Weekly Wednesday Wrap-up

I'm really trying not to make this blog about stats and numbers. I think this journey will provide much more than that if I take the time to reflect on the changes happening in and around me. So I've stayed away from the "here's what I ate today" and "here's what I did today" format in favor of finding a story each day to share with you. I may not always succeed in doing so, but that is the goal anyway.

However, I know if I were reading this I would also want to know a little about the logistics of the diet and training. So I think including those facts once a week might provide a good balance. It will also help me to maintain a good handle on my progress.

So on with the first Weekly Recap:

Diet
Calorie counts: 1251, 1354, 1401, 1495, 1371, 1241, 1307

What's working: Logging my food into the online food diary has been absolutely necessary for me. I have a much better handle on what I'm consuming - not just the calories, but the nutrients I'm getting for those calories. Using a food scale has made the food logging much easier too. It was a pain at first, but once you get into the habit it doesn't take much time at all. Also, looking at the nutrition information for restaurants online before you go out makes it so much easier to make better choices. I actually ate out quite a bit this week and managed to still eat healthy. I had a breakfast burrito at McDonald's one day, a baked potato with chili at Wendy's one day, and a Power Sandwich at Panera Bread yesterday. So its not like I've been sentenced to a life of nothing but meals prepared at home.

Favorite Food Finds: There are a few products I've found at the grocery store that I'm loving! Earthgrains makes these Thin Buns that rock. They are the perfect little vessel to deliver all that lean protein I'm eating and it only costs me 100 calories as opposed to 2 slices of my regular whole wheat bread that adds up to 220. I also like the Fiber One 90 Calorie Bars. They're actually really good! I keep one in the car in case I get tied up somewhere without a healthy option. And this might not appeal to everyone, but I mix 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (loaded with fiber and vitamin A) with a container of vanilla yogurt (I like the Fiber One stuff) and then sprinkle a little bit of cloves in there - its like pumpkin pie....well, kind of. I found the idea online somewhere so I can't take credit. Although, I did add the cloves, so I'll take credit for that. Anyway, I was finding that sometimes I don't get enough fiber and this little concoction always helps me meet the requirements and it keeps me full for a long time.

Struggles: I have to say that I really didn't struggle at all this week as far as the food goes. I think it must be a honeymoon phase or something.

Exercise
Minutes exercised: 420
Miles walked (we'll get to the running later people!): 11

What's working: As much as I hate to say it, I'm starting to really like the Wii Fit. Its not exactly an intense workout, but it keeps me consistent. Plus the games and the competition between my kids is a lot of fun. Squeezing exercise in anywhere I can has become almost a game. Instead of sitting in the car and reading while I was waiting for my daughter at dance class, I just went for a walk. I got a quick little 1 1/2 miles in without anyone even missing me.

DVD I'm Liking: Turbo Jam - Not too dancy, but still fun.

Struggles: Finding the time is certainly the biggest struggle for me. The days I blocked off a certain time to exercise were always the easiest. So I need to plan it out ahead of time for it to actually happen. I've also got some aching muscles. If anyone has some extra cash out there and wants to invest it - I suggest buying some stock in the folks who make ibuprofen 'cause I'll be buying A LOT of that stuff over the next few months!

Pounds Lost Since Last Wednesday: 9.2 pounds!!
Total Pounds Lost: 15 pounds