November 16, 2009

Nutrition and Exercise Check

What I am eating:

Six small meals a day is still working. I’ve made some tweaks here and there – added a few berries to the yogurt, and switched out ff mayo on mini-sandwiches for sweet hot honey mustard. Little changes make a big difference – I enjoy what I am eating and haven’t fallen off the wagon too much. The wagon is defined broadly here – when I do eat a large meal (yummy homemade egg and cheese bagels sandwiches toasted with butter), I eliminate meals to account for the increased calories. And, I am being a little more flexible in the evenings and on the weekends with how I reach the approximate 250kcal mark. A few fishsticks or 2 tablespoons of almond butter smeared on a small slice of bread add variety and satiation.

I should add something about my decision to buy a pint of ice cream the night before I embarked on my 24hour clear liquid diet. I have no regrets and have not visited my friends Ben and Jerry in ages. My great intentions of tossing the pint after Wednesday didn’t work out, but I at least attempted to build the calories into the small meals after the exam was over. The real accomplishment came yesterday evening when I resisted the urge to buy another one. It’s back to 100 calories desserts for me!

What I am doing:

The walking continues – I get in at least 1.5 miles four days per week. I suspect that I will have to lower my minutes in December – I haven’t decided yet if I am going to change my workout plans next month, but I am likely to try to keep up the 350 minutes until the end of the year. It is a good framework and will be due for an overhaul after New Year’s. And, it’ll be a good time to see where I am and take stock and assess where I am going for spring 2010.

In the meantime, I average about four days in the gym per week doing approximately 45-60 minutes of cardio. At least two of those days are spent with an additional 20-30 minutes of strength training. I am still doing a pretty poor job of alternating between cardio machines, but my strength training moves are constantly changing (free weights, machines, etc) and I don’t think I have done the same thing more than twice in the last four weeks.

The Results:

The pounds are coming off. I have tried to keep the focus away from numbers and on how I feel. However, I still way myself every morning (especially important for tracking my fluid intake/loss) and I went from hovering around 141 to 144 to 134-137. So, that looks to be about 7 or 8lbs give or take in about 4 weeks; or, the magic standard of 1-2lbs. per week.

My stamina is up. A few weeks ago, level 20 was impossible on the Elliptical and now I need to go there to break a sweat sometimes.

My strength is up. The biggest change is definitely in my lower half. The reliable combination of squats, lunges, and deadlifts are great when coupled with the Elliptical, walking, and taking stairs.

My tone has increased. I think this is the slowest area of progression; as my trainer not so delicately stated – my muscles are buried underneath a layer of fat. I think the tone that I desire will come, but it will be harder than it was a few years ago. I don’t take lightly the jokes about not being 25 anymore – and I suspect that my workouts will require more planning and structure in the new few months. But, that’s a project for 2010!