I Survived The Weekend!

This past weekend was my first weekend at work since I have changed my eating and joined the challenge. I was partially dreading it. I work 3 12 hour shifts in a row and in order to keep up with my new eating plan requires meal planning. I wasn't comfortable with the concept, but all I could do was give it a shot. Also, I work in a city that is 3 hours away, so planning for food during the drive posed an additional challenge. (I drive down on Fri, stay with my sister for the weekend and drive home on Mon.)
I must admit it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I have become a pro at lettuce wraps! I use the myfitnesspal mobile app to keep track of what I am eating and also to look up foods that I want to eat. I even got out my calculator to figure out how many carb grams I could have at each meal/snack to stay within my goal. It has been fun because it is new. Once I looked at it like that, it wasn't hard at all. I even came up with my own variations of a few things, and they were delicious!! The hard part has been taking in enough calories! One of the "new" variation is a take on cottage cheese salad. The original recipe my family uses has cottage cheese, Cool Whip, jello and fruit cocktail. My variation is a serving of cottage cheese with a snack cup of sugar free jello mixed into it. yummy!
My "Cheat" day is on Sunday. I went a little nuts on bread. lol. I am working to incorporate more bread throughout the week so I don't feel so deprived by Sunday.
I must give a shout out to my awesome work friends. We have a Saturday morning tradition where we go to a local Mexican restaurant and have huge margaritas and breakfast after working all night Friday night. When I shared my diet and fitness goals my one friend said: "You can still come and eat bacon and eggs!" I had a blast even if I was alcohol free.
As I reflect on this past weekend, I am amazed at my determination. The hardest part of the process is psychological. I am determined to succeed. I hit my workouts as hard as I can and I make the necessary dietary adjustments . I tell myself everyday that I am transforming my body! I am convinced I can feel myself shrinking!

Thanksgiving

I am so thankful that I have a wonderful, supportive famliy. I went to Thanksgiving Dinner at my parents. I didn't take my food scale because I didn't want to be rude. When I mentioned this to my mom, she said that she had one. Then she proceeded to get the scale out so I could weigh my food! It was awesome.

I am also thankful that I was able to resist most of the carb heavy foods. I only had a quarter cup of my sisters yummmy mac and cheese and 1 1/2 slices of pound cake. I ended up putting peanut butter on the cake. It was really good. I wasn't even tempted by the various desserts.

I actually ended up under calories again for the day! I was slightly over on carbs and just under range for proteins, but I will get there. I also had a great workout before going over for dinner. It felt great!!

A New Phase

Sept. 2009

Oct.2010

I have started a new phase in my journey to get fit. Phase one started in Sept of 2009.  I weighed over 300 lbs, and felt gross. I decided it was time to get in shape. At that time I had done a number of workouts off and on throughout the last few years. I lost and gained weight. It was time to lose it for good. I decided to take pictures every month to document my journey. Taking pics would also keep me motivated as I saw changes.
Fast forward to Nov. 2010. (AKA Phase Two) I have lost 34 lbs so far. I have posted my progress pics on my facebook page. That wasn't an easy decision, but it does help keep me motivated knowing that others are looking at them!
I am currently consulting with a friend who knows a lot about losing weight and gaining muscle. He is a former bodybuilder and has taken me under his wing. He has completely revamped my diet. I am eagerly tracking my calories consumed, carbs and proteins for the first time. I have a BodyBugg to monitor my calories burned. I must admit that it has been a challenge already changing how I eat. The last two days I have under eaten my calories due to poor planning.
Today I also started a workout/fitness challenge. I actually registered on Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat Inner Circle for his 49 day Holiday Challenge. Tom Venuto is the author of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. The Challenge is to transform my body in 49 days. I am shooting for most dramatic transformation. My sister and I wanted a chance to push our selves even more. Now there is no turning back. The "before" pics have been posted. Now I dig in and do the work!