Low Carb, Low Energy

So I'm starting to re-think this low-carb thing.  I'm sitting at my desk right now with absolutely no energy!  My workout this morning was awful (I never made it the gym yesterday, in case you were wondering).  I did 45 mins on the elliptical and was tired and fatigued from the start.  I feel worse now and I just had lunch!  Go figure!  Does this change??  Is it just the first couple of days? 

Self Sabotage

Remember I said that this week was supposed to be low-carb week?  Well I sabotaged myself yesterday.  I was doing fine up until around 8pm.  What happened, you ask?  I baked cookies.  Yes, of all the time I could bake, I baked during my low-carb week.  WTF?  I had about 2.5 cookies (about 2.5 inches in diameter, yikes!), so I blew that. 

Yesterday, I had two boiled eggs for breakfast, lamb and asparagus for lunch, another boiled egg for snack, and peanut butter and celery for dinner.  And then I scarfed down those damn cookies!  Funny thing is that I don't feel too bad about it.  I'm like "aww man, I just wasted a day" but that's it.  Good news is that my cookies were delish.  I made ginger cookies and oatmeal cookies.  The bf walked into my condo and immediately headed for the sweet smells.  He ate about 4-5 and then took the rest for his co-workers this morning.  I packaged them in a really cute basket with a red and white checkered cloth towel.  They looked so cute!

For those of you who don't know, I love to bake.  My bf doesn't like me baking things for his colleagues (he doesn't want them to get spoiled), but I refuse to bake anything for mine (mostly snobbish a-holes, except for the assistants).   I always need ginuea pigs thought :)

I haven't worked out yet, and that bothers me a bit.  I'm used to working out before work so that I can get it out the way and feel invigorated.  When I wait til later in the day, the chance of me not going increases.  I'm going to try and go within the next couple of hours if things slow down at work.

Hope you ladies are having a good day!

P.S.  Has anyone ever thought about why there are zero guys on this site???  Just a thought.

Changing it up

This week, I'm going to change it up.  My scale isn't moving very much, but my clothes are fitting better and the towels at the gym now close all the way around me (mini-successes!), so the sticky numbers aren't getting to me so much.  This week I'm going to adopt a low-carb eating plan.  I've been doing low fat/low cal for the last few weeks and think it might be a good idea to keep my body guessing.  I've tried the low-carb diet before, but I wasn't good at it.  I like fruit and bread and sweets, and depriving myself only made me binge.  I figure doing it a week isn't so bad and knowing that I can have all the fruit I want next week is comforting.

On a different note, my eating habits this weekend showed improvement.  I didn't eat the healthiest foods, but I held myself accountable for my eating decisions and tried to adjust to accout for them.  I went to Six Flags on Saturday and knew that I would have a funnel cake sundae (idk, probably 1000 calories, but who knows?).  I had 1c. of cereal and skim milk for breakfast, an apple for a snack, the funnel cake at the park, and 1/2 serving of chicken and shrimp carbonara from Olive Garden.  Again, the chicken and shrimp carbonara weren't the healthiest choices on the menu (cream based sauce), but I immediately divided my meal in half when I got it so that I wouldn't eat the whole thing.  I didn't have ANY bread sticks and I had a few bites of minestrone soup.  Not bad considering the damage the old me would have done.

On Sunday,  I took my lil bro and my bf's niece to a corn maze/pumpkin patch.  I woke up around noon, so I ate the other half of the carbonara for lunch and an apple for snack.  After the corn maze, I took the kids to Connie's pizza.  While there, I had two mozzerella cheeze wedges and two slices of thin crust pizza (I was soo tempted to order deep dish!).  After every bite of pizza, I would put the slice down, chew and swallow my food, and then take a swig of water.  Not the healthiest dinner, but not a complete disaster either.

Happy Monday!

Reminiscing on Collar Bones

I was sitting here at work and a random memory popped into my head...

A few years ago, I weighed 230lbs.  I was in college then, and several of my really good girlfriends were athletes (track and basketball).  They carried a full academic schedule AND worked out for 15-20 hours per week.  One day, I said to myself, "If they can go to school and do athletics, then I can get off my fat ass and exercise 30 minutes a day!"  And so I did.  I went to a gym for the first time, got on an elliptical for the first time (embarassed myself in the process) and ran on a track for the first time.  I had no idea what dieting was all about, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that fried food, burgers and ice cream were bad and veggies were good.  I bought some sports bras, a pair of running shoes and a rinky-dink analog scale.  I started exercising and eating a little bit better.  I didn't really have a scale obsession then, so I only weighed in sporadically.  There are two moments that I remember clearly.  The first was when i stepped on the scale and the little orange marker was on the left side of 200lbs.  I called my mom and almost cried.  Oh my goodness, I was below 200!  The second time was when I was in the shower and in the process of washing, I felt what turned out to be collar bones.  Oh my goodness, I had collar bones!  I remember shrugging my shoulders really high so that I would create a pocket between my collar bones and shoulders to catch the water as it showered down over me. 

I'm happy to tell you that I've had collar bones ever since.   I always write about the woes of my current struggle (getting to 145lbs) but I never talk about the success I've had.  I have been around 185 for the past few years and have maintained that weight.  Keeping off 45lbs for that long is a blessing.  That in itself ought to be enough to let me know that I can get to 145 and stay there!

Pilates, Nike Plus, and a BAD Workout

I am happy to report that yesterday I went to that 45 minute pilates class I told you ladies about.  Man was it hard!  I haven't done pilates in almost 2 years, so my abs, butt, thighs and back were on fire!  Holding those positions while trying to squeeze my butt and abs was hard!  But I did it!  I had never taken a Pilates class before, I'd only done the dvd, but the moves were the same.  I plan to do the dvd sometime this weekend, and the class again next week.

So yesterday, I was reading someone's blog about a system called Nike Plus.  You put a chip in your shoe (Nike has created a line of Nike Plus shoes that have a compartment for the chip under the insole), attach a transmitter to your ipod nano, and voila! that chip transmits the data to your ipod and tells you the pace you're running at, the total distance you've run, how much farther you have to go, etc.  Apparently, it's kind of like having a coach in your ear.  After you're done with your workout, you plug your ipod into your computer and it syncs with the Nike Plus website and keeps track of all the data.  The best part is that this system costs $29.99 (assuming you have an ipod nano and Nike Plus shoes or a place to put the chip on your own shoes).  I was super excited when I found out about this!  I had the nano, now all I had to do was figure out a way to get the chip in my shoe.  This morning, I went to the gym (the WORST workout ever, read below) and took the insole out of my shoes to see if I could at least carve out a hole for the chip, and what do you know, there was already a Nike Plus compartment!  I looked at my shoes more closely and they were Nike Plus running shoes!  I had no idea!  I bought those shoes in the summer of 2006 (I know, I need to get new shoes) and it never crossed my mind that they might be compatible.  Now i don't have to dig a hole in my shoes!  Awesome!

Lastly, my workout this morning was AWFUL!  I got up on time and everything, got to the gym on time, but things just didn't pan out.  First my boss kept emailing me with requests!  "Send me this earnings release...ok, now send me that one!"  I was preparing for a 25 min workout on the elliptical followed by a 20 min workout on the treadmill when I had to stop after 90 SECONDS on the elliptical to handle his requests!  By the time I was done, I only had time to do the treadmill.  I was supposed to run 1.5 miles today, but only ran 1.1 miles before I had to quit.  I ended up getting that sick-about-to-pass-the-hell-out feeling and had to get off the treadmill and sit down for a few mins.  Maybe it was because I didn't eat beforehand, or because I didn't get my elliptical warm-up in.  Who knows?  All I know is that I got out of bed extra early to have a shitty workout.  I'm supposed to have an off day tomorrow, but I think I'm gonna go to the gym anyway, maybe hit the elliptical and lift some weights.  Whatever.

I hope you ladies have a good day!

Diversifying My Exercise Portfolio

Yesterday, I wrote in my blog that I was thinking about signing up for tennis lessons.  I want to do it, but it's expensive! Four one-hour sessions for $100!  What the hell?  All I do now is cardio at the gym.  I am an elliptical girl, but I occasionally do the stepper and treadmill.  I don't really strength train, but I know that is something I'm going to have to pencil into my schedule.  My gym offers group exercise classes that I've never taken advantage of, but that's going to change today.  I plan to go to a beginners pilates class during lunch (I'll let you know how that turns out). 

I read many of you ladies' blogs and it seems to me that quite a few of you do workout dvd's (shout out to TatumsMom who did her Supercharged Sculpting dvd this morning!)  With the exception of the one fitness dvd I own (Pilates/Yoga for Dummies) I've never really done fitness dvds.  That said, what do you ladies suggest?  I'm open to both cardio and strength training, I just need a good place to start.

On a different note, I was reading Miss V's blog recently and she mentioned something about using a Garmin when she runs.  I did some research and found that the device she was referring to tracks your heartrate and uses a gps system to track your pace and the distance you run during races/workouts.  Does anyone have any experience with such devices?  Any advice/feedback would be most helpful.

Last night, I had a mini-victory.  I had been eating healthy all day (oatmeal for breakfast, apple and yogurt for snack, soup for lunch, grapes for snack) and my bf orders some greasy Chinese noodle dish from Big Bowl.  I took the high road and orderd a side of brown rice.  While I did have a bite of his food (OMG, soo greasy!), I ate 1/2 my side of brown rice (about 1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup of black beans.  Don't get me wrong, his food was soo good and normally I would have ditched my healthy eating and split his dish, but I didn't.  I was soo proud of myself!

Weekend Recovery

Let me just say that the weekend was NOT great.  My old pal over-eating came back and I ate like crap!  Friday was good, but I had Mexican food on Saturday and ice cream, corned bread, rice and meatloaf on Sunday.  I had the last three in excess, so I was afraid to step on the scale Monday morning.  Also, I didn't work out Fri, Sat or Sun, but I did work out Monday for 30 mins and this morning for 45.

After the successful completion of my first 5k a couple of weekends ago, I have decided to try and train for the Santa Sleigh Run during the first weekend of December.  I printed out Hal Hidgon's 5-k training schedule yesterday and completed the first 1.5mi run this morning.  I am going to set a time goal this time around instead of just trying to finish.  Last time, I signed up on a Friday afternoon and did the 5k that next morning with absolutely no training at all.  Also, I'm thinking about signing up for tennis lessons at the local tennis club to try to diversify my activities.

Puzzling question:  How do I get the bf to join me in my endeavors? What worked for y'all?

Canned Veggies are my Friends!

For the last week, I have been pre-making and packaging all of my meals.  Many of them call for veggies, and as most of you know, fresh veggies are expensive, especially in this economy.  The good thing is I have a cabinet full of canned goods that I never eat (until now of course).  Talk about low-fat, low-calorie foods for cheap!  And they make a lot of meals simple to prepare.  For example, last night I prepared my lunch for today in 3 minutes.  I measured out 1/2 cp of black beans, 1/2 cp of green beans and grabbed a frozen veggie burger from the freezer and BAM there's lunch!  Three minutes in the microwave and I have a healthy meal for what, oh I don't know, $1.50, maybe less?   I actually like bringing my lunch because I save money, I know exactly what's in it and I know all the nutritional facts, etc.  And I feel better about myself because I know I made a good decision today.  Yay me! 

On a different note, I did the elliptical for 30 minutes this morning and yesterday for 45.  I would have liked to have gotten in a least an hour in each session, but I was constrained by time.  Going again at some point today is an option, but I don't like having to re-shower, re-dress and re-apply my make-up, etc.  We'll see how that goes.

So for those of you who read about my relationship issue in my previous post, I am happy to announce that the bf and I have turned our relationship up a notch.   I told him how I felt about dating him for the past year and not having anything official/committed.  We talked it out and decided to take things to the next level.  It was really that or I was kicking his ass to the curb, no joke.  I knew he would come around because what type of man let's go of the woman he loves over committment fears?  Wait...I know a few...nevermind.

I hope you ladies have a great day!

3.2lbs gone!

Weight: 186.6 (3.2lbs gone so far)

The bf wanted me to make an island-themed dessert for his co-workers, so we settled on a pineapple pound cake.  It came out delish!  Soft, moist, gooey pinaples baked into the top, pineapple and brown sugar base.  The best part is that I didn't even have a slice!  Yes, I nibbled on crumbs and sampled the batter, but that doesn't even come close to scarfing down the huge wedge I normally would've.  You gals ought to be proud of me!  I decided not to keep a detailed food / workout log anymore as that makes my blog seem boring.  I'd rather just tell you what I did and didn't do according to plan.  Today was relatively good.  I didn't stick to the plan exactly, but my substitutions were comparable.  I was supposed to do 30 mins of cardio today, but I didn't because I was still sore from the 5-k and I'd worked out 5 days in a row as of yesterday.  Also, the bf and I are going through a make-or-break moment in our relationship right now.  We've been dating for over a year and I want us to take that plunge and be committed to each other.  He, on the other hand, is still carrying baggage from his last relationship and is reluctant to form one with me.  I told him that I don't want to be in limbo with him any longer (no emotional security for me) and that we become serious or we split.  Having fun is fine, but I'm tired of investing into building a foundation that is currently nonexistant.  On a different note, I've lost 3.2lbs in the last 3 days on the EFS plan.  There's really nothing magical to it though.  I've basically just cut calories and carbs and workout for an hour a day.  That's it.  It's just nice not having to think about what to eat and what types of workouts to do.  I guess what I'm saying is that having some structure is nice.  Anyway, I hope you ladies have a prosperous day!

First EVER 5K!! Cycle 1, Day 3

Weight: 187.2

I dreamt that I was back at work yesterday and I was sucking down food like a vaccuum.

Meal #1: 1 c. oatmeal, sliced strawberries
-The strawberries really added flavor to the oatmeal.   Good though.

Workout: 5K!!
-I ran / walked my first 5k today.  I ended up starting about 5 mins late and so finished somewhere around 40 mins.  Not bad for someone who hasn't run since July.

Snack: Apple
-This was actually supposed to be apart of  breakfast, but I decided to save it for after the race.

Meal #2: 2 hardboiled eggs
-i was supposed to have a 200 cal smoothine, but I wasn't at home.

All day: grapes and lots of them!  I ate a two pound bag of grapes over the course of the day!  Shame on me!  It had to do with the fact that I wasn't home at all today and that made it difficult to stick to the exact plan.  I tried to make relatively good decisions, but two pounds!!!!!  That is the epitome of over-eating.  Still need to work on that.

Meals 3-4; 1 c. strawberries, a few pieces of diced apple, a few cubes of pepperjack cheese, 1/2 c. brown rice, 2 fried cat fish fillets
-Tried to keep it relatively healthy, but the fish really killed it.  I was supposed to have the brown rice, 1/2 sweet potatoe, 4 oz of baked/broiled fish, a serving of veggies and a cup of beans for these two meals.  Wasn't completely an awful day, but definitely could've been better!  Tomorrow i will stick exactly to the plan.