Transformation Everyday

[Stan2]

I didn't cope well with life and now I've found myself far off course, feeling discombobulated, out of touch

This sounds exceedingly familiar if it's any consolation, you're far from alone on this. And now you're putting it all right, you're still not alone in doing it

Also... your words sound like song lyrics. You any good on guitar?

 

[Tom Kenneth]

Good evening! Checking in from the bathtub. The DOMS has fully set in, and I feel a hot soak is deserved. As comfortable as I am in here, I will say one thing... my belly feels as sloshy as this tub - drinking 3L of water a day is hard!

Challenge of the day: no snacking. It's 9pm, I had a good dinner of chicken and broccoli, and while there's nothing terribly bad for me out there in the kitchen, I feel like I could eat everything out there. My caloric intake is on point though, so I think it's just about breaking the habit of late night binging that my stomach is used to.

Successes for the day?

I did get up at 6am and got on the elliptical for 20 minutes.
I didn't eat one kernel from the (free) popcorn machine we have at work.
I am down from 210.6 lbs to 206 lbs.
I got some after work exercises in.
I have a lot of energy!

I downloaded an app. It's a daily gratitude log, and I think it'll help with the overall attitude adjustment I'm trying to work on. Two things I'm grateful for today? Hot sauce and my elliptical. Hot sauce, because I literally cannot each a meal without some injection of capsaicin and my elliptical because I get to work out in my underwear.

I think that's all for today. Tomorrow I'm off work again, so it's time for me to go make my plan of attack!

PS. Does anybody else reading this need hot sauce in their life as much as I do?

I just add turmeric to everything.

 

[elizab3th]

Also... your words sound like song lyrics. You any good on guitar?

Hahaa! Funny you should mention that. I've picked up my guitar again just this week! Building those finger calluses again. Unfortunately, my acoustic is no longer with me, so I'm playing my electric. Rocksmith has been my guide - electric guitar doesn't come as easily as mindlessly picking at the acoustic guitar does, so I need the assistance.

Thank you for the support.

 

[Stan2]

ahh, would love to be able to play acoustic guitar. even badly would do for me so to be able to do it mindlessly would be a dream!

 

[elizab3th]

ahh, would love to be able to play acoustic guitar. even badly would do for me so to be able to do it mindlessly would be a dream!

It was not easy to get to where I am skill-wise (which is not really that good at all!). I picked up guitar back when I was a teenager and angsty, so I think that fueled my determination. Nothing like needing to write a breakup song to motivate you to learn a few chords!

You should give it a go though! It could be something else for you to focus on; I know it's been helping me so far.

 

[Jenniquest]

I was nodding hard through the story of your cat. I love mine, but sheesh ... he can be very inconsiderate sometimes! He will paw at my eye! Like the thin part of the lid ... I'm like, really??

I think I know your former coworkers ... it has always baffled me why some women are like that. I don't get it.

Maybe your cat is trying to help by waking you for an elliptical session? Good job on adding that 5 mins. It doesn't sound like much, but I know it really is. 5 extra mins of exercise can easily feel like 50, lmao. It's good you know your body enough to know that you'll get cravings if you're tired - I am like that too. I crave carbs bad when I'm tired.

Congrats on the weight loss! And don't try to steal the glory by calling it mostly water - all of it would still be there if you hadn't done the work - so you get full credit, regardless of what it is.

Jack is a handsome boy with dazzling green eyes. The snow looks pretty, but I gave it up 20 years ago

 

[Llama]

What a gorgeous cat! Also: great job adding those minutes on the elliptical. Getting back to playing guitar sounds like a good way to bridge the time until meals when you´re already hungry.

 

[elizab3th]

Good morning everyone!

I had another great workout this morning - this time at 5:45am. I think my body is starting to get used to this whole earlier bedtime, earlier rise sort of thing. We'll see though. With the weekend coming up, I could scramble my whole schedule up if I don't keep up with it. I just LOVE sleeping in. Sleeping is not wasted time to me, I could stay in bed all day... maybe that attitude will change when I have more energy, more confidence and actually WANT to get out of the house.

I did get to the grocery story yesterday to pick up healthy work snacks. My favourite go-to: light cream cheese, bell peppers and hot chili flakes on whole grain crackers. Mmmm. Speaking of "Mmmm", dinner last night was italian sausage and peppers. Delicious, but as I was tracking the meal in MFP I realized how high in calories one single tablespoon of olive oil/butter is! It's been a while since I cooked with coconut oil. Do you think it is worth it?

In other news, my gratitude journal is really helping me. Obviously, a big part of my weight gain was anxiety and depression. Nothing too severe that they can't be dealt with on my own but it's super easy to fall into the negative cycle. This small exercise has kept me in that appreciative frame of mind.

Challenge of the day: I have all my meals planned out, and am feeling confident that I will make it without extra snacking so my challenge for myself is more of a task. **Call the building management and figure out why the treadmill isn't working** We pay enough for a fitness room that is barely functional, and with the crappy snow outside, getting a good walk in isn't feasible. Trust me, that walk in the snow to the grocery store yesterday almost broke my happy mood!

Last thing to mention this morning - I have a confession to make, friends. My profile picture was taken 14 years ago, and I refuse to change it! That's right, you're looking at 16 year old Liz, haha. I think that may be the last year before my constant weight struggle began. There is a whole story around why my body suddenly changed, but I'll save that part for another day and another rant. Hopefully, next month I can post proper before and after (more like "during" not "after") photos.

Alright, I'm at work and it's a very quiet day so I'll probably go intrude on everyone's journals soon.

...Congrats on the weight loss! And don't try to steal the glory by calling it mostly water - all of it would still be there if you hadn't done the work - so you get full credit, regardless of what it is.

Jack is a handsome boy with dazzling green eyes. The snow looks pretty, but I gave it up 20 years ago

Thank you so much, Jenni. You're absolutely right! Whatever it is that has been lost, it's not a number on the scale anymore and that's a big win. I will give myself a pat on the back for a strong start. Also, Jack purrs in appreciation. He knows he's a pretty boy!

What a gorgeous cat! Also: great job adding those minutes on the elliptical. Getting back to playing guitar sounds like a good way to bridge the time until meals when you´re already hungry.

Thank you, LaMa. I can easily get obsessed about something, like this whole lifestyle overhaul, so having another hobby to pick up is distracting me from thinking about it too much.

I just add turmeric to everything.

I don't think that I've ever cooked with turmeric, as silly as that sounds. I might just have to pick some up!

 

[Llama]

I just LOVE sleeping in. Sleeping is not wasted time to me, I could stay in bed all day...

I LOVE going to bed early. And getting up early afterwards

as I was tracking the meal in MFP I realized how high in calories one single tablespoon of olive oil/butter is! It's been a while since I cooked with coconut oil. Do you think it is worth it?

Not worth it. Check the calories and you´ll see that all oils have similar calories per teaspoon. Not enough difference to not just use the fat you like - in moderation. Many things are fine to sautée in a tablespoon of water, by the way. We need fat with every meal, but no more than a teaspoon (or some nuts, avocado or other source of unrefined fat, of course) per portion. Although, of course, you can have more if you think the taste is so much better it´s worth the calories.

 

[elizab3th]

Yes, you're right about the calories, LaMa. I know there's Team Coconut Oil out there, and when I was on a paleo diet about 7 years ago I would only cook with the stuff. I recall something about it being a healthier fat. I'm not going to worry terribly about it anyway. I have room in my diet to add a teaspoon or two into my dinners.

 

[Stan2]

Well 16 year-old Liz looks great, and I'm sure 16+14 Liz does too

So much snow in that pic, it looks so cold... I'm not sure I'd be able to even leave the building Definitely get onto that management company, if they're happy taking your money they should be equally happy to get out and fix stuff!

 

[Stan2]

Oh, and I also have a confession..... my profile picture isn't me

 

[elizab3th]

Oh, and I also have a confession..... my profile picture isn't me

Stan, I am truly shocked.

 

[Llama]

I wasn´t going to say anything, but... Those abs aren´t mine, either.

 

[elizab3th]

I wasn´t going to say anything, but... Those abs aren´t mine, either.

I can only imagine if feels good to get that sort of confession off of your chest.

 

[elizab3th]

Observation of the day: I follow an awful lot of food accounts on Instagram. You know those super indulgent gifs, with layers of cheese in slow motion on top of everything. Yeah, those. I feel an Instagram purge coming on, because I don't think my self-control needs to be tested this early on!

 

[Jenniquest]

I'm an early riser - dare I say - a morning person I was definitely not one in my early 30's, though. I had to wake up early because I had a daughter in elementary school, but I hated it. Then something changed when I was around 36. I started waking up before my daughter ... an hour, then two, and I realized I loved having those few hours to myself before anyone else was up. 5:45 is about the earliest I get up, usually it's more like 6 a.m.

My pic is recent, but I changed it to black and white and took some of the shine off my nose! lmao

Yeah, I couldn't deal with food porn this early in the game. I say do the purge!

 

[Llama]

I feel you on the Instagram purge... I´m playing a game in which I´ve found one of the easiest ways to make friends with the villagers is to buy them beers and I want a beer every time I play!

 

[elizab3th]

Today is a rest day. I've gone pretty hard exercise-wise for the past 4 days, and my body is telling me it's time to give it a break.
I've noticed a few things this past week...

1. I'm getting headaches. Now to be perfectly honest, I've been a big drinker in the past. Like, 20 drinks a week type. It's been 9 days since I've had anything to drink, and my doctor says everything is alright, but the headaches come around 11am and last for a couple of hours. Doing a bit of research, it's not uncommon for others who have quit alcohol to feel this way. Let's hope they wane over the next week.

2. This green "superfoods" drink that I have been drinking on work days makes me SO BLOATED. Like painfully so and it usually lasts all day. Unfortunately, that means I may have wasted ~$20 on it, because I won't drink it anymore.

3. **Warning: toilet talk ahead!** I need to fit more fiber into my days. I haven't had a good poop in three days! Problem is, I'm allergic to a fair bit of fruit that I like, so I've got to find it from veg and I've got to basically force myself to eat it. I think I've been overdoing the protein and it's been... backing me up. I'll have a couple cups of senna tea this evening.

4. Small NSV for the week! I've been feeling "sturdier" when I'm on the bus. I don't really know how to explain that properly, but the busses are sometimes hard to keep your balance on and lately I've been feeling like I'm doing a better job of holding my own.

5. Trying to fit more physical activity in during my work days can be difficult. I work at a desk. It does allow me to stand, so for the majority of the time I will do that, but I don't get much opportunity to walk around, etc. What I've also found is that I get hungry often during the day. When I worked as a server/bartender (3 years and 70 lbs ago...), I was constantly in motion and I rarely felt hungry. Maybe high fiber snacks will help keep me feeling full. I'm also contemplating wearing my heels again at work to tone up the legs, butt while standing!

6. Water. Oh my god, all the water. I'm peeing every hour, if not more. Catch up kidneys!

7. I'm bored! Usually, my evenings consisted of pigging out and the basically dying on the couch for the remainder of the evening. I can't seem to be entertained by the TV anymore, it's too cold to get out for a walk, and my evenings don't revolve around large dinners anymore so I've ended up with all this time and energy and I'm not sure what to spend it on. The guitar isn't cutting it, mainly because I'm still learning so it's not totally enjoyable. I used to game a lot, and I'm thinking I'll buy myself a new one this weekend. I've certainly saved money on food and drinks in the past 5 days - it's not too early for a small reward, is it?

I could ramble probably all day, but I'm going to shut it down for now and have my 10am snack.

I feel you on the Instagram purge... I´m playing a game in which I´ve found one of the easiest ways to make friends with the villagers is to buy them beers and I want a beer every time I play!

31. 31 Food accounts have been unfollowed!

I'm an early riser - dare I say - a morning person

Well, that gives me hope! We do plan on having littles in the future (another big motivation to be the healthiest I can be) and I'd like to have a proper routine in place before that happens. If only we got sun in winter for more than 7 hours!

 

[Llama]

This green "superfoods" drink that I have been drinking on work days makes me SO BLOATED.

That may be a reaction to the oxalic acid found in most leafy green veg. Lettuce basically tries to kill you.

I haven't had a good poop in three days!

Do you eat enough fat?

Sounds like you´re doing very well in general. Just some little kinks to iron out.