Tag: weight loss

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#MotivationMonday – The “I Can Do This Now” Excitement

It’s been nearly two months since I started my lifestyle change. Better eating. Continuing to challenge myself with my workouts. The end result is 15.8 pounds down, more energy, and the ability to do something like this past Friday’s outing: A climb to the top of the Vessel in Hudson Yards and a walk along the High Line. It came out to a total of 4.25 miles for those two adventures. So exciting on so many levels. Although my fear of heights kicked in the step training I’ve been doing kept me moving up and down the maze that is the Vessel without noticing a thing. Not out-of-breath for the wrong reasons. Maybe breathless because of the views and the height. A wonderful night with my best bud and I am so grateful for the positive changes happening with my body. Today I’m sharing some photos from that adventure.

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#TransformationTuesday – Success is Sweet

It’s a joyful day for so many reasons. For starters Memorial Day is just a few days away and that means more time on the beach as well as better weather for long strolls on the boardwalk. Happy times for sure. But it’s also a joyful day because I broke past that weight plateau I mentioned two weeks ago and also managed to stay on track despite being at a conference last week. Conferences are always hard on account of erratic schedules and conference foods. I made a point of exercising every morning, taking the stairs when I could, sneaking in a walk as well as watching what I ate. A big help was paying extra for the club access since it meant I could get a healthy breakfast, hydration during the day and also plan for grazing that kept me from eating bad stuff while waiting for late dinners.

With all that, I’m happy to say that I’ve lost 13.4 pounds so far and I think I am well on my way to my goal of losing 15 by May 31. Wish me luck!

Original Beach Image by Pexels from Pixabay

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#TransformationTuesday – Hitting an early weight loss plateau

After an amazing three weeks in which I lost almost ten pounds, I’ve been stuck at the same weight now for a week. Sigh. It’s time to consider what’s changed in the last week that might have impacted on my earlier success. For starters, I did have some more carbs in the mix and it just confirms that I have to stay away from things like bread and exchange healthier carbs for those like the carbs in fruits and vegetables. The other thing is my exercise routine. I’ve gone back to adding an extra twenty minutes of cardio after my twice weekly strength training. Last but not least, I have to look and see if I’m actually eating enough calories versus the calories burned due to activity. It’s never good to go into a mode that my body will consider a starvation mode. If you’ve hit similar plateaus with your weight loss, here are links to some articles that might be helpful:

Mayo Clinic: Getting Past a Weight Loss Plateau – https://mayocl.in/2DSwXsQ
My Fitness Pal: 10 Tips to Overcome a Weight-Loss Plateau – https://undrarmr.co/2DX4nqy
WebMD: 10 Ways to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau – https://wb.md/2DTxTgW
Jillian Michaels: Break Through Any Weight-Loss Plateau – http://bit.ly/2DSeWeo

The content on the above websites is owned by the respective authors. Before starting any physical regimen you should consult with a physician. My linking to the above sites does not constitute an endorsement of any of the suggestions therein. (Sorry but you know those darn lawyers!)

Original Scale Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

Original Hammer Image by bluebudgie from Pixabay

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#TransformationTuesday – Goals Met and Some Kettlebell Workouts for You!

The transformation is happily moving along well. My goal was to lose 5 pounds in April and as of this morning I’ve lost 8.4 pounds. Very excited about that. Clothes are feeling looser. I can see a difference in my belly area since I’ve cut back on carbs. My goal last week was to take stairs more often and I’ve been doing that. There is a noticeable difference already in how I feel after climbing which is a good thing since the “forever” townhouse we just bought is three stories. LOL! One of the exercises I do for strength training is to work out with a kettlebell like the one in the picture below (but not a pink one). Kettlebells let you do a diverse number of exercises and you work your entire body since you have to engage your core while using them. Here’s a link to what looks like a reasonable beginner workout using a kettlebell: http://bit.ly/2WcVrnS
transformation tuesday

Original Image by Joanna Dubaj from Pixabay

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#MotivationMonday – Inches Lost and Personal Bests

I wish I could post that I lost more pounds, but sadly I didn’t. Still at the same weight thanks to having to eat out three times last week. Tough to watch salt and calories, but I have to do better next time. Despite that, I can tell from clothes that are no longer tight that I’ve lost some inches. Plus, I did personal bests at the gym on the assisted pull-ups and my dead lifts (110 pounds!). Yeah. Also hit my daily step counts and then some, so all is good this week. Working on being better for next week. How about you? How did you all do last week?

Original dumbbell Image by Roy Buri from Pixabay

Original tape measure Image by annca from Pixabay

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#MotivationMonday – A Great Start!

Happy to say that I’ve watched the scale go down every day since last Monday. In total I’ve lost 4.4 since I first posted last week and that’s awesome considering I was hoping to have lost 5 pounds by the end of April. That puts me ahead a little, but as those of us who have struggled know, there will come a time when you reach a plateau. That’s when you’ll need the most willpower to not give up.

For now, here are some of the things I’ve done that may inspire you to make some changes for a healthier you!

    1. I really cut back on carbs. I love bread and rice and this is a tough one for me, but I know that carbs just set me off and I need to keep them to a minimum.

    2. I’m drinking more water and less diet soda. I’d cut back anyway before, but now I’m cutting back even more by making seltzer with my awesome Sodastream and drinking that instead. A few fresh fruit slices, like lemon, orange, or strawberry and it’s even better.

    3. I’ve up the intensity on my morning walk by adding music to get me moving faster. I’ve also upped it with my elliptical workout by increasing the speed for a minute at five minute intervals. I’ve reached 80% of my max heart rate at those levels (128). Don’t know how to figure out your max? Subtract your age from 220. That’s generally your max heart rate. Safe limit is 60-90% of that max rate. Of course, always check with your doctor first before any kind of exercise.

    4. I’m eating more fruits and vegetables.

    5. I’ve started journaling what I eat again. It’s not all that hard with the Fitbit app on my phone. FYI – I love my Fitbit and the community. We always challenge each other to meet our step counts. You can find me at https://www.fitbit.com/user/3GZT48. Caveat – I own Fitbit stock just to keep it all on the up and up.

That’s about all! Will keep you post on further progress next week.

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#TuesdayTip Health Benefits of Green Tea & Matcha

I have to confess to not being a big fan of green tea, but during a visit to a coffee shop with my daughter, I ended up trying matcha made with almond milk. Yummy!

What is matcha? Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder. It has more health benefits than regular green tea because you are eating the whole leaf and it hasn’t been processed so it contains more catechins and polyphenols than regular green tea. Also lots and lots of anti-oxidants according to a Wall Street Journal article.

You’d have to drink a lot more green tea to compensate for all the benefits in matcha. But matcha can be pricey. I found that a trip to my local Asian market yielded a very large bag for a fraction of the cost than in other stores.

So what benefits can you get from green tea and/or matcha? How about improved blood flow, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol? Not enough benefits yet? How about cancer fighting properties, some help with weight loss, reduced risk of stroke, memory improvement, tooth decay, and anti-aging?

Sounds too good to be true, right? But if one little cup of day can help, I’m all for it. Just a word of caution: Check with your doctor about drinking green tea, especially if you have glaucoma like I do. Lots of mixed news about whether green tea and/or matcha are good for you or whether they increase intraocular pressure.

For more info, check out these articles:

WebMD: Green Tea Benefits
Medical News Today: Green Tea: Health Benefits
Match Source: Matcha Health Benefits
green tea

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