Today was so far off the top two tiers of Michi's ladder, it isn't even funny. I was fine for total calories, but here's the deal.
Last February 10, a cow was butchered in our name. Well, in several people's names actually, but we got a 1/4 of it. And I know it was Feb. 10 because it's stamped on all of the packages of meat in the freezer. It feels overly personal when you know when your cow was killed, just in case you were wondering.
Anyway, we are down to the last few pounds of beef left in the freezer and so a few weeks ago, I commited to buy another 1/4 cow. Last night, the farmer called and said the new 1/4 beef will be here in two weeks.
Houston, we have a freezer problem.
Cow #1 is still partially in there. A few weeks ago, I hit the day old bread sale at the grocery and my freezer has a lot of bread in there. And then I accidentally bought some duplicate items at Costco. The sum of all of these things means my freezer is full and I have a limited amount of time to get it mostly empty or else.
Hence: Beef, it's what's for dinner. I made Eamonn and the boys minute steaks. I myself ate liver. I know, I know. It's all so Hannibal Lechter, isn't it? I did not eat fava beans, however.
Anyway, this may be the trend for a bit while we eat through the freezer.
With that said, I'm also planning a green smoothie cleanse starting Monday. Maybe earlier if I can get to the store and get some greens other than the limp spinach currently hanging out in my fridge.
That will be an interesting experiment and I promise to give you all the gory details. You know how I love all of the experimental eating stuff.
Today's workout: Rest day, ahhhhh
Breakfast: 2 clementines, 3/4 cup Nature's Path hemp granola, almond milk
Snack: Cocoa cassava bar; apple
Lunch: Potato leek soup, flax crackers, chopped veggie salad with too many olives
Dinner: Liver, onions, mushrooms, mashed potatoes
Snack: Banana
Total calories: 1553
Burned: 1952 with 40 minutes to go. I won't hit 2400, obviously, but I will have a 500 calorie deficit.
Running to bed. I'm sure that counts for something.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Calorie Cycling
Today I will hit my 2,400 calorie burn goal and I'm totally excited about it. So there. Even though the frozen Indian dinner I ate had white rice in it which is all the way down in the Swiss tier, I'm calling this day a success.
I was going to write something witty and relevant...and I can't remember what it was...I probably have calorie deprivation brain fog. Just kidding. I think.
Anyway, even though I'm hitting the workouts twice a day to really ramp up my calorie deficit for awhile, you can't do that indefinitely. Have I written about calorie cycling before? Yes? No? Don't remember? Me either.
Calorie cycling is eating a different amount of calories every day, but staying in range for the week or month. Calorie cycling is a theory and method that helps to lose, maintain, or gain weight by eating a different amount of calories each day. The theory is that it keeps your metabolism guessing.
There are a bazillion different theories on whether you should eat the same amount of calories every day or change the total up, keeping in an overall total for the week. I tend to be in the latter category. Even though I generally shoot for 1700 calories (trying to dial that back a bit for the weight loss challenge--unsuccessful so far. Going to have to omit chocolate--wah!), there are days I go a little over and days I try to go under because it's a rest day.
A few things you definitely need to do: You really shouldn't go under 1200 calories a day. Your body needs a certain amount just to function and from what I read, you'll send your metabolism into a nosedive if you "starve" it with too few calories. Your body is no fool. Cut back drastically on your calories and your body is going to conserve.
Remember the low/no fat craze of the 90s? I talked momentarily about it yesterday when I mentioned Snackwells and how everyone loved fat free cookies and binged on them. Well, some people did. Ahem.
Anyway, think about percentages (most calorie counting sites tell you what your carb/protein/fat percentage is--so easy) and keep your fat intake realistic. My BodyBugg calculations have me at about a 55% carb/20% protein/25% fat. I never get those percentages dead on, but mostly I come pretty close.
My point is figure out what you should eat for the week and shoot for that overall total. You might be a little high one day, a little low another, but it all comes out in the wash.
Today's workouts:
Workout 1: Fire 45, Stretch 10; Workout 2: 50 min. walk
Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology, almond milk
Snack: apple, Brazil nuts
Lunch: Salad w/Romaine, tuna, radishes, celery, tomato, olives, olive oil; one square dark chocolate
Snack: Greek yogurt, banana
Dinner: Amy's Indian entree, two apple slices (leftover)
Total calories eaten: 1609
Total calories burned: 2287 with 3 hours to go. I think I'll just make it!
So realizing how much I have to do to burn 2400 calories a day is sobering. It's a lot of work. But I'm going to keep on, keepin' on to get to my goal.
Hope you had a great day.
I was going to write something witty and relevant...and I can't remember what it was...I probably have calorie deprivation brain fog. Just kidding. I think.
Anyway, even though I'm hitting the workouts twice a day to really ramp up my calorie deficit for awhile, you can't do that indefinitely. Have I written about calorie cycling before? Yes? No? Don't remember? Me either.
Calorie cycling is eating a different amount of calories every day, but staying in range for the week or month. Calorie cycling is a theory and method that helps to lose, maintain, or gain weight by eating a different amount of calories each day. The theory is that it keeps your metabolism guessing.
There are a bazillion different theories on whether you should eat the same amount of calories every day or change the total up, keeping in an overall total for the week. I tend to be in the latter category. Even though I generally shoot for 1700 calories (trying to dial that back a bit for the weight loss challenge--unsuccessful so far. Going to have to omit chocolate--wah!), there are days I go a little over and days I try to go under because it's a rest day.
A few things you definitely need to do: You really shouldn't go under 1200 calories a day. Your body needs a certain amount just to function and from what I read, you'll send your metabolism into a nosedive if you "starve" it with too few calories. Your body is no fool. Cut back drastically on your calories and your body is going to conserve.
Remember the low/no fat craze of the 90s? I talked momentarily about it yesterday when I mentioned Snackwells and how everyone loved fat free cookies and binged on them. Well, some people did. Ahem.
Anyway, think about percentages (most calorie counting sites tell you what your carb/protein/fat percentage is--so easy) and keep your fat intake realistic. My BodyBugg calculations have me at about a 55% carb/20% protein/25% fat. I never get those percentages dead on, but mostly I come pretty close.
My point is figure out what you should eat for the week and shoot for that overall total. You might be a little high one day, a little low another, but it all comes out in the wash.
Today's workouts:
Workout 1: Fire 45, Stretch 10; Workout 2: 50 min. walk
Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology, almond milk
Snack: apple, Brazil nuts
Lunch: Salad w/Romaine, tuna, radishes, celery, tomato, olives, olive oil; one square dark chocolate
Snack: Greek yogurt, banana
Dinner: Amy's Indian entree, two apple slices (leftover)
Total calories eaten: 1609
Total calories burned: 2287 with 3 hours to go. I think I'll just make it!
So realizing how much I have to do to burn 2400 calories a day is sobering. It's a lot of work. But I'm going to keep on, keepin' on to get to my goal.
Hope you had a great day.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Every Bite Counts
How did everyone's first day go? It feels good to be back on track and in control.
Michi's Ladder. Just a guideline for you. I like the challenge of trying to stay in those top tiers, but I am going to make some exceptions. The food challenges I do on my BeachBody forums use some of these same exceptions. Do what feels right to you:
-Rice cakes (brown rice)
-Dark chocolate. I told you to eat it every day and I'm going to follow my own advice. It makes me happy and makes me feel like I'm indulging.
-Almond milk. Soy milk is in the top tier, but I only eat soy in very limited quantities because supposedly you should avoid it when you have thyroid issues. Sometimes I eat tofu and I still love edamame, but for the most part, I don't eat soy.
-Popcorn. Come on, we're talking about ME here. How could I give up popcorn? That's just whacky nonsense. Popcorn is in the 3rd tier, I think. It saddens me to see it way down there. What's up with that? Anyway, I'm going to have my popcorn on Friday for the next two weeks. If it impedes weight loss, I'll have to drop it (THE HORROR) until my local weight loss challenge ends because I've told Eamonn we are getting that $100 back and I'd better make good on that promise. Heck, that's a customized facial right there, so if that's not motivation, I don't know what is.
Jean and I had a little e-mail exchange about fat free foods. She mentioned concerns over fat free foods and she prefers to eat the full fat versions--just less of them. Overall, I agree with that concept. Fat free cookies (remember the Snackwell craze?) probably have more sugar and chemicals in them in place of the fat. Something has to make up that flavor and texture of the fat. What the heck is it? Animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Hard to tell. I don't dig that.
I typically steer clear of fat free anything because in general, it alarms me. The only exception I make is fat free dairy, which can just be made with skim milk. Although I have to day--fat free cheese? What is the point? I'm liking fat free Greek yogurt these days, but that's pretty much the extent of my dairy consumption, unless we're skiing and then I drink my homemade hot chocolate made with full on straight-from-the-cow milk.
My day was good overall. Another thing I said to Jean was that I'm going to squeeze in some two-a-day workouts when I can to see if I can blast through this annoying little plateau I seem to have taken up residence on. I'm also shooting to cut my calories down to 1400 - 1500. I totally missed that today, dang it. It was the chocolate! So maybe that will have to be a once a week treat.
One curious thing that is happening--I'm definitely losing inches. On Saturday, when we were already late leaving the house for a hockey game (where else would we be going?), I was suddenly compelled to put on these jeans that I bought--no lie--2 1/2 years ago after I came home from 3 weeks in Ohio (where I was eating Donato's and Graeters too often). I bought the jeans thinking, "When I lose weight, I'll wear these. They're cute."
Until Saturday, it has been a no go situation. And yet, I do not return them. When I bought the jeans, I couldn't even pull them all the way up (I discovered this when I got home--they were from Costco. Yes, I buy a large portion of my wardrobe at Costco, as does half the valley so we're all dressed alike most of the time. Anyway, if you're a Costco shopper, you know there are no dressing rooms at Costco). Ultimately, I held out hope. I've been close to getting into the jeans several times, but then Christmas comes...
Anyway, on Saturday, they pulled right up--buttoned and everything. And that's when I discovered they are way low riders. As in I don't even think I own underwear small enough to keep from showing.
This could be interesting.
Today's workouts:
I had time to do two rounds. Round one: HIIT 15, Sculpt 30 (which actually got interrupted about 20 min. in by a child who needed last minute homework assistance). Round two: TurboJam Cardio Party. This used to be my favorite workout--Chalene Johnson, of course. But since I've been doing Chalene's TurboFire, going back to TurboJam was sooooo slow.
But get this, even with two workouts, I don't think I'll hit my goal. My goal is much higher now--2400 calories a day--because I'm grasping at straws to make my goal weight by early April. I'll have a nice deficit today, but not one as big as I want/need.
Food:
Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology, almond milk, 1/2 banana
Snack: Apple, Brazil nuts
Lunch: Salad w/Romaine, tuna, radishes, tomatoes, olives, celery, olive oil, 1 square dark chocolate.
Snack: FF Greek yogurt
Dinner: Leftovers from Saturday night dinner out. I'm just realizing it had pork in it. Not in top two tiers of Michi. Dang it. 1 square dark chocolate.
Estimated calories eaten: 1745. I think this is high. I'm hungry.
Calories burned: I'm at 2264 with 90 minutes left to go. I don't think I'll squeak out 2400.
Alas.
OK, have a great day tomorrow!
Michi's Ladder. Just a guideline for you. I like the challenge of trying to stay in those top tiers, but I am going to make some exceptions. The food challenges I do on my BeachBody forums use some of these same exceptions. Do what feels right to you:
-Rice cakes (brown rice)
-Dark chocolate. I told you to eat it every day and I'm going to follow my own advice. It makes me happy and makes me feel like I'm indulging.
-Almond milk. Soy milk is in the top tier, but I only eat soy in very limited quantities because supposedly you should avoid it when you have thyroid issues. Sometimes I eat tofu and I still love edamame, but for the most part, I don't eat soy.
-Popcorn. Come on, we're talking about ME here. How could I give up popcorn? That's just whacky nonsense. Popcorn is in the 3rd tier, I think. It saddens me to see it way down there. What's up with that? Anyway, I'm going to have my popcorn on Friday for the next two weeks. If it impedes weight loss, I'll have to drop it (THE HORROR) until my local weight loss challenge ends because I've told Eamonn we are getting that $100 back and I'd better make good on that promise. Heck, that's a customized facial right there, so if that's not motivation, I don't know what is.
Jean and I had a little e-mail exchange about fat free foods. She mentioned concerns over fat free foods and she prefers to eat the full fat versions--just less of them. Overall, I agree with that concept. Fat free cookies (remember the Snackwell craze?) probably have more sugar and chemicals in them in place of the fat. Something has to make up that flavor and texture of the fat. What the heck is it? Animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Hard to tell. I don't dig that.
I typically steer clear of fat free anything because in general, it alarms me. The only exception I make is fat free dairy, which can just be made with skim milk. Although I have to day--fat free cheese? What is the point? I'm liking fat free Greek yogurt these days, but that's pretty much the extent of my dairy consumption, unless we're skiing and then I drink my homemade hot chocolate made with full on straight-from-the-cow milk.
My day was good overall. Another thing I said to Jean was that I'm going to squeeze in some two-a-day workouts when I can to see if I can blast through this annoying little plateau I seem to have taken up residence on. I'm also shooting to cut my calories down to 1400 - 1500. I totally missed that today, dang it. It was the chocolate! So maybe that will have to be a once a week treat.
One curious thing that is happening--I'm definitely losing inches. On Saturday, when we were already late leaving the house for a hockey game (where else would we be going?), I was suddenly compelled to put on these jeans that I bought--no lie--2 1/2 years ago after I came home from 3 weeks in Ohio (where I was eating Donato's and Graeters too often). I bought the jeans thinking, "When I lose weight, I'll wear these. They're cute."
Until Saturday, it has been a no go situation. And yet, I do not return them. When I bought the jeans, I couldn't even pull them all the way up (I discovered this when I got home--they were from Costco. Yes, I buy a large portion of my wardrobe at Costco, as does half the valley so we're all dressed alike most of the time. Anyway, if you're a Costco shopper, you know there are no dressing rooms at Costco). Ultimately, I held out hope. I've been close to getting into the jeans several times, but then Christmas comes...
Anyway, on Saturday, they pulled right up--buttoned and everything. And that's when I discovered they are way low riders. As in I don't even think I own underwear small enough to keep from showing.
This could be interesting.
Today's workouts:
I had time to do two rounds. Round one: HIIT 15, Sculpt 30 (which actually got interrupted about 20 min. in by a child who needed last minute homework assistance). Round two: TurboJam Cardio Party. This used to be my favorite workout--Chalene Johnson, of course. But since I've been doing Chalene's TurboFire, going back to TurboJam was sooooo slow.
But get this, even with two workouts, I don't think I'll hit my goal. My goal is much higher now--2400 calories a day--because I'm grasping at straws to make my goal weight by early April. I'll have a nice deficit today, but not one as big as I want/need.
Food:
Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology, almond milk, 1/2 banana
Snack: Apple, Brazil nuts
Lunch: Salad w/Romaine, tuna, radishes, tomatoes, olives, celery, olive oil, 1 square dark chocolate.
Snack: FF Greek yogurt
Dinner: Leftovers from Saturday night dinner out. I'm just realizing it had pork in it. Not in top two tiers of Michi. Dang it. 1 square dark chocolate.
Estimated calories eaten: 1745. I think this is high. I'm hungry.
Calories burned: I'm at 2264 with 90 minutes left to go. I don't think I'll squeak out 2400.
Alas.
OK, have a great day tomorrow!
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