Starting Again

It has been a while since I posted on here...not that I haven't been doing some fitness stuff, just not posting on my blog which I think is something that needs to change, so here I am.

Last few attempts at getting fitter have failed but I have also not been logging food or sticking to a routine and food plan...so I am going to try to log everything again. I have been tracking my exercise on MapMyRun and Daily Mile, but once again, just not here.

I need to make myself a priority, I know that being fitter will help my mental picture of myself, my confidence, and my energy levels. I have been bogged down lately and I know some of that has to do with not putting myself first.

So here we go....I want to lose at least 40 pounds, drop down at least three clothing sizes but mostly just feel better about how my clothes fit and my brain feels about my body.

I am currently (according to the Wii) at 182 lbs...the most I have ever weighed in my life.

New Day

Got a wake up call today...I knew in the back of my mind that I was sitting too much, eating too much and not getting enough exercise, but there is nothing like getting on the scale during a checkup at the doctor's office to drive it home how much damage needs to be undone. Otherwise I am very healthy, super good blood pressure, no illnesses, but I know that the extra weight is bad for my body in more than just a psychological way...it can lead to so many more problems so it is time to kick it into high gear.

Good thing that this morning, I only had my one cup of coffee, water, vitamins and protein drink with fruit...at least I can say that I started back on track first thing without even realizing it was a start. Plan for some steamed fish and veggies with hot tea for lunch. Need to get to the grocery store to stock up on salad fixings since I ate the last of it last night.

One of the biggest changes, that I think will help me get moving more and motivated to knock out some other tasks is turning off the TV. I sometimes just have it on for background noise, but I am thinking the radio or my ipod is going to be the way to go for now on...it is too easy to get sucked into sedentary tasks when the TV is on...second biggest thing is that the weather has warmed up and that makes getting outside for exercise much more appealing...

No Excuses

Okay, so it has been ages...no excuses. I had a doctor's appt not too long ago and the scale there scared the crap out of me...I was two pounds shy of my all time high. Not sure what has happened over the last few months but I am not happy about it, and I am ready to do something.

One of our cousin's started up a fitness motivation group on FB so we can encourage each other and also be accountable to someone about what we are eating and how much exercise we are getting, in whatever form it might be in.

I started back on exercise last Sunday, so I am going to log those days here, as I should, even though they will look out of order. Logging for me keeps me accountable as well.

I wasn't going to start logging food so soon because I wanted to get the exercise routine back in full swing first but since Joe started the group yesterday, I decided to log what I ate yesterday. At least it wasn't too bad.

Sharkweek is going to start today or tomorrow too so I have that to deal with, but that also means I'll see a few pounds drop off just from that which will be nice.

Determination

It has been a while since I have posted here...but I am trying to meet a goal. I am on Day 2 of basicallly the 17 day diet again...determined to lose some pounds before I am supposed to be in California in a few months.

These first three days are kind of hard. Today, I had to fight the urges pretty hard. Tried to drink a glass of water whenever I got an urge to snack and managed to eat dinner pretty early and then not snack at all after. I went out and did some yardwork to divert myself.

I have been working a lot in the yard and trying to get runs/walks in but I need to be doing more. Tonight, I did 100 squats, 90 situps, and 45 pushups.

We'll see how it goes...after the first three days, I usuallly feel better and get into a bit of a routine.

Catching Up

Okay, I have been off here for a while...partly because I haven't been that great about my eating and exercising and partly because I have just been super busy. I am logging what workouts I do get in on MapMyRun and on DailyMile.

I am eating strict again but I didn't do a weigh in when I started because if I am not lower than I was last time I weighed in, I still have a long ways to go.

Ever since I moved, I have been really bad about being consistent with my workouts and my eating...some of this is due to lack of willpower when around family that is eating stuff I shouldn't be eating.

Spring is on its way and I know that will motivate me to get more workouts in, on top of a ton of yardwork that needs to be done so I am sure my activity level will increase. I am looking for work as well which has not been fruitful so far but once I am working again, I am sure the extra movement can only help me reach my goals.

I did a virtual 5K in January and I was actually impressed with my willpower because it was butt ass cold out, hailing on me most of the run and I had no music (as my iPod battery was dead as I was leaving the house). I am really surprised that I made myself go and do it, but I did and my time wasn't horrible but it wasn't my best either.

I am signed up for a real life 5K in April and I think I might have another virtual I can sign up for this next month too so I hope to keep myself motivated.

I pulled a muscle in my back a few days ago while doing three hours of yardwork so I have been babying it the last few days but I think it is okay enough to get out for at least a walk today. I haven't been geocaching in a long time and there are a few that are within walking distance so I might try to find them while I am out. But before I can do that, I have some things to do around here, so I better get off here and get to work.

Mishka's Monday Update

Well, the scale said I was down another 1.4 lbs this morning...which is great. I had to eat some carb rich foods today though because I still feel like I am trying to catch a cold. I had open faced egg sandwiches on whole wheat English muffins this morning and then chicken noodle soup for lunch to try to combat this.

Want to get out and get some exercise, but it is raining at the moment and I really just feel like watching movies and being a bum on the couch today....so much for my fresh start...LOL

Weight Update

Family is visiting so the diet has been hell but I did weigh in today and I had lost .2 lbs from the week before. Will weigh again on Monday and hopefully I will not have gone backwards.

Mishka's Update

Haven't been good about logging my food this week but I have been pretty good for the most part. I am hoping to see more loss on Monday when I weigh again and I hope to get back to logging like I should as well.

Mishka's Monday

Weigh in this morning...lost 2.6 lbs since last week!!!

This is after cheating on Sunday night tacos and a light beer.

Exercise

4.5 miles in 1 hour and 20 mins walking with Mom.

Mishka's New Day

Okay, perfect day for getting back on the program. It's a Monday, there are no physical reasons to keep me from this, fridge is cleaned out of bad food for the most part and a step onto the Wii to see the gain back was enough to send me into determination mode.

Wii said 156.7 lbs this morning with 3lbs for clothes...which means I have gained back almost 8 lbs of my loss from last year...so time to buckle down, exercise, eat correctly and stay focused on doing something great for myself.

Breakfast

3 egg whites, 1 egg yolk scrambled with onion, bellpepper, garlic, pico de gallo and 1tsp of olive oil
1/2 cup of red seedless grapes
1 tbsp of light sour cream, 1 tsp of green salsa
1 cup of coffee with 1 tsp raw sugar, nonfat half and half
Vitamins
1 16 oz glass of water

Lunch

Salmon and brussel sprouts, steamed
1 16 oz glass of water
1 16 oz glass of lightly sweetened ice tea
1 Fuji apple

Dinner

2 grilled chicken thighs
1 serving of tortilla chips
1 serving of salsa
2 16 oz glasses of water
1 small low fat/sugar raspberry muffin

Metabolism Shock

Okay, I have managed to maintain the same weight for the last 7 weeks and I really want to lose 8 more pounds. I can't reduce my food any more than I already have (or I would be eating almost nothing), and manage to keep working out, so I decided to try another approach.

I purchased a set of dairy and bread that I would normally eat so that I can "normally" eat for a period of time. When it all runs out, I will go back to the strict fish/veggie/fruit diet and see if that will shock my metabolism. I am also going to kick up the working out while I am eating "normally" so I can really get my metabolism confused....LOL.

Goals and Plans

I actually haven't been eating that bad, but with this injury to my thigh, I haven't been able to get any exercise so every bit of food that I put in my mouth feels like a bit too much. I know that it is mostly in my head, but that is what I have to deal with, so I can't wait for my leg to get better so I can exercise. I am supposed to go to circuit class tomorrow but I am still not walking normally, much less doing more than that at this point, so I am not sure it is going to be something I can pull off.

Mishka's Tuesday

Was a wash...biological requirements threw the whole day off exercise and diet wise.

17 Day Diet Cycle 2

So today is Day 1 of the second Cycle of the 17 Day Diet for me. In Cycle 2 (called Activate), you can add 2 servings of a natural starch to your diet but you need to consume it before 2pm...so it has to be part of breakfast and lunch basically. You also add in very lean cuts of beef, pork and lamb as well as shellfish to the protein section.

The Natural Starches include grains like brown rice, coucous, quinoa, cream of wheat, and basmati rice or other longer grain rices. They also include almost every type of bean, and some starchy veggies. These are in addition to what you were already allowed on Cycle 1.

The trick to this Cycle (to keep your metabolism guessing) is that you alternate a Cycle 2 day with a Cycle 1 day. I have decided to make my Cycle 2 days on the days that I have circuit training to give me a bit more energy on those days. I circled my Circle 2 days on my calendar on the fridge so I can keep track and I always have a copy of the details of the Cycle clipped to a magnet on the fridge for easy referencing.

One note outside of this diet, is that I might start using my Hydroxycut drink mix before my runs on Cycle 2 days like I was doing last year. It gave me a bit more energy when I was working out and I really saw results from it. It will depend on how much exercise I am getting if I do it or not as I don't want to feel like I am dipping my blood sugar too low at any point during the day. I didn't use it at all during Cycle 1 because my caloric intake was pretty low and I didn't want to push it. Now that I am feeling more accustomed to the diet and will be bumping up the calories a bit on the Cycle 2 days, I might give it a try...we'll see.

I am really hoping to meet my goal weight by losing 12 more pounds soon....it would be an awesome gift to myself. I know I would feel terrific to accomplish something like that, when I have been trying for so long to get there.

Day 8 of 17 Day Diet and Mishka's Monday

Breakfast

1 16 oz glass of water (2 of my waters)
3 egg whites, 1 egg yolk with onions, green pepper, 1 tbs of oil, garlic, and pepper (1 of my fats)
Red seedless grapes (1 of my fruits)
1 cup of coffee (cheat of 1 tsp of sugar and milk)
Multivitamin, glucosamine, calcium and zinc supplements

Exericse

Class started today...
30 mins of circuit training

Lunch

1 16 oz glass of water (2 of my waters)
Steelhead filet, steamed with lemon pepper
2 plum sized tomatoes
5 baby carrots
1 Fuji apple(1 of my fruits)

Dinner

1 chicken breast cooked in water, lemon pepper, garlic, and sesame seed
1 zucchini steamed
16 oz of diet tonic water with lime

Snack

1 yogurt (1 of my probiotics)
1/2 serving of dry roasted unsalted peanuts

Weight (should have done this yesterday, but wasn't home)

On Wii, at 9:30am, empty stomach, empty bladder, with longsleeves, long yoga pants, and socks (-3lbs) 154.3lbs for a loss of 6.4lbs

17 Day Diet

So I am starting the 17 day diet today...figured I could give it a shot and see how it goes. It can be at least a jumpstart on my fitness goals if nothing else and like the author says, you can do anything for 17 days, right?

It has 4 cycles of 17 days each, the first of which is high protein, veggie and low fat, and sugar. You are allowed to eat as much as you want of lean chicken and low fat fish, egg whites, and good veggies (no corn or potatoes). You have to have two low sugar fruits a day (before 2pm) which excludes melons, pineapple and bananas (because they are higher in sugar). You can have 1 to 2 servings of a good fat (like olive oil). You can also have up to 2 servings of a probiotic (which for me is low sugar yogurt). You need to drink at least 6 8oz glasses of water per day and they recommend drinking green tea as much as possible too since it has all kinds of good stuff too.

Exercise, due to the low level of carbs, is only required for 17 mins per day, but I hope to do more. I figure that it will make up for the tsp of sugar I add to my coffee or tea in the morning and I don't want to give up the progress I am making in my running and such.

I knew that I was going to start this today so I actually started reducing things over the weekend so today wouldn't be absolutely terrible or shocking to my system. I think I am also going to log my food as well as my exercise so I can be more accountable and reduce cheating....LOL.

The reason I picked this one was because it really promotes healthy eating (as you go through the cycles, you work your way back to eating almost everything but fatty and sugary foods), it is quick, it is pretty easy to follow and you don't have to do all the cycles if you reach your goals (which I am hoping to do before the end of cycle 2). It sucks that it means no rice (kills my sushi habit) for a while, but I'll get back there after the diet is over. I didn't weigh myself before breakfast this morning, so I'll probably wait until this evening to weigh myself (on the Wii).

Week Update

Wow, what a bad week...but on Monday I am back to circuit class and it will be meeting 4 days a week so that is awesome. I am going to try to get out for some exercise tomorrow even if it kills me.

I am determined...and I think this 4 days a week thing is really going to be my motivator...I have to get disciplined about portions and any high fat or sugar foods. Fridge is just about empty of the crazy stuff...

Mishka's Saturday

Well I started out okay...but then it went down hill after 9pm. So Sunday is a chance for me to get back at it...most of the week was okay so hopefully one day of going over points (by about 10), won't kill me or my plans.

I haven't used any of the weekly flex points up to this point so I guess I did tonight.

Mishka's Weekend Wash

This weekend was a wash...too many calories and not enough exercise....but all leftovers are out of the fridge so I am hoping to be back on track tomorrow morning with circuit training and possibly a loop on my route for some race training....

This Weekend Marks It

So today is Saturday, and I am going to get some exercise even if it kills me. I haven't felt too bad about my lack of exercise this week because I have been getting a lot of activity in even if it wasn't "exercise".

Monday I start back on my circuit classes twice a week, and that is motivating too. I think I might walk on a new route I set up on MapMyRun and find a couple of geocaches while I am at it. When the sun is out, I am motivated, but then it hides behind the clouds, which totally look like dark rain clouds, and the motivation becomes a desire to stay in and watch movies....haha..