Canuck_Chick's Rebirth!

[canuck_chick]

I have decided to start this journal because during the last couple of years I had taken on a poor attitude towards diet and exercise. I have struggled with my weight a few times in my life, but prior to taking on this crappy attitude I had worked out constantly, ate a fairly clean diet, and maintained a healthy weight for a number of years. During these couple of years I have managed to put on around 40 pounds. Yuck.

My goal is to get that weight back off. When I was content with my weight previously, I was a big cardio fanatic. I also lifted weights consistently, but they were very light weights and I did high reps. This time around I would like to gain some strength and obviously lose this disgusting weight I'm carrying around.

The first day of my plan began yesterday. I started back to the gym, cleaned up my diet and tracked my food intake.

Here is what yesterday looked like:

Nutrition:
Meal #1: banana, yogurt, oatmeal, glass of milk
Meal #2: grapes, yogurt
Meal #3: salad with cucumber, dill, hard-boiled eggs (2), non-fat Italian dressing
Meal #4: 5 wheat germ crackers, orange
WORKOUT
Meal #5: 3 small whole wheat tortillas with lean roast beef & horseradish

Total cals: 1789
Fat: 53 475 26%
Carbs: 255 940 52%
Protein: 95 381 21%

Workout:
Biceps:
Alternate Hammer Curls 10X15lbs - 3 sets
Alternate Dumbbell Curls 10X15lbs - 3 sets
EZ Bar Curls 10X30lbs - 3 sets
Back:
Lat Pulldowns 8X80lbs - 2 sets, 10X70lbs - 1 set
Low Row Machine - 10X40lbs - 1 set, 10X50lbs - 2 sets
High Pulldown Machine - 10X60lbs - 2 sets, 10X80lbs - 1 set
Cardio:
Eliptical machine - 30 minutes
Abs:
Roman chair leg raises - 3 sets of 10

I welcome any and all feedback on my diet or workouts. I know that my protein was down yesterday, but it didn't really click in for me until I tracked everything I ate.

I hope to update my stats tonight. As embarrassing as it is, it has to be done to motivate myself to get the fat off!

[twinnett]

Hi!!! don't be embarassed...we all had to start somewhere..I used to be a size 16...you should be proud that you're taking the tough steps to change!!

Have you thought about planning your meals beforehand so you can make sure you're getting in the protein? I plan out my whole week on nutridiary! lol

[canuck_chick]

Thanks for the encouragement twinnett, it is good to know that there are others here who have been there before and succeeded at their goals!

When I was eating clean before, I would plan my meals ahead of time. I have to get back in the habit of doing that, it's been a while!

I updated my stats tonight, along with uploading a fat pic to remind myself of why I'm doing this!

I wasn't able to workout tonight due to a dentist appointment. I was actually really disappointed, so I think that I am in the right mindset for getting things done this time around.

[twinnett]

Oh my gosh, your puppy is adorable!! I have a giant black lab...sorry you had to miss your workout..that's so frustrating!

[vanillabn]

Hey there! Glad to see you started a journal.

As Tara mentioned, do NOT feel embarassed! Everyone on these boards is essentially here for the same purpose - to take steps toward improving their physical fitness... we all have different goals and start points, but the idea is the same. You already deserve tons of credit for taking the steps to clean up your diet, start weight training, etc.!

Nutridiary (or fitday, which I used to use) has been really helpful for me, as well. I usually log my food the day before, ensuring I'm around the right range, and then tweak it as the day goes on if I decide to have something different or switch things up a bit.

Anyway, welcome! Looking forward to following along!

[canuck_chick]

Thanks twinnett! He's now just over a year old and is 80 pounds. They sure do grow quick!

I signed up for fitday, but I like your idea of calculating meals beforehand vanillabn. I will give that a try today so that I know what I'm going to eat tomorrow!

Anyway, I thought I would post my nutrition for yesterday. Not sure if my calories might have been a bit low?

Total cals: 1523
Fat: 34 305 20%
Carbs: 192 708 47%
Protein: 125 499 33%

[littlechick]

hey neighbor..welcome to the boards

good luck

[canuck_chick]

Originally Posted by littlechick

hey neighbor..welcome to the boards

good luck

Thanks!

Here is my journal entry for yesterday.

Nutrition:

Meal #1: oatmeal, yogurt, banana
Meal #2: yogurt, grapes
Meal #3: salad with cucumber, carrot, tomato & FF Italian dressing, tuna with lowfat Caesar dressing
Meal #4: cottage cheese, wheat germ crackers
WORKOUT
Meal #5: scoop of protein with 1% milk
Meal #6: turkey meatloaf with brussels sprouts

Total cals: 2086
Fat: 55 492 24%
Carbs: 239 866 43%
Protein: 169 677 33%

Workout:
Smith Machine Squats 10X50lbs - 1 set 10X70lbs - 2 sets
Seated Hamstring Curls 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Adduction Machine 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Abduction Machine 10X60lbs - 3 sets

Eliptical Machine - 30 minutes

I felt really drained when I got home from the gym last night. I hope that I'm not getting sick!

On a good note though, I really think I'm back on track. I avoided buying junk last night when at the grocery store before dinner, which is usually a fatal mistake for me. I also turned down a chocolate bar (mini one at that) after dinner so I'm pretty proud of myself!

[vanillabn]

Good job not buying the junk last night. For me, that's the first step to eating the right stuff - not bringing a lot of it into the house to begin with! Everyone is different that way but I just find it easier that way.

I noticed one thing, not that I'm a nutrition expert or anything, but you may want to try and put more protein in your first 2 meals, like maybe having egg whites alongside your oatmeal, or if you like cottage cheese, maybe some of that mixed with fruit? Otherwise I think things look pretty good!

Oh and yes, your cals look a little bit low yesterday (I take in around 1500 and I'm only 5'0")

You're doing awesome

[canuck_chick]

Thanks!

I thought the same thing too about my 1st and 2nd meals. I bought some egg whites in a carton last night and intended to scramble some up for breakfast this morning. However... I hit the snooze button a few extra times this morning due to feeling so crappy last night. I will aim for egg whites instead of the banana for tomorrow!

On another note, I brought cottage cheese from home this morning in a little container. On my way to put it in the fridge at work I dropped it on the floor, carpet to boot! Gross! Anyway, I ran over to Walmart on my lunch to pick some more up and I found the tastiest cottage cheese ever. It is Dairyland cottage cheese and my goodness it is awesome! It tastes like the kind you get from the salad bars in restaurants. Dumb story, but that completely made my day. I know where I'll be buying it from now on!

[vanillabn]

Eww..I've definitely done that before (dropped cc all over the floor). That's good you found one you like - not dumb at all, I was excited when I found the 'right brand' because I eat it so often!

Good luck tomorrow! Have a great day

[canuck_chick]

OK, so here was my day yesterday.

Nutrition:

Meal #1: yogurt, oatmeal, banana
Meal #2: yogurt, grapes
Meal #3: Salad with cucumber, tomato, carrot and FF Italian dressing, tuna with lowfat caesar dressing
Meal #4: Cottage cheese, wheat germ crackers
WORKOUT
Meal #5: Scoop of protein with 1% milk
Meal #6: Turkey meatloaf with cauliflower

Total cals: 2017
Fat: 25%
Carbs: 39%
Protein: 36%

Workout:

Chest
Machine press 10X50lbs - 3 sets
Machine incline press 10X40lbs - 1 set 10X60lbs - 2 sets
Butterfly machine 10X40lbs - 3 sets

Triceps
Dumbbell kickbacks 10X8lbs - 3 sets
Two-arm overhead extenstions 10X20lbs - 3 sets
Rope pulldowns 10X20lbs - 3 sets

I am really looking forward to tonight, I am going out with my old roommates who I haven't seen in a couple of years now. However, I know that there will be alcohol involved. I am going to do my best to limit my intake to 2-3 glasses of wine (I LOVE wine). Hopefully my will-power sticks after I've had 1 or 2! We're also going out for supper and I've already checked out the menu for the restaurant online. They have a salmon dish that looks like it might fit into my diet, so maybe I'll try that. I've been craving pizza lately though and they have that on the menu too. Wish me luck, I'll need it!!!

[vanillabn]

Good luck tonight! I think it's a good idea to plan a meal about once a week where you don't really keep track and let yourself have a treat. For me, I usually put this day on Saturday or Sunday, but if something 'special' comes up during the week, I'll swap days and just eat according to my diet all weekend.

Online menus are so helpful! I use those a lot

Great workout yesterday, you're doing great!

[canuck_chick]

OK, so Friday night didn't go so well. My diet was excellent in terms of food, but I went a little overboard on the wine. I won't mention how much I had, but I'm pretty sure that because of how much I had my nutrients are off by quite a bit. Here are my calories in terms of the food I ate.

Meal #1: Egg whites (1/2 cup), oatmeal, yogurt
Meal #2: Yogurt, grapes
Meal #3: Cauliflower, tuna with lowfat caesar dressing
Meal #4: Cottage cheese & wheat germ crackers
Meal #5: Salmon, baked potato, salad with balsamic vinigrette

Total cals: 1433
Fat: 16%
Carbs: 47%
Protein: 37%

I didn't manage a workout on Friday, I had to pretty much leave again after getting home from work and getting ready. I did manage to get the dog out for a walk (as I do everyday, but...) so at least I did something.

Yesterday was a completely lazy day. I walked the dog a few times, but other than that I did absolutely nothing. And I loved it! It is so nice to just relax without having a million things to do. I felt really guilty because I didn't get to the gym, but I will get there today. Here is my nutrition for yesterday, I didn't eat a whole lot, but I just wasn't hungry.

Total cals: 1133
Fat: 32%
Carbs: 41%
Protein: 27%

So it is off to the gym soon to make up for my laziness yesterday. I guess 4 out of 7 days at the gym isn't too bad. This week coming I'm aiming for 5 or 6 though!

[canuck_chick]

So yesterday I was going to go to the gym for a 45-60 min cardio session, along with my weights, but my boyfriend and I decided to take the pooch out hiking instead. We ended up going to a conservation area nearby with a ton of trails. We hiked for almost 2 hours and it was a great workout. Shortly afterwards I made it to the gym to do my weights. It was a very good day and it felt great to get back in there after two days of playing hooky.

October 21, 2007

Nutrition:

Meal #1: Protein pancake with natural peanut butter (my first attempt... a little dry, but edible )
HIKING
Meal #2: Yogurt, small apple
Meal #3: Cottage cheese
WEIGHTS
Meal #4: Roasted zucchini and chicken with whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce
Meal #5: Sugar-free chocolate ice cream (not really a meal, but it was tasty!)

Total cals: 1705
Fat: 20%
Carbs: 49%
Protein: 32%

Workout:

Legs:
Leg Press 10X90lbs - 3 sets
Lying Hamstring Curls 10X50lbs - 3 sets
Leg Extensions 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts 10X40lbs - 3 sets

Abs:
Roman Chair Leg Raises 10 reps - 3 sets
Ball Pull-Ins 10 reps - 3 sets
Oblique Crunches 10 reps - 3 sets (per side)

Shoulders:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 10X15lbs - 3 sets
Front Dumbbell Raises 10X8lbs - 3 sets
Bent Over Rear Delt Raise 10X5lbs - 3 sets

I am thinking that I might start doing my measurements and weight on a weekly basis to see if there has been any progress. If I do, that day for me will be tomorrow. If I do see results already I will be very happy, but if not, I don't think I'll be discouraged. One week isn't really all that much time!

[MacGyverDel]

Journal is looking good. I always battle with my nutrition and win sometimes.

Hope you have a great week.

[vanillabn]

Originally Posted by canuck_chick

I am thinking that I might start doing my measurements and weight on a weekly basis to see if there has been any progress. If I do, that day for me will be tomorrow. If I do see results already I will be very happy, but if not, I don't think I'll be discouraged. One week isn't really all that much time!

I think that's a great idea to take your measurements/weight weekly; however, try not to get discouraged if you haven't made as much progress as you'd like/expect to in one week - you're right, it ISN'T that much time. Patience is not my strong point, so I know how it feels to expect results really fast - especially when you've put in a lot of work... but it takes time, and you WILL see results you want with consistency over time.

You're doing awesome!! Glad to hear about your 2 hour hike, that's such good exercise...and weights to follow! Try not to sweat it too much about Friday (& the wine)... we all overindulge once in a while!! 4/7 days @ the gym is great!

Have a good day

[canuck_chick]

Originally Posted by MacgyverDel

Journal is looking good. I always battle with my nutrition and win sometimes.

Hope you have a great week.

Thanks for stopping by fellow Canuck!

Originally Posted by vanillabn

Try not to sweat it too much about Friday (& the wine)... we all overindulge once in a while!!

Thanks for that Karina, it made me feel a bit better. And thanks for your support as usual!

Yesterday was a really good day. I moved into my town about a year and a half ago and at the time they didn't have a leash-free dog park. I found out yesterday that they had opened one earlier this year. After I got home from the gym I packed up Dax (my chocolate lab) and we headed over there. He had sooo much fun and made a lot of friends. I think he's found his new "happy place". I also had fun watching him do his thing. It's amazing how much joy they can bring to our lives!

So on with the rest!

Nutrition:

Meal #1: Protein pancake with natural peanut butter
Meal #2: Yogurt, apple
Meal #3: Salad with tomato, red onion, red & green pepper, tuna and Italian dressing stuffed into a whole wheat pita
Meal #4: Cottage cheese, wheat germ crackers
Meal #5: Scoop of protein powder with 1% milk
Meal #6: Chicken breast with green beans

Total cals: 1933
Fat: 19%
Carbs: 43%
Protein: 38%

My workout was good as well, I had a ton of energy at the end when it came time for my cardio. Always a good thing!

Back:

Lat Pulldowns: 8X80lbs - 3 sets
Low Row Machine: 10X55lbs - 1 set 10X60lbs - 2 sets
High Row Machine: 10X60lbs - 2 sets 10X80lbs - 1 set

Biceps:

Alternate Dumbbell curls: 10X15lbs - 1 set 10X20lbs - 2 sets
Alternate Hammer curls: 10X15lbs - 3 sets
Straight bar curls: 10X30lbs - 3 sets

Cardio:
10 minutes each of 2 different eliptical-type machines and the wave machine for a total of 30 minutes.

[vanillabn]

Hey there,

Glad to hear you had lots of energy yesterday...workout's looking good and nutrition is right on! How's it going with the protein pancakes yet? I know it's a process to tweak the recipe so that they turn out the way you want.

Your dog is so cute! I really want one, but I'm not allowed pets in my condo Oh well, I won't be there forever. Right now I have to live with 'pet sitting' for my friends every once in a while!

Is your gym close by?

[canuck_chick]

I have only tried the one protein pancake recipe thus far. I just got another one from the recipes thread, so I'll try those ones next.

I think he's cute too, but I might be biased! These are a couple of pictures from a cottage we were at this summer.





I live in a condo as well (apartment style), thankfully we're allowed to have dogs. It is actually great because I have no excuses, I have to get him out a bunch of times a day for walks. It I didn't, I would feel like a bad "mom".

Thankfully my gym is about 5 minutes away from my place, if that. I am going to be switching gyms at the end of November though. Luckily the other one will be just as close by!

[irish0418]

too cute!

[canuck_chick]

I am so happy this morning. I did my stats last night and I have a chart now! A chart that shows my weight progressing DOWNHILL! WOOHOO!!!

I am down 3 1/2 pounds from one week ago. I've also lost two inches off my chest, an inch off both my waist and thighs, and a quarter inch off my arms. Nothing off my hips yet, but I'm OK with that. For now!

Yesterday I was supposed to do my leg workout, but my legs were still too stiff from Sunday. What's with that??? So instead of doing any weights I just did 45 minutes of cardio on the eliptical machine. I had lots of energy again last night for my cardio which is awesome. I've been eating an apple on my way to the gym for the last few days, so perhaps that is the key for me.

Here is what my meals consisted of:

Nutrition:

Meal #1: All-Bran cereal with 1% milk and a scoop of protein powder (really weird combo but it works for me!)
Meal #2: Cottage cheese, wheat germ crackers
Meal #3: Salad with cucumber, red & green peppers, red onion and Italian dressing in a whole wheat pita, shrimp with hot sauce, orange
Meal #4: Yogurt, apple
WORKOUT
Meal #5: Scoop protein powder with 1% milk
Meal #6: Sweet & sour chicken breast with green beans

[canuck_chick]

No news for yesterday, nothing too exciting going on. Here is my nutrition and workout.

Nutrition:

Meal #1: All-Bran cereal with 1% milk and scoop of protein powder
Meal #2: Cottage cheese with wheat germ crackers
Meal #3: Salad with cucumber, red & green peppers, onion and tuna in a whole wheat pita
Meal #4: Cottage cheese and an apple
WORKOUT
Meal #5: Scoop of protein powder with 1% milk
Meal #6: Pizzas made with 2 small whole wheat tortillas, tomato sauce, baby spinach, mushrooms, green & red peppers, onion, chicken and a bit of part skim mozzarella

Total cals: 1879
Fat: 17%
Carbs: 37%
Protein: 46%

Workout:

Leg Press 10X90lbs - 3 sets
Seated Hamstring Curls 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Abduction Machine 10X60lbs - 2 sets 10X70lbs - 1 set
Adduction Machine 10X60lbs - 2 sets 10X70lbs - 1 set
Seated Calf Extensions 10X130lbs - 3 sets

Cardio:

30 minutes on the bike (10 minutes warmup, 20 minutes after workout)

[vanillabn]

Great workout!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pics of your dog! The one where he's jumping into the water is awesome. That's cool you got that on camera.

Your sweet & sour chicken breast sounds delicious! I always love to see what other people are eating because it gives me ideas for new things to try!

It's nice you can use your dog as an excuse to go outside and get exercise! That's another reason I'd like a dog... I think I would even feel safe walking early morning or late at night if I had a dog with me.

Congrats on the inches/weight loss!! You're making great progress! I always find that really motivating As for your legs being stiff from Sunday, I know exactly where you're coming from!! It's totally normal, just means you worked hard, so take it as a good sign! Cardio can be good for that sometimes after leg days.

Anyway, hope you have a great night! You're doing awesome so keep it up!

[canuck_chick]

Thanks for your support Karina, I really appreciate you stopping in here!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! The big 2-9 today, my last year of being young and foolish.

I am heading out to a fundraiser dance tonight with my boyfriend, my brother and a bunch of our friends. We're having everyone over to our place beforehand, it should be a lot of fun.

I've already made up my mind that I am NOT going to drink, I didn't like the feeling of ruining my diet last weekend. I'm going to head out at lunch today to pick up some flavoured coffees and teas to indulge in tonight. I've also got two pregnant friends who will be there so it will be nice not to be the only one not drinking.

My cheat meal for this week will be tomorrow night when I head out to my mom and dad's for a pizza filled birthday dinner. I've been waiting all week for this. I could care less about the cake part, I am not a sweets person. Just bring on the pizza!

Other than that I don't really have any plans. All I want is to sleep in!

Here is my nutrition and workout from yesterday. My workout felt pretty good, but my calories were lower than normal. I didn't have my normal 5th meal of the day, plus I missed having my fruit with meal #4.

Nutrition:

Meal #1: All-bran cereal with 1% milk and a scoop of protein powder
Meal #2: Cottage cheese, Triscuit crackers
Meal #3: 2 small whole wheat tortillas with tuna, onion, baby spinach and Italian dressing
Meal #4: Cottage cheese
WORKOUT
Meal #5: Pizzas made with 2 small whole wheat tortillas, tomato sauce, baby spinach, onion, mushrooms, chicken breast and part skim mozzarella cheese (can you tell I love pizza? )

Total cals: 1443
Fat: 17%
Carbs: 34%
Protein: 49%

Workout:

Chest:
Machine Press 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Machine Incline Press 8X60lbs - 2 sets 6X60lbs - 1 set
Machine Flys 10X50lbs - 3 sets

Triceps:
Dumbbell Kickbacks 10X8lbs - 3 sets
Rope Pulldowns 10X20lbs - 3 sets
One-Arm Overhead Extensions 10X8lbs - 3 sets

Cardio:
Eliptical machine - 30 minutes

[canuck_chick]

Geeze, it seems like forever since I've written in my journal. It's been long enough I suppose.

The last couple of days have been a bust for me. I've been coming down with something and haven't been feeling so hot. My nutrition hasn't been the greatest either. I have been eating decent foods (other than pizza on Saturday night before I started feeling like crap) but I haven't been eating a lot compared to what I'm eating when I'm feeling good and working out. I also haven't been to the gym either, I've felt totally drained. The extent of my exercise lately has been walking the dog.

I am going to see if I can make it to the gym tonight after work, even if for just a light workout. Who knows, maybe getting back there will help me feel better.

Here is a my nutrition from yesterday, I haven't bothered to track it over the weekend.

Meal #1: Oatmeal, 1% milk, scoop of protein
Meal #2: Cottage cheese, Triscuit crackers
Meal #3: Lean pork chop, baby spinach
Meal #4: Cottage cheese, apple
Meal #5: Chicken breast, roasted sweet potatoes
Snack: Lowfat cheese string, few tortilla chips

Total cals: 1564
Fat: 25%
Carbs: 33%
Protein: 43%

[canuck_chick]

I just did my measurements again and I've got some more good news. I've lost some "girth" on all of my measurements except for my waist which has stayed the same. I'm also down a pound and a half. Not too bad for two weeks! I think though that I am going to start doing my measurements every month or two weeks or something. That way I will (hopefully) see bigger accomplishments. I'll also post up a progress pic in another two weeks, that will be one month.

I'll write out my nutrition and workout tomorrow morning, it's tea, bed and book time!

[twinnett]

Looking good in here!!! Congrats on the measurements and happy birthday!!!

[canuck_chick]

Originally Posted by twinnett

Looking good in here!!! Congrats on the measurements and happy birthday!!!

Thank you very much!

I am feeling 99% better today, my workout really helped yesterday. Surprisingly I had a lot of energy for my workout, I thought it was going to be a crappy one. My diet yesterday was a bit off. I had higher than normal fat totals, and I missed my post-workout shake. Bad I know! I am also thinking that I might need to incorporate some more carbs into my diet, maybe some brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Nutrition:

Meal #1: Two slices whole wheat toast, butter, 1% milk and scoop of protein -> This wasn't my intended breakfast, it was a quick fix from the cafeteria here at work. Thankfully I had some protein powder here or things would have been worse. I had made up wonderful protein pancakes with sugar-free syrup, heated them at work and dropped them on the floor! I don't know what is with me. Last week it was the cottage cheese, and now my pancakes! GRRR! OK, on with the rest now!
Meal #2: Salad with lettuce, baby spinach, cucumber and chicken breast
Meal #3: Cottage cheese, Triscuit crackers
WORKOUT
Meal #4: Ground turkey cooked with red onion and red pepper, cauliflower
Snack: Tortilla chips

Total cals: 1459
Fat: 35%
Carbs: 21%
Protein: 45%

Workout:

Legs:
Squats 10X40lbs - 1 set 10X50lbs - 2 sets -> This was my first time doing barbell squats, I had always done Smith Machine squats. They felt pretty good and thankfully my balance was OK!
Stiff Legged Deadlifts 10X50lbs - 3 sets
Leg Extensions 10X60lbs - 3 sets
Lying Hamstring Curls 10X50lbs - 3 sets

Abs:
Ball Pull-Ins 3 sets of 10
Oblique Crunches 3 sets of 15 per side

Cardio:
30 minutes on the bike (10 for warm-up, 20 for after workout)

Happy Halloween everyone!

[vanillabn]

hey!
Congrats on the progress That's awesome. I agree, I would only take measurements every 2 weeks or so. Yay...I love progress pics!

Good idea to incorporate more carbs... you don't want to go too low or your energy, etc. is going to suffer. Great workout! How did you like the barbell squats? I waited a while before trying them for a first time, but once I got used to them, I was so happy...they work wonders!

Are you doing anything for Halloween??