Sarah and Brad님의 프로필Our Quest for Life-Long ...사진블로그리스트기타  |  도구 도움말 |
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1월 26일 Keeping OnFor those keeping score at home, you'll notice that might finally dropped passed the initial loss I posted. Truth time here, that weight of 195.5 was posted shortly after I got over an illness, and to be honest after I got better it actually went up a couple of pounds.
There I entered that dreaded area, the "P" world... "Plateau." There's nothing more frustrating than waking up seemingly every morning to the same numbers facing you on the scale. For some people, I can see how this could cause you to give up. I know there have been times for me, couple of nights ago at the gym I saw a commercial for Taco Bell. Taco Bell!!!!! One of the last time I ate there, I got sick!! And here it was, staring at me, in the gym of all places and I was starting to think, hmmm that looks good. Which brought to the other "P" word, the one I need to focus on... "Perseverance." We all want to be able to snap our fingers and be there... be at our goal weight. But it takes time and it takes effort with Perseverance and Proper Planning (I'm just full of alliteration tonight) you will succeed (ok, so that didn't start with P) Brad 1월 20일 Holding backOne thing that has held me back in the past has been my inability to drive. I literally have never gotten my drivers' license. There's no particular reason why... I just never felt I needed it, and it was not important to me that I get it. This past year was difficult. Brad has picked up a 2nd job doing freelance work for a local cable company. During college football season, he works pretty much every weekend. Right now, he's also working towards his Masters by taking a class one evening each week. On top of that, he works full-time (Monday-Friday 8-5). There were basically 4 days each week that it was a major inconvenience to get to the gym, and so most times, I didn't get there. Sometimes I would try to get my workout in at home with a video, but it wasn't the same. SO, all of that to say that I made a new year resolution: I'm going to learn to drive! By taking this one simple step, I'm going to eliminate the problem/excuse that I can't workout because I can't get to the gym. I'm nervous, but I'm excited.
It's long past time to eliminate any and all excuses that are holding us back! What's holding YOU back, and what can you do to change it? 1월 13일 Protein PancakesOne of my favorite healthy (not guilty!) pleasures is my protein pancakes. This recipe comes from the Eating for Life cookbook. The following recipe makes 2 servings. Simply cut it in half if you're cooking for one.
1 cup plain old-fashioned oats
1 cup egg whites
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
Cinnamon to taste
1/4 or 1/2 tsp vanilla
A "sprinkle" of Splenda
Blend all ingredients together in the blender. Cook on a griddle, as you would regular pancakes, to your desired consistency. Serve with berries and sugar free syrup. If I'm out of SF syrup, I like to put a little sugar free jelly on them instead.
These are a GREAT way to start the day. One of my absolute favorites.
Here's to a great week ahead
 1월 11일 The Deals We MakeSecond run of the year. First time in quite a while I've run twice in a week, and I'm quite proud of that. I ran 3.1 miles in 29:01 (walking only once for a minute); total time on treadmill was 55:00 for 5.3 miles.
The hardest part of running on the treadmill, and any workout for that matter, is how easy a person can try to make deals with oneself. "Maybe you'll only run 3/4 mile and walk that last 1/4... that wouldn't be so bad." "So you said you were going to run the full 3.1 miles, you've done 2 miles.... you can stop now." "There's no need to go longer, you've done enough" I think this is one of the biggest hurdles I've had to overcome in trying to get back in shape. Over time, there were so many deals with myself that I found going to the gym was losing the battle, that "next week" was the time I was going to get back in gear. There were many Mondays that, as my Dad has said, I was planning on "re-committing" myself. Yet the deals continued, moving on from workouts to food from the occasional "free-day" to a row of free-days to a couple of "free-months."
 Looking back over the past week, even though I haven't been as perfect as I would like, the thing I'm most proud of is not accepting the deals I've tried to make with myself. -- Brad 1월 9일 Hurts So GoodHave you ever done a workout so intense that you couldn't walk for days? Monday night I worked out with my trainer, and I'm still hobbling around 2 days later. I don't suspect it will be much better tomorrow. This is not me complaining. This is me CELEBRATING
 After all, pain is just weakness leaving the body. Today's meals:
Meal 1: whole wheat english muffin, 2 slices low fat turkey bacon
M2: low fat cheese, apple
M3: Tuna sandwich on lite whole wheat bread, strawberries
M4: Yoplait lite yogurt
M5: 6 oz filet, 1/2 plain potato, side salad with dressing on the side (fork tip dipping)
100 oz of water.
Hope everyone out there had a great day, and here's to a happy, healthy Thursday! 1월 8일 New Years at the Gym Monday afternoons at the gym are always tough, simply for the fact of the sheer volume of people making up for weekend transgressions. Mondays in January are doubly tough. Not only are the "regulars" there, but the new influx of people with the new year. I'm sure that last night I could easily have been confused with the latter. One of my long term goals is to run a marathon before I turn 40 (May 4, 2010). I had a good start last year: ran 3 5Ks, got into the habit of running about twice a week and really enjoyed it. However, about mid-May, I developed problems in my ankles (both swelling up), which sidelined me for a month or so and I never quite recovered. Last month after a long hiatus, I got back on the treadmill and surprised myself by hammering out about a full hour (running almost 5 miles). Last night, though, was a different situation. I eeked out a 5K run on the treadmill, but it took quite an effort. (Not to mention the 20 minutes of cardio I did while waiting for a treadmill to open up didn't help my effort, though I know it helped my overall well-being  .) The first 5k of the year is on February 9th and I plan on running it. --Brad1월 7일 The Other HalfAh, the new year. A time for a fresh start. For me, I find myself almost exactly where I was one-year ago. But let me back up a little, since (according to Sarah... Hi Sweetie!!) As the other half of this couple, I need to "introduce myself."
First, and what should become obvious over the next couple of months, is that I'm a man of few words.
Actaully, I think it's one of the ways that Sarah and I complement each other. She's more of the "out-front" person, while I'm more of the "behind-the-scenes" type person.My story is that for years I would have considered myself "healthy." Nevermind the fact that I smoked a little over a pack a day. My weight up until I was 30 was around 175, that was without any sort of exercise program. I made the decision to quit before I turned 30 and in a short time, gained almost 35 lbs. At my largest back in 2002, I was close to 220lbs and very unhappy with my looks and the way I felt. Since then, I have dropped twice to around 175 lbs only to shortly bounce back up. Which is where I am today. A couple of times last month, the scale popped over 200, but like I said at the beginning, I'm back to where I was a year ago. Looking forward to getting back (and staying at my goal weight).
I've always equated lossing weight to quitting smoking. You can give both lip service and say you are going to do it, or you need to do it. But until you get in that mind set, no matter how much you might wish for it to happen, it's not going to happen. You've got to commit yourself!! Which is where I am right now!! 1월 6일 Show thy self some love and appreciation!Today was an EXCELLENT day! My meals were on target and satisfying. Best of all, I treated myself today. Total indulgence! I got my haircut, got my nails done, spent all of my Christmas gift card money on new clothes (granted clothes that will be too big soon, but I needed some clothes for work, and I figured since I technically wasn't paying for 'em myself, I might as well indulge
)Brad and I went out for lunch (but stayed on plan) to Ruby Tuesday. I love their White bean chicken chili. I got it with an extra chicken breast because the chili alone is a little low in protein, and a salad. Then we hit the gym, and I did a solid hour on the elliptical. Anyway, I digress.... it was a good day! Why do I tell you all of this? I think it's important for those of us who are overeaters to learn new ways to reward ourselves. Don't we usually do that with food? Baaaad food? Way too much baaad food? I love to reward myself in other ways (I do deserve it after all.. I've been working my butt off, and I'm just a totally awesome person who deserves to be rewarded for my awesomeness on a regular basis
). My rewards aren't always so pricey. A reward might be any one of the things I listed (a pedicure, for example). It might just be a bubble bath with my favorite magazine. And of course, the biggest reward of all is how great I feel after a perfect week, and the scale goes down, and my clothes fit just a little bit better. Cliche as it may seem, the results of living well are truly the best reward.How are you going to reward yourself this week?
P.S. Brad is blogging tomorrow. He's been checking out everyone's pages, reading our guestbook, reading my blogs.. he set up a good part of our page... now he just needs to get on here and introduce himself!!! Oh Braaaad? 1월 5일 Confessions of a Scale AddictHi, my name is Sarah, and I'm a daily weigher.
That's right, I get on the scale every single day.. sometimes twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). I do this even when I know I've been bad and I don't expect the scale to move in my favor. I'm an addict! Usually, I can keep the numbers in perspective, but let's face it, it's so much better when the numbers are going down consistently. Some of my fitness friends have tried to encourage me to stick with a weekly weigh-in, and I've agreed to try it, but I never stick with it. I've even had my husband hide the scale before, but within 24 hours, I'll hunt it down to get my daily fix. In all fairness, when I'm doing all of the right things, the scale can be great encouragement. I'm good to pull out the tape measure if I think the scale is telling me lies, but in the end, I worship the numbers on that little digital screen.
IF I am eating the way I know I should, and IF I am working out they way I know I should, and IF I am drinking all of the water I know I should, the scale becomes just a little less significant. Why? Because it is a scientific and mathematical certaintly that I will lose weight and become fitter if I burn more calories than I consume. It's as simple as that, yet I continue to turn to the scale to tell me what I already know.
I know I'm not the only one out there... scale addicts, reveal yourselves! 1월 4일 On your mark, get set, Go!As a teacher, I'm enjoying my last few days of vacation. For that reason, I slept late, and I didn't eat my first meal until noon. A tuna sandwich on "Nature's Own double fiber wheat" bread (only 50 calories per slice!), 3 strawberries, and 20 oz. of water. Victory! I'll have a snack this afternoon of egg whites and low fat cheese. I'm already looking forward to it. After 4 years of mostly eating healthy, I actually crave foods like egg whites. That's not to say I don't still have weaknesses when it comes to food. I definitely do (ice cream.. hello!), and over the past few months, I've let myself give in too often, which is why The Biggest Loser Couples and this whole contest came at the perfect time. I need to kick my own butt back into my size 8's, and maybe even finally fit into those elusive size 6's I bought but never wore. Right now, I'm bulging a little out of my 12's.. horror! Of course, at one time I wore a size 22 jeans, so things could be worse.
Tonight I work out with my personal trainer for the first time since before Christmas, and I pray he doesn't ask me to get on the scale. I gained 5 lbs!!! For the 10 days I was out of town for the holidays, I did not feel hungry even one time. Why? Because I didn't stop eating the entire time. See, even after years of developing healthy patterns, it's still way too easy for me to fall back into those "old ways". I really hope to kick my habit of impulse eating in '08. You know, when you eat just to eat.. not because you're hungry. Ugh.
Ok, so here are my meals for today. Not perfect since I slept late, but here they are:
Meal 1 (Noon)- Tuna with lite miracle whip on lite wheat bread, 3 strawberries
M2 (3 P.M.)- 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup of egg whites omelet made with fat reduced cheese and mushrooms
M3 (5:30 on the way to the gym)- small apple
M4 (7:30 P.M.)- Thinly sliced lean sirloin, onions, peppers, 1/2 cup brown rice
M5 (9 P.M)- 6 oz. Yoplait Lite Apple turnover flavor yogurt (100 calories, no fat, no added sugar!)
In the coming days, you can expect a blog from Brad. He's a man of few words.. well of less words than I, but that really goes without saying :)
Live well!
1월 3일 Biggest Loser Light-WeightsMy husband and I have decided to participate in The Biggest Loser challenge to America. We have been working towards getting healthy and physically fit for several years. I started out at 242 lbs, and Brad at 218 lbs. We've had our ups and downs, but as of today, Brad is 6'0 and he weighs in at 198.5 lbs. I am 5'8 and I weigh in at 193 lbs. By Biggest Loser standards, we are light-weights, but we are both considered "overweight", and we are not where we want or need to be. Brad's goal is to maintain his weight between 175 and 180. My "happy and wearing cute jeans" weight is between 145 and 150.
In 2007, we ran a few 5K's. We would like to continue running in 2008 as we work towards getting fit for life! Brad would like to run a marathon by his 40th birthday (he turns 38 in May).
For meals, we will eat 5-6 times each day. Our meals will be comprised of lean protein, whole grains (as I was told, "white ain't right", so no white bread, pasta, or rice!), high fiber cereals (Go Lean is a good one!), fruit, veggies, no sugar added yogurts, and LOTS of water! We will hit the gym 5-6 days a week. Each day, we will be doing 45 minutes-1 hour of cardio, and 3 of those days, we will also be doing some kind of weight training. I am actually working out with a personal trainer twice a week!
This challenge means a great deal to me, as I have been overweight since I was in the 3rd grade. In the past 4 years, I have done wonders for my overall health and fitness, but I have still yo-yo'd some. It is my goal to finally get to my "happy" weight and learn how to build a lifestyle that is conducive to maintaining that weight. Brad has been the ultimate partner in all of this. He has been constantly supportive. He has not griped about keeping the junk food out of our house. He has dragged me kicking and screaming to the gym on some days, telling me I'd thank him later. He has celebrated my weight losses and fitness milestones with me. He has reassured me that I'm beautiful when I've hit those dreaded plateaus. He married me at my worst, but I want to give him the best me I can be!
As a couple, I know we can do and conquer all, so we are very much up to this challenge!
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