May 26, 2009
I don’t know about you, but I just came off a holiday weekend filled with unhealthy eating. A party Saturday night with chips, dips and tacos. A barbecue Monday with grilled veggies, ribs, corn, ice cream, dirt pie and more! So many calories and so little exercise.
Unfortunately, it’s not just one weekend. Recently, I have been a little off course. I haven’t followed my plan. I might even be a little lost.
For so long, I had kept things together fairly well, and then little things began to slip here and there. I missed one day of exercise. It turned into two, then three and more.
I was going to the gym every week to build muscle, but I have only been once in the last couple months. I can feel the difference. I was building muscle, and now I’m not.
I have been a little less careful about eating. I was being very strict about my eating, but now I make some allowances where I have not before.
That’s the bad news. The trick now is to get back on track and return to the level of healthy eating and exercising I attained previously.
The best way I am going to be able to accomplish this is by taking one day at a time. I’ll start each day focused on my ultimate weight loss goal. I’ll think about the success I have already achieved.
The silly part is that this should be easy. When I get on the bike and exercise, I feel better. I enjoy seeing the muscle I built. I like seeing my body weight going down on the scale.
I’m going to force myself to get back on track, and I’ll take time later to figure out how I got off track. I have a goal. I need to attain it.
What words of encouragement can you offer someone who has gotten off track with his or her healthy eating and exercise plan? What works for you?
Breakfast: Apple Strudel Bar; Egg; Banana; Crackers, wholegrain; Morning Coffee
Morning Snack: Ham, low-fat; Banana
Lunch: Pasta with Beef; Fennel Bulb
Afternoon Snack: Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks
Dinner: Turkey Tetrazzini; Asparagus, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Salad Dressing, light or reduced fat; Sweet Potato
Dessert: Chocolate Pound Cake
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: none
Pedometer: none
Posted in Best Intentions, NutriSystem Select, Strategies
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May 18, 2009
I’ve been pretty bad at tracking my daily progress with my healthy eating and exercise plan over the last week, but the good news is that I still did pretty well over the last week by eating well and exercising.
Here is a recap of the week.
Monday: I got on the bike at 5am, and it felt great. I felt so good getting it out of the way for the day. I also ate fairly well.
Tuesday: I got on the bike again at 5am. With two days on the exercise under my belt, I was feeling really good. I basically followed my diet fairly well.
Wednesday: Three days in a row! I got on the bike again. I’m on my way! It was also another day of good eating.
Thursday: Four days riding the recumbent bike. I’m really back on track. I ate fairly well again.
Friday: I did not get on the bike. I still felt good about my accomplishment of four days on the bike. Eating got a little hairy, because I made a trifle for my mother’s birthday.
Saturday: I started at the new gym finally. I walked there and back. I had to get oriented to the new gym. I did a few exercises, but I didn’t do it to the level I had before.
I didn’t eat so well on Saturday. I went to Outback Steakhouse. I had rack of lamb, sweet potato, and broccoli for my dinner. I also enjoyed some bread and some of the bloomin’ onion. Of course, I ate some of the trifle I made, too.
Sunday: I followed the NutriSystem Select plan, but I did no exercise.
Today: I was still sore from the gym on Saturday…really sore, so I did not get on the recumbent bike. I did my best to stick to my healthy eating plan. I think I’ll be able to get back on the bike tomorrow.
I think it was a pretty good week to get back on track. I feel I had lost sight of my goal a little bit, and I want to get things moving again. I still have at least 70 pounds to lose, and I am ready to do it.
How do you get your second wind?
Breakfast: Cinnamon Bun Bar; Egg; Banana; Morning Coffee; Cracker, Honeymaid Graham Crackers (Nabisco) ,Low Fat Honey
Morning Snack: Chicken Breast; Banana
Lunch: Tomato and Corn Chowder; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt
Afternoon Snack: Cheese Puffs
Dinner: Lasagna; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Pasta, cooked al dente; Fennel Bulb
Dessert: Chocolate Caramel Bar
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: none today.
Pedometer: ?
Posted in NutriSystem Select, Strength Training, Successful Days
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May 11, 2009
I feel guilty. I haven’t written anything on this blog since last Monday.
When I started writing this blog again last June, I committed to writing everyday. I wanted to keep myself focused on losing weight, and, at the same time, I hoped my words would help and encourage others to successfuly lose weight.
Somewhere along the way, I made a decision to give myself one day off each week. I felt I deserved it.
I have been pretty consistent with my entries. Sometimes I would get behind a day or two, and I would catch up within a couple days. As long as I could capture something significant about each day, I was doing well.
Last week, I had a much longer absence than I have had in the past. I missed five days. I feel terrible about that, mostly because it’s an indication of how my healthy eating and exercising plan is going.
I got a little side-tracked with my exercise. I had difficulty exercising in the morning, so I moved it to the afternoon. Afternoon exercise was hit or miss. I’ve been absent from the gym for a few weeks.
I have mostly stuck to the healthy eating plan with a few slip-ups here and there. Yesterday was probably an extreme case, as I ate lots of delicious food my sister and I prepared for Mother’s Day. Generally, however, I am eating according to the NutriSystem Select plan.
I feel good about writing an article today, because I feel I am back on track. I woke up this morning at 5am and exercised. I realized that I could exercise in the morning again, and I am so glad. It feels great to exercise and get it out of the way for the day.
I will be getting on the bike five days this week, and I plan to increase my target heart rate each Friday until I am somewhere near 155 bpm. Once I am successful riding the bike, I think it will be easy to return to the gym on Saturday.
Do you have a success story about getting back on track? What helped you turn the corner and continue your healthy eating plan?
Breakfast: Apple Strudel Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, multigrain; Morning Coffee
Morning Snack: Ham, low-fat; Banana
Lunch: Pasta with Beef; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt
Afternoon Snack: Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks
Dinner: Chicken with Dumplings; Zucchini, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Couscous, cooked
Dessert: Chocolatey Nougat Bar with Peanuts and Caramel
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: 30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm. 16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.
Pedometer: ?
Posted in NutriSystem Select
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May 4, 2009
Today I moved my exercise to the afternoon. I came home and got right on the bike. I turned on the TV and the half hour flew by.
At the end of the thirty minutes, I had elevated my heart rate, and I had worked up a sweat. I pushed myself, and it felt great. I reminded myself that I actually like to exercise today.
I did work a little bit later than expected, and I was getting phone calls on the way home from work. However, it was a little bit easier to manage than the morning interruptions.
For a few minutes today, I did resent having to move my exercise due to work. At the same time, I did enjoy a more relaxing start to my day, because there were not too many work issues to address.
The plan for the remainder of the week is to exercise on Tuesday and Thursday after work. I won’t be exercising on Wednesday and Friday. I think I’ll be ready to return to the gym on Saturday.
I’m looking for some indoor exercises to do on Sunday. I’m in Florida, and it is getting hotter and hotter each day. If I cannot find many indoor options, I’ll try doing outdoor exercise early in the morning, before it gets too hot.
What indoor exercises do you enjoy? Of course, there is the gym, but I like the adventure of hiking or biking. Can you get that same kind of adventure indoors?
Breakfast: Cinnamon Bun Bar; Egg; Banana; Morning Coffee; Cracker, Honeymaid Graham Crackers (Nabisco) ,Low Fat Honey
Morning Snack: Ham, low-fat; Banana
Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup; Cauliflower, cooked
Afternoon Snack: Cheese Puffs
Dinner: Tender Beef with Vegetables; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt
Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: 30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm. 16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.
Pedometer: ?
Posted in NutriSystem Select, Successful Days
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May 1, 2009
I’ve signed up with a new gym. The old one was more than I needed. The new one is more of a neighborhood gym, and it is within walking distance. I can walk/jog/run to and from the gym.
Truth be told, I have not visited the old gym in a few weeks. I went through a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn more compound exercises, then I trained, kinda, for “Climb Miami”.
I am excited and nervous about starting with the new gym. I like that it is so close that I can walk to it. At the same time, I am anxious about the new environment. I had become comfortable at the previous gym; I’ll need to learn my way around this gym.
I am eager to get back on track with my strength building exercises. Although I was going only once a week, I was seeing some benefit. I felt like it was helping me transform my body.
I think once I am able to get back to the gym regularly and do only compound exercises, I will start to see some nice muscle definition. It’s just one part of the plan to make sure I forge ahead to my weight loss goal.
What do you look for in a gym? Are the exercise machines important? Is it the weights? Does your gym have classes that you attend?
Breakfast: Cranberry Orange Pastry; Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat; Applesauce, unsweetened; Bread, whole-wheat; Morning Coffee
Morning Snack: Yogurt, nonfat; Peach
Lunch: Cheese Tortellini; Fennel Bulb
Afternoon Snack: Zesty Herb Snack Mix
Dinner: Mashed Potatoes with Meatloaf and Tomato Sauce; Zucchini, raw; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked
Dessert: Double Chocolate Almond Cookie
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: none today.
Pedometer: ?
Posted in NutriSystem Select, Strength Training
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April 30, 2009
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Einstein
Lately, I may have been going insane. Every weekday morning I’d wake up at 4:45am and expect to get on the exercise bike at 5am. However, I’d check in with work, find something going awry, and end up not exercising.
Despite my track record, I continued to plan to wake up and exercise. Each day I was unable to exercise due to my work obligations, I would be a little bummed. Yet, I did not make a change to my routine.
My first approach to this problem was “hoping” that the problems at work would just go away. After all, things had not been this bad before. It’s just a recent thing where my morning is completely sidetracked. I’ve gotten over that, especially since I realized that I think there will actually be some relief with my work problems by the end of next month.
So, I have finally made the decision to move my exercise back to the afternoon, as soon as I get home from work. It worked before, and it will work again. I do see a couple scheduling conflicts, but I think they will be much more manageable than my morning challenges.
I actually prefer to exercise in the morning. I like waking up and finishing my exercise for the day. Plus, I also have more time in the evening to do other things.
I finally resolved to make the change, because I need to exercise, and I do not want it to slip. Also, I am optimistic that the work issues will actually be resolved, and I can return to morning exercise in June.
What challenges have you faced with your exercise schedule, and what have you done to resolve them?
Breakfast: NutriCinnamon Squares Cereal; Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat; Applesauce, unsweetened; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee
Morning Snack: Yogurt, nonfat; Cherries
Lunch: Beans & Ham Soup; Beets, cooked
Afternoon Snack: Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks
Dinner: Ravioli Formaggio; Zucchini, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked
Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
Drinks: Crystal Light
Exercise: none today.
Pedometer: ?
Posted in Best Intentions, Exercise Roadblocks, NutriSystem Select
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