Well, I made it to my mini-goal of going to the gym 8 times in one month, and earning 100 fitness reward points.
I actually went 9 times! And, given that, in the month of September, I was really only in town for 20 evenings (i don't go to the gym in the mornings), I think 9 out of 20 is pretty fricken great!
I had a good week eating-wise. Much more regular in my points, and, despite the new television shows (which provide a great opportunity to sit and snack) I still did very well. Very few "indulgences" this week, except for a cocktail tonight at one of our favorite places tonight - I couldn't resist trying "homemade limecello". Limoncello, sure, but LIMEcello? Yessir!
We're headed out of town for 5 days, going to visit family, and I will get to do plenty of weight-lifting, about 6 pounds at a time -- picking up my new little nephew, Luke! Mary, my sister-in-law, has offered to have me go with her to her gym, so that will help stay on track. And Mary and Joe are sensible eaters, and so it's not like the food we'll encounter on vacation will be too overwhelming. I've saved all my extra points, and earned several activity points, so I don't have to worry too much about my eating, and can splurge a couple of meals, too.
I won't be weighing in again until next Thursday... I hope to at least stay flat!
Thanks for reading!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
One great meal, in many ways.
I wanted to mention something that went well last week.
I went out to dinner with some great friends on Friday night. 6 of us went to a fantastic, Tuscan-style Italian restaurant outside of Boston. (Tomasso's Trattoria in Southborough, for you local folks).
I knew this was going to be a challenge. This is a place that serves a number of courses, and the food is supposed to be excellent. But I had a lot of things going for me:
1) This restaurant is known for extremely fresh and local produce, organic proteins, etc. That led me to believe that the food I'd be eating would be more of healthier preparation, so I wasn't going to have food weighed down with extra sauces, etc.
2) With multiple courses, it also means the portion sizes are smaller. I'd have a good opportunity to get a good variety of tastes and foods, but not have huge portions to wade through.
3) Eating more slowly is always a good thing, and Tuscan-style eating lends itself to slower eating.
4) The menu was posted online, so I could review some of the choices plan ahead. (We also got to the restaurant a bit early, and took advantage of that time, too).
5) I knew that I wanted to drink red wine, and just committed before hand that drinking red wine meant eating NO bread. (I stuck to this)
So, my dinner was fantastic. This is what I had:
Appetizer course: Grilled watermelon (about a cup or a cup and a half), about 2 tablespoons of very smooth goat cheese and mint.
Entree: I had a "pasta course" size (half the entree size) of fresh pasta - about 5 pieces of pasta with fresh sauce - very hearty - of heirloom tomatoes. No cheese. Had a side of about a cup of roasted zucchini (some olive oil on the bottom, was able to eat it without getting too much of the oil.
Dessert: A "children's order" of gelato.
Wine - probably the equivalent of 3 glasses of wine, I'm guessing.
My best guess on points: 15. I'd had 8 prior in the day, so I really only went into my extra 35 points by 3. Not bad!
All in all, these are great choices. I think I did really well, and still managed to enjoy a great dinner with friends and not worry about my diet getting in the way. Or worry about worrying about my diet get in the way.
Thanks for reading!
I went out to dinner with some great friends on Friday night. 6 of us went to a fantastic, Tuscan-style Italian restaurant outside of Boston. (Tomasso's Trattoria in Southborough, for you local folks).
I knew this was going to be a challenge. This is a place that serves a number of courses, and the food is supposed to be excellent. But I had a lot of things going for me:
1) This restaurant is known for extremely fresh and local produce, organic proteins, etc. That led me to believe that the food I'd be eating would be more of healthier preparation, so I wasn't going to have food weighed down with extra sauces, etc.
2) With multiple courses, it also means the portion sizes are smaller. I'd have a good opportunity to get a good variety of tastes and foods, but not have huge portions to wade through.
3) Eating more slowly is always a good thing, and Tuscan-style eating lends itself to slower eating.
4) The menu was posted online, so I could review some of the choices plan ahead. (We also got to the restaurant a bit early, and took advantage of that time, too).
5) I knew that I wanted to drink red wine, and just committed before hand that drinking red wine meant eating NO bread. (I stuck to this)
So, my dinner was fantastic. This is what I had:
Appetizer course: Grilled watermelon (about a cup or a cup and a half), about 2 tablespoons of very smooth goat cheese and mint.
Entree: I had a "pasta course" size (half the entree size) of fresh pasta - about 5 pieces of pasta with fresh sauce - very hearty - of heirloom tomatoes. No cheese. Had a side of about a cup of roasted zucchini (some olive oil on the bottom, was able to eat it without getting too much of the oil.
Dessert: A "children's order" of gelato.
Wine - probably the equivalent of 3 glasses of wine, I'm guessing.
My best guess on points: 15. I'd had 8 prior in the day, so I really only went into my extra 35 points by 3. Not bad!
All in all, these are great choices. I think I did really well, and still managed to enjoy a great dinner with friends and not worry about my diet getting in the way. Or worry about worrying about my diet get in the way.
Thanks for reading!
"Did you have fun at the gym?"
Robert asks me this just about every time I come home from the gym. I don't know why he asks me this, since every time my response is:
"No. The gym is not fun. The gym is never fun. I don't like going to the gym. I don't like working out. I do it because I know I must, but the answer to that question will never be 'Yes'."
I'm not sure why I have such an aversion to it. I really just hate it. Part of it is the fact that I'm heavy means that most everything is more work than it should be. And being heavy means you can't run or do cardio classes without feeling the fat be in your way. It's just a feeling to abhor.
Part of it is the monotony of things like the treadmill or the bike, where I watch the clock, desperate for the time to pass more quickly than it does. My success there is dependent on my ability to get myself to committing to staying on the machine through one more song... Classes are better in terms of the monotony, but have the downside of being VERY public. Other people can see that I'm not coordinated, I'm struggling with particular moves, or I don't seem to be working as hard as someone else in the class. Worse, there's not much room for an honorable escape. If I am struggling after 45 minutes in a 60 minute class, I don't have much of an opportunity to just scoot out. And I'd feel a bit of shame if I were to do that any way.
Outside of the gym, taking a walk around the neighborhood or something - that's a pleasant alternative in terms of scenery, sure, but I certainly work no where near as hard.
I don't know that I'm the kind of person that will ever enjoy exercising. I know people who do (and am married to one), and it's just a different wiring. So my continued challenge is "how do I stay motivated to continue to engage in a behavior I don't enjoy, and don't anticipate enjoying" on a multi-day-per-week basis?
So far, the goal I've set for September (8 visits in one month will get me 100 rewards points from the gym), has been a good challenge. Even though we're out of town for 11 possible gym days this month, meaning I need to do 8 visits in 19 days, I am still anticipating it to be doable. (I'm at 6 right now, and have 4 more possible visit days in September). Not sure why that's been a helpful goal and structure to work with, and I hope that I both meet it and am able to use it again next month. (the next level up for rewards points, by the way is 15 visits in a month. I don't see that happening for several reasons, and I'm okay with that._ Last week, I missed 2 very obvious opportunities to go. No excuse, other than dread and laziness. Now this week, I have the "two more visit" pressure which will help, but it's not about the exercise I will do there; it's about the visit credit. That gets to part of the goal, but not the "want to exercise" part of it.
I've got the right equipment -- a really good gym (seriously) that's less than a half mile walk from my house, a good mp3 player and enjoyable and motivating playlist, cute and comfortable clothing, good sneakers, and a recent shorter haircut that helps keep the hair out of my face and off my neck. I don't think I'm missing anything in terms of that support. I just lack any emotional and psychological connection to the work that gets done, and getting excited enough to motivate to go sometimes. It's something I still need to work on, and, quite frankly, I don't know that I will ever get there.
When I was approaching our wedding last year, for several months (6) I worked once a week with a personal trainer. THIS was a bit different... I won't say it was fun (it wasn't) but there were several times (not every) where after the workout, I could feel good about what I had accomplished, could feel that I was very clearly stronger than I was in previous sessions, and I had fantastic support from my trainer. (Everyone should have a trainer like him, by the way). And after I get to a certain point with this journey, I may get connected with him again for a few more sessions. But it's an expensive way to kick start it, and I need to be sure I'm up for it fully before that kind of an investment, so that it's not wasted and I'm not filled with regret.
I know this was a bit rambly and depressing, but it's the big barrier to this whole effort for me. I don't honestly know if anyone empathizes with this, and I'm okay with being the only one. But it's a part of the story, and should be told.
Thanks for reading.
"No. The gym is not fun. The gym is never fun. I don't like going to the gym. I don't like working out. I do it because I know I must, but the answer to that question will never be 'Yes'."
I'm not sure why I have such an aversion to it. I really just hate it. Part of it is the fact that I'm heavy means that most everything is more work than it should be. And being heavy means you can't run or do cardio classes without feeling the fat be in your way. It's just a feeling to abhor.
Part of it is the monotony of things like the treadmill or the bike, where I watch the clock, desperate for the time to pass more quickly than it does. My success there is dependent on my ability to get myself to committing to staying on the machine through one more song... Classes are better in terms of the monotony, but have the downside of being VERY public. Other people can see that I'm not coordinated, I'm struggling with particular moves, or I don't seem to be working as hard as someone else in the class. Worse, there's not much room for an honorable escape. If I am struggling after 45 minutes in a 60 minute class, I don't have much of an opportunity to just scoot out. And I'd feel a bit of shame if I were to do that any way.
Outside of the gym, taking a walk around the neighborhood or something - that's a pleasant alternative in terms of scenery, sure, but I certainly work no where near as hard.
I don't know that I'm the kind of person that will ever enjoy exercising. I know people who do (and am married to one), and it's just a different wiring. So my continued challenge is "how do I stay motivated to continue to engage in a behavior I don't enjoy, and don't anticipate enjoying" on a multi-day-per-week basis?
So far, the goal I've set for September (8 visits in one month will get me 100 rewards points from the gym), has been a good challenge. Even though we're out of town for 11 possible gym days this month, meaning I need to do 8 visits in 19 days, I am still anticipating it to be doable. (I'm at 6 right now, and have 4 more possible visit days in September). Not sure why that's been a helpful goal and structure to work with, and I hope that I both meet it and am able to use it again next month. (the next level up for rewards points, by the way is 15 visits in a month. I don't see that happening for several reasons, and I'm okay with that._ Last week, I missed 2 very obvious opportunities to go. No excuse, other than dread and laziness. Now this week, I have the "two more visit" pressure which will help, but it's not about the exercise I will do there; it's about the visit credit. That gets to part of the goal, but not the "want to exercise" part of it.
I've got the right equipment -- a really good gym (seriously) that's less than a half mile walk from my house, a good mp3 player and enjoyable and motivating playlist, cute and comfortable clothing, good sneakers, and a recent shorter haircut that helps keep the hair out of my face and off my neck. I don't think I'm missing anything in terms of that support. I just lack any emotional and psychological connection to the work that gets done, and getting excited enough to motivate to go sometimes. It's something I still need to work on, and, quite frankly, I don't know that I will ever get there.
When I was approaching our wedding last year, for several months (6) I worked once a week with a personal trainer. THIS was a bit different... I won't say it was fun (it wasn't) but there were several times (not every) where after the workout, I could feel good about what I had accomplished, could feel that I was very clearly stronger than I was in previous sessions, and I had fantastic support from my trainer. (Everyone should have a trainer like him, by the way). And after I get to a certain point with this journey, I may get connected with him again for a few more sessions. But it's an expensive way to kick start it, and I need to be sure I'm up for it fully before that kind of an investment, so that it's not wasted and I'm not filled with regret.
I know this was a bit rambly and depressing, but it's the big barrier to this whole effort for me. I don't honestly know if anyone empathizes with this, and I'm okay with being the only one. But it's a part of the story, and should be told.
Thanks for reading.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Good News, but how to explain it?
Hello! It was a beautiful weekend here in Boston, and it allowed me to do a few diet-friendly things like stay on top of my grocery shopping so I'm set for the week, and go to the gym TWICE. I really would have been upset with myself if I didn't go to the gym both Saturday and Sunday, and I'm happy with myself that I made it, and had good work outs both times. More on that later.
First, this morning's weigh in:
Weight: -2.8 lbs!
Bodyfat: + 0.5% (i think that happens as the denominator gets smaller, but I'm paying attention to it).
Very excited to have "put up some big numbers this week", as they say on The Biggest Loser. (okay, so it's not even 2%, and I'd very likely be below the yellow line, but I'm still winning in my own show).
More importantly, it brings me officially to -7.5lbs, which is 25% of my goal! That's a big accomplishment, and I'm happy to have gotten there in 5 weeks!
So, why the weight loss? Honestly, I don't have a good answer on that.
I didn't eat so well last week. I was okay on points, even lower some days, but I had a few days in there where I didn't eat such well-rounded meals (is 6 white cheddar rice cakes dinner? It was one day last week, I know that!) and a few days I went without my usual lunch and moved to a salad, which wasn't bad, but it was still different.
And, in terms of the gym, I had several wasted days last week. I went once when it probably should have been at least 2 times and could have been 3. (another reason it was so important for me to go twice this weekend).
So, I don't know the answer as to why, so, it's hard for me to say "more of the same will get me there". It won't - I may just be having some metabolism surge or something. I don't know.
I mentioned last time I want to do a "working out" post and I will do that next. I felt a bit guilty about posting about working out when, quite frankly, I just hadn't been doing it enough!
So, we're on a good start for this week, and I will be approaching my next challenge in a few days: Going to visit Robert's sister and brother-in-law (and my new nephew!) for 5 days, starting Saturday. This means
(a) I won't be in direct control of my own food and be able to eat diety stuff all week
(b) I won't be near my gym
(c) I won't weigh in until THURSDAY of next week!
I really have to focus on how i'll make this week successful so that the following 5 days don't derail me.
Any pointers on how to stay focused while on vacation?
Thanks for reading!
First, this morning's weigh in:
Weight: -2.8 lbs!
Bodyfat: + 0.5% (i think that happens as the denominator gets smaller, but I'm paying attention to it).
Very excited to have "put up some big numbers this week", as they say on The Biggest Loser. (okay, so it's not even 2%, and I'd very likely be below the yellow line, but I'm still winning in my own show).
More importantly, it brings me officially to -7.5lbs, which is 25% of my goal! That's a big accomplishment, and I'm happy to have gotten there in 5 weeks!
So, why the weight loss? Honestly, I don't have a good answer on that.
I didn't eat so well last week. I was okay on points, even lower some days, but I had a few days in there where I didn't eat such well-rounded meals (is 6 white cheddar rice cakes dinner? It was one day last week, I know that!) and a few days I went without my usual lunch and moved to a salad, which wasn't bad, but it was still different.
And, in terms of the gym, I had several wasted days last week. I went once when it probably should have been at least 2 times and could have been 3. (another reason it was so important for me to go twice this weekend).
So, I don't know the answer as to why, so, it's hard for me to say "more of the same will get me there". It won't - I may just be having some metabolism surge or something. I don't know.
I mentioned last time I want to do a "working out" post and I will do that next. I felt a bit guilty about posting about working out when, quite frankly, I just hadn't been doing it enough!
So, we're on a good start for this week, and I will be approaching my next challenge in a few days: Going to visit Robert's sister and brother-in-law (and my new nephew!) for 5 days, starting Saturday. This means
(a) I won't be in direct control of my own food and be able to eat diety stuff all week
(b) I won't be near my gym
(c) I won't weigh in until THURSDAY of next week!
I really have to focus on how i'll make this week successful so that the following 5 days don't derail me.
Any pointers on how to stay focused while on vacation?
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Four Weeks Down. Cool.
FOUR WEEKS DOWN.
Thrilled to say that, even if the numbers on the right over there don't read like a marquis.
It's been a longer period between posting, so I'll do a catch up and some thoughts on food, and my next entry will be on exercise, since I have some thoughts on that too.
As far as the weigh-in, I weighed in Monday but also on Tuesday, figuring since I weighed in last week on Weds, I'd do two 6-day weeks to get back in cycle.
Weight: -.2 pounds (negative, but still...)
Body fat: -1% (still good -- i think the real measure of the activity is here).
Eating wise, I had several "normal" days. The weekends, I'm working to splurge a little bit more, not only in terms of what I eat (though not splurging in portion size), and adding wine or beer, a reasonable amount (one beer, or one or two glasses of red wine) as part of the Friday and Saturday plan.
The total points and highlights (things off the norm) for the past several days:
Thursday: 19 points. Big splurge was a piece of chocolate cake at a shower at work
Friday: 19 points. Dinner up in NH - cup of ravioli (no sauce or extra cheese), a few tortilla chips with my homemade heirloom tomato salsa, and no pudge brownie in the car on the way up.
Saturday: 23 points. Went to Storyland -- had a grilled chicken wrap in the park, and for dinner, had steak chili and corn and bacon empanadas (I only had one) and a no pudge brownie for dessert.
Sunday: 17 points. Made pancakes for breakfast, but I only had 2 (had I known I'd only have 17 points for the day, I would have had 3). Nothing unusual beyond that.
Monday: 19.5 points. Nothing unusual, except that going to the gym and doing things around the house, I essentially skipped dinner. If I didn't need the points, I wouldn't have eaten anything later last night -- had brown rice and cheese at about 10 pm - an 8 point combination!
All in all, a few over on Saturday, which used some of my activity points for the week, and not any of my real extra points I am allotted for the week. So, pretty good, I guess.
Getting through weekends as "normal" continues to be a little bit of a challenge, but I'm learning to handle it all and plan a bit better. This weekend in NH, my best friend and her great family came for the weekend. Despite the presence of little kids (almost 2 and almost 5 year olds), it wasn't a weekend of eating geared around the kids schedule and preferences. I'm not sure what I expected, but I know there are plenty of parents out there who have their eating and meals based on what the kids want, and when they want it, but it wasn't that way for us this weekend. We ate like normal adults, both the what and the when. This really helped me stay on a normal schedule and not get distracted with things like a super early dinner on Saturday night, which could only be followed by a need to snack a few hours later.
Additionally, my best friend not only made a fantastic meal which was tasty for everyone and reasonable from a points point of view (dinner Saturday night for me was 11 points + 2 for wine), but she was so thoughtful as to send me all the nutrition information for the recipe earlier in the week so that I could calculate the points and plan around it. That is a fantastic support system right there!
As for exercise in the past week, I went to the gym on Wednesday, Thursday and then again Monday. Wednesday was my toughest work out, and I know I need to be more like that. Thursday was intense but briefer, and Monday was about the same. As I said, more on exercise the next post.
Thanks for reading!
Thrilled to say that, even if the numbers on the right over there don't read like a marquis.
It's been a longer period between posting, so I'll do a catch up and some thoughts on food, and my next entry will be on exercise, since I have some thoughts on that too.
As far as the weigh-in, I weighed in Monday but also on Tuesday, figuring since I weighed in last week on Weds, I'd do two 6-day weeks to get back in cycle.
Weight: -.2 pounds (negative, but still...)
Body fat: -1% (still good -- i think the real measure of the activity is here).
Eating wise, I had several "normal" days. The weekends, I'm working to splurge a little bit more, not only in terms of what I eat (though not splurging in portion size), and adding wine or beer, a reasonable amount (one beer, or one or two glasses of red wine) as part of the Friday and Saturday plan.
The total points and highlights (things off the norm) for the past several days:
Thursday: 19 points. Big splurge was a piece of chocolate cake at a shower at work
Friday: 19 points. Dinner up in NH - cup of ravioli (no sauce or extra cheese), a few tortilla chips with my homemade heirloom tomato salsa, and no pudge brownie in the car on the way up.
Saturday: 23 points. Went to Storyland -- had a grilled chicken wrap in the park, and for dinner, had steak chili and corn and bacon empanadas (I only had one) and a no pudge brownie for dessert.
Sunday: 17 points. Made pancakes for breakfast, but I only had 2 (had I known I'd only have 17 points for the day, I would have had 3). Nothing unusual beyond that.
Monday: 19.5 points. Nothing unusual, except that going to the gym and doing things around the house, I essentially skipped dinner. If I didn't need the points, I wouldn't have eaten anything later last night -- had brown rice and cheese at about 10 pm - an 8 point combination!
All in all, a few over on Saturday, which used some of my activity points for the week, and not any of my real extra points I am allotted for the week. So, pretty good, I guess.
Getting through weekends as "normal" continues to be a little bit of a challenge, but I'm learning to handle it all and plan a bit better. This weekend in NH, my best friend and her great family came for the weekend. Despite the presence of little kids (almost 2 and almost 5 year olds), it wasn't a weekend of eating geared around the kids schedule and preferences. I'm not sure what I expected, but I know there are plenty of parents out there who have their eating and meals based on what the kids want, and when they want it, but it wasn't that way for us this weekend. We ate like normal adults, both the what and the when. This really helped me stay on a normal schedule and not get distracted with things like a super early dinner on Saturday night, which could only be followed by a need to snack a few hours later.
Additionally, my best friend not only made a fantastic meal which was tasty for everyone and reasonable from a points point of view (dinner Saturday night for me was 11 points + 2 for wine), but she was so thoughtful as to send me all the nutrition information for the recipe earlier in the week so that I could calculate the points and plan around it. That is a fantastic support system right there!
As for exercise in the past week, I went to the gym on Wednesday, Thursday and then again Monday. Wednesday was my toughest work out, and I know I need to be more like that. Thursday was intense but briefer, and Monday was about the same. As I said, more on exercise the next post.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A Story of Inspiration.
I've been waiting since almost the first day of starting this blog to write the post I will write tonight. I hope you'll humor me for a few minutes as I tell you about someone else's story... a story that was part of the big reason I decided to start this journey for myself.
Through the magic of Facebook, I recently rediscovered a woman I was friends with in college, whom I met in the first month of my freshman year. Lisa, a sophomore at the time, was someone I liked instantly. She was very smart, very funny, and just plain likable from the get go. We eventually faded, as lots of friendships in college do, and, though I'd thought of her from time to time in the past many many years, it was only when I saw a picture of another friend, tagged in an album of Lisa's, that I was reminded of her.
I was curious what she was up to, and looked through the album on FB, and then googled a bit more. I found that Lisa has a blog. A blog about weight loss. She was heavy in college, and I guess she'd stayed heavy after college, too. Apparently, as her 40th birthday loomed, 18 months ahead of her, she decided to launch a massive campaign: lose 100 pounds before her 40th birthday. And she blogged weekly about it, in what seems to be a nationally syndicated column.
Now, I'm pretty sure Lisa would say that losing 100 pound by her 40th birthday would be "a good start". It's not her ultimate goal, but it was an amazing feat to take on. I read through her weekly blog, learned a few things about how to approach my own plan, and know that I'll continue to revisit it at I need more motivation, or tricks and tips to get through the months. But ultimately, what it gave me the most was an example of someone who struggles and chose to make her health and weight loss a priority, even if it took a sensible amount of time to do it.
Well, today is her 40th birthday. And though a week ago, she still had 3 pounds to go, she worked hard to make sure her last weigh in was a great one, and it was. She lost 104 pounds in 18 months! Even if she didn't hit 100 pounds, she would not have been any less of an inspiration to me, nor would she have felt like a failure. But I'm still very excited for her and I'm happy to write about her and her accomplishment today.
If you're interested in checking out her story: Results Not Typical
Thanks for reading!
Through the magic of Facebook, I recently rediscovered a woman I was friends with in college, whom I met in the first month of my freshman year. Lisa, a sophomore at the time, was someone I liked instantly. She was very smart, very funny, and just plain likable from the get go. We eventually faded, as lots of friendships in college do, and, though I'd thought of her from time to time in the past many many years, it was only when I saw a picture of another friend, tagged in an album of Lisa's, that I was reminded of her.
I was curious what she was up to, and looked through the album on FB, and then googled a bit more. I found that Lisa has a blog. A blog about weight loss. She was heavy in college, and I guess she'd stayed heavy after college, too. Apparently, as her 40th birthday loomed, 18 months ahead of her, she decided to launch a massive campaign: lose 100 pounds before her 40th birthday. And she blogged weekly about it, in what seems to be a nationally syndicated column.
Now, I'm pretty sure Lisa would say that losing 100 pound by her 40th birthday would be "a good start". It's not her ultimate goal, but it was an amazing feat to take on. I read through her weekly blog, learned a few things about how to approach my own plan, and know that I'll continue to revisit it at I need more motivation, or tricks and tips to get through the months. But ultimately, what it gave me the most was an example of someone who struggles and chose to make her health and weight loss a priority, even if it took a sensible amount of time to do it.
Well, today is her 40th birthday. And though a week ago, she still had 3 pounds to go, she worked hard to make sure her last weigh in was a great one, and it was. She lost 104 pounds in 18 months! Even if she didn't hit 100 pounds, she would not have been any less of an inspiration to me, nor would she have felt like a failure. But I'm still very excited for her and I'm happy to write about her and her accomplishment today.
If you're interested in checking out her story: Results Not Typical
Thanks for reading!
Quick Results post
Down a half pound (better than nothing) but also down another full percentage point in body fat. (decided to start tracking that measure over on the right, too).
I'm sure there's some sort of math that tells me if Lost Weight + Lost Body fat percentage = something good... I mean, it can't be a BAD thing to lose in both measures.
Anyway, glad it was negative, even if only a half pound.
Thanks for reading!
I'm sure there's some sort of math that tells me if Lost Weight + Lost Body fat percentage = something good... I mean, it can't be a BAD thing to lose in both measures.
Anyway, glad it was negative, even if only a half pound.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Labor Day. Some Rest. Some Labor. But all good!
I am just back from a long weekend (turned the 3 day into a 4 day! Pure luxury!) and I have to say, though I haven't weighed myself, and still don't expect too much of a change, I did pretty good this weekend. I ate reasonably well, still indulged here and there, got some outdoor exercise, and lots of good rest.
I'm going to catch up a bit on points here, with totals, and highlights, not a full list, for "normal" stuff like the same breakfast and lunch I eat most days:
On Monday, a bit more of a challenge. Robert and I took our bikes out to the Great Glen Trails up near Mount Washington. This was a series of paths of varying difficulties. I'd never done a path with such hills before -- walking would have been fine, but biking was a lot more technical than I'd ever done before. Parts were tough for me. But other parts weren't. We rode for just under an hour, and I was ready to be done. I can't say I loved it. But I am glad I did it, and I would do it again. It was just another nice way to get out there and get some exercise, and not feel like it all has to be on a treadmill in a gym.
Speaking of which, I'm off to the treadmill in a gym. Visit 2 of September. Hoping to get 8 visits in this month, and realized last night that I really only have 15 days here in town to get 7 more visits in, so I'm going to have to up my frequency!
I'll weigh in tomorrow morning and post.
Thanks for reading!
I'm going to catch up a bit on points here, with totals, and highlights, not a full list, for "normal" stuff like the same breakfast and lunch I eat most days:
- Thursday: 19 points. I did well that day with fruits and veggies
- Friday: 18 points. Because it was a "travel to NH" day, I saved the bulk of my points for a frozen pasta meal to be eaten on our arrival, complete with a glass of wine...
- Saturday: 19.5 points. Had a beer and popcorn at the Red Parka Pub, and also had a great stir-fry with chicken, squash, onions and tomatoes (sprayed the pan with pam and used 2 tbsp of orange juice to provide some liquid) for dinner that night. Our good friends made grilled peaches at their place for dessert... I had a few slices (but no ice cream!)
- Sunday: 18.5 points. Dinner was a hamburger we grilled, and had corn on the cob on the side... I don't eat butter with it - just chili powder!
- Monday: 20.5 points. This was the big splurge day. We grilled steak for dinner, but also with lots of grilled veggies with nothing on them and I had a little bit of wine - not a full glass. But our mid-afternoon break was heading back to the Red Parka Pub for a beer. And peanuts. And popcorn. I stayed away from the bartender's offer to try the new Bubble Gum Vodka they got in... it seemed like it would all go down hill from there.
On Monday, a bit more of a challenge. Robert and I took our bikes out to the Great Glen Trails up near Mount Washington. This was a series of paths of varying difficulties. I'd never done a path with such hills before -- walking would have been fine, but biking was a lot more technical than I'd ever done before. Parts were tough for me. But other parts weren't. We rode for just under an hour, and I was ready to be done. I can't say I loved it. But I am glad I did it, and I would do it again. It was just another nice way to get out there and get some exercise, and not feel like it all has to be on a treadmill in a gym.
Speaking of which, I'm off to the treadmill in a gym. Visit 2 of September. Hoping to get 8 visits in this month, and realized last night that I really only have 15 days here in town to get 7 more visits in, so I'm going to have to up my frequency!
I'll weigh in tomorrow morning and post.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The plan made it this time.
I mentioned that Wednesday was the second night this week that we went out with friends in the evening. I also had lunch plans with a friend during the day. So, both lunch and "dinner" weren't what I've been used to in terms of points and choices. But I did okay. A little over, but not dramatically.
Breakfast: cottage cheese and pineapple, cocoa dusted almonds 100 cal pack
Lunch: Scoop of cranberry walnut chicken salad on greens. (this is about a cup of chicken, and more mayonnaise than I normally would use if I were making my own)
Dinner: Restaurant appetizer (shared) of pita and hummus, and some brie on baguettes. I only had 2 bites of the brie, and more of the hummus. Also had 2 glass of red wine
Snacks/Dessert: nothing additional
Total Points: 24 (4 come from weekly points, leaving me with 27.5 remaining)
Again, over a bit, but today was fine, and I've got several days left this week to do just fine.
Speaking of doing fine, I'm happy to report I did go to the gym tonight. In fact, I upped my cardio time from 30 minutes to 45, and I worked at a pretty high intensity. Very happy with myself, and I'm going to put that in the "plus" column for this week. (not only that, but I get 2 extra points to add to my weekly, if I need them. Which I won't.)
My gym actually has a rewards program -- we get points for different things (mainly recruiting new members, not my thang) and can cash in our points for treasure like water bottles and shirts and gym bags and the like. I'm not really focused on getting enough points to do anything like that, but I DO like the idea that they have one point-earning trigger which might be a good goal for me. I can earn 100 points for each month in which I visit the gym 8 times. That seems like a pretty good goal to focus on -- and obviously, both measurable and has a reward tied to it. (1250 points is the first "cash in" threshold, so it's REALLY not something that will turn into a real reward any time soon).
So, with September being a new month, I may put that in as a mini-goal for the month: Attend 8 times this month.
1 down, 7 to go.
Thanks for reading!
Breakfast: cottage cheese and pineapple, cocoa dusted almonds 100 cal pack
Lunch: Scoop of cranberry walnut chicken salad on greens. (this is about a cup of chicken, and more mayonnaise than I normally would use if I were making my own)
Dinner: Restaurant appetizer (shared) of pita and hummus, and some brie on baguettes. I only had 2 bites of the brie, and more of the hummus. Also had 2 glass of red wine
Snacks/Dessert: nothing additional
Total Points: 24 (4 come from weekly points, leaving me with 27.5 remaining)
Again, over a bit, but today was fine, and I've got several days left this week to do just fine.
Speaking of doing fine, I'm happy to report I did go to the gym tonight. In fact, I upped my cardio time from 30 minutes to 45, and I worked at a pretty high intensity. Very happy with myself, and I'm going to put that in the "plus" column for this week. (not only that, but I get 2 extra points to add to my weekly, if I need them. Which I won't.)
My gym actually has a rewards program -- we get points for different things (mainly recruiting new members, not my thang) and can cash in our points for treasure like water bottles and shirts and gym bags and the like. I'm not really focused on getting enough points to do anything like that, but I DO like the idea that they have one point-earning trigger which might be a good goal for me. I can earn 100 points for each month in which I visit the gym 8 times. That seems like a pretty good goal to focus on -- and obviously, both measurable and has a reward tied to it. (1250 points is the first "cash in" threshold, so it's REALLY not something that will turn into a real reward any time soon).
So, with September being a new month, I may put that in as a mini-goal for the month: Attend 8 times this month.
1 down, 7 to go.
Thanks for reading!
Plans change, but the train doesn't have to derail.
We had a few unplanned events this week, plus one planned one, all which gave me a different week than I'd set out to have in the beginning. the first was that I was sick on Monday. (I'm not posting my points from that day, since it wasn't really much of a day for eating). But both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, we had the honor and pleasure of having plans with friends who each wanted to give us wedding gifts! So, we had these very fun evenings both nights, but I knew going into each that alcohol and good food were going to be involved. As with everything else here in this diet, it's okay to have the plan change; I just have to find ways to make good choices.
Let's do eating from Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cottage Cheese and Pineapple
Lunch: Turkey/Cheese/Sandwich thins, 2 hard boiled egg whites, fat free yogurt, fiber one bar
Dinner: 1 glass of red wine, 1 dinner roll (they're awesome at this restaurant), heirloom tomato with mozzarella salad, grilled salmon without a sauce, but with a couscous salad underneath. (2 bites of a butterscotch pudding that we did not order, but the waiter gifted us).
Total points: 23.5
So, this isn't bad. In fact, the meal I ate that night was a good and healthy-ish one, and much better than one I'd have if left to my own devices at home. Plus, I certainly haven't done much in terms of using my extra points in a week, (in fact, 3.5 points is more than I used in previous weeks). One thing that really helped is that I know this restaurant very well, know the food and cooking style, and knew when I was ordering what I was getting into in terms of sauces and such. It made it a LOT easier and I had none of the anxiety that looking at the Not Your Average Joe's menu a few days earlier had brought on.
I'll post Weds points later (to be honest, haven't fully figured them out yet), but it wasn't too bad... I'd gone out for lunch as well that day, so I expect I'm closer to the 20 point mark for yesterday, if not over a smidge, too.
But what you're NOT seeing here is "I went to the gym". My intentions were to go Monday and Wednesday. Neither happened. My new intention is to go tonight, and, as of now, nothing's in my way for that, but I'm trying to stay focused on not getting that derailed, either.
With the long weekend coming up, we're taking an extra day in NH, and that means I won't be weighing in next week until WEDNESDAY. Maybe gives me an extra couple of days to make a better effort.
Thanks for reading!
Let's do eating from Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cottage Cheese and Pineapple
Lunch: Turkey/Cheese/Sandwich thins, 2 hard boiled egg whites, fat free yogurt, fiber one bar
Dinner: 1 glass of red wine, 1 dinner roll (they're awesome at this restaurant), heirloom tomato with mozzarella salad, grilled salmon without a sauce, but with a couscous salad underneath. (2 bites of a butterscotch pudding that we did not order, but the waiter gifted us).
Total points: 23.5
So, this isn't bad. In fact, the meal I ate that night was a good and healthy-ish one, and much better than one I'd have if left to my own devices at home. Plus, I certainly haven't done much in terms of using my extra points in a week, (in fact, 3.5 points is more than I used in previous weeks). One thing that really helped is that I know this restaurant very well, know the food and cooking style, and knew when I was ordering what I was getting into in terms of sauces and such. It made it a LOT easier and I had none of the anxiety that looking at the Not Your Average Joe's menu a few days earlier had brought on.
I'll post Weds points later (to be honest, haven't fully figured them out yet), but it wasn't too bad... I'd gone out for lunch as well that day, so I expect I'm closer to the 20 point mark for yesterday, if not over a smidge, too.
But what you're NOT seeing here is "I went to the gym". My intentions were to go Monday and Wednesday. Neither happened. My new intention is to go tonight, and, as of now, nothing's in my way for that, but I'm trying to stay focused on not getting that derailed, either.
With the long weekend coming up, we're taking an extra day in NH, and that means I won't be weighing in next week until WEDNESDAY. Maybe gives me an extra couple of days to make a better effort.
Thanks for reading!
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