Okay. Truth time. It is 10:06 pm Eastern--and I have not had any sugar except that which is found in bananas and grapes (my snacks for today). And I have to admit--I feel pretty darn good!
We went out to eat for breakfast today at a local diner. I had my coffee without sugar, one piece of wheat toast with my omelet (3 egg, fresh mushrooms, broccoli, tomato, no cheese), and I didn't miss the sugar. We went to Dunkin' Donuts for dessert (it was one of the boys' birthdays today) and I passed on the donut AND on my favorite toasted almond iced coffee.
One of the most notable changes was that I didn't feel sluggish after breakfast! I felt . . .ALERT! Clear-headed even. I am not a morning person--It usually takes my brain a couple of hours to catch up with my body. But not today!
Okay. Reality check. I DID get 2 pretty nasty headaches before lunchtime had even hit. I was expecting some sort of withdrawal symptoms so I was able to just drink lots of water to flush my system and remind myself that this is just my body's way of begging for something that right now it thinks it needs. OF course you and I know that it doesn't really need it. But I have spent the last several years (okay 38) convincing it that it did need the sugar. My bad. And now apparently it is going to take some time to convince my body otherwise.
Lunch hit and still no sugar: cheese stick, tabouleh salad, oh--fruit. So some sugar. But my body threw a full out temper tantrum at this point. Migraine. Apparently fruit is not my body's idea of sugar.
I still was able to recognize this for what it was: withdrawal. I laid down with my napping baby and was able to take a nap.
I woke up feeling pretty good. Not groggy at all like I usually am after an afternoon nap. Had a banana and a cheese stick and a couple of nibbles of whole wheat pasta and got ready to hit the gym with my trainer.
Ran almost 1.5 miles (12 laps is a mile--I ran 12, walked 1, ran 4, power walked the last one). Then an hour of weight, resistance, and endurance training. My trainer kicked my ass today!
And while it wasn't easy (she never makes it easy!) it wasn't hard--you know what I mean? I never felt that I couldn't do it. It felt awesome all the way through.
Back home for dinner: light tuna wrap and soup. Still no sugar in any of the ingredients.
I gotta say, I am feeling Great! There were some points of agitation and lack of patience through the day--and a few headaches (literally and figuratively). But overall--just one day without sugar and I can feel a difference! There is a clarity there that I didn't know was missing before.
Huh.
13 more days sugar free. . . .
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Four Letter Word
S U G A R
Yes. I KNOW that's 5 letters. But so is bitch. And Sugar is my own personal bitch. Nope. Strike that. Sugar continues to make ME it's personal bitch. And I just am not going to take it anymore.
I weighed in today (figuring with all the birthday celebrating and such, I wanted to make sure I got a good weigh in). Scale says +.2 lbs. Ugh. Not horrible--but still not the direction I want to be going in. Granted--most of my workouts at this end of this week were not 1 hour--they were 30 minutes. But I have been focusing on my runs--and so I stretch for 5-10, run for about 15, walk out my cool down and stretch.
Clearly that isn't enough. (But I am still proud of myself for running as much as I have and for continuing to conquer that mile).
So this is what brought me to my bitch about sugar. I planned to have a small small piece of cake after dinner to celebrate my 12 year old's birthday. I didn't have a small small piece of cake. I had an average piece of cake. And within 20 minutes I had a screaming headache. Inflamed sinuses. And agitated--without being able to put my finger on why. The only thing that I could point my finger to: sugar. I felt FINE until that damn cake (yes, btw--it WAS delicious--I make a kick ass cake!--but it totally wasn't worth the ensuing pain and agitation. Not one bit.)
I did a little research. I knew sugar was in everything. I knew sugar was addictive. I didn't know that most of us exhibit signs of sugar addiction. I didn't know that excess sugar in the body goes to the liver and is turned into triglycerides (fat--cholesterol--BAD cholesterol). The tests from my last schedule showed high triglyceride levels. Sugar was making me its bitch.
No more.
As of tomorrow (tonight) I am starting a 2 week sugar detox. No refined sugars. No sweetened drinks. No honey. No white bread, rice, pasta, or sugar (no brown sugar either). No processed foods with fructose as an ingredient. No foods with sugars in the ingredients. My only sugars will come from fruits. That's it.
For 2 weeks.
Yes. I KNOW that's 5 letters. But so is bitch. And Sugar is my own personal bitch. Nope. Strike that. Sugar continues to make ME it's personal bitch. And I just am not going to take it anymore.
I weighed in today (figuring with all the birthday celebrating and such, I wanted to make sure I got a good weigh in). Scale says +.2 lbs. Ugh. Not horrible--but still not the direction I want to be going in. Granted--most of my workouts at this end of this week were not 1 hour--they were 30 minutes. But I have been focusing on my runs--and so I stretch for 5-10, run for about 15, walk out my cool down and stretch.
Clearly that isn't enough. (But I am still proud of myself for running as much as I have and for continuing to conquer that mile).
So this is what brought me to my bitch about sugar. I planned to have a small small piece of cake after dinner to celebrate my 12 year old's birthday. I didn't have a small small piece of cake. I had an average piece of cake. And within 20 minutes I had a screaming headache. Inflamed sinuses. And agitated--without being able to put my finger on why. The only thing that I could point my finger to: sugar. I felt FINE until that damn cake (yes, btw--it WAS delicious--I make a kick ass cake!--but it totally wasn't worth the ensuing pain and agitation. Not one bit.)
I did a little research. I knew sugar was in everything. I knew sugar was addictive. I didn't know that most of us exhibit signs of sugar addiction. I didn't know that excess sugar in the body goes to the liver and is turned into triglycerides (fat--cholesterol--BAD cholesterol). The tests from my last schedule showed high triglyceride levels. Sugar was making me its bitch.
No more.
As of tomorrow (tonight) I am starting a 2 week sugar detox. No refined sugars. No sweetened drinks. No honey. No white bread, rice, pasta, or sugar (no brown sugar either). No processed foods with fructose as an ingredient. No foods with sugars in the ingredients. My only sugars will come from fruits. That's it.
For 2 weeks.
Monday, April 26, 2010
. . . and Real Life Seeps In!
Normally here is where I would first post my goal and actual calories and goal and actual exercise--but after a little over a week of hard core calorie counting and timing of workouts, I have fallen into a routine--and into Life.
I eat about the same every day--and no, it isn't boring. I have found some delicious and low calorie/low fat favorites and I love them so much, I eat them everyday! I love my Strawberry Fields from Kashi (or more recently Special K Berry). I love my turkey burgers--these are easily changed up by changing the toppings (I love lots of veggie toppings!), and I love my yogurt protein smoothies--although my little blade for my blender has run away from home so I haven't had those in awhile. =(
My exercise goals have changed a bit. I have finally gotten over the (mental) hump of not being able to run for any substantial distance or any substantial length of time and I have run over a mile every day since last Thursday. I was actually disappointed when the weather forecast for yesterday AND today was for rain--but we found a dry pocket yesterday and ran! Today, I will either find another dry pocket or go to the gym and run the track. Actually I will probably go to the gym anyway--I want to hit the weight machines.
Tomorrow--I would normally go to my trainer's boot camp (and I DO have a training session with her on Wednesday), but here is where real life comes in: our oldest son's birthday is Wednesday and we are taking him to dinner on Tuesday night and then out to breakfast on Wednesday morning. AND I am baking him a chocolate cake. Okay. And Wednesday is weigh in day. O---Kay.
So, per request, we are going to Uno's for dinner. I like Uno's because they have a computer in their foyer that you can look up anything on their menu and see all of the nutritional facts--including how many servings are in their servings (I will warn you--this can be a bit of a shocker the first time you try it!). But I will have complete control and knowledge of my calorie intake (and sodium). The cake I am baking is in no way low cal or low fat. But I have control over the piece I cut for myself--and knowing the next day is a weigh in day is a good motivator!
Breakfast on Wednesday will be AFTER my weigh in. The birthday boy wants to go to a diner that he likes to go to while at his other home, so we are going there. I am hoping for a light menu--or the ability to create a light breakfast (fruit, oatmeal, english muffin w/ jam, no butter, etc.). I feel like I am doing a Biggest Loser challenge!
It is real life, though. Events come up, and celebrations . . .and like most Americans--we do celebrate with food. It is just a matter of not letting food celebrate with us!
I eat about the same every day--and no, it isn't boring. I have found some delicious and low calorie/low fat favorites and I love them so much, I eat them everyday! I love my Strawberry Fields from Kashi (or more recently Special K Berry). I love my turkey burgers--these are easily changed up by changing the toppings (I love lots of veggie toppings!), and I love my yogurt protein smoothies--although my little blade for my blender has run away from home so I haven't had those in awhile. =(
My exercise goals have changed a bit. I have finally gotten over the (mental) hump of not being able to run for any substantial distance or any substantial length of time and I have run over a mile every day since last Thursday. I was actually disappointed when the weather forecast for yesterday AND today was for rain--but we found a dry pocket yesterday and ran! Today, I will either find another dry pocket or go to the gym and run the track. Actually I will probably go to the gym anyway--I want to hit the weight machines.
Tomorrow--I would normally go to my trainer's boot camp (and I DO have a training session with her on Wednesday), but here is where real life comes in: our oldest son's birthday is Wednesday and we are taking him to dinner on Tuesday night and then out to breakfast on Wednesday morning. AND I am baking him a chocolate cake. Okay. And Wednesday is weigh in day. O---Kay.
So, per request, we are going to Uno's for dinner. I like Uno's because they have a computer in their foyer that you can look up anything on their menu and see all of the nutritional facts--including how many servings are in their servings (I will warn you--this can be a bit of a shocker the first time you try it!). But I will have complete control and knowledge of my calorie intake (and sodium). The cake I am baking is in no way low cal or low fat. But I have control over the piece I cut for myself--and knowing the next day is a weigh in day is a good motivator!
Breakfast on Wednesday will be AFTER my weigh in. The birthday boy wants to go to a diner that he likes to go to while at his other home, so we are going there. I am hoping for a light menu--or the ability to create a light breakfast (fruit, oatmeal, english muffin w/ jam, no butter, etc.). I feel like I am doing a Biggest Loser challenge!
It is real life, though. Events come up, and celebrations . . .and like most Americans--we do celebrate with food. It is just a matter of not letting food celebrate with us!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Run, Forrest, Run
Yesterday's Goals: Calories: 1400, Exercise: 60 minute
Yesterday Actual: Calories: 1400, Exercise: 45 minutes running and walking, and 2 hours of serious cleaning of the little ones' room. LOL.
Last night I went to one of my favorite woodsy-lakey-nature trail places and ran. I completed a session of my C25K app (couch to 5k) and then walked the rest of the 3 mile trail.
The run was not good. I had difficulty getting my breath to regulate--I was huffing and puffing and struggling like nobody's business! The session yesterday was a 5 minute brisk walk, followed by 2 repetitions of running for 1.5 minutes, walking for 1.5 minutes, running for 3 minutes, walking for 3 minutes. The 90 second runs were not a problem. But I was really struggling with the 3 minutes blocks. It was really frustrating and I really got down on myself on the walk back.
Then 4 deer crossed my path--not 10 feet from me! Beautiful. Just beautiful. I stopped to watch them and in those moments reset my self talk. Did I have a good solid run? No. But did I run? YES!! I ran. I got through it. I moved. I pushed through and persevered! Hooray for me!
This morning I met with my trainer (who wanted me to start our session by running a mile--A MILE!). She reminded me that anyone can (and everyone does) have a bad run from time to time. No biggie. Nothing to worry about. Move on!
So we ran. A Mile. Yep. I ran a full mile without stopping--and then I ran a little more (at a sprint!). Previously she has timed my 1/2 miles and it had put me at a 12 minute mile, and more recently at 11.40. Today: 11.11! Not only did I run a mile, but I beat my time! AND I ran for 11 minutes strait with no huffing and puffing--just solid clean breaths. YAY! I was so pumped she put me through power sets of weights--rotating through with only break enough to take a drink from my water bottle. . .It was awesome. I was Awesome!
I AM Awesome!
Today's goals: Calories: 1400, Exercise: 90 minutes (I already got 60 minutes in, I want to get 30 more of yoga in tonight--like dessert!)
Yesterday Actual: Calories: 1400, Exercise: 45 minutes running and walking, and 2 hours of serious cleaning of the little ones' room. LOL.
Last night I went to one of my favorite woodsy-lakey-nature trail places and ran. I completed a session of my C25K app (couch to 5k) and then walked the rest of the 3 mile trail.
The run was not good. I had difficulty getting my breath to regulate--I was huffing and puffing and struggling like nobody's business! The session yesterday was a 5 minute brisk walk, followed by 2 repetitions of running for 1.5 minutes, walking for 1.5 minutes, running for 3 minutes, walking for 3 minutes. The 90 second runs were not a problem. But I was really struggling with the 3 minutes blocks. It was really frustrating and I really got down on myself on the walk back.
Then 4 deer crossed my path--not 10 feet from me! Beautiful. Just beautiful. I stopped to watch them and in those moments reset my self talk. Did I have a good solid run? No. But did I run? YES!! I ran. I got through it. I moved. I pushed through and persevered! Hooray for me!
This morning I met with my trainer (who wanted me to start our session by running a mile--A MILE!). She reminded me that anyone can (and everyone does) have a bad run from time to time. No biggie. Nothing to worry about. Move on!
So we ran. A Mile. Yep. I ran a full mile without stopping--and then I ran a little more (at a sprint!). Previously she has timed my 1/2 miles and it had put me at a 12 minute mile, and more recently at 11.40. Today: 11.11! Not only did I run a mile, but I beat my time! AND I ran for 11 minutes strait with no huffing and puffing--just solid clean breaths. YAY! I was so pumped she put me through power sets of weights--rotating through with only break enough to take a drink from my water bottle. . .It was awesome. I was Awesome!
I AM Awesome!
Today's goals: Calories: 1400, Exercise: 90 minutes (I already got 60 minutes in, I want to get 30 more of yoga in tonight--like dessert!)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Weigh In Wednesday!!
Previous weight: 213.8
Current weight: 211.4
Pounds lost: 2.4
Success!!! This is serious success!! Like I mentioned in previous posts, since starting with my personal trainer I HAVE seen the inches go down considerably. I HAVE seen my body fat % go down considerably. But I have seen very little change to the number on the scale from week to week.
My water intake has increased--hurray! That was a big one for me. I am now getting on average six 8 ounce glasses a day. I would like to bump that up more. Popular knowledge says 8-10 eight ounce glasses is what your body needs, but I recently I read an article that talked about the amount of water a body needs is connected to weight. There was a formula to figure out how much you need given your body weight, and I think I can get an app for that. LOL.
This week's goals:
1) to drink 14 eight ounce glasses of water a day (it turns out I already did have an app for that!)
2) work out 6 days this week--and average of 1 hour each day.
3) eat 1400 calories per day
4) get my bike in to get tuned and start riding!
5) get running 4 days a week
Tally Ho!
Current weight: 211.4
Pounds lost: 2.4
Success!!! This is serious success!! Like I mentioned in previous posts, since starting with my personal trainer I HAVE seen the inches go down considerably. I HAVE seen my body fat % go down considerably. But I have seen very little change to the number on the scale from week to week.
My water intake has increased--hurray! That was a big one for me. I am now getting on average six 8 ounce glasses a day. I would like to bump that up more. Popular knowledge says 8-10 eight ounce glasses is what your body needs, but I recently I read an article that talked about the amount of water a body needs is connected to weight. There was a formula to figure out how much you need given your body weight, and I think I can get an app for that. LOL.
This week's goals:
1) to drink 14 eight ounce glasses of water a day (it turns out I already did have an app for that!)
2) work out 6 days this week--and average of 1 hour each day.
3) eat 1400 calories per day
4) get my bike in to get tuned and start riding!
5) get running 4 days a week
Tally Ho!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Day Off
Goal Calories: 1400, Actual Calories: I have no freaking idea! LOL
Goal Exercise: 2 hours, Actual Exercise: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yesterday's workout kicked my ass. And hamstrings. And triceps. And abs. LOL Holy Cow!!! The plan was I would go to my personal trainer's Boot Camp class and then I would have an hour with her one on one. But because a lot of her regulars are on vacation this week, I was the only one at her Boot Camp and so we did 1 hour and 45 minutes of 1 on 1. Today: I rest. LOL. It was a GREAT workout. But today, my muscles are screaming! So today, I have no exercise planned.
Truthfully, when it comes to exercise days of rest are important. It is during the rest periods that the magic happens. Calories continue to burn at an accelerated rate AFTER an intense workout: 12-48 hours after and at a rate of about 15%. Not too shabby!
I didn't keep track of my calories at all yesterday. I knew that it would freak me out. LOL. I told my trainer about my 1400 daily calories, to which she told me that was fine if I wasn't doing any exercise but I need to add calories on the days I did exercise. Yeah, I know. Not that I have been. But I know that I am supposed to. Specifically, she said, that I needed to EAT a lot more after yesterday's 2 hours. She said this over and over and over. Okay okay, I get it.
When I came home I figured out my caloric burn for that workout (yep--iPhone app) and for 1 hour and 45 minutes of circuit training, at my weight, I burned over 1200 calories! Which means to have my goal of 1400, I actually needed to eat 2600!! That's a lot of calories for someone who's used to eating 1400. Plus, given (asyou know by now) my complete obsession with numbers (one of the "fats" I am trying to trim), I thought the best thing I could do for myself is to not count calories at all yesterday and just eat when I was hungry.
Today is my day of rest for exercise, yesterday was my day of rest from counting calories.
It did feel good to not be writing everything down knowing that I worked out enough to cover it. It was like a day off from the number obsession.
Okay--so here we go:
Calorie Goal: 1400
Exercise Goal: 0
Goal Exercise: 2 hours, Actual Exercise: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yesterday's workout kicked my ass. And hamstrings. And triceps. And abs. LOL Holy Cow!!! The plan was I would go to my personal trainer's Boot Camp class and then I would have an hour with her one on one. But because a lot of her regulars are on vacation this week, I was the only one at her Boot Camp and so we did 1 hour and 45 minutes of 1 on 1. Today: I rest. LOL. It was a GREAT workout. But today, my muscles are screaming! So today, I have no exercise planned.
Truthfully, when it comes to exercise days of rest are important. It is during the rest periods that the magic happens. Calories continue to burn at an accelerated rate AFTER an intense workout: 12-48 hours after and at a rate of about 15%. Not too shabby!
I didn't keep track of my calories at all yesterday. I knew that it would freak me out. LOL. I told my trainer about my 1400 daily calories, to which she told me that was fine if I wasn't doing any exercise but I need to add calories on the days I did exercise. Yeah, I know. Not that I have been. But I know that I am supposed to. Specifically, she said, that I needed to EAT a lot more after yesterday's 2 hours. She said this over and over and over. Okay okay, I get it.
When I came home I figured out my caloric burn for that workout (yep--iPhone app) and for 1 hour and 45 minutes of circuit training, at my weight, I burned over 1200 calories! Which means to have my goal of 1400, I actually needed to eat 2600!! That's a lot of calories for someone who's used to eating 1400. Plus, given (asyou know by now) my complete obsession with numbers (one of the "fats" I am trying to trim), I thought the best thing I could do for myself is to not count calories at all yesterday and just eat when I was hungry.
Today is my day of rest for exercise, yesterday was my day of rest from counting calories.
It did feel good to not be writing everything down knowing that I worked out enough to cover it. It was like a day off from the number obsession.
Okay--so here we go:
Calorie Goal: 1400
Exercise Goal: 0
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Daily Calorie Intake -or- How to completely make up a number that has no relevance whatsoever.
Yesterday's Goal Calories: 1400, Actual calories: 1415
Yesterday's Goal Exercise: 30 minutes, Actual Exercise: 40 minutes (and I finally got my yoga in! Yay!
Everyday I give my daily caloric goal -- currently 1400. I thought I would share with you a little bit of how I came to that number.
There is a long scientific formula to figure out how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight. Then there is an additional formula that factors in how much weight you want to lose and how much exercise you do. I basically worked through those formulas, and then picked a number out of my ass.
Here is the formula:
655 + (4.3 x your weight in pounds) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age in years)
For me this looks like this:
655 + (4.3 x 213.8 = 919.34) + (4.7 x 66 = 310.2) - (4.7 x 38 = 178.6) = 1705.94
1706 is how many calories I need each day to maintain my weight.
Now, to lose 1 pound per week, you need to reduce your calories by 3,500 each week--or 500 calories a day. You can do this 3 ways: literally reduce the number of calories you take in by 500 each day or burn an extra 500 calories each day or do some combination of both. I do some combination. I reduce my calories by about 300 and I burn anywhere from 150-700 calories each day, depending on what I am doing exercise-wise (today I will be burning about 1400 because of 2 hours with my personal trainer!)
So how did I choose 1400?
Well, I have an iPhone app (of course) called Lose It (I highly recommend it) that will figure out your daily calories based on your weight and age and height (I think) AND how active you are AND how much you want to lose per week. It also adjusts your calories each day as you enter in the food you eat AND the exercise you do (more exercise = more calories you get to eat. Some days I would run around the block just to eat a brownie. True story). This app currently says I need (before exercise) 1411 to loose 2 pounds per week. If I were to put in the exercises I do, that number quickly goes up to about 1700 a day. That number doesn't match the formula I have and I think 1700 is a lot of calories to eat when I am trying to lose weight. So I stick closer to the 1400.
If you notice, I don't adjust my goal calories to take into account my exercise. So I am actually consuming less that the 1400 on most days. But I thought is not to sweat (pun intended) the extra calories if I worked out for an hour or more that day. The reality is that I suck at not worrying about those extra calories regardless of the workouts I do (see post entitled: How much does self depreciation weigh). But that is one of those things I am working on.
I also saw an advertisement for a book by the people who do Prevention Magazine that was supposed to teach you how to choose meals that are around 400 calories and this would help you lose weight.
So this is how I came about my number--taking all of this into consideration: I figure 3 meals a day at about 400 calories each and 2 snacks at about 100 calories each. And there you go. My completely researched and then pulled out of my ass number.
To be completely honest, if my trainer knew (and any "expert" will tell you) that I was trying to stick to 1400 calories regardless of exercise, she would ream me out. The body DOES go into fat storage mode when you eat too few calories. But I was eating about 1700 a day AND working out--and no weight was being lost. So I am going with 1400 for now and see what happens on the scale on Wednesday. If I need to tweak a little I will.
Today's Calorie Goal: You guessed it!: 1400
Today's exercise Goal: 2 hours (Yep. 2 hours--I am heading out to my gym to do a Boot Camp class and then an hour with my personal trainer--don't know what to say about THAT).
Yesterday's Goal Exercise: 30 minutes, Actual Exercise: 40 minutes (and I finally got my yoga in! Yay!
Everyday I give my daily caloric goal -- currently 1400. I thought I would share with you a little bit of how I came to that number.
There is a long scientific formula to figure out how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight. Then there is an additional formula that factors in how much weight you want to lose and how much exercise you do. I basically worked through those formulas, and then picked a number out of my ass.
Here is the formula:
655 + (4.3 x your weight in pounds) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age in years)
For me this looks like this:
655 + (4.3 x 213.8 = 919.34) + (4.7 x 66 = 310.2) - (4.7 x 38 = 178.6) = 1705.94
1706 is how many calories I need each day to maintain my weight.
Now, to lose 1 pound per week, you need to reduce your calories by 3,500 each week--or 500 calories a day. You can do this 3 ways: literally reduce the number of calories you take in by 500 each day or burn an extra 500 calories each day or do some combination of both. I do some combination. I reduce my calories by about 300 and I burn anywhere from 150-700 calories each day, depending on what I am doing exercise-wise (today I will be burning about 1400 because of 2 hours with my personal trainer!)
So how did I choose 1400?
Well, I have an iPhone app (of course) called Lose It (I highly recommend it) that will figure out your daily calories based on your weight and age and height (I think) AND how active you are AND how much you want to lose per week. It also adjusts your calories each day as you enter in the food you eat AND the exercise you do (more exercise = more calories you get to eat. Some days I would run around the block just to eat a brownie. True story). This app currently says I need (before exercise) 1411 to loose 2 pounds per week. If I were to put in the exercises I do, that number quickly goes up to about 1700 a day. That number doesn't match the formula I have and I think 1700 is a lot of calories to eat when I am trying to lose weight. So I stick closer to the 1400.
If you notice, I don't adjust my goal calories to take into account my exercise. So I am actually consuming less that the 1400 on most days. But I thought is not to sweat (pun intended) the extra calories if I worked out for an hour or more that day. The reality is that I suck at not worrying about those extra calories regardless of the workouts I do (see post entitled: How much does self depreciation weigh). But that is one of those things I am working on.
I also saw an advertisement for a book by the people who do Prevention Magazine that was supposed to teach you how to choose meals that are around 400 calories and this would help you lose weight.
So this is how I came about my number--taking all of this into consideration: I figure 3 meals a day at about 400 calories each and 2 snacks at about 100 calories each. And there you go. My completely researched and then pulled out of my ass number.
To be completely honest, if my trainer knew (and any "expert" will tell you) that I was trying to stick to 1400 calories regardless of exercise, she would ream me out. The body DOES go into fat storage mode when you eat too few calories. But I was eating about 1700 a day AND working out--and no weight was being lost. So I am going with 1400 for now and see what happens on the scale on Wednesday. If I need to tweak a little I will.
Today's Calorie Goal: You guessed it!: 1400
Today's exercise Goal: 2 hours (Yep. 2 hours--I am heading out to my gym to do a Boot Camp class and then an hour with my personal trainer--don't know what to say about THAT).
Friday, April 16, 2010
Full Disclosure
Yesterday's calorie goal: 1400, Actual calories: 1359
Yesterdays exercise goal: 60 minutes (30 cardio/strength, 30 yoga),
Actual exercise: 60 minutes (30 cardio/strength circuit focus on arms, 30 abs)
Still didn't get my yoga in. I am going to do Yoga this morning before anything else, damnit. LOL.
Now for the full disclosure:
I don't own a scale. Well, not your everyday, bathroom variety anyway. I use the scale at my gym (those awful ones that you see at the doctors office where you have to move the blocks on a lever at the top until it matches your weight. I have a hate-hate relationship with those. They always seem to add about 5 pounds to what I thought I was) and I use my Wii Fit board.
But I can't own a real bathroom scale. I have "issues" with bathroom scale. Mainly that I will weight myself every time I go to the bathroom (and I don't mean that every time I go to complete a bodily function, I weigh myself. I mean that every time I walk into the bathroom for ANY reason--brush my teeth, put something away, get a bandaid, etc--I weigh myself). I also will weigh myself if I come within 2 feet of the bathroom door. You know how they say that your weight fluctuates about 2 pounds throughout the course of a day. Well, A) that's true and B) I could tell you how my weight fluctuates at each hour of the day. That is how often I weigh myself. (My weight is at my lowest between 11am - 1pm depending on when I eat lunch--it is lower before I eat. It is highest after dinner). Having an obsession with my bathroom scale is not healthy. And for me, it determined each hour as either a "good" part of the day or a "bad" part of the day. Long story short, my husband gave me a bit of an intervention and the scale went into the garbage. I was freed!
I go to the gym 2-4 times a week and I hate that scale so much I only get on it once a week. The Wii Fit board (using the Wii Fit Plus "game") is too much of a hassle to weigh myself more than once a day. So it is a safe bet.
Usually the Wii Fit board is fairly accurate. It always matched my bathroom scale when I had it. And after throwing away the bathroom scale, when I started going to the gym, I started checking that scale against the Wii Fit scale and it was very close (sometimes the same weight, sometimes a pound difference).
So here comes the full disclosure (and if you don't own or know anything about the Wii or Wii Fit--I apologize in advance. This may not make any sense).
When I started this blog a couple of days ago, I weighed myself on my Wii Fit board and it said 212.5. But I should note that the Wii (the console, not the Wii Fit board) was on it's last leg. After a year of my 1-2 year old shoving discs into it--one after another without taking any out--it wouldn't read discs anymore. I could use the different "channels" (when you turn on the Wii--there are several channels that you can choose without using a disc). One of my channels was the Wii Fit channel--which allows me to do a "body test"--get my weight, check my balance, etc. This is what I used.
Yesterday, I bought a new Wii (and later a new Wii Fit Plus game as the old one was damaged beyond cleaning). Because it was new, all of my saved data was gone and I needed to start from scratch. That was okay. But when I stepped on the board to weigh myself it said 215!!!! 215!!!! 2.5 pounds in 2 days???!!! REALLY???!!!!
I then used my Biggest Loser Wii game to check, and my EA Active game to check. They both said 217!!!!! Two more pounds within an hour???? REALLY???
Okay--Those 2 games always did put me at 2 pounds heavier than the scale or the Wii Fit board, so that really was no surprise. But still. I have a goal.
Now there may be other explanations. It was 10pm when I was weighing myself. I could be getting my period. Maybe my clothes were heavier this time on the scale. Maybe all three. I will be weighing myself today--this morning on the Wii Fit just to check again and I will go from there** (**See below).
I am considering buying a new bathroom scale, just to have ONE scale to use for Weigh In Wednesdays. But I will make the husband keep it in his office and only bring it out on Wednesdays! LOL.
Okay here we go:
Today's calorie goal: 1400
Today's exercise goal: 30 minutes of Yoga! (I am keeping this number low today--my four year old was very sick last night and his fever still hasn't broken. My 2 year old is feeling feverish as well. So I am keeping my exercise numbers conservative).
**Just weighed myself on the Wii Fit this morning. Results: 213.8 Much better--and can be attributed to a number of things. But for continuity sake, I am going to use this as my starting number (I am going to go back an edit the first blog to reflect this). I am also going to weigh in on Wednesdays between 8:30am and 9am to keep everything as equal as possible.
Yesterdays exercise goal: 60 minutes (30 cardio/strength, 30 yoga),
Actual exercise: 60 minutes (30 cardio/strength circuit focus on arms, 30 abs)
Still didn't get my yoga in. I am going to do Yoga this morning before anything else, damnit. LOL.
Now for the full disclosure:
I don't own a scale. Well, not your everyday, bathroom variety anyway. I use the scale at my gym (those awful ones that you see at the doctors office where you have to move the blocks on a lever at the top until it matches your weight. I have a hate-hate relationship with those. They always seem to add about 5 pounds to what I thought I was) and I use my Wii Fit board.
But I can't own a real bathroom scale. I have "issues" with bathroom scale. Mainly that I will weight myself every time I go to the bathroom (and I don't mean that every time I go to complete a bodily function, I weigh myself. I mean that every time I walk into the bathroom for ANY reason--brush my teeth, put something away, get a bandaid, etc--I weigh myself). I also will weigh myself if I come within 2 feet of the bathroom door. You know how they say that your weight fluctuates about 2 pounds throughout the course of a day. Well, A) that's true and B) I could tell you how my weight fluctuates at each hour of the day. That is how often I weigh myself. (My weight is at my lowest between 11am - 1pm depending on when I eat lunch--it is lower before I eat. It is highest after dinner). Having an obsession with my bathroom scale is not healthy. And for me, it determined each hour as either a "good" part of the day or a "bad" part of the day. Long story short, my husband gave me a bit of an intervention and the scale went into the garbage. I was freed!
I go to the gym 2-4 times a week and I hate that scale so much I only get on it once a week. The Wii Fit board (using the Wii Fit Plus "game") is too much of a hassle to weigh myself more than once a day. So it is a safe bet.
Usually the Wii Fit board is fairly accurate. It always matched my bathroom scale when I had it. And after throwing away the bathroom scale, when I started going to the gym, I started checking that scale against the Wii Fit scale and it was very close (sometimes the same weight, sometimes a pound difference).
So here comes the full disclosure (and if you don't own or know anything about the Wii or Wii Fit--I apologize in advance. This may not make any sense).
When I started this blog a couple of days ago, I weighed myself on my Wii Fit board and it said 212.5. But I should note that the Wii (the console, not the Wii Fit board) was on it's last leg. After a year of my 1-2 year old shoving discs into it--one after another without taking any out--it wouldn't read discs anymore. I could use the different "channels" (when you turn on the Wii--there are several channels that you can choose without using a disc). One of my channels was the Wii Fit channel--which allows me to do a "body test"--get my weight, check my balance, etc. This is what I used.
Yesterday, I bought a new Wii (and later a new Wii Fit Plus game as the old one was damaged beyond cleaning). Because it was new, all of my saved data was gone and I needed to start from scratch. That was okay. But when I stepped on the board to weigh myself it said 215!!!! 215!!!! 2.5 pounds in 2 days???!!! REALLY???!!!!
I then used my Biggest Loser Wii game to check, and my EA Active game to check. They both said 217!!!!! Two more pounds within an hour???? REALLY???
Okay--Those 2 games always did put me at 2 pounds heavier than the scale or the Wii Fit board, so that really was no surprise. But still. I have a goal.
Now there may be other explanations. It was 10pm when I was weighing myself. I could be getting my period. Maybe my clothes were heavier this time on the scale. Maybe all three. I will be weighing myself today--this morning on the Wii Fit just to check again and I will go from there** (**See below).
I am considering buying a new bathroom scale, just to have ONE scale to use for Weigh In Wednesdays. But I will make the husband keep it in his office and only bring it out on Wednesdays! LOL.
Okay here we go:
Today's calorie goal: 1400
Today's exercise goal: 30 minutes of Yoga! (I am keeping this number low today--my four year old was very sick last night and his fever still hasn't broken. My 2 year old is feeling feverish as well. So I am keeping my exercise numbers conservative).
**Just weighed myself on the Wii Fit this morning. Results: 213.8 Much better--and can be attributed to a number of things. But for continuity sake, I am going to use this as my starting number (I am going to go back an edit the first blog to reflect this). I am also going to weigh in on Wednesdays between 8:30am and 9am to keep everything as equal as possible.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
How much does self deprication weigh?
So let's just start right off with the nitty gritty, shall we?
Yesterday's Goal: Calories: 1400 Exercise: 90 minutes
Actual Calories: 1600 Actual Exercise 60 minutes
And there it is.
I should have looked at those figures at the end of the day and thought: "Good Start!" But instead I spent the hour before I went to bed beating myself up for going 200 calories over my goal and 30 minutes under. Never mind that my 1 hour, 2.5 mile trail hike through the lakey-woodsy nature center nearby burned over 200 calories and so therefore, my net calorie intake WAS 1400. Nope. I was too busy being self-deprecating to acknowledge that.
How many calories get burned during negative self talk? None. How much does that negativity weigh? A ton.
Cortisol is a hormone that is activated during times of stress. Short little burst of stress are no big deal and cortisol ultimately helps our bodies deal with those stresses. BUT--continuous stress and big stress are a whole other ballgame. In those cases, the cortisol causes damage to the body--in all the nasty weight gaining ways: messes with thyroid function, blood sugar levels, and causes the body to hold on to and increase abdominal fat. In this case the negative self talk is the prolonged continuous stress.
How many calories get burned during negative self talk? None. How much does that negativity weigh? A Ton.
Lesson learned: set the goals and acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishment!
Did I stay within my caloric intake goal for yesterday--YES, when you factor in the 200+ calorie burn of the 1 hour hike.
Did I work out for 90 minutes? No, I worked out for 60 minutes. The first 1.5 miles, I created a high intensity hike--running sprints, running hills, jogging backwards, and using my water bottles as weights to work out my arms and shoulders in circuits. Nothing to feel bad about there.
The plan was to come home and do yoga for 30 minutes. We came home, and I couldn't tell you what we did next. Just life. The kids played games and got baths, my husband and I chatted about our day, I did some school work on the computer and then figured out how to connect this blog to a fan page on Facebook, and then before I knew it--it was 11pm and I was exhausted! (But a GOOD exhausted!).
I do wish I had gotten yoga in, but not because it would have meant that I got my "time" in. I just LOVE yoga! So I am disappointed that I didn't set a specific time aside to do yoga the way I did with my hike.
Lesson Learned: Set a specific time each day for the exercise including the Yoga. Just because I love to do it, doesn't mean it won't get pushed aside if I allow it to.
Speaking of Facebook. . . It occurred to me that creating a fan page there would be a good way to gather support for myself. I have a large community of friends from the various parts of my life and living--why not invite them in (or more specifically, why not just put it all out there and ask for the support?) Asking for support is not something that I am good at doing. I would rather keep it all to myself and then, when I succeed: "TADA!!! Look what I did ALL BY MYSELF!". There is a problem with that. I have yet to succeed all by myself.
Within a half hour of creating my fan page and sending out invites: 11 fans! Wow. Humbled. Completely. Thank You, by the way. Knowing you are out there, reading, listening, supporting . . .feels GOOD. Like a big hug. And Right Back Atcha! ;)
Okay--Onward! Today's Goals: 1400 calories, 60 minutes exercise: 30 cardio/strength, 30 yoga.
Tally Ho!
Yesterday's Goal: Calories: 1400 Exercise: 90 minutes
Actual Calories: 1600 Actual Exercise 60 minutes
And there it is.
I should have looked at those figures at the end of the day and thought: "Good Start!" But instead I spent the hour before I went to bed beating myself up for going 200 calories over my goal and 30 minutes under. Never mind that my 1 hour, 2.5 mile trail hike through the lakey-woodsy nature center nearby burned over 200 calories and so therefore, my net calorie intake WAS 1400. Nope. I was too busy being self-deprecating to acknowledge that.
How many calories get burned during negative self talk? None. How much does that negativity weigh? A ton.
Cortisol is a hormone that is activated during times of stress. Short little burst of stress are no big deal and cortisol ultimately helps our bodies deal with those stresses. BUT--continuous stress and big stress are a whole other ballgame. In those cases, the cortisol causes damage to the body--in all the nasty weight gaining ways: messes with thyroid function, blood sugar levels, and causes the body to hold on to and increase abdominal fat. In this case the negative self talk is the prolonged continuous stress.
How many calories get burned during negative self talk? None. How much does that negativity weigh? A Ton.
Lesson learned: set the goals and acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishment!
Did I stay within my caloric intake goal for yesterday--YES, when you factor in the 200+ calorie burn of the 1 hour hike.
Did I work out for 90 minutes? No, I worked out for 60 minutes. The first 1.5 miles, I created a high intensity hike--running sprints, running hills, jogging backwards, and using my water bottles as weights to work out my arms and shoulders in circuits. Nothing to feel bad about there.
The plan was to come home and do yoga for 30 minutes. We came home, and I couldn't tell you what we did next. Just life. The kids played games and got baths, my husband and I chatted about our day, I did some school work on the computer and then figured out how to connect this blog to a fan page on Facebook, and then before I knew it--it was 11pm and I was exhausted! (But a GOOD exhausted!).
I do wish I had gotten yoga in, but not because it would have meant that I got my "time" in. I just LOVE yoga! So I am disappointed that I didn't set a specific time aside to do yoga the way I did with my hike.
Lesson Learned: Set a specific time each day for the exercise including the Yoga. Just because I love to do it, doesn't mean it won't get pushed aside if I allow it to.
Speaking of Facebook. . . It occurred to me that creating a fan page there would be a good way to gather support for myself. I have a large community of friends from the various parts of my life and living--why not invite them in (or more specifically, why not just put it all out there and ask for the support?) Asking for support is not something that I am good at doing. I would rather keep it all to myself and then, when I succeed: "TADA!!! Look what I did ALL BY MYSELF!". There is a problem with that. I have yet to succeed all by myself.
Within a half hour of creating my fan page and sending out invites: 11 fans! Wow. Humbled. Completely. Thank You, by the way. Knowing you are out there, reading, listening, supporting . . .feels GOOD. Like a big hug. And Right Back Atcha! ;)
Okay--Onward! Today's Goals: 1400 calories, 60 minutes exercise: 30 cardio/strength, 30 yoga.
Tally Ho!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 1 (Not Really)
"Day 1" suggests that I am just starting out--which is not at all the case--but I am getting ahead of myself.
Trimming the Fat is my blog narrating my path of eliminating all of the excess in my life: excess debt, excess worry, excess bullshit, and excess pounds . . . 80 to be exact.
Trimming the Fat is my way of keeping myself honest. I know somewhere I saw or read some expert say that being accountable to another person or group was a key factor in weight loss success (Weight Watcher groups, Diet companies with weekly weigh-ins and coaches depend on this fact). Well, you, Dear Reader (or Dear Great Internet Abyss--as the case may be) are my person to be accountable to.
So here is the background: 38 year old married mom with the usual diet story applying: I have struggled with weight issues most of my life. After having each child (I have birthed 3), I found it progressively harder to lose the weight.
After my last child (she is now 2) seemingly no matter what I did, I lost no weight. At one point I found I could lose a couple of pounds if I ate nothing but vegetables and worked out 2 hours a day, 7 days a week. That lasted a couple of months, and then I just got pissed. Why is this SO hard???
In what I can only describe as a complete fit of disillusionment and unrealistic expectations, I signed up for the Iron Girl. Yes. That's right. I PAID $100 to swim 800 meters, then run to my bike and ride it for 30K and THEN run for 5k. I PAID to do this. In case you are wondering, I have never entered any race like competition. Ever.
Enter in my personal trainer. Dished out about $1000 there (do you see why I am also struggling with debt!?!). I am currently in my 3rd month of training and while the numbers on the scale have only gone down slightly, I have lost several inches and dropped several percentage points of body fat. Chalk one up for me!
I have also become an expert at downloading workout apps to my iPhone and not doing them. Or starting them and not completing them. I am currently halfway through TWO "Couch to 5k" apps. I am going to complete at least one of those, Dear Reader. My first promise to you.
Before I get too far in, I should also mention that I did see my GP a few months ago and had several blood tests. There is nothing medically wrong with me that would keep me from losing weight. Check.
So. Here I am. I have discovered that I do not drink enough water. That is one of my goals. Drink more water (I even have an app for that).
I have restarted a journal to keep track of my calories and exercise. So from that aspect, this is indeed Day 1.
My current weight? 213.8 (**See 4/16 post: Full disclosure)
I have decided that Wednesdays will be my weigh-in day. Weigh-In Wednesdays!
Today's Daily Goals: 1400 calories, 90 minutes of exercise.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow I will let you know how it went.