8/28

Feeling sluggish today. Looking at my body I know I have been working hard, but I've been "cheating" a lot and eating not-clean foods when I have the caloric allowance. I need to stay focused and make better decisions.
I am going home for the weekend and that will be a big challenge. I need to figure out how to stay bout of the kitchen (which is always where we end up gathering and hanging out)...maybe I can lock the snack cabinet haha!

9:00
150 - 1/2c oats
110 - Greek yogurt

12:00
100 - apple

2:00
150 - 1/2coats
110- Greek yogurt

4:00
200 - 3 medium zucchini baked w/cooking spray, pepper and spices

Haven't done any working out yet today...been struggling with my anxiety and everything. Need to just get out the door. I thought about going to swim, but I'd have to wait til way later for that or the pool is too crowded. I'll probably just go for a walk/run... I need to figure out what my actual calories being burned are-- I think the guesstimate on Nike+ is way too high. I mean, last night, 7.75 miles and almost 1000 calories? Just doesn't seem right. Maybe if I had been running that whole time, but that just seems too high.
5:00
150 - oats
200 - 1/2 can crushed pineapple

-500 5 mile walk (Nike+ says 600something calories but for a walk, I'm giving it 100/mile)

8:00
100 - bag of shaved Brussels sprouts
50 - small sweet potato (no skin)
50 - mustard & juice of 1/2 lime & vinegar
5 - jalapeno
160 - 4oz deli ham

9:00
150 - oats
200 - 1/2 can crushed pineapple
.1385.
shooting for net 1600 again... with TRYING to keep track of my burned calories as accurately as I can (or undershooting when in doubt).
Tomorrow is squats & lunges galore with my mentor... gotta be ready and then eat super clean all day to prep for my weekend up at Ma's!

extra activity aka unplanned exercise

So...we've all heard "it's the little things" in so many different contexts.
But I'm here to talk about how this has to do with weight loss. One of the many things I learned from Beck's book is that every day you need to make an effort to add in "unplanned exercise"... now, what the heck does that mean??

You know how you like to muscle it out and carry all the groceries inside in one trip? Well, you'd burn more calories if you took a few trips. So... do that!
Need something from the corner store or gas station that's only a few blocks away? Don't jump in your car-- walk or hop on your bike.

Since moving to the big city I've started biking... a lot. Honestly, I started biking for MANY reasons, yet weight loss wasn't one of them, initially. Parking in Chicago is a pain in the butt (either impossible to find or costs more than I make an hourly) and gas in the city is about 40 cents more than it is elsewhere. Additionally, the time it takes for me to drive through the city from my apartment to my store near downtown is actually the same (or sometimes longer) than it takes for me to bike.
So... me and my single speed go everywhere in this city. Work, gym, convenience store, friends' houses, brunch... wherever.
THIS ADDS UP!!
I started using MapMyRun (has biking settings) to track some of my rides just to see what the calculated calories I burn are and I was astounded. This ap is amazing (I'm still sad that Nike+ doesn't have bike settings yet). And I realized, my "unplanned exercise" every day is REALLY adding up.

A big reason this adds up so much is because you're not recording these calories. I know a lot of dieters on various plans record all your workouts and then get to eat more that day because you have NET calorie goals and so forth... but that's the beauty of EXTRA activity. You're burning more...but it's not part of your recorded workout, so you see where this is going ;-)

Eat clean, drink water, work out... and start adding some extra activity to your day. The little things will add up and make a difference., I promise.

Reference: BECK

7/19/13 focused & flexing

So I've been under a ridiculous amount of stress lately... that can really have an impact in your body and how it holds onto water and how well you sleep etc... so that vicious cycle has meant that I've been stuck at the same weight. I took another look at my macros and recommended calories and decided (with the help of some friends) that I would eat just barely above my BMR for now until I feel like I'm really able to focus on making my workouts count (my muscles are shaping up but without the right heart rate, the calories aren't being burned as effectively).
So my daily goal is 1600-1650.
(Current BMR is 1590...which means with no physical activity, a desk job etc...that is what I burn every day so that is what I need to stay the same weight...but for now, instead of eating a steady 1800/day because of my activity levels, nor adjusting to eat net/gross daily...I'm gonna just stick with the low daily goal for a bit with my high cortisol [stress hormone] levels slowing my metabolism down)

A quick video of my body's current state

9:00
250 - big serving of oats
100 - Greek yogurt

Biked to/from my Lincoln Park store (5 miles each way... 50-60%humidity,90+, average of 13.5mph through the city [that averages in the time I'm standing still at stop lights...so really, I book it on my single speed haha])

1:00
100 - turkey sausage w/cabbage & mustard

3:30
200 - 2 turkey sausages
100 - 1 cup frozen peas w/ mustard

5:00
190 - cliff nutrition bar

7:00
100 - apple

Rode my bike to&from the gym
GYM: 12 minute elliptical warm up, LOTS of quads, glutes, core and stretching...spent about an hour in the group fitness room mirror making myself sweat from every pore. I was dripping, it was gross/awesome.
10:15p
160 - half avocado
140 - 4oz deli ham
100 - spinach, cole slaw (cabbage & carrots), tomatoes, jalapeno, vinegar

11:15
190 - cliff mojo bar

1630 for the day...on point

7/10/13

9:30
100 - apple
100 - turkey sausage

1:00
300 - veggies & mushroom chicken from Panda

4p
100 - apple

5 mile walk/run... so beautiful outside. Burned over 600 calories

6:00p
160 - 1/2 cup oats
100 - Greek yogurt

4.5 mile bike ride each way... plus 6.7mile e-bike ride on the Bloomingdale trail with Wanderbikes  - pretty sweet experience and feeling awesome for being so active today!

10:00p
1000 - tuna sub from subway - threw away half the bread and made into a salad with extra spinach at home.

7/2/13

Went back to the doctor this morning...still in pain. Tests showed the first antibiotic was failing and the infection is still in full force. They prescribed a new antibiotic, an anti-spasmatic (so I don't feel like I have to go every 2 seconds) and sent my sample out for a full culture to make sure it's not some crazy new strand of anything that would need special attention. [p.s. Walgreen's Pharmacy is THE WORST!]
*************HEALING VIBES PLEASE******************


So I didn't eat before I went to the doctor... but I came home and chowed a bit before getting to work.
10:45a
100 - apple
100 - turkey sausage link (gluten free!)
120 - pudding :) [p.s. I am shocked I didn't eat this all last night...shocked]

I upped on my meds today to try to knock out a significant amount of work... gotta set reminders for myself to eat otherwise it'll be 6pm and I'll realize I'm on empty ;)

1:15p
80 - ham (lunch meat)

3:00p
325 - guacamole
50 - carrots

5:30p
60 - pudding (ok, it's gone now hahaha)
100 - apple

bike ride to volleyball (5.2 miles)
3 games of vball
bike ride home (5.2 miles STRAIGHT into the wind... FML with a single speed, this kills)

80 - ham
...more planking! Doing a challenge on Instagram ~ go check it out and get in on the progress train!

9:45pm
75 - kale
30 - cabbage
25 - spinach
160 - half avocado
75 - peppers (sadly, they came in oil)
360 - can of low sodium black beans, rinsed
15 - half lime
5 - balsamic vinegar
0 - apple cider vinegar
15 - liquid aminos

This puts me at 1775 calories for the day... pretty good seeing as I've been struggling lately to get enough in. I'm ok with having some low days since I know with the upcoming holiday weekend I'm going to have some high days... and I think my body likes cycling... though I haven't lost any weight recently. I need to DRINK MORE WATER and watch my sodium.

Might eat a grapefruit before bed too.
100 - grapefruit

total 1875

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

6/23/13

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!

Healthy + Unheathy

Adding something unhealthy to make healthy foods taste better is pretty much a big waste of time. If you want to get your vitamins from veggies and you douse them in ranch dressing or cheese sauce, your efforts are totally counter productive.
Kids wont eat their veggies? DON'T deep fry them... find new ways to prepare your foods that make them taste better (to you): squeeze a lemon over steamed veggies, add a sprinkle of vinegar, oregano, basil or simple black pepper... or try spray butter (idk how they do it but that stuff is genius!). Skip the cheese, get mustard instead of mayo... more tips to cut calories but add flavor to come.

Picture: my coworkers Erin and Sam offered me a "healthy donut" at our potluck hahaha