Challenge Week 2

I like having this challenge. It keeps me focused.  It keeps me from reaching back into the pecans for a second or third handful.  Sometimes. 

1. Weight: Well, I broke even. I started at 221, didn't weigh in last week after vacation and then today I was back at 221. I was hoping for better but not really surprised.  I essentially gained a pound on vacation and then lost it this week.  *sigh* I'll do better. I promise.

2.  Calories:  I've been tracking my calories but not planning right.  Essentially, I'm eating and then at the end of the night, I calculate and realize, "Oh gee, I shouldn't have had that blank..."  So I've been consuming around 500 calories more than I should have each day.  Some days better than others.  I have however been eating the right things.  No wheat and highly limited sugar. I just need to plan and stop eating that extra handful of pecans or this homemade peanut butter granola that was SOOOOOO good with vanilla yogurt.

3.  Exercise:  This has been strong still. Yea me!  Three days with Brad's Learn to Run a 5K in 100 Days running challenge.  It's getting tough as the weeks are going on but I'm still sticking with it. I'm not running very fast for sure but I am running.  Then the exercise class on Monday, plus I'm trying to work the same muscles on Thursdays at home with weights.  Then there is the weekly jam sessions on Just Dance 2.  That is always fun.  Didn't make my 70,000 steps this week but came close.  I need to average about another 500 - 1000 steps a day to get this.  So off the computer and  get out walking more!

4. Water:  Water is good, keeping hydrated.  Got my handy dandy water bottle here as I speak.

5: Book:  Still reading the book. I had to take a break from it to read a book for a review I have to do.  Kelly the Kitchen Kop did a two part series and an interview with Dr. David, the author. 

I have a plan for next week and it includes better planning and good eating. 

Challenge Week 1

Source: etsy.com via Pascale on Pinterest

Back from vacation!  It was just 4 days away up along the North Shore but it was fun and relaxing!  We did a lot of hiking and walking.  My legs will be grateful for the break!  I ate pretty cruddy, I admit.  I made some good choices along the way but plenty of bad ones as well.  I'm ready to get back on it and have an awesome week!

1. Weight - I didn't weigh myself this week.  Yes, I broke the rules the first week.  I'm quite sure with the extra salt and junk that I am up.  Way up. I had a great eating day today and am on the right path to get rid of the sodium and junk this week. I promise to weigh in the rest of the challenge. I don't have any unusual weekend circumstances planned that would prevent this in the future.

2.  Calories - I tracked my calories Monday, Tuesday and today (Sunday).  I hit under 1500 for both Monday and Tuesday and today was around 1200 tops.  The rest of the week stank.

3.  Exercise - I did all 3 days of Brad's running challenge.  I'm happy that I'm seeing a difference and I'm running better and am not as tired. I'm still going at quite the slow speed but still, I'm DOING it.  I exceeded my goal of 70,000 steps this week and I had my weight training class on Monday night as well.

4. Water - Just so-so.  It's hard when not in the same routine. I am back on track and drinking and peeing up a storm now though. 

5.  Book - I'm still reading Wheat Belly.  I love it, and I BELIEVE it. I am not one to get into fad diets or trends but this just MAKES SENSE to me.  Eliminate the wheat and eliminate a LOT of problems.  I did NOT go wheat free while on vacation, I did today and plan continue.  ~~  I also read Unbroken Will - The Extraordinary Courage of an Ordinary Man, The Story of Leopold Engleitner.  It is a book the describes the life and times of this man whose belief in God and in nonviolence stood the test of Nazi persecution in WWII.  He was in three concentration camps and suffered unspeakable brutality but remained firm in his faith.  It was an awesome book and while deep, it was very faith strengthening.  I finished the whole book this week and would recommend it to anyone!  I got it at the library, I have another one that is similar on request as well. 

So we begin week 2! I'm looking forward to seeing some better results next week. I feel like I'm actually "starting" this challenge this week. 

Recipes...

Okay, so you all know I have this recipe blog.  That is how I got started blogging in the first place. 

I've had several comments about the recipes on the side of my dieting blog. Some serious and some in jest, about taking them off or not wanting to come to my blog so they won't be tempted. 

I need your opinion.  Do you want me to take them off?  I certainly will if you want me to.  First, let me explain my hesitation. 

I spent most my life in the upper 200's and lower 300's by the time I had baby #3.  I'd never eaten healthy.  We ate out all the time.  Cooking at home was rare and not healthy at all.  When I think of the "healthy" meals I would make, I now cringe.  I had my aha moment, straightened up and started eating healthier. I started COOKING healthier.  I read blogs, looked for recipes, did everything I could to healthify the family favorites and I was quite proud of what I had done.  I often would call friends and say, "I just made ..., you have GOT to come over and try it!"  I had friends asking me for recipes, so I would email them or give them recipes.  At the urge of several people, I started my food blog.  I was already writing down and organizing my recipes. I was already calculating the calorie counts on most things.  So why not add some pictures and start a blog. 

So Debbi Does Dinner Healthy was born, just about 2 years ago.  I started the diet blog with my first challenge as a motivator for me, not to get a ton of followers or anything.  Like with my recipe blog, I thought, if I can help people, then great!  So I added some recipes on the side that I was proud of. 

I AM proud of these recipes.  They represent a new way of eating for me. They represent a new me. Granted, if you visit my recipe blog, not ALL the recipes are low calorie and healthy.  There are plenty that are not.  But I tried to pick the better ones to put on my weight loss blog. 

Now, my eating is changing. I'm trying to go wheat free or at least to cut WAY back on it. So the loss of my beloved flour tortillas has been the most difficult of changes. But I'm getting over it. It's only a tortilla! I've been eating some corn tortillas or just putting the nummy filling over lettuce or eating it plain.  It works, I'm happy. I'm not depriving myself of anything. 

So anyways, moral of the long winded story.  Part of me wants to take off the recipes, as I don't want to tempt anyone into overeating or indulging or to set off a trigger in you if you see a wrap or a mexican lasagna.  My goal is to help, not hurt. On the OTHER HAND, my goal in setting up the blog was to let people know that dieting isn't all about grilled chicken and salads.  We can enjoy awesome, simple meals that are healthy, hearty, filling and low calorie.  I get that this doesn't work for everyone.  It did for me. (at first at least until I got confident and stupid but that's another story.)

So you decide, should the recipes go?  Or stay?  Should I cut back?  Any ideas?  Give me your honest opinion, I won't get insulted or get offended easily.  :-)

Christmas Dress Challenge

Okay, I'm committed again.  Another challenge. It's going to happen. It just has to happen.  No, I have to make it happen.  It is Day 1 for me in the Christmas Dress Challenge. Interesting challenge for me as I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I favor dresses. On me that is.  I've always been a hard fit for dresses, big on the bottom but smaller on top.  So no dress for me. However, I do have this jacket. 

Funny story with this jacket.  It's like nothing I've every worn. I got it from a friend who was going to donate it. It was in sorry shape, filthy. I washed it up and it came clean and is super soft and pretty and just different.  It might seem strange that I want to fit into this used, previously uncared for jacket but it's so UNLIKE me, that I just want to wear it.  Well, I want to FIT into it.  Who knows, maybe I won't even like it as much or use it but I've just had in my mind for the last couple of years that THIS would be the year that I would fit into this jacket.

 

And there it sits.  In the closet. Well, this is my end of the year goal. To fit well in this jacket. As you can see, it's a bit tight around the shoulders and for sure would never close.  I look like I am pregnant!

Last spring I was slightly closer to fitting into it.  One bad summer and I'm now 15 lbs. FURTHER away from fitting into the jacket.  I THINK that if I can get under 200 lbs., I'll have a shot at it. I don't know.  We'll see.

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So here are my DO IT's from the challenge rules.  Here are my goals for each.

1. Weight - Challenge runs September 11 - December 18.  14 weeks. My goal is to lose 1 1/2 lbs. a week for a total of 21 lbs.  This will bring me RIGHT to 200 as today I weigh 221.  Then by the end of the year, my goal is to be under 200 forever. 

2.  Calories - I've been hit or miss on tracking. I tend to start at the beginning of the day and then just sorta, kinda but not really estimate at the end.  Or just say screw it and not do it at all.  Well, I'm planning to see more hits, than misses.  My goal is not to exceed 11,000 calories per week.  This works out to 1571 per day.  I KNOW I can do this. I know I can go under this.  But I found that if my goal is 1200 and I hit 1600 instead, I feel like an utter failure and start downspiraling into a jar of peanut butter or something.  So if I up the goal a bit, my thoughts are that I'll be extra happy when I hit 1200 - 1300 and not be so depressed if I hit 1600 or 1700 occasionally. Yea, it's a mind trick.  Let's just hope it will work!

3. Exercise - I just joined Brad's 100 Days to Run a 5K challenge.  We're only in week 2 and it's going well so far.  So I'll be running/walking 3 days a week. I'll give a short update weekly with how this is going.  I also have a strength training class on Monday's, I'm signing up for the fall session this Monday.  Plus I usually do weights during the week.  I've also been using my Fitbit to track my steps and I'm aiming for 70,000 steps a week.

4.  Water - Water has been going well. It's like second nature to me now.  I drink all the time and pee all the time.  I usually have at least 6 to 7 - 16 oz. glasses of water.   It's usually when I lose focus or when the routine is interrupted for the week that this fails.  Focus, focus, focus. 

5.  Book - At the suggestion of Mir, I bought the book Wheat Belly.  I've been toying with the whole gluten free idea but basically thought that with the exception of Celiac diagnosed people, that it was a fad.  I'm realizing the facts behind it and I'm only about 1/4 way through the book but it MAKES SENSE.  In a nutshell the wheat we eat now is NOT the same wheat that grandma baked bread with and it's causing a lot of problems.  We're slowly phasing out wheat.  It's not going to be an overnight process but the family is on board and it's going to be interesting.  I'll keep you updated on the book.  I also have another book on a completely different topic waiting at the library that I might want to share and review. 

Blogger is still being weird about me commenting.  Some blogs I can comment on and others I can't.  I used to be able to comment on Mir's blog and now it won't let me sign in.  I might take Mir's advice and just switch this to Wordpress.  Maybe that will help.