Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Katie: Week 11

Drum roll please...

Current weight: 149 pounds!!
Last week's weight: 152 pounds
Total weight loss: 21 pounds!!


Pictures: Week 11

Week 9:

Week 1:


Yay yay yay yay yay!!!!!!  I'm so excited to have reached my half way goal!  And I'm even one pound closer to my final goal than I expected!  Whoohoooooo!  What comes after Part B?  PART-AY!

Now, this is when I usually do the weekly recap of my rules--and I will--but I've decided to change my rules up a bit.  Some of them will remain, some of them will change, and from here on out I will probably continue to change my rules from time to time, depending on how my needs change.  So, instead of reporting on my rules this week, I'm going to make the official changes.

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 will continue to keep and follow this rule until the end of March.  Starting in April, this rule will change to be "Sweets in Moderation," meaning that it's okay to have a reasonable size serving of sweets occasionally, but not all the time and not in huge portions.)

2. Fast Food in Moderation
I still hope to not eat out more than once or twice a month, but I'm going to occasionally allow myself to eat out.  I think this will be okay because I am getting better at regulating what I eat at restaurants so that I don't overeat or order something super unhealthy.  And, on the off chance that I'm just totally craving something that's not as healthy as I would usually eat, I think I'll still be okay since the majority of what I bring into my body is good for it.  In other words, I'm not going to freak out and feel guilty over a hamburger and fries once in a blue moon.

(This one has changed!)

3. Healthy Meals and Snacks!
Eat three healthy meals each day along with healthy snacks in moderation.  Non-sugary granola bar type snacks are okay so long as I am also eating fresh fruits and veggies.

(This one has changed!)


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

(I am leaving this one the same, but allowing myself to eat some processed foods since I know better now which processed snacks won't have an adverse effect on my body.)

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

(For now, I am hanging on to this rule.  It really does still motivate me to make healthy choices and eat things "in moderation" when I know I'll be writing down everything I ate.  Even after writing things down for two months now, I'm not so jaded by it that I'd feel okay writing, "Snack- 13 Oreos."  It is a little mundane, but I think I still need this for now.)


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.

(Duh.  Of course I am keeping this rule.  However, I reserve the right to just say "My life is too busy today!" and skip my exercise routine every once in a while.  I actually think this will help me stay healthy longer since I won't be tempted to give up or get down on myself for one missed day.  But--for reals--no skipping multiple days in a row.  That's a big no no.)
 
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.

(I am keeping this one as well, but with a similar claim as in the last rule, that I allow myself to have "It just didn't happen today" kind of days every now and then.  But, again, a big no no on letting this happen without real cause or multiple times in a row.)

8. Balance Food Intake As Needed
In the event that I fail to lose weight during a given week or on the off chance that I happen to gain weight during a given week, I will enter the foods I ate each day that week into the Menu Planner on MyPyramid in order to see if I can figure out a problem.  Otherwise, I think I know well enough now what foods are good and what foods are bad and when I'm getting enough and when I'm not. 

(This one has changed!)


9. Don't Be A Total Lazy Bum
No sitting at the computer/TV forever.  Get up and be active.

(This one has changed!)

10. Get Rid of The Pudge!

(I took out the "get out of the house once a day" rule because it's really not something I struggle with.  Instead, I'd really like your help with a new rule I'd like to implement.  Could you all please give me some helpful, doable ideas for ways to shrink my pudgy tummy and make it more flat and wardrobe-accommodating please?  I go on long, uphill/downhill/quick-paced walks almost every week day, I lift weights twice a week, and my tummy is still pudgy!  Having a flat tummy would be a dream come true for me.  Could you please offer some suggestions so I can make a new rule for myself that will hopefully help me out in this area?)

Well, that's it!  Hooray hooray for reaching (halfway) goals!  Yippie!!!

16 comments:

Katie said...

We do a bunch of these ab moves at my fitness class--After just a few weeks I've noticed a difference in a flatter tummy.

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises.htm
#'s 4,6,7,8, 10

Some of these require you to put your legs straight up and I can't do that all the time, so it's ok to just get them as tall as you can, or start with bended legs and work up to straightening them.

Katie Lewis said...

Thanks Katie! Those exercises look great! I will definitely be giving them a try. :)

Kathy Haynie said...

#1 - You are right on track to losing the pudge. What a difference between week 1 and now! Wow! Talk about "tighter assets" - Katie, you are amazing.

#2 - Fat distributes itself all over our bodies, not just in one particular place...as you continue to lose fat, the tummy will get smaller, along with upper arms, back, bum, thighs, fat around internal organs, etc.

#3 - Have ou tried doing plank exercises? Mark swears by them, and we do a variation of them in yoga class, too. Just google plank exercise - it's sort of like a pushup that never goes anywhere.

The Jessee Journal said...

I wrote an article about this topic for the Herald awhile back. Some of the info from the experts I talked to might be helpful.


http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/article_3d26233b-cb96-5b79-8adb-a3f76e660724.html

emmalou said...

Katie, you are looking so skinny already! Way to go! Can't wait to see you in April!

Polly @ Pieces by Polly said...

You look awesome!

Nancy said...

You look great! This is amazing!

Emily said...

Party!!! I'm so happy for you Katie! Go you!

Josh and Alice said...

Hooray! 21 pounds is so much so kudos to you! That is hard work.

alee said...

I am starting to see some real progress...keep going! As for a rule #10, I will have to think on that!

Lisa Lou said...

WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! PART-AY!!!
Also, as you were walking out the door to go to your weights training, I was going to say something about your tighter assets! HAHA!
Love ya! Way to go! I can bring over my Yoga Dance DVD for you to do if you want... it's good for abs and straighthening the core.

Unknown said...

Hi Katie,

I found your blog while blog stalking friends. Hope you don't mind. I love it though. I'm pregnant right now and it has been harder than ever to stay in fit. Its something I've struggled with my whole life, and I know I will never be considered "skinny". However, one thing that I found has helped me the most with my tummy pudge (at least when it's not from a baby) is doing A LOT of core exercises.

Yoga is definitely awesome for this as well. But, as far as core goes, you could stand on one foot while doing things like bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, etc. While you are essentially working out other muscles, you are using your core far more than you think. Also, someone mentioned planks....these are SO hard, but so incredibly worth it. You can do regular planks, side planks, and graduate to one footed planks, or planks using a ball.

One last thing....if you lower back muscles aren't strong, your ab muscles can't be strong. Focusing on working out your lower back will help you tighten up those ab muscles. You look amazing! Such an inspiration that "regular" people can look great if they take the time to do it!

Marae said...

KT. Let's be serious and talk about how the hugest difference in photos by far has been between this week and week 9. Really, everywhere.

For getting rid of the pudge, I agree that it's a whole body affair, like your mom says. I've read a lot that the very best exercise for fat loss is interval training, but that could be harder with a babe. Pretty much, you run/walk/run/walk or any other alternation between something that raises your heart rate and something slower. Alternating between jump roping and pushups/situps would be good, too (but maybe non realistic in an upstairs apt).

Also, I couldn't figure out what to tag my post.

bellivas said...

great progress katie!congratulations on achieving your goal!

Kathy Haynie said...

Yes on planks - we did some in yoga class last night, and they were tough! I'll do a post soon on how to go between plank and the "down dog" pose - a very good workout.

angie said...

Hey Katie, you look great!! Keep up the good work. I too accumulate A LOT of weight in the middle. I know fat is distributed all over but for me 90% of it is in my tum tum! Sit-ups, cruchies, leg lifts & the plank exercises. You can even do sit-ups standing!! just pull one knee up and both arms down toward knee...it works! Say you are somewhere you really don't want to lay down. Can't wait to keep seeing your progress!!

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.