My journey to good health

[Stacy]

What's TOM? I can guess but then I might guess wrong. lol Is that like Aunt Flow? PMS?

Don't push yourself too hard sweetie. It sounds though like a mild case of heat stroke/heat exhaustion. I'm really glad you're feeling better now. Just stay hydrated and well rested.

Oh I had a thought on when you're doing the school thing - Never let yourself be without a healthy snack. Always carry a snack like a healthy protein bar (make sure to look at the label, not all protein bars are created equal and some are loaded with sugar) or some other snack like a small bag of wheat thins or peanuts. In any case, always having a snack with you will allow you to get past a lot of temptations when you're caught away from healthy food options and are really hungry.

 

[JanaNanner]

So yesterday I made a conscious effort to drink more water. I drank water at lunch, at supper, and after supper. It went ok, since I had my true lime packet to add to the water. I love true lime It actually was much easier than I thought it would be...maybe I was just really dehydrated or something. I am going to try to continue on with that

Also bought some healthy stuff at the store...makes this all much easier. Yesterday I had trouble making meals when I really didn't have much food around to make what I wanted to. I made a nice bean and pasta salad for supper though which was good.

I lost alot of weight quickly last week, so I am not upset that I am essentially maintaining at the moment. I haven't exercised yet this week and that is likely part of it. I suspect i'll start losing again in the next couple days.

Drinking more water is so hard. o.o In the 6 week challenge they had a mini-challenge to drink half your weight in ounces of water and I failed miserably. But just as long as you are trying to drink more water, even if you don't drink as much as you'd like, it's a good thing.

I've noticed that my body makes no sense in that it loses so much weight one week and then loses almost none the next week doing almost the same exact thing. All we can do is shrug, keep up the hard work, and go with the flow as far as what the scale tells us because I swear at this point there's no way to tell whether or not the scale will read a smaller number than it did before.

If i keep losing 2 lbs/week, by the end of 2010 i should weigh 40 lbs less, or 225 lbs (!!!!!!). Even if I lose 1 lb/week, I will be 20 lbs less, so 245lbs. Either would be amazing.

I am starting to worry again (not sure if i posted about it already) about what will happen when i start school again. I am worried about keeping on track, about taking short cuts with food, about losing motivation and getting buried in my books. I can only hope that won't happen. Getting a strong start this summer should help.

It's really amazing to think of how small we'll be by a certain time if we keep up the trend, isn't it? I mean... the last time I weighed 225 lbs was a good... 8 to 10 years ago. I can't even remember what that was like and to know that I'll experience it so soon is just mind-bogglingly wonderful. We can do it! Woo.

I understand about the worries starting school... when your schedule becomes fuller, it's understandably more difficult to focus the attention on treating your body well. But think of it this way: you've had all this time to practice and adjust to these habits without having school to worry about. It's almost like you had a training period, right? Now you're ready to take it to the next step.

I don't feel well right now. I walked to the gym (25 minutes) in a rainstorm, did a 45 minute zumba class, and walked back home (another 25 minutes) in what turned into very hot weather. I am thinking i overdid it slightly with the exercise, but i'm hoping it is either 1. TOM coming or 2. That i just need to eat something.

EDIT: Feeling much better now. I think i did just need to rest and eat.

I'm sorry you didn't feel well. That's never a good thing when you've just worked hard and come out of it feeling terrible. I'm glad you were able to rest and eat and improve. *hugs* Keep up the hard work but also take good care of yourself.

Also, I'm really sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've missed reading your diary though and hope you'll post again soon.

 

[shygemini]

What's TOM? I can guess but then I might guess wrong. lol Is that like Aunt Flow? PMS?

Don't push yourself too hard sweetie. It sounds though like a mild case of heat stroke/heat exhaustion. I'm really glad you're feeling better now. Just stay hydrated and well rested.

Oh I had a thought on when you're doing the school thing - Never let yourself be without a healthy snack. Always carry a snack like a healthy protein bar (make sure to look at the label, not all protein bars are created equal and some are loaded with sugar) or some other snack like a small bag of wheat thins or peanuts. In any case, always having a snack with you will allow you to get past a lot of temptations when you're caught away from healthy food options and are really hungry.

That is correct! TOM= Aunt Flow hehe

You are right..i think the trouble was that i should have brought a snack to eat on the way home. I will do so next time :0 thank you

I will definitely be sure to bring lots of snacks to school! I have breaks inbetween classes where we do group projects or independent computer work...so definitely lots of chance to snack and better to eat that then something in a pinch. I will have to remember to keep my backpack stocked!

 

[shygemini]

Drinking more water is so hard. o.o In the 6 week challenge they had a mini-challenge to drink half your weight in ounces of water and I failed miserably. But just as long as you are trying to drink more water, even if you don't drink as much as you'd like, it's a good thing.

I've noticed that my body makes no sense in that it loses so much weight one week and then loses almost none the next week doing almost the same exact thing. All we can do is shrug, keep up the hard work, and go with the flow as far as what the scale tells us because I swear at this point there's no way to tell whether or not the scale will read a smaller number than it did before.

It's really amazing to think of how small we'll be by a certain time if we keep up the trend, isn't it? I mean... the last time I weighed 225 lbs was a good... 8 to 10 years ago. I can't even remember what that was like and to know that I'll experience it so soon is just mind-bogglingly wonderful. We can do it! Woo.

I understand about the worries starting school... when your schedule becomes fuller, it's understandably more difficult to focus the attention on treating your body well. But think of it this way: you've had all this time to practice and adjust to these habits without having school to worry about. It's almost like you had a training period, right? Now you're ready to take it to the next step.

I'm sorry you didn't feel well. That's never a good thing when you've just worked hard and come out of it feeling terrible. I'm glad you were able to rest and eat and improve. *hugs* Keep up the hard work but also take good care of yourself.

Also, I'm really sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've missed reading your diary though and hope you'll post again soon.

Thanks Jana! Yeah water is probably going to be my nemesis for awhile i'm afraid. I think I have to tell myself something like if i don't get 8 cups a day in, i don't get an iced coffee. That should do it! LOL

OH yeah i can't wait to be 225 lbs...my arms didn't stick out nearly as much, my stomach was much flatter and legs thinner...i loved it! Plus i had so much more energy! And my shoes fit better lol!

You are so right about this time being a training period. During school i must be more focused...have suppers planned out and pack food to take and snacks...but i know i can do it

I had a busy weekend but got ALOT accomplished in many different areas of life so i am really happy as a result.

 

[shygemini]

So i am super happy tonight I had a great workout at the gym today. Went to a cardio sculpt class. Basically it was 5-8 minutes of step aerobics then we would switch to doing weights for 5-8 minutes...so interval training. ONe hour later i burned 806 calories, was exhausted but felt great. For the first time in awhile i felt like i could keep up for the most part, i had to take far fewer breaks, and my max heart rate was at 184...much higher than it has been! I was in the 170s for most of the cardio part of the workout. I also took heavier weights today than I did in my sculpt class on thursday...8 lbs for biceps (just about killed me) and used 5 lbs for everything else.

I really wanted 6 or 7 lbs for biceps but the gym i went to today has less choices for weights so i tried my best I love weights, and i am renewing my love that i had lost for so long.

And tonight we made mini pita pizzas! Jana you inspired me! They were delicious,and everyone loved them I made mine with wholewheat pitas, catelli onion and garlic pizza sauce, part skim mozza cheese, pineapple and low fat ham. YUM! I had 2 little pita pizzas but really i think i only needed one. Next time will only have one. I also made a spinach salad with lots of veggies to go with it. There are so many different variations i can think of with the pita pizzas and they are so easy!

 

[Stacy]

You are getting so much stronger! Congrats, sweetie! You're DOING IT!

 

[shygemini]

You are getting so much stronger! Congrats, sweetie! You're DOING IT!

Thanks Stacy

 

[shygemini]

Today is a good day

I went to zumba class again, walked there and back, and burned over 1000 calories exercising in total (wore my HRM).

My eating today was very good...i felt like i was eating ALOT and yet clocked in at just over 1500 calories, which is low i know, but honestly everything was very filling so i'm not going to eat just for the sake of eating!

Part of me is slightly worried about the low calories but one day isn't a huge deal i guess.

 

[shygemini]

So..the computer ate the long post I made on here earlier, will try to recall what i said.

I am excited to have woken up this morning to a weight of 262.6 lbs..1.4 lbs down! I am getting close to 20lbs lost which is a great milestone I can't wait to be in the 250s again and it seems within reach now. FOr some reason getting to 220 seems much more in reach when i am at 250.

TOday was a relatively light eating day again, although much like yesterday I felt like i ate alot. I even had pasta for supper (baked Tomato Macaroni Cassarole). I learned a good lesson..when you double a recipe you don't always have to double the liquid. I ended up bailing out over 2 cups of liquid from the cassarole for it to cook properly and not be oven soup lol! But in the end it tasted good and that is all that really matters.

I ended up at 1550 calories today. I could have been a bit higher if i got a iced coffee tonight, but i really resisted it when i was ordering at starbucks. I just couldn't get over the calories in it, so had a tea instead. I am going to try to save iced coffees/special coffee drinks for a once a week thing.

 

[Stacy]

Congrats on the weight loss, sweetness!

Yeah, I totally noticed you've been a lot lower on the daily calories the past couple of days (around 1,500 or so). As long as you're getting enough to satisfy you I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I wouldn't drop below 1,200 though - at least not for long. A day or two is ok but making a habit of it can be bad.

Oh I know how you like coffee drinks so I'm going to share a recipe on what I like to do:

*1 Cup soy milk (or rice milk or any low fat, low cal milk)
*1 TSP instant coffee crystals (just about any instant coffee works)
*3 - 4 TSP Splenda or Sugar (or whatever you like to use to sweeten things)

Put ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy.
This makes an EXCELLENT cold and rich coffee drink. You get all the flavor and by doing it at home you not only save money but get to modify the calories too!
Note - the longer you blend it the more froth and foam you get (my favorite part! heheh)

For an extra cold and yummy treat you can substitute a little of the milk for some ice

 

[JanaNanner]

And tonight we made mini pita pizzas! Jana you inspired me! They were delicious,and everyone loved them I made mine with wholewheat pitas, catelli onion and garlic pizza sauce, part skim mozza cheese, pineapple and low fat ham. YUM! I had 2 little pita pizzas but really i think i only needed one. Next time will only have one. I also made a spinach salad with lots of veggies to go with it. There are so many different variations i can think of with the pita pizzas and they are so easy!

Wow, that sounds so tasty. I'm going to have to give your version of the mini-pizza a try sometime!

I am excited to have woken up this morning to a weight of 262.6 lbs..1.4 lbs down! I am getting close to 20lbs lost which is a great milestone I can't wait to be in the 250s again and it seems within reach now. FOr some reason getting to 220 seems much more in reach when i am at 250.

Good job on the weight loss! Even though I must work harder now to catch up to you, I'm still happy for you. 250s are so close now!

 

[shygemini]

Congrats on the weight loss, sweetness!

Yeah, I totally noticed you've been a lot lower on the daily calories the past couple of days (around 1,500 or so). As long as you're getting enough to satisfy you I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I wouldn't drop below 1,200 though - at least not for long. A day or two is ok but making a habit of it can be bad.

Oh I know how you like coffee drinks so I'm going to share a recipe on what I like to do:

*1 Cup soy milk (or rice milk or any low fat, low cal milk)
*1 TSP instant coffee crystals (just about any instant coffee works)
*3 - 4 TSP Splenda or Sugar (or whatever you like to use to sweeten things)

Put ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy.
This makes an EXCELLENT cold and rich coffee drink. You get all the flavor and by doing it at home you not only save money but get to modify the calories too!
Note - the longer you blend it the more froth and foam you get (my favorite part! heheh)

For an extra cold and yummy treat you can substitute a little of the milk for some ice

Thanks Stacy!

I am back at my usual today at just over 2000 calories. It was a strange couple of days being around 1500 and really wasn't on purpose...but as you say there is nothing wrong with that level of intake

Thank you for sharing the recipe with me I already peeked at it on MFP but I am happy to have it here for easy access I will have to give it a try soon and i'll definitely be blending it for a long time lol ! I think that drink would be good with a tsp of vanilla or almond flavoring as well

 

[shygemini]

Wow, that sounds so tasty. I'm going to have to give your version of the mini-pizza a try sometime!

Good job on the weight loss! Even though I must work harder now to catch up to you, I'm still happy for you. 250s are so close now!

Hehe it was amazing how much hubby liked the pizza. I think he said 5 times that night about how good they were, and how easy to make. I love finding easy recipes that turn out great.

Thank you for the congrats! It is nice to be moving again downwards. I did some painting tonight and managed to squish into a size 18 pair of old jeans. They were mostly just tight around the waist but i was still able to do them up, so pretty close!

 

[shygemini]

Today I did a zumba class which was suppsoed to be an hour, but the instructor ended 10 minutes early. This meant only about 45 minutes of zumba and then 5 minutes of cool down. It was an awesome class otherwise but I wish it had gone the whole time. In any case, I burned about 636 calories (I wore my HRM but I checked twice the number and forgot the exact one and don"t feel like checking again lol, I know it was around there). I also jumped a TON, in fact almost all the time the instructor was jumping I was, and had no pain in my ankles or knees. This makes me very happy. I also felt much better during the warm up. Usually i am already feeling quite winded after the 5 minute warm up. Finally, I was able again to work really hard during the class. So I think it is safe to say I love zumba and I love the gym again

I ate around 2000 calories today which is nearer to my norm. We went out for lunch and for a change I didn't get a salad. I just didn't want to get one, and figured I deserved something else. So I got a wrap with steelhead trout, bit of cream cheese, and mixed greens, and had a spinach fruit salad on the side. It was really good and seemed quite healthy. I also had frozen yogurt tonight for the first time in a long time. Actually I don't think i've had frozen yogurt since I started this journey (I may be wrong so don't quote me). I looked at the label, it seemed not too bad, and measured out one serving (1/2 cup). It was delicious. I couldn't resist it because it was cappuchino with chocolate pieces (100 cal for 1/2 cup). I think part of this journey is having treats when we want to have it, within reason.

 

[JanaNanner]

I ate around 2000 calories today which is nearer to my norm. We went out for lunch and for a change I didn't get a salad. I just didn't want to get one, and figured I deserved something else. So I got a wrap with steelhead trout, bit of cream cheese, and mixed greens, and had a spinach fruit salad on the side. It was really good and seemed quite healthy. I also had frozen yogurt tonight for the first time in a long time. Actually I don't think i've had frozen yogurt since I started this journey (I may be wrong so don't quote me). I looked at the label, it seemed not too bad, and measured out one serving (1/2 cup). It was delicious. I couldn't resist it because it was cappuchino with chocolate pieces (100 cal for 1/2 cup). I think part of this journey is having treats when we want to have it, within reason.

100 calories is not bad at all. There's nothing wrong with having something a little special every now and then as long as the portion size is controlled, which you did. Lately when I want to indulge, I have graham crackers with cream cheese and strawberry preserves on it. It tastes just like strawberry cheesecake. It's so good. Haha.

 

[shygemini]

100 calories is not bad at all. There's nothing wrong with having something a little special every now and then as long as the portion size is controlled, which you did. Lately when I want to indulge, I have graham crackers with cream cheese and strawberry preserves on it. It tastes just like strawberry cheesecake. It's so good. Haha.

Your treat sounds delicious! I will have to try that

 

[shygemini]

I've had a busy weekend and things are just going to keep being busy with my move coming up quickly!

However, last night I went to a BBQ at a friends house. I think I did very well there in controlling my cravings and stopping my hands from reaching to food I don't need. I ate a small piece of BBQ steak, about 1.5 cups of gluten free pasta salad, roasted potatoes (which were literally slathered in oil, but i took a few small pieces to be polite), McCain Sweet Potato superfries (i had 5), 1 glass of homemade sangria.

What did I avoid? I avoided the delicious munchies snack mix, which is my most favorite chip mixture of any other. I avoided the majority of the dessert. There was tons. There was cake, coconut cookies, tons of squares/bars, potato chips, and peach cobbler with ice cream. Of all that, i only took approximately 1/3 cup of peach cobbler (of course i wasn't able to measure it, but it was a very small amount). So i am very impressed with myself for that. I kept wanting to reach for the dessert sqaures but i simply didn't let myself do it even though my hand was itching a few times lol. And you know what? I don't think anyone noticed or cared that I didn't try all their desserts.

Today we went out for a brunch, and i did very well there as well i think. I didn't have any dessert at brunch as i knew we were having cake at home afterwards. I mostly ate fruit, vegetables, cheese and a lentil salad at the brunch. Everyone else was complaining (in a good way) about how full they were after brunch. I was still quite hungry and even after i ate my small slice of cake was not stuffed. I feel like i have gone through a food revolution and I just have no desire to stuff myself full for no reason anymore. I will always have cake for birthdays, people can say what they like and have their own opinions but I feel it is important to share in that.

I am concerned about having time this coming week to get to the gym. I will try my best and try to get there as much as possible. We will see what happens. It certainly won't be a sedentary week in any case.

Also another exciting thing today is that a shirt fit that i haven't wore in a long time. It isn't exactly a small size (2x) , and i remember it getting to the point where it was huge on me when i lost weight last time. But it is exciting. I had tried it on a few weeks ago but it was too small still at that point. I can't wait to get into more of my old clothes again.

 

[JanaNanner]

I've had a busy weekend and things are just going to keep being busy with my move coming up quickly!

I will always have cake for birthdays, people can say what they like and have their own opinions but I feel it is important to share in that.

I am concerned about having time this coming week to get to the gym. I will try my best and try to get there as much as possible. We will see what happens. It certainly won't be a sedentary week in any case.

Also another exciting thing today is that a shirt fit that i haven't wore in a long time. It isn't exactly a small size (2x) , and i remember it getting to the point where it was huge on me when i lost weight last time. But it is exciting. I had tried it on a few weeks ago but it was too small still at that point. I can't wait to get into more of my old clothes again.

Yes, I have cake on birthdays too... I just make sure it is a small piece. It's entirely possible to fit it in if you don't gorge yourself on it.

I loooooove it when things fit that didn't before. I show it off, too. I go around to people I know demonstrating, "Ah, look! It fits!" Also, my jewelry is fitting more loosely on me now, too.

Good luck with your busy week and being able to get to the gym. I know it must be hard but keep priorities in mind. Your body is important.

 

[jjjay]

Sounds like you were very controlled Shy, it takes a lot when presented with all your favourites laid out on a table....I find those the hardest situations to deal with...its all there...waiting and seems such a shame not to eat it!! I try and tell myself...yep you want a bit of everything but its not the last chance you'll ever get to eat that pudding or this one so CHOSE one, have a little portion and at some stage in the future you'll get to chose the other one. As opposed to eating like its my last supper ever!!

I have to say that the change in clothes is the biggest motivator for me in losing weight - putting something on that was really tight before and is then loose is like WAAAHAAAYYYY something is happening afterall, I'm not just imagining that I look better, I MUST do.

 

[shygemini]

Yes, I have cake on birthdays too... I just make sure it is a small piece. It's entirely possible to fit it in if you don't gorge yourself on it.

I loooooove it when things fit that didn't before. I show it off, too. I go around to people I know demonstrating, "Ah, look! It fits!" Also, my jewelry is fitting more loosely on me now, too.

Good luck with your busy week and being able to get to the gym. I know it must be hard but keep priorities in mind. Your body is important.

I love when jewelry is loose! My wedding rings are finally fitting well again. I look forward to getting them resized back down (when i got my engagement ring it was size 8.5....had to resize to size 9.5 or 10 i think )

Thanks for all your encouragement and sorry for my absence lately!