Jonesing For Some Carbs

Today is the first day since I started my new meal plan that I have had really strong cravings for anything.  I really really want carbs.   

I made my son a spicy chicken pizza for supper.  Oh man, did that pizza look and smell awesome!  There are still a couple of pieces left in the fridge that are screaming my name.

I was good though, I had 7 ounces of roast beef and 2 cups of brussel sprouts  with grated cheese.  Blaaaah!  Totally did not satisfy me.  In fact, compared to the pizza it was actually kind of gross - and normally I like brussel sprouts.

Went grocery shopping after supper and picked up some popcorn and some puddings to snack on.  I am hoping that the popcorn will curb the cravings for carbs.

Tomorrow is another low carb day and I have no idea what I am going to eat.  I have nothing ready for lunch so I think I will probably be buying a salad for lunch . . . actually as I typed that I realized I could have tuna salad on lettuce for lunch  . . . that would pretty yummy.

I really have to look up some more recipes to try but I have been too busy, tired and lazy to do so.  Maybe tomorrow.  I have an avocado that I need to use up and I would like to try something different.

If I Didn't Have a Trainer . . .

If I didn't have a trainer I never would have worked out tonight.  I was so tired today and just bitchy as hell!  I really really did not want to go to the gym but I never miss an appointment so I went and I worked out.  I am still bitchy as hell.

I also had a later supper so by the end of my workout I thought I was going to hurl.  I still feel slightly sick.

The important thing is that I went and I worked out and  it is over now.  Next week though is going to be tough.  My trainer wants to go the Shamrock's lacrosse game tomorrow night so we switched that session to Monday morning.  Next week I will be working out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  We work a different area of my body each night so it doesn't bother me to work out two (or three) nights in a row.

Oh, we did a funny exercise today.  To loosen up my chest muscles my trainer had me put a tennis ball on my boob and a foam block on top of the ball.  I then rolled the ball around on my boob to loosen up the sore spots.  Then I did the same thing on the other side.  Had to laugh at that :D

Food Log

I am under my calories for the day but I just don't feel like eating anything else.  I guess today will help make up for overeating yesterday.

Totally Blew it Today

I did really well all day and then I went to a barbecue tonight.  I thought I didn't have to watch my diet as close because my calories were so low for breakfast and lunch.  I made some healthy choices like not to have buns with my burger and loading up on kale salad/ vegetables but then I made some unhealthy choices like having potato salad and macaroni salad plus a butter tart for dessert.

There was a complete disconnect between what I was eating and my goals.  Never even considered the fact that I was eating carbs.  Didn't think anything about having 2 burgers - I mean hey it's OK because I am not having the buns right?  I loaded my plate up with vegetables so that means I can have a butter tart.


Note to self:  enter food into the food log before going to any events that way I will know exactly what to eat.

Moving on.  Today was weight and measurement day and I lost another 2 1/2 pounds this week.  Total weight loss since August 15, 2016 = 7.5 lbs

It has been 2 weeks since I started my new eating habits.  Total changes to date:

Weight:  217.5 lbs (-7.5 lbs) woo hoooo!

Chest:  46" (no change)

Ribs:  39" (-1")  - no change from last week

Upper Arm:  13" left - 14" right  - no change from last week

Waist:  43" (-1") - no change from last week

Hips:  47" (no change)

Upper Thigh:  25" left - 24" right (no change)

Calves:  18"  (no change)

Good Choices Today

Good meal choices left me feeling completely full yet still under my calorie budget for the day.

 Lunch was a taco salad without any dressing because I didn't have the ingredients to make the lime dressing and I didn't have any other dressing in fridge.  I found that it didn't even need a dressing because the ground beef mixture had enough juice and flavour on its own.

Supper was Mexican Spaghetti Squash.  The squash has very few calories so I had a huge plate full. 

3 ounces of roast beef and 1 ounce of cheddar cheese for snack (plus my usual breakfast) compelted the day.

Slightly Off Track

Today was somewhat off track.  I didn't work out today so I shouldn't have had any carbs besides my Fibre 1 bar for breakfast but I ended up having 2 slices of pizza for supper.  I was at a friend's place and she made pizza for supper. I wasn't going to insult her by refusing what she made and I was hungry.

Whatever, shit happens.  You clean it up and move on.

I was close to my calorie budget for today so it is all good. 

TRX Workout - Amazingly Hard

I was so tired after work that all I wanted to do was come home, flop in front of the TV and binge watch Game of Thrones.  I never miss appointments though and I had an appointment with my trainer.  I am glad I went because WOW did I get a good workout!

My trainer introduced me to a piece of equipment called the TRX.  Basically it is 2 long straps with handles and loops on the ends. It was attached to a pipe that ran across the ceiling and the straps hung down to about hip height.  It looks like the straps can be adjusted to whatever length you wish.

Click  HERE if you would like to see what the TRX is and what you can do with it.

The exercises were deceptively simple.  For the standing plank I just grabbed the handles, straightened my arms and leaned forward.  I held that position for 30 seconds.

For the reverse lunge I held the handles out in front of me and mostly just used them for support as I completed the lunges.

Oh my good God!  I don't know why and I don't how but it worked my muscles so hard that they were shaking within minutes.  I only did 3 sets of 10 lunges and 3 x 30 seconds for the plank but it felt like I did so much more.  It was amazing!

The thing that has surprised me the most about working with a trainer is that I am not stiff after a workout.  Even though I am working my muscles so hard that they burn and shake I don't have any pain afterwards.  I know I am getting a good workout because I am sweating and it is really hard to complete that last set but the next day I feel fine.

I have no idea how many calories I am burning with these exercises so I am just putting in stretching and the elliptical (10 minute warm up) but I think I burned a lot more than 207 calories with my workout tonight.

 Overall, my diet today was OK.  I did have a couple of treats only because it was a workout day.

First Hungry Day

Today is my first hungry day.  I could snack all day.  Overall I made healthy choices but I just want to eat MORE.

I was at an all day workshop today so I didn't want to take my lunch.  I ate Brown's Social House.  Not much on the menu that is healthy but I tried the Tahitian Tuna Salad.  It was OK.  Very different from the food that I usually eat.  I have never eaten tuna that didn't come from a can :)

The thing I like about my new eating plan is that I am trying a lot of foods that I never would have considered.  This is adding more healthy foods to my options which makes it easier to make good choices.

I wasn't supposed to eat carbs today but that cheesy bread stick just kept calling my name.  I resisted but alas I was not strong enough.  :(

For supper I made Mexican Spaghetti Squash.  You can find the recipe HERE.

Food diary for today.

I Thought My Ass Was Going to Fall Off!

So it looks like my gym schedule is Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  Today we worked on stretching and strengthening my lower body.  We used resistance bands quite a lot and I am telling you I can sure feel it!

There was one exercise that was particularly evil.  It is called the clam shell exercise and I did not think I was going to be able to complete 3 sets of 10.  I got through it but it was tough.  Start watching the video at 49 seconds.

A lot of the exercises that my trainer wanted me to do tonight were aimed at working my hips, butt and thighs but because my stomach muscles are so week it ended up really working those muscles as well.  It was a really good work out - my muscles are tired tonight.

For my meals today I once again ate nothing but sandwiches.  So far, restricting my carbs to a Fibre 1 bar on days that I don't work out and then pigging out on bread on my workout days is really curbing any cravings that I might have had.  Instead of having to tell myself that I can never eat pasta or bread now I just have to tell myself I can't eat it today but I can have it tomorrow.

I guess I will have to see how this will effect my weight loss goals in the long run but if it works that would be totally awesome because I love bread and pasta.  I am noticing though that I am starting to get sick of sandwiches :)  I can't wait for tomorrow to have my Mexican Spaghetti Squash and I still have to finish a serving of Zucchini Alfredo.

Great Workout!

Today was my workout day so I ate carbs in the form of 3 bologna sandwiches!  One for lunch.  One for snack.  One for dinner.  I hadn't eaten bologna in years but now I am kind of hooked on it.

Feeling much better today.  Last week I really felt awful but then I rested as much as I could over the weekend and last night.  Today I am starting to get my energy back.

Tonight was my second workout with my trainer and it was awesome!  We focused on my back muscles.  We did some stretches, resistance band work and then ended with pull downs on the weight machine.  I love the way I feel after a good workout.  I feel like I accomplished something.

I have no idea how many calories I burned during my workout.  I felt like I got a pretty good workout but I think it is better to underestimate the number of calories I burned rather than overestimating.

My food log for today.

Weight and Measurements

Today for lunch and snack I had Zucchini Alfredo.  This is a recipe that I created.  It uses the Veggetti  machine to cut zucchini into fettuccine size strips.  If you would like to see an infomercial on the Veggetti click HERE

My Zucchini Alfredo has just 5 ingredients:  zucchini, onion, whipping cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic butter. Click HERE to be taken to my recipe page.

My food log for today.

Every Monday I will be weighing and measuring myself.

It has been 1 week since I started my new eating habits.  I have only had one session with my trainer so the changes are the result of eating better not exercise.  I didn't take a picture this time because there hasn't been much change in the way I look.

Weight:  220 lbs (-5 lbs) woo hoooo!

Chest:  46" (no change)

Ribs:  39" (-1")  could just be an error in measuring

Upper Arm:  13" left - 14" right  (no change)

Waist:  43" (-1")  reduced bloating

Hips:  47" (no change)

Upper Thigh:  25" left - 24" right (no change)

Calves:  18"  (no change)

Back on Track

I was out a First Aid training again today but this time I made better choices!  I did not have any muffins or carbs (besides my Fibre 1 bar for breakfast).  I chose pork bites and a garden broccoli salad from Country Grocers for lunch.

Supper was a repeat of yesterday - roast beef and cauliflower hash browns.  I also had a bit of Zucchini Alfredo.  I will share that recipe tomorrow.

Total carbs 60g.

I also was able to finally relax a bit after a very stressful week and a half.  I am feeling rested and staring to get my energy back.

My next workout with my trainer is Tuesday.

Tomorrow I will weigh and measure myself and we will see what the results are.

Fell Off the Carb Wagon Briefly

Today I had an all day First Aid course and I was feeling so tired and still a bit light headed in the morning that I had a muffin.  Just a little muffin but it seemed to help give me energy and I felt better afterwards.

At lunch break I made another poor choice and decided to try a nearby Mexican restaurant that I had heard really good things about.  I am totally guessing how many calories the chicken mole burrito had.  It was huge but really didn't have very much meat or rice in it.  It was mostly lettuce.

Did really well at supper though.  I made a new recipe - Cauliflower Hash Browns from the website http://www.dietdoctor.com/

They were very good but a time consuming to make.  If I had a proper food processor it would have been easy but instead I had to hand grate a whole head of cauliflower.  I used about half of it to make 8 hash browns.  The remainder I froze to use in some other cauliflower recipes that I want to try.  I might also use it as a substitute for rice.

For supper I approximately 8 ounces of lean roast beef with 4 cauliflower hash browns drizzled with pan drippings.  I am guessing at how many ounces I had because the battery on my food scale died.  For dessert I had some fresh cherries.

Overall, I was 239 calories over budget.  I just didn't have the time or energy after supper to work out.

First Day with My Trainer Left Me Sad & Depressed

Today I did OK with my diet even though my friend Sally made these absolutely amazing fried bananas for our afternoon tea. I only had 1 piece to taste.

It is so stinking hot today, the week has been so stressful and I am tired but I went to the gym to meet my trainer Tanija (pronounced Tawnya).

Say hi to Tanija :)

First thing we discussed was diet.  Basically, what I am doing is pretty good.  I could try to increase my vegetables and reduce my legumes (beans, chick peas, etc.) but since eating beans is helping me to feel full and satisfied that it was OK to stick with that.  She recommends more of a paleo diet which is mostly meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit.  It excludes dairy, grain products and processed food but it allows bacon so go figure.

I personally don't believe in eliminating food groups but I am willing to consider it if I don't get results.

I also need to eat more.  The LoseIt app suggests 1,393 calories per day but according to the body analyzer machine I should be eating 1,500 to 1,700 calories per day.

Then on to exercising.  It was very depressing how unhealthy I am.  We spent 30 minutes stretching and working on core muscles and then we did some squats.  I became more and more depressed as I worked through the exercises.  Then right at the end I was doing these squats with a bench (basically sitting down and getting up again) when suddenly I got really dizzy.   Like WTF???  It only lasted a couple of minutes but really?  Do a few stretches and some squats and I get dizzy?  That is ridiculous.

So then I suggested we take my blood pressure because my doctor had said that if I am working out I might become dizzy due to my blood pressure dropping as I lift weights or stuff like that.  Well my blood pressure was high 173/120.  It has never been that high.  I think I was just stressing though about feeling faint because when I got home and took my blood pressure it was normal.  The blood pressure machine at the gym also did something weird.  The cuff inflated and started deflating but then in inflated again.  I don't know what was up with that.  So maybe it was just something with the machine too.

**  After I wrote this post I decided to google "high blood pressure" and "exercise".  Guess what?  Your blood pressure normally rises during exercise because your body is trying to get more oxygen to your muscles.  For people who are doing really strenuous exercise their blood pressure can go up to 200/90.  It will then return back to normal over a couple hours after the exercise is done.

My next session with Tanija is Tuesday so we will see how things go.

Food log for today.

** Updated - decided to have a snack of 2 boiled eggs.  Shouldn't have done it.  Now I feel gross.  Should have had the cherries instead.

Went to the Pub Now I am Hungry

Not a bad day today.  Met a friend at a local pub tonight.  I chose a calamari appetizer and a martini :)  I logged all my food and I am 120 calories under my daily budget.  Yesterday, I ate a 320 calories under my budget and didn't feel hungry because of the beef and black beans that I had for supper.  Today I ate more calories but still feel hungry.  I think I should have gone with a salad because it would have had more bulk to it.

Tomorrow is my first day with the trainer.  I may not get much exercise in because she has to evaluate my fitness level and talk to me about my goals, etc.

No pretty pictures to post today so here is something I found on the internet.

Learned My Lesson From Yesterday

Today I was a carb day so I had a clubhouse sandwich for lunch. I learned my lesson from yesterday though and entered my food into my daily log BEFORE I ate supper. 

For supper I had the beef, bean and corn mixture leftover from my taco salad from yesterday but I had it as tacos.  Once again,  I found that the combination of the black beans and beef was very filling and satisfying.

After supper, I walked for 1 1/2 hours down the Gorge Waterway in Victoria, BC.  It is an  inlet that divides Esquimalt from Victoria on the east and Saanich on the north.  The total distance walked is 6.5 km.

The night was gorgeous and the moon was so big and bright.  Just a beautiful night to be out for a walk.

Today I was 320 calories under my budget but I don't feel hungry at all.

Ooops! Almost Ate Too Much.

Today was a perfect example of the reason why it is so important to log your food.  I ate very healthy today and I thought that my calories were going to be way under my calorie budget.  I was surprised to see that I was only 3 calories under.  Eating just one more ounce of cheese or even adding an apple or the papaya that I have sitting in my fridge would have put me over budget.

For lunch today I tried the Taco Salad from the website Damn Delicious.

It was very delicious and filling but the fact that it has extra-lean ground beef (recipes calls for chorizo sausage), shredded cheese and an olive oil lime dressing also means that it has approximately 300 calories more than salad that I had yesterday.

It wasn't a workout day so I did not eat any carbs besides the tortilla chips on my salad.  I should note that when I say I am not eating carbs on non-workout days that I am referring to bread, pasta, rice, crackers, etc.  I am NOT referring to any type of fruit or vegetable that officially contains carbs.  Fruits and vegetables of any type will not be excluded at all from my diet.

I noticed that I have started to shift the way I think about my diet.  Usually, if I had upcoming events that involved either eating out or baked goodies I would think to myself "I am going to be overeating on those days so I will have to workout harder and eat less now" or even worse "my diet is going to be blown this week anyways so I may as well eat what I want today".

Today was different though.  Today my thoughts were "I wonder if the Pub serves anything that doesn't have carbs" and "too bad I won't be able to sample the goodies at our Friday afternoon tea at work".

It is a promising start.  When I quit smoking I felt the same way as I do now.  I had made the decision and any temptation to smoke again was gone.  Yes, I had cravings but I could look at those cravings and say "no, that's not what I want to do".  I avoided places and situations that I knew would cause me to fail.  I made different choices and those choices came from a place of power not a place of weakness.

Previously, when I tried to change my diet I felt like an addict.  I knew I should eat better and that overeating was keeping me sad and depressed and tired but I just kept jonesing for a hit of sugar, carbs or junk food.  It didn't help to say "I can't eat that" or "I can eat that but only in moderation" because as soon as I thought of not having those foods I would start jonesing again.

I don't know if the difference this time around is that I have actually put down quite a lot of money for a personal trainer or if I finally have reached the point where I don't want to spend another year feeling like this.  Whatever the reason, I think this time I will reach my goal.  Booyah :D

Below is my food, exercise and calorie log for today.

Stressful Day

I am proud of myself today.  It was a very stressful day at work and usually that would have me running to either the bakery aisle or the snack food aisle but not today!

Not only did I pick up healthy foods at the grocery store but I also walked 6.5 km after supper.  I have to admit that all my stress was gone by the end of my walk.

Tried a new recipe today for lunch:  Bacon, Egg, Avocado and Tomato Salad for Mark's Daily Apple website.  When I first tasted it I thought that it was kind of weird and funky.  The only time I have eaten avocado was as guacamole.  By the time I was finished my salad it was starting to grow on me.  It was also incredibly filling.  Usually salad does not satisfy me and I am left feeling slightly hungry for the rest of the afternoon.  I will definitely make this one again.

If you are interested in trying it yourself you can click on the link above or find the recipe on my recipe page.

I will only be eating carbohydrates on days that I exercise.  Today I chose to have 2 sandwiches with honey oat bread.  One was for supper and then I had another sandwich after my walk.

Below is my food, exercise and calorie diary for today.  I use the  LoseIt  phone app for android.  You can also access it through your desktop for more guidance and information.

The Beginning

At one time I used to be fit but that was 18 years ago.  At that time, I was working out 3 times a week and didn't have the responsibility of a family.  When I was pregnant with my only child everything changed.

I gained 60 pounds and way too many inches in pregnancy and I wasn't able to recover from that.  It seemed that life just became so busy and my focus was on my child and my family not on myself.

Over the years, I tried exercising and watching my calories but it always seemed that something got in the way to derail my plans.  Between work, building my home-based businesses, looking after my son and helping my mother there just didn't seem to be the time or the energy to focus on my health goals.

It was so much easier to get my joy and happiness from a good meal rather than having to take the time and spend the money to go out and do fun things.  I could sit down and eat a really good and satisfying meal in 20 minutes and that glow of pleasure would last all night.

It was so much easier than taking a chance and changing jobs or gathering the courage to try new social activities.  It was safe and comforting but it didn't make me happy.

I was never happy with my figure or my weight.  The styles of clothes that I love weren't made for a size 18 body.  I hated the way the fat settled in my belly and made me look pregnant.  Who I am on the inside is not reflected on the outside.

Every New Year's Eve I would make my resolution that THIS year I would get in shape.  I would exercise more or watch my calories or eat healthier.  I joined the gym and I joined online weight loss communities.  The results were always the same.  For 4 to 6 months I would do the very best I could  I would exercise and I generally eat right.  Then I would weigh myself or measure myself and all that work was for nothing.  Sure, maybe I lost 20 pounds and a few inches but I still couldn't wear the clothes that I wanted.  Outwardly, I still didn't look any different.  The only thing I accomplished during that time was to give up the things that brought me joy.  There was no benefit for all that work so I would quit.

This year I met an amazing woman who, through the help of a personal trainer, lost a huge amount of weight and even participated in a Tough Mudder competition!  It made me start to realize that I might not have the information that I need in order to be successful.  What worked for me 18 years ago doesn't work for me now.

So, I signed up for a personal trainer through Good Life Fitness.  This is the gym that I had joined last year and I really like it.  I like that they have a women's only side and that they are opened 24/7 during the week.  This means that usually it isn't as crowded as a rec centre that closes at 10 pm.

The manager for the personal trainers talked with me for over an hour while we filled out lifestyle and goal questionnaires.  I told him how I was going to the gym 3 or 4 times per week and doing 1 hour cardio and 30 minutes on the weight machines but not seeing results.  He told me that using the weight machines really doesn't give you a good workout because you are only working 1 muscle at a time.  With their training programs, I would spend less time in the gym but be working out 200 muscles in my workout.  This would help me to achieve my goals.

He also told me that I should limit my carbohydrates on days that I am not working out.  I will be trying new low carb recipes on those days.  I am not much of a vegetable fan but I know that some salads I really love - like the broccoli garden salad from my local store.  It has broccoli, cauliflower, cranberries and green peas.  There are millions of recipes on the internet.  It is just a matter of finding the ones that I love that are also satisfying and filling.

I am excited to get started.  My first session with my trainer is Friday, August 19, 2016 but I am going to go to the gym for 1 hour on Monday and Wednesday.  Maybe start with some stretches and end with some cardio.

Each day I am going to blog about how well I did that day.  I am also going to post screenshots of my daily food log.  Once per week I will weigh and measure myself just so I can be aware of the progress that I made that week (if any).

Wish me luck!