Time to Step It Up ...

So up until now, my entire weight loss process has consisted of strictly limiting my calories. Now that the insanity portion of my summer is over and I have more time, I decided that I am going to add exercise into my weight loss program.

Earlier this summer, I was using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone. I absolutely love it because it is linked to your iTunes on your phone. So your music will be playing and then the voice tells you when you need to alternate running and walking, which is so nice because I've tried to do it at the gym just alternating by time and it was a pain in the butt.

I'm hoping that doing this 3-4 times a week will accelerate my weight loss even more. I definitely want to be at my goal weight of 130lbs by January 2014, when we start trying to have children. This means dropping another 40 pounds in 4 months, which is totally possible. Even if I don't hit my goal weight, I will be proud of whatever I accomplish because I have come so far already. But I'm hoping that this will help me get there faster.

I will let everyone know how it goes. I usually get really bad shin splints when I run if I start out too fast so if I'm getting them I may ignore the running and just start with walking and jogging, but anything is better than nothing right?

I Can't Win

So, I'm back from PKU camp. I was there from Thursday-Sunday. The first thing they did when we got there Thursday was take our blood. I had been eating really well up until Thursday as well as drinking my supplement so I was really hoping for a good level this time, to finally get between 2-6mg/dl.

Saturday at our cooking class, they gave us the results, and I got an 8.7. I was SO BUMMED. Like so much so that I didn't really talk at all during our lunch. My dietician, Nikki, was with us all weekend, and so I went to talk to her and told her I was kind of upset. She talked to me and told me that she thinks the reason that my levels are still a little high even though I'm doing everything right is because I'm trying to lose weight. When you don't eat enough calories, your body breaks down muscle for energy. Muscle is protein, which makes my levels higher.

She told me she wasn't sure the exact calculations but for my weight to maintain what I weigh now I should probably be eating 1600 calories a day, and right now due to weight loss goals, I am only eating 1200. So basically I cannot have both weight loss and low levels both at the same time :( Nikki is seriously so amazing though, she told me she wants me to keep going for my personal weight loss goals and just not worry, as long as the levels stay around there and don't get higher. I honestly love her and I'm SO lucky to have her watching out for me and helping me along this journey.

They also took our levels when we left on Sunday. I'm VERY interested to see if that one is any lower, because the whole weekend I was not counting calories at all, so I may have been eating enough and maybe the level will be lower because of that. It just frustrates me because I'm suchhhhh a perfectionist in everything I do and I want my levels to be where they are supposed to.

UGH and I have not set foot on the scale since I've been home, I'm scared. I'm going to weigh myself Thursday, because I weighed myself right before I left, so a week seemed like a good span.

Pre Camp Post

So, I'm in the car on my way to PKU camp! My mom and my husband are dropping me off! I'm excited but it's going to be kinda weird because I haven't been to camp in 10 years.

I weighed in at 174.4 today before I left, so I'm still down 10.6, the same as a few posts ago. Honestly though, it's okay because I'm finally starting to notice my body changing and feeling way healthier. I wanted to be at 12 pounds lost today exactly because that would be on track with what I planned in myFitnessPal, but I'm good with where I am now. Only 1 pound away anyway.

Today I will have a Phe level taken, and again on Sunday. I'm hoping it will be lower than the 8 I had at the beginning of the month. It really should be. My protein intake was decreased by 5 grams a day, so I expect to see an improvement and hoping I will because I don't want it lowered anymore! It's difficult enough only doing 11 grams a day now.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Frustrations

This last week has been super frustrating for me. I've been having some GI issues, and they have been making me gain weight all week long. I gained back 3 pounds this week and this was after eating under my calorie counts for most of the week.

Luckily, as of this morning the issues are taken care of and I lost the weight I put on in the end. So today I weighed in at 175.0, exactly 10 pounds down from my starting weight. My period is coming up this weekend so I'm pretty much planning on not weighing myself again until it's gone, since I know I will not see valid numbers until then.

I really want to hit 12 pounds lost by July 25th because that will mean that I've lost an average of 1.5 pounds a week since my journey began, which is EXACTLY what I said I wanted to lose per week when I started using myFitnessPal. I have a week, so I should be able to do it!

PKU wise, nothing new. I go to camp a week from today. They will do blood levels at the beginning and end, so by the time I come home next Sunday I will have news. I'm hoping so much that my current protein intake allowance will put me at a 2-6, because I don't want it lowered anymore! It's been really hard, not going to lie, but I've been doing REALLY well.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Down 10 Pounds!

Today, I stepped on the scale and read 174.4!! FINALLY! I have lost 10.6 pounds in six weeks!! 

To be honest, it is frustrating because I can't tell like looking at myself in the mirror or in the way my clothes fit, but I know that will come in time! Plus when you look at yourself every day sometimes it's hard to notice the changes in yourself.

That's all for today! Have a great weekend everyone!

Good Motivation

This is a post to give everyone motivation to stay on the healthy eating track. The last two months I have not only been eating less everyday, I've also been eating wayyy less junk food and much more healthy foods. I've had a cheat day here or there and that's fine.

Yesterday, however, I just ate WAY too much. My sister left a bag of Sour Patch Kids at our house which I basically devoured, I ate some Pringles, some pasta for lunch, and a few other things (junk food) here and there. Then I went with my friend Tessa to Panera for dinner. I got a You Pick Two with Greek Salad and Summer Corn Chowder, which I'd never had before but it was DELICIOUS. I even got a side baguette, which I never do, I never get a side.

As soon as I got home, my stomach started hurting. I was in so much pain, I had cramps and just felt awful, like I had to go to the bathroom so badly. I went in the bathroom and was really backed up (Sorry TMI). I ended up throwing up 3 times and still didn't feel better until I was able to go to the bathroom. I was in the bathroom for 2 hours and afterward I just felt AWFUL.

I think the reason I got so sick is because I ate so much food in one day and my body is not used to 1) that much food and 2) the crappy quality of the food I ate. I will seriously never ever do that again and it gives me even more motivation to continue my healthy eating.

Surviving the Holiday Weekend

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July and weekend! Mine was pretty good, however, the holidays make it SO HARD to eat healthy! My mom made homemade Chex Mix (my absolute FAVORITE) as well as 4th of July Snickerdoodles (with red and blue sprinkles). Honestly, just a nightmare. At one point I asked my mom how many calories she thought the Chex Mix was and she replied, "130 calories  for a 1/4 cup", and I just about died, since I had definitely had about 2 cups at least.

I was up a bit at the beginning of the week, however, I just weighed in today at 176.4, so I am back to my ALMOST 10 pounds lost. My goal for this week is to get there by Sunday! It should be much easier now that the holiday and festivities are over.

My 11-12g of protein a day is going okay. I've really been ignoring the temptations, which is the key to everything. Yesterday at work they had make your own deli sandwiches, and I wanted one with veggies and cheese so badly but I can't have bread anymore so I was good and got my usual salad. It was hard and it has been hard, but I'm doing well!

Also adding to my compliance PKU wise is the fact that my husband and I decided that we are going to start trying to get pregnant at the beginning of 2014, which is just 5 short months away. By then, I'm going to need to be drinking 4 supplements a day vs three, and really making sure my levels are controlled at least 3 months prior to conception, which means around September of this year. Thinking about all of this makes adherence easier for me.

I've started using the vegan cheese that I bought a few weeks ago. It is Diaya brand, and they come in cheddar, mozzerella, and pepperjack shreds. The cheddar is a little strong, but the other two are good, especially the mozzarella! They also melt well, which other low-pro cheeses don't so that is nice. They are not as good as real cheese by any means, but they're still good enough to satisfy times when I want cheese.

I think that is all for today! Have a great week everyone!

Clinic Visit Review/Weight Struggles

My PKU clinic visit was Tuesday. It went well. My level was 8mg/dl, which is better than last time, but  not what I wanted. I spoke with my dietician, and her plan is for me to lower my protein intake from 16 grams to 11-12 grams. I'm hoping that this will more than bring me down to 2-6mg/dl, and then I will just stay at that number of grams. PKU camp begins July 25th and ends July 28th, and they do levels at the beginning and end of camp so that will be my next update as far as my PHE level goes.

I've gained a couple pounds since my exciting "almost 10 pounds lost". With the holiday being this week, I've eaten differently than normal and its harder to keep track when I'm not eating my normal daily routine. I know it's not a big deal and I will lose it again, it's just frustrating to see gains anytime.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!