The Motivation is Finally Here =)

I have a new diet plan, that I really hope works this time.


I will be eating mostly fresh whole foods.  This includes:
*Fruits (fresh, frozen or dried)
*Veggies (fresh, frozen, or steamed)
*Nuts
*Brown rice
*Oatmeal
*Hummus
*Beans
*Greek yogurt
*Cheese
*Nut butter
*Milk
*Eggs


I can eat meat every day but only in moderation, and it has to be the smallest portion on my plate.




I will be eating very little:
*Sweets (I can eat dark chocolate though)
*Processed foods
*Fast food
*Canned food
*Sauces/dressings
*Breads/pastries
*Soda/sugary drinks
*Other stuff I know isn't good for me


I am going to do this in moderation, and make sure that at least 5 days a week I do not eat the stuff on my second list.  I think that giving myself a little room to eat bad foods will help me achieve my goal because I won't burn out so quickly.  Now I just need to make it to the grocery store!


I will also walk my dog every day as well as do an exercise video.  I also get a lot of exercise babysitting, especially when I take the kids to the pool.  


My goal is to lose 1 pound a week.  With this goal, I will be be at my goal weight in one year.  This may sound slow, however, I believe this will help me keep off the weight the easiest and most effectively. 


Current Weight: 167.5
Current BMI: 29.7
Goal Weight: 120
Goal BMI: 21.3

Day 1 All Over Again (Take Two...)

So I have decided to get back on track starting Sunday.  I recently got on antidepressants and meat no longer affects me (thank goodness!) so I think I'm ready to do this again.


There are some challenges facing me, however.  I moved home for the summer and my mom doesn't buy or prepare healthy food.  A possible solution to this is maybe going grocery shopping for her or giving her a list prior to shopping.  My whole family is rather unhealthy so I think we could all use a change.


Another challenge is getting exercise.  I am going to try to walk my dog ever day (the poor thing is also out of shape) and do exercise videos but I don't have any gym membership here like I do up at school so motivation is hard to come by.


I will do this.  Nothing, not even a few disadvantages will stand in my way.  I will get healthier.

Taking a Break

I am going to be taking a break from trying to lose weight. I have been depressed pretty much on and off since middle school, but in the last two months it has gotten to the point where I can't deal with it by myself any longer (none of this has been diagnosed but I'm 99% sure I have depression, possibly atypical depression). Hopefully I can make it to the doctor at the beginning of next week.


The reason I have decided to put my diet on hold because of depression is that I do not want to see this turn into an eating disorder. I strongly believe that I need to get my mental health under control before I do anything drastic (especially a diet because I think one must be very emotionally strong before making changes like this).


Once I get this under control everything might be a little easier. At my best I am a morning person, but lately it has been a struggle to get out of bed. I believe once I get this fixed I'll be able to wake up early and go to the gym.


I am still on a mission to lead a healthier life, it has just shifted from physical heath to mental health.

Discouragement.

I came home to find out that, even though I've been dieting for 3 weeks with only 1 splurge day, that my BMI had dropped .02


My diet used to be awful... how could this happen? I feel slightly smaller... is it all in my head?


A factor might be stress. As I was venting to my mother about this last night, she said that her body held a lot of weight in because of stress. I'm going to work on taking vitamins to help this.


I don't expect to drop that much weight right away, but after how bad my diet was, I figured that I would have dropped SOME weight!


Just keep pressing on...






My absolute deadline is Halloween. I'm getting a Sailor Moon Cosplay for Halloween (which is also my anniversary with my boyfriend...)

Milk

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I found this video very interesting.  I drink organic 1% milk, but I really didn't know much about the differences or benefits of drinking other milks.  I used to love rice milk as a child (I was allergic to milk ...not lactose intolerant, I would get all red and puffy with milk) and I was considering it as an alternative but since it doesn't have protein I might just try soy milk.  I am also happy to know that David is getting the full benefits of milk when he drink Lactate.




This article is a good one for figuring out how to eat well on a budget.




I think I could be doing something wrong with this whole vegetarian crap.  I feel all spaced out and tired and like something is wrong with my head and I'm wondering if it has to do with having proper nutrition.  The good thing is though I haven't felt sick or had a headache since the last time I had meat! Yay!  I think I'll do a recording of my daily food and see if I am doing something wrong according to this nutrition software I have.


Oh and, eating organic food is expensive! Holy cow. $80 on groceries this week does not make me a happy camper.  Neither does donating all my delicious meat to my boyfriend and his roommate.  Oh well.  If I feel better I guess that's all that matters.




I need to get my butt to the gym still. I haven't been since the 12th! Yikes! I was going to try to go everyday but I just watched a video that says the best way to optimize your workout is to do it 30 minutes for 5 days a week and include variety.  I always heard 30 minutes will only sustain your weight though, not help you lose it.  I don't know what to believe anymore!  Either way, I need to get back to the gym.

Free Love Hippie???

Let me just start by saying this week I feel like I should move to Boulder with all the free love hippies, but I promise, none of this has to do with me being a liberal, and all of this has to do with me trying to listen to what my body needs from me.  I'm not joining PETA and wearing ratty clothes with hemp necklaces and showering only once a month, you can be sure of that!




I don't know if this will help or not, but I think I'm going to buy organic foods on top of becoming a vegetarian.  I think my body is too sensitive to everything, so this might help.  Plus, organic milk tastes a million times better.


Oh, and yeah, I am going full veggie.  I decided last night.  I ate some chicken yesterday and got a major headache and I just didn't feel good so we're trying the vegetarian thing for sure now.  It could change later, but if this makes me feel better overall it's staying this way.


I bought 2 organic pizzas today as well as organic milk that was only $2.50/gal(yay!), organic vegetarian spinach bites, organic pasta, and organic tofu.  I also bought a lot of things that weren't organic, but this could be a good start to kind of see if the organic foods don't upset my body.  The one thing that might not be that healthy that I splurged on was Nutella ..but hey, it's pretty much mostly hazelnuts, right?? =)


With this vegetarian crap, all I can say is thank goodness for cheese and nuts! Also, thank goodness I didn't really eat much meat anyways or this would really suck.  Finally, thank goodness I actually like vegetables, and I hate hate hate cooking meat because it's so gross.  Maybe this won't be so bad afterall.




I bought some supplements today from a little independent organic shop.  I bought Silica Plus for my hair, skin, and nails as I tend to get dry skin, broken nails, and dull hair, so I thought it would be a good idea.  I got a B complex supplement for my metabolism, energy, and because I am on the pill so I need more B vitamins because of it.  I also bought Melatonin because I am stressed beyond belief and have been sleeping weird.  I already take Adrenal Support Caps, Folic Acid, and probiotics.  I spent $30 on all those supplements today though so they better work!




I have been doing excellent with eating better, I just need to get my butt to the gym.  It's been kinda hard with me playing Final Fantasy XIII all week though.  Tomorrow David is probably going snowboarding so I'll have a chance to get to the gym and do some hardcore housework (yes, it's a workout!) which will hopefully get me back on track.  It's just so hard to plan food schedules and workout schedules because I try to wait 4 hours after eating fat and 2 hours after eating carbs so it just never seems to work out.  Maybe I'll just start going whenever I feel like and disregard that rule.  We'll see.

A Diet Without A Scale.

**Unfortunately I haven't bought my scale yet so Katie's way ahead of me! But it doesn't mean that I'm letting myself get away with bad habits!**


What I have learned is that fruit is my savior. I am such a sugar addict that I've probably had way more servings of fruit than I should have, but oh well. Canteloupe, Strawberries, and Blueberries. I'm stocking up on my antioxidants. XD


I'll admit that I did overindulge on cupcakes for my boyfriends birthday, but if it makes it any better, I limited my general food portions too.


So I've only been drinking water during Lent, but I think I'm not going to start drinking sodas and coffees more than once or twice a week when it ends. When it does, I'm going to work on limiting consumption and low calorie options (Diet Cherry Sierra Mist ftw.)


I LOVE energy drinks but I'll limit myself to the no calorie, low caffiene Xyience, which honestly are my favorites, but are harder to come by. Coffee will also be difficult, but I'll ensure to eat something (healthy of course!) with it so the caffiene doesn't overwhelm my body.
* Two years ago I think I was getting heart palpitations from drinking a Rockstar Pomegranate everyday at work. I need to work on my caffiene tolerance.


Another thing I've noticed that I need to work on is the times of day I eat. Your body more effieciently digests breakfast (hence why it's most important!) and least efficiently digests dinner. Therefore, exponentially smaller meals, if at all possible. Then again, I had yogurt, fruit, granola, and my one-sweet-a-day for lunch. (I told you I was a sugar addict!)


Another thing I'm going to invest in are nuts. They have protiens and healthy fats which will be very effective for me. I'm realizing that as I watch my diet, I've been eating less meat, but there is no way in hell I'll be vegetarian... I just need to get some more protien in my diet! I had some peanut butter with my breakfast but I don't think that will be good enough.


Sadly, I wish I knew how close I was getting to my goal weight, however, in the past week (even with how crappy its been) I feel better about myself.


Somehow the sacrifice itself has made me feel better.

Little Victory

I got on the scale today and found out I have lost a little over 2 pounds! I am now 166 and my BMI is 29.4.  I haven't been perfect this week (and I haven't had much time to work out) but doing little things like cutting out toast in the morning and eating fruit instead has really made a huge difference.  I also took some walnuts and cranberries to eat for snack at school instead of Cheez-Its. This week has also proven to me that eating healthier actually tastes and feels a lot better than eating "convenient food" such as ramen and hot dogs.




Walnuts This article comes from one of my favorite websites and talks about the health benefits of walnuts (you can find all sorts of foods on that site as well).  I found out I've eaten 1/2 pound of walnuts since Sunday, so I think it's good to know the health benefits, because I was actually thinking it was going to make me gain weight because 90% of calories in walnuts come from fat.

Day 1 All Over Again

This trip to the grocery store marks the beginning of a lifestyle change, and I couldn't be happier!  I am stoked to begin to change my relationship with food.  The exciting thing is, this is really what I bought today.  There are no donuts or waffles off to the side, I made a list, and for the first time, I stuck with it.


Out of this I plan on making guacamole; artichoke with lemon butter; green beans with lemon, bacon bits, and onion; and spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, feta and raspberry vinegrette.  The rest of the stuff is for toast (I have to have a little carb fun!), snacks, sides, and breakfast. I am so happy to actually be able to bring some good snacks to eat between classes like walnut and cranberries, bananas, or clementines.  I was just eating Cheez-It crackers before!


That spinach salad actually sounds delicious right now, I think I'll go make it!


And yes, I actually spent time arranging my groceries to take this picture.  I was just so excited about how good I was!

Spring Break

I have decided my diet will start AFTER I'm done with Spring Break.  I have gone out to eat for at least half of my meals this week, and I haven't worked out since I've been home. The mystery of my weight is no longer a mystery after being home.  I just eat so much bad food here!  Next week I am buying a lot of new food and seeing how vegetable-based dinners make me feel, and hopefully make it to the gym every day.

A Realization

Today, I realized, my boyfriend, parents and friends are all a bad influence on my eating habits.  My boyfriend took me to the mall for lunch and I ended up eating a small quesadilla, a small taco salad and chips and guac with a soda at Qdoba.  Baaaaad.  Tasted good, but it was not only bad for me, it was bad for my wallet!  When I'm with friends we go out and eat, especially because we're usually shopping so we grab something at the food court.  My mom buys donuts like seriously twice a week and stocks the kitchen with sugary cereals, frozen waffles, strudels, and other stuff that's really really bad for me.  Thank goodness I live alone when I'm at school, but still, I eat with my boyfriend and my family way too often for it not to be a big deal.

Yesterday was good food-wise, though.  I did have McDonald's breakfast (long story, but it involved me having to wake up early to get Pokemon and make it to Church all unshowered. Yuck.), it was just a small parfet and the $1 burrito, so it could've been worse.  For lunch I had grapes, celery, tomato, low-fat cottage cheese, and melba toast.  For dinner I had noodles, green beans, and grapes.

I have decided I might be getting on a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.  Basically, I just don't eat any kind of meat but I can have dairy products and eggs.  This is going to SUCK but meat has been making me feel sick.  I might still eat chicken, but the verdict is still out on that one.  

My breakfast will still be the same (eggs and toast), but my lunch and dinner will look significantly different.  Lunch or dinner will probably consist of any of the following: salad, pb&j, cereal, oatmeal, beans, rice, filling veggies (eggplant, spaghetti squash, artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, potatoes, spinach), and so on.  I am going to spend a lot of time once a week trying to think of good hearty vegetable based meals for dinners before I go grocery shopping.  I am craving artichoke like none other right now though so it might not be the end of the world!

I still haven't worked out since I've been home for break, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself this week because it's really out of my normal schedule and I am super busy to top it off.

Day 1- Carrots and Celery.

Something about eating those just makes you feel healthy. Especially when you decide against the Ranch dressing! I had some with Cashew Clusters and some water. What a great brunch! For a late lunch I had a small grilled Turkey & Cheese sandwich, and will get a salad for dinner! Day 1 is on track! Now to get myself a scale... oh joy...

-Viktoria

Road Bump/Bad Foods

Today was not a very proud day for me. I decided to skip the gym and I didn't choose healthy options for food. After working out yesterday I got really bad chafing (maybe tmi, but whatever, it happens), so today I decided against working out because it hurt to drive, let alone do any physical activity. 


I am on Spring Break right now, and the house I grew up in isn't really good for being healthy, either.  My mom always buys stuff like donuts, waffles, sugary cereal, etc. so today has been hard to stay on track (I'm glad my sister ate the chocolate donut before I could get to it!).  We have a treadmill and weights I should take advantage of the rest of break, but it's just so hard to decide to eat healthy here, especially when the bad sugary food is easier to eat.  I went to Panda Express tonight and ate terribly greasy Asian food and tomorrow my dad is taking me to BK for breakfast (it's our tradition when I come home). 


I feel terrible right now though after eating that Asian food.  I am too sensitive to food to eat something so rich.  Tomorrow I'll probably feel similar but the foods I eat in the morning don't seem to have such a negative effect.  If I could, I would only eat in the mornings because the only things that seem to agree with me at night are fruits, veggies, small amounts of low-fat cheese, low-fat milk, and bland grains (crackers, bread, ect).  Sugar gives me a headache, red meat and caffeine make me feel like crap all over, and too much fat sends me to the bathroom.  If it was so easy I would just gear my diet around the things that I know work for me (thank goodness all the bad foods make me feel bad and the good foods make me feel good!) but with a boyfriend who refuses to even attempt to eat well and who loves going out to eat as well as a small budget, it's hard to make that a rule.  Plus, I don't feel full when I eat anything that makes me feel good except for brown rice, so I'd have to buy a larger amount of food to make me feel full, and I just can't afford it right now.  


I'm considering going to the doctor this week and talking about many things including my reaction to food, my blood sugar levels, and depression.  I think all of these things are affecting my body in a negative way and before I do anything drastic I should probably get checked out.

Meet Viktoria

My name is Viktoria, nineteen years old, and have been self-conscious of my weight since longer than I can remember. I've never been much into sports, and the closest I was to being in a team was a month of lacrosse. I've always been out of shape, except when I was a kid. I swam 2-3 times a week by taking lessons, and I really wish I had that available now.

My routine will begin on Monday, March 15 where I have my university's available gym and routine eating habits back.

Current Weight: 155 lbs

Height: 5'5"

Pant Size: 10-11

BMI: 28.6

Goal Weight: 125

Goal Pant Size: 6

Goal BMI: 20

Goal by Summer: Fit into a size 8 pant comfortably.

Goal by Winter: Reach Goal!

Lifetime Goal: Keep weight off and stay healthy, strong and flexible. <- Totally copied Katie's response.

Exercise plan:

*Visit gym 2-3 times a week. Outside of this, take stairs, walk distances etc.

* Take available opportunities when available, i.e. Wii Fit.

Food plan:

*Less than 1 soda/sugary drink (including juice) per day.

*When eating out, mind the portions.

*Slow down eating pace.

*No more than 1 sugary/fat food per day.

*Take advantage of sugar free/calorie free foods/drinks.

*Eat vegetables everyday.

My weight has always been a concern of mine. Not because I'm obese, or overly unhealthy, but it has always been a struggle for me emotionally. I want to feel beautiful, but not skinny. I want to feel fit. I want to be able to say that I accomplished something. I want to be able to feel like me.

I'm not doing this because someone has told me to, nor because I feel society's pressure to be thin, although both have occurred. I'm doing this for my self esteem. So often I feel as if I've missed something by not wanting to work out, or really wanting that extra cookie. I mean, I love my curves, I just don't love my lumps.

I'll be honest. I'm not a motivated person. It takes push after push... shove after shove for me to accomplish things like this. I was so happy to hear that Katie wanted to work on her health and weight as I do. I rejoice in the fact that I will have to be accountable.

My log will begin the week of March 15.

Power vs. Will-Power

This article sounds interesting.  It talks about how weight loss is about power, not will-power.  I'm going to try keeping this in mind and see if this guy is right.

Off to a Good Start

I just got back from the gym where I biked 10 miles in 40 minutes, and man, do I feel good!  That is the longest I have done cardio, and it really lifted my spirits and gave me loads of energy.  


I am on Spring Break now, and the only bad thing is I don't have a gym to go to at home like I do at school.  If the weather permits maybe I'll decide to play some tennis or ride my bike instead.  I just wish the armband for my Zune HD got here because it would be a lot easier!


Exercise and the Endorphin Rush  This article is very informative and really enforces what I am feeling right now.


I  want to make an entry about how specific foods have been making me feel lately, but I need to hop in the shower so expect that later!

Meet Katie

My name is Katie, I am nineteen, and I have been overweight since I was about eight-years-old.  The reason I want to lose weight is because I want to lead a healthier and longer life.  At this rate, I am at risk for so many diseases in the future, and I would like to prevent that starting now.  A few other reasons this is important to me is because I would like to look good, feel good, fix my back, and be able to do what I want to do without my weight getting in the way.  I want to break my addiction to food and I want to have more energy.

Current Weight: 162 lbs

Height: 5'3"

Pant Size: 13

BMI: 28.7 (Overweight)

Goal Weight: 115

Goal Pant Size: 5

Goal BMI: 20.4 (Normal)

Goal by Summer: Lose 20 lbs

Goal by Winter: Reach Goal

Lifetime Goal: Keep weight off and stay healthy, strong and flexible.

The way I plan on doing this is through traditional ways.  Exercise and eating right.  

Exercise plan:

* Cardio 30 minutes a day, increase 5 minutes every week.

* Weights every day, increase 5 pounds a month.

* Pilates twice a week to strengthen my weak back.

Food plan:

* No more than 1 egg yolk a day (I usually have 2 over-easy eggs with toast every morning so this will be tough).

* Fruit and Veggies at every meal (this is hard on such a small budget, but I'm hoping I can do this...).

* Drink 60-80 ounces of water a day (and visit the bathroom a million times a day...).

* Drink 3 cups of milk a day (to prevent Osteoporosis ...our bones are at peak density by the time we're 30 so I need to get on this!).

* No more candy (it gives me a headache anyways).

* No more than 1 soda a week.

* Fast food no more than once a week.

For me, it's not the exercise that's the hard part, it's eating right.  Especially because I am in college and can't spend much money on food, I end up eating things that are really bad for me.  That, and I am addicted to pastries and donuts (while I was typing that I actually considered going to get some ...I need help!!).  My apartment complex has a 24 hour gym that I have been going to about three times a week without a problem, so hopefully every day will be just as easy.

I enrolled in a Nutrition class this semester and it has really made me realize how much I need to start taking care of myself.  Not just to look good, but to live longer and prevent diseases

The real reason for this blog is my co-author, Viktoria.  She has inspired me to take control of my body, with her public outcry for support in her endeavor to live a healthier life.  Thus, we have become supporters of one another, and this blog was created to keep ourselves and one another accountable through this journey.

In the future I plan on posting once a week on my progress as well as posting whenever I feel like about things that are especially hard or that I am especially proud of.  I might also post helpful links, interesting articles, or motivational things to help us through this.

I will post a picture on here when I get around to it later this week as my "starting picture."