Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Of fat and food

I'm totally pumped for my third weigh-in tomorrow morning. I've been good, oh so good, with my exercise and diet since I weighed in last Tuesday. I worked out 6/7 days that have passed and I am quite pleased with myself. I have totally cut out late night snacking. I have more portion control. I've been under my calorie intake max every single day. I've done more than my goal 30 mins a day of exercise every single day that I've exercised.

In my estimation, the pounds should be falling off. Just running away screaming. To go from 0 to 60 in the way that I did, you would think there would be more drastic results. As my mom questioned "How can you not have really lost any weight when you're working out so hard and eating so few calories?" Good question, mom. I wonder the same thing...

But we all know that slow and steady wins the race. So despite the fact that I haven't seen any major changes in myself, I think that the way I feel (damn good!) is enough for me to not ever consider giving up.

Stuff that Sucks

- My knees.
I hate them. Now when I work out, I tend to do pretty leg-heavy workouts. Bike riding, elliptical, walking, treadmill. I would expect that a) my legs would become pretty darn muscular b) they would lose their jiggle. But no. My knees have little pockets of flesh above and around them just waiting to quiver upon the slightest step. And it drives. me. crazy. What do I have to do to get rid of you???

- Back fat.
Ugh. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate here on the unsightliness of back fat. I'm ashamed to admit that I have two (small but noticeable) rolls right below my bra straps. Perhaps "roll" isn't the right word for it. Indentations, shall we say. I have a mirror set up in my bathroom that allows me to see my back, and when I stand up straight, poof! There they are. And I want them gone!

And on a more positive note,

My Super Foods

- Brussel sprouts.
Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine how much I could like brussel sprouts. I tried them with hesitation a few months ago, and since then I have pretty much fallen in love. I eat them as a side with almost every meal I make. They are easy (heat in the microwave with a bit of water), they taste fresh but come frozen, and they assume the flavor of anything you pair them with.

- Kellogg's Fiber Plus (chocolate chip) bar.
Oh. em. gee. This is seriously the most delicious breakfast bar I have ever stumbled across. I legit look forward to eating one for breakfast every morning. It kind of tastes like a Twix bar because it is caramelly and chocolately and decadent. And it's only 120 calories, 4g of fat, 55mg of sodium, and 7g of sugar. It also contains 35% of my daily fiber. Trust me when I say it's a great way to start the day!

- Great Value brand Health Nut Mix (sunflower seeds, soy nuts, dried cranberries, almonds)
I love this stuff. I mix it into vanilla yogurt with assorted fresh fruit almost every day for lunch and it is so delish. I am particularly fond of the soy nuts, which I'd never really eaten before. They are satisfyingly crunchy and really complement the sweetness of the fruit and yogurt. Yum.

- Lean pocket pretzel bread grilled chicken jalapeno cheddar
It tastes as good as it sounds. And tastes even better paired with brussel sprouts.



1 comment:

  1. Knees: If/when you go to the gym, do the seated leg curl (that it was I think it is called, but it is the machine where you sit and your legs are extended in front and you push them down to a 90 degree angle). Do 2 sets of 20, however do 10 of each rep with toes pointing to the ceiling, and 10 with your toes pointed out to the sides (ballet first, if that makes more sense to you). That will help with the knee stuff. My sister's friend is practically a personal trainer (she runs classes and is doing a 4 year program for personal fitness) and she says that when you exercise, think about the muscle that you want to work and that will help because many times, a lot of the different weight machines, you end up working out the same things because you are just focusing on getting through it. She also says that the last to reps of each set should feel impossible, so if it isn't hard, you aren't using enough weight. I have a lot of really great tips from her if you want to hit up a gym together sometime, I am willing to pass them along.

    Back: http://strongworkout.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/lower-back-exercise-hyperextensions/ do that machine, lower until you are parallel to the ground and then pull back up into that position. squeeze all the muscles in your thighs, ass, back. And the Lat Press Machine to the Chest, here is the trick though, if your hands are super separated then it is reaching the out parts of your back, in your hands are really close you are hitting the mid range of your back, so go for a hold in the middle and work your way out/in over time as you see fit for your needs.

    Frozen vegetable tip: Nuke it without water, but put a damp paper towel over the top instead... they nuke more evenly and they taste steamed. I do this with edamame at least 3 times a week.

    Sorry if this was a lot and/or you already knew all of this.

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