May Goals

I have been participating in a 50 day challenge over on MyFitnessPal. I have to exercise and track all of my food every day for 50 days. I'm on day 22 and it is feeling like habit now.

I also joined another challenge to do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in May. I am trying to figure out how to challenge myself to actually complete it. I'm thinking I need a good reward on June 1st. A pedicure should do it.

Goals for May
- Complete 30 DS
- Get into the 180s
- Continue to track all of my food
- Run a mile

That about does it. Happy healthy living!

Super Knitting Pig

A local art supply store also has a side art studio where they do art classes and events. My friends have entered many art pieces into these shows and Mr. Badango and I have attended several.

This time they did an open call for the art show and challenged artists to decorate a pig.

I sat on this idea for awhile, thinking about how I could knit a cozy for the pig. After talking to our friends at dinner last week I finally decided to go get a pig. Once I got it I stripped the paint and then painted it black.

And then a silver coat.

And then proceeded to start knitting and ended with this.

 

I feel like it is an ugly little thing, but then that was kind of the point of this little venture of mine.

Going Down

My weight is down again this week. I have been able to maintain the loss from cutting out carbs and my energy levels are back.

Last Week: 194.2
This Week: 192.7
Difference: -1.5
Pounds to next goal: 2.8

I'm excited about my progress in the past two weeks. My energy levels are through the roof and I find myself fidgeting all the time. I've read that burns extra calories.

In other news, I'm entering an art show. I will be knitting a cozy for a ceramic pig. More information about that later. And pictures.

The 17 (5) Day Diet

Last week I talked about trying The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno.  In concept the plan presented in the book is a great idea.  Cut out all of the sugar and the carbs for 17 days and then start introducing the healthy sugar and carbs during the next 34 days. 

Great concept, I just couldn't follow through on the first 17 days.  It wasn't that I was craving sugar and carbs, I just could not manage to get enough calories into my day, or have a balanced diet.  I was taking a nap every afternoon and my energy was just completely drained. 

By the time that Saturday rolled around I knew that I just couldn't keep it up.  I was enjoying the rapid weight loss (3.3 Pounds), but I was also missing the energy levels from before I started the eating plan.

I am thinking about trying it again next month, and maybe even taking 3-5 days every month to eat only food from the first cycle.  It will help to keep my body moving and motivate me with a big loss every month. 

I guess in summary, if you can make it work for you then do it.  The foods are healthy and his final eating plan in Stage 4 is what maintaining your weight should be all about and is my ultimate goal for how my diet looks.

A day late and 1.6 short

I wasn't sure what to write yesterday and then I got to the end of the day and fell asleep. So since I still don't know what to write, here are my stats.

Last week: 195.8
This week: 194.2
Difference: -1.6
Pounds to next goal: 4.3

As you can see, I hit my goal of under 195. Now I just have to stay under for a week and then I can reward myself. I'm thinking a pedicure.

For now I will just keep moving and making healthy lifestyle choices.

The Great Debate

I have been happy living my healthy lifestyle. I've been somewhat happy with the rate of my weight loss. And I know that it is a lifestyle change and eventually my body will catch up. The thing is, sometimes I get tired of waiting for eventually to happen. I get tired of the fact that it is taking me over two months to lose 5 pounds. I would love it if I was actually losing a pound a week, but I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with whatever weight I am losing, but I wish it was more and I get jealous when other people talk about how fast they have lost their weight.

I also remind myself A LOT that this is a journey and a complete lifestyle change, but when my dad introduced me to The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno I was a little intrigued. The food is basically the same as what I've been eating, just fewer fruits and more veggies which I've been wanting to do anyways. It also cuts out grains for the first 17 days, that part I'm not too enthused about because I feel like those are a necessary part of any diet. I'm also not too enthused about the fact that he discourages any exercise beyond a 17 minute walk every day. I'm going to ignore that bit of advice and exercise as much as my body will allow.

I guess my debate is with myself and why the sudden change and doing something for rapid results. Mr. Badango had the same question tonight when we were discussing what I was cooking for dinner. He told me that I was already eating healthy and he doesn't understand why I am now following another diet plan. I explained to him that this is basically the same diet I have been following, just a little bit more restricted. He didn't get it until I told him that I'm doing it because my parents wanted me to try it.

And maybe that is my answer. I am trying this program because my parents are worried and want to see me be able to drop the weight as quickly as possible. If I can ease their minds a bit by at least trying this diet plan then I will do that. My only hope is that I don't undo any of the hard work I have already been doing. I feel that I am finally at the point that my metabolism is kicking into gear. It would suck to screw it up again.

Moving Down

Last week's weight: 196.2
Current Weight: 195.8
Difference: -0.4

My weight is down and I'm at the lowest weight I have been in a while. And I have been here for almost 5 days or something like that. I am only .9 pounds away from my next mini goal and 3 days from it being two months since I was at my last one. I promised myself a reward for either meeting the goal or spending two months trying to achieve it. I never thought it would actually take me two months to lose 5 pounds but it is. I also don't think I want to cheat myself with a reward before I hit that magic number. I will wait until the scale says 194.9 or less for a week then I will allow myself to start a new knitting project.

I have started to become I involved in the social community at My Fitness Pal and it is helping with my motivation. It helps to have others encouraging me and to encourage others.

Going to Canada

Mr. Badango and I booked our flight to Canada last night. We will be going for a week this summer. I am excited to see a whole other country and to get to meet the rest of his family.

The problem is that reality set in tonight that I won't have access to my cell phone while we are there. That is seven days without Facebook, My Fitness Pal and Ravelry. 7 days without the ability to read the blogs I follow. Needless to say, I'm panicking. And I know how ridiculous it is that I am panicking. It is only 7 days after all. All of those websites will still be there when I get back. I have been aiming toward the healthy lifestyle long enough that a week off of my tracking website won't mean disaster.

I need to shift my focus from the inability to use my phone for all that I do to all of the new experiences I will be enjoying. Maybe this is what I need to help me unplug and focus on the important things in life.

I will miss having google at my fingertips though. I think that is what I will miss the most.

Weight Report

I was down this week. Stats below.

Last week: 197.5
This week: 196.2
Difference: -1.3
Pounds to current goal: 1.3

I don't think this is going to stick through tomorrow. I made a few bad eating decisions when I got home this evening and they may reflect on the scale in the morning. I also added a bit too much salt to dinner tonight.

I will keep trudging forward though and rest in the fact that I am ultimately living the healthy lifestyle I desire. I am exercising and eating healthy. Even my indulgence tonight was a vegetarian Chinese dish, Kung Pao Tofu. And I cut back on what I was planning to eat for dinner because I had eaten the extra food. Of course I should have said no to the tortilla chips Mr. Badango pulled out after dinner. At least those were multi grain.

I'm looking forward to my weigh in next week. Maybe I will hit my goal. That would make me very happy.

Habit

This whole lifestyle change thing is starting to feel like habit. It is a very good feeling.

I have been doing the 21 day program mentioned in the previous post. Mainly I am sticking to the exercise program and borrowing from the eating program. Most of the dinners don't really work for my life, but the breakfasts and lunches do. I don't know if I will be able to keep up with the exercise routine once the 21 days are up, but that will have to be decided at that time.

I am also uncertain of whether or not my weigh in will reflect my hard work tomorrow. I kind of had a bad eating day this past weekend and my weight was up a bit today. Only time will tell.