Summer Recomposition Mission

Hi, this is the first day of a new commitment for me, and I want to do it in a public forum where I will feel a greater sense of accountability toward my convictions. I have been inspired by the weight loss diaries on this site and am eager to join the weight-loss community in this way. Here's my deal...

Who I am:
I'm a 24 year old female, 5'8", 155 lbs.

I'm a Canadian and I live in the prairies, so the Summer is short and hot. I have until September to ditch what's left of my excesses in body fat for a fight camp in the Fall. I think it will translate to approximately 10-15 lbs. if I know my body like I think I do.

What I do:
I am an athletic person who eats a lot. I have only recently begun to pay attention to the fat on my body in relation to my eating habits and work out routine. I've never really cared about the fat on my body before, but it's definitely there. I eat 6 times per day on average. Details on my diet will come out in my daily updates... it's pretty basic stuff, nothing fancy.

I do Muay Thai kickboxing work outs 5 times per week for 2 hours, and lead an active lifestyle outside of that - I walk a dog, use the stairs, take the bus, etc. My cardio is great and I am flexible and relatively injury-free, but I need to crack down on my evening eating habits and implement a consistent cardio routine into my mornings 5 times per week for the Summer (it's the only way I have leaned out in the past). My fat loss/weight loss/body recomposition (whatever we are going to call it) has reached a plateau since my recent 15 lbs. weight loss 1 month ago. I haven't been keeping a nutrition journal or doing cardio in the morning since. Of course I have a million excuses but none of them satisfy me any more... I'm being lazy and I need to commit or acknowledge my failure here, and failure - as you all know from your own personal journeys - is just not an option at this point.

What's killing me:
Cheat days. I just can't have them. I know that a "cheat meal" is more realistic in terms of my goals, but I need to watch my portions and monitor cheat meals more carefully if I want my coach to keep taking me seriously as a potential fighter at his gym. Writing down what I eat and when I eat it in this journal will motivate me to stick to my plan as closely as possible this Summer, no excuses.

So to anyone who reads this...
Please help me kick my ass! All comments, suggestions, and exchanges are welcome.
 
Day 1

I have been thinking more about my goals since yesterday, and have also been thinking about what I know is important for me during a training program. This has led to three important daily goals:

1. Get 8 hours of sleep
2. Eat 6 specific meals
3. Workout according to my weekly plan

Today is Sunday, so there is no workout schedule.

Meal #1
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup blueberries
VegeGreens supplement
Vitamin D pill
500 ml water

Meal #2
2 protein pancakes (Body for Life recipe)
250 ml coffee with milk
500 ml water

Meal #3
2 protein pancakes
500 ml water

Meal #4
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
1 cup crushed tomatoes with ground bison
500 ml water

Meal#5
Whey shake

Meal #6
1 slice 100% sprouted grain toast
1 cup soy beans
250 ml protein-fortified skim milk


On week days I might have a 12-hour release protein shake before bed too, if I'm hungry.

My first swim is tomorrow morning at 6AM - I'm glad to get back into the pool.
 
Day 2

Well I totally screwed up on my first day - I slept in and made it to work on time, but I couldn't drag my ass out of bed to swim. So I met my goal of sleeping 8 hours, but didn't do my morning cardio. Lame. Everything else was generally okay though... I made it to the gym in the evening. I really need to go to bed earlier.

Meal #1
1 1/4 cup Protein Plus cereal
3/4 cup protein-fortified skim milk
VegeGreens supplement

Meal #2
2 protein pancakes
250 ml coffee

Meal #3
2 protein pancakes
500 ml water

Meal #4
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
3/4 cup ground bison with crushed tomatoes
500 ml water

2 hour Muay Thai work out

Meal #5
Whey protein powder
300 ml water

Meal #6
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
1 cup fresh fruit
1 cup protein-fortified skim milk
 
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Heyy :) Thanks for stopping by my diary!

Wow, you're so active! I wish I had the motivation to do more exercise!

Well done for starting a diary, I know it's helped me... even though I don't always keep it up to date haha!

By the way, in my opinion you look great already!
 
Hey there. I just saw your journal pop up on the new posts and the thing about cheat days vs. cheat meals really struck a chord with me. I personally am not fond of the word "cheat" ... I prefer to think in terms of treating myself, but either way, I agree that opening up a whole day is a path to disaster for me. Limiting myself to one meal seems to be a little more realistic. :)

One thing I did notice about your meals is that you don't have a lot of veggies or fruits, other than sometimes fruit in the morning and your tomatoes at mid-day. I would say add a big green leafy salad in there somewhere and maybe some veggies with dinner. The calorie load from veggies is minimal and you'll really increase the nutritional value.

One thing that really really works for me is to add spinach to a lot of stuff. I buy baby spinach by the ton (it seems like) and add it to everything. When it's chopped up or whirled in a blender, it practically disappears. Well, the flavor disappears. It tends to turn everything a pretty virulent green ... :)
 
charlieemma, hey - thanks for reading! I'm lucky that I like to exercise as much as I do and that I make the time for it I guess, because as much as I like to exercise, I like to eat! Seriously. It feels like I'm always eating.... not that I have a problem with it, again, it's just about making the time and being prepared I guess.

This weight loss Summer is not so much about looks now for me as it is about "recomposition". I feel great and I'm not medically overweight, but I have some body fat I'd like to shift before my next fight camp starts up, or I will be against women that are way bigger and stronger than I am. I need to be a lean, mean fighting machine for the Fall if I want to do well... and I really want to do well, I don't want to put myself at a disadvantage. The things that stop me from meeting my goals are similar to the things that keep people with longer roads of weight loss ahead down, too.

Kara - thanks for visiting, I've always appreciated your advice and opinion in other threads in the past. I recently used your method of avoiding nutritionally void snacks by promising them to myself after a nutritious snack... and you were right, most of the time I didn't want the "reward" any more.

I know the vegetables thing kind of sucks - the supplement I'm on '' by Progressive supposedly has all of the vitamins and minerals in 8 servings of vegetables per day, which is why I use it. I actually take a fruit one too, '' but I just ran out of it. I don't always do this, just when I'm cutting weight. I am going to make more of an effort with this though, especially with things like apples and salad because they're so easy.


Thanks for the support ladies, seriously, I appreciate it. Just knowing anyone has looked at this page besides me makes me feel more accountable to my decision-making during the day.
 
Day 3

Morning Swim - 30 mins. freestyle

Meal#1
1 1/4 cup Protein Plus cereal
3/4 cup protein-fortified skim milk
VegeGreens supplement
Vitamin D pill

Meal #2
2 protein pancakes
latte with skim milk

Meal #3
2 protein pancakes
500 ml water

Meal #4
1 cup whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup ground bison with crushed tomatoes
500 ml water

Meal #5
Protein bar

2 hour Muay Thai workout

Meal #6
Whey protein powder
300 ml water

Meal #7
2 slices 100% sprouted grain toast
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 cup strawberries
250 ml water

Whenever I add swimming to my daily work out regimen my metabolism goes through the roof! Get ready for crazy food entries in the weeks to come...:drool5:
 
Glad the "reward" system is working for you. Most of the time it really helps me fight cravings. Every now and then I still give in .. :D

he supplement I'm on 'VegeGreens' by Progressive supposedly has all of the vitamins and minerals in 8 servings of vegetables per day
Yeah, unfortunately there are a lot of things that you get from eating veggies that you just can't fit into a supplement. A big thing that you lose is the bulk and fiber of veggies that helps your digestive system and works to manage cholesterol. I'd suggest fitting in veggies and fruits where you can. :)
 
Okay, this is for yesterday, I didn't get online.

30 min. morning swim
Meal#1
1 cup Protein Plus Cereal
3/4 cup protein-fortified skim milk
VegeGreens & PhytoBerry Supplement
Vitamin D pill
Meal#2
2 protein pancakes
250 ml coffee
500 ml water
Meal #3
2 protein pancakes
500 ml water
Meal#4
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
ground bison with crushed tomatoes
Meal #5
Whey protein powder
300 ml water
2 hour Muay Thai workout
Meal#6
Bento Box: 2 vegetable rolls, 3 pieces of yam tempura, 1 cup miso soup, 1 cup green salad.
355 ml Diet Coke
 
Day 4

Every day is pretty samey for me... I don't think I'm going to keep this up after the first week. It's kind of redundant.

So far this exercise has taught me a few things about myself:

1. The Importance of 'Bedtime'
I need to go to bed before midnight or I screw up the next day by sleeping in and not swimming in the morning. I also want to snack the later I stay up, which isn't good.

2. I'm kind of Obsessive and Compulsive About my Fridge
If there's something "new" in the house I want to try it, or if my parents send me home with something after a family get-together I sometimes feel like it doesn't "count" as my daily food intake because.....why? lol I didn't pay for it, I didn't choose it? I don't know. All the possibilities are rediculous and amount to the same thing: unnecessary snacking and mental distress.

Good to know.
 
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