225.6 - On My Way to 20!

Weight - 225.6 lb
Weight Lost - 9.8 lb. in 17 days

Total Calories Eaten - 1455
Total Exercise/Activity Calories Earned - 567
Calorie Balance - 371 left to eat at 2lb loss/week rate
Weight Loss Rate Today - 2.7 lb loss/week
HWHL Points Today - 38 (194 total this session)

Exercise - 30 min. on my Wave stepper with 3lb & 5lb weights, 5 minutes of crunches, and 25 minutes of walking after dinner.

Well, I was wanting to lose 10 pounds by the reunion, and if I keep doing what I've been doing I will have lost 15 pounds, maybe even 20!! I've got three weeks left, and at the rate I've been going, I'll be pretty darn close to 20 pounds lost, if not over that. How awesome is that?!!! Also, I can now fit into my two pairs of size 20 pants without having to lie on the bed. Ten more pounds, and they will start to be loose. My waist hasn't changed, but I've lost 1.5 inches in my hips. Progress feels good.

I timed myself walking a mile tonight after dinner. I walked about as fast as I could, keeping up a pretty brisk pace. But it was still only a 20 min. mile! Sheesh! It's my short, stubby legs. I just can't eat up the ground with my short stride. I want to start running, but I'm afraid at this weight, I'll seriously hurt my joints. I was reading somewhere online today that when you run, you impact your joints with 5 to 6 times your body weight, and at 225, that's seriously going to hurt me over time, so I'm going to wait until I'm 180 or less.

It's been a while since I listed what I eat, and you might be wondering what I got for my 1455 calories today. Believe it or not, I really am going to bed with a happy tummy.

Breakfast - 40 oz. of water before and during my workout, two small homemade wheat pancakes, 8 oz of orange juice, 4 thin slices of Land o Frost ham, 1 cup of watermelon, Total calories - 308
Lunch - 1.25 cups of brussel sprouts and 3/4 cup of mirepoix cajun style blend (a frozen bag of chopped onions, celery, and green pepper, which is on sale at Smith's this week), and I sauted all of them in 1 teaspoon of Smart Balance Light spread, I had two more small pancakes (I love to make a big batch of pancakes then snack on them throughout the day like you would slices of bread), 1 Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge with 3 Reduced Fat Triscuit crackers, and 16 oz of water. Total calories - 294
Dinner - 2 oz. of Baked Tostitos Scoops chips, 2 oz of diced grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of chopped roma tomatoes, 1 cup of chopped romaine hearts lettuce, 1/4 cup of salsa, 1/4 cup of my homemade guacamole, and 2 tablespoons of Naturally Yours Fat Free Sour Cream (this one is my favorite, it has a wonderfully light and tangy flavor instead of tasting like cardboard), 1 cup of watermelon, 16 oz of water. Total calories - 494
Dessert/Snack - 3.18 oz of my homemade Wheat Banana Bread Light (I'm going to put the recipe on Healthy Wife Happy Life), 16 oz. of skim milk, then later 12 more oz of water. Total calories - 358

The usual weakness in my eating plan, is that I don't get breakfast until three or four hours after I've woken up. By the time I get my brain awake, check a few things on the computer, and exercise, the kids have woken up and I spend time helping them get breakfast before I finally eat. I've got to work on getting my exercise done well before they wake up, so I can get my breakfast eaten before five kids need something from me.