Struggles on the road to health

Thanks for the encouragement Maleficent!!! it's always appreciated.

Now for today's update...

Well, since my calf was still hurting a LOT last night, I decided to wait 'til this afternoon to go and work out so I can talk to the physical therapist. It's feeling a LOT better though, so I guess I'll see how it feels at 4 p.m. when I get out of here to go sweat. Sleeping in for an extra hour or so was GOOOOOOOD this morning, too. :sleeping:

I've checked my calorie totals for the day, and I'm doing good. A little low, actually (only 1,080 calories), so I've got room for some snacks in here today. Yay. Healthy only, of course.
 
A long weekend...

I'm surprised I made it through the weekend without overdosing on desserts. Had to cover an event here in town, with desserts out the wazoo. Only ate a couple of cookies. And THEN I finally had my wedding shower, complete with plenty of cake. But I managed to lose a couple of pounds, throughout the week, anyway. Whoo hoo...down to 212!!! It's been a while since I saw that number. Even longer since I saw a 1 at the start of my weight. It's seeming like that goal is finally attainable. AND my favorite pair of pants is even getting too big now. Never thought I'd be so happy about my favorite pants not fitting, but I'm THRILLED:p
 
Feeling blah...

I missed my workout this morning due to cramping and headache issues. You know why. I've got to pick it up this afternoon, though, which gives me an excuse to leave work early!!:p

I've been stinking on my food intake today. Horribly enough, all I've had today is a banana. I have NO food at home for lunch, either. Have to run by the store and get something, even if it's just cereal, to eat.

As far as food intake, I've noticed an obvious difference in the amount of food I'm able to eat at any one time. Before I started all this nearly seven weeks ago, it was NOTHING for me to go to Olive Garden and eat an entire plate of lasagna with breadsticks. We went to Olive Garden Friday night, and I ordered their five cheese ziti baked in a cheesy marinara sauce. SO good. I was only able to eat half the plate, whereas before it would've been all gone. So that's a good thing. I'm actually, and for the first time in a LONG time, able to realize when I'm full and stop eating while I'm ahead. Or not stuffed. And it's a good feeling. Even though I left the other half of my pasta in the to-go box on the table when we left. :cry:

The one thing that's stressing me out is eating out. My husband and I like to eat out once a week, and sometimes it happens twice, depending on our weekend activities. Some places I can find a plain grilled chicken sandwich or something, but others its hard. I'm having to just make sure I don't eat too much of the bad stuff.

But I think I'm doing good. I'll be better today after lunch. Gosh I'm hungry.
 
Just plain meanness...

So today, or this morning rather, I go to work out. I ride about 5.5 miles on the recumbent bike, sweat like a hog, then go to lift weights. I get pretty much entirely done with my weight routine when the lady working this morning tells me, "You know if you'd do that slower, it'd do more for you." I was lifting weights NO differently than I have every single weekday for the past seven weeks, and someone FINALLY decides to pay attention and tell me I'm doing something wrong.

So on the rest of the weights I was lifting, I slowed down. And guess what...I felt it more. Maybe it should've just been common sense on my part. But it never crossed my mind I was doing things in too big a rush.:mad:

So then I come to work. We have our Friday meeting and then I leave to take pictures at the pep rally. As soon as I'm done with that I've got to go pick up checks at the main office, about half an hour away. So I leave and, right before I get there, they call me and say everyone wants pizza, and we're all going in on it. Great. So I get the checks and then get the pizza from Pizza Hut (my favorite of ALL time).

I'm riding back with a large pepperoni lover's pizza there beside me, stressing out about what I'm going to do. Am I going to eat this pizza or go home for lunch? GAH! I finally got back, pizza intact, and brought it in. I ate ONE piece, and one piece only. I wanted more, and still do since it's literally right outside my office door. But I ate only one.

Tonight I've got to leave at 6:30 p.m. for a football game, so I've got to cram dinner in beforehand. I think I may go to Subway, for an oven-roasted chicken sandwich. I eat 'em pretty plain...I think I'll be fine on calories. Today, just because I've been so busy, I'm only at 650 calories and 21 grams of fat. So I've got room to spare. I can see myself ending up with a roasted chicken sandwich from Subway for dinner tonight. Yep. That's what I think...
 
Losing motivation

Has anyone else had this problem? I've been doing SO good working out and eating right, but this morning it was like that ALL just went away. Maybe I was just tired from a long, stressful weekend, but I did NOT want to go work out, and felt like I was slacking off while I was there. I mean, there's a TON of reasons why I should be motivated. The scale numbers just keep on dropping (I'm waiting a couple more days for the "official" weight to change the slider), I'm feeling physically better and my husband says he notices a difference. But I don't know....it's burnout maybe.

Can anyone help!?
 
Well, I guess that's a no....

....as far as help with my lack of motivation. Guess I'll just have to motivate myself. I know more people would post responses on my diary if I posted to theirs, maybe, but I don't know what to say. I don't have a clue what I'm doing, or if I'm doing anything right, and don't want to tell anyone something wrong. So I guess I'll keep talking to myself....

I'm a little worried that maybe I'm losing weight TOO fast now. The first week or so, I gained five pounds. Then I lost that five and about two more by the end of seven weeks. Seven pounds, seven weeks. No problem. Well, now since I weighed in at 211 last week, I'm down to 207. Is that too much, too fast?
 
Some weeks you will lose more, some weeks you won't even if you are doing the same routine. I think what counts is the "average" lbs lost for a past few weeks.
As for motivation.. you can read some other people's diary's and see their successes and struggles and it could be greatly motivating. I know it helped me, if they can do it, I can do it. You can see menu's posted, different views and different method's of losing the weight.
I have been at this for a year now, and I still have days like you when I feel like not watching my calories and just not even bother exercising. Then I just tell myself, ok, just today let's stick to this plan , don't think that you have to do this tomorrow or the next day, just concentrate on today and give your best.
Good luck on your journey
Hajni
 
Thanks! I'll start paying more attention to everyone else's diaries, and maybe that'll really boost my motivation level. Thanks so much for your help!!
 
Pirate day, huh....yo ho ho and a bottle of....um....water? That's all I've been drinking these days....

Today will be a rough one. Worked out hard this morning (up to nearly seven miles). Last night my husband informed me, though, that he's noticing definition in my arms. He says it's probably since I've been doing the weights slower. I think it's because he's an unobservant man that he's just now noticing.

But back to today...I hate the dentist, and I'm going this afternoon. Last time I went was two years ago because I seriously have to be sedated if they're doing any work. Like literally....someone has to drive me home. Today's the checkup portion, but I think I'm getting a cavity they may want to fill. And if so, I will absolutely and quite literally cry. It's just the sound and smell of the dentist's office that gets to me....about to cry thinking about it. :eek:

Last time I had any dental work done, they messed up on my fillings and, while they kept trying to fix them, I literally couldn't eat anything hard or drink anything cold for 2 weeks. I lost 20 pounds. That's not the best way to do it, folks. I was miserable. I hope that doesn't happen again this time...I'm SO nervous...

Dinner tonight is going to be a challenge, too. The husband wants me to fix lasagna for me, him and friends. Yay. By the end of today I'll have consumed roughly 1,600 calories and 70 grams of fat. WAAAAAAY too much fat. Without the hamburger meat in the lasagna, I'd be fine. There are, according to my online findings, about 350 calories and 25 grams of fat in 1/2 cup of hamburger meat. Maybe I can cut back on the meat in at least part of the lasagna, and stick to that part to cut down on my calories and fat.

Any other suggestions?
 
MindiK said:
The husband wants me to fix lasagna for me, him and friends. Yay. By the end of today I'll have consumed roughly 1,600 calories and 70 grams of fat. WAAAAAAY too much fat. Without the hamburger meat in the lasagna, I'd be fine. There are, according to my online findings, about 350 calories and 25 grams of fat in 1/2 cup of hamburger meat. Maybe I can cut back on the meat in at least part of the lasagna, and stick to that part to cut down on my calories and fat.

Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

I have seen lasagnas made half with meat and the other half with vegetables. Since it is layered, it is pretty easy to do. Spinach, steamed carrots, broccoli..etc will work well in the veggie half
Hope this helps.
Hajni
 
Thanks for the advice!! Unfortunately I didn't check this thing again 'til today...so I just ate a SMALL portion of the lasagna. Gosh it was good...I think I must've been Italian in a past life...

But on to today...

I decided this morning that I needed sleep. So instead of working out, I slept 'til 7 a.m. And it was SO nice. My plan is to go and get the workout in this afternoon. However, one co-worker is out sick (and is actually sick), and another is on vacation. It's me and one other person here today. She's "best friends" with the one on vacation, and it's a situation where one is NEVER here when the other is gone. So the one here today called this morning before we opened and started laying the groundwork for going home sick later. She doesn't look sick and hasn't BEEN sick since she's been here. But she's already told me she might have to go home this afternoon.

So that'll leave me here, alone, 'til 5 p.m. Which means a late workout, and even later supper. =( Which stinks.

Oh, and I'm severely short of calories today. Only had coffee for breakfast (bad, I know), and with my usual lunch of Honey Nut Cheerios and 2% milk, and a dinner of Zatarain's with smoked sausage, I'll be at only 800 calories and 28 grams of fat. Which means I need some healthy snack-type alternatives. Hmmm....have to find something....
 
Tackling the "monster"

As of yesterday afternoon, I'm working out, a little at a time, on the elliptical trainer! (insert triumphant music here!) I'm only doing five minutes at a time right now, at a resistance of only three, but good GOSH it's hard. I sweat more in five minutes on that torture device than in 25 on the recumbent bike OR treadmill.

But yesterday afternoon, and then this morning, I did five minutes on the elliptical and 20-25 on the bike, then lifted weights (I'm up to 50 pound reps!). Whoo hoo! Next week I'm going to start working up to more time on the elliptical. Wish me luck!!

Tonight's football night, so dinner has to be very quick and usually means takeout. Which will mean some Golden Chick chicken strips, and some of their super yummy green beans. Not too terribly healthy, but it could be worse, I suppose. By the end of today, I could also end up at Subway, where I'll get a plain, bread and meat ONLY, grilled chicken breast 6 inch sub. Then I'll take it home, sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese and fat free Ranch dressing. yum.

But we'll see. Have to make it through an entire Friday first. Lots to do today, so I'd better get to it.

Have a great weekend, y'all!!!!
 
The wrong way!!!

Well, for the first time since I began losing weight, the scale moved the wrong direction. It was only a one pound gain, but it's a gain all the same. And that let me know I did BAD over the weekend. I had a feeling I'd eaten too much and done too little. But at least now I know my limits.

I'm still on the elliptical trainer when I go work out. They said to build up slowly to more and more time. So this morning I went early, did seven whole minutes on it and then did 20 on the recumbent bike. In 20 minutes I rode a little more than five miles at a steady resistance level of 6 (which is about halfway). Then I lifted weights.

The weights at 50 pounds are hard to get used to. It's taking me longer to build up to doing more reps. But it's all good.

My motivation seems to have returned today, with that one pound gain. It was like I was taking for granted that it was all coming off so easily, and seeing that I gained weight, however little it was, was the kicker I needed to get energized about all this again.

That one pound could've been anything though...water weight, bloating, etc. Right? I mean, I didn't get a lot of exercise over the weekend, but I wasn't THAT bad with food. Friday night I had four chicken tenders and some green beans, a small roll and some gravy from Golden Chick. Bad, I know, but it was a hurry-up thing before the homecoming football game. Then Saturday, for lunch, I hit Subway for an oven-roasted chicken sandwich, that I put about 1/4 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese and about 2 tbsp of fat free ranch on. No chips because the baked Lays I got were just gross. Like eating cardboard.

I bet it was dinner. The husband's friend called for us to come over to a cookout. The husband bought a cheap bottle of wine (Boone's Farm Strawberry). He kept fixing the drinks, and after the second one informed me I'd had the whole bottle. I was a little tipsy. I sat a while, then ate a good majority of a grilled pork chop, some potato salad (too much...it was GOOD), a little bit of salad with non-fat free ranch (because that's all they had), and some mac and cheese. Yep. Saturday did it.

Sunday, we ate grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, with some Lipton creamy chicken noodles. Hmmm...Saturday's lunch didn't help either. Usually I'd eat ONLY the grilled cheese, or ONLY the noodles. Not both. Then dinner was swiss chicken casserole (which was SOOOOOOOOOO good in the crock pot.) Chicken breasts, covered with slices of swiss cheese, with cream of mushroom soup and 1/4 cup of milk on top, then with stuffing mix over the top of that. with some green beans and corn.

Yeah, but after the review I see now why I probably gained that pound. I'll have to watch myself this weekend. I've got a weight that starts with a "1" in my sights for the first time in a long time. At least for the first time in a long time when my crappy scale at home wasn't broken and showing a weight that was 15 pounds lower than it should've been.

Can't WAIT to get there.
 
Wow,

You're doing great! Don't sweat the scale moving the wrong way every now and then, so much affects weight, particularly for Women.

Good work on taming the elliptical beast, they're good. I'm planning on buying one before the snow flies making it hard to walk some mornings.

Good Luck with the journey, you're making nice progress!

David C
 
Thanks David!!! I'm SO proud of myself for finally getting on the elliptical. I feel SO much better than I did, even as good as I felt before, when I finish working out.

I did 15 minutes on the beast today, and felt like I was going to DIE. But it was a good feeling, if that makes any sense. Then I took a small break, and did 12 minutes on the recumbent bike. By the time I got done with all of that, I was SO weak. I only lifted weights for a few minutes, on my arms, then called it a day. I need to get better on that, definitely. I felt bad for crapping out on the weights, but it just wasn't happening this morning, and I worried I'd end up hurting myself. Maybe it's better safe than sorry...but it'll be better tomorrow!!!
 
So today...

When I left the workout place yesterday morning, I told the attendant I'd be there again Wednesday afternoon. When nobody comes early, she doesn't come early, so that pretty much locked me in to going in the afternoon. Ok. Then the husband informs me that he's getting up when I go to work out. Only problem is that I was hoping on that extra hour of sleep. But the alarms were set and I was up an hour early for absolutely NO reason.

I want to start working out on Wednesday afternoons, so I can use the one and only elliptical trainer they've got. Another guy uses it MWF mornings. I want to work up to doing a GOOD workout on the thing, then start alternating days with the bike. I think that'd put more of a variation into the workout, and I'd get less bored with it.

Last night, dinner was GOOD. We had meat-filled jumbo pasta shells and garlic bread. Forgot to make the veggie. :( But I had less meat in the shells I ate, than low-fat cottage cheese and things. I think it went ok. Just can't wait to go work out today.
 
Another day....

Yesterday ended up better than it started. The elliptical trainer is going to KILL me though. I went and worked out at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon, and worked HARD. I did 17 minutes on the elliptical trainer (1.5 miles), then lifted weights for about 20 minutes. It's SO hard to do the weights after the ET. I'm just worn out. I felt like a bug on a windshield when I finally crawled my way home. But a little bit later, once I was up and moving around, cooking dinner, I felt much better.

Going to work out again this afternoon. Doing the ET and weights, again. I need an iPod or something...the machine is in a room by itself, without any TV or music, or people. It'd be much easier if I had something to listen to, other than my labored breathing and rapidly beating heart.

Today breakfast was a 12 ounce cup of coffee with two sugars and two French Vanilla creamer packets (about 1 TBSP each, I think), lunch will be a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with 2% milk, and dinner is going to be meatloaf, mashed potatoes, blackeyed peas and some other veggie that is yet to be determined.

Calorie-wise I'll be good. My meatloaf recipe (from allrecipes.com, I think) comes with a nutritional guide that shows two slices of meatloaf equal about 370 calories and 12 grams of fat. The mashed potatoes (from meals.com) shows a serving (equal to about one potato) is 250 calories and 11 grams of fat.

So I'm still doing well. And the scale this morning said I'm down another pound!! 206!!! Six more pounds 'til my first mini-goal. I can't wait. People are also starting to notice a difference. I haven't officially gone down a pant size yet, but they're really loose in the front, back and legs. And a little in the waist. Not sure what to do about that. I need to try on a brand new pair of pants in a smaller size, and judge where I'm at. Maybe this weekend.

Tomorrow will be a rough day. I've got to attend a meeting at 6:45 a.m., so no morning workout. And I've got to eat dinner and leave for a football game by 5:45 p.m. So I'll have to leave work early and cram in a workout. Or go at lunch and come back to work sweaty as all get-out.

We'll see what happens....
 
a fluke?

Well, seems as if that one pound yesterday was not a real pound. I was back to 207 today. I KNEW I should've waited 'til my "official" weigh-in day, Friday, to get on the scale. But that means I've lost no weight this week, which is OK I suppose. Better than gaining.

Had a meeting at the crack of stinkin' dawn this morning. They have breakfast there, but it's hospital food and mostly gross. So I ate a small biscuit with one little tiny tublet of butter and some grape jelly. Not sure how many calories are in there. Oh, and I drank a very small glass of orange juice. I assume the butter was about 1 TBSP, so I'm putting in 60 calories and 7 grams of fat. For the jelly I'm figuring the 1 TBSP amount of 50 calories, no fat. On the biscuit, I'm doing "worst case scenario" with high fat, commercially prepared, so it's about 150 calories and 5 grams of fat. The orange juice was probably less than a cup, but I'll figure in 1 cup at about 110 calories and 1 gram of fat.

So after my cereal and 2% milk for lunch, I'll be up to 660 calories and 21 grams of fat.

Dinner before I leave for the football game, and after my workout, will be two leftover slices of meatloaf (about 370 calories, 12 g. fat) and some leftover mashed potatoes (maybe, if they taste ok), 250 cal. and 11 g. fat. My total for today will be approximately 1,280 calories and 44 grams of fat. Low, maybe, but it allows for some snack room. Healthy of course.

Since I had my early meeting I didn't get to work out this morning. So I'm leaving work at 3 p.m. today to go do that, then leave for the game, where I'll be walking back and forth on the sidelines of a football field to give me a little, tiny bit more exercise.

Yesterday's workout went well. I've found the elliptical trainer is much easier when I don't get to look at the time. The screen on the machine has a "scan" option where you can either alternate through your resistance level, total number of miles on the machine or time remaining, in addition to your distance during the workout; or you can set it on just one. I put it on the resistance level and total miles for the workout, or total miles for the workout and overall. It seemed to go much faster yesterday, and I was sweating like a madwoman. Then I lifted weights, again. I was going to do 10 minutes or so on the bike, but it was occupied. I think I may try for 20 minutes on the elliptical today, then 10 or so on the bike (depending on time) and my weights. It'll all depend on whether I get out of here today when I want to, or not.

As for the weekend, we'll see. Weekends are notoriously bad for me. I'll have to be very conscious of what I'm eating, and try my hardest to get some exercise, some way. Even if it's a mile or two at the track. Saturday should be no problem...I have to be up early to take pictures at the annual little league soccer parade. Afterward I can go to the track, get a couple of miles in and then go home before the hubby's awake, probably. Maybe the same Sunday. I'm an early riser, usually. Depends on what debauchery he's got in mind Saturday night. I know THIS weekend won't involve barbecue and an entire bottle of wine, though....
 
It's working today!

Tried to update yesterday, but this thing wouldn't let me...

The weekend was ok. Did a lot better on the eating, and managed not to gain any weight, as far as I know. No "official" weigh-in until Friday, but things are looking good so far. Saturday morning I had to get up early to go take pictures, and then went to the track and walked two miles.

Have I mentioned that I HATE the track and treadmills with a PASSION!?? It's just boring. Redundant, repetitive motions and severe lack of scenery. Blah. But I did it anyway. And then went to work out Monday afternoon and someone was on the elliptical trainer, so I did 15 minutes on the treadmill and 20 on the recumbent bike. Good workout, but blah. Oh, and weights. I'm making zero progress with the 50 pound weights. Still lifting the same amount. Maybe if I did those first one day, before I worked myself into a sweaty mess on the machines, it'd go better.

Today started off very well. The lady who runs the little gym I go to was there right at 6 a.m., so I got an early start. Did 17 minutes on the elliptical at a resistance level of 5, and managed about 1.4 miles. Then I lifted weights, but only three different ways, then did another 10 minutes on the elliptical at a resistance of 3, which was about .8 miles. Good workout overall...my heart rate was up and I felt like I'd worked out.

Dinner tonight is a little iffy. It's my husband's turn to cook, so he wants to do hamburger patties, shells and cheese, peas and broccoli. By all my estimates, here's how my day will go:

Breakfast:
Quaker breakfast cookie = 180 cal., 6 g. fat

Lunch:
Honey Nut Cheerios/2% milk = 290 cal., 8 g. fat

Dinner:
HB patty (about 1 cup of meat) = 400 cal., 26 g. fat
Peas (1/2 cup) = 70 cal., 1 g. fat
Shells/cheese (1 cup) = 360 cal., 12 g. fat

So my total for today, without any afternoon snack, will be 1,300 calories and 53 grams of fat. I'm thinking I may cut the size of the patty to about 1/2 cup of meat, which would make the daily total without a snack 1,100 calories and 40 grams of fat. Then stick in a banana or an apple. Or two.

Wish me luck!
 
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