Another long day today. Maybe these are to make the teaching days seem short?
For some reason I'm not having as much trouble with temptation as I usually do on this plan. I'm not sure how much is due to the money I'm paying / having to meet with the consultant every week, and how much is due to the way they have the plan structured to keep blood sugar levels even. Either way, it's a very nice change!
I tried a new breakfast option this morning and, honestly, it was pretty gross. I couldn't even finish it, which I hated, since I don't get very much to eat. I won't be making it again.
I had my second meeting with Cory, my consultant, this afternoon. It went well. He didn't like the 1/2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce I'd been using with my chicken, though. Thankfully I've since found a spice blend (Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy) that is nice on plain chicken breasts. He said the two things that really make it hard to lose weight are sugar and refined carbs. So, no more BBQ sauce.
I asked how important it was to stick directly to the recipes and he said it's not really important. Basically, from what I can figure out, I need to have a carb, veggies, and protein at lunch, and veggies and protein at supper. Other than that I have some freedom. I have a feeling that, with that knowledge, I'll be mixing things up even more. I'll probably still keep their carb suggestions, but I'd like to use different options for supper, such as chicken and pepper kebabs - yay!
I did another mid-week weigh-in this morning and I was at 137.0 lbs! That is so exciting in a week and a half. Hoping it continues to go down until next Monday.
We went to our friends' house for supper, and they served a great meal to stay on plan. Pork kebabs (so yummy) and salad. I even managed to say no to dessert without too much trouble.
One more long day tomorrow and then a long weekend! :) I am looking forward to getting some exercise in.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Week 2, Day 3
Typing quick tonight. It's after midnight and I have to work again tomorrow morning. Yikes!
Had a very long day today. Up at 6, headed to Moose Jaw around 7:30. After meetings all day, headed to Regina to do some errands. Wow - I can move quickly without 3 kids around! Got a ton of fresh food for the next couple of weeks, new running sneakers, and headed home. Got home around 10:30, unpacked the freezer / fridge stuff. Checked YNAB work, and now it's bedtime! That's gotta be the craziest day of the fall right there!
Eating-wise I made the best choices I could. I ended up with a massive headache by mid-afternoon. The room we were in for the meetings was so hot, and you had to turn to see the speakers and the screen. It was awful. I did manage to drink my 5 bottles of water and skip the muffins and cookies they had available for us :)
I had my normal breakfast and took two snacks with me (apple and almonds - I am so boring!). For lunch they had a spread of stuff. I chose half a plate of salad (there were bottles of dressing there to add yourself - yay!), a ww roll (the only plain carbs they had), and 2 slices of cooked ham. The other hot options were perogies and cabbage rolls. I don't like those, and I have no idea what's in them, so I stuck with what I knew.
For supper I had my favourite pita from Extreme Pita - their Thai Beef one. It is so yummy! I was starving by that point (7 p.m.) but it was very satisfying, and I know it's under 500 calories.
I have my meeting tomorrow afternoon now (I ended up having to change it due to work schedules). I sent Cory my logs tonight so we'll see how that goes!
Had a very long day today. Up at 6, headed to Moose Jaw around 7:30. After meetings all day, headed to Regina to do some errands. Wow - I can move quickly without 3 kids around! Got a ton of fresh food for the next couple of weeks, new running sneakers, and headed home. Got home around 10:30, unpacked the freezer / fridge stuff. Checked YNAB work, and now it's bedtime! That's gotta be the craziest day of the fall right there!
Eating-wise I made the best choices I could. I ended up with a massive headache by mid-afternoon. The room we were in for the meetings was so hot, and you had to turn to see the speakers and the screen. It was awful. I did manage to drink my 5 bottles of water and skip the muffins and cookies they had available for us :)
I had my normal breakfast and took two snacks with me (apple and almonds - I am so boring!). For lunch they had a spread of stuff. I chose half a plate of salad (there were bottles of dressing there to add yourself - yay!), a ww roll (the only plain carbs they had), and 2 slices of cooked ham. The other hot options were perogies and cabbage rolls. I don't like those, and I have no idea what's in them, so I stuck with what I knew.
For supper I had my favourite pita from Extreme Pita - their Thai Beef one. It is so yummy! I was starving by that point (7 p.m.) but it was very satisfying, and I know it's under 500 calories.
I have my meeting tomorrow afternoon now (I ended up having to change it due to work schedules). I sent Cory my logs tonight so we'll see how that goes!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Motivation
I'm not sure why external motivation is so much more ... well ... motivating than internal motivation! I was all ready to skip my workout tonight when I noticed I had mentioned I was going to be doing it on here. And then I felt like I couldn't skip it!
I'll have to always make sure to post my workout plans on here ;)
I'll have to always make sure to post my workout plans on here ;)
Week 2, Day 2
I just looked back on my meal log and realized I've had the same thing for lunch three days in a row - oops! I'll have to mix it up a bit. Although, it looks like the next three days will be catered, so who knows what I'll end up having to eat. I think for the day that I'm at the school here in town I'll take along something that doesn't have to be heated up just in case I have an opportunity to eat it. The other option is to stretch my meals out so I'm not eating lunch at lunch. Then I could just grab something small as my 'snack' and then eat lunch after I'm home. Something to think about ...
I've been hungry today, but still no headaches! Yay! I made it through making chocolate chip cookies last night and didn't eat any. Nor did I have any apple dip. It was very tempting, though. I know myself - if I were to give in just once I would have a hard time not eating more. And I really wouldn't want to have to mention that in my meeting at the end of the week. The shame!
Speaking of meetings, turns out I'm in Moose Jaw tomorrow and Friday, instead of tomorrow and Thursday, which screws up my meeting time for SFL. I emailed Cory this morning so hopefully we can find a different time.
Other than that, just plugging along. It's ridiculously hot here today and is supposed to be hot the next few days. I think I'm probably up for some strength training tonight - more of JM's No More Trouble Zones should do it.
I managed to firm up plans for my first week of teaching next week this morning. Put the final touches on my lesson plans, got everything printed that I need, and just need to make photocopies. I also think I'm going to confirm a great trade-off for my teaching load. In the fall, I'll teach two classes a day of Science 9 from Sept - Dec (I've already started prepping for this course) and, in return, I only have to teach 2 units in other classes (instead of three - all unknown as of now) during my 'full-time' teaching part. Since the extra units will come while Peter's away, and teaching the same stuff twice really isn't much harder than teaching it once I figure it's a great trade!! Should save me some prep time. Plus, I'll already know the students for two of four classes instead of 1 in 5 when I start the craziness of teaching all the time. The 'comfort' factor in that is huge.
Heading to Regina tomorrow after meetings, which means I'll be gone from the house for over 12 hours. I don't know how you ladies that work do it! I'm so stressed out! Hoping to get lots of yummy fruits and veggies and about 4 boxes of chicken breasts from Costco ;) We're going through them at the rate of one a week around here.
I've been hungry today, but still no headaches! Yay! I made it through making chocolate chip cookies last night and didn't eat any. Nor did I have any apple dip. It was very tempting, though. I know myself - if I were to give in just once I would have a hard time not eating more. And I really wouldn't want to have to mention that in my meeting at the end of the week. The shame!
Speaking of meetings, turns out I'm in Moose Jaw tomorrow and Friday, instead of tomorrow and Thursday, which screws up my meeting time for SFL. I emailed Cory this morning so hopefully we can find a different time.
Other than that, just plugging along. It's ridiculously hot here today and is supposed to be hot the next few days. I think I'm probably up for some strength training tonight - more of JM's No More Trouble Zones should do it.
I managed to firm up plans for my first week of teaching next week this morning. Put the final touches on my lesson plans, got everything printed that I need, and just need to make photocopies. I also think I'm going to confirm a great trade-off for my teaching load. In the fall, I'll teach two classes a day of Science 9 from Sept - Dec (I've already started prepping for this course) and, in return, I only have to teach 2 units in other classes (instead of three - all unknown as of now) during my 'full-time' teaching part. Since the extra units will come while Peter's away, and teaching the same stuff twice really isn't much harder than teaching it once I figure it's a great trade!! Should save me some prep time. Plus, I'll already know the students for two of four classes instead of 1 in 5 when I start the craziness of teaching all the time. The 'comfort' factor in that is huge.
Heading to Regina tomorrow after meetings, which means I'll be gone from the house for over 12 hours. I don't know how you ladies that work do it! I'm so stressed out! Hoping to get lots of yummy fruits and veggies and about 4 boxes of chicken breasts from Costco ;) We're going through them at the rate of one a week around here.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Week 2, Day 1
I can't believe I have to start work the day after tomorrow! That's going to change our lives dramatically for the next four months!
I was relatively happy with the weigh-in this morning. I would have loved to see another pound gone since I know some of that 'loss' would have come off anyway this week. But, I will be more than happy with 2 lbs in any future weeks!
I finally made it through a day without a major headache yesterday and today is looking to be the same. I can't describe what a difference that makes in my mood. Yesterday I had my Diet Coke in the afternoon and then managed not to have a second one in the evening - win! However, I did miss having it at night. I started thinking about how I could get around that, and I remembered that Cory had mentioned I could definitely drink tea if I needed the caffeine (especially green tea). I had kind of brushed off his comments because I'm not a huge fan of tea. However, I realized that I could use tea during the day to keep the headaches away, thus saving my Diet Coke for the evenings (have I mentioned I'm addicted??).
I woke up with a small headache because of the early Diet Coke yesterday. So, I had a cup of tea this morning and it cleared right up. I am having another one this afternoon since I have company coming for supper and I don't want to be miserable while they're here. So far I like this arrangement! I like my tea strong (otherwise it just tastes like hot water to me) so I've been using two tea bags - one of regular (caffeinated) tea and an herbal (non-caffeinated, but flavoured) tea. It's still kind of gross to me, but I'll get it down. I'm going to grab some green tea on my next trip to the city.
As I mentioned above, we're having company for supper tonight. I'm just going to cook the chicken fingers from the plan and make some roasted potatoes (not for me, but for everyone else). I'm not sure about veggies - I have a huge amount of Swiss chard in my garden waiting to be used but I've never cooked it before. I found a neat recipe but it calls for 1 Tbsp of heavy cream. Since I haven't had any milk this week I'm guessing it's not really allowed ... but, it *is* only 1 Tbsp.
I feel like my energy levels are just about back to normal. I don't know if it's related to the extra caffeine from the tea, but I was able to do an Insanity DVD this afternoon (Plyometric Cardio circuit) and I found it about as difficult as I remember ;) I would never have had the energy to attempt one early last week. That is a huge benefit - I need all the energy I can get!
I'd better go start cooking stuff for supper :) I'm making dessert (eeks!) but keeping it simple with an apple dip (we have an over-abundance of apples on the trees in our backyard) and chocolate chip cookies. My plan is to just have an apple this time. After I reach my goal I would probably let myself have a bit of the dip to go with it. I have a lot of eating out to get through this week (four meals) so I have to be extra diligent at home.
I was relatively happy with the weigh-in this morning. I would have loved to see another pound gone since I know some of that 'loss' would have come off anyway this week. But, I will be more than happy with 2 lbs in any future weeks!
I finally made it through a day without a major headache yesterday and today is looking to be the same. I can't describe what a difference that makes in my mood. Yesterday I had my Diet Coke in the afternoon and then managed not to have a second one in the evening - win! However, I did miss having it at night. I started thinking about how I could get around that, and I remembered that Cory had mentioned I could definitely drink tea if I needed the caffeine (especially green tea). I had kind of brushed off his comments because I'm not a huge fan of tea. However, I realized that I could use tea during the day to keep the headaches away, thus saving my Diet Coke for the evenings (have I mentioned I'm addicted??).
I woke up with a small headache because of the early Diet Coke yesterday. So, I had a cup of tea this morning and it cleared right up. I am having another one this afternoon since I have company coming for supper and I don't want to be miserable while they're here. So far I like this arrangement! I like my tea strong (otherwise it just tastes like hot water to me) so I've been using two tea bags - one of regular (caffeinated) tea and an herbal (non-caffeinated, but flavoured) tea. It's still kind of gross to me, but I'll get it down. I'm going to grab some green tea on my next trip to the city.
As I mentioned above, we're having company for supper tonight. I'm just going to cook the chicken fingers from the plan and make some roasted potatoes (not for me, but for everyone else). I'm not sure about veggies - I have a huge amount of Swiss chard in my garden waiting to be used but I've never cooked it before. I found a neat recipe but it calls for 1 Tbsp of heavy cream. Since I haven't had any milk this week I'm guessing it's not really allowed ... but, it *is* only 1 Tbsp.
I feel like my energy levels are just about back to normal. I don't know if it's related to the extra caffeine from the tea, but I was able to do an Insanity DVD this afternoon (Plyometric Cardio circuit) and I found it about as difficult as I remember ;) I would never have had the energy to attempt one early last week. That is a huge benefit - I need all the energy I can get!
I'd better go start cooking stuff for supper :) I'm making dessert (eeks!) but keeping it simple with an apple dip (we have an over-abundance of apples on the trees in our backyard) and chocolate chip cookies. My plan is to just have an apple this time. After I reach my goal I would probably let myself have a bit of the dip to go with it. I have a lot of eating out to get through this week (four meals) so I have to be extra diligent at home.
Week One Weigh-In
Just a quick post of my weigh-in results this morning.
I stepped on the scale and here we go!
Starting weight: 140.4 lbs
Current weight: 138.2 lbs
Goal weight: 120 lbs
Left to go: 18.2 lbs!
Looking forward to seeing the numbers (and me) shrink in the coming weeks!
I stepped on the scale and here we go!
Starting weight: 140.4 lbs
Current weight: 138.2 lbs
Goal weight: 120 lbs
Left to go: 18.2 lbs!
Looking forward to seeing the numbers (and me) shrink in the coming weeks!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Week 1, Day 6
One more thing I forgot about the meeting yesterday was that he told me to eat no closer than 2 hours apart, and no longer than 4 hours. I'm finding it hard to get my breakfast, morning snack, and lunch spaced well. I generally eat breakfast around 9, then if I snack 2 hours later, that's at 11, so the earliest I can eat lunch is 1. Obviously that will all change next week when I'm heading to the school in the mornings, so this should sort itself out. I refuse to get up and going earlier for the next few days just to space out my eating!
Today has been okay. Better than yesterday but with its own struggles. Most of them had to do with wrestling three kids out the door to church today when they were determined to get into trouble.
Food has been uneventful today. I think I really am adjusting to this style of eating. I'm hardly hungry for supper some days (including today), which is nice, since it's such a small meal. And, last night when I was starving at supper time, I ate my salmon and veggies, left the table, and realized 2 hours later that I was satisfied.
I did 'cheat' a bit and made myself a caesar salad at lunch, complete with a tablespoon of real bacon bits and 3 croutons ;) Oh, and a tablespoon of full-fat dressing. I know - quite a treat! It was delicious and I don't regret it at all. It got my 2 cups of veggies in, it was enjoyable, and reasonable. I felt like I had a bit of control over what was going in my mouth, which was nice. I'm going to end up doing more stuff like that in the coming weeks I'm sure - especially if I want to stick with these changes.
A couple of changes I'll make in the coming weeks: make my own regular roasted salmon instead of the SFL version (which was overcooked and dry, IMO). And I will serve it with a side of veggies of my choice. Since their veggie side dish called for 2 Tbsp of oil, and I rub my fish with oil instead, I figure it all evens out.
The other change is that I'll just make my rice the normal way instead of their recipe. I've always had trouble cooking rice, and their method made for very undercooked, chewy rice. I'll do my oven recipe moving forward. Again, their recipe called for 2 Tbsp of oil, as does mine, so it should be an okay switch.
I decided, to try and keep the monster headache away today, I would drink my Diet Coke in the afternoon. So far, that's been good (just a small headache), but I'm already trying to justify to myself having another one tonight. After all ... it's the weekend, I've done so well all week, I've made so many other major changes to my diet, etc, etc ...
Tonight I want to set up my menu and exercise plan for the week. It's going to be a weird one with the kids at the babysitter's house two days, me in MJ two days, and a few other events thrown in. And tomorrow morning is weigh-in!
Today has been okay. Better than yesterday but with its own struggles. Most of them had to do with wrestling three kids out the door to church today when they were determined to get into trouble.
Food has been uneventful today. I think I really am adjusting to this style of eating. I'm hardly hungry for supper some days (including today), which is nice, since it's such a small meal. And, last night when I was starving at supper time, I ate my salmon and veggies, left the table, and realized 2 hours later that I was satisfied.
I did 'cheat' a bit and made myself a caesar salad at lunch, complete with a tablespoon of real bacon bits and 3 croutons ;) Oh, and a tablespoon of full-fat dressing. I know - quite a treat! It was delicious and I don't regret it at all. It got my 2 cups of veggies in, it was enjoyable, and reasonable. I felt like I had a bit of control over what was going in my mouth, which was nice. I'm going to end up doing more stuff like that in the coming weeks I'm sure - especially if I want to stick with these changes.
A couple of changes I'll make in the coming weeks: make my own regular roasted salmon instead of the SFL version (which was overcooked and dry, IMO). And I will serve it with a side of veggies of my choice. Since their veggie side dish called for 2 Tbsp of oil, and I rub my fish with oil instead, I figure it all evens out.
The other change is that I'll just make my rice the normal way instead of their recipe. I've always had trouble cooking rice, and their method made for very undercooked, chewy rice. I'll do my oven recipe moving forward. Again, their recipe called for 2 Tbsp of oil, as does mine, so it should be an okay switch.
I decided, to try and keep the monster headache away today, I would drink my Diet Coke in the afternoon. So far, that's been good (just a small headache), but I'm already trying to justify to myself having another one tonight. After all ... it's the weekend, I've done so well all week, I've made so many other major changes to my diet, etc, etc ...
Tonight I want to set up my menu and exercise plan for the week. It's going to be a weird one with the kids at the babysitter's house two days, me in MJ two days, and a few other events thrown in. And tomorrow morning is weigh-in!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Week 1, Day 5
Today was kind of a roller coaster.
I had my first video chat with my consultant this morning around 8. I really didn't learn a ton of new things but here they are in point form:
Cory, my consultant, seems very hard core about eating being only a way to best fuel your body and not at all about eating for enjoyment. That started to hit hard today. It's not that the recipes aren't good - they are - but I'm not ready to say I'll never eat spaghetti, or caesar salad, or ribs, or a potato (I miss potatoes!) again. Part of eating, to me, is definitely the enjoyment factor and that's something that isn't satisfied (yet) on this plan. I'm not sure yet how to reconcile the two. I'm also not sure if, in future weeks, the guidelines will be relaxed at all. I do know that I'm in the 'Cleansing' phase right now. At some point (I'm guessing after 3 weeks) I move on to 'Nutrition Transition' and then, finally, to 'Maintenance.' I can't wait to get there!
I know my friends who have been doing it for 3 months said they follow an 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of the time they are strict with what they eat, and the other 20 percent of the time they are more flexible. I can see myself wanting to do something like that once I lose the weight. Until I lose it I can go hardcore, but after that I should have an extra 500 - 1000 calories a day to play with, right?
To try and banish my headache without Advil tonight (and, truthfully, because I was feeling bummed) I was going to let myself have a second Diet Coke tonight. I opened it, took a sip, and started typing a justification right in this post. But, then I realized that having it was like shooting myself in the foot. I keep saying to Peter how much easier it will be when I don't have massive headaches every day. I'm almost positive they're from a combination of sugar and caffeine withdrawal, so how is drinking more caffeine going to help them go away more quickly? I'm very proud to say I just dumped the second can down the drain.
Hmmm ... this is getting long, but typing is helping me make better decisions ;)
Cory also mentioned that many people have trouble on weekends. Thankfully with Peter's schedule that's not really a problem. We have so little routine in our lives that every day just goes with the flow. That will change this fall with me doing my internship, but that's only a temporary thing. Have I mentioned I'm scared out of my mind about the internship??
I'm taking it easy tonight after such an emotional and mentally difficult day. I did manage to get in another 20 minutes of strength training this morning, bringing the total of my workouts for this calendar week to 4. Since Cory didn't seem to care when I weighed in, I'm going to do it on Monday mornings. I usually do my menu planning on Sunday nights, and track my workouts from Monday - Sunday, so it makes sense to me to weigh in then. Plus, if I do have any urge to 'treat myself' because it's the weekend, knowing the weigh-in is coming should help :) Only one more day! (For those of you who pay attention to stuff like this, that will mean I'll only have 6 days in my first week. Still, I'd rather do that and start my weeks on Mondays. Much easier for tracking everything.)
My next video chat is scheduled for next Friday afternoon.
I had my first video chat with my consultant this morning around 8. I really didn't learn a ton of new things but here they are in point form:
- the current menu plan I have will be used for around 3 weeks
- subsequent menu plans will be good for a month
- when I'm out to eat, just make the best choices possible and don't sweat it
- I'm supposed to be drinking 2.5 litres of water a day (once I reach goal weight this can drop to 2 litres)
- people lose an average of 1 to 1.25 lbs per week on this plan
- I should have no problem being at goal weight in 6 months if I follow the plan (I'm hoping for sooner ;) )
- he sent me a meal logging template on which I'm to write what I eat and when. He wants to review that each week before we meet.
Cory, my consultant, seems very hard core about eating being only a way to best fuel your body and not at all about eating for enjoyment. That started to hit hard today. It's not that the recipes aren't good - they are - but I'm not ready to say I'll never eat spaghetti, or caesar salad, or ribs, or a potato (I miss potatoes!) again. Part of eating, to me, is definitely the enjoyment factor and that's something that isn't satisfied (yet) on this plan. I'm not sure yet how to reconcile the two. I'm also not sure if, in future weeks, the guidelines will be relaxed at all. I do know that I'm in the 'Cleansing' phase right now. At some point (I'm guessing after 3 weeks) I move on to 'Nutrition Transition' and then, finally, to 'Maintenance.' I can't wait to get there!
I know my friends who have been doing it for 3 months said they follow an 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of the time they are strict with what they eat, and the other 20 percent of the time they are more flexible. I can see myself wanting to do something like that once I lose the weight. Until I lose it I can go hardcore, but after that I should have an extra 500 - 1000 calories a day to play with, right?
To try and banish my headache without Advil tonight (and, truthfully, because I was feeling bummed) I was going to let myself have a second Diet Coke tonight. I opened it, took a sip, and started typing a justification right in this post. But, then I realized that having it was like shooting myself in the foot. I keep saying to Peter how much easier it will be when I don't have massive headaches every day. I'm almost positive they're from a combination of sugar and caffeine withdrawal, so how is drinking more caffeine going to help them go away more quickly? I'm very proud to say I just dumped the second can down the drain.
Hmmm ... this is getting long, but typing is helping me make better decisions ;)
Cory also mentioned that many people have trouble on weekends. Thankfully with Peter's schedule that's not really a problem. We have so little routine in our lives that every day just goes with the flow. That will change this fall with me doing my internship, but that's only a temporary thing. Have I mentioned I'm scared out of my mind about the internship??
I'm taking it easy tonight after such an emotional and mentally difficult day. I did manage to get in another 20 minutes of strength training this morning, bringing the total of my workouts for this calendar week to 4. Since Cory didn't seem to care when I weighed in, I'm going to do it on Monday mornings. I usually do my menu planning on Sunday nights, and track my workouts from Monday - Sunday, so it makes sense to me to weigh in then. Plus, if I do have any urge to 'treat myself' because it's the weekend, knowing the weigh-in is coming should help :) Only one more day! (For those of you who pay attention to stuff like this, that will mean I'll only have 6 days in my first week. Still, I'd rather do that and start my weeks on Mondays. Much easier for tracking everything.)
My next video chat is scheduled for next Friday afternoon.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Week 1, Day 4
After the flop with dinner last night I was a bit concerned today. I decided on homemade chicken strips - how bad can they be? I just put them in the oven so I hope they turn out okay!
My headache stayed at bay until 5:30 today. They've been coming progressively later in the day each day (yesterday was 3:30, the day before was 1:30 - I'm sure they haven't started exactly 26 hours apart, but approximately :) ). I'm glad for that and hope that soon they will be a thing of the past.
I'm also finding my energy levels returning enough to focus, but not really enough to do a good workout. I went for a run after lunch and managed to keep a similar pace to my last run (5k in 34:07), but it felt tough. I checked my average heart rate when I was done, and it was almost 20 bpm less than my last run ... I have no idea why that would be since I ran at the same pace!
I have my first video consult tomorrow morning at 8. I'm pretty excited about it. I have a list of questions, but other than that I'm not sure what to expect.
I'm not sure if he'll have me weigh in during our consult times or not. I kind of hope I can keep my Tuesday measurement, since that was the day I started.
I found out that I have to go to meetings in another city next week with my supervising teacher for my internship. This has me nervous for several reasons, but the relevant one is that we'll have to either go out for lunch or it will be catered. Since I don't know the people I'll be with very well, I won't have any input on where we go (I know my personality), so I'm going to discuss that with my consultant tomorrow. I'm imagining he'll say to just do the best I can. If possible, I'll aim for grilled or roasted chicken, a salad, and some rice, I think. If they have it catered all bets are off! Last time I was there for a catered lunch it was pizza, wings, and caesar salad - yikes!
Oh, I forgot about a win I had yesterday. We had the awful stew for supper and, knowing ahead of time it wasn't going to be a hit with my family, I made a batch of beautiful fluffy biscuits to go with it. I didn't even consider eating one - for some reason I haven't been that tempted to eat anything off-plan. I think it's because I know I have to check in tomorrow morning.
Time to go saute some green beans to go with my chicken strips. Have you ever measured out 2 cups of green beans?? It is a lot of food.
Edited to add: the chicken strips were delicious! A bit too spicy so I'll decrease (eliminate) the cayenne pepper next time.
My headache stayed at bay until 5:30 today. They've been coming progressively later in the day each day (yesterday was 3:30, the day before was 1:30 - I'm sure they haven't started exactly 26 hours apart, but approximately :) ). I'm glad for that and hope that soon they will be a thing of the past.
I'm also finding my energy levels returning enough to focus, but not really enough to do a good workout. I went for a run after lunch and managed to keep a similar pace to my last run (5k in 34:07), but it felt tough. I checked my average heart rate when I was done, and it was almost 20 bpm less than my last run ... I have no idea why that would be since I ran at the same pace!
I have my first video consult tomorrow morning at 8. I'm pretty excited about it. I have a list of questions, but other than that I'm not sure what to expect.
I'm not sure if he'll have me weigh in during our consult times or not. I kind of hope I can keep my Tuesday measurement, since that was the day I started.
I found out that I have to go to meetings in another city next week with my supervising teacher for my internship. This has me nervous for several reasons, but the relevant one is that we'll have to either go out for lunch or it will be catered. Since I don't know the people I'll be with very well, I won't have any input on where we go (I know my personality), so I'm going to discuss that with my consultant tomorrow. I'm imagining he'll say to just do the best I can. If possible, I'll aim for grilled or roasted chicken, a salad, and some rice, I think. If they have it catered all bets are off! Last time I was there for a catered lunch it was pizza, wings, and caesar salad - yikes!
Oh, I forgot about a win I had yesterday. We had the awful stew for supper and, knowing ahead of time it wasn't going to be a hit with my family, I made a batch of beautiful fluffy biscuits to go with it. I didn't even consider eating one - for some reason I haven't been that tempted to eat anything off-plan. I think it's because I know I have to check in tomorrow morning.
Time to go saute some green beans to go with my chicken strips. Have you ever measured out 2 cups of green beans?? It is a lot of food.
Edited to add: the chicken strips were delicious! A bit too spicy so I'll decrease (eliminate) the cayenne pepper next time.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Week 1, Day 3
The good news is that the hunger wasn't as bad today. I'm guessing it's because breakfast consisted of two pieces of toast with peanut butter. That's a lot more filling than an egg white omelette.
I entered my eating yesterday into MyFitnessPal.com and wasn't surprised to find out I'm eating just over 1200 calories a day. What I *was* surprised to see is that I'm eating approximately equal proportions of carbs and proteins (38% each) and 24% fat. I thought carbs would be lower and protein higher. It must be all the fruit.
The bad news is that I did something I knew I shouldn't have - I got on the scale today. Not as good as I would have hoped - 140. I am really hoping to lose a few pounds this week. Another 5 days to go ...
It's now the end of the evening and today was much better than yesterday. Advil kept the headaches away, I only had one can of Diet Coke (yay!) and I actually *forgot* to eat my afternoon snack! My time frames got kind of messed up today so I ate breakfast at 9, snack (apple) around 12, and then lunch around 3. Supper was at 6:30. It actually worked out quite well, but it won't work once the fall starts.
Oh, supper tonight was the first yucky recipe I've tried. I won't be making it again and will be throwing out the leftovers. It was a vegetable and beef stew - emphasis on the vegetable. But it just didn't work (who likes broccoli in their stew??). Thankfully I have choices with each meal, so I won't have to eat it again.
I'm much less hungry tonight and was able to concentrate better today. I think I might be over the first hurdle! I am getting very excited for my first consult on Saturday morning.
No workout today - hopefully tomorrow.
I entered my eating yesterday into MyFitnessPal.com and wasn't surprised to find out I'm eating just over 1200 calories a day. What I *was* surprised to see is that I'm eating approximately equal proportions of carbs and proteins (38% each) and 24% fat. I thought carbs would be lower and protein higher. It must be all the fruit.
The bad news is that I did something I knew I shouldn't have - I got on the scale today. Not as good as I would have hoped - 140. I am really hoping to lose a few pounds this week. Another 5 days to go ...
It's now the end of the evening and today was much better than yesterday. Advil kept the headaches away, I only had one can of Diet Coke (yay!) and I actually *forgot* to eat my afternoon snack! My time frames got kind of messed up today so I ate breakfast at 9, snack (apple) around 12, and then lunch around 3. Supper was at 6:30. It actually worked out quite well, but it won't work once the fall starts.
Oh, supper tonight was the first yucky recipe I've tried. I won't be making it again and will be throwing out the leftovers. It was a vegetable and beef stew - emphasis on the vegetable. But it just didn't work (who likes broccoli in their stew??). Thankfully I have choices with each meal, so I won't have to eat it again.
I'm much less hungry tonight and was able to concentrate better today. I think I might be over the first hurdle! I am getting very excited for my first consult on Saturday morning.
No workout today - hopefully tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Week 1, Day 2
I was never one for clever blog post titles ...
I went to bed starving last night with a headache, so I wasn't looking forward to waking up this morning. Surprisingly I woke up with more energy than usual (probably because I went to bed in good time) and wasn't starving. I ended up eating breakfast around 9 - another omelette and fruit combo.
In these first few days, I'm coming to realize that if I'm going to exercise it's going to have to be in the mornings or afternoons as supper does not give me the energy I need. I'm hoping this will change once my body adjusts to this new style of eating.
Since I'm supposed to be doing some strength training for SFL I did a couple of segments of Jillian Michaels' 'No More Trouble Zones' after breakfast. I'm missing one of my 5 lb weights - I really need to pick another one up before I do too much more strength training!
I was really hungry by lunch time and was glad for all the food! I didn't have any trouble finishing and it took about an hour for the blood sugar to climb up again. I had a massive headache after lunch, so I had 1/2 a can of Diet Coke and a couple of Advil. TOM, limiting Diet Coke, *and* limiting carb consumption does not make for a good combination!
I'm finding (as I've found before when limiting carbs) that I have trouble focusing. Again, I'm hoping this will get better as my body adjusts to the changes, but I'll definitely bring it up with my consultant. I can't start teaching in the fall unable to finish my sentences!
Supper is up next and I think I'm going to saute some green beans along with my chicken. Then more fruit for a snack later tonight and that's it for today! I am so glad I am accountable to my consultant and that it is an external plan that someone else made up for me. It shouldn't matter, but for some reason it makes it easier to stick to.
I'm definitely having a can of Diet Coke tonight - bringing the total to 1.5 for the day. Better than the two yesterday :) Wonder if I'll be able to stick to one tomorrow! I love saving it for the evening after the kids are in bed. Some people like to unwind with some wine ... I'll take a Diet Coke :)
I went to bed starving last night with a headache, so I wasn't looking forward to waking up this morning. Surprisingly I woke up with more energy than usual (probably because I went to bed in good time) and wasn't starving. I ended up eating breakfast around 9 - another omelette and fruit combo.
In these first few days, I'm coming to realize that if I'm going to exercise it's going to have to be in the mornings or afternoons as supper does not give me the energy I need. I'm hoping this will change once my body adjusts to this new style of eating.
Since I'm supposed to be doing some strength training for SFL I did a couple of segments of Jillian Michaels' 'No More Trouble Zones' after breakfast. I'm missing one of my 5 lb weights - I really need to pick another one up before I do too much more strength training!
I was really hungry by lunch time and was glad for all the food! I didn't have any trouble finishing and it took about an hour for the blood sugar to climb up again. I had a massive headache after lunch, so I had 1/2 a can of Diet Coke and a couple of Advil. TOM, limiting Diet Coke, *and* limiting carb consumption does not make for a good combination!
I'm finding (as I've found before when limiting carbs) that I have trouble focusing. Again, I'm hoping this will get better as my body adjusts to the changes, but I'll definitely bring it up with my consultant. I can't start teaching in the fall unable to finish my sentences!
Supper is up next and I think I'm going to saute some green beans along with my chicken. Then more fruit for a snack later tonight and that's it for today! I am so glad I am accountable to my consultant and that it is an external plan that someone else made up for me. It shouldn't matter, but for some reason it makes it easier to stick to.
I'm definitely having a can of Diet Coke tonight - bringing the total to 1.5 for the day. Better than the two yesterday :) Wonder if I'll be able to stick to one tomorrow! I love saving it for the evening after the kids are in bed. Some people like to unwind with some wine ... I'll take a Diet Coke :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Made it through Day One
I had a pretty good first day, I think. I started out with weighing in this morning and then went to make breakfast.
It was a fairly small breakfast, but I actually liked that. I'm not a huge breakfast eater to start with. I found it was just the right amount of food.
I had some nuts for a snack mid-morning and was still feeling good, although raw almonds are kind of gross (unless mine were just stale).
Lunch was the story of the day. It was HUGE! Look at all that food! At this point, I had emailed my consultant about whether or not I could make a salad count for my 'two cups of vegetables' or if I could saute them. Since I hadn't heard either way (the answer was yes) I played it safe and just forced down plain raw veggies.
Mid-afternoon snack was an apple. I'll admit by the time mid-afternoon came I was starting to get hungry and was already worried about supper.
And well I should have been! This was supper - a salad and some meat. I am used to supper being the main meal of the day, and knowing I only had a bit of fruit to look forward to to get me through the entire evening I was very worried.
I've managed to make it, but I did drink an extra Diet Coke tonight. I still have a headache, so I'm okay with that slight deviation. I drank between 2.5 and 3 litres of water as well.
Tonight's snack was a cup of grapes. It's now just about bedtime. I can see that not eating at night will get me in bed earlier! I can't make it from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. without food.
Overall I would give myself a pretty good grade for my first day on plan. I ate what I was supposed to, when I was supposed to, and didn't eat even a bite that wasn't measured and on my paper.
I have some leftovers from today, so tomorrow's menu is going to be pretty much identical. I might switch out some veggies (I have some fresh green beans just dying to be eaten), but I won't recap like this every day :)
I had some nuts for a snack mid-morning and was still feeling good, although raw almonds are kind of gross (unless mine were just stale).
Lunch was the story of the day. It was HUGE! Look at all that food! At this point, I had emailed my consultant about whether or not I could make a salad count for my 'two cups of vegetables' or if I could saute them. Since I hadn't heard either way (the answer was yes) I played it safe and just forced down plain raw veggies.Mid-afternoon snack was an apple. I'll admit by the time mid-afternoon came I was starting to get hungry and was already worried about supper.
And well I should have been! This was supper - a salad and some meat. I am used to supper being the main meal of the day, and knowing I only had a bit of fruit to look forward to to get me through the entire evening I was very worried.
I've managed to make it, but I did drink an extra Diet Coke tonight. I still have a headache, so I'm okay with that slight deviation. I drank between 2.5 and 3 litres of water as well.
Tonight's snack was a cup of grapes. It's now just about bedtime. I can see that not eating at night will get me in bed earlier! I can't make it from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. without food.
Overall I would give myself a pretty good grade for my first day on plan. I ate what I was supposed to, when I was supposed to, and didn't eat even a bite that wasn't measured and on my paper.
I have some leftovers from today, so tomorrow's menu is going to be pretty much identical. I might switch out some veggies (I have some fresh green beans just dying to be eaten), but I won't recap like this every day :)
Week One - Grocery Trip
So I did manage to get my food yesterday. I heard from my consultant this morning and we're going to chat on Saturday (yes - Saturday - have I mentioned how painfully s-l-o-w this process has been?) but that I could start the plan today, thankfully.
The total cost of food for the week was around $150. Of course, I had most of the meat in my freezer, but had to buy some condiments that will last more than a week. Plus, I'm buying for 5 people. Overall, not too bad. I also bought a food scale (not included in the $150). It's so pretty and I love seeing it sit on my counter!
Here's what my fridge looked like this morning:
The Smarties at the top were for a snack I had to make for VBS this afternoon - honest! They're gone now (and I didn't eat any of them).
I need to eat 12 servings of fruit (I think), a bunch of egg whites, and about a million cups of vegetables!
Many of the things in my cupboards and fridge are going to end up going bad, since our eating is changing so drastically. Hopefully that will free up space for more produce.
I'm thinking of picking up some more Tupperware containers that keep the produce fresh (bottom right corner). They're wonderful!
And this is the pantry stuff (there is no room in my fridge for the extra apples):
It's kind of cool knowing where all my food for one week is.
I tend to be a bit of a hoarder with pantry staples when there are sales, but there is so much fresh food on this plan I can't see that being as beneficial.
Have I mentioned I love the recipes?
In the next post I will detail my first day on the food plan. It's mid-afternoon now and so far, so good!
I did manage to get a run in last night. Just 5k, and it was very painful. My legs have been aching when I run lately - hopefully Peter is picking up some new sneakers while he's in the city for a few days.
Unfortunately, because he's away for three days, I won't get to run outside much this week. I'm thinking maybe some strength training tonight.
The total cost of food for the week was around $150. Of course, I had most of the meat in my freezer, but had to buy some condiments that will last more than a week. Plus, I'm buying for 5 people. Overall, not too bad. I also bought a food scale (not included in the $150). It's so pretty and I love seeing it sit on my counter!
Here's what my fridge looked like this morning:
The Smarties at the top were for a snack I had to make for VBS this afternoon - honest! They're gone now (and I didn't eat any of them).
I need to eat 12 servings of fruit (I think), a bunch of egg whites, and about a million cups of vegetables!
Many of the things in my cupboards and fridge are going to end up going bad, since our eating is changing so drastically. Hopefully that will free up space for more produce.
I'm thinking of picking up some more Tupperware containers that keep the produce fresh (bottom right corner). They're wonderful!
And this is the pantry stuff (there is no room in my fridge for the extra apples):
I tend to be a bit of a hoarder with pantry staples when there are sales, but there is so much fresh food on this plan I can't see that being as beneficial.
Have I mentioned I love the recipes?
In the next post I will detail my first day on the food plan. It's mid-afternoon now and so far, so good!
I did manage to get a run in last night. Just 5k, and it was very painful. My legs have been aching when I run lately - hopefully Peter is picking up some new sneakers while he's in the city for a few days.
Unfortunately, because he's away for three days, I won't get to run outside much this week. I'm thinking maybe some strength training tonight.
Starting Measurements
I'm a bit scared to post these on here, but since it's a private blog at the moment here we go:
Starting weight: 140.4 lbs
Current weight: 140.4 lbs
Goal weight: 120 lbs
Waist: 36.5" (yikes!)
Hips: 40"
Thigh (r): 23.5"
Bicep (r): 11"
I'm not sure what's even reasonable to expect for the first week. I won't be taking measurements again until next month, but for weight ... I'm hoping for a big week!
Looks like weigh-in day will be Tuesdays ...
Starting weight: 140.4 lbs
Current weight: 140.4 lbs
Goal weight: 120 lbs
Waist: 36.5" (yikes!)
Hips: 40"
Thigh (r): 23.5"
Bicep (r): 11"
I'm not sure what's even reasonable to expect for the first week. I won't be taking measurements again until next month, but for weight ... I'm hoping for a big week!
Looks like weigh-in day will be Tuesdays ...
Sunday, August 19, 2012
First Meal Plan
This morning an email containing my first meal plan showed up in my mailbox! I was not expecting to receive it before I had a meeting with my consultant, so I'm feeling a bit lost. I'm glad to have received it, though!
The first thing I noticed (other than the yucky formatting) was that there is so much choice! And ... it has actual recipes - not just roasted chicken breast and a salad. I was super excited about that, as I love to cook and would get really bored if I had to eat dry chicken breast and salad 15 times a week.
Also, it seems like way more food than I was expecting. It's going to take me a while to figure out a grocery list, but I'm hoping to head to Moose Jaw this afternoon. Maybe even all by myself? That would be a treat!
Oh, and the most exciting part - I can have one Diet Coke a day. That is huge for me!
I still have a couple of questions about the meal plan, so I'm hoping to hear from my consultant soon ...
The first thing I noticed (other than the yucky formatting) was that there is so much choice! And ... it has actual recipes - not just roasted chicken breast and a salad. I was super excited about that, as I love to cook and would get really bored if I had to eat dry chicken breast and salad 15 times a week.
Also, it seems like way more food than I was expecting. It's going to take me a while to figure out a grocery list, but I'm hoping to head to Moose Jaw this afternoon. Maybe even all by myself? That would be a treat!
Oh, and the most exciting part - I can have one Diet Coke a day. That is huge for me!
I still have a couple of questions about the meal plan, so I'm hoping to hear from my consultant soon ...
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Fresh Start
So, at work we are constantly telling people that there's no shame in making a fresh start when they've fallen off the budgeting bandwagon. However, in my heart of hearts, I'm not sure I really believe that. Sometimes I feel like I 'make a fresh start' so often in my own life (interestingly enough, not with my budget - we've been consistent with that for over two years) that it becomes kind of a joke. How many times can I really say 'I'm going to quit drinking Diet Coke' or 'I'm going to reach my goal of being 125 lbs' or 'I'm going to do my personal devotions each day' until I stop believing myself because I've started and failed so many times?
Now at my highest ever non-pregnancy weight, I've decided to enlist some outside help. I just signed up for Simply for Life (http://www.simplyforlife.com/main.html). I honestly don't know a lot about their diet philosophy other than it involves a weekly discussion with a coach / nutritionist and they will plan my menus for it. Oh yeah, and that many of my friends have had success on this plan and seem to love it. It seems reasonable - lots of lean protein and fresh produce - so I'm giving it a shot. The other part to it is that it's expensive!! Over $200 for the first month, and just over $100 a month after that. And you have to sign up for 6 months at a time. I'm hoping the money I'm spending will act as extra motivation.
I sent in my completed questionnaire and payment information today. I'm expecting to be up and running by early next week (although they are S-L-O-W at SFL! If I become a long-time client I will let them know I almost backed out because of how unprofessional the whole sign-up process was).
Of course, knowing that this is probably my last weekend of 'freedom,' I'm eating so much junk! I know it doesn't make sense but I'm not really interested in fighting it at the moment.
Time for (hopefully) my last fresh start!
Now at my highest ever non-pregnancy weight, I've decided to enlist some outside help. I just signed up for Simply for Life (http://www.simplyforlife.com/main.html). I honestly don't know a lot about their diet philosophy other than it involves a weekly discussion with a coach / nutritionist and they will plan my menus for it. Oh yeah, and that many of my friends have had success on this plan and seem to love it. It seems reasonable - lots of lean protein and fresh produce - so I'm giving it a shot. The other part to it is that it's expensive!! Over $200 for the first month, and just over $100 a month after that. And you have to sign up for 6 months at a time. I'm hoping the money I'm spending will act as extra motivation.
I sent in my completed questionnaire and payment information today. I'm expecting to be up and running by early next week (although they are S-L-O-W at SFL! If I become a long-time client I will let them know I almost backed out because of how unprofessional the whole sign-up process was).
Of course, knowing that this is probably my last weekend of 'freedom,' I'm eating so much junk! I know it doesn't make sense but I'm not really interested in fighting it at the moment.
Time for (hopefully) my last fresh start!
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