Exercise this morning: 40 minutes on the bike (yay!)
Food yesterday:
- Lean pocket breakfast sandwich (1) ~ 350 cals
- Lean pocket lunch sandwich (1) ~350 cals
- Tuna-sashimi Bulgogi
- tuna sashimi (~1/2 cup,lightly packed)
- white rice (~1 cup)
- japanese veggies
- no sauce (I dipped less than a teaspoon of hoisin sauce, just for some flavor)
- no idea how many calories, but less than 1000
So Far Today:
Finally got on the bike! Went really well. Actually, I have a love/hate relationship with biking, particularly indoors. I mean, I hate doing the workout. By minute 30 or so, my butt hurts, my knees hurt, I'm sweating like a pig. I feel like I want to die. But when I get off the bike, within a few seconds, I feel awesome. I love that feeling. Sorta like a drug-induced high. But the road there sucks. I look forward to when the weather gets nicer and I can go outside.
Also chose poorly today: walked to work in a downpour. Got drenched through & through. Felt like a drowned puppy.
But hope springs eternal. Still positive about all this weight stuff.
There was one crazy thing. I know that I'm only supposed to weigh myself on Monday's. However, I stepped on the scale today, and it claimed I lost 5 lbs! WTF? I know that this is a marathon, not a sprint, but 5 lbs? In one day? I think the scale is broken.
One thing that went really well yesterday:
I was pretty happy about food yesterday. Went as I wanted. I was also pleased with choice of food yesterday.
Apart from food, I got my new chair! It is important to find things to be happy about, and the chair was one of them. As I tweeted (twitted? twat?): I don't know, I wasn't there, but I'm pretty sure that when God rested on the seventh day, He rested his ass in a chair like mine.
What did I do yesterday that I could do better today?
the exercise thing was the worst part of yesterday. But I already did that better today! Very pleased with the whole thing.
Short term goal:
Keeping on track for 3 exercises before Monday. Should be good.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day 2
Exercise: Some brisk walking (yet again)
Food yesterday:
- lean pocket breakfast sandwich (1) ~350 cal
- Mandarin Chicken salad from saladworks ~475 cal
- had grilled chicken, and I asked for a bit less than normal
- no dressing
- comes with roll but I refused mine
- 4 candied peanuts (more on that below)
- Roasted pork loin, grilled veggies, corn salad
So far today:
SOOO frustrating. I want to exercise on my bike (strains of Queen running through my head), but I can't without something to distract me. The bike & winter trainer won't fit in front of the TV without a lot of work, and my iPod was drained of battery for some reason. I once tried to exercise with just my laptop, but the headphones wouldn't reach and the bike was too loud.
Ugh. The above just sounds whiny. I really don't like being whiny.
One thing that went really well yesterday:
I dodged a bullet. Not literally, but I went to an office holiday party. Typically, those are my undoing. I usually stuff my face. Mindless eating, whatever is in sight. Chatting and eating. But I went to one and I was strong. I had 4 candied peanuts and some diet soda. I was really, really happy. One strategy I used was going late, so the food was already out and most people had already eaten. So, I really wasn't tempted. I also stayed on the other side of the room from the food, so I couldn't chat & pick.
What did I do yesterday that I could do better today?
I was pretty pleased with food yesterday. I probably could cut down just a little bit more on the pork. I had ~6 or 8 oz, 4 peices, so maybe more than 8oz. I could go to 3. The lunch could go without the chicken. Even though it is grilled, it is the biggest source of calories in the salad.
The biggest thing is not even having the salad. I should switch to something from the supermarket that is pre-packaged with a specific amount of calories.
Short term goal:
I need to get exercising. There is no way to lose 3 lbs by Monday if I don't. Goal is to exercise for at least 40 minutes at least three times before Monday.
Reward for getting that goal:
the program I was in (see previous post) was big about setting short term goals and rewarding your self with something for meeting them. And the reward shouldn't be food. So, if I exercise 3 times before Monday, I'm going to buy some Chicago music from iTunes. I don't have any right now, and haven't listened in awhile.
that's it for now. We'll see how I do today.
Food yesterday:
- lean pocket breakfast sandwich (1) ~350 cal
- Mandarin Chicken salad from saladworks ~475 cal
- had grilled chicken, and I asked for a bit less than normal
- no dressing
- comes with roll but I refused mine
- 4 candied peanuts (more on that below)
- Roasted pork loin, grilled veggies, corn salad
So far today:
SOOO frustrating. I want to exercise on my bike (strains of Queen running through my head), but I can't without something to distract me. The bike & winter trainer won't fit in front of the TV without a lot of work, and my iPod was drained of battery for some reason. I once tried to exercise with just my laptop, but the headphones wouldn't reach and the bike was too loud.
Ugh. The above just sounds whiny. I really don't like being whiny.
One thing that went really well yesterday:
I dodged a bullet. Not literally, but I went to an office holiday party. Typically, those are my undoing. I usually stuff my face. Mindless eating, whatever is in sight. Chatting and eating. But I went to one and I was strong. I had 4 candied peanuts and some diet soda. I was really, really happy. One strategy I used was going late, so the food was already out and most people had already eaten. So, I really wasn't tempted. I also stayed on the other side of the room from the food, so I couldn't chat & pick.
What did I do yesterday that I could do better today?
I was pretty pleased with food yesterday. I probably could cut down just a little bit more on the pork. I had ~6 or 8 oz, 4 peices, so maybe more than 8oz. I could go to 3. The lunch could go without the chicken. Even though it is grilled, it is the biggest source of calories in the salad.
The biggest thing is not even having the salad. I should switch to something from the supermarket that is pre-packaged with a specific amount of calories.
Short term goal:
I need to get exercising. There is no way to lose 3 lbs by Monday if I don't. Goal is to exercise for at least 40 minutes at least three times before Monday.
Reward for getting that goal:
the program I was in (see previous post) was big about setting short term goals and rewarding your self with something for meeting them. And the reward shouldn't be food. So, if I exercise 3 times before Monday, I'm going to buy some Chicago music from iTunes. I don't have any right now, and haven't listened in awhile.
that's it for now. We'll see how I do today.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 1
Weight: 247
exercise today: some brisk walking
so, I've got a target weight. I was a bit surprised at the weight this morning because I felt like I didn't do a very good job yesterday. I didn't start this thing by having a last hurrah, like others do (you know, some burgers and cake the day before you start dieting). But I wasn't all that productive either: I didn't exercise, I had a few pieces of candy, and I had lasagna for dinner.
Well, whatever the reason, I've got the firm goal now: 217. 10 weeks. 70 days. nearly 1 pound every 2 days.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should probably describe 2 things:
1) I'm an extrovert. I put it all out there. I can't keep it in. So, even if no one ever reads this, I can live out my fantasy that a horde of thousands are.
B) I have been trying to lose weight for a few months. I'm down a bit, about 10 lbs or so. This project hasn't come out of left field.
Some other background: I have been the fat kid since 6th grade. I wasn't heavy before then, but I gained a lot of weight that year. And more for the years after that. I was never grossly overweight, like some contestant for the biggest loser, but I was *always* the heaviest person in the room. Throughout high school, college, and even into my work life.
Then about 3 years ago, I hit a wall. I was told by my doctor that I was really, really healthy for a 60 year old. When I was 34. It was quite an eye opener.
I ended up enrolling in a study run by the weight loss program at penn. I ended up losing 70+ pounds over the course of about 9 or 10 months. But that was... more than 2 years ago.
When I gained back to within 20 pounds of my heaviest, I knew it was time to stop what I was doing. I started watching what I was eating, and start biking more.
Now, I'm down a bit, but need a kick in the pants. So here I am.
Day 1 is 1/2 over, and I'm headed to lunch.
I'll check in tomorrow.
exercise today: some brisk walking
so, I've got a target weight. I was a bit surprised at the weight this morning because I felt like I didn't do a very good job yesterday. I didn't start this thing by having a last hurrah, like others do (you know, some burgers and cake the day before you start dieting). But I wasn't all that productive either: I didn't exercise, I had a few pieces of candy, and I had lasagna for dinner.
Well, whatever the reason, I've got the firm goal now: 217. 10 weeks. 70 days. nearly 1 pound every 2 days.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should probably describe 2 things:
1) I'm an extrovert. I put it all out there. I can't keep it in. So, even if no one ever reads this, I can live out my fantasy that a horde of thousands are.
B) I have been trying to lose weight for a few months. I'm down a bit, about 10 lbs or so. This project hasn't come out of left field.
Some other background: I have been the fat kid since 6th grade. I wasn't heavy before then, but I gained a lot of weight that year. And more for the years after that. I was never grossly overweight, like some contestant for the biggest loser, but I was *always* the heaviest person in the room. Throughout high school, college, and even into my work life.
Then about 3 years ago, I hit a wall. I was told by my doctor that I was really, really healthy for a 60 year old. When I was 34. It was quite an eye opener.
I ended up enrolling in a study run by the weight loss program at penn. I ended up losing 70+ pounds over the course of about 9 or 10 months. But that was... more than 2 years ago.
When I gained back to within 20 pounds of my heaviest, I knew it was time to stop what I was doing. I started watching what I was eating, and start biking more.
Now, I'm down a bit, but need a kick in the pants. So here I am.
Day 1 is 1/2 over, and I'm headed to lunch.
I'll check in tomorrow.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day -1
So, I have set a new goal for myself:
30 lbs in 10 weeks.
Not a crazy, nutty amount of weight, but an aggressive amount. Entirely doable, but will take some work to get there.
I'm going to use this space to write about what food I eat, what exercise I do, and my thoughts along the way. I'm planning on adding some pictures, too.
There are some significant obstacles: I live in the NorthEast, and it should get cold in the next 10 weeks. Cold is going to limit the amount of outdoor exercise I can do. Also, I'm doing this before Christmas, a time of heavy eating. Then there is the fact that I can't spend a huge amount of money doing this. I can't buy a lot of equipment, I can't join a gym.
So, there is a fair amount of fear.
But even if no one reads this, I'm going to be completely honest in what I'm doing. No bullshit, to myself, or anyone else.
Here is the strategy:
1600-1800 calories a day
45-90 minutes exercise 5-7 times per week.
If you are reading this, and you know me, AND I haven't posted in more than a day or two, please feel free to kick my ass. This blog is an attempt to keep me on track, and I need you.
Ben
30 lbs in 10 weeks.
Not a crazy, nutty amount of weight, but an aggressive amount. Entirely doable, but will take some work to get there.
I'm going to use this space to write about what food I eat, what exercise I do, and my thoughts along the way. I'm planning on adding some pictures, too.
There are some significant obstacles: I live in the NorthEast, and it should get cold in the next 10 weeks. Cold is going to limit the amount of outdoor exercise I can do. Also, I'm doing this before Christmas, a time of heavy eating. Then there is the fact that I can't spend a huge amount of money doing this. I can't buy a lot of equipment, I can't join a gym.
So, there is a fair amount of fear.
But even if no one reads this, I'm going to be completely honest in what I'm doing. No bullshit, to myself, or anyone else.
Here is the strategy:
1600-1800 calories a day
45-90 minutes exercise 5-7 times per week.
If you are reading this, and you know me, AND I haven't posted in more than a day or two, please feel free to kick my ass. This blog is an attempt to keep me on track, and I need you.
Ben
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