Day 48. Worst day of a good week.

I can't get discouraged that I ate so much junk today.  In my life, there will be birthday party days when I just want to enjoy the food.  Thanks to wiser choices the rest of the week, I had plenty of flex points left to allow me to just enjoy today's buffet without ruining my week.  I still have 2 flex pts left for 1 day/tomorrow.  I can handle that.  Sure, I regret having a piece of cake (which wasn't very good anyway), but honestly - I don't regret the penne ala vodka.  That was worth saving up flex pts all week for, and I savored every bite.  I skipped the wine and stuck with water.  I brought my hummus and whole wheat pita chips to munch on so I could more easily resist the cheese and cracker table.  (Not a single cracker/cheese!)  But that cake.  >sigh<  how do you not have a piece of a 4 yr old's pink iced chocolate cake when your own daughter decorated it and you help her cut it to distribute to all the guests?

So it's another night of Insanity workout tonight.

Someone at the party asked me if I'd lost weight.  :)

Today I ate 42 pts
Exercise:  Insanity Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs (-5pts)
TOTAL: 37 pts   (w/ 15 flex pts)

Day 43 - I'm sorta enjoying this!

I found some bread - finally - that fits the CLEAN EATING category.  Check this out!

Ingredients: Stone ground whole wheat flour, water, yeast & salt.

I made homemade tomato soup w/ basil & garlic, and baked up some "grilled" cheese w/ reduced fat cheddar, part skim mozzerella and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan on 1 slice of this bread, halved.  I also baked up/toasted some croutons from this bread to throw on top of the soup.  It was divine!!  I love getting psyched for a meal and feeling so great afterwards - my belly and my mind, all while staying on track.  Talk about feeling in control!  

Today I consumed 32 pts - most very healthy, except those 3 big bites of crappy carrot cake.  (It was crappy - from a box mix. Soooo not worth the bites.)  

Exercise:  Tae Bo, Firm Abs and 50-ish butt crunches w/ 10lb dumbell on my hips.  (-6 pts)

TOTAL: 26 pts  (w/ 4 flex pts)

Motivation pic - THANK YOU to the faceless chick who 1st posted this online.  You clearly rock!

Day 28 - 4th week complete

This wasn't a great week.   I didn't eat as well as I had been, because - quite frankly - seeing the scale barely budging wasn't great incentive. My friend pointed out today that I should chill out on the dramatic expectations each week since I'm not actually overweight and my body doesn't need any drastic adjustment.  A slow loss is probably best for me.

I have consumed all of my weekly flex points this week, for the 1st time.  If I calculate my points without factoring in activity point credits, I realllllllly overate this week, and a significant portion of that was junk. Man, does the junk food add up fast!!  I eat well all day and end up under 22 pts.  I have one bad meal or stupid snack and I'm suddenly halfway through my week's flex points!  

Honestly, I am not expecting a loss this week.  I'm expecting a small gain.  I'm ready, and I will try my best not to be too discouraged.  It's one week, and this is an ongoing process.

Today I ate 26.5 pts
Exercise: Crunch Step & Sweat w/ 10" step; Firm 5 Day Abs  (-5pts)
TOTAL:  21.5 pts




For the week:
Ate 211.5 pts   (allotted 189 w/ daily 22 and 35 flex pts)
Exercise/Burned off:  29 pts


Regardless of my progress on losing weight this week, I have to mention that I've increased my stamina and can do all the floor work (leg & butt toning reps) at the end of Tae Bo without collapsing and ending the workout.  I go right to the end, and my energy during those last exercises is a lot better than it was a few weeks ago.  That feels great!! I'm definitely getting stronger, but I don't see much change in the cellulite...yet.   Once I burn the cellulite off, I think I'll have great muscle tone eager to see the light of day.

MOTIVATING

Day 27

Wasn't a stellar day, but I stayed within my points and had a really energetic workout.  (Actually, the workout is the only reason I've ended up within my daily points range.)

Today I ate 28.5 pts
Exeercise: Advanced Tae Bo (-7 pts)
TOTAL:  21.5 pts


I read some very interesting things about food choices, metabolism, and fat burning.  I'm not entirely convinced the points system is enough for me to get to my goal without also considering what my body does with certain types of "points" after they're consumed.  A No-Pudge brownie is 1 point.  A small banana is 1 pt.  If I have either one of those things each evening for a snack, will it make a difference in my metabolism?   How can it not??  Weight Watchers makes a lot of "junk food" with low point values, but their ingredients just don't look healthy.  How does my body process all that stuff I can't even pronounce?  Now, that being said, I think these things may serve a purpose now and then, and i'm NOT about to give up my No Pudge brownies because they are a delightful chocolate treat and I feel like I'm just eating what I like - which is nothing hard to keep doing.  But do I really want to use up 1 or 2 points per day on artificially sweetened, processed, low point concoctions just because "I can"?   No.  I don't.

I need to keep reading up on this - how different foods affect blood sugar and how that in turn affects metabolism.  If I'm making wiser food choices, perhaps I should even be consuming MORE points per day to increase my fat burning.  Then again, I'm not sure how much the point system takes this stuff into account already.  All I know is that a Splenda-full mini carrot cake snack can't possibly effect my body the same way as a piece of celery dipped in hummus, even if they are the same points value.

I could spend the summer trying to suck in my belly and cover up as much as possible....

...or I could feel great about the way my belly, quads and glutes look, toned with no cellulite dimples, so I can relax  around the water, not hide in it.   

Day 21

Ready for my 3rd week weigh in tomorrow morning.  Really don't know what to expect.  I've stayed on program and done everything I'm supposed to, but last week's .2 lb loss really has me feeling like I'm at the mercy of the scale - I'm not calling the shots.  On the other hand, regardless of any weight loss or gain, I am most certainly feeling good about my eating habits this month.  I'm enjoying the healthier snacks, and I feel good about turning down most of the junk options.  (not all - but most.)  Most of all, I feel great about how easily the exercise commitment has come.  6 days a week, no excuse and -honestly - no desire for an excuse.

Today:  ate 32 pts
Workout:  Advanced Tae Bo and Firm 5 Day Abs  (-7 pts)
TOTAL:  25 pts


I recalculated my points this week based on NOT subtracting activity pts as I did them, but rather taking from my flex points, and considering activity pts just bonus extras, not factored in.When calc. that wat way, my totals for the week are:
34.5 flex pts consumed
30 activity points earned


So any way I calculate it, I really should have lost weight this week.  I'm so eager to see, yet also sorta dreading it and the possibility that all my confidence in this system could be blown to smithereens - if I don't lose.

Recalc. for the last 2 weeks:

Week 1
51.5 flex pts consumed
26 activity points earned
LOST 2.6 lbs
(though my initial weigh in on day 1 was the start of my period, so I'd have expected to lose at least a lb that week regardless of diet/exercise.)

Week 2
38.5 flex pts consumed
27 activity points earned
LOST .2 lb

Week 3
34.5 flex pts consumed
30 activity points earned
WHAT WILL THE SCALE SAY?

Gina freakin' Carano, looking decidedly more confident about her weigh in than I will.