Lisa's food and exercise journal

Today's eats

Here's what I ate today:

Pre-workout 5 am
-1/2 banana (50)
-8 oz. less-sugar orange juice (50)
-12 oz. water

Post-workout 6:30 am
Strawberry/peach smoothie
-3/4 cup dole frozen mixed fruit (60)
-1/2 cup skim milk (40)
-1/4 cup Dannon light yogurt (20)
-1/2 scoop strawberry whey protein (45)
-6 oz. water

Breakfast 9:30 am
-2 Kashi whole wheat waffles (160)
-1/4 cup sugar-free syrup (35)
-2 slices of turkey bacon (50)
-24 oz. water

Lunch 12:30 pm
-1 whole wheat bun (85)
-4 oz. lump crab meat (90)
-1 Tbsp light mayo (50)
-1 slice provolone (70)
-1/2 can asaparagus (45) too much sodium, going to try fresh next time
-12 oz. diet 7-UP

Snack 4 pm
-2 hard-boiled eggs (140)
-1 light mozzerella stick (50)
-24 oz. water

Dinner 7:45 pm
-1 whole wheat bun (85)
-1 Morningstar grillers veggie burger (130)
-1 slice light cheese (60)
-1 slice tomato, few thin slices onion, a bit of shredded lettuce (25)
-1 cup of mixed veggies - broccoli/cauliflower/carrots (35)
-6 sweet potato fries (31) yes, only 6
-12 oz. 7-up

------------------------------------------------------
Snack soon
-less than 1/2 cup cottage cheese (60)

Total: 1476 calories

Hmmmm I noticed I didn't drink has much water today :(

Well good night. Cardio tomorrow morning for me.
 
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that's pretty neat lisa, you're diet does mirror ours in many ways. you're very conscientious about every detail of your meals, that's great. it's those little things that make a huge difference. a few more things i wanted to add: morningstar veggie bacon (also sausage) tastes exactly like the real thing, IMO. on the sodas, dont worry about having a few too many, you're on a fairly difficult journey, the diet sodas arent a bad vice. also, use the whey protein you prefer taste-wise - IMO there is little difference in them, i always buy whichever is cheapest/on sale. & yes, cutting back on sodium makes a big difference. and yeah, cutting back the carbs isnt a bad thing at all, we do the same thing. at the same time though, you dont want to get rid of them completely.
also i hear you on your old way of eating, many people dont realize that even eating healthy it's possible to eat too much of a good thing. we were doing the same thing. oh and my wife wanted me to mention how she used to always say to me "i dont see any difference" for like 2 months into our diet, but after that she started seeing dramatic changes - as you will, too. so just stay with your plan - i'm glad your husband is doing this, too - & dont let people try to tell you diet pills or fad diets work better - they dont. i hope i'm not coming off as a know-it-all, LOL! but everything i'm telling you works for us, and i believe will work for anyone. :)
 
Thanks NY :)

And thanks to you too shimmering. :) Please let your wife know how much I appreciate that. I know now that I will see a big difference after another 4 weeks. That's what keeps me going. I'll have to try the Morningstar bacon, I've always wondered about those. Have you tried the Morningstar steak strips?? They're not too bad. My husband really likes them, but I think they are acceptable. However, what I really like about them is the convenience especially on nights when I make stir-frys or fajitas.

I have been increasing my water intake, yesterday I was up to 82 ounces and had only 2 cans of clear diet pop. Also, I only ate 1320 calories yesterday! I didn't mean to do that, but I felt full all day long. Of course today, I want to be in the 1400-1500 range but even after having my smoothie and water this morning I feel full again. I have to eat again in another hour or so.

I'm also happy to announce that my best friend is still going strong. She's went grocery shopping a few times, and I'm always on the phone with her telling her what to buy. She's really enjoying the foods she's eating now, and she has increased energy...she said she feels like she could run a marathon, lol! Some things I had her buy was fruit, whole wheat bread and english muffins, less-sugar orange juice, splenda, yogurt, cottage cheese, and some healthy lunch meat of course. When she goes out to eat (which her and her husband do alot) she makes very good choices and downsizes her portions. She's switched from regular pop to diet pop. She's trying to drink more water. I constantly ask her if she feels deprived because she shouldn't, and she always tells me that she feels satisfied. She journals everything and sends me her food diary everyday. I'm just so proud of her. :)
 
Friends

Lisa, I was just wondering, has your best friend begun an exercise program as of yet or is she still mainly focused on revamping her eating habits ??
 
She's really been focusing on her eating habits but this is only her second week. However, I gave her some easy exercise DVD's over the weekend and she gave it try Tuesday morning and tried it again today. It's an easy cardio/dance DVD, and she said she could only do 20-25 minutes but I told her that was great. She's on the right track. She was really really hesitant about working out at first but I emphasized how important both diet and exercise is. I also mentioned weight-training but she doesn't have any dumbbells's - it's her birthday next week so guess what I'm getting her for her bday, hehe :cool:

But yes, her goal is to do cardio at least 3x a week, and also 2-3 sessions of weight training. This is a girl who told me that she couldn't workout and couldn't give up her sugar, pop, butter, and ranch dressing, but already she's made great progress. I guess that's why I'm so happy for her, because she found out that making the switch to a healthier lifestyle isn't so hard and it actually feels and tastes good. It's really sad, prior to this she really thought she'd have to starve herself or have gastric bypass in order to lose the weight. I'm so glad she changed her mind.
 
i'm very glad to hear about your friend as well, lisa. good for both of you. we tried with several friends who asked us for help but all failed to stick with it. so dont be too disapoointed if your friend cant keep it up - just make sure YOU stay focused on your goals no matter what happens. you've already figured out the nutrition & caloric restriction importance in losing weight, so the hard part is done, in a way. that's where i've found most people fail, they simply eat too much - and the wrong foods. your average person simply cant grasp certain aspects of food, and is only unwilling to try other things. i cant tell you how many times i've heard people say "how can you veggie burgers? that sounds gross". people like this are destined to never achieve much body and fitness-wise - they give up easily, are inflexible, & dont know the basics of nutrition. it sounds like you have the understanding, and have a husband who is open-minded as well.
yes, i've tried pretty much all the morningstar items, and i like them all. some are better than others but all are palatable, IMO. you know what are really good, BTW? morningstar's frozen veggie hotdogs. i swear you cannot tell the difference between these and real hotdogs. IMO - and my wife's, they taste exactly the same. but with a fraction of the sodium, fat, and none of the god-know's what that goes into real hotdogs, LOL!

& here's what we had for dinner tonight (we had the usual shake for breakfast & cereal for lunch): i made an omelet from 3 eggs, half a chopped bell pepper, 2 sliced avacados, 3 chopped green onions, a handful of fresh spinach, & one slice of american cheese. we split that, and had 2 small corn muffins with it, along with "biscuits & gravy" type gravy over it all. it's one of our favorites. the gravy while not much nutrition-wise, is low in fat and calories, so i dont mind using it. we have this meal fairly often as my wife is very fond of it, LOL!
oh and on restaurants, grace and i always split an entree and get a couple of salads. these days servings are so large in most restaurants it's easy to do. gotta be very careful eating out as most places load up the calories.
and lastly, glad to hear your water consumption is high, it's so important. oh and my wife said she appreciates your comments and wishes you success - as do i. :)
 
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Thank you for your comments :) I always appreciate!

Lol, I hear ya about the veggie burgers. I'll be eating at work and people always ask me what I have for lunch. When I reply 'veggie burger' they always give me the weirdest look, haha..

Your dinner sounds delicious! My husband also loves biscuits and gravy...do you use one of those packets for the gravy? I'll have to check that out. And I'll definitely have to try the veggie dogs because once in awhile when we're in the mood for 'chili dogs' we use Healthy Choice hot dogs on whole wheat buns, then we use one of those 10 oz. cans of hot dog chili sauce (only 180 calories and 9 grams of fat for the WHOLE can, so we divide and share 1/2 of it). Then we put a slice of light American cheese and load up on diced onions - it's a great meal but we have it once every blue moon.

My friend is doing great, although she's not quite ready for Morningstar or even skim milk, lol. But she called me this morning to tell me she did a full 30 minute workout, also she made hamburgers last night using extra lean ground beef (96/4) with a side of oven fries and she was happy that her husband really enjoyed the meal. She had company over so she used regular ground beef for them - she was amazed by the difference in the amount of grease. So she's still pluggin' away :D I have a feeling that she is going to do really well.

Weekends are hard for me, I still workout and eat pretty well but I don't seem to drink enough water. So I'm going to try today to get at least 64 oz. in. Also, my sister (who's name is also Grace!) is talking about taking me out for dinner tonight which I am always nervous about. I could really go for some sushi, oh how I love sushi! But she's not crazy about it so I have no idea where we're going to go.

Yesterday I did 2 miles on the treadmill, today is weight training (legs). I'm also thinking about doing a long session of low-intensity cardio today.
 
yep, we use those packets of gravy available in any supermarket, read the back and you'll see they dont contain much of anything - good or bad, LOL!
yes try the morningstar frozen veggie dogs, i promise you and your husband will not be able to tell the difference from the real thing, i dont know how they do it but they taste exactly the same. and in fact we also do chilli-dogs the same way as you, minus the cheese as i just dont like it with hotdogs.
we tried the morningstar steak strips (on your recommendation) last night, BTW - i made a broccoli/green pepper/onion/carrot stir-fry with them over rice. really came out good actually, it's pretty close to steak alright. a nice change from the shrimp stir-frys i often make. as for my workout today, i ran 3 miles this morning - most of it uphill vs the 2 i do normally do (more time on the weekends). then followed with my usual pushups, reverse pushups and crunches. BTW, i drink a "propel" after every morning run. i take a bottle, and turn it into 3 bottles using water - it's too sweet to me as is. but you're basically drinking water as it's got almost no calories. this is something you might want to try if you have trouble drinking endless water. and hey dont beat yourself up over not getting enough water, bear in mind that you're starting a new lifestyle, can't do it overnight. it took a year for grace and i to fall into our routine, and we still have adjustments to make. now remember, skip the scale - weight is dependant on many varying, unreliable factors so just stay with your program, you're at the point now where changes will come rapidly in your physique. use the mirror and clothing to gauge your success - and of course your energy level. oh and one other thing i wanted to point out, you will be hungry sometimes, LOL! we still are. being completely filled up all the time on a restricted diet like this will not happen, IMO. so dont feel like you're doing something wrong if you're hungry sometimes, it's part of the willpower of doing what you're doing. :)
our stats BTW, are as follows: i'm 42, am 6 ft tall and weigh 145lbs. i have a very flat abdomen and am very lean, & though i cant tell you the percentage of BF i have, it's very low - as is my wife's. grace is 35, 5'1", and weighs around 104lbs. we were each 20 lbs heavier a year ago - 20 lbs of fat, LOL! so as you can see, a lot is possible, even as you age - if you're willing to stick with the program. you're well on your way lisa, just stay the course. :)
 
Thanks for the advice. Wow...you guys are amazing. I believe you when you say your bodyfat is very low. :) I would love to be around 105 but I'd be happy with 110. Did I ever tell you that my highest was 160 about 8 years ago? That was a bad time in my life but it was the beginning of a healthier lifestyle.

You know, I actually love water now, but I just don't think about drinking it when I'm at home for some reason. I have tried Propel water but I also thought it was a bit too sweet. It wasn't too bad though.

Since we've been doing this I can't say that I feel hungry or deprived. And I'm eating the right amounts since I measure everything. All I know is that I feel great which is a great sign that I'm doing something right :) I mean there are times when I do feel hungry but I never feel like I'm starving like I used to when I ate 3 times a day.

We went grocery shopping today. We picked up the veggie dogs but they didn't have the Morningstar steak strips :( Something else we picked up was Ives veggie crumbles. I look forward to having them on taco night, lol. Oh and darn it, I forgot to look at the gravy packets! Next time I will though.

Just finished up my leg workout, it was quite a workout.
 
you know lisa, the funny thing is we went into this wanting to permanently lose the extra weight, and live healthier - maybe lose about 10 lbs each, but we just kept going and lost more weight. you may very well fall into the same routine, and you will probably reach beyond the goal you've set as time progresses. and thankyou, we both feel like we've come a long way. i'm very proud of grace who has eaten everything i've made and put up with my endless nagging to stay the course, LOL! but she's also thrilled with the results.

LMK how you like the veggie dogs, they work great as chilli dogs like you mentioned. in fact i think we may have that very meal tonight ourselves, LOL!
i've used those veggie crumbles, too. for tacos and burritos, it's one of our favorites.
you're doing great lisa, just keep it up, sore legs or not. :)
 
We'll be trying the veggie dogs tonight - they sure do look good. And that's wonderful about you guys, I hope the same thing happens to us. My husband and I nag at each other so I understand (he gets me out of bed in the mornings to workout and I'm on him about drinking more water). It'll be worth it in the end!

Week 5

Changing things up a bit, FOR SURE we are going to be adding another session of cardio this week. Still following Body-for-life for the weight training though.

Workout 6:20 am
3.20 miles on elliptical, 35 minutes. It was about med to med-high intesity. I monitored my heart rate and I kept it above 160, towards the end it was going near 170.

Pre-workout 6 am
-1/2 cup of less-sugar orange juice (25)
-had 24 oz. water with workout

Breakfast 9:30 am
-1 whole wheat english muffin (120)
-1 slice light cheese (60)
-1/4 cup eggbeaters (30)
-1 slice canadian bacon (20)
-24 oz. water

----------------------------------------------------------------

This is planned for the rest of the day:

Snack 11 am
-small fuji apple (90)
-2 sticks light provolone (100)

Lunch 1 pm
-2 slices whole wheat bread (90)
-1 can albacore tuna (150) with 2 tbsp FF miracle whip (40)
-1 slice light cheese (60)
-12 oz. diet 7-up

Snack 4 pm
-Zone bar (210)
-3/4 cup Dole mixed frozen fruit (60)
-24 oz. water

Dinner 6-7 pm
-1 whole wheat hot dog bun (85)
-1 veggie hot dog (80)
-1 slice light cheese (60)
-1/2 can of hot dog chili (50)
-1 cup mixed frozen veggies (30)

Snack 9 pm
-1/2 cup cottage cheese (90)

Total 1450 calories
 
Today's workout

Workout 5 am

Weight-training: arms

Chest
Incline DB Press - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 10 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 12.5 lbs, 12 reps w/ 5 lbs.
DB Flyes - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs

Shoulders
Seated DB Press - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 10 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 10 lbs, 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs
Side Raises with DB's - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs

Back
Wide-grip rows w/ barbell - 12 reps w/ 20 lbs, 10 reps w/ 25 lbs, 8 reps w/ 25 lbs, 6 reps w/ 30 lbs, 12 reps w/ 20 lbs
Good Morning w/ barbell - 12 reps w/ 10 lbs

Triceps
DB overhead extensions - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lb, 10 reps w/ 10 lb, 8 reps w/ 12.5 lb, 6 reps w/ 15 lb, 12 reps w/ 10 lb
Bench Dips - 10 reps (hard on my wrist)

Biceps
DB curls - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 8 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 12.5 lbs, 12 reps w/ 7.5 reps
Incline DB curls - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs.

Also did leg raises, 3 sets of 12. Will post my meals later.
 
Veggie dogs

Veggie dogs were great btw! We had them last night with some chili. A great meal. Felt like we were 'cheating'.
 
lisa_m said:
Workout 5 am

Weight-training: arms

Chest
Incline DB Press - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 10 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 12.5 lbs, 12 reps w/ 5 lbs.
DB Flyes - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs

Shoulders
Seated DB Press - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 10 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 10 lbs, 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs
Side Raises with DB's - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs

Back
Wide-grip rows w/ barbell - 12 reps w/ 20 lbs, 10 reps w/ 25 lbs, 8 reps w/ 25 lbs, 6 reps w/ 30 lbs, 12 reps w/ 20 lbs
Good Morning w/ barbell - 12 reps w/ 10 lbs

Triceps
DB overhead extensions - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lb, 10 reps w/ 10 lb, 8 reps w/ 12.5 lb, 6 reps w/ 15 lb, 12 reps w/ 10 lb
Bench Dips - 10 reps (hard on my wrist)

Biceps
DB curls - 12 reps w/ 7.5 lbs, 10 reps w/ 8 lbs, 8 reps w/ 10 lbs, 6 reps w/ 12.5 lbs, 12 reps w/ 7.5 reps
Incline DB curls - 12 reps w/ 5 lbs.

Also did leg raises, 3 sets of 12. Will post my meals later.
Click to expand...

Lisa, have you ever considered switching your bench dips to another tricep exercise, if they are hard on your wrist ?? By the way, how is your best friends progress coming along ??
 
Happy birthday, Lisa! Have an extra pop for your birthday splurge! :) Most types of sushi are pretty good for you. I like it too...well some types anyway.

Have a good day...I'm going to try to get my journal updated today. I was lazy yesterday!

~teresa
 
Jim, yeah yesterday was the first time I ever tried bench dips. Usually I do kickback's with dumbbells but I wanted to try something different. I won't be doing those anymore, I have a weak right wrist from all the keying I do during the day. :(

So glad you asked about my best friend! :) This is week 3 for her and she's lost 13 lbs already!!! :) She's eating around 1800 calories and doing some light 30 minute cardio 3x a week. Tomorrow is her birthday (today is mine :)) so I plan on getting her some dumbbells's - I won't see her until the weekend.

Thanks Teresa :) Lol, yeah I'll 'indulge' by drinking a diet cherry-vanilly dr. pepper today. Can't wait for tonight, I haven't had sushi in a long time. Looking forward to reading more of your entries!

Workout 6:30 am
-35 minutes on the elliptical. I stayed within my target heart rate (70%-80% of MHR). My husband bought me a heart rate monitor last night and it's really neat. I never get a good reading from the machines so this little watch and strap helped a lot.

Next two cardio sessions I will be following Body-for-Life. Tomorrow I do legs.
 
lisa_m said:
Jim, yeah yesterday was the first time I ever tried bench dips. Usually I do kickback's with dumbbells but I wanted to try something different. I won't be doing those anymore, I have a weak right wrist from all the keying I do during the day. :(

So glad you asked about my best friend! :) This is week 3 for her and she's lost 13 lbs already!!! :) She's eating around 1800 calories and doing some light 30 minute cardio 3x a week. Tomorrow is her birthday (today is mine :)) so I plan on getting her some dumbbells's - I won't see her until the weekend.

Thanks Teresa :) Lol, yeah I'll 'indulge' by drinking a diet cherry-vanilly dr. pepper today. Can't wait for tonight, I haven't had sushi in a long time. Looking forward to reading more of your entries!

Workout 6:30 am
-35 minutes on the elliptical. I stayed within my target heart rate (70%-80% of MHR). My husband bought me a heart rate monitor last night and it's really neat. I never get a good reading from the machines so this little watch and strap helped a lot.

Next two cardio sessions I will be following Body-for-Life. Tomorrow I do legs.
Click to expand...

Well happy belated birthday to you and happy birthday to your friend
 
Thanks guys :)

Today was a crappy workout :( I was extremely tired, also after a few sets of weighted squats my right knee started to hurt really really bad. I put some joint creme on my knee and that seem to help since I was able to do lunges afterward. I was pretty scared to try at first but the creme really did help.

Workout 5 am

Weight-training - legs

Quads
Squats: 12 reps with 20 lb barbell, 10 reps with 25 lb barbell, 8 reps with 30 lb barbell, about 4 reps with 35 lb barbell (this is where my knee started hurting). Tried to do another 12 reps with 8 lb db's but I only did 2.
Leg extensions: 12 reps at 25 lbs (this didn't hurt at all)

Hamstrings
Lunges: 12 reps with no weight, 10 reps with 8 lb db's, 8 reps with 10 lb db's, 6 reps with 12.5 db's, 12 reps with 5 lb. db's
Lying leg extensions: 12 reps at 25 lbs

No Calves exercises, plan on doing Saturday when we go to the gym.

Abs
Crunch with leg lifts on bench: 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps, 12 reps then I stopped.

Of course I'm disappointed with my workout this morning. But I guess we all have bad days once in awhile. Tonight I have class so maybe after school and dinner I'll go for a nice long walk.

Tomorrow is cardio, plan on getting on the treadmill. If I have time I will post my nutrition later.
 
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