I finally came to an important realization which will be vital to my success as I lose these same pounds again. I am amazed I got stuck on this. Has this happened to you?

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I’ve gained back weight I worked so hard to lose. All is not lost. I didn’t gain back all of the weight. I can just pick up from where I am.

A big motivation for making sure I’m heading in the right direction again is an upcoming trip. When I get packed in with a bunch of people for several hours on a plane, I want to be as comfortable as possible (and I want the person in the seat next to me to be comfortable as well).

I rode the recumbent bike this morning, and I went for a walk this evening. I’m aiming to head back to the gym, and I am looking for fun ways to exercise.

Here’s what I ate today:

Breakfast: Apple Streudel Bar; Boiled Egg; Whole-Wheat Toast

Mid-morning Snack: Ham; Banana

Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup; Zucchini and Squash

Afternoon Snack: Cheese Puffs; 100-calorie bag of popcorn; trail mix

Dinner: Rotini with Meatballs; Rice; Eggplant with Tomatoe Sauce; Strawberries

Dessert: Chocolate-Chip Granola Bar

Drinks: Coffee, Crystal Light

One good day down.  Tomorrow is a new day.

Since I am at a point where I need a little bit of help, I’ve decided it is time to create my own little score card of what I need to do to get on track.  It’s easy to build, since I am well aware of some of the bad things I have done lately.

So, here it goes:

• Ride the recumbent exercise bike for thirty minutes.  Check!
• Drink 64 ounces of water (or Crystal Light).  Check!
• Eat a healthy breakfast.  Check!
• Eat a healthy mid-morning snack.  Check!
• Eat a healthy lunch.  Check!
• Eat a healthy afternoon snack.  Check!
• Eat a healthy dinner.  Check!
• Eat a healthy evening snack / dessert.  Check!
• Avoid all candy and snacks.  Check!
• Limit amount of coffee.  Check!

Those are ten items I can do each day (at least Monday through Friday), and I did all ten of them today!  However, it is just one day, and I need to do the same thing for several days to reach my goals.

Reviewing my score card for today and realizing I accomplished everything I set out to do is an amazing feeling!  I have had a successful Monday, and I am looking forward to a successful Tuesday.

Do you use a score card or some other system to keep yourself in check?  If so, please share your ideas in the comments.

I’ve learned through this journey of losing weight that scheduling is key.  Eating six times a day and exercising requires a really good schedule to pull off successfully.

Creating a schedule sets an expectation.  If you tell yourself you are going to exercise at 5am, your mind and body start to prepare for that reality. 

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Morning or Afternoon Exercise

There are pros and cons to almost any time of day you choose to do your exercise.  Morning can be good, because you are able to get the exercise out of the way for the day.  Afternoon might be better, because you have more time, and you want to help relieve some stress.

I’ve tried both schedules, and I have realized morning exercise is better for me.  It’s so much better that I’ve decided to extend the idea!

Are You a Morning Person?

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I am a morning person.  I woke up this morning at 4am!  The alarm was supposed to wake me up at 4:45am, but I was awake at 4am and decided to start the day.

Instead of getting right on the exercise bike immediately after waking up, I decided to have a nice cup of coffee.  I also went into my office to work on my personal projects.  I finally got on the exercise bike at 7am.

Giving Your Best to Yourself

I arrived at the office today at 8:45am.  That’s one hour and forty-five minutes later than I used to start work.  The difference in how I felt is way more than I expected.

Arriving at the office, I realized I had accomplished the most important things I wanted to do for myself today.  I exercised.  I worked on some of my own projects.  The rest of the day was my full-time job and dinner.

Avoiding Stressful Distractions

The best part of finishing everything before my full-time job is that there was very little that a stressful day at work could do to derail my life’s goals and dreams.  I’m sorry, but losing weight and getting healthy is way more important than my job.  I am also partial to my own personal projects, too.

Have you come to the same conclusion about your schedule?  Do you have  full morning before work?  Or do you prefer to do your other activities in the evening?  I’m always looking to improve my life, and you may just have a schedule idea that works really well.  Please post it in the comments.

Here is a recap of the week.

Monday:  I got on the bike at 5am, and it felt great.  I felt so good getting it out of the way for the day.  I also ate fairly well.

Tuesday:  I got on the bike again at 5am.  With two days on the exercise under my belt, I was feeling really good.  I basically followed my diet fairly well.

Wednesday:  Three days in a row!  I got on the bike again.  I’m on my way!  It was also another day of good eating.

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Thursday:  Four days riding the recumbent bike.  I’m really back on track.  I ate fairly well again.

Friday:  I did not get on the bike.  I still felt good about my accomplishment of four days on the bike.  Eating got a little hairy, because I made a trifle for my mother’s birthday.

Saturday:  I started at the new gym finally.  I walked there and back.  I had to get oriented to the new gym.  I did a few exercises, but I didn’t do it to the level I had before. 

I didn’t eat so well on Saturday.  I went to Outback Steakhouse.  I had rack of lamb, sweet potato, and broccoli for my dinner.  I also enjoyed some bread and some of the bloomin’ onion.  Of course, I ate some of the trifle I made, too.

Sunday:  I followed the NutriSystem Select plan, but I did no exercise.

Today:  I was still sore from the gym on Saturday…really sore, so I did not get on the recumbent bike.  I did my best to stick to my healthy eating plan.  I think I’ll be able to get back on the bike tomorrow.

I think it was a pretty good week to get back on track.  I feel I had lost sight of my goal a little bit, and I want to get things moving again.  I still have at least 70 pounds to lose, and I am ready to do it.

How do you get your second wind? 

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Bun Bar; Egg; Banana; Morning Coffee; Cracker, Honeymaid Graham Crackers (Nabisco) ,Low Fat Honey

Morning Snack:  Chicken Breast; Banana

Lunch:  Tomato and Corn Chowder; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt

Afternoon Snack:  Cheese Puffs

Dinner:  Lasagna; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Pasta, cooked al dente; Fennel Bulb

Dessert:  Chocolate Caramel Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none today.

Pedometer:  ?

At the end of the thirty minutes, I had elevated my heart rate, and I had worked up a sweat.  I pushed myself, and it felt great.  I reminded myself that I actually like to exercise today.

I did work a little bit later than expected, and I was getting phone calls on the way home from work.  However, it was a little bit easier to manage than the morning interruptions.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

For a few minutes today, I did resent having to move my exercise due to work.  At the same time, I did enjoy a more relaxing start to my day, because there were not too many work issues to address.

The plan for the remainder of the week is to exercise on Tuesday and Thursday after work.  I won’t be exercising on Wednesday and Friday.  I think I’ll be ready to return to the gym on Saturday.

I’m looking for some indoor exercises to do on Sunday.  I’m in Florida, and it is getting hotter and hotter each day.  If I cannot find many indoor options, I’ll try doing outdoor exercise early in the morning, before it gets too hot.

What indoor exercises do you enjoy?  Of course, there is the gym, but I like the adventure of hiking or biking.  Can you get that same kind of adventure indoors?

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Bun Bar; Egg; Banana; Morning Coffee; Cracker, Honeymaid Graham Crackers (Nabisco) ,Low Fat Honey

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Chicken Noodle Soup; Cauliflower, cooked

Afternoon Snack:  Cheese Puffs

Dinner:  Tender Beef with Vegetables; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?

There were times when it felt difficult and maybe uncomfortable.  Yet, I let myself be distracted by “Howie Do It”, and I reached the finished line. 

When I got off the bike, I was sweaty, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment.  I drank some Crystal Light and paused for a few minutes to catch my breath before continuing my day.

There was such a marked difference in my day.  I caught myself think about exercise as I was walking into work, and I was happy to realize that I had already completed my exercise.  I felt back on track with my plan.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

The goal now is to do this every day.  I want to have this feeling every day.  It feels so crappy when I miss my exercise.

How does exercise make you feel?  Do you see it as a chore?  Does it energize you?  Is it a little bit of both?  Please share in the comments.

On another note, I received my NutriSystem Select frozen foods from Schwan’s.  The driver asked me if I had seen Schwan’s on Celebrity Apprentice.  When I replied yes, he shared with me a special that includes the two meals created on the show plus a dessert.  Since they are LiveSmart items, they are compatible with the NutriSystem Select plan.  So, I bought them, and I’ll try them soon.

Breakfast:  Harvest Nut Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Chicken Salad; Zucchini, cooked

Afternoon Snack:  BBQ Soy Chips

Dinner:  Pasta Fagioli; Cauliflower, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked

Dessert:  Blueberry Parfait

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?

I credit my nice drop in weight to a few things:

• Additional thirty minutes of exercise each week
• Going from three coffees per day to one
• Eating right and learning more strategies to deal with hunger

 

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

I feel like I have pushed through a plateu.  I am now in the 260s, and I have my sights set on 250.  I went back to my spreadsheet to calculate the date ranges for my short-term goals:

• 250 lbs:  03/23/2009 – 04/06/2009
• 225 lbs:  05/25/2009 – 07/06/2009
• 200 lbs:  07/27/2009 – 10/05/2009
• 180 lbs:  09/21/2009 – 12/21/2009

My primary goal is to stay within these ranges, but I really want to achieve my goals before these date ranges. 

Are you a long-term dieter like me?  If so, how did you have to adjust as you continued on your healthy eating plan for months and months?  Please share in the comments.

NutriSystem Select

I received my NutriSystem Select shipment today.  These are the foods I know and love.  The frozen meals will get delivered tomorrow.  I’m so excited!

Body Weight:  266.5 pounds.  I weigh 93.5 pounds less than my all-time high of 360 pounds.

Breakfast:  Chocolate Chip Granola Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, sourdough; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Crabmeat; Banana

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Cabbage, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner:  Florentine Sauce with Chicken Fettuccini; Zucchini, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Rice, brown, cooked

Dessert:  Chocolate Caramel Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?

I am so glad I went to the restaurant’s website ahead of time, so I had a really good idea of what I could order.  Had I ordered based on what I thought would be healthy choices, I would have far exceeded my caloric intake for the day.  Just because a dish is made with a healthy ingredient certainly does not mean that the entire dish is healthy.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

I must say that I understand that restaurants are trying to make dishes that taste good, but I think you would be surprised at the amount of calories in some restaurant dishes.  Unless a restaurant has a healthy menu that spells out the nutritional content, every dish is suspect to me.  Luckily, most restaurants offer healthy menus or provide nutritional information to help make healthy choices.

If you have eaten at a restaurant while on a healthy eating plan, and you had a very positive outcome, can you share your experience?  What tips do you have about making sure restaurant food fits into your plan?

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Swirl Granola Bar; Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat; Applesauce, unsweetened; Bread, sourdough; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  skipped!

Lunch:  Thai Chicken Salad (Yard House); Thai Peanut Vinaigrette

Afternoon Snack:  Cheese Puffs

Dinner:  Mushroom Risotto; Collard Greens, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Couscous, cooked

Dessert:  Chocolatey Nougat Bar with Peanuts and Caramel

Drinks:  Crystal Light; Passionfruit Blackberry Tea

Exercise:  No exercise today.  It’s my day off.

Pedometer:  ?