Sunday, January 29, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge - Goals for Week #5


Hello Friends!  I know, I know... I was missing in action last week, but I am alive and well.  Things were very busy at work (long hours), and it feels like the only thing I succeeded at was putting myself on the back burrner!  My SCC for Week #4 was bad on every front -- I didn't set my weekly goals... I didn't track my daily calories... I didn't exercise... I didn't drink my water... so as you can imagine the scale was brutally honest!  The good news is that I'm mentally and physically ready to RESTART.  So, here's my plan for this week:
  • Walk a minimum of 30 minutes on the treadmill at least 4 days this week
  • Plan the next day's meals and snacks each evening before bed
  • Do not exceed daily caloric intake of 1200
  • Drink 8 glasses of water daily
  • Track food and exercise on MyFitnessPal daily
  • Monitor my blood sugar on a daily basis
  • Also, use the jump rope 2-3 times this week
Wish me luck!


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge - Goals for Week #3

Good news!  I weighed in at 3.2 pounds lighter than last week, and it feels good to see some progress.  I did a little better with my exercise last week, and while I'm proud of that, I know I can do even better!  My nutrition and water intake is pretty good, although I need to add more 'color' to my plate, if you know what I mean.  I am managing to stay within my daily calorie range, but my choices aren't necessarily the healthiest ones so I will be working on that this week.  If I can get some traction with meal planning, I think that will help me make much healthier choices.

  • My biggest "a-ha" moment:  Seeing the benefit (e.g. net calories) of  logging my exercise to My Fitness Pal - love that!!
  • My biggest struggle:  Getting on that treadmill after a long day's work!  I may try to do the treadmill in the mornings instead.  Meal planning was also a struggle.
  • My biggest success:  Tracking everything on My Fitness Pal (I used to hand write my entries and it was a real drag!  So, having an app on my phone makes it SO easy.)

Something I haven't shared before is that about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and I really need to do a much better job of testing my blood sugar on a routine/daily basis.  So, I'm adding this to my goals for Week #3.  Here's my plan:
  • Walk 30-60 minutes on the treadmill at least 4 days this week
  • Do a 3-mile walk around my neighborhood community (Saturday or Sunday)
  • Plan the next day's meals and snacks each evening before bed
  • Do not exceed daily caloric intake of 1200
  • Drink 8 glasses of water daily
  • Track food and exercise on MyFitnessPal daily
  • Monitor my blood sugar on a daily basis

Monday, January 9, 2012

Spring Chicks Challenge - Goals for Week #2


I didn't do as well as I had hoped on Week #1 of the Spring Chicks Challenge, but all is not lost.  My exercise was not on point, and my nutrition was just "okay."  As such, I didn't see a change in my weight, but I'm just restarting my regimen, so I will get my butt in gear on Week #2 for sure.  You'll see I've modified my goals slightly from last week.  I'm tracking via MyFitnessPal, so calories are easier to monitor.  I'm also adding a meal and snack planning goal, as last week I let myself get too hungry between meals and subsequently indulged on anything that was convenient (...I really enjoyed that Krispy Kreme donut, though!).  I did an excellent job with my water and with tracking everything I ate (yes, I tracked the donut!).  I just finished my daily 2-mile walk on the treadmill and I feel AWESOME, so I'm off to a great start for Week #2.  Wish me luck!  Here are my goals:
  • Walk 2 miles on the treadmill (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)
  • Do a 3-mile walk around my neighborhood community (Saturday)
  • Plan the next day's meals and snacks each evening before bed
  • Do not exceed daily caloric intake of 1200
  • Drink 8 glasses of water daily
  • Track food and exercise on MyFitnessPal daily
  • Treat myself to a day of "exercise rest" IF previous day's goals are met (Friday & Sunday)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Where's my Little Engine that Could?

Today, I learned something about myself and why I don't like to exercising. I've never liked it, and I probably never will. I know that exercise can actually be fun, and while that's all well and good I can't seem to get into the groove of really "liking" it. So, the question is WHY? Anyhow, today I was chatting with a co-worker and contemplating joining a walk/run group for women where (as I understand it), they meet at 5 a.m. for a 1 to 2 mile walk/run (they walk for two minutes, run for one minute, walk for two minutes, run for one minute and so on....). I said, well that doesn't sound so bad; but no sooner than I began to really consider doing it, I started to come up with ALL of the reasons why it would NOT work for me. For example... 5 a.m. is too early for me... I won't be able to keep up with everyone... my knees can't take it... I've never run before... etc. etc. And then the ANSWER hit me like a ton of bricks as I listened to myself. While I have a ton of confidence in virtually every area of my fabulous life, when it comes to exercise I'm actually afraid. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it and that I will fail at it -- said another way, I just don't have confidence that I can do it. I set good exercise goals, but I end up talking myself out of it every time.  Here's an example... just yesterday, I programmed my treadmill for my 2-mile walk (see my goals); I hit the start button and jumped right on it. But, within the first three minutes of the program, my inner voice was already telling me that I can ONLY do one mile, not two. So, instead of focusing on my 2-mile goal program, I watched the ticker in anticipation of getting to one mile instead so I could stop.  And that's exactly what I did-- I stopped as soon as I reached the one-mile mark.  So where is my little engine that could?  I'm looking for her, because I really need to build some confidence in my ability to exercise.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Spring Chicks Challenge - Goals for Week #1

So, here are my goals for the first week of our Spring Chicks Challenge.  Wish me luck!
  • Walk 2 miles on the treadmill (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
  • Do a 3-mile walk around my neighborhood community (Friday & Saturday)
  • Do not exceed daily carb goals (30 for meals, 15 for snacks)
  • Drink 8 glasses of water daily
  • Write down everything I eat
  • Treat myself to a day of "exercise rest" IF previous day's goals are met (Thursday & Sunday)

Spring Chicks Challenge - About Me

Okay, today is January 2, 2012 and I'm ready to get started with my Real Chicks Challenge! I lost 50 lbs in 2010, but gained 35 of those lbs right back in 2011. So, game on! Here's a little bit about me and my goals for the challenge!
Name:  LaTonya
Blog URL:  gettingfitfineandfabulous.blogspot.com
Email: lsharmelking67@gmail.com
Twitter: latonyasharmel
Age: 44
Location: Raleigh, NC
My NSV will be to get into this cute brown pencil skirt by the end of the challenge.  I purchased the skirt after losing 50 lbs in 2010, but now I can't fit into it.
  • Get moving to get fit!!
  • I will walk 1-2 miles on the treadmill at least 5 days per week
  • Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator
  • Drink 64oz of water each day
  • Manage my carb intake (max 30 per meal, 15 per snack)

My starting weight:  237.5 lbs (as of Jan 2, 2012)
My Target Challenge Weight Loss:  25 lbs (by March 19, 2012)