Feeling really good today! Yesterday I stayed under my calories and kicked up the exercise! Rode on a stationary bike at DeAnn's house for a good 30 minutes (I was sweating by the end, it felt so good!) and then later I went on a bike ride with my brother while pulling my daughter in our bike trailer for another good 30 minutes. I love summer and am going to try to either go walking or go on a bike ride outside as much as possible!

Occasionally I will post some of my facebook "posts" about my exercise. Here is one...

I am back! Last week I took a little "break" with the in-laws in town. I knew we'd be eating out a lot so I tried to eat healthy but let's be honest I didn't keep track of my food and there is a reason for that, lol. I did however do pretty good with exercising, we went to Thanksgiving Point Gardens on Saturday and walked around for hours and then yesterday Chelsie and I went to Salem Pond and walked around the little park for 40 minutes with a pretty good pace. But now I am back to my routine and will start keeping track of my food and STOP eating so much junk! Feels good to be back :)

Week 3

April 22nd-28th

Monday: no exercise
Tuesday: no exercise
Wednesday: no exercise
Thursday: no exercise
Friday: no exercise
Saturday: 90 minutes
Sunday: 40 minutes

Total: 2 days / 2 hours & 10 minutes

Reached total time (minutes) goal, did not reach days per week goal.

Last week was not the best week. Though I did reach my weekly total goal for minutes I only exercised twice the only week. Matt's parents drove out from California so Wednesday - Sunday were spent with them catching up, eating (way too much might I add), and just having fun. I did go swimming with Abby on Thursday which was a little exercise but mostly just playing so I didn't count it. I allowed myself to eat what I wanted but did try to stay within good portion control. It was a good chance for me to realize how much better I feel when I am eating healthy every day and exercising as often as I can. On Sunday Chelsie and I went for a good 40 minute walk around Salem Pond that felt great! She walks a lot faster then me so it was good for me to push myself. Chelsie and I are going to start trying to work out together more often.

Week 2

April 15th-21st

Monday: 40 minutes
Tuesday: 50 minutes
Wednesday: 50 minutes
Thursday: 30 minutes
Friday: no exercise
Saturday: no exercise
Sunday: no exercise

Total: 4 days / 2 hours & 50 minutes

GOAL REACHED!

As for eating I did pretty good this week. During the weekdays I had a protein shake everyday (except Friday) and didn't eat any sugar except on Sweet Sunday (and maybe one sweet on Saturday...I was baking a cake so I had to make sure it tasted good, lol). I kept my goal of not eating after 8pm and drank lots of water through-out the day.

Week 1

Last week was my first official week of eating healthier (or better yet...less) and exercising consistently. I have been keeping track of both on myfitnesspal.com (which I love!) and I did pretty good! Here is my weekly exercise breakdown...

April 8th-14th

Monday: 30 mins (cardio - bicycle)
Tuesday: 10 mins (cardio - stairs & weight-lifting - dumbbells) 
Wednesday: 50 mins (cardio - bicycle / stairs & weight-lifting - dumbbells) 
Thursday: 40 mins (cardio - bicycle / stairs & weight-lifting - dumbbells) 
Friday: 20 mins (cardio - stairs & weight-lifting - dumbbells) 

As for eating I didn't eat after 8pm all week, I drank between 6-8 cups of water everyday, and I only ate sugar on Sunday. Not easy (espeically when they had birthday cake at work) but I honestly haven't felt this good in a long time! Now on to Week 2...

Here we go...

About three years after Matt and I got married I had lost about 20 lbs and reached my all-time lowest weight since probably middle school, lol. Like most newly-weds I had gained a few extra lbs and was determined to lose the weight. I started eating better and less but mostly just exercising like crazy. I worked my butt off and it showed. I felt awesome, clothes fit better then ever before, and I was proud of myself...

May 2009 - My all-time lowest 

About a year and a half later that all changed. I found out I was pregnant with my first child in the summer of 2010 and with any pregnancy I gained weight...a lot of weight. Gaining weight while pregnant is not a bad thing, in fact it's healthy. What's not healthy is eating whatever you want...but hey if you aren't worried about weight why not right? After I had Abby I had every intention on losing all the pregnancy weight and getting back in shape...well let's just say it didn't happen. I tried but to be honest not very hard. I got use to being lazy and though I did loose a little of my pregnancy weight I was still easily 20 lbs heavier then my all-time lowest by the time I got pregnant with Liam in the summer of 2012. I tried to be healthier this time around and exercise more often but that silly little lazy-bug got me again and now that I have had Liam I am more then 30 lbs heavier then my all-time lowest in 2009. 

March 2013 - My all-time heaviest

That's all gonna change! I am determined to get back in shape and feel better abut myself. With help from my cousin DeAnn who is a personal trainer I know I can do it! I know it wont be easy, it will probably be the hardest thing I do, but I know I am capable of extraordinary things. No more sweets every night after dinner, no more eating whatever I want without consequence, no more sitting on my butt when I could be exercising. I have decided to make these healthy choice rules:

1. No more sweets except on 'Sweet Sunday'. Sweets really are my ultimate weakness. I can't stop at one and I give in so easily. When I was at my lowest I made this same rule and stuck by it. I know I can do it again!
2. No eating after 8pm. I do this one for two reasons. The first is that I have always heard that it's really hard for your body to metabolize food late at night and it just sits in your stomach. The second reason is because I am kind of a munch-gut at night. If I make a strict rule to not eat after 8pm then I think I will eat less overall.
3. At least 8 cups of water every day. Drinking water flushes out toxins in your body and you can actually lose more weight. Plus water is 0 calories!
4. Exercise at the minimum of 30 mins, 5 times a week. It's actually been really nice because my cousin DeAnn watches Abby and Liam while I work so when I go to pick them up I exercise for 30 minutes while I wait for Matt. I also try to go for a walk or walk the stairs at my work during my break for extra cardio.
5. Track food on myfitnesspal.com. My cousin referred me to this really cool website where you enter your weight-loss goal and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating every day to reach it. You then enter the food you eat and it will keep track of the calories so you can make sure you don't over or under eat to reach your weight loss goal. You can also enter your exercise which will give you more calories for the day. It's super easy and convenient because I have the app on my phone so wherever I am I can enter my food and exercise and make sure I am staying on target.

Like I said I know it wont be easy but it will be worth it! I will keep this blog updated on how I am doing and hopefully in a few months I will be able to post a new photo of a much healthier and lighter me. :)