Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Katie: Week 1

In the following weeks I probably won't write quite so much in my weekly updates (yeah right, I am so long winded), but for this first one I want to show my pictures and current weight for the week, lay out the ground rules I have for myself, and talk about my goals a little.

So, here we go.

Pictures:

No, I'm not pregnant again already.  
Bleh.  Taking true-to-life pictures of yourself is motivation enough.  I kind of can't believe I'm doing this on a public blog.  It'll be good for me though, right?

Current weight: 170 pounds
Halfway goal: 150 pounds
Target weight: 125 pounds

My original goal was 130 pounds, but in playing around with the BMI calculator on the blog here I realized that 130 was a little closer to the breaking point into the "overweight" category and I want to get down to a healthier range, so I've upped my goal 5 more pounds, aiming for a total weight loss of 45 pounds.  Eeek!  Wish me luck. 

My rules:
1. No Sweets!
Absolutely NO sugar sweets/junk/desserts/candy/etc. for three months (i.e. until April 1, 2010).  At that point I'll reassess and see if I can allow myself small things here and there or if I need to keep up the no sweets rule.  I will allow myself the occasional healthy dessert, but it will count as a processed snack (see below).


2. No Fast Food!
No fast food or eating out.  Period.  And if on the off chance I'm stranded somewhere or something and I have to get fast food I will order the healthiest thing.

3. Healthy Meals and Snacks!
Eat three healthy meals each day along with 2-4 healthy snacks, with no more than one processed snack (100 calorie packs, etc.) per day.

4. Fresh Foods!
Trade out cravings/impulses to eat granola bars and other processed snacks with fresh fruits and veggies.

5. Keep Track!
Write down everything I eat in my food journal (a little notebook I can carry around and keep with me).

6. Exercise 30 Minutes!
Exercise in some way for at least 30 minutes every day and write down what I did to exercise in my food journal.

7. Drink 80 Fluid Ounces!
Drink at least 80 fluid ounces of water every day and write down how much I drank in my food journal.

8. Balance Food Intake!
Enter the foods I eat each day into the Menu Planner on MyPyramid in order to make sure I'm getting a good balance of the foods I need.

9. Stay Active!
No sitting at the computer/TV for more than an hour (or one movie) at a time.

10. Get out!
Get out of the house at least once a day!

I'm really excited to get going on these goals.  Mostly, I'm really excited to someday, probably months from now, but someday look in the mirror and not have to suck in to have a flat tummy.  I'm so tired of still wearing the maternity clothes I wore when I was pregnant!  I really want to fit into my old clothes again and I hope to someday have even those clothes be lose on me.  I think by doing this I will be a healthier, happier, more energized person.  I've never been much for specific goals, so I'd like to prove to myself that it is possible to accomplish the things I want to do.  And with that, I'm off to go exercise!

Edited to add:
I am a total space case and forgot to mention something very important.  I just wanted to say THANK YOU MELISSA (my friend from preschool teaching days) for sharing your inspirational progress and success over at FAT CHANCE.  It has obviously been the inspiration for this blog and for my goals.  You rock.  I am so impressed by your accomplishments.  And you are one of the funniest people I know.  Just an added bonus.

Also, I just finished a round of Tighter Assets and let me just say--what a workout.  Perhaps if you live somewhere where it snows (or rains or gets really hot or whatever) and sometimes prohibits your good exercise intentions a workout DVD from the local library or something might be a good idea.  I have a feeling Tamilee and I are going to get to know each other real well while it's still snowing here.

11 comments:

Erin said...

You go, girl! It is very hard to lose weight, and I haven't even had a baby. I've been trying to lose weight too, and I promise it is possible. If you really do eat less and exercise more, you REALLY will lose weight. It's not a joke. I'm excited to keep checking back. Maybe we can be exercise friends too.

Patricia said...

Way to go, Katie! Your plan sounds good, but remember that you just had a baby 4 months ago. It takes time to lose the extra weight.

I lost 10 pounds the last 2 months by cutting back on how much I ate. But I did allow myself a little sweetie every so often. My motivation to lose the weight was that I told the kids that we could get a dog if I didn't reach my goal. I do like dogs, I just don't want to be an owner. So that was great motivation for me to have just one sweetie and not ten! Now I would like to lose 10 more and then I will be a much healthier weight. Good luck to all of us!!

Marae said...

go katie go
and
nice shirt!

Kathy Haynie said...

Katie, I am so proud of you. I'm excited to be blog buddies as we work toward our healthy goals!

Emily said...

Katie! I'm so proud of you!!! You can do it! :) And I pledge to help! By not bringing you or Bryan any sweet things to eat (unless they're healthy sweet) and by serving not junk at my house when you come over! :) I love you!!! And we should go exercise together sometime! Maybe in the spring when it's not dark when I get home...:) But anyways, good luck! I know you can do it!

alee said...

Woohoo! Your rules sound a lot like the Christensen Family Challenge...so good thinking! :)

Just take it one day at a time and whisper a little "thank you" to your heart when you exercise or don't eat a giant greaseburger- that helps me feel good about my healthy decisions instead of whining about what I can't have or do.

Lindsay said...

You are absolutely hard core! I think your rules are brilliant-and you are an inspiration! Way to GO!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! Oh, and if you are craving something sweet...I recommend oranges. :) I should probably eat more of those instead of Christmas candy!

Polly @ Pieces by Polly said...

I'm predicting that this will leave a comment from Polly, so I'll say upfront that this is Eric. For what it is worth to you, I lost about 15 pounds while Polly was gone over summer, and I did it while exercising less than I normally do.

The key to my weight loss was simply eating less. I was so busy working and had a limited supply of food that Polly had made for me (yes, I could have made more, but I didn't. It was a time issue, not a competency issue) so I rationed it through my time.

I spent a lot of time hungry, but I don't think I felt the psychological deprivation that comes from dieting. I didn't feel the hunger as some self-inflicted torment to attain a noble goal, so I never felt any temptation to "cheat," because I wasn't trying to lose weight in the first place.

But it was absolutely delightful to have my mission suit be slightly loose on my waist instead of slightly tight.

Best of luck with your weight loss goal!

Lauren @The Little Things We Do.... said...

so excited for you! i got you're e-mail today and i'm totally on board. i just having been able to e-mail you back because i've spent most of my day stuck in traffic due to the random snow we got here today. apparently oregonians and snow don't mix. you remember, i'm sure.

anyway, let me know how being an author works. i've never done this before. i'll e-mail you back hopefully tomorrow!

Whitney said...

yay katie and kathy! this is pretty awesome. not sure if your library has it, but you should check out some jillian michael's dvds, i absolutely love them. 30 day shred is really nice because the workouts are short, about 20 minutes, but you definitely feel it. for a longer workout, her "no more trouble zones" is worth checking out. good luck!

emmalou said...

I just have to say that I'm glad you included a rule about drinking water. It ABSOLUTELY helps!

We'd love to hear from you!

Want to write a guest post for The Skinny? E-mail Katie at kathleenann08 (at) gmail (dot) com.