Yay!

I had a great swim last night. A great workout in general. I meant to get up and work out this morning...but that didn't happen. Lol. So, I'll be going tonight. No swimming tonight. Just arm weights and cardio. I'm looking forward to it, though, because I'm finally starting to see success. I weighed 2 pounds less today and that puts me at a half pound below my starting weight (see my updated ticker to the right). I still have quite a ways to go, but I'm finally on the right track.
I'm going tonight to get a pedicure with my sister-in-law. My toes are in desperate need of some love and I am excited.
Moreover, I leave for Vegas in 2 days and will get to see and party with my parents. I'm soo excited. I'm also excited that by the time I see them I will be another pound down or so. Phew. I was so concerned about seeing my mom looking the way I did just a few weeks ago. I felt terrible. It feels soooo much better to be taking care of myself and eating right. I can't figure out why it's so hard sometimes - because it is so much better.

4th of July Week

I had a SUCCESSFUL weekend! I can't recall the last time I did a perfect job sticking to my diet and goals over the weekend, but I did it this weekend. Finally! My weight is down a little bit, but nothing too noteworthy yet. I'm leaving town on Thursday, so here are my goals for this lovely week:

1) Gym at home M-Th with 2 days of swimming and weight-lifting all four days.
2) Work out at least one day on vacation (to make a total of 5 days this week)
3) Buy a couple pairs of shorts to wear.
4) Stick to my diet even while traveling and eating out.
5) Take the stairs instead of elevators as often as possible.

Here goes nothing! I won't be around on Friday to weigh in, but I'll do it next Monday!

Ready for the weekend.

Well, I'm feeling pretty groovy. Today's weigh-in wasn't particularly eventful (same as the last time I weighed in), but I feel pretty good. As I said in my last post, it's my "time of the month," so I'm pretty bloated. I'm hopeful that once my period is over, I'll lose a few magical pounds. lol. We'll see what happens.
I'm going (at the generosity of my fabulous parents) to Vegas next weekend for the Fourth of July and I really hope to be at least a few pounds lighter by then.
My swim last night was amazing. After a half hour of arm weights (free weights), back weights (machine) and abs, I did 15 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes on the stair climber. Then I swam for 15 minutes. Sooo glorious. I wish I had the stamina to stay in all day. I'm excited to go back again and swim. :D That was a very good goal choice.
I went to the gym this morning as well. Fridays I don't do weights because I only do 4 days a week of weights. So, I did a new machine called the Cyrex (kind of a cross between and elliptical and a stair climber), the stair climber and a cool down on the treadmill. It felt good.
I'm hoping me and Geoff will get to play some tennis tonight as well.
I love to be active. I hope I can maintain such an active lifestyle.

Floaty and Bloaty.

Well, yesterday was a good food day (despite the fact that I was so much hungrier then usual!). I just ate the food I had planned to eat and not a bite more.

It's my "time of the month," though, so I feel like a whale today (even though my weight was down from yesterday). Oh, well, such is the life of a woman.

Tonight is swimming night at the gym. I'll do the same routine as on Tuesday - weightlifting arms, 15 minutes on the bike and then 10-15 minutes swimming (however long I can stand it). I'm really looking forward to it. And some sauna action.

Just Keep Swimming...

Well, the gym last night was a whole new kind of adventure - I swam! I started with arm weights and 15 minutes on the bike. Then I changed and jumped in the pool. Swimming is HARD. I only could do 10 minutes. Hopefully I'll build up some stamina in there as time goes by. It felt good to swim, though. The pool was so warm. Then I sat in the sauna for 10 minutes. I would have liked to stay longer, but I started to get a little dizzy, so I decided that time was up.
I also went to the gym this morning. I did leg weights and the treadmill. I was going to also do the stair-climber but got a message from my husband that he was very sick and asked me to come home, so I did, of course!
Anyway, I'm doing well with my goals and feeling the burn. :)

That makes two of us.

I haven't been around for a little while either. Sorry about that. If I'm not around it's probably a bad sign for my goals (hangs head in shame).

However, since Sunday, I've been great (okay, I realize that that's only 2 and 1/2 days, but it has to start somewhere, right?

Here's my goals for the week:

1) Gym 6 Days, Weight-lifting 4 days, Swimming 2 Days (followed by the Sauna)
2) Go to bed every night with the dishes clean and the house straightened.
3) Get some tanning time in on 2 days (the sun finally came out to play!)
4) Stick to my calorie goals.
5) Use exercise to avoid binging - if I'm tempted to binge, walk the dog.

So far, so good. I'll report in tomorrow.
Amanda P.

P.S. Power to Amanda E for workin' that soda goal. I don't have that kind of strength.

It's Been Awhile

Wow, it's been some time since I've blogged. My apologies. Quick update: I'm down a couple more pounds, not where I wanted to be, but I'm working on it. I HAVE, however, maintained my goal of no soda pop or carbonation. It has been SO hard! lol. But I'm drinking alot of water now and it feels really good. I think my lack of soda has helped me in a couple of the pounds I dropped. I also go to work earlier, 7am....Which means I go to bed earlier, and for the most part, I feel pretty good each day. And since I go to work earlier, I get off work earlier and have time to go run my errands, or go for walks....basically, I'm more active throughout my day now that I have more time in the evenings. Which feels nice. So I think, slowly but surely, I'm getting closer to my goal!

Must...Have....SODA!

Man! I never thought that layin' off the soda would be so hard. I didn't realize how much I actually drank it till I made it a goal to NOT drink it. It's proving to be very difficult. But I'm holding strong...even through temptation. lol. I've been replacing my soda with water, and even though I'm craving a little carbonation, the water satisifes just as well. It feels better to be getting more water in my system.
Also, as far as exercise, my Gold's Gym membership should be renewed by Wednesday, so I'll definitely be hitting up the gym before or after work...depending on the schedule I have for work next week. But instead of the gym, as of right now, Allen and I have been going on walks just like I said we would(in between the rain storms of course).
I haven't been eating after 8 o'clock...with the exception of ONE time. But I've been pretty good about getting dinner done and eaten by 7 o'clock. And IF I still want a snack, I make sure it's before 8. After that, it's a big glass of water.
Getting to bed by 11 has been difficult. This week it's averaged around 11:30-11:45. I'm a night owl, so this goal is especially difficult for me and will probably require another week as a "goal" in order to get it under control.

Well, there's the update for now. It's positive for the most part, right?? :)

What a Woman Wants

Still going strong. Did the morning gym routine at 6am. Today was upper body weights and cardio. My legs are SORE from yesterday's weight lifting. yay. lol. I'll show that personal trainer who needs to pay $30 for an hour. I'll be toned and awesome without his help! I made, it, though. Weight training is done for the week. Just cardio on Friday and Saturday. Phew. Almost sounds like a reward. ha.
For a bit of something less serious and daunting, here is my list of the top 3 things women want:
1) Magic Fairies who clean the house while she's running errands
2) An endless supply of Diet Coke (Mt. Dew, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper)
3) Sunny, beach-worthy days nearly every day.
Feel free to add what you think in a comment. :-)

Hump Day

Well, Wednesday is here. I still made it to the gym this morning at 6am. I got a pretty good workout in. Today was legs...and my legs are sooooo much stronger then my arms, so leg day makes me feel like I got "more" of a workout. I'm up to 120 lbs on the leg press (I started at 75 lbs). For cardio I did the rowing machine and the stair climber.

Food-wise I'm right on track. Haven't cheated or "snacked" yet this week. I'm excited for the weigh-in on Friday. I'm hopeful that I will not have a massive FAIL like last week. ha.


Unfortunately the weather forecast has not improved and I'm not convinced I'm going to get any outdoor exercise in this week and I definitely won't be able to tan. I think I'll take a class at the gym if I can't work in some outdoor fun. I'm going to see Kelly Clarkson tomorrow, so that should be fun (although I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be an outdoor show...and that will be LAME if the weather is rainy).


Diet-wise things are going well...now if only the weather would cooperate!

Week 2: Off To A Late Start...Again

Ok, so as previously mentioned, Week 1 didn't go so hot. lol. So here we go trying to attempt Week 2. Which, also might be hard since we are vacationing Friday through Sunday down in Lake Powell. But we'll see how it goes.

Here are this weeks' goals:

1) Continue drinking more water(especially with fun in the sun coming up this weekend, don't wanna be dehydrated). Must drink at LEAST 80 ounces a day.
2) Since my Gold's Gym pass is currently in the renewing stage, I need to do some form of exercise everyday for 30 minutes, even if it's just going on a brisk walk around the neighborhoods.
3) As tempting as it is to snack on junk food on vacations, I'm going to stick to the healthy stuff. 3 square meals a day, with healthy snacks in between to keep my metabolism up!
4) Get to bed no later than 11:00pm. Lately I've been going to bed WAY past 11....and as a result, I've been to exhausted to do anything, especially exercise. So I think getting my 8 hours of sleep in will help me in my weight loss goals.
5) As of today, no more soda pop for the week. I think part of my problem is the amount of soda I take in. Especially the caffeinated drinks. As mentioned in goal 4, I haven't been getting much sleep, so to counteract that, I use the caffeine. SO! More sleep, less need for caffeine...NO SODA this week.

Ha ha! Wish me luck! I will report!

Empowered

I'm not even sure if I know how to describe it...but I woke up feeling so empowered this morning. I made it to the gym at 6am and did arms/abs and cardio (today was the bike and the treadmill).
I'm super excited to have a nice, long, productive day. The weather is supposed to be CRAPPY all week - so I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to get out and do some outdoor activities and tan...but I'm afraid the weather might put a stop to those goals. That would be lame...but maybe I'll take a class at the gym or something instead. We'll see!

Goals, Week 2

Well, after my lack of success on Week 1, I'm excited to get started with Week 2. Here are my goals:

1) Gym 6 days (weight lifting and cardio 4 days, just cardio 2 days). Also, at least 2 days of physical activity outside of the gym (tennis, frisbee golf, biking, etc...)
2) NO SNACKING (I failed relatively miserably at this last week, so I'm determined to keep it a goal until I can do it!)
3) Switch to morning gym instead of afternoon.
4) Brush my teeth twice a day (I'm good about one, but I need to do two - this is less of a weight loss goal and more of an overall health goal)
5) Spend at least 20 minutes during 2 days tanning.

I'm still going to be drinking my water from last week. Just because it's not a specific goal anymore doesn't mean it isn't something I want to do!

Wish me luck. :-p

Not A Total Loss

Weigh-In Day: I will admit, I wasn't looking foward to today's weigh in. This week has been difficult in achieving my goals...BUT to my surprise, I actually lost 1lb. I was hoping for 2-3, but 1lb is definitely a start. I didn't make it to the gym this week, but I did alot of walking, and even went on a nice walk with my husband one evening. I consumed more water than I have been before this last week. And I've been cutting down on portion sizes considerably while having small and healthy snacks in between meals. I've also been making more of an effort to eat breakfast in the morning. So I guess I'm noticing a better eating habit beginning to form, now I just need to buckle down on the exercise. I think that as soon as I tackle the exercise routine, I'll see a more significant diffence when weigh-in day comes again. :)

Fail?

Well, I weighed in today and the results weren't as desired. +2.5. Granted, this all really started on Tuesday, so I can't expect a miracle out of 3 days. It's okay. Maybe next Friday will come with big numbers.

As far as the other goals go I've been doing okay. I didn't get a chance to pre-log yesterday because I was sooooo busy, and this led to some "snacking" that I wasn't supposed to allow. All in all, I'd still call my goals a success. I'm working on determining my goals for next week. So I'll probably post those up tomorrow so I can get an early start on them and try to up my chances for "success" next week.

Rough Day :(

Amanda E: Ok, so Day 1 was pretty rough for me to be quite honest. I drank water, but only got about 60 ounces. But I guess that's better than my usual 8 or so...And I didn't make it to the gym due to a massive headache that hit me right at 5pm, when I headed home from work. I also planned on packing snacks last night so that I could have them here at work. But when I went to my kitchen to pack snacks, I realized I had no healthy snacks to take. So, after work today, I'm heading to the store to get some! :)
Like I said, Day 1 was rough, but today WILL be better. I already feel it. :) I got a good night's sleep and I'm ready for working out today. :) Wish me luck!

1 day down...

Amanda P: Well, after day one, I'm feeling pretty good.

100 ounces of water is A LOT. Especially considering I have absolutely no appreciation for water at all. Hopefully my body will appreciate the extra hydration.

I made it to the gym last night and did 30 minutes of upper body weights/abs followed by 30 minutes of cardio (15 stair climber, 10 bike, 5 rowing machine). It was a pretty strenuous workout and my arms and deltoids (shoulders) are sore today - yay! (not the kind of debilitating sore that the stupid personal trainer put me through, however).

I have already had 20 ounces of water this morning and pre-logged my food for the day. I have a busy day/week ahead, so it's kind of nice to have these goals in place to keep me from making lame decisions about food/exercise.

I was tempted to weigh in this morning, but remembered by goal to only get on the scale on Friday morning and held off.

On Your Marks, Get Set, GO! (Week 1)

Ok, so here we go. My goals for this challenge are to not only lose some weight, but to also start and maintain a healthier lifestyle...which is basically nonexistent at this point. Ha! So here are my five goals for this week to get me going on my long road ahead:

1. Actually EAT breakfast...I tend to have a hard time eating anything for breakfast since I'm in a hurry to get out the door and get to work.
2. Smaller portions at meal time, with healthy snacks in between each meal.
3. Drink at least 72 oz. of water per day. I tend to have a hard time even getting 8 oz. in a day. So I have a 24 oz. water bottle that I'll drink at least 3 of each day.
4. Commit at least 3 days to the gym this week for at LEAST 45 minutes each time.
5. No eating ANYTHING past 8pm. No munching, no snacking...NADA...I'll drink water if I'm a little hungry. haha!

Well, there they are. They are "carved in stone" so to speak...I think they are pretty reasonable and attainable goals. So wish me luck! I'll let you know what happens!

Week One

Amanda P:

So here goes the beginning of week one.

Here are my five goals for this week:
1) Drink at least 100 ounces of water a day
2) Do weights (increase from 15 minutes to 25) before cardio and decrease cardio from 45 minutes to 30 minutes a day and monitor heart rate (key) everyday.
3) Do not allow myself to even TASTE something that isn't planned on my menu for the day.
4) Pre-log my eating for the day so I am accountable to that plan.
5) Do not step on the scale until Friday morning.

I'll let you know how it goes!