So, my big comeback didn't go exactly as planned. As I posted last time, my back kept getting worse to the point where I had to go in to Urgent Care to get some muscle relaxants so I was flat on my back for about a week. It was really frustrating because I wanted to work out but couldn't. And now that I'm finally back to normal, I'm just exhausted and don't want to work out! But hopefully I can make that change, because some of my girlfriends and I are having a challenge for the next five weeks to see who can lose the biggest percentage of weight. There's money and fabulous prizes at stake, so I really need to kick my butt in gear for this!
I'll admit - today wasn't a great start. But I'm still sticking with my goal of losing 20 pounds by my birthday and I think I can get there if I work really hard. I ate well today, but didn't get in much exercise, other than the fact that I had to park pretty far away from my building today. My intentions were to go for a walk during lunch, but it was raining and I didn't have an umbrella. By the time I got home I had lost all motivation. Tomorrow I'm going to force myself to get on that treadmill no matter what!
Food for today:
Breakfast: Banana, 1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
Lunch: Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken Meal, apple
Snacks: 1 oz almonds, .5 cup Greek Yogurt, air-popped popcorn
Dinner: 4 oz ham steak, 1 cup Rice Pilaf, 1 artichoke
Dessert: Jello Chocolate Mousse
Calorie Consumed: 1411
Exercise:
Walking about 25 minutes to and from my car.
Calories Burned: ~100
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Feeling Good
I apologize for the lack of updates, but sadly I started having pain in my lower back on Wednesday evening and this is the first time that it's felt good enough for me to sit up and type on the computer. Although I'm not sure if it's actually feeling better or if I'm just on so many prescription pain killers and muscle relaxants that I don't care if it hurts. Add in some allergy medication and you can only imagine how useful I've been today.
Naturally, exercise has been out -- although I did go for a slow paced walk on Thursday, trying to work the pain loose -- but I have been eating well. I'm hoping that by Wednesday when I have the day off my back will be feeling better so that I can try a hike with the dogs. It's supposed to be beautiful.
Since I haven't been able to sleep for the past couple of nights I've been remembering a lot of my dreams. I was waking up a lot during dreams because my back would have a jolt of pain, and I'm always able to remember my dreams more clearly if I wake up during them. I'm mentioning all of this because on Friday night I had a dream that was somewhat related to my novel -- not really related, but the emotion that I felt during the dream was something that I've been needing to capture so I can finish up the scene I've been stuck on for the past eight months. So it's time to get over the stage fright and write my way through it -- what better time than in a drug-induced haze?
Naturally, exercise has been out -- although I did go for a slow paced walk on Thursday, trying to work the pain loose -- but I have been eating well. I'm hoping that by Wednesday when I have the day off my back will be feeling better so that I can try a hike with the dogs. It's supposed to be beautiful.
Since I haven't been able to sleep for the past couple of nights I've been remembering a lot of my dreams. I was waking up a lot during dreams because my back would have a jolt of pain, and I'm always able to remember my dreams more clearly if I wake up during them. I'm mentioning all of this because on Friday night I had a dream that was somewhat related to my novel -- not really related, but the emotion that I felt during the dream was something that I've been needing to capture so I can finish up the scene I've been stuck on for the past eight months. So it's time to get over the stage fright and write my way through it -- what better time than in a drug-induced haze?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Beautiful Spring Day
What a beautiful day! I used to be neutral toward spring since summer is my true love, but I've really been enjoying it more and more every year. It's still been chilly at night, but the days have been so warm and beautiful, all the trees are putting out leaves and I can't wait for the frost to stop so I can get my garden in! By this weekend I should have some plants starting to come up.
Today was a great day health-wise. My Mom came and we went for a walk at lunch time, and I ate well all day. I did have a piece of bread with dinner that I hadn't planned for, but even with that I definitely ate less than 1500 calories, which combined with the walk I took should have me in a great net-calorie range.
Once again, I failed at my writing goals. I didn't write a single word of my novel! I need to get cracking if I'm going to finish by my birthday. But the good news is that I found out that my parents are buying a new lap top and they plan on letting us have their "old" one, which is still much faster than Frank's old Dell. So now I'll be able to snag the Dell for my writing and set it up in my office. Starting now, no excuses! Even though my "no sitting down until 6 PM" rule has been working amazingly, I think at least until I get into a more comfortable routine with my writing I need to make myself write something as soon as I get home from work.
Today was a great day health-wise. My Mom came and we went for a walk at lunch time, and I ate well all day. I did have a piece of bread with dinner that I hadn't planned for, but even with that I definitely ate less than 1500 calories, which combined with the walk I took should have me in a great net-calorie range.
Once again, I failed at my writing goals. I didn't write a single word of my novel! I need to get cracking if I'm going to finish by my birthday. But the good news is that I found out that my parents are buying a new lap top and they plan on letting us have their "old" one, which is still much faster than Frank's old Dell. So now I'll be able to snag the Dell for my writing and set it up in my office. Starting now, no excuses! Even though my "no sitting down until 6 PM" rule has been working amazingly, I think at least until I get into a more comfortable routine with my writing I need to make myself write something as soon as I get home from work.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Making Progress
Well, I don't know about a miraculous comeback, but so far, so good! I went for a walk by myself on Monday during lunch break and today I went with Judy which means I really had to work. Yesterday I ate really well with my only slip up being sharing the last of a chocolate Easter bunny with Frank just to get it out of the house. Today was a little tough because we had a family birthday party, but luckily they wound up ordering Subway for everyone, so that made it about as safe as a party thrown by Italians can be! I was tempted to get a foot long chicken breast with ranch dressing, but instead opted for a veggie flatbread, which was delicious! I did slip a little and have a cupcake for dessert, but considering I had eaten light all day and taken a long walk I think that I was OK.
I haven't weighted myself since before vacation, and at this point I think I'm going to wait until next Monday. That will give me a full week back on track so I'm not just looking at bloated water weight and I can get an idea of where I'm at.
Before the party this evening I ran to the grocery shop to pick up some food for the week and I think I did an alright job. I've felt so lost and confused when it comes to food lately -- I'm never sure what I should be eating and what's good or bad for me. There are so many conflicting studies and so many people giving advice for one fad or another that sometimes it's hard to see through all of it and know what's true. I've been trying to make a change gradually over to more natural, whole foods and away from processed crap. I'm also very gradually trying to incorporate organic foods into my diet as well, but it's tough. Organic food is so much more expensive that it often makes me hesitate and often makes me put something back on the shelf and pick up the non-organic alternative instead. But I'm going to keep trying to work options in where I can, because really, if you won't invest the money in your health and future, then where will you invest it?
Now I just have to get Frank on board ...
Writing has been going terribly -- well, I guess that's the wrong work, because really the writing has been non-existent. I think I'm trying to start too late at night, because I get comfortable and don't want to put the work in later in the evening. It's also a problem because we only have the one computer with internet, so if Frank is using it for something I don't want to just snatch it away from him to work on my writing. Even though I like the internet access for research and support, I think I might just have to force myself to start writing on the desktop computer. At least it's in a quiet room with few distractions.
Goals for tomorrow:
- Log all my food
- Go for a long walk at lunch time
- Sit down and write for one hour after dinner
I haven't weighted myself since before vacation, and at this point I think I'm going to wait until next Monday. That will give me a full week back on track so I'm not just looking at bloated water weight and I can get an idea of where I'm at.
Before the party this evening I ran to the grocery shop to pick up some food for the week and I think I did an alright job. I've felt so lost and confused when it comes to food lately -- I'm never sure what I should be eating and what's good or bad for me. There are so many conflicting studies and so many people giving advice for one fad or another that sometimes it's hard to see through all of it and know what's true. I've been trying to make a change gradually over to more natural, whole foods and away from processed crap. I'm also very gradually trying to incorporate organic foods into my diet as well, but it's tough. Organic food is so much more expensive that it often makes me hesitate and often makes me put something back on the shelf and pick up the non-organic alternative instead. But I'm going to keep trying to work options in where I can, because really, if you won't invest the money in your health and future, then where will you invest it?
Now I just have to get Frank on board ...
Writing has been going terribly -- well, I guess that's the wrong work, because really the writing has been non-existent. I think I'm trying to start too late at night, because I get comfortable and don't want to put the work in later in the evening. It's also a problem because we only have the one computer with internet, so if Frank is using it for something I don't want to just snatch it away from him to work on my writing. Even though I like the internet access for research and support, I think I might just have to force myself to start writing on the desktop computer. At least it's in a quiet room with few distractions.
Goals for tomorrow:
- Log all my food
- Go for a long walk at lunch time
- Sit down and write for one hour after dinner
Monday, April 12, 2010
My Big Comeback
Or, Vicky finally gets her head out of the cookie jar and starts working towards her goals again!
As you can see, I failed to meet my goals on the week before vacation. Vacation itself wasn't so bad. Although I did indulge in some delicious food, with the sheer amount of walking that I did in Barcelona and Paris I'm sure that I burned more calories that I consumed. The week since I've been back, however, is a different story. A weekend of getting over jet lag and enjoying a decadent Easter dinner -- complete with splitting a bottle of Prosecco with Frank and two desserts -- turned into a whole week of gastronomical debauchery. I am ready to start blogging regularly again and to start working toward my health and writing goals.
I'm setting a couple of goals:
1. To lose 20 pounds by my birthday.
2. To be finished with the rough draft of my novel by my birthday.
The first goal is totally doable, as long as I stick to my guns. The second might take a little luck, but at this point, I've procrastinated enough and I need to push hard to finish.
Short term goals for this week:
1. Exercise for at least a half an hour every day.
2. No sitting down from when I get home from work until 6 PM.
3. Write at least 250 words every day.
I think my biggest challenge is going to be managing my time better. I always feel like I don't have time to accomplish the things I want to do, when in reality I waste a lot of time surfing the internet or watching television. Those things are going to have to take the back burner because, let's face it -- I'm not passionate about them, and they keep me from achieving the goals that I am passionate about - living a healthy lifestyle and becoming a more disciplined writer. I feel as though I'm in a rut lately, and the only way to get out is going to be to fill my time accomplishing the things that I want to accomplish. Not waiting around for the perfect situation to come to me.
So here I go again!
As you can see, I failed to meet my goals on the week before vacation. Vacation itself wasn't so bad. Although I did indulge in some delicious food, with the sheer amount of walking that I did in Barcelona and Paris I'm sure that I burned more calories that I consumed. The week since I've been back, however, is a different story. A weekend of getting over jet lag and enjoying a decadent Easter dinner -- complete with splitting a bottle of Prosecco with Frank and two desserts -- turned into a whole week of gastronomical debauchery. I am ready to start blogging regularly again and to start working toward my health and writing goals.
I'm setting a couple of goals:
1. To lose 20 pounds by my birthday.
2. To be finished with the rough draft of my novel by my birthday.
The first goal is totally doable, as long as I stick to my guns. The second might take a little luck, but at this point, I've procrastinated enough and I need to push hard to finish.
Short term goals for this week:
1. Exercise for at least a half an hour every day.
2. No sitting down from when I get home from work until 6 PM.
3. Write at least 250 words every day.
I think my biggest challenge is going to be managing my time better. I always feel like I don't have time to accomplish the things I want to do, when in reality I waste a lot of time surfing the internet or watching television. Those things are going to have to take the back burner because, let's face it -- I'm not passionate about them, and they keep me from achieving the goals that I am passionate about - living a healthy lifestyle and becoming a more disciplined writer. I feel as though I'm in a rut lately, and the only way to get out is going to be to fill my time accomplishing the things that I want to accomplish. Not waiting around for the perfect situation to come to me.
So here I go again!
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