6 weeks on the NWSNWF plan. Today I'm eating chocolate silk pie from Marie Callender's. And oh my, I am enjoying it! I'll be back to my usual plan tomorrow, but I think the occasional cheat day is going to be important to my long term success.
By the way, I haven't been posting much about karate because I've been doing a lot of teaching. Which is interesting to me, but probably not particularly interesting to you. :)
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
doing well
Since getting to my parents, I been using their exercise bike for 45-50 minutes. Today marks day 3. I screwed up on the mileage when I last blogged. It is more around 15-16 miles, but the calorie countage was correct.
I have been feeling so much happier these last few days and more energized and am just loving exercising again. I am also happy because I did not gain any weight during all the traveling. Yay!!!
Maybe it's just me, but I find it easier to control my diet when I am exercising. I think it causes me to be more conscientious about my body and that is helpful in evaluating food choices. Exercising regularly also gives me the power to say 'yes' to splurges without guilt.
Which makes me think of your last post, Katie P--I used to struggle a lot with viewing food guiltily. I don't know if this would be helpful, but that is the main reason why I made it a goal to try to exercise everyday (though realistically, that means 6 times a week). I decided that if I exercised every day, I would then make the choice not to stress about what I ate. Not that I would let myself eat candybars and big macs everyday, but I have a lot of issues with dieting from my overweight highschool and early college days, and can't handle dieting anymore. I refuse to do it. Exercising every day gives me more wiggle room with food and, honestly, I think it makes me less hungry. Am I the only one with that experience? I think it is because when I exercise, I am more aware of how thirsty I am and drink so much more which then, naturally, fills the empty spaces in my belly. Anyhow, all this to say, I wonder if maybe giving yourself a little break from food tracking and just focusing on strengthening your body might be helpful.
Also in regards to bodily pains, I have found that doing Pilates or Yoga stretches as warm ups really helps. It helps reduce injuries and helps me be more aware of whether or not my muscle is hurt or just tight. If it is just tight, the stretching make my body feel well again. If it is an injury, I become more aware of it. Just a thought.
I have been feeling so much happier these last few days and more energized and am just loving exercising again. I am also happy because I did not gain any weight during all the traveling. Yay!!!
Maybe it's just me, but I find it easier to control my diet when I am exercising. I think it causes me to be more conscientious about my body and that is helpful in evaluating food choices. Exercising regularly also gives me the power to say 'yes' to splurges without guilt.
Which makes me think of your last post, Katie P--I used to struggle a lot with viewing food guiltily. I don't know if this would be helpful, but that is the main reason why I made it a goal to try to exercise everyday (though realistically, that means 6 times a week). I decided that if I exercised every day, I would then make the choice not to stress about what I ate. Not that I would let myself eat candybars and big macs everyday, but I have a lot of issues with dieting from my overweight highschool and early college days, and can't handle dieting anymore. I refuse to do it. Exercising every day gives me more wiggle room with food and, honestly, I think it makes me less hungry. Am I the only one with that experience? I think it is because when I exercise, I am more aware of how thirsty I am and drink so much more which then, naturally, fills the empty spaces in my belly. Anyhow, all this to say, I wonder if maybe giving yourself a little break from food tracking and just focusing on strengthening your body might be helpful.
Also in regards to bodily pains, I have found that doing Pilates or Yoga stretches as warm ups really helps. It helps reduce injuries and helps me be more aware of whether or not my muscle is hurt or just tight. If it is just tight, the stretching make my body feel well again. If it is an injury, I become more aware of it. Just a thought.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
More about Jillian
It has been fun to read about everyone's workouts. :) I hope the weather cools down a bit for you all. I forget how so many homes in CA don't have air conditioning!
I have completed the Banish Fat/ Boost Metabolism work out 2 times in the last 3 days. In between, I did the Prevention DVD. (It has been raining or over 100 by heat index the last week or so, so outdoor workouts are not possible) I used to love the Prevention DVD and think it was SO HARD! Now, Prevention has become my easy day workout and I look forward to it.
I LOVE the BFBM workout. Unlike the Shred, I feel like I can just make it through each of the circuits. It is more of a long run, rather than a sprint- consequently, it takes more time to complete.
I have been doing BFBM during Luke's nap time and it has worked out well. Actually, I think that I may need to switch my schedule a bit and try to workout at nap time, instead of first thing in the morning. I am more vulnerable to feeling depressed and wanting to eat too much (since no one is watching) during nap time. When do you all work out? Do you like to work out first thing? How about in the evening? I haven't tried the evening because I am wiped out by then.
I have completed the Banish Fat/ Boost Metabolism work out 2 times in the last 3 days. In between, I did the Prevention DVD. (It has been raining or over 100 by heat index the last week or so, so outdoor workouts are not possible) I used to love the Prevention DVD and think it was SO HARD! Now, Prevention has become my easy day workout and I look forward to it.
I LOVE the BFBM workout. Unlike the Shred, I feel like I can just make it through each of the circuits. It is more of a long run, rather than a sprint- consequently, it takes more time to complete.
I have been doing BFBM during Luke's nap time and it has worked out well. Actually, I think that I may need to switch my schedule a bit and try to workout at nap time, instead of first thing in the morning. I am more vulnerable to feeling depressed and wanting to eat too much (since no one is watching) during nap time. When do you all work out? Do you like to work out first thing? How about in the evening? I haven't tried the evening because I am wiped out by then.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Motivation
Just got done with the shower after a 2-miler and the sit-ups and push-ups. I am still hanging with being able to do 2x20 push-ups and 4x25 sit-ups. Right shoulder felt a bit strained or something today in final set of push-ups (?). Will keep an eye on it.
Monday - Shred Wkt 2 (first day); walked 1 mile w/ baby on back and groceries on return
Sunday - 2-mi run, no stroller. 2x20 p's, 4x25 s's
Saturday - rest, after a night of little sleep
Friday - Shred Wkt 1 (switched w/ Sat's wkt for time reasons)
Thursday - Shred Wkt 1
This weekend Daniel was out of state shooting a wedding. I've always struggled when he's gone overnight, even before we had a baby (it triggers some of my issues), but this was the first time he was away since Naomi was born. Since I've had some emotional meltdowns since she was born, I was pretty nervous about being a single parent for 3 days (even though things have been pretty good for the last month and a half or so). So I went and stayed with my family in San Diego, and even though there were some stresses this caused in itself, I am really glad I did it, just as a safety net for his first time away. I got horrible sleep (he's usually on night duty for pacifier, since I have trouble getting back to sleep), but we made it through and I am so glad he was able to go do what he loves for a few days. (Plus these last 2 nights of sleep have been GREAT!)
On a different subject, I am struggling with motivation. I know I said before that my current motivation is not to lose weight but just to get and stay fit and to try different forms of exercise. Well, that motivation's power is waning. Like it or not, I'm finding that now that I'm about 6 weeks into regular exercise, I honestly feel disappointed at not seeing greater results (I saw and felt some early on in June, but nothing more since then). I'm not all that frustrated with how my body looks or my weight, in and of itself, but I guess I feel like, "If I'm going to be putting in this effort that I'm putting in each day to work out, I deserve to see some change!" If I weren't working out, I think I would not feel discouraged about my body because I wouldn't be expecting to see change. Yolanda, I guess that is sort of what you posted about a couple weeks ago.
I know that I am not trying to modify my diet at all - just eat healthily, try to generally eat when hungry and stop when full, and deal with emotional eating when it crops up. In the past diet is usually what I need to modify if I am going to lose weight - I can exercise and stay at the same weight for forever. I didn't have post-baby weight to lose, I'm just where I started... but that is about 10 pounds more than the weight I like to be at, even if this weight is healthy for me. I do enjoy getting out and being active - the runs are nice, in a way - but it's very DEmotivating to me to still look (in my opinion) like I did 6 weeks ago. So it's like the motivation of just feeling good is shaky under the weight of my discouragement. Also, I'm not sure I want to tinker with my diet, because of the things I've mentioned before - I can get on a weight loss roller coaster but have trouble maintaining and would like to just maintain now, only I'm struggling with being content at this weight.
I'm wondering if I need to just keep doing it but focus elsewhere on other things in my life that bring me joy. I'm not one to really give up on exercise (I can keep eking it out), it's just not necessarily fun or motivating.
Monday - Shred Wkt 2 (first day); walked 1 mile w/ baby on back and groceries on return
Sunday - 2-mi run, no stroller. 2x20 p's, 4x25 s's
Saturday - rest, after a night of little sleep
Friday - Shred Wkt 1 (switched w/ Sat's wkt for time reasons)
Thursday - Shred Wkt 1
This weekend Daniel was out of state shooting a wedding. I've always struggled when he's gone overnight, even before we had a baby (it triggers some of my issues), but this was the first time he was away since Naomi was born. Since I've had some emotional meltdowns since she was born, I was pretty nervous about being a single parent for 3 days (even though things have been pretty good for the last month and a half or so). So I went and stayed with my family in San Diego, and even though there were some stresses this caused in itself, I am really glad I did it, just as a safety net for his first time away. I got horrible sleep (he's usually on night duty for pacifier, since I have trouble getting back to sleep), but we made it through and I am so glad he was able to go do what he loves for a few days. (Plus these last 2 nights of sleep have been GREAT!)
On a different subject, I am struggling with motivation. I know I said before that my current motivation is not to lose weight but just to get and stay fit and to try different forms of exercise. Well, that motivation's power is waning. Like it or not, I'm finding that now that I'm about 6 weeks into regular exercise, I honestly feel disappointed at not seeing greater results (I saw and felt some early on in June, but nothing more since then). I'm not all that frustrated with how my body looks or my weight, in and of itself, but I guess I feel like, "If I'm going to be putting in this effort that I'm putting in each day to work out, I deserve to see some change!" If I weren't working out, I think I would not feel discouraged about my body because I wouldn't be expecting to see change. Yolanda, I guess that is sort of what you posted about a couple weeks ago.
I know that I am not trying to modify my diet at all - just eat healthily, try to generally eat when hungry and stop when full, and deal with emotional eating when it crops up. In the past diet is usually what I need to modify if I am going to lose weight - I can exercise and stay at the same weight for forever. I didn't have post-baby weight to lose, I'm just where I started... but that is about 10 pounds more than the weight I like to be at, even if this weight is healthy for me. I do enjoy getting out and being active - the runs are nice, in a way - but it's very DEmotivating to me to still look (in my opinion) like I did 6 weeks ago. So it's like the motivation of just feeling good is shaky under the weight of my discouragement. Also, I'm not sure I want to tinker with my diet, because of the things I've mentioned before - I can get on a weight loss roller coaster but have trouble maintaining and would like to just maintain now, only I'm struggling with being content at this weight.
I'm wondering if I need to just keep doing it but focus elsewhere on other things in my life that bring me joy. I'm not one to really give up on exercise (I can keep eking it out), it's just not necessarily fun or motivating.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday
I did my workout, but forgot to post it. Daniel was gone all day shooting a wedding, but the day turned out surprisingly great. Naomi had a pretty easygoing day, but I also did well at handling the stress at different points and doing things that really refreshed me (ie. doing things other than snacking!) Yay! Plus we took a 1+ mile walk. Bonus.
Still wondering what I want to do after this 30 days is up (30-day shred). I'd like to run, but I also don't want to lose what I'm gaining from doing the shred... doing both running and the shred each day sounds like it might be too much for me (mentally). I might try it, and then try to let myself reevaluate after a few days, to see if it really is too much or not.
Kelly - I too have often sent Daniel to work with a bag of whatever-is-calling-my-name (to get it out of the house ... he somehow has this uncanny ability to not eat something yummy simply because it is there - go figure!). Sometimes, like after Christmas, it's pretty hilarious how much stuff he is taking with him! :)
Emily - Yay! So glad you're enjoying the blender. And I am the same way about eating "healthy" foods in unhealthy ways.
Amie - It made me smile to hear that you are on vacation in SD. (I love to live through others' vacations/honeymoons/etc vicariously... I love trips and it's half as good to just hear that someone else is enjoying a trip or vacation. :) ) I also glanced at your new profile pic on Facebook, which I think is from your vacation - so cute. :) I really admire you for traveling alone with kids. I find it hard to travel TOGETHER with one child, so it will be awhile before I have the guts and internal calm to do it alone! I too find it actually easier to exercise when on vacation. For me, the new location usually makes it all new and interesting to go running (when I was running). But our last vacation I found out why most people struggle to exercise on vacation ... sleeping in and having lazy mornings is really nice too! :) I might be able to meet up Tuesday - what time?
Katie J - props for not letting the sweat get to you. When I am in the tropics (my husband's folks used to live in SE Asia, so we'd visit for several weeks at a time), I always have to consciously focus on trying to ignore it because I don't enjoy sweating that much! And I would exercise before the sun was up to avoid even more sweat (but that's not really as virtuous as it sounds when you consider that I would just make jet lag work in my favor...)
Still wondering what I want to do after this 30 days is up (30-day shred). I'd like to run, but I also don't want to lose what I'm gaining from doing the shred... doing both running and the shred each day sounds like it might be too much for me (mentally). I might try it, and then try to let myself reevaluate after a few days, to see if it really is too much or not.
Kelly - I too have often sent Daniel to work with a bag of whatever-is-calling-my-name (to get it out of the house ... he somehow has this uncanny ability to not eat something yummy simply because it is there - go figure!). Sometimes, like after Christmas, it's pretty hilarious how much stuff he is taking with him! :)
Emily - Yay! So glad you're enjoying the blender. And I am the same way about eating "healthy" foods in unhealthy ways.
Amie - It made me smile to hear that you are on vacation in SD. (I love to live through others' vacations/honeymoons/etc vicariously... I love trips and it's half as good to just hear that someone else is enjoying a trip or vacation. :) ) I also glanced at your new profile pic on Facebook, which I think is from your vacation - so cute. :) I really admire you for traveling alone with kids. I find it hard to travel TOGETHER with one child, so it will be awhile before I have the guts and internal calm to do it alone! I too find it actually easier to exercise when on vacation. For me, the new location usually makes it all new and interesting to go running (when I was running). But our last vacation I found out why most people struggle to exercise on vacation ... sleeping in and having lazy mornings is really nice too! :) I might be able to meet up Tuesday - what time?
Katie J - props for not letting the sweat get to you. When I am in the tropics (my husband's folks used to live in SE Asia, so we'd visit for several weeks at a time), I always have to consciously focus on trying to ignore it because I don't enjoy sweating that much! And I would exercise before the sun was up to avoid even more sweat (but that's not really as virtuous as it sounds when you consider that I would just make jet lag work in my favor...)
Friday, June 25, 2010
thurs and fri
I just got back from a 6 mile run (and only 11 months ago I could barely run a mile!). Yesterday, I did the abs/waistline and thigh segments in my Pilates video.
Regarding snacking/turning to food in stress--I became a major snacker after having kids. I adjusted my cupboard to reflect this new habit. I don't buy temptations. I do not buy chips or candy or ice cream, etc. I buy a lot of pickled items (pickles, mushrooms, etc) because 1) I love them and 2) they have no fat and hardly any calories at all. I also keep protein bars and beef jerky on hand, too. I have found that by snacking on items like this (and bananas and peanut butter), I don't feel guilty and actually feel healthier and re-energized. My husband has been willing and after I make a batch of cookies for him, he'll hide them away so I'm not tempted to snack on them when I am feeling hungry or stressed.
responses
Yolanda - I haven't met you yet either, but hello. :) I think it would be so fun to have a Wii Fit. So many options! I do workouts on Saturdays, but not Sundays. For one thing, I like taking one day off a week (for physical reasons as well as an emotional/mental break). I just try doing the same thing every day (workout first thing after feeding baby), and at this point in our life it works Mon-Sat.
Katie - I do weigh myself, once a week. I have gone back and forth on this through my life, and in the present season, it seems to help me. When the numbers go up it can stress me out, but when this happens I am usually expecting it because I know how I've been eating (I tend to enjoy being active, so for me weight gain is always more about how I am eating). When I do see the number go up, I try to let it motivate me to dig into why I'm gaining (for me, almost always it's emotional stuff I'm not dealing with), and then focus on dealing with that and the weight usually falls back into place as a result. At the same time, I am consciously NOT trying to lose weight right now. A goal like that is one of those things that can really motivate me (like a marathon or triathlon), but I've found every time in the past that I do great at reaching the goal, but then have trouble staying healthy / maintaining my weight AFTER the event or goal is reached (after the marathon, or after I've lost the weight, etc, I swing into the opposite extreme of gaining weight back and having a generally unhealthy daily life).
So for the time being, I am trying to just focus on being healthy and keeping my weight where it is, which is a healthy, happy weight for me. Of course, part of me wants to weigh less! - and I could still weigh less and be healthy for my height - but I'm not actually overweight where I am so I'm trying to just stay here for now and practice loving my body for what it gives me and allows me to do. Some of my motivation in this is that my mom thinks Naomi is built just like me (and I agree). Yikes! Talk about motivation for learning to model a healthy attitude toward my own body! I so want her to not deal with some of the insecurities and body image issues I've had as she grows up, and I know that starts with my own body image.
Kelly - so interesting that you too have had great results with a waist trimmer. As I'm wondering what I will do after the 30-day shred, part of me wants to switch to running, though one reason I'm not sure is that I would miss the upper body and ab strength I am getting from the shred. Maybe a waist trimmer would be a good help with this. Congratulations on fitting in pre-Lucy clothes!! That is exciting!
Katie - I do weigh myself, once a week. I have gone back and forth on this through my life, and in the present season, it seems to help me. When the numbers go up it can stress me out, but when this happens I am usually expecting it because I know how I've been eating (I tend to enjoy being active, so for me weight gain is always more about how I am eating). When I do see the number go up, I try to let it motivate me to dig into why I'm gaining (for me, almost always it's emotional stuff I'm not dealing with), and then focus on dealing with that and the weight usually falls back into place as a result. At the same time, I am consciously NOT trying to lose weight right now. A goal like that is one of those things that can really motivate me (like a marathon or triathlon), but I've found every time in the past that I do great at reaching the goal, but then have trouble staying healthy / maintaining my weight AFTER the event or goal is reached (after the marathon, or after I've lost the weight, etc, I swing into the opposite extreme of gaining weight back and having a generally unhealthy daily life).
So for the time being, I am trying to just focus on being healthy and keeping my weight where it is, which is a healthy, happy weight for me. Of course, part of me wants to weigh less! - and I could still weigh less and be healthy for my height - but I'm not actually overweight where I am so I'm trying to just stay here for now and practice loving my body for what it gives me and allows me to do. Some of my motivation in this is that my mom thinks Naomi is built just like me (and I agree). Yikes! Talk about motivation for learning to model a healthy attitude toward my own body! I so want her to not deal with some of the insecurities and body image issues I've had as she grows up, and I know that starts with my own body image.
Kelly - so interesting that you too have had great results with a waist trimmer. As I'm wondering what I will do after the 30-day shred, part of me wants to switch to running, though one reason I'm not sure is that I would miss the upper body and ab strength I am getting from the shred. Maybe a waist trimmer would be a good help with this. Congratulations on fitting in pre-Lucy clothes!! That is exciting!
Imperfect Journey
I soooo did not feel like working out today, so I just did it as soon as I possibly could to get it over with. Fridays and Sat's are definitely harder because Daniel doesn't work those days (he does 4 10's), so it is so sweet in the mornings and the last thing I want to do is go face Jillian and her mountain climbers. Ugh. BUT I did get it over with.
I realized I was not doing the shadow boxing on beat, so I stepped it up today and it was much harder! I also upped the number of full mtn climbers in a row that I do from 7 to 9, before adding in 2 step-touches. Not too much harder, but somehow mentally knowing I can add in that little break helps me a lot. I made myself continue doing half of the plank raises in the full-blown position but that is SO hard. I also forgot to add yesterday that I also began using two 5lb weights in each hand for the dumbbell cleans. They still don't feel very hard, even with the extra weight. I think it's kind of strange that in each of the 3 workouts there is one strength move that is so much easier than all the others, even with extra weight. Nice break - I always look forward to it. :)
Emily, thanks for sharing about how eating was for you yesterday. Even though my stress yesterday was admittedly much less than yours, I too came home and ate way too many pita chips after 3 hrs in the Moothart contruction zone. (And by the way you are welcome! Even if it was stressful, it also brought me joy to help you out.) I say that not only to affirm that yes, your context is stressful right now :), but also for my own personal confession. I felt tired and just wanted to escape from the stress, so when I came home and Naomi went down for a nap, food was the familiar place to go. I felt discouraged after that, because it was close enough to dinner that I was then not hungry for mealtime, which always makes me sad because I really enjoy dinner as a family. But I share about it here to hopefully help myself realize that it doesn't therefore mean I am losing the battle of taking care of myself. (I know that sounds drastic, but that's where I go when I get discouraged, and I'm a perfectionist, so one slip-up can send me there.) So I don't have to "start over" today, because I don't have to cut yesterday's incident out of the picture to be succeeding in my journey - I am going to keep moving forward after yesterday (a low point), and realize that honest human journeys have highs and lows in them.
I realized I was not doing the shadow boxing on beat, so I stepped it up today and it was much harder! I also upped the number of full mtn climbers in a row that I do from 7 to 9, before adding in 2 step-touches. Not too much harder, but somehow mentally knowing I can add in that little break helps me a lot. I made myself continue doing half of the plank raises in the full-blown position but that is SO hard. I also forgot to add yesterday that I also began using two 5lb weights in each hand for the dumbbell cleans. They still don't feel very hard, even with the extra weight. I think it's kind of strange that in each of the 3 workouts there is one strength move that is so much easier than all the others, even with extra weight. Nice break - I always look forward to it. :)
Emily, thanks for sharing about how eating was for you yesterday. Even though my stress yesterday was admittedly much less than yours, I too came home and ate way too many pita chips after 3 hrs in the Moothart contruction zone. (And by the way you are welcome! Even if it was stressful, it also brought me joy to help you out.) I say that not only to affirm that yes, your context is stressful right now :), but also for my own personal confession. I felt tired and just wanted to escape from the stress, so when I came home and Naomi went down for a nap, food was the familiar place to go. I felt discouraged after that, because it was close enough to dinner that I was then not hungry for mealtime, which always makes me sad because I really enjoy dinner as a family. But I share about it here to hopefully help myself realize that it doesn't therefore mean I am losing the battle of taking care of myself. (I know that sounds drastic, but that's where I go when I get discouraged, and I'm a perfectionist, so one slip-up can send me there.) So I don't have to "start over" today, because I don't have to cut yesterday's incident out of the picture to be succeeding in my journey - I am going to keep moving forward after yesterday (a low point), and realize that honest human journeys have highs and lows in them.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
workout for the day
Yesterday I did accomplish my workout when Jesse got home.
Today: ran 4.5 miles in the morning
It's strange to me sometimes to think that early last fall, I was barely managing running a mile 3 times a week.
We eat mostly vegetarian and homebaked goods (living in Berkeley has taken its crunchy toll) and so I haven't made any dietary changes this last year to lose weight. The only change I've made is to snack throughout the day as opposed to have 3 meals a day. I have found that has helped me have more consistent energy throughout the day, which has been nice. I also always make sure I snack before I feed the kids lunch so that I am not tempted to eat any remains. I have taken the approach of what they don't finish from their lunch, they eat for their snack and that has worked very well and combated the "don't let food go to waste!" motto instilled in me by my grandmother.
re: fridge. I have a child lock on it which I find is a good deterrent!
Oh, and I have become addicted to sparkling water too. Drinking a glass of that before I snack or eat a meal helps me to better control my appetite. Adding slices of citrus fruit (orange is my fave) makes it really tasty too.
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