I really feel like I let myself down today. I ate much more than normal, and to make matters worse, I probably won't exercise tonight as I have to be up at approx 5:30am tomorrow morning. I know I can shuffle exercise days this week to make up for it but I just feel so turned around. I am in one of those moods where you feel like you just ruined everything. here is the damage for today:

breakfast: 1 slice high fiber oatmeal bread

then midday people at the office came in with food and i caved. I had 1/2 of a bagel with nothing on it. then i had a medium sized apple.

lunch: healthy choice meal under 300 cals

dinner 1/2 chicken breast grilled with leftover corn and beans and loads of veggies.

Plus I picked at some stuff that was left in the fridge but no major pig out. enough to add some calories though.

THEN i had 1 serving of fat free sorbet.

*SIGH*

I am going to try really hard to make it up tomorrow. It's just frustrating.

Helloooooo guys!

I am in a very good mood because I went shopping again. (Hey...can you blame a girl with coupons?)

Thank you grrlscout...maybe it will bounce back off you and get to me again! I'm really glad to hear that morningstar brand is good, because I see it all the time. it's going on the shopping list for tomorrow!

I am definitely going to look into the gym/weight training thing. I know I should be strength training and if an inexpensive set of weights can really do it, then I am buying one.

I looooooooove all these sites. I am going to sit here tomorrow and go through each and every one of them! Thank you Bee, Grrlscout, TriGirl, and CajetaGuy for all the great resources. Heck, thank all of you!

PS: Here is what today looked like. It isn't perfect yet but it is getting better. I think the afternoon protein really helped. It was just a quick fix because I haven't been to the store yet, but rest assured I will be trying your suggestions:

Breakfast: Bowl of whole grain cereal/skim milk
Snack: apple
Lunch: 300 calorie healthy choice
Snack: 2 slices lean ham, 1 slice oatmeal bread
Dinner: whole wheat tortilla with 2 slices grilled beef, corn/bean/bell pepper mixture, FF Sour cream and salsa. Green beans.
Snack: ? later...maybe. who knows!

I feel so much better about my eating plan already!

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Originally posted by Bee:

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Originally posted by Kara:
I have been wanting to introduce more strength training into my workout but i am not totally sure about how to go about that yet. Purchase weights? I know there are certain strength training exercises you can do too. I love this forum!

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I would strongly encourage you to do a session or two with a personal trainer to get down the right form for lifting free weights.

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I agree. Spend the money to learn how to lift weights correctly. Not only will you not get the results you want, but you could injure yourself if you are lifting incorrectly. Most gyms will offer introductory training sessions.

Hey CG - I bought that book on your recommendation. I really like it! Lots of illustrations :c )

Jen - I know what ya mean. Because of the ramp up to exams last week, I pretty much took the whole week off - didn't exercise and ate poorly. Ulgh!! This week I'm trying to get back on track - just do at least one thing every day.

Sometimes life interferes with our goals, but the best we can do is dust ourselves off and get back to work. Your body was just "down for maintenance and repair." It was totally necessary (so don't blame yourself) and it'll be back in service before you know it.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that it takes several weeks to start losing muscles gains - so all is not lost!

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...I have been wanting to introduce more strength training into my workout but i am not totally sure about how to go about that yet. Purchase weights?...

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I taught myself with the small book "The Great Dumbbell Handbook". One of these days, I'm going to also order the book "Complete Body Development With Dumbbells".

Grrlscout, the book is called "Slow Fat Triathlete." However, when I flipped through it at the bookstore, I was dismayed to find out that she's faster than me. And though she weighs more, she's also taller than me.

I read the fit or fat article -- pretty interesting. The only thing I didn't like about it -- and I see this in a lot of things written by people who were once overweight but are now thin -- is that it seemed a bit judgemental about those who are overweight. Still, good food for thought.

I have been feeling really self-critical lately. I don't know if it's because my exercise was interrupted by that cold or what. This attitude has not been helpful at all.

Hey Kara, your enthusiasm is contagious!

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the veggie sausage patties. I got the Morningstar Farms ones, and they taste like the real deal. Micro'd along with an egg and you've got good eats.

How much equipment you want to have is entirely up to you. I have access to a gym, so my home equipment is pretty limited - 5 and 10lb dumbbells, with intentions to buy resistance bands. I have a balance ball at work too, but it's mostly just my chair.

Here is another handy weight training resource. Take some time and explore the whole site. Lots of useful (and entertaining!) info:

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

Make sure to at least read "mind games" and "starting."

Jen!
Was it you who recommended The Fat Triathlete? I just noticed that there's an article on this site called "fat or fit? fat and fit?" I just skimmed it. Looks really academic -- which both appeals to me and give post-gradschool-traumatic-stress-heebiejeebies. *shudder*

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Originally posted by Kara:
I have been wanting to introduce more strength training into my workout but i am not totally sure about how to go about that yet. Purchase weights? I know there are certain strength training exercises you can do too. I love this forum!

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I would strongly encourage you to do a session or two with a personal trainer to get down the right form for lifting free weights.
After you get your form down, you can find some very inexpensive weight sets. There are also some good internet resources for different exercises. Here's one of my favorites:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/a/workout_center.htm

This is *great* guys! I love all these suggestions. I'm so glad I have you so I don't have to sit here puzzling about how i keep setting myself up to overeat in evenings, don't get enough protein, etc. I love all of your protein ideas grrlscout! I love hummus but it just never clicked in my brain that I could use it as a protein source. Plus, i always wondered if those veggie sausages were any good. I am assuming they are, now! haha. This is great great great. I have been wanting to introduce more strength training into my workout but i am not totally sure about how to go about that yet. Purchase weights? I know there are certain strength training exercises you can do too. I love this forum!

I also have the need to have a protein with my afternoon snack otherwise I overeat at dinner.

Looks like a great plan Kara!

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Originally posted by Kara:
Breakfast: 1 serving of something wholegrain (such as cereal with milk or a portion-sized high fiber muffin)
I would like to get some kind of protein in here...will yogurt work for that? Or maybe low fat cottage cheese? I am still very conscious of the fat in cheese/nuts, so i would rather avoid them...


Snack: Fruit

Lunch: 300 calorie healthy choice with a large serving of vegetables to go with it.

Snack: Fruit and one serving of (hopefully whole) grains. (ex: whole grain cereal or low fat granola bar..etc)

Dinner: Portioned servings of a protein and grain, and a large serving of vegetables.

Snack: if i get hungry beyond this point i could plan to just have some veggies leftover to snack on throughout the night. Occasionally i might have a low calorie/low fat dessert.

I tried to add a LOT more snacks in there, as you can see. Is this TOO much, do you think? Still not enough?

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I find that I need an additional serving of protein in the afternoon. It helps to power me through my workout after work and keeps me happy until dinner. It also helps to curb the sugar cravings that hit around 3.30pm. Grrlscout has some great suggestions.

Don't forget the calcium! Must get calcium!

I like low-fat feta (you can buy it already crumbled up in the grocery store) on my salads--it doesn't take much dressing to liven it up.

Soymilk (no, really, just try it!) isn't nearly as bad as people think it is, especially if you get a sugar-free, low-fat chocolate one

I like to mix fat-free cream cheese with. . .well, lots of things: pineapple & raisins; dill & red pepper; oregano, garlic, & basil. . . .and use that as either spreads or dips. Have to control portions, but it's a nice change for dipping broccoli, celery, carrots (I hate carrots, but my boyfriend will eat them), flatbread. . .well, all sorts of things.

I have to admit, part of what I'm enjoying is trying to figure out new ways to eat everything I should. I get bored pretty easily, and always try to keep something on hand that's quick to fix in case an "experiment" goes awry. . not that it EVER happens, of course. . .


D

Hi Kara! Good for you for deciding to get healthy, and making a plan for success.

I think what you have so far is a good start. You'll probably end up tweaking here and there, as you find things that work and don't work for you.

You've got the whole grains / fiber thing nailed down. But it looks like you might need some ideas for healthy carb/protein combinations.

So here are some things I like to munch:

• hummus + carrots or pita chips or flatbread
  
• half a bagel w/natural peanut butter
  
• ww english muffin w/1 egg + veggie sausage patty
  
• salad topped with bits of flavorful cheese and either a lil bit of prosciutto or leftover salmon, chicken, or steak
  
• fat free yogurt mixed with sliced fruit and grape nuts or Kashi 7 in the Morning + wheat germ
  
• piece of string cheese + dried apricots or fresh grapes

You get the idea!

Don't be afraid of cheese and nuts. Everything in moderation! Part of the reason I like string cheese, is that it comes in single servings. They also make a light version, but I don't care too much for it. I'll deal with the extra 30 cals.

And heck nuts (especially walnuts) also contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help with heart health.

Just, uh ... don't go nuts! Hehe

Another handy resource, from stumptuous.com - check out the three columns near the bottom:

Krista's Kalorietastic Komestible Konfabulator
http://www.stumptuous.com/dieting101.html

Ugh! No wonder I am so tired! I am lugging around a whole orchard of grapefruits! haha. Thanks for all of this really wise advice. I think I really need to just sit down and PLAN what I am going to eat for the day -- even if not specifically, in the general area. I really like the idea of centering the main part of my calories in the middle of the day because it has always just plain made sense to me. I think I resisted doing it because I normally eat a regular "dinner" with my family every night. I can still eat dinner with them, i'll just have less. I know that they eat that way in many places in Europe. So here is my new approximate plan. Please make suggestions where you see places for improvement.

Breakfast: 1 serving of something wholegrain (such as cereal with milk or a portion-sized high fiber muffin)
I would like to get some kind of protein in here...will yogurt work for that? Or maybe low fat cottage cheese? I am still very conscious of the fat in cheese/nuts, so i would rather avoid them...


Snack: Fruit

Lunch: 300 calorie healthy choice with a large serving of vegetables to go with it.

Snack: Fruit and one serving of (hopefully whole) grains. (ex: whole grain cereal or low fat granola bar..etc)

Dinner: Portioned servings of a protein and grain, and a large serving of vegetables.

Snack: if i get hungry beyond this point i could plan to just have some veggies leftover to snack on throughout the night. Occasionally i might have a low calorie/low fat dessert.

I tried to add a LOT more snacks in there, as you can see. Is this TOO much, do you think? Still not enough?

I think that's why I look so much different with only losing about 50 pounds or so -- as I was losing weight, I was adding muscle, so I am a lot smaller than I used to be even without a huge drastic weight loss.

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Originally posted by TriGirl:
It's actually that 5 pounds of fat looks like 3 grapefruits, while 5 pounds of muscle looks like 2 tangerines. So even more drastic than you think!

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Doh! THREE grapefruits??? Yikes. We recently cut down our grapefruit tree, and THREE grapefruit. . .well, that makes me want to. . .want to. . .well, it makes me want to lose it NOW!

Thank you for setting me straight. THREE GRAPEFRUIT! Yikes!

D

D,

It's actually that 5 pounds of fat looks like 3 grapefruits, while 5 pounds of muscle looks like 2 tangerines. So even more drastic than you think!

I need to hit the weight room to pick up a few tangerines, as I have not been lifting lately and feel like I've picked up a couple of grapefruits.

I think it was TriGirl that posted a few weeks ago how 5 pounds of fat is about the size of a grapefruit, and 5 pounds of muscle is about the size of a tangerine. (side note: there is always a tangerine in my fridge now that I don't eat so that when I feel the urge to eat, the first thing I see is "5 pounds of muscle")

One of my daily habits now is taking a multi-vitamin along with my evening medication so that I know I get plenty of things that are good for me. I'm of the camp that believes it's better to get vitamins & minerals from foods, but there are days I know I don't do that, so the multi-vitamin helps me there.

Something to think about

D

The problem with undereating is that you're setting yourself up for trouble further down the line. When I get too hungry, I have no self-control, and sometimes this will cause me to roam the kitchen eating everything in sight until I feel sick. Not good. Better to eat healthfully and normally in adequate amounts than to over- or undereat.

Congrats on the smaller pants! You're doing great!

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Originally posted by Kara:
I guess I have become so focused on not overeating that I am not planning to adequately meet my actual nutritional needs. I didn't realize it was so easy to go overboard in the other direction too.

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You can count me in for doing the same thing as well. Fitday also helped me greatly.