Jane E.'s Fitness Journal

[lovinaz]

At my grocery store, they usually have some already cut up and packed in water. If not, I think it is usually by the beets and rutabaga. It's an ugly veggie, but it tastes good! Let me know if you try it!

Great job getting those workouts in! I can't believe you ate chocolates and you don't even like them! That is like me eating those Heath cookies when I don't even like Heath bars...

I agree on the clothes - wait until you are consistently in a 12, then stock up in that size! That will be a real incentive to not gain the weight back.

You are doing great, do you have any plans for your free day?

 

[Jane E.]

I had a busy weekend. I purposely didn't go to our 10th year work party last Thursday because I figured I'd be tempted by food. What I didn't count on was the leftovers. I went to work on Saturday & the fridge was filled with salsa, cheese dips, guacamole etc. Then there was the tiny cheesecakes - you know individually sized ones. I'll have you know I did not try one!!!! However, the individual brownie things did me in. They had all different kinds: plain choc, choc w/caramel, choc w/nutz, choc w/mint etc. They were very good. Instead of going over my food intake meal by meal i"ll just do one big paragraph for the whole weekend. (I didn't touch the guacamole - just one chip w/salsa.)

Breakfast were protein shakes & oatmeal or cereal, lunches were LC meals, my afternoon breaks were brownie things, hot pepper cheese, chicken salad & crackers, dinners were hot wings one night & nachos the next - also oreo ice cream. This was one bad weekend.

Also spent last evening discussing memory loss regarding our moms with our friends. They're having a major problem with his mom & her memory. Its a scary thing.

25 minutes of jog walking

Amy, free day! I think it was a free week! I'll let you know if I find the jicama. I'm sure its somewere in that produce section. For some reason, I'm sick of cooking! I don't even want to think about grocery shopping. One good thing that i've noticed is that I don't go to the store nearly as much as I used to. I'm finding that by planning I've been grocery shopping once a week. Thats a record for me! I hope your weekend went better than mine!

 

[lovinaz]

Way to go avoiding the party! Bummer about the leftovers. It seems like even if we have the best intentions, it always comes back to being tempting somehow!!

I picked up another tub-o-jicama this weekend. It really is a satisfying snack. I hope you can find it!

I didn't do too much better, I pretty much had a free weekend instead of a free day... I have to STOP buying ice cream just because it is on sale! It's not worth it!!!! At least I only gained 1lb instead of 3 like last weekend!

We will get back on track this week, we HAVE to! I guess the one good thing that has come out of this is that we are exercising more and eating better (overall anyway). I have also cut back on my alcohol drinking, I think that makes a huge difference!

We are gonna kick butt this week (oops, I just ate 2 pieces of candy - but I'm stopping there!)

 

[gradtchr]

I had a free week last week too. We've got it under control for this week though.

 

[Jane E.]

I'd forgotten about what a sugar trap Valentine's Day is!! Yikes!
Last night we were invited to dinner at my mom's. My brother and his girlfriend were also there. I can't believe I lived thru dinner!

First of all, my brother and his girlfriend were both sick. He has some kind of terrible cold - he's been on cough meds for the past week & he sounded awful. He coughed all thru dinner. Next, I'm helping Mom with putting the food on the table. There was a small Corning Ware sauce pan with peas in it. I asked, "Is this hot?" Mom replied, "No, its not hot, take it." What I didn't know was that she thought I was asking about the plate she was giving to dh. I grabbed the saucepan and it was HOT!! It has been sitting in the oven for a long time. Why she didn't just micro them I'll never know. I ended up sitting with my hand in icewater all thru dinner - Thank God I'm healed now.

Poor mom, she made baked potatoes and sweet potatoes. She was putting sour cream on all of the baked potatoes. I carried those to the table for her. Next thing I know she's sour creaming the sweet potatoes. I told her not to do that. She answered me, "This is how WE do it!" LOL! After putting the sourcream on she added a huge gob of cinamon sugar. Yeck!! I don't know why she insists on doing that. The BBQ restaurant she goes to adds butter & cinamon sugar but she's gotten it a bit confused.

Then, she grabbed the cheesecake that my brother's girlfriend brought for dessert. It was in one of those heart shaped aluminum pans for Valentine's Day. The next thing we hear is a yell - it ended up on the floor face down! Dh skillfully scooped it up leaving the whipped cream bottom on the floor so that we could eat the section that didn't touch the floor! The whole time he's scooping it Mom thinks the whipped cream is a white doily and keeps telling him to pick it up by the doily. THen she gets down on the floor & learns dh is right - its whipped cream as she tried to pick it up. Finally, we cleaned up the floor. The cheesecake was placed back into its foil heart & then we each took a scoop of cheesecake - I had one teaspoonful.

Later on, since Mom's old, my brother & his girlfriend were sick & dh was tired from a full day of work, I did the dishes - no dishwasher. The water was hot and my hand was burned. I've never done dishes so fast in all my life. Afterwards when it dawned on dh that I was in pain he fussed at me for not asking him to do the dishes.

I had dinner at Mom's and lived thru the experience!!

I did bring some Domaine Ste Michelle champagne for dinner which I had two glasses of. I had a slice of meatloaf, 1/2 baked potato w/sourcream and butter, 1 teaspoonful of cheesecake & I was done. I was full from all the chocolate I'd eaten during the day. There is too much chocolate around.

Yesterday, I bought some J Lassalle Rose Brut champagne for Valentine's Day. Since we went out last week we're staying in tonight. We'll probably have hamburgers, champagne & dark chocolate.

I plan on doing my lower body weight workout a little later.

Amy, this is my hell week. I'm just taking things one day at a time but I'm really off on my eating again!. I need to listen to you - If I don't start kicking butt it won't be fitting in my jeans anymore!

Beth, congrats for gaining back control. I'm obviously waiting until after the holiday. I bought candy for my relatives & that was my first mistake. I just can't have chocolate in the house.

 

[lovinaz]

Your mom sounds like a riot! Sorry to hear you burned yourself - ouch! Sour cream on sweet potatoes?

You know, you really broke my heart with that cheesecake story... I had to have a moment of silence. I would have been licking it off the floor!

I didn't buy candy for anyone, I just can't control myself! And of course both kids bring home huge amounts of candy from their school parties. You just can't escape!

No more excuses, no more temptations until Easter, so let's get back in gear! Think of buying some more Size 12 pants...

 

[Jane E.]

Yesterday was terrible. Around 5:30pm a friend phoned me. She's having severe marital problems & was very upset. I spent over an hour on the phone with her. Then she asked if she could come over to my house to talk. Sadly, I had to refuse. I let her know that dh & I had plans & he'd be home at 7pm. When dh got home we both felt terrible. No one had a clue that they had these problems. Its a good thing dh & I went to the theater last week because our Valentine's Day was kinda ruined. I slept terribly last night. She works today so I can't call her until later, & I don't want to call when her husband is at home. I really don't know what to do. I've been praying for them nonstop. You never know what's going to hit you!

This is the second person in two months that has had marital problems. The first person has filed for divorce. Thats the one that I ran into before Christmas and she told me NOT to tell anyone except for dh. Of course, I didn't tell anyone except for dh and about two weeks ago someone called to tell me about the breakup of her marriage and I had to pretend that I didn't know about it. That was a nerve wracking month.

Back to my Valentine's Day. I bought the great bottle of champagne & dark chocolate. I asked dh to pick up cheeseburgers from McDonalds because I wasn't going to cook on Valentine's Day even if we did celebrate it last week. The champagne and chocolate were very good.

Meals
#2 tuna fish salad
#3 tuna fish salad, chocolate candy
#4 - 1 cheeseburger, 1 glass of champagne & tons of chocolate

Yesterday I did do the lower body weight workout.
Today I jog walked for 25 minutes.

Today:
#1 scrambled eggwhites w/onions, peppers, veggie sausage & lf cheese

Amy, my mom is a riot. She was a teacher & is very outgoing. All of the cashiers at the local grocery store know her life story. She talks to everyone. I used to take her to open houses & model homes. I had to quit because she always told the real estate person that they were asking way too much money for the house. I think she's stuck in 1970 - she thinks that the houses should go for $25,000.

Congrats for not buying any candy!!! You're right, I need to concentrate on buying more size 12s. You should see the jacket I bought last year. It fit me perfectly when I bought it. I put it on last week & its way too big. Just another reminder why I need to watch what I eat. You can have the cheesecake - chocolate is what does me in!

 

[Jane E.]

I've got a very busy day ahead of me. Today was my upper body weight workout. My arms are definately sore! Breakfast was cereal, turkey slice and an apple.

Lunch will be homemade Mexican Lasagna.

 

[lovinaz]

I'm sorry to hear your friend is having such a hard time. Believe me, divorce is NO FUN! It really brings out the bad in most people...

Did you get all the chocolate cravings out of your system? Cheeseburgers and champagne, that is a hoot! It's great that you are so comfortable with yourselves that you can do that and still enjoy your special day!

That is cool that your jacket is too big! I know you'll get back on track and soon those 12's will be too big! Do you plan on continuing BFL even after your 12 weeks are up? I really think this is something I can do for the long haul. I will let you know if there are any additional tips in the BFLW book.

Have you tried Balance Bars? They really take care of that chocolate craving and they are better for you than regular chocolate. I like the Chocolate Peanut Butter, Caramel Nut Blast and Chocolate Chip Trail Mix. Check them out next time a craving hits!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

Hi Jane,

Sorry I haven't been around, its been crazy busy here and I've been stress eating!!

Sounds like you're ready to hop back on the remotivation-get going on this weight loss trip like I am!

Yesterday was my birthday, so I decided that this is a good time to start again and get back into the good habits I've learned over the past 4 years.

One more year until 50 for me, so I better keep in good shape!

That's too bad about your friend. It's hard sometimes to be supportive and know what's the right thing to do. Have you talked with her since the other night?

Your mom does sound like a lot of fun. My parents are getting up there (75 & 76) and the other day suddenly they just looked really old to me. Mom is getting more forgetful too, and it is scary. DH's mom had Alzheimers and it is so hard to go through that. Of course you have lots of experience in that area!

Well, just wanted to say hi, and hope you're doing well.

 

[Jane E.]

Today's workout is 20 minutes of cardio. I think I'm going to go easy on my feet and do cardio on my carpet instead of my outside jog walks.

Yesterday's Mexican Lasagna turned out delicious. I tried to keep it healthy. I used lean ground beef, chili beans, chopped tomatoes & chili's, and tons of sauteed onions and peppers. It had lots of veggies. The only problem was the cheese but I used portion control.

At 5:15 our electric suddenly went out. I took the dog and cat outside and sat out on the patio. My neighbor came out and we talked for awhile. She phoned the electric company & the outage was caused by tree limbs. 76 homes had no electric. The projected time for turn on was 9:30pm! This happens a couple times a year here, especially during hurricane season. The weather wasn't even windy here. I just hope they have it fixed & trimmed the limb. The bad thing is it never happens to the houses across the street - just the houses south, east & west of us. Its so frustrating to watch your neighbors watch TV when you can't even turn a lamp on.

Dh got home at about 7pm. I fired up the grill, wrapped our lasagna in foil & heated them up on the grill. I asked dh to buy some sparkling wine on the way home. We ended up sitting outside eating our "BBQed" lasagna w/ our wine. It was nice sitting outside talking with no interruptions. At 9:15 we went back into the house. We didn't get power until 10pm.

At that point, I put the Olympics on TV. Just as we started watching that program our cable went out!! This morning when dh turned on our computer, the fan was making all kinds of noise. Technically speaking, we're not doing very well here.

lunch: Mexican lasagna, tangerine, mocha bar, 1 piece of coconut - lime chocolate candy

snack: small packet of oreos, tangerine

dinner: lasagna, 3 glasses of sparkling wine, mocha bar

I can't believe the weekend is upon us. Sunday we're having lunch with relatives. Sunday night we're going to a party for a friend. Its at a really good restaurant. They have the best spicy shrimp appetizer & martini bar. I see "temptation" written all over that night.

Amy, I haven't tried the balance bars but as you can see I did buy some Clementines. They're still in our stores. Last week I bought strawberries & blueberries & they had no taste. Yesterday, I saw the little wooden boxes of Clementines & decided to try those after reading your posts. They are good & so easy to peel too.

Kate, welcome back! Its great to see you you posting again. You and I are close in age - I just turned 48. As for my friend, I have talked with her, & on the 15th dh spent about an hour talking with the husband. It really doesn't look good. It was so sad finding all of this out on Valentine's Day.

 

[lovinaz]

Hey, you are doing it right and hitting the restaurant on your free day! Great job using portion control on your lasagna.

Our electricity used to go out all the time, it is really fun in the summer when it is 115 degrees. Then for a couple months the power company had all the streets torn up and they seemed to have fixed the problem (crossing fingers here).

I'm glad you like the Clementines. I love those things! Try a Balance Bar next time you get a chocolate craving - it might help you stay on track.

What happened to us, we were doing so good on BFL then we kinda fizzled out... You are still doing awesome on your workouts, so that is great! Let's refocus and get back on track with the eating 100% on Monday. Are you in?

 

[pearlieq]

What a pain those power outages must be! Still, it sounds like you made the most of it. I'm sure the dog and cat had a ball!

I've been meaning to ask you, how do you take the cat outside? Is she on a leash or does she just know to stick with you? Do they ever try to jump the fence in the back? I'd love to take our cats outside, but we only have a 4" fence and I know they could each jump it no problem. Does your cat just not bother with it?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!! Keep up the great work!

 

[Jane E.]

Yesterday's workout ended up being inside carpet cardio using my step, tao bo & moves from WATP. Yesterday's meals
#1 1 sandwich w/ ham & lf cheese on 9grain bread, banana
#2 Mexican lasagna, tangerine
#3 Mexican lasagna, mocha bar
#4 sharp cheddar cheese & Smart One's key lime pie

Workout for today just 10 minutes of cardio. I ran out of time. I worked today in the Alzheimer's unit.

#1 sandwich w/ham lf cheese on 9grain bread
#2 LC eggroll meal, Smart One's eclair
#3 cake - we had a bakery cake today at work
#4 Smart One's eclair
#5 Mexican lasagna, Smart One's key lime pie, IBC rootbeer

I've got to buckle down again. I'm starting to feeling heavy again.

Amy, I bought two pairs of size 12 pants and shirts. That should motivate me! I'm glad your electric quit going out in the summer. Thats the worst!

Pearliq, I started the cat with a collar and leash outside but she kept climbing our tree and I was afraid she'd strangle herself with the leash. Now, I let her out with just a collar with a bell. I sit outside & watch her. She used to try to escape but now she's getting better. She's climbed the fence & also dug under it. She never tries to escape in the first 5 minutes, but once she's comfortable out there she'll notice something outside our yard. The dog helps me to keep track of her too. She's learned that she's not supposed to climb the fence because she modifies her behavior when she sees me. My neighbor's cat never tries to escape but she's been declawed and mine hasn't. I try to let her out for 10-15 minute a.m. and p.m. but its nervewracking!!!

 

[lovinaz]

Cheddar Cheese and Key Lime Pie? I hope it wasn't together...

That is great that you bought some smaller clothes. That will definintely help you get back on track with your eating! I am going to need some new jeans. I have always been a size bigger in jeans than I am in dress pants. I go have a couple pairs of Size 6 jeans, but they are a little too snug. I'd like to be able to fit into those instead of buying some Size 8's.

LET'S DO IT! Starting tomorrow, we are on the home stretch!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

Hi Jane!

Hope everything is all back to normal after the power outages!

Cold here (it was about 5 earlier this morning!)

DH drove DS to work, and when they weren't quite there, the car died! I'm hoping it isn't anything very terrible, but DH thinks it might be the transmission! Always something.

The worst was DS had to walk the rest of the way to work. It was close enough, probably would take 10 - 15 minutes, but its COLD out there, poor guy!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

[Jane E.]

M O T I V A T I O N
I definately need some! I started out so well last month. Between BFL and the Valentine's Day Challenge I was able to lose some weight. I know I've been stuck but I'm getting on with the program NOW!!!!!!!!

My weight today was 154.6. Sometimes the decimals aren't so helpful. I'm still able to retain my 25lbs lost, thank God. There's no way I'm gaining any more weight.

What a busy day we had yesterday. We got up early & went to McD's. I had a sausage burrito, a cinnamon roll and oj. Then we travelled 90 minutes to visit family where we had lunch. I had a cheeseburger, fries and water.

Originally yesterday we had invited friends over for dinner. However, she'd forgotten that she was visiting a friend out of town this weekend and wasn't sure of the exact dates. When she called me to tell me this, 2 weeks ago, her inlaws were visiting, and she was getting ready to take them shopping so we had a quick conversation. She thought she told me she'd call me if she couldn't make it. I thought she said she couldn't make it. That ended up being good because two days later we got a call that another friend was having a birthday that same Sunday night.

I was relaxing after returning from visiting family, and the doorbell rang. Our friends showed up for dinner. I felt so bad, but couldn't change our party plans. They stayed and visited for an hour with us before we had to get ready.

Then we arrived at the restaurant that the party is at. We don't see our group and no reservation is listed. As dh walks out to the car he made a phone call and found out we were at the wrong restaurant. Both restaurants have similiar names. (He took the invite call on that one - so this time its definately not my fault!) Anyway everyone was waiting for us at the other one which we quickly drove to. Talk about mix ups!

Now, lets talk motivation. I unexpectedly got to meet a woman that dh was friends with before we met. It was so strange because I'd heard about her but never met her. She doesn't live here but was visiting. They had hung out together for a summer in the seventies.

When I walked into the restaurant I had NO idea who she was. She was very friendly and gave me a big hug. It wasn't until someone said her name that I realized who she was. It was strange she knew me but I didn't know her.

I wanted to talk with her so I sat across from her at the table. Talk about initimidating! She's a size 6 or 8 and doesn't look like she's ever battled the bulge like I have. (I could only think - Thank God that I'm a 12 now but I would have been even more thankful to have been a slim 8!!!!!!) She's married with kids and a very hard worker. It was interesting meeting someone from dh's past.

When the waitress took the drink order she'd ordered a wine until she heard me order a champagne martini. She thought that sounded interesting so she changed her order, so I guess I'm a bad influence, but it sure makes for interesting conversation.

Dinner yesterday: 2 champagne cocktails, bread, butter & dipping sauce, french fries & coleslaw. I was too full to eat my main course & think I'm going to give it to my mom for her dinner tonight.

My workout today was 30minutes of jog walking. I finally made it to jogging 10 minutes nonstop. Baby steps!!!

Amy, great job on the smaller jeans! I'm the same way with dress pants. My size 14s are too big. When I went shopping the other day at the outlet store I looked for dress pants but didn't find any that I liked. I need a new pair.

Kate, I hope your dh made it to work safely. Have you found out if your car needs a new transmission? I hope not. Thats a big expense. Your weather sounds COLD. Take care of yourself & stay warm!

 

[lovinaz]

Oooh, what is a champagne martini? I've never heard of those, it sounds yummy!

That is great that you jogged for 10 minutes straight! You are making awesome progress!

You must have misread about my jeans. I have some 6's, but they are uncomfortably tight... I need to crack down so I can fit into them instead of buying more 8's...

How did you do yesterday? You made great use of your free day, didn't you? I bet you are back on track eating. Hang those Size 12's where you can see them and be constantly reminded (I should do that too!). Or really go out on a limb and buy some Size 10's!

 

[Jane E.]

Yikes!!! I weighed in at 155. I'm just reflecting what I've been eating. This is NOT a good day for me.

At night I keep snacking - yesterday I had two ham & lf cheese sandwiches at 10pm. I don't know whats wrong with me. I just know that I have to take responsibility and get a handle on my eating habits.

I don't even want to think about my eating yesterday.
#1 protein shake & watermelon
#2 lf cheese & ham on 9 grain bread, jello oreo pudding cup
#3 mocha bar
#4 LC eggroll dinner
#5 shrimp & Pasta in a spicy, sweet HOT sauce, mocha bar, mini packs of (1)oreos & (1) choc chip cookies
#6 TWO lf cheese & ham on 9 grain bread

ugh!!!!

The way I've been eating, I haven't even been doing BFL the past two weeks. His book and website addresses many issues. I haven't been eating every 2-3 hours like I'm supposed to. I haven't been eating many veggies.

Workout: Last night I had bad neck, shoulder & back pain, so I forfeited my weight workout and did 45 minutes of yoga. I feel much better.

Meals:
#1 protein shake & 1 banana

Yesterday the cat surprised me. I was going to take her out and opened the door for her. I had to finish some work up on my computer - it took about 2 minutes. When I finished & looked up both the cat & the dog were laying inside the house next to the open back door waiting on me. I THOUGHT that I had the best little furbaby in the world.

However, later in the day the cat escaped thru the open screen front door (it hadn't shut all the way) & ran like a bat out of h*ll. I had to chase her down. I managed to grab hold of her tail & just hold it as she dove into the bushes. As I got my balance I was able to hold her with my other hand. That was scary because she knows nothing about streets or cars. That and the fact that she loves dogs put the fear of God in me!

Amy, I have no idea what was in the drink. The waitress was just about to take my drink order when I turned to the specialty martini page. As soon as I saw champagne martini I ordered it & never did read what the heck was in it!

 

[lovinaz]

It's OK that you screwed up! I think you realize that you haven't made the best choices the last couple weeks and you know that you have to get re-focused. You are off to a good start today with the protein shake and banana breakfast.

While you are at the library, you might want to see if they have the BFL for Women book as well. It really goes into the mental issues that usually keep women from succeeding. It also talks about as long as you eat the right things 80% of the time, you WILL make progress. It also says every time food is put in front of you, you have a choice - you either eat it or you don't. It really is as simple as that, isn't it? Sometimes it is hard to get back to the basics, believe me, I know! HANG IN THERE!

Your weight gain is most likely a result of eating so much bread so late at night. It will come off within the next day or so, don't worry!

Our puppy still tries to bolt out the front door whenever it is opened. It is scary because he runs around like such a spaz and it is hard to catch him. I bet a cat is even worse since they are so much more agile than dogs. Good thing you were able to keep up!