Day Two of Diet Blogging...

Today Kyle showed me this really awesome website that helps you track meals. I’m probably the last person on the planet to hear about it, but in case you are like me and have had marshmallows in your ears when it comes to healthy eating, the website is www.myfitnesspal.com.

You start by entering your current weight and goal weight. It asks if you want to lose a .5 pound a day or a pound a day, and I selected a pound for the sake of my short attention span.  At 135 lbs with a goal weight of 120 lbs, it gave me a caloric intake of 1470 calories per day. I would be happy even getting to 125 lbs, but I was feeling especially ambitious when I was filling it out ;). The only complaint I have is that it doesn’t seem to count calories for strength training… Only for cardiovascular training. I’m a runner so that won’t affect me too much, but it doesn’t seem fair or accurate.

Here is my meal diary for today:

As you can see, I’m 43 calories over my 1,470 calorie goal. (I haven’t actually eaten that plum yet, but I’m planning on it. I’m already hungry but I’m holding out a little longer so that I’m not hungry before bed.) The site also has a cool feature where it says, “If every day where like today, you’d weight xx lbs in 5 weeks.” I like this because even though I’m over my calorie intake today, it says I’d weight 130.5 lbs in 5 weeks… which still means I’d lose weight. :)

(I feel like I should admit that the first time I filled this out I incorrectly entered 2.5 cups of fried rice instead of 1.5 cups. I was way over the calorie count and didn’t like the website AT ALL. Then Kyle pointed out my mistake and I quickly decided it was an awesome website…)

Anyways, it’s time to break down the day:

Breakfast

I started taking pictures of my meals because it helps me understand the amount of food I am eating better when I see it documented in picture form all day. Also I woke up at 11:00 AM with lots of energy so I was feeling especially creative in regards to this “getting healthy” business. We don’t have any breakfast food except oatmeal and cereal right now, and I try to save the oatmeal for days when I have to work because it keeps me full longer. I couldn’t believe how small a “serving” of cereal is according to the box. Who only eats ¾ cup of cereal?? I upped the amount to 1 cup with ½ cup of 2% milk. (Kyle correctly pointed out later that ¾ cup of cereal is plenty if you are having it in addition to fruit or eggs or something like that.)

Lunch

Lunch was left over chicken fried rice from last night. It’s homemade, (so not quite as awful for you,) but it still has a TON of sodium in it. We are a little low on groceries so I’m just kind of making due for the next few days.

PS- Glogg is a spiced juice drink that I LOVE when it's cold outside. Kyle and I just learned how to make our own, but this one is from Lee's Grocery Store.

Dinner

For dinner I made spaghetti with hamburger and piled on some Parmesan cheese. Fried rice and spaghetti = a lot of carbs, but I had just gotten back from my run and wanted something quick. And once again, we just don’t have a ton of options right now.

Snacks

Remember that plum I mentioned? I am eating it now. Sorry sticky computer keys, I just couldn’t wait any longer.

Exercise

Today I did this work out. (I did each set twice as long.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGLnQdx0d4U

Immediately following that I decided to take an impromptu run around the block… which turned into running all the way to Kyle’s office and meeting up with him when he got off work to catch a ride home. Kyle’s work is 1.5 miles away, and I ran the entire way! (Except for like two minutes while I texted Kyle and let him know I would be there so that he wouldn’t leave witout me.) Something I love about the myfitnesspal site is that they credit you back the calories you burn when you exercise- so I actually consumed more than 1470 calories. I’ll happily run farther if it means I get to eat more!

All and all my sodium and carb count for the day are high, but I’m actually really happy with how today went. I managed portions substantially smaller than I’m used to, so it’s a great first step!

Here’s an unnecessary (but almost necessary) post-work out selfie... I didn’t think to wipe off my lipstick before I left, so I was feeling extra fabulous.

Until next time!

<3Nikki

Who Starts a Diet the Same Week as Halloween?

Crazy people. That's who starts a diet the same week as Halloween.

Alright, so in reference to my last post, I decided that eating right is going to be the hardest thing for me to accomplish, followed by portion control. Fortunately, I like exercising so that shouldn't be an issue. :)

To help with the nutrition aspect of a healthier lifestyle, I'm going to keep track of what I eat and how much for a few weeks... Hopefully long enough to give me an idea of where I need to improve. I can't promise I'll actually be very diligent about this, but I'm going to try regardless!

I'm also very aware that the past few days were relatively awful in terms of the quality of what  ate... That's part of why I'm forcing myself to write it down.

Halloween
-1 small bowl of Cracklin' Oat Brand cereal
-left over carne asada fries (three handfuls of fries, (I have tiny hands.) 1/4 cup of steak, salsa, 1/4 cup homemade guacamole)
-smokies wrapped in cresent rolls (like little mummies!) with nacho cheese dipping
-2 cresent rolls
-1 small bowl of kettle corn with reeses pieces and marshmallows
Exercise?
-Went trick or treating with small children on mainstreet whilst wearing high heels. I think this counts.
-I also went running, lifted weights, and did a short core work out

Is was Halloween. That is my excuse.

Saturday
-1 bowl of "OHs" cereal
-Kyle and I got Olive Gardens soup, salad, and breadsticks special to go for lunch. We shared the bowl of soup and I ate 2 breadsticks at lunch time.
-At dinner, we cooked one chicken breast, sliced it, and put it on the salad, and split it.
-1 pumpkin square with cream cheese frosting
-1 cup of hot spiced Glogg (if you haven't heard of it- google it. I buy the nonalcholic version. It's delicious)
Exercise?
-Went running!

Sunday
-Today was fast Sunday in my church, so I fasted through breakfast and lunch.
-4 cresent rolls. (WHY do these things taste like heaven?? This is why I never skip meals except for religious purposes haha.)
-mashed potatos w/hamburger and cheese sauce
-lots of water
-1 cup of Glogg
Exercise?
-I am choosing not to exercise on Sundays.

So, all in all, I do not recommend starting a diet the same week as Halloween. Thankfully tomorrow is a new week and I have the chance to do better! Although, if you leave cresent rolls out of the equation, I think I did pretty well on portion size this week. I didn't get seconds like a typically do, and Saturday was pretty good overall. I'm not about to get rid of desserts all together, I'll just eat less of them. :)

<3Nikki

5 Steps to a Healthier Nikki?

Recently I decided that it is time to get back in shape. We don't own a scale, so I don't really know if I've gained any weight, but I do know that my jeans are a little tight, I've lost a lot of strength, and due to some other life events, I've eaten a lot more than usual in the past few months (no, I'm not pregnant). I was talking to my best friend about it, and for some reason it just hit me: There are a lot of people in this world who suffer from issues that don't allow their body to work in all areas. But here I am, with my perfectly capable body, and I'm not taking care of it. 

God blessed me with a body that does all the things I need it to do. Shouldn't I be taking better care of it?

The Plan

Step 1.) Run at least a little bit every day (except Sunday)

Living in Logan has been a huge blessing in our lives. Not only have we made friendships that I will cherish forever, but I simply LOVE living in the mountains. It is a beautiful place to go running! Back in Twin Falls, I was working on finishing my ECE degree and didn't have time to take dance classes anymore (I had been a dancer my whole life up until this point). I decided that I wanted to start running, but I couldn't find anywhere I was comfortable. In the area where we lived, it didn't seem to matter how modestly I tried to dress- men would always catcall. I hated it! I started working out at our school's gym, but a gym just isn't nearly as appealing as nature. Moving to Logan completely changed running for me. I LOVE running here! Not only is the landscape pretty, but so far I haven't dealt with any annoying catcalling. I even pass other runners on a regular basis. It's a great place for outdoor exercise.

Step 2.) Build up those "Mommy muscles"

On Halloween this year I went with my ward's play group to Trick or Treat Mainstreet. Obviously I don't have any kids, but I didn't have anything else to do and I wanted to at least do something for Halloween... Plus I love little kids in cute costumes! Our kid to adult ratio was pretty solid, but I think it was good I was there to help out some of the moms with more than one kid to manage. I very quickly learned that I have zero upper body strength. Absolutely no mommy muscles to carry small children. I lucked out and got a young baby in a stroller most of the trip, but I definitely want to work on my upper body strength. The plan is to use Kyle's lightest weights after running, and slowly work up to heavier weights. If anyone has suggestions for upper body workouts, I'd love to hear them!

Step 3.) Uncover my lost flexibility and that hidden 6 pack.

I always told myself that I could never allow my body to lose the flexibility I worked so hard to gain as a young dancer... Do I still have that flexibility? NO. Not even a little bit. I will always remember one of my college dance teacher's complimenting the wide hip turn out I had (this is an important thing in ballet). Another student, who happened to be a new mom said, "That's gonna make giving birth a lot easier. You've got narrow hips, so you're gonna need it!" Kyle and I aren't planning on having kids soon, but I'm going to assume that this mom knew what she was talking about... And it would be a lot harder to regain that flexibility during pregnancy then it would be if I just start stretching regularly again now. Another thing dance gave me was a legit 6 pack. Dancers use their core muscles all the time to maintain balance... As a dancer who hasn't danced in years, I hardly ever use my stomach muscles. This is why my back is sore all the time, because my stomach isn't doing any work whenever I carry anything (like running up the stairs to the potty with the two year old I nanny, for example.) I will be doing sit ups everyday following my run.

Step 4.) Thank the Good Lord for a husband who can manage portion size.

My husband is the king of many things. The King of Craigslist (he finds the best deals). The King of Patience (I have literally only seen him mad a handful of times in our 5 years together). The King of Portion Control. You know those ridiculous portion sizes you learn about in health class? Like how a serving of meat is supposed to be roughly the size of your hand? (I have tiny hands!) Or how a handful of nuts, (even the really yummy ones like macadamia nuts,) is more than enough? Kyle is the only person I know who actually eats like that. Without saying anything to me, he has definitely made me more aware of how much I eat. Which in all honesty, is just too much.

Step 5.) Eat better.

This is by far going to be the hardest thing for me. I can make running fun, (hello Taylor Swift's new album,) I can make stretching fun, but there is absolutely no way to make spinach fun. Or salads. Or not cake. Once again, I can thank the Lord for a wonderful, supportive husband on this one. He is willing to spend money on spinach he knows might not get eaten, but even better, he's willing to buy a food processor so that I can sneak spinach into much yummier things- like pastas and sandwich spreads. Diets, like marriage, are apparently all about team work.

Stretch, exercise, eat less, eat better.

That's the plan. :)