QUERIAN's SparkPeople Blog

January Stats - By the Numbers

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 23:42:59 EST

I have been keeping a spreadsheet and so crunched some numbers tonight out of curiosity. Here are my stats for January:

I tracked my calories every day from Jan 3 through Jan 31.
High Calories: 1815
Low Calories 1337
Average Calories: 1498

I also weighed myself almost every day
High Weight: 184.4 (1/24/11)
Low Weight: 180.8 (1/26/11 & 1/27/11)
Average Weight: 182.5
Month End Weight: 182.5

Average Net Calories: 1431 (did not...

February Goals

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 15:59:16 EST

I am continuing my reward allowance system this month. I like the reward system but it's weird because sometimes when I meet my goals I still don't feel like I did very well! Hopefully rewards will help get the negative self-image out of my head! When I accomplish my goals for a week or a month, any of my goals, I should be happy instead of criticizing myself for not meeting ALL of my goals. I think that's human nature, to some extent, but hopefully sticking with my program will help me c...

January Wrap Up

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:39:41 EST

I feel like I did pretty good in January, especially since I was unable to do cardio for most of the month. I have developed a nice strength routine that does not stress my ankle. Since I am working to raise my metabolism I can't expect to lose tons of weight, especially without getting any exercise. But I have been so much happier and feel so much more satisfied since I have stopped starving myself. So for the month of January: food/nutrition - good, exercise - decent (considering), mot...

Weekly Summary for Week Ending 1/23/11

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:29:46 EST

I had a terrible weigh-in this week, I was up 2.5 pounds to 184.4 yesterday. Thankfully this morning I weighed in at 182.6 which is almost 2 pounds less than yesterday. I've been having some digestion issues for the past week or so and I think that's what's going on here, without going into too much detail. So I think I'll use today's weigh-in as my official number, even if it might be cheating a bit. Either way I am still up this week from 181.9 last week.

I earned $15 out of ...

Summary for the week ending 1/16/11

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:34:58 EST

I did pretty good this week but I am still sad to report I am up 0.2 pounds. I know it's almost nothing but it's the opposite of what I am going for! I decided to track a lot of other factors, too, so took all my measurements this morning. body fat and waist size are the most alarming but these are the things I need to work on now!

As far as my new reward program, which I think of as an allowance more myself as an adult:

1. Flylady 50% - DONE

2. 5 days stre...

Weekly Summary 1/3-1/9/11

Sun, 9 Jan 2011 23:07:54 EST

I set ups a list of 8 main goals I am focusing on this month. Each week where I achieve my goals I am rewarding myself with spending money, $5 per goal for a total of $40 per week possible.

This was my first week and I get a reward of $30!

My goals:

1. 50% of FlyLady weekly control journal - achieved with 70%!

2. 5 days of strength - achieved with 5 days!

3. 300 fi...

Re-Thinking My Approach (yet again)

Wed, 5 Jan 2011 15:42:10 EST

I've been thinking a lot about what I can do to reach my goals. Right now I cannot really exercise. I did a super small amount of exercise on Monday including some PT exercises for my ankle and it has been killing me ever since. The podiatrist said that if my ankle hurts to stop doing what I am doing. She said this is not a situation where I want to push, rather, now I need to take it super easy until I get on the healing track. Not that I can do much in this boot but still my tendency i...

New Year New Me

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 15:52:44 EST

I've made my plans and am ready to start the New year right! I weighed in at 183.4 this morning, not bad, only gained 1 pound over the holidays and didn't track and haven't exercised, either! (Plus Aunt Flo will be here any time now.)I'm still much too heavy though! I looked at last year's goals and I weighed in at 167 at the beginning of 2010.

My plans, for now, while I'm still in this walking cast:
- Average 1200 calories per week
- Do 5 hours per week of fitness m...

Days 60-77

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:17:45 EST

I did have one day last week where I weighed in under 180 but today for my official weigh in I was 182.2. We went away for the weekend and then went out for dinner on Monday but I tracked everything and according to my spreadsheet calculations I should have lost 5 pounds right now (instead of 3) but maybe with my weekend of eating out I miscalculated or ate way too much salt or something. I'm a little bummed bec...

Days 47-59

Sat, 4 Dec 2010 16:27:47 EST

I'd like to write daily but geez I've been so busy I can hardly find time to write at all! And it's been so long since I've visited the blogs of my sparkfriends and the threads of my teams, but one thing at a time!

I'm doing well with my 1200 calorie per day plan. My calculations seem like they are correct and I am losing at the rate I figured would work for me, although it is still much too slow and I...

Day 46

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:00:33 EST

Good news. I got on the scale this morning "unofficially" and weighed 183.0, down 2.4 pounds from my "official" weigh in two days ago. Maybe I am finally going in the right direction?

Yesterday I had a "high" day: 1403 calories! A couple of weeks ago that would have been a low day for me but now it's a high day! It felt nice to "splurge" a bit. But my average for the past 8 days since I started sticking ...

Day 44-45

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 11:58:40 EST

Yesterday I had my first official weigh-in since I cut my calories down to 1200/day. I am weighing in officially every time I reach a 3500 calorie deficit on my spreadsheet, each of which should correlate to the loss of a pound. Well, disappointingly I weighed in at 185.4 which is up 2 pounds from my last weigh in. I suppose it's in the range of normal fluctuation but I was hoping to see a different result. I t...

Day 42-43

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:45:43 EST

I've been going into work this week at 7am. I was working out before work but not now since I have to get up at 5am to walk the dog, eat breakfast and get myself ready and out the door by 6:30 in order to get to work on time. I have been working out after work instead of before work this week. I like leaving at 4pm, I avoid a lot of traffic, but I'm still not sure I like getting up so early! I'm still getting ...

Day 41

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:37:00 EST

My calories eaten today, including a snack I haven't actually eaten yet, are 1268. My calories burned are 574.

I created a spreadsheet and am tracking my stats. I am trying to see if this really is a numbers game. I'm taking my BMR and tracking the calories I eat less than that, and each time I reach 3500 calories I should lose a pound. I did some research and using BMR calculators online my BMR shou...

Days 39-40

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:51:37 EST

Thank you everyone for your support and wise words. Let me clarify a bit after my last entry: I am certainly not thinking of anyone in particular when I wrote my last blog, but basically what is happening is that I realize the frustration I am feeling is getting channeled to my blog and to the people who are supportive and trying to help me. I know that's lousy behavior on my part and the truth is that I am just...

Days 33-38

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:21:24 EST

So I am back from Arizona and my trip was pretty good. I ate okay although eating out for every meal is tough! I rode the bike in a fitness center for 3 out of 4 days which was pretty good, though I didn't do my strength while I was out there. I haven't been on the scale since I got back though since I feel bloated from all that restaurant food!

I'm having mixed feelings about blogging lately. Here I am sh...

Day 31 & 32

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 01:46:19 EST

Thanks to everyone for their supportive comments on my last blog. I know it was more negative than I usually feel, but I have been quite frustrated lately.

I had a pretty good weekend, a little high in terms of calories but not too bad and I got plenty of exercise. I'm mostly packed for my work trip to Arizona next week. I have to get up pretty early to get to the airport for a 9:15 flight, but I feel...

Day 28, 29 & 30

Fri, 5 Nov 2010 19:41:05 EST

Even though I haven't been very busy at my new job yet I have had a very busy week getting used to my new schedule!

My official weigh-in day was Thursday and I weighed in at 183.4 which means in the first 4 weeks of Spark-Return I lost 1.6 pounds. I know I shouldn't be disappointed with this but I am! I set my goals so I would lose 1.5 pounds a week and already Spark has upped my calorie range since I ...

Day 27

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 20:35:34 EST

I weighed in at 185.0 this morning, up 1.2 pounds from yesterday, even though I stayed in range and got plenty of exercise, too. Today I got up early, walked the dog, rode the bike, did an upper body workout. They let me leave early today, there is really not much for me to do at my new job yet but I'm sure once I'm trained I'll have plenty to do! So I came home and am getting ready to start dinner, something that wi...

Day 26

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 21:55:54 EST

I weighed in at 183.8 this morning, down 0.3 from yesterday. I started my new job today and it was quite an adventure trying to get there ... I took BART, the mass transit system here, but I think I might try driving tomorrow, just to compare.

It looks like tonight will be the last game of the World Series and Darren is on a plane back to the San Francisco area. I'm sure he is bummed missing it since h...

Day 24 & 25

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:03:33 EST

I've had a pretty good weekend. I've gone over a bit but after a few days of not getting my trip to the fitness center in I managed to do so yesterday and will again today. Last night a couple of friends of D called and asked if I wanted to come over and go out for sushi with them which I thought was quite kind, since D is out of town, and we had a nice night. Sushi is good because as far as eating out goes it's...

Day 23

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:03:06 EST

Weighed in officially today at 184.2, down 1.3 pounds from last week and down 0.8 pounds since my re-start. I could rant a bit here but I think I'll skip that.

D is going to Alabama this weekend with a bunch of his frat brothers to visit another frat brother and go see the Auburn football game tomorrow, which means I have the whole weekend to myself! He won't be back until Monday night and I start a ne...

Days 21 & 22

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:45:03 EST

I've been trying to take photos of the sunsets here. They are lovely, but it seems I never catch the right night for the truly gorgeous ones.

It's been a hectic couple of days. I've been in range but have not made it into the fitness center to ride the bike or do any strength training. Today was my weigh in day and I actually forgot to get on the scale this morning, so tomorrow it is!

Last ...

Day 20

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:03:54 EST

I weighed in at 184.4 this morning, up 0.4 since yesterday. I stayed in range at about 1500 and did lots of exercise yesterday, too. Walked 70 minutes and rode the bike for 30, plus upper body strength. Aunt Flo isn't here yet and for some reason I am incredibly hungry this morning. I hope that means she will be here soon, I often get hungrier right before she arrives.

The sour cream enchiladas I mad...

Day 19

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:49:54 EST

Feeling better today, my foul mood is gone, thankfully! I weighed in at 184.0 this morning.

The Low Fat Dark Chocolate Muffins came out great, D gives them 5 stars and says they are great in place of chocolate cake which he loves. The recipe called for splenda brown sugar and I don't use those artificial sweeteners so I used 1/2 cup regular brown sugar. It also called for dark chocolate chips but I ...

Day 18

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:25:07 EST

For some reason I am incredibly moody today. I know Aunt Flo must be getting here soon but usually I don't feel quite so ... grumpy. Not sure what word actually fits my mood, but I can't seem to shake it.

We had a nice day at the Legion of Honor yesterday. It's an art museum in San Francisco and it was lovely. My ankle was hurting more than normal lately because the night before I kind of twisted it wh...

Day 17

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:54:01 EST

I weighed in at 184.1, down 0.4 from yesterday, despite going over my limit since we went out for Thai food and drinks last night in the city with some of D's friends. The pad thai I had was amazing, the best I've had since moving to the Bay area. I did my walking and biking and strength yesterday, and I'm going to walk and work out today as soon as I get off the computer!

We are going into the city to...

Day 16 Part 2

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:25:50 EST

My angst is over; I got an offer from the second company and it is for 40% higher salary than the offer from the first company. Now, money isn't everything but that's a significant difference! Pending my background check and drug test I start at my new job on November 1st! I also get 3 weeks of vacation (instead of 2) and full benefits. Whee!
30

Day 16

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:33:44 EST

I weighed in today at 184.5, a full pound down from yesterday which was my official weigh in day. Oh well, at least it's going down! I did go over my range yesterday by a smidge because I made the most delicious dinner and I totally ate too much of it. It is a Sparkrecipe for World's Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip. I thinned it with water and served it over pasta with fresh diced tomatoes on top. So yummy! I ...

Day 15

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:19:06 EST

My official weigh in day and the scale says 185.5, up 0.8 pounds from last week and 0.5 pounds from when I restarted Sparking two weeks ago. Boo! I do think Aunt Flo is on her way which could explain it but I don't want to be looking for excuses! I want to see results!

After only a few days on Flylady I am already running out of things to do around the apartment. Our place is already pretty clean and...

Day 14

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:49:24 EST

I weighed in this morning at 185.7 which is 1.5 pounds less than yesterday though still higher than where I started this week. Tomorrow is my official weigh in day and we'll see how it goes then.

I did good yesterday, stayed in range, rode the bike, walked. I had a last minute 2nd interview and it went well. They want me to start on Monday pending my background check which I am sure is fine. In some ...

Day 13

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:40:53 EST

I did great yesterday. I got tons of exercise and managed to stay at the very low end of my range, around 1250, which for me is amazing! I felt good and was proud of myself. Then this morning I got on the scale and it said 187.2, up 2.5 pounds from yesterday! Arrrggggh! And also the most the scale has said since I re-started my Sparking. Ugh. Nothing to do but keep at it.

A friend and fellow Spark...

Day 12

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:13:38 EST

So riding the exercise bike is working out well to get a little extra cardio in without straining my ankle. I rode for a half hour yesterday and again today. I also did core yesterday and legs today, plus walking, of course.

I weighed in at 184.7 this morning which I suppose is fine considering the weekend I had. Shooting for a low day, making vegetable soup for dinner and will probably have something...

Day 11

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:45:59 EST

This weekend has been tough because a lot of my meals have been away from home. Friday I went out to lunch with my sweetheart who wanted pizza so I tried to make a good choice there and adjust my other meals to make it work for the day. Saturday we went to watch a football game at the home of some friends who served us lunch my options there were limited, too. I ate a lot of crudites and chose a cheeseburger inst...

Day 10

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:44:06 EST

I had wanted to write this morning but we lost power in our community for several hours today and it got away from me. But I'm writing now!

I weighed in this morning at 183.4 which is 1.9 pounds less than yesterday. Good! Yesterday I did very well on my calories even though I had pizza for lunch and a lot of wine in the evening, I only went over by about 30 calories. Today I've been on track so far, ...

Day 9

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:26:16 EST

My interview yesterday went well, though I think I like the job on Wednesday a little better. But there were nice things about the job yesterday including proximity and an easier commute which is certainly something to consider here in the Bay area! Today I am meeting with a temp agency about a prospective job so this isn't really a full on interview but close enough. After the interview I am meeting my sweethea...

Day 8

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:42:24 EST

I am kind of disappointed in myself. Yesterday I thought I stayed in range and then later realized I had forgotten to enter a snack so I ended up going over by almost 200 calories. Arrrgh.

So I've been back on Spark for a week. I did pretty well with tracking my food and exercising. I did at least about an hour of cardio daily, and I did strength 5 out of 7 days. I weighed in this morning at 184.7 so...

Day 7

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:05:38 EST

I did good yesterday, was at the high end of my range but in range. Weighed in again today at 184.9, for the third day in a row.

I have an interview today and another tomorrow. Yesterday my ankle was hurting a lot so I didn't push it because I didn't want to be limping today at my interview. I still walked for an hour and did some core exercises.

Farmers market tonight, maybe I will take my...

Day 6

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:34:18 EST

Yesterday I actually managed to have a lower day and stayed in range for everything including protein and fiber and was at 1358 calories! Yay! I know I should have more days around this amount of calories but wow is it a struggle for me to stay so low! Somehow I feel it should be a little easier, but at least I did it for one day. I weighed in this morning at 184.9, same as yesterday. I walked for about an hour...

Day 5

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:49:24 EST

I did okay yesterday. I think I stayed in range even eating out of the house, but I didn't have the low day I was shooting for, so today that's my goal. I am doing meatless Monday for dinner: acorn squash soup plus a baby spinach salad. I might eat some meat for lunch though; I have some roasted chicken in the frig and all the fixings for chicken soup so I might do that for lunch. I weighed in at 184.9 this mo...

Day 4

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:42:51 EST

This photo is from the Cal game yesterday. I was trying to take a photo of myself but accidentally zoomed in, lol, but I like how it turned out!

I did okay yesterday. Lots of walking up and down hills on the way to and from the football game, my ankle was protesting. I did go over my calories with about 1880 and weighed in this morning at 185.4, up one pound from yesterday. So today I am shooting for...

Day Three, the saga continues

Sat, 9 Oct 2010 12:11:31 EST

Yesterday I did okay. Stayed in range for everything except was low on fiber at 22g. I did go swimming but not for long because it bothered my ankle but I guess I will just have to build up to swimming longer, just like with walking. I did core yesterday and legs this morning although my attempts at squats and lunges were quite pathetic, my ankle just isn't that flexible yet. But I tried and getting back...

Day One is done, Day Two begins

Fri, 8 Oct 2010 11:45:36 EST

Yesterday was my first day back here on Spark and I did pretty good. I walked for 65 minutes, did an admittedly easy upper body workout, and I only slightly went over my calories at 1612 (Spark set my new range to 1590) but otherwise met my goals for water, fat, carbs, protein and fiber.

I ate tons of fruits and veggies. I had grapefruit, 2 bananas, an apple. I ate carrots with hummus and sauteed mush...

Welcome Back Nikki!

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 15:00:26 EST

So I'm back after flaking on my Sparking for quite some time. I was doing okay at least with exercise until the end of August when I fell down a flight of stairs and severely sprained my ankle. I spent three and a half weeks on crutches and now that I've been off the crutches for a couple of weeks I can walk pretty well again although my ankle still is swollen and I can't wear regular shoes yet either, just sanda...

Going to bed hungry tonight

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:24:54 EST

This photo is of Darren and I at the Marin County Fair on the 4th of July on my favorite ride, the swing chairs!

It's Darren's birthday today and we had a great day. We went into the city and had a barbecue with several of his friends on the rooftop of a 25 story building downtown. Great views and lots of fun but the downside is I ate some food there and when I entered it into my tracker I had hardly any cal...

Time to get serious!

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 14:57:41 EST

I still absolutely love it here in my new home. Life has been really good to me, so good, in fact, that I have gained more weight again! I have been eating well and getting lots of walking in though I hurt my back and that has really put a damper on my workouts. And just when I think it is healed I do something that makes it hurt again, whether it's moving boxes or trying to work out or whatnot. But besides my ...

My New Life

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:50:48 EST

I've arrived in my new home and am incredibly happy so far. I feel like I live at a resort and quite honestly I do. My third floor apartment looks out onto a marina and San Francisco Bay, with the city of San Francisco across the bay, often obscured by fog, even on a sunny day. It's an amazing view. I can see the Bay Bridge but the Golden Gate Bridge is blocked from view by Angel Island.

Just a short walk away is a large park along the shoreline. I have taken the dog with me f...

Decision Time :)

Tue, 25 May 2010 10:01:22 EST

I've finally made a decision to proceed with my plans instead of waiting in limbo indefinitely.

I am giving my 2 week notice at work today and I am incredibly nervous about it but also incredibly excited.

Movers are arranged, the dog has a plane ticket to California, logistics are getting figure out.

Honestly I do do feel quite nauseous about quitting my job but I have a nice safety net and nest egg to help through this transition and my fiance assures me that...

Ready to go plus wedding plan woes

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:18:00 EST

So my sweetheart and I have been discussing the possibility of my moving without having my house rented out first. I can leave it vacant and let the property manager continue to work on finding a tenant. I had suggested to him that we set a date to move if I don't have a tenant lined up yet. At first he was very reluctant but now he has come around to my way of thinking and wants me to move as soon as possible. I was kind of thinking giving it another month here and move in the beginning ...

The negatives of stress and binge eating

Wed, 19 May 2010 12:57:20 EST

I feel like I am being pressured to walk away from my house which is not the responsible thing to do in my opinion. Maybe as a last resort but first I would like to exhaust all options. I am feeling quite disheartened.

After thinking and talking about my options this morning I totally want to go binge on crap food. I see the link. I get overwhelmed by stress and the terrible choices before me and something in my brain clicks and says:

*Just throw it all away and ea...