Monday, May 16, 2011

Turbo FI-YA!!!

Yeah, this post may be slightly premature but we will consider this a preview post for now. K?

As ya'll are aware, I love me some Turbo Jam (video) and Turbo Kick (24Hr branded class). Well, after finally realizing that I just haven't clicked with the instructors here in Sacramento, I bit the bullet, pulled out my credit card and hit "BUY NOW".

5 days later it was sitting in the office waiting for me :).  Turbo Fire is on FIYA!!!!

Saturday, I attempted Week 1 Day 1. Dudettes!!! This had me pumped. I love the way the video is shot from the perspective of being in a row in class vs watching the class head on. Chalene is her usual, peppy, over the top excited self and her cues are easy to follow

Sunday, DOMS stopped by and said Hi!

Today, DOMS is still hanging around but I plan to repeat Week 1 Day 1 and take plenty of Advil and stick to the provided workout schedule to stay on track for the next 12 weeks.

To add to this, I get to eat some crow (hopefully a good source of protein). To those, especially Kim, who have suggested to me to sign-up for a race...I have committed to one. The Women's Festival benefiting a local woman's shelter. It's a 5K in June. I may try to run it (I can do 3 miles on the treadmill), but realistically, I will walk it.

This 5K came about because I met a new friend.

Last week, I took the plunge and put an ad on CL seeking a friend. Just someone to hang with. She responded and we made an immediate bond. The one thing I have to avoid is letting old habits infiltrate this relationship (the Let's go for lunch, coffee and dessert habit).

So at this point, the workout regime has some promise.  And since I am no longer obsessing over the food diary, my diet still has its ups and downs, but I am more mindful of what goes in my body. I have to say that the french toast was sooo yummy yesterday.

Dontcha just love brunch?

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Small changes...baby steps

It’s broken and the only way to fix it is to ignore it.  At least that’s how I feel about my diet.  Well, not ignore the diet, per se, but to ignore the food journal.  I found a wonderful journal at the big box bookstore on the clearance table. It beckoned me, softly whispering my name.  And I gave in, bought it and it sat unused for a few weeks. My plan was to start on a Monday.

I finally pulled it out from under a stack of Tosca Reno books and began to use it for 3 weeks straight.  You know what I figured out? I ate more when I had to write down my food. I got anxious over my caloric intake. I set my bar at 1700 and successfully overate.

Then I went to Bar Harbor last week for work.  I also finally read my last 2 issues of Self, including the Drop 10 articles. And it must have been the cold weather, the deer roaming the streets or the fresh air, but it kinda clicked...  I’m eating too many meals and eating too early.  Since moving to the West Coast, my new job starts at 630am. Man, that’s freaking early for me. Although I try to remind myself that it’s 7am Central time, the fact remains that I’m up at 5am. So I’ve been eating breakfast as soon as I get in the office (or between 630 and 700am). While keeping the journal, I actually made notes on some of my entries that I would eat around 130 or 200p out of boredom (duh) and then and found myself ravenous at 4 or 5pm and snack on crap at home (usually chips), go workout and come home to dinner without monitoring how much was going on my plate. My weight went up to 171.8 lbs. For those counting, that’s an 8.4 lb gain since moving to California Feb. 28.

Um, that’s all kinda ass backwards.

So I tossed the journal in my backpack and haven’t picked it up since. I looked at the meal plans in Self and noticed the recommendation was for 1 snack. I’ve been having 3 (yup – 3 snacks). So I’m cutting back to 1 snack. I’m also not eating breakfast until 745-815am. For the past few days that seems to be working because I’m not trying to eat the fridge door when I get home. I also remembered the best advice from the Eat Clean books – each meal should include a complex carb AND a protein. I’ve been slacking on my protein at breakfast and only eating oatmeal. This week, a boiled egg sits alongside my Best Oats (these are so darn yummy for instant oatmeal) in the morning. The last tweak I’ve made is ditched the flavored creamer in my coffee.  I know - another duh! But I thought “hey, I’m not using THAT much creamer”. Well, not only does each calorie counts but it’s the TYPE of calories that matter. So soy milk is not taking place of the creamer.

I probably will use the journal to track my fitness (maybe), but as for the food diary – that just doesn’t work for me. I will not obsess over the amount of calories I eat, but I will be more mindful of what goes on my plate and in my mouth.

So as of today, the scale is down to 167.8. I’m not thrilled with that, but I am happy to see it going back in the right direction.

I still have not found a good substitute for chips and other salty snacks.

What small changes have you made to get you back on track?