Diet vs. Exercise

So in my last blog (you know, where I announced that I had kicked the 2's for good), I mentioned that it seems like (at least for me) diet is a bigger factor in weight-loss than exercise. I can definitely lose weight even with minimal exercise, as long as I have eaten well. This means good portion sizes (not too big, and also not to0 small), not a lot of excess sugar/bad carbs, and trying to make my day well rounded. It goes the other way too. I can exercise my ass off, and feel so good about it - but if I ate like crap, it won't matter one bit.

It is an ongoing struggle, and I still have not nailed down exactly how I should be "eating right". I am just guessing, to be honest. I struggle with eating too much. I have struggled with eating too little. Too many carbs. Not enough veggies. Not enough protein. It is always something, and I feel like it is a constant juggling act trying to get it balanced right. So far it is going well, obviously, but that sure doesn't mean it is easy or even that I know what I am doing! Plenty of people have said wow, you are losing it so fast...but then, I also have 2 or 3 or 4 times the amount of weight to lose as they do, so yes of course it is coming off faster...for now.

So now that I declared my opinion and struggles with diet...what about exercise?
I still think it is important. I cannot wait to be able to say I ran (okay it will probably be more like slowly jogged) a 5k. And exercise has definitely been an important tool in my weight loss to date. Best of all...I can now jog a whole mile at a time on the treadmill without dying! And I LOVE the feeling of being all sweaty and gross, knowing you just kicked your own ass working out. I like feeling accomplished, and I like knowing that just 3 months ago, I could barely run 20 seconds let alone 12 or 13 minutes straight. Even better is knowing that this is just the beginning. I am still a novice, and I fully intend to keep improving my stamina and speed. Best of all is that I have now come too far to let it all slip away. Even when I was 30 lbs lighter than I am now (when I got married), there was still no way I was able to run a mile. So it makes me happy to see how far I've come, and excited for how far I might be able to go.

I would like to end with a little statistic for you...I started this weight loss blog and my official journey on January 12th, 2011. Today is April 19th, so it has been roughly about 13 weeks. I have lost 28 lbs. That means my weight loss has been averaging 2.15 lbs per week since I started. Not bad....fast enough to keep me happy, yet I think it is a fairly healthy pace?

Now I have my sights set on 30 :-)

Frustrated

So I waited a few days between weigh-ins (partially to try out hubby's advice)...and it sucks. I gained .04.

I realize that in reality, I probably didn't "gain" anything. I mean, .04 is nothing...less than a good morning pee. (LOL). But still, I'm a little bummed that my weight did nothing in the last 3 days. And now I will wonder...if I had weighed myself each night and saw that I was staying the same/gaining...would that have pushed me to work harder? Harder enough that I might have lost a little? Oh well...I will work hard this week to see another loss on the scale. And...

On February 17th (which also happens to be my older daughter's birthday...she will be 4 this year) my new treadmill will arrive!! Unfortunately I won't be around to use it right away, because on the 18th I'm heading out for a weekend of fun. But starting that Monday... my new wake up time is 4 am, at least 4 days a week, so that I can go run (or even just walk on my more tired or sore days). Plus I think a few days a week I will still do something (30DS, Wii Fit, Wii Biggest Loser, boxing...something) a few nights a week.

That is my plan. I am determined to get the weight off this time. This time is different than any other time. This time, I will not start then quit right away. I will not do it half-assed.

I will succeed.

"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second".
- Logan Pearsall Smith

Weight and treadmill update

So you might notice I haven't updated my weight in a few days. It is because I simply haven't weighed myself...I think I will tonight though, and see what 3 1/2 days of not weighing myself did. If I am down a couple pounds, I might stick with weighing myself every few days. If I am the same, or went up, I will go back to weighing every day (because like I have said before, seeing a gain motivates me to work harder, even if I know the gain is small and likely just due to fluid or whatever). Anyhow..yah...I will update on the weight later.

Hubby and I went and looked at treadmills today, and found one we liked and agreed on. It isn't the one I posted before, but the same brand and slightly "nicer". I don't know if it would be considered like a "level up" or whatever...but it is just like the one I posted before only the incline goes to 15% instead of 12%, it has some cool shock cushioning system, pre-set workouts, and some other minor details. I also like the display better. I would have been fine with either one, but hubby routinely uses all the way up to 15% incline at the gym, so he really wanted that in a treadmill at home as long as it wasn't too much more expensive.

So here it is: The Nordic Track C900. It is out of stock but we are going this afternoon to order it, and it will be in around February 14th.