My Food is Ready to Go!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

This morning I weighed 144.4 again (maybe around 9 a.m.?) then watched part of a movie, then weighed 143.8 (around 10:15 a.m.) - so I'm counting that as today's weight. :) I feel like I might be coming down with something - I had a hint of a sore throat or something going on between my ears, and I've had a drippy nose, although right now I feel fine. The timing couldn't be worse, but actually it came in handy as an excuse to skip going to my parents' tonight. I wanted to stay home and get ready. :)

I did my abs video last night and this morning. We went shopping today but I didn't buy anything. I really, really need new clothes but am still waiting to hit my goal before I do. Jess bought pants. We went to Joe's so he could have lunch, and I just had diet Coke and a little of his salad. Then I ate my own food afterwards.

I had some decaf coffee before the gym and brought an apple with me which I ate after strength/stretching and before cardio. I did legs and stretching for about 25 minutes, then 60 on the elliptical, mostly around a speed of 60-65, heart rate in the 150s, about 5.6 mph and maybe 850 calories? I forget. I just wasn't quite up to yesterday's speeds. Oh yeah, I also had to drop the level from 10 to 9 and then 8 for the last 10 minutes or so.

I decided I really wasn't hungry enough to eat everything I'd planned for the day, so I ended up with 1,235 calories. I have 1,600 planned for tomorrow - getting ready for Jamaica could be stressful so I don't want to be hungry. I've packed everything except the pasta and ground turkey. I also planned - AND PACKED - 1,400 for Saturday the 23rd, my first day back. I stuck with things that last well, though they will be in Jess' fridge all week.

Now, as for my eating and exercise IN Jamaica (plus airports etc.), it's all about using what I know about what it takes to be successful, making smart choices, and proving to myself that I want a permanent healthy lifestyle. The moment I arrive at the airport on Monday morning I will be faced with temptations, and I won't be able to use SparkPeople to track anything. Come to think of it, there is no reason I can't at least bring along a breakfast of nuts and cereal (can't bring liquids). Our timing will be a little weird for lunch. Our layover will be 8:55-9:31 a.m., really short and really early for lunch, although that's really 9:55-10:31 a.m. EST. Then we land at 1:45 p.m. EST in Jamaica, but I know we won't get to eat anything for a while because getting luggage and going through customs tends to take time. So here's what I should do. I should bring a dry breakfast and big snack, and just be ready for a late lunch IN JAMAICA (woohoo, got all excited there for a sec). I will bring nuts and several different kinds of dry cereal, and space them out throughout the morning.

I am nervous about counting points - it has been so long since I've done it! I should just remember that it doesn't have to be an exact science. The point is just to make sure I'm eating a healthy amount, which common sense could also tell me. Enough to be able to play all day long in Jamaica, but not more than I need to maintain my weight. I am almost tempted to say forget points, I am ready to do this intuitively, but I really think I just need this as a bridge.

So, my points target is 22. I also get 25 flexpoints (total, not per day) and activity points, plus up to 4 extra maintainence points on top of that if I need them only. I will bring a mini notebook and keep track of all my points, using the back of the Eat Wisely book as a guide. I will also bring the slider and keep track of activity points. Speaking of exercise, I will bring gym clothes, my heart rate watch, and my ipod (hope it lasts all week without being charged)! I will take advantage of outdoor exercise for sure, but since it's not safe to run off the resort, I will use the gym if I need to. I want to keep up with my current level of exercise so that I don't lose ground with my strength/fitness level!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

PIGLETSMALL 2/17/2008 11:33AM

Wow! You're off to Jamaica! Woo Hoo! How exciting. Have a lovely time. I loved reading your blog. You made me want to stand up and start exercising right away! lol! I think you have a great plan to avoid those hungry moments. Good luck. Hugs, Helen x Report Inappropriate Comment

VIDABELA 2/17/2008 4:12AM

wow you are very prepared!! i'm sure you will have an awesome time in jamaica and LOOK awesome too! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRUIN2 2/16/2008 10:44PM

Sounds like a great plan!! When I fly I take along fruit and veggies too - red peppers keep really well. Maybe a piece of fruit would be useful to take with you to throw in the mix with your planned breakfast... And if you don't eat it then, it could come in handy when getting your luggage in JAMAICA!!! Woohooo!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

No Work for Ten Days!!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Boy is it nice to be able to say that! Today I weighed in at 144.4 again, which I hit once a few days ago too and had been a little above ever since. I must have been really hungry too, because I ate all 1,600 calories before 3 p.m. To get through the rest of the day, I've had coffee, tea, and lots of gum. But now it's almost 9:30 p.m. and I am hungry!! So I have 1,700 calories planned for tomorrow.

I had a great workout today. For strength training I've been needing to go up to heavier weights for just about everything. When I stretch I'm really flexible now, and on the elliptical my heart rate stayed lower a lot longer and I was going pretty fast - it's a good day when I can keep my speed (rotations per minute??) around 70. In all I did 65 minutes on the elliptical, about 950 calories, and somewhere between 6.5 and 7.0 miles. I've read recently that elliptical calorie counts aren't as accurate as treadmills, so I'm sure I really burned less than 950, but still great!

  

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

I had absolutely no candy today. With my trip to Jamaica just four days away, I wasn't even tempted. A few students gave me candy and I gave it all away. I also asked Jess if we could celebrate without food, which was fine with him. He had some beautiful roses delivered to me at school! Awwwww...

I was up to 145.0 today (Jess' scale), but can't possibly be gaining FAT, so I'm not worried. I need to be sure to make good choices no matter what the scale says. I still weigh 2 pounds less than one week ago.

I was also a bit hungrier today, so I have 1,600 calories planned for tomorrow.

I have a few "gym buddies" who I chat with. Today I admitted to one of them that I wish I were closer to my goal weight for Jamaica. She asked how many more pounds I want to lose and I told her the truth - 10 to 15. She said wow, she expected me to say 3 to 5. That was nice of her. :)

I am definitely into today's featured recipe - Mexican lasagna - I actually already have most of the items I'd need to make it! I just put the low-fat cheddar and the whole-wheat tortillas on my shopping list. I think I'll make that when I get home from Jamaica.

A little planning...tomorrow will be 1,600 calories. Saturday and Sunday, I will see how I feel and plan accordingly. I will plan 1,400 for the FOLLOWING Saturday - my first day back (I get back very late Friday night). It'll be long-lasting types of things and I'll pack it all up and leave in Jess' refrigerator.

As for eating on vacation, I will make the healthiest choices available to me and just to keep tabs on the AMOUNT I eat, I WILL count points. I will need to do this for five days, so I will have 25 flex points (usual is 35 for a whole week) that I will only use if I'm hungry and need them. I will also count activity points, so I will need to bring my slider! It may seem counterintuitive, but I am actually doing this to help me NOT obsess. If I don't keep track at all I am in danger of either eating far too little or THINKING I'm eating far too little, either of which could very easily backfire. I need to keep track just to know I'm eating about the right amount! But I certainly won't stress over it. In fact, if I'm really hungry and I've used the activity points and flex points I could even use as many as four extra per day on top of that if I NEED them - maintanence points - because my goal in Jamaica is to HAVE FUN, which I can't do if I'm overly hungry. It's a lot like budgeting 1,800 calories per day when I went skiing. Anyway, I will definitely need to refresh my memory on the whole flex plan, so it's a very good thing that I have a brand new 2008 Eat Wisely book!!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

BRUIN2 2/15/2008 9:39AM

Sounds like a good plan!! That's sooo exciting that your trip is so soon!!! WOOHOO! Report Inappropriate Comment

My Appetite is Back

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I knew it couldn't last forever. After three days of eating very little, today I'm back to eating everything I've planned (about 1,430 calories) and wishing I could eat more (but I won't!). In response to what my body is telling me, I've planned a little extra for tomorrow - about 1,490 calories. I LOVE varying my calorie levels!!

I weighed 144.8 today compared with 144.2 yesterday, but it was on my own scale and/or could easily just be some daily fluctuation, so I am not at all worried. I am down two pounds from one week ago today. Yesterday I was down FIVE pounds from a week earlier. The pattern is good.

Someone recently left a message on my page saying something like "17 pounds to go!" when I weighed 147. I actually am liking the simplicity of having an end goal that I am striving to reach. I now weigh approx. 145, and if I lose 2 pounds a week I could be at 130 in about eight weeks! Two months! Mid-April! I just gotta keep on making one good choice after another.

Oh guess what. Even though I weighed a bit more today, my size 4 pants seemed just a tiny bit less snug than yesterday and I WORE them! They were tight, but not painful. Yay!

  

I Just Read my Blog from June 2007 to Now

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

And boy is my head spinning. I went through more fresh starts, more revelations that I'd finally "found the answer," than I'd even realized! More times watching those 140s drop back to 130s and then later those 150s dropping to 140s...UGH. And every time I'd get back down it would be the same thing...I'd feel so on top of the world I was sure I'd never gain again. Just drop a few more and then do this maintanence thing and be set for life. Okay, I am simplifying, but it's kind of making me angry with myself. I booked my trip to Jamaica back in October and I wanted to be at 130 by the time the vacation came around. I could have been too, but I fell off the wagon too many times. I sure did have a lot of insights, but I need to somehow keep having them over and over without them actually sticking. I am almost afraid to say that I think I have a solution now, because I've said it before. But it does seem to work to vary my calories depending on how I feel. I'm so excited about Jamaica that my appetite is surpressed, and today I weighed 144.2! I was very excited about that until I read my blog which reminded me of times where I would have considered 144.2 to be quite heavy. :(

Before I leave for Jamaica I will have to set in stone my plans. They will defnitely include exercise, although from what I've read it doesn't sound like it would be safe to go off running on my own off my resort. I will have to figure out something I can do ON the resort. An hour a day minimum. And it will involve making healthy choices - vegetables, fruit, lean protein, water. Tracking points, probably, too. And I will have food ready for my first day back home. Probably 1,400 calories, but I can add/subtract if needed.