I am taking a break ... from my weight loss forum. I am still losing weight, etc but I have found that posting there, updating my weight and participating in the challenges is actually starting to hinder me. I am getting so caught up in the challenges and having to post there that I am spending time online when I should be more active. So I am going solo for a little while.
Read more...I am still participating in the Biggest Chooser challenge in my weight loss forum but now they have started a second one to go along with it (and a bit further - into the New Year actually). It is a Christmas/New Year challenge that you didn't have to buy into but there is still a cash pot at the end of the challenge. Again I don't expect to win any money, but it is a good motivator.
So far, the challenges aren't going so well for me. I am losing weight but very slowly. But I AM losing and am actually doing it while not stressing myself out about it too much and fitting it into my daily routines and schedules.
I am slowly losing weight. At this pace I will not meet my goal of being back to 20lbs lost by the New Year, but at least I am losing weight again. I have had a few upsets to my plans, as always, but have tried to keep going as much as possible. I need to up my exercise intensity more, but have been having a hard time with working and working out - though I have been doing it. C and I set up our regular days and that has really helped me do something on those days. It may not be as intense as I want right now, but it is far better than nothing at all. I want to move our weekends workouts to earlier in the day as I have a tendency to get tired and find it easier to make excuses the later in the day it is.
My food is going well, I am slowly eating less calories. But I am just not sure what I am supposed to be eating. Weight Watchers says one thing and then other decent websites say other things and television shows say another. Once I get my benefits here at work I want to see if I can get to a dietician and get some professional advice on the matter. I looked into this last year sometime, but couldn't afford it then. I believe I could afford it now and definitely know I could if it was partially covered by my health benefits. Fingers crossed on that one.
I have been trying to exerise each and every day to no avail. I have determined that I just can't make myself go that hard every night - I don't have the energy to workout every morning, go to work and bust my butt doing everything as well as I can and then come home and bust my butt on my exercise equipment. I have instead decided to concentrate my efforts in a couple nights rather than every night. I will end up working out for the same amount of time per week.
With that said, C has nailed down a schedule for us to workout. Tuesdays and Thursdays after she is done work she is going to come over to the house and we will work out for an hour or so. We will do the same on Saturdays, possibly with J joining in - if her work schedule allows for it of course. I am looking forward to the workouts and not having to do them by myself. I am also looking forward to spending more time with C on a regular basis.
Weight loss: 3.4 lbs
Mood: thankful
I started using the weight as it appears on my new scale and therefore have basically started over again with my weight loss. I think my initial weight may have been higher than I previously thought, but as that is a pretty painful thought, I am going with starting over with the actual number. I have also just started the latest challenge on my weight loss forum called the Biggest Chooser – modelled after the Biggest Loser television show as I previously mentioned. I am really excited about this challenge and have my plan all set up. I am starting this week with 30 minutes of exercise after work (probably at about 7pm or so) excluding Wednesdays when I have class and then double that on the weekends. Next week I will be starting morning exercise as D stops working then and I will have more time in the mornings. I will start with 10 minutes and then add another 10 every week until I get to 30 minutes. I will also be adding and then increasing weight training as well. I will eventually get to 1 hour 30 minutes of exercise every day (excluding Wednesdays) and then double that on the weekends. Hopefully I will be able to set up a workout session with some friends as C mentioned that she is interested in it this past weekend when I showed you the most recent addition to our home gym (a full weight bench). I have already lost 1.4lbs since starting the challenge and plan to keep going as hard as I can until I reach my next goal of 20lbs lost.
Saturday marks the beginning of a new challenge on my weight loss forum. This one is a little different than others since you had to pay to get into it (well there was the option of not paying, but I decided to opt into the big cash prize). Whoever loses the highest percentage of weight wins the money. The contest is based on the Biggest Loser the tv program that I love so much (though I haven't been watching due to lack of time and energy) but without the eliminations. It is the longest challenge I will have participated in on this forum. Usually I drift out of the challenge as it progresses and I therefore was a little hesistant to pay into this one, but I finished our last challenge with full participation (though very little weight loss). I am not expecting to win this competition or even really come close to it, but I want to do my best and try to hit my 20lbs loss goal by the end of it. Wish me luck!
Read more...I purchased a WW scale yesterday and am so happy with it thus far. It measures per cent body fat and % water as well as your BMI (which I can calculate anyway) and obviously your weight. It has room for 10 users which is humourous to me since I will probably be the only one to ever really use it. It was 60 bucks, which is much more than I would normally spend on something like this but I read the reviews and it sounds pretty accurate and that is keeps that accuracy for quite some time. The weight is states is 8.6lbs lost from my intially starting weight assuming that my starting weight was correct - it may have been higher who knows at this point. I am going to go with the weight on my new scale and start again - more or less from scratch. The basement is almost ready for the home gym and I am getting really excited about it. I plan on asking some friends if they want to set up some "gym" time and come over for workout sessions with me - keep me motivated and whatnot. I also think it could be a great way to keep connected with them and see them on a regular basis. Anyway - that is what I have done lately and this week will hopefully be my last without proper workout area - though my food has been almost right on target lately and my water intake is increasing steadily.
Read more...So I am thinking of getting a new scale and this time a really good one.
I know what you are thinking: Stephanie, you have a million scales and do not need another one.
To that I reply: If I get a good one, then I won't have the excuse that my scale is crappy or fluctuates of its own accord.
I am looking at the weight watchers ones as I hear nothing by good things about them - though they are very pricey. Very different from the $20 I spend on a scale normally. I just don't want to have to calibrate my scale every few months and then not even be able to use my calibration because it makes my scale seem so inadequate. I am at a loss with my scales and feel that if I get a new one (a good one) I can stop using multiple ones and doing funny things with the numbers and just be able to be 100% honest about my current weight and weight loss, etc.
Any comments or suggestions (scale suggestions would be really useful here) would be greatly appreciated...
Weight Loss: 11lbs
Mood: still sick
I did well with my food while I was sick – didn’t overeat for comfort sake too much. I wasn’t able to exercise as my breathing was hindered by my stupid blocked nosed, but that will pass.I am going to work on the basement this week(end) and hopefully it will be mostly up and running sometime next week. The only thing I am missing for it is a TV as my old one has been sent to the landfill (not a big deal really as it was old and broken in several ways). I will have to find other ways to do my DVDs and tapes until I have enough money to get a better TV for the living room or bedroom and therefore one of those can go to the basement. There is always music.
Weight loss: 11lbs
Mood: sick and tired
This past weekend was Thanksgiving. I did so-so in terms of control. I was good on Saturday but then on Sunday I overate – mostly snacks and whatnot before the dinner. Monday was good though – I had the big meal but little to nothing before and little afterwards. So I guess it wasn’t a total write-off. In terms of exercise, well Monday I went for a walk in the sandpits behind my house but on Saturday and Sunday I really only walked around the house I was in – I wasn’t sitting for long at any point during those two days but no intense exercise.
I am officially sick. I took the day of work yesterday and almost did the same today too. Hopefully I will still be able to get myself on the elliptical tomorrow night (I have class tonight so no time for things like that). My parents are bringing up the weight bench this weekend so there will be work to do then for sure.
This week I really just want to try and get back on track and not be sick anymore. I am eating properly and have been for a little while now (with the exception of this weekend of course) and my water intake is increasing steadily (more so now that I am sick since it will also help with that). I think I am heading in the right direction, I just wish I was able to do it faster.
Weight loss: 11 lbs
Mood: Tired
I now spend my weekends (for the most part) walking around taking photographs. This weekend I spent both Saturday and Sunday in different locations - downtown Ottawa and Stony Swamp Conservation Area (Beaver Trail to be exact). I enjoy taking photographs there but it is also a great way to exercise without even noticing it. I walked around for about 3 hours each day and am so sore and tired when I get home and yet I barely noticed it while I was there. It is an excellent form of exercise and I wish I could do it everyday (I can't since I get home at 5pm and the lighting is awful for the photography I take).
I also did pretty good with food this weekend. The walks actually helped with that as I didn't have anything with me to eat and am completely preoccupied anyways. Went to Subway twice, bad for the budget but good for my diet.
All in all, it was a good weekend in terms of my weight loss. I am hoping I can get as many of these weekends in as possible before the weather turns nasty cold and I am left to do others things - or invest in some snow pants and keep going at it.
Weight loss: 10 lbs
Mood: Delighted
Less a week left until I get my basement (and therefore gym) back. I am so excited about that and absolutely can’t wait. Unfortunately we are leaving that weekend for our Thanksgiving extravaganza.
I haven’t really thought about how I am going to handle the abundance of food during that weekend but am hoping I am able to control myself at least somewhat. I guess I will just be depending on some intense workouts to counteract some small indulgences that weekend, but I will figure it out closer to the date – make myself a plan and do my best to stick to it.
Yesterday D, C and I went shopping at Bayshore and I was able to resist the temptation of several treats – though I did get us all Yogenfruz (I got the no fat version which for a small is only 2 points). Pretty healthy treat if I do say so myself – not that expensive either. I actually could go for more right now – dang it.
This weekend my plan is to try and get out and take some photos, which means I will be walking around and I am going to try to not sit and be lazy too much. I am not entirely sure where I want to go to take the pictures but I am trying to think of a place that where I will have to walk around to be able to get the type of pictures I want – just not sure where that is yet.
Yesterday I was able to stay on track with my food and not overeat. I made a delicious new meal that Kraft Kitchens sent to my inbox for me: Greek Rice. It was made with the salad dressing that I love so much so I didn’t even have to buy anything out of the ordinary.
It turned out really well and actually tastes like Greek pilaf rice that one would order from a Greek takeout restaurant except this version is much better for you. Kraft stated the calories at approximately 350 calories for ¼ of the meal. I had about a 1/3 last night so it was more like 460 calories, but still pretty good for a meal that fills you up and consists of 3 food groups.
Here’s the recipe for anyone who would like to try it out:
Ingredients: 1lb chicken (cubed), 1/3 cup Kraft Greek Dressing with Feta and Oregano, 2 tsp oregano (I left this out), 2 cups vegetables, 1 ½ cup minute rice, 1 can (10 fl. oz) chicken broth.
Directions: Cooked cubed chicken in skillet until cooked but not browned. Add salad dressing and vegetables and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add chicken broth and bring near boil. Add Minute Rice and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and let sit until rice is cooked. Enjoy.
Weight loss: 10 lbs lost
Mood: uplifted
This morning on the drive into work I realized my life is pretty good. The few areas in which improvement are really possible at this point are in fact few. One of the major areas though is my weight.
I have stated my reasons for losing weight before and for the most part they are the same now as they were when I started this blog: I want to be healthier, happier and prettier. I realize the latter one isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things, but I am being honest and that is something that is driving all this, though not as much as the other two factors.
Though I was able to eat properly yesterday, I was not able to get in my exercise. One thing hurting me in this area is the fact that I am not getting enough sleep. I don’t go to bed until 11pm and am awake at 5am and out of bed at 5:45am to drive Dave to work. I am a person who needs at least 8 full hours of sleep to be at my best and I am just not getting that right now. So I am going to have to learn how to work our ‘new’ VCR and tape anything that can’t be watched online and get to bed earlier. The other factor in all this is that I have lost my elliptical. We have someone living in our basement which was supposed to be my gym and I just can’t use it right now. This factor will be gone soon though and hopefully then I will be able to get back on track. I am also hoping that, having not been able to use my elliptical for so long now, it will be like I just bought it again – when I couldn’t stop using it, now that would be really advantageous.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Weight Loss: 10 lbs
Mood: bored and tired
Last week was pretty good - got a lot checked off on my to do list. I also got a bunch of exercise in which made me pretty happy.
The Biggest Loser (BL) back on again and I am even happier about it now then I was before because the other shows that are on at the same time, like Beverly Hills 90210, are available online so I can watch BL without missing my 'stories'. Just like last year, it is nearly impossible to sit there and just watch this show. Watching the contestants exercise and hearing them talk about their immense weight loss, I feel it necessary to do some exercise of my own. I missed the first episode, but while watching the second episode I worked out for over 30 minutes and tomorrow when I watch the next episode I am hoping to do at least 1 hour. Eventually I will be back to working out for the whole 2 hours of the show like I was at the end of last season. I am looking forward to that.
In under two weeks I will have my basement back and will be able to set up the gym. I was talking to C about it last night and she was asking about the equipment I have and whether or not there would be enough for her, myself and her roommate (J), to all workout together. I definitely think there would be as I have the elliptical, step block, weights, yoga mat, yoga balls and of course quite a few DVDs. I am excited about the possibility of setting up a workout session with them maybe once a week or so - that would definitely get me going in the right direction. Not to mention the fact that having a workout session like that with other people would mean that my equipment would really get used and be worth the money I paid for all of it.
I am starting to get the hang of my food again - or rather I am starting to get used to eating smaller portions. The type of food isn't a massive problem with my diet, it is more quantity that is a problem, but I am once again working on that - trying to shrink my stomach, again, to be used to less food. Though the water isn't coming as easily as it did last time.
I finally bit the bullet and updated the tickers on the sidebar - it is a little disappointing to say the least, but it is honest and I am hoping that they will go back down as soon as possible.
I have been on a salad kick for over a week now. If you know me at all you will know that I am not a fan of salad dressing or really any sauce or dressing at al. To be quite honest, I am a fan of bland (aka boring) food. But I have always loved the salad dressing at East Side Mario's and about a year ago D decided to try and find me a similar one that I could get at the grocery store. His main purpose for this, I believe, was to try and help me find lower calories meals that I would enjoy to help me with my weight loss. He convinced me to try the Greek with Feta and Oregano from Kraft. It was, and still is, delicious. I absolutely love it. I stopped eating as many salads as often and only recently decided to put them back into my normal food rotation (for lack of a better term). We have gone through about 3 heads of iceberg lettuce, 1 head of romaine lettuce, 1.5 bottles of salad dressing and 2 cucumbers in about a week and a half. It has been really good for me to get my vegetables in (though I have never really had a problem with this - yummy veggies) as well as have larger meals with lower calorie costs.
Well, tragedy struck as we ran out of everything needed for the salads. I meant to stop by the store on my way home from class last night but I forgot and D forgot to remind me when I called home before leaving. I was very upset as I was looking forward to decreasing my lunch for today by adding a salad.
Luckily, I have a genius for a boyfriend and he remembered that Loeb is open 24-hours. He offered to go into work early so I could have a little more time to stop by the grocery store on my way back before heading off to work myself. Although, the Loeb had put a giant, heavy sign in front of the entrance door making so I couldn't get in - not very 24-hour of them. Luckily, and employee was leaving at the same time and I dared to enter through the exit.
So in short, there was a 6am salad run this morning. Yay salad!
Since I have jumped 100% back on the wagon, I have decided that it is time to come to grips with the failure of my previously set goals and readjust everything. So I will be changing the goals on my sidebar and bringing everything up to date - hopefully this doesn't make me look like too much of a failure. I have backtracked a tiny little bit, I am more or less okay with it and have my drive back again so hopefully this time I will go further than I did last time. I mean, '2 steps forward, 1 step back' is still 1 step forward, right?!
Read more...I am trying to get back on plan. I have had so much going on lately that I have been allowing myself to not do 100% in terms of my weight loss. A lot of excuses could be typed right now to try and make up for it, but I am not going to do that - I am just going to say that I am TRYING to get back on track again before I gain any weight back as I really hate re-losing.
Read more...So I had plans to get back on the wagon this month so that I could break the plateau before the wedding. Some thing have come up and I have yet to do this. I have moved my equipment around the house and started working out again last night and am already feeling better about myself. I am going to try and make a plan for the next month today consisting of evening and weekend workouts.
My food for the last couple of days has been good - there have been some big ticket items but they were within the daily allowance so it was okay. Hopefully I can keep it up, get my water in and stick to it this time. I need to get back to where I was in time for the wedding - for myself.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Weight Loss: 20lbs
Mood: Content
The day is almost over. I did well for food today. In fact I still have a bowl of peanuts and fruit downstairs and some ju-jubes that I set out and allowed myself to eat (after weighing them all) and have barely touched them. I am still full from dinner so I likely won't get around to them tonight - which is awesome. I only ate half my dinner tonight - like I wanted to. I packed the second half up for lunch tomorrow. I discovered the other day that I am full half way through the meal and just eat the rest because it is so damn yummy - not a good thing really. So hopefully I can keep this up and it will help with my weight loss.
Haven't gotten the elliptical set up yet - hopefully that happens soon. I really do want to try this working out in the morning thing - I just need something to work out on. Though I suppose I could just start getting up and starting to get used to that feeling...
Still getting back on track in terms of my water in take - I seem to not be as good with it now as I once was, but I am certain I will get the hang of it again. I haven't gotten back into my nasty habit of drinking tons and tons of juice - I just don't seem to drink anything at all most of the day which is odd.
Hoping I can still lose some more weight before the wedding - but if I don't that's ok, though a touch disappointing.
I have not been that active on here - the main reason is that I have not been that active in my weight loss. I have not 'fallen off the wagon' but I have taken a small break from actively trying to lose weight. I have maintained my weight completely during my hiatus and now that I am living in my new fabulous house with many more resources available to me (like being able to leave my food scale out without fear of it getting broke) I should be able to get back to my regime with better results than before.
D and I are setting up a gym in our basement. It currently consists of an elliptical machine (in pieces), my exercise bike, weights and a pull-up bar. Once we get things organized down there I will have my pilates ball and mat as well as the stepper and the free weights. Currently there are tons of boxes to be emptied and crap to be organized so there isn't much room for exercise.
Temptations are still around as they will be for the rest of my life - but I am feeling confident that I will be able to resist them once again.
I have plans to try something completely new. I am going to try and get up with D in the morning when he starts getting ready for work and exercising before I have to start getting ready for work. Hopefully this will not only make it so that I get exercise in daily but also give me more energy during the day. I have heard that working out in the morning can give you more energy throughout the rest of your day and if it is true it would be awesome.
So here is my recommittal to my regime. Go me.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Weight loss: 19lbs
Mood: over-worked
I have a new job now as many of you know - it has got me super stressed out and over worked for the majority of each day. I am not a huge fan of it as it is not in my field but the people are super nice here and I am picking things up quickly enough.
Because of the job I have had to let go of a great deal of things in my life including my weight loss - I have not abandoned it, just have to wait and see what happens in this time to be able to direct myself properly with it - there is a fair bit of walking around here but also sitting and I am not sure how to adjust my calories for all of this. My art is suffering too but that is for another blog all together :)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Weight loss: 19.5lbs
Mood: honest
I have not posted here in quite some time and for that I am sorry. The reason I haven't been regularly posting here is because I have been ashamed (again) - I have been misbehaving slightly. Not enough to have gained any weight but I have not yet broken through this stupid plateau. It is just so frustrating and hard to keep going when you see almost no progress whatsoever.
I have decided to take an unofficial break - not a break from eating properly or exercising regularly, just a break from logging. I know what you are thinking, Stephanie not using her spreadhseets- that's crazy talk! But honestly, I need to view this as more of a lifestyle than a regime (or diet or whatever) and logging won't get me that viewpoint. Until I move into the new house I think I am just going to 'eat right' and exercise reguarly and I will see what happens. I know what I eat on a regular basis so if something positive (or negative) happens I will know how to repeat (or not repeat) it - so I don't think that will be a problem.
In terms of exercise, I have gotten my bike out and have started biking around Ottawa getting photographs. My first bike ride for photos took me on a 2 hour bike ride down the canal and around. I was tired but rather impressed with myself that I had made it that far. The aspect of getting photos (which I love) out of the bike ride makes me go a little further because I see something in the distance that I want a picture of - great combination I think. I am also still using my elliptical machine but not really making great use of the weights of tapes I have. Hopefully I will be able to get myself back into the weights and floor workouts soon, though I have a feeling the tapes will stay away until the cold weather comes back.
Sorry that this post has been sort of mish-mash like and not very well phrased - I am just trying to type as I think and I am not thinking very coherently today. Anyway, I am going to try and post more regularly on here again and would like everyone to visit my other blogs and my DeviantArt site as I am very regular on those sites (particularly my photography blog and my DeviantArt site).
Biggest Loser history was made last night when Ali from the pink team became the first female biggest loser. Ali started out at a whopping 234 pounds and ended the show with a weight loss of 112lbs, losing 47.86% of her initial weight! She is totally inspiring and I will admit taht I was emotional when she won. At 122lbs she looks absolutely amazing. I can only dream that I am able to followin her footsteps - although my pound losses are a bit more spread out than hers. She lost that weight in about 6 months - pretty amazing. Congratulations Ali - you totally deserved it!
Read more...Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Weight loss: 18.5lbs
Mood: unsure
So I have dropped to my lowest weight (or highest weight loss depending on how you look at it) since I started and I am happy about that. Only another 1.5lbs until I am at my plateau marker and then anything under that I will considera break in the plateau. I increased my water intake (or rather was more honest with it and realized I wasn't actually drinking what I thought I was) and increased my exercise. As for my calories, I pretty much left them the same, at least for now. I have gotten used to eating this much food in a day and I really don't want to screw that up by playing around with higher or lower calories. I now walk most days for about 2 miles or so. I take long photo walks in the parks around Ottawa of which there are many. It is really enjoyable and with D coming with me, I don't feel like I am missing out on anything back home. Hopefully this will keep going and I will be able to break this stupid plateau by the end of the month. Then I would only be a month behind in where I wanted to be - but oh well, that is really only a couple of pounds and I could always readjust my goals if I needed to.
I went shopping yesterday with D's sister, who is tiny and gorgeous and pretty much as perfect as they come, and it was kind of depressing. We were in La Vie en Rose (a great store) and looking at the 3 for $15 racks, which are arranged from xs to xl across the width of the store, and of course she was on the xs and s side while I was way across the store on the l and xl end. It was like that all day long and it hurt me each time I noticed it. She could buy pants from the regular stores, I want so badly to be able to do that. I am not mad or anything like that, she is great, I am just a little jealous I guess. I want to be thin and beautiful like that. Oh well, I am how I am and I am improving myself. I did manage to get a really great peacoat from Old Navy which was normally $50 but was on clearance for $9.99!! Such a steal! I love it. So that made my day better, and then of course we walked around parliament and I got to take tons of pictures which always makes me happy.
Anyways, this update was about me hitting my lowest weight of this journey and I am happy about that. Only a little more and I will break through this plateau and be back on track. Gotta get this weight off for T's wedding afterall!
So after some pretty godo research I learned very little new information (as previously stated). I am happy I did it though. At least know I can make an informed plan about how to get through this plateau. First things first, I am going to behave myself, completely, for over a week. I am going to drink 2L of water a day and get at least 60 minutes of good exercise in while staying in my predetermined calorie range. If this does not work I will have to alter my calories, I believe they will have to go down - which will not only suck, but it will be hard. But perhaps all I need to do is get back on my regime full-heartedly again. It is possible that where I think I have been behaving, there have been slips and food gone unaccounted for.
So that is the plan - behave. We will see how it goes.
I have read several sites over the past little while and learned very little new information. However, I decided to get it up here in some sort of organized format – perhaps then something will hit me.
Plateaus are common and should be expected when losing weight. They make sense really. They are your body’s way of protecting itself. Your body doesn’t understand that being at a high weight is unhealthy, all it sees it the diminishing weight and thinks you are starving yourself, perhaps there is a food shortage of some sort, so when it sees a dramatic weight loss, it protects itself by stopping the losses. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) decreases so you use less energy in your daily life and your body learns to ‘need’ the calories you give it.
Another common mistake is that people forget that as they lose larger amounts of weight, their daily calorific needs are going to change as well. So eating x calories may not be the required amount to lose – in fact one should re-evaluate their calorific needs at every milestone to examine whether or not their plan needs to be changed in any way.
Now on to the standard ways to break through a plateau. Everything I had read so far is pretty consistent with this. The first thing they say to do is to stay positive, stick with it. If you are in fact recalculating your needs and eating within your limits, then keep doing so. But perhaps you think you are staying in your limits when you really aren’t. It is easy to over estimate calories burnt and underestimated calories eaten. You should check your routine for holes (are you snacking while cooking or anything of that sort?), if you find anything unusual, cut it out. If you don’t keep a food diary, start one and log EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. One thing to remember is that someone does not need to see you eating for it to count – if it goes into your mouth, it can just as easily go to your hips.
Increased exercise is a big buster of plateaus – so get up and move your booty. Try a new exercise tape, or piece of equipment. If you are not incorporating weight training into your workouts, do so. Increasing muscle mass can increase your BMR and make it easier for you to lose weight again. It’s really just a matter of math, if you are burning more than you are eating, you will eventually lose the weight again.
Some sites talk about protein and how by replacing some carbohydrates with protein you can increase your BMR. To be honest, I don’t know too much about protein and how it helps your system, so I am using information straight from websites here:
“There is some evidence that shows that shifting fat and carbohydrate calories to protein calories may help preserve BMR during weight loss. But don't overdo it—twenty-percent of daily calories from protein is as high as you should go.” (http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/health_omag_200308_plateau.jhtml)
Doing things such as limiting your alcohol intake, watching your intake of carbohydrates and of course eating low fat foods will also assist in breaking through plateaus but one of the main things is to get enough water. You need to be drinking a proper amount of water each and every day and increasing that for when you are working out. Also, keep in mind that many times you think you are hungry, you may actually just be dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of water when you think you are hungry and waiting a little while. If you are still hungry, then eat something, if not than you were just thirsty.
Remember to eat proper amounts of every food group, look to the Canadian Food Guide (or similar source) for the proper amounts and incorporate this into your routine. Limit sodium and other non-necessities and try your best to stay away from sweets. But do remember to give yourself some breaks. It has be detemermined that allowing yourself a few break days everyonce in a while can recharge your system. It can shock your system out of a plateau even. But if nothing else, it allows you to indulge in your favourites without large amounts of guilt.
Another bit about calories – you may not be eating enough. I know it sounds weird and backwards, you are trying to lose weight therefore you need to decrease your calories, but sometimes you just aren’t eating enough and you are placing your body into a starvation mode. Calculate your needs again and find out where you sit. Increase or decrease your calories as needed and even if something sounds completely wrong and backwards, give it a shot. If the math tells you to increase your calories by a couple hundred or so, try it – it just may be the key.
When it comes down to it, breaking through a plateau is hard. It is hard on your self esteem and will power to be doing so much hard work to see absolutely no progress on the scales. If you stick with it, not only will you eventually start losing weight again, but you will have a new heightened vision of yourself – new-found self esteem that is well deserved.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Weight loss: 15lbs
Mood: tired, depressed and lonely
I am not having a good day so far. I stepped on the scale and found that I have gone up to 15lbs lost. I am sure some of it is water weight from the weekend, but not all of it. I have gained in the last week, which makes me sad.
It is the last day of my March Regime and I intend to make it a good one. I have surpassed my goal of 85% success with my exercise so I will be able to justlify buying a little something for myself. I am going to wait a little longer though to see how the job stuff turns out. That will determine whether I will be buying workout clothes or just work clothes (both of which I would enjoy buying) - only a few things though since I will eventually be too big for them too, right?
I am starting to figure out my plan for April - similar to the March Regime in terms of exercise but I still haven't figured out what I am going to do with my calories. I need to break this plateau before my spirits fail completely. I am going to do my best, knowing that even if I am not losing weight, I am still doing something good for myself by eating properly and getting regular exercise in. I can already feel that my stamina for walking/running, etc has increased significantly. When the ice goes away I should have no problem starting the couch to 5k program I was talking about a few months ago. I am excited about that. I am also excited for the scenery to be pretty again (right now it is covered in grey slush/snow) so I can take some picture walks around the neighbourhood again. I enjoy those.
I am off to do some research about plateaus and how to break them. Perhaps I will learn something new, something that will help me.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Weight loss: 18lbs
Mood: happy yet disappointed
There are three days left until my birthday and I have 2 pounds left to lose before I could claim I had reached my goal. It is almost impossible for this to happen and therefore I know I will not be reaching my goal of having lost 20lbs by my 24th birthday. Hm, it would have been better sounding if I had tried to lose 24 pounds for my 24th birthday - though that wouldn't have been possible.
Though I am not going to be at my goal by my birthday, I am still having the birthday party as planned. I feel that I was successful in many other parts of my regime to be able to reward myself still. I exercised almost every day as planned and am still working out regularly. My calories were on track almost every day and I was able to increase my water intake on a regular basis - although it is still not exactly where I would want it to be. I know I gained some muscle weight through my weight training regime I had (and have) going on - so I am still happy with what I have accomplished this month and am planning on keeping this plan into April.
Speaking of which, my April plan is basically going to be the same as the March one:
- attempting to complete 60minutes of exercise every day (with every 6th day off)
- 2L of water a day
- 1400-1600 calories daily
Hopefully that will get me to 20lbs lost soon into April and make it possible to reach my next goal - which I haven't figured out yet.
My parents came up today and brought me two different sizes fo the bridesmaid dress my T's fiance picked out - one was a plus size and one was a regular size. Guess what - the regular size fit me perfectly! In fact if I keep on trucking with my plan I should be able to get in a smaller size by the time the wedding rolls around in September! I was so happy - still am!
So this is me in the bridesmaids dress at 17lbs lost! I am aiming for somewhere between 30 and 40lbs lost by the wedding (obviously closer to the 40lbs than the 30lbs) - so I should look quite different by the time I need to actually use the dress.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Weight loss: 17lbs
Mood: a mixture of everything
I am feeling pretty good about this month. I have been able to keep up my exercise pretty well and am eating the right number of calories pretty much every day as well. I have gotten a new DVD called Walk Away the Pounds (WATP) from a friend and I love it. I have used it everyday (except yesterday) since I got it. I wasn't able to do much exercise yesterday though as the day before I pulled something inmy lower abdomen and don't want to make it any worse. It feels much better today though so I think I could do some lower impact stuff and I would be just fine.
I have gotten a great deal better with drinking my water while at home all day. I am up to about 1.5L consistently each day and more if I am really thinking about it.
I have lost 2.4lbs already since the beginning of the month. I am not sure if I will be able to reach my birthday goal, if only because I am gaining a great deal of muscle with my new workouts (I can feel it developing and it is absolutely fantastic) but if that is the case, I will know and I will be okay with that and still consider this month a success.
The Biggest Loser is coming to an end soon and I will need to find a new motivation to get to me to workout as much as I do during that show (this week I exercised for over 80minutes during the episode) but until then I will keep on having great Tuesday Workout Nights.
I am just hoping that I am able to get as close to this goal as possible. I am starting to think about next month. If I am still unemployed keeping up this regime won't be too hard, other than trying to stay motivated. But if I get a job, which would be great, then I will need to create a new schedule, though I think I might still be able to exercise for an hour each night, depending on my work hours. I don't know though, it will depend on the job really. *fingers crossed* that I get one really soon so that I can figure something our for my new life.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Weight loss: 14.6lbs
Mood: nervous
My weight has gone up a tiny bit which scares me since it adds even more to the already large (for me) amount of weight I need to lose to reach my birthday goal. I am working out for at least an hour each day and have a 121.25% success rate as of right now. I am working a little harder every day and feeling good about my exercise thus far. I do need to get back on track in terms of my food though. I have been over by about 100 calories every day and despite how hard I try I always seem to be over. I am going to watch it more closely in the next couple days and try to figure out when and why I am eating those couple extra calories. Though they are not a very big deal, they do mean that a tiny bit of my exercise goes towards that instead of weight loss.
I have purchased a swim cap so that when I go swimming in the public pool in our condo complex my hair won't get destroyed. I have been every day this week and plan on going pretty much every day this month. I have never really thought that swimming was that good of a workout - just a whole lot of fun. But these past couple of days I have been able to feel it in my legs and a little in my arms as I have been treading water and doing laps for at least 30 minutes straight each time I go. I love swimming too, so doing it doesn't even feel like a chore like other forms of exercise does - I am glad I FINALLY found something I enjoy doing that is helpful towards my healthy life goal.
I am also learning how to drink all my water while I am at home. I was able to adapt to drinking 2L while I was at work and have found that I have not been able to hold that up while I am at home. I am slowly getting the hang of it and hopefully I will get it all in soon.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Weightloss: 15lbs
Mood: unexpectedly good
I got a look at the bridesmaid dress this weekend and I hope it looks good. My mom ordered some sizes and is going to bring them up to me when they get in - I am hopeful to say the least. Our plan is to purchase one now and then when I lose enough weight that I lose a dress size, we will return it and get a different one. We are buying from Sears so it shouldn't be a problem as long as the security tag stays on.
I didn't lose any weight this week, but I think I gained some muscle, and even if I didn't at least I didn't go up. I have noticed that my calories have creeped up this month - about 20ish calories a day (on average - normally it was 50 one day then nothing for a couple days). I know it doesn't sound like a lot but if that happens almost every day of the month then there's an extra 500 or so calories. So I am going to get back down and not let that happen again this month - I just had so much else going on this month that I wasn't paying enough attention to the small details of my regime.
I have made myself a new job for the month of March - weight loss. Since I will be technically unemployed I have decided that I need to have a plan so that I don't waste time. Though I will still be looking for a full-time position, my priority is going to be hitting my birthday goal - 20lbs lost. I WILL SUCCEED!
I am averaging about 0.8lbs lost per week - but that is with minimal exercise on weekdays and irregular exercise on the weekends. So I feel good about reaching my goal this upcoming month since I plan to work for minimum 1 hour a day. I will do this for 5 consecutive days and then have a day off. I am hoping to do a little bit of exercise on those days off, but nothing too intense. I am going to be doing a combination of everything I have been in the past so I don't get too bored with the exercise - weight lifting, calisthenics, elliptical, stationary bike and workout DVDs. If the weather gets nice enough outside I will pop out to start my couch to 5k program, but I don't expect to start that until April.
The weight loss forum I am a participant in is having an easter challenge, which I am basically going to treat as my birthday challenge. You get a graphic of an easter egg for every xlbs lost. We haven't decided on what x will be yet - but I am excited about it. I want as many eggs as possible! I am finding the forum really helpful - keeps me accountable on a daily basis rather than just the periodic updates I have here, though this also helps me a great deal. I hope the accountability factor keeps going strong since I really need that to keep going with this new life of mine.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Weight loss: 15lbs
Mood: content
So I made it to 15lbs lost now comes the first real struggle - as I have mentioned before this is about the time where I plateau and it drives me off of my path to weight loss. I have adjusted my workout schedule a little in that I have added regular weight training and calisthenics. Before now,I have been doing these two things randomly and in no real attempt to do anything other than satisfy my planned time for exercise. D is helping me with this as he knows a great deal more about weight training than I do and can help me do it all properly.
Motivation has been coming and going lately and I have had true determination for this several times in the past week or so and yet not done anything about it. The weight loss forum I participate in has been helping me in terms of motivation as one of the members there has just hit a major milestone in her journey, one I am trying to reach as well. She started out at about the same weight as I did and her success is giving me hope for my own. I feel very close to the ladies on my weight loss forum and am therefore very proud of her for getting to this great place, I only hope I can follow in her footsteps.
I have been working really hard on keeping my exercise time active and giving myself non-food related rewards for doing it. I skipped my 10lbs lost meal reward that I usually grant myself and instead have opted for a new rewards such as time playing games and purchasing items (despite the fact that I cannot really afford them right now). I do however have one reward meal planned for when I lose 20lbs as long as I lose those 20lbs by (or on) my birthday (March 29th). If I stay on track, I will be able to do this and I will get a massive yummy birthday meal filled with all the food I love. I want to make myself a cheesecake (traditional New York Cherry Cheesecake) and have lots of yummy food like Quesidillas and Mozzarella sticks, maybe some spicy chicken fingers too. I know I won't be able to eat too much of it because my stomach has shrunk considerably and I will have people over helping me devour it all so I am not really afraid of gaining weight from the one meal, but boy do I want it. BUT if I do not lose the 20lbs by my birthday, then no special yummy meal for me. I am really hoping that it acts as a giant motivator for me. Who knows though. It will be hard though because reaching 20lbs lost by March 29th will mean that I have had the largest losing streak yet during this journey. I usually got up and down a pound (or less) every couple of weeks or hit a plateau every once in a while. I am due for both of those things (according to what has happened in the past) so I am going to have to work extra hard to fight them and keep them at bay.
My contract at my current job is almost done and as scary as that is, it should give me more time to exercise and I plan on losing weight as a profession until I get an actual one. Kind of like the people on The Biggest Loser do, just without a professional trainer and with a bit more down-time for real life activities.
Hopefully my new found motivation and the loss of my day-time activities will give me more reason and hope to lose this weight and will enable me to get through this expected plateau and sail to my birthday dinner.
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Weight loss: 14lbs
Mood: nervous, yet excited
I was looking at past spreadsheets in which I have logged my weight loss and have determined that this is usually about the time in my new life style during which it all falls apart. Either through lack of motivation or the fact that this is when I hit my first plateau (normally just before 20lbs lost which is oh so frustrating). I have really only been here once before, possibly twice if you count the time I rebounded from the first time I fell off - but I am determined to make it further this time. I am determined to make it all the way this time! I have many real goals set for myself (realistic ones too) and there are dealines to be met which are out of my control - meaning I can't conveniently move the deadline or eliminate it altogether (for example my brother's wedding). I am hoping that these uncontrolled deadlines will help me stay on plan and stick to my new regime. I am hopeful that I will be able to do it this time around.
Lately I have not had that hard a time with my food as I have been giving myself little tastes of the things I enjoy - I am just trying to enjoy them in smaller portions than I used to. I have had a hard time with my exercise. Even when I complete my time (which is probably 5 or 6 days of the week, which is good) I am forcing myself to do it. I really want to do something that I don't need to force myself to complete. I am hoping that this Couch to 5k program will give me that - but I have to wait until it is nicer weather to start it and that is really starting to bother me now. I wish I had a higher resistance to the cold like my room-mate does.
There is alot going on in my life right now with trying to find a job in my field and starting to think about my living situation for when I get that job (and shortly after that too) and I am hoping that I am able to stay on track throughout all these new changes and inevitable dramas. I have been through worse I know that much and I believe I will be okay through all this.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Weight loss: 13lbs
Mood: sick
I have come down with a cold and have a feeling that this is going to hinder my weight loss for a little bit. I am trying to drink lots of water and gets lots of good sleep but it doesn't seem to be doing anything to the cold. Hopefully it doesn't last long so I can get going with my weight loss.
Other than that things are almost back on track with my regime. I am working out every night agian and extra hard on weekends. I am resisting temptation left, right and centre and sticking to my good, healthy food. I haven't gotten back to my slim-fast drinks for breakfast just yet since I felt I should get everything in order before I start using my expensive drink powder but I intend on starting that on Monday. Then I will be fully back in the swing of things.
I have looked into a new program for exercise and when the weather gets nice, or I get a treadmill (whichever occurs first) I am going to start the couch to 5k program that I have heard about. It starts you off real slow running for times that I can definitely manage like 30 seconds running 60 seconds walking or something like that. I am actually pretty excited to get started with it but since the weather is still so cold and miserable (and icy) I know starting it know would only lead to me ending it shortly there-after.
Hopefully when I step on the scale this week there is no gain, though I am not expecting any loss either - I just haven't done well enough this week for that but it's okay as this was a pretty big adjustment week from getting back into my normal routine. But I do have to get losing though since the wedding is just around the corner and I need to have lost a respectable amount of weight before then.
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Monday, February 4, 2008
Weight loss: 13lbs
Mood: sleepy but good
I had a pretty good weekend - no over indulging and I did alright with my workouts. I forgot to do Friday's workout though I am not quite sure how that happened and then Saturday I ran out of time and was only able to do 5 minutes. Usually this would mean I would be upset with my exercise but I have acknowledged that I did not do everything and have made a plan. Yesterday I did my 30 minutes plus an extra 15 so now I am only behind 25 minutes. My plan is to increase my 15 minute workouts every night this week to 20 minutes workouts and that means that come Friday evening this week, I will be caught up and feeling better about it all. This makes me feel really good because normally I would just write off the workout instead of making it up. Hopefully I will be able to do the extra workouts after doing all the extra time at my actual job making up for the hours I missed during my vacation.
I was planning on making turkey shepherds pie this weekend to have to for lunches during the week but made a big batch of rice and vegetables instead which should get me to the halfway mark of the week. I was doing really well planning my meals for the week and really want to get back into that as it worked well. I was able to get big calorie meals in that I love without going over my daily allowance - it was great.
I have restocked the snack cupboard with healthy granola bars and have brought cup-o-soup to work for my 10 or 3 o'clock snack each day. I am trying to up my fruit and vegetables as it was starting to slack (well for me at least) and I am going to start taking my vitamins again - though I am not sure if they really do anything.
As some of you already know, my brother's fiance asked me to be a bridesmaid which was a huge honour for me. It did make me feel a little uncomfortable though as I am afraid of being this huge lump up there. I am hoping to have lost between 30 and 40 pounds by the time the wedding comes around in September - I really hope I can do it. When I was on the phone with my parents the other day I mentioned it and I didn't get the vote of confidence and support I thought I would get. Instead I got 'that's a lot of weight you know' in that don't get your hopes up kind of tone which really hurt. I truly thought they were going to be supportive and wish me luck - but they really didn't. D told me that he truly believed I can do it, which made me feel better about myself. I guess they are just trying to be helpful in their own way - though I am not really sure. I just know it hurt is all.
This week I am getting back on track with my meal and exercise plans and though I did not do a bad job last week, I am not giving into any of my usual excuses - we are not in London anymore and it is time to get down to business.
Read more...Monday, January 28, 2008
Weight Loss: 12lbs
Mood: Fantastic!
It's been a while since I posted in here - but I had a good reason. As pretty much everyone knows I was in the UK from the 15th until the 25th of January on vacation. It was an amazing trip and I had so much fun. C and I went everywhere and saw everything we could in the time we had. I went there at 11pounds lost and was hoping to maintain and at the most gain 1 pound which would leave me at 10pounds lost and having still met my first goal. I got on the scale this morning (leaving time for the plan ride to wear off and any water weight to dissipate) and I actually lost 1 pound while I was away. I am now officially at 12 pounds lost. I am so happy about that.
C and I packed our meals pretty much every day while we were away. We ate out four times, 2 at pubs, 1 at a fish and chip place and 1 at a noodle bar. I had fish and chips 3 times and a noodle meals with chicken at the noodle place. Our packed lunches consisted of salami sandwiches (2 each), carrot sticks, apple/banana, yogurt and crisps (hula hoops to be exact). they were very good and filling but by the end I was sick fo them. For dinners we had lasagna once, pizza twice (the frozen grocery store kind) and pasta with vegetables twice. We ate two mars ice cream bars while we were there and had cadbury cream eggs too (since they are sold all year round over there - so cool). I think we did very well while we were away in terms of food.
We walked on average about 20000 steps a day. The lowest days were 10000 but there were only two or three of those and they were out of our control since they were days in which we were either on a plane or on buses to and from places. Our hostel room was on the third floor at the one place and the second at the other place and everything in London is piled high with no elevators to speak of so there was a lot fo stair climbing for us. We didn't take a taxi once but did tube and bus most of the time, although there was obviously a great deal of walking from oplace to place as well.
Since this was a budget trip the walking was increased significantly from most vacations to London and the food was also decreased in quantity and take-out'ness - which turned out to be good things for our health (although there was no doubt that this would happen). I am very happy with how the trip went in terms of exercise as well.
Everything was so great about the trip and the fact that I lost more weight is icing on the already fantastic cake (which I won't be eating).
Read more...Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Weight Loss: 11lbs
Mood: FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
So today is the departure date for my and C's trip to London, England and I can officially say that not only have I met my London goal, but I have surpassed it! My goal was to lose 10 lbs and I have actually lost 11 lbs! I am so happy. Apparently my altered weight loss plan is working at least for now and until I hit a plateau or something along those lines, I will keep to it. As soon as I get back from London I will hop back onto my weight loss plan - not that I am leaving it while in London, it is just going to have to increase in calories due to the highly increased activity (all that walking around). I am so excited about everything.
I will be posting when I get back at the lastest and I hope everyone has a pleasant two weeks while I am away - my first trip abroad, I just can't wait and soon I won't have to.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Weight Loss: 9lbs
Mood: a little bit of everything
Last night I had one ferrero rocher. I felt sad at the time as I know that I will see that when I go to weigh in (despite the fact that it was only one) but at the same time I was a little happy that I only had one even though there were 6 left in the box. I guess I wish I knew how to be ok with my decisions and how not to dwell on them, but that will come with time - right?
I have reached my exercise goals of doing at least 15 minutes each night though at the moment I have only done it in one go once and the rest of the times I have split it up in a couple rounds. I have been doing more on the nights that I get home earlier from work and have even done it on nights where I had planned to rest (due to a busy schedule). I feel my legs burning everytime I workout and when I get up in the morning and that makes me happy. I just have to keep it up until I go on my trip and make sure I get back to it once I get home.
I have not been eating this amount of calories long enough to see how it has altered my weight loss, so I cannot really comment on that - but my daily menu has been going over well and I have not felt too deprived in terms of treats. Hopefully this will remain true when D comes home and I am no longer eating alone on my own terms.
I have done a lot of thinking this morning about my weight loss. I have tried to figure out why I may have failed in the past and ways to prevent that from happening again, I have thought about what inspires me as I go through this journey and also why I truly want to lose this weight. I have come up with some answers but of course I will figure things out more as I progress and hopefully by the time I lose the weight and reach my goal I will be able to keep it off for I will know then what I do not now. I will know my triggers and how to avoid them (or persevere through them), I will know how to get myself healthy and how and when to give into temptations and how to stop myself from over-indulgence. I hope to know myself better and to be happy with that new me, that improved me.
Listed below are the Top Ten Reasons I want to lose weight.
To me inspiration for my weight loss comes in many forms. Recently I have been watching the new season of The Biggest Loser to inspire myself. Watching the show makes me very sad at first because I feel many of the same things that they do and want the same things for my future. Once I am done being sad (which doesn't take very long - especially as the season progresses and the contestants are less sad themselves) I am very motivated and full of energy. I tend to workout throughout the show (or at least part of it) as it really isn't a show you should watch while sitting on the couch with a bag of chips. I wish the show was on earlier in the day so that I would have more time to workout and use all that motivation and energy - but since it is on Tuesday nights at 8 or 9 (I forget which right now) I have to shower and head to bed shortly after it is done to be able to get up and go to work the next day. Maybe I should tape it and save it for the weekend where I would have enough time, but sometimes lack the motivation, to workout for an extended period of time.
I am also a little inspired despite people - to prove to those who may not believe I can do it that I truly can, that I am a strong, healthy, good person. I don't have many in my life that I would put in this box, and some are in my past but I am trying not to be so hurt by others negativity towards me and instead feed off of it for motivation and drive to succeed. Is that healthy?
I tend not to be inspired by other people's success, not because it isn't a good thing or even that I am jealous but rather because I don't want to be comparing myself to others, even if they are or were in similar situations. I am however, inspired by people close (aka family and friends) to me if not through their battles with weight then through other situations in which they have conquered something unimaginable (like my mom - she inspires me immensely).
I have many inspiring things, people or moments in my life and things like television shows, though as tacky and predictable as they are, help me for at least a short period of time and that is a good thing.
Everyone knows the term "Falling Off the Wagon" and I constantly aware that I have done this several times in the past as there usually comes a point during whatever new thing I was doing that I let it fade out of my daily routine. Last time I lost weight I made it to about the 6 month mark (and lost just under 20lbs) before I let this happen - I then gained all but five of it back in the next 6 months. This time I am letting myself be a little more leniant with the rules and allowing for small breaks here and there in an attempt to not have a massive falling out later on. Though I currently feel this is a good thing, it does slow down my weight loss a fair bit. I am also a little scared that I may not have the desire or will to come back from one of these breaks. I am not on a break and don't plan on having one for quite some time (in reality I don't plan them, I just take them every now and again as I need them and the length of the break is determined by how long ago the last one was) but I still wonder if they really are a good thing for me overall.
Read more...Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Weight Loss: 9lbs
Mood: sluggish
I am so tired this morning and my legs really hurt, particularly the left one. I think I might have worked a little too hard on the elliptical and stationary bike the last two days and it has resulted in my upper thighs really aching. The muscles are tight and every movement feels like I am lugging a bag of bricks. In a way it feels good because I know I have been doing something good for myself, but in every other way it is sore and tiring. It was a struggle to get up this morning and come to work - but I am here as I need the money for London.
I have realized that my changing my goals for exercise I eliminated my old calorie low. I used to want to burn either 150 or 300 calories a night minimum - well this works out to about 5 minutes on the elliptical. My new minimum is 15 minutes which last night was 450 calories and I was only pushing hard for the last 5 minutes where I set the machine to incline 30, resistance 12 (the highest settings). It is not a bad thing, in fact it is a good thing - I just have to get used to it is all. Tonight I will be taking it easy, still using at least one of the machines, but on low settings.
I am still at 9lbs loss and am really proud that I have made it this far. Even more proud since I am gaining muscle while I am losing fat - I know because I am losing major inches from every part of my body, much more than I have in the past at this point in my weight loss. My clothes are fitting much looser and most of my dress clothes just hang, the slightest tug and some of my pants would be around my ankles, haha!
No one has really said anything about my size, like there have been no comments, which is a little disappointing. I don't need positive comments like that to keep myself going, it is just nice to hear that it can be seen - but maybe it can't be seen yet. Oh well, given enough time, some people won't even recognize me!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Weight Loss: 9lbs?
Mood: happy yet tired
I had a moment of weakness last night but fortunately I caught it before it got out of hand. I was tired and a little lonely and went to get some snacks even though I knew I would be heading to bed in about an hour. I caught myself and rather than having a meal or anything like that - I had a big glass of water and started my bed-time routine earlier to try to distract myself. It worked and I persevered. I was happy with myself.
Yesterday was a unproductive day. I had wanted to finish up the preliminary cleaning of my room by tackling my desk but couldn't find the desire or drive to do so. Instead I ended up watching movies, cooking and basically just sitting around. I did, however, achieve my goal of doing 30 minutes of exercise though I did have to really force myself to do it. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the stationary bike - so I guess the day wasn't that bad.
Speaking of my stationary bike - I love it. The thing is quite old and the electronic component doesn't really work - it turns on and everything but I think the buttons are broken or something because I can't get it to start. But it doesn't really matter since the actual bike part works. It is small so it fits easily in my room. It is tucked behind one of my chairs and I pull it out when I want to use it. I am glad I grabbed it when I did.
I made turkey shepherds pie and chicken vegetable stir fry for my lunches and after altering the recipe of the first to lessen the calories a bit. I went grocery shopping and resisted the desire to buy ice cream and even sorbert, which I probably could have rationalized in my head somehow. C and I went for a small grocery trip earlier and we got this really great PC Blue-Menu breaded chicken breast. They were a little expensive but they were so worth it - only 170 calories for each breast. I think I am going to try to have a box of those in the freezer all the time now (and since I only need one for each meal, they should last a decent amount of time).
I am still trying to figure out my scales. According to the digital one I am down a pound since last week - which means 9lb weight loss. But I am trying to figure out what the actual weight is but I am pretty sure the loss is correct. So I only have one more pound to lose in the next week and I will have reached my first goal. It is weird for me to say that because in the past I have never set timelines for myself as I tend to plateau easily and need time off as to not fall out of the regime entirely and these can be quite unpredictable. It is a new approach and I don't know how successful it will be - I may just end up constantly changing all my goals, but really I don't care when I lose all the weight, as long as I eventually lose it.
I have set out a meal plan for the next week or so, basically until I leave for my trip (I do intend of loggin what I eat while I am in London, but my calorific intake will need to be higher since I will need all the energy I can get to make it through the long days of walking and touring). The daily calorific intake values range from 1300-1500 calories but that is just the initial plan and leaves room for afternoon snacks if I need them. So by the end of it all I will proably be eating 1400-1600 calories per day, which I think it a good mixture of the weight watchers points system and what other reputable websites have suggested I consume.
I have noticed recently that some of my clothes are just enormous. Basically all the winter work pants I have are at least one size too big for me and I am constantly having to pull them up throughout the day. Though I have only lost 9 pounds I seem to have lost many more inches, which leads me to believe that I am getting some good muscle gain as well.
Today I am hoping for 15 minutes of extra exercise since I have some errands to run after work and they will take up a large amount of both time and energy. I am the type of person who likes to set low goals and exceed them rather then set high goals and not be able to reach them, although throughotu this process I am trying to set attainable goals and then meet them, but it is a work in progress - like most of my life.
I have been using the Slim-Fast drinks for two days now and they are actually quite good. I drink one in the morning as my breakfast and then one when I get home from work as a snack. I am able to push dinner off and therefore don't want to snack later on in the night since I am still full from my supper. Snacking late at night has always been a weak point with me and so at least when I am full, there is less chance of that.
The down-side to my slim-fast breakfast is that since it is a drink, I don't have any water which decreases the amount of water I normally get in a day so I have been trying to drink more throughout the morning hours at work.
I have had the chocolate fudge flavour and yesterday I bought the other flavours (since they are currently on sale) and once this one is done I will try another. The thing I am expecting from them is not extreme weight loss or anything like that, I just think it is an excellent way to get some vitamins and nutrients which are lacking in my diet, since I don't eat a great deal of meat (and therefore lack protein) and fruits and vegetables are currently very high in price (since they are out of season).
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Weight loss: 8lbs
Mood: confunkled yet excited
Other than the scale issue I did do other things yesterday. I did 300 calories on the elliptical (in two rounds of 150 so not perfect but whatever) and I massively cleaned my room - including moving furniture and washing floors - so that's a but more burnt calories too. I went to Shoppers Drug Mart after work to pick up a few things I needed such as razors and migraine pills and ended up falling for their clever announcements (but I was completely aware that I fell for them so I am not that mad about it). They kept having announcements like "hello shoppers customers, trying to start the new year off right? Keep your commitment and try boost meal replacement drinks...blah blah blah". And every time they came on it reminded me how I had always wanted to try meal replacement drinks since they are actually full of vitamins and whatnot. So I ventured to the aisle and started looking at them and low and behold the Slim-Fast drinks were on sale (they actually cost less than the Shoppers Brand ones due to the sale). So I bought on container of powder and decided to give it a shot. I had it this morning and it was actually pretty tasty. I made myself I meal plan for today and I am going to stick to it to the best of my ability. The only reason I can see myself failing to some degree is that it is a lot of food (but still under 1500 calories). It consists of 2 shakes, 2 snack and 2 meals for a total of 6 'meals' which is a nice way to keep my stomach occupied during the day and working away but not stuffed at any point. I am going to try this today and if it works out I am going to do it to be able to reach my calorie goals that I set out for myself recently. I also bought some healthy snack/granola bars which will help me reach my calorie goals while still eating healthy food (and they were also on sale - bonus!).
Tonight I plan on cleaning my room further and burning more calories (or the same in one go) on the elliptical. I do plan on altering my elliptical goals by planning time goals instead of calorie goals (like be on elliptical for 15 minutes rather than burn 300+ calories) but while I am cleaning my room the way I am (super intensely) I am going to continue with what I have been doing.
Read more...So - I got all scared last night (since I am all alone in the big house and I have a wild imagination) and ended up staying up until 1ish in the morning trying to figure out my stupid scale and how it works.
I put free weights on it in an attempt to calibrate it - everything from 7.5lbs (the lowest it would register) to 50lbs. I did this all with 2.5lb and 5lb weights - so it was a great deal of effort and thought put into all of this with equations and charts and tables (since I am a nerdy engineer I was actually really excited to be doing this all). I made a calibration chart with all the actual weights and scale readings and fit a line to that curve and tried all different forms of the line - linear, exponential, power, modal, etc. and none of them fit perfectly although the linear was the closest (of course since it was not only the first one I tried but also the simplest). I got the equation (I told excel to tell me it though it's not hard to figure it out) and did some math, which seemed off to me so I checked the R^2 value to check how well the line fit the curve and it was 0.997 or something which is excellent but still I didn't think the math was really right. I went to the Doctor's in August and I was a couple pounds over (X)lbs then (however the scale could have gone down a teensy bit more so I though (X) even would have been a better weight). I got on this new scale (the one I am having trouble with) late October and it said (X-1).something then. If my calibration curve is accurate then the weight of (X-5).4lbs (what I was told by my scale yesterday) would actually be close to (X-13)lbs which doesn't seem right to me since I don't think I have lost that much weight. If the scale has always been this wonky (which I don't think it has) then the original weight of (X-1).something would be significantly less and that would be near impossible since I was eating utter crap between my doctor's appointment and when I got on the new scale. UGH! (note: sorry about the confusing X's I am just not ready to state my weight yet)
I also calibrated my other scale (it is a dial one) and that was easy to do since I just placed the weights on it and moved the dial to the right place. I then used a complicated method of trying to calibrate the other one to that one with me but that didn't seem to work.
So all in all, I have no way to know whether or not my scale is accurate or not. I can't go to a gym because my membership to the one at my university is gone (since I have graduated) and all others cost money as well and I don't want a membership - just a chance to weigh myself on the accurate scales. I guess I could go to a doctor's office or something, but I have no insurance right now (no longer covered under my parents and have no benefits at my contract job here) and don't know if that would count as something I need to pay for.
I got on the scale this morning and it said a loss of 6lbs. The dial scale said that I should be around a loss of 8lbs or so (it is hard to tell exactly what number it is on since I am so far from it and leaning over to look at it changes the number). I think I am around a loss of 8lbs and that as the scale gets that high in number the degree of error lessens from when it is lower values such as 50 (which was the absolute highest value I could get on my own). I might try calibrating it some more and experimenting with weights more when I have D around to help me since he can not only lift more than me, but that would be two sets of hand and arms to lift rather than just my one. But for now I am just going to approximate myself on the dial scale and then get on the other one and see for now. I think I am about at a loss of 8lbs and not a loss of 6lbs like it says. I don't know.
Mind you, in all this calibrating I got a really good workout. I was lifting weights for about an hour or so and standing up and sitting down constantly and then leaning over bending, picking up weights while bending. I bet you I worked my arms, back and legs - so I mean, it wasn't a complete waste - haha!
I have been examing my calorific intake lately and have found that by adhering to the WW plan I might have been to restrictive. I am 'supposed' to eat about 28 points (approximately 1400 calories or less) per day according to WW. According to most other sites I should be eating 1800 on average. I have been looking into things and have determined that I will be increasing my calorific intake to 1600-1800 per day depending on how much exercise I do on that particular day. I am going to keep a close eye on things and see if this helps or hinders my weight loss - or if it does neither. I know when I was at home and eating more, in the beginning I lost weight and then gained it back. I have a feeling this was due to a technique called zig-zagging where yo alter your calorific intake each day (or couple of days) to get low, medium and high days with a weekly average of your ideal intake value. This technique can work since your body doesn't ahve the chance to 'get used to' the calorie value you are giving it each day and therefore it has a tendency to burn weight at a higher rate (essentially increasing your metabolism). I gained the weight back since I did not proceed to decrease my intake and therefore my body was able to adjust it's metabolism for the larger meals. For now I am just going to see what increasing my calories does and then perhaps test out the zig-zagging method, though I don't know if it is a great idea for me since I might not want to go back to the low calorie days after the high ones. This is all in an attempt to find the ideal method of weight loss for me. I do have to take into consideration thought, that while experimenting like this is good overall since I will learn more about how my body uses the fuel from food, it may hinder my progress for a little bit and further readaptation might be necessary in the not so distant future.
Read more...Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Weight loss: 6.6lbs
So I am thinking the 8lbs weight loss was a fluke on my scale. Or perhaps it wasn't and my scale doesn't work properly at home. When I was at my parents place I seemed to lose weight in the beginning and then gained it back by the end - that is okay because my goal was to maintain and I did just that yay! *happy dance* mini goal achieved. My dilemna now is that I stepped on the scale this morning to find that it is up over 2 pounds from what it was when I left my house yesterday. Now it is impossible for me to have gained 2 pounds in that time frame so I have to think about what I ate, was it salty and therefore would cause water retention - hmm well I had stew, stir fry, a couple tootsie rolls, a small cookie and cinammon rolls so not any more salt than usual. Then I thought that perhaps the scale is acting differently in the two places due to level issues. The floor int he bathroom at my parents house is linolium or something and has some bumps in it so maybe it wasn't completely level although I did check it before each time I used it and their own scale said that same numbers as mine (which means I didn't actually have to bring mine but oh well). So when I get home tonight I am going to check to see if my scale is level at the house here because maybe that is the problem. I know when I stepped on it with carpet under it my weight was almost my goal weight - which was neat to see but obviously incorrect. Any way, this is my scale dilemna and I am going to have to resolve it ASAP as I need to be at 10lbs weight loss before I leave for London on the 15th which is coming up really soon. I will check the scale tomorrow and find out if it was just a fluke measurement which is probably was.
Today I re-adapted my weight loss spreadsheet and re-did all my calculations. My goals (both short term and long term) will need to be re-adjusted like this several times throughout my journey and it does not represent a loss in myself or that I have fallen of the wagon or anything like that. It simply recognizes the fact that there are times that I am not going to be able to lose and maintaining will be my goal then (for example while I am in London and when I was at my parent's house for the holidays). There are also going to be several plateaus in my weight loss that I am going to have to work through and it may take a couple weeks for that to occur. I am not going to let these things get me down this time around. Last summer I lost 20 pounds but then plateaued and gave up (I'll admit it, I gave up). This time around there will be no giving up, temporary breaks (max 1 week in length) from exercise or something perhaps, but no giving up. I honestly beleive that if I go into this thing knowing that my expectations will need to be altered and changed as my life changes, I will be able to succeed and reach my long-term goals, it just might take me longer than initially planned.
As for my holiday goals, well I already mentioned that I met my goal of maintaining. I also met my goal of drinking proper amounts of water each day (it was easy because of the water distributor on the fridge). As for my exercise goals, I was let down a little by both myself and the conditions. The new puppy doesn't really like walks and doesn't get very far before he is carried. Not a big problem I carried him on one of our walks, but he gets cold easily and begins to shiver (even with a little coat on) so I didn't want to torment the little guy and we went home most trips out. There was one successful walk where he and I ran (yes that's right I, Stephanie, ran down my road) down to the gas line and then walked all the way back. Now I could have gone out on my own and this is where I let myself down, because I didn't. I also realized on the last day I was at the house that there was an old exercise bike and it still worked (I knew it existed before but thought it was broken), so unfortunately I could have been using that while I was there. I am getting my Dad to bring it up for me when he comes up next since it is light and small. It will be added to my collection of equipment (and used too) and eventually when D and I get our own place we will make a gym for the two of us and we will have free-weights, a weight bench, the bike and my elliptical (and one day I want to get a really nice treadmill but I currently don't have the room or really the funds for it) - it will be so nice to have a proper space for it all.
Anyways, that is all for now. I hope all my readers had a great holiday and continue to have a wonderful New Year - Happy 2008!
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