Game On!

Okay, SBB... The GAME IS ON! =D Here's my goal...

LOSE: 30 lbs.
BY: November 1, 2009

That gives me just over 3 months. That's 10 lbs a month (approximately). For 2 of those weeks, I'll be in Texas.

I just ate a boatload of kettle corn from the Farmer's Market, and I'm sitting here drinking a Pepsi. That's got to change. I haven't exercised in... how long? That's got to change.

LOTS of things have to change.

So... math again... (I know you probably think I'm crazy with all the math, but it really does help me think through whether my goal is feasible and what I need to do to get there.)

30 lbs = 105,000 calories (sheesh!)
16 weeks to lose 105,000 calories = 6,570 calories per week (approximately)
6,570 weekly calories = 940 daily calories

So... I could keep eating the way that I do and dance for 3 hours a day (Hey! That sounds like fun!) or run at 6.5 mph for 2 hours a day (That sounds HARD...) or walk at 5 mph for 4 hours (That sounds like a couple of movies a day worth of walking) or I could strap Ellie to my back and hike to Lava Lake every day.

OR

I suppose I could reign in what I'm eating and make some better choices there. Quit with the Pepsi (or two) a day habit that's formed since I asked Leif to get me a soda at Costco and he came out with a case of sodas. I meant the $0.55 soda from the food court... I could stop eating the cupcakes I make for Eliana's birthday parties, or at least leave it at one cupcake. I could go back to drinking black coffee and quit with the yummy sugar coffee drink that I love so much, or at least save it for a special occasion.

Okay... back to the math.

My BMT is 1375.
If we assume that I'm eating 2,000 calories a day (well, just for math's sake, let's change that to 1,800), then I can easily drop that to, say 1500, just by keeping track. That saves me 300 calories in eating. At that rate I only need to drop 640 calories a day. Dropping to 1200 calories (my bare minimum amount, but what I always seem to go back to and can easily do) takes me to 440 calories a day.

I can burn 440 calories on the Wii with not too much trouble. That's doable.

So... can I do it every day? That's the question. How do I keep from getting burned out?

30 min. step aerobics would get me almost halfway there.
Hiking with a 10 lb load for an hour would get me there.
2 hours of housework would get me there.
Jogging for 30 minutes would almost get me there.
Jumping rope for 30 minutes would get me close.
Walking 3.5 mph for 45 minutes would get me about halfway there.

SO... I need to make a game plan, I guess. Plan to do something each day, but not necessarily the same thing. =D

Whew! 30 lbs is going to be a stretch.

If I take up running again, and run MWF, that basically takes care of 3 days. If we make a point to hike one day each weekend and I take a pack full of water and other things, that would take care of a day. If I Wii a couple days, and then do aerobics plus walking one day, that could get me through a week.

I just need to do it.

So... here we go, SBB. I'm game.

BRING IT ON.

My sinful indulgence

... just became a little less sinful! =D Here I thought I'd been consuming aspartame in my yummy sugar free jello cups, and I just found out that they are sweetened with Splenda. Hooray!

Still going...

I didn't need my 2nd snack yesterday (and actually, ended up eating the almonds with dinner instead of as an afternoon snack) and I stuck with the diet all day! Whew! I have to admit that I do feel a TON better physically when I am on this diet. It's sort of odd. Really, it makes sense given my blood sugar issues, but I've struggled with them for so long that it's weird to change my diet and have them pretty much just GO AWAY. Anyway...

Today I've had...

Breakfast:
2 eggs
coffee with sugar free creamer

Lunch:
chicken salad wrap

Snack:
2 squares dark chocolate

Dinner:
Tonight is Protocol, so I'll have a fairly regular dinner, but it's Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Carrots, Potatoes, and Cheesecake. The carrots and potatoes are definitely on the no-no list, as is the breading on the chicken, but I will probably eat them anyway for the event. Maybe not all of them, but I'm hoping the fat and protein in the chicken will help balance them out in my bloodstream. We'll see.

 

Struggling with sugar...

I am really struggling with what I can only describe as an addiction to sugar. Cutting out sugar and carbs is hard! I can live without the bread, but it appears that I cannot live without the sweets. I did fine for a week, and then I fell off the wagon for 2 days. And not just a little. So in attempt to hold myself accountable, I am going to record what I eat. At least today. Hopefully tomorrow and the days after that, but one day at a time. =D

I made lunch and dinner ahead today, and I've planned out my snacks, so I'm hoping that will help keep me on track. Afternoon seems to be my worst time. So today...

Breakfast:
*Coffee with sugar free creamer
*2 scrambled eggs

Snack:
*String cheese (1)
*a few bites of chicken salad

Lunch:
*Tomato
*Lettuce (2 Romaine leaves)
*Chicken salad
*8 green olives
*Peas

Afternoon Snack:
*15 almonds
*String cheese (1) - if I need a second snack to tide me until dinner

Dinner:
*Chicken Tortilla Soup (minus the tortilla chips for me)

Dessert:
*?

Maybe I'll have time to make a little more sugar free jello. If not, I can have a couple squares of dark chocolate, and maybe Leif will make coffee to go with it. =D

Almost a week into South Beach

and guess how much weight I've lost so far?

1 lb.

Maybe. That could just be regular old weight fluctuation. *sigh* As far as I can tell I've been following the diet. I had my 2 tiny bites of creme brulee, but that shouldn't make a big difference. I haven't been cheating. I've even been eating vegetables. Have I sabotaged  myself by not counting out the almonds? I eat about a handful in the afternoon, or a bit of peanut butter, but I didn't think I was being excessive with either.

So... we'll see if next week is better. This first phase is supposed to be the big weight loss phase, and then the weight loss continues but is slower in phase 2. I'm not sure how much slower it can get at this rate!

Over the Tapas!

Tonight I had a girls night with some friends. It was wonderful! And, like every good girls night, it included lots of food! We met at Cheryl's house for food and wine to begin with, then we walked downtown for dessert at Over the Tapas! We got a bunch of desserts and we all shared them.

But you know what? I am on the South Beach Diet. No sugar. No carbs.

So I enjoyed a glass of cold water while my friends had wine and food. And then I had 2 cups of coffee and 2 BITES (not the big ones, either!) of lavender creme brulee. It was heavenly! I had a wonderful time with the girls, and we laughed and talked and shared stories... and I didn't feel like I needed to inhale sugar to enjoy the evening!

For once I really didn't feel like I'd missed out. I don't feel bad about the two small bites of creme brulee I had. The first I took part of the sugary crust, but I didn't even do that on the second bite. I just enjoyed the subtle flavor of the dessert without feeling deprived. It was pretty nice. And because I had my coffee to sip on, I didn't even feel the need to take some of the chocolate cake, vanilla almond cake, cheesecake, or berry torte that everyone else was raving about.

Satisfaction. It's a beautiful thing.

(Of course, so is creme brulee and coffee...)

A yummy beverage to satisfy my indulgent sweet tooth....

I picked up some stuff at Rosauers today so that I'd have food  to eat that didn't fall in the carb category. While I was there I found some yummy sounding teas, so I grabbed those too. Expensive, but a nice alternative to juice or wine or any other sugar laden drink. I also picked up some sugar-free Vanilla Caramel Coffee-mate. So here's the uber yummy virtually carb free beverage of choice for this afternoon:

Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut Tea + Vanilla Caramel Creamer.

Pretty much all I have to say is, "Mmmmm...."