I can't tell you how much I weigh today...

... because I don't know. But I DO know that today...

... I started the day with some fruit and vegetable juice. My daughter was the motivator for that one. I woke up and rolled out of bed and she looked at me and asked, "Are you tired, Mommy?" I said, "Yes, but I'm getting up." "Oh. Are you hungry? Do you want to have some... carrot juice?" And that prompted me to start my day off with some fresh juice. Turns out that's a good way to start off if you want to have a good day.

... I recorded my calories today. And I'm on track. I did have a piece of cake at Meg's today, but it was a small one and I recorded the calories and cut back on my bread at dinner accordingly.

... I am emotional. I don't know what my deal is (okay, so I have a pretty good guess it's the same thing it is every month, stupid hormones!) but I just feel like I'm an emotional pendulum. Up and down, side to side... no fun. But I have kept my eating under control and that has helped, because I haven't added the fat cow feeling to my down moments. =D

... I am not going to exercise, because quite honestly my chest is too sore to tolerate such abuse. If I get really ambitious I might walk, but I want to get the kitchen and dining room cleaned up first, because...

... I am going to go to bed with a clean kitchen an dining room. My house has been messy off and on for far too long and it's time for a good long clean streak.

... I am making good progress on my goal of drinking 64 oz of water today. 3 more cups (24 oz) to go, and most of those, I am fairly sure, will be filled with peppermint tea on this snowy day.

Well....

*I weighed in. 122. Ugh. Up another lb.
*I didn't record my calories, though I started out the day fine. Snacking throughout the day did me in. Again, Ugh.
*I did my devotions. Hooray!
*I am making a dent in my to-do list. Hooray!
*I didn't juice today because I was in a hurry to get out the door for Bible Study. Sigh.
*I haven't exercised yet, but I am determined to before I go to bed tonight!

Right now I'm working on the DISHES part of the to-do list. I've got some stuff to hand wash and more than one load for the dishwasher. That's going to take a little doing, but hopefully Leif will be done running by the time I get done and I can get on the treadmill. Otherwise I'll DDR it.

Tomorrow....

It's a little late for today, but TOMORROW I will...

... Weigh in
... Juice
... Record my calories
... Do my devotions
... Exercise
... Make a dent in my to-do list

I have been slacking and it's GOING TO STOP. It's time for a change.

Yeah.....

... it's not going so well. Not eating well, not exercising regularly... up 2 lbs. So much for the 2 lbs I was down last time I posted! 3 weeks and 6 lbs to go... ugh. I need to get my booty into gear, I guess.

Down 2 Lbs!

I weighed in at 119 today!! That's 3 lbs down from a week ago. Hooray!!! I'm pretty excited to be out of the 120's and now I have 4 lbs to lose in the next 5 weeks!

4 lbs = 14000 calories
14000/5 = 2800 calories per week
2800/7 = 400 calories per day
I will burn 150 calories through exercise each day.
400-150 = 250 calories less to eat
I burn 1600 calories a day just by living my sedentary lifestyle.
1600 - 250 = 1350 calories I need to consume per day.

And in reverse....

So... does the reverse math work?
1600+150 = 1750 calories burned in a day
1750-1350 = 400 calories lost each day
I need to lose 400 calories per day to lose the weight by my goal, so yes, it works! Hooray! I love it when math works.

So now I only need to burn 150 calories a day through exercise, which is much easier to maintain! And if I burn more, then I'll just lose it quicker, but I'm not tied to 350 calorie exercise a day. That's wonderful!

Feeling yucky...

Yesterday I felt pretty yucky after my flu shot. So, unfortunately, I didn't get any exercise in. But I didn't get all my calories in, either, so it's probably a wash. I'm feeling better today, so things should be back to normal!

MUFA

So... the MUFA post. I really thought I already wrote one, but I can't find it, so maybe it was just in my head!!

MUFA stands for MonoUnsaturated FAts. Supposedly "good" fats. The rumor is that if you eat a MUFA rich food with every meal (at least 4 each day) it will somehow magically help take the fat off your midsection. I'm skeptical about it, but it really can't hurt I guess. I'm still keeping my calorie levels the same, I'm just making sure to have a MUFA with every meal or snack. There are 5 sources of MUFA:

1. Avocado
2. Nuts and Seeds
3. Dark Chocolate
4. Vegetable Oils
5. Olives

I'm not big on avocado, but it's pretty easy for me to incorporate olives, chocolate chips, nuts, and olive oil into my diet. They're higher calorie foods, so you do have to compensate for them, but for me that pretty much means I just need to eat more vegetables. Not a bad thing!

So that's the scoop on MUFA. I'm giving it a try. Like I said, I'm skeptical (perhaps I should measure my midsection now and 6 weeks from now, as well as other areas to compare?) but so far (in the 2 days I've been doing this) I have noticed that when I eat a MUFA with every meal, the meal tends to stay with me longer and I'm not as hungry as soon. So, if nothing else, it's good for staying power.

I'll keep you updated on how the MUFA diet goes, but that's at least a general overview and enough to keep you in the know of what I mean by MUFA!