MY ROUTINE/EXERCISE/DIET

MY ROUTINE:

I have some friends that are on a weight lost venture and they tell me they just want to do cardio, no strength training BECAUSE, they do not want to add any weight...and since muscle weighs more than fat they feel this is what will happen...NOTHING can be further from the truth. I am a huge advocate of strength training. If you don't add muscle while losing weight you will lose the muscle you already have. Preserve the muscle you have while adding more. It will help you lose even more weight and increase your metabolism. IF later on after you lose, you start to gain back and you have not increased your muscle mass, it will be very difficult for you to lose again, especially after you turn 40. I know this for a fact because it is what happened to me and why I am struggling now more than ever.

I have a wonderful advantage - my husband use to work out with professional body builders so he is a big help in targeting my muscles or I would have no idea what I was doing. If your going to work out with weights or any type of resistance, which I highly suggest becomes part of anyone's regimen, be sure to do it correctly or you can really hurt yourself.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday = 60 minutes on the Elliptical.

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday = 30 to 60 minutes Wii Active Strength Training.

Saturdays = 60 Minutes of Racquetball with Hubby..

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday = 5 pounds weights, each arm....5-7 times a day on the hour, 20 reps each...arm curls..arm lifts...backward stretch.

Sundays (weather permitting) 2-3 mile walk with hubby.

Summertime (weather permitting) swimming and water aerobics

MY DIET

I drink water all throughout the day - I keep a bottle of freshwater handy at all times.

Fortunately I love almost all fruits and vegetables. So my diet mostly consist of them. I follow weight watchers and am at 23 points. As far as protein, I have chicken, tuna or baked fish.

I keep the following in my fridge at all times:

Home made veggie soup
Cooked Beans (pinto, lima, baby lima are my favorites) full of fiber and very filling
Boiled Okra
Small pieces (cubed) of cooked chicken I prepared in my wok.
Fresh Veggies washed and cut up.
Fresh Fruits (apples, bananas, Poms)
Yogurt (or the Yoplait Parfaits..yummm)
String Cheese
Sweet potato already baked


I have a freezer dedicated to just frozen veggies. Frozen or fresh veggies are much better for you than canned. Canned veggies have too much sodium. I prefer Frozen veggies to fresh because the nutrients have been preserved.

In my pantry I TRY to NOT keep any processed foods. I do, however, keep Special K crackers. These are awesome. I also have packets of tuna, lemon-herb flavor, smoked, and garlic. I fix tuna and have it on my crackers. I make fat free dip using fat free sour cream and dried veggie soup mix. OH and don't forget the popcorn...love that stuff...3 cups popped about 2 points...AND did you know pickles can kill your appetite...I know they have loads of sodium but we found the ones that are low sodium...Great to have with your popcorn.

I have a major sweet tooth that I am still having to deal with. I do keep these little ice cream treats in my freezer so when I get a sweet tooth they are there for me.

Also, it took me a long time to understand how important eating something for breakfast was. There are only 2 things that will increase your metabolism: Eating Breakfast and adding muscle. I usually just have the same thing for breakfast during the week to make it easy...that is:

1 piece of 100% whole wheat bread with a little drizzle of honey and a banana on the side.

ON SUNDAYS: I will fix my best bud (Hubby) and I a 3 egg white omelet. VERY VERY FILLING:

RECIPE: 3 EGG WHITE OMELET (3 POINT)

3 egg whites
some mushrooms
some onions
or maybe some spinach (fresh) - (if frozen be sure to defrost and drain all liquid)
1/4 cup of 2% cheese.


MY SUPPLEMENTS:

1-3 Multivitamins
1 - calcium with magnesium
1-2 fish oil
1-2 green tea extract
1-2 pomegranate extract
1 - Vitamin D supplement
1-3 Teaspoons of Progesterone
1 Baby (or adult) aspirin at night (helps with any inflammation in my joints)



January 31, 2009 - Stopped Smoking....Weight = 198 pounds.

September 15th, 2009 - Started back up with Weight Watchers (AGAIN) with a weight of 222 pounds. Gained 24 pounds in 8 months after I quit smoking.

October 24th, 2009 - Joined the Recreation Center with my DH

Joining Facebook's Biggest Loser Contest:

Total lost as of Dec 11, 2009=27 pounds = 195 pounds.