Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Katie: Week 2

Well, one week down!  I am happy to report that things are going well so far.

Current weight: 161 pounds
Last week's weight: 170 pounds
Total weight loss: 9 pounds!




Pictures every other week, remember?

Now for a little re-cap on how my rules are going so far...

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).


I have held strong so far, despite really wanting ice cream (among other things) all week.  Although I had a dream last night that I ate a bunch of Skittles and some chocolate pie on accident.  Does that count?

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.

No fast food consumption here!

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. 

Well, I'm actually having to eat more snacks than I thought I would in order to get the right balance of healthy foods that I need in my diet (and to get the calories I need to be healthy while breastfeeding my four month old), but I feel good about that, especially since I have been eating such healthy, yummy things!


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

Apples are my new best friend.  I really do have one a day. (More than that would set me over on my fruits, of course.)  Oh, and I have rediscovered my love of cooked Brussels sprouts.  (Thanks Lisa!)


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

My little notebook is my second new best friend.  I think writing everything down in that little notebook is the key to my plan.  Without it everything would fall apart.  If you're trying to lose weight, I recommend this as an excellent starting point.
 


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.

I've done pretty well, I think.  I did miss two days (not including Sunday since I don't plan to exercise on Sundays), but I think that's pretty typical in getting started.  I'll do better this week.
 


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.

It's been about half and half on being over or under.  I think the only day I hit exactly 80 fluid ounces of water was on the first day.  In general, as long as I'm close I feel fine about this, especially after talking the whole thing over with my daughter's doctor yesterday and having him tell me that 80 fluid ounces was "great, more than enough."  
 


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.

My third best friend.  I'm getting better at knowing what to eat each day to have a healthy, balanced diet, but for the times when I'm just not sure where I'm at it's so nice to be able to enter in all the things I've eaten and then see where I still have room to eat more.  Of course it's always an approximation, but it's still really helpful for me.  And I like writing down my totals at the end of the day.  It helps me keep in mind what I usually eat enough (or too much) of and what I should focus more on.  I really recommend doing this.
 


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

Success!




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

While I'll admit that some days it was only as far as half a flight down my stairwell (Come on, it was snowing!  Give me a break!), I have in fact gotten out of the house at least once a day.  


Well, I guess that's about all I have to say for this week.  If anyone is interested in how I'm keeping my food journal or needs help with the MyPyramid Menu Planner or anything else, just let me know.  Likewise, if you have a healthy recipe you'd like to share, please e-mail it to me (with a picture of the meal if possible) at kathleenann08(at)gmail(dot)com.  Or if you have a topic you'd like to write a guest post about, please let me know.  Thanks everybody!

19 comments:

Kathy Haynie said...

Katie, you ROCK! You are the biggest loser so far this week. No way I can match 9 pounds. What an inspiration. Sounds like you've hit on some great tools and habits - the MyPyramid menu planner, writing everything down, etc. Good job!

Hillary said...

Very VERY VERY nice! 9 pounds in a week! I can hear your body saying, "THank you Katie!" and it's rewarding you for treating it so well. :) You're awesome. Keep it up!

Lindsay said...

Wow! Well done! 9 pounds in one week?! Excellent!

Marae said...

no way! i can believe it but i really can't believe it! amazing, amazing. ummm, is it not incredible that you've sliced off 1/5 of your goal in one teeny tiny week? i am uber impressed. and way to eat lots of apples. have you tried to assuage the ice cream craving with frozen banana?

also, i've sorta been studying nutrition (and weight loss) for a little while and am full of random information, so let me know if you're ever at a loss for writers.

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

wow! 9 lbs.! katie, you are totally rocking this weight loss thing. you'll be at your goal in no time :).

Katie Lewis said...

Hey everybody! I just wanted to add a little note here. While it's true that I'm SUPER excited about losing 9 pounds in this first week, I think it's entirely due to the fact that this is the first week. I don't expect to continue to lose weight at this rate and, to be completely honest, I'd be a little worried if I did. But hey, for now I will just bask in all the nice things you are saying. :) Thanks!

Sylvia Louise said...

BOO-YAH! Nice work, friend! Success is a great incentive. I'm super impressed with you for sticking to your rules!

ali said...

wow 9 lbs is fantastic katie!! how do you put the cute little button on a blog? i think i'm a bit blog-challenged :)

JuliaKoponick said...

What a great start!!

I am glad you are keeping realistic about the rate you are likely to lose weight. I usually find that I can lose a big chunk in the first few weeks, but it is the long term, where the weight loss is slower, that is where new habits are made!

Keep it up!!

Polly @ Pieces by Polly said...

Awesome! You rock!

Kendra Last-Bookartist said...

You are doing great! Come on down and do aerobics with Jenny and I in the morning if you want to. Let me tell you, it is exciting!

Carou said...

You made your plan and stuck to it! Impressive and the results speak for themselves. Way to go!

Emily said...

YAY!!! Go Katie!!! :)

Post Grad Hair Cut said...

Wow 9lbs. That's great!!

Mike said...

9lbs! That's GREAT!

Patricia said...

Congats, Katie. Way to go to keep the food log. I've tried doing that a couple of times before and it doesn't last very long, like maybe one day. So, great that you've made it work for you. I've read elsewhere that the food log is a great thing. Maybe I should try it again with you for inspiration!

JMay said...

SO happy I found this blog :-)

I myself am trying to lose a few pounds before my June wedding.

LOVE IT & will be following for tips/inspiration!

xo.

Anonymous said...

wow! that's amazing congrats! good job!

Anonymous said...

YOU RULEEEEEEEEEE!

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.