Katie, in transition

katie0615

New member
I am 5'2", 23 years one, and currently weighing in at about 144 at the end of the day. I am currently going through a sort of turning point in my life. My contract job that I have right now is ending in two weeks, and I will be moving out of my apartment, where I live alone, to back home with my parents. I am not sure how I feel about this, but one of the big changes is that it will be waayyyy more challenging for my weight loss goals. my family eats okay, but they keep a stash of potato chips that I can't seem to keep myself away from. Also, there are no good gyms in my small town that I am willing to pay for, and am going to miss my gorgeous gym that I go to now. so this is what i am looking at in the next couple weeks.

bit of history... I have always felt like a chubby kid. all growing up, i was really self-conscious about my weight, though i was never huge. my first year of college, i gained about ten pounds, and it really showed. I was about 155 after my year in residence. two years later, i joined the gym here, and still ate poorly. I built up my running endurance, and being able to run for 30 minutes is one of the things i am most proud of in my life. lol I am currently more confident in my body than i have ever been. I feel that I am slimmer than I have been before at this same weight, possibly because i have more muscle(???). I try to work out at least three times a week, and loooove running. I even got tendonitis in my knee a couple years ago from running too much lol.

Goal... ultimately, to be about 125 or a size 6. I am currently about an 8. and... I bought a new pair of jeans this weekend, waist size 28!!!! I don't think i've worn that since elementary school. lol sooo exciting.

anyways, i will try to keep this as up-to-date as possible. just looking for something to keep me on track during my time of turmoil. i could perhaps use some ideas for workouts when i move home, since i don't think i will join the gym (its a small, basic gym for like 70$ per month... no thanks lol).

much love.

p.s. portions and carbs are my biggest enemies
 
Pretty good day today. Bagel with thin layer of the lowest-fat cream cheese available for breakfast. Salad (lettuce, tomato, green and yellow pepper, cucumber, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar "dressing"), Kashi granola bar, mixed nuts, and tim hortons' yogurt and berries for lunch. Baked salmon fillet, steamed green beans, fried mushrooms, and rice for dinner. worked out legs, protein shake after workout. :)

I was looking around on here the last couple of days. some people are able to lose weight consistently every week. I have been stuck here for a while. I guess I am at a plateau. anyone know of some great ways to break plateaus? i think i am going to look for some new workout moves that combine strength and cardio.... probably help i would think. :)
 
Today was alright.... not great in terms of food choices. I had Special K Satisfaction for breakfast, and a salad (with chicken today... mmm), granola bar, mixed nuts, and Tim Horton's Yogurt and Berries for lunch. dinner was chicken fingers and fries (gasp!, i know), BUT baked at home.so its better than deep fried.. right? and i had a can of coke with dinner. bad dinner. :( tough day though, so did not feel like making dinner. lol

i also went to the gym tonight. cardio day, ran 30 minutes (3.25 miles), and then 20 minutes on a bike. :) feel great. allllso, went to the grocery store after dinner, and bought REALLY good foods. for instance, i usually indulge in my cereal... honey nut cheerios is my favourite. I have never been into really sweet cereals, but always preferred ones that tasted good. today, though, i bought an organic brand that i can't even remember. if anyone is intersted, i can look it up. :p lol its all the way in the kitchen and its nearing my bedtime haha.

i guess my question to throw out there for today is what do you do when you are feelign tired after a long day and dont' have the energy to make a good, fresh meal? mine is chicken fingers and fries, cause you just have to preheat the oven, put the food in and flip it once, and its done in like 20 minutes. does anyone have any easy food ideas for those low-energy evenings that are healthier? :) thanks a bunch.

much love.
 
so... with the "transition" thing (as indicated in the title of my diary), comes stress. I am a person who likes to have some sort of general plan. I am able to be flexible, but I feel stressed when i don't have a general idea of what i will be doing in, say, two weeks. that is where i am at right now. my job is ending, i will be moving, but paying for an extra three weeks of all my stuff my own place (rent, cable, gym membership) cause i THOUGHT that i was stayin longer. anyways... and my job ending is stressful, getting everything lined up. ANNND i got rear-ended yesterday in my car, and almost got into another accident today.

so... i have been feeling slightly stressed out, which i am going to blame for my eating. for instance, right after my near-accident on my way to buy my lunch time coffee, i decided i needed a donut to help me feel better. it worked, but it was also like 210 calories :(

besides the donut, a decent day. special k satisfaction for breakfast. Lunch was the salad with chicken and oil and vinegar on top, bit of pineapple, few blueberries, some almonds, and a granola bar. dinner was spaghetti (farrr too big of portion too... whoops). went ot the gym, with a 20 minute run (2.25 miles) and weight lifting for my chest and triceps.

my question today, i guess, is how to keep my energy up in the evening. I find that right after work, i am hungry so i decide to go home and cook instead of head right to the gym. and then after dinner, i have NO energy until about 8:00, which is when I start to head to the gym. its getting too late, leaving my bedtime to abotu 11:30 once i calm down after my workout, and the alarm goes off at 6:15. i'm startign to feel more tired during the day, so i know i should move my workouts to sooner, but i am not sure how. Any ideas on how to boost the after-dinner energy, or at least prevent the slump? :)

much love.

oh... p.s. just want to record my measurements for later reference. right now, 36-30-38. and 144 lbs.
 
its been a few days....

the weekend wasn't great. I went for a nice run (4 miles, 37:20 minutes) friday morning, then drank friday night. lol nice balance i think. saturday and sunday weren't great eating days either... but hey, its the weekend.

Tuesday (long weekend in Canada) rolls around. I am getting back on track. I have Special K Satisfaction for breakfast. Left-over spaghetti, yogurt, almonds, and a granola bar for snack/lunch. dinner, salmon fillet, 1/3 cup of rice, and green beans. DELICIOUS!!! :) i finally found out how to cook salmon i think... broil instead of bake. it has more flavour. amazing.

planning on the gym tonight. head to the mall maybe and get my new, SIZE 28 jeans so i can start showing them off. i have determined that these jeans will be my milestone markers. they will be what i judge my body against. they are pretty tight now... and if i EVER get to where i can't do them up, i will know i need to step up my game. lol

so my question for the day.... it's after dinner, and i am having this crazy craving for something. I know i am full, but i am not satisfied. i would kill for some ice cream or kettle corn. mmmmmmmm!! but i dont want to ruin a pretty good eating day, especially since i am not that hungry. any thoughts or tricks that you use to get you through cravings?? i have always failed in the past... :(
 
two posts in one day! woo!

just wanted to note on here... i kept track of my calories and food intake on fitday.com (GREAT site, btw... check it out). I ate about 1500 calories, 45% carbs, 30% protein (110 grams) and 25% fat. i am surprised with this number, as i am a carb-aholic. so its great to see that i can get my carbs below 50% :D:D yay

HOWEVER... i was having huge cravings after dinner. i wanted ice cream or something sweet. alllso, i started running at the gym, and barely was able to make it to 20 minutes. the last time i ran before today was friday, doing 4 miles in 38 minutes. so 20 minutes should not be such a struggle. i am just spit-balling here, but wondering if my lower intake of carbs could be behind this lower energy at the gym and intense post-dinner cravings. could also be that i drank slightly less water than usual. i am going to try and keep an eye on this (i.e. my energy at the gym, cravins, and my carb level) to see if this could be the trigger. could also just be random... hmmmm....

:)
 
Hi Katie...

Just wanted to drop in and wish you the best on your journey.

As for cravings....I found substitution be my best defense.

If I wanted something sweet, I ate a sweet fruit like a banana or sweet apple. If it had to be sugary sweet, I would drink a diet Coke. If it had to be desert, I would mix cream cheese and splenda and eat a few berries with it. Or have a yogurt.

If I was to eat ice cream when I started this journey, I would eat it till I was full....which would be alot of icecream and put me way over in cals. So, I had to force myself to stay away from it and eat something in its place. Same as chocolate...or licorice.

Now, after approx four months, I can eat a small portion of icecream and be satisfied. As for candy etc, I find them almost too sweet after a small portion.

I think a big part of dieting is brain reconditioning.

So good luck and hope this helps. And keep us posted on your progress!

Take care
 
Now, after approx four months, I can eat a small portion of icecream and be satisfied. As for candy etc, I find them almost too sweet after a small portion.

This is really good news to hear. I can see how after a while, you would lose that ability to eat really sweet foods. lol nice to know those foods may become less tempting. not sure why, but i have been having these cravings again today, after dinner... same as yesterday. but my dinner tonight was a pasta with chicken and mushrooms in the sauce. plenty of carbs. lol must be something else...

decent day with eating. my high-carb, high-calorie dinner was the worst part. the breakfast and lunch have been the same as usual (salad, granola bar, yogurt...). i draaaaagged myself to the gym today, mostly because my energy level was low. i could have slept at 8:00 at night. lol but i made it, and did a light, 20 minute elliptical workout, and a chest/tris weight lifting session. nothign too streneous, but at least i went, right?

after the gym... it was like 9:30 p.m. and i was STILL having these ice cream cravings. not sure what it is coming from, but i managed to not stop at the dairy queen that is (in)conveniently located on my direct route to the gym from my apartment. instead, i had my protein shake and a yogurt with a few raspberries (THANK YOU flumes!!) hahaha

sooo... moving home in a few days. 5 to be exact. going to lose my gorgeous gym :( and possibly my motivation. I am going to do my best to keep this from happening. I am thinking of starting the p90x program once i am home, since i don't want to join one of the bad gyms there. any tips, thoughts, comments on the program? would be appreciated. :)

Much love. x
 
Again, didn't do any posting over the weekend. sorry if i let anyone down on reading my exhilerating diary ;)

drank a couple times this weekend, so not great. I stepped on a scale in the morning (which is the weight that i use for reference) and it was 143.5 :S not great. gotta step it up.

i move home tomorrow. big day. i am hoping that i will find a way to get myself motivated to do well.

i found a body composition form that i did at my gym a year and a half ago. it was kinda neat. i was 30% body fat, 143 lbs. it said on there too, that to be 130lbs and 20% body fat (which would be my ideal body... one day maybe) i would have to lose 18 pounds of fat and put on 5 pounds of muscle. do able i guess. just have to really watch my calorie intake. i think i tend to be around 1500, and i am going to try harder to keep track. might be tough moving in with the parents, with my mom cooking everything. but i pledge to try my best :) and try to keep the diary entries coming lol
 
So, I am now home for good. good? bad? not too sure. but i know that my motivation has ALREADY come down, so i need to just work on getting it back up.

i did a p90x video (chest, shoulders and triceps). it was good. perhaps my form wasn't the best, cause i'm not feeling it so much today. hmm. or maybe i am already in shape? ;) haha jk.

today, did not do much fitness wise. i binge-ate a bit for lunch too. but my dinner was good, with pork soulvaki, rice, and salad (oil and vinegar dressing) for dinner. mmmm.

so big question for myself now is: p90x or 50$ per month standard, no-frills gym? i am hoping to get some idea of my schedule for the next while, which will give me a better idea if doing p90x everyday is realistic. i'll keep you posted (if anyone is reading...)

much love
 
today was a GREAT day for me. first official day being home, and i am seeing some of the challenges that i will be facing, but i am determined to overcome.

i kept track (diligently) of my foods with fitday today... 1430 calories!! :D whoop. and i wasn't really hungry for a substantial period of time today. i ate when i was hungry, and am having no cravings :D really glad about this. lol ALSO.... i went for a run around my neighbourhood. about 2 miles, 20 minutes. not bad. much harder running on pavement than on a treadmill though... damn those hills!!!

i noticed one major challenge today that will influence my eating - my family. they are trying, but i can see that how they eat will probably influence me and take me away from my goals. for example, after putting in my lunch into fitday, i noticed that like 70% of what i had eaten so far was carbs, and i needed protein badly. so i asked my mom if we could have chicken for dinner... she suggests spaghetti instead :banghead: lol ultimately we had halibut (baked), corn on the cob, and fried mixed veggies. not the greatest i am sure, but better than spaghetti :)

so, still thinking about the gym. i will have more time to myself, as i think i am only working 3 days a week for august. maybe p90x is not so unreasonable...? hmmm.
 
hello all(?)

today was not toooo bad. i didn't strictly keep track of my calories :( but i didn't really overeat i don't think either. i DID however indulge... in a mcflurry... :( i am so ashamed. lol it was good though, and hit the spot. so hopefully that will be it for cravings for a while :D here's to hoping.

i also took my dog on a 45 minute walk tonight. nothing else too notable. maybe i'll have more to say tomorrow.
 
I have decided!! i am going to start p90x tomorrow :D

i am hoping that i can stick to it. i think i will be able to. my boyfriend is really supportive, and will do the exercises with me when i am at his house or he is here. i think i am going to do the Lean program. i am in fairly good shape, but want the fat and weight loss that this program promises.

i will try to keep up on here with my progress. :) i read through the fitness and nutrition guides today, and it seems alright. i wish i could do the nutrition program better... if i lived alone, i would probably follow the Meal Plan. but that will be hard living wiht my family, since i am sure they won't want to eat the same stuff as me always. i will try for the nutrition to be as close as possible, but my expectations are not too high.

stay tuned. wish me luck ;)
 
so i started p90x yesterday!!! :D

i decided to do the Classic version, and then switch down to lean later if i need it. i don't want to sell myself short, and i think i can do the classic :) i don't have a pullup bar yet, so i did the Shoulders & Arms video yesterday, and did Cardio X today (because i jsut did plyo on saturday and am still a bit sore lol). hopefully i can get a pullup bar today or tomorrow so i can do the Chest and Back video soon :D:D

i also need to pick up a couple sets of slightly heavier weights. i have 5, 8 and 10 lbs, but hoping to get some 15s and 20s. i don't want to pay a fortune though. anyone know of anywhere to look for good deals?

did my measurements and stuff today. am going to take pics later hopefully when my mom can help me haha here are the measurements....

Weight = 141.2
BF% (online website calc) = 32%
Chest = 36"
Shoulders = 40"
Waist = 29.5"
Hips (at hip-bone) = 34"
Bum (biggest poing) = 39.5"
R. & L. Thigh = 21.5"
R. & L. Arm = 11.5"
R Calf = 15"
L. Calf = 15.5"

Everything has been going pretty okay. my eating yesterday was so-so. I went to Canada's Wonderland, and had some fries and mini donuts for treats, but it could have been a lot worse (went to subway for dinner, had lunch before we left, etc.). Today has been great so far, but i am headed to grandma's for dinner, and who knows what she will cook. lol i am feeling GREAT though, already feeling thinner... although i am sure it is just in my head lol can't wait to start seeing real results. just have to stick to the eating....

:)
 
Day Three of p90x: Chest and Back (cause i switched it with Shoulders and Arms...)

Was a killer workout. i made it though :D

ate really well today. i think i may have to up my calorie intake though, as the program suggests about 1800 calories, and i am getting about 1400-1600. it seems counter-intuitive, but i guess it makes sense.

the rest of the week will be hard. i am getting up earlier to work outside all day tomorrow doing light (but still physical) labour. and then i am supposed to do an hour and a half of yoga.... will be tough. and i have my work party on friday. not sure when i will get in my leg workout that day. the reality of time pressures is starting to set in with this program i think... hmm.
 
today was rough lol

first day of labourious work. i was exhausted, partly i think because i didn't sleep well last night, and partly because my body is just not used to it. lol i also stuck to my p90x routine and did yoga x after work. not sure how i feel about it. looks like i'll get lots of times through the video to practice and decide my feelings on it. lol

eating was bad today. but i'm not sweating over it. anyways, pretty tired. :( night all. <3
 
umm... this weekend. friday, i missed out because of my work party, which turned into a day full of golf, volleyball, beer and pizza. haha so i used that as my "Rest" day from p90x. just finished the Kenpo X exercise... i wasn't sure i was going to like it. but i really enjoyed it. maybe there is some secret side of me that likes to punch and kick. ;)

i took "before" pictures this past week. i was actually not that unhappy with how they looked (as weird as that sounds...). i am looking forward to looking even better in three months time though. still have to get a chin-up bar... the bands are just not the same.
 
Sounds like the new plan is working well for you!! Keep it up and you will have great results!!

thanks!! it's really motivating to have something that i am supposed to do everyday. i'm doing better at it than i thought. thanks for the encouragement... also very motivating :)

today was an interesting day. i worked, and then headed back to my old apartment to spend the night. i am going to clean it while my parents drive here to move out the last of my stuff. so today was Chest & Back day, and i planned on doing it when i got to my apartment. but i realized when i got halfway here that i forgot workout clothes, and i don't have weights at my apartment.... so i decided (after much debate) to NOT skip my workout and to BUY new workout clothes so that I could workout in the fitness room of my apartment building, where there are some weights. i don't mean to brag, but i think thats pretty good dedication ;) haha i did need new stuff anyway, i swear....

there was no chin-up bar or bands in the fitness room, so i had to skip all of the pull-ups, which left just a lot of push ups. i didn't do as many as last week on some of the push-up exercises, btu i think that could be due to lack of rest in between (jumping to the next push-up exercise because i had no bar... you know)

food today... subway sub, banana, yogurt, fibre 1 bar, Wendy's meal, two beer, and chicken cesar wrap with salad on the side. lol definitely a couple mis-haps but can't win them all right? :p maybe better day tomorrow.

<3
 
did plyo again today. managed to squeeze it into a crazy day of cleaning, packing, moving, eye-doctor-visiting, and travelling. annnnd i delayed seeing my boyfriend for an hour to get it in. i hope this determination continues. another positive note: plyo was much easier this time around than last time :D BUT i'm noticing tonight, about 3 hours after the workout has been completed and after sitting through a movie and driving 45 minutes, my knees feel really weak. hurt to go down some stairs. :S something to keep an eye on.

anyways, enough rambling. :) see y'all soon.
 
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