Showing posts with label fitbit. Show all posts

How Tracking Exercise Can Motivate You

**I was not compensated or sponsored to talk about the Wahoo Tckr X HRM. I wrote this post to share how much I love this product.


It took me three months into my weight loss journey to finally start exercising. I started doing YouTube videos and the Just Dance game with my three year old. I wanted to optimize my workouts and make sure I was doing it with enough intensity to burn the maximum amount of calories. The best way I know how you can make sure you are working hard enough is with a Heart Rate Monitor.



When my husband asked what I wanted last month for Christmas I told him I wanted the Wahoo Tckr X HRM. It's has bluetooth capabilities so I don't have to worry about looking at a watch like some HRM's. It speaks to you through your connected smartphone so you don't have to stop working out to see what's going on. Best of all it is made from Wahoo which is my favorite fitness app to track my workouts.



I was so excited to take it out of the box and strap it on. It quickly connected to my phone and a profile was so easy to set up using the Wahoo Fitness app. Then you just pick the workout type you are doing and hit the start workout button. It starts tracking and lets you know how you are doing. I leave the phone on top of my couch where I can easily see it if I want to. It's exciting when the screen turns orange to show me that I am in fat burning zone.


I have been using the Wahoo Tckr X for a month now and I really love how well it connects, how accurate it is and how motivating it is. I know when I have it on I try my best to get into the orange zone. I loved this product so much that I had to share with you guys.


Do you use a Heart Rate Monitor to work out? 

Wordless Wednesday: New Year's Exercise


Fall Weight Loss: Week 10


This week I lost 3.6 pounds for a total weight loss of 31.2 pounds. I went back into the archive of this blog to see how I was doing two months into my weight loss journey last year. When I saw the total pounds lost in two months I was shocked that it was the same exact amount that I lost last week which made 2 months into my current weight loss journey! I remember my journey last year and doing the drastic Dr. Oz Weight Loss Plan and Skinny Jane diet. While I did lose a lot of weight doing those diets I feel that Keto is so much easier for me. I am enjoying the foods so much and don't have to kill myself working out like I did last year. #LovingKeto!


I did a huge shopping haul at Costco to get some quality meats. We are trying to eat only meats that are steroid, hormone and antibiotic free. We also only eat uncured bacon which has helped me tremendously with the amount of sodium we are consuming. Buying food like this can look very costly when I think about my food bill before. It tends to even out though since I cook almost every meal at home and we don't eat out a lot. 



This week I took a lot of walks with the toddler. I am enjoying these mild fall weather days and want to get as much walks in as possible before the weather gets colder and the snow starts showing up. I love keeping my toddler active and she enjoys the mommy and me time outside which is a change to our normal routine. I pushed the limit on how much she could walk and she really surprised me but not once telling me she was tired. It also helps me  when I bring her home tired so that she can take a nice nap while I cook dinner. Along with our walks I did some TaeBo videos I found on YouTube and some strength training workouts 3 times this week. 






  • Take vitamins and probiotics.
  • Get in 8000 daily steps. 
  • Continue TaeBo and strength training workouts at least 4 times this week. 
  • Test at least two Thanksgiving keto recipes. 

How do you keep your kids active in the Fall?


Fall Weight Loss: Week 9


This week I lost 6.4 pounds for a total weight loss of 27.6 pounds. It was an easy week for me and I was glad to be back home the entire week to easily cook in my kitchen. I am having fun in the kitchen keto-fing everything I want to eat. I still need to work on making time to exercise so that will be my main focus this week.


Although I had access to a nice kitchen and some of my keto ingredients in Texas there is nothing like cooking in your own kitchen. You know were everything is, you have your own gadgets and it is so much easier. I have not felt deprived yet in this way of eating because I can find an alternative to almost anything I have an urge to eat. This week our favorite recipe was the hard shelled "taco" I found on YouTube. They were so good and tasted better than hard shelled corn tacos. This will be a weekly staple in our kitchen. 




I did one day of exercise this week and it was a boxing workout that I found on YouTube. It was fun to do with my new Reflex bag and punching gloves. My daughter wanted to box like her mommy so I set out her Sponge Bob punching bag and it was so cute how she tried to follow the video. It makes me feel good that she likes to exercise like I do. I just have to make it a point to exercise more often. I had a nice long walk on Friday and on Saturday we walked a ton while Trick or Treating. My sister kept asking me if I was tired and I kept telling her no let's keep going. I think the adults would have kept on but the kids were pretty much done when we stopped. 






  • Take vitamins and probiotics.
  • Get in 7500 daily steps. 
  • Incorporate a boxing workout and strength training workouts at least 4 times this week. 

How far do you walk when you go trick-or-treating with the kids?

Fall Weight Loss: Week 8


This week I gained 1 pound for an adjusted loss of  21.2 pounds. I just came back from my trip to Texas so I kind of knew there might be a gain because I was away from my normal routine. It bummed me out because even with all of the temptation of Texas food and barbecue I stayed on plan and was super active. Once I saw that gain I took out my tape measure and measured away. When I calculated my measurements from last month I got a total lost of 14.2 inches! I will take inches over pounds anyway :)

During my trip to Texas I stayed on plan everyday. We were staying with friends so the first thing we did was go to the supermarket to get ingredients to stay on plan. I went to a supermarket called Sprout and it had everything I needed like Kerrygold butter, almond flour, stevia and so much more. We made breakfast at my friend's house and stuck with eggs, cheese and turkey bacon. Our friends grilled us steak and burgers and then I tried brisket and smoked wings at some awesome BBQ Texas restaurants. 


I had planned to exercise at the gym in the community center but with our days packed with activities to do I didn't have time to. I ran around the backyard with my daughter while we chased bubbles. We also walked a ton around the malls, an amazing Dallas Aqarium and the LEGOLAND at Dallas! Unfortuntely my FitBit ran out of battery and I forgot to bring my charger but I know I surpassed my goal of 7500 steps a day by a bunch. 






  • Drink Bullet Proof Coffee for breakfast at least 3 times this week. 
  • Take vitamins and probiotics.
  • Get in 7500 daily steps. 
  • Incorporate a boxing workout and strength training workouts at least 4 times this week. 

Do you stay on plan when on vacation or do you let yourself splurge? 

Fall Weight Loss: 7 Weeks


This week I lost 4 pounds for a total of  22.2 pounds. I stayed on plan again this week and did a few days of exercise with the D28 Fitness Program. I had tons of energy during the week so my house is now super clean and organized. Today we will be on a flight to Texas so I am planning on going to Walmart to get foods to stay on plan. I will also be trying to get some exercise in by going to my friend's gym and walking a ton.

This week I was home more often so I cooked almost everyday for all three meals. I ordered a bunch of low carb products from netrition.com so it was nice having some extra snacks and goodies to have once in a while. We went to the movies on Wednesday and I didn't even smell or have an urge for popcorn. I brought in some Gouda Moon Cheese and treated myself to some Coke Zero. When I went to the HoLiDay of Play event I stuck with some salad a tiny bit of dressing, grilled asaparagus and bun-less sliders. 


I continued on with the D28 Workout program but one of the days it really kicked my butt! I was amazed that my body could do almost everything but boy did I feel it the next day. I was so sore in my legs that I couldn't do any exercise the next day. Then I was so sore in my arms that I didn't want to do exercise again the next day. I just have to get my body back into exercise mode and fight through the soreness. I set a goal of 7000 steps a day on my Fitbit and reached the goal every day this week. I am going to be bumping up the goal to 7500 on days that I stay home and try to get in 10000 on the days that I go outside.





  • Stay on plan while in Texas
  • Get at least 7500 steps in everyday while in Texas. 
  • Get back into routine once I get home from Texas. 

Do you stay on plan when on vacation or do you let yourself splurge? 

Fall Weight Loss: 6 Weeks


In 6 weeks I lost 18.6 pounds. I successfully completed this week by eating on plan and being super active. I was so busy this week with going to different events and having my in-laws come in from out of town that I didn't get a chance to continue with the D28 Workout Plan. I also have missed lots of days of taking my multi-vitamins and probiotics. 

Since I was out a lot of the days of this week I stuck to the plan by eating keto-friendly foods outside. During the morning I didn't have time to cook and I couldn't find keto foods at the events so I just sipped on some water until I had the time to get something for a late lunch. I am loving that while on keto you can go the morning until the late afternoon without getting hungry. I guess I did a lot of intermittent fasting this week. I ate bun-less burgers, salads, Chipotle and snacked on moon cheese and sugar free coffee while I was out. 



I didn't have much time for exercise but I did do lots of walking in Manhattan with all of the different events I had to go to. If you have ever taken the NYC train on the weekends you know how crazy alternative routes, schedule changes and track work can be. At one point I counted 6 rounds of going up and down staircases at the train stations while trying to figure out a way to get home on Saturday. I was pretty surprised that I wasn't winded at all. I have also had lots of energy that I used to organize and deep clean my entire apartment. Something that would have taken me hours took minutes because I didn't have to take any breaks. Unfortunately I lost my Tushi Activity Tracker so it was back to my Fitbit to track all of my steps.






  • Restart the  D28 Workout Program.
  • Take my multivitamin and probiotic every day. 
  • Try to make at least 7000 steps a day with my Fitbit
  • Try a new cauliflower recipe. 
  • Finish reading the Keto Clarity Book

How do you stay on plan when you don't have time to cook at home? 

Weight Loss Journey: 37 Weeks In!


Weight: I gained  2.8 pounds for an adjusted total of 51.4 pounds lost. I am finally fed up with the scale and will be only weighing in every other week. I know there is no way I gained almost 3 pounds this week but it still is not fun seeing that number. I know I am getting smaller because I literally had nothing to wear when I wanted to go to the zoo and date night. All of my v-neck shirts fit me too big especially around the neck and chest area. I took all of my old t-shirts and put them with my gym clothes because they were all too big. These jeans that I bought a couple of weeks ago already fit me too big and I had to put on a belt. So happy that I have an excuse to go clothes shopping again!

Nutrition: I did so well with my eating 5 1/2 days of the week. I had smoothies for breakfast, lots of veggies and salads. Tons of healthy snacks like hummus and baby cucumbers and nuts. On Tuesday I enjoyed some food from the food court at the zoo and on Wednesday I went all out on a date with my husband with popcorn, a super fried dinner and dessert. After the date night I made sure to eat super healthy and clean the rest of the week

Exercise: I started my week by taking my daughter to the zoo for the first time. It was awesome to be able to walk the whole zoo without getting tired. I got tons of steps in and ran around with my little toddler. I went to the gym 3 times this week and enjoyed an elliptical workout I found on Pinterest. I also got up to 18 minutes on the Arc trainer which is my all time high. It was nice going to the gym at night because it was so empty and so peaceful. I was proud that I hit the gym all three days and even went back to back on Friday and Saturday!

Last Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Strength training 3 times
  • Up water intake - GOAL MET
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics - GOAL MET
  • Try a healthy dessert - GOAL MET
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day
This Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times
  • Strength training 3 times
  • Use the dehydrator to make snacks
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day

Weight Loss Journey: 8 Months In


Weight: I lost 1.6 pounds for a total of 54 pounds lost.

Nutrition: I cooked at home almost every day this week and had lots of veggies and lean meats. I enjoyed smoothies and my special super green egg sandwich (recipe coming soon) for breakfast and my delicious tuna confetti and salads for lunch. I tried to use up what I had in the fridge and came up with some yummy combinations. I did have one bad day where I ate out for lunch and dinner and even had some dessert.

Exercise: I didn't get to go to the gym this week but I did get three workouts in at home. I loved doing Richard Simmons DVDs years ago so I was excited when I found a couple on YouTube! I also bumped up my workout and found some really good low impact HIIT videos. I was pretty impressed at how much I sweat and how hard I worked without jumping or making too much noise. They are perfect if you have neighbors downstairs and can't jump around.

Last Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Strength training 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Be aware of calories and water intake - GOAL MET
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics - GOAL MET
  • Try a healthy dessert
This Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times
  • Strength training 3 times
  • Up water intake
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics
  • Try a healthy dessert
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day


Weight Loss Journey: 35 Weeks In



Weight: I gained 1.8 pounds for an adjusted total of 52.4 pounds lost. So that is what the scale said but it didn't take away from my good week. Though I didn't have a loss on the scale I had a couple of non-scale losses. I did some shopping this past week and bought some clothes in my current size. When I tried everything on at home everything fit! I never really try on my clothes at the store so I was always having to return things. This time I didn't have to! Yesterday I had to do laundry so I threw on an old t-shirt to be comfortable. It was so big on me that I literally took it off to check the size and make sure it wasn't my husband's. That made me so happy when I saw that it was actually a shirt that fit me tight before.

Nutrition: When I was home I ate very well. I ate salads, stir-fries, brown rice and healthy snacks. I was super busy with different events to go to so I did eat out. Though I didn't have a choice on healthier options at these events I made sure to eat smaller portions than usual.

Exercise: I went to the gym once and did two workouts at home. Sorry to the downstairs neighbors but I had no real time to go to the gym so a girl has to do what a girl has to do! I also did a quick strength training video from sparkpeople a few times this week.

Last Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Strength training 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Up water intake
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics
  • Try a healthy dessert
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day

This Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times
  • Strength training 3 times
  • Up water intake
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics
  • Try a healthy dessert
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day

Weight Loss Journey: 34 Weeks In


Weight: I lost 1.8 pounds for a total of 54.2 pounds lost.

Nutrition: I ate really good this week. I bought a cool dry erase board with the weeks listed so I could plan my meals. It is amazing how planning ahead and visually seeing what to eat made it easy. I prepared my snacks in advance by measuring out nuts, kale chips and roasted chickpeas in little baggies.

Exercise: I went to the gym 3 times this week and was pretty surprised at how motivated I was with this awesome gadget I got to review (I will be blogging about it soon!). I strength trained at home with dumb bells and this awesome YouTube video. I also used the dry erase board to plan my gym and strength training days.

Last Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Strength training 3 times - GOAL MET
  • Be aware of calories and water intake - GOAL MET
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics - GOAL MET
  • Try a healthy dessert

This Weeks Goals:
  • Gym or DVD 3 times
  • Strength training 3 times
  • Up water intake
  • Continue vitamins and probiotics
  • Try a healthy dessert
  • Drink at least one cup of green tea a day