I'm back from a family reunion near Lake Tahoe. I was hoping to stay tomorrow also to get in some hiking up there, but several factors worked against that plan, so I'm home already. My new trainee is starting tomorrow. With any luck, he'll be able to replace me in 5 or 6 months and I can properly retire. My car was running hot going up hills on Friday when I drove to the reunion. It never overheated but it sure made me nervous. Probably a sticking thermostat valve. On the way home it was well-behaved, even up hills, but I think I need to get the thermostat replaced anyway.
The reunion was a very happy experience and I was reminded what a terrific extended family I have! These were all relatives from my mother's side of the family - a large Irish Catholic clan of Walshes. Out of the nine original siblings, three remain - my aunt is 86, one uncle is 83 and another is 80. The family behavioral traits among all the cousins, even those of us who have not seen each other since early childhood, is remarkable. And funny. We played horseshoes and cribbage. I ate a huge amount of food over the past two days, and I will not be stepping on the scale until Friday at the earliest.
Allison, sorry to hear about the decline of your dad, and sorry also to hear about your uncle, Michele. And condolences to JZJ on the other thread about her FIL. The reunion made me think about my departed mother and wish she was still here, but I'm also not sorry to be done with the hardship of parental passing.
Saef, glad to hear you got to do something enjoyable! Hope it carries you into next week with an upbeat mood.
It's stinkin' hot here at home and I have to prepare food to take to work tomorrow.
I'm kind of in-between posting to this thread or to the "losing a lot" thread. I haven't stepped on the scale since June 15 as it will only add to the stress.
I have decided to confer with DH and suggest that we postpone the "going away" part of our vacation to next year. I am completely out of control with eating and caffeine and stress. Piling a "vacation" to decide whether we might retire to a the city we'd be visiting is not a good idea at this point.
I will pile on some more lbs. with the kitchen reno. I'd like to take the 10 days I have booked off to seriously restrict calories, drop some weight, kick the energy drink habit I've developed, and start sleeping a bit more than 4-5 nights per week. I think 10 days is a good window for that.
Monday, feeling mutinous as I drove into the office this morning, in traffic that wasn't onerous. I wasn't grateful, I just thought of all the lucky people who must have added another vacation day to their long weekend. It's going to be warm and sticky today and I'm trying not to think of all that I need to do.
Weigh in: 141.9, same as yesterday.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; strawberries with yogurt
Snack: Enormous MacIntosh apple
Lunch: Watercress salad with quinoa, roasted vegetables, artichokes, grilled chicken breast strips
Snack: Cherries
Dinner: Roast pork with apricots, steamed green beans, roasted cauliflower
Dessert: Chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
At physical therapy: 12 minutes Cybex elliptical, then goblet squats, 3x12, from 15 lbs to 20 lbs to 25 lbs, alternating with 3x20 crunches; 3x12 quad raises and hamstring curls, 3x12 abductor/adductor, and finally, 12 minutes on the treadmill, which kicked my butt, being mostly at 3.6 and 3.8 at a steep incline, up to 4.0, which was at the edge of my ability. I was panting and sweaty. Definite loss of cardio fitness since before my accident.
Tuesday, hot and humid, with me looking out the car window at the haze over Long Island Sound, thinking of escape. But this week I've got to drive into CT all five days of the week to train a new hire.
Weigh in: 140.5, down about a pound and a half.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; strawberries with yogurt
Snack: Enormous MacIntosh apple
Lunch: Arugula with goat cheese and fresh figs, tuna, sunflower seeds
Snack: Cherries
Dinner: Roasted pork, roasted cauliflower and steamed green beans
Dessert: S'mores Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
20 minutes on the arc trainer that passed by without me being completely aware of it, as I was thinking about work, of course; then Workout 2C of Strong Curves advanced program.
Wednesday, not enough sleep because it was my first night running a window unit air-conditioner and I'm not yet used to the noise. It's warm, sticky and thunderous-looking outdoors & I keep longing to escape somewhere green and cool.
Weigh in: 139.3, down just over a pound.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; strawberries and blueberries with yogurt
Snack: Enormous MacIntosh apple
Lunch: Arugula with bell peppers, steamed asparagus, cold red rice and roasted vegetables, chickpeas and chicken breast
Snack: Yellow and red cherries
Dinner: Roasted pork, steamed green beans, roasted cauliflower
Dessert: Chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
20 minutes on the recumbent bike, sweating hard in the humidity; then Workout 2B2 of Strong Curves advanced program. Back to deadlifting the Olympic bar and plates, at 120 lbs.
This week I am recovering from the family reunion food fest last Saturday & Sunday. So far I am on plan even with attending a potluck last night (I brought my own salad and chicken to eat). But I'm skipping the daily scale reading until tomorrow or Friday.
My main meal of the day is an egg beater scramble with baked potato, broccoli, mushrooms, grated turnips, onions and a diced sweet red pepper. And 2 wedges laughing cow cheese. Later I'll have salad with chicken.
My knees are feeling halfway decent today, therefore Friday I will abuse them with a strenuous day hike to the top of Mt Silliman in Sequoia National Park. Next week I'll be going on another 4 day backpack.
Shannon, my thoughts on Strong Curves are: By golly, it works! I followed the program with Strong Curves workouts four times weekly. My backside has NEVER looked better. And I also have decent upper body strength because I'm closer to doing a chinup from a dead hang than I've ever been. However, be prepared for some curious looks from other gym-goers as you do barbell hip thrusts and glute bridges.
Weigh in: 139.1, down fractionally -- like a glass of water could tilt the scale either way.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; blueberries with cinnamon & yogurt
Snack: Two apricots and a peach the size of an apricot, but immensely flavorful
Lunch: Arugula salad with peppers, black rice, tuna and roasted eggplant
Snack: MacIntosh apple, sizeable
Dinner: Roasted pork, frozen mixed vegetables steamed (the broccoli, cauliflower & carrot thing where it's all broccoli stumps)
Dessert: S'mores Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
30 minutes on the Life Fitness elliptical, random program, resistance at eight, alternating forward and backward
Thanks, Saef! I bought the book yesterday and am going to give it a shot. I don't know if I can get four days a week for a while, but I can at least do 3. I started with the beginner one last night as I've been kind of half hearted with my weights lately.
Today I braved the scale and it said 126. That's about where I want to be, although 124 or 125 are really the numbers I like. No one else cares but me.
My food has been on track this week. I just ate an egg beater "souffle" (I cook it in a glass dish in the micro and it rises like a souffle) with mushrooms and brocc and 2 wedges laughing cow. It seemed decadent with all that cheese, but quite low in total calories. Oh, almost forgot to mention that I add grated turnips to the eggs, which are crazy delicious, believe it or not! I'm also having tuna salad and a veggie concoction of onions, peppers, potato, eggplant and tomato sauce. Sounds weird I know, but tastes great.
I was hoping to sleep better last night but it was not to be. I'm dragging at work today. Tomorrow I need to get up at 4 am for a day hike.
Last edited by HowlinAtTheMoon; 07-09-2015 at 03:04 PM.
I too am planning to jump on the Strong Curves bandwagon - I've ordered the book from Amazon. Also, after reading Saef's meal post for today, I now want black rice, tuna and roasted eggplant for dinner (though it is currently 9:50 pm and I have long since eaten dinner). And, if I can find turnips around here, I think I'll buy one to try grating some into my eggs. I get lots of good ideas from this thread ;>)
I'll be out of town yet again from Sunday through Thursday night, attending an NINDS-sponsored workshop/symposium on developing clinical trial protocols. Once again, food will be a challenge though at least I won't have anyone guilting me to eat more (parents), or to try the fabulous Russian tea cake and Belgian chocolates (friends). I have lost 4 of the 8 pounds that had crept on since last summer, but I know how stubbornly the last few will linger. And considering I have upped my goal weight by 5 pounds already (from 120 to 125), I really can't afford any further "mission creep" if I plan to continue enjoying my current wardrobe.
Weigh in: 138.3, of course, on a Friday, with me feeling as wrung out as a washcloth. I just worked this week. That's all. I went to the gym, commuted on I-95, worked, ate, fell into bed. Got up & did it again.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; blueberries with cinnamon & yogurt
Snack: Two slightly overripe black plums
Lunch: Arugula salad with cubes of smoked turkey, roasted eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes, sliced red bell peppers, steamed cold edamame
Snack: MacIntosh apple, sizeable
Dinner: Roasted pork, frozen mixed vegetables steamed (the broccoli, cauliflower & carrot thing where it's all broccoli stumps)
Dessert: S'mores Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
Physical therapy: 12 minutes Cybex elliptical, 4x12 squats with weighted bar on shoulders alternating with 4x20 crunches; 3x12 quad raises and hamstring curls; 3x12 abductor/adductor. Then 12 minutes walking on treadmill incline at 3.0, not easy at all for me.
I made it to the weekend, and slept in -- till 5:30 AM. It felt like a luxury. Again, I'm finding it difficult to apply the brakes. I feel as anxious about getting errands run and home-making tasks completed as I have all week about assignments at work.
Weigh in: 138.6, as the weekend increase begins.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; blueberries with cinnamon & yogurt
Snack: Bag of Bare Fruit Granny Smith apple chips, the 40 calorie bag
Lunch: Spring mix salad with roasted vegetables, pistachios, half an avocado, Craisins, several forkfuls of garlic hummus
Snack: Red and yellow cherries
Dinner: Swordfish marinated in hoisin sauce, steamed mixed Asian vegetables
Dessert: Cookies n' cream Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
At the gym, my usual Saturday of cardio (20 minutes on the recumbent bike with resistance to push against), Strong Curves workout, then Pilates mat class
Today I remembered another of the adages that I used to see around this site frequently, and so I'll offer it to anyone who sees the title of this new thread as depressing: You don't have to lose 10 pounds, you just have to lose five pounds twice over. That helped me many years ago when I had more than 100 pounds to lose.
Also thinking about what Tony Bennett said in the documentary "Amy," which I saw yesterday at our village cinema: "Life teaches you to live it, if you live long enough." Amy Winehouse didn't live long enough.
Sunday, waking up just a little earlier, to birds singing, at 5:15 AM. Today feels active but manageable. I look forward to going nearly nowhere.
Weigh in: 138.2, actually down. Well, what do you know.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Coconut mango muffin; egg bake with broccoli, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes; cantaloupe; yogurt
Snack: A large and delectable peach
Lunch: Arugula salad with roasted vegetables, half an avocado, pecans, goji berries and some forkfuls of hummus
Snack: Bare Fruit Granny Smith Apple Chips, the 180-calorie bag
Dinner: Miso-glazed salmon, steamed green beans, roasted cauliflower
Dessert: Cookies n' cream Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
Workout 3B of Strong Curves, not my favorite, because my weakened left leg makes it strenuous to do high step-ups (on a plyo box that's just above my knee) carrying 10-lb dumbbells. That's at the outer edge of my current abilities, just as doing five reps of squats at 130 lbs was at the very edge of my ability yesterday, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it.
I vacillate between the mindset that losing 5(ish) pounds over and over is the most Sisyphysian (sp?) task in the world and the one where I think "thank God it's just 5 pounds; I can do this and never outgrow my clothes." Currently, I'm in the latter state, but it's like the Necker's cube illusion (if you don't know it, you can look at one here) - the mindset flips in a heartbeat, and I don't know how to flip it back volitionally.
I tried grating some turnip into my scrambled egg this morning, along with a little fresh pesto. It was delicious though I didn't really taste the turnip, prob. because the pesto is so strongly flavored. No other culinary experiments on my end, but I still intend to make black rice, tuna and roasted eggplant for dinner as soon as I get back from my conference.
