Healthy For Life – Week 4

I tend to have an obsessive personality. I also rely on numbers heavily in my life. These two things combined make for a bad combination when it comes to trying to lose weight.

I have one scale that’s sitting in the kids’ bathroom and I never ever use it. Since the beginning of this journey, I have been weighing myself using the Wii Fit once a week. Wednesday mornings. This Wednesday, when I got on the fit, it told me that I‘d gained 0.4lbs. Then I did it again and it told me I lost 0.7lbs. I was so confused that Thursday morning, I did it again and this time it looked like I’d lost only 0.2lbs and then it said I gained a bunch and I just gave up. I know it’s typical for a scale to move around throughout the day but all of these were in a row so it just goes to show you that even the way you stand can cause shifts in your weight. Also shows that it’s best not to obsess.

So the way I decided to calm myself down is by looking at this BMI chart. Look at the those dots sloping down over the last few months. That’s when I started this journey and there’s no doubt that it’s working. Regardless of what the scale says each week, this is what matters.

and here’s this week’s card:


Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Healthy For Life – Week 3

The last two days have been exceptionally hard on the exercise front. I feel tired and out of breath and close to giving up almost the whole time but especially during the running part.

One would think that after 110 consecutive days of exercise, it would all come easier at this point. Especially since I haven’t increased the distance or speed significantly. But here we are. I am tired and worn out. But I will still continue as I do each day. I will just sleep more and drink more water and eat more veggies and protein.

I want to be clear that this is still quite hard for me. Each day. I have to force myself to get off the couch, put my clothes on and just do it. Walking and running does not come naturally to me. It’s not something I crave or enjoy or look forward to. I am doing it because it’s good for me and not any other reason.

So much for all those sayings about 21 days to a new habit or whatever. 110 days in and I can still stop easily. But I won’t. I will get up and I will do it. For however long it takes. Every single day.

and here’s this week’s card:


Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Healthy For Life – Week 2

This week didn’t feel any different than all the previous weeks but as it turned out I’ve lost more weight this week than any other week so far. I have no idea what I did differently. Actually, I know. Nothing. I did nothing differently. This just goes to show that some weeks you lose and some weeks you don’t and neither means anything. You just keep going and have faith that it will all work if you keep at it.

I’ve still been doing 2.6 miles a day and most days it feels completely okay to do so. I am often tired before I begin but I get up and do it anyway and most of the time, I feel fine throughout. So the lesson is to just do it. No matter how I feel.

I have officially passed the halfway point. I must be honest, I still don’t feel a lot thinner but that’s ok. I am just doing the same things I do and eating the same things I eat and I am trusting that things will work out and that I will wake up one morning and know that I’ve reached my goal. At least that’s the plan.

The highlight of this week was definitely the weight loss. I am now officially in the 120s and it’s time to celebrate.

and here’s this week’s card:


Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Healthy For Life – Week 1

The first week of the year wasn’t as full of stress as it could have been since I’d already been exercising for months. I am really glad that I didn’t wait until January to start because this way I’ve already spent months figuring out my routine and got into the swing of things. And I can just keep going and focus on the task at hand: getting healthy.

My goal for this week was to raise the 2.5 miles a day to 2.6. I might seem like a tiny change but since I always felt like I was barely making it to 2.5, I was worried about it. However, when Saturday rolled around, I just did it and I’ve been doing it everyday since.

The weight loss was low this week but that’s ok. As long as I lose .4 pounds every other week or something like that, the Wii tells me I am on track. I know there will be ups and downs throughout the year and I am prepared for that. Even a small loss shows movement in the right direction and keeps me motivated to continue.

The highlight of this week was the trip to Anthropologie for my December item. I had already seen this skirt online so when I tried it on and fit into a size four, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I am truly ecstatic.

and here’s this week’s card:


Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

2011 Projects – Healthy For Life

In 2009, I watched as Donna Downey slowly (or quickly in some cases) lost an amazing amount of weight. At the time, I told myself that she was doing a diet where you had to eat prepackaged food and those diets never worked for me. She was boxing in her garage and I didn’t even have a garage. She was running regularly and I am completely incapable of running at all. So 2009 came and went and I watched Donna get healthier and happier.

Then, in 2010, Cathy Zielske decided to tackle her health and body as well. She was simply eating less and moving more. She began running too. She shed weight and became healthier and healthier.

And I stopped reading her blog.

I couldn’t watch it anymore. It was a glaring reminder of the fact that I wanted to do this exact same thing and I had no excuse whatsoever for not doing it. I kept saying next week, next month, next year.

And then one day, on October 1, I decided I’d had enough. I decided that this was my life now. Every minute that passed was too late. If I was putting my health first then I best get started doing so. I didn’t want to wait another year. Or even another day. On October 2, 2010, I got up and started walking.

I have walked/run every single day since. Every. Day.

I’m writing this post on December 17, 2010. So far, I’ve lost 18lbs. And here’s what my nike+ chart looks like:

77 consecutive days of exercise. 136 (actually 137 cause it was off one day) miles of exercise. The calories are meaningless to me cause until recently I didn’t have the right weight in the tool and I don’t keep updating it.

This is the biggest portion of this project for me. I’ve done diets my whole life. I can stop eating almost anything for almost any amount of time. But I have never exercised this much before in my life.

Ever.

And i am not just exercising of course. I am also watching what I eat and I am parking away from my destination so I walk more, etc. I am not super-active since I work from home and my job is mostly done sitting on the couch. I do have a little boy so I am a bit more active than I usually am but I would not put me in an active category. So the exercise is super-important.

For me, what really made it all work is the nike+. I had bought it on a whim when I saw Cathy write about it but it sat on my desk for months. When I finally started walking, I used it from day one. And having the visual representation of my walks really helped me. I just love logging in every day and seeing another bar. No matter how high or low. Just proof that I worked out.

I went through a patch during mid-November where my left knee hurt a lot so I started walking only 1 mile a day and I went to the doctor (it was runner’s knee) and just slowed down. It was hard to go back to working out longer than 1 mile after that and I struggled for a while. Then I bought a new pair of shoes. The ones I’d been wearing were from years ago and they were never professionally fitted. I went to a running store around where I live and the saleswoman took her time, measured me several times, watched me walk, had me try several pairs and I came home with a new pair. My knee hasn’t hurt since. And as of November 30, I started a new routine where I walk 2.0 miles and I run for 0.5 miles.

Here’s my full plan for 2011 (most of it is continuing what I’ve been doing so far):
1. Work out everyday. No matter what. Even if just 1 mile. Minimum 1 mile.
2. Keep doing 2+0.5 and eventually work your way to 2(walk)+1.1(run) and ideally maybe even get to 3.1 miles (5K) of running a day if I can do it.
3. Eat at least 2-3 servings of veggies every day.
4. Eat some protein every day (even if a little)
5. Minimize the amount of processed food you eat as much as possible
6. Drink water
7. No more than 3 (ideally 2) coffees a day (there’s a long story here but I am not quitting the coffee yet.)
8. Introduce weight training (light) 3 times a week
9. Work your way to 10 pushups a day 3 times a week

So those are some of my goals. Ideally, I’ll end up running 5K a day and doing weights or pushups 6 days of the week. If this seems a lot please know that running is not fast running, it means going right above the speed where I can’t really walk so i have to run. So it’s super-slow running. And same with weights, we’re talking 1-3lbs weights. I am just trying to keep my body active. I am not trying to obtain huge muscles or become a runner.

Food is a weird issue for me because I don’t eat much of it. I never have. I don’t cook and so I often just eat whatever is super simple. Ever since I made this shift, I have not snacked, sneaked, or cheated at all. I have no desire to. I don’t think of this as a diet and so I crave nothing. This is a life plan for me. I am determined to make it. So McDonalds or Taco Bell has nothing on me. I don’t drink anything but water and this pre-made coffee I love. The coffee is not great for me but it’s filling and it helps me in other comforting ways. So for now, it stays.

Since I don’t cook, I wanted to find a plausible solution to eating more veggies and protein. I cook for my kids but I knew if I relied on coking for myself I wouldn’t do a good job most days. I found this frozen bag of mixed veggies: corn, peas, lima beans, green beans, carrots. I eat half a bag each day. It’s not the very best veggies since corn is starchy and peas too but it’s oodles better than graham crackers for nutrition. I also cook fresh veggies at least 1-2 times a week and have leftovers. Generally zucchini because both Nathaniel and I love it.

For protein, I either buy fresh sole and cook it (which again both of us love) or I am getting roasted chicken, tearing it apart and eating it all week long. A little bit each day. It’s cheap, healthy because it has no additives or sauces or anything, and it’s already cooked.

Some days I also eat high-fiber veggie soups. And I always have fresh fruit washed and ready in the fridge so if I need a snack, I get fruit.

Maybe eventually I will cook more and things will change. But for now, this is the plan. It’s relatively fresh and healthy. I still have my coffee and now I eat a few graham crackers each day, I plan to reduce those and replace with fruit or yogurt eventually. But I am not sweating it for now.

I drink a ton of water most days so I am not sweating that either.

One other thing I decided a few months ago is that I wanted to get a reward for each month I worked out. Not for losing weight or working out long or fast. Just doing it day after day for 30 (or 31) consecutive days. Since I am trying to lose weight, I didn’t want to make it food related. So I am buying a piece of clothing each month. Mostly from anthropologie so far. I started with things like jackets and blouses which I expect will still fit me at the end of the year. Eventually, I hope to move to pants/skirts/dresses. I love getting to go shop (even though I normally hate shopping) knowing that it’s my reward for a lot of hard work.

The way I track exercise progress is the nike+. When I add the other exercises, I will have to find another system for that. For food, I don’t track too closely right now but in the new year I will. I will likely use google docs and I have a new weight watchers calculator that uses their new system. And, finally, I weigh myself on the Wii Fit every Wednesday. I don’t have a scale and I trust the computer more than my eyes. The wii fit tells me the change in my BMI and the change in my weight which is all I need to know. In the beginning of 2011, I will also take measurements for my hips, arms, and waist so I can track those once a month.

I made a little template to fill each week (ignore the text, it’s pasted from a weekly gratitude post.):

In case you want one too, you can download my template here.

I bought a little colorful album from target and will be putting my weekly cards in there:

That’s the plan.

To me, this is the most important project for 2011. I will let go of everything else before I let this one go.

Here’s to getting healthy for life.

2011 Projects – Us Right Now

This project started with the goal of getting in the photos more. I wrote a long post on shutter sisters about how I want to be in our family photos more often (full post here which got me thinking about how I can do that on a regular basis.

If I learned one lesson last year, it’s that things happen when they’re put on a schedule. A frequently recurring schedule.

I’ve been a huge fan of Tara Whitney’s Six people Twelve Times project.

And then there was this layout I made for Big Picture Classes last summer:

I decided to combine all those ideas and make a commitment this year to take weekly photos of all four of us.

I’ll be honest that this is the project I’m most worried about. Because this one requires commitment from my whole family and it means I have to use my tripod and self-timer more often. But I am blessed by the most amazing and kind family so I am going to take a leap of faith and I am going to assume it’s going to work. It might end up in the same spot in the house each week but I am ok with that. The idea is just to have photos of all of us together. It doesn’t have to be super-exotic or creative. We can try that for 2012, for this year I just want to start the habit of getting photos of all of us.

So I take the leap.

I spent a long time trying to figure out the format for this project. I thought of using the template I did for Weekly Gratitude last year but I wanted the photo to be bigger. I wanted a full 4×6 photo of us each week. So instead of going with a 4×6 album, I decided to go with a 2-up. Much to my delight, the colorful albums I love at Target also come in a 2-up format so I came up with this template:

Just in case any of you are interested in doing something similar or using the template for yourself, here it is: download me.

It’s two 4×6 photos. The top one is just a photo of us with the date on it. The bottom one lists each of our names and gives me space to put a sentence or two about each of us from that week. (Things like thoughts, mood, current obsessions, etc.)

I will then print them out and put them in this album:

and there will be a page for each week.

So here’s to crossing our fingers that this project comes to life. I will really really love to have this one at the end of 2011.