I feel like a rabbit.....

This week we had a veggie challenge. Our bodies had caught up with what we've been doing and figured a new way to hold onto the weight. Many of us saw little or no weight loss in the two weeks following the 1-month weigh in. I was sick, so I actually didn't participate in the "surprise" weigh-in, but I don't see as much movement on my scale either.

The challenge is simple...eat a BIG helping of vegetables and a small (3-4oz) portion of lean protein (turkey, chicken, eggs. etc.) for each meal.

This is difficult for me and others because a lot of veggies need to be prepared and aren't "grab-n-go" like their fruit counter-parts. As I munched on my carrots, I felt like a rabbit. I'm not a big fan of this type of dieting, simply because it is unrealistic long-term for me to eat this way.

But, as the trainers said, it is only for a week, and I'm giving it a go! My calorie count has really gone down to closer to 1000 calories in a day. It makes me really hungry, but I press on.

I tried baking my sweet potato last night, but I think I prefer to make strips and bake them like that instead. The stringy texture really threw me off.

So if you are starting to see a plateau in your weight loss, try something different-even if it is just for a week. I've already seen some good results, loosing 1 1/2 lbs in 2 days!

Running, my knees and new shoes!

I've been meaning to blog about my running. About a month into the program, we started to add running into our workouts. For those of you that know me, know that I HATE RUNNING! But the bottom line is that running is probably the best full body workout out there! I have bad knees and had ACL reconstructive surgery on my right knee in 1993. Since then, my knee has performed wonderfully. Now it seems like my left knee is the problem. I started having pains in my knee and stiffness before I started the workout program. I wondered if it were arthritis? I talked with a friend's husband, who is a orthopedic resident, and he seems to think that strength training, icing (not the frosting type-real ice) and ante-inflammatory meds would help. So, I push on with the pain.

We ran a timed mile on Feb. 4th. My time was 10:58. Not too bad considering that I did have to walk during parts. We hope to improve this time before the end of the contest.

The next day, Feb. 5th, I ran/walked the Climb for Cancer 5K. My time was a respectable 40:47. And I'm happy to report that I came in 9th place in my age division (out of 11) :) :) At least I wasn't last!

Since the running started, I've been having really sore knees (both). After talking with Dan at Sweat Life, he recommend that I visit The Gainesville Running/Walking Store in Tioga Town Center. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner, but my shoes might be the problem. I wasn't sure how old they were, but I know that I hadn't really used them for any type of running since I owned them. When I visited the store, I found out that my shoes were 3 years old. A typical running shoe should only last around 6 months.....ooops! So he looked at the tread on my shoes, observed my stride, and fitted me for a new pair of Brooks running shoes.

I tested the new shoes out the next day on the elliptical machine and then again the next day on the treadmill. It is amazing how much better my knees feel. While I'm not totally pain free, the results really remind me that I need to have a good pair of shoes that are supporting my arches because arches tend to roll in without the appropriate support.

So, I advise everyone who is running to go to the Gainesville Running Store and get yourself properly fitted for the right pair of shoes for you. Everyone is different!!!!

The pain is still in my left knee and I'm still icing and doing the cold plunge at GHFC when I can to help with the inflammation. The next step is the Dr. and I'm trying to avoid that if possible. I'll keep you updated!

13 lbs....see ya later!

Our one-month weigh-in was this morning and to my surprise, I had lost 13 lbs!!! This is a surprise because according to my scale at home, I had only lost 10. Both of which are above my 8 lbs goal, so I'm excited. And since we are doing these physio graph (not sure of the correct spelling) reports, it tells me that I actually lost 14 lbs. of fat and gained 1 lb of muscle!! Awesome!

I'm so excited about these results! I think it is only going to get better though, because starting this week we are going to have homework. Who knows what it will be, but I'm sure it will only help our journey.

The other great news is that the other 3 girls that weighed in this morning also made their goals!!! Way to go team Sweat Life!!!!

My favorite ~300 calorie meals

As promised, here is a list of my favorite ~300 calorie meals:

Medium size banana with 1 T of peanut butter ~200 cals
and
1 hard boiled egg (large) ~77 cals
and
6 large strawberries ~32 cals

Special K fruit & yogurt cereal (1 1/2 cups) w/ 1 cup of skim milk ~331 cals
(I eat this almost every morning for breakfast because I love the quick easy convenience of cereal)

Trail Mix (with almonds, cashews, dark chocolate, raisins, & dried bananas) ~350 cals
(I made this myself with unsalted, raw nuts-portion control is key to calories)

English Muffin with 2 T of peanut butter ~288 cals
and
30 blueberries~ 23 cals

Fage 2% Greek Yogurt with strawberry (or other fruit-inside cup)~130 cals
and
2 Mini Babybel Cheese ~ 140 cals

60 blueberries ~46 cals
and
Toasted English muffin with 2 slices melted 2% American cheese ~240 cals

1 medium size apple w/ 1T peanut butter ~180 cals
and
1 Mozzarella string cheese part skim ~ 80 cals
and
handful (8) raw unsalted almonds ~55 cals

I eat a variety of low fat things for dinner. I cook a meal and then try to figure out what portion size will fit into my 300 cal limit. Because I eat a snack around 3/4 PM, I'm really not overly hungry at dinner and a small portion usually satisfies me.

I do have chocolate cravings and I satisfy that with M&Ms. 15 M&Ms is ~65 cals

I'm also trying to drink 10-12 8oz glasses of water a day. The only other liquid I drink that has calories is my coffee with creamer. I limit that to one cup with 2T of creamer.

I hope this helps you with your goals of eating better and become healthier!! If you have a good snack that you think I'd like, please pass it on. I'd love to add some new things to my list!

It was bound to happen.....

I left the house yesterday without my morning snack and I was running errands. I didn't even realize that I hadn't eaten a snack until around 11:30. Then by 12, I was really hungry. I was driving around trying to think of the best option and I was blank. Then I realized I was near the Chick-fil-a. Baby J was asleep in the car and the drive-thru seemed like the best option for me at the time. I will say that I did resist the ads trying to get me to buy one of their delicious milkshakes. But I did get the chicken salad sandwich with fries and a lemonade. I love Chick-fil-a lemonade. Considering that I had gone almost a month without their lemonade, I think that is pretty good. But the empty calories were not what I needed.

I think that my stomach might be a little smaller (or at least I hope) because I couldn't even finish all of the sandwich (I did choose the healthier chicken salad on whole grain bread). Maybe my stomach is getting used to the smaller meals!! I hope so :)

I will say that the "junk" made me feel icky that afternoon and I got a bit of a headache after my workout, possibly from the fact that my body was getting rid of the junk that I had put into it earlier that day?????

Speaking of workout.....the trainers are now pushing us to our limits. They have had a month to watch and learn what we are capable of and they now make sure we are taking maximum advantage of all our workouts. If we are not going as fast as they think we should, they will let us know to step it up. If we aren't using as much weight as we should, they will bump us up. They easy days of training are over and now we're in for some workouts that might be outside of our comfort zone. I'm up for the challenge and hope all my fellow contestants are too!!