Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Day 144 - Time Off

I took a week off from eating paleo.  That's not to say I ate bread or pasta or other carby starchy goodness at every meal, but I did eat more carbs than usual, and I did this for a week.  I'm feeling a bit stuck with paleo menus.  I miss rice with my stir fry and pasta in my lasagna.  I don't have trouble eating paleo two meals of the day, but three can sometimes be a chore. 

Maybe I just needed a break. 

Kept up with the exercise and am still losing weight.  Although I did drop back a little bit last week, putting in 6.5 hours rather than 8, but I am making it for it now, focused on a goal of 34 hours for the month.  I have 11 hours left and 8 days to knock it out.  I can do it. 

Gettting much faster at boxing.  Trainer has been telling me this for a couple of weeks, and now I am beginning to notice myself that my movements are much more fluid.  Boxed 6 rounds yesterday after 20 minutes of hard cardio intervals.  Not too shabby.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Day 136 - 7 Day Stretch

I ate crackers, ice cream, pudding, and mashed potatoes yesterday.  So much for my 8 days in a row without grains or starches.  I have revised my goal and am now aiming for 7 days at 80% compliance. 

Last week I dropped back on my exercise a bit.  Not consciously.  I exercised just under 7 hours instead of my usual 8.  I swam only once, so that accounts for the missing hour.  The weather has turned cold again, and I haven't felt like braving the chill when I get out of the water and walk back to the clubhouse.  Also, the big pool, although heated, feels cold when it's cold outside.  I swam once in the small pool last week but was frustrated by just how warm it was.  And how short.  I so much prefer the big pool.

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I did better today. 

Breakfast:  2 eggs, 3 pieces bacon, 1 orange
Snack:  1 piece of string cheese
Lunch:  4oz steak, 1/3 cup mashed potatoes, mushrooms, green beans
Dinner:  roast chicken, paleo gravy, apple and cabbage coleslaw
Dessert:  dark chocolate square and tsp of peanut butter

Only cheat was the mashed potatoes, but they were worth it. 

For exercise, I walked the dog half and hour, did 20 minutes of intervals on the stationary bike, and took a boxing class, for a total of 1.5 hours.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Day 134 - Leg Strength, Knee Pain, Gin, and Pasta

This was not a great week.  Not a great last couple of days.  Yesterday was good on carbs, but other days, not so much. 

I ate french fries and a burger Thursday night.  Attended a tasting at a small spirits distillery, and drank the equivalent of about 4 shots, maybe more.  Woke up in the middle of the night with knee pain that persisted through the next day.  Inflammation. 

A a positive note, I did intervals on the elliptical yesterday, which I haven't done in about a month, and noticed a significant change in leg strength.  I don't do straight intervals on the elliptical.  My workout goes soemthing like this:   3 minute warm up, 1 minute sprint, 2 minute recovery, 2 minutes high level 8 steps forward and 8 steps back so forth so on, recovery, sprint, back and forward steps, etc.  Up until a month ago, I was setting my forward and back step interval at level 8.  But yesterday, level 8 was too easy.  I bumped it up to 10 but felt even that might have been too low.  What this means is that my legs have gotten significantly stronger, as have my glutes.  Always a good thing. 

I'm ready to cut out the carbs again.  Make it thorugh a week without falling off the wagon.  No cheating at the office or in restaurants while traveling.  See if I can go 7 or 8 days in a row. 

My goal is to eat no grains or starches until next Monday, May 23.  Eight days straight.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Day 128 - Cheater Cheater

I've had some cheats this week.  On Wednesday, in the office, I ate donuts, pizza, and then bread at dinner.  Today, Mother's Day, I began the day with restaurant breakfast that included hash brown potatoes and buckwheat pancakes.  I "skipped" lunch and snacked on popcorn.  Dinner included a small portion of brown rice plus bread and ice cream for dessert.  My goal for this week is not to eat the left over ice cream. 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Day 121 - A Third of the Way Through the Year

I am one third of the way through my year of fitness and weight loss.  Although by no means will my quest for good health be limited to 2011, but I do expect this year will be the most siginificant in terms of overall body changes.  My fitness level has improved considerably since January 1.  I have not yet stood on the scale, but judging from the fit of my clothes, I am down at least 30 pounds.  As far as general health goes, I am sleeping much better since going paleo/primal at the end of March, have a more regular menstrual cycle, and have far more energy. 

My body shape is returning. And by shape, I mean curves.  I was at or close to my heaviest at the start of the year; although I didn't know it.  Everything was big.  My stomach was big.  My butt was big.  My legs were big.  My face was fat.  But now things are slimming down.  I have lost 4 inches in my waist.  The muscles in my legs and arms are much firmer.  I had to drop down a bra size to compensate for the loss of inches in my back and chest.  My face looks thinner. 

There is still a part of me that wishes I was smaller.  That the past 4 months would have resulted in greater weight loss.  It feels as though I am not being fully rewarded for all of my physical efforts and to some extent, especially since going paleo/primal, my new eating habits.  But then I remind myself that progress is progress.  Fitting comfortably into clothes that were much too tight and marking others for donation because they are too big is progress.  Being able to bend and trim my toe nails without running out of breath is also progress.  Seeing my breast stick out further than my stomach is one of the best feelings ever. 

Progress.

What's next?  What will I focus on this month and the next?  Honestly, I'm not sure.  It's nice to be in auto pilot.  To know that I will exercise 8 hours this week and the week after that and the week after that without fail.  To know that I will eat healthy primal and/or paleo meals more often that not.  To know that I will sleep well and wake up rested. 

I have decided to compete in a triathlon sprint October 2.  I have 5 months to train, so I am focusing on losing more weight in May and June.  Starting July 1, I will train to a specific plan, and if all goes well, I'll be running 3 miles by the end of September. 

In the mean time, I will keep up with my once a week boxing class, twice a week circuit training, twice a week sprints, maybe incorporate more hikes into my schedule, and swim and walk as usual.  I will eat lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, and protein.  I will EAT MORE FISH. 

Here's to another 121 days.