Evolution of a work in progress

[moon girl]

I've been playing around with the idea of starting a journal for a while. I've been a member of these boards for a while now and I spend way too much time around here anyway, so I might as well start journaling . It'll be nice to share with women (and men) who understand my lifestyle.

Quick intro - I'm turning 24 this month, I'm 5'8" and roughly 145 lbs. I've been working out for almost 5 years now and I'm trying to shed some body fat. I think I have a reasonable muscle base so it's about time I can actually see it.

Yesterday's food (fitday estimate)
1898 calories
43 g fat (21%)
235 g carbs (45%) - 25 g fiber
162 g protein (34%)

Today's workout - Legs
Leg press - 140 lbs
Leg press calf - 180 lbs
Box step up, DBs - 15 lbs each hand
SLDL, shoulder width stance - 120 lbs

I'll be away for the weekend but I'll be back on Monday.

[moon girl]

I had a good weekend but between not eating that well, not getting enough water in me, not quite sleeping enough, and driving for 3 hours yesterday evening I'm not feeling as good as I could. I really needed the strong cup of coffee I had a couple hours ago - been feeling much better since then.

Today's back to normal though. My weight lifting schedule has been MWF for quite a while now but because of my cardio schedule I think I'll do TuThF for a while. I'm taking a spinning class Mondays and an aerobics class on Wednesdays and I think it'll be beneficial to separate those from weight lifting. Both cardio classes are pretty intense (if I push myself, anyway) so they deserve a day of their own . It's so strange not to lift weights on Monday morning though - it feels wrong! Exercise plan for today is spinning class only.

I'm excited to hit the weights tomorrrow AM - I finally washed my gloves (they reeked... eww...) and that's getting me excited, for some weird reason . Also, my body has finally recovered - I was exceptionally sore last week but it's just my hammies now and they should feel fine by tomorrow. Tomorrow's chest/shoulders/tris day, yay!

I'll post today's food tonight or tomorrow. I have a habit of changing my mind about my meals so I might as well wait until after the fact. I'm tempted to not post the actual foods since I don't eat as clean as some (most?) of you, but not posting won't help me achieve my goals.

[moon girl]

I'm so frustrated! I only made it through about half of my spinning class. I started getting stabbing pains in my right lower abdomen and taking a break didn't help. Even breathing hurt, let along walking (or biking)! I feel so awful for quitting partway through because it feels like I'm wussing out. Plus, I really enjoy those classes and I hate missing out on them *grumbles*.

Feeling a bit better now, but still a bit tender. I'm thinking/hoping that it was something I ate, maybe causing gas. The weird thing is that my shoulder started to hurt as well, underneath the collar bone. That happens to me during runs as well sometimes - does anyone have any idea what causes this?

[Giggy]

Hi Moon, <waving>

Thanks for stopping by my journal and posting too! I know what you mean about feeling like your intruding. I feel like that when I read others journals and I even find myself backing out of posts because I feel unsure if what I'm posting is valuable. It was nice of you to post.

I see you were having problems with cramping. I'm interested to see the responses. I went for a run the other night and had some horrible cramping in my side, bothsides actually. I was thinking maybe I ran too soon after eating. I've read when your body is digesting that it can be overwhelming to exercise too soon, as it causes stress to your system. Let's wait and see what others say.

BTW - Happy Birthday! ****24**** Whoot whoot!!!

Barb

[twinnett]

Hey...how are you feeling? Please don't feel like you can't share what you eat. There's no need to feel like you have to eat "perfectly". There IS no perfect and there's no reason not to have some treats or foods that some might consider "unclean". Keeps us sane and you'll still make great progress! I fit treats in a lot into my macros...cereal or dark chocolate...I'm fitting in subway on Friday!

[moon girl]

Stomach feels normal now - still thinking it was just gas or food not quite agreeing with me. Gotta remember to take my digestive enzymes (beano) with 'trouble foods' like raw veggies...

Originally Posted by Giggy

Thanks for stopping by my journal and posting too! I know what you mean about feeling like your intruding. I feel like that when I read others journals and I even find myself backing out of posts because I feel unsure if what I'm posting is valuable. It was nice of you to post.

Thanks for stopping by! Getting that confirmation that someone reads feels good (even though I know I shouldn't care because I should be journaling for me and only me )

Originally Posted by twinnett

Hey...how are you feeling? Please don't feel like you can't share what you eat. There's no need to feel like you have to eat "perfectly". There IS no perfect and there's no reason not to have some treats or foods that some might consider "unclean". Keeps us sane and you'll still make great progress! I fit treats in a lot into my macros...cereal or dark chocolate...I'm fitting in subway on Friday!

I know - you're right. I have a tendency to go overboard with not-so-clean foods, which sometimes makes me feel bad about eating them at all. Thanks for the encouragement

Not much to report on since this is my 3rd post of the day. I'll post food & relax on the couch for a bit before bed.

Today's food

6:30 am - kashi golean, skim milk
8:20 am - cherries, coffee & splenda
9:30 am - celery, baby carrots, ff ranch dressing
10:45 am - ww pasta, drained & rinsed ground beef, alfredo sauce
1:40 pm - milk, whey
2:20 pm - tuna pouch
5 pm - 1 egg, 4 whites, flatbread, lf cheese, bit of ham, sf jello, diet sprite
7:15 pm - 2.5 tbsp pb, 3 wasa crackers, 2 tbsp light marmalade

1909 calories
62 g (30%) fat
201 g (36%) carbs - 35 g fiber
158 g (34%) protein

[Miranda]

ah ha. you started a journal.

[moon girl]

Originally Posted by Miranda

ah ha. you started a journal.

Yup. It was about time

This morning's workout
Not very energetic this morning. I woke up a few times during the night so I probably didn't get great quality sleep. I just couldn't get my heart rate up during my workout, but I was sweating and panting plenty. A possible explanation I have is that my chest strap wasn't quite in the right spot. But truthfully, I probably just wasn't working as hard as I could.

Incline DB press - 20 lbs <-- increase weight next time
Flat DB flye - 10 lbs <-- increase weight next time
Smith shoulder press - bar + 20 lbs
Machine lateral raise - '30' (presumably lbs)
Assisted dips - BW - 46 lbs
EZ bar cable push down - '70' (again, presumably lbs)
Leg raises on bench
Cable crunch - '60'

51 minutes, 128 calories, average HR 89, max HR 115 <-- see what I mean?

My gym recently got a lateral raise machine and I hadn't tried it yet. I don't really like it - it's hard to get the seat in the right spot and I didn't feel like it was doing much for me. Going back to DB or maybe cable lateral raises next time.

Other stuff
Planning on getting some pics together soon - I need an avatar! I'm not very good at taking pics myself though (especially of my back) so I'll see if I can convince my bf to do it on the weekend. I'll also get him to do some measurements, even though I don't think much has changed since my last set (August of last year).

[moon girl]

I had a low energy day yesterday. Didn't even feel like eating so my calories were slightly lower than normal. Probably not a bad thing once in a while... I *am* trying to lose weight, after all.

I'm going to be away at 2 conferences for a week and a half starting next week. I'm already worrying / thinking about food... I'm not even so concerned about the less clean foods, more about the fact that people just expect that everyone eats 3 square meals a day. The good news, however, is that both hotels have fitness rooms; and at least one of them offers some weights / machines - at least I won't be without exercise for a week and a half 'cause that would drive me nuts. Also, I'll be in the mountains for the first conference, and the organizers scheduled an afternoon off so people can go hiking. I'm looking forward to that!

The second conference is in Vancouver and I've been told it's the best place in Canada to get sushi so I'll have to try that. I'm a sushi-a-holic

Yesterday's food
- 1 egg, 3 whites, few pieces of ham, 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup ff plain yogurt
- PWO: 1 cup fruitopia, PP, cherries
- salmon sandwich (ww bread, baked salmon, ff mayo), carrots, celery
- bahmi (Indonesian dish with noodles, veggies, meat)
- 3 wasa crackers, 1 tbsp pb, 1 tbsp jam, small handful cashews

1676 calories
47 g fat (25%)
211 g carb (45%) / 25 g fiber
124 g protein (30%)

[moon girl]

Yup, I'm here again. I waste altogether way too much time on bb.com.

Step aerobics was fun. I started it a few months ago in an attempt to push myself beyond my comfort zone - it kinda scared me. Turns out I'm horrible at it but I do have a lot of fun. I figure as long as my heart rate is up there and there's arm & leg movement, who cares. And it does seem to be getting a little bit better... and no injuries from falling flat on my face off the riser yet

I was having a horrible fat day before my class, endorphins from the class made me feel good about myself, and now I'm back to feeling fat again. And I'm hungry too - aah! I wonder if I need to be hungry during the day if I want to lose any weight. Seems like if I eat when I first get hungry my weight just stays the same.

Anyway, stats on the aerobics WO:
43 minutes, 384 calories, ave HR 149, max HR 183

[Buffycat3]

Hey you started a journal...good for you!
This is one of the best ways to keep and track your progress.
And to write down what your feeling.
Not to mention the fact that you'll make tons of great and helpful friends.
Best of luck to you!

[SexyBack]

Hi there, just stumbled across your journal! Thought I would pop in and check it out.

good luck with your goals, I'll follow along

[Miranda]

Originally Posted by moon girl

I wonder if I need to be hungry during the day if I want to lose any weight.

depends. you can eat high-fiber foods that help you feel fuller longer on low(er) calories.

but, hunger is the body's way of telling the brain more energy is needed.
starving is (sometimes, or rather often, actually . . .) part of it.

[moon girl]

Buffycat, SexyBack - thanks for stopping by

Originally Posted by Miranda

but, hunger is the body's way of telling the brain more energy is needed.
starving is (sometimes, or rather often, actually . . .) part of it.

Yeah, I guess I'll have to suffer through it . I think at this point in time it's probably partly just a shock to my body. After feeding it 'on demand' for a while I'm not giving in at the first sign of hunger. Body might just need some reprogramming or something - only time will tell I guess.

I also suppose this is where doing a regular, controlled, refeed becomes important just so I don't go insane and eat a week's worth of calories in one sitting. Hmm. Way too much thinking involved with this losing weight stuff.

Yesterday's food
- 1 egg, 3 whites, ham, blueberries, yogurt, coffee + creamer
- Bahmi, peanut sauce
- After aerobics: Milk + PP
- Salmon sandwich
- 1/2 serv. bahmi + peanut sauce, 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp pecan / almond butter

1762 calories
53 g fat (28%)
192 g carbs (40%) - 19 g fiber
139 g protein (32%)

I was planning on having some cherries instead of the pecan/almond butter but I was making some and I just can't help but lick some out of the bowl. Warm nut butter has got to be one of my favorite (and most dangerous!) foods. Yum.

Not a lot of veggies (and, as a result, fiber) yesterday... my fridge was completely veggie-less until I stopped at the grocery store last night. I stocked up on some veggies and fruit - I absolutely love the selection of fruit in the summer. Produce can get stupidly expensive here in the winter time - I saw some $4 cucumbers last winter, crazy. So now that there's lots of good and relatively cheap fruit, I'm making sure to get some. Mmm... cherries...

Today's workout
- Lat pull downs - 80 lbs
- Bar row, underhand grip - 60 lbs
- Good mornings - 80 lbs (increased weight)
- Seated dumbell curls - 15 lbs (move up)
- Standing dumbell hammer curls - 10 lbs

Workout was good this morning; lots of energy even though it was really hot in the gym. And I was wearing pants because none of my shorts were dry yet (washed 'em last night).

Bis were strong today - lots and lots of reps on seated curls. They (meaning, my bis) were looking better today too... vein is starting to peek through on my right bicep again. It's also looking as though I'll have one of those squiggly visible veins on my right front shoulder once I get a little leaner. The fact that I can start seeing some veins again is encouraging.

Stats:
Back/bis: 41 minutes, 165 calories, ave HR 103, max HR 135
Cardio (elliptical): 22 minutes, 149 calories, ave HR 127, max HR 138 <-- way too hot for cardio!

[moon girl]

Feeling good today. Lots of energy despite crappy sleep.

Yesterday's food
- 1 egg, 3 whites, ham, yogurt, frozen berries, coffee, creamer
- PWO: fruitopia, PP
- Bahmi with peanut sauce, cherries
- WW pasta, drained/rinsed ground beef, tomato sauce, carrots, celery, cauliflower
- flatbread, baked salmon, LF mayo
- popcorn

1697 calories
41 g fat (23%)
230 g carbs (48%) (40 g fiber)
119 g protein (30%)

Today's workout
Legs - my most dreaded workouts.

- squat - 75,85,90 lbs
- bb step lunge - 60 lbs
- lying ham curl - 70 lbs
- standing calf raise - 250 lbs

I only managed to get 5 reps with 90 lbs on squats but I think it's the only way to push my squats into high gear. I'm squat retarded but looking to change that.

Stats:
Weights - 45 minutes, 230 calories, ave HR 112, max HR 158
Bike - 31 minutes, 211 calories, ave HR 127, max HR 147

Random
Back is a bit sore today - I sure could go for a massage. My lower back is feeling it from the increased weight on good mornings.

I think I need to switch back/bis to early in the week so my back isn't sore when I'm trying to do squats. It's tough to keep my back tight when it hurts to do so...

On the other hand, I've been playing around with revamping my workouts altogether. Not sure what to do though... I should read some things to get ideas.

Weekend should be hot but good. I'll be away again - spending some time with my bf and visiting my parents. I'll be back on Monday.

[littlechick]

hey girl, just found your journal...how ya doing??

some good workouts in here..keep at it!

[wannaBmoy]

Originally Posted by moon girl

- squat - 75,85,90 lbs

I read this as a very large number and thought. Jeez 75 bajillion85thousand and 90lbs is more than I can squat .

Nice workout and your diet looks great. Just stopping by to give ya more traffic/spam/feedback or whatever

[AnnieC]

Hi

It seems like everything is going well!
What's Bahmi?

Have a nice weekend Enjoy spending time with your loved ones!

[moon girl]

Not much to say but I thought I'd update since it's been a few days.

Exercise
Spinning class yesterday but I forgot my heart rate monitor at home so no stats. It was pretty good though.

Various

Diet's been off, both in terms of quality and quantity. I can come up with lots of excuses but in the end it doesn't matter. I'm also not lifting weights this week. Again, just my laziness / poor prioritizing.

I'm leaving for my conference tomorrow so today I'm staying home to do laundry, clean my apartment, and pack. I'm realizing that 10 days is an awfully long time to pack for - I don't even have enough nice looking clothes to last me that long.

Also as a result of this trip, my fridge is bare. I'm trying to finish off the food that I have left over - so I won't have to throw too much away. At least there's a couple pieces of fruit and some veggies left.

I'll try to update over the next week and a half if I have access to the internet at some point. If not, I'll be home again on the 28th.

[Miranda]

Originally Posted by AnnieC

What's Bahmi?

noodles? yeah, noodles. not to be confused with nasi. that's rice.

i guess you're never been to the chinese?

'i want the 145 with nasi and sambal.'

[Buffycat3]

Originally Posted by Miranda

noodles? yeah, noodles. not to be confused with nasi. that's rice.

i guess you're never been to the chinese?

'i want the 145 with nasi and sambal.'

Since I never been to the chinese...can bahmi and nasi be eaten together?
'I'll have the Bahmi-Nasi, please'



MoonGirl...Correct me if I am wrong, but you sound a little down...anything wrong?

[moon girl]

Originally Posted by Buffycat3

Since I never been to the chinese...can bahmi and nasi be eaten together?
'I'll have the Bahmi-Nasi, please'

That'd be like Chinese (Indonesian, technically) rice-a-roni. Interesting... I wonder if anyone's got a patent on that

MoonGirl...Correct me if I am wrong, but you sound a little down...anything wrong?

I'm fine. Just looking forward to being back home again and eating my normal foods and doing my regular exercise routine. I'm a homebody and I worry WAY too much about going on trips. I know I'll have fun once I'm there but until then I'll be worrying about what to pack, what the food will be like, etc. The worrying kinda throws me off. Thanks for the concern though - I appreciate it.

[littlechick]

hope you can stay good on your diet and stuff while you are away have a goood trip!

[Adalea]

I hope the conference goes well MoonGirl. About the whole packing thing, 10 days does seems like a lot, doesn't it? I went camping for a week last month and that seemed difficult to pack for. Of course you always think you're going to need more than you do... so hopefully everything you need made it into your suitcase. Me and my backpack, now that was another story.

[moon girl]

I'm back from my trip. It was a lot of fun - I met lots of interesting people and saw some interesting presentations. Unfortunately, I only managed to get 2 workouts in (1 weights + cardio, 1 cardio only) and my diet's been the average person's diet. It's amazing how hard it is to get your fruits and veggies in when you eat out all the time.

I also caught a nasty cold while I was away so I probably won't be in the gym before Monday. I'll update this week once things are back to 'normal'.

[moon girl]

Just a quick update... I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things. It's so weird getting back to my normal routine after being away for a week and a half! It's a good thing I don't go away very often.

I didn't plug yesterday's food into fitday, but from my log I can tell it was a bit low on protein. Other than that, pretty good.

My cold's still not gone. During spinning class yesterday breathing was tougher than normal at some times. It was a good class though - different instructor who really kicked my butt. Felt pretty good.

I haven't come up with a new workout routine yet. Not sure if I want or need a new one, but it probably couldn't hurt. Just haven't had the energy for it, to be honest. It feels like I'm still recovering from my trip

That's about it for now - I'm off to get some work done.

[moon girl]

Another quick one...

Yesterday's workout
Not much energy, but I'm glad I went. It always takes me a while to get back in the swing of things when I've missed a few workouts.

- DB bench press (20 lbs)
- 2-handed triceps extension (25 lbs)
- DB decline bench press (20 lbs)
- Arnold press (at least - that's what I intended to do. Not too familiar with this exercise) (15 lbs)
- Tricep cable push down with ez bar (60 lbs)
- Front delt raise (10 lbs)

Yesterday's food
6:30 am - all bran flakes, raisins, skim
8:50 am - PWO - apple juice, whey
10:10am- CC, low sugar jam, almonds
11:45am- cherries
2:34pm - pita, hummus, souvlaki pork
9 pm - cherries
9:30 pm- chicken noodle soup

Still not quite back to normal, but at least the quality is improving. Now I just need to up my protein, get more veggies in, and eat more regularly, and I'm back on track

[Buffycat3]

Hi MoonGirl

Ick!
Being sick is not fun, especially with us bbers ...it gets in the way of our progress.
You are right in taking it a little easy with your training...only do what your body tells what you can do.

I have to look up souvlaki pork, bcause I never heard of it before.

Take Care and get well ...FAST!

[moon girl]

It's been a while since I've been here... It's also been a while since I lifted weights.

I've been a bit lazy... Last week partly because of my cold, this week I've just been lacking energy. I haven't been out of the house much these past few days - I worked from home (I'm a grad student, so I can do that ) and didn't bother too much with exercise. I think I need to get my sleep and eating patterns back to normal and I'll feel better.

Although my diet's been off, I did get back to the gym this morning: back & bis:

- rack pulls (130 lbs)
- pull up "shrugs" (body weight) --> to hopefully help me get to full pullups
- barbell curls (35 lbs)
- dumbell rows (25 lbs)
- standing dumbell curls (20 lbs)

I'm thinking I should have my liquid meal before workouts rather than after. As is, I have eggs + cereal before workout, and protein shake after. I think I want to switch to protein shake + fruit before, and then my eggs + cereal after. My stomach feels kinda icky during workouts sometimes, and I think that might have something to do with the high-fibre cereal not digesting. It's worth a try anyway.

My cardio classes are almost over (begin again mid-September) and I think during the break I should change up my workout routine, perhaps switch to a 4- or even 5-day split. I did that for a while last summer and I liked it - my workouts were short and I usually had time left over for some cardio right after. I'll have to come up with a split + exercise list in the next week... exciting!

I was also thinking I should try HIIT on the track, but it kinda scares me. I've tried HIIT before and I hated it with a passion... but maybe I'm in better cardiovascular shape now than I was back then. Another thing that might be worth a try... just not sure if I'd stick with it.

That's it for now - I'd better go shower.

[moon girl]

Happy Monday

I decided it was time to get back to my normal rhythm. It feels nice to slack off for a while but once the initial much-needed rest period is over, I just start feeling sluggish.

The weekend was awful as far as food's concerned. One of my biggest problems with sugary and fatty (fast-foody) foods is that once I have a bit, I keep coming back for more. It's much easier to not have any (or only in 'controlled' situations) - exercising any form of restraint in that respect does not seem to be my forte.

But... today I'm back to working in my office, which means pre-packed meals for the time I'm here. Breakfast is usually good quality anyway, so that just leaves dinner & beyond as far as food struggles go. I'll just have to remind myself that it takes a little bit of time (and mental strength) to get the 'toxins' - and with them, the cravings - out of my body.

I was plenty sore from my pull up shrugs - my lats are still not quite recovered. I'll definitely keep doing those for a while. Assisted pull ups and (various) pull downs haven't been doing much for me lately so I'm hoping this might add a bit of strength (and mass) to my lats.

Today's exercise was cardio only - spinning class. I wasn't feeling it at all so I didn't go all out, but it's better than nothing.
51 minutes, 390 calories, 134 ave HR, 164 max HR

This week will be the last week on my current plan... time for changes! I'm so excited about coming up with a new plan... Haven't decided on anything yet - as a matter of fact, I haven't put that much thought into it at all yet. Soon though, soon...