Hi everyone!

Well, here goes.  This 100 days thing is a lot scarier than it looks (for me).  So this morning was Day 1 for me and here’s how that went:

Wake up, Super Motivated since this is the new me!
Jumped on the Step machine and PUMP, Pump, Pump those legs for.....11 minutes....whew!
Not feeling too hot.  Nausea is setting on very strong.  Okay, I better sit down....no...lay down.

So after 5 minutes (which felt like 20) of feeling like I was definitely going to throw up, I recomposed myself and finished off with 20 minutes of pilates.  I must admit I actually did feel pretty good by the end, but I don’t know why I started off so rough....no warm up, no breakfast?  I really don’t know.  Tomorrow I plan to start Day 2 with walking Jimmy (my very hyper dog). 

Slimteacher

Welcome to the group...and a great group it is.  There is such a wealth of info here, so feel free to ask around.  You’ll find people in here that do everything from walking to planche pushups (did I spell it right Shawn). 

So once again, make yourself at home.

Thanks very much for the nice welcome!  I do have a question.  I have been keeping a food log for a few weeks now, but I don’t count calories.  Do people usually list calorie counts on a food log, (does that make it more effective for keeping track), or is just listing what I eat probably okay?

-Slimteacher

Hey Slim, welcome to the party.

Go easy on yourself.  If you’re just starting out, don’t overdo it and make yourself sick. You’ll get there in time.

Regarding the food log, it depends on what your purpose is.  Sometimes you just want to get in the habit of being aware of what you eat, or using a food log as a way of limiting unintentional eating or looking for patterns in what or when you eat.  But if you are actively trying to monitor your diet for weight loss and you want to figure out either why you may not be losing weight or you want to stay under a certain limit, then I think listing calories will help.  There are some great web sites out there that will calculate the calories as well as your nutritional intake for you.

Thanks Laura,

I haven’t yet decided exactly how the log will help me.   I mean so far it has been interesting to discover what I eat (and don’t eat), so I can definitely tell when I overdue sweets or something.  I suppose I can use it for calorie counting when I get further into my 100 days if the pounds aren’t coming off.

Thanks again for the advice!

I would suggest throwing in a line about what your mood was...see if you have a tendency to eat with specific mood swings.  It helped me identify my boredom was causing some of my bad eating habbits.

Thanks RJ.  I’ll keep that in mind.  I know i tend to eat sweets if I allow my kids to have a treat, or sometimes just because it’s there!

Okay, so it’s early on Day 2.  My abs hurt from yesterday (in a good way though).  I’m starting today by walking Jimmy.  I don’t like to wait too late to walk him because he’s hyper and likes to run up to (and away from) strangers.  It gets embarrassing.

Good start to Day 2.  Don’t push too hard.  You’re in this for the long haul so you need to do something that is fun, burns energy and doesn’t cause you to be sick or in pain (at least not the bad pain). 

Use your food log any way you want.  I like RJ’s ideas of adding more information to it so you can see the relationships between what you eat and how you feel.

Thanks, Paula!  it looks like I’m skipping the dog walk this morning because it’s raining....and now I have to run to the store, plus all three kids are up!  Does it feel like life gets in the way all the time??? I’m determined to pop in a DVD when I get back.  I’ll do the salsa workout today.

As always, Paula has some great advice....this is a lifestyle, not just a fad, or diet...so incorporate it into your life!

I use http://www.fitday.com as a food journal....it counts calories, fat, protien, carbs etc and has a goal log too.  It helps me stay on track and be honest.

We all know what we should eat, and it’s been proven that if you track it everyday, you automatically eat less (provided you want to lose weight)

keep up the 100 days...not has hard as you think!

Thanks Tom,

I’m only in day 2 of the challenge, but I have noticed that adding workouts to my schedule kind of helps me prioritize and get more things done!  Who knew!  I’ll be checking that website out too.  I cook a lot of large meals for my family (and also take portions for my lunch), but I don’t know if the calorie count will be accurate once I divide it according to portions-- or even if the portion amounts are accurate.  It would be very nice to have a site to figure that for me.

Day 2 down, 98 to go!  Here’s how it went.  Very simple, Salsa routine, fun stuff… 20 minutes into it my daughter decides to play with me rather than her sisters.  She wants me to sing with her.  SO I shut the DVD off and we sing while I alternate between working on my arms with resistance bands, and doing squats.  All in all, I got my 30 minutes in.  I go back to work tomorrow so we’ll see how workouts fit into my normal schedule. 

Till next time!

Salsa...how fun!

Wow, you have been busy, way to go! I love that you are getting your workouts in, and living your life. Tomorrow you’ll figure out a way, being a teacher, we know you’re smart.

Bree

Well it’s Day 3, so bright and early this morning… wait… it was NOT bright, it was dark at 5:30am in southern Cali. Anyway, I made myself proud by doing a 30 minute cardio-toning combo video.  I felt really great all day.  It’s a little surprising.  I kind of feel like starting my day off in a positive way helps me sustain that feeling all day.

Great way to start the day....

I will use ‘INHALE’ (a show on cable) Yoga to mix it up a bit too!

Keep it up!

Love Inhale! The best yoga ever! He’s such a goof, and I love playing!

Way to go, ST! Amazing how exerting energy gives you so much more.

Bree

Hello all!
Tom, I checked out http://www.fitday.com.  Thanks for mentioning it.  That website is really great.  I was able to input everything I ate (and ofcourse any exercise) and I learned so much about my intake.  Now I’m more conscious about everything I decide to eat, making more careful choices for my family.  Of course we still do sweets and treats here and there .  It’s surprising how close you can get to most of the daily values without paying obsessive attention to your diet.  But for the values I was lacking in, I didn’t see a list of suggested foods to make that up.  Any suggestions on where to find that?

I’m on Day 4...woke up a little late this morning so I squeezed in a 20min cardio video before getting myself and the kids ready for the day. Felt great all day even though it’s pouring rain.

Till later

That is awesome that you are paying close attention to your diet without being obsessive.  If you need suggestions on how and what foods to get your daily values in, try looking up the Food Pyramid...it may help.  Way to go on getting in cardio in on a hectic day!!!!

Great job...keep up the good work.