Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 2,122
Calories burned with exercise: 191 (Dancing with Jonas!)
Yesterday it seems, I spent a lot of time in a grocery store! Lots of veggies and good foods were bought. I'm excited to prepare some of them. It was an off exercise day. I had pondered doing a video when Jonas got home, but he decided we would play Just Dance and then do his upper body workout. He's trying to get stronger arms for his hand stands for dance class. He's using 2 pound dumbbells. I have him doing shoulder press, bicep curls, triceps extensions, shoulder raises, pushups, diamond pushups and shoulder push-ups (in down dog). That should about do it for strengthening those muscles. :)
Last Week's Goals in Review:
Eating/Food Goals: 10 out of 10. Even with one night of binge eating, I did excellent with my goals, tracking everything, eating well and snacking well.
Workout Goals: 10 out of 10! I just got my e-mail from DailyMile where I track my runs/walks. 8.86 miles, 2 hours 24 minutes and 2568 calories burned! On top of that? I did 2 strength training circuit workouts and some tae bo for a total of 3226 calories burned!
Other Goals: 10 out of 10! I blogged every day, which helped me stay accountable to myself. I found new blogs to read and even started commenting some. I got myself a dress for a wedding coming up on 3/11! Let me say, the ladies at Torrid made my day. I was feeling not so pretty, but they helped boost my esteem and helped me find the perfect dress.
Scale Victory? Yes! I lost 8.4 pounds this week from my initial weigh-in in my journal to this morning.
Non-Sale Victory? Yep! My clothes are fitting better again, and I feel good!
Looking ahead to this week:
We're starting week 2 of the couch to 5k training. I realized on Friday that even though I'm running with Jonas, I'm running slower than what I can. I tried to increase the speed on Friday but it put Jonas in near asthma attack. This week, I'll be pacing for him, making sure he can make the runs. I'm pondering doing a 2nd 5k training by myself to work on speed. We'll see how that goes.
I've got 2 days of strength and one day of long cardio to throw in this week too. Due to the continued pain with my knee while doing strength last week, I'm looking for leg exercises that don't have me bending my knees as much. Leg raises with the exercise band were okay on Thursday, but I'm not sure they'll do the strengthening I need, so I'm going to continue playing with leg exercises.
Eating wise, I've got dinners planned, including "Breakfast for Dinner"! One of my favorite meals. The guys at work are jealous that I make homemade waffles, so I'm making up a big batch to bring in some for everyone at work too. I wonder if I should tell them I make them with whole wheat flour and applesauce to make them healthy? :)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Walked 4 miles and Got a dress!
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 1,712
Calories burned with exercise: 750
Oddly enough, the past two days I've been low on the calorie side of my goals, especially on the net calorie side (when I subtract out my exercise). And here I was, worrying about being high while I was at home all day at not at work where I control my eating a little better. I suppose keeping myself aware is what helped with this.
My walk yesterday went very well. I ended up doing 4 miles in just over an hour! So excited about that! I did run a bit during that (1/4 mile to be exact) but then decided I just wanted to walk it to see what I could do.
I found a dress! This one! Isn't it cute?
It's fun and cute. Hopefully it's not too much for the wedding. I'll have to post a pic of me in it after the wedding.
Oh! Remember that breakfast experiment? I feel better doing eggs in the mornings :) It doesn't mean I'm going to give up my oatmeal, I just will be doing eggs more often!
Alright, time to menu plan! Would anyone care to see the plans once I make them?
Calories in: 1,712
Calories burned with exercise: 750
Oddly enough, the past two days I've been low on the calorie side of my goals, especially on the net calorie side (when I subtract out my exercise). And here I was, worrying about being high while I was at home all day at not at work where I control my eating a little better. I suppose keeping myself aware is what helped with this.
My walk yesterday went very well. I ended up doing 4 miles in just over an hour! So excited about that! I did run a bit during that (1/4 mile to be exact) but then decided I just wanted to walk it to see what I could do.
I found a dress! This one! Isn't it cute?
It's fun and cute. Hopefully it's not too much for the wedding. I'll have to post a pic of me in it after the wedding.
Oh! Remember that breakfast experiment? I feel better doing eggs in the mornings :) It doesn't mean I'm going to give up my oatmeal, I just will be doing eggs more often!
Alright, time to menu plan! Would anyone care to see the plans once I make them?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
New Veggies, Walking and a Dress
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 1,780
Calories burned with exercise: 340
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 3: Success!
I felt really good yesterday. I wasn't overly hungry, so I didn't overeat. I made some delicious roasted veggies and turkey breast for lunch. Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Sweet Potato! The Brussels Sprouts... eh they are OK. This is the second time I've tried them. I really enjoyed the crispy outer layers but eating the whole thing, not so much. I enjoy veggies, a lot. There are some I've never really tried, so I am attempting to broaden my horizons and give some of those a try.
Today I'm planning on walking for at least an hour. I've decided that I'm still going to do the 10k at the end of March. While I can't run the whole thing, because my knee still isn't 100%, I want to run/walk it. My plan will involve intervals of running and walking until I finish. So, I kinda need to build up some endurance in the next couple of weeks, or more just... practice doing my plan. I'm thinking run 5 minutes, walk 2. If all goes well with the Couch to 5k, I'll be finishing up week 5 that week, which has me running 20 minutes on the third day, so depending on how I'm feeling then, I may change plans. We'll see.
Other plans for this weekend include getting a dress for a wedding I'm going to in a couple of weeks, grocery shopping, meal planning and just relaxing and enjoying myself!
Calories in: 1,780
Calories burned with exercise: 340
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 3: Success!
I felt really good yesterday. I wasn't overly hungry, so I didn't overeat. I made some delicious roasted veggies and turkey breast for lunch. Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Sweet Potato! The Brussels Sprouts... eh they are OK. This is the second time I've tried them. I really enjoyed the crispy outer layers but eating the whole thing, not so much. I enjoy veggies, a lot. There are some I've never really tried, so I am attempting to broaden my horizons and give some of those a try.
Today I'm planning on walking for at least an hour. I've decided that I'm still going to do the 10k at the end of March. While I can't run the whole thing, because my knee still isn't 100%, I want to run/walk it. My plan will involve intervals of running and walking until I finish. So, I kinda need to build up some endurance in the next couple of weeks, or more just... practice doing my plan. I'm thinking run 5 minutes, walk 2. If all goes well with the Couch to 5k, I'll be finishing up week 5 that week, which has me running 20 minutes on the third day, so depending on how I'm feeling then, I may change plans. We'll see.
Other plans for this weekend include getting a dress for a wedding I'm going to in a couple of weeks, grocery shopping, meal planning and just relaxing and enjoying myself!
Friday, February 25, 2011
And Now, Something Different - The Friday Five
I have a LiveJournal account, which I really don't use anymore. Something that I was introduced to there was the Friday Five. Five random, themed together, questions that help people get to know a little bit more about you. I thought it would be something interesting to do today. (I'm not avoiding work, nope). I follow two different sources for Friday Five lists, I think I'll manage to do them both today. :)
First, from TheFridayFive on Dreamwidth (also the LJ Community)
1. What is your favorite section of the newspaper?
I don't know that I have a favorite section of the newspaper. I honestly don't read much of it anymore, even though I do get it daily. Seemingly, I read the front page and the sales flyers. Sometimes I read the Sunday comics. :)
2. Sunday comics or weekday strips? Which comic is your favorite?
Usually only the Sunday comics. Garfield is always my favorite, however I do read all of them!
3. Do you read your daily horoscope? Do you believe in it?
My mom would always read our daily horoscopes to us in the mornings. I don't really read them anymore unless she happens to have them open when I drop of Jonas in the mornings. Do I believe in it? Sometimes. Sometimes when it's a good horoscope, predicting good things I tend to look for the good in the day. If it say something like, "beware of googly eyed monsters" I might be a little more on the lookout for something like that, and overlook other things. (FYI, I've never seen beware of the googly eyed monsters in a horoscope, but it would be interested, wouldn't it??)
4. Does the paper become bird cage lining, do you recycle or does it get thrown in the trash?
It gets recycled. I have a paper bag it goes in, and then goes to Jonas' school into the community paper recycling bins.
5. Where do you read the paper? At home, at work or elsewhere?
I read it at home, usually on the couch. Sometimes on Sundays I'll read the flyers after Sunday Morning Breakfast with my family. (Side Note: Every Sunday my siblings, their significant others and kids meet at my parent's house for breakfast together. It's deemed "Sunday Morning Breakfast")
The second list is brought to us by Friday5.org and seems to be themed upon upcoming Oscars (or some other award thingy going on this weekend)
1. Who in your life should win Best Director for his or her work in 2010?
I have to say my boss, Damon. He believed in not only my work, but believed in me and the personal goals I set forth (running the 5k, losing weight). We would talk often about my accomplishments and he'd listen when I was feeling less than happy with myself, offering suggestions as to how I could push to make myself better.
2. Who in your life should win Best Actor and Actress in Supporting Roles for their performances in 2010?
My parents. They are always supporting me in whatever it is I do. When I make a decision to do something, they will applaud me on the way, helping me reach my goal. They were there during my 5k, cheering me for the last mile. They were there when I decided to finish my degree and in the audience, cheering loudly when I walked across the stage to get the degree this year. They are always my support.
3. For what 2010 project, display or outfit will you win the Best Visual Effects award?
Hah! I have no clue. I suppose my color choice in redesigning this blog so that it would motivate me when I opened it could be deemed awesome. :) I also picked some pretty awesome colors to paint my new house... that comes in second though. :)
4. What terrific display of self-restraint or self-correction in 2010 earns you the Best Editor award?
Every time I passed on junk food and chose something healthy. Every time I told myself, no you DO want to go exercise. Every time I went out for my 5k101 training when I may have not wanted to. Each of those times adds up to my Best Editor award.
5. Of these Best Picture nominees, which title could best serve as the title of your 2010: 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids are All Right, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, or Winter’s Bone?
The Fighter. I had some rough times, fighting this battle to become healthier. Times where I fell down, but eventually, I got back up. I kept right on fighting the fight to become a healthier, happier Trisha.
First, from TheFridayFive on Dreamwidth (also the LJ Community)
1. What is your favorite section of the newspaper?
I don't know that I have a favorite section of the newspaper. I honestly don't read much of it anymore, even though I do get it daily. Seemingly, I read the front page and the sales flyers. Sometimes I read the Sunday comics. :)
2. Sunday comics or weekday strips? Which comic is your favorite?
Usually only the Sunday comics. Garfield is always my favorite, however I do read all of them!
3. Do you read your daily horoscope? Do you believe in it?
My mom would always read our daily horoscopes to us in the mornings. I don't really read them anymore unless she happens to have them open when I drop of Jonas in the mornings. Do I believe in it? Sometimes. Sometimes when it's a good horoscope, predicting good things I tend to look for the good in the day. If it say something like, "beware of googly eyed monsters" I might be a little more on the lookout for something like that, and overlook other things. (FYI, I've never seen beware of the googly eyed monsters in a horoscope, but it would be interested, wouldn't it??)
4. Does the paper become bird cage lining, do you recycle or does it get thrown in the trash?
It gets recycled. I have a paper bag it goes in, and then goes to Jonas' school into the community paper recycling bins.
5. Where do you read the paper? At home, at work or elsewhere?
I read it at home, usually on the couch. Sometimes on Sundays I'll read the flyers after Sunday Morning Breakfast with my family. (Side Note: Every Sunday my siblings, their significant others and kids meet at my parent's house for breakfast together. It's deemed "Sunday Morning Breakfast")
The second list is brought to us by Friday5.org and seems to be themed upon upcoming Oscars (or some other award thingy going on this weekend)
1. Who in your life should win Best Director for his or her work in 2010?
I have to say my boss, Damon. He believed in not only my work, but believed in me and the personal goals I set forth (running the 5k, losing weight). We would talk often about my accomplishments and he'd listen when I was feeling less than happy with myself, offering suggestions as to how I could push to make myself better.
2. Who in your life should win Best Actor and Actress in Supporting Roles for their performances in 2010?
My parents. They are always supporting me in whatever it is I do. When I make a decision to do something, they will applaud me on the way, helping me reach my goal. They were there during my 5k, cheering me for the last mile. They were there when I decided to finish my degree and in the audience, cheering loudly when I walked across the stage to get the degree this year. They are always my support.
3. For what 2010 project, display or outfit will you win the Best Visual Effects award?
Hah! I have no clue. I suppose my color choice in redesigning this blog so that it would motivate me when I opened it could be deemed awesome. :) I also picked some pretty awesome colors to paint my new house... that comes in second though. :)
4. What terrific display of self-restraint or self-correction in 2010 earns you the Best Editor award?
Every time I passed on junk food and chose something healthy. Every time I told myself, no you DO want to go exercise. Every time I went out for my 5k101 training when I may have not wanted to. Each of those times adds up to my Best Editor award.
5. Of these Best Picture nominees, which title could best serve as the title of your 2010: 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids are All Right, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, or Winter’s Bone?
The Fighter. I had some rough times, fighting this battle to become healthier. Times where I fell down, but eventually, I got back up. I kept right on fighting the fight to become a healthier, happier Trisha.
Meh!
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: Unknown (ie. too many)
Calories burned with exercise: None - Rest Day
Looking back at yesterday I feel sad. I feel sad that I got home from work, wasn't feeling 100% and ate while I was making dinner. I had approximately 700 calories before I ate dinner. Dinner itself was a mush of veggies and ground turkey, so it took neither overly long to make nor was it a calorie laden dinner. I did eat some of that too.
With that, and how badly I was feeling about myself afterwords, I went to bed and woke up refreshed, saying, "It was one day. It doesn't have to ruin everything." I made myself a healthy breakfast and some coffee and curled up on the couch to start reading work e-mails and getting started with my day.
Plan today is to do the last workout of week 1 on the couch to 5k program after getting Jonas from school. While dinner tonight will be out, I feel confident that I can make good choices and stay within my plan.
I'm proud of myself, for stopping and recognizing that I didn't ruin everything last night, I just took a slight step back. Today, I'm right back where I should be, moving right ahead.
Calories in: Unknown (ie. too many)
Calories burned with exercise: None - Rest Day
Looking back at yesterday I feel sad. I feel sad that I got home from work, wasn't feeling 100% and ate while I was making dinner. I had approximately 700 calories before I ate dinner. Dinner itself was a mush of veggies and ground turkey, so it took neither overly long to make nor was it a calorie laden dinner. I did eat some of that too.
With that, and how badly I was feeling about myself afterwords, I went to bed and woke up refreshed, saying, "It was one day. It doesn't have to ruin everything." I made myself a healthy breakfast and some coffee and curled up on the couch to start reading work e-mails and getting started with my day.
Plan today is to do the last workout of week 1 on the couch to 5k program after getting Jonas from school. While dinner tonight will be out, I feel confident that I can make good choices and stay within my plan.
I'm proud of myself, for stopping and recognizing that I didn't ruin everything last night, I just took a slight step back. Today, I'm right back where I should be, moving right ahead.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Quickie Update
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 2,195
Calories burned with exercise: 828
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 2: Success!
Strength Training: Success!
Yesterday was a good day. Today has been a busy day at work. I've had a lot of water and have been really hungry. I think all my exercise is catching up with me. I'm trying to use water and gym to battle the craving to munch.
Tonight is a relaxing night. I'm making a pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts and roasted butternut squash.
Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. It's my first work from home day since my new goals. It's going to be a great day! We're going to go for our C25k run after we pick up Jonas from school.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!
Calories in: 2,195
Calories burned with exercise: 828
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 2: Success!
Strength Training: Success!
Yesterday was a good day. Today has been a busy day at work. I've had a lot of water and have been really hungry. I think all my exercise is catching up with me. I'm trying to use water and gym to battle the craving to munch.
Tonight is a relaxing night. I'm making a pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts and roasted butternut squash.
Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. It's my first work from home day since my new goals. It's going to be a great day! We're going to go for our C25k run after we pick up Jonas from school.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Various Eating Programs
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 2,086
Calories burned with exercise: 450
Cardio Tae Bo Funk workout! This was so much fun! I wish I could find a picture of the pants Billy Blanks wore in this video. They sent me back a couple decades! It was funny, I entered the time of the video into MyFitnessPal and it estimated 46 minutes at 1000 calories burned! I just had to wear my HRM for that to see the difference. HRM clocked me at 450! That's just a bit of a difference!
Jonas made dinner last night. His choice was Bow-Tie pasta with chicken and homemade healthy pesto and a side salad. Overall, dinner came in at 530 calories. Not bad for a pasta dish!
Yesterday, someone I knew posted about this "slow carb" diet he was trying out. I have very strong opinions on restrictive diets, partly because I know how I do on them, but also because I've done research and seen statistics on them. I think restricting anything in your life, will only make you want it more. Case in point, I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with Jonas. I was told I shouldn't eat pizza because it would not do nice things to my blood sugar. Needless to say, them saying I shouldn't eat it made me want it more. Does this happen to everyone? No, if it did, then people wouldn't be successful on these diets.
What is my personal plan? A lifestyle change based upon my basal metabolic rate (BMR), counting my calories in, measuring the amount I exercise and knowing that I'm in it for the long haul. That I want this change to be permanent, not that I want to cycle back and forth on this journey. I've been fairly successful doing this, so for me, it works. It's easy to stick to. Yes, it's work counting calories and such, but it's worth it. If I want pizza, I can choose to make it healthy, or not so healthy, just as long as I count the calories in my allotment for the day.
Today, I've already had my strength training. We're doing day 2 of Couch 2 5k tonight. Dinner? Nothing planned due to schedules. Pondering making eggs and pancakes. :)
Calories in: 2,086
Calories burned with exercise: 450
Cardio Tae Bo Funk workout! This was so much fun! I wish I could find a picture of the pants Billy Blanks wore in this video. They sent me back a couple decades! It was funny, I entered the time of the video into MyFitnessPal and it estimated 46 minutes at 1000 calories burned! I just had to wear my HRM for that to see the difference. HRM clocked me at 450! That's just a bit of a difference!
Jonas made dinner last night. His choice was Bow-Tie pasta with chicken and homemade healthy pesto and a side salad. Overall, dinner came in at 530 calories. Not bad for a pasta dish!
Yesterday, someone I knew posted about this "slow carb" diet he was trying out. I have very strong opinions on restrictive diets, partly because I know how I do on them, but also because I've done research and seen statistics on them. I think restricting anything in your life, will only make you want it more. Case in point, I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with Jonas. I was told I shouldn't eat pizza because it would not do nice things to my blood sugar. Needless to say, them saying I shouldn't eat it made me want it more. Does this happen to everyone? No, if it did, then people wouldn't be successful on these diets.
What is my personal plan? A lifestyle change based upon my basal metabolic rate (BMR), counting my calories in, measuring the amount I exercise and knowing that I'm in it for the long haul. That I want this change to be permanent, not that I want to cycle back and forth on this journey. I've been fairly successful doing this, so for me, it works. It's easy to stick to. Yes, it's work counting calories and such, but it's worth it. If I want pizza, I can choose to make it healthy, or not so healthy, just as long as I count the calories in my allotment for the day.
Today, I've already had my strength training. We're doing day 2 of Couch 2 5k tonight. Dinner? Nothing planned due to schedules. Pondering making eggs and pancakes. :)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Recap and Net Calories Pondering
Yesterday in recap:
Calories in: 2,062
Calories burned with exercise: 667
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 1: Success!
Strength Training: Success!
For dinner I made zucchini turkey meatloaf balls! As funny as they sound, they were YUMMY! Here's a photo of my dinner plate from last night. I ate 2 of the meatloaf balls and all the potatoes and veggie salad (434 Calories!)
Jonas judges my dinners ala Iron Chef. I got full points for plating and taste. He knocked me on originality because I didn't have zucchini in the potatoes but they were in the other two dishes! HAHAHA!
Something I noticed is that after I got off the train, on the way to pick up Jonas, I was hungry. I had 2 100 calorie snack packs at my mom's house as I was waiting to get Jonas, claiming they would be my pre-run fuel as we were having dinner after. It made me realize, on days we go running before dinner I'm going to need to plan a healthy fueling snack to have. Maybe leave it in the car to snack on while I drive to my mom's so that I'm not tempted by whatever she might have in the house? I will try that tomorrow and see if it helps.
I've been pondering for a while, do you eat back the calories you burn while doing exercise? I've read things that said something like if you burn more than 500, eat half of that. I've read others that say to use what you burn as negative calories and eat until your goal, that exercising gives you more calories in the day. And other places that say, don't eat any of them back. What rules do others follow?
Today's workout goal is some cross training cardio. Due to a late start this morning and getting in late to work, working out during lunch won't be happening... instead I'm going to do the new Tae Bo video when I get home, followed by some Just Dance with the boys.
Jonas is making dinner tonight! Tri-Color Bow Tie Pasta, Chicken with Pesto and a salad.
Calories in: 2,062
Calories burned with exercise: 667
Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 1: Success!
Strength Training: Success!
For dinner I made zucchini turkey meatloaf balls! As funny as they sound, they were YUMMY! Here's a photo of my dinner plate from last night. I ate 2 of the meatloaf balls and all the potatoes and veggie salad (434 Calories!)
Jonas judges my dinners ala Iron Chef. I got full points for plating and taste. He knocked me on originality because I didn't have zucchini in the potatoes but they were in the other two dishes! HAHAHA!
Something I noticed is that after I got off the train, on the way to pick up Jonas, I was hungry. I had 2 100 calorie snack packs at my mom's house as I was waiting to get Jonas, claiming they would be my pre-run fuel as we were having dinner after. It made me realize, on days we go running before dinner I'm going to need to plan a healthy fueling snack to have. Maybe leave it in the car to snack on while I drive to my mom's so that I'm not tempted by whatever she might have in the house? I will try that tomorrow and see if it helps.
I've been pondering for a while, do you eat back the calories you burn while doing exercise? I've read things that said something like if you burn more than 500, eat half of that. I've read others that say to use what you burn as negative calories and eat until your goal, that exercising gives you more calories in the day. And other places that say, don't eat any of them back. What rules do others follow?
Today's workout goal is some cross training cardio. Due to a late start this morning and getting in late to work, working out during lunch won't be happening... instead I'm going to do the new Tae Bo video when I get home, followed by some Just Dance with the boys.
Jonas is making dinner tonight! Tri-Color Bow Tie Pasta, Chicken with Pesto and a salad.
Monday, February 21, 2011
New Beginnings
Firstly, thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. Each one of your words went straight to my heart.
Friday, after work I told the boys we were going roller skating! So much fun! I forget how much fun (and how good of a workout) roller skating is!
Saturday, I decided that I needed some down time and some time with my son. We headed out early and had some breakfast at his favorite omelet house. From there, we headed to Borders where I picked up a food & fitness journal, a new Hungry Girl cookbook and a Tae Bo (Hip Hop version) video. I then went and got my hair cut and highlighted!
Then we headed over to the Chicago Auto Show. Three hours of walking around looking at cars. It was a lot of fun. Ok, so it wasn't so much as down time as time with the family. :)
Sunday, after our normal Sunday Morning Breakfast at my parents with my siblings and their significant others, Jonas and I went to see Gnomeo and Juliet (super cute movie!). We went grocery shopping after the movie. I got a juicer and a lot of veggies. The evening was spent juicing and tasting. Best investment!
Today, I started my new journal and also started tracking again at MyFitnessPal (mostly because it's easier to look up calories there).
The goals I wrote in my journal:
Food:
Thusfar today, I'm at 1036 calories and 36 minutes worth of strength training!
I know I can succeed!
Friday, after work I told the boys we were going roller skating! So much fun! I forget how much fun (and how good of a workout) roller skating is!
Saturday, I decided that I needed some down time and some time with my son. We headed out early and had some breakfast at his favorite omelet house. From there, we headed to Borders where I picked up a food & fitness journal, a new Hungry Girl cookbook and a Tae Bo (Hip Hop version) video. I then went and got my hair cut and highlighted!
Then we headed over to the Chicago Auto Show. Three hours of walking around looking at cars. It was a lot of fun. Ok, so it wasn't so much as down time as time with the family. :)
Sunday, after our normal Sunday Morning Breakfast at my parents with my siblings and their significant others, Jonas and I went to see Gnomeo and Juliet (super cute movie!). We went grocery shopping after the movie. I got a juicer and a lot of veggies. The evening was spent juicing and tasting. Best investment!
Today, I started my new journal and also started tracking again at MyFitnessPal (mostly because it's easier to look up calories there).
The goals I wrote in my journal:
Food:
- Calories between 2000 and 2100
- Plan healthy dinners!
- Bring healthy snacks to work so I don't get overwhelmed and want to eat anything I can grab.
- C25k 3 times a week with family (I have the plans plastered to our dining room wall for the 3 of us!)
- Strength Training 2 times a week @ work gym (whole body, building strength back up in knee and allover toning)
- Cardio once a week @ work gym (45 minutes on bike or elliptical)
- Videos at home, as deemed fun (Jonas and I like doing them together!)
- Blog Mondays-Fridays to keep myself accountable (means I have to think up topics)
- Read blogs, articles, and/or books to get inspiration from others. Comment! Don't be afraid to share my opinion.
- Once a week, do something for me that doesn't involve food or working out.
Thusfar today, I'm at 1036 calories and 36 minutes worth of strength training!
I know I can succeed!
Friday, February 18, 2011
A confession
I have a confession to make. I have no confidence in myself nor do I deeply believe I deserve to do things for me. Yesterday, I was delivered with a huge dose of tough love. In talking about how I have moments of success in this journey, I believe I can do it, I believe I am succeeding... and then something happens, doesn't matter what that something is as it varies, but the thing that matters is that something puts something in my mind that tells me I am not worth taking the time for myself to improve myself. At that point I enter a depressive, self deprecating cycle. I eat to make myself feel better, I either feel gross because of the food I'm eating, or gain weight. I feel worse about myself, I eat to make myself feel better... You can see how this can ruin me.
How was I successful for almost a year? Eating properly, exercising regularly? Surely, I had times where I felt an inkling of this? What did I do to stop this cycle from happening? Why can't I go a few days anymore?
So my friend who delivered the tough love yesterday? She said that I may not feel that I deserve this, but I do. That I just need to keep doing what I know I need to be doing, because I do deserve this. I deserve the happiness and everything else that will come with staying on this healthy journey.
My question, that I'm trying to get answered in my head... How do I fight it when everything in me says no?
Make appointments with myself for working out? Actually join a gym outside of work and get some personal training sessions so that the threat of me wasting money by not going, forces me to go? What about eating? When I have times where I want to binge and eat everything in the house? How do I stop it?
Any of the few of you that read this have any suggestions?
How was I successful for almost a year? Eating properly, exercising regularly? Surely, I had times where I felt an inkling of this? What did I do to stop this cycle from happening? Why can't I go a few days anymore?
So my friend who delivered the tough love yesterday? She said that I may not feel that I deserve this, but I do. That I just need to keep doing what I know I need to be doing, because I do deserve this. I deserve the happiness and everything else that will come with staying on this healthy journey.
My question, that I'm trying to get answered in my head... How do I fight it when everything in me says no?
Make appointments with myself for working out? Actually join a gym outside of work and get some personal training sessions so that the threat of me wasting money by not going, forces me to go? What about eating? When I have times where I want to binge and eat everything in the house? How do I stop it?
Any of the few of you that read this have any suggestions?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Eating Too Little?
Am I eating enough? Am I eating too much? This is something I am always asking myself. I've also done a lot of research on the subject, specifically reading about the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and how many calories my body would need if I were in a coma. That number, for me at this point in time is right around 2000 calories. To maintain my current weight, I need to eat roughly 3800 calories, with no exercise. If I exercise, that number goes up.
What do these numbers mean? They mean, my body needs 2000 calories to function at my current weight. I shouldn't really eat below 2000 calories, otherwise, my metabolism can slow down and go into a "starvation" mode of thinking. That mode, will cause me to have days where I feel like I am famished and want to eat everything.
I felt that way yesterday. Around 2pm I wanted food. I had eaten lunch about two hours before that. A pretty decent sized lunch, too. So, I took out my food journal and figured out my net calories (calories in vs. out for exercise) for the past 5 days; 1706, 876, 1185, 1167, 582... Anyone can tell, those numbers are WAY too low for my body to function. When I realized this, I ate some almond butter on my celery and had a bit of pasta. I felt tons better.
It also lead me to rethink what I'm doing, eating wise, and what I needed to do, so I don't go through that cycle again. The goal? Eating right at 2000 calories and taking a deeper look into how I'm feeling - both hunger and mood. I know I don't want to starve myself to do quick weight loss. I want lasting weight loss. I didn't gain this extra weight overnight. I am realistic that I won't lose it overnight.
What do these numbers mean? They mean, my body needs 2000 calories to function at my current weight. I shouldn't really eat below 2000 calories, otherwise, my metabolism can slow down and go into a "starvation" mode of thinking. That mode, will cause me to have days where I feel like I am famished and want to eat everything.
I felt that way yesterday. Around 2pm I wanted food. I had eaten lunch about two hours before that. A pretty decent sized lunch, too. So, I took out my food journal and figured out my net calories (calories in vs. out for exercise) for the past 5 days; 1706, 876, 1185, 1167, 582... Anyone can tell, those numbers are WAY too low for my body to function. When I realized this, I ate some almond butter on my celery and had a bit of pasta. I felt tons better.
It also lead me to rethink what I'm doing, eating wise, and what I needed to do, so I don't go through that cycle again. The goal? Eating right at 2000 calories and taking a deeper look into how I'm feeling - both hunger and mood. I know I don't want to starve myself to do quick weight loss. I want lasting weight loss. I didn't gain this extra weight overnight. I am realistic that I won't lose it overnight.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Small Victory
That temptation I had earlier? Dealt with!
Around mid-afternoon I saw the cookies. I wanted the cookies. I told myself, I didn't need the cookies. This cycle went on for an hour or so until, fed up I grabbed all of the boxes and promptly handed them to my boss and coworker and told them to enjoy.
After that, I returned to my desk, elated that I handled the temptation.
Around mid-afternoon I saw the cookies. I wanted the cookies. I told myself, I didn't need the cookies. This cycle went on for an hour or so until, fed up I grabbed all of the boxes and promptly handed them to my boss and coworker and told them to enjoy.
After that, I returned to my desk, elated that I handled the temptation.
Temptations!
So, what happens when you're an emotional eater, stressed and someone has Girl Scout cookie order forms in the kitchen at work? You order them.
And when things are right, you're eating good, exercising... and suddenly, they are delivered? You're faced with this:
Now, I just need to figure out what to do with these. For the most of them, 2 cookies is 120 calories. Not a great use of my calories. However, treats every now and then are OK, so do I keep them? Do I find someone to give them to?
Right now, they're up on the shelf above my desk, as best out of sight as I could put them.
Now that I wrote about my dilemma, I can forget about them... right?
And when things are right, you're eating good, exercising... and suddenly, they are delivered? You're faced with this:
Now, I just need to figure out what to do with these. For the most of them, 2 cookies is 120 calories. Not a great use of my calories. However, treats every now and then are OK, so do I keep them? Do I find someone to give them to?
Right now, they're up on the shelf above my desk, as best out of sight as I could put them.
Now that I wrote about my dilemma, I can forget about them... right?
Friday, February 11, 2011
It's Friday!
It's Friday! Hooray!!
This morning started off with a Kettlebell workout, thanks to my new Kettlebell and Bob Harper workout DVD. Since I'm working from home today, I figured I'd get up at normal time, just do a workout before I got everyone else up and ready. It was a great way to start my day. Maybe a 10 minute workout on days I head into the office wouldn't be a bad idea!
I had my followup with the orthopedic surgeon today. Basically? Go slow back into things, if it hurts, stop, wear brace on knee and keep moving slowly. If it gets unbearable, make another appointment and we'll go the MRI route. So, I'm free to start running again if I want. I'm not sure if I will or not yet.
Which leads me to my recent discovery activities. Yeah, I've lost 140ish pounds. Yeah, like most people, I still struggle at times. Recently, it's been a bigger struggle. Things are still stressful. I bought myself a guided healthy living journal. It not only includes places for me to record what I eat and exercise, but also guides me with questions on why I do things the way I do, how I am going to reach my goals and thinking positively about things. It guides you into how many portions of which foods you should eat and how you should split them across your meals and snacks. It's a 21 day guided journey. I'm on day 2! :)
My goals for this journey? Eat healthy lunches at work (bringing my lunch), Exercise at least 30 minutes a day (can be split up), eat dinner at home at least 5 days a week and lose 10 pounds in the 21 days.
I can do this, I know I can.
My breakfast experiment is going well. Today I even tried microwaved eggs, ala Hungry Girl breakfast in a mug. It was pretty tasty! 2 egg whites, 1 egg, 1oz ham, 1 T green onion, 1 wedge laughing cow cheese and 1t of dijon mustard. YUM!
Tomorrow is the last day for egg based/high protein breakfasts. This weekend I'll make up a big batch of oats and see how the higher carb breakfast goes. The protein breakfasts have been keeping me full to the point where I look at the clock and think, "Hmm, I should eat a snack now, it's been 4 hours since breakfast." Almost makes me think I should skip the higher carb part of the experiment and just go with the protein, but then it wouldn't be a full experiment! :) However, if through next week I notice I get hungry sooner, I will only do one week of the carb part.
I shall keep pressing on! Will you? :)
This morning started off with a Kettlebell workout, thanks to my new Kettlebell and Bob Harper workout DVD. Since I'm working from home today, I figured I'd get up at normal time, just do a workout before I got everyone else up and ready. It was a great way to start my day. Maybe a 10 minute workout on days I head into the office wouldn't be a bad idea!
I had my followup with the orthopedic surgeon today. Basically? Go slow back into things, if it hurts, stop, wear brace on knee and keep moving slowly. If it gets unbearable, make another appointment and we'll go the MRI route. So, I'm free to start running again if I want. I'm not sure if I will or not yet.
Which leads me to my recent discovery activities. Yeah, I've lost 140ish pounds. Yeah, like most people, I still struggle at times. Recently, it's been a bigger struggle. Things are still stressful. I bought myself a guided healthy living journal. It not only includes places for me to record what I eat and exercise, but also guides me with questions on why I do things the way I do, how I am going to reach my goals and thinking positively about things. It guides you into how many portions of which foods you should eat and how you should split them across your meals and snacks. It's a 21 day guided journey. I'm on day 2! :)
My goals for this journey? Eat healthy lunches at work (bringing my lunch), Exercise at least 30 minutes a day (can be split up), eat dinner at home at least 5 days a week and lose 10 pounds in the 21 days.
I can do this, I know I can.
My breakfast experiment is going well. Today I even tried microwaved eggs, ala Hungry Girl breakfast in a mug. It was pretty tasty! 2 egg whites, 1 egg, 1oz ham, 1 T green onion, 1 wedge laughing cow cheese and 1t of dijon mustard. YUM!
Tomorrow is the last day for egg based/high protein breakfasts. This weekend I'll make up a big batch of oats and see how the higher carb breakfast goes. The protein breakfasts have been keeping me full to the point where I look at the clock and think, "Hmm, I should eat a snack now, it's been 4 hours since breakfast." Almost makes me think I should skip the higher carb part of the experiment and just go with the protein, but then it wouldn't be a full experiment! :) However, if through next week I notice I get hungry sooner, I will only do one week of the carb part.
I shall keep pressing on! Will you? :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Breakfast Challenge Update
I've had a lot of eggs this week so far! :) I usually mix 2 eggs and 2 egg whites for my "dish" This week's egg dish hasn't varied over much:
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 oz ham
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 wedge laughing cow cheese
1 T ketchup
And fruit in the form of apples or grapes.
Roughly: 375 calories, 30g protein, 27g carbs for each.
Today, I had a piece of homemade bread (toasted) and homemade blackberry jam (without sugar) that I made yesterday.
How has the hunger been? It varied. This week, due to large amounts of snow, I have been home since Tuesday afternoon. The temptation of food in the house has been larger than temptation of food I bring at work.
Monday and Tuesday, I had breakfast around 6 and wasn't hungry until around 10 (and even then, it wasn't overly hungry) when I'd have a snack.
Since I've been home, breakfast has been a bit later (yay sleeping in?) and has been around 8:30. The odd thing? I felt hungry by 11. I'm not sure if it was me, seeing the clock and thinking that's past when I normally have a snack, or if I was actually hungry. Anyway, I had a small snack around then, I didn't feel I needed anything big.
After that? Lunch hunger usually wasn't intense. It was more, Yep, it's lunch time, let's have a bite to eat. As per normal, my hungry snacking time is around 3. I noticed yesterday, it's also the time I get sleepy. I think the snacking and sleepyness go hand in hand.
Ways I can battle the urge to eat everything in sight? Popcorn is excellent for me in this area. I can make a filling snack that takes a while to eat (in other words, takes enough time my brain gets over itself). The issue I have with this is at work, our microwave sucks for microwaved popcorn so I need to remember to pack a popped bag of popcorn in the morning. Which is cool, because then I can air pop it!
Overall, the higher protein breakfast seems to be filling me up well into lunchtime. One more week of higher protein then a switch to the oatmeals to see how that does.
Something else I'm curious about... protein in oatmeal? If it works out that I work better with the higher protein, and oatmeal has heart healthy benefits, should I consider making a protein packed oatmeal? Or maybe, doing my eggs for breakfast and having a serving of oatmeal for my afternoon snack maybe? Things to think about in the coming weeks :)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 oz ham
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 wedge laughing cow cheese
1 T ketchup
And fruit in the form of apples or grapes.
Roughly: 375 calories, 30g protein, 27g carbs for each.
Today, I had a piece of homemade bread (toasted) and homemade blackberry jam (without sugar) that I made yesterday.
How has the hunger been? It varied. This week, due to large amounts of snow, I have been home since Tuesday afternoon. The temptation of food in the house has been larger than temptation of food I bring at work.
Monday and Tuesday, I had breakfast around 6 and wasn't hungry until around 10 (and even then, it wasn't overly hungry) when I'd have a snack.
Since I've been home, breakfast has been a bit later (yay sleeping in?) and has been around 8:30. The odd thing? I felt hungry by 11. I'm not sure if it was me, seeing the clock and thinking that's past when I normally have a snack, or if I was actually hungry. Anyway, I had a small snack around then, I didn't feel I needed anything big.
After that? Lunch hunger usually wasn't intense. It was more, Yep, it's lunch time, let's have a bite to eat. As per normal, my hungry snacking time is around 3. I noticed yesterday, it's also the time I get sleepy. I think the snacking and sleepyness go hand in hand.
Ways I can battle the urge to eat everything in sight? Popcorn is excellent for me in this area. I can make a filling snack that takes a while to eat (in other words, takes enough time my brain gets over itself). The issue I have with this is at work, our microwave sucks for microwaved popcorn so I need to remember to pack a popped bag of popcorn in the morning. Which is cool, because then I can air pop it!
Overall, the higher protein breakfast seems to be filling me up well into lunchtime. One more week of higher protein then a switch to the oatmeals to see how that does.
Something else I'm curious about... protein in oatmeal? If it works out that I work better with the higher protein, and oatmeal has heart healthy benefits, should I consider making a protein packed oatmeal? Or maybe, doing my eggs for breakfast and having a serving of oatmeal for my afternoon snack maybe? Things to think about in the coming weeks :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Snow Days!
We've had just bit of snow here. Due to that, schools have been canceled, I've been working from home. This creates its own challenges. While at work I can limit what I eat by what I bring. If I want something else, I have to buy it. At home? I can eat whatever is in the house and I have to have a bigger willpower to not do that. I need to find a way to get that bigger willpower :)
Here are a couple of pictures from the snow fun from yesterday and today.
As a side note, shoveling waist high snow is an intense ab workout. Mine are killing me today!
Here are a couple of pictures from the snow fun from yesterday and today.
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| Jonas stands next to one of the drifts in front of the house. |
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| Thanks to neighbors who came to the rescue with a snowblower, our driveway was cleared! |
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| The dogs in their "snow-pen" in the backyard. They don't seem to like the snow too much. |
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| Jonas and I made "snow-cream" Ice cream made with clean snow! It was tasty, just look at his face! |
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