Post: #1

Day 1: Happy New Year Group! I'm looking forward to the challenge, especially after the last few days! So am I the only one who ate any and everything in site leading up to this day? If only I wasn't so much of a foodie! Its so easy to not have to think about what to eat, especially if you are a stress and binge eater like me! But that has to stop, I need to find other ways to deal with stress and old routines. That's why my action plan consists of a lot of meditation and awareness building, in addition to choosing a healthy food and excercise plan.

Good luck everyone on your goals for today. I'll try to read and comment on some of your posts...

So far so good, another 3 or 4 hours and I'll probably go to bed! With water I am doing ok... and on track so far with eating. May have a jalapeno popper later, but only because I promised to help my brother-in-law make them.

Day 2: not technically here yet, but I saw Celes' post about calorie counting and thought I would share this site. Livestrong.com has a nice app called "MyPlate" which helps keep track of calories, excercise, and water. Type in the food you ate and it will bring up a list to choose from and will tell you how many calories, fat, carbs, it contains. You will need to create an account, but its free, and you can even set your calorie limits to track. Nice tool if we are serious about watching what we eat! Here is the link: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

Enjoy!

Day 1 didn't end so well... family came over with food! I started out well but guess I'm still in a holiday/festive mode. My grade for the day is definately a D- at best! Today I will do better, and Monday when I get back into a regular schedule, I hoping to get all A's!

Day 2 also wasn't as good as expected. Another D-. But with new work week hoping to get on track!

Day 3: Better this time. Was able to finish the day within goal. Using MyPlate to track diet/water/excercise. I would grade myself an "A" for the day. Hopefully this starts a new positive trend! (Meditating after work helped. Usually wife takes a break and I get to babysit our three girls, ages 1, 3, and 5! They are definately a handful!)

I also wanted to address Celes's questions on Day 4's Post:

1. So yesterday was Day 3, and we created our ideal meal plan. How's your ideal meal like? Ans: following the Paleo-Diet - mostly protein, fruits and veggies. No processed, fast food, or junk!

2. How many times do you eat a day? Ans: Mostly 2 (to give digestion system a change to work!) but sometimes 3. I have fruit/tea breakfast, big lunch (protein/veggies), and if dinner, something light like salad and tea.

3. What are the foods you'll be eating? Ans: Fruit, veggies, meat (fish, chicken, beef, pork mostly).

4. How would you feel consuming these type of meals for the rest of your life? Ans: I would feel fine. However, I would not totally give up junk food and other foods not on my list. I would on occasion indulge, but as long as I was following my diet 95% of the time and maintaining ideal weight/fitness level.

OK, enough journaling, onto the gym for the first time this year. Get some cardio in... part of my 3-4 day a week plan. Peace!

Day 4: Did OK, maybe a B+. Worked out but had a late snack that was not part of my plan. Overall two bad days, two good days, with 17 more to go. Confident that I can do well on at least 13 of those days, its the weekends that are tough! But I'm aiming for an "A" on all 17. Meditating is helping, getting more control.

Day 5: is just about over, working on a 24 hr fast that I started at lunch. No dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow. Haven't ya heard? Fasting is a great way to lose weight! (detoxes the system) Drinking hot tea helps with any hunger issues. Should get an A+ for the day, well, it will be an A+ since I'm in bed and won't be getting out until tomorrow morning! Peace!

Day 6: nears the end. Going to my nephew's basketball game, I can taste the hot dogs and nachos now! But I won't indulge... I can't. I stuck to the plan, worked out, drank my water, ate my veggies. What a waste it would be if I messed up now. Amazing how all that effort can go flushed down the toilet in a few minutes of weakness and temptation. That's how we get overweight, its so easy to give in, to just eat whatever... not tonight! So with that, I'm happy to report I should be good for another "A" day. I would hate to dissappoint all my fans out there!

Day 7: I noticed a lot of people on the challenge really don't need to lose much weight, or already were eating and living relatively healthy lifestyles. I guess that makes sense... people who care about personal excellence are the ones who come here. Others who may not care, don't come here and wouldn't have known about Celes's challenges... generally speaking. I'm sure there are some of us out there who have recently "awakened" to personal excellence and are working to change. I would be one of those... I am the heaviest I've ever been and have struggled for years to lose... I've focused a lot on working out, but realize I had no clue about nutrition and how all my efforts working out were flushed down the toilet by my eating! I guess deep down, I am too much of a foodie and did not want to or could not give up sweets, fast food, and junk food! Understanding that I had to give that up was/is the key... this is why I'm here. To make this change for 21 days and beyond! (like Buzz would say!)

Below I wanted to answer Celes's questions for day 7.

1.On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your health and fitness for the past week (including your diet, fitness and lifestyle goals)? Why?
- Four A's and two D-'s not bad to start. Plan on getting better next week! Why? I'm starting to believe I can permanently make these changes... we'll see, there's still 2 weeks left, and weekends are my toughest times!

2.Were there any times where you fell off track in your healthy lifestyle goals?
- Yes, the first two days especially since I was still in "holiday" mode. But that's over now, and won't see another holiday mode until my birthday here on the 26th! (ok, I admit I plan on having some cake!)
1.Diet - 4 out of 6 days very good.
2.Fitness - worked out twice so far as planned.. ok!
3.Lifestyle (Waking/Sleeping times, Other habits like meditation) - sleeping very well, meditation could improve!

3.If so, what happened during those times that took you off track? What can you learn from the incidences?
- weekends with three babies tend to be stressful, plus lack of structure and holidays made it hard to stay on track. I need to plan better and learn to not be an emotional eater. More meditation would help.

4.What can you do differently moving forward in living an even healthier life?
- increase workouts to 3-4 days a week... increase fish and chicken, less pork and beef (not sure I would want to go completely vegan, like my meats too much! But I could add more raw veggies to my diet).

Day 8: Day 7 went well, even though I didn't skip dinner like I planned (working on a 24-hour fast)... had a little chinese food and slice of pizza that my wife brought home! However, I didn't eat all my planned lunch and had 700-800 calories left for the day (on livestrong.com). Plus I went to the gym and did cardio and burned about 300 calories. So I could afford to cheat although I still regretted it since I would have only been that much further ahead. I guess my focus on this challenge has been making healthy changes in order to lose weight, not just to be healthy. I notice today's challenge from Celes is to work out... I agree that it is healthy to work out, but as I've said before in other posts, I don't think its a great weight loss tool. I believe a lot of good, intelligent people out there make the mistake of thinking that if they work out, they don't have to watch their diet. I did the same and the result was no weight loss. Only when I watched my eating did I lose... the thing is, working out facilitates weight loss if you are eating right. You can eat right and not work out and lose weight, but you cannot work out and not eat right to lose weight... it won't work unless your "eating right" happens to be healthy and you don't consume more than you burn...

Anyway, today is Saturday, the weekend is one of my toughest times to stick to eating right... days usually lack structure and I'm babysitting/feeding the kids and stressed leading me to want to snack a lot on junk food... but today and tomorrow I'm planning to fast on celery sticks and grapefruit. My goal is to "reprogram" my habits. To learn to take control of my weekends... every time I crave a junk food snack, I will reach for a celery stick and think about controlling the cravings. As I learn better control, I'll open up to healthier meals on weekends (probably after several weekends of "reprogramming").

So that's the plan. I'm feeling confident now, but we'll see what the day brings and how well I deal with it... if I can be more aware and conscious, I should do well. Also I'm going to the gym for a workout. Come Monday I should be starting out a lb or two less than I was when we started this challenge.

Here at the end of the day, I made it without cheating. Didn't get to the gym but that's fine, I didn't need to since I didn't consume many calories. Still tomorrow to face, but I'll sleep good tonight with another "A" chalked up. Good nite!

Day 9: OK, little more challenging but overall a success. Maybe an A- since I snacked on some toast and chips I while feeding the babies their dinner (not in my plan!). Still about where I wanted to be with calories plus my main meal was a salad, so I got my raw veggies in for the day. Moving forward I'm feeling confident... I think I will be OK... this challenge is helping me learn about myself. For example, I am starting to see the difference between feeling truly hungry vs. feeling bored or stressed... which is usually when I eat the most. Next week looking I'm looking forward to consciously eating 1) only when I'm hungry, 2) eating healthy things, and stopping when I'm full... hmmm.... I may be trivializing it a bit... after all, if it were so easy why am I sitting here 50+ lbs overweight? I will try to do these things... well I know if I'm going to ever get in shape and improve my health I will eventually end up here. So I might as well get used to is since, 21 days or not, I will do it!

Day 10: As an engineer I'm all about math and formulas... so today's task from Celes is a piece of cake. My final number is 1700 calories (again easily done at livestrong.com). This will get me a 2lb per week loss (without working out... but I'm adding the workouts and not changing my calorie goals). Celes ends by asking us: "Now that you know your daily caloric target, what is your ideal meal plan (Day 3) that will help you achieve this target, while meeting your nutritional needs? Design a few ideal meal plans (one for each week, for variety) and then start following these plans from today onwards!"

My answer is yes, I have a meal plan, had it since Day 0. Cutting out the junk and bringing in the good healthy stuff. Got it. Knowing the numbers is great, knowing the nutritional value of foods is also great, and knowing that to lose weight your total in must be less than your total out. Got it! And yes, excercise helps burn more calories and provides other health benefits. Got that too. I know this. You know this. Everybody knows this. Go ahead, say it "if you know it then why are you overweight? Why are so many people overweight and unhealthy?" Because we are too stupid to know that cheesecake has more calories than an apple? The problem is not lack of knowledge, it is application of knowledge. 99% of people already know that if they eat celery and apples instead of Big Mac's and Cheesecake they will lose weight. For most people (who are trying desparately to lose weight), the problem is not knowing how to count calories or knowing what's healthy or not. Its about self-control, stress/emotional eating, food addictions, etc... its much deeper than what's on the surface. Most overweight people do not want to be overweight, but they cannot change. There is a pain greater within them that is soothed (with ice cream) than the pain of being overweight. Food is used as a medication to help deal with deep, personal issues often without the person even realizing it. Please don't misunderstand my rant... not knocking what Celes is trying to do, much props to her. There are some of us who do find it helpful. I just think there's a deeper level that needs to be discussed... and maybe it will later in the challenge. From reading Celes's other articles I think she knows this... But even if it isn't discussed, it is still great to have this platform for folks to turn to for motivation and encouragement for making positive changes. However, for someone with Celes's track record, would settling for just "great" be good enough?

Day 11: Guidebooking. Again much props to the folks at livestrong.com. I find that just about everything that Celes suggests for our guidebook is in there. Food journal, calorie counter, meal planning, calorie budgeting for weight loss, weight tracking, etc. Anything that isn't in there can easily be added in the "diary" section. NO need for fancy excel spreadsheets (which I've done).

Performance update: another good day yesterday, an "A" for the day. Didn't come home from work and snack on junk and ate healthy earlier. Under my calorie goals plus a workout. Hoping to start seeing some weight reduction here soon... worst part about dieting/trying to lose weight is after doing everything right, making all the sacrifices but not seeing any change. It can get discouraging... enough to make you want to have some cheesecake and say "forget it!" But not this time. This time its going to be different. Why? Because I'm going to deal with the real issues behind my lack of control... stop being unconcsious and live with greater awareness. When I do that I won't live each day in fear of food or how much I'm losing or gaining, but in the present moment, always in control, always conscious of what I'm doing. Sleepwalking got me here, waking will get me out.

Day 12: Didn't finish the day yesterday strong. Some unconcious, unplanned snacking last night while cooking dinner for the babies. Not as bad as I would before the challenge, I was able to put a lid on it, but went over my calorie goal by at least 300-400 calories. Probably a C- for the day. Not sure why I was craving, wasn't hungry. Guess it was stress related. Today's task from Celes, "exploring our relationship with food" is probably the thing needed to figure it out. Thanks Celes, I thought you would get here! You should consider putting this task up on day 1 or 2, since I think this is the key for most of us.... so your questions were:

1. What are your eating triggers?
2. Why do you eat under those triggers?
3. What can you do to address them moving forward? Share with everyone!

1. Celes's list probably nails it: stress, boredom, frustration, guilt, happiness, etc.. however there may be other reasons that I am not conscious of. Plus I have denial issues: i never admit to being stressed or frustrated or angry. I'm a pretty prideful guy who never lets em' see me sweat! Guilt? Are you kidding? I never have guilt because I'm too perfect, never make any mistakes! (Actually I do, but good luck getting me to admit it!) Sad but true!

2. Why? I wish it was that easy; to simply ask and answer that question. Celes was raised where the food/love connection was clear and its awesome she can identify it. I don't know why I get up and walk into that kitchen and open up the door and look. Must be some kind of medication or relief I'm getting out of it? Guess it will take some work to figure this one out.

3. What can I do to address? Still need to answer the why? question. For now I will need to just learn to stop and ask those questions and not eat when I'm not hungry. I've been able to do it most days, but there are some days like last night where I wasn't able to.

End of Day 12: Did good... didn't go over my calorie goal and ate healthy for the most part (A). Feeling great and looking to see some weight loss when I weigh in on Friday. Hopefully a lb or two. If not, oh well! I will keep moving forward... change things up a bit, but never quit.

Post: #2

I second the recommendation of Livestrong.com. They even have a place where you can keep track of how much water you've had for the day.

Shannon Entin
http://disciplineproject.com

Post: #3

Day 13: Cleaning out the kitchen? Yes. If its not there, you won't eat it. If its there, you still might not eat it, but then you might. Can't argue with that. A bit easier to do if you are single and live alone. And easier still if you don't entertain friends/family. But for those who have families who are not on the same page, this isn't so easy. Also, I think the "out of sight - out of mind" trick doesn't help us learn self-control. We are basically hiding from food, like it was some kind of prowling lion, looking to attack us at any minute! So we are basically telling ourselves "you can't control yourself, so don't go near anything bad!" Instead of "I am in control of my eating, period." Now, I'm not saying lets all go out and lock ourselves in a cage with a pride of hungry lions... don't go fill your kitchen with cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream. I'm saying focus on self-control and our "relationship" with food. If we can do that then we won't need to fear the lion. In general however, I'm cool with Celes's suggestion. Keeping the kitchen clean, and filling it with more healthy items is a great thing to do.

Day 14: Just missed the target yesterday... had a last minute cupcake at my nephew's basketball game... threw me about 200 calories over my goal. But still looking good overall for the week. Day 13 gets a B. I'll plan on burning off an extra 200 today at the gym to make up for it! Wasn't hungry, probably had a sugar craving and extra change in my pocket! There is a weakness for sweets that needs to be dealt with!

Sounds like today's task is to review and plan for the next week. Pretty much covered. Will attempt to answer Celes's specific questions here.

1.On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your health and fitness for the past week (including your diet, fitness and lifestyle goals)? Why?
Looking back I'd say about an 8. Why? Had a few occasions of not sticking to my diet, and didn't get to the gym as much as I wanted.

2.Were there any times where you fell off track in your healthy lifestyle goals?

1.Diet
2.Fitness
3.Lifestyle (Waking/Sleeping times, Other habits like meditation)
Yes, there was a day I completely messed up my diet and I haven't been to the gym all week. But going today and tomorrow! Meditation could also be better.

3.If so, what happened during those times that took you off track? What can you learn from the incidences?
Haven't been going to the gym since I had no car. Loaned car to brother-in-law since they had a wreck, so we've been carpooling. They've been dropping me off. I usually workout during lunch or right after work. Have car today and will get there. As far as diet... no excuses, had a weak, unconcious-sleepwalking moment and snacked more than planned. Was able to not snack on most other days. Don't recall what I was thinking, stressed, frustrated or whatever... almost like waking from a dream, don't recall what it was about. Really, if I am able to stop and process what I'm feeling, then I probably can control myself and not do it.

4.What can you do differently moving forward in living an even healthier life?
I will try a few tricks I've read on a few other blogs like brushing my teeth or chewing gum. Also, it would be better to not face the "lions" in the first place if I'm feeling weak... I can try to have my wife cook the kids dinner at those times.

OK Just got back from the gym, I weighed in and I have lost 4 lbs so far! Looks like everything is paying off. Now, if I can only carry this momentum to next week. I'm hoping to push a little harder and not give in to temptation, maybe see a 3 lbs loss? We'll see. If I do it will be because I will be on target this weekend especially... going out tonight and birthday party tomorrow... time to see what I'm really made of!)

Final update... wife brought home some deep dish chicago style pizza! My favorite! Funny, I could blow two weeks worth of hard work in one night... and normally I would... but not tonight! I lost 4 but need to lose 40 more plus another 20 or so! When that day comes, we'll see what's up with pizza...

Day 15: OK, I didn't indulge in pizza last night... but it was very tempting! Another "A" day. So I've been trying to unbiasedly grade myself each day for how well I have stuck to my action plan. Here's what I've earned for the 1st two weeks:
D-, D-,A,B+,A,A,A,A,A-,A,C-,A,B,A
I wonder had I started out better and not messed up a few days if I would have lost more? Probably. I'm hoping for straight A's this week and come Friday maybe another 2+ lbs gone (for good I hope!).

So today's task is meditation. If you've read my journal you know I'm all about mind and consciousness and awareness. I really do believe that overcoming bad eating habits and making right choices to lose weight and be healthy is 99% mental, 1% knowledge. I've said in other posts that excercise is overrated... I've done it for years and lost weight but gained it back. Its almost impossible to lose weight if diet is not controlled. We all know what's healthy or not... but we don't know our relationships with food and why we crave things and overeat. I go back to food as a medication, an addiction even. Most people don't recognize that food can be a tough addition to break, I'd go so far as to say its even tougher than smoking or drinking. Why else is it so hard for people to lose weight and billions of dollars are spent each year on diet fads and excercise equipment? Anyway I digress... yes Celes I'm with you 100% on meditation and I will read your past blogs on it and learn as much as I can. Also, I will share with everyone some of what I've already read through my own research.

Day 16: unfortunately I feel off the wagon a bit last night. Went over my calories goals... by about 600-700 calories. So I'm starting out the final lap with a D. Why not an "F"? It could have been much worse. I consider an "F" to be total quitting and binging. Just eating anything and never planning to come back to TPEF. What happened? Was feeling good, I had just made xina's guacamole ("raw burrito") recipe (thank you very much xina!) and some stuffed jalapenos. I love jalapeno poppers, but the frying/breading is no-no on my healthy eating plan. So I baked them without the breading, like a small version of stuffed green peppers. FYI I'm not on a vegitarian diet like most of you here, so I won't gross you out with the details of my food choices!. But I will confess what I messed up on last night. They came out great, (the peppers) I made a bunch for the week. Anyway, you know the pizza that I didn't eat Friday night? Well... see there was some leftovers in the fridge and I had this "party in my tummy" (parents might know what I'm talking about! ) and the pizza was like crying and saying: "we want to go to the party! The party in your tummy!" And so you know how the story ends! If not, see video in new post below. So the pizza was joined later with an ice-cream sandwhich, and a cupcake I brought home from the birthday party I went to earlier at "Chuck-E-Cheese's". I can remember thinking "I did good so far, I can afford a little indulgence." However now, the morning after, I wish I didn't. I guess I've still got some self-control to learn.

Today is a new day. Going to let go of yesterday and focus on now. Today I will do well. Another "A" day. In fact I'll skip dinner tonight and just have hot green tea. For breakfast I'll have a grapefruit. For lunch, a healthy salad. My calories for the day will be less than 1,000. It will almost be like last night never happened... right?

Post: #4

Hey Tperez - what a great journal - a really interesting read! You have done so brilliantly to analyse yourself so well and this journal is full of insights into the behaviour of all of us.
I particularly liked these bits:

Quote:Going to my nephew's basketball game, I can taste the hot dogs and nachos now! But I won't indulge... I can't. I stuck to the plan, worked out, drank my water, ate my veggies. What a waste it would be if I messed up now. Amazing how all that effort can go flushed down the toilet in a few minutes of weakness and temptation. That's how we get overweight, its so easy to give in, to just eat whatever... not tonight! So with that, I'm happy to report I should be good for another "A" day. I would hate to dissappoint all my fans out there!

This is soo true - I like the way you motivated yourself before what you knew was going to be a temptation !

Quote:My goal is to "reprogram" my habits. To learn to take control of my weekends... every time I crave a junk food snack, I will reach for a celery stick and think about controlling the cravings. As I learn better control, I'll open up to healthier meals on weekends (probably after several weekends of "reprogramming").

Great goal - weekends are tough and so is looking after 3 babies!

Quote:For example, I am starting to see the difference between feeling truly hungry vs. feeling bored or stressed... which is usually when I eat the most. Next week looking I'm looking forward to consciously eating 1) only when I'm hungry, 2) eating healthy things, and stopping when I'm full... hmmm.... I may be trivializing it a bit... after all, if it were so easy why am I sitting here 50+ lbs overweight?

you are right its not so easy but you are half way there because you know the problem - stick with it - keep trying to differentiate between these two different reasons for eating

Quote:Plus I have denial issues: i never admit to being stressed or frustrated or angry. I'm a pretty prideful guy who never lets em' see me sweat! Guilt? Are you kidding? I never have guilt because I'm too perfect, never make any mistakes! (Actually I do, but good luck getting me to admit it!) Sad but true!

Hee hee nothing wrong with being imperfect - join the club! - acknowledging where we are going wrong isnt the same as guilt though.

Quote: But for those who have families who are not on the same page, this isn't so easy. Also, I think the "out of sight - out of mind" trick doesn't help us learn self-control. We are basically hiding from food, like it was some kind of prowling lion, looking to attack us at any minute! So we are basically telling ourselves "you can't control yourself, so don't go near anything bad!" Instead of "I am in control of my eating, period."

I totally agree that for some of us having only health foods in the house isn't an option - I have a family too and they wouldn't be impressed! I also agree that we need to learn to live amongst temptations since the world is a very tempting place. However go easy on yourself - dont buy stuff for the kids which is your absolute favourite and you know you will find hard to limit. For example I sometimes buy flavours of crisps and chocolate which I know my children like but I am not so keen on myself just to make things a little easier

I hope next week goes well! - pat the lions but then lock them away in the cage!

Post: #5

Thanks Jade for your comments! Making a great day even better: I weighed in today and I've lost 4 lbs since we started! Couldn't believe it, (probably because I was expecting to not see much difference ) but I guess all this is paying off. Thanks again for your feedback!

Post: #6

(01-15-2011 06:00 AM)tperez330 Wrote:  I weighed in today and I've lost 4 lbs since we started! Couldn't believe it, (probably because I was expecting to not see much difference ) but I guess all this is paying off. Thanks again for your feedback!

Hi TPerez, I'm sooo glad to hear that! You lost 4 lbs! What an accomplishment! Congratulations for your effort!!

Post: #7

(01-15-2011 06:47 AM)xina Wrote:  Hi TPerez, I'm sooo glad to hear that! You lost 4 lbs! What an accomplishment! Congratulations for your effort!!

Thank you Xina... appreciate it!

Post: #8

Had a party in my tummy last night. Unfortunately some pizza and a cupcake crashed it! (Don't have kids yet? See what you are missing!)

Post: #9

Haha Oh that tummy doesn't look happy to me looks all sloshy but hey if it gets kids to eat their veggies and feel good about it then I guess its good

Congratz on the 4 lb by the way TPerez - I lost 4 lb too hoping to lose about 1lb a week now until I have lost a stone!

Post: #10

(01-16-2011 10:29 PM)Jade Wrote:  Congratz on the 4 lb by the way TPerez - I lost 4 lb too hoping to lose about 1lb a week now until I have lost a stone!

Thanks Jade, congrats to you also! I have been meaning to get back to your journal, I had a few other comments to make... one being your killer calorie-burning work-outs! I'm shooting for 2 lbs a week until I lose at least 50 lbs, but I'm focusing more on diet than excercise... If I stay on track I'll have it off by June/July (by the way, what's a stone weigh?).

Post: #11

Hi TPerez
I just read the last bit of your journal - I missed it earlier as it was in the original post - some people do their journals that way I know but in my previous group we all just added new posts every time - anyway re:

Quote:Today is a new day. Going to let go of yesterday and focus on now. Today I will do well. Another "A" day. In fact I'll skip dinner tonight and just have hot green tea. For breakfast I'll have a grapefruit. For lunch, a healthy salad. My calories for the day will be less than 1,000. It will almost be like last night never happened... right?

This so reminds me of a pattern I often used to fall in to. ie diet really well for 1 - 2 weeks then accidentally eat something I really love but didn't plan to eat, then say what the hell I've had that so now I'll have that other thing I was longing for too Sometimes I stopped there and planned to cut back the next day but that didn't always work well. Sometimes it got worse than that and I went on a total binge so yeah I think you are quite right to give yourself a D not an F - as you say it could have been much worse! I hope today goes well for you - dont deprive yourself too much - in my experience trying to make up for yesterday's excesses by punishing myself another day rarely works. Just get back to your normal program and forget about it. 700 extra calories is no big deal if it only happens once in a while and just not worth beating yourself up over. Remember all the good progress you have made and forget it ( I know you already said you have forgotten it but the fact that you are eating so little today means maybe you still feel bad about it - I mean REALLY forget it! )

Oh and re:

Quote:I had a few other comments to make... one being your killer calorie-burning work-outs! I'm shooting for 2 lbs a week until I lose at least 50 lbs, but I'm focusing more on diet than excercise... If I stay on track I'll have it off by June/July (by the way, what's a stone weigh?).

Killer calorie burning workouts? eh? I am not really that big on workouts - most of my exercise is just stuff I enjoy - cycling is a hobby of mine so cycling to work is just a convenient way of combining training for my hobby and getting to work and burning some extra calories - plus the showers at work are more powerful than the one I have at home . Running is more about calorie burning and general fitness but once again I do it cos I get a high out of it - it makes me feel good - why else would I run round the streets in the pouring rain?

Oh and how weird that you don't know what a stone is - is that a British thing? - there dont seem to be many Brits in this forum. 1 stone = 14lb. I weighed 10 stone when I started this - I'm only 5 ft 3 so thats a little heavy. 9 stone ie 126 lb is what I am aiming for and yesterday morning I was 9 st 10 lb so 136 lb

Oh and I agree with you - eating right is way more important than exercising right for weight loss - but when I exercise I feel good about myself and when I feel good I eat well and its easier to stay in control. Plus of course it increases my TDEE and therefore my calorie deficit each day. This means that I can actually eat a little more than if I wasn't exercising and still lose weight and the little extra I can eat helps me to not feel deprived and not feeling deprived helps me to stay on the plan : - so yes you are totally right - its all in the mind - getting your mindset right is the key in my opinion

Post: #12

(01-17-2011 02:06 AM)Jade Wrote:  I hope today goes well for you - dont deprive yourself too much - in my experience trying to make up for yesterday's excesses by punishing myself another day rarely works.

Hi Jade, thanks for the tip! Sounds like we both have had those moments of not just falling off the wagon, but having the wagon crash into smithereens totally! I've quit on myself hundreds of times and just never got back on track. And good point about not really forgetting about yesterday if I try to punish myself today... I wont deprive myself... well maybe I will. But it will only be of unhealthy stuff like sweets and chips.

Jade Wrote:Running is more about calorie burning and general fitness but once again I do it cos I get a high out of it - it makes me feel good - why else would I run round the streets in the pouring rain?

You are truly blessed if you enjoy running. I knew few people who really like to run... I am definately not one of them. You get a high out of it? Amazing. I get out of breath. It makes your feel good? Wonderful! It makes my lungs burn. You run around in the pouring rain? You go girl! I can recall jogging in the rain maybe 2 times in my life. Yes I also run (really its a slow jog) for the same health/fitness reasons... especially because like you say, it allows us extra calories without compromising our diets. Lately I do intermittent jog/walks on the treadmill at the gym to burn an extra 400-600 calories. And its definately no walk in the park... my heart is racing over 160 bpm. I guess its not as much fun for me because I'm carrying an extra 5 stones to your 1?

Regarding the journal, I though this was the way Celes suggested we structure our journal... but I do like adding posts like you and others have been doing....

Post: #13

Tony Wrote:Regarding the journal, I though this was the way Celes suggested we structure our journal... but I do like adding posts like you and others have been doing....

Hey Tony!! Oh dear, that was probably some miscommunication. You must be referring to what I wrote in the guidelines post. What I meant there was with regards to replies to the daily task posts in the Official Tasks forum. For your journal, feel free to post as many posts/replies as you want (you might prefer to keep 1 day's result to 1 post, though I'll leave it completely up to you)

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #14

(01-17-2011 07:09 AM)Celes Wrote:  Hey Tony!! Oh dear, that was probably some miscommunication. You must be referring to what I wrote in the guidelines post. What I meant there was with regards to replies to the daily task posts in the Official Tasks forum. For your journal, feel free to post as many posts/replies as you want (you might prefer to keep 1 day's result to 1 post, though I'll leave it completely up to you)

Hey Celes, you are too kind... there was probably no miscommunication... I goofed! I problably read through the instructions quickly and got it wrong. My fault!

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Day 17: Flossing. Good tip. I do it in blocks. Sometimes for a few weeks, then stop, then start again. Need to make it a habit. Will definately try!

So day 16 ended positively... stuck to the plan and took Jade's advice and did not punish myself for slipping on Saturday (thank you Jade!). Had healthy salad for lunch and light fish and brown rice for dinner. Grade "A."

Today should be able to stick to the plan as well as get a workout in. Same for the rest of the week, but I'm focused on one day at a time...

Post: #15

Well done Tony! A grade student! :

Re:

Quote:You are truly blessed if you enjoy running.

Well it wasn't always like that - when I first started running it was just cos I wanted to burn calories and I couldn't run very far so I used to just run walk too - and it was hard work and I DIDN'T get a high out of it except for the "I'm glad that's over" feeling!

I started off just run walk for 20 mins ( I used to walk all the slight up hill bits cos I hate hills! )

Then I started going a bit further and sometimes running for longer - it started to feel a bit easier. I did this maybe twice a week for about 6 weeks then I joined a ladies running group aimed at beginners and they suggested I go on the 3 mile run. I nearly fainted right there and then! But I gave it a try and although it was further than I had ever run by myself, it was a nice slow pace and they stopped to wait for us slow ones every 5 mins or so

I still didn't get running highs at this stage - it was only when I started to run regularly slightly further distances 4 - 5 miles that it started to get easier and started to make me feel good even while running not just afterwards

Anyway I stopped running about 3 years ago cos I had a bad back and started again last year just doing short 1 - 2 mile runs by myself. It's only since starting 21DHL that I have joined my running group again and started doing the longer runs which are still a little hard for me - yeah I puff on the hills still but its getting easier And right now I'm really enjoying it but yeah wasn't always that way!

My advice to you (if you want to build some running fitness and get to the point where you enjoy it) is take it easy - keep the pace slow and walk whenever you need it - its the distance you do more than the pace you do it at which builds fitness and you burn pretty much the same calories per mile however fast you do it! Also its way more enjoyable when you build it up slowly. Weather is getting better too so maybe you will find a nice outdoor route you can enjoy soon - I prefer it outdoors than in a sweaty gym

Keep up the brilliant work :

Post: #16

(01-18-2011 03:02 AM)Jade Wrote:  Well done Tony! A grade student! :
My advice to you (if you want to build some running fitness and get to the point where you enjoy it) is take it easy - keep the pace slow and walk whenever you need it - its the distance you do more than the pace you do it at which builds fitness and you burn pretty much the same calories per mile however fast you do it!

Thanks Jade! I'm trying. I ran/walked on the treadmill today for 30 minutes... I usually set the incline high so it doesn't take me long before I can't breathe in the 1 minute I jog... and by the time my 1 minute of fast walking is over, I have just caught my breath... its sort of a brutal way , but I figure if I'm going to go to the gym, I need to burn the most calories I can in the time I spend... I guess for me I believe in the "no pain, no gain" philosophy. Your advice is to take it easy. If I can burn the same calories with less pain, but in a bit more time, that's something worth considering... maybe then I won't dread the workouts as much... I can put on some music and maybe even enjoy it? Wow! I can't believe the concept of enjoying running has dared to appear in my conciousness! Well, I'll definately give it a try! Tanks!

Post: #17

Day 18: Yesterday went well... stayed within my goal and worked out for 30 minutes (A). Next time, looking forward to taking it "easy" like Jade suggested and maybe going 45-60 minutes at a much more less painful pace. I guess I can try to get the 2-3 miles on the treadmill in without the steep incline and maybe slow down the jog pace a bit. I won't get my heart rate up to heart-attack levels, but maybe that's OK... if Jade's right then I should still burn the same calories. If I, or let me say WHEN I, lose some "stones" then I'm sure running will be much more enjoyable... I do think that as I lose weight, my body will require longer distances to burn the same calories since it will be more efficient (less weight = less work my muscles will need to do)....

Hugs. Hugs are good... hugging oneself? got to admit its kinda funny to think about. But I can see the deeper point: self-love and acceptance. Not just when we achieve our goals, but now, the way we are today... even though we are trying to make positive changes, for some of us trying to lose weight, we should not think little of ourselves. I admit I hate the way I look. I carry my weight like my dad did, in the gut. I look like I'm pregnant! I'd love to not look like this. It sounds like a superficial attitude, maybe it is, but who doesn't want to at least be fit (not shooting for Mr. Universe here!). More importantly, I must set a positive example for my babies! I don't want them to struggle with their weight... I need to help them learn to eat healthy now, so it won't be a struggle for them like it is for me. So I do want to be healthy and fit, but even more I want my kids to also be their best selves. No better way to do that than by example.

Post: #18

Hi again Tony

Quote:I guess for me I believe in the "no pain, no gain" philosophy. Your advice is to take it easy. If I can burn the same calories with less pain, but in a bit more time, that's something worth considering... maybe then I won't dread the workouts as much...

Yes that's exactly why its a good idea - you dont want to dread your workouts cos guess what happens if you do - you will skip the workout at the first liitle excuse that pops into your mind - I know I've been there!
By all means push the pace up a bit towards the end of your run (if you want to) - you can play with the controls a bit during the run too ie 30 seconds on an incline for a challenge then flat and easy for a bit - just make sure that overall you enjoy it!

Quote:So I do want to be healthy and fit, but even more I want my kids to also be their best selves. No better way to do that than by example.

This is so true and its great that you are thinking of them. The kind of food you eat will have a big influence on them too as they grow older. Families who always get takeouts tend to have kids who always get takeouts - kids love to copy and they will pick up your eating and exercise habits

Post: #19

Quote: its the distance you do more than the pace you do it at which builds fitness and you burn pretty much the same calories per mile however fast you do it!

If you are running faster, wouldn't you burn more calories? Since you're moving more?

Post: #20

Quote:If you are running faster, wouldn't you burn more calories? Since you're moving more?

Yes you would burn more calories PER HOUR/MINUTE but if you are running faster it will take you less time so you will be exercising for less time Here is an example:

1 mile - if I run this quite fast (for me) I will do it in 9 - 10 minutes and that running pace burns about 600 calories per hour so thats roughly 100 calories for a 10 min run.

Ok but if I walk the 1 mile it will take me about 20 - 25 minutes and that walking pace is about 250 - 300 calories per hour so once again 20 mins at 300 cals per hour = 100 calories.

So either way burns 100 calories and if running hurts then i will probably enjoy walking the mile far more and I will be more likely to repeat the experience. If I want to gain cardio fitness I should probably run/walk it for example I could run for 1 minute then walk for 2 minutes until the route is completed. this would probably take me about 15 minutes and guess what - still 100 calories burned