Cam's New Lease on Life Journal (comments welcome!)

[keenercam]

Alright, I have a plan for dinner tonight, having looked at the restaurant's menu on-line.
appetizer -- jumbo gulf shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce and lemon wedge
entree -- 2 broiled jumbo lump crab cakes w/roasted rosemary potatoes & vegetable du jour

I guess we will see if the plan is also the reality. Let's see how good my willpower is to avoid a drink or a glass of wine or creme brulee for dessert. Maybe I will allow myself a cappuccino instead of dessert, especially if it comes with one of those little biscotti!

 

[DisnyMama]

Hey Cam!

Good job on all your hard work. I was routing for you regarding the scale.

You are getting stronger every day.

Have a great day!!

Take care,
Shannon

 

[keenercam]

Hi, Shannon! It's so nice to see you and thank you so much for your support. I didn't step on the scale this morning -- having gone a week last week without stepping on it, and then being able to be content with what the scale said, I figure I can do the no scale challenge for a week again.

Wow! I had the BEST dinner last night at a really, really nice restaurant. I can't believe that I didn't have to make any sacrifices at all and walked out of there full and satisfied. I had shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, a mesclun salad with cranberries and chopped hazelnuts w/vinegarette dressing, and then 2 jumbo lump crabcakes that had almost no filler. I had even planned on dessert (berries or sorbet) and coffee or cappuccino, but had no desire for it.

Today -- my challenge is that I will be in Court all day, and we are having lunch delivered to the courthouse, so I have no idea what I will be eating and drinking (probably not enough water). So, I am just going to do my best to be disciplined/restrained, count the points, and deal with the balance later in the day. I think if I consider my lunch my main meal today and eat lightly tonight, it will be okay.

Tonight is my "orientation" at the Y (that I have been going to for weeks!). I am hoping to learn to use some of the weight machines to work on upper body in addition to the work I already do on the treadmill, recumbent bike and elliptical cross trainer. I just have to get over being self-conscious with the "fit" people at the gym, and I will be less uncomfortable working out.

My objectives for tonight -- Enjoy my experience at the gym, eat something light when I get home from there, order new running shoes & a digital watch from the runners catalog.

 

[pettyone]

Tonight is my "orientation" at the Y (that I have been going to for weeks!). I am hoping to learn to use some of the weight machines to work on upper body in addition to the work I already do on the treadmill, recumbent bike and elliptical cross trainer. I just have to get over being self-conscious with the "fit" people at the gym, and I will be less uncomfortable working out.

Enjoy your orientation!!

 

[keenercam]

Heading out soon to work out before someone shows me how to use the equipment -- Thanks Tracy for the good wishes!
Actually, all I want right now is dinner. Will have to be very disciplined not to junk out until I can get home and get some dinner.
Have already eaten fat free pringles and a few pistachios and a soup at hand that was only 70 calories (funny -- the chicken noodle and chicken & stars varieties are about 70 or 80 calories, and the classic tomato and the vegetable blend are about 120-150, if I remember correctly! I looked at the ingredients on one of them and it had high fructose corn syrup in it! WTH?!?!?!??!)

 

[Strings]

Hey Cam,

I hope the orientation went well. Don't worry about the fitter people at the gym. You will soon be one of those intimidating fitter people. Take care and keep away form the junk tonight.

Beth

 

[keenercam]

Wow! That didn't seem too bad when I was doing it, but now my arms are all shaky, and I can tell my shoulders and upper back (at the very least) are going to hurt tomorrow. Glad I did it and I will try to be disciplined about doing that workout at least 2 times a week, besides all the walking-type stuff I am doing.
The so-called "running store" at the mall turned out to be a glorified "foot locker" type place where the salespeople work on commission and have NO specialized knowledge. Disappointing, but one more reason to go to the experts.

 

[lizdotcom99]

Cam,

Good luck with your shoes!! It is so important to get yourself some good ones....especially when you are just starting out. I strongly reccomend Fleet Feet if you have one near you.....even if there is one that is a bit of a drive....I still reccomend it. I have ALWAYS spent a lot of money on my shoes, but until I actually got proessionally fitted I never really knew what a good fitting shoe felt like. I can also assure you that a good shoe can be a real blister preventor....and I am the queen of blisters......no blisters here!! Whoo hoo!! Make sure you get some good socks too!!! Have fun shopping!!! Your feet are going to feel sooooo good!!

 

[sarahsmom73]

Glad orientation went well!!!

I am with you on the shoes.. I need some new ones... Desperately! Let us know what you end up buying!

 

[keenercam]

Hi, Liz & Jen! Good morning! Well, after the unsuccessful shoe fiasco, DH and I did end up ordering shoes from a catalog that will arrive in 2 days--I ended up getting Brooks Ariel, because they were the ONLY shoe that came in 2E, which I think I probably need. DH ended up with Asics brand. Funny, I had been thinking I was wearing New Balance, but it turns out I have been wearing FILA -- I have had them 4 or 5 years, I bet -- tells you how much wear they DIDN'T get! I used to wear them just to walk to and from my parking garage, they saw 2 walked 5Ks about 3 years ago, and have had many, many MILES put on them since 1/20/05.
We will go to a real running store this weekend to see what recommendations they have, and we will compare both pairs of shoes (whatever we buy there, and what we bought risk free from the catalog -- 20% off, 6 weeks absolute guarantee to wear and return at no cost) and will decide which work for us. I really wish there were a Fleet Feet store around here, Liz, but the closest seems to be about 2 hours away. The store we are going to go to is apparently THE place to go, so we will see what they have to say. I have never had blisters. Instead, I have really bad, thick, painful callouses near the ball of my feet.

Well, I can really feel the upper body workout I did. I am on such an "up" this morning. I took a chance and bought a pair of 20WP black pants a little while ago, in the hopes they'd fit soon (they were on clearance and would be perfect for work -- couldn't resist). I had them shortened and hung them in my closet. It feels really good to be wearing them this morning, knowing they look nice with a thin gage lavender shell and a multicolored purple knobby wool blazer. So, I feel like I look better, having dropped 1+ pants size (my 22s had been painfully tight). I guess knowing I worked out last night has a lot to do with my mindset too.

So, looking at what I did right and wrong yesterday:
Right:
1. ate grilled chicken over greens with drops of vinegarette dressing for lunch, in a difficult professional/social situation
2. Didn't cop out on my orientation, though I was self-conscious
3. Left work early enough to eat dinner before going to the gym, rather than eating late
4. Actually made it through all the repetitions and sets on all of the equipment and now have a member EXERCISE log! Also did 5 minute warmup on treadmill and 5 minute cooldown on cross-trainer
5. Pursued shoes.
6. Stayed within my WW points and ate my activity points

What I did wrong:
1. Not enough servings of veggies
2. Not enough servings of dairy
3. Ate a fat free muffin and 2 low carb pecan patties right before bed -- BAD CAM!
4. Too much caffeine! UGH!

Here's to a better day

 

[plutosmyfav]

Hi Cam
Congrats on the new pants! Isn't it amazing when you buy something too small and ACTUALLY GET TO WHERE IT! I can recall years of buying things too small only to have them get even more too small!

WEIGH TO GO!

Sounds like you have the shoe thing in the bag Great!

BTW, I love your play list idea. The new thread is a great place to get ideas!

Sunny

 

[Strings]

Hi Cam,

Great job yesterday!! I bet you look awesome in your smaller pants! Keep up the great work.'
I love the fitlinx at the Y. It keeps a running total of your weights lifted and cardio. It was really cool to see that I have lifted over a million pounds.

Have a great afternoon,
Beth

 

[keenercam]

Thank you, Sunny -- I hope you kept all those smaller clothes you had been holding so that you always have a place for your new fitter self as days go by! When I lost almost 50 pounds 7/01-3/03, I had dropped from a tight 24W to comfortable 18W. I still have more than a few pounds to go to get back to where I was when I ended up in ICU , but I think the pants sizes may drop more quickly since I am doing all this walking and biking.
And, I am so glad you liked the playlist. I have gotten all sorts of great ideas from others' lists too, but I am LOVING mine. I recently added pirates of the caribbean and for some reason, even though it is not as fast as some of the other stuff, and maybe because it is Disney, it really keeps me "up" and inspired. I have to print out everyone's lists and start pulling out the rest of our CD collection. And I LOVE buying new music on Itunes, knowing it is going to such a great use. So, if there is something I desperately want I can get it that way. YIPPEE!!!

Beth -- a million pounds!?!?!?!?!? OMG! That is amazing. I don't think our Y has the fitlinx, but I never would have even thought to consider how many pounds we lift total when we do those reps. That is such an awesome concept -- I was doing 3 sets of 10 with at least 20 pounds each time (a couple pieces of equipment we went a bit heavier). That is 600 pounds on each piece of equipment. I CAN'T believe I never thought of it that way -- DUH!!! How long have you been lifting, though, to have gotten to 1 MILLION? Thank you for giving me another way to quantify what I am achieving. You are a sweetie!

Geez, do you find that you are much hungrier the day after your workout? For some reason, I can't seem to stay unhungry today. I did mostly protein breakfast (hard boiled eggs w/tiny bit of LF mayo on a lite english muffin), had to have a cup of oatmeal mid morning, ate a turkey wrap w/tomatoes and pickles & a cheese stick for lunch at about 1:15, and my stomach is growling again. Very strange. Even eating gum isn't helping. I will try to hold out until about 4 and then will have a lite yogurt, maybe bulked up with some mini pretzels. Then maybe I will do a soup at hand before I head home and will go to the gym early to try to work off some of this hunger.

Thank you again, guys, for your phenomenal support! You really keep me on track.

 

[Strings]

Hey Cam,

I am definately hungrier after I lift. i workout in the AM, so it is late afternoon/evening hunger for me. You workedout last night, so it makes sense that you are hungry today. Keep your belly full with water. I do either 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps. I do 14 machines. On an average day (2 sets) I lift about 28,000 pounds. I have been at the Y for almost a year.

Have a good afternoon,
Beth

 

[sarahsmom73]

Happy Friday Cam!

 

[keenercam]

Beth -- Thanks! That makes me feel better. So many people talk about how they are not hungry now that they are working out so much, and that just is not the case for me. It's good to know that others are hungry too when they have been lifting. But, I am NOWHERE near 28,000 pounds -- you must be so proud of yourself! I will aspire to that!

Jen -- Good morning and happy Friday to you! I hope you have a wonderful day and are looking forward to the weekend.

I am not so worried about weekends anymore. I am making a game of finding good weight watchers program choices at all our favorite restauraunts and have found that I could make good choices even at new restaurants, so I am not so intimidated any more. Since we will be kid-less for a lot of this weekend, I am sure I will earn all SORTS of activity points! (we will have lots of time at the gym, I mean) Anyway, DH and I will probably do some meals out, and I am finding that I LOVE all varieties of salads, and am making it my objective to try new salads whereever we go to eat.

Actually, what I am looking forward to this weekend is a trip to the chinese buffet. I am gaga for chinese! Interestingly, it looks like I can eat all my favorites in moderation without doing any damage to my plan -- 3 wontons & LOTS of green onions in chicken broth (4); spicy chicken & mushrooms, with mostly the delicious mushrooms (4) over 1/2 cup steamed white rice (2); broccoli from chicken with broccoli and no chicken (2); egg roll (4). So, a total of 16 points, which is a lot, but this is my splurge and I have not touched my flex points and I am eating light today and getting lots of APs tonight. Who knows, though, if I make a lot of trips to the buffet with getting only one serving of one thing each time, I may not even end up eating that much. I think I will save the eggroll for last and may not end up eating the outside at all (I actually love the inside more). I may also try to fill up on boiled shrimp and crab legs since they are so points-friendly and eat some salad.

My plan for the day is to pay attention to how I feel -- figure out whether what I am eating is satisfying me for long enough; eat only if I am hungry; stop eating when I am full -- take as long as possible to eat, to allow myself to feel full.

It has been 3 hours since breakfast and I am not hungry at all -- it was 4 low fat turkey breakfast sausage (2) with one slice FF cheese (.5) split between 2 light english muffins (2); cofee w/low carb flavored creamer (1)--I know that seems like a lot of food, but I have been waking up so hungry and being hungry most of the day, so I thought I'd try to eat in bulk early in the day. 5.5 points for 3+ hours of satisfaction. Not bad. Drinking lots of water (already had my coffee and am switched to water now for the rest of the day).

The plan for tonight -- take DD to her rehearsal, take DS to Chinese dinner with us, take him to his camping pickup spot, then head to the gym for as long as we can stand to work out (will try to get an audiobook at the library and figure out how to load it to my ipod and take that with me to see if it makes the workout more enjoyable)

Going to the running store tomorrow. Can't wait!!! Also heading to the farmers' market for fruits, veggies, and dried fruits & nuts. New shoes should arrive Monday -- this feels better than Christmas!

 

[keenercam]

Okay, got through lunch pretty easily -- totally free salad except a few chick peas and drops of lite italian dressing. chinese buffet here I come!

 

[sarahsmom73]

How was dinner?

I am excited to hear about your new shoes!!! Activity points are good! Keep it up! You can do it!!!

 

[keenercam]

Hi, Jen! Dinner was absolutely wonderful! The funny thing was, I did exactly as I had planned and saved the eggroll for last and found I was kind of full at that point. However, knowing myself and how much I'd wanted it and knowing I would think about it all weekend, I went ahead and ate it. It was really wonderful. It was so great to have a plan going into that situation -- I felt so much more able to cope and I didn't go wild. After that we went to the gym!

Saturday morning, DH surprised me with a trip to IHOP for my all-time favorite food -- harvest grain and nut pancakes. I ate 2 with drops of sugar free syrup and drank only ice water. So, I felt as if I was making good choices, but had absolutely NO IDEA how to figure the points. Took a rough guess that they might be 4-5 points each. Took the other two pancakes home (Howard insisted -- he knows I love them), and I ate about 1/2 Sunday morning and through the rest away.

Really pleased with the forward momentum -- went to the gym Friday, Saturday and Sunday for more than an hour each time and more than 6 miles mixed each time between treadmill and recumbent bike and elliptical cross trainer. I also did nautilus equipment on Saturday -- upper arms again. It hurt a lot that day, but considerably less yesterday and not at all today, so that is definitely progress. After doing it Wednesday night, I could barely lift my arms still by Saturday. I will try to do that every other day, if I can.

Finally, the day I had been waiting for arrived on Saturday and we went and got fitted for running shoes. I ended up with a pair of New Balance that are very very comfortable, though interestingly, I didn't need as wide a width as I thought and the 8.5 fits great, even though I thought I'd need to go up to a 9. It was such a relief to not have the guy, Steve, laugh when I told him I wanted a running shoe and that I plan to walk 13.1 miles in January -- he complimented me on being this disciplined this early. He knows all about the Disney Half and Full Marathons and said there are MANY people from this area who come in starting in June and July through Team in Training who are preparing for those events. So, I told him we'd certainly be back later to get another pair of the shoes and maybe by then he'd know of some people who are training for Disney.

Stayed on plan all weekend, though I am still struggling with the late night munchie monster -- working on the computer or cleaning up around the kitchen or preparing meals for the next day leaves me exposed to this weakness. Interestingly, I always have regular points or activity points I can use, and so I am not even touching my flex points when I do that late at night. Still, I know it is not healthy.

Since I have to recognize that I DO want/need/crave late night snacks, I have to figure out what kinds of snacks would be best. Stocked up Friday night on shelled almonds, pistachios and sunflower seeds as well as unsweetened banana chips and apple rings at the farmer's market. I think maybe these are the foods I should reserve for late night snacking, rather than fat free pringles and unsalted pretzels!

Will suffer through a meeting with our accountant tonight to work on taxes and then will reward ourselves with a trip to the gym.

 

[sarahsmom73]

Cool! I am glad dinner was great!

I am excited about your new shoes! That is wonderful! They are so important!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!