I Fell Off the Wagon

I probably should not toot my own horn - ever. I fell off the wagon (metaphorically, not literally). I had a bad day with the Pepsi yesterday. I knew I should not have it in the house and if I did only in moderation. I didn't listen to my reasonable inner voice and I got myself in trouble.

I feel so bad. I feel like a puppy who peed on the carpet even though he knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't help myself.

Go ahead and smack me with a rolled up newspaper and rub my nose in some Pepsi (I will not refrain from trying to lick it up, though). I am bad.

Day 2, Start of Day 3

I didn't post yesterday because I simply forgot. It was another successful day of staying under calories and getting in good exercise. On Day 1 I ended up adding in a 40 minute cardio session at night that I think I didn't mention. Yesterday I did the 40 minutes of cardio, too.

I have to tell you about my proudest accomplishment. Day 1 I had 2 Pepsi's. Day 2 I had 4, BUT I learned a valuable lesson. Never, ever go over 3. It is just bad news. Now I know, so I have found my magic number to keep the cravings at bay and to prevent an all out total binge.

I have also learned something about myself. Not that I didn't know the Pepsi was bringing me down, but I realized that I have a good relationship with food. I am not really a bad eater. Generally the calories I actually eat are well within range. My major problem is the pop (pepsi, soda - whatever - for those of you not from the Mid West). If I can control it then I should have no trouble staying within my calorie range. That was kind of a good feeling.

I even learned I can eat at McD's and stay within calorie range. I can eat chocolate. I can eat basically what I want as long as I do not go over that 3 pop a day rule.

I didn't think it was really that simple. Imagine what I could do if one day I could give up pop completely? Maybe one day, but for now I am content with accomplishing 3 a day.

New Week, New Me

I did 2 workouts from The Firm today - a sculpting and a cardio. I only had 2 pepsi's. I am well within my calorie limits. I feel good now. I had a major energy slump around 5pm. I just felt so down and low. I rebounded by exercising, showering and eating dinner. It was good.

Day 1 down.

New Plan

I know I said I was going to try to get fit for free, but my workout bud and I went on a shopping spree and got a new workout. We are doing The Firm cardio weights. We are pumped. It looks fun. I love that there is the option to do a quick 25 minute workout or a longer one. We are going to get pumped up and slim.

We also are doing Slim Fast for our diet. I am also trying to give up pop which will be a challenge for me, but I think I can do it. Forgive any whiny posts I may make in the near future about how I missed my beloved beverage. It will be hard, but I know I can do it.

Here's to health and a slim future!

Fingers Crossed

This is not weight related but it is me related :) I have had my car since March of last year. Ever since I bought it I have noticed a grinding sound when turning right. Recently it has gotten worse. I can hear my brakes grinding and they are pulsating whenever I stop and the car shakes when braking. I took it to the mechanic and he said immediately he knows I need brakes. I am hoping that is all that needs done. He going to do it Wednesday and I hope he finds nothing else when he is down there. Please send me good vibes that my brakes are the only issue going on. I have heard so many other things from people - bearing, cv joint - and scary stories about how my wheel will fall off and I'll crash. I just want it to be the brakes - a pretty cheap fix even with the need for new rotors (yeah, I let it get that bad). I can only imagine how much worse it could be. If it ends up just being brakes then I will throw a happy-happy-joy-joy party. Wish me luck!

A Pet Peeve

I know I am very chatty today. Sorry for that. I have some down time, so I've been thinking a lot.

Right now my pet peeve is getting fit on a budget. As you can see from my previous post, I want to get fit for free. The reason is that I am on a very fixed budget. I don't have room for extra expenses every month. The fitness stuff I have bought has been bought over a period of time and only when I had the extra money.

With that said, I am really tired of hearing about how anyone can afford to eat healthy, yada, yada. The truth, the real truth, is that healthy foods cost more than bad foods. I have noticed that so-called diet on a budget advice is aimed more for those who are used to spending way more than I do at the grocery store every month. I am a budget shopper. I buy budget brands and shop at stores like Save A Lot.

The problem is that when you go searching for help to eat healthy on a budget, the budget they give you is more than what you spend now so it is not really a budget at all.

With that said, I think this is yet another example of why people fail at losing weight. Eating healthy is expensive. There I said it. It is 100% true, too.

Take for example, Mc Donalds. If you eat there for lunch and try to go the healthy route you will spend more, quite a bit more. Of course if you change things up and bring food from home you can probably spend less that way to eat healthy. However, that is not the point.

My point is that we are told to make healthy choices. We are told we do not have to alter everything about how we eat as long as we make good choices. The truth is that to eat healthy and not spend more you have to really go out of your way.

It is frustrating. There has to be a better way for people like me who just can not afford to eat healthy.

Eating has always been my downfall and I am now seeing why. I can not afford it.

It would be great if someone wrote a real eating healthy on a budget article. One that uses the cheap foods I eat.

For example, Hamburger Helper is a simple dinner that is cheap, but it is not the healthiest option. I like it and it works for my budget. So, how do I make it healthier? Can I make it fit in my diet? That is the type of advice I want.

I am going to think on this. I already have ideas, but it is something that needs more thought. There has to be a way that everyone - no matter what their budget - can eat healthy without paying the high price.

Can You Get Fit For Free?

I have been thinking about all the money I have spent on fitness crap. The DVD's and equipment I have are starting to grow into huge piles. I do use the stuff, but many people buy fitness stuff and it ends up just collecting dust.

Part of the reason why I buy so much is because I get bored easily. I like to go from one workout to another and keep changing things up. That means new equipment for each workout.

Anyway, I can not even imagine how much I have spent. I have about 25 different DVD's so there alone I have a nice chunk of change spent. I won't even go into the equipment I have.

I have mentioned ExerciseTV.tv before. It is a great place. Today it sparked an idea about getting fit for free without getting bored.

The thing about free fitness is that many of the suggestions for getting fit for free involve boring stuff, like walking. I am not into that and it is no surprise people fail when they try that route. I want a free workout that is fun.

ExerciseTV has a range of great free workouts. This morning I did a dance workout that was fun and free! So, in the course of trying out new things I am going to do a test to see if I can get fit for free.

I am going to start using ExerciseTV's free full workouts instead of anything I have bought. i want to prove to people that you do not have to spend a thing to get your body looking good. We shall see what happens. You have my current measurements so i will check back in at the beginning of March to let you know what happened. Of course I will be blogging about what I did and letting you know about the workouts I used.