Log for January 13/2009

Tuesday is my self-indulgence day. I'm giving myself one day a week to have pretty much whatever I want - as long as it isn't crap. I love bread, and I love peanut butter, so once a week I'm having peanut butter sammiches!!

First thing - green juice made from celery, cucumber, kale, parsley, apple

Breakfast - steel cut oats with blueberries

Snack - fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice

Lunch - peanut butter/banana sandwich made with 1 tbsp PB, 1 small banana and 2 slices spelt bread

Snack - fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice

Dinner - peanut butter/jam sandwich made with 1 tbsp PB, 2 tbsp low sugar apricot jam and 2 slices spelt bread.

throughout the day - 2 cups soy milk

not much in the way of vegetables, but it's only one day per week.

Log for January 12/09

Run - 4 miles
Pushups - 50
Crunches - 25 (I'm not trying hard enough)
Stretching - solid 15 minutes
Tibetan Rites http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

First thing - green juice made from cucumber, celery, kale, apple

Breakfast - pancake made from spelt flour, baking pwdr, and fruit pulp

Snack - fresh grapefruit/pineapple juice

Lunch - kale, grape tomatoes, avocado, onion, chard with hemp oil and lemon juice

Snack - fresh apple, carrot, ginger juice

Dinner - quinoa and chinese vegetable stir-fry, blackberries/raspberries with balsamic vinegar

Throughout the day - 2 cups soy milk, 8 glasses of water, coffee, tea.

I'm getting more sleep, but most of it seems to be in the chair in front of the television. I just can't stay interested in anything long enough to keep awake. My body definitely works on the dark to dark schedule - although I do wake up long before dawn.

On we go...

My new eating/exercise plan is working well. It's not really new, just something I'm actually sticking to. I'll be posting my food and my workouts here each day to keep myself accountable. I use Fitday software to figure out my caloric intake - it's free online, but I actually bought the software a few years back to use offline, and I think it's very reliable.

Plan for January 11, 2009

Run - 4 miles
Pushups - 50
Crunches - 25

First thing AM - green juice from kale, celery, cucumber and 1 apple

Breakfast - 2 small home-made bran muffins made without oil, sugar or eggs.

Snack - fresh carrot, ginger and apple juice

Lunch - Kale, celery, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, hemp oil, lemon juice, 1 pomengranate

Snack - fresh carrot, ginger and apple juice

Dinner - roasted tofu with squash and brussels sprouts, blueberries

Snack - 1 apple

Throughout the day - 2 cups soy milk.

12 glasses water

Total calories - 1700

I feel that by intensifying the nutrient value of the food I'm eating, I'm not craving more than I should eat. I'm not feeling hungry and my mood is level, which for me is a major coup.

Deep Freeze

Temperatures in these parts have not been pleasant. Most days start out at -10C or less and rarely go above -8C. The cold wouldn't be so bad, but the accompanying wind makes it very nasty for running. Consequently, I've been spending a lot of time with my treadmill.

I don't like the treadmill - never have, and never will, but it's a useful tool to have. Running is my preferred method for cardio, so I'm glad to have it. I've been cutting back on mileage this month, and aiming for a sustained heart rate most days. I'm thinking that the lower, even rate of movement is a better method for burning fat.

This is the year I WILL get to my goal weight. I thought when I started running the weight would just fall off me, but that hasn't been the case because I've been way over-eating to compensate for the intense hunger I thought I felt from running.

I'm concentrating on nutrient dense foods, and eliminating all the crap. I bought a really good juicer with some Christmas money. I start every day with a glass of fresh green juice, and have a few other combinations throughout the day. I'm using the pulp in vegan pancakes and also in Dexter's food - he loves it.

There are lots of reasons to eat out of boredom at this time of year - weather being the number one culprit - but so far I'm satisfied and even-keeled with mood - even this past week with the full moon upon us.

I'm thinking about signing up for a half marathon in April - it's for both walkers and runners and I might try half and half. I don't want to put myself into the position of becoming obsessive about training again - that's where I fell off the boat before.

Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. Moderation.

It's Too Early for a Prediction...

BUT - this is the 5th day of the new year and I am down 5 1/2 pounds. Judging by the number of times I have to get up during the night to pee - I know most of it is water - but it's a great motivational start.

I have totally cleaned up my diet, and I'm eating the calories required to balance the amount of exercise I'm doing, and I'm spacing the calories throughout the day, rather than loading up at the end of the day.

I have been down this road many times before, and I'm looking on the last year as one of personal indulgence that really didn't do me what bit of good. I get this idea from time to time that I should be able to eat anything I want to - and I probably could, if I would learn the skill of moderation. However, there are some foods that I know I can never eat in moderation - and anything bakery is the major food group I should never touch - even vegan versions.

I'm involved in a pushup challenge that I didn't think would go anywhere - but I'm making small improvements with girlie pushups, and I might eventually be able to do real one. Also doing a situp (crunch) challenge which isn't as difficult.

OH -I'm also organizing other areas of my life. I have a real problem with completing household chores unless there's a real reason to do it, other than the fact that I really do like a tidy enivironment, I just don't like to tidy it. When you have two basic slobs living in the same place, the mess really doesn't bother anyone. I'm changing that.

I bought myself an iPod Touch a while back and it has all kinds of interesting applications for organization. I've become a list maker. I could have been a list maker with paper and pen, but I was never that girl. That's my sister. Electronic lists are a whole 'nother ball game. Give me software to make lists and I'm all over it. Every day I add a few things to my 'to do' list and I check them off as I complete them. Simple - yes. It works. My daughter says it gives the geek in me a reward for accomplishing something. Whatever.

It has been one month since my last blog post...

And it's time for me to get back on the horse - or the wagon. The month of December was a nightmare for me. I got on a bad roll, and couldn't - or wouldn't - stop. I was almost double-fisting food into my mouth, and all things that I know are bad for me.

I spent a lot of time baking. Bread. More bread. And when that was gone I made more. Monster pretzels, bagels, apple crisp, and bran muffins. All vegan-legal, and perfectly fine in moderation, but moderation is a word I wasn't paying any attention to. I gained nearly 15 pounds in one month.

I'm not going to kid myself into thinking that because I gained it quickly it will come off quickly. It won't. It will be a struggle - the same struggle I've been involved with all of my life. If that wasn't bad enough, I've gained another 15 pounds since the beginning of last year - making me exactly 30 pounds heavier today than I was January 1, 2008. At that time I was within 30 pounds of my goal weight, and now I'm 60 pounds away. I've still managed to keep over 100 pounds off, but it isn't good enough.

I believe my problems started when I started running with Reg. Instead of doing my own runs, I was going with him, and letting him dictate where and how far we would go. In the last month he has done hardly any running, and I've let myself run on the treadmill because it seemed so much easier than going outside. I ran outside for the last two winters in all kinds of weather, and I survived - in fact I felt great! I ran 300 miles more last year than this, and that's not good.

New Year's Day (yesterday) I told Reg I was going out for at least 4 miles. He asked if I wanted company. I said sure. Then he started whining about the route I planned, the distance, and the time it would take. I said - ok buddy - I'm not playing this game with you. If you want to run on my terms, let's go - otherwise I'm going alone. And I did go alone. I felt fantastic when I got back home because I did what I set out to do, and I wasn't led into making excuses for myself.

I love Reg dearly, but I'm afraid he's fired as my running companion. I'll stick to my own plan, and do my own thing, and if he wants to come along occasionally - that's fine with me, but it will be on my terms or it won't happen.

I've pitched all the crap out of the house. I won't be baking bread for a long time. Reg can eat packaged bread, and I know I can't - so that's what will be in the house. I'm cleaning up my act and sticking to the things I know are good for me, give me energy, and will get the freakin' fat moving from my hips again.

I've got myself involved in so many challenges on the net that I'm not sure I can keep up with them all, but I'm sure going to try.

My number one resolution for this year is to be kinder to myself.