Day 69

I hurt today. :( My feet and legs hurt. I must have really worked hard today on the treadmill. I did my new normal workout today. I start at about an 8% incline and stay on that until the 50 minute mark at a 4 mph speed. Then I go down to a 5% incline and kick it up to 4.5 mph for 5 minutes. The I do the last 5 minutes or so at a 3% incline and 4 mph until I have burned 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs. It usually takes about 62 minutes to get to that point and I've usually gone about 4.2 miles. I've come a long way in 69 days when it would take me 45 minutes to go 2 miles and I would be out of breath. Everyone is so proud of me. And I am too. :)

Here is what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter (anyone noticing a trend?)

LUNCH:
-s.f. lemonade
-lo-carb tortilla w/salami, cheddar cheese, mayo & mustard

DINNER:
-corned beef w/ mustard
-cabbage w/vinegar
-carrots

Day 68

I lost another pound!!! That brings me up to a grand total of 16 pounds. :) Only 34 more to go. I bet I would have lost even more if it weren't for the pie incident! I started the day off well again today. I got on the treadmill at about 8 am and did my workout for just over an hour. I went 4.25 miles and burned 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs. At that rate I should be burning over 1.5 pounds per week just from exercising alone. I don't think it will be a problem to lose another 4 pounds by the time my Mom gets here in 3 weeks. Pedis here we come!

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-flakes of ham (ground ham w/mayo & mustard) on a lo-carb tortilla
-celery sticks
-s.f. raspberry lemonade

DINNER:
-taco salad from Taco Bell (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, ground beef, beans, rice, salsa & tortilla shell)

Day 67

Today was my last day to make one final push before weigh-day tomorrow. I think I succeeded. I got on the treadmill and started at an 8% incline. Rather than decrease the incline every five minutes I managed to do my entire workout up to 55 minutes at the same incline. Woohoo! I burned a total of 800 calories (according to the treadmill) and 100 grams of carbohydrates. I also went the furthest I have ever gone before at a total of 4.2 miles. It wasn't even hard to do. I think I can manage to do the same every day. I think it will be my new workout. :) Can't wait for weigh-day tomorrow. Hope I lost at least another pound. Wish me luck!

I did well on the diet today. Here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter
-diet Pepsi (I was really tired...needed the caffeine)

LUNCH:
-strawberry spinach salad w/pecans

DINNER:
-country style pork ribs w/sauerkraut
-carrots
-small scoop cheesy mashed potatoes

Day 66

I started the day off on the right foot today. When I woke up I went straight to the treadmill and did my workout. Today I managed to get in a whole hour too! Trying to make up for the "pie incident" of yesterday. I went almost 4 miles, burned something like 670 calories and 88 grams of carbs. I started at an 8% incline and the lowest I got even during my cool-down was 3%. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I think I will aim to do the same tomorrow. Gotta make one last push before Friday's weigh-day.

As for the rest of the day, it went good as well. I was watching my niece and nephew again today. I took them and Emelia to an indoor bounce house. Emelia didn't like it...again. It's understandable though with her gravitational insecurity. At least her cousins had fun and got to burn off a lot of energy. :)

I did well with my diet today. Gotta keep on track because of yesterday's blunder! Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-sliced apple w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-1 chicken nugget
-a couple of fries
-strawberry spinach salad w/pecans

DINNER:
-s.f. lemonade
-smoked sausage
-corn
-cabbage salad

Day 65

I am feeling fat and guilty right now. :( I gave in to temptation after dinner and had a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie AND ice cream. I feel so bad now. I don't know why I did it. I've been doing so good. I hope I still lose weight this week or I am really going to feel like crap. Maybe I'll do some extra time on the treadmill the next few days. That better do the trick. :/

My foot has been bothering me lately. It was hurting a lot on the treadmill today. I still managed to complete my workout though. I went 3.35 miles and burned 545 calories and 68 carbs on my backwards workout. Oh ya, then I stepped on this spiky ball tree nut thing (I have no idea what it is really called or what tree it falls out of) and hurt my foot even more! Aaarrr! Do you just ever have one of those days? I've been having one today. I'm feeling grumpy. Maybe that's why I ate the pie...to try and make myself feel better. Bad bad me, now I only feel worse!

Here is the good and the bad of what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-sliced apple w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-salad w/lettuce, grape tomatoes, cheese, bacon, grilled chicken & ranch dressing from McDonald's
-a few fries

DINNER:
-s.f. lemonade
-1 pork chop
-baked sweet potato w/margarine & cinnamon Splenda
-carrots
-green beans
-1 slice strawberry rhubarb pie w/vanilla ice cream :(

Day 64

Busy day today. Had to watch the niece and nephew this morning for a few hours. Grandpa had his follow-up appointment with his primary care doctor today. Looks like the biopsy came back negative for cancer. That's good news but we still don't know what's wrong with him. There is obviously something going on still. He is very short of breath and can hardly do the things he was doing just a few weeks ago, he doesn't have much of an appetite, he's still in a lot of pain and he's sleeping a lot more than usual. He may not have cancer but I still don't think he is going to make it much longer. :(

Emelia had an appointment with her new nephrologist today. He was much nicer than the other one and I walked away feeling informed, not put down. The only problem I have now is that his advice for treating Emelia totally contradicts what the urologist has told us. So now we've got to figure out whose advice we agree with and who's advice we need to follow. I think I'm leaning more to the urologist but we will continue seeing the nephrologist every few months at least for the next year or so. Thankfully it is not a major problem and we are not talking about life or death decisions here.

I got back on the treadmill today. I did my workout backwards again and I still think I like it better this way. I went 3.3 miles and burned 535 calories. I got back to my diet today too. I am feeling fat right now for some reason though.
:( Hope I didn't gain anything back. There is about half of each pie from yesterday leftover and it is killing me not to have a piece right now. I kind of feel like an addict. One taste of my drug of choice (sugar/carbs) and I am craving more. It's kind of scary to think of it that way but I swear, that's what it's feeling like. I hope I will not give in to temptation! Here is what I have eaten today:

BREAKFAST:
-sliced apple w/peanut butter
-a couple of strawberry slices

LUNCH:
-s.f. raspberry lemonade
-leftover unbreaded chicken Parmesan
-3 deviled eggs
-diet Pepsi

DINNER:
-salad w/ranch
-grilled sausage
-Swiss & cheddar cheese
-tomato slices
-pickle slices
-a few french fries

Day 63: Happy Easter!

Hope everyone out there in cyber land had a Happy Easter. We had a nice day here. Took Emelia to church in the morning. Had an egg hunt this afternoon. Emelia was adorable finding all the eggs and putting them in her basket. I was surprised at how quickly she figured out what to do. I love watching her learn and discover new things. :) The Easter bunny treated Emelia very well this year. Her favorite gift that he brought her was a magnetic drawing board. She LOVES scribbling on that thing! We had a nice dinner tonight too. Wish my blueberry pie had turned out better though...it was soupy. Everything else was very tasty. I felt a little guilty eating carbs but it was cheat day so I have to remind myself that it's OK. I am so full right now I feel as though I've gained all 15 pounds I lost back! I think my stomach is in revolt from all the carbs I ate! Hope I don't feel so bloated tomorrow. I didn't workout either today and I am feeling a little guilty for that as well. Oh well, back to reality tomorrow. I have now completed 9 weeks and tomorrow is the start of week 10. Gotta lose 5 more pounds in the next 4 weeks. Mommy is coming on May 19th. :)

Here's what I ate for Easter Cheat Day:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

SNACK:
-veggies & dip (carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumber, yellow cherry tomatoes & ranch dip)
-1 deviled egg
-diet Pepsi

DINNER:
-ham
-cheese potatoes
-carrots
-asparagus
-strawberry spinach salad w/pecans
-3 deviled eggs
-Parmesan money bread
-1 small slice blueberry pie
-1 small slice strawberry-rhubarb pie
-1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Day 62

Today was an OK day. I spent a lot of the day in a crabby mood but the day ended on a high note. Not really sure why I was crabby. Corey was kind of getting on my nerves because he was being a crabby patty. He has a way of doing that to me sometimes. Anyway, I helped Mom stuff plastic Easter eggs to hide on the yard tomorrow. This is the first year Emelia can hunt for eggs. Should be fun to watch. :) Speaking of hunting, is rhubarb really such an obscure item in the south that it is really necessary to have to go to 4 different stores just to find it? Seriously, Mom and I had to hunt it down. When we finally found it at Fresh Market they had it priced for $4.99/lb! Luckily there was no bar code on the package so the cashier gave it to me for $2.49 total. Hehe! That pie tomorrow better be good is all I gotta say! Later this afternoon we dyed eggs as a family. It was Emelia's first time being able to do that too. She kind of threw her first egg in the dye and got some on her dress to which Corey freaked out. That's what put me in a bad mood. I wish she could just have fun and get messy without him worrying about it. Oh well, can't let it bother me. He is a very good Daddy. :) After that I made my pies for tomorrow. Blueberry and strawberry rhubarb. Can't wait to have a piece of each! I love cheat day! :D As I was saying, the day ended on a high note. My sister-in-law invited me over to play Just Dance 2 so I could have a break from the grumps (not only was Corey grumpy, so was his Dad and Grandpa). I didn't know if I was going to have time to go since I had a few things to prepare for tomorrow. I didn't get a chance to do my workout either. I really wanted to go so I got my stuff done and me and Mom went over there at about 8 pm. I'm glad I did. I had lots of fun and got my exercise in for the day too. We danced for almost 2 hours! I totally suck at it but oh well, I had fun and that's all that matters. I wonder if they have a category on my calculator for 'calories burned while playing Wii Just Dance 2'. Hehe! Maybe I'll just check out dancing. I'm sure it was quite a bit. I'm pretty proud of myself too. Last time I did it I needed my inhaler after just one song. Tonight I didn't need it at all. :) I've come a long way. :) So proud!

Can't wait for tomorrow so I can cheat!!! Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. sweet tea
-lo-carb tortilla w/salami, Swiss, mayo & mustard

DINNER:
-unbreaded chicken Parmesan
-Caesar salad

Day 61: Guess what!!!

Guess what, guess what, guess what!!! I've lost 15 pounds!!! YAY!!! I am so happy/proud/encouraged/motivated etc!!! I don't just think I can make it to 50 pounds, I KNOW I CAN! Could I possibly use any more exclamation marks? Hehe! Yep, there I did. My Mom is coming to visit in 4 weeks and I hope to make it to 20 pounds lost by then so that I can share my reward, a spa pedicure, with her. That's my next mini goal. To lose at least 5 more pounds by the time she gets here. I'm so looking forward to my spa pedi. My feet are looking so dull. It's definitely flip flop weather here already. I mean, I have been wearing them for like the past 2 months already, but we're only April and today was 89 degrees out. Looks like we're in for a scorcher this summer. Blah! Don't think I'll be putting the flip flops away anytime soon.

I remembered to try doing my workout in reverse today. After warming up I started at a 7% incline and then worked my way back down. I think I actually like it better that way. I get all the hard work done first and then it just feels like a relief every time I get to go down another notch whereas before I would be dreading having to go up. I actually burned more calories today, 535, according to the treadmill. That's 10 more than yesterday. I don't think I've mentioned it before but the treadmill also calculates carbs expended. Today I burned almost 68 grams of carbs. I wonder if I even eat that many in a day. Speaking of eating, here's what I had today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter (I'm kind of addicted right now)

LUNCH:
-leftover burrito bowl (refried beans, scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese & salsa)
-s.f. raspberry lemonade

DINNER:
-7 layer salad (iceberg, peas, cheddar, red onions, bacon, hard boiled egg & dressing)
-3 chicken tenders from Cane's (I scraped some of the breading off)

Day 60

People are actually reading my blog! Wow, I can't believe someone is actually interested in what I have to say. Hello out there readers!!! Thank you for listening to what I have to say about this journey of mine. :) Maybe someday I will inspire someone else to start a weight-loss journey of their own. Please let me know if I do! I'd love to hear from someone. :)

Anywhoo, not much going on today. Emelia had physical therapy. Her PT is so pleased with her progress that she says she cannot validate coming every week and she will now only see her every 3 weeks just to check up on her. I am so proud of my little Peanut and so pleased with the therapy she has received. She has come so far in such a short amount of time. :) As much as I am sad to not see the therapist every week (Emelia really likes her, and she really likes Emelia) there are a lot more babies out there that need the help more than her at this point. I am so grateful that her issues were so minor in comparison to some children. Thank you God!

Other than that, pretty much all I did today was my workout. I forgot that I was going to start at a high incline and work my way back down, so I just did the usual. I'm getting up to 7% incline and burning 525 calories according to the treadmill. Can't wait for weigh-day tomorrow! I'm starting to feel lighter. :) We shall see what the numbers say.

I've been doing well on my diet. Gotta keep in check since Sunday, Easter, is going to be cheat day. Hey, it's a holiday! Cheating once a month isn't too bad. I don't think I'll go too crazy but I am making strawberry rhubarb pie and blueberry pie and I would like to have a piece of each with ice cream. Hehe, I'll always have a sweet tooth, dieting or not! Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-sliced apple w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. raspberry lemonade
-leftover spaghetti w/meat sauce over spaghetti squash

DINNER:
-breakfast burritos (2 small lo-carb tortillas, refried beans, scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese & salsa)

Day 59

Today was another busy day. I took Emelia to Lowe's to buy some plants for Mom for Easter. We were there for quite some time picking out lots of goodies. Along with the flowers for Mom, I also got another cherry tomato plant, basil, cilantro, 2 red pepper plants, a chocolate pepper plant and 2 cucumber plants. Like I said in another post, I am getting quite an itch to grow my own veggies. I've already got about a dozen Roma tomatoes growing on one plant and another 8 on the other regular tomato plant. It feels very rewarding to grow my own food. Maybe someday when we have our own place I will have a real garden, not just pots, where I can grow lots of different things. Anyway, back to my day. After Emelia went down for her nap I spent almost 2 hours outside planting everything. I didn't get a chance to do my workout today, but I checked my calories burned calculator and for the hour and 45 minutes I spent gardening, I burned about 700 calories. That's about what I would have burned on the treadmill so I'm happy. My legs are hurting so I must have been doing something!

Still doing well with my diet. Mom tried to tempt me with Red Mango frozen yogurt for dessert but I resisted. Here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-sliced apple w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. raspberry lemonade
-small lo-carb tortilla w/ham, pepper jack cheese, mustard & mayo

DINNER:
-spaghetti with meat sauce over spaghetti squash

Day 58

Oh boy, what a day! I was planning on waking up early to do my workout and shower before Emelia woke up (because I knew I had a busy day ahead) but I didn't plan on waking up as early as 6:20 am. Dad came knocking at our door at that time to let us know that Corey's car had been broken into. Why is it always us? They ripped the stereo out, got his sunglasses, phone charger and some parts to an engine hoist. All together only about $200 worth of stuff...hardly seems worth it. We had to replace the driver's side window and part of the dash. It sucks that our insurance deductible is $500...not even worth reporting it to them. And the police were no help. They said that the couldn't get prints off the outside of the car because it was wet from dew. Understandable. Then they said that it was too hard to lift prints of the dash because of the material. Sounds like another way of saying they didn't care/were too lazy to try. Guess another bad guy gets away with committing a crime. Schmucks! Why do people do that? Makes me so angry!!!

Anywhoo, enough of my vent. After everything else I had to get done today, I finally was able to get on the treadmill at 8 pm. It was a good workout. I got up to a 7% incline. I forget how far I went. It's less than when I'm jogging, obviously. I burned 521 calories. While I am quite positive that I am burning more than that, even if I only burn as much as the treadmill says then I am on track to lose a pound per week just from exercise alone. Woohoo! I think I'm liking this new walking on an incline thing. :) I wonder how it would be if I started high and worked my way back down? It might be easier that way. Maybe I'll try it that way tomorrow.

The diet went so so today. I did well for breakfast and lunch but dinner was a little iffy. Here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda
-1 1/2 cheese sticks
-Coke Zero

LUNCH:
-small lo-carb tortilla w/turkey, pepper jack cheese & mayo
-s.f. raspberry lemonade

DINNER:
-southwest salad from McDonald's (lettuce, black beans, corn, cheese, tortilla strips, breaded chicken breast & southwest dressing)
-a few french fries
-apple slices w/peanut butter

Day 57

Today was another average day. Didn't do too much. Grandpa's procedure was postponed until tomorrow because his Coumadin levels were still too high. Hopefully they will be able to proceed as scheduled tomorrow. I know he's wanting to get home.

I worked out today as usual. I got up to a 7% incline today. I burned 527 calories too. :) I hope I'm still losing as well as I was when I was jogging. We'll see on weigh-day.

Oh well, like I said, not a very exciting day. Not much else to say. Here is what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-lo-carb tortilla w/ham, mozzarella, mayo & mustard

DINNER:
-s.f. pink lemonade
-leftover Greek salad
-roast beef in au jus w/creamy horseradish mayo
-1/4 of an oatmeal raisin granola bar

Day 56: 8 Weeks!

I have now completed 8 weeks of my journey. Yay me! I can't believe how far I've come. :) It hasn't been all that hard either. It's just become part of my life to eat better and exercise daily. I foresee no problems in being able to continue until I reach my goal. :)

Besides reaching 8 weeks, today wasn't really a very exciting day. About all I did today was get some groceries. Of course I worked out. I walked at a 4 mph pace, raising the incline 0.5% every five minutes until I reached 6%. I think tomorrow I'm gonna start higher so I can get to a higher incline in the end. We went to see Grandpa after dinner tonight. We didn't stay long because they gave him some medication to help him sleep and he was fading fast. Tomorrow is the day he is having his biopsy and we will get the results on Tuesday. I hope everything goes well. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Still going strong on my diet. Corey wanted an ice cream for dessert on the way home from the hospital but I was a good girl and resisted the temptation to have one. :) Here is what I did have today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-1 apple

LUNCH:
-s.f. pink lemonade
-lo-carb tortilla w/turkey, pepper jack cheese & mayo

DINNER:
-2 lamb chops
-Greek salad w/romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese & oil and vinegar dressing

Day 55

Grandpa is still in the hospital. :( He will most likely be there until at least Tuesday. He is having a biopsy done on Monday to test what the mass on his lung is. Odds are not looking good. I'm feeling very sad about it. While I know that 92 is up there and that he has lived a good life, Grandpa has always been so full of energy it's hard to believe that he may not be with us for a lot longer. I don't want to think about it too much until we have a diagnosis but it is hard. He will be greatly missed when ever his time does come. :(

Anyway, I still need to write about what this blog is all about. I did my workout today. This time I increased the incline every five minutes until I built up to 6.5%. I decided to slow down the pace to 4 mph so I wouldn't have to hold on for dear life. I think it worked out well. The treadmill said I burned 502 calories; just a little less than at the higher speed. Plus we all know I'm actually burning more than that. So, I think I found a good balance. I'll think that's what I will do all this next coming week. See how it goes as far as the weight loss on Friday. If I'm not losing like I need to be I'll kick it up again.

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-1 apple

LUNCH:
-small lo-carb tortilla w/turkey, pepper jack cheese & mayo
-5 pickle slices

DINNER:
-salad w/iceberg, romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, green pepper, 1/4 of an egg, pickled green bean, croutons & ranch dressing
-boiled crawfish w/remoulade
-small piece of potato
-small cob of corn

Day 54

Today was a very bittersweet day. I began the day very excited about losing another 2 pounds bring my total up to 13 pounds lost so far. The day went south from there. Grandpa came to me again and asked me to take him to the hospital because he was having chest pain again. He spent most of the day in the ER where they did a lot of tests and he was finally admitted tonight. Thankfully it was not his heart but it looks like he has some sort of mass on his lung which they are suspecting may be mesothelioma. Not a good diagnosis. We are all hoping and praying that he will be well, but it is hard to remain optimistic given the fact that he is 92 years old. If you are reading this and are of the religious persuasion, please say a prayer for Grandpa. It would mean a lot. Thank you.



It seems silly to be posting what I ate today but as this is the main purpose of this blog, I will continue as usual. Grandpa would want it that way. :) Here is what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-chicken Caesar salad
-caffeine free, diet Coke
-a few forkfuls of macaroni & cheese
-a few bites of cornbread muffin

DINNER:
-salad w/apples, craisins, pecans, chicken & pomegranate dressing (from Wendy's)
-small cup of chili w/cheese

Day 53

Just another regular day here. Had to go get the dogs some food at the vet's. Emelia had physical therapy today. She's doing very well. :) Oh, I talked to my bestest friend Aimee who I haven't talked to in forever. :) Did my workout...50 minutes walking on the treadmill. The treadmill said I burned 527 calories but I did my research and according to my weight I actually burned more like 850 calories! Woohoo! I think I'm going to walk on an incline rather than jog for a lot longer. The only problem I am having is holding on to the handle bar. My shoulder is hurting me and I think it's because of that. It's hard for me to walk that whole time on an incline without holding on to something. The side bars are hard to hold on to. Only the one up front is comfortable but I kind of feel like I'm holding on for dear life! Maybe I need to slow down a little when I'm on the incline until I can catch up. Can't wait for weigh-day tomorrow! Hope I lost more than 1 pound. Wish me luck!

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-1 apple

LUNCH:
-small lo-carb tortilla w/salami, cheddar & mustard
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-leftover Asian chicken salad
-toppings scraped off of 2 slices of pizza (cheese, pepperoni, ham, sausage & mushrooms)

Day 52

Pretty dull day today. I spent most of the day just doing chores...dishes, laundry, picking up my meds, watering the tomatoes, cleaning Emelia's room, putting up a new shelf in Emelia's bookcase, making dinner, Swiffering, etc. I kept busy but it was just random boring things. I did my workout today too. I spent 50 minutes on the treadmill as usual, but I just walked the whole time again. I walked at an incline pretty much the whole time except for the first few and last few minutes. A 5% incline seems pretty good for now. My calves were hurting when I got up this morning so it must be working. I think the treadmill said I burned 545 calories. I'm going to see if I can find a calories burned calculator that calculates walking on a treadmill at an incline. I'll post what I find out!

Here's what I ate today:

LUNCH:
-egg salad on lo-carb tortilla
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-Asian chicken salad w/napa cabbage, iceberg, shredded carrots, green onions, orange pepper, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, shredded chicken breast & Asian sesame-ginger dressing

Day 51

Today was much better than yesterday, workout-wise. I was able to get back on the treadmill. :) I decided to just do some walking at an incline for a few days to try and lessen the impact on my knees. I walked for my entire 50 minute workout, at a pretty decent incline for almost the entire time and I walked at my normal speed of 13 minutes & 20 seconds per mile. At the greatest point I was at a 5% incline. According to the treadmill I burned a total of 537 calories. Corey told me that you actually use more muscles when walking at an incline so that's why you burn more calories. I probably burned even more than the treadmill said since it doesn't take my weight into consideration when it does the calculations. Maybe I should just walk at an incline for a while rather than jog! We'll see...maybe I'll just alternate.

With all my healthy, vegetable eating I'm getting a hankering to grow a vegetable garden. I bought 2 tomato plants last week. I planted the cherry tomato in my Topsy Turvy today but the top half of the plant broke off. :( Hope it still grows. We were at Walmart tonight and I got another tomato plant. This one as well as the other, came already planted in a pot with a tomato cage and they both already have baby tomatoes growing on them. Hopefully I will have better luck than last year. My only 2 tomatoes that grew split open and got mouldy before they even ripened. :( I feel like growing something else too since produce is getting so expensive. Just not sure what or where I could grow anything else. I'll have to figure something out. Anyway, here is what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-salami
-1 cheese stick
-pickles

DINNER:
-blackened shrimp over salad w/remoulade dressing
-a few french fries
-1 hushpuppy

Day 50

Week 8 is not off to such a great start. I haven't worked out today and I don't think I am going to. :( My knees are really hurting me today so it's probably best to give them a break. My sister-in-law (who is a nurse practitioner) said I should probably just do some walking at an incline for a few days instead of jogging. I guess it wouldn't be so bad. At least I'll still be doing some sort of aerobic exercise. I'm not giving up though. Gotta get closer to my goal! :) Went to the OB/GYN today and I weighed 230 pounds on their scale. Usually I weigh more at the doctor's office, not less. Hope that means I lost some more weight. Will know more on Friday's weigh-day. The doctor seemed happy with my plan to lose 50 pounds before we try for another baby. She said the weight loss will help my chances of conceiving naturally too. Fingers crossed!

Did well on the diet today. I saw a website with rainbow cakes and that was making me really want baked goods, but I'll be good and resist. :) Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-1 apple

SNACK:
-honey roasted peanuts

DINNER:
-basa w/pesto
-asparagus w/margarine
-s.f. pink lemonade

Day 49: Seven Weeks!

I have now completed Week 7 of my journey!!! :) So proud of myself. :) Corey told me last night that he is proud of me. :) And Grandpa told me I was doing a good job and it's starting to show. :) Lots of smiley faces. :) Today was another difficult workout. I managed to push through and do 25 minutes of jogging and 25 minutes of walking and went 3.82 miles. I don't know why some days are just more harder than others. Hopefully tomorrow will be an easier day.

I've been doing good at my diet. Here's what I ate today:

LUNCH:
-tuna melt on lo-carb tortilla (tuna w/mayo & melted cheese)
-cucumber
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-caprese salad
-Asian chicken salad from BJ's

Day 48

I'm back in my groove! I'm back to jogging for 30 minutes. Woohoo! I managed to go for a 20 minute stretch followed by two 5 minute stretches. My knees hurt a little still but not as bad as yesterday. Hope I can keep it up tomorrow. I think I also went the farthest I have ever gone today too at 3.92 miles. Maybe I should just forget about mentioning the calories that the treadmill says I burned since I know they are way off for me. Not much else going on today to report. Just a boring Saturday.

Here's what I ate:

LUNCH
-tuna melt on lo-carb tortilla (tuna w/mayo & melted cheese on top)
-cucumber slices
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-hamburger w/cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickle, tomato & red onion
-cantaloupe

Day 47: And another one gone...

...and another one gone. Another one bites the dust! Yep, I lost another pound bringing my grand total now to 11 pounds down, 39 to go! As always I wish it was more but I am proud to be continuing to lose. :) Got back on the treadmill today too. It was my knees killing me today so I only managed to jog for 20 minutes and walk for 30. I still burned 420 calories and went 3.82 miles. Maybe tomorrow I can push harder. Oh ya, Corey fixed the treadmill last night. Yay! I was getting worried what was going to happen if it was broken. It's too icky to go outside! I'm already sweating much more than I like. If we had a pool that would be ideal. I like swimming because you can't tell that you're sweating. Hehe. :) I think I need to look into a Mommy and Me swimming class for me and Emelia. I wonder if she'd like it. She's never been swimming but she likes her baths. Only one way to find out!

I did much better on my diet today. Back on track. Here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-1.5 cheese sticks
-6 slices salami
-grape tomatoes

DINNER:
-ribeye steak
-spinach salad w/strawberries & pecans

Day 46: What a day!

What a day, what a day! Woke up this morning, made breakfast for Emelia and myself, started eating. Then Grandpa lets me know he's having chest pain...yikes! I quickly got dressed and grabbed Emelia and we ran Grandpa over to the cardiologist. THANK GOD, he was OK and nothing was wrong with his heart. Just some muscular pain that the doctor gave him some pain meds for. I am so grateful that he is alright. Emelia needs to have her Great-Grandpapa in her life. We love him so much. :)

Anyway, I got a little behind in my day because of that. Had to go to Walmart to get Grandpa's meds. When we got home Emelia's physical therapist came. Then it was time for lunch and a nap and time for me to start making dinner. By the time I got all that done and sat down I was feeling kinda dizzy and my head was hurting so I went and laid down for a bit. Then it was time for dinner. Then we had to run and get me some Tylenol. Then it was time to put Emelia to bed. Now, here I am sitting here blogging. Needles to say, I didn't get any time to workout today. I guess I could have fit it in if I really wanted to but I'm still a little weary about the jerky motion the treadmill has been making. I had Corey look at it and he says the belt needs to be tightened. He's going to look at it for me and try to fix it. :) Hopefully I will be back on track tomorrow. Maybe I will be able to get back to jogging for a 25 minute stretch now that I've had a day to rest.

The diet went OK today. Maybe a few more carbs than I would have liked again. I did maintain control and didn't go overboard. Hopefully I will have some results to report tomorrow for weigh day. Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-lo-carb tortilla w/salami, cheddar, mayo & mustard
-leftover strawberries

DINNER:
-braised country-style pork ribs
-small amount of cheesy polenta
-carrots
-Madagascar vanilla non-fat frozen yogurt w/strawberries, raspberries, blackberries & mini chocolate chips from Red Mango

Day 45

Boy, my legs are still killing me today! I could not push myself to do 30 minutes of jogging today. I did, however, still manage to do 20 minutes of jogging and 30 minutes of walking. During the walking portion I walked at a 4 degree incline so I did burn more calories in that regard. The treadmill seems to be mixed up though because it said that I burned more calories today, 425, and yet I didn't go as far (only 3.8 miles) and didn't jog as long. Weird. I think there is something wrong with the treadmill anyway. All of a sudden when I'm jogging it will make this jerking motion and scares the crap out of me. I'm afraid one day it's going to just stop while I'm jogging and I'm going to fall forward and smack my face. I hope it doesn't take a dump on me either. I'm really getting into this whole workout thing. :)

I did OK on the diet today. Wish I had done a little better at dinner though. :/ Here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-1 apple

LUNCH:
-small lo-carb tortilla w/salami, swiss & mustard
-grape tomatoes
-s.f. cherry pomegranate drink

DINNER:
-chicken ranch taco salad from Taco Bell
-insides of 3 regular tacos

Day 43 & 44

I didn't get to post an entry yesterday because we had a power failure AND the cable was out. I hate being without my modern amenities! I've been doing well with my workouts the last couple of days. Both yesterday and today I jogged a total of 30 minutes and walked for 20. It's my new usual. Yesterday was a lot easier. I was able to go for a whole 25 minute stretch of jogging. Today was kicking my butt. I did 15 minutes, then 10 and then 5 and I really had to push just to get that done. My legs are killing me right now. I worked hard today on cleaning out our fridge too so that contributed to by legs hurting. Note to self: next time we move and need to leave our fridge in storage for over a year, remind me not to believe my husband when he says he's going to clean up the maple syrup that spilled in the fridge before loading it on the moving truck. What a mess! I had crystallized maple syrup that had become one with the fridge all over the bottom and back side of the fridge and all over the coil of plastic water line. It was a workout in itself just trying to clean that up! Oh well, guess I burned more calories today.

Still be going strong with the diet. Here's what I've been eating the last couple of days:

MONDAY

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-lo-carb tortilla w/salami, mozzarella, mayo & mustard
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-grilled chicken Caesar salad
-s.f. milk chocolate mousse pudding


TUESDAY

LUNCH:
-lo-carb tortilla w/ham, mozzarella, mayo & mustard
-s.f. cherry pomegranate drink

DINNER:
-chicken souvlaki w/tzatziki sauce
-oven roasted veggies w/balsamic vinegar & olive oil (mushrooms, red onion, green pepper & zucchini)

Day 42: 6 weeks done!

Woohoo, I completed 6 weeks of working out today! That's the longest I've ever gone. Oh wait, have I ever worked out before? Not sure...hehe! I celebrated my 6 weeks achievement with yet another workout today. I jogged 30 minutes in 3, 10 minute intervals and damn, did I ever have to push myself to complete that. I think it was because I worked out so late yesterday and didn't rest for 24 hours in between. It was kicking my butt! Oh, and we didn't have the AC on and it was BOILING in Grandpa's room. I was sweating buckets. When I went to get undressed to take a shower there was only a spot maybe 2"x6" on the front of my underwear that was still dry. Eeww! Ya, TMI I guess, sorry! Anyway, I managed to go 3.9 miles in 50 minutes and I burned 411 calories. Oh wait, I checked out an online calculator last night and figured out that by jogging 30 minutes and walking 20, according to my weight I actually burned about 648 calories. :) At that rate I should lose 5.5 pounds per month just from working out alone. Can't wait to see more results!

Here is what I ate today:

LUNCH:
-leftover spaghetti squash w/meat sauce
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-roast pork
-sauerkraut
-carrots

Day 41

Had a busy day of shopping today with Mom and Emelia. Spoiling Emelia of course! We didn't get back until after 4 pm and I was tired so I took a nap. By the time I woke up, made dinner and we ate, I didn't think I was going to be able to fit in a workout today. I said something at dinner to the effect that maybe I wouldn't workout today and Mom was like "No, No, you have to". Haha...I called her the jogging Nazi! So I pushed myself and got on the treadmill at about 8:30 pm. I'm glad I did. I pushed myself farther than ever before. I jogged for a whole 25 minutes straight! I think I could have even gone on a little longer. All together I jogged 30 minutes out of 50 total. Damn, it really wont be long before I'm jogging the entire time (minus warm up and cool down of course)!

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-strawberries w/Splenda

LUNCH:
-salad bar at Jason's Deli (spring mix, grape tomatoes, cucumber, feta, bean salad, eggs, some croutons, lite ranch dressing)
-2 flat bread crackers

SNACK:
-decaf, nonfat, sugar-free, grande caramel frappuccino from Starbucks

DINNER:
-spaghetti squash w/meat sauce

P.S. My newly rediscovered favorite veggie is spaghetti squash. It was so tasty and surprisingly sweet. Might have to fix it again just as a side dish.

Day 40: 10 pounds down!

Yesiree, I have now lost 10 pounds!!! :) I am currently listening to my new Katy Perry CDs that I acquired today as my reward for reaching my first weight loss milestone. :) I am so proud of myself. Ten pounds may not seem like a lot but if you think about it, that's 10 pounds that I would not have lost if I had just been sitting on my ass the past 6 weeks. Heck, I may have even gained some if I wasn't working out. Speaking of workouts, today I managed to jog for a total of 30 minutes, with one stretch lasting for 18 minutes! If you had told me 6 weeks ago that I would have made it to this point this quickly I would have laughed in your face. My next goal is to have lost the next 10 pounds by the week after Mother's Day. That's 6 weeks from now. Maybe along with my spa pedicure I can have some other treatment as part of my Mother's Day gift. :) I'd really like to have lost 40 pounds by Emelia's birthday. I think it's doable...it's not for another 19 weeks. At the very least I think I can make it to 30 pounds. I don't see myself giving up on the diet or exercise any time soon. The payoff is too big and too rewarding to give up now or any time soon.

Here's what I ate today:

LUNCH:
-lo-carb tortilla w/buffalo chicken, swiss, arugula & mayo
-s.f. cherry pomegranate drink

DINNER:
-Mexican Caesar salad (romaine, tomatoes, pepitas, cotija cheese, tortilla strips, Mexican Caesar dressing and carne asada)
-1/4 deli flat bread