Sad news: I lost my ring. This sucks, both because it wasn't cheap, and because I really liked it. I had a semi-related semi-breakdown this weekend, thanks to TOM, but it didn't actually lead to much emotional eating. I was mostly just too depressed to get out of bed, even to go buy ice cream, which I guess worked out for the best. I'm recovered now, and relieved that it was in fact PMS, because I didn't know that until my period started on Monday afternoon. Sorry, TMI, right?
Good news? I've found an interval training that I kind of enjoy, surprisingly. Once I discovered the joy of running outside during C25k, I pretty much quit using the treadmill, but I've decided to go back to it. The weather's hot sometimes, sticky others, and it's been raining quite a bit, so I went back indoors for my cardio the past few days. I do like sprinting on the track, but it sucks the life out of me to walk 20 minutes to get there, and then have to walk back afterwards. Plus, one of the reasons I'm sucking it up and doing interval instead of long endurance is because it's allegedly more efficient. So let's make it efficient. A two minute walk to the gym and 30 minutes on the treadmill. 5 minute warm up, then 5 sets of intervals. (1 min. jogging 6 mi./h, 1 min. jogging 5.5 mi./h, 1 min. jogging 5 mi./h, and 2 minutes walking). According to the (probably wildly unreliable) screen, I burned a little over 200 calories, which seems respectable enough for a 30 minute workout. I should probably be pushing myself a little harder, which I will next week. For now it's just nice that I don't hate it the whole time. And just as I start to get tired of running, it's usually time to walk. It helps a lot that when I go in the afternoons at least 3 TV stations are usually showing some sort of American show or movie. And even if it sucks really bad, I work out a lot better with something (anything!) to watch. This means, I guess, that when I live somewhere semi-permanent I should definitely invest in a treadmill and Netflix. I'd work out for hours every night! (I hope.)
I really think cardio in the afternoon is good for me. Lifting weights in the morning is the best. The gym is mostly empty, and I just feel stronger before enduring a whole day. But afternoons and evenings are my really dangerous time for snacking or making an unwise dinner decision for social reasons. So anything productive that sucks up a solid hour (including shower time) of my evening is good. And once I've worked out, it's a lot easier to resist the bad stuff, because I don't want to completely invalidate all my hard treadmill work with a can of Coke. Sometimes I won't want to go in the afternoons, I'm sure. I'll be busy with non-food excitement, or just too damn tired, but whenever I want to go, or I can make myself, I'm going. And once I reach the fifth time, I'll give myself the rest of the week off if I want it.
Days like this it really kills me that I can't count calories. I just have no idea what the nutritional information for pork cutlet prepared with Korean sauce is. Or squid, which I ate for TWO lunches this week in the cafeteria. Or the weird vegetables. I guess I could look up how many calories I'm getting from my three (small) bowls of white rice a day, but that's probably the one I don't even want to know. It shouldn't matter. I should be teaching myself to eat healthy stuff, when I'm hungry, in proper proportions. And I can use trial and error to see what kinds of combinations cause me to lose weight. But especially now that I'm doing to these last twenty-something pounds, I know that it's going to be harder and harder to lose them. I just feel like it would be a lot easier on me if I could plan better. But I can't, so no use complaining.
My weight is, I think, really close again to my lowest low, which I accomplished sometime in June. It was 176 point something yesterday, and that was even with my period! Excitement. I think the lowest I ever got was around 174, so I'm almost there. I feel so good about myself and the way I look, though... I'm really not caring so much about that number. I'm always going to pay attention to it, of course, to make sure it's not creeping up, but... like I said, if I never lost another pound, I probably wouldn't care. This is due, in large part, to the amazing compliments I've been receiving from students and teachers, about my "passion" (fashion- "F" sound... difficult). I certainly didn't lose any weight while I was gone, but I did buy new clothes that are actually flattering, so I guess I'm finally getting to show off that new shape. Score.
I'm excited for Christie's Hot for the Holidays Challenge to start, but I'm still thinking about what my weight loss goal for Christmas is. I'm lifting a lot more, which I know will make the numbers on the scale move down a little slower. Plus, I want to be conservative because, like I said, the weight number isn't so important to me anymore, and I don't want to be disappointed. So I'm thinking about 10 pounds. Well... under 165, so maybe 11, depending on where I start. I like challenges, and accountability, and reading other people's updates, so that'll be fun, anyway.
Don't think I have much more to add tonight. Almost time for bed. Hope you're all having a great Tuesday! :)
4 comments:
youre the first person to say this:
I just feel stronger before enduring a whole day.
thats exactly why I do my weights in the morning or just skip em all together.
(once Ive made it through the day---who needs em? (wink))
Miz.
She's right -- and that's an awesome way to put it. I wish I could lift early in the morning but it's take it or leave it when the mother in law comes over at noon to watch the kids for me. but whatever works i guess!
you lost your ring?? the ring?? oh nooooo!
I did some interval training today and loved it. I was on the elliptical and did 2 minutes around 6.5/7 mph and then 1 minute around 5. I'm going to do some more research on HIIT to do it right next time I hit the gym (Thursday).
I love how weights make you feel strong. Unless you're like me and the weights just sucked this morning!
that is really crappy about your ring. I'm hoping you will have it turn up somehow.
mmm weight training... mmmm any kind of exercise... I'm suffering from the cold that won't quit and so nothing in the exercise department for me the last while and I really miss it.
One of the things that helped me understand calories in Japanese food when I lived there was to spend some time learning to cook. Then it is easier to calculate the Calories from the raw ingredients, most of which can be found in databases. Once I learned to read Japanese I would also buy cooking magazines and the recipes had calorie information because Japanese women tend to be pretty calorie concious and so then I could extrapolate the calories of modifications within at least a ballpark. Also when I lived in Japan I was success losing heaps of weight (that all came back when I came back to NA but still) most of that success started when I switched to eating brown rice at home. I had to go to a specialty store and everyone I knew thought I was crazy (brown rice is only for old people and the sick in Japan). For some reason white rice goes straight to my hips like raw sugar. That said... oh how I love real japanese white rice and you are doing so well that you probably don't need to go that far. Keep up the great work.
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