A friend (who I would say is fairly knowledgeable about these things) passed on this little piece of advice to me during a recent conversation, which I have really taken in:
"I wouldn't worry about what other people say. this is your life and body and you are learning what it needs to be healthy, active and live a lifestyle you want. other people aren't you. But for your metabolism, I don't think you should ever eat below your BMR ever. the figure I heard was BMR + 20%. so i would just focus on portion size and snacking properly instead of only eating 2x per day and snacking on 2 pretzels."
You see I was getting all worked up over calories and food etc. I have been plateauing for a while and then I lost my way a bit. I stopped tracking and got all confused especially with Livestrong saying I should only be eating 1000 calories a day and others saying I should at least be eating my BMR.
As you know, I now know that my Basal Metabolic rate is about 1500. So I should be eating somewhere near that.
I agree with my friend and I have decided to eat more now. Also going to eat a bit more every 5th/6th day to try and throw my body out of whack a bit! See if I can't shake this plateau :D
To help me track now I'm using Myfitnesspal. It's been great so far. I love that I can scan the barcode of my food items :D Just so helpful! My username is emmy2468, so befriend me if you wish!
I'm feeling more confident about my food now and don't feel so restricted as before! I'm hoping it will all help me with my challenge!
Emily xx
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Less Exercise, Less Food?
Due to my injury, this week has been quite quiet on the exercise front. I exercised on Monday and Tuesday but had to stop because the calf muscle in my left leg developed a knot and was really tight. I realised that I wasn't stretching properly after running but I've learnt from it and won't make the same mistake again.
After three days rest, I decided I could probably exercise again (I had been stretching and massaging leg whilst time off). My house mate and I took a walk in the lovely January cold air :D We walked roughly 7 Miles. It was absolutely brilliant. It was fantastic to spend some time with her, exercise my leg out and just get out of the house and away from the television. I will be trying to take more walks and will try going with various people. It's great way to spend some quality time together.
Today's exercise consisted of Horse Riding. I go with my work colleague and it was a lot of fun. I wasn't very happy when the horse was slipping, silly ice but cantering across the fields is just amazing!
So at the end of the weekend, my leg is feeling ok. So I'm going to try and start easing back into exercise next week but I'll see how it goes, as my ankle is doing something funny too! :o eek!
Referring to my Blog title, I had a small revelation (very small) and realised that as soon as I stopped exercising my hunger levels went right down and I found it extremely easy to eat less food. I feel like I'm starting to be able to listen to my body and understand what it's trying to say.
On a side note, I've signed up for a 3 day free trial to a gym in town. I really fancy seeing another gym and trying out their sauna :D I only feel a little guilty!
Tonight my house mates and I cooked a Frittata with fresh veg and goat's cheese. It was absolutely amazing and so delicious. We scored it 8 out of 10. It was one of the recipes out of my cookbook that I got for Christmas. We've decided to cook one every Sunday night (as best we can). It should be a lot of fun and will definitely help me get out of my food rut.
 |
| Frittata with Fresh Veg and Goat's Cheese |
I will be weighing in tomorrow night and hoping I've maintained because of my injury. I'm a little worried but we'll see how it does. I've been feeling much happier this week and as long as I'm happy that's the main thing.
My birthday is on Friday, so next weekend I will do my best but I will probably gain. Hoping to have a really good four days of exercise and eating well before and I'm using my 3 day trial in the week after. So I shouldn't get much at all and as I've learnt I will eat smaller portions.
Everything in Moderation.
I wish all my fellow Spring Chicks good luck with their weigh ins :D
Emily xx
Sunday, 8 January 2012
A Good Ending to a Bad Week
So I'm going to have to face it. It was not the ideal start to the year.
I think the main problem is that I feel as if I'm in a rut. I basically do the same thing every week and eat the same foods. It's an ongoing circle that never seems to end but I don't know how to change it. People keep saying change it up but its not as simple as that. I can't just change my life that easily, I also most likely can't afford it. I don't mean to sound so pessimistic but I'm finding it really tough to change.
I have decided to go swimming on a Sunday night now, so that I can get better use of the Gym at work on a Monday. (My gym is only available Mon-Fri). I'm hoping it will help me exercise at the weekend more. I particularly love swimming, except all the other pesky people in the pool :p
I got a cookbook for Christmas, River Cottage Veg Every Day. So I'm going to try and cook something from that every week. Again my biggest problem with that at the moment is the lack of funds to buy the ingredients. So hopefully will start that officially at the beginning of Feb.
My week in terms of exercise was very good actually. I exercised 5 out of the 7 days with plenty of walking on one of the other days. However on the negative side I didn't really have a very good week with food. To start with I couldn't figure out why I was eating so much, but at the end of the week I came on. So I now realise that probably had a lot to do with my food issues and why I have been feeling so down. I still think I'm a rut but now I'm not so upset about it. It's funny every month I forget I feel like this when I'm due on but still I get all emotional and the diet goes funny. Must remember.
I found out something awesome the other day. I'm a vegetarian you see and I discovered 1/4 of a packet of 300g of Quorn is only 27 calories (think my calculations are right). How awesome is that :D Made me feel very happy! I love that stuff!
I meant to ask you all: How much exercise do you think is too much? As I was considering going to the gym at lunchtime and then going Swimming after work. I don't want to overdo it but I think I may be erring too much onto the side of caution with my exercise schedules. You see I only get so long at Lunch to spend in the Gym, so my typical Gym session at the moment is as follows:
10 mins warm up x-trainers
Leg Press 3x 15 set
lap pull down 3 x 15 set
fit ball roll under my (lying on back, can't remember name) 3 x 8
Press up 3 x 8
Dumb bell swing 6kb 3 x 12
Lunges 3 x 12
Run 1-1.5km
I've booked into see my trainer on the 25th, so hopefully I can start changing it up a bit more soon but I want to know after doing that is it ok to do more exercise in the evening? Am I not doing enough exercise?
It's weigh day tomorrow and I'm absolutely petrified of it. I ate cake this week, friends birthday but cake non the less. I know I shouldn't feel so guilty but I do.
Well weigh in and measurements tomorrow my friends.......
Emily xx
p.s Goal for the week is to try and run 2km..... wish me luck :D
I think the main problem is that I feel as if I'm in a rut. I basically do the same thing every week and eat the same foods. It's an ongoing circle that never seems to end but I don't know how to change it. People keep saying change it up but its not as simple as that. I can't just change my life that easily, I also most likely can't afford it. I don't mean to sound so pessimistic but I'm finding it really tough to change.
I have decided to go swimming on a Sunday night now, so that I can get better use of the Gym at work on a Monday. (My gym is only available Mon-Fri). I'm hoping it will help me exercise at the weekend more. I particularly love swimming, except all the other pesky people in the pool :p
I got a cookbook for Christmas, River Cottage Veg Every Day. So I'm going to try and cook something from that every week. Again my biggest problem with that at the moment is the lack of funds to buy the ingredients. So hopefully will start that officially at the beginning of Feb.
My week in terms of exercise was very good actually. I exercised 5 out of the 7 days with plenty of walking on one of the other days. However on the negative side I didn't really have a very good week with food. To start with I couldn't figure out why I was eating so much, but at the end of the week I came on. So I now realise that probably had a lot to do with my food issues and why I have been feeling so down. I still think I'm a rut but now I'm not so upset about it. It's funny every month I forget I feel like this when I'm due on but still I get all emotional and the diet goes funny. Must remember.
I found out something awesome the other day. I'm a vegetarian you see and I discovered 1/4 of a packet of 300g of Quorn is only 27 calories (think my calculations are right). How awesome is that :D Made me feel very happy! I love that stuff!
I meant to ask you all: How much exercise do you think is too much? As I was considering going to the gym at lunchtime and then going Swimming after work. I don't want to overdo it but I think I may be erring too much onto the side of caution with my exercise schedules. You see I only get so long at Lunch to spend in the Gym, so my typical Gym session at the moment is as follows:
10 mins warm up x-trainers
Leg Press 3x 15 set
lap pull down 3 x 15 set
fit ball roll under my (lying on back, can't remember name) 3 x 8
Press up 3 x 8
Dumb bell swing 6kb 3 x 12
Lunges 3 x 12
Run 1-1.5km
I've booked into see my trainer on the 25th, so hopefully I can start changing it up a bit more soon but I want to know after doing that is it ok to do more exercise in the evening? Am I not doing enough exercise?
It's weigh day tomorrow and I'm absolutely petrified of it. I ate cake this week, friends birthday but cake non the less. I know I shouldn't feel so guilty but I do.
Well weigh in and measurements tomorrow my friends.......
Emily xx
p.s Goal for the week is to try and run 2km..... wish me luck :D
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Illness
So I'm ill, the thing people losing weight dread the most and I'm afraid to admit I'm not doing so well. I haven't massively overeaten or anything but I've been unable to exercise, which makes me sad and paranoid that I will put on lots of weight.
I'm hoping to be better by tomorrow but you never know with these things. I don't want to be ill on Christmas day. I don't want to miss seeing my Grandparents.
Not been keeping on top on my calories as much, but as I don't have a lot of bad foods in the house, it's hard for me to snack too badly. I think preparation can help avoid temptation. Having no bad food in the house means I have to consciously go out and get bad food, which in turns deters me from getting it.
I think that is why people put on weight at Christmas because there is so much food around and available to eat.
Just got to try and not eat it.
Emily x
I'm hoping to be better by tomorrow but you never know with these things. I don't want to be ill on Christmas day. I don't want to miss seeing my Grandparents.
Not been keeping on top on my calories as much, but as I don't have a lot of bad foods in the house, it's hard for me to snack too badly. I think preparation can help avoid temptation. Having no bad food in the house means I have to consciously go out and get bad food, which in turns deters me from getting it.
I think that is why people put on weight at Christmas because there is so much food around and available to eat.
Just got to try and not eat it.
Emily x
Monday, 19 December 2011
Weekends
I'm not sure how it's happened but I seem to be getting incredibly incapable of exercising at the weekend.
I think I excuse myself by saying stuff like, 'Oh, I walked into town and back. I walked there..etc' but in reality, I'm simply not doing my usual exercise at the weekend. Before I was making sure I exercised at the weekend, either a run on Saturday or just popping on my Exercise bike on Sunday but every weekend it seems that it's over before I've even considered exercising :(
So bad weekend for Emily.
I had my *final* physio session on Friday (trying to sort out my tight calf muscle in my left leg) and my leg was really painful after the session. He had stuck needles in my leg and given them a right good old bashing. So I was bruising. I almost didn't exercise but thankfully I actually went to the Gym. AFTER work on a FRIDAY, I know go me :D
The Gym was really quiet, which was nice. Still only running 1km max at the moment. So I'm hoping to attempt a 1.25km or even a 1.5km this week... wish me luck.
In total I have been invited to/organised 3 Christmas dinners. The first one was at the weekend and man it is hard not to overeat. I managed to snack only a wee bit and I didn't have any meat (as I'm a vegetarian and they killed my fake meat). My plate consisted of Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots and Brussels sprouts with some Stuffing. So I think I ate far less calories than everyone else but I still feel like I ate bad food. I skipped Christmas pudding but I couldn't turn down the cheese board. I definitely had less than I would've had last year, so that's a postivie point. The alcohol consumption probably didn't help either though but in preparation I had only eaten a salad.
I'm very scared to weigh myself at the moment as I feel as if I haven't lost any weight in a while. I think, as I've said before, the main goal around Christmas is to not put on weight or as little as possible. I'm hoping to at least stuck to that. Unfortunately the next two Christmas dinners are both on the same day :o So I'm going to have a fat day :(
My plan is to come into work early that day to go to the Gym and get a good workout done before I even begin eating. Then I will just make sure that I exercise every day this week, even Christmas day!
Are other people exercising on Christmas day?
Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid eating mince pies etc? Feeling very tempted and failing more often than usual, which is depressing me.
Why in the back of mind do I keep saying, 'I can get back on the horse in January'... I don't want to even fall off :(
Emily x
I think I excuse myself by saying stuff like, 'Oh, I walked into town and back. I walked there..etc' but in reality, I'm simply not doing my usual exercise at the weekend. Before I was making sure I exercised at the weekend, either a run on Saturday or just popping on my Exercise bike on Sunday but every weekend it seems that it's over before I've even considered exercising :(
So bad weekend for Emily.
I had my *final* physio session on Friday (trying to sort out my tight calf muscle in my left leg) and my leg was really painful after the session. He had stuck needles in my leg and given them a right good old bashing. So I was bruising. I almost didn't exercise but thankfully I actually went to the Gym. AFTER work on a FRIDAY, I know go me :D
The Gym was really quiet, which was nice. Still only running 1km max at the moment. So I'm hoping to attempt a 1.25km or even a 1.5km this week... wish me luck.
In total I have been invited to/organised 3 Christmas dinners. The first one was at the weekend and man it is hard not to overeat. I managed to snack only a wee bit and I didn't have any meat (as I'm a vegetarian and they killed my fake meat). My plate consisted of Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots and Brussels sprouts with some Stuffing. So I think I ate far less calories than everyone else but I still feel like I ate bad food. I skipped Christmas pudding but I couldn't turn down the cheese board. I definitely had less than I would've had last year, so that's a postivie point. The alcohol consumption probably didn't help either though but in preparation I had only eaten a salad.
I'm very scared to weigh myself at the moment as I feel as if I haven't lost any weight in a while. I think, as I've said before, the main goal around Christmas is to not put on weight or as little as possible. I'm hoping to at least stuck to that. Unfortunately the next two Christmas dinners are both on the same day :o So I'm going to have a fat day :(
My plan is to come into work early that day to go to the Gym and get a good workout done before I even begin eating. Then I will just make sure that I exercise every day this week, even Christmas day!
Are other people exercising on Christmas day?
Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid eating mince pies etc? Feeling very tempted and failing more often than usual, which is depressing me.
Why in the back of mind do I keep saying, 'I can get back on the horse in January'... I don't want to even fall off :(
Emily x
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Christmas Dinners
Christmas time is such a fatty time of the year. You can't see anyone or do anything without the mention of food. I'm getting worried that I will put on weight or get obsessed with exercising!!
My housemate and I made homemade mince pies yesterday and they tasted great :D Did about 6m on the bike beforehand though so I wouldn't feel as guilty. It didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped :( Guilt just seeps in through your pores I think!!!
Well will keep trying to eat the healthy option!
Em x
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