Exercise - 60 mins treadmill, 30 mins weights

Water - 20 cups

Food - 2046 calories (21% fat, 58% carbs, 18% protein)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, plum jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked ham, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, apple, fruit salad (623)

Dinner - homemade hamburger, bun, condiments, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, salad, salad dressing (762)

Snacks - protein shake, apple, fruit salad, pita chips (417)

Well, the month is over.  Tomorrow will bring a new one, with new goals.  I met the goals for this month, although I don’t think I spelled them out specifically.  I ate on plan all month, drank lots of water, and met the exercise goals I set.  I’ll get a weight tomorrow morning and post the stats for the month.  It will probably be later in the day as I have to go to Costco in the morning… and get some exercise in before lunch.  I’ll also think of some goals for the month of March and spell them out.

leanmoomercows - I paid for my 120 mins yesterday with a sore hip in the evening.  Luckily a little time with the heating pad and I was fine this morning.  I have to remember not to overdo it sometimes.  I was better this morning, although I only did 60 mins on the treadmill just to make sure I was okay for tomorrow.

Exercise - 120 mins treadmill

Water - 20 cups

Food - 2079 calories (24% fat, 45% carbs, 27% protein)

Breakfast - protein shake, 12-grain toast, plum jam, 3 clementines (335)

Lunch - onion soup with whole wheat baguette and cheese, smoked ham, apple, fruit salad (680)

Dinner - baked chicken with tomato/wine sauce and cheese, snow peas, butter, salad, salad dressing (557)

Snacks - protein shake (x2), apple, fruit salad, biscotti, pita chips (507)

Well, I upped the protein as someone on the forums suggested, although I couldn’t bring myself to add any more calories.   I also pushed myself into doing 120 mins on the treadmill, hoping that it would up my energy level.  We’ll see how I am tomorrow.  The one really good thing today is that I know I will now be going back to school.  I spent some time on the phone with my first choice college (sorting out transcript information) and it ended with the woman saying she was sure I would get an offer in the next few weeks.  That is good, but I also found out that my second choice college has an offer up (good until May 1st).  So all I have to do now is wait and see if the 1st choice comes through.  That’s a nice place to be in.  If I haven’t mentioned it before, it will be a three-year mechanical engineering technology program.  When I’m done that I can take night classes at the university level to turn it into a degree.  I’m not worried about the second part of that yet.  The college course is a co-op program as well, so I will get more recent experience as I go.  I’m very happy about this, even though it means continuing to be semi-broke for a while.

Well, that’s it for tonight.  I’m going to try another early night so I can hopefully get a good night’s sleep.

Exercise - 60 mins treadmill, 30 mins push-ups, sit-ups, weights

Water - 20 cups

Food - 2041 calories (24% fat, 51% carbs, 22% protein)

Breakfast - protein shake, 3 clementines (159)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked ham, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, apple, fruit salad (606)

Dinner - baked spaghetti with meat sauce and cheese, cauliflower, butter, salad, salad dressing (767)

Snacks - protein shake, apple, fruit salad, biscotti, cheese spread with rice crisps (509)

Well, I’m still dragging myself around.  I don’t actually feel ill, just tired.  I don’t even think it’s lack of sleep that’s affecting me, as I think I’ve been sleeping okay.  So I pushed myself this morning and did 30 mins of a combination of push-ups, sit-ups and some work with the weights.  I just didn’t think I was energetic enough to do the sculpting DVD.  I also kept putting off the treadmill, but did manage to do an entire hour without stopping.  I was just afraid that if I didn’t do it then I wasn’t going to do it.  I was right too, since I spent the afternoon doing next to nothing.  I even forgot my protein shake for the late afternoon (so I added a little pasta to my dinner - woo hoo).  In fact, it’s 9pm and I haven’t had any of the 509 calories set aside for my snacks.  I know it’s just as important to eat, so I will try and work them all in before going to bed.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Exercise - 60 mins treadmill, 30 mins weights

Water - 20 cups

Food - 2043 calories (22% fat, 51% carbs, 24% protein)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked ham, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, apple, fruit salad (605)

Dinner - chicken curry, naan, snow peas, butter, salad, salad dressing (630)

Snacks - protein shake (x2), apple, fruit salad, biscotti, pita chips (564)

I don’t have much to add tonight.  I’ve been dragging myself around all day.  Making the 60 minutes on the treadmill was a push, although the weights were okay.  And sometime tonight I got something in my eye (maybe cat hair) and it’s all puffy at the moment.  I’ve put some drops in it, but I’m just going to lay down soon and hope that it is clear by the morning.

dmpls - I’ve always been a person who drank a lot of liquid, but usually a mix of water and diet soft drinks.  Now the most I have is one packet of Crystal Light in the afternoon.  I don’t feel as bloated today (and in fact was down .8 of a pound from yesterday, so that’s good).   I do always gain a little just before my TOM and then drop it as it ends.  This month it just seemed worse.

Exercise - 90 mins treadmill, 30 mins weights

Water - 20 cups

Food - 2052 calories (22% fat, 53% carbs, 21% protein)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, apple, fruit salad (619)

Dinner - roasted tomato pasta with sausage, salad, salad dressing (611)

Snacks - protein shake (x2), apple, fruit salad, biscotti, pita chips (577)

I added a little water today to try and counter-act the bloating, so we’ll see how it is tomorrow.  It was just the nothing sort of a day.  Kind of gray outside, but not too cold.  I still don’t see spring in the air yet.  Just another reasonably good on plan day.

Well, I’m not really surprised, but I’m up exactly one pound from last week, to 332.4. Since I’ve gained three pounds in the last 2 days and my period started late yesterday the weigh-in was not a shock. I also never feel like I’m retaining water, but these last few days I actually feel like I’m retaining water. Oh well, on to the rest of the week!

Deb - I likely wouldn’t be so calm if it weren’t for the sudden gain the last two days. The other thing that changed is I was seriously craving diet soda (which I still have around, but don’t really drink anymore). I think I had a couple of cans on both Friday and Saturday, so that may have contributed to the bloating. In a couple of weeks I’ll try it again just for fun to see if I get the same results.

Exercise - none, planned rest day

Water - 18 cups (working on those last 2)

Food - 2054 calories (25% fat, 42% carbs, 27% protein, 4% alcohol)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch/Party - meatballs, veggies, bruschetta, tortillas, salsa, fruit, biscotti, coffee, wine (542)

Dinner - sirloin steak, corn, green beans, butter, salad, salad dressing (593)

Snacks - protein shake (x2), apple, fruit salad, biscotti, cheese spread and rice crisps (675)

I managed to keep the calories to a reasonable level this afternoon. When all is totaled up it was 542 calories. I had to estimate some, but others I could look up. I’m so glad I took the biscotti, because it was a known sweet treat. And I did manage to avoid the cake. Although to be fair, the women throwing the party have known me through the weight loss (without specifically knowing where I am), so they aren’t the type to push. The scariest item were the meatballs - a ‘lean’ brand from a known manufacturer (I saw the box). I took only 4, since I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. I looked them up when I got home - 160 calories for 6 of them… and these were very small meatballs. I ended up counting them as about 170 (3oz of meatballs and sauce), but it was even higher than I thought.

The protein shake before leaving was a very good idea. It meant I wasn’t eating from hunger. Really I just made a plate because everyone else was. Instead of cake I took coffee later with some of my biscotti (which disappeared fairly fast).

It’s funny you know, watching other people eat (without judgment, but amazed really). I mean, I took veggies, a few meatballs, a piece of bruschetta, and two tortilla cups with plain salsa. There were also crackers and cheese, fancy cheese dips for the tortillas, and something else I can’t remember that looked way too high calorie to touch.

Later I took a few pieces of fruit, coffee, and my own biscotti (avoiding the unknown cookies… since looking at recipes recently I know there isn’t likely a cookie that can be found for under 100 calories). It could have been a disaster day, but it wasn’t, so that was wonderful.

My TOM just started, and I’m actually still retaining water like crazy. I actually feel bloated, something I usually don’t feel. I’m actually up three pounds in the last two days. This is a little more than normal at this time of month. I’m beginning to wonder if the few cans of diet soda I had yesterday has contributed to it. I’m going to try lots of water to see if I can flush it through. That’s the only bad thing today - I was really low on water so I’ve been trying to make it up tonight. Although I now feel like my teeth are floating a little.

Deb - I did do well at the party, which I think the protein drink helped with. It was a nice time actually. It’s funny, we all spend lots of time talking to each other in our front yards, but we don’t often socialize in each other’s homes. Hopefully we can do a little more of that this summer (if we make an effort).

Exercise - 30 mins sculpting DVD, 60 mins treadmill, 15 mins weights

Water - 18 cups

Food - 2051 calories (32% fat, 38% carbs, 25% protein)

Breakfast - protein shake, 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (335)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar (356)

Dinner - beef stew, broccoli, butter, salad, salad dressing (650)

Snacks - protein shake (x2), apple, fruit salad, 3 biscotti, almonds (711)

I flipped around the food today so I could watch myself when baking. I added a protein shake to breakfast hoping that it would keep my fingers out of the almonds. It was pretty good, but I did swipe a few almonds along the way. The new biscotti recipe worked out very well. It had less sugar, formed better, and cut well enough that I got 60 pieces out of the recipe instead of 48. It means that they’re lower calorie as well (49 for chocolate almond cherry, 31 for lemon ginger, and 30 for the cinnamon ones). I’ve still got some of the not-so-nice ones from last week (I’ve been counting them as 70), but these will be for tomorrow’s party (well, some of them). My mother still doesn’t know where we’re going, but I think she suspects we’re going to my cousin’s place. I don’t think she realizes that we’re simply going across the street. She’s already had some birthday phone calls and flowers and such, so I’m pretty sure she figures that her day out is a party.

So tomorrow morning I’m going to have a protein shake before I go, to try and keep the munching at a minimum. I suppose as long as I stay away from whatever cake is on offer I’ll do okay. It’s kind of hard to turn down birthday cake at a party for your mother’s 80th birthday. At least I know that she won’t insist, so we’ll see. I don’t know if it’s a good thing, or a bad thing, that tomorrow is a no-exercise day….

And I’m retaining water… pre-TOM, so I think Monday’s weigh-in is a bust. However, I’m not going to use that as an excuse to eat everything in site tomorrow. Honest I’m not!

Added: I posted the biscotti recipe in one of the forums. I’ll likely add it later to my recipe site, but for now: Biscotti

Deb - I love seafood too, and it’s low-cal which is a plus. That way even the butter doesn’t put you over the top!

Exercise - 60 mins treadmill, 30 mins weights

Water - 18 cups

Food - 2038 calories (18% fat, 41% carbs, 26% protein, 11% alcohol)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch - lentil soup, apple, fruit salad (489)

Dinner - shrimp, snow crab, butter, broccoli, salad, salad dressing, 2×6oz glasses wine (978)

Snacks - protein shake, apple, fruit salad, biscotti (327)

It was a busy day, with lots of errands today. I would have liked to get a little more exercise done on the treadmill but I just didn’t seem to find the time. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day so I suppose I’m going to have to actually set the alarm for a decent hour so I can make sure my exercises are done. Don’t get me wrong, they were done today, but…. since I say 7 hours of treadmill a week, and take Sunday off, and only do an hour the two days I plan for the DVD… well, it means I have to make that hour up on the other 4 days. Usually this means that I do 90 mins on at least two of those four days. So, even though I feel like I failed today, I didn’t really.

So, I’ve got nothing more to add for tonight. Tomorrow is biscotti day, hoping to make two different kinds, possibly three. I found the old recipe I had made before and it makes 48 pieces and after adding up all the ingredients it comes to 61 calories each. They aren’t big, but who would think you could have chocolate-cherry-almond biscotti for 61 calories. We’ll see how they work out (ie. if I can get 48 pieces cut well out of it).

tiny2b - It doesn’t actually seem to be a problem. I started taking more water because of dry skin and chapped lips. It seems to have helped that a little bit. I ran across an article (which I cannot find again) that suggested we should take in liquids based on weight. I think it was suggesting 1/2 oz per pound. At the time I worked it out to about 21 cups a day. Since I take a little water with my protein shakes, and fruit juice in my fruit salad I decided to aim for 18 cups a day. I find that as long as I take it regularly during the day I don’t seem to have much of a problem with it. Especially just after exercising, when I’ve just sweated a lot out.

Exercise - 90 mins treadmill, 30 mins weights

Water - 18 cups

Food - 2039 calories (22% fat, 49% carbs, 25% protein)

Breakfast - 12-grain toast, nectarine jam, 3 clementines (245)

Lunch - whole wheat tortilla, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese blend, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, apple, fruit salad (589)

Dinner - balsamic pork tenderloin, broccoli, butter, salad, salad dressing (515)

Snacks - protein shake(x2), apple, fruit salad, biscotti, nacho crispers (691)

Well the fruit salad worked out very well with the frozen fruit.  In fact I’d say that the sweet cherries were better than using the canned ones.  I’ll still be canning them in the summer though, since they’re easier to store that way.   Other than that, nothing really happened today.  I did all my exercising in the morning, which was a big mistake.  It’s one thing to do it when I have something to do.  Today though all it did was leave me in the afternoon feeling hungry.  Normally I’m too busy to be hungry.  I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.

Deb - thanks (about the exercising).  I honestly don’t ever remember being able to do them, even when lighter.  I figure that the work with the hand weights are somewhat responsible for it.  Even though I think half the time I’m just playing with them!