Sarah's got her groove back!

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Hey Wild at Heart...yep, I don't know how many dishes they brought out, but suffice to say the table was not big enough and they were stacking them on top of each other! Tonight, it's an italian place...I already know they have a good salmon and asperagus entre with a capresse salad to go with it...the Capress salad is fresh mozzerella cheese with fresh tomatoes and some olive oil..not the lowest thing on the menu, but low in carbs..and really good! Already added up my calories and will end up going over the for day...just like I probably will next week in France...but as I keep reminding myself, it's not a race...I will get there!


Today, I did the ellipticalfor 50 min...really tired mid morning and had some salted peanuts...those things are really high in calories, but they sure did taste good and gave me a needed energy boost, enough to get to to my normal chinese lunch of fried rice, egg fu yong and steamed veggies.


Have a great week ya'll!

Sarah
 
have a good weekend you too sarah :)


you are keeping it in control , dont worry, they will go one bye one , the rest of the kilos.


keep calm and focused, as you already are... :)


I am proud of you


best wishes


celine
 
Thanks To die for! So, another grinder 'er up, spit 'er out type of Friday...now, to get packed up tomorrow morning to fly out tomorrow evening. But first some relaxing tonight at home..no eating out, no stress...just me and my hubby home alone! Didn't exercise today, just felt like I needed a break. Been eating what I think is sensible today so I'm OK with myself today...and that's the best place in the world to be.


Sarah
 
So, got in a little exercise before flying out this afternoon. Did my good ole exercise on the elliptical today (going to have to buy one of those things or live next to a gym when I get back to the US...I'm addicted!). Not sure how much I'll be able to poste on here for the next week since I'm not taking my personal home computer with me, only my ipod touch...and I'm not a great thumb typer yet!

Have a great week you all!


Sarah
 
Just thought I would welcome you back Sarah & congratulate you on doing so well while you were away! Look forward to hearing all about it xo Cate
 
Thanks Cate! Your support and encouragement continues to be a real source of inspiration to me...and congratulations on the .5kg loss! Your little guy looks happier now as he's putzing along!


So, just got back in from France this morning and trying to get unpacked, clothes washed, but did manage to go the fitness center to try to counter act the high calorie airplane meal I had for breakfast...Parma ham and smoked salmon on the same plate for breakfast...wow, it hurt to put that in the old calorie counter!

So I have 2 weeks on here, then back to the US for 3 weeks..1 week work, then 2 weeks vacation...and part of that is a family reunion for which I want to turn on a little extra effort in the coming 2 weeks to get a few more pounds off! I'm using myfitnesspal.com to help me count calories (Thanks Cate) and it is helping me realize that sometimes it's the little things that add up...I noticed one morning I had some balsalmic vinegar dressing on some lettuce in the morning with tomatoes and I was shocked at the calories I added with just 2 tablespoons..so that only happened once!

I also finally think I have understood the interval training concept and I think I might be ready to try that (we'll see how that works Feelinggooder!)


Glad to be back home and it was really good to get back on my old friend the eliptical today after 1 week of "brisk walking" in France...I do think the change up did me good though! I did do some retail therapy too..a couple of new pairs of slacks that fit great..except they are too long...so I may use that to take my 1st of May photos..we'll see!


It's a long weekend for me..tomorrow jetlag recuperation day, then 1st of May is a big holiday here in China...so my 1st week back will be short...a good way to start May and of course my weigh-in will be on the 1st.


Good luck to all who are reading this...together we can make it!

Sarah
 
Great to see you back and refreshed from your travels. Hopefully the elliptical wasn't seized up from disuse after your trip.


Enjoy the interval training if you do attempt it at some point this week and remember to go for a shorter session if you do. Anything more than a 30 minute session would probably be overkill if you're going at a hard rate during the high intensity part of the workout.
 
OK, gotta say it...1st of May is here and I have good news...a 6 pound (3 kg) loss since last month! That brings my total to 87 pounds lost in 11 months. As my friend Kate would say "I'm pretty chuffed" with that!

Here's the graph



Some of you know that the past month has been a type of experiment for me...after my weightloss really slowing down for the past 3-4 months, I felt like I needed to change something up, so I started counting calories (which I hadn't done for the 1st 10 months) and seeing how much I was consuming. Then I found out my Basel Metabolic Rate (MBR) and added some for exercise and found out a calorie limit not to go below, then I started a real food and exercise diary (using myfitnesspal.com) and keeping track of everything (Thank God they have a mobile app, or I wouldn't have been able to do that!). I was amazed at the calories of some things (and I thought I knew calories...who knew that a tablespoon of balsamic vineger was so many calories and for me, totally not worth it?!). I also started some strength training trying to build muscle mass (learned that by listening to Fat2Fitradio.com pod casts...I highly recommend them by the way...very educational and motivational. I found it especially helpful when I was away traveling for the week on business...at a time when I was in the land of the best bread in the world, I was able to stay away from French bread...and , well, that's a major miracle for me! Anyway, I found that keep count every day and striving to stay at or under my calorie goal for the day really helped me, and the results are in for the month!


So, I'm going to continue this method of work until I get my goal weight (now 39 pounds away). I'm still not in a race to get there, but it sure was nice to see these results and several months of 1-2 pound losses. Who knows, I may even start weighing in 1/week!


I'll have to find someone else to take a photo as my dear husband is in the US right now...the photos really tell the tale...and if you're not taking photos along...I highly recommend that too...it's never too late to start taking them!


Good luck to everyone on this journey..it's not a race...and it takes time...and effort, and determination and all of the other motivational words I can think of...we're all in this together and I thank each of you for continuing to help me along the way!


Sarah
 
Oh Sarah, I'm almost lost for words! WOW!!!! I love your chart!! That is fantastic. I don't think I have looked at it properly before :blush5: Another 3kg!! WOOT!!!!!

122 down to 82.5- AMAZING!! There is no stopping you now. A trip to France & still lost 3kg in the month. :biggrin: Well done Sarah. Go team!!! xoxo Cate
 
Thanks Cate! You are right...there is no stopping me...I'm still very determined and it may take a year to lose the next 39 pounds, but I'm going to keep at it..no matter what!

Today, I went to dinner with my driver at his house...I found out after I was there that today was his birthday...and of course that meant a special meal and cake..now, I know what this guy makes and I also know that he spent quite a bit of money on this meal...so I couldn't not eat...so I did eat. Chinese dumplings, some sort of sheep liver and something else that Im pretty sure was some sort of small intestine wrapped around into a type of pate...it wasn't my tastes either..but I ate them to be sociable. My husband is away in the US right now, so I was all alone...that meant I had to speak as much Chinese as possible (and I should have spoke more, but it was not possible!). A good practice session...but tough!

I thought I'd poste a small sampling of photos to give you a little insight into a typical Chinese apartment and meal.



My driver and his birthday cake..he's 50 today.



The driver, his 85 year old mother and his daughter. Notice the table and foods (and yes that big cake in the middle...although no one really ate any!)

Me and the Moma...she really likes me! They all commented on my weightloss, so I used that as a good excuse not to have but 1 bite of cake! We're sitting on her bed here in a small makeshift table with stools as chairs. But it was all clean and very homey. They have a heart as big as the world and wanted to make sure I took some dumplings home with me...like I needed any more of those!


Thats about it for this Chinese 1st of May, labor day festival and 2 days off...now, back to work tomorrow!


Sarah
 
Awesome work on the fantastic month. Weeks in France and you come back to lose 6 lbs? Chuffed? You gotta be super chuffed!


:party:


On your way to the 170s and down another point on the BMI to boot
 
AWell done Sarah and can I just say you look really skinny in the photo birthday celeb! Looked like a nice celebration.....and I super love Chinese dumplings!!! even " vegetarian" ones are so yummy!! congrats!!
 
Thanks Feelinggooder and Wild at Heart!

Yes, I am still "chuffed" and thanks Wild at Heart...not feeling "skinny" yet...but it will come!

Today is a new day, didn't exercise today (called my husband on skype and we talked longer than I thought...and no time for exercise...but in the grand scheme of things, I did the right thing...first things first and I hadn't talked to him in several days, so I needed that time!). It just means today will need to be a good day on the calorie count and I'm on my way with that already after a good breakfast and lunch planned!

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Sarah
 
Hi Sarah, That was sweet that you shared in the birthday celebrations & were made to feel so welcome & honoured. Well done on not having any cake. I had wondered if birthday cake is something that is done for westerners but not normally eaten in Asian countries. In Vietnam I was given 2 birthday cakes(1 from our guide & 1 from our hotel) that looked spectacular but I couldn't eat any of it as it was really creamy & so sweet. It was a lovely thought though. Your driver & his family seem really nice & you are looking good. It's great to feel that life is in balance for all of us, xo Cate
 
pssssttt: not criticizing as you're doing fantastic with the workouts and absolutely right about taking time for phone calls and also great to give the body a rest every now and again but here's a secret for next time:


Today was one of those days that cramming in a HIIT session might help with. They're perfect for when you don't have a full hour to an hour and a half to knock out a long session. I think of them as time savers now :)


(If I could channel my inner brawny a witty rock and roll quote would be found here.....)
 
Thanks Cate and Feelinggooder!


Cate,I think that birthday cakes have been adopted by the Chinese..there are several bakeries here that do them...I do think it's all about the show though...I don't see many people eating them, but they sure do buy them!


Feeling gooder, you are right...I should have done one of those HIIT things today, but it just didn't cross my mind...I'll get it...I really will one day!


My dear husband did a nice thing (one of many) before he left...he ordered pre-prepared lunches for me here at the hotel...so when I go for breakfast, I take them an empty container, (that he has already told them about to ensure my portion control!), and they have a pre-prepared lunch of white rice, steamed veggies and a choice of salmon, halibut, beef or chicken...am I spoiled or what?! Today was Salmon...I loved it! Rod rarely fixes it because he doesn't like it to stink up the apartment, we have no grill here and, well, he just doesn't like to cook fish...so it was really a tasty treat for me today! It's relatively expensive...but hey, I'm worth it. !!:newangel: When it's all said and done, it's not going to break the bank for 2 weeks of lunches...so much better than the plant cantine!


Have a great day ya'll!


Sarah
 
Take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy all the fish and you're absolutely right about it being well deserved. Pre-planned meals really do make it soooo much easier to stay on track and not having to make them yourself is an even bigger bonus :)
 
So, sticking with me calorie count on myfitnesspal.com..and it seems to be working. I'm not sure if I believe all the calories I "can eat" when I exercise, so I typcially eat less than I "can" on the exercise days.

A chinese friend of mine just brought me some dumplings tonight...everyone assume I'm just going to dry up and die when Rod's not here...so my driver brought me fruit, and now my friend brought me hot dumplings...I may be up to the calorie count today after all!

So, good luck the rest of the week everyone!


Sarah
 
Originally Posted by scbibhouse


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!
Click to expand...


I know you can do it Sarah, I have no doubt! I could only do a few when I started and they weren't even proper form. Now I'm doing proper form and can eek out about 15-20. Now quite able to do 25 on a regular basis, but I have done it a few times. My arms are normally noodles afterwards! :p


I also saw you can do 60 situps in two minutes??? That's insanity woman! :)


I think I'm going to start doing some jumping jacks as well. I need to do as much as I can to start strengthening my legs. I have to be able to jump 16 inches and I'm a few inches short. I've been told squats, jump roping, and calf raises will help me out. I'm just assuming jumping jacks would be helpful too. Plus those are just fun!


Also Congratulations on losing 6lbs, HOLY COW!!!! :party:

Keep it up! :)
 
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