I am.

I am a Zumba instructor.

Monday's Plan.

Breakfast:
3/4 c. old-fashioned oatmeal w/ 1 small banana mashed up and 1 tsp. of honey, dash of cinnamon
1 c. skim milk
medium Dunkin Donuts coffee w/ skim and 2 Splendas
Total: 470 calories

Snack:
Special K Proten Water
Total: 30 calories

Lunch:
multigrain bagel with 6 slices of turkey, 2 T. of hummus, red onion, baby spinach, and cucumber
tangerine
Total: 460 calories

Snack:
single-serving cottage cheese w/ 2% milk
2 T. blueberries
Total: 112 calories

Dinner:
Smart Ones Chicken Marsala
Total: 160 calories

Daily Total: 1222 calories

Exercise:
6 PM - 7 PM Zumba
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Zumba

The week ahead.

Did the grocery store trip this morning after a long walk with Miss Lu and a bagel for breakfast. I did NOT stop for fast food! Small success, but a big step for this junk food junkie. :)

I loaded up on healthy goodness, minus the 12-pack of Diet Coke. Sometimes a girl just needs it, as much as I know I shouldn't keep it around. I am taking 4 of them to Jen's today, which I know sounds like a lot, but at least it might keep me from eating more crap. I also got fat-free organic bean dip and tortilla chips to take with me today.

As you can see, lots of eggs, lean turkey breast, fresh produce, salad mixes, honey, and skim milk. I'm going to try, try, try this week. I'm going to try switching to green tea in the mornings instead of coffee and I also picked up a box of Special K Protein Water (30 calories a packet) for my long mornings. Although I can snack every other morning, I'd rather stay consistent throughout the week. I do better with set times for eating instead of eating whenever I can.

Here's to a successful week ahead!

Weekends.

Weekends are no good for me. I have no self-control and my "one cheat day" turns into three. I had nachos at work for lunch yesterday, then ate everything in sight at the White Rose. Crab dip, bacon cheese fries, coconut shrimp, quesadillas... I felt like crap when I got home. Today, I'm tracking writing down everything I'm eating, but not counting calories. I just want to see what my intake is on weekends.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a friend's house for football Sunday. I'm getting diet Coke and something healthy to take to eat, maybe fruit and some of that fat-free fruit dip or something. Otherwise, I'll drink and eat crap. Grr to football season, skinny friends (although I do love your skinny butts!), and the holidays coming up.

I'm going to try grocery shopping tonight instead of tomorrow morning because I have a tendency to stop and get junk on my way home from a healthy grocery store trip for whatever reason. I will literally go get groceries on a Sunday morning, then stop at McDonald's or Sonic to get breakfast. What is the point in that? Sabotaging myself, of course.

This week, with the craziness of getting used to a new schedule and starting another Zumba class, I am going to cheat on meals by doing Lean Cuisine for lunch and dinner. I KNOW, I know, I know the sodium content is not where it should be ideally, but I sort of want to see what happens with the scale over the course of the week by doing this. I'm not sure what the health value of NutriSystem meals is, but I'm assuming this might be close? I'll certainly be doing a lot of label eyeballing for sodium, that's for sure.

Changes.

I've been noticing my core area is starting to slim down a little bit. My "love handles" aren't as noticeable and, I may be crazy, but I think they're almost non-existant. I don't have the back fat roll anymore at my lowerback. I've also noticed this random line running down through my "abs" (hahaha.. and I use "abs' lightly). Things are starting to shape up. Once I get my new schedule under control, I'm definitely looking to add a little more toning.

I started my new job today and I love it. The only negative thing is that I have to be there by 8 AM and we don't eat lunch until 1 PM. Every other day I have a break in the middle for a snack, but otherwise, I teach from 8:30 till 1. It doesn't look like I'll be able to do the mini-meals anymore, so I'm thinking about loading up on fiber with steel-cut oats and fruit with honey for breakfast, then having a Lean Cuisine with fruit and veggies for lunch. Once I get used to it, it won't be bad. I hate to go back to Lean Cuisines, but honestly, with my schedule picking up, it's the easiest option to keep me on track. I'll just have to be very careful with sodium throughout the day.

I've also picked up another Zumba class on Wednesday nights! Now you can find me at the Eastern York YMCA on Mondays from 6 PM till 7 PM and on Wednesdays from 5:15 till 6 PM. I'm auditioning tonight for another place that should add another two nights a week. SO excited about this and so in love with the fact that I get to help others reach their weight loss and fitness goals. :)

Weigh-In

This Week's Weight: 172.6 lb.
Last Week's Weight: 172.8 lb.
Week's Loss: -.2 lb.
Overall Loss: 60.4 lb. (EEE!!)
Total % Loss: 25.9%
BMI: 28.8
BMI Change: 10.1

FOOD*%&@(#

ARRRRRGH!!!

I feel like I just canNOT get my eating on track! Yesterday I had Sonic for breakfast, then wings & fries for dinner. Today, I munched on cookies and Doritos for lunch instead of the super healthy lunch I took. Real healthy, I know.

I've been a real go-getter these past few days. :P

This is a super stressful week for me. I'm leaving my job on Wednesday and starting a new job on Thursday. There's a lot of back and forth, a lot of planning, a lot of packing, and a lot of running around to be done this week. I'm not counting a big loss this Wednesday, but I would love, love, LOVE to see the 160s next Wednesday!

I can't change what I've already done these past few days, but I CAN make a change and get back on track tomorrow!

Off to Zumba!

Yuck.

I had two slices of cheese pizza and a diet Pepsi at lunch today. I got home tonight and seriously felt like I was going to get sick to my stomach. It's amazing how your body starts to react differently to food like that after going without it for awhile.

Weigh-In

I should probably start doing this once a week...

This Week's Weight: 172.8 lb.
Last Week's Weight: 174.6 lb.
Week's Loss: -1.8 lb.
Overall Loss: 60.2 lb. (EEE!!)
Total % Loss: 25.8%
BMI: 28.8
BMI Change: 10

I have OFFICALLY hit the 60 pound mark. Woo! What a crazy feeling. I still don't look at myself like I'm 60 pounds thinner yet. I'm curious as to how people who have gastric bypass feel when they drop weight so quickly. It's taken me a year to get this far, but I feel like.. wow. When I see other people, it's hard to compare myself to them because I'm not used to this new body.

I'd love to see the 160s next Wednesday, but I promise I will not beat myself up if I don't hit them. Parke and I are going to work on staying on track 'till Christmas, so hopefully that's a good motivator!