Category: Fitness

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 1, Love of Bacon Bits

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

Last week, I began my 20 pounds in 20 weeks challenge.  So how did I do?  Well, my first week weigh-in was 202 pounds.  Since my initial weigh-in was 205 pounds, this means that I am down by 3 pounds.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 202
Goal Weight 185
Lost 3
Left Until Goal 17

I ate a lot of salads during the week.  I have to admit, I usually like salads, but I wasn’t feeling the salad-love.  For some reason, a big pile of greens with very little dressing on top just didn’t make my mouth water.  So what was my secret?  Bacon bits.  Well, imitation bacon bits, actually.  (Remember, I’m kosher.)  Turns out that 2 servings (14 grams) of these are 1 point and this is a LOT of imitation bacon bits.  The only problem is that we’re running through bacon bits quickly.  We add them to egg whites (with dried onion flakes) as well as to our salads.  NHL has taken to liking them as well.  BJ’s used to have large containers of kosher, imitation bacon bits, but it looks like those were discontinued.  Now, I’m searching for another bulk source.  It’s getting expensive buying lots of those small containers.

Twenty Pounds In Twenty Weeks Take Two

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

Last year, I tried to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks.  I succeeded, but the remaining 32 weeks in the year allowed those pounds to sneak back on me.  I resolved that I would lose 25 pounds and intended to start my weight loss plan on January 2nd.  However, a bout with strep throat set my plans back by a week.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 205
Goal Weight 185
Lost 0
Left Until Goal 20

Therefore, this week officially kicks off my 20 Pounds in 20 Weeks in 2011.  This time, I’ll be doing things slightly different.  B has signed up for Weight Watchers Online and will be following their new Pro Points plan.  I’ve based my previous weight loss attempted on their old plan (Calories/Fat/Fiber) and it worked pretty much every time.  (The first time, I lost about 80 pounds!)  However, to simplify matters and better support B, I’m basing my new plan on Weight Watcher’s Pro Points plan.

As you can see from the table on the side, I’m beginning my weight loss journey at 205 pounds and intend to reach 185 by the time this is up.  This works out to 1 pound lost per week on average.

As with last year, I’ll have two “off” weeks.  The first will be when we go to Disney World.  After all, I’m not going to go to Disney and watch what I eat!  Besides, with all the walking you do in Disney World, I might not even gain that much weight.  The second week will be Passover.  It is hard enough figuring out what to eat during this holiday (when bread and pretty much any bread product is forbidden).  I don’t need to toss in the additional complication of a weight loss plan.  Of course, we tend to eat more fruits and vegetables during Passover anyway, so this might work in our favor.

Here’s to hoping that I’ll be blogging 20 pounds lighter in mid-May!

New Year, New Decade, New Me! #newme

Fitness, Health, Life Decisions

It’s a new year and a new decade. During the last decade, one of my proudest moments (besides marrying my wonderful AngelForever or having my two fantastic kids) was losing weight. I went from 255 pounds to 175 pounds (80 pounds lost) in about 2 years’ time. I was actually called skinny by people. The first time I’ve been called that in my entire life! Since then, my weight has gone up and down quite a few times. Recently, I’ve slacked off again and my weight crept back on. Not the full amount, mind you, but enough to push me above 200 pounds again.

I was planning on recommitting to dropping those excess pounds and chronicalling my efforts on my blog. Then BuckDaddy posted about his Project New Me. I decided to join in. I plan to weigh myself every Sunday morning and post about it Monday morning. I’ll include how much weight I’ve lost (or gained), how events from the previous week contributed to my weight change and any plans for the upcoming week. Look for my first NewMe post tomorrow.

Feel free to join BuckDaddy and I in making a New You in the New Year. Simply use the #NewMe hashtag when you tweet. I wish you luck with all of your plans in 2010, whether they be for weight loss or something else.

Share Your EA Sports Active Custom Workouts

Fitness, Internet, Wii

I fell in love with EA Sports Active the minute I first started working out with it. Let me rephrase that. It was more of a love/hate relationship. I loved working out to it. My body sometimes hated the fact that I was forcing it to run, squat, jump, box, etc instead of just sitting on the couch. Slowly, though, I felt my strength increasing so I upped the workouts from Easy to Medium. I even venture into Hard from time to time. Mainly for the Custom Workouts.

This is one of the strengths of EA Sports Active. The Custom Workouts. You can design your own workout and share it with others playing on your Nintendo Wii system. I made a tennis workout that B likes to do when her knees need a rest. I also made a quite tiring running one.

Do you have a favorite custom workout for EA Sports Active? Head on over, add it to the mix, and post a link to it in the comments section below. Don’t forget to spread the word. The more people who contribute, the more valuable this resource will be.

Weight Loss Progress

Disney, Fitness, Food, Travel

Back in December, I looked at the scale and didn’t like what I saw.  My weight had not only crept above the dreaded 200 mark, but was all but at 210.  I had worked very hard a few years back to lower my weight from 255 to 185.  Over the years, some weight would come back on and I would respond by tightening the reins on what I ate.  Not so much dieting (which can be bad for you) but watching what I was eating (sometimes by keeping a food journal) and making a conscious attempt to eat healthier.  I am determined to never again weigh as much as I used to.  When NHL gets tired, I’ll sometimes still carry him, but since he weighs over 47 pounds now, I can’t carry him for long.  Inevitably, as I put him down, I think to myself: "And I was carrying this (and more) around every single day?!!!"

So when I saw my weight creep back again, I became determined to return to 185.  My first attempt involved WiiFit.  At first, I liked the workouts and they seemed to be working, but the pounds weren’t dropping off too fast.  So I went back to my reliable "Weight Watchers-esque" method.  I kept a food journal and tracked how much of everything I ate.  I limited my intake of food and the pounds starting falling off.  I’m not going to hit my goal of 185, but I did end up at the not-too-shabby weight of 187.  I can live with those extra two pounds at Disney World.

At Disney World, I’ll be eating a lot of high calorie food including all-you-can-eat buffets which are like kryptonite to my weight loss efforts.  On the other hand, I’ll be walking.  A lot.  In high 80’s – low 90’s.  That should help shed some pounds.  It will be interesting to see whether the walking wins out (leading to weight loss), eating wins out (leading to weight gain), or whether they cancel each other out (leading to no change in weight).  Even if I gain some weight, I’m alright with it.  I’ll go back on my weight loss plan (adding in, perhaps EA SPORTS Active) once I get back.

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