236. Yes! I have finally started to get some results other than maintaining the weight I was. I really can tell the difference. My clothes really do fit much looser. I’ve said this before but this morning I really believed it. I told L how I know she has been a big help and influence for me. She is always telling me that it will happen I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and maybe a little more. We talked about the fact that I’d stopped eating cottage cheese and chocolate milk. That may not have had anything to do with the weight loss but we agreed it could definitely have been a factor. So for now I’m going to forgo both in favor of losing weight and experimenting to see if that is a factor. It’s funny I keep adjusting my food habits and it seems that almost every time I do it makes a bit of a difference. This stuff makes the long term more enticing. I like cottage cheese too much to completely cut it out but I guess it needs to be in moderation. Hmm imagine that, moderation. My new watch word. Okay here’s the list for today:
Breakfast: Apple Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.
After work out meal: Was going to a friends wedding reception so we stopped on the way and ate out. I had a burger with an onion ring and barbecue sauce on it and tater tots. I also had a beer. I didn’t eat all of the tots but still ate more than I should have, probably. Again as I’ve said in the past, out with friends you just can’t expect to be super conservative in your food choices. So you compromise and plan for the future.
Next meal: When we got to the reception it turned out there was food and not just finger food. So I was very conservative for this meal. I actually only had the following: one dinner roll size sandwich, a couple of small rice balls, two satay’s, a small veggie wrap with a thin wrap. I had an alcohol drink that had orange juice in it. That was pretty much it, there may have been another one or two selections from the above list but overall I didn’t really eat much at all. Frankly I was still very full from the earlier lunch.
After I got back I hung out with my friends and we watched a movie. After a couple of hours later we were hungry. So I had a roast beef sandwich with cheese and a tomato from their garden. Also a Mikes Harder Limeade. More alcohol.
Had a great workout with L. We again talked about my workouts and I’m going to adjust them again starting next month. I’m going back to more weights but still get in the cardio that I need to keep the weight coming off. I think I need to start working on tightening up the muscles. As L has pointed out I need to keep changing up my workouts so I don’t slow down the process. When your body gets used to a certain workout it starts to get lazy and not demand as much energy as it should to make you lose weight. I don’t want to fall into that trap.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Day 245 & 246
Due to the cold I caught I will again combine a couple of days to catch up. I'm quite happy these days with how the project is going. It seems like I have a bit more energy and my clothes are definitely fitting much looser. Ha knock on wood. Okay here's the rundown:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 is trying to sneak in there
Breakfast both days: Day 245 was a breakfast burrito. I had a low carb/high fiber wrap from last weeks lunch and I combined that with some ham and bacon. I also had my usual egg, tomato, and avocado. Day 246 was my usual skinny bun with ham, tomato, and avocado. Both days was a banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds both days
Lunch: Pasta bake with spinach and sauteed mushrooms both days
2nd break: Fiber One bar on day 245 and an apple on day 246
Dinner: Pasta bake and still hungry so had a 100cal bag of popcorn with a new popcorn seasoning sprinkle. That day 245. Day 246 was a bit different as I had planned on eating out but ended up not connecting with my dinner partners so came home and ate. I had a shrimp sandwich made with whole wheat low carb bread, breaded shrimps from TJ's that are reduced calorie, tomato, avocado, and onion rings from TJ's. I also had two beers.
Day 245 went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. I'm really starting to feel like my body is accepting the exercise much more than in the past. By that I mean it's easier to actually push myself without feeling like I'm over doing it. A very awesome feeling for sure.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 is trying to sneak in there
Breakfast both days: Day 245 was a breakfast burrito. I had a low carb/high fiber wrap from last weeks lunch and I combined that with some ham and bacon. I also had my usual egg, tomato, and avocado. Day 246 was my usual skinny bun with ham, tomato, and avocado. Both days was a banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds both days
Lunch: Pasta bake with spinach and sauteed mushrooms both days
2nd break: Fiber One bar on day 245 and an apple on day 246
Dinner: Pasta bake and still hungry so had a 100cal bag of popcorn with a new popcorn seasoning sprinkle. That day 245. Day 246 was a bit different as I had planned on eating out but ended up not connecting with my dinner partners so came home and ate. I had a shrimp sandwich made with whole wheat low carb bread, breaded shrimps from TJ's that are reduced calorie, tomato, avocado, and onion rings from TJ's. I also had two beers.
Day 245 went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. I'm really starting to feel like my body is accepting the exercise much more than in the past. By that I mean it's easier to actually push myself without feeling like I'm over doing it. A very awesome feeling for sure.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Day 244
Still in cold mode. It sucks. I have continued to get up late in the morning and thus forgoing my morning workout. At the same time I'm skipping the first snack I have been eating lately due to eating breakfast almost an hour later than normal. I wonder how the change in eating schedule affects my metabolism? Ah well I'll find out on weigh in day and it's just around the corner. Here's what I ate today:
Belt loop Watch: 4 still
Breakfast: Again with the bacon, egg, tomato, avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Pasta bake with spinach and sauteed mushrooms.
Dinner: Small bowl of the pasta bake with spinach and some cantaloupe and a peach.
Went to the gym after work and did some weight lifting. I did the routine that L showed me a couple of weeks ago and in between lifting I did body weight squats and lunges. Again that really seemed to intensify the workout. It felt good.
Belt loop Watch: 4 still
Breakfast: Again with the bacon, egg, tomato, avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Pasta bake with spinach and sauteed mushrooms.
Dinner: Small bowl of the pasta bake with spinach and some cantaloupe and a peach.
Went to the gym after work and did some weight lifting. I did the routine that L showed me a couple of weeks ago and in between lifting I did body weight squats and lunges. Again that really seemed to intensify the workout. It felt good.
Day 243
Again a quickie to continue catching up due to the cold slowing me down. The cold is in full swing so really off my game. I slept in and did not do the morning routine I have done for the last couple of years. I plan on still going to the gym after work but that's it. And away we go:
Belt loop Watch: still 4
Breakfast: Bacon, egg, tomato, and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Spinach salad with steak strips, tomato, cucumber, and cauliflower.
Dinner: Three pieces of fried chicken. Thigh, drumstick, and a wing. I had planned on only eating the chicken but after eating the chicken I realized I was still hungry and so ended up eating a large serving of the pasta that was supposed to be for lunch.
Funny even though I was sick with the cold I still had an appetite. To the point of feeling like I was really hungry even after eating a meal. Now if you notice I only had on snack today. I skipped the early morning snack due to getting up later than normal. The afternoon snack was skipped because I really felt like I had nothing available, forgetting about the Fiber One bars I had. I did go to the gym after work and did the cardio workout again. So I probably set myself up by not eating earlier in the day. Live and learn.
Belt loop Watch: still 4
Breakfast: Bacon, egg, tomato, and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Spinach salad with steak strips, tomato, cucumber, and cauliflower.
Dinner: Three pieces of fried chicken. Thigh, drumstick, and a wing. I had planned on only eating the chicken but after eating the chicken I realized I was still hungry and so ended up eating a large serving of the pasta that was supposed to be for lunch.
Funny even though I was sick with the cold I still had an appetite. To the point of feeling like I was really hungry even after eating a meal. Now if you notice I only had on snack today. I skipped the early morning snack due to getting up later than normal. The afternoon snack was skipped because I really felt like I had nothing available, forgetting about the Fiber One bars I had. I did go to the gym after work and did the cardio workout again. So I probably set myself up by not eating earlier in the day. Live and learn.
Day 242
Just a quickie to catch up. I've tried to keep up on everything while fighting a cold but I will be curious when I step on the scale this weekend. Here's what happened today:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but closer to 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Made a pasta bake dish for this week's lunches. It consists of ground turkey, sauteed red pepper, and cauliflower along with some beet mixed with sauce from a bottle from TJ's and pasta. Then I covered it in mozzarella cheese and some Panko breadcrumbs. Had a good sized portion of the mixture.
2nd snack: Aussie Bite my last one and I'm eliminating them from my food list for a while.
Dinner: Cereal bowl size serving of the pasta and a whole chicken breast fried chicken style and veggies.
As I said I was coming down with a cold but I still went to the gym and did the cardio workout. This week was to start the full 50min workout but due to the cold I kept it at the 46min routine. I also didn't get up as early in the morning as I normally do so didn't do my morning routine.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but closer to 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Made a pasta bake dish for this week's lunches. It consists of ground turkey, sauteed red pepper, and cauliflower along with some beet mixed with sauce from a bottle from TJ's and pasta. Then I covered it in mozzarella cheese and some Panko breadcrumbs. Had a good sized portion of the mixture.
2nd snack: Aussie Bite my last one and I'm eliminating them from my food list for a while.
Dinner: Cereal bowl size serving of the pasta and a whole chicken breast fried chicken style and veggies.
As I said I was coming down with a cold but I still went to the gym and did the cardio workout. This week was to start the full 50min workout but due to the cold I kept it at the 46min routine. I also didn't get up as early in the morning as I normally do so didn't do my morning routine.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sick
Started to feel a scratchy throat Sunday night and sure enough Monday morning I was coming down with a cold. I still tried to keep up the eating plan and I did go to the gym and did the cardio I do most days. I came home and was getting quite the headache so ended up taking something for it and lathering on a cooling gel to try and help. So I'm taking a few days off from this blog. I'll be back when I'm feeling better and not having to blow my nose every 5 minutes. Interestingly enough I still seem to have an appetite so no losing weight cause I feel bad. Damn.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Day 241
Got another surprise today. Yesterday it was the 238lbs I weighed at weigh in and today it was another positive sign of weight loss. I decided that I needed a new pair of jeans as my regular pair have now gotten too big for me (yippee). So I went to the store and decided to grab a 44 waist and a 46 waist. I currently wear a 46 but I thought I'd give a 44 try. Well to my surprise the 44's fit just fine. They weren't loose but they weren't tight either, they fit perfectly. Quite the shock frankly. I guess I should expect something like that as I know I'm losing weight but it was still a very pleasant surprise! Now, more incentive for me to continue to eat right and work out. Speaking of which I did go to the gym today and ramped up the cardio to the 50min mark. Doing 10 minutes on the stair stepper instead of 6min. Tomorrow I will do 6 again as I try to break my body in slowly and not end up injuring myself. I will alternate this routine for the next two weeks and then go for the full time limit. Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt and 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: A baguette sandwich with fried chicken breast, bacon, avocado, and tomato. I then finished off the chicken breast. I ate all the skin and everything as I was craving fried chicken all week. I also had a leg and a wing. Then I was done. I will use the chicken for meals the rest of the week.
Mid afternoon meal?: I didn't really eat a meal so much as grazed for an hour or so. I was making food for lunches and was sampling as I went along. In addition I had a chicken thigh, fried of course. I also had a beer. At this point I'm thinking I may have another piece of chicken but I am pretty much done for the day as far as eating. If I don't have the chicken then I may have a bag of popcorn. Otherwise I'm good to go.
Breakfast: Greek yogurt and 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: A baguette sandwich with fried chicken breast, bacon, avocado, and tomato. I then finished off the chicken breast. I ate all the skin and everything as I was craving fried chicken all week. I also had a leg and a wing. Then I was done. I will use the chicken for meals the rest of the week.
Mid afternoon meal?: I didn't really eat a meal so much as grazed for an hour or so. I was making food for lunches and was sampling as I went along. In addition I had a chicken thigh, fried of course. I also had a beer. At this point I'm thinking I may have another piece of chicken but I am pretty much done for the day as far as eating. If I don't have the chicken then I may have a bag of popcorn. Otherwise I'm good to go.
Day 240
238. Yes that's right, I lost weight this week. It feels good to finally see that I can weigh less than 240lbs. I did it with a lot of help from Lorinda my trainer. She gives me direction and encouragement. As I go thru the week in between our visits I always have in the back of my mind, "What would L think of this or that?". There is also a voice that's not as loud but still there, asking me if I really need to eat that or telling me that it's time to go to the gym. I've now learned to listen to both. Here's how my day went:
Belt loop Watch: Funny I wore a pair of pants that used to be my motivational pants and the belt that went with them. The pants were definitely big on me and I needed a belt. The belt could be pulled a good inch and a half past the last usable loop. They did hold up my pants but I felt like the kids that wear the really big and loose jeans. I don't think I will be wearing those pants anymore. Ha that's very funny when you think about it. I won't be wearing these pants because they don't fit me. It's not that they are too small but too big. Wow that was fun to write.
Breakfast: A Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.
After work out meal: A hamburger on whole wheat bread with an egg, avocado, tomato, spinach, and sweet potato fries from TJ's. To drink I had a Honest Peach White Tea.
Dinner: Got together with friends for our weekly game. This time though we had a hot dog feast waiting for us. The dogs were foot long dogs with buns to match. All the usual condiments including sauerkraut. I brought some veggies and fruit that I planned on BBQing. It was an interesting experiment. They turned out okay but probably could have been cooked longer to get the full effect. So I had two dogs and some pineapple, beet, cauliflower, cookies, a Fiber One bar, and some other fruit.
Belt loop Watch: Funny I wore a pair of pants that used to be my motivational pants and the belt that went with them. The pants were definitely big on me and I needed a belt. The belt could be pulled a good inch and a half past the last usable loop. They did hold up my pants but I felt like the kids that wear the really big and loose jeans. I don't think I will be wearing those pants anymore. Ha that's very funny when you think about it. I won't be wearing these pants because they don't fit me. It's not that they are too small but too big. Wow that was fun to write.
Breakfast: A Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.
After work out meal: A hamburger on whole wheat bread with an egg, avocado, tomato, spinach, and sweet potato fries from TJ's. To drink I had a Honest Peach White Tea.
Dinner: Got together with friends for our weekly game. This time though we had a hot dog feast waiting for us. The dogs were foot long dogs with buns to match. All the usual condiments including sauerkraut. I brought some veggies and fruit that I planned on BBQing. It was an interesting experiment. They turned out okay but probably could have been cooked longer to get the full effect. So I had two dogs and some pineapple, beet, cauliflower, cookies, a Fiber One bar, and some other fruit.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Day 239
My inner thighs and glutes are reminding me of the squats and lunges I did on day 237, ouch. Other wise things continue to look up. I noticed again something that made me smile. I used to walk up the stairs to get my mail and a few years ago I noticed I would be breathing a bit heavier than normal. Just from walking up, oh maybe 10-12 stairs. I remember thinking, " How sad ". Tonight though I did the same walk and realized I didn't even notice my breathing. As I said it made me smile. Even if I'm not losing weight, I'm still doing my body good. Another thought to keep in mind when I weigh myself and I've not lost any actual weight. Of that we'll find out tomorrow. Here's what I ate today:
Belt loop Watch: still 4 but constantly getting closer to 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a single slice of whole wheat bread with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with steak strips, broccoli slaw, tomato, cheese, spinach, and salsa. Also a Peach tea.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite and a green tea.
Dinner: A mix of chicken sausage, onion rings, breaded shrimp, and chinese dumplings with two beers.
I went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. My legs and butt are still sore but it felt good to work them on the machines. I'm expecting tomorrow with L we will again do upper body. I look forward to the meeting.
Belt loop Watch: still 4 but constantly getting closer to 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a single slice of whole wheat bread with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with steak strips, broccoli slaw, tomato, cheese, spinach, and salsa. Also a Peach tea.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite and a green tea.
Dinner: A mix of chicken sausage, onion rings, breaded shrimp, and chinese dumplings with two beers.
I went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. My legs and butt are still sore but it felt good to work them on the machines. I'm expecting tomorrow with L we will again do upper body. I look forward to the meeting.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Day 238
Dare I hope I'm losing weight? It seems that way. I've been fooled before though so I'm not holding my breath. My clothes are looser fitting and I feel good, other than my glutes and inner thighs being somewhat painful due to my workout yesterday. The squats and lunges really did a number on me. Today at the gym when I went to put on my shoes I could barely bend over. I had to laugh though as I did it to myself. I remember yesterday when I started the workout thinking it was a good idea to do the whole body thing. Yes it was but wow does it hurt. My arms are a bit sore but nothing compared to the lower body. So heading into the day before weigh in day and I've got my fingers crossed. No plans at this point to overindulge. I'm planning on taking my gym stuff as I'm quite sure I will go to the gym after work. We'll see. Here's what I ate today:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 keeps taunting me.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Didn't have a snack at this time due to eating breakfast later than usual
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A small serving of quinoa with broccoli slaw, cheese, steak strips, and salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa salad with spinach, chicken sausage, cauliflower, and tomato with low cal dressing. That satisfied me.
Today I tried to eat less and I succeeded for the most part. I'll continue this experiment for the next few weeks as it seems to be working. I'm noticing some cravings and I'm going to have to address those in the coming weeks also. I've got a plan for my first craving and that is fried chicken. So we'll see how the plan works out.
Went to the gym after work and did cardio. Next week I'm planning on increasing my time to a total of 50min. That was the original time frame but I ended up tailoring it back a bit and easing into the full time. I think my body can handle the extra time now but I'll probably do a bit of up and down for the next few weeks before committing completely to the program.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 keeps taunting me.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Didn't have a snack at this time due to eating breakfast later than usual
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A small serving of quinoa with broccoli slaw, cheese, steak strips, and salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa salad with spinach, chicken sausage, cauliflower, and tomato with low cal dressing. That satisfied me.
Today I tried to eat less and I succeeded for the most part. I'll continue this experiment for the next few weeks as it seems to be working. I'm noticing some cravings and I'm going to have to address those in the coming weeks also. I've got a plan for my first craving and that is fried chicken. So we'll see how the plan works out.
Went to the gym after work and did cardio. Next week I'm planning on increasing my time to a total of 50min. That was the original time frame but I ended up tailoring it back a bit and easing into the full time. I think my body can handle the extra time now but I'll probably do a bit of up and down for the next few weeks before committing completely to the program.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Day 237
Today my clothes fit very well. I wore a shirt that was an XL and hadn't fit for ten years. I was quite pleased to see myself in the mirror. On top of that I once again flirted with belt loop number 5. As weigh in day gets closer I'm trying not to get to excited but I can't help it. Here's the food list for the day:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 is just around the waist.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: I was distracted in the morning and completely forgot to eat the Larabar I'd brought for this snack, so didn't eat anything until,
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds. This was when I discovered I hadn't eaten the Larabar as it was sitting on the counter in the break room at work. Made me laugh as I really didn't notice I'd forgotten.
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with quinoa, tomato, steak strips, broccoli slaw, and avocado with mozzarella cheese. A mini muffin pumpkin flavor.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with cauliflower, quinoa mixed with chicken sausage and broccoli, tomato, and low fat dressing. I was still feeling hungry so I had a 100cal bag of popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon and a quarter bar of dark chocolate.
I lifted weights at the gym after work. I will be trying to incorporate that into the routine per the conversation I had with L. Felt fine and I did body weight squats and lunges in between the lifting sets. I noticed that my legs were a bit wobbly walking to my car afterwards. That was cool as it meant I'd gotten in a leg workout in addition to the upper body workout. I did that all in a hour so still hitting my schedule for working out. Even though I did the squats and lunges I still gave my lower body a break from the cardio. I think that's important so that's the main reason for the weight lifting. I will do that in the middle of the week to break up the cardio.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but 5 is just around the waist.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: I was distracted in the morning and completely forgot to eat the Larabar I'd brought for this snack, so didn't eat anything until,
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds. This was when I discovered I hadn't eaten the Larabar as it was sitting on the counter in the break room at work. Made me laugh as I really didn't notice I'd forgotten.
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with quinoa, tomato, steak strips, broccoli slaw, and avocado with mozzarella cheese. A mini muffin pumpkin flavor.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with cauliflower, quinoa mixed with chicken sausage and broccoli, tomato, and low fat dressing. I was still feeling hungry so I had a 100cal bag of popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon and a quarter bar of dark chocolate.
I lifted weights at the gym after work. I will be trying to incorporate that into the routine per the conversation I had with L. Felt fine and I did body weight squats and lunges in between the lifting sets. I noticed that my legs were a bit wobbly walking to my car afterwards. That was cool as it meant I'd gotten in a leg workout in addition to the upper body workout. I did that all in a hour so still hitting my schedule for working out. Even though I did the squats and lunges I still gave my lower body a break from the cardio. I think that's important so that's the main reason for the weight lifting. I will do that in the middle of the week to break up the cardio.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Day 236
It was eat less day here at the weight loss ranch. I was able to not pork out at lunch and I was still fine when it came to feeling hungry. Granted I'm pretty sure I didn't cut out all of the calories I wanted to but still did cut back. My clothes are feeling looser and I was able to find another shirt from 10 years ago that fit me again. I'll be wearing it tomorrow.
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with avocado and tomato on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Skipped it as I ate breakfast much later than I normally do.
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A cereal bowl of quinoa with sausage, steak strips, and cheese.
3rd snack: Two cookies and a mini muffin of which later on I avoided eating anymore of
Dinner: A small bowl of quinoa mixed with spinach, cauliflower, and low fat dressing. An Aussie Bite.
Went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. Still holding back but I think by the end of the week I'll be hitting the mark I've set. Tomorrow I'm going to do a weight lifting routine as I think it's time to incorporate that into the program. L agrees with that assessment. Depending on life I may go to the gym on Friday but not sure yet. We'll see.
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with avocado and tomato on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Skipped it as I ate breakfast much later than I normally do.
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A cereal bowl of quinoa with sausage, steak strips, and cheese.
3rd snack: Two cookies and a mini muffin of which later on I avoided eating anymore of
Dinner: A small bowl of quinoa mixed with spinach, cauliflower, and low fat dressing. An Aussie Bite.
Went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout. Still holding back but I think by the end of the week I'll be hitting the mark I've set. Tomorrow I'm going to do a weight lifting routine as I think it's time to incorporate that into the program. L agrees with that assessment. Depending on life I may go to the gym on Friday but not sure yet. We'll see.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Day 235
Woke up with a stiff neck that has plagued me all weekend. I'll be going to the chiropractor after work so I will skip the gym this time. Otherwise I felt good and my clothes once again seemed to fit rather well. I wore a shirt that I used to wear 10 years ago but had gotten too small. It was quite encouraging. I'm going to try on some of the others from that time period later tonight and see if they fit. Here's what I ate today to help that happen:
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with avocado and tomato on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with steak strips, broccoli slaw, quinoa, tomato, and cucumber sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. Covered it in no salt salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with cauliflower, quinoa mixed with broccoli and onion and chicken sausage, tomato and low fat dressing. I also had a quarter bar of chocolate and a 100cal bag of popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon.
Before dinner I tried on some old shirts that used to fit 10 years ago. Most of them were close but not close enough. However I did find one shirt that did fit and it was a bit of a surprise as it was sized XL. I currently wear 2XL so that was very cool. I am going to be able soon to wear the others it's just a matter of time and effort.
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with avocado and tomato on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb/high fiber wrap with steak strips, broccoli slaw, quinoa, tomato, and cucumber sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. Covered it in no salt salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with cauliflower, quinoa mixed with broccoli and onion and chicken sausage, tomato and low fat dressing. I also had a quarter bar of chocolate and a 100cal bag of popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon.
Before dinner I tried on some old shirts that used to fit 10 years ago. Most of them were close but not close enough. However I did find one shirt that did fit and it was a bit of a surprise as it was sized XL. I currently wear 2XL so that was very cool. I am going to be able soon to wear the others it's just a matter of time and effort.
Day 234
The day after the game get together and I'm feeling okay. I was wondering how I'd feel after eating all of the cookies last nite. Got in a bike ride. I haven't been on a bike ride for a couple of weeks so it was fun to remind myself of that.
Breakfast: Low carb/high fiber wrap with an egg, spinach, broccoli slaw stir fried. Added some tomato and avocado. Filling but not very tasty, oh well.
After the bike ride meal: Whole wheat sandwich with tomato, avocado, egg, roast beef, and cheese. Cheetos and a Honest Tea lemonade.
Dinner: A large baked potato with mozzarella cheese and salsa. A soup with low sodium chicken broth mixed with some mini wontons, cauliflower, broccoli, beet, and some steak strips.
While I prepared the food for lunch for coming the week I had a beer. This week will be the wraps again but this time I've added some cheese to the mix. I made quinoa with onion and chicken sausage. I stir fried broccoli and added that after the quinoa was cooked. I'm going to add avocado and cucumber. These wraps will be for all week. Except on Tues and Thurs when I will eat a smaller lunch per the new direction. I seem to have gotten a stiff neck this weekend. I'm not sure what I did but I will probably attempt to go to the chiropractor on Monday. So I won't be working out as usual. Depending on how I feel at the end of the week maybe I'll break my rule and go to the gym Fri nite.
Breakfast: Low carb/high fiber wrap with an egg, spinach, broccoli slaw stir fried. Added some tomato and avocado. Filling but not very tasty, oh well.
After the bike ride meal: Whole wheat sandwich with tomato, avocado, egg, roast beef, and cheese. Cheetos and a Honest Tea lemonade.
Dinner: A large baked potato with mozzarella cheese and salsa. A soup with low sodium chicken broth mixed with some mini wontons, cauliflower, broccoli, beet, and some steak strips.
While I prepared the food for lunch for coming the week I had a beer. This week will be the wraps again but this time I've added some cheese to the mix. I made quinoa with onion and chicken sausage. I stir fried broccoli and added that after the quinoa was cooked. I'm going to add avocado and cucumber. These wraps will be for all week. Except on Tues and Thurs when I will eat a smaller lunch per the new direction. I seem to have gotten a stiff neck this weekend. I'm not sure what I did but I will probably attempt to go to the chiropractor on Monday. So I won't be working out as usual. Depending on how I feel at the end of the week maybe I'll break my rule and go to the gym Fri nite.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Day 233
240. Again not the number I was hoping for but at the same time it's a good number. The overall big picture is that number is 64lbs less than when I started. Granted I lost 50 of that 4-5 years ago and then gained back 35-40 of it before starting on the current path. I'm continuing to try new things to help the weight loss and that includes more exercise and eating differently. Not going to stop eat entirely but make some small changes that include moderation. As I've said before food is every where, be it in front of you watching TV or in conversations around you. You can't avoid it so let's embrace it but on our terms. I'm in control (well most of the time) and that's how it works. I keep pushing myself for quality over quantity these days. Not like the old days where to try and satisfy the stomach and the brain I'd eat two or three servings of whatever was in front of me. Did it satisfy me? NO it didn't. I was just stuffed and felt bad twenty minutes later and I continued to feel bad for the next few hours. It took forever to learn that lesson but now I know. I still slip up on occasion but those occasions are fewer and far between now. As L and I have talked about, you can't deprive yourself for a couple of reasons. One is it just doesn't work, as soon you'll find yourself knee deep in whatever you've deprived yourself of and secondly that's not living. You have to find a balance that allows you to be healthy yet live life on your terms. As I tend to say "Life's a bitch and then you die". So you might as well try to extend your time as long as possible and by eating healthy that's one way of doing it.
Wow went a bit off there. Now I just have to practice what I'm preaching, huh.
Breakfast: 1/4 cup of oatmeal with cinnamon and lemon curd. 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Low carb/high fiber wrap with quinoa, egg, spinach, and avocado. Chocolate milk.
Mid day snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
Late afternoon meal: The two street tacos from last nite's meal. Along with some quinoa and roasted veggies. This was before the weekly get together so am hoping it will keep me from going crazy.
Game get together: Okay here we go. Someone brought cookies and as we know cookies are my kryptonite. I thing I did okay though as I only had about six of them. Yes that's a lot but still moderation for me. There were other cookies there also and these were the animal cracker type with frosting on them and in all I had about 10-12 of those. This was spread out over a seven hour period. During that time I also had a Greek yogurt, a Fiber One bar, some plums, and grapes. There were veggies there also and I had some broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots. Also had some flavored rice cake snack chips.
I have to bring more good stuff to combat the bad stuff others bring. I also think that moving the cookies and crackers away from in front of me would help too. It's always a learning experience that will hopefully help next time a situation comes up. I'm living my life and if it was perfect than I'm quite sure it would be very boring. Ha.
Wow went a bit off there. Now I just have to practice what I'm preaching, huh.
Breakfast: 1/4 cup of oatmeal with cinnamon and lemon curd. 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Low carb/high fiber wrap with quinoa, egg, spinach, and avocado. Chocolate milk.
Mid day snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
Late afternoon meal: The two street tacos from last nite's meal. Along with some quinoa and roasted veggies. This was before the weekly get together so am hoping it will keep me from going crazy.
Game get together: Okay here we go. Someone brought cookies and as we know cookies are my kryptonite. I thing I did okay though as I only had about six of them. Yes that's a lot but still moderation for me. There were other cookies there also and these were the animal cracker type with frosting on them and in all I had about 10-12 of those. This was spread out over a seven hour period. During that time I also had a Greek yogurt, a Fiber One bar, some plums, and grapes. There were veggies there also and I had some broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots. Also had some flavored rice cake snack chips.
I have to bring more good stuff to combat the bad stuff others bring. I also think that moving the cookies and crackers away from in front of me would help too. It's always a learning experience that will hopefully help next time a situation comes up. I'm living my life and if it was perfect than I'm quite sure it would be very boring. Ha.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Day 232
Once again day before weigh in and I'm quite stoked for the actual numbers. I think it will be a number I'm looking for and not a repeat of the same numbers from the last few weeks. This week I have changed a few things, like cutting back on the amount of food I eat for one meal and increasing the time and intensity spent on cardio. Today though was a bit of a challenge. I was subjected to a massive amount of Thai and I succumbed to the siren call. It was a conscious decision though so no one to blame really but myself. Still I'm considering today as a cheat day and we know I gotta have one of those once a week or else.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but again seeing the possibility of the number 5
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: two mini scones from the local grocery store
Lunch: Here's where it gets sticky. Two plates of Thai food. First plate was loaded with chicken Pad Thai, yellow curry w/rice and chicken, floppy noodles with beef. Second plate was a repeat of the same but a smaller portion. After that I had a blue berry mini muffin made gluten free. Also a piece of pumpkin bread.
3rd snack: A small size plate of Thai food. Pad Thai and yellow curry. Another piece of pumpkin bread. It was one of those days. I also had a green tea with lemon.
Dinner: Got together with a friend and went to a Mexican restaurant. I avoided the chips and salsa that came as we sat down but I ordered a margarita. The drink was a big one but with pomegranate juice so it was healthy...okay maybe not. I ordered a taco sampler plate that came with four different tacos, rice and beans, and guacamole and sour cream. I got a to go box and put two of the tacos away. I ate two tacos and about half of the rice and beans. I ate all of the guac and a little bit of the sour cream. The tacos were street style tacos so very basic other than a sprinkle of shredded Mexican white cheese. Afterwards at home I had a beer.
All in all not a great day but still I am going to live my life. I didn't eat everything put in front of me at dinner so that was a win. The rest of the day was what it was and that's all there is to that. This whole deal is a one day at a time type of thing and keeping that in mind is all part of the bigger picture that is my life. And I'm going to live it.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but again seeing the possibility of the number 5
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: two mini scones from the local grocery store
Lunch: Here's where it gets sticky. Two plates of Thai food. First plate was loaded with chicken Pad Thai, yellow curry w/rice and chicken, floppy noodles with beef. Second plate was a repeat of the same but a smaller portion. After that I had a blue berry mini muffin made gluten free. Also a piece of pumpkin bread.
3rd snack: A small size plate of Thai food. Pad Thai and yellow curry. Another piece of pumpkin bread. It was one of those days. I also had a green tea with lemon.
Dinner: Got together with a friend and went to a Mexican restaurant. I avoided the chips and salsa that came as we sat down but I ordered a margarita. The drink was a big one but with pomegranate juice so it was healthy...okay maybe not. I ordered a taco sampler plate that came with four different tacos, rice and beans, and guacamole and sour cream. I got a to go box and put two of the tacos away. I ate two tacos and about half of the rice and beans. I ate all of the guac and a little bit of the sour cream. The tacos were street style tacos so very basic other than a sprinkle of shredded Mexican white cheese. Afterwards at home I had a beer.
All in all not a great day but still I am going to live my life. I didn't eat everything put in front of me at dinner so that was a win. The rest of the day was what it was and that's all there is to that. This whole deal is a one day at a time type of thing and keeping that in mind is all part of the bigger picture that is my life. And I'm going to live it.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Day 231
The weekend is just around the corner and Friday is looming heavily on the horizon. At work it will be a big challenge as there is a going away lunch for a co-worker. The idea was something snacky and dessert like plus the boss is providing some type of Thai food. I'm going to eat it but have to remember one simple word, moderation. There really is no actual need to stuff my face, it's all in my head. The hard part will be the fact that the food will be staring at me and calling, "Eat Me".
Okay today was the calorie cut back day and I think I did it. Probably didn't cut back a lot but I did cut back and didn't feel hungry. Makes you think that possibly the amount of food you think you need really isn't as much as you give yourself. I continue to experiment with that issue as time goes on. Dinner can be a much smaller meal I'm sure, even when I work out in the evenings. So here's how I did it today:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but noticed the belt was cinching up a bit more than normal. Is belt loop 5 just around the waist? We'll see.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Small bowl of quinoa and roasted veggies. Four strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with quinoa and roasted veggies along with raw beet and a chicken sausage. Added some low fat dressing. An Aussie Bite. A chocolate milk.
I got off work a bit early today so along with the cardio routine I did some upper body training. I used the pull-up/dip machine combo and did a super set of exercises that L showed me. Then I hit the treadmill, stair stepper, and the recumbent bike for a 46 minute program. Combining steady movement with intervals seems to be working well as I felt fine during the exercises. Next week I will probably jack it up to 50min.
Okay today was the calorie cut back day and I think I did it. Probably didn't cut back a lot but I did cut back and didn't feel hungry. Makes you think that possibly the amount of food you think you need really isn't as much as you give yourself. I continue to experiment with that issue as time goes on. Dinner can be a much smaller meal I'm sure, even when I work out in the evenings. So here's how I did it today:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but noticed the belt was cinching up a bit more than normal. Is belt loop 5 just around the waist? We'll see.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Small bowl of quinoa and roasted veggies. Four strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with quinoa and roasted veggies along with raw beet and a chicken sausage. Added some low fat dressing. An Aussie Bite. A chocolate milk.
I got off work a bit early today so along with the cardio routine I did some upper body training. I used the pull-up/dip machine combo and did a super set of exercises that L showed me. Then I hit the treadmill, stair stepper, and the recumbent bike for a 46 minute program. Combining steady movement with intervals seems to be working well as I felt fine during the exercises. Next week I will probably jack it up to 50min.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Day 230
Here we are again. Again. Did the cardio thing today after work and it felt strong. I'm still holding back on the star stepper but by next week I expect to be hitting the 10min mark. I'm better off easing into the whole routine rather than jumping in the deep end with no thought to the consequences. Tomorrow is my calorie cut back day as I continue to experiment with my metabolism. I've decided to try this twice a week for the next month. If it works I will incorporate it into my regular routine. Alright here we go:
Belt loop Watch: 4 The other indicator I'm watching is the shirts I purchased as XL instead of 2XL. I tried one of them on and it fit. As long as I stood up. So it's close and I'm very encouraged.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Forgot the Greek yogurt so just had two handfuls of almonds
Lunch: A low carb wrap with quinoa, cucumber, avocado, and broccoli slaw. Strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with raw beet, quinoa, roasted veggies, hard boiled egg, and a chicken/spinach patty. With low cal dressing. A beer and an Aussie Bite.
Belt loop Watch: 4 The other indicator I'm watching is the shirts I purchased as XL instead of 2XL. I tried one of them on and it fit. As long as I stood up. So it's close and I'm very encouraged.
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Forgot the Greek yogurt so just had two handfuls of almonds
Lunch: A low carb wrap with quinoa, cucumber, avocado, and broccoli slaw. Strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with raw beet, quinoa, roasted veggies, hard boiled egg, and a chicken/spinach patty. With low cal dressing. A beer and an Aussie Bite.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Day 229
Today was a good day. I implemented the lowered calorie lunch and combined it with a lower calorie snack. It felt just fine to not eat as much for lunch as I was used to even though I really don't think I ate that much less. I continue to experiment with serving size and have found that the dish the food is placed in makes a huge difference. The cardio workout at the gym was fine as I continue to ease into the new routines. I only did 6min on the stair stepper instead of the projected 10min. I'm doing intervals on the stair stepper to compensate for the decreased time frame. By next week I feel I will be doing the full routine on a continuous basis. I look forward to the results of that endeavour. So here's how I hit my food goal:
Belt loop Watch: 4 but flirted a bit with 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Fiber One bar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and a small handful of almonds. About half of what I normally have.
Lunch: A small cereal bowl of roasted veggies and quinoa with a hard boiled egg. This was probably half of what I normally eat. Not 300 calories (I'm guessing) but still more than a bit less than my normal lunch.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with raw beet, roasted veggie, tomato, quinoa, and a chicken sausage. For dessert I had a quarter bar of dark chocolate from TJ's.
Belt loop Watch: 4 but flirted a bit with 5
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Fiber One bar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and a small handful of almonds. About half of what I normally have.
Lunch: A small cereal bowl of roasted veggies and quinoa with a hard boiled egg. This was probably half of what I normally eat. Not 300 calories (I'm guessing) but still more than a bit less than my normal lunch.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with raw beet, roasted veggie, tomato, quinoa, and a chicken sausage. For dessert I had a quarter bar of dark chocolate from TJ's.
Day 228
New day new purpose. Today was the first day of the new routines. In the morning instead of the lifting routine with the kettlebell I did the core workout. That's the new routine for the next month. Three days a week with core and two days with kettlebells. I also am altering my food intake a bit more. L and I talked about cutting 300 calories out of my total food a couple of times a week to try and jump start the weight loss machine. So I will be making a small lunch on Tues with that in mind. It will be interesting to see how I do. So here's what I ate today:
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb wrap with roasted veggies and quinoa with salsa. Strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with quinoa, tomato, roasted veggies, chicken/spinach patty from Costco, and raw beet with a low fat dressing. For dessert I had a kiwi fruit.
Went to the gym after work and did the cardio. I didn't do the full 50min as my foot seemed to be a bit sore. Don't know if it's from the day before when I started the extra time but I decided to cut back a bit. So I still did 16min on the treadmill but only 6min on the stair stepper. Still did 24min on the recumbent though. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and maybe ramp it up then. Probably though I will continue to ease into it. If I hurt myself again it will definitely slow down my progress. So I'm taking a slow and steady approach this time.
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roast beef sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Low carb wrap with roasted veggies and quinoa with salsa. Strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Spinach salad with quinoa, tomato, roasted veggies, chicken/spinach patty from Costco, and raw beet with a low fat dressing. For dessert I had a kiwi fruit.
Went to the gym after work and did the cardio. I didn't do the full 50min as my foot seemed to be a bit sore. Don't know if it's from the day before when I started the extra time but I decided to cut back a bit. So I still did 16min on the treadmill but only 6min on the stair stepper. Still did 24min on the recumbent though. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and maybe ramp it up then. Probably though I will continue to ease into it. If I hurt myself again it will definitely slow down my progress. So I'm taking a slow and steady approach this time.
Day 227
Went to the gym today and tried out the new cardio plan. Not bad I did 16min on the treadmill, starting out a bit slower than I had been doing before. Then went to the stair stepper for 10min and some intervals. That got me sweating like I normally do on the recumbent bike so yay for me. I finished up on the recumbent bike and I noticed that I got right up to speed without thinking about it. Normally it takes a bit of effort to get up to speed. It really felt good when I finished and felt like I'd accomplished something. It was a total of 50min and it took just about an hour ( it takes a minute or two to get the machines programed ) so I'm very happy with the timing.
No belt loop watch today.
Breakfast: Two eggs with roasted chicken on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Mexicali salad from TJ's. I added a salmon patty, cottage cheese, and a bit of tomato. A chocolate milk.
Worked on lunch for the coming week. Made some more roasted veggies. This time I focused on carrots and cauliflower only. Made quinoa again but this time not as a salad but as a side dish with sausage and broccoli in it.
I bought beer at the store and had a beer while cooking for the week. I then had a baked potato with guacamole, broccoli, and a salmon patty chopped into small pieces. I also had some Cheetos. The package was a four serving package and I dumped them out on a plate and divided them into two halves. Yes that's more than a serving but at least I didn't eat the whole package. Getting ready for the week and feeling quite good about myself.
No belt loop watch today.
Breakfast: Two eggs with roasted chicken on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Mexicali salad from TJ's. I added a salmon patty, cottage cheese, and a bit of tomato. A chocolate milk.
Worked on lunch for the coming week. Made some more roasted veggies. This time I focused on carrots and cauliflower only. Made quinoa again but this time not as a salad but as a side dish with sausage and broccoli in it.
I bought beer at the store and had a beer while cooking for the week. I then had a baked potato with guacamole, broccoli, and a salmon patty chopped into small pieces. I also had some Cheetos. The package was a four serving package and I dumped them out on a plate and divided them into two halves. Yes that's more than a serving but at least I didn't eat the whole package. Getting ready for the week and feeling quite good about myself.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Day 226
240. Not the number I was hoping for but still not a bad thing. The way I have felt all week had me fooled that I was going to see (finally) a number under 240. Ah well at least I didn't gain any weight. I do feel good though and that's also not a bad thing. Talking to L once again was encouraging as we talked about the no loss and that led to me deciding to up the cardio. I'm still limited to an hour for the workout so we talked about me not doing the warm-up I thought was necessary. I'm going straight to the treadmill and will start out slower and go for longer. My new plan is 50 minutes of cardio up from 40 minutes. I will test it out with tomorrows workout. Today though is Saturday, so I will be getting together with friends for DnD and possible trouble at the dinner table.
No belt loop watch today.
Breakfast: Normally I have a half of a cup of oatmeal but today I only did a quarter cup and about the same of cottage cheese mixed in. Of course 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Three eggs with broccoli, quinoa, roasted veggies, cottage cheese, and salsa. Half of a Snickers bar and chocolate milk.
Late afternoon meal: Quinoa and roasted veggies.
During the game: Rice cakes, Fiber One bar x2, popcorn, Greek yogurt, and watermelon.
Didn't do too badly during the game but still would like to see myself with a bit more restraint. A couple of times I reached for the bag of rice cake snacks and I caught myself mindlessly munching away.
Another thing L and I discussed was a way to shock the metabolism. She suggested that a couple of days a week (not back to back) to cut out 300 calories. The idea is to give your metabolism something to think about ( my paraphrasing). You put the calories back in the next day but it will send a message to the body and hopefully get it to kick into gear a bit more. I will try it for lunch. I thought about doing it for dinner but since that's right after my workout that might backfire. One of the reason's you tend to not lose weight ( as well as you'd think) when you restrict your calorie intake dramatically is your body thinks it's being starved so it shuts down your metabolism. Probably not exactly like that but that's my take on it from what I've been told and read up on. Most of what I've read makes an argument for feeding yourself after working out. So I will try the 300cal restriction at lunch time for a week and see if it makes a difference.
No belt loop watch today.
Breakfast: Normally I have a half of a cup of oatmeal but today I only did a quarter cup and about the same of cottage cheese mixed in. Of course 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: Three eggs with broccoli, quinoa, roasted veggies, cottage cheese, and salsa. Half of a Snickers bar and chocolate milk.
Late afternoon meal: Quinoa and roasted veggies.
During the game: Rice cakes, Fiber One bar x2, popcorn, Greek yogurt, and watermelon.
Didn't do too badly during the game but still would like to see myself with a bit more restraint. A couple of times I reached for the bag of rice cake snacks and I caught myself mindlessly munching away.
Another thing L and I discussed was a way to shock the metabolism. She suggested that a couple of days a week (not back to back) to cut out 300 calories. The idea is to give your metabolism something to think about ( my paraphrasing). You put the calories back in the next day but it will send a message to the body and hopefully get it to kick into gear a bit more. I will try it for lunch. I thought about doing it for dinner but since that's right after my workout that might backfire. One of the reason's you tend to not lose weight ( as well as you'd think) when you restrict your calorie intake dramatically is your body thinks it's being starved so it shuts down your metabolism. Probably not exactly like that but that's my take on it from what I've been told and read up on. Most of what I've read makes an argument for feeding yourself after working out. So I will try the 300cal restriction at lunch time for a week and see if it makes a difference.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Day 225
It's that time of the week again. Day before weigh in and I'm feeling good. It's been a good week overall with the 4th belt loop staying consistent.
I've been reading about visceral fat. This is the fat that gets in around your organs and is really hard to lose. The other thing I've read is that cardio is the way to get rid of this stuff. It's the really bad fat that you really need to get out of your body. So I'm cranking up the cardio. Not only am I doing the recumbent bike intervals but I'm also doing intervals on the stair stepper. I've only been doing the stair stepper for six minutes but I think I'm going to see if I can pump it up to 10 minutes. I'll warm up on the treadmill for six minutes and then transfer to the stepper and then finish with the recumbent. My time is still limited to about an hour so I may ask L about my warm up and maybe I can cut it down to get in a bit more cardio. We'll see. Okay here's food for the day:
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg mixed with a bit of quinoa, roasted chicken, tomato, avocado, and almond butter on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt with almonds
Lunch: Peanut butter on a slice of low carb whole wheat bread and a spinach salad with roasted veggies, quinoa, tomato, and steak strips with salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite and a green tea
Dinner: Went out with friends from work and had dinner at a stir fry type of place. They cooked your meal right in front of you at your table. I had an eight piece California roll, steak, shrimp, fried rice, stir fried veggies, salad, and miso soup. I also had a cocktail (it had juice in it but no soda) and a beer. I had planned on not eating it all and bringing some home but the way the meal was created threw a monkey wrench in that plan. Next time I will not order the California roll and just order the main dish. Your meal would come in waves so you would eat a part of the meal and then watch as the chef cooked the next part of the meal. You ended up not realizing how much you were eating. I will say that I wasn't stuffed but also wasn't still wanting more food. I guess that's a good thing but still ate more than I should have. Going out with friends or co-workers is very hard when you're trying to be sensible with how much you eat. Everyone is talking and laughing and drinking and eating and before you know it you've eaten the entire portion. Ah well that's what happens when you go out, the rules tend to get ignored. Still I'm hoping for a nice surprise in the morning at weigh in. Wish me luck.
I've been reading about visceral fat. This is the fat that gets in around your organs and is really hard to lose. The other thing I've read is that cardio is the way to get rid of this stuff. It's the really bad fat that you really need to get out of your body. So I'm cranking up the cardio. Not only am I doing the recumbent bike intervals but I'm also doing intervals on the stair stepper. I've only been doing the stair stepper for six minutes but I think I'm going to see if I can pump it up to 10 minutes. I'll warm up on the treadmill for six minutes and then transfer to the stepper and then finish with the recumbent. My time is still limited to about an hour so I may ask L about my warm up and maybe I can cut it down to get in a bit more cardio. We'll see. Okay here's food for the day:
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg mixed with a bit of quinoa, roasted chicken, tomato, avocado, and almond butter on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt with almonds
Lunch: Peanut butter on a slice of low carb whole wheat bread and a spinach salad with roasted veggies, quinoa, tomato, and steak strips with salsa.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite and a green tea
Dinner: Went out with friends from work and had dinner at a stir fry type of place. They cooked your meal right in front of you at your table. I had an eight piece California roll, steak, shrimp, fried rice, stir fried veggies, salad, and miso soup. I also had a cocktail (it had juice in it but no soda) and a beer. I had planned on not eating it all and bringing some home but the way the meal was created threw a monkey wrench in that plan. Next time I will not order the California roll and just order the main dish. Your meal would come in waves so you would eat a part of the meal and then watch as the chef cooked the next part of the meal. You ended up not realizing how much you were eating. I will say that I wasn't stuffed but also wasn't still wanting more food. I guess that's a good thing but still ate more than I should have. Going out with friends or co-workers is very hard when you're trying to be sensible with how much you eat. Everyone is talking and laughing and drinking and eating and before you know it you've eaten the entire portion. Ah well that's what happens when you go out, the rules tend to get ignored. Still I'm hoping for a nice surprise in the morning at weigh in. Wish me luck.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Day 224
Again nothing to report so let's just do the food list:
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Steak strip sandwich with low carb whole wheat bread, swiss cheese, pickle, spinach, and tomato with peanut butter. Four strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
No dinner as I was not hungry so just had a chocolate milk.
Went to the gym after work and did cardio. Going out tomorrow nite with co-workers so will try to be good. There will be drinking so not sure how it will play out. Fingers crossed.
Belt loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Steak strip sandwich with low carb whole wheat bread, swiss cheese, pickle, spinach, and tomato with peanut butter. Four strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
No dinner as I was not hungry so just had a chocolate milk.
Went to the gym after work and did cardio. Going out tomorrow nite with co-workers so will try to be good. There will be drinking so not sure how it will play out. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Day 223
Nothing to say really, so let's get to it:
Belt Loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on two slices of low carb whole wheat bread with peanut butter, tomato, spinach, and cheese. Five strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa salad with steak strips and salmon patty, and roasted veggies.
Did the cardio at the gym after work.
Belt Loop Watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on two slices of low carb whole wheat bread with peanut butter, tomato, spinach, and cheese. Five strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa salad with steak strips and salmon patty, and roasted veggies.
Did the cardio at the gym after work.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Day 222
Just a quick one for today. Here's how it played out:
Belt loop watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A baguette sandwich with turkey, tomato, swiss cheese, spinach, and peanut butter. A few strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa with raw beet, radish, and bacon. Then added a salmon patty, cottage cheese, and salsa. Wasn't quite satisfied so had four radishes and a small handful of almonds. Also had a chocolate milk. I'm having a chocolate milk whenever I come home from a workout.
Belt loop watch: 4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Cherry Pie Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: A baguette sandwich with turkey, tomato, swiss cheese, spinach, and peanut butter. A few strawberries.
3rd snack: Aussie Bite
Dinner: Quinoa with raw beet, radish, and bacon. Then added a salmon patty, cottage cheese, and salsa. Wasn't quite satisfied so had four radishes and a small handful of almonds. Also had a chocolate milk. I'm having a chocolate milk whenever I come home from a workout.
Day 221
I love having the day off. I will regret it tomorrow at work but that's ok. Went to the gym in the late morning and still had enough time to get the week's meal's prepared. I feel I definitely have gotten a handle on this thing I'm doing and expect to see results from now on. Ha setting myself up but that's okay too. Here's how I entertained myself with food:
Breakfast: Not really a big breakfast as I was going to the gym right after eating. I had an Aussie Bite, a banana, and 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: A sandwich with turkey, avocado. bacon, swiss cheese, tomato, and spinach on a baguette. A side of Sun Chips and four strawberries.
Late afternoon meal: Beet greens and spinach sauteed with an egg. Added cottage cheese and salsa.
Late evening meal: Mini wontons and chinese potstickers with some quinoa and cottage cheese with an Aussie Bite. Also some roasted veggies.
Went to the gym in the morning and did the cardio workout. I tried out the giant stair stepping machine on Saturday but today just did the regular stair stepper along with the recumbent bike. Left the gym feeling good.
Breakfast: Not really a big breakfast as I was going to the gym right after eating. I had an Aussie Bite, a banana, and 20oz of cold water.
After workout meal: A sandwich with turkey, avocado. bacon, swiss cheese, tomato, and spinach on a baguette. A side of Sun Chips and four strawberries.
Late afternoon meal: Beet greens and spinach sauteed with an egg. Added cottage cheese and salsa.
Late evening meal: Mini wontons and chinese potstickers with some quinoa and cottage cheese with an Aussie Bite. Also some roasted veggies.
Went to the gym in the morning and did the cardio workout. I tried out the giant stair stepping machine on Saturday but today just did the regular stair stepper along with the recumbent bike. Left the gym feeling good.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Day 220
Day two of a three day weekend and it's turning out to be a great time. Got in a good long bike ride and spent some time with friends at the movies. I did end up eating way more at one meal than I should have. I was expecting that though and tried to compensate by going for the bike ride ahead of time. I also left some food on the plate so I'm rather happy with that also. The bike ride turned out longer than I expected. I wasn't going for the usual ride but ended up going as long as normal just a different route. That was actually ok in hind sight. So here's what I ate today:
Belt loop Watch: No belt was worn today.
Breakfast: Aussie Bite and 20oz of cold water.
After the bike ride: Two egg's, chicken thigh, spinach, baked. Added cottage cheese and salsa.
Snack: During the movie ate a Fiber One bar.
After the movie meal: So later in the day after the movie went to 5 Guys burger joint and had a double cheese burger with bacon and the works. Tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, and pickles. Also ordered fries and that's where it really goes off the rails. You basically get a bag of fries the size of Mt Rainier. Wow I'd forgotten how much fries you get. I will say though I only ate a portion of them. More of a portion than I probably should have but still didn't eat them all. In the old day's I would have. Went back to my friends house and watched some TV. While I was there I ate some snack cakes, something like two or three of them.
In the evening after getting home from friends I wasn't really hungry. Thankfully after that huge burger and fries meal and the snack cakes. I did have a 100cal bag of popcorn that I sprinkled cinnamon on.
All in all a rather good day. Got in a workout/bike ride and didn't go crazy eating everything in sight. Used some restraint and feel like I'm getting a bit better at it all.
Belt loop Watch: No belt was worn today.
Breakfast: Aussie Bite and 20oz of cold water.
After the bike ride: Two egg's, chicken thigh, spinach, baked. Added cottage cheese and salsa.
Snack: During the movie ate a Fiber One bar.
After the movie meal: So later in the day after the movie went to 5 Guys burger joint and had a double cheese burger with bacon and the works. Tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, and pickles. Also ordered fries and that's where it really goes off the rails. You basically get a bag of fries the size of Mt Rainier. Wow I'd forgotten how much fries you get. I will say though I only ate a portion of them. More of a portion than I probably should have but still didn't eat them all. In the old day's I would have. Went back to my friends house and watched some TV. While I was there I ate some snack cakes, something like two or three of them.
In the evening after getting home from friends I wasn't really hungry. Thankfully after that huge burger and fries meal and the snack cakes. I did have a 100cal bag of popcorn that I sprinkled cinnamon on.
All in all a rather good day. Got in a workout/bike ride and didn't go crazy eating everything in sight. Used some restraint and feel like I'm getting a bit better at it all.
Day 219
240. Or it could have been 239. The divisions are so small it's hard to tell. So to be fair I'm going with 240. I just don't want to kid myself and get too excited. Weigh in day is pretty much always like that. Get up and eat a small breakfast or not, then go to the gym for my weekly meeting with L. We workout, laugh, talk, and discuss strategies for my goals. Not always in that order but you get the idea. It's great. I recommend it to everybody. Weigh in day is also the day that I run into possible trouble. I always get together with friends in the evening and we laugh, talk, and eat poorly. This week was no exception. Overall though not really bad as it has been in the past. I'm slowly getting a handle on the mindless eating. The key word here is slowly. Ah well Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor is losing 100lbs. That's the ultimate goal, though right now it's just lose another 5lbs and I'm going to be very happy. So here's how the day played out:
Belt Loop Check: Didn't wear a belt today
Breakfast: Aussie Bite and 20oz of cold water.
After work out meal: Chocolate milk. Two eggs with the rest of the quinoa mixed together with some spinach, tomato, cottage cheese, salsa, and a skinny bun toasted with almond butter and lemon curd.
Late afternoon meal: Turkey burger on a skinny bun with avocado, and spinach. Also the last of the Costco bean salad.
Game time: Ate some veggie chips that were lower in calories and fat. Had more than I should have but did realize I was eating mindlessly and pushed the bag away. Had a Fiber One bar and 2-3 rice cakes along with two ice cream bars.
I'm going to again change me weekly morning workouts. After talking to L we worked out that I should be focusing more on core work. So my routine will switch it up and work more on specifics associated with the core. The off days will be weights and the evenings will still be cardio. I picked up another 10lb kettlebell, so I will start doing more at home with them.
Belt Loop Check: Didn't wear a belt today
Breakfast: Aussie Bite and 20oz of cold water.
After work out meal: Chocolate milk. Two eggs with the rest of the quinoa mixed together with some spinach, tomato, cottage cheese, salsa, and a skinny bun toasted with almond butter and lemon curd.
Late afternoon meal: Turkey burger on a skinny bun with avocado, and spinach. Also the last of the Costco bean salad.
Game time: Ate some veggie chips that were lower in calories and fat. Had more than I should have but did realize I was eating mindlessly and pushed the bag away. Had a Fiber One bar and 2-3 rice cakes along with two ice cream bars.
I'm going to again change me weekly morning workouts. After talking to L we worked out that I should be focusing more on core work. So my routine will switch it up and work more on specifics associated with the core. The off days will be weights and the evenings will still be cardio. I picked up another 10lb kettlebell, so I will start doing more at home with them.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Day 218
Alright it's the day before weigh in for the week. Feeling fairly positive on the weight issue but I look forward to the morning. I expect I will have maintained the weight from last week but could be surprised.
Belt loop watch: #4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich with tomato and almond butter on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Chile Releno with quinoa and cottage cheese. Someone put a couple of scones on the break room table so I had a small section.
3rd snack: Another small piece of scone and a bottle of green tea with honey.
Dinner: A chicken/spinach patty on a skinny bun with an egg and spinach with almond butter. The bean salad from Costco and a bit later a small bag of lime and salt popcorn. Also a Mike's Harder alcohol drink.
Belt loop watch: #4
Breakfast: Egg and roasted chicken sandwich with tomato and almond butter on a skinny bun. Banana and 20oz of cold water.
1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar
2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Chile Releno with quinoa and cottage cheese. Someone put a couple of scones on the break room table so I had a small section.
3rd snack: Another small piece of scone and a bottle of green tea with honey.
Dinner: A chicken/spinach patty on a skinny bun with an egg and spinach with almond butter. The bean salad from Costco and a bit later a small bag of lime and salt popcorn. Also a Mike's Harder alcohol drink.
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