Lin's Motivated for Me Fitness Journal ~ Comments welcome!

[Linzybrooke]

Hey fellow WISHers! Way back in the day when I first joined the Dis I signed up for WISH and just like most diets and plans that was it... Well, I have a new lease on life and want to do so much to better myself, my life and my relationships. So, here I am, ready to commit to being a healthy individual!

Why the change? Well, I have recently come to the realization that nothing will make you happy overnight and that you need to first be happy with yourself in order to do so many other things in life. I have been unhappy with my body, my life and my job for so long and have done nothing to better any of it but complain. Enough sitting around and complaining and more doing! I'm ready to take the challenge and be hard on myself for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

Here is a little background about me. I'm 25, married to a wonderful man and mom to two pomeranian fur-babies. I have a good job that I love most of the time. I'm not horribly overweight but I am overweight by about 30 pounds and am ready to drop that weight. I'm 5'2" and currently weigh 156, my goal is 125. I was a dancer in High School until a severe knee injury made most advanced dance moves out of the question and thus the weight gain began to creep up on me slowly until I looked in the mirror 5 years later and a senior in college and didn't recognize the person I was looking at. My DH is incredibly supportive and is also trying to lose some weight. Let me tell you, it is so nice to have a partner in all of this. I've joined LA Fitness and work out with a trainer once a week and try to go at least 3 other times during the week, but unfortunatly my work schedule doesn't always allow for that.

In this journal I will do my best to document my progress while also offering up healthy meal ideas, motivational articles and tips and some general fun. Feel free to contribute and comment as you see fit.

I look forward to meeting you all!

 

[Linzybrooke]

I started today off great. Got up, went to the gym and walked/jogged on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Burned 270 calories! I was so proud of myself for keeping a quick pace through the entire workout until time for my cool-down. I went home feeling great and ready for my day. Ate a healthy-ish lunch before heading to the doctor for my annual exam.

Then things went downhill...there is something about being poked and prodded for 20 minutes that really makes you want some ice cream...and get ice cream I did! Mocha Almond Concrete at Sheridans Custard...and I ate the whole thing! I could have slapped myself! It is just this type of thing that throws a wrench into a healthy diet...the thought that we need food to make us feel better. Next time I have a craving for fatty ice cream I'll opt for a frozen yogurt bar or fresh fruit smoothie instead. Both my tummy and my wallet will be much happier.

At least I took my dogs on a walk when I got home, and plan on going on another one when DH gets home later this evening.

But, on another note I found this arcticle and wanted to share it with you all because I never thought about how what I drink affects my diet this much. I guess I'll be cutting sweet tea out of my diet!

The Skinny on Drinks
by Sarah Jio
New guidelines help you figure out what to drink—and just what it means for your waistline.

If you’re like many women, you drink a whopping 860 calories a day. And if you dropped just one of those calorie-packed beverages, you could lose 5 or 10 pounds in a year.

That’s why scientists at university research centers have created daily beverage guidelines (something the feds have never done), which say no more than 10 percent of your daily calories should come from beverages—half of what’s typical for adults.

Use the guidelines below for your everyday drinks, says Barry Popkin, PhD, director of the University of North Carolina’s Interdisciplinary Obesity Center. And if you’re craving a caramel frappuccino? “That’s about all the calories (400 to 700) you should get from beverages,” Popkin says, “so drink only water the rest of the day. And the next day, too.”

Diet Soda

Outer limits: Max of 4 servings (32 oz.)
Total calories: Zero
Tip: Diet soda may help you lose weight—if you don’t add calories elsewhere

Coffee

Outer limits: Max of 4 cups (32 oz.)
Total calories: Unsweetened, negligible; with half-and-half and sugar, 220
Tip: Might reduce type 2 diabetes risk, but caffeine may cause jitters

Nonfat or low-fat milk

Outer limits: Max of 2 cups (16 oz.)
Total calories: 250–300
Tip: Milk is a good source of calcium and vitamin D

Sports drinks, fruit juice, or whole milk

Outer limits: Max 1 serving (4–8 oz.) total, not one of each
Total calories: 90–160
Tip: Eat fruit instead for fiber

Sweet tea or regular soda

Outer limits: Max of 1 serving (8 oz.)
Total calories: 60–100
Tip: Make it an occasional treat; your teeth will appreciate that

Hot tea

Outer limits: Max of 8 cups (64 oz.), unsweetened
Total calories: Unsweetened, 0; with 2 teaspoons of half-and-half and a teaspoon of sugar, 440
Tip: May boost immunity

Water

Outer limits: None, but have at least 4 servings, or 32 oz. total
Total calories: 0
Tip: Drink all you want (as long as a restroom’s nearby)

Wine

Outer limits: 1 glass (5 oz.)
Total calories: 115
Tip: Vino has heart benefits, but calories add up quickly, so go easy on the appetizers