Week 15 Results

This week, I really started enjoying my "active time." I'm still not great at jogging, but I jogged on three days for 25 minutes. I believe I can actually walk faster than I can jog over the same amount of time (I am a fair sprinter). But I'll keep jogging this week and see if I get any faster. My husband is really excited about the prospects of running Robie, so that's helping with my motivation.

Also, I started combining my cardio and strength training. While I realize this isn't optimal, it's working well for me as I get into the routine of regular exercise. I'll start increasing my activity level and strength training requirements once I get eating under control.

Which brings me to this week's focus: Food. I think that I am now ready to really focus on proper nutrition. I slipped a couple of days last week, and I don't want to slip anymore. So, I am going to reduce my total allowable calories per day to a maximum of 1400. At the same time, I will give myself 250 additional calories that I can use during that day or save for up to 3 days. That way, I can "splurge" a bit during the week without feeling too guilty.

Also, I set up a challenge with my sister because I want to eat healthy foods rather than junk (the challenge is kind of mean, so I won't get into that here). I was reading a magazine with Jillian Michaels on the cover, and while I've never watched the biggest loser or done any of Jillian's fitness programs, I did like what she said about choosing nutritious foods. She said that she ranks all food on a scale from 1 to 10. The 1 foods are the most healthy (fresh fruits and vegetables and such) and the 10 foods are those that should never be put in your body. She said that the furthest she goes on the scale is to 5 or 6. When I read this, I started thinking of all of the junk food I've put in my body over the years and understood exactly what Jillian was saying.

So, this week, my goal is to eat as few processed foods and as little refined sugar as possible. I will measure the processed foods goal by tracking each day I meet my fiber goal (over 30 grams a day). I've pushed fiber a lot in the past, and when I meet my fiber goal, I definitely can't have eaten a ton of refined foods. Additionally, I will limit my sugars to what is in my normal foods (grape nuts without any added sugar, milk, black beans, etc.) and my almond butter and organic protein bars (they tend to have natural sugars in them though I never eat them as a meal or snack--I actually consider them a treat).

Here are my results from last week:

Exercise	191	150	110	100	150	80	Rest
Calories	1411	1444	1338	1549	1461	1804	2813
Day	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
	Week 15 Weight:			199
	Week 15 BMI:			27.8 = Still Overweight
	Week 15 Waist & Hip:			32.5 & 45

As you can see, my weight isn't exactly moving in the direction I would like. However, I don't think I've truly gained 3 pounds since last week. Most likely, I'm just retaining water or something from last week (that happens to me a lot; especially when I begin exercising). However, I will admit that I wasn't the best at eating last week. Also, there were days I gave myself additional calories for exercise thereby breaking my promise from last week. The problem is that I was feeling really hungry. But one lesson that I've definitely learned about my post-babies body is that I can't trust my hunger pangs. Yes...I said it: My body is nothing but a cruel liar. So, this week, I will truly only give myself the following amount of calories for every 30 minutes of exercise:

Light = 25
Moderate = 50
Rigorous = 75

At this point, I feel healthier because of all of the exercise, so I will use that feeling as my motivation. I hope to post better results next week!