My Journey: Positive Outlook For 2013

Thanks Don, I've been in a funk and haven't been here very consistantly. I guess in a way it's good to know I'm not alone. I guess that old saying misery loves company is true. I wish we could all just be "normal" when it comes to food. Whatever that means.

Thank you both on your nice words on the whale. I used to mess around with clay a lot before I started to get sore from RA. Now that I'm being treated I'm no longer sore so I've been getting back into it. It's such a good stress reliever and I'll definitely be using it as a way to curb my snacking tendencies at night!

So far, it's been a great day for food. It's been hard, but I've been sticking to the plan. Drinking water. I ate all of my fruit salad this morning and just finished my garden salad. Now I'm craving something crunchy, but after how I felt last night I'm not giving in to those combos or s&v chips. Not sure what I'll eat for an afternoon snack yet. I think one of my problems is that I don't really know much about nutrition. I need to find a good meal plan to make sure I'm eating enough and that it's healthy. More research!
 
Trying to get refocused once again this week. Starting with a fresh clean slate and trying to forget about the past slip ups. It’s time to get back up on the horse! ?

Today I had a pretty good day. I didn’t make it to the supermarket yesterday to get the fruits for my salad so I had a protein bar for breakfast instead. It was very yummy and it kept me full until late morning at which time I had a few crackers with peanut butter. For lunch I had a frozen Smart Ones meal. My late afternoon snack was a little bit of taco dip with some tortilla chips. I’m skipping a traditional dinner and opting for a bowl of non fat frozen yogurt instead. I had no candy today and no chips (aside from the torilla which aren’t *as bad* as my usual preferred chips) so I’m considering today a success in the food department.

It’s July and it’s HOT! Today it got to 93 and it’s incredibly humid. It’s such heavy air and it literally feels like it’s weighing you down. I decided before I left work today that I was skipping taebo. I don’t do well in hot and humid weather. I never have. I just didn’t feel like fighting through it today. Once I got home though, without really thinking about it I was getting changed to work out. I did as well as I could, but had to pause the DVD a few times to catch my breath a bit. After the stand up exercises I was literally pouring sweat so I decided to jump in the pool for a bit. I had a very nice swim, went back inside, and then did the floor exercises. So, I did make it through the whole DVD, I just broke it down. I can say that tonight I’m feeling pretty darn good about myself for getting through it. Such a great sense of accomplishment! ?

Tonight I’ll be doing some sculpture painting when I’m done my frozen yogurt so that’ll keep my late night snacking away. Tomorrow’s weather will be the same as today’s so I’ll be fighting through it once again, but I WILL DO IT!
 
Off to another great start today. For breakfast, my protein bar grossed me out so I didn’t finish it, didn’t half it really. It just didn’t taste right. I waited until I felt hungry again and had a can of peaches followed by some crackers and PB. I just had a Smart Ones dinner for lunch (I was starving at that point!!) and my late afternoon snack will be my garden salad with chicken. No clue what’s for dinner tonight. I’ll probably just make an egg sandwich or have a couple over easy or something… oooohhh… maybe a grilled cheese for a change? I don’t know. The good thing about this heat is that I haven’t really wanted to eat much lately. Using it to my advantage! ?

The funny thing is that I’m not even craving anything right now. No chocolate, no chips.. nothing. I’ve felt contect the past couple of days. Hopefully this will continue. I think the trick for me right now is to just not have any for a long, long time. As soon as I give in for a taste or two it’ll turn into binging again. I don’t want to travel down that road again! My frozen yogurt last night was DELICIOUS! It’s fat free chocolate with almond. It definitely went down easy and it’s nice to have a healthier alternative to fix my sweet tooth. ?

I’m still planning on doing taebo tonight when I get home. I’m not looking forward to being all hot and sweaty, but at the same time I am. Plus, I have our pool to look forward to as soon as I’m done. That’ll help me get through it. ?
 
I got through taebo tonight with ease! It was weird because I don't think I sweat as much today that I did yesterday and it's hotter today. I haven't been wearing my HRM watch for the past several workouts, but decided to today. It said I burned 713 calories which is the highest I've ever gotten with this particular workout. I was really feeling it tonight. :)

I ended up having grilled cheese for dinner tonight. I have to be in the mood for this, it's one of those meals where I can take it or leave it, but it tasted so good tonight! I could've easily made more, but I didn't. :)

So, today makes day the second successful day in a row of good eating and exercise. I'm feeling great about that!
 
Congrats MandyH! Woo hoo!

Okay I'm a little drunk so maybe my praise is a little over-enthusiastic, but I hadn't seen you here in a while, so I thought I'd stop by. Please don't leave for too long again, or else next time I get drunk I'll have to accost someone I haven't interacted with with (should there be two 'withs' here?) my ramblings.
 
MrVee, enthusiasm is always welcome! I’m planning on sticking around. I seem to do better when I’m here checking in and taking responsibility for my actions. I hope you enjoyed your night, sounds like you sure did! ;)

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So I have a question. Originally I was doing a full body taebo workout (just over an hour long). It definitely slimmed my arms and legs down quite a bit, my midsection not quite as much. I still have a lot of weight/fat to lose in my midsection. Because of that I got the Insane Abs workout (approx. 50 min – first 30 standing up, last 20 floor exercises) and I’ve been focusing on doing that. I can’t remember the last time I did the full body workout, but it’s been a while. My question is, since I’m trying to focus on losing weight in my midsection should I keep going with the abs workout or should I still be mixing it up? The full body workout does have a few moves that focuses on abs and the abs workout has some moves where my arms and legs are also still getting a decent workout. I just really want to start seeing more improvement in my abs.
 
Ugh, I feel like a bottomless pit again. I’ve been hungry all day. The good news is that I’ve been winning the fight! I’ve eaten quite a bit, but they’ve all been low calorie, healthy (or should I say reasonably healthy) foods. For breakfast I had a protein bar, a little bit later I had a can of peaches, then I had a single service of 4 cheese triscut thin crisps (I actually counted out 14 crackers for a serving), then I had a special K pastry bar (can’t remember the name, they’re like a flattened poptart, but only 100 calories), and I just had my garden salad with chicken. My stomach is still rumbling so I scoped out the vending machine and normally I’d jump at the chance to get a bag of peanut M&Ms or Skittles, but even seeing them there waiting for me, I was able to walk away without getting anything! No candy, no chips! I even went to a coworkers desk and she has a bowl full of Reese’s miniature cups on her desk. I was tempted, but was able to walk away. I can honestly say that I feel incredibly proud of myself for rejecting all of these temptations. Last week I probably would’ve had it all. This week I just feel like I’ve got it. My whole attitude has changed. I’m realizing that it’s pointless to bust my ass working out only to end up eating junk food which defeats the purpose of working out in the first place.

Anyway, I had a free minute at work and wanted to check in to share my progress through today. No idea what’s for dinner tonight, but I do know that I’ll be doing taebo. One thing I need improving on for sure is meal planning. Anyone have any tips on how to actually plan a week’s worth of meals? Any good quick, easy recipes? ?

As a side note, I’m hoping to get caught up on all of your diaries tonight too. My night is looking pretty clear as of right now.
 
Good day!
I plan ahead, well I have to bring food or call ahead if going out because of allergies, otherwise I end up with salad leaves/bananas/black coffee, even beer has gluten in it.
I tend to measure out my protein e.g. 6 oz of lean turkey (200 cals) and then either do a salad or stir fry with what's in the kitchen and adding nuts, avocado or seeds as my fat source, until I reach my calorie goal.. It's quick and simple both to eat home or put in a box. I add quinoa, pasta, rice or noodles if it's supposed to be a large meal.
Otherwise I often eat soups, you can get a really low cal meal that fill you up making an aspargus sup. Both stir fry and soup are 20 min cookings, but perhaps you do them already.
I make large pots of chili sin/con carne and curries and freeze them in boxes or measure out the meat in x-calorie bags and keep a list of the freezer content and do a meal plan, using that list and my calender to see which days there is time to 40+ min dishes and when it has to be 20 min dishes. Plan 1-2 weeks ahead and have note saying which days to go buy what in order to keep the food plan.
 
Thanks Clarissa, I may have to start planning like that. Often times I find that I don't have anything in the house to eat. Not really, but nothing that I'm in the mood for. Then I kind of get stuck. It would be much easier to have a plan to follow!

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I did taebo last night. My calorie burn was 613. It was interesting to say the least. I did the upright exercises just fine, but when it came time to do the floor exercises I got "mauled" by my dogs. They're not usually in the room with me when I work out, but nobody else was home and I don't like closing them out of my room when nobody's there to watch them. They were very curious about what I was doing. It was quite comical really, but I still think I did alright. :)

My mid section is sore today. I guess that's the price of doing the abs workout 3 days straight. Tonight I'm skipping taebo, but I'm thinking I might get on the treadmill for at least a half hour. I do my groceries tonight so it all matters on what time I get home and how I feel later on. Tomorrow I'm going to do the full body workout which is a more difficult one. It's supposed to be the hottest day of the week (they're expecting 98° and humid!). I have no a/c in my room so I may need to use my fan to keep me somewhat cooler. Then I'll be able to jump in the pool to really cool down. Looking forward to that!
 
Another great day for food intake so far. For some odd reason I've been finding it pretty easy to resist the urge to splurge this week. No junk food! :)

While that's a good thing, I'm also concerned that maybe I'm not eating enough... at least not enough of the right things. Yesterday and today I've almost always felt hungry! For breakfast today I had a protein bar (200cal) followed by a can of pineapple (140cal). Morning snack was a little bit of a sour pickle (not sure on cal) and a serving of the 4 cheese triscuit thins (130cal). A little bit later I had a berry special k pastry (100cal). Late afternoon snack was another serving of the triscuit thins (130cal) and then I just had a garden salad (not sure on cal). So, my total calorie intake today is 700 not including the pickle and salad which probably don't amount to very much. Oh, and I've had a lot of water too. I like to save wiggle room for my dinner because that tends to be my largest meal. It sounds like my family wants pastrami for dinner tonight, not sure if I'll do that or have something else. I really need to learn more on balanced nutrition. I've felt like I have been eating right until I actually starting writing things down. Maybe that'll be my project for the weekend. Start working on a diet plan! :)
 
Just read through a bit of your recent posts. Good job on the taebo. I tried it once and never continued it :).
I've been looking at meals recently. My issue is i don't have time to prepare foods with the babies. And also my calories have been low when i avoid 'junk'. A few of the ladies gave some good food suggestions. I need to now put them into a reasonable plan and go shopping :). Good luck.
 
Thanks Angel! When I first tried Taebo I was unsure about it. It was really hard and I struggled with some of the moves and of course with the stamina to get through it, but I was determined to win so I kept doing it. I'm hardly a pro at it now, but looking back at where I was, I'm definitely a lot better! It's helped me to lose more inches and than weight somehow, but I feel a lot better. I really enjoy it. :)

I know what you mean about junk food too. Clearly that's where a lot of my calories came from. Now that I've cut that out my calorie intake is quite a bit lower. I need to straighten that part out.

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Last night I ended up not doing anything for exercise. Unless you call grocery shopping and putting stuff away exercise. I wanted to go swimming so badly, but we had some strong thunderstorms going through our area all night so that was a no go. I did have a pastrami sandwich with my family. It was good for a change. We don't have it very often at all so it was a bit of a treat.

This morning's weigh in was 208.4lb which is 1lb down from Monday's weight. I'm not sure if it's water weight or actual weight that I've lost, but it's a smaller number so I'm happy. I also got my monthly visitor this morning so I'm hoping by next week it'll be down even more. We'll see! :)

Today's going to be absolutely miserable outside! High of 98° and extremely humid. We're under an extreme heat advisory as well as unsafe air quality advisory. I'm still planning on doing taebo this afternoon, the full body workout. I may need the fan to keep me cooler, but I'm going to give it a go!
 
Just recapping my day. I call it another success! We order breakfast at work on Fridays so I had my usual (2 eggs over easy, white toast, and homefries). I have no clue what that comes out to for calories, but it always keeps me full well into the afternoon and today was the same. I had a bologna sandwich for lunch and for dinner I treated myself to some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yeah, I know KFC isn't the best... far from it, but they'd been advertising new hot chicken bites with cayenne pepper so I've been craving them. That's it for food intake today. Oh, and 3L of water.

I came close to no taebo today. Not out of laziness or weather, but because I ended up with company and still had to run out to the store. I almost ran out of time, but I did get it in. I did the full body workout and burned 1168 calories. It took me 5 minutes longer than usual because I had to pause it a few times to catch my breath.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it went! :)
 
Woke up this morning to 209lb even again. Kind of confused, but not really concerned. Just going to keep on plugging along.

Today was a good day, but I don't think I'll be able to get exercise in unfortunately. I feed my dogs a natural raw diet and spent almost 5 hours cutting meats today and repacking them in meal sized portions. I didn't expect it to take me that long. I will say that it was HOT in here today and I did still manage to work up a sweat so I know I burned some calories. I'm sure not much, but better than none.

Food intake has been good too. Woke up and made some scrambled eggs with 2 slices of toast. I NEVER cook breakfast on the weekend so that was a success. I didn't have lunch, just munched on a few crackers when I was all done and cleaned up. Dinner is pizza and there will be no desert.

Tomorrow will be another good day for food as I'll be on the ocean all day so I won't have that many temptations around. Good thing because I won't be able to get exercise in either. OH, and another plus is that it's supposed to be cooler with much less humidity so I won't feel like I'm suffocating for the next several days! Yay for that! :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend! :)
 
Unfortunately, I was unable to exercise yesterday. I was planning on doing it if I got home early enough, but our whale watch ran late. I didn't get home until just before 9pm and I was beat.

I stayed home from work today because when I woke up my left eye was just about swollen shut. I think it's just a stye. It started on my upper eye lid Saturday night. I could feel it getting sore and it was a bit puffy. Yesterday was a bit more puffy. Today, wow! My eyelid and above my eye was no longer puffy. It was swollen! I could barely open it. I've been putting warm compresses on it hoping it'll help. So far it's gone down a bit. I really need to keep an eye on it (no pun intended) because the meds I'm on for my RA actually suppresses my immune system so if it doesn't improve I'll need to get it looked at to avoid an infection.

In a little bit I'll be doing one of my taebo workouts. Then I'll be doing some house work. Later if I'm up to it, I'll be doing the other taebo workout. Two in one day. I've done that once before, it felt great! :)

Have a good Monday!
 
Oh dear. That's not great about your eye. Hope it gets better soon.

Good luck on the workouts. 2 in one day!! I bet it'll feel good.
 
Thanks! It's still sore and puffy, but it looks like it's getting better. Hopefully!

I did the full body taebo workout and burned 1138 calories according to my watch. Not sure how accurate it is because it kept beeping when I wasn't even touching it to check my heart rate. It's in the ball park of where it normally is though.
 
Good job with the tae bo! Your burning some serious calories with that.

Glad to see your checking in regularly again! I'm also back up to 209 which was my starting weight for the month :p I keep gaing and losing the same 4 pounds all month. I know it my own fault for not being consistent with my healthy eating... exercise has been good. This weekend was my birthday celebration BBQ though so I did splurge a little and some regain was expected. Another week, time to get back on track!
 
Thanks! I did kind of go AWOL for a little bit, but I'm trying to stay active here now. It's nice to have the support. The whole being consistent thing gets me too. Mainly just the weekends. During the week I've been doing good. Last week I was especially good! :)

So, I had a change of plans. I didn't do my other taebo workout tonight. I ended up walking to the supermarket to meet my mother when she got out of work instead. It wasn't a long walk, but I went the long way. It came out to roughly 1.25mi. It felt nice to get out though and I did burn 252 calories. :)

My day for food intake wasn't bad. I skipped breakfast (bad I know!) because I slept in. For lunch I had some chicken and French fries (frozen ore ida / baked). For a snack I had some chocolate teddy grahams. Dinner I had a cinnamon raisin bagel and a protein shake. I didn't add up the calories, but I feel pretty confident that I'm under my intake for today. Tomorrow will be better. :)
 
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