Day four, down 4 pounds!! Yay!
It was hard the first few days, but now I'm getting in the groove. I have nutrition class tonight. I'm looking forward to turning in my nutrition tallies for the three day intake. I did ok. Need more fiber, but most numbers were good.
Yoga is getting better, although last Friday we did all balancing poses. If you ever wanna feel inept, try that! I still feel like a loser in that class, but less so. And I keep chanting to myself, "It's not a yoga competition. It's not a yoga competition....."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Biting the bullet
Well, I did it. I finally reached my breaking/desperation point. After much research, I ordered my first 5 weeks of the Medifast plan. I just really need something I don't have to worry or think about too much. Obviously, me being in control of my food is not working for weight loss. So I'll put it in someone else's hands for a few months. From what I've been reading, a lot of people who need to lose about 40 pounds like me do it in 3-4 months. Once it's off, I just know I can keep it off, since I'm not gaining now and haven't for a while, other than the odd two or three pounds up and down. I work out every day in some way, so exercise isn't something I'll need to worry about once the weight's off. I already have the habit.
However, looking at some of the ingredients is a little scary. Frankenfood. The 'eggs' are not real eggs. The first ingredient may indeed be eggs, but there's a whole plethora of junk after that. The good thing is that almost everything is fortified w/ vitamins and minerals. I think that's a good thing, anyway. I figure I may not have the whole-foods way of life right now, but I know that after the weight comes off, I'll go back to my sometimes-raw-but-always-healthy-and-whole-foods self. I'm just so damn desperate to get the weight off. I'm grasping at straws. I know this. But something's gotta give. My mother had good results on Medifast years ago. I know, she may still be obese now, but back then she wasn't nearly as big as she is now. She can't exercise due to her hips (she is in a scooter-chair), and her diet is poor now. So she didn't really stick to a healthy lifestyle.
Oh, I got a great compliment from my mom in an email. She was saying she was regretting a comment that she made about me looking like her Aunt Carolyn. I replied back, "What an apple on two toothpicks???" I thought it was a funny moment, but she felt bad for commenting on my shape and said she didn't mean to hurt my feelings (which she didn't). Well, she said in her email that I looked "awesome" and that she wished she looked as good. That blew me away. She's never ever said anything like that to me. It was a big encouragement. It lets me know that even though I may be overweight, I'm generally happy and am taking care of myself. I haven't given up on me. I hate when people fall into self-hatred and low confidence just because they are out of shape or overweight. I mean, we all have our pity party moments, but in general I like to dress nice and do my hair and makeup still. There's no reason to stop loving yourself just because of your perceived 'flaws'. You need to treat yourself nice and do whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself, whether that's eating healthy and exercising, or finding clothes that flatter you.
Ok, this was a lenthy post. I'll get off my soapbox now. Wow, this was like a pity party and cheering session all in one! I feel better now. I've purged:)
However, looking at some of the ingredients is a little scary. Frankenfood. The 'eggs' are not real eggs. The first ingredient may indeed be eggs, but there's a whole plethora of junk after that. The good thing is that almost everything is fortified w/ vitamins and minerals. I think that's a good thing, anyway. I figure I may not have the whole-foods way of life right now, but I know that after the weight comes off, I'll go back to my sometimes-raw-but-always-healthy-and-whole-foods self. I'm just so damn desperate to get the weight off. I'm grasping at straws. I know this. But something's gotta give. My mother had good results on Medifast years ago. I know, she may still be obese now, but back then she wasn't nearly as big as she is now. She can't exercise due to her hips (she is in a scooter-chair), and her diet is poor now. So she didn't really stick to a healthy lifestyle.
Oh, I got a great compliment from my mom in an email. She was saying she was regretting a comment that she made about me looking like her Aunt Carolyn. I replied back, "What an apple on two toothpicks???" I thought it was a funny moment, but she felt bad for commenting on my shape and said she didn't mean to hurt my feelings (which she didn't). Well, she said in her email that I looked "awesome" and that she wished she looked as good. That blew me away. She's never ever said anything like that to me. It was a big encouragement. It lets me know that even though I may be overweight, I'm generally happy and am taking care of myself. I haven't given up on me. I hate when people fall into self-hatred and low confidence just because they are out of shape or overweight. I mean, we all have our pity party moments, but in general I like to dress nice and do my hair and makeup still. There's no reason to stop loving yourself just because of your perceived 'flaws'. You need to treat yourself nice and do whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself, whether that's eating healthy and exercising, or finding clothes that flatter you.
Ok, this was a lenthy post. I'll get off my soapbox now. Wow, this was like a pity party and cheering session all in one! I feel better now. I've purged:)
Monday, September 28, 2009
I'm baaack
We got back from Portland last Tuesday. Everything went well. My sister looked beautiful. I'm very happy for both her and her new husband. My boys were the only kids at the wedding, so we left after we ate at the reception. I couldn't really watch them because I was at the wedding party table and they were with DH at another table. He really took one for the team this trip. He basically was a chauffeur and a babysitter the whole time. He was good about it, though. I felt bad for him.
I gained two pounds during the trip, due to only fast food and restaurants the whole time. I am considering it a victory, however. It was only two pounds when it could have been more.
Now that I'm back and settled in, I'm tweaking my diet again. I'm poring over my raw food cookbooks again. Or is it un-cookbooks since there's no actual cooking involved? I am juicing every other day, because those juices can be pretty high in calories, so every other day evens it out a bit. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself:)
Yoga is going well. I didn't hurt nearly as much after last Friday's class. In speech/communications, I have actually gotten up and spoken two times. For me this is crazy! And for my nutrition class, we have a project involving keeping track of our intake for three days, two of which must be Saturday and Sunday. We have special software that came with the text, and all these reports to print out and hand in along with two questionnaires about our results. I'm looking forward to this project. I've already done my three days of food intake, and am just waiting to do the questionnaires.
According to The CR Way, I should be consuming 1600 calories a day for a 20% reduction in calories. They have me set for my age and activity level at 2000 calories as a base. So figure subtract 400 for a 20% reduction, making 1600. I don't know, that seems high to me, but then again, I've been trying to lose weight forever, so maybe I've been going too low. Anyway, I'm going to set my goal for 1600. I'll report back on how it's working out.
I gained two pounds during the trip, due to only fast food and restaurants the whole time. I am considering it a victory, however. It was only two pounds when it could have been more.
Now that I'm back and settled in, I'm tweaking my diet again. I'm poring over my raw food cookbooks again. Or is it un-cookbooks since there's no actual cooking involved? I am juicing every other day, because those juices can be pretty high in calories, so every other day evens it out a bit. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself:)
Yoga is going well. I didn't hurt nearly as much after last Friday's class. In speech/communications, I have actually gotten up and spoken two times. For me this is crazy! And for my nutrition class, we have a project involving keeping track of our intake for three days, two of which must be Saturday and Sunday. We have special software that came with the text, and all these reports to print out and hand in along with two questionnaires about our results. I'm looking forward to this project. I've already done my three days of food intake, and am just waiting to do the questionnaires.
According to The CR Way, I should be consuming 1600 calories a day for a 20% reduction in calories. They have me set for my age and activity level at 2000 calories as a base. So figure subtract 400 for a 20% reduction, making 1600. I don't know, that seems high to me, but then again, I've been trying to lose weight forever, so maybe I've been going too low. Anyway, I'm going to set my goal for 1600. I'll report back on how it's working out.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ouch
Yoga is hard. I am in pain. Everything hurts. My butt, my back, my arms, my abs.... and this was from Friday, and it's now Sunday! I tried everything in class, couldn't do some things, but it was great. I'm going to love Friday mornings I think. Hopefully I won't be in as much pain next time.
I'm currently hovering at 190. Just one more pound and I can officially be in the 180s!! I'm sticking to my calorie goals, exercising, and drinking lots of water.
I'm still lifting weights three times a week and the yoga once a week. I'm still not feeling the treadmill just yet. I'll add it, just later. Trust me, it'll be there when I'm ready. It's just sitting there, taunting me.
I'm making a crockpot dinner tonight. Eggplant and pea curry over brown rice. Sounds yummy, we'll see how it comes out. Last night was salmon with potatoes and spinach.
School is going great. I even stood in front of my communications class and introduced another student! I'm pretty shy and introverted, so this was hard for me. But I'm glad I did it. The professor has us getting up and speaking in every class, so I'm happy I jumped in and didn't die or anything:) I'll hopefully get used to it. I'm thinking this semester I might be able to pull off straight A's. That will really help my GPA.
Well, that's it from my side, hope everyone who reads is doing well!
I'm currently hovering at 190. Just one more pound and I can officially be in the 180s!! I'm sticking to my calorie goals, exercising, and drinking lots of water.
I'm still lifting weights three times a week and the yoga once a week. I'm still not feeling the treadmill just yet. I'll add it, just later. Trust me, it'll be there when I'm ready. It's just sitting there, taunting me.
I'm making a crockpot dinner tonight. Eggplant and pea curry over brown rice. Sounds yummy, we'll see how it comes out. Last night was salmon with potatoes and spinach.
School is going great. I even stood in front of my communications class and introduced another student! I'm pretty shy and introverted, so this was hard for me. But I'm glad I did it. The professor has us getting up and speaking in every class, so I'm happy I jumped in and didn't die or anything:) I'll hopefully get used to it. I'm thinking this semester I might be able to pull off straight A's. That will really help my GPA.
Well, that's it from my side, hope everyone who reads is doing well!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Packing
I know it's still a week away, but I'm almost done packing for the trip to WA for my sister's wedding. Hey, with two kids, I just know I'm going to forget something, and if I pack it all early, maybe I'll remember by the time we leave!
I'm doing well. Eating is good. Still struggle with the night time some days, but not most. About 2 times a week. I'm sleeping better. Exercise is spotty, at best. I attack with fervor some days, and can't be bothered others. Oh well, I would say I do get exercise most days.
I've been sticking to a calorie level of about 1400 a day. Sometimes higher, usually a little lower. Fat is at around 20 percent. I'm eating a lot of plain yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh fruits and veggies (green smoothies), and dinner is the usual lean protein and some sort of veggie. Last night I made a crockpot full of black beans, served with brown rice. My kids don't even know what white bread and rice is. And that's just the way I like it:) Well, the older one knows about the yukky stuff now that he's in school. Thank you, school district!
My older boy just started first grade yesterday. I didn't get emotional this year like I did the last two years for kindergarten and preschool. I was a wreck for preschool. We walked there, and I bawled the whole way back. Then kindergarten was a little better, just sniffly. But this year, no tears, no eyes welling up. He came back in a great mood and excited. He said his teacher is 'super nice'. I'm enjoying the freedom, even though my 2 yr old is still home. It's much quieter around here.
I'm back in school too. Yoga's great, I think that Friday morning is a perfect time for relaxing yoga stretching. I get to it before my day even starts. Nutrition was good, a little easy. Since I'm so diet-conscious to begin with, I didn't learn much about reading food labels that I didn't already know. Hopefully I'll pick up some new stuff. The teacher is nice, she is also the mother of all boys, so thus the only woman in a house full of boys. We bonded. The class is mostly young men, all athletes. I felt A) FAT and out of shape and B) OLD:) I got over it though. I'm a work in progress, baby! Come see me this time next year!
I'm doing well. Eating is good. Still struggle with the night time some days, but not most. About 2 times a week. I'm sleeping better. Exercise is spotty, at best. I attack with fervor some days, and can't be bothered others. Oh well, I would say I do get exercise most days.
I've been sticking to a calorie level of about 1400 a day. Sometimes higher, usually a little lower. Fat is at around 20 percent. I'm eating a lot of plain yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh fruits and veggies (green smoothies), and dinner is the usual lean protein and some sort of veggie. Last night I made a crockpot full of black beans, served with brown rice. My kids don't even know what white bread and rice is. And that's just the way I like it:) Well, the older one knows about the yukky stuff now that he's in school. Thank you, school district!
My older boy just started first grade yesterday. I didn't get emotional this year like I did the last two years for kindergarten and preschool. I was a wreck for preschool. We walked there, and I bawled the whole way back. Then kindergarten was a little better, just sniffly. But this year, no tears, no eyes welling up. He came back in a great mood and excited. He said his teacher is 'super nice'. I'm enjoying the freedom, even though my 2 yr old is still home. It's much quieter around here.
I'm back in school too. Yoga's great, I think that Friday morning is a perfect time for relaxing yoga stretching. I get to it before my day even starts. Nutrition was good, a little easy. Since I'm so diet-conscious to begin with, I didn't learn much about reading food labels that I didn't already know. Hopefully I'll pick up some new stuff. The teacher is nice, she is also the mother of all boys, so thus the only woman in a house full of boys. We bonded. The class is mostly young men, all athletes. I felt A) FAT and out of shape and B) OLD:) I got over it though. I'm a work in progress, baby! Come see me this time next year!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Fell off
Well, I fell off the wagon and gained two pounds back. But I'm back now and my resolve is renewed. I was feeling very frustrated and defeated last night and indulged myself by complaining to DH. He was so supportive and helpful. It was sweet. You see, my mother is morbidly obese, can't even walk anymore, and she's only 51. So of course I've got that in the back of my head constantly. Now I have my sister's wedding mid-September, and I just know I'm going to be the biggest one there, and there will be comments behind my back. Something along the lines of, "She's going to end up just like her mother..." or something like that. I just seem to have a harder time than others losing weight. Most people just 'cut back' a little on the food and start exercising and boom-- weight loss. I think my thyroid problem is part of the problem, and I don't sleep well, which is linked to obesity. It causes the brain to secrete more of a hormone that causes us to feel hungry and store fat. I don't remember the exact name of the hormone.
So I'm back on the strict CRON-o-meter monitoring and I've decided to shake up my workouts again. The treadmill walking is drowning me in monotony. Seriously, if I have to get on there and just walk at my same old pace (which is pretty fast, 4 mph), and listen to my same old workout playlist, I'm going to scream. I just can't do it 6 days a week anymore. It's killing me!!! So, that being said, I'm trying some weight training 3 days a week. I've found some routines online, and I'll lift the most weight I can lift for one set, and we'll see if that helps. I need to be challenged. Luckily, DH has all the equipment I need. We have a bench, some barbells, and lots of dumbbells. Should be enough to train with.
We're still enjoying our CSA produce. I'm loving figuring out things to make out of what we get. We also had a little surprise with last week's haul. A yellow watermelon! I've never seen that before. It looked the same on the outside, but inside was a bright canary yellow. It was so shocking to cut it open and see the two halves fall open and then you have this gorgeous yellow color. The kids were skeptical, but loved it. My older one even said it was better than the red kind.
Well, that's all for my confession and whine-fest. Hope all are doing better than me recently:)
So I'm back on the strict CRON-o-meter monitoring and I've decided to shake up my workouts again. The treadmill walking is drowning me in monotony. Seriously, if I have to get on there and just walk at my same old pace (which is pretty fast, 4 mph), and listen to my same old workout playlist, I'm going to scream. I just can't do it 6 days a week anymore. It's killing me!!! So, that being said, I'm trying some weight training 3 days a week. I've found some routines online, and I'll lift the most weight I can lift for one set, and we'll see if that helps. I need to be challenged. Luckily, DH has all the equipment I need. We have a bench, some barbells, and lots of dumbbells. Should be enough to train with.
We're still enjoying our CSA produce. I'm loving figuring out things to make out of what we get. We also had a little surprise with last week's haul. A yellow watermelon! I've never seen that before. It looked the same on the outside, but inside was a bright canary yellow. It was so shocking to cut it open and see the two halves fall open and then you have this gorgeous yellow color. The kids were skeptical, but loved it. My older one even said it was better than the red kind.
Well, that's all for my confession and whine-fest. Hope all are doing better than me recently:)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Down another pound!
Yay! I'm down another pound! I'm not sure of my total, but I think it's around 7 pounds lost since we got back from Florida (where I gained a few). I'm still just eating dinner and a few snacks. I've struggled with the late night snacking a few nights this week, but I'm moving on. It's a learning curve, right? I'm down to just a handful of times a month of midnight snacking, so I'm definitely catching on.
I've been doing my walking. Which, I must say, is really boring to me right now. I've tried downloading some new music but that didn't work to rejuvenate me. But at least I'm doing it. Even if it is mindless. I'm walking fast enough, but maybe I'll try adding some incline intervals soon.
I've been cooking a lot of casseroles lately, and making two at once so I have one to freeze for later. I've done a few mexican ones (burrito casserole, enchiladas) and some unrolled cabbage rolls that are so easy, way easier than rolling and cooking the individual rolls.
I've made a new workout top. It came out 'okay'. Not the greatest thing I've ever made, but good enough to sweat in and wreck. And it's a nice wicking material so my sweat will be 'wicked away'.
Farm pickup is today. I can't wait. We're really seeing the bounty of the harvest paying off. I counted 11 items in today's pickup. They send a newsletter out each Monday morning telling us what's in the pickup and what's coming up soon. I've been making so many fresh veggie salads and side dishes. I made a carrot and beet salad with a lime vinegarette (sp?), and a maize pudding, and some baked eggplant sandwiches. The sandwiches were delicious. They had eggplant 'bread' and provolone for the middle, breaded and baked. Mmmmmm. The pudding is cooking right now. We'll see how that comes out. It's crazy that I have my oven on when it's supposed to be the hottest day of summer here in NY. It's supposed to get to 90. Oh well, we can always hang out downstairs where it's cooler.
Here's to summer and good eatin'!!!
I've been doing my walking. Which, I must say, is really boring to me right now. I've tried downloading some new music but that didn't work to rejuvenate me. But at least I'm doing it. Even if it is mindless. I'm walking fast enough, but maybe I'll try adding some incline intervals soon.
I've been cooking a lot of casseroles lately, and making two at once so I have one to freeze for later. I've done a few mexican ones (burrito casserole, enchiladas) and some unrolled cabbage rolls that are so easy, way easier than rolling and cooking the individual rolls.
I've made a new workout top. It came out 'okay'. Not the greatest thing I've ever made, but good enough to sweat in and wreck. And it's a nice wicking material so my sweat will be 'wicked away'.
Farm pickup is today. I can't wait. We're really seeing the bounty of the harvest paying off. I counted 11 items in today's pickup. They send a newsletter out each Monday morning telling us what's in the pickup and what's coming up soon. I've been making so many fresh veggie salads and side dishes. I made a carrot and beet salad with a lime vinegarette (sp?), and a maize pudding, and some baked eggplant sandwiches. The sandwiches were delicious. They had eggplant 'bread' and provolone for the middle, breaded and baked. Mmmmmm. The pudding is cooking right now. We'll see how that comes out. It's crazy that I have my oven on when it's supposed to be the hottest day of summer here in NY. It's supposed to get to 90. Oh well, we can always hang out downstairs where it's cooler.
Here's to summer and good eatin'!!!
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