2003-2004 body for life journal

[littleducksmom]

i am needing a bit more motivation..........so i am gonna start posting to this wonderful board......i love that we all have disney in common, as my trips to wdw have been a big motivating factor in my wt loss story......since walking around at 255# last year at wdw was not very attractive or healthy. the culmination of this new life i am leading will be running the half marathon at wdw in jan 2005.

here's my story:

started body for life on 12/23/02..........it is a truly great program, and would recommend to everyone. i have lost 66 pounds on it..........i have stalled out on it since sept, not because the program doesnt work, but because i really needed a change, and i wasnt giving the program my all. in the process i have gained back 6 pounds of the 66.

i started reading up on low carb diets and determined that i could jump start my wt loss again and reduce my bodyfat further with atkins.........not truly thinking it would work so well........but it has been wonderful so far. i can see the fat melting off of me,literally. i am on the induction phase ....and totally not feeling bad at all........i really i am quite happy with how things are going, even tho i haven't weighed yet to see how much i have lost in the last 4 days. i only weigh once per week.

i workout using the body for life program still........but follow the atkins diet. i also am adding more cardio as i really love to run. i run at least one 5 mile run a week.

here are my stats:
6'1"..........yep, i am one tall kewl drink of water-type girl

wt.............255#/195#/170#

size.........22/12/8-10

bodyfat.........44%/22%/15%

goals by feb 1:

1)lose 30# fat, gain 5# muscle
2)wear size 10 jeans very comfortably
3)weigh 180# by jan 1

i am so very psyched cuz i wanna be wearing a bikini next summer at the old age of 40..........and ya know what?..... i will be!!!!!!!!!!!.......woohoo!!!!!!

thanks for taking to the time to read this..........and here we go!

deb

 

[ZerasPride]

Just wanted to say hi and let you know that I read your first post. I'm doing South Beach which is similar to Atkins and I'm on my second week. I have had very good success with low/good carb eating and I'm sure you will too. This is a great place to get encouragement and support. I look forward to reading your future posts. We can all do this together!

 

[littleducksmom]

diet:
2100 cals
17 carbs

water:
5l

exercise:
ubwo
10" xt
20"bike
2 mi walk

comments: great day today. still feeling great. will fatigue hit or not? wonder if 2100 cals is too much to lose on?......we'll see. tried breyers lc choc ice cream.........wonderful.

tomorrow's goals:
1)20" hiit run on treadmill, followed by another 2 miles running on track, bike 10"
2) cont. less than 20 carbs/day
3)5l water minimum
4)encourage hubby with his wt loss goals and compliment at least one person at the gym
5)do not eat after 6pm

lisa........wow! girl i am so impressed with your 11.5# wt loss....you are doing something right. thanks for posting, i appreciate your welcoming thoughts. i'll be watching how you do......very inspiring!!

 

[DoeWDW]

Hi Deb!

I've just read your journal. You seem very committed! I'm impressed with how much you've lost so far on Body for Life. I don't know much about that plan but it must work!! I also eat low-carb.

I'm also impressed with anyone who can run 5 miles!! WOW!! I've been thinking about training for the WDW half-marathon but haven't quite decided if it's the right thing for me. I would walk it for the most part and it's hard to keep up a 16 minute mile pace when walking 13+ miles. Keep up that great exercise routine!!

Have a great day, Deb!!

 

[ZerasPride]

Your exercise routine is wonderful! Wow! I wish I could spend that type of time working out. I can barely last the 30 minutes on my exercise bike. I watch music videos and hope for one or two of the cardio songs to come on to get my little feet to moving a bit faster. You say you're impressed with me, well I am equally impressed with you! Go girl!

I wondered if I would experience the fatigue and other symptoms from carb withdrawals. Yep, I did. But I feel so good now. So it was definitely worth it. Keep up the great work. I'm sure you will love eating low carb. I do. Even when I'm off the first Phase of my program, I don't intend to add back a bunch of carb-filled foods. I just don't want them anymore. I honestly don't miss the bread, rice and potatos. Ice cream is another story so thanks for the tip about the Breyers lc chocolate. I'll have to try it.

 

[littleducksmom]

diet:
1210 cals
13 carbs

water:
3l

exercise:
20" hiit treadmill run
1 mile run
1 mile walk
10" bike
wrestled 3 year old for 2 hours at basketball game

comments:
great day but a bit grumpy with the boys tonite.......can i blame this on atkins?.......sure, why not. i can still feel the fat coming off.......not weighing til sunday.

tomorrow's goals:
1)drink that water, at least 5l
2)cont. less than 20 carbs
3)lbwo, abs-300 reps, 10"xt, 10" recumb bike
4)say hi to everyone and keep that smile on my face
5)no eating after 6pm

hi back at ya doreen ! you bet i am committed.....thanks for noticing that, i can tell you guys are gonna help me keep it that way. you are more than welcome to join me at wdw next jan......i promise ya i'll be there. i bet ya could keep up that pace walking pretty easily if you work up to it. i walk a 12 min mile(long legs help a bit with this, i guess)..you can do it to! let's go!!!!!!!

lisa, can you listen to music that you really like all the time by making your own cd or mp3?........it makes a huge difference to me. turn on your tunes and then put closed captioning on the tv and watch something. i definitely think i am somewhat addicted to exercise at this point........it really drives me crazy if i cant do something everyday. this may not be a good thing.....but hey i still have those pounds to get off me........so i aint worried about it right now. i think my grumpiness tonite was related to the diet and by allowing too much time between meals. i am doing this diet by eating every 2 hours, eating 200-300 cals per meal. i eat 5-6 meals per day. this part of this diet is very much like the body for life plan. i like this way of eating and will continue eating this way for the rest of my life most likely. i will continue to vouch for that breyer's lc ice cream and the atkins peanut butter cups......who needs sugar when these are so darn good!!!!!!!btw........how long are you gonna stay on induction?

 

[Strings]

All I can say is Wow. You are very committed, and I know you're going to succeed. Keep up the goo work. You're an inspiration.

 

[ZerasPride]

I'm coming off Phase I at the end of the week. I'm not adding a lot of stuff back into my diet though. I do miss my dairy - woman cannot live by string cheese sticks alone - so I plan to eat fruit cup yogurt and some ff jello pudding. DH and are also adding back oatmeal and fruit and I'll probably alternate breakfasts of bacon and eggs with the oatmeal and ocassional bowls of bran cereal.

Oh, and I'll definitely be picking up some that ice cream.

I used to listen to my CDs in the morning and I've gotten away from that. Thanks for reminding me. I like the idea of listening to my music and turning the volume down on the tv. When the music videos get too much for me (sexual and/or violent content) I usually turn on the weather channel. I know that's weird but it reminds me of being at Hilton Head (long story). Anyway, keep up the good work! We are all here rooting for you!

 

[littleducksmom]

diet:
2400 cals
<20 carbs

water:
3l

exercise:
lbwo
abs x 175 reps
xt 10"
bike 10"

comments on yesterday: first snow day for boys. ate too much, but still kept the carbs low.still feel full this a.m... made xmas cookies and absolutely did not eat one bite of dough or cookie........motivated by the fact i dont wanna knock myself out of ketosis after a week of low carb eating.....hey, whatever it takes

today's goals:
1)5l of water........no less!
2)keep cals closer to 1500
3)abs x 125 reps(need to make up diff. from yest), cardio day-20 min hiit incline walk on treadmill, 2 mi walk/run, 20 min bike-hill
4)try again to not eat after 6....this is tough
5)smile

strings: thanks for your comments.......i have really worked hard this year, but i am not done yet. i'll be following how you do too........sounds like you are ready for a change, it really is a mindset thing and nothing else........let's go girl.......we can do this!

lisa: about how many carbs are you gonna be adding? that ice cream is..yummy!!!!!!! i tried a piece of russell stover choc/almond candy yesterday and it was good too, altho it had a funny too sweet taste.....but would work if i was really craving chocolate. each piece is 0.2 grams carbs. i hope you werent stuck in your room at hh watching the weather channel........

let's have one super day today!!!!

 

[ZerasPride]

Littleducksmom - the think I like best about South Beach is there's no counting carbs, measuring foods or portion size requirement. I actually have no idea how many carbs I'm eating. Going into Phase II, Dr. A. encourages you to add back carbs slowly. Like one piece of fruit per day and if you are going to eat bread it should be whole grain bread, once a day and not to overdue the sweets. Currently, we are allowed 75 calories from chocolate and that's why I usually end my day with a ff fudgesicle. The theory is if you are adding back carbs and notice you stall or are not losing weight at all then you have added back too many carbs and you should cut down.

I'm definitely taking this at a slow pace - it's almost like I'm scared to add back the carbs but I know I have to go to the next phase so on I go. In talking to my husband last night about the different food choices for Phase II, I told him about your recommendation of the ice cream and he wants me to be sure to add it to our grocery shopping list for next week.

Keep up the great work! We can do this together!

 

[LAinSEA]

and your exercise program. How do you find the time to get it all in?

Yes - I think eating low-carb is definitely diminishing my appetite...in fact DH was a little put off last night when I brought my meal home half eaten and only would taste his latest creation - crab stuffed mushrooms (very yummy BTW).

Keep up the great work, your goal is within your reach!

-Laurie

 

[littleducksmom]

diet:
1600 cals
<20 carbs

water:
3.5l w/1l still tonite

exercise:
40" hiit incline treadmill
20" bike
150 ab reps

comments: checking in early as i am not going to eat after 6pm. burned 808 cals cardio today.....incline walking burns a lot of cals. decorated xmas cookies-didnt take one lick of icing.

tomorrow's goals:
1)less than 20 carbs and 1800 cals
2)water - 5l
3)ubwo, 10"xt,10"bike
4)help a stranger
5)smile

lisa:thanks for checkin in on me again.......you are wonderful.

laurie: membership at the y provides me 2 hours of free daycare every weekday morning .........i have taken full advantage of this service......and am thankful there is such a great girl taking care of my 3 yo almost everyday......without her i would still be where i was last year at this time. those stuffed mushrooms sound deelish.....mmmmm.

 

[littleducksmom]

first off, i have to tell ya i have stopped atkins induction. i just was feeling so drained the last 2 days. yes, the fatigue did hit on day 10, and i felt like i was eating so much fat.......ugh!i really was feeling so sick from all the fat i was eating. i felt like i had a coating of fat in the roof of my mouth all the time.........so much so that i decided to go back to the body for life program and really concentrating on complex carbs. i know this program works for me, but with the added knowledge of watching what types of carbs are best, i am remotivated with bfl. i am gonna keep an eye on how many carbs i am eating tho for awhile just to see........

diet:
back to bfl today
burned out already on atkins........i am really impressed ya all that can do this........i didnt realize how hard it was until i started feeling so drained.........have a feeling south beach would be better for me...if........

water:
2l...i think this an all time low for me

exercise:
none today........snowed in this morning. will work out tomorrow tho by running 5 miles

more comments: i hope i dont disappoint all you atkins gals. i know what has worked for me..........and i just need to give bfl another chance, i hope you understand. i do think these days of atkins have jumpstarted my wt loss again.....we'll see tomorrow when i do my measurements and weigh for the first time in 2 weeks. i can tell i have lost.....but how much?.......

oooooh and my hubby went shopping with me at the sporting goods store and i bought a size large nike winter jogging suit......so totally cute. i tried the xl and it was a bit loose, the large was just a tad snugger than i would normally buy.....but heck i thought why not get the large and it will be fitting perfectly by our trip to okw in mid jan.......i am still so motivated!!!!!!! 5 weeks til our next trip.......woohoo!!!!!

tomorrow's goals
diet: free day.......moderately indulge, do not go overboard

water: 4l.......no less

exercise: run up to 5 miles at y.......consider walk in the snow with my new nike suit on after church.

deb

 

[Strings]

Everyone is different. Do what is right for you, and that is what will work. The key is to stick with it. BFL works for you. Be proud of yourself for going back to it. Lots of people who get frustrated with atkins go back to their old habits. Keep up the good work.

 

[littleducksmom]

diet: free day.....love them!!!!!!!

exercise:
since i took yesterday off due to snow, i worked out this afternoon, not in the mood to run 5 miles indoors on the track:
20" incline walk
10"xt
10" bike
1 mile run-8:42"

water:
1l.....very very poor for me

tomorrow's goals:
diet: back to bfl with complex carbs only
exercise: lbwo, 10" xt, 10" bike
water: 4l

comments...........love my new nike workout suit.......i feel like one of those cute little aerobics instructors in it...... on to week 6 of bfl!!

oh yea..duh!........i forgot to add that i have lost 3 pounds and 4.5 inches in the last 10 days.....lost the most in my lower ab/hip area....thanks to atkins, i believe.......too bad i just need a different program.......but i promise to stick to complex carbs this week still.

 

[ZerasPride]

I'm just happy you are sticking with some program. It doesn't matter which one - finding the one that's right for you is the most important thing. I was concerned about my fat intake as well and that's why I chose the South Beach program over Atkins. They are similar in nature but with SB after the initial phase of carb withdrawing, you begin to add the good carbs back to your diet.

Anyway, it sounds like bfl works for you and congratulations on your weight loss! You are doing so well and I enjoy reading your progress.

I bet you do look nice in your new Nike workout suit! You should be proud of yourself so keep it up!!!!

 

[littleducksmom]

lisa......i think that sb would be better for me if i decide to do low low carb again. i was getting tummy upsets from all the fat.

i did kinda figure out how many carbs i get with bfl daily and it comes out to less than 100 daily when i really follow it to a tee..so really compared to the rest of america i really am on a lower carb-type diet....i try to eat the most carbs early in the day and by my last meal i eat only protien.

i am gonna update my entry t'out the day today, since i have time.

diet:......bfl is not about counting cals, etc. i am just interested in the info myself today
1) 4 egg white omelet with 1 tsp of salsa, 1 pc ww toast with 1 tsp all fruit (22 c, 16 p, 230cals)
2)3/4c. refried black beans, 1 garden veggie burger(36c,19p,235cals)
3) tuna with 1t ff mayo, 1 pc ww bread, lettuce, tomato(20c, 37p, 250cals)
4)ditto meal #1
5)eas lc bar (3c,26p,220 cals)

water:
6lx7.....hooray.....keep it up!

exercise:
lbwo.......began new routine for next 5 weeks
abs.......added some new core moves
xt 10"
stairs 10"


feeling great today!!!!!!

goals for tomorrow:
1)bfl goes on...possibly get my 6th meal in
2)water- 6l
3)exercise: cardio.......hiit incline walking, bike, xt, run combo.....to be determined tomorrow
4)get hubby to the gym
5)patience with the kids

 

[ZerasPride]

You are on fire today! You've done so well with your water intake and exercise too. I managed to gulp down 6 12 oz. mugs of water so far so I am taking your advice and "just doing it". Bfl sounds like it works for you, wonderful! We each have to find a program that we can live with. The most important thing is to be here to support each other. So keep up the good work!

 

[Strings]

Fabulous job on the water consumption and exercise. You are definately motivated. congrats on the wt/inches lost.

 

[littleducksmom]

havent posted since monday........ugh!.....but have totally been sticking to bfl.......no problems this week. tomorrow is my free day at my mom's xmas dinner, but i am gonna take it easy as i have to go for yearly checkup on monday and want to weigh-in at a good weight......last year on my checkup i was 250........this year i cant wait to step on the scales....hehehe. next tuesday marks my 1 year anniversary of my new lifestyle........i never imagined that i really could do something like this for a full year........amazing!

diet:........sticking to bfl....probably wont post meals as i am winging it today and will be making more xmas goodies for mom's tomorrow........i promise myself that i will continue with not tasting things this holiday season.......i have had this stuff before and know what it taste like.......no excuses for me!

exercise:........working out this afternoon......i usually workout in the a.m.
ubwo
10"xt
20" incline walk

water:
1l already

goals today:
1)drink 6l of water
2)stick with bfl diet
3)have a great workout this afternoon.......reach a 10!
4)call my friend who is at wdw now....woohoo! only 4 more weeks for me too!!!!

deb