Rie-congrats on completing phase 3 exercise! You look so adorable in that hat You really have such lovely blue eyes. So close to meeting your nutrition goal too! That's awesome, you really are doing wonderful.
Personal Update: I had a very busy weekend! Sat was my brothers birthday and we had plans, so I didn't go to LA Friday night like normal, which was good bc Mike was up in the bay area for work and didn't get back to LA till 9:30 and really needed some sleep and not me bothering him for attention So Sat morning I taught a makeup at 8:30(ugh teaching that early is HARD!) then headed to Palm Springs and hung out with my family while my brother slowly woke up and got ready(took him 2 hours....). Me and him then went shopping together and then out to eat with my dad at my brother's favorite vegan health restaurant. Everyone had a great time and got along so that was nice.
Sat evening I went to LA and saw Godzilla with my bf and it was sooo bad, but sooo good haha We were totally nerding out over it. Both of us were really into old godzilla films as kids.
Sunday I made us a yummy breakfast then out for a hike. We relaxed a lot since we were both tired after such long weeks. Yesterday evening I made this epic feast of bbq fried tofu, creamy vegetables, and chocolate cake(all gf and mostly df) and it was about a million calories, but soooo good My boyfriend also bought me a new purse that I'll include a pic of. I really needed one and it was very sweet of him bc I could not afford it on my own.
I'm excited bc I'm finally out of school for the summer and now have time to practice again. I practiced for 2 hours today(started small as I get back into practice mode) and learned/memorized the 1st mov of my Schubert Sonata. I got onto the 2nd mov and realized it was variations(13 freakin variations!) and decided I'd tackle that later. I'm going to try and do a variation a day along with practicing my other pieces bc those variations are mindnumbingly hard
Exercise: Good. No longer have trouble here. Have lots of good exercise planned now that I'm out of school. Even with last week being finals week I still got in my hiking. My schedule for this week is: Monday-strength, Tues-hiking, Wed-strength+bike, Thursday-hiking, Friday-bike and/or hiking, Sat-hiking, Sun-rest.
Nutrition: Iffy. But I learned an important lesson this week. Its not worth it. Going over on the weekends is seriously not worth it. Even a cheat meal(like yesterday) isn't freakin worth it anymore. And unless I know for sure that a restaurant has truly gf/df dishes-its not worth it. I've been sick again today bc something I ate yesterday had traces of dairy. And the weekend before something had traces of gluten and then I was super sick. I feel so much better on lower carb and just need to stick to my tofu, berries, tempeh, eggs, goat cheese, and veggies. It might not be super exciting, but I would rather feel good than risk getting sick/bloated/gaining weight from the weekend.
Weight: BAD. Still have some residual bloat/gain(?) from the trip and then of course from yesterday too. Hoping to finally get back into the 30s again by next week
I know this is a long update, but haven't updated in a while Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!
Afternoon! (Or morning, if you're in the USA, or, um, good night if you're in Japan!?)
I'm in a good mood for once so I thought I'd post so I don't smother you all with my negativity again.
First up, Rie I'm soooo happy things are looking up with your bf. It definitely sounds like he started talking nonsense without realising as a knee-jerk reaction to being scared about big life changes. Although it was a horrible experience to go through at the time, hopefully this has helped you address any little problems now so they don't escalate in the future, and it means you'll be better placed to deal with things as and when they happen in your relationship. You guys have been through a lot together and I'm sure you'll work it out. I was telling a friend how worried I was about you, even though we've never met! I can't tell you how glad I am that things are looking up for you as I honestly think you're a wonderful person and deserve the best in life.
So, for a catch up since my last post.
Kailpea How's the new pyramid going? Hope you've sorted out your sleep patterns. I managed to get to the gym this morning before work for the first time in weeks, feel so much better for it! Have you tried online workout vids for 10-20 mins? There are loads out there, and it's a great way to squeeze just a little bit of activity into your day if you're planning on starting small to get back on track. I'm terrible for wanting a traditional 'start day' too, I chose yesterday as a Monday and the 2nd of the month. It wasn't perfect, but I tried to do a couple of things to get back on the right tracks. I think that's important with making plans - that you take things step by step. Did I eat 100% clean yesterday on my 'start day'? No. Did I do an extra work out or remember to take measurements? No. But I DID manage to drink my 2l of water, and I did get in a strength workout at lunch, so I'm counting that as a success. Today I'm going to try and be a little more controlled with my food. I'd say maybe try focusing on small goals for nutrition and exercise each week, rather than alternating. If you alternate, there's the risk of thinking you can eat anything on your exercise week, and you don't need to bother doing any exercise on your nutrition week, which isn't going to get you into good habits. I think you've got the right idea with focusing on something small, like a short walk or some squats. Try and combine that with planning a healthy diet and take it slow until you feel like you're back in the right direction. You've got so much on I'm not surprised you're finding it tough. Good luck!
Dott Thank you so much for your lovely words and hugs! I've tried making very small goals, but I can't even seem to stick to them! Like saying 'no' to a biscuit or cake when offered. Or even getting up at a certain time! I really do just need to be harder on myself and have a bit more willpower. I am putting everything this week into MFP. Yesterday was not a good day, so I'm hoping I can improve through the week and share with you all once I've brought it back bit! I've never really understood frame size hugely either. I think I have a pretty small frame, as I have a lot more body fat compared to someone else my height / weight. Once I find the weight that I think is 'right' for me, I'll let you know! I've upped my goal weight a little as I do so much strength training I figure I'll have to weigh a little more if I want to keep the muscle I hoping to continue building.
on the engagement! You look so pretty in the pics, and so happy! How lovely that you'll get to remember it as a time when you were doing something you love. Your hikes sound so amazing, you're lucky to have such wonderful surroundings to enjoy. Your posts make me want to get out of the city a bit more and escape the smog and concrete. Hopefully we'll get some more consistent summer weather soon and I can take a day trip to the seaside if I get some free time at the weekends.
I'm glad your awful summer class is over. Although practice sounds like hard work too! Do you teach make-up classes too? Is there no end to your talents !? I have so much sympathy for you not being able to eat certain foods. I keep trying to plan a paleo vegan diet for a few days just to see how I'd feel, but I can't bear to cut so many food groups out. I don't really think I have any sensitivities to particular foods, but there's so many articles and opinions about not eating dairy or grains that I'm curious to see if it would make any difference at all.
I'm way back up in the 140s too, hoping to see 139 by the end of the week too. I'm not sure how much of my weight gain is bloating from eating badly, water retention from weight training or just plain fat but I'm hoping I can shed the pounds I put on when I went away. Fingers crossed!
Rie You asked me why I feel useless and like a failure? Well, that's the million dollar question. Sometimes I feel OK (like now) and sometimes I have this overwhelming anger at myself, and all I can think about is everything about me that's not perfect (which is a lot; I'm only human!) and I simply cannot see anything positive at all. Rather than accept the imperfections and try and focus on anything good, I become furious with myself for being entirely and unacceptably terrible as a person. It's tricky to describe, and it's horrible as I know how illogical I'm being, but I just can't control it. My bf gets very frustrated as he doesn't know how to help, which is totally understandable. I need to learn how to control it somehow, just haven't worked that out yet. One day!
Belfast was AMAZING! We won both of our games. It was hard work but I'm really proud of my league for getting as far as we have. We had 2 days before the games to go sightseeing too, which was awesome. It was so good to spend time with my team doing fun, touristy stuff as opposed to just at training. The hostel they were staying in (I had a hotel room with my bf) was brilliant, the chef even came to the game and made us a banner to support us! It was definitely one of the best trips I've been on and made me realise how glad I am to have found the sport and become part of the little family that is my league
I had a look at your strength training plan on your blog, it looks fantastic. you write so well, it's really personable and easy to read. I think half of my trouble with trying to start a blog is that I struggle to formulate my thoughts into any kind of cohesive sentence, and get very easily sidetracked, going off on a tangent every other sentence. I will give it a go though, I just need to work out what my first post will be about! Maybe food and exercise would be a good place to start.
Congratulations on completing phase 3! I think we can all agree it's sometimes really tough to push ourselves instead of making excuses but you did it! The hat really suits you by the way, you look great!
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A couple of personal goal bits I've not already covered:
I am on track for my water intake. It might only be Tuesday but Monday was 2.5l and I'm already on 2.1l today.
I've also done strength training yesterday and today, and I went for a jog at lunch too, so that's 1 of my 2 extra cardio sessions a week done from phase 1 of my exercise.
My food's been waaay over, but I've been logging it again, so that's a step towards getting back on track. Mfp has set my calories really low, as I think its estimate for calories burnt through strength training isn't anywhere near the reality. I'm going to have a go at lowering my calories a bit though, and see what my energy levels do. It's all about learning how our bodies work I guess.
OK that's me just about caught up for now. I'll try try try to post more regularly so I don't end up writing another mammoth post in a week!
It's Wednesday, woah! Feels like later in the week for some reason. Well the last couple of days have been uneventful for me, just bumming around at my boyfriends place to wait for today to arrive since we watched the new X-Men film. It was fun! A very entertaining, heart racing action kinda film. I also loooove the popcorn in Japan, it's so soft and caramel covered! In the UK it's a bit stale and just sweetened slightly. I realised that I actually hadn't had any breakfast so technically I had popcorn for breakfast >_>. Ooooh welly, it's a once in a while treat!
Tomorrow I'm going to head back to my apartment and then get around to putting my furniture for sale on craigslist. Ugh, I hate all the faff of taking pictures and measuring how big everything is and blah blah blah. I'm still unsure if anyone will buy anything because they will have to collect it and owning a car in Tokyo is pretty rare...so yeah, I'm pretty skeptical I'll be able to sell much but I will at least try! So that will be my day tomorrow, yay!
My boyfriend is busy this weekend, his school is having a sports day (which, apparently is a freakin' HUGE deal over here) so he's going to that. I'm trying to get back on track with my Spanish and also writing creatively, it's so easy to be lazy in the life of me!
Exercise - Today I did workout 1/4 week 1/4, it was a strength workout but I was really tired from being out in the sun (yes, I'm a poor British rose who wilts in intense heat) so I didn't feel like I gave it my all. But it was pretty funny because I used 2 giant jars of peanut butter as weights. They weighed 2 lbs each so I figured...better than nothing! It was pretty hilarious doing dumbbell fly's with peanut butter.
Nutrition - I completed week 3/3!! Huzzah! I'm onto phase 4! I went back to my "don't buy junk food" which I found REALLY difficult before so I'm hoping I can overcome this! I think if I struggle with it again I'll switch to my "stay within calorie limit 6 days a week".
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Dott - Aww thank you <3! Seems like you frequent vegan places often! Is it just the culture you're in or just your upbringing? Oh man, I really wanna see the new Godzilla too! I was really into it when I was younger as well! I really like your purse, looks tres fancy! It's so great to hear that you're coming to terms with your nutrition and how staying on plan is best for you and your health. I can't imagine having the types of reactions you do, so I don't blame you for having such an epiphany! It'll take strength to say no in the future, but you can do it! Remember the future you who is begging past you for mercy!
milesaway - Time differences are cuhrazy!! Please don't think you only have to post if you're in a good mood! We're here for you for all the good and bad times . Thank you for your support, I have learned a lot from this experience. I've learnt that I really need to live for myself! I think I got so wrapped up in making the relationship work, heck I even moved to Japan so we could be around each other, that I lost a bit of who I was. I'm really trying to get back to discovering my identity and do what makes me happy. So things are really looking up both in my life and with my relationship . Aww, that's so sweet that you were worried! To be fair I would be too if any of you guys landed that bombshell in the thread! You guys are the best. Wow, sounds like an amazing weekend away! I'm so sorry, you've probably mentioned this before, but what sport is it you play again? Forgive my forgetfulness! Honestly, I just write what I'm feeling! Sometimes I post things that have more focus, but my general updates are usually just me rambling. I read a few weight loss blogs and it's a common theme! It's really just a place to vent!
Woohoo with your water intake! YOU GOT THIS!! I know what you mean with MFP in regards to strength, all that pumping must amount to SOME calories burnt! I think it's just too complex of a formula for it to work out I suppose?
milesawaygirl-Thanks I am very fortunate to live in southern california and have such nice weather and hiking available to me. Even in LA there's lots of near by hiking! I really hope your able to get out of the city and enjoy some nature soon. Haha no when I said "make-up" I meant to say make up for a missed piano lesson I do love make-up though! But yeah, I teach piano so that's what I meant by a "make up lesson". Did you go vegetarian before trying vegan? I think trying to jump into a vegan paleo diet right away would be a bit much. You could slowly do things, like just take out bread. Before I knew I was gluten intolerant I actually just slowly stopped eating bread anyways bc I kind of knew something was up I guess. But maybe try to limit bread. Then milk. Then cheese, then pasta etc and build up to the diet you want You're making a lot of good progress. Great job on logging your food, getting in your water, and fitting in exercise
Rie-Popcorn in Japan is covered in caramel? How interesting! I LOVE popcorn, haha I can't keep it around though bc I can easily just eat popcorn for dinner lol Good luck with the furniture. Ugh I hate moving, always such a pain. Haha love the peanut butter as weights! I use a big gallon thing of water for my strength routine, one day I'll save up the money for weights Yes, I go to lots of vegan restaurants haha My dad is Seventh Day Adventist which is why I was raised vegetarian and my brother aside from being raised veggie also has a very rare metabolic condition called PKU where he can't eat protein. So he's vegan and basically lives off of vegetables and his special supplements. Also everyone in my family(aside from my mom) loves vegan cuisine and most of us are life long vegetarian. And its easier to find all vegan places than all vegetarian places weirdly enough. My boyfriend is vegetarian too and seems to be developing some lactose intolerance so is cutting down on his cheese. For me vegan places often cater to people with food allergies so they have lots of gluten free options much of the time as well. Also so many just vegetarian places rely heavily on cheese so those don't work so well for me I really like what you said about thinking of the future me, I've actually been thinking about that and using it a lot lately, thanks for that
I've been on plan with eating, exercise, and good with carbs too this week. I'm already prepping for the weekend and building up my resolve to be careful and not allow myself to go off plan. Thinking of my future self Still not used to exercising on the lowered carbs though. I imagine that will come with time. My cravings have been manageable though and I was even able to go out to lunch with my mom yesterday and stay within my calories, not have an adverse food reaction, and feel satisfied
Weight is being VERY dumb though. I'm trying not to let it bug me, but it does a little. I think TOM is about to start since last weekend I was having cramps, I broke out earlier this week, and today I woke up supper emotional Also its about time for it too. Lame. I'm hoping for a whoosh before it starts bc I have been keeping to my plan. Scale has been around 140 the whole week. Grumble.
Sunday is my students recital. I'm not looking forward to it honestly. Its my 6th recital for them and its so much work and parents are being weird. I'll be glad when its over. The next Christmas recital will be my last recital since I'll be moving to LA after graduation.
Really not much to report! Its been a busy first week of summer. Hoping next week things will calm down more. And crossing my fingers that the scale will drop!
Good evening and happy Sunday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
The rainy season is well and truly here in Japan. So while it may be pissing it down with rain it's still humid as **** which makes for some very confusing wardrobe decisions! I hate the feeling of rain on my skin because it feels so cold but it's way too hot to wear long sleeved anything. Le sigh.
My boyfriend was supposed to go to a sports day on Saturday, but because it rained 2 days straight it was called off. We spent the weekend at my apartment because I was already there/had just left his place. We literally just chilled out all weekend. Played video games, talked and relaxed. Rainy days always inspire such behaviour in us both, much to our delight and dismay.
I made sweet and sour chicken again this weekend, realised it had been a month since the last one and wanted to make it for the boyfriend. I was super hungry so made waaaay too much rice so didn't finish it =(. But it was nice and the bf said he'd have it again, so success!
It's kinda weird though because this was the first weekend I've spent in my apartment with my boyfriend. So it's 2 couples living in the same apartment, it was really strange! We all get on very well, but I think we all have our own opinions on what is wrong with the other relationship. I got this impression that they were judging us on how we just lazed around playing video games, but we have our opinion that they do a bit too much together to the point where the girl is always telling him what they should be doing. It's weird that there was this slight tension when having 2 couples live in close proximity! Also it's interesting that everyone will have their own opinion on how a relationship should work, so why we see our relationship as fine others might be looking at us thinking wtf is going on with those guys?! It's funny.
I'm back at the boyfriends now for the week. Sometimes I wish that he would have been fine with me living with him because I feel like I'm always here! My belongings would not have fit in this apartment in their entirety, but we do live with each other comfortably.
So now onto the health stuff. Well my last weigh in I weighed 163.1 lbs that's a measly 0.4 lb drop from the week before - but I'll take it!
Exercise - Completely failed week 1! I was going to go on a run on Friday but it was torrential raining. I'm not one to be afraid of rain, I grew up in England so it feels like home when it rains, but I literally don't have the right gear. I'm not entirely sure my shoes are waterproof...so running in squishy wet shoes is the worse feeling ever =(. I also don't have a cap to shield the rain from my face so I know I'll be running and the rain will just get in my eyes. It was also meant to be a long run, 3.5 miles, so I skipped it aaaand did nothing. I SHOULD have did a strength workout or SOMETHING. What's worse is that this slump continued over the weekend, so I only did 1 workout last week =(. Must get back on track this week, I've planned my workouts according to the weather. I'm not in the position to just push off a run because if I do that then it'll be pouring it with rain and I won't go!
Nutrition - Man, this weekend really has sucked! Stopped counting calories, bought junk food. Enough said really. Gonna get back on it tomorrow!!
I think I've yet again slipped into TOM mindset. It's such a terrible monster that takes over! RAARR I WANT ALL THE JUNK FOOD! This weekend I very much gave into my period monster =/.
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Dott - Yes, it's covered in delicious caramel! Well, maybe I'm describing it wrong, it's coated in caramel it's not like they pour caramel over it in front of you. Still, it's so soft and fluffy and so sweet. So far I've had inquiries about the smaller stuff, but the big furniture is not getting any response. People don't tend to drive in Tokyo and those items require a car so it's a shot in the dark. Fingers crossed! Wow, your Mum must feel like the left one out! Does she slip out and go get a burger every once in a while?! I know that's what I would do! I really need to introduce more veg into my diet, I know how much better off I'll be!
How was your weekend? Did you achieve your goal? I can imagine parents getting a little intense with their kids being perfect...do you have to defend yourself a lot? It's never the kids fault, it's always the teachers -_-. Got my fingers crossed the scale will show you a great number, but if not, no worries! Wait for the monthlies to be over before you decide to make any changes to your routine! You got this =D
Rie-I'm glad your bf liked the food you made Always a satisfying feeling when people appreciate your cooking! That's weird the other couple was judging you guys! I usually get along with other couples well, except when they're competitive though I hate super competitive couples, those that are like trying to prove how happy, in love, chill, fun, successful etc they are. It sounds like you guys had a nice relaxing weekend and I know it wasn't ideal with food and exercise, but I think you guys needed a relaxing weekend like this. Its REALLY hard not to give into the period monster haha I'm usually not very successful saying no during TOM either You are back on track now though! My mom generally doesn't go out to eat with us unless its to her favorite chinese restaurant near my house(which happens to be vegetarian/vegan but is really popular with meat eaters!). Or she will just get french fries. She gets PLENTY of meat on her own though(too much really since she had her gallbladder removed). She does feel left out a little, but not bc of the vegan/vegetarian stuff as much as she's not as into health and fitness like we are. So we go on trips, hikes, spend time outdoors and she hates it and won't go so she feels left out then. I try and do stuff with her she enjoys(shopping and eating lol) so she doesn't feel bad about me and my dad always going out hiking. Regarding teaching, I don't have to defend myself too much thankfully. Most parents know better then to question me lol I have had to before and I often need to explain myself to parents in the beginning since I'm not very conventional in some of my approaches, but they stop bugging me once they see that I get results.
So had a great weekend! The recital was a success, probably the smoothest and most positive yet. Its a lot of work to put them on, but luckily there was no drama, and my parents and bf helped a lot. It took a lot out of me, and I'm glad its over! It was a workout in its self setting up and taking it all down and I also went on a walk later with my bf. As soon as my dad sends me some pics of the recital I'll post them I wore a very summer-y halter dress that was brightly colored and curled my hair(it barely stayed though bc of the hummidity!). Also wore my highest heels, which I had to kick off a few times when playing duets with students lol There was so much food at the reception afterwards as usual. There were even some gluten free desserts my students brought especially for me! I had 1 donut, 1 cookie, fruit, a few veggie chips, and some hummus. And thats it! Totally restrained myself
Friday I had a fun day, taught in the morning then hung out with my newest hiking buddy. We went for a swim at her apartment and then laid in the sun for a bit. It was so nice. I love swimming. I was really sore the next day though! I always forget how much swimming takes out of you. It burns so many calories and really uses all your muscles. I'm looking forward to going over again for a swim. Also she's going to help me make a strength routine. She's very into heavy lifting and is really muscular and already trains some people and is trying to get her personal trainers license. I know she'll get me into great shape! I'm going to help her too with cardio and hiking since that's where she has the most problems.
Saturday was really fun. Its too hot to hike here anymore unless you go in the mornings. My bf is not a weekend morning person though lol So we went up to the nearest mountains(about 1/2 hour to 45min away) for a hike. I was so sore from my swim and not feeling the hike though, but still had fun going slow. Also scrambled along some rocks along the way and by doing so discovered this AWESOME secret lookout along the hike. It was this big group of giant boulders sitting on a hidden cliff overlooking a valley with one big flat rock jutting out. Me and my bf relaxed on that rock enjoying the view and mountain air for a bit. This is kind of crazy, but I decided to lie down and tan, but was wearing a tank top so took off my top and tanned topless on the rock! hahaha I mean, we were well off the trail, totally hidden so I thought, "Why not?!". It was actually very enjoyable to totally let go and relax. While I soaked up some sun(and yes I was wearing plenty of sunscreen that I reapplied during the hike) Mike meditated. It was a decent hike though and was sore for the recital. That night I made us a huge indian curry feast.
Today I'm going to Palm Springs and up the tram to hike, just had a very carb heavy breakfast to get me through my hike.
I'm going to include some pics. A few from the rock on the hike and one of the food I made.
Fitness-Great! Doing very well with this and getting in tons of exercise.
Nutrition-Success! Keeping to my goal of not going crazy on my off day. Sat I ended at 2200 which for me is AWESOME. And Sunday, despite the recital I was on plan. I think I've got this whole thing worked out. To be successful with nutrition I have to follow these few things:
1. Plan ahead, always.
2. Write down everything I eat, not just on MFP, but in the section on 3FC to write down meals.
3. No food in my room!
4. Use a rating system for my hunger cues and satiety to avoid over eating or getting too hungry
5. Monitor my carbs
If I follow all these at the same time, I'm golden
Weight-Don't want to talk about it I did get back down to the 30s(barely) but was up again today!!!!! AHHHH! I'm not sure what's going on....TOM hasn't really started yet. I've had breakouts, cramps, mild spotting....but it still hasn't come full force. I know its my birth control(I have the IUD and in 6 months its due to be replaced and I think since its towards the end its just making my hormones weird, guess that's pretty common towards the end from researching online). I'm just hoping that with sticking so well to my plan that this week I will have a whoosh! Fingers crossed!
Last edited by Dottington; 06-09-2014 at 01:50 PM.
Well, as much as I wanted to stay inside and be lazy all day I kicked myself in the arse and went on my long run. Today is the 25th birthday of one of my closest friends who passed away 8 years ago. She was a true athlete, an extremely promising cyclist who was pegged to be a professional. I thought that she would just sigh and shake her head if she saw me sit on my butt all day when I could have run, so I did it for her! I did 3.5 miles in 40:41. Unfortunately it's my slowest run of the year (11:37 min/mi), I really felt the humidity and being inactive for pretty much the entirety of last week probably contributed to my poor performance. BUT I did it and for that I am proud. It's getting humid here, the park I run around is nice and cool but there is an open field that I do laps around and during that period of the run I really felt the heat! Despite it being technically 20 degrees and cloudy! I'm sorry for my humidity rants, but I never had to live in a country with humidity before so I feel I have to b!tch about it somewhat.
So the run today was exercise 1 of 4 for week 1 of 4. Tomorrow I'm going to do yoga, then Friday I'll do a strength workout, then Sunday a 2.5 mile run. Or I'll switch the strength and the run depending on the weather. But the boyfriend is on board with treating me if I complete a phase, he's bought me a fancy iPod arm band for my runs! I asked for one for my birthday from my family, I sent them the link to the one I wanted but they bought me a different one. Turns out that the one they got rubs on my arm and causes chaffing because of the plastic loop that the strap loops through . So my boyfriend has bought me a fancier replacement that is similar to the one I originally asked for and said I have to complete phase 4 or he'll take it away! A nice bit of motivation
My boyfriend is at his schools sports day today, then he'll be going out afterwards with his co-workers. It's so tempting to order a pizza, but I must resist! Whenever I get on my own I always want to eat crappy! Such a bad habit. Tomorrow I'm going to see The Grand Budapest Hotel since it just got released here and it's a random day off for the boyfriend. I think we'll be going out to eat afterwards too, so it'll be a nice day .
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Dott - Well, I don't know entirely if they were judging us but they're very much the kind of people who believe their way is the right way, you know? The girl is very stubborn and set in her ways, she truly believes that she has the most superior taste in music for example, while I think it all sounds like boring indie shite haha. So I would not have been surprised if they were commenting on us just being bums all weekend! It's nice that you do things with your Mum that you know she likes. Fortunately my Mum and Dad both like walks/hikes so I try and get involved when I can. I really miss our family walks in the Lake District! My Mum would be really into health and fitness if she wasn't so down on herself about gaining weight over the years =(. She used to be quite the runner, would always be doing races - she's even got a medal case on display! What type of techniques do you use that aren't conventional?
I'm happy your recital went smoothly! That's so sweet that your students make you gluten free food!! Oh man, I love swimming! I'm going to do a swimming routine when I go to Spain since I love it so much and it's so good for you. Wow, that's awesome about your friend helping you with a strength routine! Ooh la la, topless sunbathing out in the wilderness, how exciting! I think I would be way too paranoid, I've never sunbathed topless! But then again I really dislike sunbathing >_>. Love your pictures, you have such a lovely figure and nice skin =). I've begun to notice all the veins/cellulite appearing on my legs and the stretch marks...man, growing up fat sucks! Is that a tattoo I spy on your arm? Your indian curry feast looked amazing. I loooove curry!
I really like your nutrition rules, especially the rating the hunger system. Don't worry about your weight, sounds like your birth control is the cause of the problem. Hormones can do such terrible things to our bodies! Fingers crossed you'll get a whoosh soon.
Last edited by Riestrella; 06-10-2014 at 10:14 AM.
Rie The sport I play is roller derby. Originally from America but still VERY underground, getting slowly bigger all the time in the UK, virtually non-existent in Japan! It's taken over my life but I love it.
I've no idea why mfp doesn't have a formula to calculate calories burned from weights. It shouldn't be too tricky, to just have an algorithm that takes weight and number of reps into account. Obviously it would vary, but then so does aerobic exercise. I'm not going to burn nearly as many calories running for 5K than someone who has a lot more weight to lose and doesn't exercise as regularly. It's why I've added the walk from my daily commute too, to give me a little extra calorie allowance! Sort of cheating. But only sort of!
I started trying to write a blog post about DOMS but got sort of side tracked and it spiralled into a very long and confusing ramble. I might try again later.
Yesterday evening it was wet and humid. Probably nothing like the levels you're experiencing over there, but I can sympathise! I felt a bit like I was missing out yesterday at lunch though, as it was beautifully sunny and I went to the gym! It was air conditioned though, which was nice. Well done for getting your run in, I'm sure your friend would've been SO proud to know how she influenced you to make healthy choices and push yourself to get out and be active. Doesn't matter how fast you were, it matters that you did it, even though the conditions weren't ideal AND you'd got out of the habit from last week. Sometimes the hardest thing is trying to get that routine back, so you're starting off this week on the right foot
It sounds like you had a nice chilled weekend with your bf. Ignore your couple friends if they're being all judgey, they have no right! People are all different, it's a shame if that's causing tension between you guys. Luckily I hardly ever see my housemate and his gf, so my and my fella generally have the house to ourselves, but when they do stay around we all get on really well. Both my bf and I really hate being alone, so I think we both quite like it when there are lots of people around and our house is a little hive of activity.
Don't order pizza! You'll regret it How about thinking of some healthy food that you like that your friends don't? There might be something that you don't get to have often when you're eating with others but you can make a thing of having it when you're on your own, just because you can?
Dott Ohhhh a make-up lesson. Making up a missed lesson. I get it now. I just thought your make-up when you posted pics from your concerts looked so immaculate that you might teach other people how to do that as well as playing the piano! Maybe not at the same time though. That would be an interesting lesson
Glad the recital went well and for the self restraint, especially when there was so much on offer! I admire your control, I'm the worst at saying no to treats that other people are offering. I can walk past that aisle in the shop no problem, but the moment someone else has brought food in I'm all over it like a crazy person!
In all honesty I'm not actually trying to change my diet to become vegan, or even vegetarian, or paleo or anything like that. I know that cutting out some foods permanently just isn't something that fits with my lifestyle, and more to the point, I don't WANT to. I know that I can cut certain foods out temporarily, but I'm not going to say I'll never eat bread, or cheese, or whatever again because that's just not realistic. I think I was struggling a bit to try and create the "healthiest" diet possible, but getting lost along the way on what's actually healthy. I think I might just revert to my old plan of common sense, lots of fresh fruit and veg, cutting right down on anything processed, being mindful etc rather that trying to force myself into something I don't want to do. I'm still going to have a go at some paleo and vegan recipes though, just for fun.
Your new hiking buddy sounds awesome! It's great that you can help each other out with your fitness goals. Man, I wanna come join! I love swimming too, but hardly ever get the time to go. If I manage to get to the seaside I'll definitely go for a paddle though It's interesting that swimming made you ache though, I don't think I've ever been sore from swimming. I must just not be trying hard enough!
Your Saturday sounds awesome too. I definitely wouldn't be brave enough to strip off to sunbathe though. I'm quite happy to run about in a vest top and tiny shorts, maybe even a bikini top, but anything less than that makes me very uncomfortable, even if there's not a soul around to see!
I'm so happy you've figured out what works for you with nutrition. It sounds like you're so disciplined, but it's probably getting easier as it's becoming the norm for you, if that makes sense. What's your rating system for hunger? That is a great idea.
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Sooo I was SO close to finally ticking off stage 1 of my nutrition. But then I went out and drank all the alcohol on Saturday and forgot to drink my water. I think I probably only managed 3 or 4 glasses, which is half my target. Never mind, I'm back to it this week and as it's getting warmer it's a lot easier to remember to keep topping up my glass throughout the day.
I really need to start being a bit more controlled at weekends. I mean, I need to be a bit more controlled during the week as well, but at weekends I go crazy, for no good reason! I have a game both days this weekend coming, so I'm really going to try and pack healthy snacks in advance, and only allow myself a little slip up, rather than an entire 3-day binge, which is basically what I'm doing at the moment.
I did manage to get my water in Mon-Fri last week though. I didn't manage my 2 extra cardio sessions, but I did one, and got all my strength training done though so that's good too. And I logged from Monday to Thursday, which is an improvement. I'm just going to focus on trying to improve on that this week and see where it gets me.
Once I've uploaded the 4 days I have from last week onto mfp I'll share it for you all to be horrified at just how much I eat every day!
Hello all, I've been lurking on this thread for awhile and decided to give it a go, I'm using this challenge to restart my weightless by slowly making some changes so I don't get burn't out by changing everything at once. Monday started my first day, for this week I will track all of my ww points (excluding diet soda and water) and try to go for a walk at least once this week.
Nutrition:
1. Vitamin every day!
2. Daily log of everything eaten on MFP
3. Drink water before every meal or snack
4. 2 diet sodas a day
Fitness:
1. Cardio 1x a week
2. Yoga/strength 1x a week
3. Learn to run!
4. Exercise every other day
My nutrition goals are to be added on to the calorie deficit diet of as much raw food as possible Im already doing. I really need to add some exercise! I don't know why I have so much trouble motivating myself to work out, it's always been a big struggle for me, I hate it! Heres to a new lifestyle!
Themilesawaygirl-haha I do really like make up and will do people's makeup and hair for them sometimes if they ask. My sister is much better though, she's learned so much from all the makeup artists and hairstylists she's been around. I love it when she does my makeup. Saying no to treats is hard, but I think you get used to it after a while. My boyfriend has a very hard time saying no to food in general and would even eat meat when offered to him(which really upset me when I found eat he was eating meat almost everyday in the beginning of our relationship bc his family kept offering it to him! ) But he eventually started saying no more often and now can comfortably say no. I'm glad its getting easier for you to get your water in It just takes time, you'll get past all your goals. Have you thought about eating maintenance on the weekends? Just as a starting point? Good luck with your games! I don't think any of us would be horrified by how much you eat, I've clocked in two 4000 calorie days in the last month
brandiboo- This challenge is wonderful for making real, sustainably lifestyle changes. I know it really has helped me start losing again after a 3 month long plateau last fall/winter.
Claygirl- As you reach your exercise goals, I bet you'll learn to really enjoy it Make sure to find something you enjoy and don't do any type of exercise you hate.
Rie-That's wonderful you went on that run and were able to honor your friend's memory while doing so Haha that's a great bit of motivation from your boyfriend Oh the Grand Budapest Hotel is AMAZING. Me and my bf saw it when it came out here and we both love it. I can't wait for it to come out on video, really one of those movies I could easily watch again and again. I love magical realism I hope you guys had a nice date. Ugh that girl sounds like a pretentious hipster Its too bad your mom feels down on herself...when you were back home would she go running with you? Maybe you guys could enter a race together? That's so cool that she won all those medals! I guess my unconventional techniques would be that I actually share my practice methods with my students and I think they are capable and expect them to learn a lot. Its weird, but most musicians don't think their students are capable of a lot. But I really make my students learn about complex rhythms, technique, theory, and ear training from the very get go. I treat them like little pianists. I have lots of weird practice methods I've developed over the years, little learning tricks and I have them do those. I have them write stories about the pieces they're playing, I have them move to the music in interpretive ways, I have them sing all the time! I'm always singing with them to reinforce ear training. We play games sometimes. We only spend about 1/2 the lesson actually playing piano, its all about becoming a musician so 1/2 of the lesson is spent on ear training, rhythm, conducting, listening, history, technique, theory etc. I'm honest with my students and strict, but they all respect me and we're all very close. Some people would think I'm too strict, but I NEVER use negative reinforcement. Also I use Keirsey's temperament theory to help me create a unique personality and character for each student and they all have very individualized learning plans. Also use theories on learning modalities to help structure lessons to a students best primary learning modality. Sorry, I could go on forever! I've done a lot of writing about teaching and have taken pedagogical classes on music instruction and have been doing this for a while so I get carried away! I do have a tattoo of a keyboard on my arm I'm still not sure if I want more, but lately I've really been wanting a belly button piercing! I don't have any piercings(not even my ears) bc my dad's religion forbids it and he's very strict about it. Technically you aren't supposed to wear any jewelry either haha I'm just afraid that he would disown me if he found out I got a piercing Do you have any piercings/tattoos?
So here's the rating system, someone else on the forum shared it from this book on mindful eating:
Hunger
-4 - ravenously hungry and I could eat anything right now
-3 - very hungry and i'd like to eat something substantial now
-2 - quite hungry and i'd like to eat something now, perhaps a snack or a light meal
-1 - a little bit hungry and i'd be comfortable to wait a while before eating.
0 - Not hungry and i'm not hungry at all.
Satiety
+1 unsatisfied - I still feel a bit hungry and i'd gladly eat something else right now
+2 just satisfied - My body is relaxed and comfortable and if i ate any more, I would still feel comfortable, but i don't need any more.
+3 Elegantly satisfied - My body is relaxed and comfortable and if i ate any more i would begin to feel over full.
+4 over satisfied - I know in my heart of hearts that i've eaten more than my body wants and i feel uncomfortable.
The goal is to end up with all 2s and 3s for both and to have your satiety level to correspond to your what you hunger level was Its been working really great for me! I've been eating much more mindfully and have been eating less.
Scale dipped down to 139.6 today. My period started as soon as I got up the mountain on Monday Luckily I had a tampon but I had to buy some advil from the gift shop lol Still did a 7 miles hike though Ugh I really hope to see 138.something by the end of the week...
I can report back to y'all and say - I DID NOT ORDER PIZZA! Woohoo! I ate a lot of pasta though, haha. But still, I'm sure it's way better that I eat a lot of home made food than a lot of crappy takeaway food. The boyfriend had a great time out with his friends, but he did come home incredibly drunk and I had to take care of him. I don't really mind, we all let loose sometimes, but he was really bummed out and kept saying "I love you, I'm so sorry" over and over. It was quite cute! He's a very lovey dovey drunk, which is awesome because he's not an overly lovey dovey person normally!
Wednesday we went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel - I really liked it!! It was the darkest of the Wes Anderson films I've seen, but I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of a more adult Moonrise Kingdom in a way. The ending really got to me for some reason, had to suppress an urge to blubber. Excellent film, would definitely own it.
I bought some capri pants, I really didn't want to buy them because I'm really tight with money, but my last pair got the dreaded chub rub hole. Do any of you suffer from chub rub and the awful holes it creates with leggings/jeans/pants? I hate it so much! I wouldn't consider myself to have fat legs, but my thighs do touch at the very top. I'm not sure if it's something that will get better the more weight I lose...I really hope it does. I'm not bothered about the thigh gap, I just don't want chub rub!!
When we got back home we went to get a burger. There's this awesome little burger place that is built like a wooden shack full of American decorations. It has so much character and the food is great. Not the best burger place in Tokyo, but a lot better than the burgers I get in England. We went to celebrate my friends birthday, who I mentioned in my previous post, since despite her being very much a picture of athleticism she was very much a pig when it came to food!
Thursday I did a yoga session which brings my exercise goal to 2/4 workouts complete for week 1/4. I was going to do a strength workout today (Friday) but didn't get around to it...so I have to do it tomorrow or I fail and don't get my iPod band!
Nutrition is not going so good, I think I really have a problem with restricting WHAT I eat. I'm pretty good with monitoring how much I eat but when I tell myself "no more ___" then what do I do? I go out and buy it. So I might just change my goal to "Don't buy junk food 5 days a week" which would give me some freedom to buy a bag of chips on the weekend. Moderation is key in my life I feel...
I'm also planning on running not one...but TWO 10K's this year! The first one is the Blackpool 10K, which I've run before and where I set my PR, the second is in my home town Preston, which I want to do with my Mum. So that way I can try and beat my PR in the first race, then the second 10K I can take my time and run with Mum. That's if she wants to, she might want to try and get competitive and want to race me fair and square. But what's better is I'LL GET MEDALS! I really get p!ssed off when I run a 10K and they give me a t-shirt...I want a MEDAL!
I also wrote not 1...not 2...but THREE entries into my blog about my previous 10K's!! Check it out here if you want http://hippotohot.blogspot.jp/
Tomorrow I'm going to see fireflies in the country side. I'm really excited, I've never seen a firefly before and apparently where we're going there are thousands. I hope it's good! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
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milesaway - Oh wow! Roller derby looks so fun! I must admit the only reason I know what it is is because I watched the film Whip It...is that bad? 2 of my friends play it though, one is a girl who wears a glittery gold helmet and the other is a guy who has a big bushy beard! Do you fall over a lot? I feel like it's something one could easily get very hurt doing!
I definitely add ALL my exercise, including walking to the shops, into MFP! Every little counts as Tesco tells me
What do you think blogs are for...RAMBLING! haha! Seriously that's pretty much all what I do. It's not like I think "what would people want to read?" I write purely for my benefit. You should start one!
Don't get me wrong, we really do get along very well with the other couple, we hang out all the time! I think I felt a weird vibe because we were both doing our own thing for the first time around each other.
I think now is the time you can really achieve your goal - summer always inspires water drinkage! Don't worry, despite knowing how much I should be eating I still go overboard. I think there are a lot of us in this forum who struggle with weekends, I think we're very much a culture of work hard, play hard people. I think it's important to enjoy life, so it's ok to take a dip into drinking/eating the good stuff without throwing yourself into the deep end completely if that makes sense.
Brandi - WELCOME! Please post up your goals!! I'd love to see them.
Claygirl - Yay! More people! Welcome, welcome!! If you want any tips on learning to run please let me know. I started out a complete newb i.e. I ran for 20 seconds and wanted to die, but now I can run a 10K without stopping! So it's definitely possible and it's my favourite form of exercise.
Dott - I know, it's really hard to see my Mum be so hard on herself. I know she can do it if she really tries, but she always slips back into bad habits. I'm very much like her in a way, but I think the difference is I really can't allow myself to be bad for long or I WILL gain the weight back. My Dad is very unhealthy, so I think it's easy for her to be bad because she has a partner in crime. When I lived with them and I was losing lots of weight she admitted to me I was an inspiration to her, but I think once I left I think she slipped back into old ways. When I last Skyped with her I asked her if she wanted to run any races with me but she said "nope" very bluntly, so I didn't pry. But when I emailed her about the 10K in August she said she'd be away, but suggested the second race so that's a good sign!
Oh wow, your lessons sound awesome! I would want to have you as my piano teacher!! I used to play piano, I was ok...I could play a few songs that I liked but I never had a lesson. I really wanted lessons but I don't think my parents could afford it at the time.
Do you have a picture of your tattoo? I have a tattoo of a dragon on my lower back (don't care that it's a "tramp stamp"!) that I designed myself. It's in a tribal style, but doesn't have any random patterns or flourishes, it's just a dragon with it's wings spread out. I just freakin' love dragons and always have! I'm planning on getting a tattoo for the people I've lost in my life too, not like their name or birthday but a symbol of what I believe represents them. For example for my friend whose birthday it was I want to get a pocket watch that has a heart on the end of the chain surrounding by 2 roses. The pocket watch is because she loved a TV show called Bernard's watch (about a boy who could stop time with a pocket watch) and once she suddenly spun around and said "STOP! .... Just seeing if I could stop time like in Bernard's Watch." It made me laugh SO much. The heart on the chain is because she bought me a heart necklace that was lovely and the roses are because she was on the Red Rose cycling team. I also want to get a small crown too for my dog who passed away, because she was my princess. I love tattoos, I don't think I want to be covered in them but I certainly want more.
How come piercing is a big no-no with your Dad's religion? Is getting a tattoo ok but a piercing not? One time I got an eyebrow piercing (wanted to look like Amy Lee, haha!) and my Dad wouldn't look at me for a few weeks. He just hates facial piercings! He also didn't want me to get a tattoo, originally I wanted it on my upper back but he said "what about when you get married, you want a big black dragon to be seen?" It actually really affected my decision to move the tattoo out of sight!
I think I might copy down that chart...seems useful! Wheeee congrats on the drop back into the 130's!!
It took me a couple days to get back on here, but I made my pyramid. Plus I completed phase 1 today!!
Nutritional/ Exercise
Phase 1: Track all WW points/ Go walking 1x a week
Phase 2: Drink 2 bottles of H2O per day/ Run once a week
Phase 3: Eat more veggies/ Go walking 2x per week
Phase 4: Start pre-planning meals/ Use my exercise dvd 1x per week
Phase 5: Stop nibbling while cooking/ Have 1 day of "fun" exercise
Phase 6: Make some meals ahead of time/ Run 2x per week
Phase 7: Drink 4 bottles of h20 per day/ Incorporate running into walks
Phase 8: Drink less soda/ Exercise 5x per week
Nutrition I managed to stay within all of my WW points this week and track them, but twords the end of the week my meals weren't as healthy as they should have been. Exercise I managed to go on my walk, but I'm nervous about the run I honestly don't plan on running the whole time, but the point of this goal is to get out there and do it even if it's for a short period.
I'm a little nervous right now because I know I have a friend coming over/me driving back home for a few days in 2 1/2 weeks and staying on plan for the first part of this is going to be impossible. I hope I can manage to maintain that week, and get right back on plan but I know for me to be successful, this needs to be a lifestyle change and I need to learn to handle little bumps in the road. Hope everyone is enjoying their saturday.
Last edited by Brandibooxoxo; 06-14-2014 at 03:53 PM.
Hello everyone! It's hump day! I know that a lot of you will hate me for saying that since I don't have a job, but I remember the days quite well .
My trip into the countryside to see the fireflies was a complete failure. The event was at a venue that said they were open from 6-9pm. We got there about 8pm after having dinner, thinking it would be well and truly dark by then, but about 15 minutes there is an announcement saying the last bus back to the train station is due any minute! So we literally only got to see a few fireflies very briefly before heading back.
What's even worse was that the line for the bus was so long that we didn't get on the first one, so they sent a second bus. We literally could have stayed and looked at the fireflies until 9 and still would have made it on the bus!
I was really disappointed/upset with myself, since I was the one who arranged it and I didn't even think to look at bus times for the return journey. I'm so used to buses running until at least 10pm, but 8:30pm last bus was ridiculous! My friends/boyfriend could clearly see how bugged I was and didn't show an ounce of disappointment, said it was not my fault since they all had access to the information too and we played games while we were waiting for the bus. When we got on the bus we played word games and then we tried to do these complicated hand gestures. Everyone on the bus was looking at us and a few people were chuckling along with our attempts, I even caught some people trying to do them too!
So even though I only got to see a few fireflies (they're so pretty!) I still had a good night with friends.
I've been trying to sell my furniture, people are being really flakey and not emailing me back about WHEN they want to pick it up! I've also decided to be a huge d-head and pretty much stop paying for my phone/internet and then just leave the country. It's irresponsible but they have ridiculous cancellation fees and I'm not planning on living in Japan ever again. I looked into it and they black list you from signing up to any other services in Japan, but hey ho. By doing this I now have a lot more money to live off to actually enjoy my remaining time in Japan instead of freaking out over money. I've gone from having £46/$92 to £126/$252, so a huge increase in spending money.
Exercise I have completed week 1 of 4!! Yesterday I began week 2 by going on a 2 mile run. I don't know what it was, but I absolutely killed it - it was my fastest 2 mile run EVER. I did it in 19:50, which is a 9:55 min/mi. I only ever run that fast during a race, so I was so proud of myself. I did a bit of a sprint finish because I really wanted to make it under 20 minutes, which left me so out of breath. I loved the feeling when I push myself and just get so tired, feels like I'll lose 5 lbs the next day! I know that's not true but still
Nutrition - Still need to work on this!! I'm definitely going to change it, but I'm so focused on exercise these days that I tend to forget what my nutrition goal actually is =S.
Tomorrow i'm going out with some work friends, all the ladies I worked with, to an indian restaurant. It should be a fun night and I do love curry! The only problem sometimes is that they will slip into talking Japanese (completely don't blame them!) and I'll just be left smiling and nodding!
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Brandi - Don't worry about running! I was a complete newb when it came to running 4 years ago, I couldn't barely run for 30 seconds without wanting to die, it takes time and a lot of getting used to but you will definitely feel the benefit and see the weight come off. If you have any questions let me know!
Last edited by Riestrella; 06-18-2014 at 12:52 AM.
Brandi-Great job on getting your goals figured out Make sure to plan ahead as much as possible for when your friend comes, you can always take a week off from the challenge if you need. I've had to before. Just make the goal maintaining and enjoy yourself.
Rie-I'm sorry the firefly outing didn't go as planned It seems like you guys still had fun and tried to make the best of it, but I know that when my plans don't work out I'm nearly inconsolable! At least you got to see some fireflies. I remember seeing them in the Midwest(there aren't really any in California) and my mom was so shocked and startled by them that her first thought was, "OMG fairies!" haha
I'm sorry people are being so flaky, dealing with people online for that kind of stuff is always awful. I really hope you get some serious buyers soon!
As far as the internet-eh I agree why bother since you know you're never going to live in Japan again? I know its not the most responsible choice, but sometimes we need to be a little irresponsible so keep ourselves sane. It won't effect your credit though right?(not sure how credit works around the world, in the US its such a big deal). Awesome job on the run! That's great that your mom is interested in possibly doing a race with you, what a great bonding experience that would be!
As an adult when you have the resources you should totally take piano lessons! I have some adult students and I think its wonderful when people continue on with music through adulthood(because really music should not just be reserved for children, we all need it ) I used to be a figure skater and actually plan on taking lessons again when I'm older, have time, can afford it etc. Its something I'm really looking forward to picking up again later in life haha
I'm not sure if I have a clear picture of my tattoo...I'll have to look for one. I really like your tattoo ideas, they're very original and meaningful. I would like to get more music related ones, and maybe something about hiking/nature.
Strict SDA doesn't allow for any body modification. Tattoos are a big no-no as well(I hid mine from my dad for almost a year!). My dad still is annoyed that I dye my hair actually because he doesn't believe in that either! With piercings though, I think its the whole "earthly adornments" part that really bothers him. He doesn't approve of jewelry either. So piercings are something that have always really bothered him. This past year my sister did a shoot where they ended up photoshopping earrings onto her and my dad FLIPPED on her because he saw the finished photo show up online and thought she had pierced her ears! I don't think me or my sister will ever end up getting them pierced just to keep the peace
Sorry I've been away this past week. I got really sick and was stuck sleeping in bed all day. I didn't really try to diet, but still somehow kept to my nutrition goal without trying since I lost my appetite. Its still not all the way back actually and yesterday my calories were far too low. My poor bf had to take care of me while I was in bed all day. It started Friday, but I ignored it bc Mike's friend was having a birthday party that night and I really wanted to go since I haven't been to a party in a while and my bf was looking forward to it so much! We went and although there was free pizza, salad, beer, wine, and tons of cake; I managed to stick to two small glasses of wine. I mean, obviously the pizza wasn't gf and I didn't have lactaid on me even if it was. And the salad looked really good, but also filled with calories and cheese. Beer obviously can't drink either haha sometimes my dietary restrictions can be helpful in staying away from temptation! It was a really fun time and his friend owns this cute pizza shop so it was held there after hours. I got all dressed up and had fun socializing.
Then Sat I was still being bad and in denial of feeling ill so went to the beach. And pretty much every hour I was awake saturday I got more and more sick. While in Santa Monica though I went to Buffalo Exchange to look for a new pair of cut off shorts. Mine are too big and I've been looking for a new pair for a while and was sure they would have something. Well everything was too big or too small Ugh shorts are worse than pants when it comes to finding something that will fit over my big butt but not have a huge gap at the waist! I'm now on an epic search for shorts lol
The rest of the time I've been in bed, although I took some medicine and forced myself to teach yesterday. I'm feeling mostly better, just congested. I'm going to the gym later to workout with my hiking buddy. She's going to help me develop a better strength routine. Afterwards we're going to the hot tub which I'm excited for. Tomorrow I'm getting lunch with my dad for a late Father's Day celebration and then up for a short hike on the mountain. Friday me and my friend are going up the mountain for a big hike(might do the peak, depends on how she adapts to the altitude).
Nutrition-Pretty good. Have to stay totally on plan though to make my goal this week. I know though that if I plan well I'll be fine
Exercise-I'm so mad! Getting sick means I didn't make my exercise goal since I couldn't do a 2nd strength workout for the week grrr! So starting again on phase 6 for that.
You look so adorable in that hat 
You really have such lovely blue eyes. So close to meeting your nutrition goal too! That's awesome, you really are doing wonderful. 
So Sat morning I taught a makeup at 8:30(ugh teaching that early is HARD!) then headed to Palm Springs and hung out with my family while my brother slowly woke up and got ready(took him 2 hours....). Me and him then went shopping together and then out to eat with my dad at my brother's favorite vegan health restaurant. Everyone had a great time and got along so that was nice. 
My boyfriend also bought me a new purse that I'll include a pic of. I really needed one and it was very sweet of him bc I could not afford it on my own. 
Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!
on the engagement! You look so pretty in the pics, and so happy! How lovely that you'll get to remember it as a time when you were doing something you love. Your hikes sound so amazing, you're lucky to have such wonderful surroundings to enjoy. Your posts make me want to get out of the city a bit more and escape the smog and concrete. Hopefully we'll get some more consistent summer weather soon and I can take a day trip to the seaside if I get some free time at the weekends. 
I do love make-up though! But yeah, I teach piano so that's what I meant by a "make up lesson". Did you go vegetarian before trying vegan? I think trying to jump into a vegan paleo diet right away would be a bit much. You could slowly do things, like just take out bread. Before I knew I was gluten intolerant I actually just slowly stopped eating bread anyways bc I kind of knew something was up I guess. But maybe try to limit bread. Then milk. Then cheese, then pasta etc and build up to the diet you want 
I'm not sure what's going on....TOM hasn't really started yet. I've had breakouts, cramps, mild spotting....but it still hasn't come full force. I know its my birth control(I have the IUD and in 6 months its due to be replaced and I think since its towards the end its just making my hormones weird, guess that's pretty common towards the end from researching online). I'm just hoping that with sticking so well to my plan that this week I will have a whoosh! Fingers crossed!
. So my boyfriend has bought me a fancier replacement that is similar to the one I originally asked for and said I have to complete phase 4 or he'll take it away! A nice bit of motivation 
for the self restraint, especially when there was so much on offer! I admire your control, I'm the worst at saying no to treats that other people are offering. I can walk past that aisle in the shop no problem, but the moment someone else has brought food in I'm all over it like a crazy person!
It's interesting that swimming made you ache though, I don't think I've ever been sore from swimming. I must just not be trying hard enough!
This challenge is wonderful for making real, sustainably lifestyle changes. I know it really has helped me start losing again after a 3 month long plateau last fall/winter. 
As you reach your exercise goals, I bet you'll learn to really enjoy it 
Haha that's a great bit of motivation from your boyfriend 