Weight loss & fitness log

That's difficult when you go someplace that only serves food like that, chicken nuggets likely contains a lot of carbs considering it's coated in white flour. Every bit of hidden carbs can add up quite a bit. Anything with a breading will through my plan off and won't work unless it's a non flour grain type coating. I stay under a certain number of carbs period each and every day, no exception except for the day I'll have rice or fruit or what I call my cheat day, but no less than 5 days out of the week, I am under 30 carbs a day for these first two weeks anyway. Most people are under 20 for the first two weeks straight, usually better, but, this is how I'm doing it this time around, so far so good.

The first two week strictness if really to get the sugar carb cravings out of the system, it does work, but, I think I doing ok.
 

I don't count calories.. I use portion sizes. Calorie counting is too stressful IMO.. I kind of have a visual of what normal portions sizes should be. Like a serving of protien (meat) the size of a deck of playing cards.. I don't omit food groups but limit amounts. I sort of follow this plan.

portion-control-guide1.jpg
 
NancyNGA said:
Sounds like a very good plan, and similar to what I try to aim for. Every so often I get the itch for sweets. I gave up white bread a long time ago.
That is bad stuff in many ways, imo. I go out for an inexpensive lunch almost every day with a friend. That's why all the fast food items on my menu, lol.
It's a challenge to find something low calorie in those places.
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I have a serious sweet tooth but I resist (not always successfully, obviously) by telling myself I have a choice. I can have 10 minutes of pleasure eating sugar, or 23 hours and 50 minutes of feeling healthy and fit and comfortable with my body.

I never eat lettuce. I eat a big salad every day about an hour before dinner and the leaves are either spinach or mixed dark lettuce and other leaves, cucumber, radish, carrot, tomato, celery with fat free vinaigrette. It's actually quite filling as I get hungry by about 4pm and it takes the edge off until dinner.

You may want to find somewhere else to eat lunch. I think even McD's has a salad with chicken breast doesn't it?
 

QuickSilver said:
I don't count calories.. I use portion sizes. Calorie counting is too stressful IMO.. I kind of have a visual of what normal portions sizes should be. Like a serving of protien (meat) the size of a deck of playing cards.. I don't omit food groups but limit amounts. I sort of follow this plan.

portion-control-guide1.jpg
Click to expand...

Glad you can do well with not counting calories, but I find it stressful not to count calories as I can't trust my own judgement. Even when I'm on maintenance I still count.

When I re-started counting calories a few years ago because using my own judgement was not working, I discovered just how high in calories some foods are. Our dinners are normally one pot meals (curries or chili w/rice on the side) and figuring out how to calculate that was a challenge. My husband never uses a recipe. So I looked at all the different ingredients he uses and found that all of them are about 100 cal per 100g, most are less. So I weigh out about 350g of the dish and count that as 300 calories. Rice is separate. Salad is separate. Has worked very well.

If I have nuts or seeds I weigh those out in grams. Tonight I'm having walnut pieces and almond slivers on my salad. 10 g total is 63 calories.
 
Good afternoon, ladies!

Menu:
B: porridge/dried fruit/cinnamon/almond milk
S: post workout: 2 oatcakes w/pb
L: whole wheat tortilla w/low fat hummous, yogurt, grapes
D: veg curry & basmati rice, salad w/walnut pieces & almond slivers
S: 2 oatcakes w/low fat cheddar
tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1482

Workout at gym:
30 mins spin bike
10 mins rowing machine
5 mins elliptical
4 x 12 on 3 resistance machines (my favourite machine was broken!)
4 x 12 rope/pulley for triceps

Workout at home (upper):
dumbbells - 4 sets of 12 - 11 routines
push ups - 4 x 12
triceps dips - 4 x 12
 
I like to graze too much so counting calories won't really work for me either, on my plan, if I want to snack, I can snack on deli meats, dip a piece of celery into a cheese dip as much as my mouth needs to do so, drink sugar free lemon aides or ice teas and it helps. I can also much on crunchy pork skins to cure my need for something crunchy. Sometimes I will put a slice of cheese in the micro for a crunch, same with a couple of slices of pepperoni. It quenches my need chomp on something. This I couldn't do if I were eating high carb foods with in the day, so for now, I have to eliminate them in order to stick to a plan or I can forget about dieting altogether. I've tried all the other ways and there's not kidding myself, I will go mad if I can't graze as much as I want, when I want, it just has to be protein. For one day, I can do a calorie count day, but, that's as long as I would last, I've also done fasting, but mostly under do or die circumstances or usually prior to having to undergo medical testing as a requirement. LOL . I've tried every way of eating, this is the one that works best for me when I want to lose weight, as soon as I allow too much of the other stuff in for more than a day, my mind just wants more and more at higher quantities.

I didn't gain my weight slowly, usually over a binge period and then back to normal eating and then it would be a matter of yo-yoing. I'm hoping to do better this time around.


QS, I like your plate, my plate does look like that about once or twice a week, without the carrots and sweet peas, more just more of the greens though.
 
AprilT said:
I like to graze too much so counting calories won't really work for me either, on my plan, if I want to snack, I can snack on deli meats, dip a piece of celery into a cheese dip as much as my mouth needs to do so, drink sugar free lemon aides or ice teas and it helps. I can also much on crunchy pork skins to cure my need for something crunchy. Sometimes I will put a slice of cheese in the micro for a crunch, same with a couple of slices of pepperoni. It quenches my need chomp on something. This I couldn't do if I were eating high carb foods with in the day, so for now, I have to eliminate them in order to stick to a plan or I can forget about dieting altogether. I've tried all the other ways and there's not kidding myself, I will go mad if I can't graze as much as I want, when I want, it just has to be protein. For one day, I can do a calorie count day, but, that's as long as I would last, I've also done fasting, but mostly under do or die circumstances or usually prior to having to undergo medical testing as a requirement. LOL . I've tried every way of eating, this is the one that works best for me when I want to lose weight, as soon as I allow too much of the other stuff in for more than a day, my mind just wants more and more at higher quantities.

I didn't gain my weight slowly, usually over a binge period and then back to normal eating and then it would be a matter of yo-yoing. I'm hoping to do better this time around.


QS, I like your plate, my plate does look like that about once or twice a week, without the carrots and sweet peas, more just more of the greens though.
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We all have to do what works for us. I try to stretch out my meals so I'm not going for too long without something. After a heavy gym workout I have to have a carb + protein and the best one is my oatcakes w/pb. I try to save either my fruit or yogurt from lunch for mid-afternoon. Then salad before dinner. And a small snack at night. I don't feel so deprived that way.

I know many who refuse to count calories, but in preparing for my 60th birthday in 2012, I went from 167 to 128 pounds by counting calories and lots of working out. Gotta stick with it. Can't count when we travel and look what happens!! Ack!
 
I've lost 40 lbs doing my plan in the past. I get to eat most of the things I enjoy, just not the high carb things. Only things I'm really avoiding mostly are things that are truly bad for you to begin with like white flour. Soon, I will be able to have cheesecake, low carb of course.

take a look at some of these recipes, I'll probably make some of these. I sometimes substitute chopped up cauliflower for rice.


I should add, I don't use any of the special products like the baking flours they use in any of the recipes, if I need a coating, I'll make my own using almond flour/ground nuts of some sort or ground low carb bread I may have on hand, but mostly I nix much of the coatings..



this isn't the cheesecake recipe I use, but just an example, I am probably going to try this one though:

 
Looking at those recipes made me so hungry, so using what I had on hand, I just made a small batch of barbbeque chicken wings, I'm waiting for them to get a bit darker in the oven as I type. I just whipped up a sauce off the cuff, using tomato puree vinegar, a variety of spices and splenda and since I like it hot, I added some hot sauce to it. will have some veggies with it for a late lunch. wish I had some blue cheese dressing, gotta pick that up some blue cheese next time I'm at the store.
 
AprilT said:
Looking at those recipes made me so hungry, so using what I had on hand, I just made a small batch of barbbeque chicken wings, I'm waiting for them to get a bit darker in the oven as I type. I just whipped up a sauce off the cuff, using tomato puree vinegar, a variety of spices and splenda and since I like it hot, I added some hot sauce to it. will have some veggies with it for a late lunch. wish I had some blue cheese dressing, gotta pick that up some blue cheese next time I'm at the store.
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Right. Now I'm craving chicken! We eat vegetarian at home unless we have company. We always have chicken when Ugandan daughter visits as it's her favourite meat, and when the weather is decent it's put on the grill.

O/H is catholic and he has given up meat for Lent although he doesn't eat a lot of it anyway. So he says on Easter he's going to have a bacon roll. I will join him!
 
LOL, a bacon roll, sounds yummy. That's what I really love, I can eat all the bacon I want, I don't, just once a day i'll have a few strips with my eggs, most mornings.

I could do vegetarian, believe it or not, I'm not a big meat lover, but, for loosing weight, this works best for me and I can't do things like soy and I will od on things like nuts and certain oats and fruits. I think I've mentioned before, one of my favorite places to eat is at Sweet Tomatoes which is mostly Vegetarian's dream menu.

the food


about the place and the food

 
AprilT said:
LOL, a bacon roll, sounds yummy. That's what I really love, I can eat all the bacon I want, I don't, just once a day a few strips with my eggs, most mornings.
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Bacon here is more like Canadian bacon....more meat than fat. You put it on a fresh bakery roll with butter and some put on a brown sauce.
 
Thanks QS, it was quick and easy to whip up. I got a really good deal on the wings, I picked them up last week for $0.99 a lb got the last two large packs, I have another package in the freezer. :D They usually run close to $3 per lb these days.
 
Okay, April. I had to have some chicken today! Picked up some sliced chicken breast when I was shopping and am now eating my sandwich. Not quite the same as grilled or fried, but still good.

Menu:
B: porridge/dried fruit/cinnamon/almond milk
L: chicken breast on whole grain seeded bread w/lite mayo, strawberries, cottage cheese, yogurt
D: veggie chili w/kidney beans and Quorn mince & basmati rice, salad
S: apple
tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1342

Workout at home (lower):
side dips w/dumbbell - 4 x 10
squats with dumbbells - 4 x 10
lunges w/dumbbells using step - 4 x 10
lunges w/dumbbells - 4 x 10
side lunges w/dumbbells using step - 4 x 10
thighs/glutes with ankle weights - 4 x 12 - 3 routines
planks - 4
abs-4 routines x 4
bridge (for glutes, core, thighs) - 12 x 10 seconds
calf lifts w/dumbbell - 4 x 10
 
Good to see what you ladies are up to and keeping up with your plans staying the course. :thumbsup1: I have to continue to say thank you to you all, watching you all is a big help in my own journey and so far, so good, I can feel the fat melting away, so:bighug: and thank you for keeping us up to date on what's going on with you all even the setbacks are important to hear about so we can try to be there if someone needs a boost, has a question, wants to make a change to something they feel isn't working for them or is working stupendously to their benefit for them, but, at the same time, none of us are telling anyone else they should follow in any of our own exact footsteps because as we know, we're not all cut from the same bush. Trial and error sometimes.

Here's to us staying the course till we reach our goal and beyond. But, :fingerscrossed: Sometimes I'm going to need a little of the fingers crossed when I pass the bakery department on a bad day.:laugh:
 
QS, I think the calf lift with the dumbbell is just placing a light dumbbell across your shoulders (behind your neck) and going up and down on your toes slowly. The added weight gives more resistance. I used to stand at home by a doorway and lightly hold the woodwork for support, and do calf lifts on one foot only, while the other foot was wrapped around my leg, that also was a better work out than doing both feet on floor.

I used to do a Jazzercise class before going to work, and we did bridges that looked like this, in the video. When I tried yoga, a bridge was on the floor hands and toes touching, kinda like a push up, but just holding a super straight body position for a certain amount of time. I could never get into yoga, too much strain on my neck and lower back, probably due to a weak core, and the class was not for beginners.

 
Thanks Seabreeze.. I was thinking that a dumbbell was somehow balanced on the foot and the leg lifted.. Not sure how that could be done. I really need to join the gym. I don't know if I would get myself there often enough to be worth it.
 
This is the 3rd year I've ever gone in my life. Several years ago, one opened by my house and it was $9.99. I can't afford high priced gyms so I jumped on the opportunity to join. It was so close I could have walked there if I had to. Sure enough, when you like something, it goes away. They moved to a location that was further away and not so convenient, so I went there a few times until my contract ran out.

A Bally's opened up a little closer to me, and the intro rate if you signed up for 2 yrs. was $10 a month, so I'm on my last year. Now it's been taken over by 24hr Fitness, so I think come January, I'll be an orphan again. I'm far from a 'gym rat', which my husband likes to playfully call me, but I try to go several times a week now, especially since this challenge here to lose weight.

I have some old exercise tapes like step aerobics, turbojam, etc., but I don't have much room in my house to do these things, and we no longer have a TV in the basement for my workouts.

Good to hear that everyone's sticking to it and gettin' 'er done! :pepper:
 
SeaBreeze said:
QS, I think the calf lift with the dumbbell is just placing a light dumbbell across your shoulders (behind your neck) and going up and down on your toes slowly. The added weight gives more resistance. I used to stand at home by a doorway and lightly hold the woodwork for support, and do calf lifts on one foot only, while the other foot was wrapped around my leg, that also was a better work out than doing both feet on floor.

I used to do a Jazzercise class before going to work, and we did bridges that looked like this, in the video. When I tried yoga, a bridge was on the floor hands and toes touching, kinda like a push up, but just holding a super straight body position for a certain amount of time. I could never get into yoga, too much strain on my neck and lower back, probably due to a weak core, and the class was not for beginners.

Click to expand...

Yes that's the bridge but I go up and hold for 10 seconds. But for the calf lift I hold a dumbbell in one hand at my side, get on my step so my heel can hang over the edge and lift up on my toes.
 
Calories for Wed (3/18/15): 1320

Did well with both eating and exercise yesterday. Walked over a mile out at the farm checking the fence. The land is very hilly and difficult
walking so good cardio and leg exercise. Then I had to figure out how to drag a boat (not a goat :)) out of the pond. Long story. On days when
there's a lot to do I eat less because there's just not the spare time to think about snacks. It's the day *after* I got to watch out for, specially
if there's nothing planned. I tend to get that "I deserve a little extra food today because of yesterday" mindset.
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