Truly, I feel like Halloween is the start of a slippery slope to New Year's. I think I said that in a recent post. I cling to the slippery slope for awhile and then I slide down a bit.
I was hoping that I wouldn't have enough weight to lose to participate in my friend's annual weight loss challenge this year. If I don't get my act together, I think the outlook could be grim and I could be right up there in the running for the contest this year! Ack!
When I find myself struggling, I realize that I need to get back to eating more raw. Cooked food tends to trigger overeating with me, so this week I will be focusing on my eating habits. You know, like always.
For now, I'm reclinging and trying to digest a piece of apple pie the size of Rhode Island.
At least it wasn't Texas.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Goal
I just used that as a title because it's the title of a book that I read when I was in grad school and I saw it on the bookshelf this morning when I was working out. It's good. You should read it. If you feel moved to read about transportation and logistics, that is.
Anyway, goals are on my mind lately because...I don't really have any. And when I don't have specific goals, it usually means trouble.
There have been some good milestones lately. I tried on some pants in a store the other day and they were in a size that I never envisioned I would wear. Ever. Never ever. Ultimately, I didn't buy them so I WON'T be wearing them--they were snug (but the fact that I could even put them on and button them is cause for a NEWS ALERT) and I didn't feel they were an appropriate expenditure of money heading into the holiday season where I need all of my funds to buy Christmas gifts and all of my calories for Christmas cookies. Bottom line: they probably wouldn't fit my bottom after a few Christmas cookies anyway so that size will wait for another time of year.
(FYI: I'm going to write about "vanity sizing" on my other blog because I feel certain it's why I could pull up and button pants of "that size.")
Anyway, last week I was all motivated and gung ho and then I totally hit the wall. Don't know what my deal was. I did make it through the week with my workouts, but my eating wasn't the greatest and I think that's probably contributing to fatigue. In the end, I had to take this past Tuesday off.
A day off! Right at the start of the week! I know! Crazy.
And then yesterday, I wanted to take the day off again, because sometimes I get lazy. I told myself to just get the DVD in the player and start and it would all work out. Which it did. I'm guessing I gave about 40% effort, but some days, 40% is better than 0%.
That's what I tell myself.
So a few points/lessons for myself today and maybe they will help you, too:
-I need a specific goal. Always. If I don't, I start floundering and a skipped workout here, a cheese stick there--and it all starts to come unglued. That may sound obsessive to some people, but I have definitely learned over the years how my mind and body operate. And I know that for me, it's a slippery slope that I'll descend very quickly if I don't keep things in check. Yes, I certainly loosen up and enjoy food and skip workouts, but it can't be more than a day or two in a row or then I struggle with my motivation and getting back on track.
I'm really writing this to wrap my own head around it, not to lecture to you, by the way.
Anyway, because my weight had popped up two pounds or so in late October/early November, I had a really agressive goal to lose 5 lbs. by the end of this month. I've decided to scrap that. It's just not realistic for this time of year when I do, indeed, want to indulge in some cookie eating. Instead, tomorrow I'm revamping my Bodybugg program to reflect maintenance until after the holidays. Whatever I weigh tomorrow, that will be my goal to weigh on January 2 or 3 or whenever the Christmas cake and cookies are gone (somehow those actions and my goal seem to be divergent, don't they???).
I am going to do as many Christmas treats as possible gluten free this year. That's another goal. Clearly not a goal that will contribute to weight loss, but one that will make me feel better, nonetheless.
-Another point for today is learning to listen to myself. Something else I've learned is there's a big difference between being so tired/exhausted/sick that you NEED and SHOULD take a day off and just being tired and not getting your butt out of bed day after day and skipping workouts. We're all tired, but that doesn't give us license not to workout. Tuesday? I needed to skip. I traveled for work on Monday and then stayed up very late trying to get caught up on all of the work that didn't get finished while I was traveling. My body told me I needed to rest on Tuesday. I didn't like it, but I did it. I hate getting off my WOWY schedule. Now that is something I'm OCD about, and I readily admit it.
Unfortunately, I felt like I was getting the same message on Wednesday. Hmmm. But after a little more soul searching, I realized it wasn't my body telling me not to get up, it was my brain and THAT is the voice that we all need to overcome--the one that tells you you're too tired, too sore, that bed feels more comfortable than your workout clothes. It was unpleasant to overcome that mental hurdle, but I did it and I'm glad. I did compromise--I did my workout a little later in the morning versus 5:30am, but talking over that voice in my head was key. My body was fine, my mind just wasn't in the right place. That's what I needed to fix.
And that is a key point when you're sore from a prior workout. One of the worst things you can do is to then skip a workout. Do something different when you're sore--stretch, walk, something lighter and more forgiving, but your muscles need to warm up and move a little to get through that soreness/stiffness.
That's my opinion.
So to recap in a slightly shorter format: I will be trying to maintain my current weight for the next 6 weeks.
The end.
Anyway, goals are on my mind lately because...I don't really have any. And when I don't have specific goals, it usually means trouble.
There have been some good milestones lately. I tried on some pants in a store the other day and they were in a size that I never envisioned I would wear. Ever. Never ever. Ultimately, I didn't buy them so I WON'T be wearing them--they were snug (but the fact that I could even put them on and button them is cause for a NEWS ALERT) and I didn't feel they were an appropriate expenditure of money heading into the holiday season where I need all of my funds to buy Christmas gifts and all of my calories for Christmas cookies. Bottom line: they probably wouldn't fit my bottom after a few Christmas cookies anyway so that size will wait for another time of year.
(FYI: I'm going to write about "vanity sizing" on my other blog because I feel certain it's why I could pull up and button pants of "that size.")
Anyway, last week I was all motivated and gung ho and then I totally hit the wall. Don't know what my deal was. I did make it through the week with my workouts, but my eating wasn't the greatest and I think that's probably contributing to fatigue. In the end, I had to take this past Tuesday off.
A day off! Right at the start of the week! I know! Crazy.
And then yesterday, I wanted to take the day off again, because sometimes I get lazy. I told myself to just get the DVD in the player and start and it would all work out. Which it did. I'm guessing I gave about 40% effort, but some days, 40% is better than 0%.
That's what I tell myself.
So a few points/lessons for myself today and maybe they will help you, too:
-I need a specific goal. Always. If I don't, I start floundering and a skipped workout here, a cheese stick there--and it all starts to come unglued. That may sound obsessive to some people, but I have definitely learned over the years how my mind and body operate. And I know that for me, it's a slippery slope that I'll descend very quickly if I don't keep things in check. Yes, I certainly loosen up and enjoy food and skip workouts, but it can't be more than a day or two in a row or then I struggle with my motivation and getting back on track.
I'm really writing this to wrap my own head around it, not to lecture to you, by the way.
Anyway, because my weight had popped up two pounds or so in late October/early November, I had a really agressive goal to lose 5 lbs. by the end of this month. I've decided to scrap that. It's just not realistic for this time of year when I do, indeed, want to indulge in some cookie eating. Instead, tomorrow I'm revamping my Bodybugg program to reflect maintenance until after the holidays. Whatever I weigh tomorrow, that will be my goal to weigh on January 2 or 3 or whenever the Christmas cake and cookies are gone (somehow those actions and my goal seem to be divergent, don't they???).
I am going to do as many Christmas treats as possible gluten free this year. That's another goal. Clearly not a goal that will contribute to weight loss, but one that will make me feel better, nonetheless.
-Another point for today is learning to listen to myself. Something else I've learned is there's a big difference between being so tired/exhausted/sick that you NEED and SHOULD take a day off and just being tired and not getting your butt out of bed day after day and skipping workouts. We're all tired, but that doesn't give us license not to workout. Tuesday? I needed to skip. I traveled for work on Monday and then stayed up very late trying to get caught up on all of the work that didn't get finished while I was traveling. My body told me I needed to rest on Tuesday. I didn't like it, but I did it. I hate getting off my WOWY schedule. Now that is something I'm OCD about, and I readily admit it.
Unfortunately, I felt like I was getting the same message on Wednesday. Hmmm. But after a little more soul searching, I realized it wasn't my body telling me not to get up, it was my brain and THAT is the voice that we all need to overcome--the one that tells you you're too tired, too sore, that bed feels more comfortable than your workout clothes. It was unpleasant to overcome that mental hurdle, but I did it and I'm glad. I did compromise--I did my workout a little later in the morning versus 5:30am, but talking over that voice in my head was key. My body was fine, my mind just wasn't in the right place. That's what I needed to fix.
And that is a key point when you're sore from a prior workout. One of the worst things you can do is to then skip a workout. Do something different when you're sore--stretch, walk, something lighter and more forgiving, but your muscles need to warm up and move a little to get through that soreness/stiffness.
That's my opinion.
So to recap in a slightly shorter format: I will be trying to maintain my current weight for the next 6 weeks.
The end.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
A Reprieve
A short story tonight because I am Sooper Tired.
Didn't get the melamona excision today. Long story for another time. I have a reprieve until early December.
As for today:
Workout: Fire 55EZ
Breakfast: Shakeology, almond milk, maca
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Sushi (our local store now makes it on site. The dude rolling it made up a custom roll for me--1/2 spicy tuna, 1/2 spicy salmon. Yum!)
Snack: 1/2 of Declan's McDonald's french fries. Yes, I know. I took my kids to McDonald's. Emergency dinner run in between school and band concert.
Dinner: Other than the fries, I didn't partake in McDonald's. I came home and ate two bowls of cereal and a banana.
Total calories: 1565
Calories Burned: 2046 as of 10pm
And now, I'm falling asleep...
Didn't get the melamona excision today. Long story for another time. I have a reprieve until early December.
As for today:
Workout: Fire 55EZ
Breakfast: Shakeology, almond milk, maca
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Sushi (our local store now makes it on site. The dude rolling it made up a custom roll for me--1/2 spicy tuna, 1/2 spicy salmon. Yum!)
Snack: 1/2 of Declan's McDonald's french fries. Yes, I know. I took my kids to McDonald's. Emergency dinner run in between school and band concert.
Dinner: Other than the fries, I didn't partake in McDonald's. I came home and ate two bowls of cereal and a banana.
Total calories: 1565
Calories Burned: 2046 as of 10pm
And now, I'm falling asleep...
Monday, November 7, 2011
Best Laid Plans
Today I was all jazzed up to get my eating back on track. And I did. I love it when my eating and workouts sync up and I'm feeling all noble and smug. I can go for weeks and months staying on track and rocking it.
And then it's like I need a little break where I still workout, I just don't eat as well. I'm just coming out of a period like that so it was good to really eat well today and feel good about it.
This is what today looked like:
Workouts: HIIT 15, Tone 30
Breakfast: buckwheat groats, chia seeds, raisins, almond milk
Snack: Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, Craisins
Lunch: Shakeology, almond milk, almond butter
Snack: Apple, Nut-Thins
Dinner: Cooking Light Frittata, roasted potato wedges
Calories eaten: 1446 or maybe 1466. I can no longer remember.
Calories burned: 1672 as of 8:30pm. I won't get to a 500 calorie deficit--too much sitting today.
Here's the bummer. Tomorrow I have to go have about a 3cm patch of skin "excised" off my arm. Skin cancer, don't you know. It's a drag and I don't know how long I'll have to take off working out, but really, in the big picture of things, I need to let it go. It is what it is. I'm sure I'll be able to substitute in other types of workouts, but I probably won't be able to do TurboFire while the stitches are still in. I just had a small spot removed a few weeks ago (which is when I found out the spot was a melanoma) and the doc didn't want me throwing any TurboFire punches for a week. Again, trying to keep it in perspective.
And today's public service announcement: see your dermatologist once a year. I almost let this one get away from me and it was borderline very bad. That is all.
And then it's like I need a little break where I still workout, I just don't eat as well. I'm just coming out of a period like that so it was good to really eat well today and feel good about it.
This is what today looked like:
Workouts: HIIT 15, Tone 30
Breakfast: buckwheat groats, chia seeds, raisins, almond milk
Snack: Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, Craisins
Lunch: Shakeology, almond milk, almond butter
Snack: Apple, Nut-Thins
Dinner: Cooking Light Frittata, roasted potato wedges
Calories eaten: 1446 or maybe 1466. I can no longer remember.
Calories burned: 1672 as of 8:30pm. I won't get to a 500 calorie deficit--too much sitting today.
Here's the bummer. Tomorrow I have to go have about a 3cm patch of skin "excised" off my arm. Skin cancer, don't you know. It's a drag and I don't know how long I'll have to take off working out, but really, in the big picture of things, I need to let it go. It is what it is. I'm sure I'll be able to substitute in other types of workouts, but I probably won't be able to do TurboFire while the stitches are still in. I just had a small spot removed a few weeks ago (which is when I found out the spot was a melanoma) and the doc didn't want me throwing any TurboFire punches for a week. Again, trying to keep it in perspective.
And today's public service announcement: see your dermatologist once a year. I almost let this one get away from me and it was borderline very bad. That is all.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Getting Back on Track
I still work out.
Sort of.
You'd never know it by this blog.
I did OK on my water challenge. I was on track for the first two weeks and then I had a little trip where I didn't drink enough for about five days. I find when I travel that I don't want to drink as much. Who wants to be hopping up and down every 20 minutes on an airplane? Definitely not your seatmate.
So now I'm pondering what my goals are right now, especially with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession. I can feel my waistline expanding in anticipation.
My goal is to end the holidays in such a state that I do NOT need to participate in my friend's weight loss challenge in January! I'd love to be able to say, "No, sorry, I don't have 10 pounds to lose this year!" I wonder if that's even possible.
I definitely need to get more specific. This past week I've struggled with PMS eating, without really realizing I was doing it. Now there's some work to be done.
Here's my plan for next week:
1. Get back to gluten free. I haven't been adhering and I can feel it. Ugh.
2. 6x workouts a week.
3. Track food (have been really bad about this lately and it shows).
4. 64 oz. of water a day. I felt really good when I was doing it, I've just been too lazy to follow through.
So there's nothing revolutionary there. It's what I normally do, but I've been a slacker lately.
I just need to have a plan and stick to it. I'm a plan follower. I've had a few weeks of less than stellar behavior, now it's time to dial it back. And not chow through a bar of dark chocolate, almonds and sea salt every few days. Not that it wasn't good.
Sort of.
You'd never know it by this blog.
I did OK on my water challenge. I was on track for the first two weeks and then I had a little trip where I didn't drink enough for about five days. I find when I travel that I don't want to drink as much. Who wants to be hopping up and down every 20 minutes on an airplane? Definitely not your seatmate.
So now I'm pondering what my goals are right now, especially with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession. I can feel my waistline expanding in anticipation.
My goal is to end the holidays in such a state that I do NOT need to participate in my friend's weight loss challenge in January! I'd love to be able to say, "No, sorry, I don't have 10 pounds to lose this year!" I wonder if that's even possible.
I definitely need to get more specific. This past week I've struggled with PMS eating, without really realizing I was doing it. Now there's some work to be done.
Here's my plan for next week:
1. Get back to gluten free. I haven't been adhering and I can feel it. Ugh.
2. 6x workouts a week.
3. Track food (have been really bad about this lately and it shows).
4. 64 oz. of water a day. I felt really good when I was doing it, I've just been too lazy to follow through.
So there's nothing revolutionary there. It's what I normally do, but I've been a slacker lately.
I just need to have a plan and stick to it. I'm a plan follower. I've had a few weeks of less than stellar behavior, now it's time to dial it back. And not chow through a bar of dark chocolate, almonds and sea salt every few days. Not that it wasn't good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)