Sarah's got her groove back!

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Thanks Cate & Kate!

It's always great to get such nice encouragement here...I can always count on you guys!

I did book the cruise last night...for Feb 2013 (so it's a ways away!), going from Aukland, NZ to Perth, AUS...18 days of floating around in luxury and pampering! Lots of work to do before we go...but it's nice to have something nice to look forward to!


Took an exercise break day today..wore a pair of new boots yesterday and wouldn't you know it, the day I wear new shoes, I had to walk alot..and of course, got a blister...so today, I've got some old tried and true shoes on with a couple of preventive bandaides and decided it was a good break day. It will also give me a day on the calorie count without exercise to see if I can stay within the "goal" calorie count...which drops below the BMR (so I will probably still eat enough to cover that rate...we'll see!)


Thanks again everyone...gotta go slug through those emails!


Sarah
 
So, today was another grinder at work...but right now that's life!

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't exercise today, and I ate about what I normally eat, so, I am technically above the 1200 cal limit recommended by the myfitnesspal, but still slightly above the BMR recommended by fat2fitradio.com with my weekly exercise routine...I'm enjoying eating an apple in the evening and it takes the edge off before bed.


Today: calories consumed: 1640, no exercise, so myfitness pal recommended a 1200 cal day...so I'm over by 440 cal.. As I said earlier..this whole calorie counting deal is to know how much I consume and test out this BMR theory on myself while I get this next 45 pounds off...so I continue on.


Sometimes, I feel I've been on this journey forever...but then I look around and it's only 10 months...I wonder how many months out of my 51+ years I've been "on a diet"...not too many over the past 15 years...when I've really put on the weight...but before that I think I was always having to watch what I ate...always...paybacks are hell! The difference this time is I really have changed my lifestyle..and I've gotten results that I have never achieved...so I continue on...trudging the road to happy destiny and skinnydome!


Sarah
 
AHeya Sarah :)

Ooooooh, cruise booked!!!! How exciting :hurray: :hurray: I'm totally jealous of course!!! 18 days of luxury and pampering...sigh.....such a dream :) And what an amazing part of the world to do it too.
Booking your holiday, even if it isn't until next year must have helped with the stress at work, even if it was just for a few hours huh lol

I kinda feel like i have been on this 'journey' forever too but i have been on a diet, pretty much everyday, or at least every MONDAY!!! my entire adult life and this is the first time i have actually managed to go past a few months so :hurray: :hurray: to both of us for making it aour 'forever' journey. We do know that it is going to be forever, it has to be for us to reach 'skinnydome' I love that word lol it's awesome :)
I started 3rd july so i have been plodding along for nearly as long as you :)
 
In a way at least..I have come to the realization that I will always be on a diet..either to loose or to maintain. Because, if I dont I will weigh 400lb...sigh
 
Hey Kate & Brawny...yes, we do know it's a "forever" thing...darn-it! It's really not so bad...I enjoy exercising and I do feel so much better than I did...as you've seen I'm doing a little experiment..not really changing anything, but starting to record what I eat...so I know my calorie intake. It looks like on the weekends my calories are at about 2000 pounds and during the week, about 1400/day. If I trust the BMR thing and my current weight, and my current exercise regime then I should be having a 2000 calorie/day goal to eventually get to my goal weight...I really hesitate to change anything since I've had good results up until now (and as Cate says', if it ain't broke, don't fix it). I have 1 more week at home then I have to go on another business trip to Europe so I'll track all this during the business trip too. I will weigh-in this weekend to see if I've actually lost anything during 1 week with my current calorie intake and exercise. I'm honestly afraid to eat 2000 cal/day right now..I've been on low cal thing most all of this 10 months and just the thought of eating more makes me feel guilty! OK, I've rambled too long...It's Thursday...I'm happy for that!

Sarah
 
Hope the experiment goes well but as you've probably heard on the fat2fit show by now (depending on the episode you're up to) it might take a bit of time for your metabolism to stabilize if you have been running a big deficient for nearly a year. Even if the first week or two doesn't show exactly the results you expect it's important to not get discouraged and keep with it.


Also if you happen to have access to a body fat scale or way to calculate a reasonably accurate body fat percentage you can get a better estimate of your daily calories by using the Katch-McArdle formula that is based upon your lean body mass.


I hear ya on feeling guilty about the food intake. I had to up my target calorie intake to 2800 a day recently and it can be hard to convince yourself to eat that much. Another one of the benefits of tracking the body fat for me has been the ability to keep an eye on your lean body mass to try to maintain as much lean body mass as possible. It can be hard to switch the mindset from weight loss to fat loss.


Cheers,

FG
 
Thanks FG! I always enjoy your comments and thoughts and see your successes! You are a great motivation!

So, this is day 6

Cal consumed: 1838 (sweet n sour chicken for breakfast will bump up the calorie count every time!)

Exercise: 719 giving a net calorie count of 1119 for a "goal" of 1200.

The 1838 is close to the 2000 cal/day level that the Fat2fit website recommends for my exercise routine.


I do feel like I'm starting to see some definition in my muscles (maybe it's wishful thinking...could be fat hanging on trying to look like muscle...especially on my back!). I'm doing weights 3 days a week...nothing super strenuous: Bench press 28 kg, Leg curls 42kg, Butterfly pectorials (21kg) normally 50-60 setups on incline board and 10 or so toe-touches, so I'm working to build more muscle mass to burn up some of that fat faster! I've lost alot of weight in my fingers of all places...I've had to move rings around and some I've had to get wrapped to stay on. I'm pretty sure I could wear my original wedding ring now (it's in storage now...and hasn't been on my finger in several years).


Thanks everyone for your support...this forum has been a really good find for me..it does me good to just write sometimes!


Sarah
 
Nice job on the workouts and strength training. Think you should go dig out the original wedding band and see how it fits now as it is really rewarding to get those fingers back into wedding day shape.


I know my wife was pleasantly surprised to see me fitting back into mine again last month.
 
AHeya Sarah :)

With the amount of exercise you do my lovely you will definately be more toned. That is one thing that everyone comments on with me, I don't see it but I never do!

Regarding your rings, ditto!!! I am not married so don't have a wedding ring but I do have an engagement and eternity ring and have had to get them both resized!! I had to save to get my engagement ring resized cos it had to have new clasps etc on it cos they were getting thin (when they rezise them they have to heat it up and he said that all the stones would fall out of it if i didnt get that fixed too so they wouldnt just resize it) so instead of it costing £15 to do it would be £100!!
I got my eternity ring done first and used that to hold the other one on but then that got to big and I nearly lost them both once so had to bite the bullet and pay to get my engagement ring done. I had to go down two whole ring sizes with that one. I shouldn't have to have it done again, even if I lose more cos it is tight going over my knuckle now.

Love and hugs sweetie Xxxx
 
Funny the places we gain weight...I too can get back into my wedding band.


My arms seem slimmer too. Now if my gut will follow suit I will be a happy camper.


Off to walk at the track. have a great weekend
 
Hey Sarah!


Wow, I missed a lot this week. It's cool to see you couting your calories. You did so well when you weren't, I just know you'll do great now. One thing I want to caution you about is the number of calories burned that shows up on the elliptical or any other cardio machine. You need to take those numbers with a grain of salt. They can be pretty misleading. Obviously the cardio has been working, but just wanted you to keep that in mind so you'll keep succeeding! :) You're doing so great. And oh my, a cruise! I so want to go on one!!! There's a radio station I listen to, it's Christian oriented, called KLOVE and they host a cruise everyear and there are a bunch of Christian bands that play. I would absolutely LOVE to go on it, but it is just so expensive. I hope once we have better jobs my fiance and I are able to go on one. I also would love to go to Rome and the Vatican! Ah I have huge travel dreams! :)


Hope you have a good weekend! :)
 
Wow, feel like the "family" is back together...Munch, Feelinggooder, Brawny, Kate, Cate! So nice to hear from everyone!

FeelingGooder: I wish I could dig out my original wedding band...unfortunately, it's literally in storage in the US...and I'm in China ,so I won't be able to dig it out anytime soon! It will be something to look forward to in a few years! (And motivation to keep this weight off!!) The strength training is a good motivator to gradually try to increase that...especially the leg curls.


Munch: I don't know that you missed a whole lot...I'm doing a type of experiment...right now, eating the same as I have been, exercising as I have been now, just counting calories to see what I'm eating. So far it looks like about 1600 cal/day average during the week and 2000 cal/day on the weekends. I agree on the exercise machines calorie burn rate..I'm not sure what else to put down, so I put what it says. I've heard that when you enter your weight correctly at the beginning, it is better. I know it's the right thing to do, so I just keep doing it and become a little more educated in the process...and who knows, may be able to do some push-ups...like you my hero pushup woman!


Kate: Thanks so much for sharing...you are going through some emotional roller coaster girl...good to see you back on your "normal" high and congrats again on the new job! Yes, sounds like we have both had to have rings resized and clothes resized...I'm trying to hold off on the ring resizing and like you I'm using one to keep another one on! I figure when I get around my goal weight, I'll do the ring resizing deal! I definitely will keep doing the exercising and after 1 week of doing some regular strength training I'm starting to like it...have to admit, I was not so looking forward to it, but now when I limit myself to 3 days a week (and 1 of those days is a weekend where I have some time!) I can knock it out and be OK with it!


Brawny! You always have such fun comments! My arms are slimmer too and now my thighs and calves are getting slimmer...but the good ole belly and butt..now they are hanging on for dear life! I've heard that weight comes off in the same order it went on...at that rate, I'm probably somewhere in the early 1990's..I remember when I went to a military training class in 1985 , I weighed 163 (seems like it's the first thing they do at those classes is the weigh-in...still remember sweating them!)


So, it's day 7 and I'm off to a good start...big exercise and big breakfast and now vegging out.

Have a great weekend ya'll!


Sarah
 
Oh by the way, today was my measurement day...no startling results...it's slowly coming down...and the good news is..it IS coming down! Of course, my bust seems to be coming down more than anything...which I guess is normal...boobs are mostly fat anyway...and at my age, it's not what is turning any heads anyway! My dream measurement is linked to my hips...I'm shooting for 42 hips...at the rate I'm going (about 1 inch every 2 months) I'm thinking that will be sometime around Oct 2012...seems so far away, but one day at a time I'll make it...gotta believe!
 
AHeya Sarah :)

:hurray: Yay on the measurements coming down!!! I never measured myself and that is one thing i really wish i had done. I didn't even take photo's, the first one i have is after i lost 10lb.


Hope you have a good, less stressy week this week my lovely. :)
 
hello Sarah :)


congrats !!! you are doing really well ! your diary really motivates us all ! Even you have difficulties at work ,I guess , It is great to hear your measures are less!Perfect :)


we will see your even thinner photos soon ,I guess :). That is great. :grouphug:


good luck with your works and with eating plan :)


all the best ,


celine
 
Thanks Kate and Celine for stopping by!

Kate, as you know I only weighed in once per month so I wanted to have some additional feedback during the month and measurements seemed to be the thing that was changing the fastest for me..I'm glad I did it...but I wish I would have started this at the very beginning..I started this journey in June and I didn't start measuring until September...and just looking back at September (after 30 pounds lost) I can extrapolate the measurements back to June...not pretty! Glad they are coming the right way and it does help me to see the progress!


Celine, I'm glad that I can motivate some others through my challenges...I get so much motivation from others on here! As for my photos, I post one normally at the beginning of the month. I may be late for May as my husband will be traveling and I'll need to get someone else to take a photo. I usually use it to "show off" some new clothes I've had made at the tailor! (new clothes were and still are some of the rewards I'm using to keep myself motivated!)


So, today, Monday I've looked back at the 1st week on the calorie counting info and found some interesting things;

1) Weekends are higher than during the week (no big surprise there because I typically eat 3 meals/day on the weekend and typically only 2 meals during the week with an Apple snack in the evening

2) I'm typcially over on the fats calories (so I'll have to cut down on those foods!)... sweet n sour chicken is alot higher in all the "bad" categories than I would have thought..guess that's why I like it so much!)

3) I've stayed above the BMR and below the Calorie goal for 5/8 days (using the "goal" that My fitness pal sets which 'adds back' in exercise credits...which I'm not sure is right...but it's what I'm using. At any rate, I need to keep at or below the goals each day...and I didn't go crazy...but 1 day, I was 400 cal's over (that darn sweet n sour chicken again!)


I did get on the scale on Saturday and I didn't lose any weight during the week...which is why I didn't weigh myself weekly...but since this was a "sneak peak", I don't count it and will stay on my once a month official weigh-in!


So today, I cranked out the ellipical again for 45 mins and 80 reps on the situps and some free weights. I've still got a crazy amount of work to do and I've got the business trip next week...so maybe I can get caught up on some of the mails on the plane...one can only hope!

Thanks everyone for your help and support!


Sarah
 
So, today, Tuesday...the beginning of a week with lots of dinners out...just got back from one dinner (a colleague of mine is transferring to work in Shanghai, so he got a good send-off) and then tomorrow night a celebration of some production results at work...and then Thursday night, a guy that I trained when I was in the US is now in charge of a similar function in Asia, and he asked me out for dinner on Thursday...wow, better not let off of exercising this week!


Today, I did the elliptical for 45 min and I decided to do the old favorite Jumping jacks...1-2-3-1, 1-2-3-2 etc...20 of these things and not so bad. I think I'll add them to my repetoire, but instead of coutning them, I'm going to do as many as I can for a minute then work my way up. One of these days, I'm going to add pushups..yep, I said it..pushups..I don't really like them because they remind me how little upper body strength I have..hopefully now, as my weight goes down, my arms won't have such much to push!


Otherwise, doing OK today, hope everyone else is going OK too!
 
Looks like a hectic week and smart to plan ahead to not miss those workouts.


Good luck with the push ups and jumping jacks. I've been trying to hit push ups as part of rolling out of bed for the past couple days and I think gradually building up for a short 5 minute workout set with push ups and jumping jacks would probably be a good idea.


U gonna be ripped soon
 
I hear ya on the hectic week. This is banquet season in the school business and as Supt. I am expected to go to all of them. FFA banquet, Athletic Banquet, Academic Banquet, Beta club Banquet....AAAAAAHHHH!!!! Someone get me an antacid!
 
So, just got back from dinner#2 this week..the classic Chinese dinner..lots of choices, with small bites of alot of types...calorie counting was probably not so accurate today!

Thanks for stopping by Brawny...ahhh. the highschool athletic banquets..I remember those..always good if you were recognized, not so much if you weren't! Glad those days are behind me. I'm not sure I could be a teacher...got several of you guys in my family, but I'm more an "industry" person. Glad teachers love what they do...it takes all kinds!

Did the elliptical this morning for 45 min, then knocked out free weights and 60 setups. My back was a little stiff today, but seems to be better tonight, so I'll get up and hit it again tomorrow!

Sarah
 
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