New Workout Plan!

I found this workout plan on Pinterest.  This is what I have decided to change my work out plan to. I’m going to try it for a while and maybe tweak a few things to make it work for me.

 I’m pretty excited about it.  Plus, she included print outs to keep track of progress during the workouts.

 I’m starting this on Monday, so wish me luck!

Wednesday weigh in

Another Wednesday, another weigh in. I'm beginning to feel very monotonous with my weigh ins. Yet again my weight is the same.

I just don't get it because I feel like I'm losing weight. My waist is much smaller than it was a month ago. Yet, my weight is the same.

I am working out every day. I am eating better. I am stuck on a plateau and don't know why to do.

Lately I have been toying with the idea of going vegan again. Last time I went vegan, I lost twenty pounds in two months and kept it off for four more. It's definitely an option at this point. I need something to boost my weight loss so I'm considering it. Just a thought.

This week my goal is to lose 2 pounds. I can do this. I want to exercise everyday and eat healthier. I am going to get vegetables at every meal including breakfast.

Last week I went out of town again which caused some bad eating habits, but I did exercise a lot that week.

Pounds lost:6
Pounds to lose: 94

Inspiration

I came across this blog and really like it.  It has some good stories and motivational pictures. I will definitely continue to read this blog.  I like how each week she sets goals, acknowledges challenges, and reviews how the last week went.  I like the format and think I will use it as part of my Wednesday weigh ins. It is a good self-assessment tool to use as part of my reflections each week.   

Vacationing and Dieting

I know that dieting and vacation are not easy to do together.  Last weekend, I went a little crazy.  I was gone for four days Saturday through Tuesday.  I decided to let Monday and Tuesday be special days, so I wouldn’t have to worry about cheating on my diet.  That was a big mistake. 

It’s now Friday and I am still feeling the effects of that mistake.  I’m bloated.  My stomach aches.  My skin is broken out.  Here’s the thing- I didn’t think that I over did it.  I had soda every once in a while.  Everyone has cheesecake, so I had some.  I wish I hadn’t.  I feel terrible.  I can’t believe that the little bit of sugar I eat over vacation affected me so much.  I used to eat so much more on a regular basis.

Looking back I could have done better.  Here are some things I should have done, so I would have stuck to my diet better.

1)      Drink more water.  It’s so easy to buy pop, juice, or other sugary drinks when you aren’t at home.  Keep water with you at all times so you aren’t tempted.

2)      Don’t overdo the sweets.  Limit the amount of “cheats” you can have during vacation to one a day.  I know I should have done that.  I allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted on my “s” days.  I shouldn’t have.  This is why I feel terrible.

3)      Remember you are on a diet.  I kept forgetting.  It’s so easy to forget when you are out eating with other people.  My friend took a break from her diet and was going crazy.  I don’t think that I have seen anyone eat so many Oreos.  It was hard not to have one or two with her.

4)      Remind yourself that you have to get out of your bad vacation habits once you get home.  After four days for eating sugar, it was really hard to stop when I was home.  I kept finding myself snacking or drinking juice this week.  It’s so hard to quit.  I don’t remember it being this difficult to stop when I started the diet. 

Wednesday Weigh in

My Wednesday weigh in was better than I expected today.  I stayed at the same weight.  For a change, I am happy with that.  I was surprised that it was that good.  I thought I had gained weight. 

I took a four day vacation with some friends and didn’t follow my diet very well.  I had a bit too many sweets.  After coming home last night, I realized that I would have to step on the scale in the morning and I started to worry.  I didn’t even have a buffer day to eat healthy before weigh in, but it was still better than I thought. 

Hopefully, next Wednesday will be better news for me.  I really want to lose some weight this week.  I’m working on creating an exercise program that will work for me.  I have had a lot of trial and error when making it, but I think I have created a system that will get the job done. 

Pounds to lose: 94

Pounds lost: 6

Allergies and Weight loss

Allergy season always kicks my butt. I am so tired all the time. I can't work out because I can barely breathe. I mean I am winded just sitting here typing this. Every single allergy season I get bronchitis too. I can feel my chest tightening and my breathing getting shallower. As I was popping my medicine, I started wondering if this would affect my weight loss in other ways than being too sick to work out. I googled allergies and weight gain since this week's weigh in did not go so well and I was surprised at what I found.

Some antihistamines can cause an increase in appetite.  Mine was on the list. No wonder why I have been so hungry lately. I have had to use a lot of willpower to stick to my diet. My stomach would be growling as I tried to sleep apart every night.

Some medicines can cause sleepiness which makes people lazy. I know that happens to me. When I take Benadryl, I fall asleep within a half hour of taking it every time. I certainly have skipped workouts recently so I could sleep.

How can you stop weigh gain because of allergy medication?

They say that newer medicines may cause less weight gain such as Claritin.
See an allergist. They can prescribe medicines without those side effects for you.
Stay hydrated with water.
Eat healthy. If your appetite is increased, stick with healthy choices.

Wednesday Weigh in

So day was my weigh in for the week.  I’m started to get frustrated.  I gained one pound back.  I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.  I seem to keep hovering between losing 5 and 7 pounds.  I need something to break the plateau.  I guess I need to work out more.  I’m trying to eat healthier, but obviously it isn’t enough.

Allergy season is really holding me back.  I can barely breathe at all and am taking Benadryl every 6 hours.  The medicine is making me sleepy, so I don’t want to work out.  I have to force myself to walk.  All I want to do is sleep.  This has to stop.  I can’t wait until my allergies are better.

In other news, my skin is looking fabulous.  A couple of weeks ago, my face started breaking out.  I mean, it broke out A LOT.  Finally, my skin is clearing up and I think that limiting my sugar intake has really helped that. 

 Weight lost: 6 lbs.

Weight to lose: 94 lbs.

Rewards

I was thinking today about using incentives to keep me on track.  I know I do better with something to work towards.  Focusing on a reward might make me more likely to try and lose weight.  So, today I decided to make a list of this I want.  Here are some short-term rewards.  I am so close to having lost 10 pounds!  I only have a week or two until I reach that goal!

Goals:

10 lbs lost-pedicure (I'll need it after all this working out)

15 lbs lost-sports bra (My old one is getting too big.  I don't know how I feel about that.  I wish my pants were getting too big, not my bra)

20 lbs lost-work out pants

25 lbs lost- Nike shoes

PCOS and Exercise

This week I have been seriously thinking about exercise.  I have done a lot of research and found out some interesting things.  But first some background information.  About two years ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which basically affects a woman’s hormones.  It can make it difficult to lose weight, have regular periods, and get pregnant.  One way to improve PCOS symptoms is to lose 10% of your weight.  So far I have only lost about 5% of my weight, but I’m working on that.

I started looking into PCOS and exercise.  I was shocked to discover that too much exercise can make PCOS worse which causes more weight gain.  Exercising too much can increase the amount of testosterone which is bad for weight loss.  All the websites recommend to lift weights, do light cardio, and yoga.  But, they say that it is up to the person to find the balance between too much and too little exercise that works for her body.

Honestly, this makes sense if I look back to the last couple of weeks.  The one week I gained weight was the week that I exercised the most.  When I walk a half hour twice a day, I seem to lose weight faster even though I feel like I’m doing less than I should.  Maybe that’s the best cardio plan for me.  Now, I just have to add in weight lifting and yoga into my routine. 

Wednesday Weigh In

I am excited after my weigh in today.  I have lost weight again.  It makes me feel so much better after my disappointment last week.  I lost 3.5 pounds since last week.  I am almost back on track.  I think that last week was just a fluke.  I am still losing weight and that is what is important to me. 

I really do think that the diet is what is doing it. I never imagined that such a small, easy change could make such a big difference.

 I have gone back to me exercise plan from before I started this blog, so I know it’s not that.  I tried a new one last week and I blame that for the weight gain although I don’t think that is rational.  Now, I just walk for a half hour twice a day.  I want to add in abs and weights but I haven’t found a plan that I can do every day.   I am going to work on that this week.  I still do the Tiffany Rothe workouts that I found on Youtube, but I don’t do them every day.  So, I need to make a plan that works for me.  Fingers cross that I do it this week.

Weight lost: 7 lbs.

Weight to lose: 93 lbs.