161.4 My Fitness Pal

The other day I discovered My Fitness Pal, and I can't believe I hadn't known about it before!  Its main purpose is as a calorie counter, and while I don't really count calories, it has a lot of other useful attributes.  You can use it to track how much weight you've lost, and it makes graphs and charts for you (I love that stuff!).  You can also keep track of your workouts.  One fun thing it does is, at the end of the day when you've entered all the food you ate and what you did for your workout, it says, "if every day was like this, you would weigh x lbs. in 5 weeks."  I think it really helps put things in perspective.  You can also link other apps to it, such as apps that track how far and how fast you run or bike.  It's the most useful and efficient if you have a smartphone (you can enter foods just by scanning the barcode on the package), but you definitely don't need one.  You can access your account using any sort of device.

Friday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked half a mile, ran a mile, walked another half mile, and went to body pump.  Here's what I ate:

granola bar
1/2 strip steak
salad with cheese and caesar dressing
kefir
apple
granola bar
2 handfuls mixed nuts
2 soft pretzel sticks with queso dip
2 chicken wings
1 beer
handful pecans

Yesterday I took a break and did not work out.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
a few onion rings
6 jalapeno poppers
2 Mich Ultras
3 shrimp with alfredo sauce
blackened mahi mahi filet with alfredo sauce
large portion roasted veggies
salad with cheese and light italian dressing
1 roll with butter
1 pumpkin beer
1 glass white wine
1 Bud Light
2 small chocolates
1 small s'more bar

163.0 Lost 2 Lbs This Week

Dang it, I gained weight yesterday!  And I'm 100% sure it's because of the steak.  I ate half a steak last night for dinner and the other half for lunch today.  Big mistake!  Oh well, I'm pretty confident it will even out over the weekend.

Yesterday for my workout I walked half a mile, ran 1.2 miles, then walked .8 more miles.  Here's what I ate:

Large bowl of cereal
Sandwich with salami, cheese, avocado, mayo, and mustard on skinny wheat bread
Kefir
Apple
Chips
1/2 strip steak
1.5 slices cheesy garlic bread
Salad with cheese and Caesar dressing
Small portion creamed spinach

162.6 Artistic Cookies

My coworker's wife made these cookies and he brought them in to work the other day.  Aren't they amazing???  They are so unique and artistic.  If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they were from a specialty bakery.  She should open one!  I thought they were so cute, I didn't want to eat them.  I finally did, though, after a few hours of admiring them at my desk.

Tuesday I went on an hour long bike ride.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
1/2 chicken spinach wrap
kefir
apple
protein bar
fried catfish filet
medium portion fried shrimp
small portion potato salad
small portion slaw
small portion greens
handful chocolate espresso beans

Yesterday I walked half a mile, ran 1.2 miles, walked .4 miles, and went to body pump.  Here's what I ate:

fried egg and cheese on skinny wheat bread
glass of cider
lamb gyro with tzaziki sauce
baby carrots
Andes mint
1/2 avocado
tortilla chips

163.0 Loose Skin Solutions

163.0 is actually my weight from yesterday (I took a bike ride today instead of going to the gym).  I can't believe I lost 2 lbs over the weekend!  I didn't really do anything different, to my knowledge.  I'd like to lose 1 more pound by the end of the week.

Today I was thinking about how much weight I am losing in a semi-short period of time, and how that can cause extra skin to stick around and look flabby.  I searched for how to avoid and prevent this, and the first few sites I came across were pretty discouraging, saying that post-weight loss saggy skin is inevitable, and the only option is surgery (did the plastic surgeons pay these people off?), but then finally I came across a site that has some really good advice.  If you can look past this guy's relentless advertising of his own book, this article, called The Myth of Loose Skin, has some great tips on preventing saggy skin and on weight loss in general.  One of his major points is that while you are losing weight, you also need to be increasing your muscle mass, which I have already been doing, yay for me!  He also says that you need to be feeding your body enough food, not starving it (although fasting makes you lose weight quickly, it is mostly a loss of muscle).  I read on another website that it is also a good idea to stay very hydrated and apply lotion all over your body every day (both of which I also already do!).  Since I am already taking precautions, and I'm pretty young, hopefully this will not be too big of a problem for me.

Sunday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked .6 miles, ran 1.2 miles, and walked .2 more miles.  Here's what I ate:

Cereal
1 slice pizza
Protein bar
Bowl of beef stew
3 small chocolates
1 glass red wine
2 Mich Ultras

Yesterday I did the elliptical for 10 minutes and walked for 10 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

Cereal
Beef stew
Kefir
Granola bar
3 sicks of turkey jerky
Apple
Cottage cheese
1/2 chicken spinachn wrap
3 chicken wings
1.5 Bud Lights
Handful chocolate covered espresso beans

163.4 Big Ol' Biceps

Today while I was getting ready I flexed my arms in front of the mirror and was aghast at how muscular they are!!  It looked like someone else's (a man's?) arms on my body.  My biceps are pretty big, and my triceps have quite a bit of definition as well.  It feels great to know that going to body pump twice a week has really made a difference...and also that maybe my lack of weightloss lately is from muscle gain after all.

Today I stayed the same weight as I was yesterday.  Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, walked half a mile, ran half a mile, walked another half mile, and ran another half mile.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
2 chicken lettuce wraps
bowl of hot and sour soup
3 chicken dumplings
3 shrimp dumplings
steak
corn on cob with butter and salt
medium portion potato salad
small portion cole slaw
2 beers
chips

165.0 Lost .8 Lbs This Week

I was actually 163.4 today, my "morning weight," but yesterday I was 165, my "end of the week weight". I was thinking recently that it would make more sense to start and end my weeks on Saturday, but since I am sometimes out of town on the weekends or can't make it to the gym, I will keep it at Friday.

So...once again this was a disappointing week.  I'm not getting anywhere near my 2 lb per week goal, even though I've been working really hard at the gym and not eating too badly.  I think it could perhaps be due to building muscle, but of course I can't assume that.  I can only hope to do better next week!

Wednesday for my workout I walked .2 miles, ran 1.2 miles, walked .6 more miles, and went to body pump.  Here's what I ate:

Large sausage
1 fried egg
1 slice toast with butter
Glass of OJ
Glass of cider
Med portion penne with meat sauce
Yogurt
Apple
3 mini muffins
Muscle milk
1/2 turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and avocado on wheat bread

Thursday I went to spin class.  Here's what I ate:

Bagel with cream cheese
Glass of cider
Miso soup
Small salad
2 sushi rolls
Chicken salad on croissant
Cup of chili
Bite size Reese's
Gatorade

Yesterday I ran half a mile, went to body pump, then ran a mile.  Heres what I ate:

Bagel with cream cheese
Glass of cider
2 mini muffins
Other half of the turkey sandwich
Banana
Apple
2 turkey jerky sticks
1 slice bread with butter
2 slices French toast with syrup
Medium portion scrambled eggs
2 bud lights
1 pineapple upside down cake shot
Small slice of apple pie

165.6 No Weight Loss Yet...

How disappointing to weigh myself at the gym today and find I haven't lost any weight since Monday!  It makes me sad. :( I suppose the reason could be that I haven't been eating as healthfully as I could be the last few days.  I need to lay off those chocolates!  Who knows, maybe today was just a fluke and tomorrow I'll find that I've lost weight after all.  That's what I hope at least!

Monday for my workout I did the elliptical for 20 minutes, walked half a mile, and ran a mile.  Here's what I ate:

Bagel with cream cheese
1/2 Thai chicken wrap
Medium portion quinoa salad
Yogurt
Granola bar
Burger with bun, mayo, mustard, tomato, and lettuce
Medium portion sweet corn
Small portion roasted potato chunks

Yesterday I took an hour-long bike ride.  Here's what I ate:

Cereal
Sandwich on skinny wheat bread with bologna, cheese, light mayo, and mustard
Kefir
2 mini muffins
Apple
Small homemade chocolate caramel bar
Protein bar
1/3 calzone with pepperoni and cheese
Small portion penne with meat sauce, cheese, and zucchini
3 chocolate nuggets
Small frozen milky way