Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Extreme Makeover: Me Edition ~ Favorite Beverage to Drink While Trying to Lose Weight


For those unfamiliar with Extreme Makeover: Me Edition {hosted by Amber at {aefilkins}}, here is the skinny:

This is a group of mostly women, {but everyone is welcome} who are on a mission to get healthy. To make themselves a priority. To take care of themselves, as well as taking care of everyone else. Are you ready to join in? Well, let's go!

Directions: Every week, you'll do a specific post on your blog in regards to Extreme Makeover: Me Edition.

----Pretty much, just update us on your progress. How did your week go? Did you struggle? How were you successful? Do you have any great tips? {I think it's also important to celebrate even little successes.}

----Answer the specific question or topic that I pose each week.

After you've finished your post, view that specific post {either view your blog & click on the title of that post, or go 'edit posts' and 'view'}. Grab the url and post it into Mr. Linky on Amber’s blog. Simple as that!!!


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It’s been a frustrating week as far as weight loss goes for me. {I’m only down ½ a pound from last week, and have decided that part of my struggle is due to the fact that I don’t have a lot to lose and my body doesn’t want to give up the few extra pounds I think it doesn’t need.} I am trying my best to stay motivated, and I did have some major epiphanies during the week. Here they are:

~ It is not a good idea to deprive yourself of the foods you love. Case in point: I am a lover of bread. I can’t help it ~ it is my carb of choice. Last week, I didn’t eat any bread AT ALL {unless you count the hot dog bun I had with my 40 calorie hot dog and I don’t because it didn’t have garlic on it}. By Friday, I was craving cheesy garlic bread like nothing else. We picked up a few loaves of garlic bread and some cheese for our weekly Friday Night Happy Hour with Nate’s family, and I managed to eat no less than EIGHT pieces during the three hours we were at Happy Hour. Not good at all. {Maybe this was why my weight loss for the week was minimal?!? :o)} So from this I have learned that I cannot avoid the foods I love because when presented with them after deprivation, I will totally pig out. I think portion control is key, and I’m really going to work on working in some of my favorite foods in small portions in my diet.

~ 1200 calories a day is too little for my body to lose weight. When I eat 1200 calories or less, my body goes into starvation mode and the numbers on the scale won’t budge. Anything over 1450 or 1500 calories is too much. So I’m going to try to keep it around 1350-1400 calories and see if I can get some results eating in that range.

~ My body doesn’t like when I have only given it 600 calories for the day come dinner time. I will overeat when I do this. My new goal is to eat between 700 and 750 calories throughout the day, and have a dinner that’s between 450 and 500 calories. That way, I still have around 150 calories available for an after~dinner snack. I’ve started to eat cereal that is a little higher in calories than the Kix that has been my morning staple for months each day for breakfast {Kashi Go Lean Crunch is my favorite}, and the extra calories are totally worth it because the cereal keeps me full for so much longer than Kix does. {I should have known ~ how can cereal that’s half air be filling anyway?!?}

So with those thoughts in mind, here are my goals for the week:

~ Eat between 700 and 750 calories throughout the day, and have a dinner that’s between 450 and 500 calories. Have a small after~dinner snack that is around 150 calories for a daily total that is no higher than 1400 calories.

~ Continue on with my Pilates challenge. Although my weight hasn’t changed, my body is changing ~ I have started to see more definition in my legs and arms, and my tush is finally starting to firm up!

~ Keep the pre~packaged, processed foods I’m consuming to a minimum. Over the past few weeks, I have really cut down on the frozen dinners and other processed foods I had been eating, and I feel so much better and healthier eating more “whole” foods.

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Here is Amber’s question for the week: What's your favorite thing to drink while you're losing weight? We all know how important it is to get that water intake up, especially with summer almost here. What's your favorite way to spice it up?

Crystal Light, Crystal Light, and more Crystal Light! I am completely addicted, and it is pretty much all I drink anymore. I have the individual packets I put in my reusable Camelbak water bottle during the day, and at night, Nate and I drink from the pitcher that’s always full of Crystal Light in our fridge. {if you don’t have a Camelbak water bottle yet, go pick one up immediately ~ they are fabulous and so easy to drink out of. You just bite down on the straw and suck on it a little bit and up comes the water/Crystal Light/etc. ~ no more need to tip up your bottle and get water all over your face or chest while you’re working out! Can you tell I’m a spiller? :o)}


Of all the Crystal Light flavors I’ve tried, the only one I didn’t love was Natural Berry Splash ~ the rest are all pretty delicious. I’m drinking Natural Classic Orange Sunrise this morning, which is very yummy and claims to be a good source of calcium. Cherry Pomegranate is another favorite, but I have to warn you that if you have pale skin, it will stain your lips and surrounding area, making it look like you downed a whole box of cherry popsicles in one sitting. Use a straw! :o)

Good luck to all this week!

~Heather

9 comments:

Xazmin said...

That's awesome that you are noticing some definition from your pilates!

I think it IS harder when you have less to lose (not that I would know...because I have a TON to lose!)

Keep it up...you're doing awesome!

Anonymous said...

You are doing great! That is so awesome that you have figured out the caloric intake needed to keep things going.

I use to LOVE Crystal Light and when I was pregnant and not able to drink water without projectile vomiting, that was my main go-to. I love any of the citrus flavors.

Now though? I can't drink it. After drinking only it for 9 months, the taste, whatever flavor, calls up memories of standing over the toilet, the bathtub, a trashcan and I can't drink it.

I'm now reveling in being able to drink plain water and drink upwards of 100oz a day...

J.J. said...

We have those cups too...the kids and Mom and Dad too! Love them.

Man...that cheesy garlic bread is evil. I hear you...and I agree that you should deprive yourself or you might go nutso....I do anyway :)

I know it isn't what you wanted, the 1/2 a lb...but it is still a good loss anyway.

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

I am very Homer Simpson about bread, so I hear ya. 1/2 a pound is still a loss. Yay!

Connie said...

I could live on bread, cheese and wine. Mostly the bread though.

Great job on the 1/2 pound...and you probably right. Your body is happy where it is.

I'm drinking some Crystal Light Lemonade right now....

Barefoot Studios Ok, LLC said...

Hey, I would celebrate a 1/2 pound right now!

onegirliegirl said...

Oh Heather, we are in the exact same boat! Calorie counting is such an evil and complex necessity. That's why I stopped doing it. And that's why I still need to lose some fat :)

I loved the Kashi Go Lean Crunch with the addition of plain wheat puffs. Let them sit in the milk together (the Kashi softens so you won't break a tooth)...tastes just like sugar smacks...are ya hearing me on this one?! MMMMMM!

I think I'm going to have to add some Pilates into my routine. I think you're doing great!!

xoxo ~Lisa

Yoli said...

What a lovely blog you have here!

Sugarplum Creations Blog said...

Same boat, chica! I don't have much to lose, so it's hard to lose much :) 1/2 pound is great!!! I think that's amazing.

I could never count calories. I love food too too much. 1200-1400, that seems like so few calories to me!