Monday, January 31, 2011

Days 12 - 14: recap & weigh-in

Ugh.

That is the only word that can accurately describe how I feel about my diet this past week. I cheated like 6 times.

I was good on Friday. I ate yogurt and cheese and nuts and then made scallops, broccoli, and bacon-wrapped steak for dinner.

Then the weekend came. I had designated Saturday for cheat day, because we were having a Chili festival, so cheat I did: beer, chili, chips with clam dip, cookies with Funfetti, s'more brownies, vodka etc.

Sunday also came with some cheating: burger w/ french fries for lunch. Dinner @ Panera (cobb salad, macncheese).

Despite all of this cheating, I weighed 152.2 on Sunday morning. How this is possible, I don't know.

What this means is that I lost .4 pounds over the past week, which makes no sense because I ate my little heart out. Not that .4 pounds is anything exciting, but still. I'm shocked I didn't gain all four pounds that I lost back!

Weigh - In Recap

1st weigh in:
156.4
Last weigh in:
152.6
Most recent weigh in:
152.2
Total weight loss:
4.2 lbs

I mean, it's not much, but it's definitely something.

Today, I put on a pair of skinny jeans and they slid on quite nicely. I was excited about it.

I'm vowing to be good this week. So much better than last week.

Food for thought

Brunch: one low fat string cheese, 3 slices of turkey breast

Late Lunch: one 100 calorie yogurt, 2 cups of banana chips with crunchy peanut butter, bottle of water

Dinner: two pieces of sashimi tuna w/veggies, steak salad with bacon vinaigrette, hot cocoa with whipped cream vodka

Friday, January 28, 2011

Day 11: snow day indulgences

I have been SO bad this week. I feel horribly, terribly guilty for my lack of resolution and inability to resist deliciousness.

I was quite horrified to step on a scale mid-day yesterday [gotta do it when you can!] and see that my weight was back at 156. Of course, this was the middle of the day and I was wearing clothes...so hopefully that factors in a few pounds. Hopefully.

Not that I deserve to be at 152. After the cheats earlier this week and the cheats today coupled with lack of gym-age, it would serve me right to be 170. *Shudder*

Here's the cheat-o-rific breakdown. I cringe thinking about it:

Breakfast: non-existent

Lunch: sesame chicken with noodles & corn, coffee

Dinner: turkey breast wrapped in provolone, pickles, green apple, Dr. Pepper

After dinner: two mini snickers bars, 2 cups of Diet Pepsi

Verdict: FAIL.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Day 10: cheater cheater bagel eater

It's true. I've been really bad in the last 24 hours. This is what happens when I am bored and living in one room.

Last night while on duty, I consumed a cup of Diet Pepsi. It was delectable. I also had 3 mini snickers. Evil people leaving delicious and tempting things around! I have no willpower at midnight after a super-long day :(

Today, I went to a breakfast meeting and obviously had to have a bagel. I was like Okay, that's fine. I had my Diet Pepsi last night and I'll count that as one cheat and then the bagel will be my second cheat for the week and then I still get a full cheat day. I'm golden.

And I was. Until five minutes ago, when I returned to my room and realized that I had nothing to do except play the Sims and glare at a box of goldfish smiling at me from atop my closet. Eat me! the smile said. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time saying No to a smile.

Breakfast: 1 bagel with low fat cream cheese, cup of coffee

Lunch: 100 calorie blueberry yogurt, 1 low-fat string cheese, a handful of almonds

Dinner: 1 hot dog, 5 celery stalks with peanut butter

After dinner - at 11 p.m., nonetheless! : cup'o'goldfish

As I sit in my bed enjoying my cup of carbs with the sleet pelting my window, I dream of a better time, 48 hours ago, when I was merrily refraining from eating at all and feeling optimistic about the gym days to come. Oh, how quickly the might have fallen! And oh, how quickly will my weight rise!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Day 9: settling

Aside from having to get up at 6 a.m., I'm having a great day! Having such an early start to my day means that I can have a more regulated meal schedule - which is much healthier than my usual one-meal-a-day.

I am really liking my schedule so far this semester. Even though it's only the second day, I feel like I'm starting to settle into my routine and also into a better meal routine. I plan on using the kitchen to prepare foods whenever I'm on duty and on the nights when I'm in the building (for simple things, like tonight's lentil soup). For breakfast, I normally grab a yogurt and one other thing and I hope to have lunch at Res at least 3x a week. [I also wanted to go to the gym at least 3x a week, and we all know how that's working out...]. But anyway, yes. Schedule = good.

Today =

Breakfast: vanilla Chobani yogurt with almonds & dried cranberries, cup of green tea with honey

Lunch: eggplant & chickpea curry, black beans with guacamole, banana, chocolate milk

Snack: green tea with mint, nectarine

Dinner: lentil soup

Day 8: One week in!

I'm having my week-aversary today with this no-carb diet, and I have to say it's been a pretty delightful relationship thus far. I did another weigh-in this morning and am at 152.6 (went up .2 lbs since weigh in 3 days ago...I can thank pizza, Coldstone & chocolate for that!), but I'm still pleased with my results. I mean, if I lost four pounds every week, I could be nonexistent in 39 weeks. Awesome.

I still haven't made it to the gym yet, which is a bummer. But how can I be expected to want to go when it's either -100 degrees out or snowing all the time? Seriously.

Today, I finished the last of my three Chobani yogurts.

Chobani verdict: Thanks, but no thanks. I found the consistency to be awkward, the flavor to be sour, and the price to be expensive [comparatively]. I had to mix a ton of trail mix or other things to tone down the taste of the yogurt. All in all, it wasn't a very satisfying experience. I think I'll stick with my Yoplait 100 calorie cups, thanks.

Food for thought

Breakfast: honey chobani yogurt with tropical trail mix, one low-fat string cheese

Lunch: one low-fat string cheese, apple

Snack: cup of orange pekoe tea, 1/2 of a dark chocolate-peppermint candy bar

Dinner: a happy accident! I bought tilapia, but turns out that magical ponies have a certain distaste for such fish. Improvised and made a veggie stir-fry with asparagus, bean sprouts, mushrooms, onions and black beans in an herb-garlic marinade. Honestly, it was like the most delicious thing I've eaten in a long time. Also had 1/2 of a glass of Merlot.

Suggestion: bean sprouts are a GREAT substitute for pasta. They take on the flavor of any marinade and still add some substance to your meal. I plan on keeping them in stock.

Also, I'm making an addendum to my diet. I know I said no eating after 8 p.m., but on nights like tonight when I don't get to even make dinner until 8:30/9, that doesn't really work. So here we go: No snacking after 8 p.m. No full meals after 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Day 7: Awesome cake

Today, I put on a pair of pants that were a little tight for me towards the end of the semester and they are officially too big! I mean - don't get me wrong, my hips will hold up any pair of pants - but they now give me horrible sag-ass and bag in the legs.

I am hoping to some day fit back into the pants I've been holding on to since Sophomore year. I realize this is a long stretch, since I looked mildly anorexic back in those days. And you know what? Even when I was mad skinny, I still wore a size 6/8. Thank you, hips. I shall never ever be capable of wearing anything smaller than that.

I tried the Chobani yogurt this morning (pomegranate flavor) and wasn't too excited by it. It had a strange texture and I noted that there is a lot of sugar & carbohydrates in it. I understand that it has a lot protein, but I'm not sure why everyone is so into it. Enlighten me?

Speaking of food:

Breakfast/Lunch: 1 pomegranate Chobani with a handful of raw almonds and dried cranberries mixed in, 1 low-fat string cheese, a handful of creme-brulee almonds

Early dinner: 3 slices of low-fat deli turkey, a handful of Wasabi peas, an apple, a cup of mint green tea

I might have another small snack around 7, since I ate "dinner" at 4:30. I have to say that so far, the no eating after 8 thing is working out well. In general, this whole diet is working well. I am SHOCKED by how much I don't miss carbs. Zero cravings. None.

I am also feeling really really good. I worried that I would feel lethargic, but I don't. I went to Old Navy today and felt SO good about myself. Everything looked great. Additionally, I was able to score two sweaters, a dress, three fancy shirts, two long sleeve shirts, a scarf, and an insulated lunchbox for under $50, so that was icing on the awesome cake.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Day 6: cheat day & results

So I did my first weigh-in on Tuesday and weighed 156.4 lb. Today, I weighed in at 152.4... Which means that I've lost exactly 4 lbs! Holllla! I am now only 3 lbs away from being under 150, which is sexy....and only 12.4 lbs away from my goal weight. I'm SO okay with it!

Of course, today happens to be cheat day...hopefully this influx of cals won't go straight to my hips!

Breakfast: waffles, coffee ( both made by a magical pony)

Lunch: small bowl of sesame ginger stirfry (carb-free with corn, spinach, peapods, chicken, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms)

Dinner: cheese pizza, diet pepsi, and a "like it" cheesecake fantasy ice cream @ Coldstone

Well, there go the four pounds I lost!

On the bright side, I bought the Chobani yogurt that everyone has been recommending to me and I am eager to try it. I am also surprisingly looking forward to being back on my diet tomorrow. The first time I went food-shopping, I felt very overwhelmed by everything that I couldn't eat. Today, I had an easier time spotting things that I could & actually wanted to eat. I bought black bean burgers and a western veggie mix, as well.

In addition to allowing myself one full cheat day per week, I am also allowing myself two small cheats a week. So, for instance, the one bag of pita chips I consumed earlier this week plus one cup of diet pepsi plus all of the stuff I ate today would = my total cheats for the week. I think that sounds pretty reasonable.

Today, when i say "I can do this," I have way more faith that I can.

I just need to start going to the gym and I will be golden. 140 here I come!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Day 5: so far, so good

Today I am SO tired. I stayed up really late last night putting the finishing touches on my hallway in preparation for my residents, who will return on Sunday.

On a good note, though, my diet today has been pretty stellar!

Breakfast: one 100-calorie yogurt, 1 cup of tropical trail mix [dried pineapple, banana chips, raisins, papaya, coconut], water

Lunch: one low-fat string cheese, 1/2 cup of dried apples, 1/3 cup of honey-roasted almonds

Dinner: low fat kielbasa sautéed with peppers and onions, honey balsamic green beans, bloody Mary

Day 4: win some, lose some

Aside from my epic breakfast fail [read: 2 donuts!], I was actually able to redeem myself somewhat with my food intake for the rest of the day.

Breakfast: one chocolate glazed donut, one apple crumb donut, 1 cup of cranberry juice

Quick Lunch: (I legit only had 10 minutes to eat) 1 cup of minestrone soup [didn't eat the noodles], 1 cup of diet pepsi [eh, small slip. it's just so good!]

Dinner: 5 slices of turkey wrapped in 2 slices of swiss cheese, one soup bowl of steamed broccoli, 1 cup of skim milk, 1 cup of coffee with 2 creamers and 2 sugars

According to Alli, I should be consuming 1400 calories a day. I'm not sure if what I'm eating contains that many calories, though I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that those donuts definitely satisfied my daily cal intake!

It was nice to reintroduce a fresh veggie and some fruit juice into my repertoire. Thanks, UMD. I look forward to eating more of your offerings in the near future.

On another note, it would be awesome if I weren't too tired to go to the gym every day. And also if it didn't snow, thus making the gym even less desirable.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Day 3: the thing about diets is...

that they're self imposed. If you're a closet carb-eater, who is going to know it once the doors are shut? The only person you have to answer to is yourself. The only thing you feel is guilt and regret. There are no immediate consequences for your slips.

Still, I suppose feeling guilty is enough to prove that you have had a change in thinking...which has to mean something, right?

So yes, dear blog readers, what this means is that I did indeed eat a 200 calorie bag of parmesan garlic & herb pita chips at around 7:30 this evening. It was an impulsive move on my part. This is what I get for not ridding my room of all dietary-no-nos (I just couldn't stand the thought of throwing away all of that food!).

Also, it has come to my attention that I'm not really going to be able to do a good job with the diet this week. We will be eating mostly bagged meals and options will be extremely limited. In other words, if I want to eat at all, I don't really have much of a choice. And tomorrow happens to be a donut breakfast. That's the only option. Donuts. I don't even like donuts that much. But just thinking about being able to cheat and eat one is giving me a slight thrill. Is that normal?

I've been talking to a lot of people about dieting, etc. I signed up for alli.com - which is a website which provides pills for people who want to lose weight. I'm not going to buy the pills, but I am going to use their tips and dietary guidance to help me on my journey. According to their website, my BMI is in a healthy range, so hooray on that! I'm not considered obese by a bullshit bunch of standards!

I've also been weighing the pros and cons of limiting myself from eating something. It might have averse effects. For instance, I felt so devilishly guilty eating those pita chips that I enjoyed them more than I would have on a normal occassion. And the same goes for the donuts. Normally, I would just be like Eh, donuts...whatever. But because I told myself that I can't have them, I'm all DONUTS?!!!!!!?!?!?!!! WOOT!

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Is it good that I feel guilty because it means that I am being more conscious of my consumption or is it bad because I am getting more excited about my indulgences? What potential habits could this create for me? Could it lead to binge eating or more closet behavior?

Lots of questions.

Anyway, up until my pita chip slip, I was doing pretty well for myself:

Breakfast: 100 calorie fat free yogurt, 1/3 cup tropical fruit trail mix

Lunch: 1 low fat string cheese, 4 slices of low fat deli turkey, 1 cup of dried cranberries & almonds, 5 chocolate meringues (which are basically egg whites and cocoa powder in a light and fluffy form - super low calorie, low-carb and low-fat)

Dinner: small bag of parmesan garlic & herb pita chips (which only had 28g of carbs...9% of the RDV), green tea with mint [healthiest. dinner. ever.]

What's missing from my diet? Fruits and vegetables and substantial protein. I am loving the deli meat, but my sides are lacking. I'm definitely looking forward to the start of the regular school year so I can help balance myself out a little bit. It's clear to me that I won't be meeting my body's nutritional needs if I keep eating out of a dorm fridge and a microwave. Translation: I need a kitchen!!!!!

And for those of you who were wondering: I didn't go to the gym today. My pass isn't activated yet and I can't get into it. However, I may or may have not have done some high-quality dance-aerobics to David Guetta in my room *cough*. This is one time when it's perfectly okay to indulge behind a closed door.

Tomorrow = donuts for breakfast. no gym. lots of sitting through boring things. and no idea as to what the rest of the day's menu holds. I am going to try to be healthy about this, but I make no promises.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Day 2: Epic shopping adventure

Ok, so it wasn't really epic. I'd say it was closer to a sad, sad day...walking down all of those aisles full of foods that I can't eat. They mocked me. They tempted me. I kept on walking.

This is going to be really hard. Not having a full kitchen severely limits my options because I have to have foods that are already prepared. There are not many prepared foods without bread or breading or pasta or rice of some sort.

I wouldn't be able to do this diet at all if I didn't allow myself dairy & fruit.

Rest in peace, dear bagels, goldfish, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, cookies, french fries, macaroni and cheese, pizza, dr. pepper, etc.

Here's what I DID buy:

- frozen green beans w/ almonds
- brussel sprouts
- cheddar broccoli
- almonds
- dried fruit (bananas, apples, mangos, cranberries)
- sunflower seeds
- light, fat free yogurt
- low fat mozzarella string cheese
- 98% fat free deli turkey
- low fat deli ham
- black beans
- lentil soup
- hot dogs
- tea / coffee / honey (which i'm going to use as a sugar substitute)
- peanut butter
- boiled soy beans (edamame)
- sparkling water (to help me phase out diet pepsi)

I bought all of this stuff at Wal-mart - hence the lack of fresh produce. I am definitely going to add those kind of things into my repertoire, but I'm gonna do it on the University's dime and eat THEIR fresh [shudder] produce, instead. Thanks, free meal plan.

I also got a link to this awesome article about why the the scale lies, courtesy of Jackie Bates.

First weigh in
156.4 lb
Of course, I am menstrual, so that's got to count for something...I hope. In the above article it mentions that women tend to hold on to a lot of water weight in the beginning stages of their period. Go away, water! I do not want my body to retain water like a cactus. I am plenty hydrated, thanks.

Food for thought

Breakfast: handful of honey-roasted almonds, 100 calorie yogurt

Lunch:
3 pieces of deli turkey, 1 serving of dried apples, handful of creme-brulee almonds

Snack: tropical fruit trail mix

Dinner: 1 hot dog, 1 low-fat string cheese, 1 fat free chocolate pudding, 1 cup of green tea

Monday, January 17, 2011

Ch-ch-changes









Here is what I look like now. I weigh 155 pounds.

I suppose that I don't carry that extra 25 pounds TERRIBLY, per se. But you can see the difference, can't you? I look lithe and svelte and thin and awesome in the two sophomore year pictures compared to now. I don't think I could lose 25 pounds or look like that again. But it's good motivation to know that I looked that way once and could find a happy medium between the two weights. If I could get down to 140, I'd be thrilled. Hell, if I could do 145, that'd be enough for me.

The thing about weight is that it's like a phantom. I worked out ALL summer for the last two summers every single day and dieted and I didn't really lose any weight. People told me I looked better, but the scale said otherwise. I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, but it's still disheartening.

Semester work-out and diet plans

Since I left Florida, I have not been very good to my body! On Saturday [travel day] I ate a pastry for breakfast and then went to a sushi buffet with my sister for lunch/dinner (SO MUCH SUSHI!!!). On Sunday, I had a lazy day and ate pancakes, bacon, chips, and pizza. I feel gross thinking about it.

I have also not exercised.

Curses, real life!

So here's the plan. I've finally mapped out my semester's schedule and have 3 time slots per week to go to the gym. Which isn't as fabulous as my summer or Florida regimen, but is definitely better than what I did last semester. When I go to the gym, I am going to continue to do the elliptical and the treadmill, hopefully working my way down to a 9 minute mile!

Additionally, I am going to be on a diet. Some of my friends are on a 4 Hour Body diet and have had amazing results - losing around 10 pounds in 2 weeks (crazy!). I am not going to put the same extreme restrictions on my diet, but I realize my current diet needs modifying. Over the school year, I eat one big meal a day and then have a few snacks. This isn't healthy.

Here's my adapted diet:

- High protein
- Lots of greens
- No breads of any kind
- No pasta or chips or pizza or bagels or cookies or any simple carbs
- No soda
- Little dairy intake (low fat, low sodium only)
- No eating after 8 p.m.
- Make sure to eat 2-3 meals a day
- Do not drink my calories (ie, limit sugary, high-calorie drinks)

The 4 Hour Body asks suggests giving up dairy, but I'm not going to. I plan on having low-fat yogurts for breakfast because I don't have a kitchen and am at the mercy of the Sodexo gods. My fridge is going to be stocked with lunch meats, hummus, veggies, fruit, yogurt, and cheese.

I started today and here is my menu:

Food for thought

Lunch: salad with cherries, walnuts, chicken and poppyseed dressing, bottle of seltzer

Dinner: spinach with barbecue chicken, avocado, tomatoes, corn, and black beans

Like the 4 Hour Body diet, I am allowing myself one cheat day per week - which means that I can eat whatever I want.

I realize that this is going to be an extremely hard diet to follow, since I can't cook for myself. Most of my meals come from the cafeteria, and who knows WHAT is in that food? For lunch, I am going to eat mostly deli meats with a side salad, but I'm worried that I am going to get bored with the offerings.

We'll see how it goes!

I am going to continue to update every day if I can and am going to do a weigh-in every week. I'm simultaneously optimistic and realistic, but I think this is going to be good for me. As long as I can stick with it...

Last day :(

My final day in Florida, I had the best workout of the week!

I started off by going to the gym and doing 2 miles on the elliptical, weight machines (with extra reps!), and the usual 1 mile on the treadmill. I had come to think of the treadmill as a self-challenge, so I tried to - again - beat my time. I was able to finish the mile in 12:39 - bringing me down almost 3 whole minutes from my original mile. In one week. Impressive, I know.

Imagine what I could accomplish if I did it for a month? Six months? A year? Some day, I would love to get a 9 minute mile. I'm thinking about signing up for another 5k so I can have the added motivation, but who knows where I'll be next summer?

Back to Friday.

After the gym, Senor and I decided to go on our longest bike ride of the week down to Spanish Springs (the town square at the other end of the villages). We headed down and around the golf cart path toward our destination. The weather was absolutely perfect. The best weather we've had since coming to Florida!

When we reached SS, we walked around the lake for a while, watching some people kayak and a maiden voyage for an electric sail boat, then crossed the street to the other side of the lake. What we encountered there was enough to give Nancy Drew chills! Hundreds of dead and petrified catfish, washed up on the shore with their guts ripped out. We followed a trail of them around the entire damn lake. Senor commented that it looked like Armageddon - and we could only speculate as to what happened. We thought the water must be poisoned. So many fish! And all the same kind!

We headed back to the other side of the street and caught up with some kayakers, who informed us that armored catfish bury in the sand near the shore. Because there has a been a drought and the waters are low, the fish end up stuck on the banks and die. They also said that the ph balance of the water is off because so many birds populate that area and shit in the water, which could act as a poison for the fish. The reason they were gutted? The birds got to 'em. Mystery solved!

After that, we biked back to Virginia Trace, taking a different route than we had on the way there. We followed Morse all the way up. The terrain was fairly flat and the day continued to shine. It was the most enjoyable bike ride I've had in a longggg time!

Later that evening, I walked into town with Joanne to pick up dessert for everyone.

Definitely an active day! I will miss you, Florida!

Food for thought

Breakfast: one 1o0 calorie yogurt, 1 cup of tea

Lunch: grilled cheese with tomatoes, onions, spinach, pickles

Dinner: grilled pork chops, brown rice with honey soy sauce, breaded eggplant

Dessert: Mounds (chocolate coconut cake)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Motivation

This morning, I slept in until 10 and felt kind of lazy as I lounged around and ate two pieces of oat nut toast with margarine and a cup of tea with honey. Around 12, the group of four of us loaded into the car to hit the gym. I was still tempted to bike there, but it was only 32 degrees out and fairly cloudy, so I decided against it.

When we got to the gym, I immediately felt at home. Over the past week, I've settled into a pretty good routine and have started to feel somewhat fit again and definitely more confident. I tackled the elliptical first, and whipped out 2 miles. Then I did the weight machines again and ended on the treadmill.

I was determined to beat my time from yesterday, and beat it I did. I also *gasp* enjoyed the treadmill again. I'm sickened to type such things. But I have to say that my playlist is PERFECT. Each step I take corresponds to each note and makes me feel youthful, vibrant, and happy to be moving in time. Gross.

After I hopped off, my mom told me that I looked athletic and my dad told me that I looked like I was running at a good pace. I will agree that I felt both of those things at the time. I also DID manage to beat my time from Wednesday: I finished that mile in 13 minutes, shaving off another 1 minute, bringing my total mileage to -2.5 minutes from my starting point. Not bad for a week's worth of gyming, eh?

I'm nervous that once I return to school, I will lose this drive. I don't want it to happen, but I also didn't want it to happen after this productive and athletic summer. And it did.

How to keep myself motivated? How to remind myself that I actually enjoy working out, that I love the way I feel during and after - even if the before is sometimes a nuisance (especially when it requires me to wake up at 6 a.m. and trudge across a snowy campus)?

I'm the kind of person who needs to feel held accountable to others. Self-imposed deadlines and restrictions do not work for me. I need to feel that someone is watching me, is depending on me. This is why I've always felt inclined to work out with a gym buddy. This is why I've always appealed to other people's opinions of myself: how do I look? Does it look like I've gained weight? Do you think I need to lose weight?

It's a weakness in myself that I don't quite know how to conquer. And it extends to other things beyond my body. I have the same sense when it comes to most other things in my life: my work ethic, my hobbies, etc.

Am I ever going to be able to answer to myself and myself only? Who knows. But for now, I need the encouragement and I need the reproach if I don't succeed. Hence this blog. When I stop posting, you know that I've stopped working out. So, hold me accountable!! I need the pressure.

Food for thought

Lunch: grilled spinach, tomatoes and onions on wheat nut bread with two slices of American cheese. 1 piece of bologna. 1 can of diet pepsi. One 90 calorie Snicker's ice cream bar

Dinner: for dinner tonight, we're going out. We haven't gone out for any dinners since I've arrived! So tonight = splurge night. And unfortunately, we only have one dinner left after that before I head back to the snowy, desolate, unbikeable terrain of Massachusetts :(

Best workout in a long time!

Today was perhaps the best exercise day I've had since re-starting my regimen.

It was freezing (by Florida standards) this morning, but Senor and I decided to brave the cold in order to get a pre-gym warm up on our bicycles. We layered up and hit the road (err...golf cart trails) and headed to Sea Breeze Rec center. It was a great ride! Not very windy. It was quick and painless!

Once we got to the gym, I busted out 2 miles on the elliptical, did a bunch of weight machines, and topped off my routine with a mile on the treadmill. I challenged myself to do a thirteen minute mile (the last time I did one, I had completed it in around 15.5 minutes). I didn't meet my goal, but I did shave 1.5 minutes off of my last time, bringing me to a 14 minute mile. It's not fantastic and I am decidedly not bragging about it, but I am surprised that I was able to do it that quickly, considering that a) I hate running and b) I haven't run in a long time.

And the most surprising thing of all? I actually enjoyed it. Yes, I, a self-named hater of running, enjoyed a run. Ew. What made it enjoyable was my music. I had on the Ultra 2010 trance mix that Hozay gave me and the steady progression of pounding beats was enough to keep me going. At times, when I was walking, I was tempted to go faster in order to keep up with the groovy tunes. There was a decided bounce in my steps and each one felt like a dance move. Who AM I?

Food for thought

Breakfast: 1 small Lender's bagel with whipped cream cheese, 1 cup of dark chocolate almond milki

Lunch: 1 bowl of tomato soup, one hot dog

Dinner: 2 crab cakes, egg noodles, zucchini&squash medley

Dessert: creamy chocolate coconut squares. So sinfully delicious!

Maybe I should start taking pictures of what I eat, instead. That would be more exciting for you. Yet it would be more work for me. I'll think about it.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Food fail

Today is Tuesday. I woke up at 8:30 and prepped myself for the gorging of a lifetime.

I was picked up by my personal chauffeurs around 9:30 and we headed to breakfast at Too Jay's - a deli in Lake Sumter. Within the span of an hour, I consumed enough food to feed a family of 8, and I'm not proud of it but I'm not ashamed, either. It was all delicious and I savored every greasy, carb-infested calorie that entered my gullet.

- 2 cups of coffee
- 1 belgian waffle
- 2 over-medium eggs
- 3 pieces of bacon
- a few homefries
- two pieces of rye toast

Alright, well now that it's out in the open for all the world to view, I suppose I feel somewhat ashamed. But it counted as my breakfast AND lunch, so if you squint your eyes and pretend that I've separated those into two different meals, it might not sound so offensive. Oh, who am I kidding? I ate three day's worth of calories in that one meal, and as off 5 p.m. today, I haven't exercised one little bit.

My only defense is that I'm practicing for retirement.

Here's to hoping that the rest of the evening holds better food choices (probably not, since we're going to Margarita Republic for Sangria and live entertainment) and exercise (again, probably not).

Well, there's always tomorrow...

[Edit]

For dinner, I had two crab cakes and guacamole consisting of: 1 avocado, some onions, some tomatoes, lemon juice, a dab of olive oil, salt & pepper. I also consumed 2.5 glasses of sangria.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Monday funday


I woke up at 9 this morning and had a 100 calorie fat free blueberry cobbler yogurt before mounting my bicycle with father, despite the weather forecast. We were to meet my mom & Joanne at the Seabreeze Rec center for a second day of gyming!

Our ride was a little bit shorter than it was yesterday, but the wind made it absolutely torturous. I think it was the most unpleasant ride we've had so far. It seemed that no matter which way we turned, the wind was working against us. The terrain was mostly flat and the ride should have been a breeze, but nature made things difficult and uncomfortable.

Once we arrived at the gym, I hit the elliptical and did a mile, then did a bunch of different weight machines, including abs. To top off my routine, I did a mile on the treadmill - the first time I've run in quite a long time! Let me tell you, I did not miss it. Running blows no matter how you look at it.

After we'd finished our workout, we prepared to head back to Virginia Trace, only to look out the window and realize that it was pouring. The burst lasted only a few minutes, so we suited up and decided to risk our chances by biking back rather than wimping out and loading the bikes into the car. At first, we had smooth sailing, but once we reached Liberty Park, the rain began to whip at us viciously.

The rest of the ride was hilariously disgusting. I couldn't help but laugh at the circumstances. I was simultaneously unhappy and delighted by the weather. The only REAL issue for me was that my glasses got completely drenched and I couldn't really see anything. The wind was going at us, the rain was pelting us, and our feet kept sliding off our pedals. By the time we reached our house, we were completely soaked and mildly cold - as you can see in the pic above (though Senor had been hunched over his bike, so his front is surprisingly dry compared to the rest of him!) And what you can't see is how wet our hair and faces are haha. We were a mess - but it was worth it!

Lunch
- bowl of lentil soup
- celery with dill dressing
- Sun Chips
- 1 hot dog (without bun)
- 1 90 calorie twix ice cream
- 1 can of Diet Pepsi

Snack
- 1 90 calorie twix ice cream (again. oops).

Dinner

- 1/2 steak flank with mushroom sauce
- garlic bread
- asparagus

Snack
- 1/2 of a Lender's bagel with cream cheese


Sunday night fever

After the morning's exertions, I was wiped out. I made lunch for father and myself:

- Grilled cheese with sauteed spinach and tomatoes on multi-grain bread
- dill pickle
- Sun Chips
- 1 can of Diet Pepsi

Afterwards, I exercised my mind by reading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" [read: obsessively] and soaking up the last rays of the afternoon before passing out for a few hours. By the time I woke up, it was time to eat dinner! We had:

- Whole wheat pasta with sausage, peppers, mushrooms and onions

I also made organic chocolate pudding pie with graham cracker crust for dessert and had a cup of tea with honey while we played a new game after dinner.

All in all, a day that was not entirely fail but certainly had its fair share of carbs.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

I'm a machine!

Saturday

My father and I went for an extended bike ride across The Villages. On the map, it looked like the ride would take nearly an hour to reach our destination. In practice, it took about 25 minutes to get to the new development. However, there were lots of uphills and the blasting wind wasn't doing us any favors. It was quite the workout for my rusty muscles. I didn't really feel tired from it, but I will admit that there was definitely some sweat building up between my stomach rolls. Hawt.

When we got to Pennecamp, we weaved in and out through the new (and sexy) houses and even got to tour a few that were conveniently left unlocked. Then we decided to take a different route back home, and this one was even faster! We took the golf cart path rather than following the road and it took us only about 15 minutes to get back to Virginia Trace. It was a very enjoyable bike ride and reminded me of what I've been missing.

Food for thought (Saturday):

Snack: 1 pickle, 1 string cheese, 1 can of diet pepsi

Dinner: lightly breaded tilapia, honey-balsamic green beans, brown rice with honey-soy sauce

Dessert: 1 cup of coffee, 1/4 of a slice of Raspberry Napoleon cake, 1/3 of a slice of Chocolate Napoleon cake

Sunday morning

I woke up at the crack of 8 a.m. and had breakfast (one 100 calorie, fat free cherry cobbler yogurt and one cup of green tea with honey) before heading off the gym with Senor. We decided to bike to the Colony Cove Rec center, which is way south of here...at the bottom of the Villages.

It was a disgusting 40 degrees out when we left and the wind was a-whippin! Most of the ride was uphill and with the wind blustering against us, it made the ride pretty difficult in some spots. It was about a 20 minute ride downt to the center and then we worked out in the gym for an hour.

I did: weights, abs, rowing machine, elliptical (for 1.5 mi), and some weird machine called a Nu-trainer or something. It was kind of like a stair-stepper except that you sit while you do it. It sucked. The elliptical I used was very different feeling from any I've ever used before. It glided differently and it felt almost like I was running on air. I definitely got a great workout from it.

It was nice to work out with all the oldies because it made me feel youthful and lithe. I was pounding away the elliptical and this old dude next to me was barely moving, yet sweating buckets and making obscene throat-clearing noises. However, there was this one old broad who kept flipping her legs over her head and gyrating and doing other such stretches. It made me mildly uncomfortable to watch and consider the fact that she must have been a cheerleader or an athlete back in her day.

Conclusion: getting old is terrifying. It doesn't matter what shape you're in in your 20s, you're eventually gonna end up a washed-up old hag with the elasticity of a block of wood and the skin of a rhinoceros. Awesome.

After we worked out in the gym, we hopped back on our two-wheeled steeds and pedalled back to Virginia Trace. The ride was significantly easier than on the way there, though there was still one long stretch of uphill that sucked quite a bit and the wind was just as ferocious as ever. By the time we reached our house, I was ready to be done with that bout of exercise. I hope we can keep this up!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Rising from the ashes

Hot damn, it's been a long time since I've updated [or exercised...]. Lucky for me, I have surprisingly managed to maintain my weight. I'm currently in Florida and happy to report that the capris which were too large for me at the end of the summer are still too large. I haven't been having very many fat days, either - which is a miracle in itself.

Even though it's January, I'm starting to think ahead to the summer. I don't want to have to start from square one and work my way back up to where I ended last summer. I want to start strong and work myself harder and tack on one more mile wherever I can. And this means that I have to start today. Or yesterday, in this instance.

Zumba

Yes, it's true. I woke up at 9 a.m. to attend a Zumba class at ye old Villages. Needless to say, it was a disaster. I am not coordinated enough, confident enough, or have enough dance moves [read: none] to excel in this "sport." As soon as I was able to catch the beat and coordinate the moves TO the beat, the video had already changed to something else. It was like a game of cat and mouse. I just couldn't keep up.

I left the class feeling disheartened and decided to return to my one true love - my beautiful bicycle.

Bike Ride #1

Mom and I went for a leisurely ride around the village of Virginia Trace. I wish I had remembered to bring my odometer with me so I could monitor my distance, but alas... We checked out houses and stopped in on a burned down shell of house before circling back to ours. The terrain is surprisingly flat here and easy to coast along, so the ride wasn't trying in the least. But it was still enjoyable!

Bike Ride #2

Senor and I decided to ride to Lake Sumter to pick up some desserts after dinner. I can't believe how close our house is to town - it's awesome! I also had the chance to try out my new headlight / taillight set that I received for Christmas. They turned out to be a lifesaver, as many areas - including the golf cart tunnels - aren't well-lit. It was pretty cold outside, but perfect for bike riding. We had a great ride - made greater by the chocolate-coconut cake at the end of it!

Food for thought

A bunch of my friends are starting the diet endorsed by Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Body. This is a slow-carb diet, which cuts out all dairy, all simple carbohydrates, any white foods, and all fruit from your diet. It is supposed to have amazing results, and I admit that I am intrigued by it. However, I realize that this strict of a diet is not realistic for me. I love cheese and carbs far too much for anyone's good, and I really just don't have the motivation to deny myself these delicious food items. However, I am doing a super-modified version of it for myself. In other words, I'm trying to eat less carbs.

Yesterday was a huge fail [cheeseburger, french fries, cake, etc).

Today has started off on a more promising note:

Breakfast/Lunch

- 3 eggs with mushrooms, spinach & one slice of cheese
- 1 one-hundred calorie, fat-free yogurt
- 1 cup of non-dairy dark chocolate almond milk

Let's see how the rest of the day shapes up...