Working it Out: Goals for September

September is my birthday month, which should be super exciting, but a little black cloud has been hovering over me. It’s called My Big Fat Stupid Thyroid.

That being said, I know that my thyroid isn’t the only reason I’ve gained some weight, it’s just been a vehicle for frustration, which has led to eating more than I need to, which has led to extra weight gain on top of what the thyroid has done. And so, the time has come to cut down significantly on calories.

I’ve been avoiding it. I did everything I could to avoid cutting back down to 1,200-1,300 calories because I’ve read and been told that that’s not enough for the amount of exercise I do, but I feel backed up against a wall now. I talked to my doctor about it and she said to try 1,300 and see if I get any results. She said with my thyroid working against me, I need to create a big deficit if I have any hope of losing some weight. And so it shall be done.

First, a quick look at August. I resolved to try the eating/grazing all day thing, to do tons of strength training, to wake up with the alarm, and to save money. I did the grazing thing for about three days, but I just felt like I was eating when I wasn’t hungry and it was confusing my brain. I let it taper off fairly quickly. I did do tons of strength, which was really good and a trend I’d like to continue. I did NOT wake up with the alarm every day. Hey, you win some, you lose some. I did save some money. Savannah is on the horizon.

Okay, so September goals:

1. Eat 1,200-1,300 1,500-1,600 calories a day: It’s depressing, but it’s the only thing that works for me. I’ll eat 1,300 on cardio days and 1,200 on non-cardio days and my day off from exercising. Fuck this shit. 1,300 is not enough to maintain an exercise program or to get all of the nutrients my body needs. I talked to Eunice and she reminded me of that. I already knew it,  but I was in a temporary state of panic. Sanity restored. 1,500-16,00 it is!

2. Cut the most calories from sugar intake: The evils of sugar can’t be denied. I know it, you know it, we all know it. It’s unrealistic for me to say I’ll have NO sugar, but I’m going to limit it to natural fruit and dairy sugar and perhaps one or two dark chocolate squares a day. A girl needs her chocolate.

3. Make fish and beans my primary protein source: Eating meat after 15 years of vegetarianism has definitely caused some of my weight gain. It’s undeniable. Meat is a lot more calorie dense than most vegetarian food and I’ve been taking in too much. I’m going to make it a goal to get most of my protein from seafood and vegetarian protein sources this month.

4. Enjoy my birthday: I can get crazy about this calorie thing, which is one reason why I stopped doing it for so long, but I know I need it to keep the weight off. However, I’m not going to be crazy on my birthday, which is September 28th. Birthdays are for cake-consuming. No need to be insane.

I have to admit, I’m not very excited about these goals, but I know it has to be done.

Working it Out: Goals for August

Hallelujah! July is over. I feel like that took forever, even though I was too busy for life. Seriously, 4th of July seems like it happened months ago. Harry Potter, Nicole’s visit, and my friend Tiff’s wedding all seem like they happened months ago too, even though Tiff’s wedding was just last weekend, Nicole left this past Wednesday, and Harry was a mere two weeks ago. Why did July take so long?

Maybe because now that Harry Potter is over, my life is an empty shell.

I didn’t set goals in July because I knew I’d just be way too busy to put forth 100% and I didn’t want to half-ass things I really want to accomplish. It’s August though, and I’m back on the goal wagon, which will feel good. I like having goals.

Since there were no goals in July, there’s no July goal recap. I can tell you that in the month of July I ate a lot of food, skipped a week of working out, and was a bridesmaid. It was that last one drove me to eat (just kidding, Tiff!)  Going back to the gym after skipping a week is not advisable. I HURT for days. I’m back in action though, and feeling good about it, which brings me to my August goals:

Goal #1: Try the 6 small meals a day/grazing thing—I was reading up on hypothyroidism last night, since I was recently diagnosed with it (of course. OF.COURSE.) and I was specifically looking for recommended foods to eat and to avoid while dealing with the disease. Soy is number one on the no-no list, which didn’t surprise me. A couple of other things were on the no list that did surprise me though, like spinach, strawberries, and broccoli. I don’t know how I feel about that shit, so I’m going to ask my doctor about it. Anyway, while I was perusing, I noticed that everything I looked at specifically said that people with hypothyroidism should eat several small meals a day instead of three bigs. I know this is a method that works for a lot of people and I’ve even tried it myself in the past, but I never tried very hard. I have to admit, I do like to eat three regular meals, but I’d like to make my thyroid work correctly even more. Yesterday I gave the grazing throughout the day thing a try, even though it was a beach day. I had a banana on the drive to the beach, a pb&j when we got there, an orange about an hour later, crudites (carrots, cukes, and grape tomatoes) an hour after that, an Applegate Farms ham and cheese sandwich on wheat an hour after that for lunch, and I munched on Rainier cherries in the afternoon before we headed home. Once we got home I ran over to the farmer’s market and picked up a sweet haul for under $30, then had a simple shrimp cocktail and a watermelon and feta salad for dinner. I felt perfectly satisfied all day, my blood sugar never dropped, I never felt compelled to overeat or to indulge in the chips my friends were having on the beach, and I didn’t even feel like I needed dessert tonight (although that SURELY won’t last). Today I did the same thing, but at work instead of at the beach. Eating anywhere but the beach is automatically less fun, but it still worked out. I had something small about every hour or so, then a 300 cal dinner, then a little chocolate. I’m only human!

Goal #2: Strength, strength, strength—The thyroid stuff also really stressed how important strength training is for people with hypothyroidism who are trying to control their weight. Of course, I do my strength training every week, but this month I intend to do more than normal. A trainer at the gym recently pointed out that pretty much everything I do has a cardio element, and that she’d like me to do more plain strength training, so I’m doing it!  I like strength training better anyway–I don’t have to wash my hair afterward.

Goal #3: Wake up with the alarm—I like the snooze button. I like it so much, that sometimes I’ll hit it for two hours. Of course, I usually set an alarm for a reason, whether it’s to go to work, to go to the gym, to meet up with friends, or just to not sleep for 24 straight hours. Hitting the snooze is really a foolish act, if I think about it. This month I’m going to attempt to wake up with the alarm instead of hitting the snooze 800 times. This morning I did it! Up at 5:20 for 5:45 am Body Pump. Tomorrow I’m going to do it again, though a little later than 5:20 am.

I’m tired already.

Goal #4: Save money for a trip!—I’m not awesome at saving money. Not awesome at all. But I want to go on a trip in October (to Savannah) so I’m going to start putting money aside for it every paycheck. I need to get one of those piggy banks you have to break to get into, but I’d feel bad smashing a pig.

Well, that's unfortunate.

Here’s to August!

Working It Out: A Year’s Worth of Goals

In May I celebrated my one year Gymniversay. This month I celebrate one full year of monthly goal setting.

 

In the past year I’ve set at least four monthly goals for myself and I’ve reported back on my accomplishments and, for lack of a better term, failures. I ended up doing a lot and making strides in my fitness, eating habits, personal life, and overall health. I want to do a little reflection to see how much I accomplished in the course of a year and what I still need to work on this year.

July 2010:

Work on upper body strength—WIN! I went from doing no lifting to going to Body Pump, Next Level and Boot Camp several times a week. My arms shrank about 4 inches. I have muscles in my arms you can actually see (if you look hard enough) and I actually really like lifting. Originally I stated in the goal that I needed to weight lift “even though I really hate it.” I don’t hate it anymore! WIN!

Change up my routine—WIN! I’ve changed my routine quite a bit and have gone from spinning and yoga only (when I started goal setting in July 2010) to all kinds of different things mentioned above. My regular routine has changed every few months and tomorrow I meet with a trainer to set up yet another new routine!

Get my sleep issues under control—WIN! I got me some Lunesta from the doctor and learned how to sleep like a normal person. Now I usually don’t even need the Lunesta.

Watch more movies—SEMI-FAIL. What can I say? It’s really hard to get me to sit down and watch a movie. I like to multi-task. I’ve watched some, though. I like movies. I just need to be talked into dedicating time to them.

August 2010:

Get back into weight loss mode–-NEUTRAL. I don’t want to call myself a failure on this, because even though I didn’t get super strict like I planned to and keep telling myself I want to, I also dealt with some outside factors including endocrine system problems that I’ve found have really been inhibiting my abilities to lose weight the way I know how (low cal). I’ve actually put on some pounds, but fit into my clothes and according to friends, I look smaller. I say it’s the weight lifting and interval training. This will always be a work in progress, I suppose. No fail, no win. It just is.

Improve my form—WIN! My form is leaps and bounds from what it was a year ago. I went from having lots of lower back pain to being strong and confident. My muscles ache almost every day, but that’s a good thing. It means I’m working out different muscles all the time. My butt goes over the spinning seat the way it’s supposed to and my squats are near perfection. I’m always finding ways to improve, but seriously, I put a lot of effort into this one and it paid off.

Write more often—NEUTRAL. When I made that goal I was talking about writing fiction, which I’ve done less of than I feel I should (although the other night when I was trying to fall asleep I had a rush of ideas for a story, so we’ll see where that goes). I did, however, get a freelance writing book contract and I’ve certainly kept up with writing this blog. This one I’ll continue to work on.

Be more productive—WIN! I feel like I’m much more productive than I was a year ago. I did so many things I had been putting off and I’ve gotten into much better habits with managing my time effectively. I’m hardly ever behind on work, I manage my workout schedule well, I have time for my friends, for volunteering, for reading, and for relaxing. It can be done, y’all. It can be done. (Although, to be fair, I now work partially from home, which helps. I know, you hate me for that).

September 2010:

Work on abs—FAIL! Despite every other fitness hurdle I’ve overcome in the past year, my abs are still nonexistent. I gasp in pain during Boat pose. When instructors tell us to hold our abs in I just imagine Chunk doing the Truffle Shuffle.

So yeah. Gotta keep working on abs.

Eat green stuff every day: SEMI-WIN I’m pretty good about this. I like vegetables. I eat them. Maybe not as much as I should every single day, but I get them in.

Stop multitasking—WIN! This is funny, since my goal the previous month was to be more productive. I didn’t even realize I did that back to back. While I became more productive, I stopped multitasking in the sense that I stopped doing things like trying to work and watch TV at the same time. I still multitask, but I try to do it without major distractions that slow me down.

Own everything I do—WIN! I’m like Shaq. I don’t give a shit.

October 2010:

Eat smaller meals more frequently—NEUTRAL. This gets a neutral because it’s something I don’t care that I didn’t really accomplish. At the time it was something I wanted to try, and I believe I was halfway successful, but now I realize that tactic doesn’t necessarily work for me. I’m prone to eating more if I eat several times a day because my problem is really with gauging portions more than it is about frequency or infrequency of eating. I can eat three times a day or six times a day, I just need to make sure I’m staying within a certain calorie field.

Core Fusion three times a week—FAIL! I’m okay with failing at this. I hate working out with DVDs. I need a classroom atmosphere, which is what trying to do Core Fusion three times a week taught me. It was worth a shot, but not for me, and that’s just fine.I sold the DVD at my yard sale a few weeks ago. I hope that lady is getting her core fused as we speak.

Start Next Level Training—WIN, AND GOING STRONG! In fact, I’m heading over to Next Level in 45 minutes, so I hope I finish this blog entry before then. I started doing this in October of 2010 and haven’t stopped going. I go at least once, if not twice or three times a week. It’s an excellent workout.

Get my ass to places on time—NEUTRAL. I did accomplish that goal that month, but I realized how not worth it it is to be on time. I ended up waiting around for people most of the time. No one at my work cares if I’m on time. The whole thing is overrated if you ask me. I’m on time when I really need to be. If you really want me to be on time, explicitly tell me, and I will be there.

Attempt to be less self-deprecating—WIN! This is a win depending on how you look at it. I remember how I was feeling on October 2nd of 2010 when I set that goal (not awesome) and what I meant by that, and looking back, I know that I’ve accomplished this goal in that sense. On the other hand, self-deprecation, when done right, is hilarious. I still do it, but in the funny way, not in the being mean to myself way.

November 2010:

Do Next Level at least twice a week—WIN! I know I did it that month and I’ve stayed pretty consistent since then. Some weeks I can only go once because of my work/volunteer/other exercise schedule, but I usually manage two sessions, plus Boot Camp, which is basically a longer version of Next Level.

Get back in the kitchen—WIN! I know I accomplished this one that month, and I’ve done well with doing a lot of cooking since then. I still go out to eat once or twice a week, but I cook a lot. And bake a lot.

Cut down on sugar—NEUTRAL. I accomplished that goal that month. Sometimes I’m better about sugar than others. I tend to turn into a sugar monster for a day or two, then I normalize for awhile, then I do it again. It’s a work in progress.  I did do a sugar-free week that month though, and it was successful.

Master real push-ups—NEUTRAL. I didn’t master them that month, but I can now do a few real push-ups. I don’t know if I’d say I’ve mastered them—I feel like it’s a huge struggle to get just a few done, but I can do them!

December Goals: Ooh, I was cranky in December. I remember that.

Back to yoga—WIN! I had taken a hiatus from yoga when I started Next Level and Body Pump, but I got back in and I’ve stuck with it since. I do love yoga. It’s a nice change from all of the other really taxing stuff that I do.

Write—NEUTRAL. I guess I recycled this goal without realizing it. You already know how this one went.

Cut down on guilt–especially workout guilt—WIN! I can’t really remember the last time I really beat myself up about something. I know I was beating myself up in November and December (and January) but I evened out in February and have stayed good since then. Remember, I’m like Shaq. I don’t give a shit.

My last December goal was a secret. I can’t quite remember what the secret was, but it probably had something to do with being less hateful and not dwelling on things I couldn’t change. I got some assistance with that and worked it out, so I guess that one was a win.

January 2011:

Find a place to volunteer for—WIN! I’ve been volunteering at an amazing children’s charity since January and I think the kids help me more than I help them. I love it there and I’m really glad that it worked out. We’re on break for the summer and I already miss it. It’s like free therapy for your heart.

Sign up for a 5k—WIN! I did it! I ran a 5k! I have no interest in doing another one, but I did it!

Eat fresh veggies with lunch and dinner every day—SEMI WIN! Like I said before, I’m good about vegetables. I always eat them. Sometimes I have cereal for dinner, though, so I won’t call it a 100% win. But I do pretty well.

Amp up the cardio—SEMI WIN! I know I accomplished this that month and I always do cardio in spinning, Next Level, and Boot Camp, but Next Level and Boot Camp are cardio/strength hybrid and lately I’ve been wondering if I need to back off of so much strength and do a little more cardio. I’m meeting with a trainer tomorrow, so I’ll ask her!

February 2011:

Eat more protein, fewer carbs—SEMI WIN! I accomplished this that month, but found that it was not for me. The minimal weight loss I experienced was not worth how shitty I felt all the time. At first I thought it was good, but then I realized that my brain needs carbs. Some people do really well on low-carb diets, but I’m not one of them. I had headaches and stomachaches and I was very lethargic. I’m glad I gave it a try, though. This challenge is also what started my transition into omnivorous eating.

Include more gentle workouts—NEUTRAL. I do my yoga, but I like to sweat. I accomplished this one that month (partially because I felt so tired from not having any carbs) but I haven’t maintained the gentle workouts. I do yoga once or twice a week. Everything else is hardcore.

Unplug earlier—WIN! I did well with this and have continued to do well. I don’t have many super late nights anymore. I often read before bed instead of internetting.

Give myself more time in the morning—WIN! Since I started doing 5:45 am workouts, I have plenty of time in the mornings that I work early. It took some time, but this goal eventually became a success.

March 2011: My first full month as an omnivore!

Learn how to cook new things—WIN! You should see me cook a steak.

Stretch before and after workouts—NEUTRAL. I do stretch, but usually only as much as the instructor walks us through. I didn’t feel a big difference when I did it that month, so I didn’t keep it up. Oh well.

Try some new gym classes—WIN! I accomplished that goal that month and kept going to Boot Camp at 5:45 am on Friday mornings. Oy vey!

No TV as background noise—SUPER WIN! Not only did I cut that shit out, but I canceled my cable completely and bought a Roku. It rules.

April 2010:

Stop using eating out as an excuse to carb it up—NEUTRAL. Like I said before, I abandoned the low carb thing, and with the onset of my new omnivorous diet, I’ve had so many more choices when eating out and at home, that this is a bit of a non-issue now.

Continue the early morning exercise thing throughout April—SUPER WIN! I’m still doing it! 6 am yoga on Tuesdays, 5:45 am Boot Camp on Fridays. Wooooooo!

Give gluten-free a try for a week—WIN! I did do it for a week. It didn’t make any difference in how I felt, but I did it.

Declutter my home and my mind—WIN! I did the decluttering my home a little more recently, but when I did get around to it, I really cleaned house. My mind is also in better working condition. It’s funny how time changes things.

May 2011:

Go back to what I know works for me—WIN! I abandoned the low carb, higher fat diet that was being recommended by certain bloggers and authors and I just went back to what makes me feel best—lots of fruit, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein. I feel better.

Start using a food scale—WIN! I bought one and I do use it. I might need to use it a little more often, but I’m using it.

Eat more oily fish—FAIL! Eh. Fish doesn’t do it for me. Shellfish does. Regular fish, not so much. I’m going to keep working on it though.

Do two kinds of exercise per day—WIN! That month, I accomplished the goal. It changed completely the next month, but I did do it!

June 2011:

Lose 15 pounds by Tiffaney’s July wedding—IN PROGRESS. This is a two-monther. I don’t think I’m going to make it, though. It was a lofty goal, in hindsight. We’ll see what the end result is in August.

Shorter workouts, more intensity—WIN! I’ve been doing one shorter but more intense workout a day instead of long half-assed ones (except for Monday. Ugh, I still hurt from the two hour Body Pump and Power Yoga combo.)

Plan menus—SEMI WIN. I did this and it was fun, but I didn’t do it for the whole month. I would like to make an effort to do it more often, though. It’s time consuming, but there’s something comforting about knowing the menu is already laid out.

Hop on the couponing bandwagon—WIN! I saved $45 in my first couponing grocery trip. I actually went to a how to coupon workshop at work this morning and won two free items—a body wash and some razors. This one is a work in progress because it takes time to learn the ropes, but I’m kicking myself for paying full price on everything until now!

And that’s it. While I’m sure most of you probably just skimmed that, it was really cool for me to go through and reflect on what I did and remember how I felt during the whole last year. It’s always really amazing to look back on an entire year of self-reinvention, which is essentially what my goal setting helped me do. I feel like some of this stuff just happened yesterday! I’m going to take July off from goal-setting, since I’m going to be busy with a friend visiting for two weeks and I’m going to be in a wedding, but I’ll get back to it in August for a whole new year’s worth of goals.

Final tally:

WINS: 29

SEMI WINS: 5

NEUTRALS: 10

FAILS/SEMI FAILS: 4

I’m actually shocked and elated by these numbers. I hadn’t realized how much I’d accomplished this year or how much I’ve changed, especially looking at the big picture. This reminds me that I need to give myself a break sometimes.

I rule.

Time for Next Level.

 

 

 

 

Working It Out: Goals for June

Last month was my one year gymniversary. This month will be my one year blogniversary!  That’s right, I’ve been blogging for a whole year as of June 20th.  Ah, how time flies.  We’ll celebrate that day with cake.

We're always looking for an excuse to eat cake around these parts.

June is fixin’ to be a busy month. I’m going to Disney World for Gay Days this coming Saturday, which I did for the first time last year and I swear, I’ll never go to Disney World without my friends, Stephen and Dustin, again.  It was the best Disney experience of my life. They know where everything is, when to be in which line, and they eat at an appropriate time. I’m stoked.

Just look at how much fun I had last year.

I’m planning on having a garage sale at some point and later in the month I’ll be traveling (back) down to South Florida for my friend’s bachelorette party.  I was just there this past weekend for her wedding shower. I’ll go back in July for the wedding.  And I’ll be a bridesmaid.

Which brings me to my June goals.  But first, a quick look at how I did in May:

In May, I resolved to go back to what works for me, health and eating-wise, to start using a food scale, to eat more oily fish, and to do two kinds of exercise a day. I did pretty well overall, but didn’t nail any of these. I added good whole grains back into my diet and stuck to  Mediterranean-style eating habits when I ate at home. I wasn’t great with this when I was eating out, but ditching the low carb high protein stuff really helped me feel better than I had for the last month. This reiterates my belief that I need delicious carbs in my life.  Talk about some good news.  I did buy a food scale and I’ve done my best to  use it. I’m not great at math, so it’s been kind of confusing, but I’m getting the hang of it. I ate a lot of shrimp and tuna, but I failed on eating oily fish at least three times a week.  It was more like once a week.  Dang. I did do two kinds of exercise almost every time I worked out.  Almost.  Go me!

Okay, back to June.  As I said earlier, I’m going to be a bridesmaid in July. Therefore, my goals this month are largely motivated by that. I know some people might disagree with a wedding as a weight loss motivator, but hey, you know what? I needed a motivator to really get my ass back in gear and this is the perfect reason.  I’ve been far too complacent with being at a semi-comfortable weight when I know I’d feel better and be able to work out better if I lost a few.  Enter June goals:

1. Goal #1: Lose fifteen pounds by Tiffaney’s July 22nd wedding: This is a two-month goal!  I’ve never done a two-month goal before, but I think this is appropriate. It wouldn’t be healthy to lose 15 pounds in one month and it would be silly to make my goal 7.5 pounds for the month of June.  I’m approaching this weight loss with a method that is tried and true for me: the calorie count.  I’ve been avoiding the calorie count for nearly a year by trying to focus mostly on real whole foods in smart portions, but like I said, math is not my strong suit and my ability to eye smart portions is not so great. By counting calories and writing down what I eat, I can keep my portions in check.  I’m sticking with the real whole foods. I’m shooting for 1,500 calories a day. In the past I’ve lost weight with 1,200 calories a day, but I hated life, and I don’t think I could keep up my workouts on that low of a number, so 1,500 it is.  We’ll see how it goes, but I feel good about it.

2. Goal #2: Shorter workouts, more intensity: Last month I did the two workouts a day, this month I’m going the opposite route. I want to work out harder, for a shorter period of time. I’m going to go to more of the shorter classes (Next Level and a new Strength Training class, respectively) and really work hard during them, rather than giving less than 100% to make it through a two hour workout.  I might keep my Wednesday spinning/Next Level combo because I like the instructor, but she said she might switch her spinning day with another instructor, and if that’s the case I’ll do some rearranging.

Goal #3: Plan menus: On Sunday night I entertained myself by making a breakfast menu for the week, complete with calorie, sugar, fat, carb, and protein counts.  This is how I have fun.  I’ve actually really been stoked about having that printed menu available. It’s taken the guesswork out of what to have for breakfast and it makes the whole process go faster. I’ve got all kinds of good stuff on there.  Egg whites+one whole egg on wheat toast with berries, cinnamon raisin toast with a scrambled egg and cheese, cinnamon raisin oatmeal, and sunny side up eggs and bacon on toast. I’m going to work on lunch, dinner, and snack menus, along with a quick reference sheet of things to eat at my most frequented restaurants. I feel like it’ll take some of the guesswork out of losing a few pounds and it will make it easier to avoid overeating.

Goal #4: Hop on the couponing bandwagon: I have a tendency to pay for convenience.  In a lot of cases, I feel like it’s really worth it. However, I’ve had several friends tell me about how much money they’ve been saving by using coupons lately, and I think I may have been convinced that not cutting coupons is one convenience I can no longer afford. I’ve tried to coupon in the past and I always end up forgetting about them and wasting my time, but this month I will make a conscious effort to get organized with coupons and really use them. I’ll keep track of how much money I save by doing this, so that I can convince myself it’s worth the effort.

That’s it!  I was actually planning on making the weight loss my only goal for June because as we all know, weight loss is an energy vampire, but as I was writing the other things popped into my head.

On an unrelated note, June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month.  I got my cats, Gideon and Starla, from shelters and it’s totally the way to go.  Starla was a kitten when I got her and is batshit insane (though I love her all the same), but Gideon was almost a year old when I got him and he is the greatest cat ever. He knows he was rescued and is the sweetest, most loving lap cat you could ever imagine.  He’s the cat that even cat haters can’t hate.  If you’re in the market for a pet, get a shelter cat this month!  I’d get at least three more if I had space.  I want an orange tabby to name Doodle, a black cat to name Othello, and a white cat to name Iago.  I crack myself up. Unfortunately, I’ve been advised to not get three more cats at the risk of becoming a crazy cat lady.  Apparently, having a boyfriend doesn’t matter if you load up on felines. You’ll still be called a crazy cat lady.

 

We haven't come very far in 52 years, but one day we'll rise up, Godammit!

Working It Out: Goals For May

It’s May?  Well, crap.

I don’t even know how April happened so quickly.  So much stuff happened in April, my head is still spinning.  Lots of good stuff happened, but good stuff tends to make me unfocused on stuff I need to focus on, like my goals.

Whoops.

Actually, I didn’t totally bomb.  My April goals were to stop carbing it up in restaurants, to continue the early morning exercise routine, to go gluten-free for a week, and to declutter my mind and my home.  I actually did really well overall on most of the goals:

I stuck to the early morning exercise routine—I only missed one Boot Camp session, and it wasn’t my fault!  My alarm didn’t go off (and yes, I set it).

I did a week of gluten-free eating.  More on that in a moment.

I didn’t declutter my home like a planned to, but I did make changes that helped declutter my mind.  It’s funny, I didn’t even take action the way I planned to, but just thinking about acting on a few things, like confronting people who need to be told, made me feel SO  much better.

As far as the no carbing it in restaurants—well, I did well on that during gluten-free week, but I bombed the rest of the month.  During gluten-free week I also tried going sugar-free.  I didn’t even have fruit.  It was not pleasant.  When I did a 5 day sugar ban back in November I only eschewed added sugars.  I allowed fruit and dairy sugars in my diet, and I felt fine.  I didn’t have sugar cravings and even after 5 days, I felt a major decrease in my cravings for carbs and sugar, and I was even overwhelmed by my first cupcake after the ban was broken. This time around, being gluten and sugar-free worked against me.  The absence of fruit for just a few days made me feel terrible and by the end of the week my sugar cravings were out of control.  I turned into a sugar monster.  I was boozing, eating junky foods, and generally not even giving a shit.  If someone had tried to take my dessert from me, I would have fucked them up.

"Aw, hell no."

However, it’s time for my inner Cookie Monster to be quelled.  I’ve put on a few pounds, and while my clothes still fit and I’m still doing my normal workout routine, I’m not pleased.

Luckily, it’s time for May goals!

Goal #1: Go back to what I know works for me.  I’ve been experimental with my diet lately, especially since I’ve started eating meat and there’s a whole new world of foods available for me.  However, the new things I’ve tried, like sugar-free and gluten-free eating, are not for me.  I can’t get behind any eating plan that dissuades from fruit and I didn’t notice any difference with the gluten-free eating.  I certainly do need to reel it in when I’m eating out, but I hardly ever cook carby things at home, mostly because they’re too time-consuming.  I know what works for me in terms of feeling and looking my best—I need to watch my portions, work out, and stick to a more Mediterranean-style diet. Fruits, vegetables, seafood, olive oil, dark chocolate, small amounts of whole grains, Greek yogurt, and lean meats are my friends.  I’m going to do red meat once a week and poultry 2-3 times a week.  Unfortunately, it’s time for me to take a break from salami.

"But...but we were just reunited..."

I also know it’s helpful for me to write down what I eat, so I’m going to do that this month.  I go on and off with this one. I hate to be obsessive on one hand, but on the other hand, writing down what I eat doesn’t make me feel crazy and it’s no big deal.  I do it quickly and it just helps me be more mindful, say, when I’m at the froyo counter.  I never want to plug in 12 oz of frozen yogurt with hot fudge, cheesecake bites, and cookie dough, but I’m cool with putting in 6 oz of froyo with fruit and dark chocolate chips. For me, writing it down keeps me in check.

Goal #2: Start using a food scale.  This is one I’ve always resisted, again, because I don’t like being obsessive.  However, I think I really need to use a food scale for meats, because I really have no idea how to eyeball ounces in meat, the way I can eyeball everything else.  I also think using a food scale will help me readjust to proper portion sizes, especially after workouts when I’m ravenous. I’m going to go pick one up at Ross today.

Goal #3: Eat more oily fish.  I’m loving the fuck out of shellfish, like shrimp, scallops, and lobster, but I need to school myself in oily fish.  Ha!  See what I did there?!  School?  Fish?  I LOVE PUNS!  Anyway, I didn’t love the first salmon fillet I cooked, but I think I need to experiment with it a little more.  I also need to try herring and other oily fish.  If you have any awesome fish recipes please send them my way.

Goal #4: Do two kinds of exercise per day.On Wednesdays I go spinning and to Next Level training and on Saturdays I go spinning and to Power Yoga.  It’s no surprise that I feel the best after those workouts—I get a LOT of work done in under two hours and I feel super accomplished.  That kind of exercise helps boost my mood and I’m usually more mindful of what I eat when I really work it out.  I was trying to cut down on cardio for the last few months because I was afraid it was making me hungrier, but I really get a good endorphin boost from cardio, so I want to add in quick bursts of it my yoga/weight training days.  I’m going to shoot for at least 15-30 minutes of cardio on the days I don’t go to spinning or Next Level, paired with strength training.  The exception to this will be Friday mornings, because that’s 5:45 am Boot Camp day and I don’t need to do shit after Boot Camp.  If I could just do that every day I’d have the ass of a statue.

Pictured: Someone else's sweet ass.

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Those are my goals for May.  What are yours?

Working It Out: Goals For April

It’s April 5th and I’m totally late with my goals, but it’s not my fault.  I had a hard drive crash. Why, God, why?!?!?!

Go ahead PC fans. Judge.

Luckily, my Macbook actually belongs to my job, so they’re taking care of fixing it.  I also backed up my files on Time Machine recently (I think), so here’s to hoping I didn’t screw that up.  I also had the busiest weekend in the history of the Universe, so I didn’t even realize that my hard drive problems were serious until I got to work this morning and had to sit around for three hours staring at the ceiling before bullying the IT department into giving me a loaner.

Anyway, last month I bragged about being at the beach in March.  This month has been on the wet side—we had torrential downpours and tornado warnings last week and today was gray and ugly.  Saturday, however, was absolutely perfect, so I spent it at the beach.  I love it when that happens.

 

Okay, okay, let’s get to the goals, shall we?

In March I resolved to learn how to cook new things, to stretch before and after workouts, to try some new gym classes, and to cut out TV as background noise.

I’ve definitely gotten the hang of cooking meats.  I bought myself a meat thermometer and a meat hammer and everything.

Wait, it's not called a meat hammer?

I also made a killer Greek omelet.  Just sayin’.

I did pretty well with stretching before and after workouts at first, but I got a little lazy toward the end.  I honestly didn’t feel a big difference when I was doing it, so I kind of forgot.  Whoops!

I tried new gym classes! I started going to a Cardio Strength/Dance class (even though I’m totally not coordinated and I look like a leprechaun with a vodka habit and a bum hip when I try to do the moves), I started going to Pilates when I was able to, and I started going to Boot Camp!  Boot Camp is at 5:45 am on Fridays and it is ROUGH.  Technically I started Boot Camp on April 1st, but we’ll let that one slide because I’m the boss around here and I make the rules.  My heart was in the right place.  This was a good one because now I’m pretty much doing something different every day, which is great for muscle confusion and it helps fight boredom at the gym.

I was AWESOME at cutting out TV as background noise. It was so much easier than I thought it would be.  I just didn’t turn the TV on during the day, listened to music all day instead, and found myself feeling a lot less erratic during my work hours.  It feels really good and I’m planning on continuing to keep the TV off during the day—I highly suggest it.  I’ve even started avoiding it some evenings and it’s been fine.  I’m considering canceling my cable.  I don’t think I’d miss it.

Onto April!

Forward, ho!

Goal #1: Stop using eating out as an excuse to carb it up. I’m great about cooking on the weekdays and preparing excellent breakfasts and lunches that revolve around fruits, vegetables, protein, and healthy fat, especially since I had my consultation with Leah back in February and she recommended that I cut way back on carbs and sugar and pump up the protein.  However, I’ve noticed that I get a little too lax when I go out to eat, which I often do on the weekends because really, who the fuck wants to cook on the weekends?  Now that I’m eating meat there’s really no reason for me to eat restaurant food that’s loaded with white carbs.  Hold the bread, please.

Goal #2: Continue this early morning exercise thing at least until the end of April. Last week I gave working out at the buttcrack of dawn a try and I wrote about it because I truly enjoy getting my exercise out of the way super early on my full work days.  However, waking up at 5:15 am is NOT easy and I’m definitely really beat during the day.  However, I know it takes three weeks to form a habit, so I’m determined to keep up with 6 am yoga on Tuesdays and 5:45 am on Fridays for the month of April.  Hopefully, it will stick!

Goal #3: Give gluten-free a try for a week. I have several friends who have gone gluten-free and have felt much better as a result.  I’ve noticed that I sometimes get stomachaches after eating particularly carby meals.  I don’t necessarily think I’m gluten-intolerant, but I think that like most people, I have a tendency to overeat carbs.  I eat pretty reasonable portions of protein, fruits, and vegetables, and healthy fats, but carbs are SO easy to overeat because they’re all doughy and soft and warm…but no!  I’m going to give gluten-free a try for a week to see how it feels.  I need to plan accordingly because I have a lot of events coming up in April!

Goal #4: Declutter my home and my mind. I have a lot of junk to get rid of in my closets and in my head.  I’m going to do some spring cleaning in both and I think it’ll feel really good.  I wish Niecy Nash would come help me out.  She’s my dream celebrity best friend.

 

"Stop the foolishness!"

 

That’s April for me.  What are your goals for April?

 

 

Working It Out: Goals For March

I don’t mean to be hateful, because I know it’s snowing pretty much everywhere else in the United States right now, but…

Ah, Florida in February. But what's going on with my hair?

And yeah, Mark is definitely naked.  So is that portly man in the background.  Thanks, Playa Linda Lot 13!

This is one of the best times of year for us because it’s not awkwardly cold (most of us don’t have proper winter clothing and we freeze when it’s like, 50 degrees) and it’s not yet so unberably  hot and humid that you can’t breathe when you walk outside. But don’t worry–I’ll pay a hefty price for gloating about beach weather in February and March come July when I’m plagued by hot rain (yes, boiling rain pours from the sky like Satan’s piss) and chub rub.

Anyway, the point of all that is that I started my beach-going extra early this year by having the first beach trip of 2011 start on the second to last day in February.  It was a great way to kick off March and it set a great tone for all of the upcoming naked beach trips we’ll have this summer.

I don’t get naked.  Look at how cute my bathing suit is!  I can’t take that off!

Along with fun and sun come my new goals for March!  But first, a quick recap of how I did in February:

I resolved to eat more protein and fewer carbs, and boy oh boy did I do it.  By dropping 15 years of vegetarianism in favor of bacon, tuna, chicken, turkey, shrimp, and other meaty delights, I definitely accomplished this goal.  I haven’t any soy since I started eating meat again and my intake of carbs and sugar has dropped dramatically and fairly painlessly.  I’ve still been carbing a little on the weekends, but I’ve been offsetting with things like running a 5k followed by spinning, yoga, and helping friends move.  Overall I feel a HUGE difference in my ability to complete endurance workouts and to repair afterward and there’s definitely been a difference in my energy levels.

My next goal was to introduce more gentle workouts, which I accomplished by going back to regular old Friday night yoga with a guy named Rich who teaches the most soothing yoga class ever.  I really like him and his yoga class, even though getting to the gym by 6 pm on Friday nights is a challenge.  I was SO sore from a Wednesday spin and interval training combo last week that I felt like the Tin Man all day on Thursday and Friday, but after Rich’s yoga on Friday evening I was all fixed up.  One hour and I was cured.  I did yoga after my 5k on Saturday to prevent shin splints and sure enough, I was shin splintless come Sunday morning.  Moral of the story.  Do yoga.  It’s good for you.

My third goal was to unplug by 11 pm on weeknights.  I kind of sort of tried to do this.  A few nights I actually did do it.  I read In Defense of Food in a week by doing this.  Some nights I slipped up though.  I tend to get really productive at night, so on days when I felt especially sluggish during the day, I tried to get stuff done at night.  Whoops.  You win some, you lose some.

My last goal was to give myself more time in the morning.  That one was another fail, although to my credit I did do it a few times.  Like, twice maybe?  I don’t know what my deal is.  I have no concept of time.  Blame math. That’s what I do.

Onto the March goals!

"About fucking time."

Goal #1: Learn how to cook new things: With meat comes questions.  I have lots of questions about meat.

My friends keep laughing at me for asking simple questions about meat. I’ve been blowing up Facebook asking for advice about how to cook things.  The lady cashing me out at Publix laughed at me for being on my phone asking a friend what to do with the chicken breasts when I got them home.  Google laughed at me for Googling “how to cook a chicken breast.” And that’s fine.  Y’all can make fun.  But I’m learning!

Exhibit A: Salmon with lemon and butter sauce

Exhibit B: MOTHERFUCKING STEAK

Exhibit C: Lemon Pepper Chicken

Okay, so I had to cut into that chicken a lot to make sure it was cooked all the way through.  BFD. But it was good.  And sorry about my shitty phone pics.  I couldn’t find my camera for a few days.  Anyway, so far I’m doing really well and I’ve been more impressed with my own cooking than I have been by restaurants.  As evidenced by these photos, I also ate a shit ton of asparagus in the last two weeks.  Last night I made spicy orange garlic shrimp that was so good I think I could get someone to propose to me by serving it. Recipe forthcoming.  So, in March I will continue to learn how to cook different meats in different ways and I’ll also do my reading on meat prep safety.  Safety first!

Goal #2: Stretch before and after workouts: Since I almost always go to workout classes I always get a little stretch in the beginning and a little in the end with the rest of the class, but I could do more on both ends and I think it would make a big difference in how I feel afterward.  I’m going to shoot for getting to the gym a few minutes before my classes to stretch properly and to stick around after class to get some extra stretch.  Stretching feels good!

Goal #3: Try some new gym classes: I’m definitely loyal to my spinning, Body Pump, yoga, power yoga, and Next Level interval training classes, but my body is really used to those workouts now.  It’s high time I started trying a few different things just to switch it up.  I went to a different kind of Cardio Strength class the other day and while I definitely wasn’t even close to coordinated enough to keep up, I felt some soreness in different muscles the next day.  Change is good. I’m going to shoot for one new class a week in addition to my regularly scheduled programming.

Goal #4: No TV as background noise: Speaking of regularly scheduled programming, I’m banning turning on the TV when I’m not actually watching something that I want and plan to watch.  Since I live alone I often turn it on just to have background noise while I’m cooking, cleaning, or working on my computer, but it’s nothing but a distraction and it jumbles my train of thought.  I’ve already been banning TV during the day when I work from home and I’ve been having a much easier time getting things done.  Pandora and iTunes provide much better background noise and I’m not getting sucked into SVU and House reruns that I’ve already seen.

So that’s March for me.  What are your goals for March?  What are your favorite meats and favorite cooking methods?  Do you stretch before and after your workouts?  Do you use the TV as background noise?  Have you tried any new classes lately?  Tell me what you got!

Working It Out: Goals for February

It’s February 4th.  The groundhog already predicted an early Spring, the gym is clear of the well-intentioned January joiners who are now at home eating bon-bons, and my rent is due.

It’s also time for February goals!

In January I resolved to find a place to volunteer for, sign up for a 5k, eat fresh veggies with lunch and dinner every day, and amp up my cardio.  I’m glad to say I met all four of my January goals.  I started volunteering for a great organization that helps kids, my first 5k is on February 26th, I ate all my veggies every day, and I worked out a lot of cardio.

I fucking rule.

This picture is saved on my computer as "fuckyeahirule.jpg"

Goal #1: Eat more protein, eat fewer carbs: I took Your Nutritionista Leah up on the personalized consulting deal she was offering last week ($40 one time consultation with two weeks of email correspondence) and we had a great 45 minute chat on Sunday.  Leah reviewed my exercise and eating habits (I filled out a form on her site that was super easy to use) and then she called me for suggestions and tweaks.  Leah pointed out that as a vegetarian, I’m a little too reliant on carbs (and sugar) and that I’m simply not getting enough protein and fat in my diet.  This was something I kind of already knew, but didn’t want to admit because change is hard and carbs are delicious. Leah made some really good suggestions and reassured me that it’s totally cool to eat a whole avocado or three scrambled eggs cooked in butter in one sitting.   I’m notably less hungry and snacky already, so this plan might just be working.

Goal #2: Include more gentle workouts: In January I amped up cardio and started training for my upcoming 5k.  Leah reviewed my pretty strenuous schedule and pointed out that the sheer amount of cardio I was doing might possibly be working against me because cardio makes you so hungry–and really, sometimes I feel like an eating monster after a spinning session.  She encouraged me to keep exercising of course, but to include a few more gentle workouts, like yoga and swimming, and to do more interval and strength training instead of tons of steady cardio.  Less sweating, stronger muscles, non-monstrous appetite?  Sign me up!  I’m still doing cardio several times a week, but I’m planning on replacing a few of my regularly scheduled long sessions (45-60 minutes) with shorter and more intense bursts of cardio and a few gentler workouts.

Goal #3: Unplug earlier: I work at my computer all day and I have a smartphone.  I’m constantly plugged in, and yet, I often don’t take the time to unwind at night–I just stay plugged in.  I am ridiculously productive in the evenings sometimes, but on the whole, especially on weeknights, I think I need to give myself an 11 pm cutoff time and go to bed with a good old fashioned book.

Goal #4: Give myself more time in the morning: I love that snooze button.  I want to marry it.  I love it so much, I sometimes have about five minutes to do everything I need to do to get ready in the morning.  As a result, I, uh, am kind of late sometimes.  Rushing in the morning is definitely not the way to start my day, so I’m resolving to give myself at least 45 minutes in the morning to actually get up, make a good breakfast, do my makeup and all that, and get to where I need to be, instead of making a mad dash every morning and feeling rushed for the rest of the day.

February is a go.

Goals for January: With Resolve

Whew.  Happy New Year, y’all.  I just sobered up.

All right, that’s not true.  I’ve been sober this whole time, actually.  I didn’t even get drunk on New Year’s Eve.  Talk about a fail.

I’ve been out of commission since the beginning of the new year, but I’m working on getting back to life, starting first and foremost with a few goals for January.

In December I made goals to get back to yoga, to write more, and to cut down on guilt.  I did make it to a yoga class in December, but only one; that being said, I went to the first Saturday yoga class of the new year and I’m planning on making it part of my regular Saturday routine again.  I felt much better after yoga this past Saturday and I’m looking forward to doing it again.  I did some personal writing in December.  I didn’t do as much as I would have liked, but I did get words on paper, so it’s a start.  That’s something I’m going to keep working on.  I definitely cut back on my workout guilt, but I find that I just feel better on days that I work out.  I got a lot of work and writing done in the evenings during bouts of insomnia I’ve been having (even with my Lunesta!) and while I have a lot of progress to make, I at least feel like I’ve been productive in my professional life lately, which is good.

So, I’ve thought a lot about New Year’s resolutions.  The last post I made in December highlighted some of my resolution suggestions for those who are looking to make realistic and very helpful changes.  Those were all changes I made in 2010 without resolving to do any of them.  Like I said in that post, I didn’t make any resolutions last year, but when I look back on everything I accomplished without making arbitrary promises about them, I’m fairly pleased with my progress.  As a result, I’m not going to make resolutions this year either.  If I could just pretend like New Year’s never happened, that would actually be ideal, so that’s what I’m going with.

I am, however, going to make goals for January, even though we’re already 11 days in.  Better late than never, y’know?

Goal #1: Find a place to volunteer for–This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and since I do tend to have extra time on my hands due to a flexible work schedule, I really have no excuse not to do it (other than laziness.)  I have a meeting with a volunteer coordinator at a great organization that helps children who have lost a parent or sibling this afternoon and I have high hopes for it.  I’m also thinking about volunteering with animals in some capacity, but I’m kind of afraid I’ll end up with 200 cats and 75 dogs.  There’s no risk of me wanting to bring children home, ever.

Goal #2: Sign up for a 5k–I got beautiful new cross trainers for Christmas and my trick knee hasn’t been hurting nearly as much.  It’s amazing what a good pair of shoes can do for your workout.  As the case happens to be, I think it’s time that I finally find a 5k to sign up for.  The real lure for me is the pre-race carbo-load, but I’d also really like one of those pictures of myself decked out in my exercise gear with the number pinned to my chest. Also, I guess it would be some good exercise.

Goal #3: Eat fresh veggies with lunch and dinner every day–Since the holiday madness is over and I’m no longer feeling entitled to participate in “All You Can Eat Week” it’s time to seriously lighten up.  I hate it when I get to dinner and realize I’ve had many fruit servings, but no vegetables.  I definitely gravitate toward fruit, but vegetables make me feel good too, so I declare the need for fresh veggies with lunch and dinner every day. Today I paired my Amy’s Alphabet soup (it’s awesome) with slices of red pepper and cucumber along with a package of my latest awesome discovery, Wholly Guacamole 100 Calorie Snack Packs.  I’m not usually a fan of 100 calorie packs of anything because they’re usually complete bullshit, but these are great!  Guacamole isn’t known for keeping well, so I always feel compelled to eat all of it if I make it from scratch or if I buy the regular sized pack of Wholly Guacamole, which means I’m taking down 300 or 400 calories for a snack, and that’s not including the vegetables or chips.  No good.  These are 100 calorie packs that are really worth the extra money. They’re perfectly portioned and you don’t have to worry about storing leftover guac that will just turn sad and brown.

Goal #4: Amp up the cardio–Of course, I’m all about the strength training now because I realize what a huge difference it’s made in my body and my overall exercise routine, but if I’m going to do this 5k I’m going to be able to endure, you know, running a 5k.  I’ve been adding bursts of cardio after my strength workouts (usually a 30 minute jog on the treadmill) and of course I’m still going spinning 2-3 times per week.

Tune in for February’s goals, in what?  Two and a half weeks?  Jesus Christ, it’s practically 2012 already.

Slow down, everyone.

Working It Out: Goals for December

Hello, December 1st.  How did you get here so fast?  What’s that?  You want some new goals.  All right, if you insist, but let me review how I did with November’s goals first.  I vowed to do Next Level at least twice a week, to get back in the kitchen, to cut down on sugar, and to master real pushups.  The verdict?

Next Level: Fucking ruled. I went three times a week for the majority of the month, until I got sucked into vacation vortex, but at that point it didn’t matter because a bunch of the classes were canceled for the holidays.  Win.
Getting back in the kitchen: Fucking ruled. I did really well on this one due to the sugar ban and to Rachel’s Project Tasteless challenges. I’ve had a blast with Project Tasteless and I regret that I’m not able to participate in the last two challenges, due to an insane amount of bitterness on my part.  But as far as the goal goes, Win.

Sugar ban: Fucking ruled. I did a very successful week long sugar ban and was pleased with the results.  It’s something I think I’ll do at least once a month.  I felt like it really helped me beat general cravings to overeat.  Win.

Master real push-ups.  Fucking sucked. I tried, but I didn’t try hard enough.  Still working on it. Still, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad at all.

Onto December!  Oh, the Christmas cheer.

Goal #1: Back to yoga–I’ve taken a hiatus from yoga, mostly due to sore sore sore sore muscles from Body Pump and Next Level.  Honestly, I also just got kind of bored with it.  I know it’s good for me though, and I could probably use some Zen, so I’m going to start going at least once a week again in the month of December.  Power Yoga!

Goal #2: Write–Since I finished my MFA in May, I haven’t done much writing at all.  I was burned out from being in school for 20 consecutive years with no real breaks. I needed a break, real bad.  I miss writing though, I feel like I’ve had my break, and ideas have been swimming around in my head, so I’m going to dedicate at least one afternoon a week to getting my ideas on paper (or more realistically, the computer screen.)  I’m excited about this.

Goal #3: Cut down on guilt–especially workout guilt--I’ve gotten into the habit of going to the gym pretty much every day, just because I can.  I usually take Sundays off, but I go every other day and if I want a day off, I kind of feel guilty about not going, just because I have the freedom to go.  But just because I have the freedom to work out for three hours a day doesn’t mean I should. I took a break from working out for the last two weeks (due to traveling for vacation, Thanksgiving, and spending the last few days with visiting family members) and I magically didn’t gain any weight (despite the fact that all I really did was eat) and taking two weeks off didn’t send me into a downward spiral of never exercising again, which is what I’m usually afraid of.  I went to spinning today after my family left for the airport, got a 45 minute spin in, and had a sensible dinner.  It all worked out, and I feel good about getting back to my routine without any real hiccups.  I did have a lot of guilt about it though, especially for the last few days, and that really shouldn’t be the case.  I think I’ll make my writing day a non-workout day and not feel guilty about it.

Goal #4 is a secret.  We’ll see how it goes.  Send me positive vibes.

Cheers to goals, December, and the holidays.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

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