Sarah's got her groove back!

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Your exercise is certianly allowing you a little extra eating so I bet you are still in the negative calorie wise. Hope that chicken didnt stare at you while you ate him! Ha


Keep trying to stack more good days on top of each other and you will have a good number on that scale the next time you get on it.
 
While I know Chinese food is different from our Americanized version of it, I'm amazed that you are able to eat it all the time and still keep losing! I suppose it's because you choose healthier options than I would (veggies, fruit, etc.) lol. I have to give you some :hurray: for being determined and set on your goal.


I know these dinners you've been talking about are out of the norm for you, but I know you'll get through them and do well! :)
 
Hey Munch & Brawny77...thanks again for stopping by! Munch, yes, the Chinese version is much different than the American version of Chinese food...in many respects. I don't eat the noodles, although I do eat a little fried rice almost every day for lunch...key word there...a little! When have have these dinners out, the plate is about the size of a saucer and there is a big lazy susan type thing in the middle of the table and all of the food dishes are put on that thing and everyone picks a piece of this and a piece of that and puts it on this little saucer plate...so you never have much on your plate at a time so when you finish it, you get the feeling that you've cleaned your plate! I also eat with chop sticks (don't really have a choice...these restaurants don't have forks, and I don't carry one!). I'm ok with chop sticks, but not great...so I don't get big servings of anything! I'll be really glad when these dinners are over...I had 2 tonight and it's tradition that you have a toast with each table to thank them for 2011 and wish them a good new year for 2012 and toast to something...success, good health, new comers, etc...so tonight I had some more watered-down peach nectare and toasted everyone at the 1st dinner, then went to the 2nd dinner and did the same thing. I ate a few bites, but not too much....finally got home at 9:30 and crashing now...long day after getting up at 5:00am and doing my 1hr on the eliptical for something like 870 cal..I just can't remember right now! Had 2 eggs and sauteed pork and the leafy green veggetable (one of these days I'm going to learn what that stuff is!) and my normal cranberry, walnut and cheese mix. Lunch, sweet n sour pork, stir fried veggies and fried rice.


I'm looking so forward to tomorrow...sleeping in a little, doing a liesurely exercise and just relaxing..try to recoupe for next week when I have more dinners...after that it's over...until this time next year...hopefully next year, I'll be at my goal weight when I'm making the rounds!!


Have a great weekend everyone!

Sarah
 
and the leafy green veggetable (one of these days I'm going to learn what that stuff is!)
Click to expand...


Hey that sounds like my high school caffeteria. Unidentifiable veggies and mystery meat!


Hang in there...have a great weekend
 
Greetings all from the land of the Great Wall
...now wasn't that a positive slant on living in cold, northeastern China?! I'll be ready for the "Chinese New Year" to be over and done with! One week of these dinners over, one week to go! Then after that, the official Chinese New Year arrives and all goes crazy in China! All of the 1.2 billion people are on the move, going to "home" for their holidays...so we are planning to move too...to Hawaii, and get the H*%@ out of dodge for the big celebrations (firecrackers at all hours, eating dumplings etc...we were invited by 2 chinese families to share in the festivities, but we have the good excuse to decline because we'll be out of town!) I've never been to Hawaii, so I'm looking forward to that...and besides, now I actually feel OK about myself to be able to put on a swim suit in public and enjoy playing in the water...even though I am very fair skinned and can't stay in the sun long, I still enjoy the peacefullness of the water!..ahhh...but that is still 2 weeks away, so for now, I'll stay in today!


Today, I went to fitness center and did my normal 1 hr on the elipitcal for 880 cal (not sure why, but I really cranked it out today), then stayed another 25 min. on the treadmill (forgot to look at how many calories burned), then stretched my back out on the rowing machine for just a few minutes. No sure what the rest of the day will hold, so keeping positive!


Have a great day everyone!
 
AHi, how r u?
U seem to work so hard ur like a machine your so motivated to fit in ur exercise with ur long working days. I'm moving soon and freaking out about having to get up at 6am just to get to work in time I can't imagine getting up at 5 to fit in some exercise.

Hope ur having a great day x
 
Hey ski_bunny30! Thanks for stopping by again! On getting up at 5:00am...it's the only time I have that is my time, so I take it where I can get it! I have to leave the apartment at 7:30 to get to work just after 8:00 and while several of my colleagues leave earlier to take advantage of some alone time at work, I choose to keep that time for myself (because I'm not disciplined enough to actually force myself leave work before 6:00pm), and so I have made a rule for myself that I keep some time for myself in the morning! So when I exercise for 1 hour, come back, get a quick shower and get dressed and eat breakfast, it doesn't leave alot of time...but I've made exercise a priority for "me time". Thankfully, my husband understands! This is actually our 3rd out of the USA living experience (4 years in France, 3 years in Romania, then back to the US for 5 years, and now here in China.) When we lived in Romania, I worked long, hard hours and didn't save any "me" time...and my weight showed it..up, up, up. I didn't want that to happen again, knowing, I'm in a pretty high stress job and food can become a mechanism to deal with stress rather that just fuel for my body...so I force myself to exercise daily...I've always done it since I came here to China, but not nearly as stringently and faithfully as I have since I started on this weightloss journey back in June 2011. Now, it's a habit...I rarely sleep past 5 am even if the alarm doesn't go off, so I go ahead and get up and knock out my exercises and generally feel all the better for it! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Some days are a struggle...but most are fairly routine now...of course the exercise actually gets easier the better shape I'm in!


For the rest of the day today, I had a few salted peanuts and some sparkling water, then for combo lunch/dinner I had a big bowl of home-made Chilly...it was really good...good thing this was the last of a batch my husband made a few days ago..or I would have had a 2nd helping...but when there is none left, there is no option to splurge! I had a couple of the miniature mandarin oranges just before 6:00pm, so I'm good for the day!


Have a great weekend!
 
Hi Sarah,


I’ve been catching up with progress and what do I read in your last post? You’ve lived for 3 years in my pretty little country? Which city?


It’s so great you’re putting aside special time for yourself. I’m also trying to weak up at 5 and this week managed 3 out of 5.
 
Hello Mady, We lived in Bucharest, Romania I worked just north of Ploiesti in a little town called Floresti (take the 4 lane towards Brashov, just before Campina). I work for Michelin and when I was there, we bought the tire factory and my job was to manage the project to do a complete renovation of this plant and bring it up to Michelin standards. I have some very good friends there with whom I still maintain contact! My favorite time of the year Spring with the Martisor...I was overwhelmed with flowers each year on Martisor and I still wear my little pins with red and white threads each year on 1st of March to fondly remember our time there. Wow, thanks for taking me down memory lane!


This morning, I was feeling good, energetic and gave myself the time...so I did what I call "the full blown banana" (not sure where that comes from...just sounded big so I used it!). 1 hr on the elipitcal (904 cal...pumping it!), then 35 min on the treadmill (240 cal) then 20 min on the rowing machine (170 cal), then a couple sets of weights and crunches on the incline board...yeah baby! Of course, with all this time exercising, I'm thinking about going to Hawaii...and now the "what will I look like in a bathing suit" fears come out. I'm going to have to buy a swimsuit there...none of mine fit (that's a good thing!), but I hate trying that stuff on...especially since I don't really know what size I am..so last night, I looked online at LL Bean and Landsend size charts using the measurements I took back in December...I'm thinking I'm in the 18 or 18W range so that's where I'll start I guess.


Back to today...Came back up and got my shower and for breakfast was sauteed cabbage, 2 fried eggs, leafy green vegetable, my normal walnut, dried cranberry and cheese mix and 2 small tangeloes. Currently drinking hot tea and just relaxing.. we'll go to a flea market later today, but that's about all that's planned for today...a nice relaxing Sunday before the work week starts tomorrow...and more of these dinners!


Safe travels everyone...on this road to weighloss!
 
So, the rest of the day wasn't too bad...not too good either from a diet standpoint. My dear husband cooked up steak, baked potatoe and greenbeans. As those of you who look at what I eat, you see that it's mostly been Chinese...and when I'm presented with a nice western meal, cooked to perfection...well,let's just say, I cleaned my plate. 2 medium sized touranadoes of beef, 1 medium baked potatoe, 1 serving of french green beans, 1 tablespoon of sour cream and a big glass of sparkling water...I'm sure there were enough calories in that meal to keep me calling for more the entire next week, and enough carb's in that potato to put me right to sleep (which it did in the recliner!)...then when I woke up from my carb-induced sleep, I wanted an apple...so I had one of those too. I didn't do any sweets or eat after 6:00pm...but I just havn't eaten that much at one sitting in a long time. Of course, compared to my "pre-diet" days...that much was normal! (Portion control was never my strong suit!). So, I'll exercise as usual tomorrow morning and control my portions as I go into the week of appreciation dinners.
 
AHeya Sarah.

I have finally got around to reading your diary :) You're awesome!! So motivated all the time, very inspirational :)

I am blown away that you do an hour on the crosstrainer every single day and at stupid o'clock in the morning, that is bloody amazing!! I use to use it alot but only ever got up to 30 mins, got bored and my feet hurt. Then i found running and that took over! I did a long run today so i shouldn't run tomorrow and you have made me want to go on the crosstrainer when i go to the gym tomorrow. I'm actually quite excited about it cos i know it burns shit loads of calories and it makes me sweat like an idiot :)

Well done on your massive weight loss :hurray: and your pictures look amazing. You should be so so proud of yourself. :)

I look forward to following you on the rest of your journey.
 
Hey Kate, Thanks so much for your encouragement! I've been watching and reading your diary and your guidance to others and I am very inspired by you! I notice we have the same goal weight...you are alot closer to it than I am!! You go girl!!


Today, up at 5:00am as usual, and did my 1 hour on the eliptical for 804 (sometimes I just don't have it to really crank it up 1st thing in the morning!). Breakfast was 2 fried eggs, 3 slices of bacon, sauteed cabbage and the leafy green stuff. Then for lunch, smoked ham, chinese veggies and fried rice and 3 miniature mandarin oranges. Then dinner was a crew appreciation dinner..got there late and had a few bites of something (this was a muslim, chinese restaurant, so lots of muttin and tofu...certainly no pork). Suited me just fine because I didn't want to eat anyway...Lots of watered down peach juice (thanks again Brawny77!)

It's 9:30pm and I'm just now home...a long Monday...and I've got one of these every night this week...but then it's over! Ready for that!
 
Great Job Sarah!! You are in such a positive routine. Especially with your exercise!


Have fun on your upcoming trip. I went once but was on my way to Austrailia so didnt get to stay very long. It was very nice. If you get a chance try to see the big island. I liked that best.
 
AHeya sweetie

Thank you so much for your lovely kind words :) We will both get to our targets, My target seemed so far away when i started but it's is amazing how, after just plodding along it gets to not much left :)

I really enjoyed my go on the crosstrainer this evening and i was so impressed with the speed i managed to do. I am definalty lots fitter than when i did it before. :hurray: Thank you for inspiring me to have a go :)

Oooh how exciting, you going on holiday next week.....So jealous. English weather is bloody rubbish this time of year, the spring seems so far off. I am in need of some sunshine :coolgleamA:
 
Thanks Kate & Brawny77!! Always love it when people stop by!


Did my normal 60 min for 860 cal on the eliptical, then breakfast for 2 fried eggs, sauteed eggplant and 3 slices bacon; then my normal walnut, cranberry and cheese mix. Then lunch was smoked pork, fried rice and veggies and 3 miniature mandarin oranges.

Hooray, hooray, no "appreciation dinner" tonight! Dinners tomorrow night, day after and day after...but I'm enjoying today!
 
Great job Sarah,


Admire your consistency on the elliptical and thanks for the post way back where you listed out the 31 questions. Going through the questions was a great exercise as I start out on my own journey.
 
Thanks Brawy77 and Feelgooder! Brawny, I always "appreciated dinner" too..that was part of my problem...while trying to lose weight...not so appreciative of the dinners! Feelgooder...welcome to the forum and glad I could help! (I didn't invent them...I stole them from someone else!)


Tonight, I have another dinner, so I'm going to post early (before I go to work)

Up and at 'em at 5:00 to do my 1 hr on the elliptical for 60 min at 879 cal, then 10 crunches on the incline board. Today, for some reason, I was really sucking down the water when on the elliptical...normally 1 hour,I go through 1 liter of water...today I had to pause at 45 min and go get another 1/2 bottle of water...I'm guessing I didn't drink enough yesterday, and it's really low humidity in the winter here and the combo of the 2 my body said, need more water...so I listened!


Not sure what my dear husband has planned for lunch today...(he makes my lunch..what a guy!)


Have a great day everyone!

Sarah
 
Remember me? :) Yes, I disappeared, but I am back now to stay!


And I just saw that you live in China....I am very jealous! Do you drink lots of tea? Because I am kind of in love with tea. I see you have lost over 60 pounds now...that is amazing! Hope all is well!
 
Hello AvaTea,

Yes, we do live in China...and yes, I drink lots of tea. There is a whole science and routine that goes with that...and I don't know it all, but I do have my favorites (hot tea is such a good hunger pang satisfier!) Good to hear from you again!!


So, I posted my exercise routine earlier and forgot breakfast (2 fried eggs, sauteed eggplant and green leafy veggies), Lunch, fried rice, veggies and grilled chicken filet, Dinner (this was by far, the best dinner I've had on this string of dinners to thank the team for work last year in the "Spring Festival"...(not necessarily good for my diet). This was a japanese restaurant, and it was really good...beef, pork, chicken, sushi, fish, fresh mushrooms and tiny potatoes...OK, yes, I ate too much, but man was it good! Oh yea, top that off with a orange, honey juice drink..all after 6:00pm :-/...what I did for "Duty, Honor, Company"!


I've only got 2 more of these to go, and then I'll be back to my routine for a week...before vacation!


Happy weightloss Journey to everyone!
 
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