In the Mail

I have used this program before, it's My Fitness Pal and you can use the app to put in what you've eaten, how many calories you've consumed for the day, what exercise you did, how many calories you burned, etc. At the end of the day, it will tell you how far above or below your goal you are (you need to set a daily caloric intake goal; mine has always been 1,200). Obviously, you should watch it to make sure you are burning more calories than you are taking in by the end of the week, which it monitors for you.

I will, of course, check in with my weight and inches lost here, too, since that's the purpose of this blog, but it's just easier for me personally to see how I am doing with this web site (it has bar graphs, etc., which I like).

Now that I look at it, I notice the last time I used it was 7 months ago, probably during one of those temporary "health modes" I've talked about. I really like this except for the fact that if you don't know how many calories you've burned (the thing that was supposed to record it on the Gazelle was broken, so I never knew exactly how many calories I burned) this program will tell you, but it seems to give way too much credit. I definitely don't think that 30 minutes on the Gazelle will burn 600 calories, but that's what it would tell me, lol...usually I'd burn 600 calories going uphill on the treadmill for almost an hour at level 7, and I can certainly feel the difference! In any event, you can always enter the calories burned manually. This is a really great food diary, too, which I am definitely going to use. It's also good because you can befriend other people who are exercising / dieting and encourage each other. It's just too bad I didn't stick with it 7 months ago, but there's no time better than the present to get back on track.

You know, it's also worth mentioning that when it comes to weight loss, in the last couple of years, I've taken an all-or-nothing approach, and I have been impatient. Now that I am looking at my last recorded weight / inches, I remember thinking 7 months ago that I wasn't getting anywhere (that's what I'm usually thinking, because I've been so impatient lately). Incredibly, I have been at the weight I am now for quite some time, including just before commencing one of these temporary "healthy phases", and since I just checked in at My Fitness Pal, this is what I'm seeing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that shows that I was getting somewhere with my exercise routine, as brief as it was. It's time to lose the all-or-nothing mentality for good. I know it says to weigh in once a week, but I think it would be beneficial if I stayed away from the scale for the most part, and maybe just weighed in once or twice a month, paying more attention to inches lost. Easier said than done, but that's what I'm aiming for.

I also got an exciting email today, much quicker than I expected :D

As you can see, I ordered the elliptical machine from Best Buy, only because I set up an account with them to finance my computer last year, so it was just a matter of signing in and placing the order with the Best Buy card (no applying, waiting for approval, etc.) Like I said, it was $650, and I haven't seen it for less anywhere else, so it only made sense. For a $650 machine, this thing got really good reviews. Even if I hadn't taken the time to look at the reviews (which I do before just about every purchase I make), the only cardio machine I've ever owned was the Gazelle, which never cost more than $300, and that's what I'm used to so I'm sure this machine is going to be amazing.  ;)


I cannot wait to finally get a decent night of sleep. Even on the rare occasion that I am able to fall asleep in under 2 hours, no matter how much sleep I get (which can be 10-11 hours on the weekends / days when I don't have to wake up early to put my son on the bus) I am always very tired the next day. I think it's the quality of my sleep that is killing me, and I know that I sleep a lot better when I exercise regularly.

I have thought about getting sleeping pills through my doctor, but in recent years, I have really tried to stay away from any kind of medications that I can live without. I was given a muscle relaxant at some point for my back (one of the many problems associated with being overweight - the other being my knees) and that tends to knock me right out, so I have kept it for those nights when I simply cannot sleep.

 Unfortunately, most of the time (with the exception of the prescription, which makes me feel like a zombie when I wake up), these don't work anyway. Apparently, getting in shape is the answer to many of my problems here. Once I start feeling better, though, I tend to forget how bad I felt when I wasn't taking care of myself. This blog will hopefully serve as a reminder. :)


I am looking forward to spring time, because once the snow melts away and the weather is nice, I plan to start bike-riding. My house is right near a bike path which, according to Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island, span a 15 mile path (and it looks like they are still expanding it, which should result in a 25 mile path). It's been literally years since I've even owned a bike. Actually, I am borrowing two from my father; one for me and one for my husband. It's going to take a little work to get them on the road, but I am excited to start riding them. This year is flying by, so hopefully that will be here before we know it!

Now, to start working on my first healthy grocery list. Recipe time!!