Post 2 in the Resolution Report series

This weekly report is my accountability to the world as well as a way to help others stay motivated on their own journey to fitness or ahem, a bikini body. I’ll share what I am learning along the way in the tips, techniques, resources & trends section of the posts.

Before I give you some actionable ideas, let me just report that I have lost four pounds in three weeks. YAY! Now, the critic in me thinks I should have lost at least six but hey, I’ll take it!  I’m trying train my brain to get over weighing my success in POUNDS and instead focus on STRENGTH  and BODY FAT loss. Not as easy as it sounds. (I’m half tempted to chuck my scale to avoid the temptation.)

At this moment, my body fat is at 28.2% and my BMI is 24.5.  My goal is to hit 21-22% body fat. I have a way to go, as you can tell.

My upcoming week focus and action items: Hitting my daily water goal and taking those before pictures

TIPS, TECHNIQUES, RESOURCES & TRENDS:

PULL OUT THE CAMERA: You know, a couple of years ago when my husband and I were really focused and on a roll, we took pictures every week of ourselves in bathing suits so we could see the changes that we were making in our bodies. As mortifying (MORTIFYING!) as those pictures were in the beginning, boy did they motivate us to keep our focus. It was thrilling to see visible changes. I have to admit, I’ve been avoiding the camera since January 1. I know that it is time to take that dreaded “before” picture. Sigh. I encourage you to pull out the camera and document your journey. It will keep you motivated and accountable.

FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER: Finding someone to keep you accountable and in essence act as a “cheerleader” is a priceless resource. In this case, tough love can be a blessing.  My partner is Lori. I just emailed her all of my measurements. Talk about vulnerability! Couple that with the fact that she herself has lost over 100+ pounds (not to mention the fact that she is my running partner) and you can imagine how she will help keep me on the straight and narrow.

HIT THE HEAVY WEIGHTS: Obviously I am a cardio girl. I would rather run than do most any other kind of exercise. But there is no denying how rapidly I see results when I hit the weights. (No wimpy weights either. That is just wasting your time, ladies.) I’ll be reporting more on this in my journey but let me just leave you with this little factoid: for each pound of muscle you have, you burn 50 extra calories per day.

EXPERIMENT: Now, obviously I am not a trainer or dietitian so remember these are my own trial and error recommendations… Protein supplements and shakes are very helpful when  you embark on a fitness and weight loss program. I’m a big fan of Myoplex Light (20 g of protein) and Slim Fast High Protein ( 15 g of protein) shakes. I try to substitute a meal with a shake a couple of times a week. Taste wise, I must admit that I prefer the Slim Fast products. They make me feel like I am “cheating” a bit more. Plus, mmmm… chocolate.  And their snack bars really satisfy when I need a sweet fix.

Maybe you made a resolution, maybe you didn’t. I started the New Year with two big goals – to challenge myself (hence the “Project Me 2011″) and to get uber-fit.

And by uber-fit I mean BIKINI. Yes, this mom of two just said BIKINI. Shudder.

I’m just an average Joe just like everyone else, and my resolutions come with plans … and fears. What if I don’t stick with it? What if I don’t have time? What if I FAIL and the whole  world sees? What if I can never fit back into my clothes?

I find that I do better when I put my goals out there. I need to be accountable. I need some cheerleaders.

On Sundays I am going to be accountable to YOU. I’ll also give you reports on body fat, inches and weight lost. (We’ll start with that next week.)

HERE’S MY REPORT:

I started my resolution last week. A little late by most standards, I realize.

Since I started my resolution … I’ve lost 2 pounds (!!) and learned to alter the way I look at food. That is a huge step for me. Food is my personal stumbling block. Well, actually the QUANTITY of food I think is acceptable is my stumbling block.

My family and friends have been … very supportive. Although my husband and I haven’t been as diligent as I would have liked, we missed a leg workout day earlier in the week and if we don’t get up at 4:30 a.m. then the whole workout is rushed.

One way I have changed my thinking is … to view food as fuel and to think twice about what I put in my mouth. If I am intentional about my eating then I don’t graze as much.

If I had to pin down one piece of advice so far to someone who may be working toward the same goals … it would be plan your meals. Plan! It is much too easy to stop off for fast food when you are in a hurry. Take an hour on the weekend to really think about when you will be eating for the week and stock up on fresh foods. It is worth the effort!

What are YOU doing to keep your resolutions on track? Do you believe in resolutions?

Okay, calling myself a “foodie” was a stretch. But I *have* been exploring some new passions as of late, my dear friends.

Branching out.

Testing some new waters.

You see, for the last month I have been working with Flat Out Bread creating concoctions for their blogging series on healthy back-to-school lunches.  Not just any blogging series, either… they are VIDEO BLOGS, y’all.  I know, right? I can’t believe I stuck my face in front of the camera, either!

I am happy to report that our family had so much fun with this project that we’ve created little mini-chefs.  Even I am searching out new recipes to try.  Yes, the foodie in me was awakened. (I can hardly believe I am typing those words. Bet you ten bucks that my mom will keel over when she reads this.)

If you are interested in seeing my family in action (because it took all of us to make it work), check out the blogs:

Week 1 – Turkey galore not to mention food for the lizard!

Week 2 - Apple chicken salad, my absolute clean eating fav.

Week 3 – Using avocados to make chocolate.

Week 4 - Olives and stackable food

What do you think? I’m no Rachel Ray but I didn’t burn the house down either. Smells like success to me!

I suppose I could have titled this post “Yes, I am an idiot.”

If it was a scorching hot day and you were handed a coupon for a FREE (!) McDonald’s Frappe, would you take it?  Of course you would.

And I did.  Again, because I am an idiot.

The thing is, I am trying to lose weight.  I’m watching what I consume.  Counting calories and such. In case you didn’t already catch on to where I am going with this – frappes, by their very nature, cannot be figure-friendly.  They just can’t.

When they handed me the tall, frosty cup filled with whipped cream and caramel goodness I was completely in love.  BEFORE I EVEN PUT THE STRAW IN.

And I enjoyed it.  Every drop.  I rationalized that it was a treat and that it was a SMALL frappe, not a large frappe and therefore, somehow, not so bad.

I’m going to say it again -  idiot.

Turns out that my small frappe had 450 calories in it.  ALMOST HALF OF MY DAILY CALORIE INTAKE.  What the hell McDonalds?!  Their double cheeseburger has less calories and roughly the same amount of fat.

To burn off one small frappe you have to run 4 miles at a fairly good pace.  Seriously?!

That just stinks.

McDonald’s Frappe Nutrition Facts – 12 ounces (small)

Mocha – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium

Caramel – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium

So, um, you didn’t hear from me yesterday because I was  busy enjoying a scrumptious meal in Baltimore with my family otherwise occupied, um, working out . Yeah, that is what I was doing… working out.

What? You don’t believe me?

Fine.

I totally didn’t work out yesterday. I totally ate like crap. I admit it. I had a chocolate chip croissant (Perfect Truffle) then with lunch I had some chips and cookies and then for dinner we had lots of wine um, and some dessert.  And that is only the HALF I am willing to tell you about. 

Why do I do this to myself?  It is me versus my mouth.  In case you are wondering… my mouth ALWAYS WINS.  <heavy sigh>

Well, tomorrow (read: today) I will pick myself back up and carry on.  Since I figure that many women have these same issues in common with me, I’m gonna share two places on the net that I use to help make it all better….

TRAINEO- I need to be held accountable. Don’t know why, but I do.  This site helps me with that.  Traineo is a free online weight loss and fitness tracker designed to keep you motivated and on track with your fitness goals.  You get a personal profile page where you can enter in your fitness goal and the date you plan to achieve it.  Each time you visit, you enter in info on your exercise and activity, the calories you’ve consumed and your weight. Traineo then creates charts and graphs of your progress. You can even post pictures.  Did I mention the accountability part?  You get to choose up to four “motivators.” These motivators receive weekly progress reports from Traineo. Talk about accountability!

E-MEALZ - If you know anything about me at all, you know doubt know that I DO NOT LIKE worrying about dinner.  STRESS!  So my friend Lori turned me on to E-Mealz.  For $5 a month you subscribe to the meal plan of your choice.  These include menus catering to a variety of stores and dietary plans such as low-fat, Weight Watchers, vegetarian, low-carb, ect… Each week you log on and get your meal plan.  SIMPLE AND FABULOUS! Plus it generates your grocery list for you as well.  I mean, really. Do I need to say any more?  Oh yeah, and the recipes are GOOD! We’ve loved them all. (Yes, even my kids. Now that is saying something.)

Well, I must be off!  I’m heading downstairs to the treadmill.

No seriously, I am.  I promise!

I need to try to undo some damage. I’ve got a date with a scale Monday  morning.