Off the wagon

Jessica

So the last few weeks have been BUSY! It's incredible how quickly I revert back to old habits when things are hectic and stressed. I certainly eat when I am stressed and generally crave carbs when stress hits. I haven't weighed in on the scale recently, but I feel bloated and have absolutely no energy. So it will be a return to clean eating tomorrow.

For 2013, my goals for myself will not be related in any way to fitness or dieting. I have found that one bad day is generally enough for me to throw the whole thing out the window. My goal for 2013 is to be more organized. More organized when planning weekly menus, more organized when I actually go shopping, more organized at home, and more organized with the kids. With schedules to keep, homework to do, workouts to fit in, and a mother-in-law to keep in good health (not to mention keeping ourselves healthy), I think the best way to do all of those things is to stay as organized as possible.

In 2012, I had my weekly planner that I faithfully kept up to date all throughout 2012 until December hit. I purchased my 2013 weekly planner and have entered all of the important days and doctors appointments to remember through February. We've set up homework centers for the kids to tackle their nightly homework (thanks to all of Darryl's efforts). All that's missing is good lighting.

Tomorrow we will stock our fridge with all of the healthy fuel for our bodies in preparation for our kids returning to school. And we'll get back to logging our points for our challenge by putting a copy of the spreadsheet on our home computer for easy access.

So while I fell off the wagon over the holidays, I feel more confident in knowing how to get back on. I have all the tools necessary. Now is the time to begin using them.

Happy New Year! 2013 is going to be a great year!!! (And I am going to finish this challenge strong! No way Darryl has a chance of winning!)

Darryl

So....here I sit, 2 weeks later. Things not going well and not feeling very motivated to continue with what started so well. The holidays and some other personal issues made the last 2 weeks tough to get up for. I wish I could say that I am feeling good about getting back on this thing, but I am not.

I am hoping there is something out there that will light a fire, maybe it will be the thought of going to a glorified nursery. Who knows.... only time will tell.

Week 2 Recap/Results.... We have a leader!

Darryl

SUNDAYS ARE TOUGH!!! During the football season, I have to say that I will not be a “good boy” on football days. Tailgating last week led to poor eating and this week I found myself eating better, but a liquid diet may not have been the best thing for me.

Eating is better these days. I realized that Jess and I are on the right track this week when watching TV I saw a commercial for Papa Johns and said “that doesn't even look good...”. I find myself forcing myself to grab that fruit off of the counter that used to sit there and rot. I am also finding myself avoiding the traps that are in the teacher's lounge which have been so tempting in the past.

The working out this week was decent. I don't care what anyone says, this X-Factor work out is pretty tough. I have heard it called “Insanity Lite” and it maybe, but it is something that is pushing the two of us to our limits right now. If it is a lite version of Insanity, it will prepare us for our future workouts!

I have to say that this adventure is becoming easier. Much has to do with the support I have with my partner, my wife and opponent. However, the words of encouragement from friends and co-workers has been awesome. Jess and I are doing this to help ourselves become more healthy, but to hear others tell us they might take this idea for themselves is great! To think that something that Jess and I came up with to help our futures may help those close to us is a great feeling!Now... the results!

Darryl's week 2 results: 53 points and a 1 pound loss. Under 190 for the first time in a year!

Jessica

Week 2 is always the true test of whether you will stick to something. There were highs and lows, but we both made it through the week and got our move on. 6 days of working out this week! Some of the workouts were less than stellar efforts, but we pushed through. I think I need to add a bit of variety -X-though. Doing the elliptical on my non-XFactor days has become a bit boring. Fresh air may be just the thing to keep things a bit more interesting. That, and some good tunes on the MP3 player.

Now as for my eating this week... looking back at my food diary for the week, I notice that my carbs, fat, and sodium have been WAY high this week, which likely explain my less-than stellar loss this week. I was sure I had done enough to get at least a pound off, but alas, I only lost 0.4 pound this week. As I posted on MFP, a loss is a loss and I hope that those 0.4 pound won't ever be seen again.

I think the biggest challenge this week has been myself and my over-thinking and researching everything. As I noted, my carbs, fat, and sodium were pretty high this week. I increased my fruit (because a book I read said I could eat all the fruit I wanted in the morning), which increased my carbs. I tried to add protein by eating more nuts (because a website said that 30% of what I eat should be protein), which sent my fats through the roof, not to mention my sodium. And I tried to limit my cholesterol (well because that's what my doctor told me to do), which meant that I struggled with getting to my protein goals. Does your head hurt? Mine does. I know I am over-thinking this, but I am trying to understand what my body needs. And depending on what book you pick up at the library or at the bookstore (not to mention the internet), what you need is different from one book to the next. I can see why weight loss has become big business and why there are so many people out there trying to cash in. I will read anything and everything if I think it will help me reach my goals, even if the message is often inconsistent. In conclusion, I still have no clue. The only thing I can wrap my brain around and make sense of is... calories in, calories out. So that's what I will stick with and I am going to stop stressing over the rest of the numbers.

As for my point totals this week, 52 points!

Overall results:

Darryl:104 points

Jess: 103 points

Week 1 Recap/Results!

Week 1 is complete! It was awesome. I was talking about it with a co-worker and he noticed the change in energy and things of that sort that has come from better eating. The best thing for me so far is the fact that I am cooking again! We had very good meals this week and I had a blast preparing the meals for the family.

I did not miss a chance to exercise this week, until today (Sunday). Had to take a rest day yesterday and am going to the Ravens game this afternoon. However, I did get on the ice twice this week with lots of action both times, so I feel as if I am ok in terms of that. The best part of the week for me in terms of exercise came on Friday. I had NO INTEREST in working out, but I pushed through and got through the workout. Not the best push ever, but last week, I would not have even started.

In the past, I have read that it takes just 2 weeks for your body to get used to new routines, so I have one more to go, but it feels as if my body is liking the new direction it is going. In the upcoming week, I will continue what I have done this week to make sure the body is all about the new way of life!

Looking back at the week in terms of points, I am not too upset by it. In fact, I am really happy with the outcome. The only day I didn’t eat a good breakfast was when I had an early morning and got a late start. I didn’t get the fruits and veggies in one day. No matter, the accountability of this challenge is making a difference. Even though Jessica thinks she is going to win, but there is no way I can let that happen. No matter what, it is a win-win for both of us, but I would much rather spend my day in Florida with the GATORS than the Flowers! Keep doing what you are doing babe… just know, you have NO CHANCE!

Darryl’s Week 1 Results--- 51 points earned with a 3 pound weight loss. Down to 190!

Well… it’s been one week of changing my eating habits and exercising more and the first four days were super easy.  The fridge was stocked, there were plenty of fruits and veggies to choose from, and I had plenty of healthy snacks on hand.  And then it was Friday.  Perhaps it was boredom from the work that I was doing that day or the fact that our stock was beginning to dwindle, but I had the worst sweet tooth on Friday that could not be satisfied by fruit.  A week ago I would have given in to every single craving. But I am happy to say that I didn’t and found a small snack size bag of M&Ms was plenty sweet.

But, the biggest challenge this week has been my over-thinking and over-researching everything.  What is my TDEE and should I eat that much or below?  What is my BMI, my BMR, my body fat percentage?  How much protein should I eat?  How much exactly is one serving of whichever vegetable I was considering?  Should I only eat fruits in the morning?  Should I eat any sort of carbohydrate after 3 PM? Based on a variety of web sites, I should be eating between 1,200 to 2,100 calories a day to lose weight. That’s a pretty large range, right?  So I changed MyFitnessPal settings twice and then tweaked it again based on some other article I was reading that said that I should eat more protein (130 grams per day).  Can we say information overload?

So my approach is going to be to go with what works and to tweak things when things stop working.  Portion control, 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies a day, water, water, and more water, and the most important thing…. Exercise.  Even if it is only 10 minutes at a time, moving is better than not moving.  I managed to exercise 6 days this week for a total of 230 minutes during the entire week.  My reward for all of my efforts this week was a 2-pound loss and 51 total points for the week.  Hopefully I can keep the momentum and outpace Darryl to avoid the dreadful trip to Gatorland. J

Jess’ Week 1 Results--- 51 points earned with a 2 pound weight loss.

Our Week 1 Point Totals

		Darryl							Jess
		M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa	Su	M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa	Su
Starting weekly weight
Pound Lost	+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
5-pound bonus point	+1	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
Pound gained	-2	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
Healthy Breakfast	+1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1
Healthy Lunch	+1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	0
Healthy Dinner	+1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1
5 fruits/veggies per day	+2	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	0	0
Skipped Meal	-2														-2
Daily Workout	+1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	0	1
Missed Workout	-2							-2
MyFitnessPal Log	+1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Weekly Blog	+5	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	5
	Daily Total	12	7	7	6	7	4	8	12	7	7	7	7	2	9
	Weekly Total	51							51