So glad this week is over!! I was in a total funk since last Saturday - couldn't get enough sleep, was tired, hungry. I foresee a lot more sleep this weekend!
We had a mid-term exam in our French class yesterday. I was so stressed about it, and now I'm so glad it's done! I think I did okay (not that it matters really... how am I going to show my marks?? LOL).
I forgot to do a weigh-in today. I guess I'll do it tomorrow. I don't think anything has changed.
I know what I have to do... I'm pretty sure that I have to eat less. I guess I just don't know how I can manage that! I get so hungry when I workout this hard... but then it looks like I'm not burning the fat layer. I can see that there's more muscle, and maybe that's why the scale is not moving, but it's very frustrating. Why does this have to be so hard, such a constant struggle?
Anyhow... I will take pictures tomorrow and post them over the weekend.
Later!
Friday, February 29
Tuesday, February 26
my new love
For the past couple of weeks I'd been having the same breakfast, every weekday. Oatmeal. I love it. It's so yummy, and you can add all kinds of stuff to it, and kind of "reinvent" it each time. My favourite additions are: peanut butter, flax seeds, blueberries, wheat bran, honey, hemp protein powder, soy milk.
But I do realize that I need to branch out a bit, it's not good to eat the same thing every day!
I love oatmeal because it's fast to prepare in the morning (I use the quick-cooking oats, but I do also want to try the steel-cut ones, because they are better for you, less processed).
Anyways, two days ago I tried my husband's red river hot cereal and I think I fell in love! :) It's very yummy and filling, and only 120 calories per serving! (it feels like much more when you eat it!). I make it with 1/2c of water and 1/2c of soy milk. I confess, I do add a tsp of sugar... :S 'cause it's very very plain otherwise (I would've added honey, but we were all out).
The reason I'm so surprised that I loved it because it did not look appealing to me at all! The lesson to me is - try the food first, and THEN decide if you like it or not... :)
P.S. I am NOT chickening out of the pictures! I will post them at the end of the month! :P
I don't think I'll see any improvement in my "problem" areas... but I think I definitely see more definition in my arms. I'll take a lot more pictures of my arms this time, because I only took two last month...
But I do realize that I need to branch out a bit, it's not good to eat the same thing every day!
I love oatmeal because it's fast to prepare in the morning (I use the quick-cooking oats, but I do also want to try the steel-cut ones, because they are better for you, less processed).
Anyways, two days ago I tried my husband's red river hot cereal and I think I fell in love! :) It's very yummy and filling, and only 120 calories per serving! (it feels like much more when you eat it!). I make it with 1/2c of water and 1/2c of soy milk. I confess, I do add a tsp of sugar... :S 'cause it's very very plain otherwise (I would've added honey, but we were all out).
The reason I'm so surprised that I loved it because it did not look appealing to me at all! The lesson to me is - try the food first, and THEN decide if you like it or not... :)
P.S. I am NOT chickening out of the pictures! I will post them at the end of the month! :P
I don't think I'll see any improvement in my "problem" areas... but I think I definitely see more definition in my arms. I'll take a lot more pictures of my arms this time, because I only took two last month...
Monday, February 25
Monday
Well, the new week is here. My weekend was pretty good - we went to a birthday party on Saturday. I think the last time I partied until 3am was New Years eve... which, to think of it, wasn't too long ago... hm...
Anyhow, we had a good time, I met some people from DH's work. I was pleased with myself because I had very little alcohol (and this party was mostly about drinks, some cake, some cheese, and lots of dancing). I wish I didn't have any though, because I had a glass of wine on Friday. I'm trying not to have any alcohol at all, but I do have a half glass of wine on Friday sometimes (this is part of my pre-pregnancy resolution).
Speaking of resolutions. The end of the month is near, so that means I have to evaluate my progress. (right, Randi?) :)
My resolution to become dairy-free is on track. I've switched to soy milk now, and the only yogurt in our fridge is the Mediterranean kind for my DH (as for cheese, I didn't eat much of it to begin with). I can't say that I feel much different, but I didn't expect to either - but not worse, and that's the important thing. :)
So now my breakfasts and lunches are completely vegan, but I do have chicken or some kind of animal product at dinner occasionally, and I'm okay with that. I found this blog recently, and I think my outlook on food has become much likeJenna's: I believe in whole, unprocessed food, lots of veggies and grains, no dairy and occasional poultry and fish. I'm comfortable with that. I don't have to go to extremes of excluding all animal products from my diet, and that means that I can still enjoy some of the same foods as my husband. In cooking food, my focus has changed from "what are we going to have with this chicken?" to "I'm making this awesome veggie dish, should I also cook some meat for DH?".
As for my work-outs, I'm waiting for the weather to become warmer, so that I could run to work, as oppose to walk. My lunch workouts are great, and I did add more cardio (so I workout ever weekday, plus my walking to and from work)... but the weekends are still lacking the intended runs... :( I didn't say I was perfect!
Anyhow, we had a good time, I met some people from DH's work. I was pleased with myself because I had very little alcohol (and this party was mostly about drinks, some cake, some cheese, and lots of dancing). I wish I didn't have any though, because I had a glass of wine on Friday. I'm trying not to have any alcohol at all, but I do have a half glass of wine on Friday sometimes (this is part of my pre-pregnancy resolution).
Speaking of resolutions. The end of the month is near, so that means I have to evaluate my progress. (right, Randi?) :)
My resolution to become dairy-free is on track. I've switched to soy milk now, and the only yogurt in our fridge is the Mediterranean kind for my DH (as for cheese, I didn't eat much of it to begin with). I can't say that I feel much different, but I didn't expect to either - but not worse, and that's the important thing. :)
So now my breakfasts and lunches are completely vegan, but I do have chicken or some kind of animal product at dinner occasionally, and I'm okay with that. I found this blog recently, and I think my outlook on food has become much likeJenna's: I believe in whole, unprocessed food, lots of veggies and grains, no dairy and occasional poultry and fish. I'm comfortable with that. I don't have to go to extremes of excluding all animal products from my diet, and that means that I can still enjoy some of the same foods as my husband. In cooking food, my focus has changed from "what are we going to have with this chicken?" to "I'm making this awesome veggie dish, should I also cook some meat for DH?".
As for my work-outs, I'm waiting for the weather to become warmer, so that I could run to work, as oppose to walk. My lunch workouts are great, and I did add more cardio (so I workout ever weekday, plus my walking to and from work)... but the weekends are still lacking the intended runs... :( I didn't say I was perfect!
Wednesday, February 20
Busy Wednesday
I'm glad it's a short week! I'm kind of busy at work, which means that the time goes by faster... which is good. :) And this also means that I need to make this post a quick one!
Yesterday I was in some kind of funk... I had a major migraine on Monday, so I went to sleep at 8:30pm, woke up yesterday at 7am, and was sleepy and tired all day! I have no idea what was that all about, because I feel fine today. I spent Monday morning working out while doing laundry - the ultimate multitasking exercise! But it was way too hot in the exercise room, and that's why I think I got that headache.
Eating-wise I've been doing okay. I was totally surprised at how good my lunch was today. I prepared some tofu in the morning, and took a stalk of broccoli with me (I was running kind of late at that point). I cut up the broccoli and steamed it in the microwave. I didn't expect it to be good... but it was! Just plain, old broccoli, and nothing else, not even salt!
I do have to confess that I gave in a bit on those valentine's chocolates in the office... I had three hearts, but they were very small, and plain (no filling). I'm actually happy that I had them, they'd been taunting me for a while. I'm also happy that I didn't eat and eat, but only had enough, and stopped. That's major progress for me! :)
Food for today:
B: oatmeal with blueberries and flaxseeds
S: carrots with hummus
L: tofu, chickpeas and broccoli, apple
S: banana
D: calf liver w 2sm potatoes, green salad
Yesterday I was in some kind of funk... I had a major migraine on Monday, so I went to sleep at 8:30pm, woke up yesterday at 7am, and was sleepy and tired all day! I have no idea what was that all about, because I feel fine today. I spent Monday morning working out while doing laundry - the ultimate multitasking exercise! But it was way too hot in the exercise room, and that's why I think I got that headache.
Eating-wise I've been doing okay. I was totally surprised at how good my lunch was today. I prepared some tofu in the morning, and took a stalk of broccoli with me (I was running kind of late at that point). I cut up the broccoli and steamed it in the microwave. I didn't expect it to be good... but it was! Just plain, old broccoli, and nothing else, not even salt!
I do have to confess that I gave in a bit on those valentine's chocolates in the office... I had three hearts, but they were very small, and plain (no filling). I'm actually happy that I had them, they'd been taunting me for a while. I'm also happy that I didn't eat and eat, but only had enough, and stopped. That's major progress for me! :)
Food for today:
B: oatmeal with blueberries and flaxseeds
S: carrots with hummus
L: tofu, chickpeas and broccoli, apple
S: banana
D: calf liver w 2sm potatoes, green salad
Friday, February 15
TGIF!
This week went by fast! And it's going to be another long weekend for me... yay for the new holiday in Ontario - "family day"!
Although my hubby will be working :( I'm sure I can find something to occupy myself with... like doing my French homework, because DH is kind of kicking my ass in that department (not that he studies more, but he knows more French than me because he had it for a couple of years in high school).
I still refuse to eat any of the cheap-o valentine's chocolates at the office, but this is a temptation I really don't need. I know that this wouldn't bother a lot of people, but when I know that something sweet is out there... by the printer, accessible, it kind of tortures me. But it is easier not to have any, than to have one, because than I can't stop. Note to self - think of the good chocolates at home!
The scale this morning said 148. Hm... that would be like 0.6 down. I don't know if that's really a loss, or just regular up and down fluctuations. I dunno, I guess I'll take it as a loss.
This is unrelated to anything, but while I was eating lunch at my desk yesterday, I spilled some dressing on my keyboard. I freaked out that it's going to die on me, so I poped out some of the keys to wipe it.... gross!!!! My keyboard is white, so every piece of dirt and splat is visible... but inside... oh man, there were crumbs, fluffy dust bunnies, and something that looked like eyelashes.... eeewe. I've moved to this workstation a few months ago, and knowing that this was other person's crap in my keyboard grossed me out even more.... So, now I have to do a major cleaning! (oh, and it still works, as you can see).
Food for today (although now I've lost my appetite, I think!):
B: oatmeal, bluberries, 5g flaxseeds; grapefruit
S: banana, red bell pepper with hummus
L: broccoli with chickpeas and a bit of tofu (prepared this morning!)
S: pear?
D: trout fillet (baked), some veggies, quinoa
Although my hubby will be working :( I'm sure I can find something to occupy myself with... like doing my French homework, because DH is kind of kicking my ass in that department (not that he studies more, but he knows more French than me because he had it for a couple of years in high school).
I still refuse to eat any of the cheap-o valentine's chocolates at the office, but this is a temptation I really don't need. I know that this wouldn't bother a lot of people, but when I know that something sweet is out there... by the printer, accessible, it kind of tortures me. But it is easier not to have any, than to have one, because than I can't stop. Note to self - think of the good chocolates at home!
The scale this morning said 148. Hm... that would be like 0.6 down. I don't know if that's really a loss, or just regular up and down fluctuations. I dunno, I guess I'll take it as a loss.
This is unrelated to anything, but while I was eating lunch at my desk yesterday, I spilled some dressing on my keyboard. I freaked out that it's going to die on me, so I poped out some of the keys to wipe it.... gross!!!! My keyboard is white, so every piece of dirt and splat is visible... but inside... oh man, there were crumbs, fluffy dust bunnies, and something that looked like eyelashes.... eeewe. I've moved to this workstation a few months ago, and knowing that this was other person's crap in my keyboard grossed me out even more.... So, now I have to do a major cleaning! (oh, and it still works, as you can see).
Food for today (although now I've lost my appetite, I think!):
B: oatmeal, bluberries, 5g flaxseeds; grapefruit
S: banana, red bell pepper with hummus
L: broccoli with chickpeas and a bit of tofu (prepared this morning!)
S: pear?
D: trout fillet (baked), some veggies, quinoa
Thursday, February 14
it's almost friday
Happy Valentines Day!
I was busy at work today, plus the internet was down... so, no blogs for me! Life is so boring without internet! :)
Well, my hubby gave me G.odiva chocolates yesterday as a val. gift. It's a small box, and I had two truffles yesterday. I only have two more left! I'm all about quality, not quantity! :) Hopefully this will not set me back too much, though! (I didn't even touch the cheap-o val. chocolates at the office, because I know that at home I have two perfectly yummy gorgeous truffles waiting for me!).
I had a weight training session at lunch today. I went up to 50lbs on the squat (I do the one where you stand under a racked barbell, this way I can lift more... I think). The weight room was kind of busy. The funny thing was that the radio station that was on played valentine's day tunes, like really cheesy love songs, and the room was full of guys that were lifting weights, and two women - my co-worker and I. I guess the guys didn't change the music for us... LOL :) although I would've preferred something else...
My hubby and I have our night class tonight (French), so no valentine's dinner for us... but it's all good, at least we are together! (and French is a romantic language, right? if only we could speak it!).
Food for today is:
B: oatmeal: bluberries, 1tsp peanut butter, flax seeds
S: almonds, pear
L + D: 1/2c chickpeas, wheat berries, veggies, crab sticks - all mixed into a "salad" (I'm eating this for my lunch and dinner)
S: mango juice + hemp protein powder
I was busy at work today, plus the internet was down... so, no blogs for me! Life is so boring without internet! :)
Well, my hubby gave me G.odiva chocolates yesterday as a val. gift. It's a small box, and I had two truffles yesterday. I only have two more left! I'm all about quality, not quantity! :) Hopefully this will not set me back too much, though! (I didn't even touch the cheap-o val. chocolates at the office, because I know that at home I have two perfectly yummy gorgeous truffles waiting for me!).
I had a weight training session at lunch today. I went up to 50lbs on the squat (I do the one where you stand under a racked barbell, this way I can lift more... I think). The weight room was kind of busy. The funny thing was that the radio station that was on played valentine's day tunes, like really cheesy love songs, and the room was full of guys that were lifting weights, and two women - my co-worker and I. I guess the guys didn't change the music for us... LOL :) although I would've preferred something else...
My hubby and I have our night class tonight (French), so no valentine's dinner for us... but it's all good, at least we are together! (and French is a romantic language, right? if only we could speak it!).
Food for today is:
B: oatmeal: bluberries, 1tsp peanut butter, flax seeds
S: almonds, pear
L + D: 1/2c chickpeas, wheat berries, veggies, crab sticks - all mixed into a "salad" (I'm eating this for my lunch and dinner)
S: mango juice + hemp protein powder
Wednesday, February 13
Great weekend
I had such a good time this weekend! I showed all of my favourite places to my sister, we ate, we laughed, it was good... it makes me kind of sad that we live in different cities now... I think we could become much closer now that she's in her twenties as well (she's going to be 21 next week! where does the time go??), and I have a couple more years before I turn 30 (eeeek! 3 more, to be exact).
The good thing was that we didn't overeat at all. Instead of going out to eat, I made 'fun' food at home, and that was much much better! So, Saturday night we made sushi, my first time, and it was sooooo good! No raw fish, but we had some tofu, avocado, cucumbers, carrots, and fish roe. Yum! Sunday we skated on the canal... well "skated" is not the right word, because after about fifteen minutes on the ice we decided to rent a sleigh, so we pushed each other around in that. It worked out very well: first of all it looked like we could skate, we took regular breaks (our feet were hurting like crazy!) so we could stay out longer. Overall it was quite a workout... we ended up skating/running on ice for 2 1/2 hours! And whatever sweets we had, we shared - um... hello beavertails!
Monday we had some baked good from this French bakery for breakfast, but then we didn't have lunch, because we shopped until 3. Came home, made a healthy "snack" of broccoli and tofu, and then prepared a dinner, complete with a vegan chocolate brownie/cake. It was sooooo good!
So I don't feel guilty at all! Of course, we'll see what I'll say on Friday, but I can't say that I regret any of this. I didn't overindulge, but I didn't restrict myself either.
But I am looking forward to going back to my routine. It looks like I will only have two weight training days this week, the rest will be cardio. I'm going for an interval run on training today at lunch, and then I have my usual walk to and from work.
The food for today:
B: oatmeal with blueberries, and 1tsp peanut butter + soy milk
S: 25g almonds, pear and 1/2 red bell pepper
L: salad with crab meat and egg (yum!), + 1 piece sprouted grain bread
S: banana
L: salad, 2 chicken drumsticks, 1/2 cup of some kind of grain
p.s. I didn't mean to offend any people who love to live in Ottawa by my last post... sorry! I'm still adjusting, after almost two years living here... it's just very hard to find something to do without having a car, which we don't. I am beginning to like Ottawa in the summer, because of all the outdoor activities... but when people come to visit me, I don't really know what to do with them! lol :)
The good thing was that we didn't overeat at all. Instead of going out to eat, I made 'fun' food at home, and that was much much better! So, Saturday night we made sushi, my first time, and it was sooooo good! No raw fish, but we had some tofu, avocado, cucumbers, carrots, and fish roe. Yum! Sunday we skated on the canal... well "skated" is not the right word, because after about fifteen minutes on the ice we decided to rent a sleigh, so we pushed each other around in that. It worked out very well: first of all it looked like we could skate, we took regular breaks (our feet were hurting like crazy!) so we could stay out longer. Overall it was quite a workout... we ended up skating/running on ice for 2 1/2 hours! And whatever sweets we had, we shared - um... hello beavertails!
Monday we had some baked good from this French bakery for breakfast, but then we didn't have lunch, because we shopped until 3. Came home, made a healthy "snack" of broccoli and tofu, and then prepared a dinner, complete with a vegan chocolate brownie/cake. It was sooooo good!
So I don't feel guilty at all! Of course, we'll see what I'll say on Friday, but I can't say that I regret any of this. I didn't overindulge, but I didn't restrict myself either.
But I am looking forward to going back to my routine. It looks like I will only have two weight training days this week, the rest will be cardio. I'm going for an interval run on training today at lunch, and then I have my usual walk to and from work.
The food for today:
B: oatmeal with blueberries, and 1tsp peanut butter + soy milk
S: 25g almonds, pear and 1/2 red bell pepper
L: salad with crab meat and egg (yum!), + 1 piece sprouted grain bread
S: banana
L: salad, 2 chicken drumsticks, 1/2 cup of some kind of grain
p.s. I didn't mean to offend any people who love to live in Ottawa by my last post... sorry! I'm still adjusting, after almost two years living here... it's just very hard to find something to do without having a car, which we don't. I am beginning to like Ottawa in the summer, because of all the outdoor activities... but when people come to visit me, I don't really know what to do with them! lol :)
Friday, February 8
The same
I did a weigh-in today and I stayed the same. I even pulled out my regular "manual" scale just to double check! (I usually use my digital one that gives me 0.0 accuracy). If this means that I'm gaining muscle, or retaining water, I'm okay with that. I really don't want to discourage. And that's why I'll be posting my weight progress together with my pics and measurements once a month. My only hope is that the will be progress, if not, needless to say, I'll be very very pissed...
I'm going for another weight training session today at lunch. I'm thankful that I'm somewhat recovered from Wednesday's workout. I also did a quick run on treadmill yesterday, in addition to my usual walk to work and back. I did some intervals for 15 min, and steady pace for 10, plus cool down.
The test went okay, by the way. I know I at least passed.... yeah, I know, I'm really ambitious! LOL But, seriously, I just need to pass the course, because I'm taking it for "fun". It was my husband's initiative to take the course, since it will be really useful to have French for his work (he works for the govern.ment), and I wouldn't mind learning it, but it's not really critical in my job. Also, I didn't want to be alone for two nights a week. We kind of always do everything together, it's good and not... we really have to find some friends to socialize with! But it's not easy, when all you do is go to work, and then home. Plus, both of us are kind of shy around new people, and are overall introverts... :) And we really really enjoy each others company! You'd think after eight years of knowing each other that would change... but luckily not.
Anyways, that's enough rambling for today! I'm looking forward to the weekend! My sister is coming tonight, and we'll hit the streets of Ottawa for some fun tomorrow!! (If you'd ever been to Ottawa, you'd know that that is an exaggeration of grand proportions.... :) this is not the most exciting city!)
Food for today:
B: high-protein oatmeal
S: carrots and hummus
L: chicken w beets and brussel sprouts
S: carrot juice w protein powder, banana
D: tbd
I'm going for another weight training session today at lunch. I'm thankful that I'm somewhat recovered from Wednesday's workout. I also did a quick run on treadmill yesterday, in addition to my usual walk to work and back. I did some intervals for 15 min, and steady pace for 10, plus cool down.
The test went okay, by the way. I know I at least passed.... yeah, I know, I'm really ambitious! LOL But, seriously, I just need to pass the course, because I'm taking it for "fun". It was my husband's initiative to take the course, since it will be really useful to have French for his work (he works for the govern.ment), and I wouldn't mind learning it, but it's not really critical in my job. Also, I didn't want to be alone for two nights a week. We kind of always do everything together, it's good and not... we really have to find some friends to socialize with! But it's not easy, when all you do is go to work, and then home. Plus, both of us are kind of shy around new people, and are overall introverts... :) And we really really enjoy each others company! You'd think after eight years of knowing each other that would change... but luckily not.
Anyways, that's enough rambling for today! I'm looking forward to the weekend! My sister is coming tonight, and we'll hit the streets of Ottawa for some fun tomorrow!! (If you'd ever been to Ottawa, you'd know that that is an exaggeration of grand proportions.... :) this is not the most exciting city!)
Food for today:
B: high-protein oatmeal
S: carrots and hummus
L: chicken w beets and brussel sprouts
S: carrot juice w protein powder, banana
D: tbd
Thursday, February 7
It's almost Friday
It's Thursday, which means it's almost Friday, which means I'm closer to my long weekend of fun!! :)
My sister is coming to visit me from T.O., so I took Monday off. And now I have to think of how to entertain her... hmm... She's not all that crazy about working out like I am, but I'm going to have to sneak a couple of workouts anyhow that weekend - sorry sis! I did suggest trying to make sushi at home, and she was all for it, so I went to this Japanese/Korean food store and went a bit crazy with the supplies - I got 100 sheets of nori (!!! that will last me for years, I think), a couple of pounds of rice, some chopsticks, and a mat thingy. I did forget the most important ingredient - wasabi! Doh! I have to go back and get that, and also some stuff for the inside... I'm thinking carrots, cucumber, avocado and teriyaki marinated tofu.
Which reminds me - I made baked tofu yesterday! I was awesome. I basically put soy sauce, some honey, ginger, garlic, and a bit of balsamic vinegar in a dish with tofu, baked it for 30min at 400F. The texture was totally different than the time that I tried it in a miso soup that I made (which kind of brought on a mild gaging reaction...).
Also, yesterday I had a totally vegan day! No dairy, no meat! I really really think I can do this, I just have to get my husband to get used to the idea (I will still cook meat for him separately).
My workout yesterday was intense... I so sore all over today. Who knew that a dead lift with a heavy enough weight could work your WHOLE body??? I'm going to go for a quick cardio session today, since I have to study a bit more at lunch for my French class that I'm taking at night (we have a test today, and I haven't studied at all yesterday! I was so tired and sleepy!). oh, and the workout was from this book "New Rules Of Lifting For Women", I love the workout programs there!
And I did take the pictures yesterday! Pretty gross... I took them of my stomach, in my favourite jeans. So I guess my goal would be to be able to wear the jeans sans the love handles...
My sister is coming to visit me from T.O., so I took Monday off. And now I have to think of how to entertain her... hmm... She's not all that crazy about working out like I am, but I'm going to have to sneak a couple of workouts anyhow that weekend - sorry sis! I did suggest trying to make sushi at home, and she was all for it, so I went to this Japanese/Korean food store and went a bit crazy with the supplies - I got 100 sheets of nori (!!! that will last me for years, I think), a couple of pounds of rice, some chopsticks, and a mat thingy. I did forget the most important ingredient - wasabi! Doh! I have to go back and get that, and also some stuff for the inside... I'm thinking carrots, cucumber, avocado and teriyaki marinated tofu.
Which reminds me - I made baked tofu yesterday! I was awesome. I basically put soy sauce, some honey, ginger, garlic, and a bit of balsamic vinegar in a dish with tofu, baked it for 30min at 400F. The texture was totally different than the time that I tried it in a miso soup that I made (which kind of brought on a mild gaging reaction...).
Also, yesterday I had a totally vegan day! No dairy, no meat! I really really think I can do this, I just have to get my husband to get used to the idea (I will still cook meat for him separately).
My workout yesterday was intense... I so sore all over today. Who knew that a dead lift with a heavy enough weight could work your WHOLE body??? I'm going to go for a quick cardio session today, since I have to study a bit more at lunch for my French class that I'm taking at night (we have a test today, and I haven't studied at all yesterday! I was so tired and sleepy!). oh, and the workout was from this book "New Rules Of Lifting For Women", I love the workout programs there!
And I did take the pictures yesterday! Pretty gross... I took them of my stomach, in my favourite jeans. So I guess my goal would be to be able to wear the jeans sans the love handles...
Tuesday, February 5
No mooo milk?
Happy Tuesday!
The weekend was okay. I actually went for my run on Saturday... which turned out not to be a great idea, since we had a snow storm on Friday, and the path that runs along the river behind our apartment building wasn't plowed (obviously), but for some reason I decided to run there anyways... so somehow I did something to my left knee, and I was in pain for the rest of the weekend.
Eating-wise it was okay as well, even though it's TOM, and I was craving sweets, but we don't keep anything "dangerous" in the house anymore, so I had to make do with an orange and some whole wheat toast with jam.
Also, I still hadn't taken my "before" pictures! I don't want to ask my hubby to take them, 'cause he'll think I went complete nuts (read: obsessed), plus he thinks that half the time anyhow. So I think I'm just going to do them in the bathroom mirror... tomorrow morning.
Now, onto the milk thing. There were a lot things that influenced my decision to not consume dairy anymore, like this British show on Discovery Health channel. It was about this organic farmer that brings five junk-food addicts from the "city" to see where the food actually comes from. I don't need to tell you all about animal cruelty that sometimes is involved in getting that chicken or beef on your table. Milk and eggs are not an exception, even though the animals are not killed in the process.
Also, this video was forwarded to me by my friend on F.ace.book. I did a search on this girl and found her blog, where she writes this about dairy. So I was inspired to do my own research, and while there are two sides to this argument this and this support Kris's arguments. So, I will really do this for my health.
Ultimately, I'm leaning towards becoming a vegan. It's a big decision, and it will have an influence on other people, like my husband. I'm known to make rush decision and have an all-or-nothing attitude, so I want to make sure that I'm well prepared when I make the complete switch to a vegan life (that means consuming only plant-based food, no animal products). I'm slowly introducing foods that, I'm sure, will become my staples later on... like tofu, and soy milk. I already love and eat all kinds of grains, and fruits/veggies. I've stopped eating yogourt, and almost cut out all milk products. Although I am tempted to just jump into it, in this case, I think slower is better. :)
The weekend was okay. I actually went for my run on Saturday... which turned out not to be a great idea, since we had a snow storm on Friday, and the path that runs along the river behind our apartment building wasn't plowed (obviously), but for some reason I decided to run there anyways... so somehow I did something to my left knee, and I was in pain for the rest of the weekend.
Eating-wise it was okay as well, even though it's TOM, and I was craving sweets, but we don't keep anything "dangerous" in the house anymore, so I had to make do with an orange and some whole wheat toast with jam.
Also, I still hadn't taken my "before" pictures! I don't want to ask my hubby to take them, 'cause he'll think I went complete nuts (read: obsessed), plus he thinks that half the time anyhow. So I think I'm just going to do them in the bathroom mirror... tomorrow morning.
Now, onto the milk thing. There were a lot things that influenced my decision to not consume dairy anymore, like this British show on Discovery Health channel. It was about this organic farmer that brings five junk-food addicts from the "city" to see where the food actually comes from. I don't need to tell you all about animal cruelty that sometimes is involved in getting that chicken or beef on your table. Milk and eggs are not an exception, even though the animals are not killed in the process.
Also, this video was forwarded to me by my friend on F.ace.book. I did a search on this girl and found her blog, where she writes this about dairy. So I was inspired to do my own research, and while there are two sides to this argument this and this support Kris's arguments. So, I will really do this for my health.
Ultimately, I'm leaning towards becoming a vegan. It's a big decision, and it will have an influence on other people, like my husband. I'm known to make rush decision and have an all-or-nothing attitude, so I want to make sure that I'm well prepared when I make the complete switch to a vegan life (that means consuming only plant-based food, no animal products). I'm slowly introducing foods that, I'm sure, will become my staples later on... like tofu, and soy milk. I already love and eat all kinds of grains, and fruits/veggies. I've stopped eating yogourt, and almost cut out all milk products. Although I am tempted to just jump into it, in this case, I think slower is better. :)
Friday, February 1
12 weeks, 9.6lbs to lose
I've been ispired by Randi's post in which she challenged people to post photos of themselves each month to show their progress (and finally reach their goals... ).
So, I did my weigh in today, posted my stats, and will post pictures at the end of the month (as painful as that may be). My weight had been fluctuating steadily over the past two years between 145 to 149. I work out hard and eat healthy, unprocessed (some organic) food - but my body is just comfortable in this weight range. In order to lose these 9.6lbs I think I need to be really strict with the amount of calories I eat and add more cardio to see results. My BMI is 24.6, so it's just in the upper range of "normal weight". I'm tired of being almost there, dammit!
Today is the start of Week 1.
The goal is:
- lose 0.8lbs a week
- eat less (reasonably) overall, and eat less carbs, especially at dinner. Include more veggies, and stop drinking milk/eating dairy products by end of February (more on that later).
- learn to like one new veggie a month (and incorporate vegan recipies every week)
The plan is:
- continue my HIIT workouts with weights at lunch 3-4 x week (45min)
- continue to walk to and from work (6.6k)
- add two runs in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- add a short run on Saturday, and a long run on Sunday
Once I can handle this, I'll add a third run during the week. In terms of food, I'll get back to tracking it daily.
Today I went for a run on a treadmill (intervals, 45min) even though my "workout buddy" is not here. Yay for me! Today is my third week of working out every weekday (I took weekends off... but no more!).
Am I scared that I'm not going to loose anything at the end of the month? yes. Do I think I can do it? YES! There's no reason for me not to lose those pounds!
Food for today:
B: egg, whole wheat slice of bread, veggies, grapefruit (6)
S: 50g almonds, red pepper (2)
L: curry w yams, tofu, chicken (5)
salad (1)
S: apple (1)
D: tilapia fillet, salad + a grain (6)
So, I did my weigh in today, posted my stats, and will post pictures at the end of the month (as painful as that may be). My weight had been fluctuating steadily over the past two years between 145 to 149. I work out hard and eat healthy, unprocessed (some organic) food - but my body is just comfortable in this weight range. In order to lose these 9.6lbs I think I need to be really strict with the amount of calories I eat and add more cardio to see results. My BMI is 24.6, so it's just in the upper range of "normal weight". I'm tired of being almost there, dammit!
Today is the start of Week 1.
The goal is:
- lose 0.8lbs a week
- eat less (reasonably) overall, and eat less carbs, especially at dinner. Include more veggies, and stop drinking milk/eating dairy products by end of February (more on that later).
- learn to like one new veggie a month (and incorporate vegan recipies every week)
The plan is:
- continue my HIIT workouts with weights at lunch 3-4 x week (45min)
- continue to walk to and from work (6.6k)
- add two runs in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- add a short run on Saturday, and a long run on Sunday
Once I can handle this, I'll add a third run during the week. In terms of food, I'll get back to tracking it daily.
Today I went for a run on a treadmill (intervals, 45min) even though my "workout buddy" is not here. Yay for me! Today is my third week of working out every weekday (I took weekends off... but no more!).
Am I scared that I'm not going to loose anything at the end of the month? yes. Do I think I can do it? YES! There's no reason for me not to lose those pounds!
Food for today:
B: egg, whole wheat slice of bread, veggies, grapefruit (6)
S: 50g almonds, red pepper (2)
L: curry w yams, tofu, chicken (5)
salad (1)
S: apple (1)
D: tilapia fillet, salad + a grain (6)
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