YEAH! Another 2 pounds!!!!

I'm on a roll!!!! I've lost 2 pounds the past week- YEAH! I wasn't expecting that! I was expecting 1 pound loss which has been my average since I began. The only difference I've made this past week is that 3-4 of the days I didn't eat 1800 calories. Instead, I was hovering around 1600-1700 calories. I haven't done as much physical activity since my in-laws were visiting and I wanted to spend time with them. I have to say though that it took will power to resist the 2 days of Dunkin Donuts that were in the house while they were here. I LOVE Dunkin Donuts (or any kind of cake/cookie for that matter)! But I kept telling myself that if I give up the donuts now, then when I get to my goal weight, I can have 1 (not 2) every now and then (like once or twice a year).

And it's amazing at how many calories are in a fast food grilled chicken sandwich!!!! Yesterday after church, we went to Zaxby's to get some lunch. C got 10 chicken wings (which is what we normally get), E got their grilled cheese, and I got the grilled chicken sandwich. I have to say that it was probably the best grilled chicken sandwich I've ever had. The bun was perfectly toasted and there was a yummy honey mustard sauce on top. So, after I had consumed this delicious sandwich, I went to the Zaxby's website to see how many calories I had consumed, thinking it would be around 400-500 calories. Boy was I surprised! It had a whopping 700 calories----for grilled chicken!!!! For 50 more calories, I could've had the 10 chicken wings C had and what I normally get. Yes, I know, the grilled chicken was better for me and was more satisfying. But it's amazing at how many calories were in that thing! Never would've expected that! So, needless to say, I didn't have an afternoon snack and ate a light supper of baked fish, steamed carrots, and brown rice with a green salad. At the end of the day, I had had 1870 calories. Not bad I guess.

Favorite Dessert Recipes

Desserts are my biggest temptation so I've had to modify recipes to be low-cal so I can have that indulgence at least once every few days (sometimes every day). I have found that I can incorporate dark chocolate into a daily indulgence (I eat 1 oz. instead of a whole candy bar) and it has antioxidants so it's actually healthy. I of course stock fudgesicles at 60 calories each which is good for that chocolate fix. Here are a few of my favorite dessert recipes so far:

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate Cool Whip
Graham Cracker Squares

Spread 1 tbsp of cool whip in between 2 graham cracker squares. Freeze. 75 calories each. YUMMY!

Strawberry Shortcake

Angel Food Cake Loaf, sliced
Sliced strawberries
Cool Whip (Lite)
Walden Farm Chocolate Syrup

Put slice of cake on plate. Top with 3/4 c. strawberries, cool whip, and chocolate syrup. 125 calories.

Fruity Smoothie

8 oz. plain yogurt
1/2 c. 1% milk
1/2-3/4 c. frozen fruit
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Put all ingredients in blender until smooth. 360 calories (240 calories without the protein powder). I will generally eat this for breakfast.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream

3/4 c. Breyers Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream
1 tbsp. peanut butter, melted in microwave
Walden Farm chocolate sauce, warmed in microwave

Top ice cream with melted peanut butter and chocolate sauce. 255 calories.

How This Adventure Got Started

So what has started this new "adventure" of me losing weight? About 10 months ago while pregnant with my second baby, I developed gestational diabetes (GD). With my first baby, I did not get this so this was an eye-opener! I think it was God's way of getting my attention. Before conceiving our second child, I was considered slightly overweight at a size 12 (I'm 5'7"). It wasn't enough of a concern but my doctors wanted me to keep my weight gain under control, which I did only gaining 12 pounds the entire pregnancy. However, when I developed GD it made me realize that this disease is a reality for me, especially after giving birth. You see-- diabetes runs very strongly in my family. My dad has it, my uncle had it, a cousin of mine died due to complications from the disease, another cousin and uncle has it. I've been fortunate that I've dodged this disease for this long! So, it's time to get healthy and some weight off!!!!

What's my goal? I would like to be a size 8 again (the size I was when I met my husband and in college). I'm not so much concerned about the actual weight as I am my size. Since I'm doing some weight training, muscle weighs more than fat so as long as my body fat percentage is in the healthy range (right now, I'm slightly above it) and I'm fitting into size 8 clothes, I'll be happy. The key right now is to exercise, which regulates blood sugar better than diet alone. That's hard for me because I really don't like exercise. But I'm doing a combo of walking/jogging, Tae Bo Advanced, and Krav Maga (self-defense). Right now, I'm doing each 1 day a week for 3 days of exercise. But keep in mind, this is pretty intense exercise, especially the Tae Bo which burns 800 calories for an hour (I do 45 minutes).

So what kind of progress have I made so far? Well, I've been keeping a food diary for 3 1/2 weeks and limiting my calories to 1800 per day. I've also exercised 3 times/week for the past 3 weeks. I've lost 4 pounds so far! Yeah! Progress! I've at least got 30 more to go so I've got to stay motivated. C helps with that. He harasses me when he thinks I'm eating too much. But I know I have to eat a minimum of 1600 calories per day so my body won't go into starvation mode and actually GAIN weight! Since I'm still nursing, I'm really supposed to eat 2000 calories per day minimum, so the 1800 per day is low enough. So, that's where the food diary actually helps. C has also lost a good amount of weight, over 30 pounds a couple of years ago. He's also much healthier now, especially since heart disease runs in his family. If he's going to be living a long time, I want to be right along there with him! And if by exercising to get healthy and losing weight, I can prolong getting diabetes (it's probably inevitable at some point I'll get it), then it's worth it. When I had GD during my pregnancy, it gave me a glimpse of what that lifestyle was like. Not that diabetes is bad or anything, but it certainly has its inconveniences (pricking your finger 4-5x per day), and keeping track of your exchanges. I didn't have to take insulin shots so I can't even imagine doing that with everything else! I'm hoping that by posting my progress on this blog, it will keep me motivated and accountable!