Preparing to start Atkins Diet to kick start Weight Loss Plan

I have done Atkins before after having my 2nd baby & I am going to give it a whirl again after Baby #3. I couldn't do it forever as a forever lifestyle, but it is a great kickstart to take the weight off and then I can maintain it in a non-atkins lifestyle.

So, here are my suggestions to prepare to get ready to do the Atkins thing. Take a full week - 7 days to prepare for your Atkins plan. Print out the Phase 1 List of Acceptable foods below and really study that list and go grocery shopping and buy things off this list. You want to be prepared from Day 1 to have the Acceptable Foods in your house. This will help so much with any temptations. If you have the foods stocked in your fridge that you can eat, it will make things so much easier on yourself.

Secondly, you should eat some of the items that you will not be able to eat for a while to sorta get it out of your system. So, don't gain 10 pounds the week before starting with your Atkins Induction, but eat a chocolate bar or ice cream or have a cookie. It makes it easier if you know that you had your last junk food the week before instead of lamenting once you start "I don't know when the last time I had pie was & now I can't have it for weeks!"

Click Here for downloadable & printable List of Acceptable Foods for Phase 1 of the Atkins Plan

Goal: Lose 20 pounds in 60 days - in a Healthy Way

Goal: Lose 20 pounds in 60 days!

My goal is to lose 20 pounds in 60 days in a healthy way! I have a big event exactly 60 days from now that I need to look sharp for and get a new suit and stand in front of a large group of professionals and speak.

I am not worried about the speaking part. I am worried about looking professional standing in front of a group. I don't have a suit that fits me right now and I don't want to spend $100 or more on a suit at this size.

Some of my strategies for this weight loss program:

Workout 2x a day
- one time running and other time doing something else like tennis, bike riding, spinning, weight lifting

Eat every 2 hours
- keep my blood sugar levels even and not highs and lows

Drink lots of water
- I plan on filling up a pitcher of water at the start of the day of how much water I need to drink for the day. Then I need to let everyone know that is Mommy's water only and finish it anyway I can before bedtime

Eat only 1 cup of anything
- I have been toying with this idea for a while of only having one cup of anything - vegetables or potatoes or meat at dinner, cereal in the morning, pasta at lunch. No more than one cup of any specific item.

Switching from Regular Soda Pop to Diet Soda Pop
- I have just one pop a day - I call it my Mommy Cocktail (no alcohol) at around 3pm to give me that little boost for the day. Sometimes, I save it for nightime like I did tonite if I am up working, blogging, or cleaning late.

When I am feeling Hungry
- drink some water and if still hungry chew some gum

So, there's my masterplan so far for the next 60 days. I hope that the meeting ahead is motivation enough to get this kick started - have to speak in front of professional group, will be video taped, have to invest in a business suit. Will this hold me to it and motivate me? I sure hope so! I so want to be at my pre-baby weight and wear my wedding rings again too!

What Can You Eat Before Working Out ?

I can't eat before working out. I can't eat before tennis, before running, before any serious physical exertion. I seriously have thrown up more than once if I eat less than 2 hours before working out. Until TODAY!

I found that I can eat Fresh Fruit right before working out and not feel nauseous or pukey or puke afterwards! Yeah! Finally I can eat something before I work out that doesn't make me sick. This has been one roadblock to me working out is that I have to plan around working out 2 hours after eating. This is great news for me and could be great news for you.

If you can't eat before working out - try eating some fresh fruit like an apple or a peach or strawberries. I was so starving the other day and knew this was the only window for me to work out, so I ate some fresh strawberries as I was cutting up some for my kids while preparing their breakfast.

So, try eating fresh fruit before working out and see if it works for you!

Weekly Menu Planning Web-Site www.RelishRelish.com

Dinnertime has been a struggle for me. I feel like I am in a rut and making the same thing over and over. I came across this weekly menu planning web-site from twitter - www.relishrelish.com.

Info from their web-site:

"We offer the plan to get you out of your dinner rut for good and to prepare healthy and creative dinners, every night. You choose your weekly recipes, the grocery list is tabulated, shop once a week and have all of the ingredients needed for five meals. Each week you choose five entrees to make for the week. All dinners are kitchen-tested (no more disasters) and take 30 minutes or less prep. The comprehensive grocery list makes grocery shopping a snap. 5 dinners and sides cost less than $95 per week at the grocery store. You will notice substantial savings by sticking to a list! A Relish! subscription is only $7 per month. Monthly freezer menus are included in the subscription, plus much more!"

source: www.relishrelish.com

Started Virtual Running Club on Twitter - #momsrunning - Wanna Join?

Started Virtual Running Club on Twitter
#momsrunning

Wanna Join Us? I need external motivation and external pressure. I need to be held accountable by outside forces. I joined a Learn to Run class in the fall and it was great - I ran 2 hours with the group and a coach on Wednesdays. Then we were expected to run 3x-4x a week in between and I totally did it because I had to report to a group of people and because I would get my butt kicked in class if you didn't run in between 'cause each week it got harder and harder.

We will share our progress, struggles, tips, and training schedules. I really look forward to having a group of moms to share on this journey with me ! :-)

Struggling to Drink Your 8 Glasses of Water Each Day?

I was struggling to drink my 8 glasses of water each day. I used to put a tick mark on the calendar after I drank each glass. Then, I would think, did I put a mark for the last glass, did I forget, do I write it down when I pour the glass or after I drink it.

So, I decided to one day get out this awesome Retro Tang pitcher from my Grandma and fill it with water or Gatorade (weak gatorade made with gatorade powder just how I like it) and put it on the counter with a glass. Then, everytime I went in the kitchen I downed a glass.

There is no need to write anything down or keep track of how many glasses I did nor did not drink. I just know I need to finish the pitcher of water by the end of the day.

This has made a world of difference to me. I now don't have any problems getting in those 8 glasses of water each day

(side note: let family know that this pitcher is for you only - not for sharing)

Where can you Walk instead of Driving this Week?

I had to go to the store to get about $30 in groceries tonite. I decided to walk to the smaller grocery store that is about 1 mile away. I brought my green environmental recycled koolaide bag (from http://www.rejuicedbags.com/) and some cash, wearing my headphones and walking shoes.

I walked to and from the store at a brisk pace. I bought great salad fixings and came home and had a nice big salad with my dinner tonite.

Where can you walk instead of driving this week ?