Be the Tortoise, Not the Hare
- Thread starter Laura F
- Start date
Quercus
New member
Very nice work in here! I'll have to try the steel cut oats in the rice cooker. I've been put off by them for the same reason. I look forward to reaching a weight that allows me to run. I'm focused on cycling at the moment, but ultimately I'd like to be able to maintain a 30 min 5k.
It's very helpful to have someone like yourself here. A healthy individual working to her ideal weight. It keeps me focused on where I want to be and is a reminder that being healthy and fit is hard work and a lifetime commitment.Thanks!
It's very helpful to have someone like yourself here. A healthy individual working to her ideal weight. It keeps me focused on where I want to be and is a reminder that being healthy and fit is hard work and a lifetime commitment.Thanks!
Laura F
New member
Cory & Justina – Thanks so much for sharing my excitement with me! I spent a good 7 or 8 years trying to get into a consistent running routine. I seem to remember having some vague idea that if I worked really hard I’d be able to be a member of my high school track team, so the idea got into my head early. I think I was 25 before I was able to run 3 miles at one time without stopping. And it happened while running outside way before it ever happened on a treadmill. I’m no speed demon; I’m usually in the bottom 30% when I do races. But it’s fun and I feel good about myself when I do it.
Quercus – It means a lot to hear you say that it’s helpful having me around. Every now and then I get this little thought that I don’t belong here. Not because of anything anyone has said – far from it, everyone is great. It’s through this forum that I was able to lose almost 30 pounds back in 2010, but I sometimes wonder why I still “deserve” such support from everyone here, when really I’m just a couple of pounds out of the healthy range and honestly not working THAT hard at losing the last little bit. But when you read through all the diaries it’s interesting to see that until someone specifically mentions their weight, we’re all so incredibly alike. We are excited when we sneak in some extra exercise. We’re annoyed with ourselves when we give in to a temptation. We're motivated when we see the scale drop even just a little. We’re frustrated when hard work doesn’t seem to equal results. We’re all trying to make better decisions on a day-to-day basis, specifically when it comes to food and exercise, and we are all trying to improve our lives. Whether we're 150 lbs or 250 lbs or 350 lbs, we all have those things in common. And that is why I am here.
Quercus – It means a lot to hear you say that it’s helpful having me around. Every now and then I get this little thought that I don’t belong here. Not because of anything anyone has said – far from it, everyone is great. It’s through this forum that I was able to lose almost 30 pounds back in 2010, but I sometimes wonder why I still “deserve” such support from everyone here, when really I’m just a couple of pounds out of the healthy range and honestly not working THAT hard at losing the last little bit. But when you read through all the diaries it’s interesting to see that until someone specifically mentions their weight, we’re all so incredibly alike. We are excited when we sneak in some extra exercise. We’re annoyed with ourselves when we give in to a temptation. We're motivated when we see the scale drop even just a little. We’re frustrated when hard work doesn’t seem to equal results. We’re all trying to make better decisions on a day-to-day basis, specifically when it comes to food and exercise, and we are all trying to improve our lives. Whether we're 150 lbs or 250 lbs or 350 lbs, we all have those things in common. And that is why I am here.
Laura F
New member
It is Monday morning and I am actually not upset about the damage I did over the weekend. This is a nice surprise! I'm holding steady at 151 pounds, which I consider a win. Not once in the past three nights did I snack on anything but fruit after dinner (although I did have one or two drinks each night). We didn't eat out at all, so the meal choices were good. We had steak kabobs on Saturday.... I forgot how much I love grilled vegetables!! The leftovers yesterday were just as good, and I have instructed the boyfriend that he should plan on us having those once a week through the end of summer 
Does anyone remember how I said I didn't want to count calories, I wanted to count days where I felt good about the decisions I made? Well, I downloaded an app for my phone whose goal is to encourage habit development. And I really, really like it. Basically you set up a task and a desired frequency, and then you check it off for each day that you complete it. You can look back and easily see how often you achieved your goals. It's simple and straight forward, which is what I wanted/needed. On Fridays it tells me not to eat from our catered dessert tray (I eat out of habit), on weekdays it reminds me I should be getting to work on time (I'm notoriously five minutes late) and each day I see that I should be cleaning my guinea pig cage (because they deserve to be 100% cared for). And the app tells me I should be getting at least 15 minutes of exercise in four times a week and avoiding snacks after dinner 5 times a week. Some habits are proving to be harder to form than others, and the weekends are still tough to control, but I'm enjoying this early stage of development. I only went for a run twice last week, but I did some strength training one day and went on two separate hour long walks. That all counts as exercise in my book, and just being able to see a nice "X" over all those days is such a simple way of showing that yes, I made good decisions about exercise that day. There's no level of "Well you did this much, but you could have done more..." Just YES.
Does anyone remember how I said I didn't want to count calories, I wanted to count days where I felt good about the decisions I made? Well, I downloaded an app for my phone whose goal is to encourage habit development. And I really, really like it. Basically you set up a task and a desired frequency, and then you check it off for each day that you complete it. You can look back and easily see how often you achieved your goals. It's simple and straight forward, which is what I wanted/needed. On Fridays it tells me not to eat from our catered dessert tray (I eat out of habit), on weekdays it reminds me I should be getting to work on time (I'm notoriously five minutes late) and each day I see that I should be cleaning my guinea pig cage (because they deserve to be 100% cared for). And the app tells me I should be getting at least 15 minutes of exercise in four times a week and avoiding snacks after dinner 5 times a week. Some habits are proving to be harder to form than others, and the weekends are still tough to control, but I'm enjoying this early stage of development. I only went for a run twice last week, but I did some strength training one day and went on two separate hour long walks. That all counts as exercise in my book, and just being able to see a nice "X" over all those days is such a simple way of showing that yes, I made good decisions about exercise that day. There's no level of "Well you did this much, but you could have done more..." Just YES.
Sunflower2
New member
That app sounds good, honey! Simple is better! Keep making good choices xxx 
Laura F
New member
Thanks, ladies!! I tend to over-complicate things so sometimes it's nice to take a step back and only look at the big picture. Now if only I could start getting motivated to be on time for work
Food yesterday was good until the night-time cravings hit! I decided on a bowl of cereal for a snack, but I really don't care for the cereal, I'm just eating it because I don't want to waste it. Since I wasn't satisfied with the taste I ate some baked sugar snap pea snacks (which might as well be potato chips) and then a packet of sesame snaps. The last indulgence was the only one I *really* regretted. I only ate them because I made a joke to my boyfriend about how every time I'd gone to the kitchen I'd come back with more food, and he immediately said "Oh, you should try those sesame snaps, I want to see if you like them!" And I gave in :-(
But that was yesterday. Today, I woke up at 5 and hit the gym for a 45 minute treadmill session. And I am going to add pickles to my grocery list right now so the next time I "need" to eat I have a better option. Boyfriend is going to HATE that late night treat, haha.
Food yesterday was good until the night-time cravings hit! I decided on a bowl of cereal for a snack, but I really don't care for the cereal, I'm just eating it because I don't want to waste it. Since I wasn't satisfied with the taste I ate some baked sugar snap pea snacks (which might as well be potato chips) and then a packet of sesame snaps. The last indulgence was the only one I *really* regretted. I only ate them because I made a joke to my boyfriend about how every time I'd gone to the kitchen I'd come back with more food, and he immediately said "Oh, you should try those sesame snaps, I want to see if you like them!" And I gave in :-(
But that was yesterday. Today, I woke up at 5 and hit the gym for a 45 minute treadmill session. And I am going to add pickles to my grocery list right now so the next time I "need" to eat I have a better option. Boyfriend is going to HATE that late night treat, haha.
Laura F
New member
MrVee suggested pickles to me. I love them, but never keep them stocked, so I usually only get them when I'm at a restaurant and order a sandwich or burger (which is rare). Clementines have actually been a good satisfying / non binge-inducing food for me, too. The carbs at night really do me in.
Sunflower2
New member
Mmm, pickles. I love them on their own. Good choice! I like frozen grapes. But I'm a bit weird.
Laura F
New member
Hana, that's definitely not the first time I've heard someone say they like frozen grapes! I accidentally put grapes too far back in the fridge at work one time and they ended up semi-frozen. Can't say I enjoyed those :blech: But rest assured, you are not the only weird one out there! Oh, and because I am obsessed with your pets, here's a pic of one of mine. View attachment 20626
I am happy to say the evil Cheeto's are gone.... I am not happy to admit how many were eaten last night. The boyfriend is not a good influence on me! He loves to veg out on the couch at night with a movie, a drink, and a snack, and my antsy ways often cause me to drink and eat way more than I should. I know he wants to start eating better - I've just got to push a little to get us going in the right direction. He's not one of those guys who can eat whatever he wants and stay skinny, either, so he's got a little motivation.
I am happy to say the evil Cheeto's are gone.... I am not happy to admit how many were eaten last night. The boyfriend is not a good influence on me! He loves to veg out on the couch at night with a movie, a drink, and a snack, and my antsy ways often cause me to drink and eat way more than I should. I know he wants to start eating better - I've just got to push a little to get us going in the right direction. He's not one of those guys who can eat whatever he wants and stay skinny, either, so he's got a little motivation.
Laura F
New member
There a couple of late spring classes at my gym that sound interesting.... One is 'Weight Lifting 101' and is supposed to help you with form and technique and get you comfortable in the free weight room. The other is 'Treadmill Interval Training.' I think they are eight week classes, and both are at good times for me. Really there's no reason not to sign up, but I get super anxious when trying new things. So I've got to let go of that and just do it!! Oh, and the treadmill one is on Sunday mornings, which might help encourage better Saturday night beverage choices
Sunflower2
New member
Oh he's lovely!! How many do you have? I love piggies but Yank wont let me have any.
Laura F
New member
You can have rats but not piggies, Hana?!?! Why is that??? When I got mine the boyfriend was skeptical, and suggested I get fish instead. Now he's pretty much a doting daddy to them 
We've got two... I don't have a close-up of my other one on my phone (where I'm posting from) but here's an old picture of both. They used to LOVE lounging by the balcony door (when I had one).
View attachment 20627
We've got two... I don't have a close-up of my other one on my phone (where I'm posting from) but here's an old picture of both. They used to LOVE lounging by the balcony door (when I had one).View attachment 20627
Laura F
New member
Ahhh, Quercus, I needed that push!! I think the class will be fun, I'll sign up soon
My after dinner treat last night entailed some watermelon that I had chopped up before, and a handful of coconut almonds. I'm ok with those choices! Boyfriend didn't eat anything but he did have a couple of drinks. I refrained completely, and you know what, I also slept better than I have in a while. Not sure if that's related or not, but it felt good to fall asleep easy and sleep through the night. It did NOT feel good to have to clean up the watermelon juice when I spilled the bowl I'd eaten out of..... Allllll over the hardwood floor. Well, some of it went onto the hardwood, the rest was caught by my slippers :ack:
I've got a running date this afternoon! A co-worker and I are gonna head out after work. I'm guessing we'll do 3-4 miles, and it should be gorgeous out so we'll probably run near water. Either the harbor or the river, we've got options!
My after dinner treat last night entailed some watermelon that I had chopped up before, and a handful of coconut almonds. I'm ok with those choices! Boyfriend didn't eat anything but he did have a couple of drinks. I refrained completely, and you know what, I also slept better than I have in a while. Not sure if that's related or not, but it felt good to fall asleep easy and sleep through the night. It did NOT feel good to have to clean up the watermelon juice when I spilled the bowl I'd eaten out of..... Allllll over the hardwood floor. Well, some of it went onto the hardwood, the rest was caught by my slippers :ack:
I've got a running date this afternoon! A co-worker and I are gonna head out after work. I'm guessing we'll do 3-4 miles, and it should be gorgeous out so we'll probably run near water. Either the harbor or the river, we've got options!
Quercus
New member
You should post your lifting workouts. I need to get back to a free weight routine. I miss it terribly.
It would really be great for a runner as the gains you can make by working in the anerobic spectrum are greater than the small increment aerobic gains you can make in the aerobic activity that your body has adjusted to. Don't let them pink dumbbell you. There is nothing wrong with lifting heavy as a female. You won't get bulky. Start light, learn good technique, and then add the weight and get strong. It will lower your body fat percentage by increase to your lean body mass and raise you base metabolic rate. Trusylver is a coach and champion powerlifter who is happy to give advice. She knows her stuff.
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/56507-Diary-of-an-Overweight-Coach
Her log.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10939877
I could only find the abstract, but it is an article looking at resistance exercise in young women and finds increased metabolism and possible increased fat burning for 2 days after the exercise.
http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/physiology/2013/825026/
This one is a systematic review of this effect.
It would really be great for a runner as the gains you can make by working in the anerobic spectrum are greater than the small increment aerobic gains you can make in the aerobic activity that your body has adjusted to. Don't let them pink dumbbell you. There is nothing wrong with lifting heavy as a female. You won't get bulky. Start light, learn good technique, and then add the weight and get strong. It will lower your body fat percentage by increase to your lean body mass and raise you base metabolic rate. Trusylver is a coach and champion powerlifter who is happy to give advice. She knows her stuff.
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/56507-Diary-of-an-Overweight-Coach
Her log.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10939877
I could only find the abstract, but it is an article looking at resistance exercise in young women and finds increased metabolism and possible increased fat burning for 2 days after the exercise.
http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/physiology/2013/825026/
This one is a systematic review of this effect.
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Fox1
New member
How did the workout go Laura? Keep eating healthy and workout! You're doing great!
And your piggies are adorable, I'm not too big on rats (although they are said to be the friendliest out of the rodent family). My lil' bro has one... he's pretty cool (named Mr. Jack) but I don't really touch him because they have a tendency to poop.
And your piggies are adorable, I'm not too big on rats (although they are said to be the friendliest out of the rodent family). My lil' bro has one... he's pretty cool (named Mr. Jack) but I don't really touch him because they have a tendency to poop.
But still we love them!