Weighing In - Week Seven

Sweet! Finally below 180 pounds! Double Sweet! Finally a new pair of shoes! This past week has been pretty good to me. I was able to really stay on track with my diet and got in a number of great workouts despite a bum left knee/hamstring. I think the scale shows how hard I've worked. So far, on my weight loss journey, I've managed to lose 14 pounds!
The trick, I've discovered, is to fill up on "good" foods and make sure that I get in at least one, if not two, push-it-to-the-limit workouts each day. I've become a firm believer in the miracle of 'Low Sodium V-8.' It's amazing, the little kick of energy I get from just a half glass before and after each workout. Not to mention that it's incredibly filling and full of good stuff.
I'm still eating a half cup of 1% cottage cheese twice a day. I loved cottage cheese before I started this diet so I've really had no difficulty keeping it a regular meal choice.
I've had to 'up' my salad eating since I've not been known for consistent veggie eating. With a few good low fat / low calorie dressings in my fridge I'm able to sell myself on eating more leafy greens than I'm used to. One of my favorite dressings is still the 'Eating Right Blueberry and Pomegranate Vinaigrette.'
And when I have a munchy attack, just about every day around 3PM, I reach for either the RyKrisp Natural crackers or I make a package of Orville Redenbacher's Natural Simply Salted 50% Less Fat popcorn. Both are crunchy (part of my munchy craving needs) and full of fiber so they are actually quite filling when paired with an ice cold bottle of water.
And of course, I'm still making other non-dietary foods such as last Monday it was Split Pea & Ham soup and just yesterday another pot of Spicy Jambalaya. I've learned to serve half my usual serving (a half cup instead of a whole cup), cutting my calorie intake but still allowing me the more filling and flavorful dishes.
And finally, I've pretty much stopped eating sweets. I'm serious! I may have one or two jelly beans out of the kids Easter baskets (the Easter Bunny knew I was on a diet) but any more than that I can actually feel ill. The only 'sweet treat' I have a few times a week are the low sugar, 10 calorie jell-o cups. It's amazing how much better I feel now that I'm not eating all the donuts, cupcakes, cookies and ice cream that is available to me.
As for exercise, I've had to modified most of the 'cardio' parts to the workouts I follow. This means that jumping jacks are all arms and little bounces with my feet together. The jump-roping is much the same. Since I'm not able to go-all-out on the cardio during the actual workouts, I've reconnected with my elliptical and have been practicing sprinting through the level one sections (75+ revolutions per minute) after each 'Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Fat Banishing: Metabolism Boosting' sessions. It helps that I changed my workout play-list a little after a friend of mine introduced me some songs off the 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' Soundtracks (Thanks Chase!). By adding a few new songs with really up beat tempos, I find myself able to go faster and further on the elliptical (Thanks Muse, Paramore, The Killers & The Black Ghosts).
Well, it's about 10:20AM now, and I hear my elliptical calling me. So, thanks for checking in! See you next week!

Weight loss this week: 3.8 lbs.
Total Weight loss to date: 14 lbs.