Experimentation

Wowza, have my eating habits and happiness turned around. Calorie counting filled me with anxiety, bad eating habits, and self denial. By paleontology standards, my food intake had by no means been perfect. I'm still taking bites of forbidden foods, and some wine and beer, but the freak out binges of calorie counting seem to be gone.

I haven't weighed myself this week. I'm scared to.

A solid two cycle classes a week. I go even when I don't want to. But sometimes, on days like today, I half ass the workout, though I did stay the entire time. Planning on trying to get the third independent cardio workout this week despite the holiday, and add a fourth day with the new year.

Transitioning

I'm still cycling, and slowly eating or disposing of the foods I'm eliminating. I'm feeling good, though my spirits are kind of low, about my efforts, and I'm much less anxious about food now that I'm not calorie counting. Someone told me it would drive me crazy, and they were right, even though I was using a good calorie counter app. I miss logging my weight and exercise in one place, though! I know I'm being healthier, so I guess is better not to obsess about it.

I found that I can get most of the health foods I want at the regular grocery store, which makes my life much easier!

I'm up to 214 on the scale. I'm not a happy camper. I really hope paleo works because I am beyond desperate to reverse this trend.

Book Notes

I'm reading The Busy Woman's Guide to Paleo, by Deborah Hunter. I thought keeping some notes would be prudent.

1. Blah, blah, blah. Caveman hunt and gather. Evolution of human species. Little change in last 10,000 years. Pre-agricultural revolution. 
2. "It's more of a lifestyle than a diet."
3. No calorie counting. Easy as much as you want of allowed foods when you're hungry.
4. One popular diet outline is very similar to the American Heart Association. 
5. 33% protien, 21% (animal) fat, 46% (plant) carbs.
6. Originally excluded dairy, grains, refined sugars, alcohol, and nightshade family of plants from diet. 
7. 80% behaving, 20% cheating, keeps you sane.
8. That translates to four cheating meals per week if you eat three meals per day. 
9. Modern sometimes exceptions: diary (especially grass-fed butter, ghee(clarified butter), organic cream, full-fat diary (regular or fermented(hard cheese and yogurt)), and goat's milk), wine, eliminated veggies (tomatoes, eggplant, nightshades), green tea, coffee,
10. Excluded: legumes (peanuts are a legume), diary (gray area)(processed diary and fast free diary), grains (white flour especially), processed food, alcohol, refined foods (sugar and oils), processed cooking oils (corn, sunflower, soybean, vegetable oil), nightshades, corn, sugary beverages, and white potatoes. 
11. Other options: nuts (includes almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans), berries, healthy oils and fats (includes olive, coconut, nut, seed oils), ghee (butter derivative), organic or grass-fed cow butter, nut-based flours (almond, macadamia, tapioca), honey, maple sugar, (lean and grass-fed) meats (salmon, chicken), fruits, vegetables, water, almond or coconut milk.
12. If you can eat it raw, it's probably okay. 
13. Diving vs easing in. Sugar and carb cravings. 
14. Time savers: no calorie counting, easy meal prep, eat when you're hungry (no frequent meal/set meal time requirements and allows snacking).
15. Makes you feel better.
16. It's still possible to make poor decisions,so you have to eat healthy to lose weight.
17. 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. 
18. Get enough sleep. 
19. Stay in touch with your friends. 
20. Drink water, and eat protein and fast before a work out (Chicken, salmon, sweet potatoes, banana, yams, egg)(fruit and vegetables if you need carbs).
21. Avocado. 
22. Canned chicken and salmon.
23. Post workout: water, salt, minerals, proteins, complex carbs (nuts, bananas, kale and lay greens, milk, strawberries, cantaloupe, yams, sweet potatoes).
24. Egg white protein powder. 
25. Muscle smoothie: blend 1 cup almond milk, 2 scoops egg white protein powder, 1 cooked yam, 1 banana. 
26. SUBSTITUTIONS
27. Flour: coconut, tapioca, almond, macadamia or any other non-grain flour.
28. Bread crumbs: flax or almond meal.
29. Milk: almond, coconut milk.
30. Cream: coconut cream.
31. Sugar: honey. 
32. Rice: cauliflower. 
33. Pizza crust: broccoli. 
34. Pasta: spaghetti squash, zucchini. 
35. Potatoes: rutabaga. 
36. Granola: nut mixes.
37. Peanut butter: almond butter.
38. Roasted nuts: raw nuts. 
39. Plan, prep, and freeze your meals ahead of time in bulk. 
40. Breakfast helps reduce overeating. 

Flux

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Not a new concept.

These pay seven weeks have shown some very good exercise habit building. If I had a perfect week, I would be at the gym every weekday, but, honestly, one day a week would still be better than what I wad doing before. The holidays are a difficult time of year to exercise consistently, so I'm giving myself some leeway.

The other thing these seven weeks have confirmed is that calorie counting does not work for me. It works for some people, but I'm always compensating in the worst ways and over shooting my target while destroying my nutrient intake.

I'm thinking about easing into a paleo trial. It's similar to a lot of diets. Atkins. A health conscious vegetarian but with meat. High veggie and protien,no gluten,dairy, or grain carbs. You can read about it elsewhere. Nothing a caveman couldn't have hunted or gathered. No chemicals.

It sounds like a really intense life change. I'm still on the fence about it. So I'm eating down all the junk in the house while I think about it, so I can replace it with healthier options as I need to grocery shop.

I just don't know.

And, obviously, I'll keep exercising.

Questions

What I'm researching:

Where's the best place to food shop?

• http://spoonuniversity.com/learn/trader-joes-vs-whole-foods-actually-shopping/?utm_source=usa-today-college&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=content-partnerships
• http://m.sfgate.com/food/article/Trader-Joe-s-vs-Whole-Foods-A-price-comparison-6462560.php
• Google Maps (I live near everything)

Which is cheaper, fresh or frozen?

• http://deals.ebay.com/blog/fresh-vs-frozen-which-is-less-expensive-which-is-more-nutritional/
• Above article suggests buy frozen unless it is artichokes, asparagus, or carrot

What's this paleo diet all about?

• http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet

Which is better, cage free foul or grass fed beef, if you can only get one?

• http://recycledpetsnorcal.org/jargon-of-meat/
• What I got from the above article is that organic eggs are healthier and is okay to be an omnivore

When is too much cardio too much?

• http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-cardio/
• http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/cardio-training-and-your-heart
• http://www.spinning.com/community/top-10-benefits-ride-spinner-bike

Can chicken deals be paleo?

• http://paleogrubs.com/chicken-salad-recipes
• The answer is yes and there is a mayo recipe

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey feast! Still completely off diet. This calorie counting thing is not working, and had never worked for me. Time to reevaluate.

Postponed strength training (again) until next week. Not feasible with the travel. I only had the ability to get in one of my regular cardio sessions this week, let alone add new stress to my body.

I'm planning on adding a step and sculpt class this coming Tuesday to get me started. Something is better than nothing, and while I have the ability to take classes, I might as well, because it gets me to do SOMETHING while I build the fortitude to do it on my own.

Week 6 Recap

So I did NOT start strength training.

But I did do three cardio and two yoga. My skills are still rudimentary in all areas. And I learned that my new friend,the cardio machine, is called arc! I'm not very good at that, either, but I do my intervals like a good little cardio slave.

Last week in cycling class I met my thighs. Today I met what I think may have been my hip flexors. Not really sure. How could I be? I don't think I've ever used them!

My eating was atrocious.  Let's not even talk about it. This week is sure to go even better with the impending holiday....

Peace.

Strength Training

I was supposed to start my new strength training regiment yesterday, but the day made me tired and I got intimidated. So did some water aerobics tonight instead. It's social and I've got to do something, though I did feel bad about missing cycling tonight. I'll just hit the bike back hard next week.

I'm trying to not always just wait for next week, though. And it is working to a degree. I mean, I do think I hit the bike hard enough to get proud of progress on Monday. Just have to keep doing it and keep improving.

Some Details

This marks week 5 with the gym, week 6 of diet tracking. Classes are essential for me because I lose motivation when training individually.

What my schedule is beginning to look like.

Monday - cycling
Tuesday - goal - strength
Wednesday - cycling
Thursday - yoga
Friday - individual arc machine training and yoga
Saturday - makeup and/or strength

I'm nervous about the strength training. I already have been leaving my cycling classes early, week 4 and 5. I feel more muscle groups activating each week, and as the muscle groups I know tire out, the ones I haven't used in a while come up to bat. My legs felt like lead 30 minutes into my cycling class tonight. They. Did. Not. Want. To. Move.

This is how I'm looking at it. I can see my bike form improving in the mirror. I can see myself getting stronger (I spent more time out of the saddle this week in a half hour than I did in an hour last week). What I hope this means is that my form is improving.

That works and make sense since I'm feeling new muscle groups.

I hopefully start my strength training tomorrow. More on that later.

Been reading a lot of NerdFitness.

Week 5 Recap

If you look at the graphs in myfitnesspal I'm in the green on four days. That takes into account exercise. In reality, I was only under twice, but one of those days was today, a Saturday, a weekend! Potatoes.

As we know, in week 4 I did two cardio, one strength and two yoga sessions. I kept at it. Three cardio, one strength, and one yoga session this week. I'm going to call that comparable/better.

Habit building!

What I learned this week is that I may not keep kryptonite, aka chocolate, in the house. A box of it met an... unfortunate end on Monday. Yeah, those 2000 calories really did me in. Stupid chocolate. No more buying big packages of chocolate.

Week 4 Recap

I'm placating myself be focusing on the fact that I'm building healthy habits.

I've almost entirely cut out caloric beverages. I'm getting better at curbing food cravings (except for that day I ate all the candy). I'm building an exercise routine.

I met calories twice last week and did pretty well the other days. I was traveling this past weekend, so that went out the window. I did two cardio, one strength, and two yoga routines, and I'm slated to beat that this week. I'm discouraged by how weak my muscles are, but I guess that means I only have room to improve.

I'm experiencing weight fluctuations, but no measurable weight loss at this point, from between 209-208 to 205-204.

I'm hoping that I'll just suddenly get the hang of this and the weight will start falling off.

I can dream, right?

Week 3 Recap

I only hit goal once last week. Every other day was under 1800. Weekends don't count yet. Exercised twice, but both were mostly cardio.

No weight loss. Don't know what's up.

Fingers crossed for this week!

Snack Time!

I was so hungry today but I was good.

Week 2 Recap

During week 1 I only met my goal once, on Wednesday. Week 2 I met my goal twice, on Monday and Tuesday. I was close on Wednesday, but not quite, and then lost track for the rest of the week.

I also went to one spinning class and one yoga class.

It definitely helped prepping my food in advance. I ran into trouble Thursday and Friday when I ran out of prepped lunches and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I have to be better about cheating when I eat out.

I'm getting better, though. I'm showing improvement. This week's goal is to hit target at least three times, continue to prep meals, and to continue to exercise. I have a free appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow, too, so we'll see what advice I get.

Weigh In

10/07 - 206.6
10/12 - 201.8
10/20 - 205.0

Okay, so not the best progress. Fluctuations.

But.

A, hopefully, actual loss of 1.6 lbs. in 13 days. Based on a diet I started on 10/12... only 8 days ago. So let's hope for the best.

Revaluation. Considering I have MyFitnessPal set to 1 lb a week, either I completely fail and gained 4 lbs last week, which, considering last week is a wash, is still unlikely, or, overall, I'm on track.

I give it a yay! I turned the scale! Let's just hope I keep it turned this time.

Week 1

Well, I said I was gonna work on my diet this week, and I did start. I drank more liquids, cut back on caramel coffees, and went to one yoga class. I didn't weigh in because, well, I only hit my calorie budget once last week.  Maybe I should. I'll post separately with my weigh in.

This week I've already prepped my lunches. I just have to add protein to a couple of the salads. I'm going to make chicken salad with leftover chicken. Until then lunch protein is cheese and lean ham with salad, hummus, and light dressing.

I also made sure I have plenty of yogurt stocked up for breakfast. I might add oatmeal back in, one packet, since I'm eating two light yogurts to feel full and get to lunch. I finally got myself to consistently eat morning eggs by hard boiling them. Boy, do those smell, but, boy, are they good. And breakfast coffee. Gotta have coffee.

Now I just have to watch myself at dinner. Fingers crossed.

Week 1 to FOREVER

Restart button!

I'm going to keep track and post by the week now. It's much easier. And less annoying.

Overall Goals:
-Lose weight
-Decrease BMI
-Fit into clothing better
-Eat healthier
-DO SOMETHING THAT I CAN MAINTAIN

Food Goals:
-Eat less than 1600 calories per day, which will be shared as a weekly average
-Eat a moderately protein rich diet with low carb intake
-Drink 64 oz. of fluid per day
-Cut out calorie high foods and snacks
-CUT OUT ALL DRINKS WITH CALORIES (*except for occasional juice and excluding milk) INCLUDING CREAMERS,  COFFEE WITH SUGAR, *JUICE, AND ALCOHOL (I will be limited to black tea and coffee, and water)

Exercise Goals:
-Build healthy exercise habits
-Exercise 3-5 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session
-Incorporate strength and cardio routines
-Focus on overall body toning and weight loss
-Wait to use targeted workouts until further into weight loss when there is more awareness of body shape

I want to do yoga and zumba, because I like them! I want to walk 10,000 steps per day! I want to be healthy and stop carrying all this bulk around! These are things I want! Here goes, right?

Loss

I lost it at the end. I've been binge eating for what feels like weeks. I have a vacation coming up, so I know starting over right now is a loss.

I was going to graph my results for the 90 day challenge, but, though I got most of the way through it, I can't face it. I ate way too many calories, every day.

I'm replanning for the the second week of October. Plans to come.

Moderate plans.

Progressive plans.

Day 76 - 78 - Labor Day weekend

Saturday, Day 76
2587 calories.

Sunday, Day 77
3977 calories.

Monday, Day 78
3107 calories.

Labor Day weekend, a baseball game, and eating out. Any of those one would have been enough to knock my diet for a loop. Add all three. And. Well. The evidence is above.

I've reverted to eating all the junk at all the times, whenever the junk craving hits. Bad me.

I have no idea what to make of this, or what to do about it.

Still keeping track of my 90 days. I'm scared to see what my summary shows about me.

And then I'll regroup and make some decisions.

I guess this thing will show what my habits are. At least then I'll KNOW what my habits are. I'll be able to stare at them.

This heat! No exercise in heat!

Bad me.

Day 74 - 75 - I'M A JOKE!

Thursday, Day 74 - 2135 calories

Friday, Day 75 - 2437 calories.

As the title says, what a joke am I. You know how I was supposed to double up on my yoga exercises yesterday and today? Yeah, well, did not happen.

I did, however, come across some rad low impact Asian exercise routines. I'll post them when I do them. The woman has a whole string of them, focused on slightly different body shapes, and I'm stoked.

At this point there is no way I will be finishing 30 Days of Yoga before my 90 days is up, but that's okay. I'm still going to keep doing it. The benefit of 30 Days of Yoga is that it exposes you to different forms of yoga. It's useful. It's educational. And the woman has a sense of humor. Very helpful.

My side planks a few days were pitiful, though, something to work on. Something I can measure. My elbow shook like a leaf in a strong gale when I tried them, both sides. My lowers into upward dog and cobra are getting smoother. And I know I mentioned that my back leg muscles cringe if I don't move into table before moving from cobra/upward dog into downward dog.

Tangible goals are useful.

NEW PERSPECTIVE ON 90 DAYS. AGAIN.

A catalogue of my habits without much effort. Haha. Much effort. Oh, I'm trying. Just, then I get cravings. And then I eat coffeehouse goodies while I got my antioxidant rich green tea. Mmmm. I do love green tea.

I'm going to finish out the 90 days. Doing my best of bests. I have a lot going on right now. And then maybe I'll do targeted mini segments. Intense 1-2 week periods, with less intense but still productive rest periods. They say it's better to trick you metabolism by mixing it up anyway, right?

Day 73 - 17 Days to Go

1646 calories.

I did more yoga today! I'm so glad! I really want to finish 30 days of yoga at the same time as my 90 day challenge, so I'm going to try to double up on the days when the yoga challenge video is shorter.

I did Day 7 - Total Body Yoga today. About 30 minutes. I COULD NOT DO the side planks. My arms are too weak, and I get pain in the back of my legs if I try to go straight from cobra or upward dog to downward dog, so I have to move through to my knees first. My front leg starts shaking after doing the triangles and moving back into warrior poses, the stretch/strength training is that good. It's definitely challenging.

Day 8 and 9 are both about 25 minutes, so I think I'm going to have to try to pair them with cardio, if I have it in me, though I could pair Day 9 and 10 together, since day 9 is 25 minutes and day 10 is 12. Day 11 is 27 minutes, so I might feasible be able to pair it with day 12 (17 minutes).

That schedules me for the next 3 days. Day 8 on Thursday, Day 74, Day 9 and 10 on Friday, Day 75, and Day 11 and 12 on Saturday, Day 76.

That would leave 18 Days of yoga to complete in 14 Days, which means definitely continuing to do yoga EVERY SINGLE DAY and doubling up on 4 more days. Which might be difficult, because looking at the list, the videos seem to stay longer and more difficult from this point forward. I could also extend my 90 day challenge until the end of 30 days of yoga, and then summarize from there. I doubt that I'll have the yoga courage to double up on all these videos, so maybe I'll keep in mind that if I want to finish the challenge within  my 90 day challenge, I can allow myself to extend the 90 day challenge by a week max if I'm keeping up with the yoga videos.

Day 72 - Could Be Worse

This sure would be easier if I didn't know too few calories causes weight gain, too. Then I could just skip meals. Right?

1850 calories and no exercise. At least it's at my original maintenance goal from the beginning of this shebang. Maybe I'll make up for it by keeping my calories low one day this weekend. Maybe. Weekends are hard.

Day 71 - Homestretch

19 days before my first 90 day challenge is over. Let's look at it this way. At least I'm still counting days. That's a challenge all in and of itself.

The quality of those days, however, has not been stunning.

For the next two weeks I am going to do this thing! 1200 calories during the week, 1800 calories on the weekends. Give myself a little wiggle room.

And Monday.... drum roll.... 1476ish calories. Not quite 1200, but pretty close considering it's me we're talking about. A good Monday to look at.

Day 5 FEEL ALIVE FLOW - 30 Days of Yoga

And Day 6 SIX PACK ABS - 30 Days of Yoga

30 minutes of yoga! Those triangles in FEEL ALIVE definitely burned my forward legs, and those ab isolations felt nice, too. Could really feel the individual areas of the abs, and I wasn't even doing the moves very well!

And my favorite standby, workout dancing in the nineties, Cardio Dance Blast by Crunch. Had to bring it back. Sweaty, sweaty, sweaty! Does that mean it's good or that I'm out of shape?

Also! It's laundry day and I used all of my workout gear for the week! I think that's good!

Day 70 - Working on It

Day 4 of 30 Days of Yoga.

Yoga for your back.

My back doesn't feel good, but it feels stretched. I wimped out on some of the leg exercises.

2539 calories. BOOOOOOOooooooo.

Day 69 - Pump It Up

I tried to do some cardio, but the video got to me. I thought it would be inspiring to do a workout video led by a really fit instructor, but the farther I got into the video, the more I realized that none of the people performing probably ever really had to exercise. They didn't have muscle tone, and while the moves and soundtrack were good, their execution of the moves was sometimes flawed. Also, the repeats of the moves were really long and a bit hard to remember the order of.

I might go back to do the tums and buns section but I don't think I'll do the dance again. Though, I don't know, maybe I will.

If you like exercising with really cheery instructors and girls in their underwear, maybe you'll have more luck getting through this video. It did not hold up to my old standby, Cardio Dance Blast, by Crunch.

I made it through 25 minutes dancing, and 40 minutes watching before I gave up. It's pure cardio. I want more muscle tone, and you can definitely do cardio that also builds muscle tone. They do a little of that here, but I think something else would meet my exercise needs better.

1800 calorie day. YAY!

Also, I wore my favorite stretchy leggings to exercise today. They remind me of fruit stripe gum.

Day 68 - Friday!

It's Friday. At least the calories are better than Day 67.

No exercise.

Day 67 - Yoga!

Calories. Bleh. Too high to put into words.

But back to yoga! Skipped a day, but back at it with Day 3 of the 30 Days of Yoga challenge!

Day 66 - No Yoga

No yoga. Whoops. Too much going on today. That's my excuse.

However.

1508 calories.

Yes please.

And I'll take it.

Everyday would be nice, if I can manage it.

1200 is a nice goal to keep myself in check. 1800 holds no shame. But 1500. 1500 would be nice.

Day 65 - More More Yoga!

2211 calories. Eh.

Day 2 was more challenging, but, as advertised, more stretchy. Probably to deal with all the tight muscles from Day 1. I'm sure, done more vigorously and with more skill than I was able to exhibit, Day 1 could do you in, too. She says it's a 30 Day challenge for all skill levels, not just the novice, meaning you get out of it what you put into it. I don't have much to put into it, so everything that comes out, by way of sweat, is a bonus. And yes, I am very sweaty.

Day 64 - More Yoga!

3132 calories.

I did more yoga!

Day 1 of 30 Days of Yoga!

I enjoyed it.

Day 56 - 63 - Horrible

August 17 - August 19

I so totally failed on that mini seven day challenge. I did day one, and then, well, kaput. Stuff happens. And then I decided I was going to eat poorly from August 20 to 23 so didn't even bother logging. However, the average calorie intake from the 17th to the 19th is 1777, so that's pretty good....

Back into the mess we go.

Day 49 - 55/Day 1 - Mini 7-Day Challenge and Week's Calorie Average

August 10 - 16

Average calories per day.
2,413.
A maintenance number. My 90-day challenge is slipping. I'm still doing better than I was before I started, but I'm getting discouraged, so....

Day 1
Yoga routine - 15/20 minutes

I'm starting a mini challenge within the challenge to motivate myself. My 90-Day challenge has mainly focused on calorie habits, which are going a little wishy-washy.

So, a one day at a time yoga/workout challenge with a seven day goal. The goal, workout everyday for a week and then take a break.

The workouts:
It's a beginner's 20-minute yoga routine at the beginning, followed by pushups, crunches, forward crunches, side crunches, and v-crunches to Roandtable Rival by Lindsey Stirling, followed by approximately, if I'm up for it, 20 minutes of other workout activities.

Day 1 Routine as achieved:

Day 46, 47, and 48 - The Weekend Strikes Again

Day 46, Friday, August 7
1,560 calories.

Day 47, Saturday, August 8
~3,500 calories

Day 48, Sunday,  August 9
2,052 calories

Considering I told myself I didn't have to count this weekend and I could eat whatever I wanted, these do not look so bad! If that's all I feel like eating, I could (almost) eat whatever I want and still lose the weight (over the course of a few years...).

I think I'll finish the diet instead.

Day 45 - 90-Day Challenge Half Complete

Today, August 6:
~1500 calories. Happy medium between 1700 and 1200. Continuation of the good trends laid out below.

Summary thus far:
I've only lost ~2lbs. thus far, but that's better than 0.0lbs.

Calorie Count Averages:
Week 1
June 22-28
2,505 calories/day

Week 2
June 29-July 5
2,285 calories/day

Week 3
July 6-July 12
1,830 calories/day

Week 4
July 13-July 19
2,266 calories/day

Week 5
July 20-July 26
2,213 calories/day

Week 6
July 27-August 2
1,779 calories/day

Week 7
August 3-August 5 (partial)
1,795 calories/day

It's an incomplete account, as days are missing left and right, but this is encouraging. My calorie trend is downward. Honestly, I'd be happy if I could get my average to 1,500 calories/day, because I'd be losing an amount of weight per week even with that. I seem to be comfortably fed at about 1,500 calories/day, too (it's my snacks that keep tipping me), but if I can sneak some 1,200 calorie days in there, too, no harm. It'll just end the diet faster! I'm building good habits, and that makes me happy.

Exercise Record:
Week 1
June 22-28
Day 1 - Hips/Cardio
Day 2 - Cardio/Stretch/Butt

Week 2
June 29-July 5
Day 8 - "20 minute walk"
Day 11 - Mixed Workout
Day 13 - Cardiovascular!

Week 3
July 6-July 12
None

Week 4
July 13-July 19
Day 27 - "I walked fast"

Week 5
July 20-July 26
None

Week 6
July 27-August 2
Day 37 - "10,000 steps"

Week 7
August 3-August 5 (partial)
Day 42 - "9,500 steps"

My exercise record is significantly less encouraging than my calorie intake trend. I'm just gonna keep working on that...... Try and try again. I still have time!

Macro-nutrient Ratios (carbs/protein/fat)
Week 1
June 22-28
45/20/35

Week 2
June 29-July 5
54/19/27

Week 3
July 6-July 12
48/24/48

Week 4
July 13-July 19
53/12/35

Week 5
July 20-July 26
42/19/39

Week 6
July 27-August 2
49/17/33

Week 7
August 3-August 5 (partial)
40/17/43

No interpretation of the macros. I'm just compiling my data for later. They don't look so good, but they could be worse!

Now, onto the next 45 days!

Day 44 - 2lbs! Whoot!

August 5, 2015

189.4! Down from 191.6! It's not much, but, well, it's a start, and I'm doing it healthily, all healthy habits and reasonable (I hope) calorie cuts.

I need to think through the exercise bit. I was originally going to maintain an 1800 calorie diet budget and work off 400-600 calories a day with exercise, but that has proved unlikely. I'm not willing to wait until the end of summer to start seeing results, I'm not sold on finding a gym when I don't know if I'd use it, and the heat is impeding on my at-home exercise inspiration.

Then there's eating back your calories if you exercise and you end up at a net under 1200 calories. I'm going have to research that one some more and get back to you. There are some "schools of thought" to examine there.

1800 calories today. I treated myself and still hit the long term calorie goal. Won't complain.

Must! Have! Exercise!

Day 43 - Do a Fact-Check

You should always fact check me, because I'm just swyping away at my phone and usually working from memory. For goodness' sake, when I come beck to it,  I fact check me. I know it's not a rousing endorsement,  but at least I've warned you!  ;)

1,528 calories today. I'm happy. Now I still need exercise.

Day 42 - Kerplunk

I really wanted to make a splash with Day 42! Towels, dolphins, fish! Alas, no beach trip, dratted Monday.

In other words, I was hoping for a huge success, so we'll just have to quibble about the meaning of success.

A net calorie score (meaning after the subtraction of exercise) of 1700 (approx. 2000 calories with 300 in exercise) and only ~500 steps shy of 10,000 steps. I love having the Pacer app linked to my MyFitnessPal.

So, a strong day. Good habit trends. Let's quibble.

Day 39 - 41 - Weekend

I've been chatting and not logging since Friday. 'Nough said.

Day 38 - Some Secrets

Thursday,  July 30, 2015

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, even though I used to skip it all the time. Mmm, breakfast foods. And there are so many healthy options! Options I think are so tasty thy feel like cheating.

Oatmeal!  I love oatmeal to an excess. The flavored kinds that is. Except for raisin. Though give me a box of raisins and I. Am. Set.

So mornings usually start off well. I don't run into problems until later in the day.

If I'm running late I eat two oatmeal packets and call it a win. With an 1800 calorie budget I mix it up some. With the new 1200 goal I'm having to cut back a little. The new plan involves a breakfast budget of approximately 300 calories. A bowl of cereal with milk. Two packets of oatmeal. One packet plus one of the following: fruit or juice (like apple or cranberry juice), an egg, or a yogurt. Mmmm.

Too many calories to eat them all at once, but my stomach isn't big enough to eat them all at once anyway.

I'm evaluating my favorite "smoothie" right now. I don't have a blender, so I fill an old style thermos with a lid cup,  and I SHAKE. My two favorite recipes are these.

1.) Approx. 3/4 cup strawberry yogurt, 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk, 3/4 cranberry juice, and 1-2 scoops vanilla whey powder.  Queue the SHAKE. It's so op fun and stress relieving. Unless you over fill the thermos and there's no room left for the contents to shake...

2.) Same approx. proportions. Coffee, soy milk, yogurt, and whey powder. This one is also delicious, but smells a little like those funky brown cookies. You know the ones. I don't know exactly what they are. Some kind of shortbread. But you know.

I meant to exercise this week, but the hot and humid is intimidating me, which means, woe, no succeeding on that front.

Still weighing in at an unfaltering 191.6 lbs. WTF.

Yay! Approx. 1600 calories today! Progress!

Day 36 - 37 Come on, Leaf!

"Ginger sesame chickpea/black bean salad with kale and broccoli and pineapple teriyaki chicken. Still had oatmeal this morning which isn't protein, but really, how can you go wrong with oatmeal. ~400 calories."

This was Day 36, Day 1 of my new calorie goal, first day of my new leaf.

And it went so well! Not. Did not even meet the old goal of 1760. Clocked on at approximately 1,920 calories with approximately 1,830 calories, on Day 37, so at least it wasn't my old average of 2,500 calories and surplus. 

Okay, so maybe I didn't do so bad. 

Day 37 started so well, too! One package of apple-cinnamon oatmeal with a sliced banana and one egg for breakfast.  

Another egg, two ham medallions, and more chickpea salad for lunch... and then there were free cookies...

And then I hit my 10,000 step goal for the day with steps to spare! 

And then I ate out. 

So. 

I'm not sure what the final tally is on that one. 

Day 35 - Success

"Day 35. Perfect calorie score. 1786. With a goal of 1780. Now it's time to get to work! Screw gradual! Gonna shock my system! New goal! 1200."

It even included a cake pop.  :)

Day 29 - 34 Mini Vaca

Day 29 - Day 34
July 21 - July 26

Day 31
2,613 calories.

Day 32
1,741 calories.

Day 33
3,332 calories.

Day 34
1,590

A mini vacation weekend with family. No exercise and spotty calorie counts. Could be worse, so I won't count it as a loss, but it's not quite a win either.

Day 28 - Calorie Goal

Yeah, I did not exercise. But I did well on calories, until I had a glass of cider. Yum cider. Cider is healthy, though.

I'm getting the hang of an 1800 calorie a day diet so I'm thinking about giving myself a week to cement the habit and then trying to cut back again, maybe to 1500? Small steps.

Day 27 - Waffle!!!

Yeah. I ate waffles and SYRUP and sausage and chicken. Deee-licious.

And I saw a concert.

And I walked fast.

So there...!

...

Day 14 - 26 Mystery Yumm...

Day 14 - July 6th - Monday
Day 15 - July 7th - Tuesday
Day 16 - July 8th - Wednesday
Day 17 - July 9th - Thursday
Day 18 - July 10th - Friday
Day 19 - July 11th - Saturday
Day 20 - July 12th - Sunday
Day 21 - July 13th - Monday
Day 22 - July 14th - Tuesday
Day 23 - July 15th - Wednesday
Day 24 - July 16th - Thursday
Day 25 - July 17th - Friday
Day 26 - July 18th - Saturday

Yeah... Day 14 to 25 are gonna be a bit of a mystery. I was doing a no tech thing and wasn't logging, but I did my best to keep my calories in range by counting... kind of. Well, as best as I could guess. But I kind of ate a lot of garbage at the same time. Mmm, cake. I'm going to say I did pretty darn well, especially since, yesterday, my first day back on the logs, I hit it right on the freakin' head, until I had a double pour glass of cider. My bad? Anyway. If anything, I've lost 0.5-1.0lbs. So I'm not gaining and I've tipped the scale! My junk cravings are way down and my body craves healthy foods within its calorie range! Win! I didn't do my Zumba but I did some yoga and sprinting, both of which felt lovely.

Muscle toxins, we shall beat you yet!

Day 13 - Cardiovascular!

Day 13 - July 5 - Sunday

Enjoyed some nice outside time. Beautiful weather.

Decent eating with some snacking.

And I think I did an hour fifteen or so of cardio movement! Yay!

Day 10-12 - July Fourth!

Day 10 - July 2 - Thursday

Did some socialization and rewatched the second Star Trek movie. Yay, Trek, and exhaustion from a busy week full of lack of exercise.

Day 11 - July 3 - Friday

A day off for the holiday!  Love long weekends.  And my first under calorie budget day, despite some early celebrating! Super proud of myself. Plus a two mile walk in 40 minutes, broken up by a 10 minute break at a farm stand,  the result of which was a bag of 3lbs for the walk back.

Then I zumba'd.  I set some lofty goals for myself and feel I did well.

I'm still evaluating what exercises I need. I've been doing mostly strength focused and I think I need to hit the cardio harder...

Day 12 - July 4 - Saturday

Happy fourth! Spent the day lazing, my idea of perfect celebration. Or maybe the lazing was a recuperation from Friday's workout.

Day 9 - Macronutrients Revision

Well, I double checked my facts, because 40% carbs,  and 30% each of fat and protein seemed low for protein and high for carbs in a diabetic-friendly low-carb, high-protein diet. And it was.

So, revision. A goal of 130g of carbs pet day per this diabetic website, and 40% of an 1800 calorie diet as protein, or .8-1.5g of protein per pound of body weight (I misplaced this source again, but read it in multiple places).

So the revision is an 1800 calorie goal, broken into 30% carbohydrates, 40% protein, and 30% fat.

Day 8 - Reading/Walking

I forgot to quote articles for the previous data used to state my goals because I summarized my findings after the fact, and didn't save my sources! Silly me. If/when I fact check, I'll quote some information sources then, so anyone can backtrack my thought trains.

"I ate donuts today. :("

Also, I discovered Nerd Fitness - Level Up Your Life and read these articles:

A Beginner's Guide to Getting in Shape

How to Eat Healthy without Breaking the Bank
"Look at different flyers, but only go to one store.  Spend about three minutes looking at the grocery ads when they come in each week , and check to see which meats are on sale.  Whatever grocery store has the cheapest meat is the one you’re going to."

Real-Life Role Playing: What is your Profession?

How to Level Up in the Game of Life
"These are the rats you need to slay:

• Walk 15 minutes a day.
• Put together a job resume.
• Open a savings count"

The advice rings good.

So I took some of it and went for a 20 minute walk!

Day 7 - Check In

"I'm on day 7. Haven't exercised but can start again tomorrow. No weight loss. Need to find measuring tape to check body part circumferences. Didn't do so hot on the diet this weekend, but didn't do so badly either, except for Thursday (3,879). Hovering between 2,000 and 2,500 most days, so goal is to edge off to a steady 2,000 or under this week. Will help if I keep enough food on me and keep packing lunch so that if munchies hit I have filling, nutritionally viable options with me!"

I've packed lunch everyday. I'm so proud of myself. I also panic that I'm short on calories half way through every day, have a snack, and ruin my count for dinner. Gotta find some filling hunger curbers!

However, the numbers I've seen so far/the starting point/what I have to work with are encouraging. If I was trying to maintain my weight I'd be doing A-O-Kay!

That is not the case, however.

I like that MyFitnessPal seems to disallow information too far out from the norm (the outliers) in the data it compiles for you in graph form

Aside from an 1800 calorie daily goal, I also settled on some giant (for me) goals for my nutritional breakdown, seeing as I love fat and carbs. A 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat calories-from breakdown, compared to a suggested 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat, is a marriage between a muscle builder's dream team (that makes it mine, too, now, just so you know, to a mild degree) and the growing craze, a diabetic diet whether you have diabetes or not. However, a diabetic diet is slightly lower calorie (or so the literature seems to suggest) so to make up for low carbs, I get extra protein, and, hopefully, some cellulite replacements! 

Go, myosin, go!

Day 5 & 6 - Weekend 1

No exercise except a walk to the library. Reading counts, too, right? Getting the hang of MyFitnessPal.

I really find the finished logging option with projected weight loss/gain motivating/hilarious. Also loving the nutrition breakdown and charts.

Day 3 & 4 - Calorie Count Commenced

Well, "doing well with calories but did not exercise day 3 or 4."

I started a calorie count with MyFitnessPal and did some research. I'm attempting a consistent diet of 1800 calories per day. With my current weight this will lead to weight loss (approx. 0.5lbs pet week if I am calorie compliant) and would allow me to maintain my goal weight once achieved if current every day non-exercise activity levels are maintained.

This seems like the best course of action to me, as it means I can create healthy eating habits that are maintainable and do not need to change. As I get fit, which will contribute to more than half of my fat burn, I can increase the exercise to prevent plateauing, but keep eating habits consistent.

Bonus: If I maintain higher activity levels, I can eat more once my weight is in the healthy range!

Day 2 - Cardio/Stretch/Butt

"I'm sore from my workout yesterday, so skipped my muscle strengthening for the day but did my warm up, stretching, and cool down. Helped me feel a bit better. Did good with calories today. I'm going to get on "regular" eating cycle first and then count to see how I need to adjust my intake and nutrients. I had ciabatta roll today, though. Bad me. Bought a scale. 191.6lbs in work out gear. Not a happy camper."

I also discovered, from my sweat pouring yesterday, that full length work out leggings don't breath very well. I guess that's the point, to help keep your core temperature elevated. So I went and bought two pairs of very breathable, light weight yoga shorts/capris. I figure if I like the lines my clothing will help guide me to, I'll be happier with my workout results, and more likely to work on my fitness goals.

And ice water tastes sooo delicious after exercising. Must increase my water intake.

Day 1 - Hips/Cardio

Day 1 went well! I'm logging in the comment section of the playlists. I made it once through most of my goal clips for the day.

I'm also trying to do low wheat, replacing it with more rice and oatmeal. I'm trying to get on a food habit that feels consistent, and then I'll log it to see how I match up to nutrient requirements and a 1800 calorie per day diet count. 

90 Day Challenge

I've blogged before, and I'm aware that short posts can get tiresome, but, well, this one/blog is for me, so short posts are going to keep me "real time progress" and, when I review what I've been up to later, will be, inspirationally, more reminding!

"So today is my day one. If you saw my goals (----), you can see that my end game is more open ended! 

(-)I'm less weight centric and more shape (not size), energy levels, and nutrient balance focused (--------). (---). I can't find any work out videos (my preferred exercise method source) that target my goal muscle isolation groups and target shape do I'll stringing together clips to target my wants! I'm going to post a link to my day 1 play list later. I didn't get the lose it app out today so don't know my calorie count, but no wheat yet (yay!)! But did one of my replacements (oatmeal)."

I've joined a community of health focused individuals.

We are all doing a 90 Day Challenge based on personal goals, posting in a group to inspire each other to continue working!

All aspects of my life have made me feel left out and isolated, because I often have different health (life IS health to me) focuses and views than many of us around. This isolation has pushed me to EMBRACE my differences, and share my views to see if there are others that appreciate my way of thought!

And that's what this 90 Day Challenge is going to be about to me.

I am going to find my health!

Goal!

Getting fit and into a fitness community is *TOUGH.*

So here's where I'm gonna post my tough love for myself and my body.

Goals, achievements, plans, actions.

Goals:
"Hi! Starting weight 180lbs., pants size 14-16, zero exercise sessions per week, with bad eating habits. Goals: bmi in healthy range, 1800 calorie per day diet split into 3 meals and 2-3 snacks, and enough exercise to build and maintain muscle density/tone!"