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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 27 March 2006 06:26 pm |
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For some reason I was just exhausted last night. I fell asleep a little before 8 pm and slept until 3 am, woke up starving, scarfed down the chicken salad I'd made for today's lunch and fell back asleep around 4 am and didn't wake up again until 7am for this am's workout.
Woke up feeling super-charged and energetic and enthusiastic, all soreness gone and impatient to get to the gym. Had the best cardio session to date; actually had so much surplus energy afterwards I wanted to keep going - but did not (learned that lesson). Weirdly enough I was down another pound . If it stays at 165 or goes below over the next week I'll accept it as real, other wise I'm considering it one of those weird scale fluctuations.
Learned the neatest lesson from my neigbhors' cat this am. My neighbor has a beautiful fat, cream and white cat. Every morning when I walk down my drive she flops herself down at my feet, starts purring and waits expectantly to be scratched and petted. I'm not special, she does this whenever anybody walks past her. Some people shoo her away, some ignore her, but most stop and give her a little kitty lovin'. I guess over time her feline brain figured out that if she just threw her expectations out there, most of the time they'd get met.
So I'm gonna try that approach. Just gonna throw my positive expectations out into the world and live like they are going to be met. Sometimes they'll be ignored, sometimes they'll be shoo'd away - but I can't wait to see how often they'll be met.
I'm expecting today to be a great one!!!!!
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Krystin
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 March 2006 06:53 pm |
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| :D!!
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personsmom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 March 2006 08:38 pm |
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Yeah on the new # even if you're not convinced. I must admit I also give the scale room for error. I will not accept it 'till I have it at least 2 days in a row. I Love  the positive thought ending. Very motivating. :) The power of positive thoughts.  Keep up the good work. 
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 28 March 2006 07:02 pm |
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Two days in a row, two different digital scales, same time of day, same number: I'm "officially" 165.2 lbs. Sweet.
It's time to re-evaluate my weights routine. I started off just doing the basics for overall toning, and with few tweaks here and there, have basically stuck with the same routine for the last three months. I think I've pretty much reached the point where it really is time to move to another level. The reason I ended up going overboard a couple of days ago was because I just wasn't feeling challenged anymore and I threw in something I don't normally do without thinking it through.
This am I made nice with "Ivan the Terrible" so he could show me how to do some good core stablization and strenthening exercises. I'm going to substitute those every day for the 20 mins. post-workout circiut routine. After 10 days of this, along with the 15 mins breathing and stretching exercises I'm doing in the pm., my body will have enough basic strength and flexibility to safely embark on a more diverse and challenging weight routine.
Time for me to give myself my periodic reminder: "I can't begin to describe how good and natural it now feels to simply go through the day, eating when I'm hungry, enjoying what I eat, getting full and moving on to the next activity without binging, overeating, fighting cravings, worrying about what I ate, or did not eat the meal before. This feels good!!!!! I have to remember how good this feels so 6 months from now I don't fall into the "I'm skinny now, one cookie won't matter" mode. One cookie will always matter to me 'cause that's just the way my compulsive, sugar-addictive little brain was made:) and I can't afford to forget it."
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 March 2006 07:13 pm |
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Suenos -
Ask "Ivan" his opinion about going for more intensive weights workouts, rather than moving up to heavier weights.
In my experience, the heavier weights are the ones that add bulk, not toning - and it's much easier to injure yourself (and end up losing valuable training effect) with a heavier weight.
Just a suggestion.
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 28 March 2006 07:52 pm |
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| nevd: Yup, that's what I'm talking about: a different program with more intensity, defin. not more weight. Even though I'm female, and have a small frame, for some reason my upper body is predisposed to "bulk up" really quickly and really easily if I don't watch it. Nice because it's the first place I lost weight and got good definition, not so nice when I don't keep it in check and truck drivers wanna arm wrestle;)
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 29 March 2006 06:32 pm |
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I'm sooooo frustrated this am. A little part of it is probably because I haven't worked out yet and a good gym session is always great for dispelling the "crankies". But mostly it's because of yesterday, or more specifically, last evening.
For weeks I have been trying to quit smoking by slowly reducing the portion of the day I allowed myself to smoke. Finally yesterday, since it was my day off and I had no outside plans, I decided to just bite the bullit and not smoke at all. No problem through the morning and afternoon since I haven't smoked during that period of the day for a looong time. But after around 4 pm, forget about it.
I swear, my body decided if it could'nt smoke it was gonna eat. Thank goodness there is nothing in my kitchen that could do too much damage cause no matter what (or how much) I ate I felt like I was STARVING until I gave up and went to bed. Between about 5pm and 11 pm I ate: 2 servings (sugar free/fat free) pudding, a small bowl of blueberries/rasberries/almonds, a protein drink, a spring mix salad with tuna, a piece of turkey with a spinich salad, 1 oz grilled tofu sauteed with mushrooms & olive oil, 1/4 grapefruit, 1/4 cup brown rice & shrimp. I went to bed super cranky, hungry, and just one lucid brain cell away from being totally irrational. And I woke - STARVING and feeling irritable for no rational reason!!!!
So, instead of getting up and going off to the gym at 7am I drove to the gas station and bought a pack of ciggies and a cuppa coffee. Yes I did. Cause I'm off today too and I refuse to graze and b****ch my way through the next 24 hours like a rabid bovine on steroids.
So now, some measure of lucidity and calm artificially restored, I have come up with a rationalization I can live with. I have gone from smoking over a pack a day to maybe 6 ciggaretes a day. Not great, great would be 0, but that's still gotta be better. And that's where it's gonna have to stay for the next little while. Maybe I'll have to shoot for a weight loss goal of a few pounds under my desired weight, then give up the final cigarettes and allow myself to munch my way through nicotine withdrawal. I don't know. I'm just too frustrated to think very logically right now.
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 29 March 2006 10:43 pm |
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| I hope you feel better soon :) It must be really really difficult to give up not just one addictive thing at a time! Easing off of cigarettes seems to be working for you (how many are in a pack? 12, 20?) you're down by at least 1/2 right? So, you're doing good--you seem to have been very "gung ho" the past couple of days, hopefully you can get back to that point, or some normal level where you just feel fine about how you're doing and where you're going without the rush :) (Yes, me talking about not rushing the diet seems ridiculous and a tad hypocritical . . . but, what I know and what I can make myself do are two very different things :))
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 29 March 2006 10:50 pm |
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Lots of years ago, eating heaps of fruit helped me to quit smoking. One side-effect was that I learned not to be too far from a toilet!
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 30 March 2006 12:17 am |
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Suenos, look at the positive side of this....you may have felt like you were eating all evening, but take a good look at the food choices you made. I don't see a bag of chips or a piece of cheesecake in there :D They were pretty healthy, whole foods, low-fat choices!
Another positive, at least when the time comes for you to give up the smoking for good, you won't have to pick up another ciggie for the rest of your life. However, you will always have to eat, and it looks like you've learned to make good choices HisgalPat
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 30 March 2006 05:14 am |
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So, I spent all day thinking about this. My mom never smoked in her life and she died from cancer. My grandfather smoked a cigar a day and he died from cancer. Two of my three aunts died from cancer. Genetically speaking, I'm at a fairly high risk. But, I've been smoking since I was a teenager, trying to be "cool". I'm not 17 anymore and I'm not gonna look so cool when I'm on the operating table, skinny as h##ll, tight little thighs, having a lung or breast or larnyx removed. That's reality whether I like it not.
I don't want to gain even a little weight back, however, that might be an inevitable but reversible side effect of quitting. Lung cancer is not reversible. That's what I finally understood and accepted. Why did I decide to finally totally quit in the dead middle of my weight loss goal? I really don't think I cared that much about my health before, even when I first started changing my eating/exercise habits. That was all about getting back into my former shape ("I will be thin again..."). Maybe I had to get healthy before I could truly want to be healthy.
I really, really don't want to fall back into some awful binge cycle but I don't think that's going to happen. Granted, I've consumed lots more food than usual last night and tonight. But no, none of it was junk food, or in great quantities at one sitting and tonight, I finally did get full, and stopped eating as soon as I was. I'm not overeating to fill boredom, or some emotional need, I'm eating more than usual because my appitite is greater than usual - and given time (hopefully not toooooo much time) it will subside to normal once again.
Meanwhile, I will no longer allow myself to use losing weight as an excuse to continue smoking. Everyone I know who is a former smoker has assured me that the worst of it only lasts a week, and might not be so bad in my case since I had already cut down so much. I hope so, but no matter what I know I'll never light another cigarette in my life.
Tommorrow's gonna be soooo interesting at work.;)
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 30 March 2006 06:43 pm |
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Stepped on the scale this am fully prepared to "accept the damage" of last two days increased food consumption. 164.12. That's a little over another lb down. I am not understanding it at all.
I did my entire weight routine on auto pilot, trying to figure it out. That's 4 lbs in about 8 days. Was it, after all, the effects of my long anticipated luteal phase? My meal portions/ratio haven't changed, only the # of meals:chew::chew::chew: over the last 48 hours. I did seriously increase my cadio intensity last week (but I'm thinking that should have been offset by the increased food intake). Don't know, can't figure it out, but gonna take it and smile.:)
Soooo glad my work week starts this pm. For the next four evenings I'll be working, not munching - by Sunday (if not sooner please) this increased pm appitite will be reigned back in.
Last night I was very, very down. But this morning I'm happily throwing my expectations out there and expecting them to be met - I can and will continue to lose weight without continuing to smoke.
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 30 March 2006 10:15 pm |
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Yeah for you! I was so happy to see you'd made that decision to quit smoking, no matter what the scale does! Think health!
I lost my mother (a smoker) to lung cancer almost 9 years ago, when she was just 62 years old. My dad, who was a 3 pack a day smoker, is almost 82 and going to work every day. He looks better now than he did at 60! Both quit smoking about 25 years ago. Who can say who will get a disease from smoking, but why take the risk? Good wishes for success in both endeavors! Think health! You definitely can do this Hisgal
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 1 April 2006 07:53 am |
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Crazy busy day today. Missed my cardio work-out, gonna try and do tommorrow before my weight routine. Seem like 1/4 of our staff out with same awful flu, covered part of breakfast, then both lunch and dinner shifts - that was fun.:) Made best food choices possible from the options at hand - thank goodness I like fish and spinach - ate it four times today. Unfortunately didn't get in enough water to keep a goldfish alive. Oh, well.
Hisgal wrote: I lost my mother (a smoker) to lung cancer almost 9 years ago, when she was just 62 years old. My dad, who was a 3 pack a day smoker, is almost 82 and going to work every day. He looks better now than he did at 60! ... Who can say who will get a disease from smoking?
I'm sorry about you mother. My own mother never smoked and died from cancer at 55, my grandfather smoked fat cigars and my grandmother "dipped snuff" every day - both died from cancer, but not until they were in their late 80's. You're right - who knows but why take the chance?
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 1 April 2006 06:44 pm |
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Great work-out. Got cardio in by running 1/4 mile on indoor track between sets. First time using indoor track - it was sooooo cool I may never get on the treadmill again!!!Still 164 so I guess it wasn't a fluke but a real number. Somewhere in the middle of my workout I figured out why I went around 2 weeks with only 2 lbs lost and then started munching like a little  and the scale came crashing down.
I was not eating enough during those two weeks. It felt like a lot, and, when I actually ran the numbers to check my average daily caloric intake it looked like it was in-line, but I think I seriously underestimated the amount of calories I'm probably burning in the course of a week. First, a big miscalculation was I did not include calories burned during weight training, only the cardio, second, related to the first, because of the weights, I have a higher ratio of muscle mass which is burning more calories and, finally, I think I seriously underestimated my activity level at work. Without the appitite suppressing effects of smoking, my body just did what it obviously needed to do - eat more.
I had not planned on changing my food plan for the coming week, but now I think I may have to look at including one or two more calorie dense items. All I can think of right now is cheese, but I've noticed I have a lot more energy since I dropped the cheese (don't know why), so that's not my first choice. I'm guessing a snickers bar every other day is not the way to go either.;) Where's the instruction manual that came with this body?
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personsmom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 April 2006 06:47 pm |
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Glad to read you are making progress with the smoking. If you attack it the way you've attacked the healthy eating/weight reduction, I can not see anything but positive results. With knowledge and perseverance. Each day with conscience choices. I know you will WIN!! 
Liking those new #'s TOO! :) YOU GO GIRL!!
Lee 
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 April 2006 07:30 pm |
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I'm guessing a snickers bar every other day is not the way to go either.
Thought about my choc banana oatmeal recipe?
I'm working on a strawberry banana one...
(I may be slow, but I'm thorough).
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 3 April 2006 03:41 am |
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This is my 12th week's food/exercise plan. Every Sunday a little part of me goes "Gosh, do I have to do this again?" But I'm pretty sure that taking the time to figure out the coming week's plan and sticking to it as closely as possible is a big part of my going from 186 to 162, so yeah, I have to do this again. This week's workout routine:
Mon/Wen/Fri: cardio days: 60 min. speed/incline intervals on treadmill, 10 mins. on stairway to nowhere, 10 mins. on rowboat., 15 mins pm breathing exercises.
Tues/Thurs/Sat: weight days: abs/butt....abs/thighs...abs/shoulders; 15 mins core strength on exercise ball; 15 mins pm yoga stretches
Replacing 20 min circuit rountine with 10 mins. on climber and 10 on mins. on rowing machine. Concentrating this week on lower body - stairs climber to work butt and thighs while incorporating cardio, rowing machine to maintain upper body strength while incorporating cardio. Dropping arms, chest, back routine this week. Adding 15 mins. with exercise ball on weight days. This week's diet:
Tofu, hummus, eggs, cauliflower, black olives, button and portabello mushrooms, garlic, onions, baby spinach leaves, broccoli, spring mix (baby lettuces, greens, endive and radicchio), bok choy, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, rasberries, grapefruit, almonds, pecans, walnuts, chicken, salmon, orange roughy, tuna, halibut, crab, turkey, shrimp, scallops, 3 protein shakes, 3 red bull, green tea, olive oil, jello, whole-wheat flakes and faxseed, long grain brown rice, seaweed, unsweetened bakers chocolate, 2 meal replacement bars. No swaps or eliminations. Added olives, blackberries, walnuts, scallops. Tofu, geletine, baker's choc., and vanilla flavoring make a nice fake flan. Was going to try a faux tofu cheesecake and air popped pop corn this week but instead added more "real" food. The scallops, walnuts and blackberries are because I wanted to add some extra calories without distorting my fat/protein/carb ratios too much. The olives are because I'm only getting a little over 500 mg of sodium most days (some days less). I think the dairy elimination is perm. - it wasn't done with any particular purpose, my meal plan just sort of evolved that way. But I've noticed that not only don't I miss it, I seem to feel better without it. I wish I could get away from the meal replacement bars but sometimes its a bar or nothing. This week's highlights:
Saying "bye-bye" to the smokes and dropping down to 164 anyway!!!!! AND - and not having a single sweet based craving. Maybe, posssibly, hopefully the last teeny tiny urge to put refined sugar into my mouth is gone. I read the neatest theory about why people binge eat on "junk food". It's probably a little simplistic, but I liked it anyway. It basically says that the human body is designed to constantly seek nourishment for survival. So when we eat, from the first bite, our bodies are seeking out the nutrients present in the food and sending "full" signals when certain needs are met. Since most "junk food" has little to no nutrient value, our brains continue to signal "hunger" in hopes we'll ingest something nutritious. I LOVE that theory. This week's lows: Strangely enough, there were times this week I felt frustrated and annoyed (and super cranky), but something good came out of it so I don't really have a low. My weekly meal plan is becoming less of a "plan" and more just the way I eat. I just don't have a reason to "cheat" cause I like what I'm eating as much as stuff I'm not eating. Super excited about my new work-out plan. It's going to be more difficult than what I've grown used to, but also fun. I just hope my body cooperates -- two more months to good beach weather!!!! AND THAT'S ANOTHER WEEK'S PLAN PUT TO BED!!!!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 3 April 2006 07:40 pm |
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I was reading my week's plan to see how closely I managed to follow my workout routine this am and noticed that I wrote I was 162 instead of 164. Wishful thinking. I was gonna edit and change the number but I think I'll leave it as motivation to actually be 162 when I do my next week's plan.
Did not actually do stairmaster this am. Didn't expect the rowboat to be so kicka$$, instead of 10 mins managed to complete 5 and my thighs were shaking at the end. It will be fun to see how long it takes to build up to this level.
Still had 15 mins. to fill so figured I would get in 3 sets of fly weights since I won't be doing any concentrated upper body work this week. After the first set I was thinking, "hmm, this feels a little more difficult than usual" - then noticed I hadn't adjusted the weight load and it was double what I normally do. Just for the heck of it I figured I'd see if I could actually complete 2 more sets at that weight. The whole time I'm torn between being really, really pleased with my strength and how muscular my shoulders and biceps looked during each rep - and thinking how much I'm gonna regret it when I end up with really "big guns" which I've discovered I have the body type to build.
I'm wondering if, when I finally reach my maintainance weight, I should shift the focus to weights rather than my current weights/cardio split. A couple of weeks ago I saw this show about celebrity trainers and one said that he only does weight, not cardio, routines for his clients. He said something like "if you go into any gym and look around, you'll see all the overweight people in the cardio classes and on the treadmills, and all the lean people in the weight area". Since then I've started looking and its weird but true, in both my gyms. Might be the eventual formual that will keep me in the gym week after week, year after year cause I love weights and hate cardio.
Nevd wrote:Thought about my choc banana oatmeal recipe?
I'm working on a strawberry banana one...
Yup, thought about it, looked up the recipe - but the only main ingredient you use that is on my current meal plan is tofu. Eventually I'm gonna add bran, oats and bananas, so I'll try it then. 'Course the applejuice, milk, and peanut butter are never gonna show up in my meal plan so I'm not sure how it'll taste.
Last edited on 3 April 2006 07:47 pm by suenos
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trimB
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 April 2006 08:45 pm |
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The oatcake recipe thread has several variations, some of which don't involve any milk, apple juice, or peanut butter. When you get to add bananas, wheat bran, & oats - you might want to give the variations a try.
By the way - congratulations on your progress. I've started incorporating week reviews and goals into my diary, because I like how your reviews seem to both reflect on past successes and mistakes and contemplate your focus for the near future. So, thanks for the idea!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 4 April 2006 06:58 pm |
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Thank goodness...my day off!!! I'm ready for some serious down time.
I really do love my co-wokers and managers who are also personal friends outside of work. But this week has been nuts. I've been everybody's "sounding board", worked a triple shift to pick up the slack for sick co-workers, spent 3 days training a new girl who is proving to be "untrainable" and gotten sucked into acting as the buffer between my well-meaning but abrasive GM and the wait staff. My vacation has been post-poned once again to accomodate a family emergency of one of my co-workers (who's already had his vacation BTW). Last night I told my Assistant GM (after fixing the floor plan and schedule he had seriously screwed up) "You guys totally don't appreciate me and I'm over being a 'team player'". His response? "What are you - hormonal?" I laughed to keep from smacking him over the head with his little clipboard. There is a vacation in my near future.
Anyway, excellent work-out this am. The scale is hovering at 164.02; measurements tommorrow. For purely psychological reasons I want to get that number down to 162 this week cause I already know that the increased weight training intensity is gonna result in an added pound or two.
Got a great recipe mix I think I can adapt to make protein rich, nutritious and yummy crackers and flatbread:
3 c Whole wheat flour
1/4 c Soy flour
3/4 c Wheat germ
1 c Nonfat dry milk powder
2 1/2 tb Baking powder
1 1/2 ts Salt
1 tb Nutritional yeast
1/2 c Oil
I'm thinking protein powder instead of the wheat germ, soy or almond milk instead of the dairy, and using a combo of olive & flaxseed oils. If I can make it work, there are grilled fish & baby spinach sandwiches in my future. Hey, who said losing weight has to equal deprivation?
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 5 April 2006 08:15 pm |
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Wow, my amp'd up workout routine is really kicking my butt. It looks soooo much easier on paper. Reached 150 of my targeted 200 crunches during cardio, (run, crunch, run) got up to 3.57 of my targeted 4 miles, completed all three speed intervals perfectly, got in the first two of three targeted incline intervals (cheated myself on the third) and completed 6 mins of the targeted 10 mins on rowing. Today I did at least approach the stairmaster for the final 10 mins. I stood there, wrung out, legs shaking, sweat dripping, looking up at all those steps,- my body just whimpered and said "You must be kidding".
Exercise wise my goal is just to keep raising the bar a little higher every day 'till what once seemed impossible begins to seem easy. Not that long ago 3 miles was a big deal to me, now I'm aiming for 4. Gotta remember that. My next cardio day is Friday and I will end my workout with at least one min. on those darn stairs.
Tommorrow is my 2nd weight day of the week. I'm still feeling the effects of Monday, not in a bad way, just "feeling it". I've been reading a lot about optimal diets for fat loss while muscle gaining. Unlike what I previously thought, it's difficult, but not wildly so - more a matter of the right foods at the right times and the right balance of cardio and resistance. Happily, I'm at the point in my meal plan where I already have enough of the "right" foods, I just need to adjust some of the ratios/combinations and times. A little bit of a pain, but hopefully worth the effort in the end.
Went grocery shopping yesterday and shaved at least 2 hours off my food prep/portion time. First, bought a whole, pre-cooked chicken instead of parts I have to wash and cook. Don't know why it took me so long to figure that out. Then, I was talking to the lady in my seafood shop about how I take everthing home and portion it out before freezing. Turns out she lost about a million pounds following the Dr. Phil diet and totally gets portion control. Bless her newly skinny heart cause she then volunteered to pre-portion out all my stuff in little bags as she was weighing it!!!!!!!
Also on the food topic I found some great Swedish crispbread, made from whole grain rye flour and sea salt, no preservatives, nothing fortified. 1 big slice (8 grams) has 0 fat, 0 sugar, 7g carbs, 25 cals and 40mg sodium. I'm replacing the 11 black olives a day with two of these cause the whole point of the olives was to get in a little more sodium.
I've thought a lot about my meal plan recently - mostly because I'm at the halfway mark in my weight loss and want to make sure when I reach my target I'm already eating in a way I can continue as effortlessly as possible. The one thing that occured to me is that I am probably always (as in forever and ever) going to have to utilize a weekly food plan to make sure I don't veer too far off track.
In the past my downfall has always been thinking along the lines of "I'm so thin now I can have a little bit of xyz and not worry about it" ....... given enough times of thinking like this I've ended up in the same place - overweight and prone to binges. As long as it contains a lot of food that I like, and are readily available, I think I should plan to just continue eating from a specific list of foods that promote health and don't trigger binges.
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 6 April 2006 05:34 pm |
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(2/21) (2/28) (3/16) (3/24)(4/6)
upper arm: 13 shoulders: 45.5 chest: 41
upper arm: 12.5 shoulders: 43.75 chest: 40.5
upper arm: 12.5 shoulders: 42.5 chest: 39.5
upper arm: 12 shoulders: 42 chest: 37.5
upper arm: 12 shoulders: 43 chest: 36.5
waist: 35 ab: 40 hip: 43 thigh: 25 calves: 16
waist: 33.5 ab: 37.5 hip: 42 thigh: 24 calves: 16.75
waist: 33 ab: 37 hip: 41 thigh: 24 calves: 16.75
waist: 32 ab: 36.5 hip: 40 thigh: 24 calves: 16.75
waist: 31 ab: 36.5 hip: 39 thigh: 23 calves: 16
weight: 186 no measurements - start of weight loss program
weight: 176 no measurements - didn't want to know
weight: 172 inches: -8 lbs: -4 (7 day period)
weight: 168 inches: -4.75 lbs: -4 (16 day period) body fat %: 35%
weight: 166 inches: -5.5 lbs: -2 (7 day period)
weight: 163 inches: -4.75 lbs: -3 (13 day period) body fat %: 33%
Okay, making sense of my numbers.
Although it feels random sometimes, my body is pretty consistant about losing 2 lbs a week over the long haul. It just seems to show up on the scale in weird starts and stops, but over each roughly 2 week period it always averages out to the same. Over the last six weeks - 13 lbs. Which I need to remember when I have the little spikes and stalls. Looking at this is good motivation for not deviating too far from my meal plan each week. It's like my body is showing me that if I'm consistant with my food portions and ratios, it will be consistant in losing weight.
The changes in inches is very much a reflection of what I chose to do, or not do, in the weight room:
When I decided to hit the lower body (and hit it hard) I finally lost inches lost on the thighs.
Two areas with the most consistant inches lost each period are the hips and waist: crunch, crunch, crunch explains the waist, don't know whats going on with the hips and not gonna question it unless it stops.
The upper arms don't really need much more work, just need to keep doing the minimum to keep the biceps from blowing up. I actually gained an inch on my shoulders - and I knew I would cause I could'nt resist being macho with the heavier weight this week. But, it's all muscle, and looks kinda good and makes my upper body more proportional so I'm not worried about it. It's also kinda offset cause the back (of all things) is looking good.
That just leaves the lower portion of the abs that are being soo stubborn. It sucks knowing that there is nothing I can do about this area but keep working the abs and just trust my diet to keep reducing fat so all the hard work will finally show. I'm guessing this is where a high portion of my body fat% comes from as well.
Last edited on 6 April 2006 07:14 pm by suenos
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 7 April 2006 07:02 pm |
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Crazy busy night at work, hung out a litle bit afterwards with girlfriends and didn't get home 'till past midnight. Woke up thinking "I'm too tired to work-out" As ususal it amazes me that, no matter how tired I am when I start, when I leave the gym I am bursting with energy. It makes as little sense to me as eating more to lose weight - expending energy to gain energy. The body just operates under its own logic.
Managed to complete both speed and interval routines without slacking off, got in 175 of 200 targeted run, crunch, runs, and 3.5 of targeted 4 miles. Couldn't do rowing or stairmaster cause work-out partner wasn't feeling well. But in my head I decided that I could have completed both. Won't do cardio again until Monday so guess I'll know then. Cardio is mostly a mind game with me. I don't know why but my brain often sets up a little "this is too hard" chant that my body has to overcome. I just don't know how to bring the same excitement and enthusiam to cardio as I bring to weight training.
Somewhere between yesterday am and this am I dropped another pound. If it stays gone after tommorow's weigh-in I'll record it. Feels weird 'cause I know I'm eating a lot. No junk food, no processed food, no red meat, no dairy and no wheat based food except 2 wholewheat rye crackers. But what I am eating, I eat a lot of. Pre workout snack, breakfast, lunch, pre-dinner meal, dinner, snack. I've been kinda uneasy about how much I'm eating since increasing my daily intake cause it just seems counter-intuitive....and yet it's working. I guess I'm worried that when it comes time to lower my intake again, it will be really hard 'cause I'll be used to eating like a chow hound.
Meanwhile, I've got to run out and buy either a new pair pants for work. I've got my fingers crossed that a size 10 is gonna fit.
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 8 April 2006 06:55 pm |
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Two days running makes a number "official" in my head. So today I am..................162 pounds!!!! One pound away from having lost 25 lbs!!!!!!
I love the fact that I can look back in this diary and see, week by week, day by day, exactly what steps got me here - cause that's gonna take me through the next 27 lbs. I think I've finally set my goal weight at 135. That seems high for my height ( a little over 5'2) but I want to have a lot more muscle mass than I had at 125, which means I'm just gonna weigh more. I care less about what the final scale number is than my ultimate body fat% and measurements.
I'm thinking the next 25 lbs or so are going to be more a matter of time and mechanics. Thank goodness, cause losing the first 25 lbs seemed to have more to do with my mind than my body. It felt like I kept stumbling over all these mental barriers and fictions I'd spent a lifetime building up about food and eating. The only one I think I'm still fighting is the concept that eating less always means losing weight.
At least once or twice a day I have a little voice that suggests "maybe you should skip this particular meal if you want to lose weight". I have to just ignore the voice, cause I know the unhealthy myth it's built on, and keep trusting the numbers to tell me when it's time to cut back, maintain or increase my intake. But I won't pretend it's easy. Oh well.
The strangest thing happened two days ago and it's stuck in my head. I went out after work with a couple of girlfriends. For some reason this one friend kept pushing me to share a piece of her pie. Finally she gave up, scarfed it down all by herself and looked at me and said "You have really lost a lot of weight". She then spent the next several mins. talking about how difficult it has been for her to lose weight. I'm sitting there wondering what in the world was going on in her head. Would it make her feel better about eating that stupid pie if I ate some too? Did she want to see me fail since she's having a hard time? I don't know...but I find myself not quite liking her as much as I did.
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Graylark
New Member
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Posted: 9 April 2006 01:37 am |
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First thing, I'm new and I find your diary really inspiring. You're doing so great! And it's also a great illustration of how much weightloss is in our minds... our culture totally handles food in an emotional way.
Second... I think lots of people have trouble when a person they know loses tons of weight. Because for so long they've been telling themselves that their weight is okay because, hey, everyone else they know is overweight and it's soo hard to lose it. So then you kinda break their brain for a little bit, losing so well, and even if they're nice people they sometimes just act weird, dealing with it. That's just what I think, tho.
Anyway, congrats on the almost 25 lbs lost, and here's to the next 25!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 10 April 2006 02:46 am |
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This is my 13th week's food/exercise plan. Last Sunday I mistakenly wrote my weight was 162 lbs. This week it actually is 162. I'm soooo tempted to write: "I don't know what happened last night but today I am a stunningly fit 135lbs" and see if it comes true by next week - hey, a girl can dream. This week's workout routine:
Mon/Wen/Fri: cardio days: 60 min. speed/incline intervals on treadmill, 10 mins. on stairway to nowhere, 10 mins. on rowboat., 15 mins pm breathing exercises.
Tues/Thurs/Sat: weight days: abs/butt....abs/thighs...abs/shoulders; 15 mins core strength on exercise ball; 15 mins pm yoga stretches
No changes since I've just managed to complete both new speed and incline programs and am still struggling to complete entire 10 mins. of rowing. I have yet to do even one min. of the stairmaster. If I can't end the week by successfully completing at least 5 mins. on the I'll know it's just a mental block not a fitness issue. This week's diet:
Tofu, hummus, eggs, cauliflower, button and portabello mushrooms, garlic, onions, baby spinach leaves, broccoli, spring mix (baby lettuces, greens, endive and radicchio), bok choy, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, rasberries, grapefruit, almonds, pecans, walnuts, chicken, salmon, orange roughy, tuna, halibut, crab, turkey, shrimp, scallops, 3 protein shakes, green tea, olive oil, jello, whole wheat rye crispbread, whole-wheat flakes and faxseed, long grain brown rice, seaweed, unsweetened bakers chocolate, organic honey , 2 meal replacement bars. Replaced black olives with whole wheat rye crispbread. The olives were just for sodium which I can get with the crispbread (sea salt) as well as having an additional grain for days I don't want to eat the flakes. Replaced Red Bull with organic honey. The red bull was for additional energy on some work-out days but I think it was counter-productive. Going to add the honey to protein shake for post work-out snack on weight days only for quicker muscle recovery. Was planning on adding bananas this week, but it's going to be hard enough to keep protein/fat/carb ratios in line with the addition of honey. So, once again, bananas go back on the "waiting list". Since I don't have any new food to "play with" this week I am going to buy every spice known to man (or at least available in Publix) and experiment along those lines. I have a feeling I'm going to end up with a couple of interesting meals. This week's highlights:
Saving tons of time in my food portion/prep efforts. The easier I can make it, the higher the chances of my being able to stick with it in the long term when I'm not motivated by losing weight. Being a positive role model. This one sounds kinda silly, but it was a neat little highlight of my week so I'm including it. I was sitting in the breakroom on my dinner break and 3 of my coworkers came in and looked to see what I was eating before they fixed their own plates - identical to mine. I teased them about it but inside it did feel good. Sticking to my planned work-outs 5 out of 6 days. Every single night this week I've come up with a reason not to work-out the next morning. Today I know it was just the normal pms lethargy, but every night last week I went to bed determined to just blow off the am routine - and got up and did it anyway. This week's lows: Not drinking enough water. I've had at least 2 days this week where I've seriously been slack on the H20 intake. Not the worst of offenses, but it's such an easy and important thing to do, there's just no excuse for slacking on it. Spending too much time worried I'm eating too much. Yep, that's what I did with the extra time I saved on my food prep. Obsessively (once was cool, twice was borderline, three times - obsessive) calculating and recalculating calories burned during my average daily activities and checking against my average daily caloric intake. Bottom line, I could add another 100-200 calories most days and still have a 15% calorie deficit. This week I am going to relax and drum it into my head - it's not always about the amount of food, sometimes it's the quality. One thing that helped drive it home a little bit was reading the "nutrition" label on a candy bar. It was around 260 calories. I'm standing there thinking "that's about 2 fillets orange roughy, a cup of broccoli, a cup of spinach, 2 pieces crispbread and 1 tbs hummas". I'm gonna try and keep the candy bar comparison in mind. Well, that's the plan. Now I just gotta make like the old Nike commercial and "just do it".
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Graylark
New Member
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Posted: 10 April 2006 04:03 am |
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Hi Suenos! Thanks for the push-ups tip - I will so try it. Besides having to do them for the army requirements, push ups are proving to be so good for firm upper arms. I had no idea - they're even better than weights for me. :P
Btw, your foods always sound so yummy - one of the problems with being a student is the lack of time to experiment with food. Luckily there are still great things to eat that are quick too.
Cheers!
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 10 April 2006 12:26 pm |
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Hey Suenos'
I would like to take a moment to congradulate you! You are awesome girl! You have seriously inspired me and have shown me that getting in shape is really worth it. I have been given hope!
Thank you sincerely for sharing your story!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 10 April 2006 09:05 pm |
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Yucky tired this am 'cause I decided to go out and play last night. Very rare for me to do on a Sunday night but I guess I just needed to blow of some built up work stress. Found the most perfect shoes (its a female thing), wiggled into a couple of pair of amazing (size 10 thank you) jeans and got dragged to the local casino boat where I spent far too much money, I'll be budgeting the rest of the month. Oh well.
No cardio for me this am but I decided last night to do my cardio Tuesday morning and go back for my normal weight training in the evening which will keep me on schedule for the rest of the week. Since I've already spent my entire months' entertainment allowance it's not like I can afford to do go anywhere else anyway. I always see this commercial for a cheesy home exercise bar that opens with "Do you like spending hours in the gym?" Whenever I hear it I repond "Yes, actually I do":) Good thing 'cause it looks like it's gonna be my primary source of entertainment for the next little while.
Greylark wrote: Btw, your foods always sound so yummy - one of the problems with being a student is the lack of time to experiment with food. Luckily there are still great things to eat that are quick too.
Only the fact that I love to cook keeps me on the straight and narrow. I totally understand the need for "quick and easy" too though. Good for you for being smart enough to realize that there's great fast food available that doesn't have to be fat food
Thingirl wrote: You have seriously inspired me and have shown me that getting in shape is really worth it. I have been given hope! It really is soooooo worth it. You'll appreciate how "worth it" it is every single time you catch your reflection, realize how much your energy level has increased, find yourself able to do something new physcially. Having hope that we can improve ourselves is what keeps us all plugging away day after day. Wouldn't it be awful if somebody said "Hey this is the body you created by overeating and now you're stuck with it for life and there's nothing you can do about it"?
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 10 April 2006 10:24 pm |
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Oh my gosh....I had to come back and add this. I was logging out and my IP had one of those flashing little news briefs I usually ignore, but this one was about appitite suppressing foods, etc. so I had to click and read it. This is so cool (Yes, I am easily pleased). I added almonds fairly early in my meal plan and have eaten them almost every day since. I can't even remember exactly why I added them in the first place (heart healthy I think) but here's the little factoid that popped up "Try almonds. People who consume these nutrient powerhouses lose more weight and fat mass than those who don’t. Why? The cell walls of almonds seem to act as a physical barrier to the total absorption of fat." How cool is that???????:D Got almonds?
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 10 April 2006 10:52 pm |
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| I wanted to say something about your post on the 8th . . . your friend would've felt better if you'd shared her pie--it's the whole partners in crime thing :) Try not to dislike her more . . . you can be happy because you probably make her feel fat now since you're doing so well . . . and she might want you to--not fail--but not do better than she is at the moment. It's almost like you went to dinner with me :) Although, I don't have dessert unless the majority at the table have dessert . . . of course, I buy enough dessert privately from the store . . . And, I don't complain to my friends about being fat anymore (unless they somehow spur the subject) because they don't know about my whole issue with food, and I really hate getting their advice. So, anyway, don't dislike your friend, just be a little irritated with her for now :)
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 11 April 2006 03:09 am |
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| Thanks for the tip Suenos', I'll deffinently be adding almonds to my diet! As of this week I'm going to start adding 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to my daily intake for it's anti-clotting, anti-microbial and blood sugar regulating properties.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 11 April 2006 10:42 am |
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Never heard that about almonds. But while raw nuts are usually considered to be high in calories, everything else about them is healthy!
Peter
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 11 April 2006 06:46 pm |
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My day off is finally here!!!! A very un-Florida like day out there, cold and overcast. I got tons of errands to run and shopping to do so I'm hoping the rain just holds off a couple more hours. I induldged myself in sleeping late this am so I'm off to work-out when I finish this entry. I refuse to buy a scale so I have to weigh myself in the gym and I am already dreading the snide comments Ivan inevitably makes - he still hates the fact that I weigh myself every day. Oh well.
I was reading Be a Cow's post and it made me think about body-image. When I first started losing weight I had such a negative body image. I think women especially are often unhappy with our bodies - no matter the shape and size. We focus on our imperfections and always think someone looks better. With few exceptions (I'm one of them:)) most of the females I know are blessed with physically "perfect" bodies. Yet every single one is always talking, very seriously, about needing to lose weight or tone this or that part, or complaining about being too top heavy or bottom heavy or having a flat butt - just something.
And I know they aren't just fishing for compliments cause I can look back at pictures when I was in really good shape and remember that I thought I was "too fat" then too. The weird thing is, I'm still about 30 lbs from my weight loss goal, and for some reason I think I look just faaaabulooos 'dahlin. Seriously, I think the self-confidence that came with getting control over my eating, especially the binging, translated into a crazily positive body image. I mean the reality is I am a 5'2 female, 162 lbs and 33% body fat....but I happily walk around singing "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" Hee hee, (I only do that in front of friends). Delusional thinking? Maybe. But I'm starting to realize that it's easier to take care of my body when I value it.
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 12 April 2006 08:54 pm |
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Most interesting gym day ever!!!! I got up, grabbed my water, dressed in work-out gear, went into gym, waved at Ivan, hopped on scale, noted weight (161 two days running) in my little red notebook, and......left!
I'll probably go back tonight and do my cardio but I'm still laughing at the look on the poor trainer's face as I sailed back out the door. Bad enough that I actually weigh myself everday, but to go in and weigh without even a courtesy work-out...I think I earned a permanent spot in his book of "Bad Clients".
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Mountain Mike
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 12 April 2006 09:46 pm |
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Suenos.....you are BAD!!!! Poor Ivan!!!
Congrats on the 161!!!
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 12 April 2006 11:00 pm |
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| Good Job :)
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Corina
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 12 April 2006 11:38 pm |
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suenos wrote:
I think the self-confidence that came with getting control over my eating, especially the binging, translated into a crazily positive body image...But I'm starting to realize that it's easier to take care of my body when I value it.
Suenos! I'm so happy you feel this way! I wish I felt the same because it seems like the more weight I lose the more nit-picky I'm getting. Like you, I really have to start appreciating all of the hard work I've done and stop complaining!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 13 April 2006 07:44 pm |
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Yesterday was one of those "I'm such an idiot" days. All day I had been wondering why everything I ate - from salad to fish - was tasting so salty. I went to bed feeling bloated and woke up feeling even more bloated. According to scales this am I gained a little over a pound over-night. I'm doing my whole work-out trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Only two things do that to me: anything carbonated (even sparkling water) and anything salty. I have no new foods (just spices) this week so I was really confused, but thinking there had to be a lot of sodium in something.
Going through my kitchen post-work out was a reminder to read the darn labels: the almonds I bought yesterday were "lightly salted", the lemon pepper "spice" I liberally sprinkled on everything I ate yesterday is "lemon pepper seasoning salt".  So, the lemon pepper (which was really yummy) is in the trash and the nuts have been rinsed and re-rinsed. I picked up some caffeine free organic detox tea (which isn't really tea but a lot of herbs) which is supposed to be great (I'm skeptical but I'm drinking it now). All I can do is chalk it down to lesson learned, drink this nasty stuff, up the water and fruits today and wait for the bloat to go away.
Corina wrote: it seems like the more weight I lose the more nit-picky I'm getting.... I really have to start appreciating all of the hard work I've done... This may sound a little "out there" but read NevD's post on skin brushing and give it a try. One of the huge side benefits is you become so well acquainted with the parts of your body you want to reduce that you begin to notice and enjoy every little improvement. It's like being in one of those time-elaspe photos where you get to almost see (and feel) flabby becoming firm.
edited to add: this stuff gets nastier tasting with every sip.... I'm tempted to toss it and just live with the bloat.
Last edited on 13 April 2006 07:47 pm by suenos
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personsmom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 13 April 2006 09:26 pm |
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I'm trying to post from work so with luck it will happen.
Congratulations on the new number..after many bathroom breaks. Salts are great for the bloat effect!! AND the new person you've become too. When you began the gym you worried about making Ivan upset, Now you can do it without saying a word. :) Tee Hee. Maybe he will learn that what is right for the client is worth accepting, not just "following the rules".
I also want to tell you... What a wonderful visual of "walking down main street in a RED bathing suit and heels". you posted to Cow's diary. I'd love to try it but living in this conservative city it would probally get me arrested. But the mental visual was wonderful!! :P
Seems like things are going well for you. Keep those "Happy Juices flowing"
Lee
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 14 April 2006 09:11 am |
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For anyone reading suenos' Saga of the Salt:
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/faqs_salt.html
Peter
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 14 April 2006 07:24 pm |
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First of all, stuck to raw foods yesterday, green tea, nasty herbal tea and tons of water. Did the happy "pee pee dance" all night at work. But bloat all gone, scale back to 161.2 this am and all systems back to go.
This am was first truly fun cardio workout. I went ahead and got in speed/incline intervals and the min. of abs....and then...just ran. Sometimes slower, sometimes faster, mostly at a slower but steady pace. I came sooooo close to my targeted 4 miles (3.78) - it was one good sprint away.
I've been really slack about cardio this week. Except for Monday and today, my work-out partner has been MIA. Left to my own devices I find that I just gravitate towards the weights - regardless of what I've planned beforehand. But it seems like all the work on the lower body this week just helped the running cause for the first time my legs did not get tired - which is one of the problems I have running past the 3 mile mark. I might switch next week from a 3/3 cardio/weight split to a 2/4 split.
Peter wrote: "For anyone reading suenos' Saga of the Salt: etc." I laughed my behind off when I read that phrase. I read the faq and it was really informative. I got rid of excess salt cause I hate looking and feeling bloated, I wasn't really thinking about the health implications as well so it was good info to have.
Personsmom wrote: "Seems like things are going well for you. Keep those "Happy Juices flowing": All my life I've heard regular exercise makes you feel good, but for some reason I never believed it - or wanted to believe it I guess. Now I'm like this fanatic who wants to shake random strangers on the street and say "have you exercised this morning?" I swear I can walk into the gym with a million problems and walk out with the solution for half of them..and the "happy juices" make the rest seem less important.
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 15 April 2006 12:36 am |
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Suenos' said: All my life I've heard regular exercise makes you feel good, but for some reason I never believed it - or wanted to believe it I guess. Now I'm like this fanatic who wants to shake random strangers on the street and say "have you exercised this morning?"
I Love that!!! I haven't gotten a really good workout going yet, it's a goal that I'm really trying to acheive. Everytime I start to go excersizing though I'm thinking "I hate excersizing!!! Evil stuff!!!" But reading your diary makes me think that maybe it will get better, if I keep trudging along someday I'll wake up and look forward to a walk and some pilates. Was it hard for you to like excersize at first? Was it a forced thing?
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 15 April 2006 10:10 am |
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When I started putting on weight with my first desk job in the '60s I started WALKING. I loved it and ended up running marathons. It should be enjoyable!
Of all that I have written for this website, my favorite words can be found here:
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/faqs_exercise.html
"People who exercise on a regular basis not only lose weight more effectively, but are more successful at keeping it off. The significance of regular exercise goes beyond the physical benefits. It produces a mental attitude of self-care and self-esteem that bolsters confidence and the desire to continue to improve."
Enjoy!
Peter
P.S.
And be sure to read the part of the FAQ about starting slowly!
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personsmom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 15 April 2006 05:01 pm |
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| I CAN RELATE!! When my D's dad and I were together I was accused of "being obsessed with working out". His couch potato self is now reaping the benefits of his sedentary life. With Dr.s guidance he has to watch his foods now and is loosing some of the extra lbs. He said after last visit to Dr how much he lost and although ok with lbs lost he wished for more. I told him he needed to get off his butt and DO SOMETHING. Maybe if he had put down the remote and lifted a dumbbell or 2 with me then he MIGHT understand to good feeling of working out. ME...OBSESSED,,,, NAH! Yeah I've wanted to slap a few people into reality too!
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 15 April 2006 06:59 pm |
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ThinGirl wrote: "I haven't gotten a really good workout going yet, it's a goal that I'm really trying to acheive. Everytime I start to go excersizing though I'm thinking "I hate excersizing!!!"
ThinGirl, you sound exactly like I felt about exercise. The first week I went to the gym and tried different cardio workouts: treadmill, stairmaster, rowing, elliptical, stationary bike, step class class. I loved the step class and hated everything else. Around the same time I came across an article about the most effective exercise machines for buring calories. The two I hated the most were at the top of the list: treadmill and elliptical. I "picked my poison" and committed myself to doing the treadmill 3x a week.
I started fast walking for 30 mins, each week adding a little time and distance to my goal. Slowly but surely, the more I did it, the fitter I became. I was able to start adding intervals, first speed, then incline, then flat out running, then doing quarter mile runs broken up by crunches, and currently my basic cardio program is: 15 mins. speed intervals, 15 mins. incline intervals, 15 mins quarter mile crunches, and remainder just running keeping my heartbeat in the fat-burning range with a target of reaching 4 miles (not quite there yet). A recent goal addition (which I'm still struggling to meet) is this routine followed by 10 mins on rowing and 10 on stairmaster.
I've been doing this since January 23 and yesterday was the first day I actually enjoyed running. Previously I enjoyed the endorphine rush that came afterwards, the feeling of being fitter, the additional weight loss benefits, etc. But in all honesty, until yesterday, I did not really like the act of running itself. Many days I have started my warm-up routine by announcing, out loud, "Gosh, I hate doing this!!!!"
Now here's the thing: Peter often says, and is 100% right, that the best exercise is the one which you will enjoy and do consistently. But by nature I am a lazy little beast who is much too comfortable taking the easy road. Given a higher metabolism and the heart of an ox, I would rather sit on the couch eating chips and watching old movies. Forcing myself to show up and actually do a form of exercise (running) that I didn't really like 3 times a week, month after month gave me the discipline I needed to take control of other aspects of my weight loss program.
Some mornings I can be so tired, distracted, whatever that I'm half-way through my routine before I realize it - my body has just gotten so used to doing it that it proceeds along it's course without me. Just like whenever I get hungry....99% of the time I find myself mentally reviewing the items on my food list to decide what I want to eat - without even considering other stuff. It's like my body is a three year old who has realized it's not gonna get it - so it's just stopped asking "may I have a cookie?". My personal feeling is that the more exercise/nutrition becomes about discipline and routine, the less it becomes about willpower. Even the strongest willpower eventually cracks, but the good habits instilled by discipline can last a lifetime.
This may not work for everybody, in fact it may not work for anybody but me, but you may just want to try picking an exercise program and, love it or not, plugging away at it day after day for awhile until it just starts to seem like a natural and necessary part of your daily routine. You may find that, as you become fitter, you start to like the exercise itself. Or you may discover that, no, you still hate it and switch to another form. But, at any rate, your mind and body will have reaped the benefits of consistant exercise during this "trial period".
Last edited on 15 April 2006 07:14 pm by suenos
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snussster
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 16 April 2006 07:26 pm |
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Nike was right when they said "Just do it." I may not eat right all the time, but I've never regreted a trip to the gym or any workout session, and I always feel great afterwards, and throughout the rest of the day. If I just show up, I know I'll do something, and whatever I do will be better than sitting on the couch or taking a nap. Now it's an addiction, and that's ok, because it's a beneficial addiction -- my first!!!!
Hey Suenos, I'm about to get airy-fairy right now, but since it's Easter, and to me, Easter means rebirth and a fresh start and new beginnings & transformations, I feel compelled to thank you for your diary. You offer so much here, whether you mean to or not. Many times I've been in a funk or just focused on a particular thought process, and when I read your diary I find you addressing it and it kind of cleans up my scattered thoughts. I'm borrowing from your food list, too -- in the past week I didn't consume any red meat and replaced it with fish and tofu, and I feel great and my muscles are already slowly starting to show up like I've been wanting them to. And I'm eating almonds every day! It's more of a psychological thing, just as you've said (because one week does not a healthy body make): I know this change is a big benefit for my entire body, and it makes me feel healthier and more aware of what I've been doing versus what I've committed to doing now.
I've known all this stuff for a long time -- but to see someone actually do it and stick to it and enjoy the benefits -- well, that made a big difference for me. I know we're all different and what may work for one may not be the key for another, but healthy is healthy. Thanks for sharing your solid commitment to your health and well-being. I think we're all better for it.
Susan
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 17 April 2006 02:35 am |
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This is my 14th week's food/exercise plan. This morning I went to work feeling a little blue, a little moody. It's no fun being away from family on Easter, and working is even worse. Early in the day (maybe 8:30?) this couple I've never seen before said they wanted to include me in their pre-meal grace and asked what I wanted them to pray for. I couldn't think of anything so I don't know what they prayed for. But it really touched me and and made me stop and think about the whole point of Easter. So I just prayed for myself and asked for grace. Honestly, the rest of the day was a joy. And that's not a term I usually use regarding work. So, on with the week's plan. This week's workout routine:
Wen/Fri: cardio days: 60 min. speed/incline intervals on treadmill, 15 mins. on rowboat., 15 mins pm breathing exercises.
Mon/Tues/Thurs/Sat: weight days: back/chest/abs...abs/butt....abs/thighs...abs/shoulders/arms; 15 mins core strength on exercise ball; 15 mins pm yoga stretches
Changing routine to include 4 days weights, 2 days cardio. Eliminated stairmaster from cardio 'cause I've decided that my body is never gonna cooperate and get on the stupid thing. Instead I'm increasing rowing by 5 mins. Changed weights/cardio spit cause I'm curious if last week was a fluke or if the extra day of weights actually do help improve my running. Plus, it's my luteal phase (yey!)- might as well take advantage of all that extra testosterone. Added back and triceps to weight routine. This week's diet:
Tofu, hummus, eggs, cauliflower, button and portabello mushrooms, garlic, onions, baby spinach leaves, broccoli, spring mix (baby lettuces, greens, endive and radicchio), bok choy, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, rasberries, grapefruit, bananas, papaya, almonds, pecans, walnuts, chicken, salmon, orange roughy, tuna, flounder, halibut, crab, shrimp, scallops, 4 protein shakes, green tea, herbal tea, olive oil, jello, whole wheat flour, whole-wheat flakes and faxseed, long grain brown rice, seaweed, unsweetened bakers chocolate, organic honey. Eliminated turkey. I actually haven't eaten turkey in a couple of weeks. I kept it on my list cause I thought I might want some, but no, for some reason I just don't like it anymore. Replaced rye crispbread with whole wheat flour. This week I'm going to make my own protein powder enhanced crispbread. Now that I've got tons of spices I'm thinking I can make a much tastier crispbread than the one I've been buying. Replaced meal replacement bars with bananas. I only use the meal replacement bars when I can't get in a snack at work. I'm going to just go with a banana instead cause the bars are the last commercially prepared food items on my list. Added papaya. This is like my perfect fruit and I don't know how I missed it before. The skin can be soaked in raw cider vineger overnight and eaten for colon cleansing, the fruit itself is yummy, perfect with fish (my primary meat source), it's nutrient dense and a great digestive aid (especially protein), and even the seeds are edible (as a spice or garnish). The honey addition to the protein drink on weight days has worked really well so that stays. I have a ton of new food to play with this week. I'm thinking about making lunch for a couple of friends on Thursday who insist that healthy foods are boring and bland. This week's highlights:
Running and enjoying it on Friday. That was pretty awesome. Took three months for my body to say "hmm, I might actually like doing this. This week's lows: Spending too much time worried I'm eating too much. Yep, that's still a problem. Not as bad as last week. But I still can't convince myself fully (despite that fact that I lost a little over a pound this week and my measurements are down) that I'm not gaining weight eating so much. Too many years of starvation diets have warped my poor brain in this respect. The candy bar comparison is helping me keep it in perspective though. I look at my serving of trout and broccoli and think "that's 2/3 a snickers bar". "Forgetting" to do my pm breathing/yoga stretches...There is a very good reason I added these to my routine and it's not doing me any good if I don't do them regularily. I think it's gonna be a fun week. Last edited on 17 April 2006 03:23 am by suenos
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 17 April 2006 08:22 pm |
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I love getting that first gym day of the week over with!!! For some reason it's actually getting harder, not easier to do my daily crunches. I don't know if I started out with so much belly blubber that the exercise just wasn't really reaching the muscles I was targeting.
I've got so much stuff to do on my upcoming off days that I'm gonna have to be super organized to get it all done. Mostly I really have to not procrastinate doing the things I need to do in order to have time to do the things I want to do. I already know I'm good at rationalizing a "want to" into a "need to" cause I've done it for years with my food choices.
I'm realizing that there are a lot of similarities between the ways I've approached my eating habits and the ways I've approached other aspects of my life. As much I often just wish that the excess weight would magically melt away without effort or time, in a sense I'm glad it is such a time/thought/activity involved process for me. I know that the 25lbs lighter me is a much less gullible, more confident, focused and organized person. Who knows the result of the next 25 lbs. I wonder if that's why a lot of times spouses complain that so-and-so became a "different person" after a significant weight loss.
Snusster wrote: I've never regreted a trip to the gym or any workout session....that is exactly how I feel. I've thought "I wish hadn't bought, dated, eaten, done (fill in the blank)...." a thousand times, but I've never thought "I wish I hadn't worked out this morning"!!!
You offer so much here, whether you mean to or not. Many times I've been in a funk or just focused on a particular thought process, and when I read your diary I find you addressing it and it kind of cleans up my scattered thoughts. That's probably 95% of the reason I make doing a daily entry part of my post-workout routine. I am the queen of scattered and circular thought patterns and I've found this helps keeping me focused on the path. I do it entirely for my own growth process and when someone posts a reply to it I admit I sometimes get a little freaked out cause I usually semi-pretend when I'm writing it that it's of no interest to anyone but myself.
I've known all this stuff for a long time -- but to see someone actually do it and stick to it and enjoy the benefits -- well, that made a big difference for me. And that's the other 5% of why I like to write about food. I know what it's like to have a weird love/hate relationship to eating. It tastes good, it feels good, it's essential - but for so many of us it's hard to know how to enjoy food while losing weight. For years I subscribed to the "I must starve myself to lose weight cause everything that tastes good is bad for you" school of thought. Now I'm finally learning that "tastes good" can equal "good for you". I love sharing how that works for me cause when I get excited about something I'm just like a big kid who wants everybody to share that excitment.
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