That is my new goal! I have been majorly slacking and making some very bad food judgements!! My eating has really just gotten ridiculous. It needs to match my workouts!! I shouldn't still be in the 160s after nearly a year of working my butt off in the gym! (well, technically not the gym. The pavement and my home workout room!)
My birthday is in 15 days. I do not want to ring in another year feeling depressed about my weight!!
15 days is a day over 2 weeks. It is my goal to lose 2 lbs each week, to be down 4 lbs by the big day. This is a reasonable, attainable goal IF I do not mess up my eating!!
My plan:
1) Figure out the day before what I will eat the following day. I am an impulsive person and I need some structure if I want to have a good eating day!
2) Also plan out my workouts. I usually do not have a problem with this but I like to see a well thought-out plan of workouts, like how p90x is arranged. I'm still on hiatus from p90x but I can still structure my workouts and have a planned rest day.
3) Channel my nervous energy into something besides eating. When I want to eat, I will have a cup of green tea. I will also find something else to keep me busy, which should be cleaning!
I really hope I can stick to this and get back into the 150s and leave the 160s forever!
Monday, October 11, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
Saturday, October 9, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
How bad do I want this??
I've been a bad, bad girl this week. I have my moments of being a good girl but I'm pretty sure the pan of brownies, pumpkin pie, and container of Rocky Road ice cream ruined my chances of seeing any movement on the scale!! I am super motivated to do my workouts but notsomuch in the kitchen. I'm not sure where I went wrong. I am really questioning clean eating. If I am never satisfied with the foods I am "allowed" then something isn't right. I can't keep trying to do something I'm not capable of doing! I have had some good eating weeks that have also produced zero movement on the scale. Something is keeping me stuck at 163 and it isn't my workouts!!
I'm going to experiment with a new eating plan over the next week. I'm going to try and focus my eating around real foods around the perimeter of the grocery store. That part will stay the same. But I want to focus more on fat rather than protein. My skin and hair are TERRIBLE right now!! My hair has never been this dry and I don't think my skin has been, either. I am constantly itching my legs. I was reading a blog earlier this week whose author had tried and gained weight with clean eating. So that made me wonder if it wasn't me, maybe it was the diet. Maybe I'm not such a failure, afterall!!
So next week starts a new adventure. I did lose weight and inches when I started the Abs diet last summer so I will also be following that, emphasising my choices on the 12 powerfoods. Doing some Abs recipes. Cutting out the sugar!!!! I think this is key. So no more lowfat, high protein diet for me. I'm going to try higher fat, more complex carbs like starchy veggies and oats, and I'm reintroducing two of my old favs: bacon and butter! I hope that if I feel more satisfied after every meal that I will be less likely to want to cheat and eat between meals. I'm also going to make sure that 3 of my workouts next week are strength training. This week I have only done one. I MUST be under 160 by my birthday on October 26!! I hope changing up my eating does the trick!
I'm going to experiment with a new eating plan over the next week. I'm going to try and focus my eating around real foods around the perimeter of the grocery store. That part will stay the same. But I want to focus more on fat rather than protein. My skin and hair are TERRIBLE right now!! My hair has never been this dry and I don't think my skin has been, either. I am constantly itching my legs. I was reading a blog earlier this week whose author had tried and gained weight with clean eating. So that made me wonder if it wasn't me, maybe it was the diet. Maybe I'm not such a failure, afterall!!
So next week starts a new adventure. I did lose weight and inches when I started the Abs diet last summer so I will also be following that, emphasising my choices on the 12 powerfoods. Doing some Abs recipes. Cutting out the sugar!!!! I think this is key. So no more lowfat, high protein diet for me. I'm going to try higher fat, more complex carbs like starchy veggies and oats, and I'm reintroducing two of my old favs: bacon and butter! I hope that if I feel more satisfied after every meal that I will be less likely to want to cheat and eat between meals. I'm also going to make sure that 3 of my workouts next week are strength training. This week I have only done one. I MUST be under 160 by my birthday on October 26!! I hope changing up my eating does the trick!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
I need a Calgon Moment
If I've learned anything so far in my almost-26-years of living, it is that life cannot be planned. It is constantly surprising you and taking twists and turns that you don't expect and taking you down unmarked paths. I never quite envisioned the journey I've had. I had a 10-year plan. I remember sitting down with Pete while we were still dating and we made out a plan. We had it all figured out. I was going to get my PharmD and we were going to wait until I graduated to get married. Then we were going to buy a house, work and travel for a couple years, then think about having kids. In this plan, I was going to become a mother for the first time at around 27 or 28 years old. We were going to have a big beautiful house in the suburbs and be very rich and very happy and have a big boat in our garage along with our luxury car and our big truck.
Then reality hit. I couldn't afford to go to school. I couldn't get the financial aid and my parents couldn't help me. I was scared of having thousands and thousands of dollars worth of student loans. I did the unthinkable--I enrolled at a community college and majored in something that had a future--nursing. Pete and I both got sick in the same month and had to miss a lot of work. We fell behind in our bills and could no longer afford to live in our apartment. We both had to move back in with our parents. Not wanting to live like this forever, we decided it would be best for Pete to enlist in the Army.
Ahhhh yes, we were going to be living the life. We were going to get stationed in some great, exotic, location, like Iceland or Germany or Hawaii. All of our problems would work themselves out and Pete would somehow dodge getting deployed during his three and a half year contract.
Of course none of that happened. We got stationed in a place no more exotic than home--Fort Hood, Texas. Surrounded by dirt. Hours away from any major cities or the ocean. Two deployments. Two babies. We can't wait til Pete gets out of the Army because nothing good has happened.
We get him out of the Army and look forward once again to the good life. Well, I'm still waiting. In hindsight, we had the good life while in the Army. Yes, there were deployments but at the time we were blindfolded by all of the negatives that we could not see the overwhelming amount of good things that had come to us. The real world doesn't have job security or great-paying jobs to people with no college education. No vacation time, no benefits. Just that cold shiver down your back wondering how you are going to make it another month. Having to decide between kids' clothes or food or bills. Living in constant stress and anxiety.
Having children was something I always wanted to do. In fact, it was part of the plan to have four. We both came from families with four siblings, and we wanted a big happy family. It wasn't going to be a problem because we were going to be rich and have a big house and be able to afford full-time help. We were going to take them on vacation and put them in the best schools and they were going to make us so happy.
Of course, we decided two was plenty. Why people willingly decide to have any more than two is just beyond me. Craziness. I never, ever wanted to stay at home with them. I am a smart woman, I have value to society. I did not belong at home. I hate cleaning and I've never really felt at ease around children. But what can a person do for work who doesn't have a bachelor's degree and who hasn't had steady work experience for the past five years because of moving five times because of the military?! AND be able to pay for daycare for two kids? Yeah, it wasn't gonna happen. So here I am, a stay-at-home mom. Not even just a stay at home mom, but a babysitter. I watch other people's kids to help support my family. I do not even get one-on-one time with my own children and I just absolutely hate that. I hate feeling jealous of people who have all this time to devote to their one child, or who are constantly on the go with their two. I am home-bound during the day and by the time 6 o'clock rolls around, I am DONE. I find myself waiting for someone to come pick up MY kids so I can finally be off of work. But nope, no such luck.
Maybe this sounds horrible to you. Just stop reading and go back to your perfect life. Maybe this sounds like your life as well, and secretly I hope I'm not alone. It's just how I feel. I am constantly fanticising about getting away. Anywhere. I keep thinking about getting a job. I apply for every single one I am qualified to do, and some that are probably out of my reach. I cannot stay home for another month. I am literally pulling my hair out. I leave chunks of it all over the house. I get angry. I yell. I get too consumed by stress and feelings of self-loathing that I cannot bring myself to do any housework, and then I get even more stressed out that I have a messy house. I have short hours of sanity immediately following my workouts but unfortunately I do not have enough time to workout every two or three hours throughout the day to keep up the endorphin high.
I think of that 10-year plan and I wonder, "where did I go wrong?" Is it my fault that I wasn't born to middle-class parents? Nah, I don't blame my parents for being poor. They worked hard to get to the point where they made just enough so I wouldn't qualify for any financial aid. Is it my fault that I live in a small economically depressed town? I suppose so. Although it is the only place I could afford to pay rent. Am I doing everything right or am I doing it all wrong?? I already realize that having kids before finishing school was not a smart decision but I don't regret having them. Are they abnormally rowdy and stubborn? Yes. Is it normal to constantly wish I could be taken away, like those Calgon commercials..."Calgon, Take Me Away!" I don't know.
I can only hope that my life is in the way more capable hands of someone else, and that everything I am going through is all for a reason. That one day I won't dread getting out of bed and living my life, that one day I will finally feel like things have worked out how they are supposed to be. It is the only thing that gives me hope. Until that day happens, I have a new 10-year plan. It isn't mapped out in chronological order and it isn't as specific or as eventful as my first list, since many of my major life changes have already occured. I don't have the same materialistic desires as I once had. I just want a simple, happy life. I want to have a career that I love, I want to be a homeowner, I want to go on a real vacation and finally see the ocean, and I want to be debt-free. I just want to feel "normal" like everyone else and not feel like my world is constantly closing in on me. I just hope it isn't too much to ask.
Then reality hit. I couldn't afford to go to school. I couldn't get the financial aid and my parents couldn't help me. I was scared of having thousands and thousands of dollars worth of student loans. I did the unthinkable--I enrolled at a community college and majored in something that had a future--nursing. Pete and I both got sick in the same month and had to miss a lot of work. We fell behind in our bills and could no longer afford to live in our apartment. We both had to move back in with our parents. Not wanting to live like this forever, we decided it would be best for Pete to enlist in the Army.
Ahhhh yes, we were going to be living the life. We were going to get stationed in some great, exotic, location, like Iceland or Germany or Hawaii. All of our problems would work themselves out and Pete would somehow dodge getting deployed during his three and a half year contract.
Of course none of that happened. We got stationed in a place no more exotic than home--Fort Hood, Texas. Surrounded by dirt. Hours away from any major cities or the ocean. Two deployments. Two babies. We can't wait til Pete gets out of the Army because nothing good has happened.
We get him out of the Army and look forward once again to the good life. Well, I'm still waiting. In hindsight, we had the good life while in the Army. Yes, there were deployments but at the time we were blindfolded by all of the negatives that we could not see the overwhelming amount of good things that had come to us. The real world doesn't have job security or great-paying jobs to people with no college education. No vacation time, no benefits. Just that cold shiver down your back wondering how you are going to make it another month. Having to decide between kids' clothes or food or bills. Living in constant stress and anxiety.
Having children was something I always wanted to do. In fact, it was part of the plan to have four. We both came from families with four siblings, and we wanted a big happy family. It wasn't going to be a problem because we were going to be rich and have a big house and be able to afford full-time help. We were going to take them on vacation and put them in the best schools and they were going to make us so happy.
Of course, we decided two was plenty. Why people willingly decide to have any more than two is just beyond me. Craziness. I never, ever wanted to stay at home with them. I am a smart woman, I have value to society. I did not belong at home. I hate cleaning and I've never really felt at ease around children. But what can a person do for work who doesn't have a bachelor's degree and who hasn't had steady work experience for the past five years because of moving five times because of the military?! AND be able to pay for daycare for two kids? Yeah, it wasn't gonna happen. So here I am, a stay-at-home mom. Not even just a stay at home mom, but a babysitter. I watch other people's kids to help support my family. I do not even get one-on-one time with my own children and I just absolutely hate that. I hate feeling jealous of people who have all this time to devote to their one child, or who are constantly on the go with their two. I am home-bound during the day and by the time 6 o'clock rolls around, I am DONE. I find myself waiting for someone to come pick up MY kids so I can finally be off of work. But nope, no such luck.
Maybe this sounds horrible to you. Just stop reading and go back to your perfect life. Maybe this sounds like your life as well, and secretly I hope I'm not alone. It's just how I feel. I am constantly fanticising about getting away. Anywhere. I keep thinking about getting a job. I apply for every single one I am qualified to do, and some that are probably out of my reach. I cannot stay home for another month. I am literally pulling my hair out. I leave chunks of it all over the house. I get angry. I yell. I get too consumed by stress and feelings of self-loathing that I cannot bring myself to do any housework, and then I get even more stressed out that I have a messy house. I have short hours of sanity immediately following my workouts but unfortunately I do not have enough time to workout every two or three hours throughout the day to keep up the endorphin high.
I think of that 10-year plan and I wonder, "where did I go wrong?" Is it my fault that I wasn't born to middle-class parents? Nah, I don't blame my parents for being poor. They worked hard to get to the point where they made just enough so I wouldn't qualify for any financial aid. Is it my fault that I live in a small economically depressed town? I suppose so. Although it is the only place I could afford to pay rent. Am I doing everything right or am I doing it all wrong?? I already realize that having kids before finishing school was not a smart decision but I don't regret having them. Are they abnormally rowdy and stubborn? Yes. Is it normal to constantly wish I could be taken away, like those Calgon commercials..."Calgon, Take Me Away!" I don't know.
I can only hope that my life is in the way more capable hands of someone else, and that everything I am going through is all for a reason. That one day I won't dread getting out of bed and living my life, that one day I will finally feel like things have worked out how they are supposed to be. It is the only thing that gives me hope. Until that day happens, I have a new 10-year plan. It isn't mapped out in chronological order and it isn't as specific or as eventful as my first list, since many of my major life changes have already occured. I don't have the same materialistic desires as I once had. I just want a simple, happy life. I want to have a career that I love, I want to be a homeowner, I want to go on a real vacation and finally see the ocean, and I want to be debt-free. I just want to feel "normal" like everyone else and not feel like my world is constantly closing in on me. I just hope it isn't too much to ask.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
Wake me up when September ends!
I have been MIA for a while but now I am back--for a while!! We are going to be getting rid of our home internet for a while but I think I can log in from my phone. Oh the joys of budgeting!!
September was a crazy busy month around here!! I had plans every single weekend!! The first weekend was Labor Day weekend, which I talked about in my previous post. The second weekend I can't even remember what I did!! The third weekend Pete had drill. He started Police Institute Training at the beginning of the month and he had to be in Springfield from Sunday night til Friday afternoon so him being gone just added to the craziness! Since he had drill (2 hours away) he didn't get to come home at all for two weeks and we all missed each other so me and the kids made the 2 hour drive to go stay with his grandparents, who live about 15 min away from drill. The kids had a great time with their great-grandparents and 102 year-old great-grandma! And then it was crunch time: only a week before the wedding!!
I gave it everything I had that last week. I never skipped a workout and I ate very well. It wasn't enough to look the way I wanted to look in my dress or even zip it up all the way with a bra on. So Pete improvised and we shoved the girls up with socks and used a lot of tape to keep them in place!! We had great results! I stayed in my dress all night and even had a little lift! I was able to have someone come to my house to do my hair, and she did a great job!! Thank you Jaclyn DeRubeis! I had gotten a sample of Shiseido The Makeup foundation from Macys and OMG that stuff is AHHH-MAZING! I do not have great skin! I have the oily skin of a 15 year-old and it is so uneven. I've been a Bare Escentuals devotee the past two years but it just does not cover like this stuff or keep me from getting shiny--this stuff did the job! I love makeup a little too much ;) I would love to do makeup for a side job.
Here are some pictures from the wedding (unedited)
this is a really cool shot but I wish the lighting was better!! I have been experimenting with some editing here.
all of us bridesmaids :)
Pete and I
random pic from the reception
ughh blurry! but they had cupcakes! yumm!
Peter enjoying his strawberry-filled cupcake
my sister Brittany and myself
another view from the head table
and Riley...my little dancing queen!! She danced for two hours and didn't want to stop! She stole the dance floor!
September was a crazy busy month around here!! I had plans every single weekend!! The first weekend was Labor Day weekend, which I talked about in my previous post. The second weekend I can't even remember what I did!! The third weekend Pete had drill. He started Police Institute Training at the beginning of the month and he had to be in Springfield from Sunday night til Friday afternoon so him being gone just added to the craziness! Since he had drill (2 hours away) he didn't get to come home at all for two weeks and we all missed each other so me and the kids made the 2 hour drive to go stay with his grandparents, who live about 15 min away from drill. The kids had a great time with their great-grandparents and 102 year-old great-grandma! And then it was crunch time: only a week before the wedding!!
I gave it everything I had that last week. I never skipped a workout and I ate very well. It wasn't enough to look the way I wanted to look in my dress or even zip it up all the way with a bra on. So Pete improvised and we shoved the girls up with socks and used a lot of tape to keep them in place!! We had great results! I stayed in my dress all night and even had a little lift! I was able to have someone come to my house to do my hair, and she did a great job!! Thank you Jaclyn DeRubeis! I had gotten a sample of Shiseido The Makeup foundation from Macys and OMG that stuff is AHHH-MAZING! I do not have great skin! I have the oily skin of a 15 year-old and it is so uneven. I've been a Bare Escentuals devotee the past two years but it just does not cover like this stuff or keep me from getting shiny--this stuff did the job! I love makeup a little too much ;) I would love to do makeup for a side job.
Here are some pictures from the wedding (unedited)
this is a really cool shot but I wish the lighting was better!! I have been experimenting with some editing here.
all of us bridesmaids :)
Pete and Irandom pic from the reception
ughh blurry! but they had cupcakes! yumm!
Peter enjoying his strawberry-filled cupcake
my sister Brittany and myself
another view from the head table
and Riley...my little dancing queen!! She danced for two hours and didn't want to stop! She stole the dance floor!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
Cleaning up an old fav!
Pete's first job after he left the Army was with Schwans. In case you didn't know, it is a food company that delivers food to your home. We both kind of thought it would be helpful for him as a salesperson to try some of the products, and it helped that we got a little discount. Our hands-down, favorite thing was the Garlic Chicken Pizza Flatbread. Two crunchy, thin flatbreads with a creamy garlicy white sauce with chicken and cheese. ***drool*** Oh so tasty but definitely nothing even resembling clean!! I saw a recipe via Facebook last night for a blog I "like" that featured a homemade pizza recipe. I used the crust recipe here but I did not put it in a skillet like the author did. I was pleasantly surprised that I got the dough to rise--all my past experiences with yeast have been complete failures--and this was a good, soft, whole-wheat dough. Next time I will try to find one that cooks more flatbread-style, but this was good. I divided my dough into 4 sections to make 4 little pizzas. I baked them on two cookie sheets on 400* for about 10 minutes. While they were baking, I decided to experiment with my toppings. I chopped and sauted 3 cloves of garlic in about 2 tbsp olive oil for one minute, then added it to 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese, 2 tbsp fat free plain greek yogurt, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, a few dashes of pepper, and a tsp of italian herbs. I had some baked chicken breast in the fridge and I cut up one of them and added it to my cheese mixture. This made enough for two of the pizzas. I flipped the crusts after 10 minutes I topped each one with some fresh baby spinach.
Looks delicious, huh? I was hoping it would taste as good as it smelled. I baked it another 10 minutes and practically burned my mouth taking the first bite because I didn't want to wait for them to cool down! It was everything I was hoping it would be! A great alternative to one of my favorite pizzas, made much cheaper and much healthier by moi.
I had some leftover plain 'ole tomato sauce in my fridge also, so I wanted to use this as well. I sauteed 2 more cloves of garlic in olive oil (1 tbsp this time) and then added it to my sauce, plus a bit more freshly-grinded italian herb seasoning. Sooo good. I put this on the other two pizzas with a little cheese for my kids and they loved it!
I was so excited to find something we all loved that was not only healthy, but very inexpensive to make and I had all of the ingredients on-hand! I'm already thinking of making the garlic chicken pizza again on Friday night!
Looks delicious, huh? I was hoping it would taste as good as it smelled. I baked it another 10 minutes and practically burned my mouth taking the first bite because I didn't want to wait for them to cool down! It was everything I was hoping it would be! A great alternative to one of my favorite pizzas, made much cheaper and much healthier by moi.
I had some leftover plain 'ole tomato sauce in my fridge also, so I wanted to use this as well. I sauteed 2 more cloves of garlic in olive oil (1 tbsp this time) and then added it to my sauce, plus a bit more freshly-grinded italian herb seasoning. Sooo good. I put this on the other two pizzas with a little cheese for my kids and they loved it!
I was so excited to find something we all loved that was not only healthy, but very inexpensive to make and I had all of the ingredients on-hand! I'm already thinking of making the garlic chicken pizza again on Friday night!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
180
I feel like my motivation has taken a complete 180* turn for the worst!! I was at a stand-still and I think my metabolism had all but shut down from me overtraining and probably not taking in enough calories. My hip was so sore from all the running I was doing. So I decided to take a week off from running. That was my only intention, but in the process I have also taken a week and a half off from p90x. Now I just cannot seem to find that momentum again!! I'm at a stand-still. I used to look forward to working out all day and now I am finding myself dreading it and procrastinating until I no longer have time for a workout and all this needs to change, stat!! I need to find a happy medium of eating and exercise. I know right now I am not doing enough but before I was doing too much and I am not sure exactly how to meet myself in the middle. I have a really hard time not giving it 110% so I think that is why I just don't even want to try anymore!! ARRGGGG I really hope that today I will change all of this and get a workout in and start to feel motivated again!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
|
By:
Tangy
If only my body would match my mind!
I have been feeling really good lately. I rarely have trouble finishing a workout or not being able to get all my reps in--yes it is time for some heavier weights, but I'm also getting so much stronger and my endurance is at an all-time high. It used to be my asthma that would hold me back from a good run or I just was too out of shape to complete something but that's not the case anymore. I CRAVE a good workout. I love to workout til I am tired and sore and I cannot physically do any more of whatever I am doing. And then I'll do that twice a day.
But I think I may have been keeping myself from getting the benefit of these workouts. My joints are constantly sore and I have this pain in my left hip/groin area that isn't going away. It starts really bugging me while I'm running and I just can't run anything further than 5 or 6 miles and I absolutely cannot do any sprint intervals because it hurts to bad when I am running fast. And this is not good for me as a runner to keep running the same distance and speed without changing things up. I'm never going to get any faster this way and I'm never going to build up my distance endurance, either. I'm really not sure what to do about my hip problem. I think I could take a little break from running to see if it gets better, because it doesn't just affect my running. There are other exercises I just cannot do right now, like dive-bombers, one-handed pushups; pretty much anything that requires me to have a wide stance with my legs. It sounds so simple, just STOP running. But it won't be nice outside for much longer and I am just addicted to running!! It feels so good and I look forward to my run every day! But I need this pain to go away! I might try taking a week off of running to see if it feels any better. It will KILL me but I think it must be done.
I've also been frustrated lately with my lack of weight loss! I've been working so hard and being so good with my diet and the scale has shown me NO lovin'! None! Over the weekend I took a break from working out and I ate a little more than usual, and it wasn't clean, and go figure--I have finally started losing again! So my gameplan for this week is no more running, and only one hard workout per day. It just seems like it isn't enough but if that's what will get me to lose, I'll do it!
But I think I may have been keeping myself from getting the benefit of these workouts. My joints are constantly sore and I have this pain in my left hip/groin area that isn't going away. It starts really bugging me while I'm running and I just can't run anything further than 5 or 6 miles and I absolutely cannot do any sprint intervals because it hurts to bad when I am running fast. And this is not good for me as a runner to keep running the same distance and speed without changing things up. I'm never going to get any faster this way and I'm never going to build up my distance endurance, either. I'm really not sure what to do about my hip problem. I think I could take a little break from running to see if it gets better, because it doesn't just affect my running. There are other exercises I just cannot do right now, like dive-bombers, one-handed pushups; pretty much anything that requires me to have a wide stance with my legs. It sounds so simple, just STOP running. But it won't be nice outside for much longer and I am just addicted to running!! It feels so good and I look forward to my run every day! But I need this pain to go away! I might try taking a week off of running to see if it feels any better. It will KILL me but I think it must be done.
I've also been frustrated lately with my lack of weight loss! I've been working so hard and being so good with my diet and the scale has shown me NO lovin'! None! Over the weekend I took a break from working out and I ate a little more than usual, and it wasn't clean, and go figure--I have finally started losing again! So my gameplan for this week is no more running, and only one hard workout per day. It just seems like it isn't enough but if that's what will get me to lose, I'll do it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)