to make healthy choices on a daily basis. When I do make unhealthy choices, I am trying to realize the why behind it............taking an honest look at myself and my tendencies so that I can learn from my mistakes and grow through them.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
Day Twenty-Six (Tuesday, October 12th):
Breakfast:
spinach and tomato egg white omelet
Snack:
protein bar
Lunch:
leftover kielbasa again (yuck--I need to go grocery shopping)!
Snack:
protein bar AGAIN (I know.....I think I need to seek counseling for my cinnamon raisin bar addiction)
Dinner:
turkey chili
Workout:
brisk hour long walk outside while daughter practiced soccer. It was so nice to exercise outdoors!
Day Twenty-Five (Monday, October 11th):
Breakfast:
spinach, tomato, and egg white omelet
Snack:
protein bar
Lunch:
leftover kielbasa and kraut
Snack:
another SBD bar
Dinner:
hot dog with chili and fritos at our church's ladies' campfire cookout
Snack:
100 Calorie Mini Bag of Smart Pop Popcorn
Workout:
Jillian's Banish Fat and Boost Metabolism dvd
Day Twenty-Four (Sunday, October 10th):
Breakfast:
Cheerios and skim milk. I didn't allow enough time for my omelet.
Lunch:
turkey sandwich and chicken enchilada soup from Chili's.
Dinner:
I have small group tonight. Sometimes someone brings a dinner to share and sometimes not, so I just had a bowl of raisin bran and skim milk. If there is dinner later and I'm hungry and it's not to sinful, I will likely partake.
Workout:
I plan to do a workout dvd when I get home from small group tonight around 8pm. Planning is half the battle right? French Fry and Pizza Resistance is the other half!
Day Twenty-Three (Saturday, October 9th):
Workout:
I have a pretty active job that I work on Saturdays, so I counted that as my workout. In reality, I should've done a dedicated workout as well. It was (and always is) such a busy day that I let it get by me.
Breakfast:
Raisin Bran and skim milk
Lunch:
6" Subway chicken breast sandwich on wheat and Sun Chips
Snack:
Protein bar
Dinner:
pizza---I know....I suck :(
Day Twenty-Two (Friday, October 8th):
Boy did I ever. I will not give you the gory details except to disclose that there were french fries found at the scene...........and evidence of a small piece of a calzone found on the kitchen counter when I woke up in the morning.
I don't know why I was so weak yesterday. If I'm honest with myself, when I lost all the weight last time, I did indeed have occasions when I would flub up. I did also have my new "lifestyle" last much longer than the originally intended 30 days.
I admit that I am secretly counting down the days until October 16th when this is over. That's not good. It's not that I plan to go back to having days like this one every day. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe I hate having to write about my failures. Again, I'm seeing a part of me that goes much deeper than what I put in my mouth.
P r i d e
Today (Saturday) will be a better day. It is fresh and new and a sure gift from God. I will treat it as such today. Thank you Lord for loving me despite my failures!
Today was a pretty good day overall. I had my typical spinach, tomato, and egg white omelet. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was spinach, cucumber, tomato, and chicken salad. Then the afternoon hit..... I did have a pretty big slip up. It seems that I have the hardest time in the afternoons. I'm not sure why this is. I do know why I slipped up. I take pictures at work and am only paid on commission. I rushed through school and did a sort of abbreviated day so that I could rush to work and take some pictures and hope to make some extra cash. I got there, was there for a few hours and didn't sell any pics. I felt defeated and disappointed and so regretted making the decision to put work ahead of school. Anyway.........I couln't get a coffee-toffee-twisted frosty out of my head.......and soon it was in my belly....and on my hips.
For dinner I had sour kraut and kilbasa which I had put in the crock pot earlier that day. I did work out, but stopped it earlier than the full hour.
Day Twenty (Wednesday, October 6th):
Ever have that feeling that you lost a day because you got too busy? Ever pull into your driveway and ask yourself, "Wait...how did I get here?" That's what has just happened to me. I've gotten so busy that I got behind on updating this part of the page. I realized that I had chicken stew on Tuesday, not Monday like is listed. Somehow along the way my days have run together. Rather than hurt my brain trying to fix it, I'm just going to pick up with yesterday. So here goes...
Workout:
Ballet class (sounds light and fluffy, but it's not for wimps...a lot of jumping and and plies (which is just a "pretty squat")
Breakfast:
egg white omelet with spinach and tomatoes
Snack:
SBD protein bar
Lunch:
Spinach salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Topped with a low cal spray spray on Italian dressing
Snack:
apple
Dinner:
Wendy's chili and a baked potato. I had some "wannabe" butter on the potato and then put my chili into the potato too
Snack:
While watching my dvr favs I had Smart Pop mini bag of popcorn..........I swear I could live on popcorn!!!!!
Day Eighteen (Monday, October 4th):
Workout: I got sick late Sunday night and spent the night on the bathroom floor. Needless to say, didn't feel well all day yesterday as a result. The only thing I was able to handle as a workout was walking the dog around the track while my daughter was at soccer practice. I think I went about a mile and a half or two miles. It's not a real track....more a paved walking path and the distance isn't marked.
Breakfast:
Dry toast
Lunch:
leftover chicken breast with a piece of wheat bread
Snack: (my appetite was slowly coming back) flatbread crackers
Dinner:
Chicken stew with green beans
Snack:
smart pop popcorn mini bag
Day Seventeen (Sunday, October 3rd):
Workout:
Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. It was so hard because I had gotten lax on working out while I had family in town. It's like the harder the work out the better the endorphin rush when I'm done.
Breakfast:
Ezekiel cereal with raisins and skim milk
Lunch:
Grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. I had 2 bites of cake (we went to a restaurant and they ordered my absolute favorite cake in the world).
Dinner:
leftover turkey chili
Days Fourteen-Sixteen (Thursday 30th-Saturday 2nd):
I have been SO crazy busy lately with family still in town, kids in their sports, working, and taking our guests to all these famous Branson shows. Needless to say, I've been a little lax on reporting. I apologize to anyone who is actually still reading this. I have been doing my best with my food choices. I have not worked out. I feel like a loser writing this, but I do know that on Monday when everything gets back to normal I plan to start jumping around my living room like an idiot again.
In the past, with regard to weight loss I would set lofty goals and then as soon as I would slip up the negative self talk would settle in like a heavy rain cloud on all my beautiful sunny goals. This created a perfect storm that would cause me to spiral into worse habits than the ones I had before my goals were born. It was a sort of, "Well, if I'm gonna cheat, I might as well do it right."
So, as disappointed as I am that I was not able to write that I worked out all 30 days as planned, I am encouraging myself with the fact that I plan to continue this once my company leaves and routines are restored.
As a side note, Friday was my weigh in day. I was 127 even. So I guess I lost .2 pounds. At least I didn't gain this week!
Day Thirteen (Wednesday, Sept. 29th):
Yesterday was tough. The halfway "hump" is upon me. I will go ahead and let you know that I did not work out. I played hooky from ballet! This week is just a bit of an off week. I'm doing the best I can with my schedule and situation. I'm not giving up----in fact I'm encouraged by how my clothes are fitting MUCH better. I don't weigh myself until tomorrow, but even if I haven't really lost anything it's OK. At least I'm putting healthier foods into my body..........don't get me wrong--I DO hope a few pounds have fallen off.
Breakfast:
healthy cereal
snack:
ryvita cracker with almond butter
lunch:
spinach salad with tomatoes and chicken
snack:
protein bar
dinner:
grilled chicken with capers and broccoli and a garden salad with low cal ranch
hate to even write this, but honesty is more important than looking perfect---I had a mini heath blizzard from DQ while the kids were at Awana. Maybe it was the fact that I was out on a mini date with the hubby and it had been so long since we had done anything "fun" and "date-like" It was mini sized..... maybe if i write it in all lower case no one will notice........... 8)
Today (Thursday) is already a better day. I'm accepting my failures as part of who I am. I'm moving on to who I am becoming.
Day Twelve (Tuesday, Sept. 28th):
Breakfast:
spinach omelet
Snack:
Ryvita cracker with almond butter
Lunch:
Ezekiel cereal with raisins and skim milk
Snack:
Protein bar
Dinner:
turkey chili.
Confessions:
I did have some cheese and fritos on my chili...............and I didn't work out. Today is a new day. No missteps so far today. I have ballet tonight, so that will be my workout. Tomorrow I will plan to run my neighborhood in the am before everyone wakes up. Planning is key right?
Day Eleven (Monday, Sept. 27th):
Today started out well, but I had a hard time as the day went on.
Workout:
I woke up early and did the Physique 57 workout. It felt good to get that done and out of the way early.
Breakfast:
Spinach Omelet
Snack:
healthy cereal recipe with blueberries
Lunch:
Oops! I can't remember. Oh my goodness......must not have been very delicious!
Snack(sssss):
I got a little stressed over cleaning the house for out of state family that is visiting. I may have overdone it a bit on the snacks this afternoon. I had a protein bar, crackers with cheddar cheese, and a meatball (testing quality for dinner) ha ha
Dinner:
wheat spaghetti with Prego sauce and turkey meatballs. I also had a piece of wheat bread and smart balance butter-wanna-be with garlic salt.
That's it......no evening snack. Since family is in town this week, I realize I might have a harder time sticking to all areas of my plan. The biggest challenge is working out in such as way as to not be jumping around my living room while they are drinking their morning coffee........NOT a good way to treat your guests.....and a scary sight to begin a day with!!!! My goal is to just make the best possible choice in any given situation. That's what healthy living really boils down to anyway...........not a stringent list of don'ts.
Day Ten (Sunday, Sept. 26th):
Today was a bit easier than last Sunday, but still wasn't up to par. I'm realizing that even though I'm not being as strict as the original plan, I'm still SO much better than I was. Any improvement is something to celebrate. I'm learning not to be so hard on myself. When I allow myself to feel guilty, that usually sends me into negative self talk that leads to a "why bother" attitude...............and then I'm back where I started.
Breakfast:
Ezekiel cereal with raisins and skim milk
Lunch:
We ate at church. The meal offered was a chicken salad sandwich on croissant with chips and an ice cream. Let's just say that I gave into the Fritos but did not eat the ice cream.
Snack:
Protein bar
Dinner:
whole wheat waffles with sugar free syrup
Snack(s):
At small group I had a small cup of pretzels.
Then I had a 100 calorie snack bag of smart pop popcorn way later. If I didn't stay up so late, I probably wouldn't have been hungry.
Workout:
I came back from small group with a headache and did not work out. I learned that I need to stop putting my workout off until the last part of my day (duh-right?).
I'm writing this on Monday morning and am happy to report that I got my lazy, but slowly shrinking butt out of bed at 5:30am and did my Physique 57 workout. Yay for small victories!
Have a great Monday! I LOVE this fall weather!
Day Nine (Saturday, Sept. 25th):
I'm recording this a bit late.....hope memory serves.. :)
Breakfast:
spinach omelet and healthy cereal mix (flax meal, oatmeal, wheat germ) with fresh blueberries
Lunch:
spinach salad with grilled chicken, cucumbers, and tomatoes with low cal dressing spritzer
Snack:
I get so hungry in the afternoons! I had a protein bar around 2pm and then greek yogurt with granola around 4pm.
Dinner:
leftover chicken enchiladas (low fat ingredients)
Workout:
I was very active at work today. I did a lot of uphill walking. I still should have done an express (30 min.) workout dvd when I got home, but I didn't. Trying not to dwell on it. Balance and the ability to move on after a perceived failure are so key to real change.
Day Eight (Friday, Sept. 24th):
Workout:
40 minutes running/walking on the treadmill. I am learning to tolerate the exercise because I love that feeling of endorphins pulsing through my body after.
Breakfast:
I had my spinach and egg white omelet with a glass of kefir
Lunch:
Ezekiel cereal with raisins. I was out of spinach, and love this cereal.
Snack:
S.B.D. Protein fit bar
Dinner:
low fat version of my chicken enchiladas (whole wheat tortillas, low fat cream cheese, and low fat cheese. I scraped most of the cheese off of my enchilada. We also had green beans.
Snack:
100 calorie snack bag of smart pop popcorn.
Day Seven (Thursday, Sept. 23rd):
Yesterday was one of those days that I'm just going to not dwell upon. It started out fine with eating my typical healthy breakfast, morning snack, and lunch. I had an afternoon snack of ryvita cracker and almond butter around 2:30/3:00pm and then I started to feel sick. Hormones were all over the board yesterday with it being that special time of the month! I felt hungrier and ate more than usual, but I am glad that even though I ate more, it was always something nutrient rich and a healthy choice. I had cramps from the bowels of hell and spent the evening curled up on the couch with a pillow against my abdomen. Yesterday was the first day I didn't work out.
I woke up this morning..........the 1 week mark of when I started this challenge and realized that it's weigh in day. I psyched myself up about it before I got on the scale because I wanted to convince myself that no matter what the scale said, I am still better off changing my lifestyle.......even if it doesn't translate into a huge weight loss. I am hoping to lose more than weight. I am mostly hoping to shed bad habits and cycles.
My weight when I started was 129.something (I can't for the life of me remember the something). This morning I was 127.2. That's exciting. A 2 pound weight loss per week is healthy. When it comes off slowly, it has a better chance of staying off.
Day Six (Wednesday, Sept. 22nd):
Workout:
I had my hour long adult ballet class last night, and she works us pretty hard. I think next week I might supplement the day with a 30 minute version of Physique 57, but this week it was all ballet.
Breakfast:
Spinach omelet and a glass of kefir
Snack:
South Beach Diet Protein Fit bar
Lunch:
I had a half of a leftover sloppy joe (turkey meat and 1 piece of whole wheat bread toasted) sandwich. I should have had my usual spinach salad, but was feeling cold and crampy and in desperate need of something warm that was more in the "comfort food" category.
Snack:
Ryvita cracker (multigrain) with almond butter
Snack:
I have learned to keep a bag of raw, unsalted almonds in the car when I'm on the go. I ate dinner later than normal and had to have a few almonds here and there. I am NOT into starving myself. That's why I don't feel deprived (unless I'm watching my fam eat McDonalds like day 5). The key is not letting yourself get so out-of-control hungry that you make bad choices.
Dinner:
Sushi! My favorite good-for-you-no-guilt-but-still-yummy food!
Day Five (Tuesday, Sept. 21st):
I'm only five days into this journey, and I'm learning so much about myself. My goal when I started this journey was to gain control and lose pounds. What I'm finding is that I'm having to let go of a whole lot more than food. I'll explain more later...........
Workout:
Jillian's (yes, we're on a first name basis now......should be...I swear I see her more lately than friends--LOL) Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout. Just finished it (late).
Breakfast:
The day started admirably with my typical spinach and egg white omelet and healthy cereal with fresh blueberries.
Snack:
My sweet tooth reared it's ugly head a bit early today, so I gave into it (sort of) and had a South Beach Diet Protein Fit cinnamon raisin bar.
Lunch:
Spinach, chicken, cucumber, and tomato salad with low cal Italian spritzer dressing.
Snack:
Another bar!!!!! I only have 2 left in the box now (I HIDE the box in a large mixing bowl in an upper cabinet) SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Dinner:
Here's where it all gets a little dicey.........We had to eat an early dinner (4:45) so that we could get to soccer practice on time. I swear this new fall schedule is going to be the death of me, but I do love watching the kids' sports. We had plans to go meet Jared at work after practice to talk about some plans for our January vacation. I should've realized and planned for the intense hunger I would feel 'round about 8pm. I didn't plan for it. I'm beginning to realize that planning is probably the single most important part of sticking to any healthy lifestyle change.
So.........Jared was getting interrupted too much at work and was hungry (and NOT concerned about calories), so he suggests we go to McDonalds (you must know that I have had a longstanding love/hate relationship with this place).
Pictured below is what I had (small diet Coke):
Pictured next is what I watched my family enjoy (no they didn't eat all 50!):
Now, before you get too proud of my stoic resistance, I need to confess that I had a terrible attitude. I was extremely irritable and pouty about not being able to eat what I wanted. I allowed it to ruin that portion of my evening. Add to that the fact that about that time I also realized that I hadn't worked out yet today and would have to do it between 9:30 and 10:30. I was NOT happy. I will honestly admit that if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't want to have to write about how I ate nuggets and fries I probably would've caved big time (because when I fall.........I do it quite thoroughly) See Too Much of a Good Thing if you don't believe me.
What was so convicting to me (once I left the restaurant and snapped out of my fresh, salty, greasy french fry induced trance) was that I am shedding so much more than pounds on this journey.........I am shedding an idol......no different than the golden calf of the Israelites. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to see how deep this ugliness is and how I have been building a wall around my heart..............one french fry at a time.
Oh God You are my God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You. My body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1
Day Four (Monday, Sept. 20th):Today was the first day I felt like a new lifestyle was actually creeping in. I didn't suffer from cravings as much and wasn't as irritable! If you are reading what I've been eating, you might notice that I'm not only eating what is in the plan that was originally emailed to me last December. As our time went on and our daily accountability emails continued, I would ask if certain other food items were OK. Eventually I ended up with a much larger list of foods that were fine to eat.
Workout:
Today I did the Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones" dvd. Notice that I am trying to do a different workout every day. It's so easy to get into a rut. Muscle confusion is achieved (so I'm told) by varying workouts. This optimizes the time spent sweating it out!
Breakfast:
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg with fresh spinach cooked into an omelet AND the healthy cereal (recipe is in the plan). I added fresh blueberries to the cereal today along with agave nectar as a sweetener. Sometimes I also add a couple of teaspoons of bee pollen. I'm told it has enzymes in it that are extremely healthy........
Snack:
I didn't need a morning snack because I ate a bit of a late breakfast and it was so filling.
Lunch:
fresh spinach salad with grilled chicken, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I like the salad spritzers (salad dressing in a spray bottle). They are low cal and the way they are packaged keeps me from slathering it on like I tend to do!
Snack:
South Beach Diet Protein Fit bar (cinnamon raisin). I love love LOVE the chocolate ones, but can't find them here in MO! It's just as well, we might have another Snack Wells issue on our hands if I could find them!
Dinner:
I made sloppy joes tonight.........please don't judge....I used healthy, low fat ingredients. I used ground turkey, whole grain bread, and Manwich (read the can....didn't seem too bad). We also had green beans.
I'm happy with a dinner like that. I know it's best to grill some fish or a chicken breast, but in my world of football practices and soccer practices during the dinner hour and having to be strategic in my planning, the type of meal I made tonight works just fine. This is something I want the whole family to be able to embrace. I think it sends the wrong message if mom is sitting at the table with her meager helping of Talipia and greens while the rest of the family feasts on greasy pizza. That is NOT what will create a healthy lifestyle change.
Night Snack:
Smart Balance popcorn.
Day Three (Sunday, Sept. 19th):
I learned today that I need to plan ahead so that I don't let myself get so hungry that I am more apt to make unhealthy choices. I also should've taken a better look at my schedule the night before so that I could have a plan as to when my workout would take place.
Workout:
I did another one of my absolute favorite dvds: Physique 57 full body workout. I ended up doing it around 10pm last night---silly...but I committed to do this every day for 30 days. Once this 30 days is over, I probably will lighten up a little, but hopefully by then I will also have adopted new healthy habits.
Breakfast:
We STILL hadn't gone grocery shopping (didn't do it until after small groups last night), so I had to make do with what we had. I had a bowl of Raisin Bran with skim milk.
Lunch:
We went out to use a gift card we had. I had let myself get so hungry (I will bring a snack baggie of raw almonds to church next time) I ended up having about 4 or 5 chips with spinach and artichoke (and CHEESE) dip. I ordered salmon and steamed broccoli as my meal, but found that I ate the whole thing. I ate until I was full instead of eating until I'm satisfied. I am also trying to put my fork down between bites. Try it.....
Dinner:
Ezekiel cereal with raisins and skim milk. We had an early dinner because we had small groups and didn't think there would be food. When we got there, there was chili and all those glorious toppings! I got hungry toward the end of it and had some wheat crackers (because I didn't want to go to the grocery store hungry).
Snack:
I was hungry after my late night workout, so I had 10 almonds. Then we ended up watching a movie, so I had a smart pop mini bag of popcorn. I am a sucker for popcorn with my movie. You'd think Ashton Kutcher (Killers) would be enough, but..........he went better with popcorn! :)
***Today is a new day, and I have a stocked kitchen so I'm going to take what I've learned from my mistakes and do my best.
Have a good day 4!
Day Two (Saturday, Sept. 18th):Made it through another day. I'm so looking forward to this being a lifestyle once again. When healthy eating and exercise are a natural thing, everything else seems more in balance. I'm reminded that this is every bit as much a spiritual battle---that my former struggles with emotional eating started in my mind. By renewing my mind daily I am able to commit this battle to the Lord.
Workout:
I did my favorite (and least favorite if you know what I mean) workout dvd: Jillian Michael's "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. It took an hour, and I felt incredible after (NOT DURING). I found I had to march in place for a 10-20 seconds when it got to be too much. No shame in that.
Breakfast:
eggs and healthy cereal like yesterday
Lunch:
garden salad with grilled chicken and lowfat vinaigrette. I got this from McDonalds. We had practices, games, etc today all back to back and I have still go adequately stock my frig and cupboards with healthy foods to pack for such busy days. I ended up ordering a grilled chicken snack wrap with no sauce and then putting that chicken into a side salad. A victory at McDonalds is a victory worth bragging about right?!
Snack:
Still wasn't home....hungry.....went to gas station on the way to scrimmage and got a crunchy "old school" granola bar. I ate half of it.
Another Snack: Don't judge......Greek yogurt with a dusting of granola.
Dinner:
Same as my lunch from yesterday.....Boy do I need to go grocery shopping!
***Forgot to post my weight. I am 5'1" and 129 pounds. I am small framed/small boned and am at a healthy weight when I am between 115-120. That is my goal, but more importantly than what the scale says, my goal is a new and lasting lifestyle. That is my hope and prayer for anyone who is on this 30 day challenge as well.
Remember---you can't post comments to this page, but you can go back to the original post and comment there if you would like.
Day One (Friday, Sept. 17th):
Today went pretty well overall. I'll keep this short and sweet because I'm planning on watching a movie with the fam and staying off the computer.
Workout:
I ran on the treadmill until I felt that I would most surely DIE if I took another step, and then I would walk until I felt there was hope again. I did this back and forth back and forth (trying not to notice the skinny blond lady who was jogging AND talking on her cell phone next to me----I can't even IMAGINE being able to afford such a luxury as conversation during this endeavor)! Anyway, I did my 40 minutes. It was hard. I didn't exactly like it, but I felt great afterward.
Meal Plan:
Bottom line. I was a good girl! :)
Details:
Breakfast: 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled and the healthy cereal mentioned in the printable meal plan (link above).
Lunch: whole wheat noodles, broccoli, and chicken mixed with olive oil and a teeny tiny bit of Parmesan cheese. It was good, but I will remember next time to check my teeth for broccoli before I go to work for the afternoon!
Snack: Ryvita cracker and almond butter (I LOVE this snack)!
Dinner: We went to Montana Mike's (nothing like a tempting menu thrown at you on day ONE right?). I ordered a garden salad with oil and vinegar, salmon, and steamed veggies.
Evening I'm planning on having a mini bag of Smart Pop popcorn. Right before bed I will have a cup of good night tea (I love this tea---it relaxes me and makes me sleepy)
Tomorrow is a new day! Remember--if you are doing this, please let someone know. Accountability is SO key! I don't think you can comment on this page, but please comment on the "30 Day Fitness Challenge" post on my home page. Best of Luck. As cheesy as it may sound, you ARE worth it! :)
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