Mission Possible: Swoofie - Take 2

S

Swoofie

New member
So I'm re-starting my journal, simply due to the fact that it would probably be easier to follow. Sad to say, a hectic life got in the way and I let myself fall off the wagon. But I'm starting back up again, and I'm hoping to really stick with it this time.

As of five seconds ago, my current weight is 152.5lbs. I'd usually weigh myself in the morning, since nothing is in my stomach at the time, but it's already 3:45PM in the afternoon and I'll be a bit busy before work tomorrow morning to write all this down. And I really want to get this started.

So, today is May 8, 2011 (Happy Mother's Day to all!). Although my overall, long-term goal is to slim down and remain at a healthy weight for someone my age and height, my short-term goal is to lose about 15-20lbs before our family reunion this summer. I haven't seen the majority of my family for the better part of 4-5 years, and I'd really like them to say, "Wow, you've grown so big since we last saw you!" and not mean it in relation to my waist size.

The reunion starts July 22, giving me (if I counted correctly) 75-days to do this. Think I can do it? Let's hope so!

So in order to help me stick with it, I'm typing out a sort of worksheet on Word, for me to print out and fill-in on a day-to-day basis. Basically, a place to keep track of what i've eaten, how many calories i've taken in, and whether or not I exercised. Speaking of exercise, I plan to really push myself with it. I won't over exert myself, but I won't allow a little tiredness and sore muscles slow me down. My second short-term goal, after the reunion, is to lose another 10-15lbs and really get into shape so I can have another shot at joining the Army before my ASVAB scores expire and I have to re-take it. (But that's a new journal completely).

Speaking of exercise, Wed-Saturday I'll walk an hour in the morning, and then go to the gym later in the day for an hour or two. Sunday, I have church, and Mon-Tue I have work in the mornings, so I'll make those "light" days and only work out in the afternoon. As a side note, I'm looking into protein shakes as a post-workout meal to curb my usually ravenous appetite after going to the gym. Oh, and another small goal is to start drinking at least 4 bottles of water a day (16.9 fl-oz each).

I'm considering a VLOG atm, but I'm a bit camera-shy. However, I do think that the more I involve myself into the whole "get healthy" thing, the better chance I'll actually stick with it and see things through. We'll see how it goes.

Well, that's it for now! I'll be back tomorrow night with an actual "how my day went" sort of post.

~Swoofie. Over and out.~
 
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Hi swoofie, welcome

Its great to see you have a thorough plan worked out there. Most of it looks good to me. Though its still pretty demanding and I hope you won't get so disappointed if things don't go strictly to plan. Life usually throws a few curve balls don't forget.

Just about the exercise, its important to take at least one day off a week and not push yourself hard ever day. This is what leads to injuries. Rest days are important because your body needs to heal the damage that a lot of exercise will do.

Also make sure you eat plenty of protein since you are going to be pushing yourself so hard. It is protein you need to repair those muscles and tissues.

What will be your daily calorie intake. If you say 1200 i will predict certain failure. Get your calorie intake right. That is to say eat a reasonable amount of food every day to sustain this punishing program. As long its less than what you normally eat and your "maintenance" calories, you will lose weight. I'd say about 500-1000 calories less should do the job for you. (so long as it doesn't go too low)

You don't talk much about the sorts of food you expect to eat. It needs to be balanced to do it in a healthy sustainable way. If you look at my diary you will get the idea of what balance looks like. There are other ways too to find this out. Sure i am not losing as fast as you hope to but if i wanted to I would simply eat a bit less and exercise a bit more but still stick to pretty much the sorts of food i am eating now.
 
Oh, of course. I certainly won't be gorging myself on donuts and cookies. I've basically thrown out all the sweets and junky food in our pantry. Snacks will most definitely be things like fruits and veggies, yogurt, nuts, etc. and I'll be certain to get enough protein into my diet. I know what I need to do, I just need to be able to stick with it is all. Thanks for the input.
 
Swoofie said:
I've basically thrown out all the sweets and junky food in our pantry.
Click to expand...

That's a really good start.

You can do this. Once you get into a good eating routine, its not that difficult to stick with it. Go easy on the nuts though, they are high in fat. I tend to think that if you are eating meat twice a day you don't need nuts at all. But that's just my opinion. I also can't stop eating nuts once i start so they are a real danger food for me. Cause i love them so much.
 
I like nuts, but I'm not their biggest fan, so it won't really be an issue. But if I'm ever craving something crunchy, I know it'd be a lot better to munch on a handfull of almonds than a bag of chips.
 
If you jsut want something crunchy, i'd go the traditional carrots or celery but if its crunchy fat you want, then go nuts. lol
 
Late Start

Ok, so I've been busy, busy, busyyy these past few days and haven't gotten around much to writing on here. No worries though, I have kept up my exercising and for the most part, my eating has been pretty good. I haven't eaten any junk foods and have stuck to fruits and veggies when snacking.

Today was a good day. For breakfast, I had cream of wheat, which I decided to try instead of my usual oatmeal. It was a bit odd at first, and looking at the sticky goop made me think this was baby food for grown ups. But as I took more bites, it grew on me and I'm thinking I might have it for breakfast again tomorrow. For lunch, I made a sandwich with sliced chicken breast, a slice of swiss cheese and lettuce, all on a piece of whole-wheat brown bread. I snacked on a small handful of carrots, and ate an apple as well.

Just came back from the gym about ten minutes ago. I warmed up on the bike for about fifteen minutes, did a light core routine (which I do daily), and then worked on my legs with the weight machines. Afterwards, I had my first taste of protein shake and I'll have to say, it's kind of "eugh." I followed the instructions on the tub, which said to mix a scoop of powder with 6-8oz of water. So I did, mixed it for 30 seconds as instructed, and took a sip. It tastes like watery milk, and I'm thinking next time I'll mix it into actual milk or blend it (which were other options) to hopefully get something that tastes better.

That's it for now. I'm going to chug down the rest of that protein shake and go take a shower. I'll try to write a bit longer tomorrow and get more in-depth. For now, cya later!

~Swoofie~
 
Well done on everything swoofie. :hurray:

About the protein shakes - what goes in this gunk? :puke: Why don't you just drink a cup of milk - it has both protein and carbs and is a perfect recovery drink for post training. Also it has calcium - vital for strong bones.

Also its cheaper.

Anyway you are doing great oh hang on....

Can you tell me in what is in that fairly horrid sounding cream of wheat breakfast? Do your packs have ingredient labels on them? Do you put on anything else when you eat it?

It might be semolina but i am keen to know for sure.
 
Still here!

It's been awhile since I've actually written in my journal, but I've reading through others' and decided it was time to update mine.

As far as eating goes, I've been doing quite well. I usually eat between 1300-1500 calories a day, and have, for the most part, avoided really bad, junky foods. I always eat oatmeal and some sort of fruit for breakfast, and the rest of my meals usually consist of whole-grain foods, lean protein, and fruits/veggies. Except this past Memorial Day, when my older sister and her boyfriend came to visit and we had a big cookout. I won't say I ate great food, but I really did try to watch my portion size.

My water intake is really good right now. I bought a cheap hard-plastic bottle that can hold up to 8 cups of water at a time, so I always fill that up while I wait for my morning oatmeal to cook. I'm somewhat of a coffee addict, and its been hard for me to cut back, but I've managed to do it! I went from 2-3 cups a day, to 1-2 a week, if any at all. It's not so much the caffeine, since I can easily get a quick-fix with some green tea or something else. No, coffee has always been somewhat of a sweet drink for me, since I always liked mixing in the flavored creamers and whatnot. But now, when I do drink a cup, its either black or a scoop of plain creamer and a packet of splenda.

I'm also taking vitamins. I have "Women's One-a-Day Active Metabolism" which I take with my morning breakfast, as well as Vitamin C, Calcium & Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Glucosamine/Chondroitin, which are taken twice a day, once in the morning and once later at night. I do seem to have more energy, and even though I hate taking pills, it does seem to help me feel healthier.

The only downside with how things are going is my exercise. Lately, its been pretty lacking. I just get so busy, and as much as I want to go workout, it's hard to find time. I have work and I've taken over almost all the household chores for my mom (cooking, cleaning, laundry, groceries, etc), and I'm driving all over the place taking her to Doctor appointments. I know I'm just making excuses, so I'll try to really up my exercise. However, my gym membership ends this Saturday (oh no!) and I decided to save some money, and join my school's gym once fall semester starts up. So for the next 3 months, I'll be without a gym. Until then, I'll be using our treadmill, and purchasing some extra workout equipment. Most likely I'll buy a pushup/pullup bar, exercise ball, a few weights, and if my budget allows, maybe an adjustable bench.

Well, thats it for now. I'll stop by again tomorrow, with a list of my food and calorie intake, as well as any exercise done. For now, I'm done.

~Swoofie.
 
June 1

Hey! So today has been pretty decent, as far as food goes. It's not my best day, but most certainly not my worst. Today was more "eat out of convenience, but still try to eat good if you can."

Breakfast
- Oatmeal cooked w/ milk: 236
Lunch
- Turkey fried brown rice: 400
Snack
- Original Razzmatazz from Jamba Juice (w/ soy protein boost): 380
Dinner (haven't eaten yet, but this is it)
- Turkey meatloaf: 200
- Cup of instant brown rice: 230

Total calories = 1446

So, not too bad today. I probably should have avoided the smoothie, but it was super hot today and I was really craving one. Anyway, after dinner, I'll let my stomach settle a bit before getting on the treadmill for an hour. I'd try to do more exercise, but its my *ahem* time of the month, and I'm really in no mood to do anything at all! I really just want to hide in my my bed and hug a pillow until all the cramps and back pain go away, but I'll just ignore it and walk it off.

Well, that's it for now. Until tomorrow!

*Edit - Oh, I forgot to mention! Since my gym membership ends on Saturday, I went out to the nearby Sports Authority to look for some exercise equipment to use at home. I bought an "Iron Gym" which can be used for pushups, pullups, situps, and dips. It was $30, but some woman randomly cut me in line, and the cashier lady was nice enough to give me a few dollars discount for that. So I ended up paying $27. Only $3 savings, but that's $3 more left in my pocket! I'm also going to stop by Walmart sometime (yeah, Walmart, I know right? lol) in the next few days and pick up some other stuff, since they had the cheapest equipment. Ok, now I'm done!

~Swoofie
 
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June 2

Ok, so it's only lunch time, but I have a few free minutes so I decided to post my status thus far, and hopefully update more later tonight.

Breakfast
- Oatmeal cooked w/ milk: 236
Lunch
- Chili dog: 425

Yeah, I know. My lunch is BAD, but my mom made it for me and I've been busy doing work around the house today (still am, but the laundry is drying now so I have a short break). I'm definitely going to the gym later once everything is done. I'll do about an hour on the elliptical and work out my upper body and core with weights. I'll probably make a protein shake w/ bananas afterwards, and then dinner tonight is leftover meatloaf & salad. I'll post the calories for all that later. My overall calories for today is looking to be around 1300-1400, maybe more if I decide to eat a small snack tonight. But still pretty good.

Anyway, that's it for now. Until later!

~Swoofie
 
June 2 - Update #2

Ok, so I just got back from the gym and am drinking my protein shake as I type this. Y'know, after awhile, the watery-chalky-milky taste kinda grows on you. Anyway, gym was really good.

Gym
- 5min warmup on bike
- Seated dip: 3 sets, 10 reps, 137lbs
- Bicep curls: 3 sets, 10 reps, 70lbs
- Shoulder press: 3 sets, 10 reps, 55lbs
- Chest press: 3 sets, 10 reps, 100lbs
- Lat pulldown: 3 sets, 10 reps, 99lbs
- Abs machine: 3 sets, 20 reps, 50lbs (right, left, middle each)
- 1 hour elliptical: lvl 10 incline

Honest to god, I smell like moldy socks right about now. But, as my sister's boyfriend texted me on my high school graduation, when me and the 500 other kids in my class waited in the locker rooms to process out into the gym, its the "smell of success!" And it is. The stronger that stinky smell lingers, it means the closer I am to being my goal weight! So yay for sweaty feet! Anyway, that's it for now. I'l probably eat dinner soon. But right now, I gotta shower. Not even my dogs will go near me! They must be too awe-struck by the glorious stench of my success.

~Swoofie
 
June 6

Hey!

Man, I need to be more consistent with my updates lol. I'll try harder to post every day, since I know it helps me keep track better. Anyway, I'm starting my journal a tad early today simply because I'm free at the moment, and also because I'm a bit frustrated with some things right now.

I'll post my calories later, at the end of the day. Right now, I wana talk about my exercise. So as I mentioned in my last post, my gym membership expired on Saturday, and me being a poor college kid on a budget, won't be able to afford the $300 to continue it, and opted to sign up at my school fitness center when the semester starts up in the fall. Well, I told myself I'd just continue to workout at home, and I'm dedicated to that. I WILL continue to walk and run, and do bodyweight exercises.

Anyway, this past Christmas, my older sister bought me a Nike+iPod sensor that can be attached to the special shoe. I'd forgotten about it until now, since I still had the gym back then. But as I was fishing through my drawer, I came across it and decided, "Hey, what the hell, this could be useful!" I don't have the actual shoe that it's supposed to fit into, but my sister told me the salesman said it could still work with other shoes. I didn't really have any place to put it, so I kept it in my pocket as I walked around my neighborhood this morning. I walked 30 minutes with my dog, and would have liked to go further, but she's an old dog (11 years old!) and was seriously lagging behind me by the time we got home. Also, the sensor thing was starting to really frustrate me.

With the sensor and my iPod, I can select a sort of "workout" for how long I want to walk/run, or for a certain amount of distance (ex: 5k, marathon, etc). I chose 30 minutes to begin with, and it was working fine and I walked along listening to my music. But after a few minutes, it suddenly stopped and said, "Activity stopped, click center button to continue." I was still walking when it had said that, but I told myself I was probably just walking too slow to be recognised and upped my speed and continued on. But then it kept happening over and over and OVER again. So I stuck it in my shoe, since that's where it was supposed to be, (sorta, I didn't have the special shoe that fit it but w/e) and despite it being very uncomfortable, I kept walking. It STILL stopped every two or three minutes and by then I was getting kind of pissed. I actually started muttering angrily under my breath, but I might have done it a little too loud, since a lady passing by gave me some weird looks. Lol.

Well, I got back home after my "workout" ended (it tells you once you've reached your mark) and looked at my "stats" that it was supposed to record. The only thing it took down was the time! It was supposed to track my pace, distance, and calories burned, but none of that showed! So I looked through the settings and saw "calibrations" so I was like "Oh, maybe that's why it didn't work!" Since I didn't have any way to really track the distance I walked outside, I stepped on my treadmill to calibrate the thing. I stuck it in my shoe again, hit calibrate, and began walking. I set the distance to calibrate 0.25mi, and I walked for about 10 minutes at a pretty even pace (speed 4) and when I checked it, it said I'd only gone like 0.03mi! I kept trying over and over, and it kept saying I had 0.03, or 0.05 etc. It's really making me mad! I don't want to have to buy the damn shoes as well! Ugghh..

I'm looking up home solutions to the problem, and several people suggested cutting open the tongue of the shoe and slipping the sensor in there, and using a safety pin to keep it shut. I might try that, since I'll be walking again later tonight. I hope it works.

Whatever. I'm going to go do some pushups and situps and attempt a pull-up on my new pull-up bar. I fail so hard at that! I'm so short that I have to sort of jump up to hold onto the bars, and I can't do a real pull-up to save my life. I can pull myself up ALMOST the entire way, but I have kick up to get that laaast half-inch. I'll get there. Someday.

For now, I'm done. I'll be back tonight!

~Swoofie
 
June 6 - Update #2

Firstly, here is my calories for the day.

Food
Breakfast (8:30)
- Oatmeal: 236
- ½ cup blueberries: 42
(Total = 278)

Snack (11:20)
- Cup of baby carrots: 70
(Total = 70)

Lunch (12:30)
- Salad: 122
- Light Swiss cheese: 70
- Banana: 105
(Total = 297)

Snack (2:50)
- Cup of baby carrots: 70
- ½ cup of blueberries: 42
(Total = 112)

Dinner (5:30)
- Salad: 160
- Turkey meatloaf: 200
(Total = 360)

Total = 1117

I'll be having a small snack a little later tonight, so let's add on another say 200 calories and make it 1317 for the day, give or take a few.

Anyway, earlier I was going off on a bit of a rant about the sensor I'd gotten for Christmas and how it wasn't recording my distance/pace/calories. I looked solutions up online, and deciding that I didn't want to spend $10 on a pouch for it to attach to my shoe, I followed the example of several other thrifty spenders and cut a hole into the tongue of my shoe, inserted the sensor, and closed it up with a safety pin. I tested it out, and it works perfectly now! I'm so glad I've gotten it to work, and am much more excited now about my 2nd walk.

Speaking of walks, it's about 5:45 and I just finished dinner. I'm giving my stomach a little time to settle, before I go for another walk at 6. I'll try to walk 30min-1hour, depending on how my dog is feeling. She's an old girl and doesn't keep up as well as she used to, but she still gets very excited to go out. I might just go 30-minutes outside, and then finish walking on the treadmill at home so she can rest. I don't want to over-exhaust her.

That's it for now. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself when I write here, but it helps me track my progress, so I guess its ok. Lol. Anyway, until tomorrow.

~Swoofie
 
Mini update

Just finished showering and decided just to post this small update.

Like I said I would, I walked around my neighborhood. My doggy stayed with me for another half hour before she got really tired and I had to carry her back home. I dropped her off at home, cleaned her up and then went back to walking for another hour. Overall, according to my (now working!) nike+ sensor, I walked 5.19mi, had a 17: (something, something) mph, and burned 539 calories. I know I walked pretty slowly, but when I first started walking, I wanted to go fast but couldn't because of my dog. And after I dropped her off, I was starting getting a bit tired, so I was slow paced most of the time. Also, I'm used to walking/running on a flat surface in an air conditioned gym/room, and like I said, my neighborhood is all ups, downs, and curves. I'll try to walk faster tomorrow, and I know I can once I get a little more used to the uneven surfaces.

Anyway, that's it for now!

~Swoofie
 
Thanks Trusylver. I'm kind of sore right now; I've never walked that long outside, usually sticking to my treadmill. But its a good sore, and I enjoyed the view and sunlight as opposed to a tv screen.

About to go walk at the park with a friend. Be back later for a real update.
 
June 7

Today's food.

Breakfast (8:15)
- Grapenut flakes w/ low fat milk: 150
- ½ cup blueberries: 42
(Total = 192)

Lunch (12:30)
- Cheeseburger: 400
- Fries: 395
(Total = 795)

Dinner (6:00)
- Grilled skinless chicken: 120
- Homemade potato salad: 350
(Total = 470)

Total = 1457

Okay, so my eating today wasn't the best, but today I don't really care. I had a good day, and something like a less than perfect diet won't ruin it. I still have like a 600 calorie deficit so its ok. Well, not "ok," ok...but still.

Anyway, after breakfast I went down to the local park with my friend and we walked around for about an hour and a half, walking a good 5-miles out there. We walked at about an 18min-mile pace, so it wasn't fast, but just like my neighborhood, the place was filled with trails that went up and down. Not huge, steep hills, but there was a lot of variation. And it was blazing hot out, so we worked up a really nice sweat.

After that, we went out to lunch and that's where the cheeseburger and fries came in. We were just gonna go grab a smoothie, but we were both really starving and In-N-Out was just around the corner. She goes to school out of state, and it being (originally) a CA only place, we decided to eat there. Plus, I haven't had a burger and fries in several weeks and decided it would be an okay treat, since I don't plan on eating there again anytime soon. Its nice to have, but the novelty of it just doesn't appeal to me as much anymore. Looking back, I know I should have just gotten the smoothie, but it was an extra half hour or so with my friend, and we ran into another old school buddy as well, so I believe it was time very well spent.

Dinner isn't as bad, since we're having grilled chicken tonight. The potato salad, however, is what kills it. I'm doing my best to restrain myself from eating too much of it (I really love the stuff!) and only put a small portion of it onto the very corner of my plate. The rest is hiding in the fridge, where I won't be tempted to eat anymore.

After dinner (eating it now as I type), maybe around 6:45 or 7:00 I'll go on another short walk. Just 30 minutes with my dog, since I didn't take her this morning. Also I don't like the idea of potato salad just sitting in my gut the rest of the night and would like to (hopefully) burn some of that off.

Well, that's it for now. Might or might not post another small update after my walk. *shrugs*

~Swoofie
 
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June 7 - Mini update

Ok, so just got back from my walk, and I'm pretty sweaty and stinky. Not to mention I've got an annoying rash on my thighs now. I seriously can't wait until I lose enough weight and body fat that my thighs don't rub together anymore. I put baby powder on my thighs before I walk, but it always wears off after awhile and walking starts to become uncomfortable. Eugh.

Anywaaay, since my lovely sensor thing can save up to 5 "workouts" at a time, I suppose i'll post my stats each day so I can keep better track of not only what I eat, but now how far I walk. So, today...!

Morning
- Distance: 5.59mi
- Time: 1:48:02
- Pace: 20:11min/mi
- Calories: 631

Evening
- Distance: 2.25mi
- Time: 41:34
- Pace: 18:25min/mi
- Calories: 257

Total
- Distance: 7.82
- Time: 2:29:02
- Calories: 888

Just looking at this, I can see there's a lot of room to improve as far as distance covered and how fast I walk. I'd like to get around 15min/mi, and then slowly incorporate some running into the mix. I don't trust myself just yet to go running outside and want to build myself up to it. For now, any running done will be done on a treadmill. I'll probably do some running tomorrow in the morning, since its laundry day for me and I have nothing to do between loads. Then I'll take another walk in the evening like I usually do.

That's it for now!

*Edit* - Add another 80 calories onto my intake today. I'm going to drink some warm Ovaltine before bed.

~Swoofie
 
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