This is probably the hardest week I've had since September. I only walked once due to snow/ice and holiday parties (I will walk 9 miles in the morning). However, I did have one significant victory when I indulged at my work holiday party Thursday night AND stayed within my calorie range for the day. I'd really love to recap what I ate, so here we go:
3 oz honey baked ham - 170 cals
1/4 cup mashed potatoes - 50 cals
2 Tbsp corn casserole - 45 cals
Pea and mint crostini - 40 cals
Croissant - 110 cals
1/4 cup salad w/1 tsp dressing - 25 cals
Captain Rodney's cheese bake (2 Tbsp) w/3 club crackers - 130 cals
1 small brownie - 115 cals
1 small slice cheesecake - 240 cals
7 oz pino grigio - 155 cals
Total - 1,080 calories
Whoa I know, where does the victory come in you ask? For one, I did not eat every dish offered. I left out sausage dip, green beans with bacon, the cheese ball, potato salad, shrimp salad, and the list goes on and on. Secondly, I pre-planned my lunch so that it was low in calories. Lunch came in at 220 calories. With breakfast, I was only at around 585 before heading to the party. My calorie total for the day was around 1,660. Even if I miscalculated what I ate at the party (easy to do) and was off by 10%, that still puts me at 1,900 for the day - my goal.
While I realize others would approach the holiday party differently, I chose to enjoy myself and cut out unwanted calories elsewhere in my day. And so, I'm calling this a victory because I didn't compromise my enjoyment OR my calorie goal for the day.
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
3 miles: personal record!
You may have seen this on Twitter, but I almost forgot to post here that I did my 3 mile training walk last night in 47:53 - a personal record! That is approximately a 16 minute mile. I've been struggling with motivation lately so I decided to challenge myself with trying to do 3 miles in under 50 minutes. I have to keep the treadmill visits fresh, ya know?
Now that it's dark and cold outside, I've been hitting the treadmill during the week. I have a few tips to keeping it fresh:
- Do intervals. Either way you do it, either by distance or time. Choose an increment to go as hard and as fast as you can then do a recovery interval for a bit longer time than the first segment. (ex: 1/4 mile at 4 mph then 1/2 mile at 3.5)
- Change machines mid-way through your walk/run. I know it sounds silly to get off a machine, wipe it down, then move to the other side of the room, but the change of perspective may help your, "oh this is so boring" thoughts.
- Cover the display and only look at it after a pre-determined time. After a commercial break, for example. Or every two songs.
- Think of your walk/run as smaller segments. When I hit 1/2 a mile on a 3 mile walk, I am 1/6 of the way through. 1 mile is a third. Before you know it you'll be half way through, then you'll only have a quarter mile left.
- Make mental lists about what you have to to that day/evening, the next day, the coming weekend.
- And of course, set a time limit and finish your mileage before that set time. It keeps you focused on an end goal and the challenge gives you something to think about besides how boring the treadmill is.
Tomorrow I am attempting 4 miles. I may try to go outside on a well lit road with a bike path/sidewalk - we'll see how I feel!
Do you have tips for race training indoors? Share them below!
Now that it's dark and cold outside, I've been hitting the treadmill during the week. I have a few tips to keeping it fresh:
- Do intervals. Either way you do it, either by distance or time. Choose an increment to go as hard and as fast as you can then do a recovery interval for a bit longer time than the first segment. (ex: 1/4 mile at 4 mph then 1/2 mile at 3.5)
- Change machines mid-way through your walk/run. I know it sounds silly to get off a machine, wipe it down, then move to the other side of the room, but the change of perspective may help your, "oh this is so boring" thoughts.
- Cover the display and only look at it after a pre-determined time. After a commercial break, for example. Or every two songs.
- Think of your walk/run as smaller segments. When I hit 1/2 a mile on a 3 mile walk, I am 1/6 of the way through. 1 mile is a third. Before you know it you'll be half way through, then you'll only have a quarter mile left.
- Make mental lists about what you have to to that day/evening, the next day, the coming weekend.
- And of course, set a time limit and finish your mileage before that set time. It keeps you focused on an end goal and the challenge gives you something to think about besides how boring the treadmill is.
Tomorrow I am attempting 4 miles. I may try to go outside on a well lit road with a bike path/sidewalk - we'll see how I feel!
Do you have tips for race training indoors? Share them below!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Part 2 - under 300 milestone: what I've learned and new goals
Always believe the scale - I weighed in this morning on my own scale and it did show, in fact, that I was at 296 - exactly what the "foreign" scale showed Sunday morning. So, always believe the scale whether you want to or not.
I also took my measurements today and here is the change since June:
Hips: -8.5
Waist: -4.5
Arm: -4
Thigh: -2
Neck: -2
Total inches lost: -21
The last 6 months have truly been a turning point in my life. I feel more in control of my eating and cravings than I ever have before. My binge eating episodes have been slim to none and I've learned how to enjoy food in smaller portions without completely cutting out things I love (read: cupcakes)
Things I've learned that have made all the difference:
1. Measuring my food to a T and learning what typical measurements look like without effort.
2. With that, logging EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. of food I consume. I have done this daily for over 3 months. Funny, how my most successful time in the last 6 months were the last 3 months. Correlation? I 150% think so. When you log your food (truthfully), you learn A) what the calorie counts are on your everyday foods so you can plan better and B) learn what foods have outrageous calorie counts that you can leave behind.
3. Stop and enjoy your food! I am a fast eater. Always have been, always will be. I still have a ton of work to do on slowing down my pace at the table. But when I think about actually slowing down I ENJOY my food more. I TASTE the food and end up more satisfied. When I used to read this tip in articles or books, I huffed at the idea - but spend a week really "enjoying" your food and you will see what I am talking about!
4. A little in moderation, is OK. I don't need to ban ANYTHING I love from my diet. If I plan to have a cupcake, then I build it into my daily calorie total. I never feel deprived and I believe this may be key in cutting down on my binges.
Now what?
The question I get a lot is, "What weight do you want to be at, what is your ultimate goal weight?" And my answer simply is I don't have one. Maybe it's because I am scared of committing to a number and then not getting there. But it's also because I didn't turn to a healthier lifestyle over 2 years ago because I wanted to be a certain weight. I just wanted to be healthier and live a more fulfilling life. I experienced my little brother's death (not health related) and my dad's heart attack. I had chronic back pain (still do) and every morning felt like an 80 year old woman getting out of bed. At some point I knew my body would start to give out even more, and I didn't want it to be when I was 30. I never set out to "be skinny." Some days I think I'd be happy at 250, other days I want to aim for the sky and be under 200. The bottom line is I want to be fit. I want to be healthy. And I never want my weight to hold me back. So I'm not sure what that number is, but I think I'll know when I get there.
New goals
In addition to continuing what I have been doing already (improving my relationship with food, logging my calories and following Carb Lover's) I plan to:
- Lose 50 lbs by July 1st (I know this seems like a random goal, but I'll have more explanation soon)
- Finish the Mercedes half-marathon in February.
- Work to fill my diet with at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily.
I also took my measurements today and here is the change since June:
Hips: -8.5
Waist: -4.5
Arm: -4
Thigh: -2
Neck: -2
Total inches lost: -21
The last 6 months have truly been a turning point in my life. I feel more in control of my eating and cravings than I ever have before. My binge eating episodes have been slim to none and I've learned how to enjoy food in smaller portions without completely cutting out things I love (read: cupcakes)
Things I've learned that have made all the difference:
1. Measuring my food to a T and learning what typical measurements look like without effort.
2. With that, logging EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. of food I consume. I have done this daily for over 3 months. Funny, how my most successful time in the last 6 months were the last 3 months. Correlation? I 150% think so. When you log your food (truthfully), you learn A) what the calorie counts are on your everyday foods so you can plan better and B) learn what foods have outrageous calorie counts that you can leave behind.
3. Stop and enjoy your food! I am a fast eater. Always have been, always will be. I still have a ton of work to do on slowing down my pace at the table. But when I think about actually slowing down I ENJOY my food more. I TASTE the food and end up more satisfied. When I used to read this tip in articles or books, I huffed at the idea - but spend a week really "enjoying" your food and you will see what I am talking about!
4. A little in moderation, is OK. I don't need to ban ANYTHING I love from my diet. If I plan to have a cupcake, then I build it into my daily calorie total. I never feel deprived and I believe this may be key in cutting down on my binges.
Now what?
The question I get a lot is, "What weight do you want to be at, what is your ultimate goal weight?" And my answer simply is I don't have one. Maybe it's because I am scared of committing to a number and then not getting there. But it's also because I didn't turn to a healthier lifestyle over 2 years ago because I wanted to be a certain weight. I just wanted to be healthier and live a more fulfilling life. I experienced my little brother's death (not health related) and my dad's heart attack. I had chronic back pain (still do) and every morning felt like an 80 year old woman getting out of bed. At some point I knew my body would start to give out even more, and I didn't want it to be when I was 30. I never set out to "be skinny." Some days I think I'd be happy at 250, other days I want to aim for the sky and be under 200. The bottom line is I want to be fit. I want to be healthy. And I never want my weight to hold me back. So I'm not sure what that number is, but I think I'll know when I get there.
New goals
In addition to continuing what I have been doing already (improving my relationship with food, logging my calories and following Carb Lover's) I plan to:
- Lose 50 lbs by July 1st (I know this seems like a random goal, but I'll have more explanation soon)
- Finish the Mercedes half-marathon in February.
- Work to fill my diet with at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Why you should stop making excuses
After a long day at work, and walking probably about 5 miles, I crashed at 8 pm. Now, I have a serious 3 AM insomnia problem. I have a lot on my mind, so I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute (or two) here.
I have a lot of pet peeves. I'm just an easily irritable person. This is one of my faults. However, I have made a conscience effort to work on my irritability the last couple years, but one thing that will continue to grind my nerves is when people make excuses for not doing something or making a change in their life. On everything from an unsatisfying job, to low self-confidence to weight loss/building a healthy lifestyle, if you have a problem, no one is going to fix it for you, so fix it yourself.
I guess I was lucky that my mother and father raised me if I wanted something (tangible or intangible) then I should go out and earn it - with hard work. So, I don't take excuses from people well. I'm a problem solver by nature and I'll always have an answer to your excuse.
One thing that goes hand-in-hand with excuse making is only giving 50% of yourself to a goal. To me, it's all about being honest with yourself. Your sub conscience is the easiest person to lie to. Sure, it's really tempting to fudge a little when you enter your portions of what you ate in your food journal/calorie count, but who is that benefiting? You? It's not, because if you fudge, you know deep down how much you ate and a few extra bites at each meal that you aren't recording adds up and could hinder the scale. No one else probably even looks at your food journal, so you aren't protecting yourself from anything in the long run.
In turn, if you're honest and, even if you slip up, write down every bite at the correct portion size you will begin to learn the REAL nutritional information in what you are eating. So chances are, before you have that second helping of rice you'll think about having to enter it into your food journal and may choose to not go back for seconds if you aren't really hungry.
The same idea works in exercise and workouts. You know how hard you are pushing yourself. You know if you are walking as fast as you can to get your heart rate up or if you are just going through the motions. If you aren't going to give 100% to your work outs then whats the point? That's wasted time in my eyes. I am not saying every workout is going to be at the same intensity each and every time. Of course, you are going to have good days and bad days, but if you can honestly tell yourself that you are pushing as hard as you can and cannot push anymore, then you are working to your full potential.
If you haven't heard, I've committed to walking another half-marathon in February. This will be my second half-marathon. More thoughts on this to come.
I have a lot of pet peeves. I'm just an easily irritable person. This is one of my faults. However, I have made a conscience effort to work on my irritability the last couple years, but one thing that will continue to grind my nerves is when people make excuses for not doing something or making a change in their life. On everything from an unsatisfying job, to low self-confidence to weight loss/building a healthy lifestyle, if you have a problem, no one is going to fix it for you, so fix it yourself.
I guess I was lucky that my mother and father raised me if I wanted something (tangible or intangible) then I should go out and earn it - with hard work. So, I don't take excuses from people well. I'm a problem solver by nature and I'll always have an answer to your excuse.
One thing that goes hand-in-hand with excuse making is only giving 50% of yourself to a goal. To me, it's all about being honest with yourself. Your sub conscience is the easiest person to lie to. Sure, it's really tempting to fudge a little when you enter your portions of what you ate in your food journal/calorie count, but who is that benefiting? You? It's not, because if you fudge, you know deep down how much you ate and a few extra bites at each meal that you aren't recording adds up and could hinder the scale. No one else probably even looks at your food journal, so you aren't protecting yourself from anything in the long run.
In turn, if you're honest and, even if you slip up, write down every bite at the correct portion size you will begin to learn the REAL nutritional information in what you are eating. So chances are, before you have that second helping of rice you'll think about having to enter it into your food journal and may choose to not go back for seconds if you aren't really hungry.
The same idea works in exercise and workouts. You know how hard you are pushing yourself. You know if you are walking as fast as you can to get your heart rate up or if you are just going through the motions. If you aren't going to give 100% to your work outs then whats the point? That's wasted time in my eyes. I am not saying every workout is going to be at the same intensity each and every time. Of course, you are going to have good days and bad days, but if you can honestly tell yourself that you are pushing as hard as you can and cannot push anymore, then you are working to your full potential.
If you haven't heard, I've committed to walking another half-marathon in February. This will be my second half-marathon. More thoughts on this to come.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I beat a Italian restaurant
I have a huge problem with making a lifestyle change to where you don't get to enjoy the things that you just plain enjoy - like going out to eat with friends. I know all the experts say mealtime shouldn't be social time, but too bad I enjoy having a meal with friends and eating out.
So, when my co-workers planned to go to lunch to celebrate another co-worker's new position (promotion) in another department, I, of course, wanted to partake.
The restaurant was Amerigo - a new world Italian bistro. "Uh oh, what's the chance they'll have Carb Lover's options," I thought to myself.
The night before I perused the lunch menu and narrowed it down to a salad choice, entree with fish or a grilled chicken option. Doing this allowed me to wait and see what I felt like eating for lunch that day before making a decision, leaving me more satisfied with my meal.
When we got to the restaurant I avoided the bread. It was non-Carb Lover's friendly white bread served alongside olive oil (my favorite combination). Sure, one piece wouldn't have been too bad, but I know one piece would have led to another and then another and before you know it I would have eaten a whole loaf.
I ordered the Chicken Acuto - Flame grilled chicken breast over black bean salsa with grilled Roman artichokes and green beans. Topped with a spicy sauce of olive oil, cilantro, lemon juice and seasoning.
Putting the ingredients into Sparkpeople, my lunch calculated under 500 calories. I'm considering this a victory. I realize it is just one meal and only one time I was able to resist the bread basket, but I feel like my portions and binging have been really under control (sans this past weekend) the last several months and every time I am able to do this out at a restaurant it reminds me it IS possible.
Again, preparation is key. Would I have been able to make a smart choice had I not looked through the menu before hand? Most likely not!
***Side note: in the midst of ordering I did find a note on the menu that they can substitute whole wheat pasta in most of their dishes - good to know for next time!
So, when my co-workers planned to go to lunch to celebrate another co-worker's new position (promotion) in another department, I, of course, wanted to partake.
The restaurant was Amerigo - a new world Italian bistro. "Uh oh, what's the chance they'll have Carb Lover's options," I thought to myself.
The night before I perused the lunch menu and narrowed it down to a salad choice, entree with fish or a grilled chicken option. Doing this allowed me to wait and see what I felt like eating for lunch that day before making a decision, leaving me more satisfied with my meal.
When we got to the restaurant I avoided the bread. It was non-Carb Lover's friendly white bread served alongside olive oil (my favorite combination). Sure, one piece wouldn't have been too bad, but I know one piece would have led to another and then another and before you know it I would have eaten a whole loaf.
I ordered the Chicken Acuto - Flame grilled chicken breast over black bean salsa with grilled Roman artichokes and green beans. Topped with a spicy sauce of olive oil, cilantro, lemon juice and seasoning.
Putting the ingredients into Sparkpeople, my lunch calculated under 500 calories. I'm considering this a victory. I realize it is just one meal and only one time I was able to resist the bread basket, but I feel like my portions and binging have been really under control (sans this past weekend) the last several months and every time I am able to do this out at a restaurant it reminds me it IS possible.
Again, preparation is key. Would I have been able to make a smart choice had I not looked through the menu before hand? Most likely not!
***Side note: in the midst of ordering I did find a note on the menu that they can substitute whole wheat pasta in most of their dishes - good to know for next time!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Preparation is key
I know I have a crazy week ahead of me - it's our biggest weekend event at work. Tonight I was at work until 6:00 and missed my walk. I did come straight home and cook a meal of sweet potatoes, sauteed kale and veggie hot dogs. YUM!
Knowing I'm not going to feel like cooking this week, I went out to Kroger and bought ten healthy frozen meals - mostly Amy's whole meals (which were on sale this week at Kroger). I plan to take 5 to work and leave 5 at home. I don't plan to eat all 10 in a week, but it gives me great grab and go options. I can pair it with some steamed veggies and viola, a healthy meal!
My other preparation attack for my busy week will be to take my work out clothes and tennis shoes to work tomorrow so I can walk directly after work before it gets dark, hopefully I won't stay as late, but if I have to then I will be prepared!
With a little preparation, you can have a better week.
Knowing I'm not going to feel like cooking this week, I went out to Kroger and bought ten healthy frozen meals - mostly Amy's whole meals (which were on sale this week at Kroger). I plan to take 5 to work and leave 5 at home. I don't plan to eat all 10 in a week, but it gives me great grab and go options. I can pair it with some steamed veggies and viola, a healthy meal!
My other preparation attack for my busy week will be to take my work out clothes and tennis shoes to work tomorrow so I can walk directly after work before it gets dark, hopefully I won't stay as late, but if I have to then I will be prepared!
With a little preparation, you can have a better week.
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