Day 2

Changed the way I am doing things. I am not going to log my calories or exercise on this page, I am using an app on my phone to keep track of that. It is a little easier.

Today was an okay day. I had a meeting for work and I was prepared for the day with food and drinks. I did eat my breakfast oatmeal...and I have to say that it was tasty. I think however I want to put it in a slightly larger jar or container simply because I really did not get a 1/4 of a cup of fruit into it and I really would like more fruit. Otherwise, it was very flavorful and had great texture. I had taken a sandwich wrap from Trader Joe's...the Vietnamese style chicken wrap...really good. I also tried a quinoa bowl with artichoke heart and bell pepper from Mother's market...this was not so great. It had a sour taste that wasn't very pleasing to me. However, others might like it.

I did have a protein/fiber drink early this morning and am getting ready to have dinner. The plan is for tri-tip, baked potato, corn and carrots. I will use a smaller plate to help me with portion control and I will eat only a small portion of the potato.

I did break down at one point and ate 1 bite size butterfinger. Not to bad.

I will go for a walk tonight after dinner...My goal is for at least 2 miles around the park and the 1/2 mile back and forth from the house.

Water intake has been good. I grabbed an infuser water bottle and have put in cucumber and lemon. Right now I added a passion fruit tea bag and will see how that goes.

here is to taking it one-day-at-a-time.

Reflection of day one.

So today, I went over to a friends house and we discussed my weight loss goals. She does meal replacement drinks and it works well for her. I know that I have to eat something otherwise I will not feel well at all. So I took her information and then we went shopping. We went to Mother's market, Trader Joe's and even Walmart. I was able to find the protein and fiber supplement that she drinks and grabbed some oats and mango's to make an oatmeal grab and go breakfast. I also grabbed a wrap sandwich and a salad for my lunches for the next 2 days. I am looking forward to trying things out and finding new ways to eat healthier and change my metabolism. I am excited to try this. When I came home I started to make my breakfast oats and my oldest son (22) said that he would try this with me, so I made 3 breakfast oats ( I made mine for tomorrow and Friday and 1 for him). We shall see how it goes.

The recipe is as follows:

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashion rolled oats (mother's market - by the lb)
• 1/3 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dried chia seeds
• fruit (it says 1/4 cup but I noticed that I didn't have a lot of space in my half pint mason jar, so I put in what I could. This one has mango and raspberry)

variations:

• 2 tsp maple syrup

or 

• 2 tsp of strawberry jam

Calories - If you use the jam it is 230 calories. If you use the maple syrup it is 215 calories.

Recent picture

This isn't a great picture but this is me at my son's graduation form 8th grade.
June 2015.

My first thoughts

I know that this is going to be a difficult task. I have wanted to lose weight for a while and I have watched my brother do an amazing job being able to go to a gym and have someone to be accountable for. My sister in law has finally started the same program and is well on her way to losing weight. I am very proud of them and really need a kick in the pants to get myself started. If I had the time, money, and support, I would totally join my brother's gym. It sounds like a place that I would really hold myself accountable too but for now, I will have to try this on my own.

The last time I lost the weight, I was told by a doctor that I had acid reflux, my clothes were to tight, I had a lot of stress, and I was "fat"... it was a real wake up call for me and I immediately joined eDiets. It was great, I had someone to be accountable too. I had to check in on the website and I had a chat group of great individuals that I could talk with and share what I was feeling and they gave me the support I needed. It was a great experience and I lost 45 lbs in 3 months. I felt great.  About 6 months ago, I thought I would try and lose weight again but when I tried talking with someone there just wasn't a lot of support. It is very hard to lose weight when you don't have someone to be accountable too.

I have started this blog as my way of being accountable. I know that it is easy to say and easier to ignore. If I want, I could simply delete the blog but I am hopeful that people will see this and be helpful in sharing support and thoughts. This will not be easy and I will need support. If you are in the same boat and want someone to talk to, feel free to post on the blog and we can be supportive of each other.

Weight loss Goals

I am at an age where it is hard to lose weight. The last time I tried to lose weight I lost 45 lbs in about 3 months. It was great. I felt great and it took about 12 years to gain it all back. Do I want to lose 45 lbs again? No. I would like to lose 20 - 30 lbs. I would like to take about 2 months to lose 30 lbs but am fine if I simply lose 20.

After looking at the calorie intake and exercise that I currently do, I really need to change my mindset. I know that it is hard because I had some life changes and my boys and I live with my parents. Either my mother cooks or I do and while we talk about eating healthier, we really don't. I need to make a conscious effort to eat smaller portions and cut out excess sugars. I have already cut out sodas but have substituted the sparkling waters. They are zero calorie but they are sweet. I may have to cut some of those out.

I do not do a lot of exercising because I have a tendency to twist my ankles or my arthritic hip really hurts. So, the goal is to lose the weight so that I am not in pain and my clothes fit better. So here goes.

My Calorie plan will be as follows. Every week, I will reduce my calorie intake and try to increase my exercise.

Week    Calorie     Weight  
 -             1600          198
 1            (133)
 2            (116)
 3            (98)
 4            (80)
 5            (62)
 6            (45)
 7            (27)
 8            (9)