Tuesday, September 21, 2010

A step in the right direction

Well, my back feels almost healed, so I am very glad about that. I am also glad I forced myself to go to the gym yesterday. I have gotten out of the gym-going routine since I started doing so many other physical activities, but it's always a good backup plan.

I managed to do 20 minutes of 1-minute intervals at a faster pace than usual, and 10 minutes of brisk uphill walking. I followed with 30 pushups, interspersed with about 60 cross-fit crunches, the plank, 30 lunges with weights, 30 squats and stretching. My body is feeling so much better today. I had been having all kinds of weird pains all week and now most of them are gone.

So I weighed in at 152.6 again!!! YAY! This put me in a great mood too. I need to keep up my careful eating and exercise this week to get to 150 by month end (I hope). I have not bought groceries still, but the ex and I alternate between buying small batches of stuff. So this week I have been eating Greek yogurt/raspberries/cereal and maple syrup for breakfast (with kiwi of course), sliced veggies and a fruit as a snack, and I have been buying healthy-ish wraps and any meal that has a lot of veggies in it as well as protein. Dinners have been a mishmash. Last night I made a piece of trout with some potatoes and asparagus, and cut the meal in half to keep the other part for today's lunch.

It is extremely difficult to eat out and get enough good protein and vegetables. It is all too easy to get bad carbs and fat and sugar though. I have cut out my recently acquired daily habit of a double long espresso with raw sugar to start the day, and have gone back to my old ways of green tea. I love the espressos, but I can't have them without sugar, and green tea I can, so it ends up a healthier option.

Trying to cut back on sugar (especially the prevalent cornstarch and high fructose syrup, for example) is a surefire way to lose weight. I already only use raw sugar at home, and maple syrup/honey are my sweeteners of choice most of the time, but I am trying to cut back a little on foods with those sugar products in them as well. I wont cut it out completely, but you end up getting used to giving your body the sugars in fruit and veggies instead. However, since I started my weight-loss journey, I have developed quite the sweet tooth, which makes this a little harder.

I figure it's because I cut out a lot of my favourite rich sweets (cheesecake, ice cream, etc) which are not soooo sweet and instead full of fat. Now, having cut out the most caloric desserts, I am left with some of the lighter, albeit sweeter ones. I started the whole espresso thing in part to serve as a dessert treat :)

Okay, I am rambling about too many things today I think. My mind is all scattered and I am hyper. All that matters is that I feel like I am back in action and eating well, and I am still on track to becoming healthier and fitter. Great!

I hope you all have the strength today to continue with your hard work. Stay committed and it will all pay off...

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