Saturday, March 26, 2016

Weight Loss Journey Week 2

Week 2 on my weight loss journey! I'm feeling great!

I've lost 3 pounds this week totaling 8 pounds.

I discovered some new features on SparkPeople that we didn't have in 2008 when I joined SparkPeople. One is having a Spark Coach. For 10 minutes each day you watch a motivational video from a Spark Coach and complete some goals. It's a nice feature. They also offer individual on-line coaching with a Spark Coach but it cost money. For now, I'll stay with the free Coaching sessions which do motivating me.

I am on a 14 day streak on my weight loss journey by logging into Spark People each day and logging my nutrition and exercise. 

I continued with 30 minutes riding my stationary bike each day. Sometimes I split it into two 15 minute segments due to my daily schedule and finding the time and energy to do it. 

Wednesday was a beautiful spring day and I decided to go for a brisk walk. I walked 1.26 miles in 24 minutes. It felt great being outside - then I pulled my exercise bike out on the patio and did my 30 minutes on the bike. It was a great work out day. I mapped my walk on mapmyrun.com here. I can't wait until the day are warmer and I can feel like walking. I hate walking in the cold breezy weather - that is one of the reasons I purchased an exercise bike. 

I started another new feature "The 30-Day Jumpstart Your Workout Challenge". I'm on day 6 of the challenge. They give you a series of workout excercises to do. Some of them are really hard and I can't do them - so I modify them and do it to the best of my ability. The exercises I struggle with are like a back bend when you are lifting your weight backwards with your arms. I have a tough time doing backward arm lifts. I don't know if it's my age or my weight. I am really strong from lifting vacuums and cleaning caddies all day long, but for some reason my body doesn't like lifting from a backwards angle. Maybe with time and consistency I'll be able to do that. Going through different exercise routines let me know how out of shape I really am - shaking head. 

I find new things every day on Spark People and love it.

 This is not a starvation diet which I will fail at. This is a life style change. To lose 2 pounds per week my nutrition goal is 1200 - 1500 calories. Here is the overall nutrition from this week:
Here is what I ate each day this week. You can click on the photo to get a better look. 
I purchased low calorie bread (Sara Lee Delightful Wheat bread 45 calories per slice) to eat instead of homemade. I also purchased lots of fruits and vegetables. 
 I tried a new SparkRecipe soup dish and absolutely loved it! 
Five-Ingredient Soup
Nutritional Info: Fat: 0.6g Carbohydrates: 24.9g Calories:128.0 Protein: 7.3g

Ingredients
1 (14.4-ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
1 (14.4-ounce) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 (14.4-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.4-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 (14.4-ounce) can no-salt added diced tomatoes 

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, whisking to integrate the refried beans. Simmer, then serve. 
 On Wednesday I was starving all day. I don't know why but I just never felt full. I made a huge stir fry and used lime juice over it instead of Soy Sauce to save on sodium. I didn't like the lime juice on the stir fry. In the future I purchased low sodium Soy Sauce because I need that bit of flavor on my stir fry. 
I also purchased fresh angel hair pasta to mix with the stir fry instead of rice. I like it either way, it was just a change and I used the pasta for spaghetti the rest of the week. The reason I purchased fresh pasta was to help me know the right amount to eat per serving to stay in my calorie range. I didn't know the measurement with dry pasta because I don't have a food scale. Now that I know a healthy meal of pasta is 1 1/4 cup, I'll cook regular dry pasta. 

(I'm going to purchase a food scale because it's the best way to really know I'm eating the correct amounts - which will help me be successful)

I used my own recipe for spaghetti - which I put in SparkRecipes to get the calorie and nutritional information. This helps me eat real food in the right quantity. Spaghetti beef sauce measurement was 1/3 cup. 
 Friday I ate leftover soup and spaghetti. 
 I had time Friday morning to whip up some French Toast with my low calorie bread and my sugar free syrup (15 calories for 1/4 cup). I fried one egg and split it between the 2 slices of French Toast. 
A yummy breakfast for 353 calories. 
 Today will be another leftover day.
Tomorrow for Easter dinner I am still preparing an Easter ham. I'll add a baked potato and asparagus with a salad - and deviled eggs. In order for me to succeed, I have to feel like it's not a diet and a healthy life style. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I was invited to join a team that competes on challenges against other teams. I accepted the invitation and have joined. I figure this challenge to compete with other teams will keep me more motivated each day to help my team along. The next challenge hasn't started yet - probably on April 1st. I'm excited to join in all the fun and encouragement. 

Overall it was a great week and I'll take the additional 3 pounds I lost and continue my journey to a healthier me!

Also a note: I ordered a yoga mat and a pedometer from Amazon for free (yea swagbucks). I'll receive them on Monday to help me with my exercises and also to know how many steps I step each day - which should be interesting to know while I clean houses all day long.

Did you join SparkPeople? Are you joining me on my journey?

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