Calories

So, my nutritionist told me to go for a goal net calories per day-- taking into account that day's activities and adjusting my calories to make sure I am making up for what I'm losing during various daily workouts etc. But I read a new site and I'm wondering if I should just aim for a certain number every day. No matter what my activity level is for that particular day, but instead averaging my weekly activity level to create a goal.
That would mean no matter what my activity level, I should aim for about 1900 calories every day and stay with that. I'm thinking that with meal prep this could be WAY easier to stay consistent; however, this means that there won't ever be those days where I get to indulge because I worked so hard...
My thought is that this consistent method may benefit me right now while I'm working on building back up will power and control... then once I'm a bit more solid with that, I can add the flexibility back in with aiming for net.

SO... for now... my new goal:
Do something active EVERY DAY (gym/run/bike at LEAST 4, ideally 5)
1900 Calories a day

Here we go!


Want more information about this? CALORIE COUNTER

6/30/13

So it begins...a week without trigger foods (and no drinking). Going to be VERY challenging especially with the holiday!

150 - 3 medium egg whites, 2 whole eggs
160 - half avocado
25 - fresh tomato

Bike to gym (2.2 miles)
Gym workout est -500
Bike home from gym (2.2 miles)

160 - 1/2 cup oats
20 - one spoonful of protein

60 - half apple

Bike to/from beach to lay out (3.1 miles total)

220- protein bar
110- mango
90 - Budding turkey

I realized if I'm going to post like this and update throughout the day I should really post times of food & activities. I'll start that tomorrow.

180 - proats (protein + oats)

100 - kale
70 - peas
20 - carrots
160 - half avocado
10 - cabbage
220 - chicken

100 - apple

Thinking about going back to the gym, but I'm in a lot of pain...the UTI has been sort of bin waves today. Dr's write up said mild kidney infection likely. So, it may take another day for the pain to go away.
Sorry...I'm sure nobody really wants to hear about my UTI, but it is a factor in my physical activity.

2.4 mile walk: -317 calories (according to my Nike+ GPS sports watch)

90 - Budding Chicken
100 - grapefruit

Realized I was SUPER low on net calories for the day... so I had another meal around 9:30
180 - 3 medium eggs
160 - half avocado
25 - tomato

struggling

Well, I missed a day (two including today) of tracking my food and thoughts... traveling threw me off and, well, I gave into my struggle.

Compulsive Over Eating. It's like being addicted to any drug, seriously, but I can't give up food. Trigger foods are what an individual with COE identifies as foods that when consumed, lead to binging. Trigger foods cause overwhelming levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, creating  obsessive-like ruminating thoughts. I've always loved food, but COE is more than a love, it's an obsession. For me, it's white foods. Flour (breads and pasta), sugar (this is the most common), potatoes, and dairy. Unless I'm feeling really strong and secure in my control of my thoughts and actions, having a little of any of these foods makes me crave A LOT and I often can't help myself. I over do it. It may sound really weird, and I don't expect anyone to really understand. But it really is an addiction. Just as an alcoholic can't have a little bit of wine without sending themselves into a downward spiral, I am with sugar...and bread. But unlike an alcoholic or a drug addict, I can't quit food cold turkey. I have to learn to cut out my trigger foods again until I am strong enough to lightly incorporate them into my diet (to allow me to feel some normalcy when eating with other people).

So, on vacation I didn't meal prep ahead of time. BIG MISTAKE. I let myself drink and not keep track of what I was consuming.

But I'm home now. VERY unmotivated today because I've been fighting off a UTI since last night. So that's not helping me get to the gym... but I will make it there before the night is through. I have to do something active. I will AT LEAST go for a long walk (though my heel has been hurting since Wednesday...so I'm a bit nervous about too much activity and think elliptical for my cardio today is probably my best bet).

I did some shopping today and I'm stocked with clean foods. I've made a promise with a friend of mine... we're starting tomorrow: one week without our addictions. For me: no sweets, for him: no dip. I can do this. I have it within me to be strong.

Evening update: I went to the gym, but my UTI spoke up and I was forced to go to Urgent Care. The doctor at least made me laugh and she said with my test levels that I must have Wonder Woman's pain tolerance. HAHA... so anyway, my workout was only 30 minutes, but I got antibiotics and that should clear up quickly so that I can focus and kick my ass this week.

6/27/13

100 - Egg whites
100 - goat cheese
100 - Tomatoes & spinach

2 hour walk around Indy (-200)
350 - Margarita

190 - kind bar
Gym -700 kcal

Following calories TBD:
2 Salads
Grilled asparagus

Salad
Grilled veggies

Wine

6/26/13

160 - instant oatmeal
25 - Scoop protein
10 - Egg white

300 - Salad

530 - cookie (I thought it was 2, turned out to be 5! FML)
0 - monster zero

350 -  sandwich
100 - sweet potato POPchips

90 - Budding chicken
90 - special K snack bar

150 - almonds

Traveling today so I tried to grab food before my 5 hour train ride (plus 1.5 hour wait in the train station) but screwed up royally with that cookie :( after craving chocolate last night I was jonesing hard. I looked up the macros and I'm horrified. Shouldn't have done that!!!
I had the chicken and almonds with me for the train ride...let's hope that afternoon sugar just kicked my metabolism up and doesn't hurt me too badly :-/
I brought workout clothes for tomorrow and Friday so I will make myself hit the hotel gym both days... once I get there my plan is to go buy a few things (fruit & protein) so that I can have small meals throughout the days instead of over indulging going out for each meal.
I plan to buy one of those coolers I keep seeing on fitspo IGs that are made for meal prep and travel. They make so much sense!

So...stuff in my brain as I sit on the train to Indy:
I'm giving some thought to trying figure competition this fall/winter. I may be investing in an augmentation this October if I can reach my goal of 12% bf by then... I would look to compete after that. I'm going to consult some people I've met who already compete to find out what the ideal prep time frame is and then draw out my personal estimated time line for everything. Also consulting concerning their thoughts/opinions on how long my body will take to lean out to even non-competition standard...and finally what bf % they had when they got implants.
...of course this will all be blogged.

6/25/13

Woke up at a decent hour today...felt really weird eating such a big meal so late last night, but I had to! I really wanted sweets, but I'm glad I stayed home and didn't allow myself to go get anything I'd regret.

160 - 1 packet high fiber instant oatmeal
100 - 4 medium eggs (3 whites, 1 whole)
.... cooked the eggs over medium then plopped on top of my oats, mix! The gooey YOKE cooked into the HOT oats. YUMMY :)

110 - jalapeño Smart Fries
0 - Rockstar zero carb

250 - 1.5oz raw almonds

130 - beef jerky

240 - 4oz chicken tenderloin
25 - spinach

Vball game canceled so I went for a run/walk...and a thunderstorm hit. SO FUN! Haha I was soaked but I loved it.
Est -520 calories (Nike+ didn't sync for the first half mile of my run)

50 - broccoli
30 - cabbage
50 - carrots
200 - 2oz chicken tenderloin cooked in wine

I think I might walk to Walgreens and snag a little bit of chocolate since I've been so good with food (and I'm too low on calories again today).

Need to clean and pack!! Heading to Indianapolis tomorrow evening through Saturday and then straight to Milwaukee before Ma leaves the country for 3 weeks. I will definitely be tested when I am outside of my controlled environment.

6/24/13

Another morning feeling lazy! Seriously stayed in bed An hour longer than I planned :-/
But I finally got up and made high fiber instant oatmeal w/some whey protein isolate. Seriously. Just take a packet of oatmeal, add the water, then mix in a spoon full of whey protein...heat, enjoy! So yummy and super filling. I had 2 servings.

320 - 2 packets high fiber instant oatmeal
25 - 1/5 pouch of powder

Then I worked non stop for almost 8 hours and realized I haven't eaten today!!! I usually try to eat about 100 cal every 2/2.5 hours, but today I got way too consumed in my work.
Having a snack and then heading to the gym for LEG DAY!!! :)))

180 - 2 packages of Budding turkey
25 - handful of baby carrots

GYM: Leg day!!!!
5 minute elliptical warm up
12x3 Squats/side leg raises/forward&back lunges
10x3 toes out deadlift/layback pull ups/roman straight leg dead lift
3x 2minutes step up leg raises
10x3 laying hamstring curls/leg press/donkey kicks
5 minute treadmill cool down
...my legs are jello.
Estimating -700 kcal

Met another competitor today. He name is Allison and she does figure in NABBA... she asked if I compete and suggested that I start :)
That paired with the fact that today 3 different friends randomly texted today and said that I inspire them!! I'm blown away. SO motivated to keep going! I am so fueled by the idea of inspiring others!!! Yowza.

Ok...so now I'm starving because I'm running on empty.

360 - full bag of POPchips
150 - whole pint of Arctic Zero
85 - 1 cup fresh blueberries
100 - 1.5oz vodka

Need to use theStick and roll out my hammies, quads, IT bands and glutes before bed!

Realized I was way too low on calories so I had a late meal.

300 - black beans, rinsed
15 - juice from 1 small lime
50? - 2 cups boiled cabbage
10 - Chili powder & hot sauce

6/23/13

I am currently supposed to eat around 1650 net calories a day (+/- 100)... that recently dropped. I was averaging 1750 until I reached the 175lb milestone.

I slept in today. First night with new a/c unit installed and I think my body was STOKED to finally get a restful night's sleep. I may have slept too much though because I was/am feeling pretty lethargic.

Today's food & activity:

160 - 4 medium eggs (2 whites, 2 whole) cooked over medium
25 - 1 cup (measured when raw) baby spinach heated
160 - 1/2 avocado
100 - chicken sausage

walked to the convenient store to buy caffeine

25 - 1 Rockstar Recovery
150 - beef jerky

10 - 4 midget kosher dill pickles

100 - steamed broccoli
100 - 1 cup marinara sauce

GYM:
3 minutes warm up on elliptical then 7 reps HIIT [incline 6. resistance 10. 40 seconds at 160/spm 20 seconds 260+/spm]
Then an hour of arms, shoulders and back... ending with some core.
[eventually I will share details of workouts etc]
estimated -700 kcal (I wasn't wearing a heart monitor...I'll get one eventually)

I met IFBB Physique Pro Nola Trimble at the gym tonight. She's JACKED and GORGEOUS!! Wow, seriously. I would love to have her figure. She recommended that I try competing :) I said I've definitely thought about it once I get down to a manageable BF%... so, talk about inspiration!!

360 - canned chicken (yeah, I don't normally like eating out of a can, but I had this and it was quick)
150 - 1.5 cups frozen peas
160 - half avocado
0 - jalapeno mustard (gotta watch out for sodium)

I'm still pretty low for my net calories today so I plan on having a grapefruit (100 cal) and some prosecco (67 calories per 3.5oz serving).
I should be solid... I'm ok with a low cal day after admittedly having a few high calorie days this past week :-/

Hopefully, doing this blog will keep me on track like it did before!

back and better than ever

Well, it's time. Time to keep myself accountable again so I've come back to the blog. 100dayshapeup was a bust as I let some of life's hurdles become road blocks that I saw as brick walls rather than just a challenge I could jump over and move past. But now, I'm back... I have a whole new life and I'm SHAPING IT UP! I moved to Chicago at the end of 2012 and early in 2013 (about March) I decided it was time to REALLY focus on what I was eating and what I'm doing to get the body I want and I know I can achieve. I stopped using a calorie counter ap that was telling me to eat too little (My Fitness Pal) and consulted with a nutrition expert. EAT TO LOSE was a whole new concept for me. I had no idea that the diets I'd used in the past weren't working because my body was slowing down into starvation mode. So... for the past 2 months I've been pushing myself to eat clean and train hard. No more 500 calorie elliptical workouts. I am training my entire body using High Intensity Interval Training techniques and weight lifting circuits. I will share details in later blog posts. If you read back to my old posts, you'll know I've struggled with Compulsive Over Eating. This addiction never goes away. It's like being an alcoholic or a drug addict... except that my addiction isn't a substance I can cut out of my life-- you can't NOT eat! So, I'm still working on ways to keep myself away from my trigger foods and stay on track. I'm going to use this blog, again, to keep track of my daily food intake as well as my workouts. I will weigh in on Wednesdays and try to get my body fat % tracked as accurately as possible (this is tough). I started at 196.6 lbs. My current weight is around 175-177 (depending on water/salt/sleep). I will do my best to keep my posts honest and accurate. I am going to look for some honest photos so I can show progress (and history).