| Week 12: update - Calories do count! |
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| Oct 29, 2008 |
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Week 12: day 78
start date: August 10, 2008
end date: November 10, 2008
3 month goal: lose 15lbs
start weight: 173lbs
current weight: 166lbs
target weight: 158lbs
last year's fittest-ever weight: 145 lbs!
ultimate wishful weight: 135 lbs
Well technically I have 12 days left on my 90-day challenge to lose another 8lbs. I don't think it's going to happen even though I've finally started to see some results from signing up for the food delivery service. This diet has me on 1200-1400 calories a day! I did not think I would survive on that small amount of food..In fact I did add the occasional 35cal yogurt or the handful of almonds whenever I felt a hunger pang coming on. I also cheated on the weekend and gave my meal to the bf a couple of times so I could splurge on some home-cooking! Also had a few alcoholic beverages every now and again.
I am happy though to see that this change in diet is having an effect. All those days training at the gym just were not enough if I turned around and overate to the tune of 2000+ calories. I'm sure some days I was over the 3000 mark with the cakes, chips, and chocolate fiestas I threw for myself.
My food delivery ends on Saturday so I will prepare my own menu for the week after according to a 1200-1400 calorie range. I'm so proud of me. Today I even recognized an emotional eating urge coming on and was able to talk myself out of it. I reasoned that I had a meal waiting for me at home, so there was no need to buy those Lays Potato Chips and polish them off before I even made it back home. If I can keep up these strategies, maybe I'll get to my target weight before the end of the year. In 8 weeks, can I lose 8lbs? Hell ya!!!!
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Posted in goals, weight-loss, update, meal-planning, calories | 2 Comments  |
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| Diet delivery - day 1 |
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| Oct 23, 2008 |
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Today was the first day of my meal delivery service and I have to say I am impressed! The meals were tasty and fresh, while the snacks were interestingly delicious..I'm really looking forward to the upcoming meals. Very happy so far...I did struggle with cravings twice today though. I opted for a low-fat, no sugar yogurt (35 cal) and a half small glass of milk (40 cal) . The plan has me on only 1200-1300 calories a day, so I guess I can sneak in another 100 or so calories. Ok. I also had about an eighth of a wine glass of Spanish Drysack Sherry..but that doesn't count, does it? ;-)
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| Posted in nutrition, meal-planning, calories | No Comments |
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| I took the plunge...meal delivery service on the way |
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| Oct 18, 2008 |
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I signed up for a meal delivery service today. It's based on the South Beach Diet and they will be delivering 3 meals and 2 snacks to me almost daily. It starts in about a week and runs for a 10 day trial period. It's a little pricey, but it's my gift to myself for all the hard work I put into going to the gym and trying to stay on track.
Lately, I've been feeling so discouraged with my (lack of) results and I realized that it's because I don't have control over my eating. I'm too led astray by dear bf, quick fixes and my own obliviousness to counting calories. So now I put it into the hands of professionals for 10 days to jump start making a change in my food choices.
I will definitely blog my progress and I'm quite optimistic about this.
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| Posted in challenges, meal-planning, calories | No Comments |
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| Week 10: Update |
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| Oct 16, 2008 |
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I'd rather not put my stats this week.
My weight is up and I have been neglecting my commitments to myself.
But on a lighter note, I like this site:
http://www.videojug.com/film/best-tips-for-dieting
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| Posted in weight-loss, update, nutrition | 3 Comments |
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| Week 9: Week 8 came and went without a peep |
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| Oct 07, 2008 |
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Week 8 and 9: day 58
start date: August 10, 2008
end date: November 10, 2008
3 month goal: lose 15lbs
start weight: 173lbs
current weight: 169lbs
target weight: 158lbs
last year's fittest-ever weight: 145 lbs!
ultimate wishful weight: 135 lbs
I didn't blog my results from week 8, not that it matters because nothing has really changed. It's not all bad because I did attend the gym for the most part, I ate most meals from home, and I didn't overindulge last weekend. Well, two restaurants, but I did make light choices, I've pretty much sworn off french fries and have the fridge stocked with healthy eats.
I am happy to say that my work pants feel a little looser...not sure if it's from stretching them though ;-).
I am also happy to say that I was able to attend a salsa class and dance a few songs without losing my breath like last time.
Actually, I have a few things to be proud of, like:
-going to the gym at lunch and sneaking in a little 15min cardio after my weight routines
-walking whenever I can, like the time when I waited 40minutes for the city bus to show up
-keeping my weight down two weeks in a row on my Monday chart
-eating a light dinner and skipping dessert when I'm not that hungry
-feeling confident that I will lose more weight this month
-healthy Sunday night meal prep
-cabbage soup lunches
To be honest though there are also a few things on the horizon scaring me right now:
-Thanksgiving dinner
-cold weather cutting down on my daily walks to work
-seasonal insomnia
-bf force-feeding me all the time
Ok. I made the last one up. But he does cook so well it's like I'm being force-fed.!!
Goal for week 9:
Believe in my
body's ability to change and handle momentary slips and blips.
Month 2 routine:
My workouts still consist pretty much of 30min. cardio with varying intensity or hills alternating daily with a full-body 20-30min free weight routine in the mornings, one glorious 1 and 1/2 hour yoga class followed by 15 minutes meditation on Saturday and most days walking 20min to and from work. It's the food that does me in, but tonight I pray for help.
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| Posted in goals, weight-loss, update | No Comments |
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| Another gimmick? Nice strategies. |
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| Sep 25, 2008 |
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Today I came across Prevention magazine's promotion book for FlatBellyDiet.com.
It's a diet based on consuming MUFAs (Monounsaturated fatty acids) at every meal. See the site for diet claims and more info.
5 MUFAs proposed are:
1-oils (olive, canola, peanut, flaxseed, sunflower, safflower, sesame, pesto sauce, walnut, soybean) 1 TBSP=serving
2- nuts and seeds (almonds, brazil nuts, cashew butter, dry-roasted cashews, peanuts, macademia, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, tahini, sunflowerseed butter) 2 TBSP=serving
3-avocado (Hass or Florida) 1/2 c=serving
4-olives (kalamata, green, etc) 10 large or 2 TBSP tapenade = serving
5-chocolate (dark or semi-sweet) 1/4c or 1/2 oz = serving
The diet calls for:
-eating four 400 calorie meals a day(1600cal diet for average dieting women)
-eating one serving of MUFA in each meal
to reduce belly fat and cravings
What I liked the most was the section on heading off problems that we encounter on weekends.
Weekend Issues:
food splurging - catch a movie or get a massage or buy new yoga pants
entertainment - couch=boredom=eat instead get outside limit TV to 2hrs on the couch.
cocktails - have a drink only with the meal
last supper splurge - have little treats throughout the week so you don't feel deprived
outside obligations - bring snacks
I also liked the cravings control section.
1. Am I stressed? Stress increases cortisol - sugar and fat blunts it.
stimulate happiness (listen to music)
wait it out
choose the best distraction (identify emotions) "I feel...because..."
2. Have I been eating less than usual? Leptin the appetite suppressor goes down.
-lift food bans, use controlled portions of whatever you want to eat
-eat what you crave, no shoddy substitutes
3. Am I sleeping enough? Leptin decreases, grhelin the appetite trigger increases, crave carbs
-drink coffee
-take small portions
4. Creature of Habit? Environmental cues
-watch TV away from the kitchen
-eliminate sensory clues
-divert attention, read emails.
I could easily put these strategies to good use!! Thanks Prevention Mag!
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| Posted in weight-loss, nutrition | 2 Comments |
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| Week 7: Past the half-way mark and still going strong |
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| Sep 25, 2008 |
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Week 7: day 46
start date: August 10, 2008
end date: November 10, 2008
3 month goal: lose 15lbs
start weight: 173lbs
current weight: 169lbs
target weight: 158lbs
last year's fittest-ever weight: 145 lbs!
ultimate wishful weight: 135 lbs
I'm past the half-way mark and I've only lost 4lbs. Not great, but at least I have come to the realization that I have to focus more on my nutrition and I've already started identifying ways to do so. I recognize that my food problems are completely emotional. Really I know what and what not to eat, but I get into food frenzies or states of unconsciousness where I have a hard time controlling my eating. I just have to be better prepared, as I am with the exercise routine. Most mornings I get up and exercise before work - no problem. Also, I look for opportunities to walk and fit in physical activities with friends and family. It's easy for me to DO something, but hard for me to STOP DOING something, like eating badly. But I can DO things to actively reduce food frenzies and raise my level of consciousness, like call a friend, go for a walk, let my cravings pass, have healthy snacks on hand, meditate, etc. For the next half of my 90day challenge, I'm going to focus on developing and implementing healthy eating strategies because really..therein lies the problem.
What I did right this week:
-finished the 5k race under 30minutes!!!!
-took a day of rest before and after the race
-brought healthy snacks to my classes and only had 1 cookie, 1 muffin, and a tiny piece of cake during the breaks over 4 days
-maintained my morning workouts despite the change in schedule
-attended yoga and meditation class (it's practically a habit now)
-took a walk after overeating pizza and ice-cream
-got some new strategies from Nana on dealing with "food crises"
-marked food items in my journal that my body doesn't need henceforth to be known as "NEFI'' (Non-Essential Food Items)
My goal this week (week 7):
-reduce NEFI markings in my food journal to every other day
Workout routine for month 2:
1. alternating 30 min cardio with 30 min weights daily, one day 45 minutes low intensity cardio, one day off
2. 1 x 60 min walk + 1 x 45-60min dance class
3. 1 yoga class
or 1 pilates class
I noticed that I haven't been doing these at all. Next week I'll make a point of fitting them in. It's not that I don't want to do them-I actually forgot about them. ;-0
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| Posted in goals, update, nutrition | No Comments |
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| Body in overdrive and calculated meal activites for weight -loss |
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| Sep 23, 2008 |
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Wow! Because of that race my body has been in overdrive for the past two days. I actually feel like I'm burning more calories and I'm so ravenous all the time. Being aware of this, I'm making sure to prepare healthy snacks to bring with me whenever I leave home.
I was thinking - since weight-loss is 70% about what you eat and 30% about working-out, instead of looking for ways to exercise more I should put more effort into my diet...not like I haven't said this before, but now I'm putting it in perspective. I spend about 1 hour a day, 6 days a week on working out including preparation time, getting to the gym, showering, etc. - so that means in terms of time equivalencies, I should be spending about 2 hours and 20 minutes on food planning, shopping, preparation, eating and cleanup every day!! It takes me about 20 minutes on average to eat each of my three meals and add another 20 minutes (max) for the two snacks combined. Yes, it's obsessive, but it keeps me motivated. ;-) Just consumption alone takes 1hr20min per day. So that leaves me 1 hour for the rest of the activities.
Typical values:
Cooking: 30min
Baking: 1hr
Cleanup: 15min
Washing and chopping veggie or fruit snacks: 5min
Not so sure about these ones:
Meal-planning: 30min?
Counting calories: ??
Shopping: 1hr 30 min?
Light shopping: 30 min?
Recording daily consumption in FitNRG: 10min?
Let's see if it's doable with a concrete real-world example:
(allotment is 60 min. daily budget for non-eating food activities)
Monday: cook+cleanup+chopping=30+15+5= 50min. (not bad, under budgeted 60 minutes)
Tuesday: bake +cleanup= 60+15= 1hr15 (ok. I passed the limit, but I've got 10min leftover from yesterday)
Wednesday: shopping = 1hr30 (now it's a bit much, no time to cook, should eat leftovers or restaurant?)
Thursday: cook+cleanup+chopping= 50min.
Friday: day off (gain 1hr20)
Saturday: cook+cleanup+chopping+light shopping= 1hr20
Sunday: meal-planning+cook+cleanup+chopping= 1hr20
On a weekly basis, it actually looks pretty good once you average out the times (avg = 60.7min.). I also have to consider that sometimes I spend more time at the gym and some snacks I finish off in a couple of minutes and sometimes my bf does light shopping, etc. However, in the end, there are many benefits:
-cooking 4x a week is not so bad (eat leftovers on days off and for lunch)
-baking snacks or breakfast egg-muffins once a week will help me avoid the unhealthy pastry cravings
-shopping 2x a week will ensure we get fresh produce
-having that day off works as a reward
-meal-planning will ensure that I WILL lose weight.
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| Posted in weight-loss, nutrition, meal-planning | 4 Comments |
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| I finished the 5k race!! |
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| Sep 21, 2008 |
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I reached my goal of finishing under 30 minutes at 29:28. Although I'm a little stiff and my knees are hurting, I am motivated to keep going. There's another 5k race in October that I don't think I'll pre-register for because you never know what the weather will be like. I'll still train for it anyways and if the weather is nice I'll be ready to sign-up on race day. At this point, I'm setting my next race goal for a spring-time 10k in 2009.
Lost a few inches since last month according to my questionably accurate body measurements. So I'm happy about that.
I'm considering going vegetarian for a while just to keep me from making bad restaurant choices. I read somewhere that eating a french fry is as bad as smoking a cigarette. Chips are even more toxic with all the processing they go through. In light of that news bit, I'll keep those choices off my menu from now on.
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| Posted in goals, running, challenges, nutrition | 3 Comments |
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