There isn’t much to say… I haven’t been keeping up with my blog, and I haven’t lost anything more than the three pounds I already lost.  So far they’ve stayed off too though.  However, I need to get back into things!

I haven’t been back to the gym given the persistent issues with my hip off and on (I think we just need a new bed), and our schedules lately make it all sorts of messed up to go in the evening.  I think I’m going to try hitting the gym in the AM before work… We’ll see how that goes.  Waking up almost an hour earlier at 4am isn’t sitting well with my brain, but who knows how it’ll go!

I’m still trying to eat as best as I can in a healthy fashion.  Last week was admittedly terrible!  At least I do feel guilty though when I eat like crap, or stray from behaving.  That’s a good thing, right? 

So yeah, I need to get back into gear… Get back with my “program” and post back here more often!  My goal for March is going to be to post daily and go to the gym at least 15-20 times out of the 30 days, if not more.  Sound good?  Wish me luck!

Well, plans of making it to the gym today were botched from the start.  I woke up and my right hip was in severe pain… You see?  I woke up in pain!  Grrrr!  I’m not sure what happened because I was fine when I went to bed.  I don’t have a bruise or anything, so I’m clueless.  My best guess is that DH might’ve kneed me in my sleep, which wouldn’t be the first time.  Needless to say, I was in enough pain that I basically hobbled around the house throughout the morning, and while I was at the mall for DD’s friend’s party, I pretty much forgot the pain.  We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but hopefully I find myself in a gym!

Anywho!  I’ve been trying not to obsessively weight myself, so I only step on the scale sporadically and at different times of the day.  I don’t want to see numbers fluctuating too much, which I know in turn will only stress me and add undue pressure.  Regardless I thought I’d step on the scale to see what was going on.  Surprise!  I’ve lost 3 lbs.!  Now, that might not seem like much, but it’s something and it’s a start!  Since I weighed myself this AM before eating or anything, I weighed myself again tonight to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.  Nope!  Still showed I was down the same 3 lbs. as this morning.  YAY!  Now I can begin to get excited again since I know it’s just a matter of keeping at it and I’ll eventually hit my goal!

I swear, there are reasons why physical activity and I don’t get along.  I go to the gym, and I’m hoping that I’ll start getting in shape.  Nope, first day there and I already sustained an injury!  Seems as though I possibly have a shin splint in my left leg.  WTF!  I swear…

In other weight loss news, not much has changed.  I quit trying to count calories for the most part because I’m eating almost the same stuff daily.  If it’s something new I’ll look up the total calorie content and make sure I’m not exceeding my daily allowance.  For the most part, I’m still between 1200 to 1400 calories a day.

So, I’m hoping to get back into the workout “saddle” tomorrow.  Although, I have no idea when or how since I’m busy all day!  Looks like it might be Sunday before I get back into to the gym then.  Ugh!  STINKS!

You know, I’m so glad it’s starting to finally warm up!  While I love comfort foods, it’s so hard to find recipes that are lower in fat, carb and calories while still tasting good!  At least when it’s warmer out I can start eating more fruit salads and green leaf salads.  It’s so much easier for me to eat healthier when it’s warmer because I tend to want to eat lighter meals.  And living in NY, seasonal fruits are easier to get.  Sometimes I miss living in GA just because I swear fruit was available for cheap year-round!

Not to mention, it means more time to spend outdoors.  As much as I hate bees and my allergies hate everything, it’s nice to finally be able to get out without worrying about freezing my rearend off!  Even if it’s just for a walk at night after dinner, it’s being outside!  Luckily we live near a big park too, complete with tennis and basketball courts, so I can take the girls out to play or whatnot.  I definitely need to become more active in the summer.  It’s just sooooo hot, and when you don’t have central air, it makes it harder to stay cool!

What do you like to do and eat when it starts warming up?  How much different are your daily activities and meals compared to in the fall and winter?

I’ve been horrible about keeping up… Again! Nothing much new to report as I haven’t much any weight. I was bad about my eating all this past weekend too. However, I did join the gym around the corner from the house and worked out.

It’s been hard trying to work out at home since my lovely 6 y.o. is always in the way, or she’s asking me a bazillion questions breaking my concentration.  Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that at the gym.  And, if I want to, I can take my older DD with me for company.

I’m going to get back on track starting today… I know I’ve said that like three times already I’m sure, but for this time I’ve gotta make it stick.  I have to!  I’m pretty revved up for the gym too.  I put together a playlist that is pretty energy packed IMHO… Britney Spears, Chemical Brothers, Apollo 440 and Cee Lo.  Fun, fun!

What helps keep you motivated when you’re in a slump?  How do you make sure you don’t lag behind in your dietary goals and workout routines?

I seriouly feel bad because the last two days haven’t gone as I had hoped as far as my food intake and exercise. I swear to get back on track today! It seems silly to say I hate when life gets in the way, but it’s true… Sadly, it’s only getting in the way of life LOL!

When you’re lacking on motivation, or your routine isn’t going as you hoped/planned, what do you do to get back on track? I’m not going to dwell on the fact that it’s been about three days since I did anything. But, I am going to make today the start of getting back on track!

I’m sorry I didn’t post the last few days. I meant to, but never did. Let’s see, Thursday I stayed on track. I’ll have to check FitDay to see what I ate in order to post it, but I know I was within my calorie range. Friday I know I bombed, but I figured it to be one of my last cheat days in a while. Saturday I was definitely under because I ended up not eating breakfast since I had to rush out to run errands before a small storm came. Yesterday wasn’t too horrible, but I know I went over my calories since I had two flavored beverages while watching “The Big Game.”

I’ve decided for now to stick with a 1400 calorie diet, which should still keep me on track to lose 45 lbs. by the end of the year, if not sooner. If I need to later, I can always slightly lower my caloric intake to no less than 1200. I don’t want to restrict myself too much too soon.

I did exercise every day except Friday, so yay me! My legs are definitely feeling the burn, so I have got to find myself an upper body routine for tonight. I’m trying to switch between cardio and strength to the best of my ability. I checked out Exercise TV On Demand, and it looks like it might be promising. My biggest obstacle at home is my lovely daughter. She wants to join in, but there isn’t enough room. And when she’s not trying to exercise with me, she’s talking my ear off breaking my concentration! Grrrrr! So, sadly, I’m debating on if I need to join a gym or not… Fun, fun!

Yet another storm in NY today… Gotta love it!  I think I read that since the beginning of the year we’ve already had about 60″ of snow!  I’m not sure if that counts in today or not… I could care less really as long as it’s all over soon!  I do believe we’re about to luck out though as Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow!  Yay!

Anywho!  Since the day is coming to a close, here’s my accounting of my meals, snacks and exercise (everything was measured as serving sizes suggested):

Exercise: Yoga Booty Ballet Cardio Cabaret Burlesque-Style

Breakfast: General Foods French Vanilla Cafe and Quaker Apples & Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal

Lunch: Water, 1 slice Freihofer 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread, Homemade Tuna Fish and 1 medium banana

Afternoon “Snack”: General Foods French Vanilla Cafe

Dinner: Water, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (click for link) and 1 slice Krusteaz Honey Cornbread

After Dinner Snack: General Foods French Vanilla Cafe & 10 slices of red apple w/ Peanut Butter

Total Consumed Calories: ~1255

Check out the beginner workouts from Zuzana and Freddy over at Body Rock:
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6

No more researching, watching YT vids and debating. Today I started to put things in motion… Finally! I got my hands on some Zumba workout DVDs, as well as Bollywood Dance Workout. Once I got the girls in bed, I did the Zumba Basics 20-Minute Workout. Sad to say 20 minutes is enough for now. At least of Zumba. I honestly can’t wait for the weather to get better so I can start going for a walk daily.

As for food, I did fairly well. The dietitian from work was kind enough to print out sample meal plans for a 1200-calorie diet and a 1400-calorie diet. While those might seem like low numbers, it might be necessary at first to lose weight. If I recall, women should generally eat between 1500 and 1800 calories a day, right?

So, here’s what today looks like at a glance:

Exercise: Zumba Basic 20-Minute Workout

Breakfast: General Foods French Vanilla Cafe (before work), Dunkin’ Donuts Large Dunkaccino, Yoplait Smooth & Creamy 99% Fat-Free Strawberry Yogurt w/ Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Raisin Granola, and Bigelow Orange Spice Tea

Lunch: Water, 1 slice 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread w/ 2 slices Sara Lee Honey Roasted Turkey Breast deli meat, 1 slice sharp cheddar cheese and 1 medium banana

Dinner: General Foods French Vanilla Cafe, water, 1 slice 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread w/ tuna fish and 1-cup raw baby carrots

After Dinner Snack: 10 slices red apples & Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea

Total consumed calories: ~1565 (I would’ve been under and had enough room for another snack, but the Dunkaccino did me in… DH brought it home for me after he worked a graveyard shift, so I drank it!)

I’ve been spending the last few days planning and seeking motivation by watching YouTube videos and trying to figure out the food aspect of things. I won’t say this is harder than I expected, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to have migraines almost daily either. Gotta love it! Tonight I’m going to use diet.com to pull together an at home fitness program, and start working out tomorrow. This weekend I’m going to sign up for a Zumba class at the local elementary school, and I eventually need to get new workout shoes.

I know it seems I’m taking my sweet ass time about getting a move on, but I seriously want to ease into this without going balls to the wall and failing. As I mentioned, having migraines hasn’t been a positive either. I still haven’t set any clear-cut goals, but that’ll be something I figure out along the way. For now, slow and steady will win this “race” before anything else will!