Struggles on the road to health

Thanks again, Maleficent!!!

Right now it's looking like the elliptical trainer is all I can handle. Whatever I did to my left knee hurts WAY too much on the bike. I did the elliptical for 15 minutes this morning, then went to do 25 on the bike. I got through five minutes before the pain was too much to bear, so I got off and did the elliptical another 10 on a lower resistance level, and it was fine. It would've been fine on a higher resistance level, like I'd used during the first round, but I was giving it a break after the bike fiasco.

Not sure what's up with the knee...the pain is in the left knee, to the right of my kneecap, or almost underneath, it feels like. I'm calling the physical therapist who runs the little gym, but who isn't there in the mornings, later on today to see if she thinks anything's up with it.

Other than that, I'm just maintaining the same pace. I'm working out more on the elliptical AND the bike, still, and on Sparkpeople it's figuring I'm burning more than 2,000 calories a week. Just a little more, but more all the same. I don't trust the machines at the place I go to work out, because after 15 hard minutes on the ellipitical it tells me I've burned 62 calories. Yeah. Right.

I'm also having to work hard to keep my calorie level up. I got in the habit of hitting at least 1,450 a day, without calculating the sweet tea I drink at night, but I slacked a little and fell into the low 1,300s, or lower, for the past week. Gotta get that back up.

Earlier in the week, after a waterless weekend, I hadn't lost any weight. Now I'm down to 188.2. I thought about weighing myself on the scale at the gym, but got scared. It's a doctor's office type scale, and it's probably more accurate than the scale I've been using at home. But I was just terrified that it'd show something higher, and I don't know if I could handle that right now...
 
MindiK said:
I've been doing 15-20 minutes at a time on the machine, and it's just gotten SO boring! In a room with nothing to look at and nobody to talk to and nothing to distract me...it just drags on. So a couple of days ago I began an elliptical "routine" of sorts where I spend two minutes going forward, then one minute backward. I watch the clock on the machine when I'm doing it, which used to bother me, but this way it gives me some type of change to look forward to so it goes by so much faster. It'll improve even more, I think, after I get an Ipod or something to let me listen to some music.

The workouts are still hard on the elliptical, but it's easier for me to complete them this way. I'm even going to up my time at least five minutes today, and see if that holds true. Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

That's what I do to switch-up workouts. And the music will definitely help! I know I work out better with some good tunes.
 
I'm thinking I'm getting an Ipod for Christmas....the husband was going to get one, but my dad came up with getting one too. So now the husband's mad because my dad told him that's what he was getting me, and he has to come up with something new.

Why is Christmas SO hard for men?!
 
Why is Christmas SO hard for men?!
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because women make it that way...

I've seen sooooo many women get all huffy puffy aggravated and reduced to tears when the male didn't produce the perfect gift because the hints she thought she was oh so subtlely dropping were missed... You want something - point to thepage in a catalog and say this is what i want - and give appropriate size too :D

I worked in retail too many years -christmas used to bring in so many shell shocked men to the store scared out of their mind about gettig the wrong size... too big and she says - oh you think i'm fat - too small and she gets depressed that it doesn't fit..

they really can't win :)
 
I agree...some women are just impossible to please. But I've only been married since July 4, and already figured out that men are not genetically wired to figure things out on their own. I've showed him things in newspaper circulars and told him stuff I liked and wanted.

Nope. Over his head...he picked none of it up. So I went a step further and made him a LIST of things to get his mind working. Only he's still in the "I want to be the perfect husband" phase, and refuses to look at it because I'll "know what I'm getting, then."

Sometimes I just want to whack him. He'll come up with something, I'm sure. And next year he'll probably take all the help I can give him.

Last year, before we were married, he did very well. He gave me a gorgeous necklace that I wear constantly to this day...and an egg and toast maker. So he did 50 percent ok. :hurray: I was happy with his choices, and probably will be this year, too. With me, it actually IS the thought that counts...
 
I seem to be stuck at 188. I keep losing to 187, then going back up. I shouldn't complain, because I don't go higher than 188. But it stinks all the same. I'm not sure if I'm at a "plateau," or if it's just the holiday stuff. It's been hard because I've got no control over what's going on with the food when we've been going to Christmas events with family. I'm not cooking, so I'm not sure if it's whole milk or 1%, or light butter or real butter, etc. So I guess the goal will be to keep the food intake low if I'm not sure, and just not GAIN above 188. We'll see after the holidays, when the cookies, fudge and other temptations are gone, if I'm really stuck or not.

Went to work out this morning. My knee still hurts some on the bike, but I can finish a whole workout. I did 20 minutes, then the foot strap broke, and I fixed it and did 15 more minutes, then lifted weights and then did 10 minutes on the elliptical. Whoo hoo for me. They're closed tomorrow for Christmas, so if I have time I'll get to the track...but with Christmas, who knows?

Anyway, hope y'all have a very merry Christmas!!! :party:
 
If I could get my weight to stay the same when I step on the scale twice in a row, I'd change it. But this morning I stepped on and weighed 187. Cool. Then I decided I wanted to see it again (a little positive affirmation before heading to my cookie-loaded office), and it said 186. Literally 10 minutes later. So is my scale totally screwed up or what?

One positive thing, though, is today I'm wearing The Shirt. It's one I bought without trying it on back over the summer, then got home and wouldn't wear it because it was way too tight at my then-220 pounds. Now, at 180-something, it's almost too loose. :sifone: This weekend I'm taking the little bit of money I got for Christmas and going shopping, since I've only got one pair of pants I can wear, and all my shirts other than this one, and maybe one other, are WAY too big now. I can get at least one pair of pants, maybe two, and a couple of shirts out of the deal. Don't want to go too overboard, though, since the losses WILL eventually catch up again once all this holiday junk is gone.

I've gotten SO off my schedule over the holidays. I was doing well before Thanksgiving, with eating breakfast, a sensible lunch, a snack during the day and keeping it small for dinner to stay within the calorie range. I was eating fruits and veggies. That's gone all to hell in a handbasket.

At work is the only time I seem to have trouble saying no to sweets. I'm starting to think it's sabotage. :smash: At home I can say no to seconds and snacking and cookies and fudge. But not here. So when I get done with this, I'll be hanging a sign on my wall, next to my computer, where nobody else can see it.

It will say:
1) Do NOT eat cookies/fudge/candy/chocolate/any type of sweet every day!
2) Drink water
3) Eat fruit for an afternoon snack every day
4) Work a veggie in with dinner every day
5) Move around more! Find new ways to move other than the daily workout.
6) Get active on weekends. Don't sit around being a lump of blah.
7) Stop slacking on the workouts. They're not THAT hard, OR boring.
8) Lift weights MWF, and DO IT RIGHT and NOT halfway
9) Stop rewarding yourself with sugar. Spend money instead. =)
10) It CAN be done!
 
Hey Mindi,

Did you get that Ipod?

I got a new cd - and am uploading it to my shuffle so that I can go workout on the elliptical here in a few min.

I've got a huge problem with sweets too - I think it's my biggest downfall.

Your goals look doable! Good luck!
 
Yes, SweatPea...I got the Ipod!!! :party: I got it loaded up with songs and finally got to use it on the elliptical on Friday. It made 20 minutes go be SO easily. Well, not EASY, but it made it doable because it gave my mind something to focus on other than the repetitive motion, my racing heart and loud breathing. I love it!

I think once I get back into the swing of things, after the holidays, my willpower will come back. It came back a LOT yesterday when I went shopping. Bought another pair of size 14 pants...and got into a 12!!! They're a little snug but wearable without a doubt. So I bought one pair of 14s and one pair of 12s. I need to find some shirts, too, that aren't huge on me. But that'll be for later.

Scale this morning said 186, so I'm running with that. I think it'll go better this next month. I won't even have competition for machines in January...the only other guy who's there in the mornings has said he won't be back 'til February, anyway. So I'm going to hit the bike and elliptical as much as possible. Whoo hoo!
 
What I learned today....

...working out when you're tired doesn't go well. I'm having "time of the month" issues, and working out during this time sucks in a big, huge way. :reddevil:


I woke up this morning bloated, cramping and with a massive headache. But I went to work out. I got through 25 minutes on the elliptical, but bailed on the bike. Now I feel like crap both physically and mentally because I "took it easy" today. All I want to do is go home and sleep! It doesn't help that the lady up front, whose desk I have to walk by every single time I leave my office, has a huge bag of Hershey's almond kisses and miniature Snickers bars gaping open at me. Any other time of the month I can resist the temptation, but not now. So that just means I'm in my office all day, as much as possible. If I don't see 'em, I can't eat 'em. Usually my craving is fried food, but I've done really well staying away from that this time around.

Anyway, I'm ready to get back to normal weeks. I've had two odd four day weeks in a row...worked Monday, was off Tuesday, then work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It just throws everything off schedule, including my workouts since the gym was closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. A good, normal five day week will do good things for me, I think.
 
If you want to stop counting calories try this simple outline (you will have to read labels though to find the right serving size):

Breakfast:
1 serving grains
1 Serving fruit
1 Lean Protein
1 Serving Dairy

Lunch:
1 Serving Grains
1 Serving Fruit
2 Servings Vegetables
2 ounces lean protein
1 Serving Fat

Dinner:
1 Serving Grains
3 ounces lean protein
1 serving fat
2 servings vegetables
1 Serving Dairy

So an example of a day can be:
Breakfast: 3/4 C cereal, 1 C skim milk, 1 C Strawberries, 2 pieces turkey sausage
Lunch: 2 slices diet bread, 1 Tbsp mayo, 2 oz turkey, Vegetable soup
Sanck: 1 Apple
Dinner: Small baked potato, 1 cup cooked broccoli topped with 1 slice of cheese and a pat of butter, 3 oz grilled chicken breast

You can eaily replace any lean protein for a different kind, or a fruit for a fruit etc...
But then you can stop counting calories all the time (I find that no matter what I choose if I stick to this guideline I stay between 1100-1300 calories per day)!
 
Algebra!

Well, it seemed like algebra, at least. The husband and I are having lasagna tonight, and at first I was worried. I mean, how was I supposed to know what I was eating, exactly?! I don't do that frozen crap. I make the good stuff. Then all those math classes came in handy, and I figured it all out.

I went added together the calories, fat, carbs, etc., in all of my homemade lasagna ingredients. I added them all together in their separate little areas, decided what pan I was baking the lasagna in, how many pieces I'd cut the lasagna into (9 in this case...smallish pieces in a square pan), and divided the calories, fat, etc., by nine to get a close approximation of the number of calories per piece. Now I've just got to cut it evenly...

Who knew math would come in so handy in losing weight? And I though I'd never use any of it....

I'm thinking I lose some pounds last week, but I can't be entirely sure. Still coming off the bloating and PMS-related crap. Scale this morning said 183, but that seems kinda low. We'll see later this week, and change the ticker accordingly...
 
Hey, great idea with counting the lasagna cals...that's what I do for homemade pizza...which I can manage to squeeze down to 158 calories per slice so it doesn't seem like an off-limit food.

By the way, I love your list that you posted at work. Most of my clients say that is the hardest place to say "no" too. I think that a lot of it does have to do with sabatoge. When some people see others losing they just can't handle it. I think it is so sad...why can't we all just be happy for eachother?

Anyway, keep up the good work!
 
Thanks! I ended up with about 350 calories per piece, which is probably bad, but I can squeeze it down a little from there, I think, by using less cheese and stuff. It'll be great...

I've also found that homemade stuff is much better for you than the takeout kind. It's also more satisfying to eat, since you know you made it yourself. I used to eat out two or three, or more, times a week. Now it's once, if ever, in a week.

For me, I don't consider many foods "off limits." That just makes me want them MORE. The only thing 100 percent off limits to me are mozzarella cheese sticks. An addiction I've overcome. Looking back, I think stuff like that helped me get to 220 or more pounds. I'd go get a cheeseburger and large fries, and a Dr. Pepper, AND an order of five cheese sticks. Now if I do anything, burger-wise, it'll be the burger with a small fry, or no fries, and tea at home to drink. Counting calories obsessively is helping me a lot, right now.

I definitely think my co-workers sabotage me. The lady who brings in the most chocolate was doing well for a while, losing weight the wrong way (eating one big meal a day and no others). Then she got a night job where they'd order in every single night so she gained it all back with that second meal. The other lady is the one who got me started working out. She's stopped and gained more weight than she lost. They're the type who sit around with chocolate on their desks and snacks in a drawer, eating out for breakfast and lunch every day, and wonder WHY they're gaining weight.
 
It is so much more satisfying when you make it yourself isn't it? The lowest cal premade lasagna I've ever seen was for Lean Cuisine, I think.

I am so lucky that I don't have to go into a place where I am going to be tempted! Who knows what size I would be then!

I have to make some things off limits for me...or I would just go crazy and eat everything! For a long time I had icecream every night, so right now I am telling myself, "no ice cream!" I just know that I could have it if I wanted to, but I really don't want to deep down....I mean WAY deep down!
 
MindiK said:
Well, it seemed like algebra, at least. The husband and I are having lasagna tonight, and at first I was worried. I mean, how was I supposed to know what I was eating, exactly?! I don't do that frozen crap. I make the good stuff. Then all those math classes came in handy, and I figured it all out.

I went added together the calories, fat, carbs, etc., in all of my homemade lasagna ingredients. I added them all together in their separate little areas, decided what pan I was baking the lasagna in, how many pieces I'd cut the lasagna into (9 in this case...smallish pieces in a square pan), and divided the calories, fat, etc., by nine to get a close approximation of the number of calories per piece. Now I've just got to cut it evenly...

Who knew math would come in so handy in losing weight? And I though I'd never use any of it....

I'm thinking I lose some pounds last week, but I can't be entirely sure. Still coming off the bloating and PMS-related crap. Scale this morning said 183, but that seems kinda low. We'll see later this week, and change the ticker accordingly...
Click to expand...

Hey Mindi, that's what I do with a lot of my meals, especially if I want to eat something that isn't "diet" friendly.

You're doing great!
 
You could also just have a small piece of the lasagna and round it off with a nice salad.

There are lots of recipes out there for lower cal lasagna, I'm trying to think of the website I found a really good one on, but can't at the moment. If I do, I'll come back and let you know.

I do try to cut down on calories with replacing ground beef with ground turkey - just be sure to read the labels, cause some of that ground turkey isn't any better. Or I will buy the better cuts of meat (ground round - that is 90% lean.)
 
I've heard before that some beef is leaner than others. My store (the only one we've got) sells ground beef and ground chuck. Which would be leaner? I've heard people tell me both ways....

Put on my size 14s this morning, fresh from the dryer, and guess what? They're starting to slide around a little....too big! Normally that'd be cause for concern, because it would mean I have to go shopping. But I went ahead a couple of weeks ago and bought a pair of size 12 jeans, so I'm good to go. :party:

I am having one concern, though. I may post it as a question on the board, as well. But it's weird. When I weighed 220 or so, my confidence level was SO much higher than it is now. I was bigger, but I knew what looked good on me, and what characteristics, physically, I had that were appealing.

Now I'm literally losing those characteristics and I feel like I don't know what looks ok anymore. Instead of feeling more confident, I'm feeling less confident about how I look because I'm less SURE. Has anyone else had that problem?
 
Oh, and on another note...dinner last night was WONDERFUL!!!! Dinner tonight...not so much. The husband made the dinner list for the week, and we've got Frito pie.

Even if I LIKED chili, it's so calorie-laden and fattening and gross I wouldn't want to eat it anymore. And don't even get me started on the Fritos.

But he goes along so much with what I want to eat that I feel obligated. :banghead: Makes me sick just thinking about it....
 
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