Project Rebuild: Day ??

17 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Renewal, Uncategorized

I’m gonna say this is Day 17 of Project Rebuild, since I think I mentally kicked off on July 1.  Let’s go with that, anyway.  🙂

Progress, people, progress is being made.  I’m sticking with my workouts and am rebuilding a walk/run base.  Still focusing on the #wycwyc method of doing what I can when I can and not beating myself up for slip-ups.  The calorie monitoring is where I’m slipping up – well mot the monitoring, actually, but the staying within – too many cookies, cakes and candies at the office!!

Today’s challenge is to stay away from the cookies, cakes and candies!!

But, on the upside, it’s nice to have an office these days, even if I have gained 10 lbs since starting there.  🙂  Working is good for my soul and my mental state, that’s for sure.   I can actually say I’m happy and it’s been a long time since that was possible.  Yes, it’s contract work, but it’s work and it’s coming up on one year since I started contract work at this place and that’s amazing and gratifying!

So for those of you keeping track who’ve been with me awhile – be not confused by the tracker on the right.  It actually is up 10, maybe 11, pounds from where it had been.  That’s the cookies and cakes for ya!  We’ll be stopping that now so keep your eyes on that tracker!!  😉

 

Time to Face the Music

26 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Renewal Tags: ,

The time has come, it seems, to face the reality and update my numbers on MyFitnessPal to reflect the current status of my weight loss (or in this case, gain) journey.  Evidently, it’s much easier to ignore the reality when it isn’t glaring out at you in big red script from the side of one’s blog page.  So, here we are and what had been 18 pounds lost is now a mere 12 pounds lost – Wait…  What??!  12 Pounds Lost?!  That’s great!!  That’s better than 12 pounds gained!!  Time for a head shake on that and appreciate where I’ve gotten to so far in the journey instead of bemoaning a temporary (yes, you heard me!  I said ‘temporary‘) five pound gain.  🙂

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (since it’s kinda the theme of this blog…), it’s time to renew my commitment to myself and my journey towards becoming the person I know I can be.  Or, if you prefer a much more graphic description we will turn to “The Sister” who says she doesn’t want ‘Swamp Ass‘ so has to lose enough weight that her butt cheeks don’t rub together!!  There’s a mental smell-o-vision I really didn’t need to have!!  And yet, somehow effective in it’s message….?!

So today brings a grocery store run to stock up on healthy food options, including lots of fruits and veggies and low GI carbs cause, yeah, that’s how I roll.  I find the low carb/low GI route works for me when I actually commit to it.  It’s the fact that ‘forever‘ is a very long time and that’s where the problem (and regain) comes in.  But it’s a place to start and see that next 10 pound barrier kicked to the curb.  And, btw, even with the 5 pound gain, I still haven’t gone back to that old 10 pound barrier so I’m still happy with the 2nd digit of the 3.  See?  All has not been lost (or gained??) Lol

Off to make myself a breakfast smoothie to get this show on the road!!

 

 

Life

18 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Fitness, Job Search

Well, the Progress has definitely taken a slide of late – a victim of too many summer BBQ’s and get-togethers with friends and family.  But what is life without too many summer BBQ’s and get-togethers with friends and family??  Never say ‘No’ to those because life can, sadly, be too short and you don’t want to miss it!!  Did I love being the fat chick sitting beside the pool while everyone else was swimming and enjoying cool water?  No, but at least I was there and enjoying being there to share the day.  And I wore a 1 size smaller skort than I wore a month ago so Yay!!  And it was 50% off so Double Yay!!

Body Reset Smoothie

But it is time to get back to my commitment to The Body Reset and get back to those delicious smoothies again for awhile – so good and so filling with the added bonus of being cool on a brutally hot summer day!  They are easy, portable and so yummy that I’ll have them anytime – running out to work for an evening, after a busy day, whatever.

Also got another tool in the battle of the bulge – another Gaiam product as the sale is ongoing at the store!  Got myself the Reformer to target those pesky core muscles that have gone flabby and do something about getting my taught tummy back someday!!  So I have the tools, now I need the commitment and will and I think I have those.  I think I do.

In the meantime, the job hunt continues at a snail’s pace.  Seeing some light there but not wanting to jinx anything, I’ll leave it at that for now.

murfkitten

 

 

And Again…

28 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Renewal

Well, there has been no joy in Mudville on the job-hunt front of late but all is not gloomy.

triking-out1

 I’ve lost some lbs and I do so enjoy when that happens!!  Yeah, I gained some back again, but I’ve lost it now and things are looking up and forward on the weight-loss path if not the job-hunt path.  And now the weightloss tracker at MyFitnessPal is working again, so that’s always encouraging to see the numbers increasing in this case!!

So despite all of my optimism and happy intentions from my last post, motivation has wanned and needs to be re-booted (as does my butt, frankly).  Time to give myself a deadline and target – I think I’ve heard of that before….  I think it’s called a goal??  Yeah, yeah, a Goal, that’s the ticket!!  So let’s do that!!  Hmm…  what’s a good goal??

I know I was VERY excited when I cracked the last 10 pound barrier that had been teasing me for several months, so how about setting my new goal as cracking the 10 pound number that I’m facing now?  Now, don’t get me wrong – that’s not a 10 pound loss, I just mean getting through to the next 10 number on the scale (going from 95 to 87, or 63 to 58, for example – breaking the 10 pound mark).  I think that’s a reasonable goal – I’ll set that for the goal for the next month – getting to and into the next 10 mark!  And the timeline?  Ok, more specific.  How about before the pool party (Yikes!!) in mid-July?  I think that’s gonna work.  Break the 10 by mid-July, Yes!!  (Yeah, I know you want it more specific, and in my head it is I’m just not writing the numbers and dates 🙂 )  At the very least, having written this down and posting it, I’m thinking it will make me somewhat accountable to myself.

So there it is.  A goal and a plan (remember the plan from the last post?  That plan!)  Here goes!

And again…

30 May 2013 2 Comments

by murfkitten in Diet, Fitness, Renewal Tags: , ,

And so, while it isn’t Monday, it’s time to get back on track and start again to focus on my health and fitness, and work to bring the future that I imagine closer to the future that I will have.

TomorrowThis came along at just the right time and is now the desktop on my computer so that it reminds me  every time I mindlessly play solitaire and waste my time away, that I need to be making my future happen – and it won’t by sitting on the computer playing solitaire!!

So I’m going back to my plan of eating five times a day, 3 smoothies and two low fat/high fibre snacks, to help kick my metabolism into action.  My previous weight loss has diminished over the past week or so, and the numbers have crept back up on the scale so I’m going to add some cardio and strength training, though I have to watch that the cardio is low impact, since I have shredded my plantar fascia and need to be able to walk at the job.  😦

At the same time that I’m rebuilding and renewing on the health front, I’m redesigning the way I tackle the job hunt and starting to reach out to LinkedIn contacts and ask for help.  You know, they thing “they” say is the “new and only way to find a job these days.  It’s pretty much a full time job looking for a job – a job that will be fulfilling, challenging and rewarding, not just a job.

So lots of renewal going on here.  I hope you keep renewing every day, as well.  Make sure what you are doing today is getting you closer to your tomorrow!

Enjoying the sun

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Week 1 Done

08 May 2013 3 Comments

by murfkitten in Diet, Renewal

Well, that wasn’t so bad!  Week 1 of The Body Reset is now in the can and I have to say, I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed it very much, actually.  The smoothies were flavourful and very filling.  I wasn’t hungry, though by Day 4 I admit that I was looking for some food but mainly because I just wanted more solid food than the snacks prescribed in the program.  And when I did that, I didn’t lose weight.  No surprise there!

Overall, I lost about 6 pounds over the span of the 5 days of smoothies (with that slip on Day 4).  I’m going to continue with the program for the coming week and see where I wind up.  Nothing to lose but weight, after all.  🙂

On the big picture, I’m down about 16 pounds from where I started at an all-time high weight.  I have cracked a 10 pound barrier that had been dogging me for some time, and I’m now, thanks to The Body Reset and some renewed motivation,  energy and spirit, am heading on down through the next 10 pound goal.  Feeling good and ready to renew!  Let’s go!!

Here we go!!

30 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet Tags: , ,

So I’m seeing some success on the weight loss journey this time around.  I’ve finally (FINALLY!!!!) broken through a 10 pound barrier that had been dogging me for months.  Tracking and logging my intake and exercise seems to be working for me this time around.  And using the MyFitnessPal site is easy and right up my techie alley.  🙂

Never one to settle for what’s working well already, I’ve decided to take on a new food program that looks promising.  Well, it’s making promises anyway…

 

BodyReset

Today sees Day 1 of Harley Pasternak’s The Body Reset Diet.

The program promises to kick-start your weight loss with 5 days of health-packed smoothies and snacks that will see the pounds falling off to keep you motivated to continue with the plan after the first 5 days.

I’ve had the white and red smoothies so far today and, I must say, Yummy!  And I’m sure not hungry though The Hubby looks a little sad – hey, it was his choice!!  Looking forward to the green smoothie for supper (spinach in a blender!!).

So I’m feeling positive.  Feeling upbeat and feeling that there’s hope for me yet.  I’ll keep you posted on the smoothies and our progress.  😀

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And the beat goes on…

07 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Renewal

Wow!! I actually lost weight from yesterday! Can’t quite believe it, but it does give me some motivation to stick with cutting down on crap. And by ‘crap’, I mean I won’t be going out and downing a pizza and brew this afternoon with TheHubby before going to a moving and eating a bucket of popcorn.  Water, anyone??  Hmmmm…

Just came across this article (and website) with some good information for newbies or restarters like myself.

http://www.fitsugar.com/Weekly-Exercise-Schedule-Weight-Loss-23529009

Renew anew.

Day 3

07 Jan 2013 3 Comments

by murfkitten in Diet, Fitness

The stars have aligned as I start this new journey.  I have only one shift at work over the coming two weeks, so it’s just a perfect time to kick off the exercise and food control parts of the journey.  Sure, I’d like to have more work but I’m also celebrating having the time to start my plan.  And what is that plan, you ask?  Well, here’s the outline of it at this initial stage:

ImageI am starting Dr. Alejandro Junger’s 21-day Cleanse, Detox and Diet program today.  If you haven’t checked into this program, it’s definitely worth a look.  It isn’t anything like the Lemon Juice/Cayenne/Maple Syrup plan, as the Clean program includes food – Clean food.  Lots of organics, lots of steaming, fish and chicken and grains.  It’s gluten free too, so introduced me to brown rice pastas which have turned out to be a nice surprise.  And there are smoothies too, which are really good!  And make eating on the run really easy.  I read several reviews of this plan before doing it the first time (when I lost 10 lbs, by the way) and they were all positive and described the cleanse as very doable.  I can attest that it was for me and I definitely looked and felt a lot better – clearer headed, clearer skin (and I have clear skin, so it was kinda amazing) and just so damn proud of myself for sticking to it!

Run/walk on treadmill – Many years ago now I bought myself a good quality treadmill and I am pleased to say that I did not let it become a clothing rack.  I’ve used it (albeit sporadically) since I’ve owned it and have to say that it was, without a doubt, the best investment in myself and my fitness that I have ever made.  Whenever I’ve been feeling shlubby, I just hop on the treadmill and do 30 mins of some movement (even if it’s -30 outside) and I feel better just for having done it.  Love my treadmill!  So I’m using it to help get back at it again.  My version of Old Faithful because he’s always there for me and he will be again.  I’m starting out with a 30-35 minute walk/jog at 3.2.  I know it’s slow and nothing like what Jillian Michaels would approve of, but it’s a start for me and I need to be sure that I can still walk afterwards to work (Plantar fasciitis, remember?).

Slimin6Debbie Siebers Slim in 6 program from Beachbody.  Now don’t let the title of this program freak you out into thinking I have an unrealistic goal here.  I get that I won’t be Slim in 6 of anything (except maybe slimmer in six months!) quickly and without work.  But I enjoy Debbie Siebers and her workouts.  This program uses bands to help build lean muscle mass and strength training, some cardio and some floor work.  Covers all areas in 3 stages – there is a Start It Up for the first two weeks, then you move to Ramp It Up for another two weeks and finally to the Burn It Up program to really kick it.  Of course you can do it at your own pace and do one of the programs for more or less than the recommended two weeks, and I like that flexibility.  She also provides options for newcomers and pros.  All in all, I like the program and it will add nicely with my treadmill workout to give me an overall fitness plan to start.

So that’s the plan, in a nutshell.  Also logging and tracking my foods in the journal from the last post.  And, oh yeah, down another little bit (but only a little bit).  But it’s down!!

Have a good one!  Be gentle with yourself, but not too gentle!  🙂

Renew Anew

02 Jan 2013 1 Comment

by murfkitten in Diet, Fitness, Renewal

Well, the New Year has come and it is time to make those same old resolutions as with each year past.  Or not.  Perhaps it is time to make a plan instead of a resolution, as resolutions fail more often than not.

Trust me, I have failed many times but I continue to get up and try to move forward.  Be that in weight loss, fitness, self-awareness or in my career.  In each area, I have struggled, succeeded, overcome and failed.  Again and again.  But I keep on getting up, brushing myself off, and rising again.  It is one of my more positive character strengths, and I don’t know where it has come from but I’m very glad it is there.

So I have a plan.  A plan that is about forward movement and movement in general.

The plan includes a meal program that is a reasonable, Weight Watcher‘esque plan that will see a gradual weight loss progression towards my equally reasonable goal of losing 20 pounds in 4 months (by April 30, 2013).  More weight loss, earlier would, of course, be better for me but I’m not going to me mean to myself and require more than my body and life can give.

I desperately want to get back to running, but I’m scared to do so given how badly my feet hurt (and my plantar fascia is strained) on the floor at my workplace.

Anatomical diagrams illustrating the component...

Anatomical diagrams illustrating the components of the plantar fascia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I can’t jeopardize my work to run, despite that I think they would both be better off!

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to be gentle with myself.  It’s a struggle for me to do that, as I am a typical Type A personality, but if I’m not gentle with myself who will be??  I have realized that I make mistakes, I fail, and I am human.  All of these are ok.  It is NORMAL to gain weight, lose weight and gain again or to succeed and fail.  You can’t know success until you fail, after all, so it’s all about what you learn as you go.  Having had a great deal of success and a great deal of failure, I’ve learned that it’s the getting back up that is the ultimate payoff.

I’m not registering for Weight Watchers this time out, though I think it’s a good program for many people.  Mostly I’m not because I can’t commit to the meetings or the costs at this point.  I’d much rather put my available funds into a good pair of running shoes that will see me through another 500 km.

I will do my first official weigh-in tomorrow (Jan 3) and that will be my starting point for the next few months.  It would be too brutal to do an official weigh-in today, the first day after the holidays, so I’m opting to be gentle with myself but realistic.  Tomorrow is good.  I’ll start there with a goal to be under 200 lbs by the end of April 2013.  I’m hopeful, but am more than that.  I’m pro-active. 🙂

So at this time of the year, I think it is important to be kind to ourselves.  To recognize that we may have tried before and not succeeded as much as we may have wanted, but that we can re-commit and continue in our journey to Renew Anew.

Renew Anew with me, folks.  We’ll get there!!

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