Nothing and Everything is Possimpible
You may have noticed that the number on my little weight loss ticker has slowly been getting lower. Yay! I personally am not completely satisfied with the way I’ve been working out, simply because my life is in disarray and exercise just has to be squeezed in when I have the time and energy…wait, isn’t that the case for everyone? Oh, to be a celebrity who’s sole purpose in life is to look amazing.
The key is that I am losing it. The weight, I mean. My sanity was gone long ago. I have been trying to exercise at least four times a week, which is okay I guess. I have also taken the advice of one of you who left the comment about 1200 calories a day. So my goal is to stay under 1200 calories each day (apparently that’s all that Nutrisystem is.) The diet is actually getting easier! I also try to eat a little protein every couple of hours because there is an enzyme in your body that reacts with protein to make your metabolism stay higher…or something scientific like that. I’ll have to ask the hubs again.
So I eat eggs or Special K protein cereal in the morning, eat some plain lunch meat for lunch (sounds gross? No, I like it!) along with a small V8, then I have a Activia yogurt in the afternoon, or a low-calorie protein shake. I try to drink a lot of water throughout the day. I eat a normal sized dinner that is made up of pure foods like lean meat, vegetables, and fruits. I will occasionally make something that is made of whole wheat, like whole wheat pasta or brown rice with quinoa. Sometimes we have salmon, if Sprouts has the farm-raised kind because the wild-caught is way too fishy tasting for me. And then that’s it for food for the day…
…Unless I need to have something sweet, then I will eat one of those Haagen-Daas sorbets that are in the tiny cups and are only 150 calories. They make them so small so you feel like an Amazon and thus more inspired to lose weight.
I’m sure there are better diets out there, but this one is working for me pretty well. I think the thing that helps the most is the protein. It’s also extremely helpful because the majority of my working out right now is weight-lifting related, as muscle burns calories all day long. We don’t own a treadmill and sometimes it’s just a huge pain to schlep my kids to the gym just to run for a half hour. Run outside? Ludacris! I live in Arizona, yo! It’s 100+ degrees in the middle of the night.
Anyway, I tried the bike class last week and almost puked in addition to one very sore rear. Clearly I need to up the cardio. But like I said, I’m not completely satisfied with my workout. What has worked for you?
P.S. Whoever gets the title of the post is my new best friend.
I am so with you on the exercise routine. (the routine that doesn't really exist.) Its difficult because I'd much rather use that time for something more entertaining to me. haha. But I'm trying to at least go to the gym 3 times a week until I catch that exercise bug. haha.
Good luck with your diet! You're doing great!
I go to the local rec center 3-4 times a week in the morning before the hubs goes to work. I do the elliptical for 30 minutes and burn between 300-400 calories. I really like the elliptical; I think it feels like running in slow motion. At home I like to use some of the "10 Minute Solutions" DVD's (I own some and you can watch some instantly on NetFlix) for strength training and toning. You have to be careful with eating under 1200 cal. That might not be enough for you depending on your size. You have to eat enough in the day so that your body doesn't think it's starving and start holding onto fat as a safety measure. My max cal count for the day is 1600. Even if I don't do any exercise I will still lose 1lb/week at that caloric intake.
I live in AZ too and feel your pain! Unless you have the money to pour into the gym, your options are pretty slim in the summer. (especially with this terrible humidity) I usually do Bodies in Motion with Gilad on Fit TV. I love them but I rarely do them in the summer because we can't afford to keep our house cool enough to exercise in!
P.S. Love your blog! I started reading it because of Make It and Love It's post about your puff quilt. I am working on one right now and am almost finished.
I'm not an expert on weight loss, but…I read that you lose the most weight if you combine strength training with cardio. I really liked the Jillian Michael's and the Biggest Loser workout videos because there are different levels of intensity. Also, because you are changing the exercise every few minutes the time passes quite quickly.
Good luck losing weight, I think it's a battle almost every girl faces, especially if she's had ababy or two. But yes, everything is possible and nothing is simple!
I have no comments about excercise or diets but…. I had to let you know that I do get the title to this post and clicked on the post from my reader specifically for that reason!!! Got to love HIMYM. BEST SHOW EVER!
You will notice a world of difference if you start adding cardio to your strength training. Seriously, it's amazing what it will do for you. If you go to exercisetv.tv you can find tons of free work out videos and they are right there on your computer! I have really enjoyed that because I am the type of girl who needs things changed up every now and again to keep me interested in the work outs. Your diet sounds great, keep it up!
I just moved to AZ and can attest to the insane heat! OY! I've just started my exercise "routine" (I'm using that term WAY too loosely). I have to run in the mornings right after I drop my daughter off at Kindergarten. It's bloody hot, but at least I'm doing it, right? Way to go on the weight loss.
Susie…I know, right?!! Love it!
How I Met Your Mother. I knew that even if I wasn't first. 🙂
Barney Stinson. That guys awesome… =) I love that show. =) It's DE (wait for it) lightful! Delightful! I've just started reading your blog! I love all the ideas and I am right there with you on the needing to up my cardio. =) See ya!