| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| I've overtrained..again. Sigh. |
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| Sep 04, 2008 |
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I'm have sleep problems, my resting heart-rate is elevated, my muscles are stiff, I feel fatigued and irritable..it all amounts to one thing.. OVERTRAINING!
I need my recovery rest and 6 hours of sleep at night isn't cutting it. Tonight I turn in early. Tomorrow I concentrate on resting. Maybe I'll take a long walk or do some yoga but no cardio or weights. Adequate rest is an essential part of any weight-loss program, just as important as good nutrition. I don't want to mess this up now.
I'm feeling a bit bummed out about it, though. I would have really liked to have gone running tomorrow with my Nike+. Also my weight is up even though I'm eating reasonably. I know it takes time, but my goal of 15lbs in 3 months is looking a little unattainable at the rate I'm going. I should be 168lbs, but I'm 171lbs! It's just a three pound difference, but with all the effort I'm putting in it doesn't make sense. My next goal will have something to do with calorie counting..yech!
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| Posted in goals, weight-loss, overtaining | No Comments |
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| Week 4: I'm still around (and a |
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| Sep 03, 2008 |
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Week 4: day 24
start date: August 10, 2008
end date: November 10, 2008
3 month goal: lose 15lbs
start weight: 173lbs
current weight: 171lbs
target weight: 158lbs
last year's fittest-ever weight: 145 lbs!
ultimate wishful weight: 135 lbs
It's technically mid-week 4!
But I'm more inclined to blog on a Wednesday than a Monday so it's a mid-week thing now.
Not too
impressed with my weight-loss so far. I'm a little more than I should be because I ate at the restaurant yesterday and had salty popcorn two nights in a row...but I really am hovering around 169-170lbs which translates into 1lb or so a week weight-loss. Not bad, but I'd like to eventually start fitting into my clothes again! Today I wore a skirt at my waist that should fit on my hips..hahaha.
So my (minor, but notable) accomplishments for the past week are:
-roller-bladed last Sunday for 2hrs with the boys
-completed all my cardio and weight routines (missed out on the hour walk and the week 3 dance class goal, but roller-blading makes up for it I think)
-I brought baby carrots and other veggies to chop to the Sunday gathering (had a Coronita and a slim slice of pizza and only ate the baby carrots, but it was much fewer calories overall than the week before)
-fought off a serious late-afternoon craving with a Kashi Chewy Granola bar
-ran a 30:34 5k according to my Nike+
-had the ritual ice-cream cone, two scoops even, but only after 2hrs of rollerblading...ok, I'll stop using it as an excuse from now on.
-had just one small slice of pizza but no soft-drink!
-cut up veggies to had them ready to go for work
-went to a work luncheon and ordered the Greek salad while others devoured Smoked meat and fries
-doing the weight-toning DVD even though I was tired and felt like skipping it. It felt so good after!
Somethings I wish I didn't do, but forgive myself anyways...
-eat half the pan of Rice Krispie squares
-the TWO scoops of ice-cream..it's a little overboard
-gab with the PT and end up having to skip my abdominal exercises
So here's my goal this week (week 4):
Plan and prepare a Sunday dinner with bf to eat at home with the boys.
Workout routine for month 1:
1. alternating 30 min cardio with 30 min weights daily, Sundays off
2. 2 x 60 min walk or 1 x 60 min walk + 1 x 45-60min dance class
3. 1 yoga class
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| Posted in goals, update | No Comments |
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| Tiger Woods congratulated me on running my fastest mile to-date. |
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| Aug 28, 2008 |
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My Nike+IPod is sooooo fun. Yes, Tiger's voice came on congratulating me and it was completely unexpected and I felt so proud of myself. I LOVE having goals!! And having someone in the background cheering you on is so rewarding. I ran my last 10min. between 7.6 and 9.2. What an achievement!! Overall I ran 4.5 km in 30 minutes, but I took an untimed excluded restroom break after the first 10 minutes. Maybe I will make my 30 minute 5k after all ;-)
Race pace calculator has me finishing 5km in 33 minutes, 34 sec. It's getting better!
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| Posted in goals, gadgets, running | No Comments |
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| So that I don't forget how far I've come |
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| Aug 27, 2008 |
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| I ran 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. Yay!! I was always within the 7.2kph to 8.4kph range. My workout consisted of alternating 1-minute intervals like 7.2 and 8.4, 7.4 and 8.2, 7.6 and 8.0, etc. I stayed mostly in the 7.x, but it was a great improvement over my first run a few weeks ago where I could not get over 7.4 for more than a minute. Now I seem to be able to keep a steady 7.4 with greater ease, but I'm still a little over-trained today - so I'm taking a day off for recovery.My goal for the Sept. 21st 5km race is to hit and maintain the 10kph pace at some point. Ideally, I'll finish in 30min, but the race predictor doesn't see it happening. As it stands, it looks like the bf will finish 5min. ahead of me. He's faster, but hasn't run over 2.5km yet. He should (and will) reach 5km a week or so before the race. Oh well, at least I'll have someone cheering for me at the finish-line! |
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| Posted in goals, running, overtaining | No Comments |
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| Week 3: Pat on the back |
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| Aug 27, 2008 |
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Week 3: day 17
start date: August 10, 2008
end date: November 10, 2008
3 month goal: lose 15lbs
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start weight: 173lbs
current weight: 171lbs
target weight: 158lbs
last year's fittest-ever weight: 145 lbs!
ultimate wishful weight: 135 lbs
I can't believe I'm at 3 weeks already!
I have to congratulate myself for:
-getting back to regular gym workouts in the mornings
-eating home-cooked meals more often
-packing lunch more often
-setting up a monthly exercise schedule
-completing goal for week 2: attended and completed the hour-and-a-half yoga and half-hour meditation class combo
(bonus!!)
-listening to my body when I'm over-trained and taking a rest
-buying: new running shoes, a Nike+Ipod, a muscle-toning DVD, and new workout outfits
-taking long walks at lunch
-charting my weekly weight
-getting my body-fat percentage
-meeting a friend weekly to discuss progress and strategies
-joining this site and blogging my journey
Those are the major achievements so far!
So here's my goal this week (week3):
Do a dance class ( gym or salsa class)
Workout routine for month 1:
1. alternating 30 min cardio with 30 min weights daily, Sundays off
2. 2 x 60 min walk or 1 x 60 min walk + 1 x 45-60min dance class
3. 1 yoga class
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| Posted in goals, update | 2 Comments |
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| New ideas for goals |
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| Aug 21, 2008 |
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Basically I've distilled it down to this. Weight-loss has every thing
to do with what I eat, how much I exercise, getting a good night's
sleep, managing stress, consistency and staying the course, monitoring progress and having a support system. So I've made some goals taking these points into consideration.
Weight-loss goals and ideas
Food Journal
I've already got a food journal going..maybe not 100% accurate and consistent. For now, with so many things going on, I'm going to make it a goal to journal most days.
Full-length mirror
I read today in Health Magazine that using a full-length mirror will help keep me on track. I guess seeing how I fit in my clothes will motivate me more, so my goal is to get a full-length mirror - when? I don't know yet..first I have to work on the next goal, which is to..
Reduce clutter
The clutter of books and clothes in our bedroom is sapping my energy and is detrimental to my restful mights. I have to make a plan to gradually get rid of everything I don't use. If I clear out a drawer, a shelf or a corner every week, I should be done by Xmas!!
Motivational podcasts and workout music
It's clear to me that when I'm listening to fast music on my walks, I walk faster. When I listen to motivational podcasts, I get great positive ideas that keep feeding my motivation and commitment to my goals.
Photos
Seeing myself in a bikini...now that's a harsh slap of reality!! To be a little gentler I'm going to take and post pix of me in:
- last years fat-jeans
- last years fitting jeans
- last years tight-fitting jeans...which won't even pass my knees! Ha, ha!!
Support
Thanks to Nana for joining me! I hope our meetings will keep you motivated and help you accomplish the goals you're setting for yourself too! My goal is to find others like us who are looking for support on FitNrg and exchange ideas.
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| Posted in goals, weight-loss | No Comments |
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