8 January 2012

The Taming of the Arse - Week 1

Time for an update folks.

It has been exactly one week since I decided to make a change in my health habits.  I vowed to start exercising more and making better food choices.  Tired of being fat and lazy, I announced to the world that I was going to make a change - for the betterment of both my health and my vanity.

Although I didn't post this at the time, I had hoped to exercise four days this week and eat healthy food 80% of the time.

Well, it didn't quite work out as I had planned.


I didn't quite do what I had hoped.


But, I won't feel bad about not following the plan I had in my head, because...




I DID BETTER!


I walked on the treadmill every! single! day! for an hour each time.  I ate healthy meals, full of veggies, whole grains and lean meats.  I had a chocolate treat (my true weakness) each day, but I was able to do it without eating the entire box.

One of my downfalls is going out to eat when I don't feel like cooking.  This typically leads to poor food choices.  Not this week though.  I made every meal we ate (with the exception of one lunch date with a friend - but, I made a healthy choice - broiled chicken sandwich and salad, dontcha know).  So, not only am I eating better but I'm saving money too.  Bonus!

I must say I am pretty proud of myself.  I also lost one pound.  It's not a lot, but it is a start.  Besides, in the past when I lost a substantial amount of weight, I was actually happy to lose one pound every two to three weeks.  My body loves to hang on to its fat stores - it's tenacious.  So, to lose one pound in one week makes me very happy indeed.

For those that have been playing along with me, how'd you do?  Still all fired up and ready to go?

If not, have you thought about why you faltered?  And are you ready to recommit?

30 comments:

Sheila said...

Congrats on your first week and thanks for posting.

Tomorrow will be a week for me. I did aerobics each morning up @ 5:00am. I started my week off with the Debbie Seibers slim in 6 dvd "start it up". Need to stay focus and make sure I continue to prepare my work clothes & lunch the nite before. Dinner for the week was grilled chicken salad.

By week 3 I hope to mix it up with 3 days of aerobics and 2 days on the treadmill. Just need to remove the cobwebs from it.

until then... Stay motivated...

BJ in TX said...

I am with you! Got up extra early every morning and did treadmill work for 30 minutes. Made my lunch every day to take to work, which involves LOTS of planning since I'm doing Paleo/low carb. Cut out desserts/wine/toddies in the evening and it was all worth the effort: down 5 pounds. I only have about 20 to go, so I'm thrilled! I think the key to being successful no matter which diet one chooses is the planning...at least for me it is...although much as I hate to say it, exercise plays a major role as well--darn!

Fran said...

Yeah Shannon! I didn't have my best week -- in fact the last 3 days were disasters. But I caught up in other areas of life, getting organized, and really feel like I can get on track this week. Thanks for going public with this -- I am so on board -- and like you, will be forgiving.

Anonymous said...

Good for you Shannon!

I have been doing pretty well. I have been drinking my green smoothies religiously and they sure are helping me with all of my cravings.

Exercises consist of Yoga & Pilates.

This is a journey and you will reach your goal...stay focused.

So far so good!

m.

Debbie Cook said...

Good for you for doing better than you hoped! And congrats on that pound. They all add up, reducing or gaining. Don't forget to take your measurements because as I've found out, some weeks you don't lose pounds but you lose inches.

Lisette M said...

Congratulations Shannon! I had a good week too. Although I caved in to dessert (my weakness) one day, I exercised and stretched every day. Yesterday I did a power walk with my husband and Clio the beagle.

Lilian said...

Good for you Shannon!
I planned to eat healthier and lose some weight too. I'm starting with the first, hoping it might help with the second. When I was shopping my groceries yesterday I was (and still am) very proud that I had lots of veggies and fruit in my cart.
Eating healthier, yes. Losing weight, not so much.
I guess I'll have to tackle that one separately.

BeeBee said...

Didn't do so well with the exercise, though I did work on picking up my activity level. But by stopping my binge/junk eating and cutting down on my weekend wine consumption I'm down about 2 pounds. Went to the store this morning and bypasssed all my junky favorites and spent my time in the produce section.
Baby steps?

Anonymous said...

Hey girl,

You did great! I managed to walk 30 minutes everyday except 1, that was the day I helped my husband move a pick up truck full of mulch onto our flower beds. I also made a muslin of a jacket I only thought I wanted. It was ugly!!!!
Keep up the good work and on to better things!

Gina in Texas

Jodi said...

Yeah Shannon! To me, the weight loss isn't the measure, it's getting the control back that's important.

I've avoided the scales like the plague. My goal was to get the binging under control and I did well at that with the help of my wonderful husband, who normally just goes on like nothing is different. This week, he made ultra healthy meals and even JOINED me in them. He also asked me if I "really wanted to do that" a couple of times when I was rooting in the pantry.

So this morning, I finally stepped on the scales. I am up 5 from my pre holiday weight. That's AFTER a week of getting back on track. That was a shock AND a relief. Shock that it was so much, relief that I stopped and got back on the road to fitness before it was more.

Keep it up!

jodi

Rose said...

You have great news! I did my regular walking and added 2 days of the terrible, awful 30 Day Shred, Level 2. I hate the workout tape, but I like the results :).

MushyWear said...

Congrats on a week well done! On another note, I had so much fun having a peek into your fabric closet and seeing how you store all the other goodies too. Impressive!

Naptime Seamstress said...

Congratulations on your success!!! :)

As for me - Leslie Sansone and I walked two times this week. Not what I'd hoped for, but better than nothing.

We've had spaghetti squash (instead of spaghetti) for two meals this week - - Come to think of it, we ate other healthy meals, too.

Anonymous said...

Yay Shannon!

I've been sidelined this week, on the exercise front - I came down with a nasty cold Jan 1 - Happy New Year to me! I have, however, been able to start cleaning up my eating habits, and I've lost close to two pounds just from that.

I'm giving myself the coming week off from exercising, until this cold is fully out of my system, and then those free weights are getting dusted off!

Pearl in Vancouver

gwensews said...

Good for you kiddo!

Kay said...

I was sick for the last 2 weeks and skipped working out! :( And ate up all the yummy Lindor chocolates that people keep bringing it to office and tempting others!

I need to go back on my paleo diet as that brought a self discipline. I was 130.45 lbs last week Monday. But I might be more now after all those chocolates and salty banana chips. yikes!!

Have nobody but me to blame. I am so going to get off my ass right now and go work on the treadmill. IT's been freshly serviced, but what's point if I'm not using it?

Thanks for the great motivation!

Anonymous said...

Hi, new poster here & love your blog.

Congratulations, every little bit counts!

marysews said...

Good for you! One pound gone is better than none!

Lana said...

Congratulations! Slow but steady wins the race. Better for your health, too.

Millie said...

Well done! Keep it up. I have lost 3 out of 16 kilos since starting the Dukan diet 11 days ago. If you get impatient that seems to be a quicker way to lose.

gMarie said...

Yea for you!

I did a little worse than I thought. My goal is for 5 work outs a week with 2 dog walks. Wednesday I was exhausted and skipped and I also skipped Thursday - but I did I won't know how I've done until tomorrow morning. But I did plan my menu for the upcoming week, bought groceries, and got some extra dog walks in. g

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. A pound a week is such a healthy, sustainable way to lose weight.

I'm doing WeightWatchers simply because I need the accountability of turning out once a week and stepping on the scales with someone watching.

I need to lose a further 28 lbs. At a pound a week I'll be pretty much there by my birthday in June and I'll be very happy with that indeed.

What I need to do is add some exercise, because I don't do it now and I really need to get fitter. So kudos to you for getting on the treadmill so much.

Elaray said...

Good work! I've done well with exercising 5 times a week, but not so well with eating. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so I have lots of reasons to get it together!

Jane M said...

Congrats, Shannon, on sticking to your plan, on healthy eating and exercise in the dead of winter. The weight loss is just a result of doing those good things. Cheers to you and best wishes going forward. Good week here with lots of cooking so I can grab healthy meals easily. I'm so fortunate to have easy and enjoyable access to exercise in winter and got totake a beach walk at sunset yesterday and a bike ride to the library today. I've loved seeing your house get built and now am enjoying a peak into that beautiful sewing room.

Ellen said...

I'm playing along! I've added 30 minutes of cardio to my 2 regular strength training workouts at my gym, and went hiking for an hour with the hubs, so have definitely increased the cardio. I'm tracking on weight watchers, but not going to meetings... the accountability really helps me (this week, I'm off to a bad start in that area). Anyway... 1.4 pounds off. Slow and steady is really the best way.

Carol said...

I've been walking every day: Molly twice a day and then to and from work. I don't think I've lost weight, but I feel good. I think you've done really well for week number one. It's all about retraining your habits and that's not easy!

Nicole Gamble said...

Congratulation, Shannon! Keep on going!

Pamela Ann said...

I am right here along w/ you Shannon! I have my dancing w/ stars exercize DVD;s( 5 !), no boredome here!) and have my treadmill( UGH!) and my Leslie Sansone dvds, Now there is NO excuse to not do something every day ( have the Konect dancing thing too ,now this is just plain FUN!)
Please be careful everyone, DH is a marathon runner and he has a program that starts out slowly ( if he has taken a few months off) and it works b/c you will not suffer injuries or over do it~ He does an on day, a off day program for the first 3 weeks, then goes at it daily ! he has a personal trainer and sports DR work w/ him

Just check it out so you are not overdoing it ok?
As for food changes I basically eat no sugar( I use Stevia) and pretty much zero carbs ~I am resolving to hit a certain weight that looks healthy on me ( 10 lbs less) by March when I head down to Houston,,, I need to pack up those tiny clothes I had and get RID of them or they will honestly torment me! I am being realistic b/c I actually wore a size 0, and while it felt great on me, I KNEW it made me look older, sickly and frail
I know the weight I look and feel best at and will work on that Exercize is huge, that keeps me on track, I really do not like the treamill so I will do ANYTHING to not walk on it, therefore the new DVD's, the Konect dance game and the Leslie Sanson dvd's , I live in a cold climate so walking outside is not an option for me in winter, but I co run my dog every day at noon ( on our property) so I get some fresh air and its good for her! We are planning on moving to a very WARM climate soon so the reverse will be true in the future
I am sewing home dec now AND doing some quilting ( learning that is) so I dont feel like I need to make new clothes just yet or am deprived in my sewing!
I recently bought the Serendipity Bag book so I will be sewing up a few summery bags until I get back to skirts and dresses,( actually more than a few ,they are so cute!) I am still enjoying sewing just not FITTING myself now! I never did get into quilting before, but I am having fun ! This is good b.c I am not missing my sewing time and found out I really liked to quilt,
I am also working on new recipes! Broiled lamb for dinner tonite w/ brussel sprouts sauted w/ pine nuts and EVOO, NO potato just some other roasted veggies, Planning a great dinner helps me a lot , but b/c I am at home in my sewing studio a lotm its the lunches that get to me so I would have to say it will be salads or wraps every day , I have NO ideas yet for breakfasts since I do not eat carbs and I HATE eggs,,any help out there?? I cannot wait to hang this 5 by 7 foot quilt in my foyer ,it will be a gorgeous splash of color and I found it to be a more than alot of fun! I actually LOVE it! How has anyone else coped w/ sewing habits while dieting? I chose to sew up a lot of fun bags as well as quilt b/c I cannot be away from my machine for too long, so any other ideas would be helpful! Best wishes to all who are taking on this challenge w/ Shannon!

Mardel said...

Congratulations! Keep up the great work.

I did not manage to exercise but I did manage to maintain healthier eating strategies, even with eating out frequently (I'm still living in a hotel and may be for at least another week, 'though I'd thought I would be in my new home this weekend). I don't have access to a scale, but the pants that barely buttoned fit a bit more comfortably, so I know I've made progress.

Now that I have a care-aide a few hours a day for my spouse, I will start a regular exercise routine.

ChristineB said...

I went to the gym twice last week, haven't made it so far this week, but I plan to get in some workouts during our upcoming long weekend in Boston. :-)