Was August A Successful Month?

Most definitely! I'm really glad that I decided to reboot my weight loss efforts in August. The month was a good one as far as eating well and exercising were concerned. I lost 9.3lbs just because of the following:

• Exercise
• Healthy eating
• Journaling on Myfitnesspal
• Most importantly, God's grace

So, now that August is done. I have another goal for September; continue losing. I'm not going to set the number of pounds that I hope to lose. I'm just going to continue doing the right things. 

Oh and I'm thinking of trying this. Couldn't do it in August so I'm gonna try it this coming month.

Anyone want to join me?

18 Days Later.......

It's been 18 days since I rebooted my exercise and diet habits (Clapping and dancing). I must admit that it hasn't been a total breeze. In the last few months I've realized that I'm more committed to a morning workout   rather than an evening one. This therefore means that I have to get up at 3:30am everyday in order to leave for my morning jog at 4am. Thankfully, my body clock has gotten used to it so waking up is not a problem.

So, I try to jog/brisk walk everyday. On days that I don't feel like it I just climb onto the elliptical in my bedroom and pedal away. To anyone who likes to have time alone to themselves, let me suggest this; workout! It really helps you organize your thoughts.

On the food front things have been good. I've been journaling regularly on MyFitnessPal and that has really helped me stay within my calorie limits. I've also changed my dinner habits since I go to bed early to get enough sleep before 3am. Instead of having a heavy supper, I take fruits or cereal (Who knew this would ever happen?). Now, lunch is when I get to eat whatever I want, as long as it is within my limits.

These habits must be working because I weighed in at 216.3lbs on 3rd August and, this morning the scale read 209.8lbs, showing a loss of 6.5lbs in 2 and 1/2 weeks. 

500 Calories....

When I bought my Garmin FR70, the first goal I set was to burn at least 500 calories through exercise daily. There were days that I ended up burning about 1000 calories and more but, the main goal has been to ensure that I get at least 500 calories burnt everyday.

If you are like me who bores easily, then you would definitely be looking for a variety of exercises to achieve your calorie burning goals. Here are a few exercises I do to ensure that I blast those 500.

1. Jump Rope

This was the only tool I had when I started at 242 lbs. I jumped rope twice a day till I lost 20 lbs. It is fun and burns a lot of calories quickly. However, I must warn you that it can be quite merciless to the knees. My advice would be that once you feel any kind of pain you need to take it easy.




2. Elliptical

It is very easy to blast 500 calories on this machine within 30-45 minutes. This is the exact brand I have in my bedroom. It's a Trojan Image 350. What I love about it is that I can workout at any time; be it at three am or ten pm. I don't have to worry about safety outside since it's an indoor machine. Oh! and I sometimes watch episodes of Drop Dead Diva or Teen Wolf when I'm on this baby....

3. Hip Hop Abs

Who knew that I would fall in love with Shaun T? lol! I love to dance and the fact that I don't even notice the minutes as I tilt, tuck and tighten away makes this a great tool for me. As you watch the video for the first time it may seem like a very simple workout but once you begin, the sweat just begins to drip. Try the Fat Burning Cardio and Total Body Burn and see how many calories you would burn.

I actually plan on starting his Rockin Body program once I'm done with this and who knows, maybe when I'm fit enough I will give Insanity a go. :-)

4. Jogging

Like I tell my Mom anytime we go out jogging/walking, "It doesn't matter if you are as slow as a snail, as long as you are not walking it's jogging." It can be a slow jog for beginners and as your endurance and fitness levels increase, so can your pace. Jogging burns a lot of calories too. 

5. Walking

Now, this is something we all do everyday. On days that I am too tired to do anything intense, I walk. It could be a brisk walk around the neighborhood or a 60-minute session on the treadmill. 

SO there you have it. These are the main exercises I do in addition to lifting weights and other strength training exercises. What exercises do you enjoy?

A Good Week!

The previous week was a successful one as far as diet and exercise goes. Between last Sunday and today, I burnt 5,672 calories, according to my Garmin HRM. A good achievement, right? I think so too. I think using the HRM has helped me make careful choices when making food decisions. After burning all those calories, the last thing I want to do is go eating beyond the allotted 1,200 calories a day as prescribed.

Besides, like they say......

I sure as heck don't want to be doing all that hard work and messing it up because I can't seem to be disciplined enough to avoid that extra piece of cake or extra serving of rice. Thankfully, my hard work was rewarded. I saw a loss on the scale. I'm creating my workout plan for the week and will definitely share it with you guys as soon as I'm done.

How was your week? What are your plans for this week?

I Love My Garmin!

It's only been five days and I'm still getting a hang of all the functions but, as far as the basics go, I'm so in love!!! I must confess that having the heart rate monitor has changed the way I look at crappy food. Of course there are days when you just can't resist the cravings but, having this has really sent the "Weight loss is 80% diet" message home. 

I remember looking surprised when after a 6km walk I realised I had burnt 493 calories, Lol! I was actually expecting more. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I did not want to spend all this time working out only to be negating my progress by going beyond my 1200 calorie a day limit. So, I'm revisiting Myfitnesspal and logging in my food intake. Also, I'm going to try writing in a food diary too; tried so many times and failed :-(.

Wish me luck. I'm  hoping to hit Onederland and stay there by the end of this year.

I Got A Heart Rate Monitor......

Hurray! I've been trying to get one for ages. I even asked a good friend to get me a Polar FT7 way back in December 2012 but she's not been able to send it to me due to a number of issues.

Anyways, I was window shopping at the Game Stores yesterday afternoon and for some reason, as I was leaving the place I felt this sudden urge to visit the watches section. Lo ad behold, not only was the Garmin FR70 available, it was reduced to clear! It cost way less than the original price of $129; I got it for $50. I was so eager to use the thing that I got it set and working when I got home.

My new heart rate monitor.

ANT* stick, watch, chest strap and transmitter plus foot pod in the box (messy huh?)

                                     
I like that I get more accurate readings with this since it takes your age, height and weight into consideration when calculating calorie burn. Hopefully this would help me monitor my fitness progress. Also, I would know the distance covered when I go jogging. Yay! I'm so excited!

Let the games begin. I'm attacking August with brutality.