Week 3 Weigh In

STATS:
Heaviest Weight: 227
Starting Weight: 225
Goal Weight: 160
Starting BMI: 39.9
Goal BMI: <29

Current Weight: 209.6
Change from last week: -3.8
Change from beginning: -15.4
Current BMI: 37.1

**Changed by Weigh In day from Mondays to Wednesdays after reading a post on WW Connect. I feel this is a smart move for me because 
1) I will be less likely to use Weeklies during the weekend because I still have Monday & Tuesday
2) If I have a bad weekend, I have two days to get back on program
3) I will always have access to a scale on Wednesdays (going to Nashville in 10 days and wouldn't have one)

GOALS:
-BMI has decreased AGAIN! And continuing to see lower numbers on the scale.
-Had some blood tests done yesterday for my dermatologist, hoping to get the results tomorrow
-No major issues with digestion, skin is still unchanged
-Mood declined over the weekend but partially due to the weather and plans falling through
-Ate at a restaurant 3 times (Kilroys, Red Robin, Scottys), didn't really try to track but aware of what I ordered and consumed

WW STATS:
Smart Points / Day: 31 (one less)
Weekly: 42 (no change)
Fit Points: 103 (no change)
Blue dot days: 7/7 but I stopped tracking once I hit healthy range. (Not proud of that)

COACHING:
Had my 3rd session with JoAnn yesterday. We processed the weekend and my few days off track. She helped me realize that I enjoyed myself and that's also important. If this plan starts to feel too restricting then it's too much like a diet and not good for long term change. 

Next session: Saturday, October 14 at 10:00am. 

ACTION PLAN:
Review: 
(1) At least 180 active minutes
(2) Blue dots were there but not honest.
(3) Followed the plan until the weekend, then got off track. BUT didn't waste any food.
(4) Monday - Friday I reached my step goal. 
New: 
(1) 8k steps everyday
(2) Do not weigh myself more than once a day
(3) Track truthfully

"because the next few months will go by whether you work out and eat healthy or not"

Week 2 Weigh In

STATS:
Heaviest Weight: 227
Starting Weight: 225
Goal Weight: 160
Starting BMI: 39.9
Goal BMI: <29

Current Weight: 213.4
Change from last week: -3.0
Change from beginning: -11.6
Current BMI: 37.8

LOST 5% of my BODY WEIGHT!!!
Also started my #100daysofWHY for Weight Watchers

GOALS:
-BMI has decreased! Along with weight. AND someone who didn't know I was trying to lose asked if I had lost weight. #NSV
-no blood tests completed since before WW but need to get some done next week for my medications (I'll keep you posted!)
-happier digestive tract (except when I ate at restaurants), skin is the same
-improved mood, exercised everyday last week!!!
-only ate out twice (one planned, one not) but stayed within my points and didn't spend too much $$

WW STATS:
Smart Points / Day: 32 (no change)
Weekly: 42 (no change)
Fit Points: 103 (UP A LOT from last week's 31)
Blue dot days: 6/7 for the week (splurged on some pizza Saturday)

COACHING:
Had my 2nd session with JoAnn on Saturday. She was very impressed with my progress, almost 10 pounds in 2 weeks! She was interested in my exercise level and recipes. 

Next session: Saturday, October 7 at 2:45pm.

ACTION PLAN:
Review:
(1) 6/7 days with 8k step goal
(2) followed the meal plan nearly 100%
(3) took two walks outside during the week and then found two new areas to walk on the weekend
New: 
(1) Have at least 180 active minutes (dr. recommend 1hr/3x/week or 30min/day.
(2) Stay in blue dot range everyday.
(3) Continue to follow meal plan (menu this week: meatloaf, chicken stirfry, cold meat/cheese)
(4) Get 8k steps everyday!

"It doesn't matter how slow you go, as long as you don't stop."

Week 1 Weigh In

STATS:
Heaviest weight: 227
Starting weight: 225
Goal weight: 160
Current BMI: ~39
Goal BMI: <29

Current weight: 216.4
Change: -8.6 pounds

GOALS:
-no significant change in BMI yet, but a loss of 8.6 pounds!!
-no blood tests completed since before WW
-less irritable bowel symptoms, no significant changes in skin
-unsure if it's more energy, but feeling better
-didn't spend any money on food last week other than my trips to Kroger and Target for groceries!


WW STATS:
Smart Points / Day: 32 (down one from last week)
Weekly Bonus Points: 42
Fit Point Goal: 31
Blue dot days (from beginning): 9/10 days

COACHING:
Next session: Saturday, September 30 at 2:30pm.

ACTION PLAN:
3/3 for last week
- planned meals ahead of time (except for Saturday and Sunday, but not mad at myself for it)
- followed the plan (no wasted food!! had some I had to freeze because it didn't sound good but will eat later)
- relaxed with coworkers at a work party (went overboard on drinking but I'm still learning!)

"Unofficial" Action Plan for next week:
- I will reach my step goal 5/7 days. 
- I will follow my meal plan.
- I will spend time outside (once it's not 90 degrees)

WW Adventure

This past year has presented several different medical providers all giving me the same feedback ... 

"Lower your BMI"
"Follow a diabetic diet"
"Make healthier choices"
"Don't eat fast food"
"Get more active"
"Manage your stress better"
"Reduce your alcohol use"
"Eat more green, leafy vegetables"

...the first few times, I was angry, upset, sad. "How dare they try and tell me how to handle my life? They know nothing about me!" 

Well, as of 9/14/17 I became a member of Weight Watchers again (Timehop just reminded me of a short stint of WWs in 2014 - which obviously didn't work). I signed up for WW online + coaching for three months. With my schedule and personality, I thought that a personal coach would be more beneficial than meetings. 

My decision to join WW was because none of doctors actually said "lose weight" but in my mind that is what I heard. WW is all about changing your lifestyle and I think I'm in a place in my life where I am ready (and need) to make the change. Weight Watchers is meant to be a life-long process - not a quick fix. By monitoring what types of food I'm putting into my body and the amount, I will learn what my body needs. WW might have revamped since my last go-around because I don't remember there being a fitness focus, but there is now. 

STATS: 
Heaviest weight: 227
Starting weight: 225
Goal weight: 160
Current BMI: ~39
Goal BMI: <29

GOALS: 
- Lower BMI / Lose weight
- Lower cholesterol, blood sugar and other typical "health" measurements to reduce risk of fatty liver, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. 
- Maintain a healthy diet to improve skin health and digestive health
- Have more energy
- Save money (restaurants and alcohol are expensive!)

WW STATS:
Smart Points / Day: 33
Weekly Bonus Points: 42
Fit Point Goal: 31

COACHING: 
My coach is Joann. She is from Monday and has lost 75+ pounds with WW. Our first "session" was earlier today at 11:30am. Coaching is a really neat feature, allowing you to connect via phone or email with your coach as little or as much as possible. We discussed my assessment and goals. Each week, it is my understanding, we will create an action plan together. 

ACTION PLAN:
- I will plan ahead my meals throughout the week. 
- I will follow the plan (so I don't waste food or spend extra money - currently have a fridge full of healthy options)
- I will have a plan in place so I can relax and enjoy myself by Saturday (I have a work party Saturday that I'm worried about due to food/drink choices)

My hope is to use this blog to document my experience and have a place to reflect on how these changes are influencing my life. 

"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step."

Well shoot...

That last second attempt didn't amount to much. Grad school, health and work stress took up most of my time and I failed to make my nutrition and fitness a priority. However, I'm seriously considering completing a second round here in a few weeks. This time around I will have a partner in crime - my roomie, Anna! Hopefully the two of us will keep us accountable when it comes to our meals and getting the workouts completed. We're also considering starting memberships at Anytime Fitness because we read they are having some New Year's specials (Yes, we might be those newbies at the gym that every one hates in January, but we're hoping to be there longer than that!). If anyone would like to join us in this journey, please let me know and we can try to help one another out! I can't make any promises that my blog will be updated daily due to my course and internship schedule, but I will definitely post new recipes (the official Fixate cookbook is ordered), motivation, progress and my reflection about this process again. I'm still super motivated to obtain a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes life gets busy and difficult to manage. I managed to maintain somewhat of the same weight over the course of 2015 so that is huge motivation to start again because I loved losing nearly 10 pounds in three weeks! So here's to a second try! I can't wait to hear your words of wisdom and feedback!

It's never too late to start making changes!

Goals for this round (and 2016):
-Stick to the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan
-Attempt to possibly cut out diary because Khloe Kardashian lost 11 pounds in one month when she did this!
-Increase my endurance so I can look into possibly running some races (my sister has a 5k per month goal for herself so I'd eventually like to join)
-Not feel so snug in my jeans/dress pants (leggings and jeggings have been my friends for a few months)
-Healthier hair, skin and nails
-Drink the recommended amount of water per day (Your weight / 2 in oz.)
-Reduce stress levels
-Increase overall self-esteem

I recommend making your goals SMART ... (mine are not complete yet, bear with me)

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

As a mental health professional, I encourage my patients to set weekly goals they can work on, which need to be SMART. However, when it comes to a lifestyle change seeing huge progress in one week might not be realistic. That is why I have several small goals I can work towards and easily measure. Plus it feels nice to have some accomplishments so I encourage everyone to set several, SMART goals that are related to your lifestyle change. 

What are some of your fitness and nutrition goals for 2016? How are you working towards them? If you're having trouble making them SMART, let me know and I would be happy to help!

Day 1

Breakfast
2 eggs scrambled
1/2 container Mozzarella cheese
1/4 container Spinach
1 slice WG toast
2 "Cuties"
green tea

Lunch
2 containers roasted vegetables (zucchini, asparagus, carrots, squash, broccoli)
1 container rice
1 container chicken
1 container Asian Citrus dressing
olive oil 
water infused with lemon

Dinner
1 container vanilla Greek yogurt
1 container frozen Mango
8 WG crackers
1 hard boiled egg
1/2 container Greek yogurt
1 container chicken
1/4 container celery
1 container WG cereal 
dill, lemon pepper, pepper
La Croix Cran-Raspberry sparkling water

Containers left for after class
1/2 blue
2.5 green
1 purple

Water Intake (so far)
77 oz 

Tonight's Workout
Total Body Cardio 

**Only hiccup - Tori brought DELICIOUS cookie/brownie/awesomeness bars to class, so I had to indulge. But I plan on sticking to my meal plan tomorrow. I have to do some prep work tonight when I get home because I'm not 100% sure what I'll be having yet, but I'm hoping class will get out a bit early so I can head home soon.

Attempt #2

Here it is... attempt/trial #2 of the 21 day fix. I have a rough meal plan written down and went to the grocery tonight. This time around isn't going to be as structured since I didn't get everything planned out as well, but something has to be better than nothing at this point. Tonight at the grocery I got some chicken and low-sodium turkey, veggies, fruit, Greek yogurt, a new brand of sparkling water (photo below) and supplies to make a new 21 Day Fix approved dressing (recipe below). After returning home from the grocery, I made a few meals to get me started for this week. I roasted veggies (squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and asparagus) to eat with brown rice and chicken. I will use my new dressing for that dish! I also hard-boiled some eggs to use throughout the week for Greek yogurt chicken salad and breakfast. Greek yogurt parfaits with frozen mangoes and whole-grain Honey Bunches of Oats will be a snack pretty much every day.

Main goals for this round:

• Only drink water / sparkling water / green tea
• Drink at least 110 oz. of ^^^ a day
• Complete daily workouts again
• Lose at least 5 pounds

I think that exercising and getting my fluid intake will slowly help me get back on track with my meal planning and nutrition. Saturday night Deidre and I went to Zumba for the first time in quite some time. It felt good to get moving again - hopefully I can stay motivated. School is getting to be very overwhelming and busy at this point in the semester so I really need to stay focused and prioritized to stay on track with my fitness and academic goals.  

I typically weigh myself every Monday morning, so I will log that tomorrow to guide my progress. Amy and Tyler's wedding is officially less than 3 months away! I would absolutely love to do 3 more fixes before then and lose 30 pounds, but realistically I am not sure if that will happen. My realistic goal is to complete two more fixes, one now and one in May.  

Again, if anyone is interested in learning more about the 21 Day Fix or would like to complete it with me, let me know! It's definitely easier to do with someone else who can keep you focused and accountable.