Thanks. Nice to see you and big hugs back. (Strictly speaking, I don't participate in this thread as I have a lot to lose. But I do hang around a bit.)
Wednesday, rising in my hotel room at 4 AM as if from a crypt, discovering my fellow conference attendees did not join me after our late night out. I've been tired all day.
I've continued to pick & choose from the convention fare at various buffets.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, blueberries, strawberries and lychees, and two sausages
Lunch: Romaine salad with apples and pomegranate, crumbled bacon, a big glop of hummus, steamed asparagus and carrots
Snack: Nectarine
Dinner: Kale salad with avocado, chicken and a beet burger from a food truck outside of the hotel
Dessert: Cookies n' cream Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
At the hotel gym, 20 minutes on Life Fitness recumbent bike, resistance at 10, then Workout 4A2 of Strong Curves advanced program. I had to use the Smith machine for weighted glute bridges, again rolling up a yoga mat for padding. Also the Smith machine for squats, which felt heavy at 110 lbs and better at 90 lbs. I used a pair of 50-lb dumbbells for the deadlift.
I didn't think it was possible, but I wore out my gym bag- the canvas tote I have used nearly daily for the last 3-4 years. It apparently had some sort of plasticky coating on its inner surface for some reason, and the coating has started to come off in flakes and pieces, mixing with my gym clothes and sneakers. Ick. Replacing it proved surprisingly challenging because I really wanted something with multiple pockets inside to stow little items (keys, ponytail holders, jewelry that I remove if I go directly from work, etc), I wanted it to be water resistant, roomy but not huge, and not duffle shaped. And, oh yes, not north of $50 (Under Armour, really?). Finally found one that fit the bill but it took me over an hour of searching the internets. That is WAY more time than I thought it should take.
So, I've started the Strong Curves series (advanced program; I've been lifting for over 3 years). Did workout 1B today, which was much easier than 1A. The hardest move was a 1-legged weighted back extension. I used 15 pounds the first time (held against the back of my head) and I couldn't get past 10 reps. Reduced the weight to 12 pounds for the next two sets and still struggled to get 12 reps per leg. I had no idea how much harder it is to do that move 1 legged. Anyone besides me and Saef try this program? The book is great, and I think there's videos online of all the more complicated moves too.
Saef... Super impressed that you are able to rise early and get to the gym.
Andrea... That bag is super snazzy though!
Yesterday I felt shaky and spent after morning yoga so I didn't make the gym. I'm hoping to do both today as my days off are quickly coming to an end.
Ellie is getting spayed tomorrow so I'm planning on extra dog park time and loads of love today. Tomorrow morning will be difficult as she wakes me every morning by 5:30, starving and dying of thirst. I can't drop her off till 8:00 so it will be a long few hours!
Thursday, with great effort, getting up from bed in my hotel room at 4 AM, thankful that I had both the bedside alarm set and the wake-up call set on the phone just a minute or two later.
I've continued to pick & choose from the convention fare at various buffets and I'll be on a red-eye back to NY tonight.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Eggwhites with spinach and something else, blueberries, strawberries and lychees, and oatmeal with Splenda
Snack: Plum
Lunch: Romaine salad with marinated artichokes and probably some bacon, they always had crumbled bacon out in bowls
Snack: Tasteless but deceptively good-looking apple
Dinner: Salad that airport bar claimed to be "gourmet" because of the presence of bleu cheese crumbles and dried cherries, with strips of beef laid on top.
Exercise for Today:
At the hotel gym, 30 minutes on Life Fitness elliptical, 20 minutes backward, 10 minutes forward, resistance at 10.
Friday, in a strange state of mind because I've been awake since Thursday morning. Now I'm home, after a red-eye that left at 8:30 PM from San Diego and got me into NY around 5 AM. I don't know whether I ought to go to bed or not and I don't even know what to call my meals.
Meals for Today:
Overnight, on airplane: A berry mix Quest bar and later, an eggwhite and spinach on ciabatta sandwich
Home: Cherries and yogurt
[Slept from 6:45 to about 10:30 AM]
Snack: A nectarine
Lunch: Baby kale, roasted vegetables, walnuts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, half an avocado and some forkfuls of hummus
Dinner: Steak with roasted broccoli and steamed baby carrots
Dessert: Bare Fruit cinnamon apple chips, the 180-calorie bag
At the gym:
30 minutes recumbent bike, resistance at 10, the hill program, then 4x12 squats with a fixed-weight 40lb barbell alternating with 4x20 crunches, 3x12 leg raises and 3x12 hamstring curls; 3x12 abductors/adductors. I was trying to reproduce something of my usual Friday morning physical therapy session.
Michele, yes very snazzy, but not worth the $$ to me. I found one that fit the bill on ebay for $30 + 5 for shipping. My DH just laughed- he uses a fabric (reusable) grocery bag from our local supermarket chain, which cost $1.50.
Also, I'm curious - are you still adhering to the carb-cycling/5 mini-meals a day approach? I am (with 4 instead of 5 meals), though to be honest, I'm not sure why. The original weight loss I experienced was quickly followed by a regain phase due to the excessive evening binge-snacking it induced. And since then, the same approach has not yielded weight loss that is faster or better than simple calorie-counting (with, of course, avoiding after-dinner "supplementation").
Saef, you really work yourself hard. I won't take a red-eye except for overseas travel. Did you learn or do anything useful on this trip?
B: green smoothie w/ protein
L: small portion of chicken, brown rice, and veggies. Kale salad. Small piece dark chocolate.
S: protein shake w/ carob and berries
D: not sure yet
S: not sure yet
Not feeling terribly motivated today, but sticking to my plan....
Michele
Also, I'm curious - are you still adhering to the carb-cycling/5 mini-meals a day approach? I am (with 4 instead of 5 meals), though to be honest, I'm not sure why. The original weight loss I experienced was quickly followed by a regain phase due to the excessive evening binge-snacking it induced. And since then, the same approach has not yielded weight loss that is faster or better than simple calorie-counting (with, of course, avoiding after-dinner "supplementation?
Yes and no... Mostly still following but not 100% and I know some of my portions are too large. Since I don't work in the summer I am able to workout more, but I also eat out more while dd is home, when I travel, etc.
Dd is out now picking up dinner for us in fact, as I'm playing nurse to Ellie after her spay today. Poor thing... Luckily I looked up the calories for the dish I almost chose... It had almost 1000 calories made a much better choice!
Hey, Nineteen! (Sorry-not-sorry for the obvious callout, but I can't see your name without hearing the Steely Dan song, which I like very much.) Glad to see you again. Though when we see people again, it's usually because they're looking for allies in this lifelong struggle.
And yes, Andrea, I learned some stuff at the Offsite. Mostly this meeting happens to share the larger corporate strategy for the year ahead and to help us work on some skills that, in retrospect, always seem obvious. It's all about propaganda and indoctrination.
Oh, and you had a question several posts back about my experience with weight and body composition. Yes, when I reached 160 last year, after completing New Rules of Lifting for Women, just before my accident, I had different bodily proportions and looked much different than when I was 160 in the past, like when I went through being 160 lbs during my weight loss from 257 downwards. My waist was much smaller, my quads and upper arms and shoulders were heavier, and my legs had visible muscles.
Okay, so for today. My first weigh-in since my departure for San Diego: 139.4. I see that I was 138.9 when I set out for San Diego on Monday morning. So I gained about a half a pound while I was away. I'd call that an infinitesimal difference. But oh, what an effort that took, with the gym-going & the avoidance of all the alcohol and bounteous food. You don't know what I turned down and walked away from.
I fought off eating & eating yesterday. I wasn't hungry and seemed to want to do this for solace or recovery, or out of relief because I was home, among my own food and my own stuff. As long as I was running errands and thinking of other things, I was okay.
Today I feel strangely relaxed, like I got back from a vacation. The change in scenery did me good. I cannot relax, of course, as there's the usual post-trip stuff to do, like laundry and food shopping and cooking for the week ahead. This coming week is my operation to get two screws dug out of my leg -- I had my pre-op appointment yesterday. My mother is coming this week to help with this. So there's a lot to prepare for.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Back to the usual: Cacao nib protein shake muffin, egg bake with spinach, ham and mushrooms; yogurt and blueberries with cinnamon
Lunch: Baby kale salad with roasted vegetables, ham & cannellini bean salad, walnuts and Craisins
Snack: Bing cherries
Dinner: Vinegary barbeque chicken leg quarter, roasted cauliflower, sweet potato
Dessert: Strawberry Cheesecake Quest bar
Exercise for Today:
At the gym, 20 minutes on the Cybex arc trainer, then workout 5A of Strong Curves advanced program, followed by Pilates mat class. This was more than I really had the energy for, as the jet lag hit me and the last part of Pilates was exhausting.
That's a definite win, Saef if you're barely up. I'm always up after flying, not to mention sodium issues. So, I bet you're down. What's the recovery period post surgery for you?
Dh comes home tonight after being gone for 3 weeks. I can't wait. Unfortunately I didn't make any downward progress in my weight while he was gone so I'll have to extra careful wth him. Our anniversary is next Saturday and we will likely have a nice meal out.
Ellie seems pretty good today after her spay yesterday. Poor baby was miserable last night .
...But oh, what an effort that took, with the gym-going & the avoidance of all the alcohol and bounteous food. You don't know what I turned down and walked away from.
Oh do I know. This issue is probably my #1 eating trigger (or maybe tied for #1 with overwhelming anxiety/stress from work or kid-related issues). And, like you, it always hits me AFTER the social event(s) is over, like when I get back from a conference or party where I've been really good at watching my food intake when everyone around me was piling their plates high. Understanding that it's self-pity coupled with "normalization" of the excessive portions and foods doesn't help me resist it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saef
This coming week is my operation to get two screws dug out of my leg -- I had my pre-op appointment yesterday. My mother is coming this week to help with this. So there's a lot to prepare for.
Good luck. Is this the last planned surgery? What is the predicted recovery time from this procedure?
welcome back... Good to see you...
Nineteen
made a much better choice!
