Modern MadHatness

I have lost 20.2 pounds as of today. Healthy lifestyle pays off!! Only 10 more pounds to go until I reach my goal.

Here is a picture of Max and me on St. Patrick's Day in Rice Village. We had fun! We also had a potluck on the Sunday before the holiday. :)

Yay!!

We have an Easter Potluck coming up this Sunday and I have a lot of preparations to do from now til then. :)

I have finished my 9 week running program and have started a new program. This new program is only 4 weeks but it is a lot more intense. It has me running 5 days a week as opposed to the 3 days a week of the last program. It is also focusing on interval training to improve speed and endurance. I am excited and a bit intimidated. To celebrate my completion of the 9 week running program, Max and I ran a 5k. (It was the Yuri's Night 5k Fun Run) My only goal was to complete the race without walking. I had no goal as far as time or pace. I accomplished my goal and finished the race at 29:48 minutes. :)

In addition to the new running regime, I have started a new weight lifting program. My last program was 8 weeks long, 4 days a week. My criticism for that program was that each day focused on a different body part so that I only worked out my legs on Mondays, for example. I wanted to work out body parts multiple times each week. The new program is also 4 days a week but has me working legs twice a week, and so on. So far so good.

Healthy Lifestyle

Been a long time... I have been very busy over the last few months. I just returned from a trip to Missouri to make up some time at my Army Reserve Unit. All in all, it was a productive trip. I passed my PT test and updated all my records.

My biggest change began in January. It wasn't a New Year's resolution but the timing would suggest that it was. Max suggested that we should eat healthier at home. Since coming home from Iraq, I had pretty much been cooking (and eating) whatever I wanted simply because I could. I gained almost 15 lbs in the mean time. I was working out but not consistently. Anyhow, I agreed with Max and began cooking healthier.

Once I started cooking healthier, I decided that I was going to remake other areas of my life as well. I've done a lot of yoyo-ing with my weight over the years and I am on a mission to stop that. Max and I began this new phase with a 24 hour fast. I followed that up with the South Beach Diet which I had used for weight loss in the past. I simply wanted to jump-start my weight loss. I also began two workout programs: one for weight training and another for running. I am now 7 weeks into my "change" and I have lost almost 15 lbs, 3 inches off my waist, and made working out a real habit. I am losing weight slowly (which is recommended) at about 1 lb per week.

I am not strictly using the South Beach Diet anymore because it restricts carbs too much and I need them for energy. I am using a porportional approach with a calorie limit. I consume approximately 1200 calories per day with 45% being carbs, 35% proteins, and 20% fats. I eat 4-5 meals a day to boost my metabolism. I fill up those 1200 cals with lean proteins, whole grain carbs, and lots of veggies. Also, I have become a big fan of Ellie Krieger who has a show on the Food Network. She offers healthy recipes with serving sizes and nutritional facts. That is really helpful because I am keeping track of my caloric intake via a software program.

I am very happy with my progress. I feel I have made working out and eating right integral parts of my everyday life. This is not a phase--this is a lifestyle. Yay!