Most Excellent Job, Sabrina!!! Don't you just love the tape measure???
Hi LWL!! It's a sunny Wednesday morning in the Motor City and I can't wait till lunch. A co-worker returned from Paris and brought me back a fancy mustard sampler. I LOVE MUSTARD!!! Only 3 more hours to go!
I've been doing pretty well these past few days, and making a concerted effort to log in here to remain motivated.
I've been thinking a lot about motivation recently. As we all know, getting fit and losing weight is such a mind game.
Well, I read something yesterday that I found to be pretty motivational and wanted to pass it on to everyone. It comes from a 1950's-era book called something like "Man's Search for Meaning." The book was written by a psychotherapist named Victor Frankl who was a holocaust surviver -- the book talks about the therapy/philosophy he developed and tried to use to help him survive the concentration camps. I'm not sure if his therapy/ philosophy is still considered valid, but I read the book for his account of his life in the camps. I do know that Frankl is mentioned as being an influence on the guy who wrote the Seven Habits books. Anyway, here's the quote:
"Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. Each man is questioned by life; he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible....So live as if you were living already for a second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now! This precept confronts you with life's finiteness as well as the finality of what you make out of both your life and yourself."
I was struck by this quote b/c I know that I've often thought -- "Oh, why didn't I take better care of myself when I was younger? It would have been easier to lose the weight." or "Oh, if I had only kept off all of those pounds I had previously lost? Why did I let myself regain it all?" I realize of course that lamenting for the past doesn't change it. If anything, it just makes me feel worse about where I am now. But looking forward, and really trying to learn the lessons from the past (and not whine about what can't be changed), well maybe this will keep me motivated to do what's right in terms of exercising and eating right. In some respects, every day is a "second chance" to do what's right for ourselves.
Just some of the thoughts that keep me up at night.
I love Viktor Frankl's work as well, Mox. It's true that there's no point in beating ourselves up for what has happened in the past. We need to understand why it happened, perhaps, so we can make changes for the future, but there's no point in sitting around guilty. On that topic, I've been thinking about a quote from Lord of the Rings a lot recently:
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
No weights this week, just walking. Tonight's my big exam and I'm so excited about the idea of being *done* with it. Of course, I'm getting a cold too, so my body's less excited than my mind.
Thanks for the quote, Mox. I really got a lot from your post. I will have to look at more of his writing.
I have to totally rethink my Wed's. I am exhausted (again). I did 30 min light on the elliptical, the Buns and Thighs Class and my weights with PT. I felt like I was going to crash pretty much when I got out of the shower. After lunch I was not dragging so much, but still don't feel like myself. Maybe next week I'll try a protein drink after the class. I am just not ready to give it up, yet.
I must not have seen the fine print when I signed up for with DC Fit. It is not the training itself, but beginning July 9 they will start meeting Saturdays at 6am (6!!??) to beat the DC heat. Oh my, what have I done??
I went to bed at a decent time but could NOT get out the bed this AM for my workout so I will have to juggle BIG time to get it in. Tonight is also cheer night and I also have to get DD ready for her fashion show tomorrow night. I think I will be drinking a sugar free Red Bull at some point this evening to get through it all.
I cooked up ground turkey and taco seasoning for her class this AM and only took a small bite out on a chip (plus I shared that one chip with DD). Everything else in my lunch bag is super healthy, fish, half a yam, spinach, broccoli, tuna and a boiled egg. For some reason I am craving comfort food, but I will be strong, stay focused on my goals and get through this. Right?
This has been a really long week or me, and there are still a few days to go....sigh.
I shredded my arms this morning, just finished eating, and am headed upstairs to get rid of the gray roots. I'll multitask on the bike for a while as they turn brown again, hop in the shower, pick up ds from school, then back to the gym for the evening onslaught. Sometime, I need to get to a shoe store and find an inexpensive pair of heels to wear to a party tomorrow night, otherwise I'm going to look pretty silly in a floaty skirt and my nikes
Ellen, 6am?!?!?! Yikes. Ours starts @ 7:30, but since it's an hour away I have to get up at 6 to get there on time. I'll think of you as I stagger out of bed
Ooooh, mine too! I would hate to be ANYWHERE at 6AM on a Saturday except in a warm bed, passed out and drooling!
Today was hard, y'all. I was craving salty and sweet so I bought a bag of kettle corn popcorn (the lite one) cause its salty and sweet and I ate that. I also bought a cafe latte protein drink to make a change from the vanilla I normally have, so I think I'm gonna be OKAY!
Out of the blue and the lurk and into the light...
I must apologize yet again for not posting for so long, especially after promising you the LWL cookbook, which is in its very last stage by the way.
I have been dealing with a lot of stuff these last months, not in the least a bad back and several infections, so I am starting up slowly on the weights again. The company I work for has been sold to another telecom company but we were in doubt as to whether they would keep personnel or chuck us out, so stress has been high.
Fortunately everything seems to have worked out fine, both with work and health. The lumbago (my own fault by the way) kept me away from the gym for too long, and made me have to start at 0. This I have diligently done and I can say I am going up a lot faster than I had anticipated.
Furthermore, the miracle has happened: BF, who hates most forms of sport, has started playing badminton (my dad's comment was: "what??? is he ill???) AND enjoying it.
I have also taken up gardening and have set up a vegetable patch (the digging by hand of which in combination with neglected weights gave me the lumbago in the first place) and am now trying to work out how to keep slugs and other vermin away (biologically) from eating everything before I can have a go, I took two new cats (I am currently successfully learning the 2 kittens how to "sit!" like dogs, they love it), I am painting the new house and decoratingetc.
I have read up a but and seen that things are a bit slow on the thread, what have all of you been doing? I see a lot of new faces too.
HI Greekgirl Wow, out of the blue is right! Glad to have you back. I wondered what had happend to you. Sorry to hear about the back and the job woes, but it sounds like things are gettting better.
Hiya there Greekgirl! It's so cool seeing you on here again! Don't stay away so long, okay?
Mel, I have a question. I know I should eat about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. What happens to excess protein on the days that I go over that amount?
Excess protein is like excess anything else- if it's just too many calories, it eventually gets stored as fat. If you are still within your caloric range but waaay up there on the protein and too low on carbs consistently, eventually you'll go into ketosis. That's the basis for how Atkins works. Not necessarily a good way to eat for building muscle, but if your ratios are only out of whack every once in a while, your body will figure out how to convert the protein into fuel. On days when your carbs are too low, you may feel pretty grumpy, headachey, and low energy until you get used to it. No one really agrees on what the perfect ratios are. It really depends on how your body works best. Generally, ketogenic diets, where most of your calories come from fats and protein, aren't all that healthy in the long run and aren't great for muscle building. I eat what's generally considered a low carb diet, with between 40-50% of my calories from protein, 25-35 from carbs, and 15-25 from fats. The exact numbers vary day-to-day, but I never go over 50% protein.
Okay, so can you take another peek at my FitDay Journal? I have added yams, spinach and some other items to it, but am still ending up too high on protein, (i think).
Late in checking in this week and I have to confess the week also did NOT go well. I did excercise diligently on monday, then did nothing on tueaday, wednesday and thursday. Grabbed myself together yesterday & today but it will be difficult to make up for those lost days !! Also food-wise is still not going OK. I am focussing on having 5 small days spaced over the day, with sufficient proteins in each meal but it is a difficult task.
Hope next week will be better,
rabbit
Wow, out of the blue is right! Glad to have you back. I wondered what had happend to you. Sorry to hear about the back and the job woes, but it sounds like things are gettting better. 
