A good day here -- a long coast walk and good diet, although still working on getting in water. Tomorrow, I'm off to a birthday party for Andrew, who's 5. Wish me luck against the cake!
Ugh! I did terrible today! Mom brought me fast food for lunch, and then we all went out to Mexican for dinner. While I admit that I didn't eat as much as I usually do, it was still a whole bunch of unecessary calories. And I was so tired by the time I got home today that I didn't get my workout in. But it's ok, because I can still meet my 5 days a week workout goal if I workout tomorrow. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, and know that I will be right back on track tomorrow. However, tomorrow is Grandpa's birthday, and probably the last one he'll have, so if I have to sacrifice a few calories to making him happy, I'm not going to worry about it.
I did get in some mall walking though. And Mom bought me a new cell phone, on her plan, so that's one bill I don't have to pay. Hooray!
As for how I manage to eat right... well, I mostly don't. I don't want to say "I can never eat fast food again," or have to cut anything completely out of my diet, because I know that's unrealistic. I'm just trying to cut back on everything in general--2 chicken strips at lunch instead of 4, 4 potato logs instead of SuperSize fries. It's really easy to cut back, considering how much I used to eat. I usually clean my plate and empty the basket of tortilla chips and guacamole at the Mexican place, today I could barely finish my burrito. I get fuller faster, and I actually stay fuller longer. I'm just trying to listen to my body, let it tell me when it's hungry, and when it's full. For the most part, it's working. I realized that our bodies WANT to be healthy, and they actually know how to be healthy; all we have to do is let them. I have to quit letting my brain or my emotions override my perfect biological system, the body that is designed to keep me alive and in optimum health.
If you're worried about consuming too much packaging, try buying one big bottle of water and refilling it. I'm trying to cut out the diet soda, since I realized that drinking it makes me nauseaus (listened to my body--but of course there's a Diet Pepsi sitting here as I type this), and I try not to have more than one a day. I'll buy a case, say, when it's on sale, and take one can to lunch with me, then that's it for the day. But the less I drink of it, the easier it gets. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true--the more I drink the more I want. That's how they get you!
Whew! Enough rambling from me for one night. I need sleep!
Have a good day tomorrow!
~Elisha
eek! busy birthday weekend! but I did work out today and get in my posting. yayyy. I'll write more tomorrow. It's a small accomplishment, but it does feel good to have this here, reminding me of my goals and my daily need to keep in touch with myself and others. It's so easy to let days and weeks slide without any awareness.
Busy birthday weekend for me too! My eating was terrible all weekend, and I didn't get any exercise in, but my scale still says I'm down a pound from last week. I wonder where I was before the bad weekend?! But I'm back on track now, and I'm still losing, so all is well. Treadmill time in a little while... I really should start walking before I stand at work all day--my legs are killing me! Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Have a good night!
~E
Woohoo! I just met one of my March Challenge goals: 2 miles on the treadmill in..... (drumroll please)..... 29 minutes and 57 seconds! That's a whole 57 seconds better than my best time! I'm so excited I could just burst! I didn't think I could do it, but there it is.
On the down side, that means I have to increase my time to 35 minutes tomorrow. Oh well, keep pushing, that's how the weight comes off. As I said, you do what you gotta do.
Have a wonderful evening!
~E
Hi Miss E, hope you had a great session at the gym. I only got in a small walk with my dog late this afternoon. I had a rotten sleep last night (I Know better than to take naps), a long day today, and I feel a cold coming on, so I'm drinking lots of liquids, getting vitamin C. argh. If I sleep and wake with even a little sense of wellness, I'll get to the gym in the morning.
I think you're right about our bodies, although mine Is suspiciously keen on scones, muffins and all things bread. Still in all, I do think if I can interpret the cues properly, my body tells me what foods energize, feed and truly fill it. I also relish the feeling I get from exercising -- if I can just overcome the numbing mental resistance that comes from working with my mind all day instead of my body. I sometimes think I should ration my affection for the computer. I am no tv addict, but the computer? yes.
A good walk today, despite moving to mid-cold-stage, and good eating, if Still lacking in water consumption. grrr. It was a long day, but a very good one. Hope yours was productive and positive, Elisha!
Hi gals - I'm here to crash your party again. Sorry for disappearing - it takes a while for me to get into the habit of posting at various forums.
I'm a Body for Life person, and am having my week off between Challenges right now. So, I'm kind of taking work out as optional this week, but trying to keep my eating in line.
I read an article recently about 10,000 steps of walking daily helping with weight loss, so I'm considering trying to add that to my exercise, in addition to my morning workouts. I'll start with a 20 minute walk at lunch, and then see how the day plays out. Probably a bit ambitious of me, but we'll see how it goes!
Cindy
Ok, so I didn't increase my time on the treadmill. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Yesterday at 30m47s, and today was 30m04s. Tomorrow is my scheduled day off, then I think I'll pick up with 35 minutes on Friday. Oh my gosh! I can't believe tomorrow is April!!! Where does the time go?!?
But, the faster the time goes, the faster the pounds go, so it's not a bad thing. I'm going out to dinner with a friend tomorrow, but it's a friend who just lost a lot of weight and doesn't want to gain it back, so we'll probably both have a nice big salad. I love supportive people! Hooray for healthy friends!
A co-worker complimented me today on my weight loss. I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now, like I can do anything. I love this feeling!
Hope you both had a great day!
~E
Hi Cindy! It's good to see you here again! And Miss Elisha, see? There's good things for you right there! A work compliment -- isn't it great when others take notice??
We have just a few days left in this challenge -- it's supposed to end March 4. Do you want to continue in some way? Or look into joining other groups in progress and hopefully meet up there? I know I'm sorta looking forward to weighing in, which I haven't done in a while. At the very least, this month has remotivated me and kept me daily aware of my goals.
I was thinking about that too, about maybe starting a new challenge and seeing if we can't get some other people to join (not that you're not wonderfully motivational in and of yourself!). I, too, am looking forward to the weighing-in on Monday, but since I've weighed myself every Monday, I'm more looking forward to the measuring-in. I've noticed my pants are looser, I just want to see some numbers, have something solid.
I haven't made it to the treadmill yet today, but I will. 35 minutes today. I'm going to a big job fair this afternoon, and hopefully something will come of it. Wish me luck!
~E
Not sure if you're familiar with Body For Life, but it's actually a 12-week program. I'll be starting again on Monday the 5th, and then I take measurements and photos every four weeks. That will sort of coincide with your monthly challenges.
I had great cardio yesterday on the Spinning bike, and then did weight-lifting today - back, triceps and biceps. I feel like my upper body is looking smaller again, which is exciting! I'll be taking progress photos this weekend, and will share the link to them with your guys when I do.
TGIF!
Cindy
Ok, just got off the treadmill.... 2.33 miles in 35 minutes exactly, so that means I kept my speed at 4.0mph. I just hope I can keep it up.
Eating was crappy today... my brother and I ran around town all day, because the job fair was incredibly sucky, unless you were looking for a nursing job or the armed services, which I'm not. But we ended up eating out twice. Once wasn't too bad, just one hot dog, but at dinner I ended up with a philly cheesesteak wrap. I swear I don't know how it ended up in front of me.
We did a little shopping (very little, since I work retail), and I got my monthly reward for meeting my 5-pound goal: a new workout shirt. I wanted to get some new shorts or capris too, but the only ones I liked were too pricey for my budget. Next paycheck should be pretty good though, so I'm going to invest in some new gear--shoes, shorts, and a sweatband if I can find one.
And when I got home a little while ago, for some unapparent reason I just felt like crap. I felt like just sitting down and crying. Instead I got on the treadmill, and it helped. I don't know what came over me. Sometimes it just hits me how much I don't like my life right now. The worst part is that I feel like I'm doing everything I possibly can and it's not getting any better. Losing weight is making me feel better about myself, but that's only one part of it. There's so much more I want to change and feel like I can't.
On a lighter note, I went to the mall the other day. I was dressed fairly nicely--black pants, my nice pair of black heels, a rather low-cut pink wrap shirt. I actually saw guys looking at me. That's why I love wearing heels, everyone turns to look. But the best part was, the guys kept looking. I've never really had that before. It feels so good to be noticed. And I thought, "if losing 10 pounds makes this much of a difference, think what it will be like when I lose the next 65."
Ok, time to watch a movie with the brother. Hope everyone had a good day!
~E
What good days! Cindy, Body for Life begins a new cycle on the 5th? Is it a set diet/exercise plan like Atkins or South Beach or more generally about becoming more healthy? I agree with Elisha that while we've done wonderful things keeping motivated these 21 days, a larger group could be nice to find for the Next 21 days and 21 days after that and ... lol.
Miss Elisha, your energy is inspiring! I love hearing about your rewards for meeting your challenges. I could use some new workout clothes and Definitely new athletic shoes. Unfortunately, this isn't the month to do it -- I'm going to a bluegrass festival at the end of the month with my little bit-o-expendable money. On the other hand, I AM going to be seeing the first boy-man I ever kissed some 18 years ago, so this could require new exercise gear and increased attentions to my fitness regimen.
I had a very good day, both a walk with m'dog and a ramble in Monterey. The aquarium has a new exhibit so they held a members night. The new shark display was nice, but I loved the chance to be in the aquarium with only a fraction of the people who are normally there. My mom and I had jumbo prawns with salad for dinner, then did a walkabout on Cannery Row before touring the aquarium. It was a nice evening. Mainly I ate right, except for the cinamon roll for dessert. And I WILL start getting 64 oz in by the end of the next challenge!
