Biggest Loser Results - Week One

Happy Sunday! I can't believe this challenge has already been going on for a week! Oh, what a week it has been, in the best possible way. I went into the week with a solid plan and I feel like I stuck to my original goals fairly well. I used an app called My Fitness Pal to track all of my calories and exercise which allowed me to feel in control of my day-to-day intake. In addition to our weekly weigh ins, there are also weekly challenges. This week's challenge was to do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.

Sunday began with an Apple Peanut Butter Green Smoothie and a coffee. Traditionally I am a huge soda drinker. I used to start each morning with a lovely combination of carbonation and caffeine. The problem is, soda has A LOT of sugar. Doing a challenge like this, I don't want to drink that many calories. I'm saving the calories for foods that will power my body the best. So, coffee is now my only source of caffeine. The only way I can stomach that is if I add milk and sugar. I've switched to brown sugar to make it slightly healthier. 

For lunch I had a serving of my Chicken Vegetable Soup. After lunch, I decided to go for my first run. I got about 8 minutes into my goal of 20 when I felt my asthma start acting up. My asthma is exercise induced and I haven't had an inhaler since high school. I managed to speed walk the remaining time, but it made me realize that I am going to have to see a doctor before running becomes my main form of exercise.

After my run I prepped dinner. I brined the chicken breasts in salt water for 15 minutes, then patted them dry. I splurged by coating them in butter, then sprinkled a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika over them. Baked at 450 degrees for 22 minutes, they turned out AMAZING! I made a steamer bag of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to go with it. Yum!

After dinner, Paul and I did a 30 minute yoga video, then we relaxed for the rest of the night. Not too long before bed, I had a sugar free Fudgecicle.

Monday started the same as the day before; smoothie and coffee. I really enjoyed the yoga we did, so I redid it during Olivia's first nap. Lunch was another fantastic serving of soup. After lunch, I started to feel a little tired, so I had another cup of coffee. Throughout the day, the only other drink I had was water. 

That evening, I was lucky enough to have an awesome pedicure date with my bestie, who is also competing. Taking that time to do something for myself really helped me to feel motivated and excited. When I got home a little late, I just heated up leftovers from dinner the night before. I followed that with another cup of coffee. After the kids went to bed, I tried a 30 minute kickboxing video. It was awesome! My Fitness Pal showed that I still had some calories to use for the day, so I snacked on some cheddar crackers followed by a Fudgecicle.

Tuesday Olivia and I had plans to go to the children's museum with one of my friends and her daughter. The girls are only two weeks apart in age, so we like to get them together to start bonding early :) I drank my smoothie at home, then took my coffee on the road. The Indianapolis Children's Museum is pretty big and there is a long ramp to get to the different floors. Not only did we cover some ground throughout the day, I was also wearing Olivia in a baby carrier, so that was an extra 20+ pounds I carried around. 

When we got home, I ate my delicious soup, then I also had a string cheese because I was hungry after such an active morning. I also had another coffee to get some extra caffeine. For dinner, I made an amazing salmon filet. I rubbed 1/2 teaspoon of EVOO over the top and bottom, then rubbed it with a delectable Rosemary Garlic Salmon Rub. I will be sharing that recipe later this week. I also baked myself a sweet potato. I highly recommend the meal, it was so so good!

Wednesday was a more relaxing day. Olivia and I didn't have anything planned, so we got to just focus on chores, cooking, and playing. I had my smoothie and coffee for breakfast and my soup with a string cheese for lunch. During Olivia's second nap I did my yoga workout.

My dinner Wednesday night is my favorite from the whole week. I put 1 tablespoon of EVOO in my skillet with 1/4 of an onion. I cut up a boneless skinless chicken breast, then skillet fried it with the onion. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. On the side, I had steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. After the kiddos were asleep, I did some kickboxing. Later that evening, I had a string cheese and fudgecicle.

Thursday was completely uneventful! Breakfast and lunch were exactly the same, as was the yoga workout I had during Liv's nap. As an afternoon snack, I had a granny smith apple with a serving of natural peanut butter on it. For dinner I used the same recipes to make salmon and sweet potato. Later that night, I snacked on string cheese and a Fudgecicle.

Friday morning right before breakfast I got a text from my brother in law asking if they could take Gavin out for dinner and a movie. Paul decided since Gavin wouldn't be with us, that he was going to take his two girls out on a date. Knowing that we would be going out to dinner, I decided to eat an apple with peanut butter for breakfast. As healthy as my green smoothie is, it is actually pretty high on calories. I also had my normal coffee. During Olivia's nap, I opted to do some kickboxing instead of yoga since it burns more calories. For lunch I had a serving of soup with a string cheese and opted to skip my afternoon snack. 

Between eating lightly during the day and doing the kickboxing, I was able to eat out for dinner without going beyond my calorie goal. We went to Longhorn where I ordered a steak with a sweet potato. I got my salad dressing on the side, which allowed me to only eat about half of it. It was such a fun and yummy splurge! Olivia had a blast making friends with the waitress and people at neighboring tables.

On an unrelated note, Gavin LOVED the new Jungle Book movie!

Saturday was a really fun day. It began as usual with a smoothie and a coffee. After breakfast, Paul's twin sister Patti and my nephew Parker came over to spend the day with us. We also picked up my other nephews and niece who wanted to come hang out. While they all ate tacos for lunch, I devoured my Chicken Veggie soup and a string cheese. 

That afternoon we headed to a park in the next suburb over. None of us had ever done their hiking trails before so we were out to have an adventure. I used my baby carrier to wear Olivia on my back which intensified the exercise. We hiked for a couple hours. Some areas were more intense than others but I definitely think we got a great workout!

For dinner, I made more salmon and sweet potato using the same recipes. After dinner my nephew built us a fire in the backyard fire pit and we all sat around the bonfire for awhile. I had enough calories left that I was even able to indulge and eat a s'more. Delish!

All in all, I feel like my week went great. But none of that mattered if it didn't reflect on the scale. Nervously I stepped up this morning, hoping that I had lost at least 3-4 pounds, but acknowledging that weight doesn't come off as easily as it goes on. 

Drumroll.......

I lost SEVEN pounds!!! In a week! I am so encouraged and inspired that my plan is working. The competition is based on percentage of body weight lost and unfortunately I was beat out by one of the other competitors this week, for now I am sitting in second place. My plan for next week is going to stay pretty much the same, why change something that is working so well!

Do you have any good weight loss tips that I can try to use to beat the rest of the field?