Back from the darkside

snowface

OK, so decided enough is enough, time to really hit the health zone...

Female, 33, 5'5'' 8s12lbs.

Now while that doesn't sound too bad it is for me - body fat is around 30% and things are starting to wobble and creep south. I really need to lose about 12 lbs (I have a v slender frame and basically have abused a naturally athletic body type), pack on some muscle, get my energy back and fitness levels up again. I'm actually starting to notice that my mood is down, I'm feeling lethargic and my sleep is affected due the lack of conditioning.
My previously speedy metabolism has finally started to falter due to laziness and overeating and stress - and heading into my mid-30s :eek: things are only going to go downhill fast if I don't get moving.
Plus I just plain ole miss the spring from my step. And feeling great in a dress. And, well, em fitting into my favourite dress.

So my plan is:

1. Use boards as motivation Been lovin some of your entries of late. Esp Frequent!
2. Keep up with the healthy part of my diet (just cut the outrageous amount of junk I munch through in the evenings)
3. No alcohol for month one (it turns me into Pizza/Crisp monster)
4. Concentrate on aerobic exercise to get fitness up and weight down for the first month - walking, cycling rowing etc. I need the energy and morale boost asap!
5. Free weights month two. Baby steps for now.

Now diet wise - I think I eat really well but need advice on how to stop the evening munchies. Plus I HATE most vegetables and would happily exist on a diet of meat.
Breakfast -
My Snowface SuperMix of berries, yoghurt drink, oats, kiwi or mango, sometimes linseeds and lecithin
Seriously stong triple expresso with lots skim milk
Snack -
Usually cereal or oat bar, sometimes more fruit
Lunch -
Salads, usually with bacon/chicken or salmon. Never feel 'right' without animal protein for some reason. Soya yoghurt.
Dinner -
Where it all falls apart... I usually don't get home 'til after 7 by which stage I'd eat my own hand, plus salt cravings always kick in when I'm tired,
Usually popcorn as starter, but honestly more often a ton of salty crisps with a glass or two of wine
Then it's usually a prepack meal (I know) or salmon/seafood plate, followed by cheese (mmh cheese) and nuts.
Then if/when I get sweet cravings, chocolate and/or dried fruit and/or drinking chocolate

Too much food too late at night I guess. Anyone got advice on the salt craving thing?

Anyway, over and out for now. Gonna go walk for an hour. Baby steps...

snowface

Oooh, this is hard already!
Crazy few days, stress at work, stress at home. But excuses over:

Food - doing ok, not eating enough due to busyness. Most unlike me!

Monday
Smoothie for breakfast with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches, porridge oats and Benecol, table spoon of lecithin. Coffee with milk.
Caesar Salad for lunch - with chicken and bacon and croutons and loads off mayo. Bit of a cheek calling it salad really...
Skipped dinner - horrible I know, but working late etc etc Had a couple of Walnut whips and some soya yoghurt with strawberries.
No exercise.

Tuesday
Chopped pineapple and coffee breakfast. And half a muffin for a snack.
Salad for lunch - with tomatoes and avocado and cheese. Rushing around though and it wasn't enough. Or am I just greedy?
Hungry all afternoon but couldn't get to food (work was crazy) so just had coffee, got that low blood sugar/slightly ratty with everyone feeling...
Think I read somewhere that oatcakes were good for staving off hunger/low blood sugar? I must stash some around my person for emergencies!
Chicken and pasta for dinner around 8pm. Microwave meal, so not the best, full of salt too but I was so hungry that I figured that it'd be better than McDonalds at least and just as fast.
And a 40 min fast walk after. Could feel my neglected body perk up after it though. Reminded me of that extra energy you seem to have when you're fit.

Guess I need to prioritize exercise, and plan meals ahead for when things get busy instead of starving all day and then eating everything I see when I finally get home... It's difficult though when life is hectic & and I seem to be firefighting on all sides trying to pack a lot into a day!

This log seems to be helping though. Must keep it up

snowface

...rough few days for me. Without verging into Personal Issues territory I'm going through the end of a long relationship, my closest friends are going through the final stages of a family member's terminal illness and as well I have some work stress at the moment. I keep reminding myself that this is the very time I need to be fit and healthy and stong. The only "problem" is my that my FANTASTC friends are being ever so helpful and supportive with their offers of nights out, dinners in, helpful offers to split a bottle of wine etc. Don't get me wrong, I feel incredibly lucky to have great support, but it's not conducive to fitness....

Anyway, on the food side I've managed pretty well considering... Apart from sudden cigarette cravings - 10 years after quitting!!! Honestly, who ever thought smoking was a good idea?
Fitness - well a bad few days. Time and tiredness were a factor.
It's all about the planning really. Tempted to book a weekly session with a personal trainer - just to keep focus and motivation. Much better value than a cigarette habit...

Wednesday
Fruit soothie for breakfsst with berries and kiwi and Omega3 drink and oats and lecithin. I usually take some vitamins too - iron and B-mag comples. Healthy or what?
Huge espresso with skim milk
Lunch was two huge salmon fishcakes with sour cream (bold but soo good)
Snacked on almonds and walnuts and grapefruit juice
Dinner disaster - skipped dinner, was busy... Had four pancakes with butter late - around 10pm.
50 minute fast walk.

Thursday
Fruit smoothie with the works for breakfast
Coffee disaster day - had about 5 coffees. Usually limit myself to one big jolt in the mornings but this was just dumb. Comfort coffee :rolleyes:
Lunch was a wierd travelling running around all day combo of big 400g carton of grapes, and my new found friends - little dry oatcake packages.
Dinner - again, think stress has finally hit my appetite. Basically snacks of soya yoghurt, nuts and dried fruit and herbal tea. OK so for one day this is nt a disaster but I really want to rev up my metabolism not shut it down...
No exercise.

Friday
Healthy fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast with oats and Omega3 drink and sprinkling of lecithin Coffee and skim milk
Lunch was a big glass of fruit smoothie followed by soup and oatcakes. Snacked on popcorn - mega salt cravings
Dinner
More popcorn to tide me over, then went out and had a HUGE tortilla and nearly a half bottle of red wine. Was tipping salt over the Spanish tortilla. Practically scooping it into me. What's with that? Wine not good either, but long week, needed to go out and have a laugh. And I do drink a lot of water.

So this weekend I have a lot of exercising to do, and healthy salad eating to catch up on! Mega cravings for salt and red meat... Going to forgo my weekend chocolate croissant habit too... sends me on a sugar surge!

Any recommendations for a motivating tough(ish) personal trainer welcome. Brisk walking was fine for week 1, but it's time to step it up a wee bit.

snowface

This is a hard entry. Fell off the health wagon over the weekend - feel like I need to officially relaunch this fitness quest.

Saturday
Started off so well, coffee and skim milk. Fruit smoothie and small salad out at lunch.
Dinner - duck with pancakes and hoisin sauce. I'm finally seeing a theme here, too much salty hight fat food.
Night out, and boy is it difficult to avoid alcohol in this town. Immediate conclusions jumped to by all... Soooo annoying... Met up with few other friends later and drank around six bottles of alco-free beer. Meant I avoided the pressure to drink as well as alcohol itself and post alcohol food cravings, but had a ton of useless calories and felt a bit weak for giving in to pressure. But had a fun night out, which really cheered me up. Trying to figure out the lesson learnt there - guess it's planning again, and maybe going out later/leaving earlier?

Exercise, long hour and half walk, probably an hours worth of dancing.

Sunday
Seriously exhausted.
Breakfast was coffee and milk and a yoghurt smoothie and chocolate
Lunch - meat fest - roast beef fillet. Teeny salad portion.
Dinner - salty pretzels and serious amound of chocolate.
Disaster. 'Nuff said.

Monday
Coffee and skim milk. Pineapple.
Lunch - on baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese.
Snacked on fruit gums, the really bad acidic kind.
Dinner - lamb kebabs followed by maltesers. Kind of let myself away with the s'ure ya might as well, you've messed up already' vibe....

I possibly need to get a bit more real about this.
Dashed off to the supermarket after work and stocked up on salad and fruit. Cleared the junk from the fridge. Need to catch up on my sleep, tiredness not helping. But tomorrow's a new day.