Day 601

It's cycle class day.  I'm starting to look forward to this class in the same way I look forward to Tabata!  Of course that means I'm really getting into abusing my body but at least in a good way. 
I'm meeting the game group again tonight so I'm on the offensive when it comes to food.  At the same time I'm still allowing myself this last couple of days before the end of the year to eat whatever.  I know it's not how you're supposed to do it but as I get ready to re commit to the overall healthy plan, it's okay.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water

Between cycle and Lorinda: Cashew Larabar

After workout meal: Avocado bacon burger with waffle fries.  Tarter sauce for the fries and ice tea to drink.  I was proud of my self control with the burger.  It was a combo and I chose not to get a soda.  A small gesture but still a good choice. 

Dinner: As I said I was meeting with the game group, so I tried to be conservative in my food choices.  I feel like I did fairly well and still ate some junk.  So I had a taco salad, Junk food, pretzels dipped in yogurt, and a couple of big handfuls of mixed nuts. 

Lorinda and I discussed the coming year and how I saw my goals.  I'm still committed to losing another thirty pounds and I hope to accomplish that with her help.  I know I've got to buckle down and be a bit harder on myself when food happens.  Not so much cutting down but better choices and less "cheat" meals. 
Also continue to firm up the flab and find some new belt loops. 
The bike is still a priority and now I'm thinking about getting into running.  That's a word I never thought I'd see in my life time.  There it is though and I'm okay with it becoming a part of my routine.  I'm not going to run any marathons but if I can at least become faster and not puke than I think that's a good thing.

Day 600

Wow, been doing this for 600 days?  In that time I've lost some weight and participated in an endurance race.  I've learned a lot from my awesome trainer.  Lorinda, you're the best.  Lots of encouragement and advice.  I guess I'm down for another 600 days (at least).

Breakfast: Two slices of whole wheat bread with two eggs, three slices of ham, and avocado.  20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and 24 almonds

Lunch: Falefel wrap with hummus and lettuce along with some taziki.

Dinner: Torta (Mexican sub sandwich) and three pieces of pizza.  Had a soda ( number 5 for the year) and a good portion of junk food (yogurt covered pretzels, pretzels, rice crispy treats, and mixed nuts).

Hopefully tomorrow at cycle I won't throw up.  All the junk I've eaten in the last week.  Day 601 here I come!

Day 599

So the day after Xmas and I'm feeling full.  I'm also feeling like I'm needing to go crazy.  Which I think means that I'm going to throw out the good and indulge in the bad.  Not going to the gym and am going to eat out for lunch and dinner.  Eat some of my old faves and just not worry about it.  Yes that's bad but if I don't I expect it will continue to plague me.  So I figure I'll get it over with and then I can go back to focusing on the "plan".  So here's the over indulgence for today:

Breakfast: Two eggs on whole wheat bread with three slices of ham and avocado.  20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Chicken teriyaki with brown rice.

2nd snack: Snack breads with spinach dip

Dinner: Chinese finger foods and junk food.

So didn't go to the gym and didn't get any exercise at all today.  That 5th belt loop is starting to get a bit tight.

Day 598

Christmas.  Since I know I'm going to be eating a turkey dinner with all the trimmings I'm trying to be conservative in the morning and also do some exercise.

Breakfast: Slice of whole wheat bread, peanut butter, and a slice of ham.  20oz of cold water.

Christmas dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. Caesar salad, pork, ambrosia, apple pie, and pumpkin pie with ice cream.

So ate way more than I did at Thanksgiving.  Not sure why but definitely shoveled it in.

Day 597

Christmas eve.  Got off work early and was planning on going to the gym.  Didn't happen but I did go for a short bike ride.  30min.  I haven't ridden the bike in a couple of months so that was good.  And I did get in some exercise.

Before I left for breakfast I had my usual 20oz of cold water.

Breakfast: Met former co-workers at Denny's for breakfast.  I tried to be good and ended up with a 3 egg omelet with veggies and red potatoes.  Also had an English muffin.  Not the lightest thing to eat but it wasn't over the top food wise. 

Lunch: After the bike ride I had a falafel wrap with hummus.  On the side I had some onion rings and tater tots.

Dinner: Turkey burger with an egg on whole wheat bread.  Then ate a cinnamon roll that a former co-worker made for me.

At the breakfast meet everyone made a big deal about how skinny I was.  Of course I know that I wasn't "skinny" ( 5th belt loop remember) but it made me feel better about my commitment towards the "plan".

Of course for the rest of the day I continued to eat all the "holiday" treats that were orbiting me.  Heh, skinny?

Day 596

Really far behind so again with the list and that's it:

Breakfast: Two eggs fried with avocado and two slices of whole wheat bread with three slices of ham.  20oz of cold water.

1st snack: I did it and succumbed to the call of the quesadillas from last Friday.  Had a couple and felt bad but couldn't help it.  ;)

Lunch: Low carb wrap with falafel, lettuce, hummus, and avocado.  Also a couple of small brownies.

2nd snack: Guess I'm just all over the place.  Had a brownie.

Dinner: Low carb wrap with fish, hummus, two slices of ham, and avocado.  Also finished off the Christmas candy I was given.

Did cardio at the gym.  My usual.  I've given up on trying to squeeze the 6th belt loop in so it's on the 5th.  At least I'm comfortable. 

Day 595

Went to the gym in the early morning and lifted some weights.  I will do what I can as I've said but soon I'll need to get back on a regular program.  It does seem though like I eat stuff and then eat more stuff.  That's not really the plan but the plan has started to fall apart.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water.

After workout: Ruben sandwich, a breakfast burrito and ice cream.

Afternoon snack: Cheese and crackers

Dinner: Sushi and a breakfast burrito.

I was strangely hungry today.  Not sure if it's the current mind-set or I'm using up bunches of energy and my body needs fuel.  Ha reading that last part makes me laugh.   But it is something to think about.  Sat is pretty intensive exercise.  Between the hour of cycle and then working with Lorinda on Sat and then working out Sunday morning, it's like 3-4 hours of work in a 24 hr. period.  I think this next week end I'm going to eat some breakfast before working out. 
Of course it could just be my self control losing the battle and I just need to work on getting it back under control.

Day 594

As we sneak up on Christmas it seems every day there is a new challenge.  Be it holiday pastries or just the malaise called laziness, it's the holidays so why fight it, the battle lines are drawn.  I can only do so much before it overwhelms me. 
So I figure I'll continue to do what I can and keep the faith.  Yes I'm eating stuff I normally wouldn't indulge in but at least I'm not succumbing to skipping the gym. 
Today is a good example I attended cycle and then met Lorinda for our weekly workout.  That's the best I can do, just keep it up.  I may falter a bit but as long as I try I know it will be for the best.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water.

After workout: Turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich with chips and chocolate covered popcorn.  An ice tea drink.

Dinner: Fish sandwich with hummus and chips.  Holiday junk food.  Adult beverage.

So finished out the day with more junk food from the holidays.  I'm trying to get it over with so the temptation will be done.  I don't know if that's the best way of dealing but for me it works.

Day 593

No workout today just an off day.  I will say that I was unable to comfortably make the belt loop number six today.  So I chose to be comfortable rather than give in to pride and made it the 5th belt loop for the day.  Ah much better as I wasn't squished into my pants.

Breakfast: Two eggs and a veggie patty sandwich along with my usual 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Work bought quesadillas for lunch and I had my share and some.  Also a donut.

2nd snack: Guess what, a couple of quesadillas

Dinner: Feeling the holiday season so went a bit overboard today.  But got back under control somewhat for dinner.  Had a breakfast burrito and an adult beverage.

Tomorrow will be cycle so get ready for the hurting.

Day 592

Still catching up:

Breakfast: Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Back to the regular work schedule so had my usual Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Chinese food.  Tried to be good but no luck.

Dinner: Protein drink.  Salad with two pieces of pizza, very small bowl of chicken/quinoa stew, and ice cream.  Quite different from last night.  Was very hungry and I think that's because of:

Tabata!

Yes I made it finally to a Tabata! class.  After missing out for almost three weeks it was good to get back to one of my favorite workouts.  Had to laugh though ( well more a wheezing sound than an actual laugh) as we did push ups and the night before I did upper body which focused on the chest.  Same area as push ups.

Glad tomorrow is a day off completely.

Day 591

Still behind so just going with it:

Breakfast: Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

Lunch: Torts with extra avocado and two cookies.

Afternoon snack: Some not very good frozen yogurt.  I only ate about half of a small portion and threw the rest away.  It wasn't very memorable.

Dinner:  Hmm not very hungry so I only had a protein drink.

Not sure why I wasn't very hungry other than lunch was quite filling.  Also I've noticed that it's becoming increasingly difficult to make the sixth belt loop. 

The workout tonight was again upper body but this time it was chest and biceps.

Normally this day of the week is Tabata! but since I was working the late shift I missed the session.  Feels very weird and I hope I can get back to it.  Next week is Christmas and that's also Tabata day so will miss it again.
I'm hoping tomorrow I can make the session that's going to be available.  Fingers crossed.

Day 590

I'm behind on this thing so no BS just a list of food and workouts:

Breakfast:  Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

Lunch: Three street tacos with avocado and a donut.

Dinner: Protein drink and a bowl of chicken/quinoa stew with cheese.  Slice of bread and peanut butter.  Bowl of ice cream.

Workout was upper body-back and triceps.

Day 589

I'm buying lunch all this week instead of bringing something from home.  Lunch has been boring lately so it seems like a good time to shake things up.  The Mexican place that I like has some very good tortas and tacos so that's the plan.  I'm also going in this direction due to a change in my work schedule this week.  I'm working later and so won't have a 1st snack.  It will be combined with my lunch.

Breakfast: Frittata with spinach and sausage.  20oz of cold water.

Lunch: Torta with asada and extra avocado.  A torta is a Mexican sandwich similar to a sub sandwich.

Dinner: Protein drink and a bowl of chicken and quinoa stew.  Ice cream.

During the day I had two donuts, just not all at once.

I did cardio at the gym today.  It was a bit weird as it was later than normal.  I walked on the treadmill for 15min and then rode the bike for 30min doing the random hill program.  That always makes me sweat.

Day 588

Quick update for the day.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water

After workout: Roast beef sandwich.

Today is another of the D&D game days.  I didn't know what the food plan was so I was going in blind.  I figured the sandwich I had would hold me until something else came along.  Another player brought some quiche.  So a couple of pieces of quiche and some chips were a start.  Finished up with a bagel and cream cheese.  For fun as yesterday was my birthday, there were lots of cookies that I ate.  I did stick to the one serving of chips but it was a large serving.  There were some nuts available and since they're good for me I had some.
When I got home of course I was hungry so I had a sausage sandwich.

The workout today was a Lorinda upper body routine.  One of the ones I really like to do.  My arms will be feeling it tomorrow.

I've got a different work schedule this week so it will be interesting to see how the workouts go and also meals.  I suspect I'll be eating out most of the week due to not knowing for sure when my schedule will allow breaks.

Day 587

Did the Jingle Bell 5K Fun Run/Walk today.  Turns out 5k is not much longer than once around Padden.  Which I was running every weekend during most of this year.  So I guess I could have run instead of walked.  It is on pavement though so that is a concern.  I did have to chuckle though as one of my walking companions suggested that next year we actually run.  So it looks like I'll be running it.  At the same time one of my co-workers, who is a runner, suggested that I start doing some 5k events.
As I've said I'm not really into running but it might be an interesting experiment.  It should help the biking.  The stronger my legs and wind gets the better I'll be on the bike, I'm sure.

Today is also my birthday.  I turned 60 today.  Makes me wonder just a bit as I don't feel 60.  I guess if I continue with the workouts and stay active I hopefully can slow down my body aging.  I hope and yes that is the idea anyway.  (insert smile here)

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water

After the 5k: Spicy lentil wrap and more cookies.

It was also the work holiday party.  We had appetizers and wine and beer to start.  The actual meal consisted of salad, chicken, potato pancakes, and some other stuff with a Southern taste.  For desert there was chocolate cake.  Later in the evening adult beverages were served along with some ice cream.

So I didn't go to the gym today but the 5k walk was some exercise.  Tomorrow I'll hit the gym but it's also another D&D game day with friends.  Food will be an issue but I'm sticking to my new one serving of chips rule.

Day 586

So it's the official day off from working out and of course bad food decisions.  Not really bad but still ended up going with friends to a movie and afterwards eating hamburgers and onion rings along with adult beverages.  Tomorrow is the 5k walk that I'm doing so hopefully a bit of exercise in the plan.  At the same time though tomorrow night is my work holiday party and so there will be eating and drinking to excess I would imagine.

Breakfast: Two eggs mixed with the leftover Chinese food from last night.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Clam chowder mixed with quinoa and sausage.

Dinner: Avocado bacon burger with lots of onion rings and an adult beverage.

So ya bulking up for the 5K.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Day 585

Today I felt like doing nothing and because of that I skipped the gym.  I also was bad in the food department.  So overall today was a blast from the past of laziness and overeating.  Just what I was looking for during my birthday week.

Breakfast: Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt w/24 almonds

Lunch: Salad with tomato, cauliflower, peas, cheese, avocado, and salsa for dressing.

Dinner: Went a bit over the top for dinner.  Ended up getting Chinese food.  The chicken with broccoli wasn't too bad but then throw in a mound of fried rice and six crab rangoons.  Well you get the idea and it wasn't quite over yet.  I then had a small bowl of clam chowder on top of all the Chinese food.
Oh and an adult beverage also.

So with skipping the gym today that means I won't get to the gym until Sunday.  That's three days from now.  Of course on Sat I'm doing the Jingle Bell 5K run/walk.  I'm walking but it's still going to be a bit of a trek.

Day 584

Off work today so went to the gym in the morning and met with Lorinda for our workout.  I'm doing the Jingle Bell 5K run/walk (I'm walking) on Sat so we moved our time.  We focused on upper body and went over some ideas for me to think about.  I'm looking at the coming year and how I want to tailor my workouts when I'm not meeting with Lorinda.
I'm slowly working out what and how I want to make it happen.  The coming year will be a focus of getting stronger and fitter.  So the cycle class is a start and the strength training will complement those workouts.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water

After workout meal: Frittata and quinoa along with a slice of bread and peanut butter.

Late afternoon snack: Bagel with cream cheese

Dinner: Spaghetti with meat sauce and meat balls.  Garlic bread and salad.

Went to friends for a birthday dinner (my birthday is coming ) and tried to not over do it. 

Day 583

So decided to do a lower body workout as my arms were still feeling the Sunday workout.  Plus I'm meeting Lorinda tomorrow.   I expect we will do upper body as it's been lower body the last few weeks.  I did the routine with the exercise ball using planks as a starting point.  Killer.  I'll be feeling that for a while.

Breakfast: Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Green salad with cauliflower, tomato, quinoa & sausage, and cheese.  Used salsa for dressing.

Dinner: Mini pizza with some quinoa & sausage.  A skinny bun with peanut butter and an adult beverage.

Tomorrow will be my workout day with Lorinda as I'm doing the Arthritis Foundation 5K Run/Walk on Sat.

Day 582

Since I did upper body yesterday I'll do cardio today.  I'm trying out the idea of not working the same body parts on consecutive days.  Sometimes that gives me an excuse to take it easy.  I try not to do that very often (take it easy) but sometimes it just happens.

Breakfast: Frittata with stir fry veggie, bacon, and spinach.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Salad with tomato, quinoa & sausage, cheese, cauliflower, and peas.

Dinner: Protein drink and a slice of bread with peanut butter.

So cardio was my usual 15min on the treadmill and 30min on the bike using the random hill program.  That program really makes me sweat.

Day 581

Okay another day of life.  Wow that sounds a bit weirder than it really should.  It's true though.  Life is something that really happens a day at a time and I'd prefer it that way.  Some look forward but I try to look to the moment.  It doesn't always happen but most of the time I'm in the moment and not looking ahead.  I don't want to miss anything if I can help it.
So today I'll workout the upper body and try not to over eat at friends during the game.  This time though it's a football game and that can really be trouble.  In the excitement and adrenalin of the game eating becomes quite automatic.  So I'll want to get a good workout to offset some of the damage later.

Breakfast: 20oz of cold water.

After the workout meal: Fish sandwich with avocado and a hamburger patty.

Late lunch/early dinner: Burrito with all the fixin's.  Small plate of nachos, again with all the fixin's.  Bean salad.  Deviled eggs (5) and squash bread.  The squash bread is like zucchini bread but made with squash and a bit more like a really moist cake. 

So my workout was good and I did stretching like Lorinda recommended.  My back muscles are really tight and I need to work on that.  So I did.

Day 580

It's my new workout program day.  I will go and do cycle in the early morning and then meet Lorinda an hour or so later.  In between I'm hitting the grocery store to keep to my weekend schedule. 
The cycle class was killer and I'm starting to get it.  Next week I'll be busy so it will be a skip but after that I'll be there very regularly. 

Breakfast: Nothing but 20oz of cold water.

After the morning work out of cycle and meeting L: Sushi (tuna & brown rice) and a hamburger on rye bread with avocado and peanut butter.

Afternoon snack: Slice of rye bread and peanut butter

Dinner: Vietnamese sandwich, humbow, and tater tots.  For dessert a small bowl of ice cream.

So Lorinda and I talked more about what I need to do to get into shape.  One thing we discussed was my tight back muscles.  So I need to focus more on stretching my back muscles on a regular schedule.  Looks like I have a new reason to get out of bed in the mornings a bit earlier.  Now if I can just do it.

Day 579

Day off from working out but still will try to keep food under control.

Breakfast: Two egg sandwich with avocado and a veggie patty.  20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with cauliflower, tomato, cheese, and chicken

Dinner: Went off the rails a bit but not too bad.  Had finger foods. Onion rings (6), pot stickers (6), and tater tots (15ish).  These were all baked not fried (well when I made them).  An adult beverage.

Later night time snack: 24 almonds

Tomorrow's the day for the big workout.  Cycle and then PT with Lorinda.  I have questions and she will have answers so it'll be good.

Day 578

Today didn't quite go as planned.  I was hoping to do the Tabata class again but due to a work screw up I wasn't able to make it in time.  So I fell back on the Lorinda workouts and did upper body.  A bit of a disappointment but next week I'll make I'm sure. 

Breakfast: Frittata and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and 24 almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with cauliflower, tomato, avocado, peas, and cheese.  Really love the salsa as dressing, gives the salad a quite different appeal.

Dinner: Wasn't up for my usual so went with another spinach salad this time with a sautéed chicken breast.  Added cauliflower, tomato, peas, and avocado.  Again with the salsa for dressing.

Tomorrow is a day off from working out in prep for Sat which will be cycle and then personal training with Lorinda.  That is going to be the new program.  I figure once the weather warms up (hopefully late Feb/early Mar) I'll do the cycle on Sat and then Sun start running.  Want to work up to being able to do the run/bike/run at a faster pace than before.

I can only hope.

Day 577

Tabata!!

Breakfast: Frittata with 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and 24 almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with cauliflower, chicken, tomato, avocado, cheese, and salsa for dressing.

2nd snack: Big handful of almonds

Dinner: Protein drink.  Greek yogurt with chia seeds and a slice of rye bread with almond butter.  An apple.

Tabata good!

Day 576

It's meet up with Lorinda day!  Except it's Tuesday?  Yes we are meeting on a different day due to a schedule change.  That really works for me as that way it's not always the same day.  Plus this Sat which is the next meet up with L day will be our first cycle followed by personal training.  I expect to be wrung out big time!

So we worked on lower body again this time.  I like that we're moving around the body part workouts.  I have a plan for the beginning of the new year that is just around the corner.  I will be working a rotation of upper and lower body parts combined with Tabata and cardio.  We'll see if that will super charge my metabolism.  Plus I hope to get stronger and increase my endurance for riding.

Breakfast: Frittata with 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: The rest of the week will be spinach salad with cauliflower, chicken (roasted), tomato, cheese, cucumber, peas, avocado, and salsa for dressing.

Dinner: Wasabi trail mix and a protein drink.  A bit later a slice of toasted rye bread and some avocado.

Tomorrow: Tabata!

Day 575

Start of a new week.  As it turned out I ended up feeling a bit more hungry today.  Not sure if it's to do with the cycle on Sat but I definitely can feel the hunger.  Tonight at the gym I'll just do cardio so I will be ready for Lorinda tomorrow. 

Breakfast: Frittata with veggie, cheese, and lentils.  20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt with 24 almonds

Lunch: Lentil on the brain.  Lentil wrap and a piece of pumpkin pie.

2nd snack: Here's where the hunger thing comes in.  I had a peanut butter, turkey, and cheese sandwich.  It was good.

Dinner: Chicken sandwich and a protein drink.

Cardio was the 15min on the treadmill and 30 min on the bike doing the random program.  Like I said getting ready for Lorinda tomorrow.

Day 574

Still the weekend but I'm working out anyway.  haha  So today is D&D game day so later in the day there will be overeating more than likely.  I am going to try an experiment and work on limiting my intake of chips. 
I had very good luck doing the same thing with soda so we'll see if I can pull this off.  One serving (well my version anyway) of chips with the meal and no more.  No walking by the bag on the counter and grabbing a small handful.  No going to the kitchen for a "drink" and seeing the bag of chips and convincing myself that one more "handful" will be okay.  Nope it's down to just getting the chips once and then I'm done. 
So today was the first day and I'm quite happy with how it worked out.  I stuck to my guns and only had the one serving.  Now I must keep it up.  I expect to back slide but two steps forward one step back is still progress and good progress too.

No breakfast other than my 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Had a hot sandwich and some noodle salad.

The rest of the day was the game gathering and since Thanksgiving was just a few days ago we had turkey sandwiches along with other Thanksgiving type stuff.  I did only have the one pass thru the chip aisle. I also had the wasabi trail mix and a plate of turkey and potatoes.
For dessert there were rice crispy treats (2).

I did the upper body weight routine again.  I'm trying to do the upper body routines Lorinda showed my at least 2-3 times a week.  I will mix in the lower body and of course the lite upper body every once in a while to break it up.  So far I'm very happy with the workouts.  It seems like I might be getting stronger as I've upped the weight on most of the lifts.  Of course I do need to be careful to not injure myself by trying to lift too much weight to soon.

Day 573

Started the day by going to the cycle class and finally feeling like I know what is up. 

Now on the weekend before working out I skip breakfast.  I just have my usual 20oz of cold water.  After the work out then I eat a good meal.  So today was with friends at a restaurant and I had breakfast then:

A giant egg scramble with hearty meaty gravy over the top with an English muffin.  A v-8 for drink.  this all went down around 10:30 in the morning.

I was very full from this meal and so didn't feel like eating again until later in the evening.  Then I had:  a hamburger with avocado and tomato along with six crab rangoons.

So only two meals today but the breakfast meal was very large and sustained me for the entire day.  That was probably not the best strategy but rather hard to not eat it all.

Day 572

Just a quick update before the weekend of cycle and D&D group day.

Breakfast: Frittata with stuffing from Thanksgiving and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and 24 almonds

Lunch: Roast beef/turkey sandwich  with tomato, avocado, cheese, a single serv of chips, and a piece of pie.

2nd snack: A piece of pie

Dinner: Onion rings, tater tots, stuffing, and a roast beef sandwich.  Also two adult beverages.

Tomorrow is cycle.  I look forward to it with hope and trepidation.