C25K Week 1, Day 1 Mastered

Well so it begins..... in fact it should have already begun... but let's not dwell on the past now.

I was watching Biggest Loser last night and I was moved. If anyone else is following the show you'll know that Elizabeth has made it to the final 4. She has been passed from week to week, and truthfully.... I don't think that she would've kept it up if she had gone home. She was in the elimination room every week except once! When she got home (in this last episode) she wasn't doing so hot... she was having problems adjusting. Granted I could see that there would be an adjustment period going from Biggest Loser Campus 24/7 to real life..... but she was home a month and still nothing. Jillian made a visit with her and was able to talk a little sense into her. Then 2 weeks later they had the Biggest Loser marathon.... which from what I could tell SHE RAN THE WHOLE THING!!!

At that moment... I was like 'Okay if she could do it.... what's the matter with me?' I've got the heart! I'm lacking the motivation. Then of course I saw this really awesome commercial for GoDaddy.com with Jillian Michaels... and I thought... there is my motivation, I wanna look like her!!! Click Here to see the video on youtube.



I also purchased an audio cd called 'How to get what you want' by Zig Ziglar. It was pretty motivating also. I've been listening to that the last 2 days. Zig talks about how he lost weight... and It got me motivated.  Now, I gotta keep me motivated!

I just finished my first C25K session (Couch to 5K) and I feel amazing. And, I'm not in that bad of shape for not exercising in a month 6 weeks. Can't believe it's been that long. But again... we aren't focusing on the past now are we? (That's really not a question, it's a statement...) So here is what it entailed:

Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five-minute cooldown walk.

 

I actually altered it to do 60 seconds speed walk, 60 seconds jogging. I was doing great until about 2/3 of the way... I realized I didn't wrap my ankle... and I had pain shooting up from my ankle almost to my knee. So I walked for 2 minutes, and then I jogged the last 3!!! I did a 20 minute cool down. All while watching biggest loser (again). 

Feeling good. I'm going to take a new set of measurements, write up my food log for the day, and make an awesome salad for dinner. I'm also going to write up my rewards system.... I found something I really want! It's the new Zumba game for PS3.... It looks like to much fun... and a great workout while we are at it! I think I will set that for my goal when I reach 199! More on that tomorrow!

Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy one!

Stay warm for all the my friends out in the cold!

Love Always,

Amberly

I have missed you!

Seriously, I missed blogging. I went on my trip to Arkansas to visit my family and I don't have internet out there (we don't spend enough time at the house to turn it on). I went out a few times to my brothers and used his internet.... but It was a bit slower... and I gave up after the 2nd day. It wasn't until I was on the plane ride home that it suddenly dawned on me that I could write on my iphone and post it.... (yes even though I'd like to think I'm on top of all this technology.... there are times when I flash back to the 20th century....) So on the plane I pulled out my iphone and wrote down my thoughts....

And it goes something like this:

"Well I'm sitting on the plane mid flight on my way back to Florida and I'm just so motivated to get home and get started back into a routine. I didn't get the chance to write this week while I was away due to the fact that I have to go to my brothers or to Starbucks or somewhere with free wifi.

I've been thinking a lot though. I have an aunt that is 300 maybe pushing 350. And as we all have she always says that she has tried everything and nothing will work. She has been approved for the gastric weight loss surgery and will probably go through the procedure in the next couple of months. It amazes me to no end, don't get me wrong I love this women, but I can't stand her habits. See we come from a family that really appreciates buffets.... Now of course it's because there is variety for everyone..... And it is also kinder on the ole pocket when it comes to dishing out the moola. However it has never been a good decision because of the quantity of food. My family eats. And let me tell you it doesn't matter if they are skinny or heavy set.... They can pack it in. In the past year since I've been making over my eating habits I go to these places and I'm amazed at what I use to eat. It's glutenous I tell ya.Well today we ate at a buffet before we left town and I'm just watching my aunt packing it in. And as I said before it really amazes me to no end that she is the way she is. I know people that have gone through the gastric bypass surgery lost an amazing amount of weight..... And then they are on their way back up!! I'm not dissing the surgery, it's a personal decision for everyone. One of the things I dislike about it is that although it is helpful and life changing, I'm seeing more and more people using it as a quick fix and not changing their behaviors. Therefore people never truly treat the real problem and go back to their old life styles. They begin to eat sugar again and eating more than the certain amount of ounces allotted..... Stretching out their already smaller stomach. I'm afraid for her. She's asked me in the past my opinion and I've told her all this, however I'm not sure that it ever sank in. Almost like a kid begging for a new puppy "I promise I'll clean up after it and walk it everyday" .... A month or so later you'll see that the parents have gained new responsibilities. I want the best for my aunt but I hope that she sees the work it's gonna take to keep herself healthy.

My father keeps calling me by her name on accident. I'm really starting to find it offensive. They weren't ever that close.... And so I feel that he does it because he looks at me and sees me fat and he looks at her and sees fat also. It bothers me so much. This has gone on for about a year now. I was thinking the other day "hmm I wonder who he'll confuse me with when I lose more weight, jillian michaels lol"

I've been reading this magazine called 'off the couch' it's an Oxygen Magazine collectors issue. They publish it once a year. This thing has got me motivated. I'm going to write about stuff in it over the next few weeks. I like to keep my posts short and sweet..... Not like a book."

Well... that's where I finished because we were landing. I wanted to post this because it had a lot of deep thoughts. I am really excited and motivated. I will be posting more and more each day out of the magazine... it has inspired deeper thinking and hopefully it will have you, my reader, becoming inspired and motivated as well. 

Other news.... I got sick over the past week and I checked my blood glucose level and it was higher than I would like it to be. Good news.... it dropped from 300 to 170 in a matter of a 6 hours... I'm going to check it again in the morning. I know that being sick, and other monthly pains can cause it to spike.... but I also know that having 1 1/2 cups of rice the night before didn't help either (rice is a 'sugar spiker' for me).





Last thing for the night: My mom and I got to see Dave Ramsey Live (Debt Guru). He came to Orlando at the beginning of November. It was a real treat. So she mastered a plan to go a whole month without shopping (with the exception of grocery shopping... strictly food only.... in fact she usually shops at Target... and she is going to another grocery store that has just groceries so she doesn't have any temptation to buy anything non-food). She was thinking of also cutting out going to restaurants for the whole month. So..... starting tomorrow (Dec 1)... that is what I'm going to do. I think this will help me kick-start my healthy eating and get me on the road to where I need to be. It will also sock my system a bit, and help me focus on the right foods... before I go into the restaurants. In fact.... I eat out way too much. I usually grab lunch and dinner on the run. It's sad I know, and it's something that I have realized is a problem... and it needs to change.

Okay guys.... I will check in tomorrow!
Hope everyone has a healthy and happy Dec 1st!!!
Love Always,
Amberly

Quite the Conundrum

Why is it that when you are doing well and on the right track.... all of a sudden you are faced with a delima.... Like you wake up and go to fix your breakfast and BAM there is a box of doughnuts.... that would NEVER be there if you weren't on the right track.

Well this morning I woke up to this.....

Okay yes this does LOOK healthy.... but my husband just loves to submerge his chicken in sugary bbq sauces. And then I also say this:

This is my husbands traditional Macaroni Pie.... in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.... Can anyone guess how many calories are in this? 

Truth: I woke up to a clean house... and he cooked himself all this food in which he'll eat for the next few days while I'm gone..... It wasn't for me.... but it was really tempting. I'd be lying if I say that I avoided it.... but I ate small portions. But I'm sure that you have all been faced with this type of conundrum.... what do you do...  Its just funny.... (But at least I've got a husbands that cooks... and very well might I add)

I feel smaller today.... which is always good. AND I got my treadmill. It's awesome. I did just a little bit on it to make sure it was in working condition. It's in my living room now... I wanted to put it in my bedroom but I over estimated the size of the machine and it just won't work out. (I spend a lot of time in the bedroom) So noe... I'm gonna have to spend time in the living room. I can go for a run while entertaining right?!?!?! LOL

Tomorrow I have to do about a million things to get ready for my trip... fun stuff.... But I'm definitely gonna do a little running :o)

Hope everyone had a happy and healthy day!
Love Always,
Amber

It's Treadmill buying Season!

So I was wasting some time and looking at all the new gifts at a few stores today when I saw a treadmill. I've been really thinking about buying one because I want to have the ability to run whenever I want... not just during gym hours... and I don't like running at night. So I started searching on craigslist and I couldn't believe how many treadmills were listed... and most peoples ad read something like "Like brand new, bought 8, 9 0r 10 months ago... in great condition hardly used... selling cheap because we need the money for xmas". TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!! So basically these people bought brand new treadmills around January..... (New years resolution time) and probably used them as an expensive coat/clothing rack... and now they can sell them and get some fast money.... and someone like me can get a great bargain.

I'

So as of tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a cool looking treadmill. It's got a lot of great features... including Ipod hook up with surround sound speakers!!!! Do you think that it can make healthy snacks too?
 The other thing that is the coolest feature.... is I can sit it right in front of my TV and watch all my shows... while simultaneously burning calories... NO more watching biggest loser while eating a pint of ice cream lol!! I'm thrilled.

I'm leaving in a couple days to go visit family for a week. I'm really excited.... and I've planned out my exercise regime. I'm also cooking over the next week so I can control ingredients and calories. I'm psyched... lol... that's been my word lately. I've decided that I want to keep working hard and weigh in when I get back. Which will be Monday morning Nov 29th.

I hope everyone is making so great plans for this holiday season. Remember... it's about family not about the food... put food in it's proper position and remember to eat to fuel your body. I always try to remember this... that way when I'm about to make a bad decision.... it really affects me when I ask 'What is this food really doing to my body... helping it or harming it'.

I was watching an episode of Biggest Loser last season and the contestants were visiting the Olympic (village?)... an area where the Olympic athletes were training and they were showing the different foods that the athletes eat. They explained that the different events called for completely different meal plans.... obviously higher calorie meals for athletes that needed more fuel. Then this women athlete start describing her food.... I eat chicken because it's protein and I need it to help repair my muscles after training, and...... she explained everything on her plate.

That had a big impact on me. I eat, not for any rhyme or reason..... I eat because I'm hungry and I usually find whatever I can... or whatever I want. Of course I watch my portions and should be keeping a count on my calories.... but I never thought about it as 'Food is for fuel'..... and your should 'fuel your body'. Breaking it down even further... if you think about putting gas in your car tank when it is low.... you don't stop and ask the car 'What do you feel like having today' ... no... it's simple. Well I want this to be simple without my emotions getting involved. Believe me though... I love food... and taste is such as awesome thing...... But for me these things along with my poor judgement, my need to fill my cravings immediately, and my sometimes failing will power..... has gotten me in this mess. I really do get the meaning of BALANCE now. It's a very tricky thing. So now.... I have started being 'present' when I'm eating or 'conscious' .... I really don't want to eat a meal and think to myself that it must have been about 500 calories.... when it's really 3000..... I want to be responsible and know what I'm doing.... not act like a victim and wonder how I got to be like this.

I'm inspired.... can't you tell?

Well I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy day!
I will check in with the news of my purchase tomorrow!

Love Always,
Amberly

Proud Moments

I am just extremely pysched!!!! It's is Tuesday night (Wednesday early AM). I feel great.... I had to write.
Today I had a soccer game. It was playoffs and unfortunately we lost so we were knocked out. That's it for our season. I hadn't been to the past two games... and I will admit something (between me and you)... I didn't workout an ounce!!! I kind of fell into a deep depression. In fact for some reason I always fall into this depression around October and February. This time though it started when I sprained my ankle.... I tried to stay positive and think to myself that if I continued eating the right way.... then I would be in good shape. Well... I didn't.... I'm tired of talking about me failing. I almost feel like that I always have good intentions... but don't follow through. I hate that. I hate feeling like I'm whining about my problems... and poor me can't lose it. But I'm just tired of it... tired of excuses and reasons.

Okay... that turned a little negative (although true) but that is not the reason that I wanted to write today. So back to the game. I haven't been working out... I'm not in shape... (I couldn't even run 2 laps around the soccer field for warm ups... pathetic) however... the coach put me in a new position and I was continually running... and doing pretty well!!! Of course had I been in better shape I could've done more and been more on my toes.... but out of a 90 minute game I played all but 20 minutes. I felt really good.
All day long I have been eating well. I didn't eat enough... but I ate very well. On the way home from the game I wanted some soup... so I stopped to get some. I really wanted chocolate covered almonds. So I picked some up... and if I would've ate the whole package it would've been 400 calories and 32grams of fat. Now I don't know if any of you have experienced this... but say you have a package of M&Ms .... you can't just eat half of it.... It will bother me until I finish it... I don't know why.... but seriously and when I finish the bag then I'm satisfied and I don't give another thought to it. In fact I've been trying to figure out how to 'trick myself' into thinking that the whole bag is done when really there is only half..... Hasn't worked yet. Well tonight... I ate a few bites so that I had the taste... and I was done!!!!!! For real!!! I put the rest in the fridge. I think that when I looked at the label and actually THOUGHT about what I was eating.... and the fact that I had just exercised.... that's what helped me. Okay that's it for thinking about it because I don't want to end up running to eat it in a few hours.

I'm starting my exercise regime. I really want to be in shape for tryouts. Now, since I'm on the team I will most likely still hold a position on the team however there is no guarantee... and lets just face it..... I want to be in shape and have no one to have cause for concern when we start up again. I'm going to start working out tomorrow. I just need to figure out when. I have to take my car in the morning, then work... hopefully I find sometime in the morning... other wise it's the afternoon/evening baby.

Alright, that's all I got in me for now. I hope everyone is having a healthy and happy one.
Take care of yourselves and try not to get sick this cold season!

Back (again)

Well... Vegas was such a success that I stayed there and just got back.... okay maybe that's a lie.
Let's see... After I got back from Vegas I was feeling pretty on top of the world. I tried out for a club soccer team and when I got back I immediately started practicing with them. We had our first pre-season game the following week. I was pretty proud of myself.... and then about 20 minutes into the game.... I twisted my ankle, heard the cracks.... so I came out of the game for a little while.. Well after about 20 minutes I didn't have any pain and it wasn't swelling so I went back in. A little history, I sprained my ankles so many times it's not even worth the time to count. I've always had week ankles (because I've always been bigger, although I'd like to think it's because I'm a really good aggressive player). So after the game..... we where sitting down taking off our gear and chatting about our game when my ankle started swelling up....Badly.

That weekend I went away with my hubby on a beach retreat weekend and couldn't do a single thing. So I got upset and depressed.... and started eating....

I thought I would only be benched for a week or so.... 7 weeks later I'm able to play in my first game. I was so upset because I was in horrible shape. Some of these girls didn't even know I was on the team, and I came to every game to support the team :o(

So now I am here. 

All 220 pounds of me. 

I didn't gain much weight... (good thing) ..... but I started filling out... and I feel bloated. 

My soccer team has a few more games this season and then they start back in January. I have decided that I need some desperate workout and training. So I am going to work on running a 5K. I'm going to do a couch 2 5K workout plan.

With that I shall leave you and go and read up on all my inspiring friends and see how everyone else's journey is going. I will weigh in tomorrow morning and update my info... and report on my efforts.
Have a healthy and happy day!
~Amberly

A quick update

Well... I am 5 days away from Vegas! It's all actually hitting me now... and it looks like I will be doing laundry and cleaning all weekend long (at least I have a reward at the end!).

I went to the Doctor on Tuesday... and... and... and... I lost more weight :o) I am now 213.6 Whooo... hoo... I'm really psyched. For the longest I couldn't go below 217... I really wanted to be 200 by the time I leave for Vegas... but I will settle for under 210 :o) 

Last year I went to Vegas for a week, and I came back 10 lbs lighter. I had a routine there and I stayed on point with my eating. So that's the plan this time. Every morning I had a mushroom omelet with a little cheese sprinkled on the top. I ate small things through out the day, and I had a nice lovely dinner.

Also last year the week after I returned from Vegas, I lost another 10 pounds... bringing me down to 193. So... whoever is in charge of this weight loss thing.... I want that again... Thank you :o)

I just wanted to check in and let you guys know my good news.
Hope everyone is havin' a healthy and happy one!
More Lata,
Amberly