The hectic-ness of last week carries on into this week. I feel like lately I haven't been able to catch my breath. I am happy that I'm making my workouts a priority, but to be honest, it does get difficult when trying to squeeze everything else into my day as well. I feel like I've been living moment to moment (appointment to appointment) instead of really living. I'm wondering if that time will ever come!
Week 5 Update:
Week 5 was really busy for me. I had the 3-day conference at the beginning of the week, followed by the arrival of my in-laws. Since they've been here, we've been out every night. I ended up eating out every single day, sometimes twice a day, which is a HUGE change to my normal routine because at most I eat out twice a week. Even though I did manage to go to the gym 6/7 days, my workouts were shorter and not as intense. On top of everything, all the evenings out = late nights = not enough sleep = not as much energy as I would have liked for my workouts.
So overall, I survived the week, but it was a struggle.
1. Weight loss goal: To lose 10 lbs by May 8 (loss since the challenge began 4.84 lbs)
I'm disappointed to report an almost 2 lb gain this week. It is clearly a reflection of all the eating out I've been doing this week. Even though I tried to make good choices, I know I consumed more calories than I normally do. I'm trying not to let it frustrate me too much - two things that I'm keeping in mind are that TOM is around the corner and that this week's weigh in showed a 2.8% loss of fat, so despite the weight gain, the fat has been replaced by muscle. I know that's good, but as I've said before - I just want the number on the scale to match the measurements/progress. I would have normally measured myself today, but I'm going to wait and do that next week. Oh well. Nothing to do but keep moving forward.
2. Non-scale goal: Make it through the week!
I did indeed make it through the week. I did manage to get an errand or two done as well, but most of my days were taken up by the either the conference or my in-laws. Now I desperately need to finish preparing for my viva.
3. Exercise goal: I am happy to say that I did meet all my goals in terms of exercise this week.
- Weight training: Finish NROL4W Stage 6 - DONE!
- Cardio: 5 hours (including 1 10 km session) - DONE!
- Abs etc. exercises: 2,000 reps - Ummmm, no. Only managed 1,000 reps this week
- Crossfit: Complete first session - Yes, DONE! :)
4. Nutrition goal: Be vigilant of what I eat/drink
I tried ... but I need to try harder. I ate a LOT of carbs this week. I was terrific on the water (still hitting 4 L a day). I did manage to eat some fresh fruit 5/7 days ... I'm still trying to go for 7/7!
Goals for Week 6:
Although I hit all my exercise goals for the week, it's obvious that unless it's accompanied by careful monitoring of what I eat, doesn't matter. This week is filled with dinners/lunches with my in-laws, so I know the food aspect of my week will be a struggle. Hopefully I can get some more time in at the gym ... we'll see.
1. Weight loss - Try to lose the 10 lbs by May 8th
2. Non-scale goal - Finish reading through the remainder of my thesis (4.5 chapters left -- I gotta do it, my viva is in 12 days!) Try to get more sleep.
3. Exercise - Start NROL4W Stage 7; Get in at least 6 hours of cardio (including 1 10 km stretch); Do 1,500 reps of abs/thighs/butt exercises (of some variation) over the week.
4. Nutrition goal - Streamline my foods to be more wholesome/raw/fresh; increase protein intake; cut down dairy intake.
That's it for this week -- on top of all that there are papers to grade and lessons to plan ...
We've been asked to share a motivational photo/quote this week. I used to have a Motivational Monday post, but I got side-tracked with all my other posts. Maybe I should restart that ... in the meantime, you can check some of the previous posts. This is my motivation for this week :)
Week 5 Update:
Week 5 was really busy for me. I had the 3-day conference at the beginning of the week, followed by the arrival of my in-laws. Since they've been here, we've been out every night. I ended up eating out every single day, sometimes twice a day, which is a HUGE change to my normal routine because at most I eat out twice a week. Even though I did manage to go to the gym 6/7 days, my workouts were shorter and not as intense. On top of everything, all the evenings out = late nights = not enough sleep = not as much energy as I would have liked for my workouts.
So overall, I survived the week, but it was a struggle.
1. Weight loss goal: To lose 10 lbs by May 8 (loss since the challenge began 4.84 lbs)
I'm disappointed to report an almost 2 lb gain this week. It is clearly a reflection of all the eating out I've been doing this week. Even though I tried to make good choices, I know I consumed more calories than I normally do. I'm trying not to let it frustrate me too much - two things that I'm keeping in mind are that TOM is around the corner and that this week's weigh in showed a 2.8% loss of fat, so despite the weight gain, the fat has been replaced by muscle. I know that's good, but as I've said before - I just want the number on the scale to match the measurements/progress. I would have normally measured myself today, but I'm going to wait and do that next week. Oh well. Nothing to do but keep moving forward.
2. Non-scale goal: Make it through the week!
I did indeed make it through the week. I did manage to get an errand or two done as well, but most of my days were taken up by the either the conference or my in-laws. Now I desperately need to finish preparing for my viva.
3. Exercise goal: I am happy to say that I did meet all my goals in terms of exercise this week.
- Weight training: Finish NROL4W Stage 6 - DONE!
- Cardio: 5 hours (including 1 10 km session) - DONE!
- Abs etc. exercises: 2,000 reps - Ummmm, no. Only managed 1,000 reps this week
- Crossfit: Complete first session - Yes, DONE! :)
4. Nutrition goal: Be vigilant of what I eat/drink
I tried ... but I need to try harder. I ate a LOT of carbs this week. I was terrific on the water (still hitting 4 L a day). I did manage to eat some fresh fruit 5/7 days ... I'm still trying to go for 7/7!
Goals for Week 6:
Although I hit all my exercise goals for the week, it's obvious that unless it's accompanied by careful monitoring of what I eat, doesn't matter. This week is filled with dinners/lunches with my in-laws, so I know the food aspect of my week will be a struggle. Hopefully I can get some more time in at the gym ... we'll see.
1. Weight loss - Try to lose the 10 lbs by May 8th
2. Non-scale goal - Finish reading through the remainder of my thesis (4.5 chapters left -- I gotta do it, my viva is in 12 days!) Try to get more sleep.
3. Exercise - Start NROL4W Stage 7; Get in at least 6 hours of cardio (including 1 10 km stretch); Do 1,500 reps of abs/thighs/butt exercises (of some variation) over the week.
4. Nutrition goal - Streamline my foods to be more wholesome/raw/fresh; increase protein intake; cut down dairy intake.
That's it for this week -- on top of all that there are papers to grade and lessons to plan ...
We've been asked to share a motivational photo/quote this week. I used to have a Motivational Monday post, but I got side-tracked with all my other posts. Maybe I should restart that ... in the meantime, you can check some of the previous posts. This is my motivation for this week :)
Eating out is a great guessing game. I check online for places that give nutrition information but I know that is just a starting point. All chefs will cook differently and some will add more oil/butter or less.
ReplyDeleteStill, eating out is a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy this week while being careful.
Good luck with week 6! :)
Thanks Caron! I'm just glad that eating out isn't a regular part of my life!
DeleteIt's not too late to turn those 2lbs around. Better luck this week, I hope everything settles down for you :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! Thanks :)
DeleteEating out also adds a lot of sodium, which could be contributing to your 2 pound gain. Give yourself a few days and I'm sure some of that 2 pounds will melt off once your body stops retaining water.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with week 6!
I know! There are all these ingredients that you don't see - extra salt, a bit of butter, a dash of cream ... well, you don't see it on the food, but you see it on your waistline! I'm hoping that getting back to my normal routine will balance it all out ...
DeleteEating out is hard, especially everyday. Now that the inference nd visits are over I bet you will be back on he right trck and down, too, this week. Have a great week 6!
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws are still here so the eating out will be a challenge, but I'm hoping to regain a bit of control this week. Thanks Michele :)
DeleteLove your motivation picture!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the eating out aspect. It's so hard to maintain weight loss when eating out all of the time. I've been trying to adapt the whole "don't make eating social" .... but that is so hard because everything we do these days is around food!
Isn't it great? When I saw it I immediately thought - how true!
DeleteEating out is definitely a huge part of being social -- I guess it's just about figuring out how/what to choose in terms of restaurants and food to eat. Even then, the portions are so usually so big. You can always so no or stop eating when full, but it's never that easy!
Your progress with the NROLFW is such an inspiration, well done :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm thoroughly enjoying it!!
DeleteEating out is really hard when trying to lose weight. You can sincerely think you are making the best choice, and maybe it's not. It's so hard to tell what's in the dishes!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your motivational picture. It's the truth!
Tell me about it! Even a plate of grilled veggies will have oil or butter on it. I know you can ask the chef to modify the dish ... but it's not always easy.
DeleteHaving a Change in your eating can be very difficult, just make the best choices you can and move on. Good job getting all the exercise in though.
ReplyDeleteI truly felt off sync this week. Exercise helped. I shudder to think how much I would have gained had I not gone to the gym!
DeleteWho cares what the scale said when your BF% went down?!?! If I had the ability to check that each week, I'd never look twice at the stupid scale. OK, I might - but it would be a 2nd thought, after the BF% measurement! That's WONDERFUL progress!! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteReally, great job across the board. And as for the restaurant eating, it was an unusual situation this week, but you can learn from it. You know where your mind was when meals approached, and you may now have some ideas on how to plan ahead to avoid restaurant food as being the only, best or even most convenient option when you have visitors to eat with. Or perhaps your best bet is to look into different restaurant options, where they're heavy on the salad bar options and have a healthy section in the menu.
Love the picture/quote! So true!!! :)
Seeing the body fat percentage go down - and that much in just one week - was such a relief. I know this week was an unusual one for me. It just takes some getting used to in terms of how to work off-plan weeks into your usual plan - does that make sense? :)
DeleteGlad you liked the quote! :)
Hey!! You did the CrossFit class!! How did you like it? I'm on my second month now, and still loving it. Except for the running bit. I have arthritis in my left hip and running is sheer agony. I have to walk really fast instead, and then scramble to catch up the rest of the class. I'm going to convince my coach to let me pull a three mile bike ride while everyone else runs the next time. I could seriously do it: down to the river and back, same amount of cardio effort with less physical pain.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a viva? I'm guessing it's a colloquial term, same as an oral review for a doctorate degree?