So I finally started to lose some weight!!!! Part of it is probably the crazy amount of miles that I have been running but I also feel like this shedding of L.B.s has been thanks to not the changing of WHAT I eat but HOW OFTEN I eat and how much I eat when I eat.
THE APP-
Helping me along has been a great tool. My Fitness Pal. You can go online to myfitnesspal.com or download the app on your iPhone. I assume that they have other versions on other carriers but am not sure. My friend Kelly turned me on to it and I LOVE IT! It is REALLY helping. Not changing anything else I have finally lost 5 POUNDS! Considering I have been running since July with no change. I really think what has helped is the fact I have to journal what I eat. It calculates how much I weigh and how much I want to lose per week, then tells me how many calories I can eat. I can add in how much exercise I do and earn extra calories which I love for days I know I want to eat more, or dare I say have a glass or three of champagne at 188 calories for 8 ounces. So to enjoy 3 FULL glasses guilt free I know I need to at least run for an hour or about 5 miles in order to do so. One afternoon I felt super hungry and wanted to enjoy my dinner so I entered in what we were having and how much I thought I would eat and then hopped on the treadmill so I could do it without feeling bad. Its like working to play. It makes me think about my choices too. When I am looking at that cookie, it's like do I REALLY want to run a mile to earn it? Not really or Heck Yeah! Either way I am aware.
THE FOOD-
The best part is that I feel like I am eating more then ever. I am guilty of not being a breakfast fan and then enjoying my latte, forgetting to eat until later afternoon at which point I am starving and then over eating to compensate. This is a bad habit. I have started forcing myself to eat something in the morning. Especially on running days. Rachel has turned me on to Trader Joe's Steel Cut Oats. They are frozen you stick them in the microwave until done, then I add Peanut Butter and sliced bananas. This is filling and a great way to start the day. After I workout I try to eat 15-20 grams of Protein. This is easily accomplished with a hard-boiled egg and a Chobani, preferably Pomegranate. YUM! Then I try to remember to eat lunch. Or have a couple snacks before it gets to late. String Cheese, apples, something. In a pinch my FAVORITE treat is Starbuck's Protein Plate: 3 apple slices, honey peanut butter packet, a hard boiled egg with salt and pepper, an awesome little roll ( not sure what's in it but I love it) grapes and 2 small cheese triangles. It is not too filling and it keeps me happy. Plus when I need something on the run it is quick and convenient and GUILT FREE! This with a iced venti unsweetened green tea and I am in heaven :)
HYDRATION-
I have been leaving a pitcher on the counter. It is a visual reminder to drink up! I have been drinking between 4-5 24 ounce glasses a day. I keep my water bottle with me all the time and my Venti Starbuck's cold cups on hand because I like it on ice. I have been peeing constantly but I think it is helping me to lose water weight. I don't feel bloated for the first time in a while!
BACK TO MY PAL-
So when I know that I have to enter my food in order to know what I can eat, I am more likely to remember TO eat. This app has a huge database in which it is super easy to find things whether you are eating out or making it at home. You can even scan the bar code to get the info with your phone camera. Once you start going and you enter something once, it stays in there. This is super convenient because if you are like me a creature of habit then you can just keep going back to your list without searching.
ONE FINAL THING-
I don't talk about stuff on this blog unless I really love it and this I really love. I have been the same weight since I had Keegan and then consecutively after each kid I came back to the same DAMN WEIGHT! I couldn't shake it. Even after running and running and running! This has FINALLY helped me. I highly recommend it if you are in the market to lose some weight. Or just to be healthier and be more conscience of what you are eating! Exercise is still the best way to get healthy but this totally helps! It is worth the time to keep track.
That's me up on my Friday soap box! I hope you try it and like it!
enJOY!
myfitnesspal.com
5 comments:
I downloaded that app a couple months ago. I thought it was going to be sort of time consuming so I never did anything with it. But if you, with 4 kids, a puppy, and an insane amount of running time, can make it happen... Then I, with no kids, grown dogs, and a shamefully small amount of time spent running can probably make it happen. Thanks for the kick in the pants. I need it :)
The readers would like Chicken Pot Pie!!!!
Jayson
Um Jayson...Look under my recipe roll on the right :) Chicken Stew with biscuits. Its all there :) Next time I make it, I'll bring you yours :)
I am *amazed* at FP's database! It even has info from my Rebar cookbook (an amazing little vegetarian restaurant in Victoria BC). I thought for sure that there was no way a Canadian cookbook would be in there!
What an interesting tool FP is! I'm a little skeptical at the amount of calories it says I can eat in a day, esp. when that number keeps rising, the more I exercise.
It definitely has me considering what I'm going to eat. I've actually started checking the stats on foods *before* I eat them. A couple of times I've come to realize that perhaps 1/2 cup of hershey's chipits isn't the best thing to do. (I'm a chocolate chip freak - prior to using FP, I'd regularly go through a 350g bag every couple of weeks. That won't be the case anymore.
Gotta get ready for a trip to *Jamaica* in May! The last time I wore a bikini, I think I was 20! YIPPEE!
Hey Ashley! Add me on MFP - i'm wender125
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