Day 93: Another habbit I’d like to see go March 31, 2008

Didn’t manage to make time to go to the doctors today, will go either tomorrow or on Wednesday.    I’ve been working hard today…  I have 3 days to finish everything…eek!      Then 2 days to spend on another project (I agreed to work 1 day a week on another project for my old company in NZ).   Busy times.   But after this period of intense work is over I will have a month on holiday!  Yipee.   Also the harder I work now the easier my job will be when I go to China in May.

Exercise: I finished work at 8.30pm and could have used that as an excuse not to do any exercise…. but… I jumped on the treadmill and did a 30min powerwalk (10mins of that was up hill)…. I felt a lot better for it, sitting at a computer all day really does slow the body down.

Food:  I ate well today, Im still eating too much toast and I think the weight loss is going to suffer for it.  But we don’t really have a lot of other options that I feel like eating.   When I go to NZ I will have to watch the toast consumption – I love toast and in New Zealand we have vegemite… oh, vegemite on toast is my favourite thing!

• Breakfast: Cereal and soy
• Snack: Baby apple
• Lunch: Jam on toast and a baby apple
• Snack: Honey on toast
• Dinner (at 9pm):  Baked fish wrapped in lettuce with herbs, chilli sause and some rice noodles.  YUM.  The fish was so yummy.   As I had already eaten toast I didn’t eat a lot.  It was good to eat REAL food though… toast is yum but it doesn’t cut it nutrition/fullness wise.

I also had about half a 35g 85% dark swiss chocolate chocolate bar.  I am aware I am eating this chocolate because it is there and I can.  I think its extra calories that could go easily (I ought to find out how many calories).  

I know why I am still eating this chocolate regularly while I am working….  It comes from an old habit I am in the process of breaking.  When I was studying (high school and university) I used to always ‘need’ a study snack to help me concentrate.  MM’s were a favourite but anything sweet would do (lollies and chocolate was best).  I also ‘needed’ coke… later as I got older the coke morphed into diet coke.    I’ve been doing this since I was 15yrs old!

When I finished studying these habits transferred to work….  I drank an alarming amount of diet coke (I shudder to think how much, Id say at 1 ½ - 2 litres a day).  When I am busy, stressed or want to really concentrate on getting things done at work I think I ‘need’ study snacks, diet coke and sometimes energy drinks to keep me focused.   In my last job in NZ,  I ate at least 1 (usually 2) chocolate bars a day… 2pm was chocolate o’clock.    If I was working late Id always go down to the starmart to stock up on crap (energy drinks, chocolate and if I was going to miss dinner some chippies or a big biscuit)…. I guess it was kind of a reward for working hard, a stress reliever and ‘energy builder’.    Needless to say it wasn’t healthy!    No wonder I got so fat! 

The good news this is a habit I have smashed so far this year because of my resolve to eat better and because I have kept a food journal online.   Ive been working long hours 7 days a week for a couple of weeks now and I haven’t turned to food or fizzy drink (ive been drinking green tea and water).   The only traces of this habit is me nibbling at dark chocolate during the day… when I get stressed out I notice I nibble at more chocolate (normally I eat ¼ bar (2 bits) on a busy day it will go up to ½ - ¾ bar).

Not bad in the scheme of things, but it’s a habit Id like to see go… I don’t want to mindlessly eat chocolate at my desk… I want to really enjoy it and savour the taste!   So… after this job has finished (end of this week I hope) I will stop buying the 85% chocolate as a ‘standard’ food purchase… it will become a treat and I will buy it when I feel like I want it.

Day 92: Huston we have a problem… March 30, 2008

I had a FANTASTIC time at the gym this morning.  I had an 8am appointment so I was the first person there.  I was left to do a 20 min warm up so I walked 5 mins, ran 12 mins, walked 3 mins.       I ran for a WHOLE 12 MINS!!!  It was great… I just wanted to see how far I could go (I was aiming for 8, then 10, then stretched it out to 12).    My longest run before this was 5 mins, so I more than doubled my time record.   By golly I have come a long way.

My PT didn’t understand that I wanted her to teach me how I can workout using hand weights at home, but she had something planned so I just went with it.   While I was resting and stretching my arms I was rotating my ankles to loosen them up, she noticed and asked how my ankles are.   I told her that they have been stiff I the mornings for the last few weeks and after the PT session she asked if she could have a look.   The verdict after some poking and prodding was that I should stop running and see the doctor.

Shit.

I don’t think the 12min run did any damage, I think it’s just the whole running thing.   I think it’s just my body needs to adjust to the fact that it is no longer a couch potato. 

I was going to wait till I go to NZ to see the running doctor but I think I better go to the doctor here in Thailand to get the all clear to keep running.    If he says I can’t run, I will hopefully be able to do some stationary bike classes at the gym instead… I think I am fit enough for them now and by golly are they a great cardio workout.    Worst case scenario surely I will be allowed to walk.

Has anyone had any similar experiences with their joints since they started running?  Any advice?     I don’t really trust the doctors over here but I will listen to what he says.   Maybe the ankles just need a bit of a rest for a week or so and then I can continue.    I really really really don’t want to give up.

Exercise – 20min walk/run and 1hr PT session

Food:
- breakfast:  Cerial and Soy (1/2 plate) and ½ apple
- Snack: GIANT apple
- Lunch:  Toast with Jam x2
- Snack:  tba
- Dinner: tba

Day 91: Seafood…. YUM March 29, 2008

 I’m feeling good… I need to learn that it is ok when things dont go perfectly as planned.  I am human and I have a lot going on at the moment.   I dont think its laziness that is preventing me from getting my 6 stickers its pure work overload…  it is ok though, I finish working on FRIDAY (this week) and will have a whole month off!    

Exercise - none, ankles still a bit sore and I was really busy.    I had to chose last night between going out for a really good meal (seafood restaurant) or staying at home to run.  I picked the seafood as I have learnt that good food in my tummy means I feel a lot healthier and fitter.   

Food:

• Breakfast - cereal an soy (starting to get bored of it, when I go home I am going to switch to porridge as it will be a lot colder).
• Snack - apple
• Lunch - toast x2 with Jam
• Snack - apple and toast x2 with Jam
• Dinner - 4x BBQ giant prawns (yum), some steemed fish (not so yum but I knew it was healthy so I ate some), some asparagus and mushrooms (average, but healthy), a few bits of chicken/cashew nuts and some rice (1/2 serving).     I know it sounds like a lot of food… but Thai food is shared so you eat a bit of this, a bit of that - I stopped when I was full and it was SOOOOO good to eat real food!

Day 90: mumble, grumble, mumble…. March 28, 2008

Ok… after being soooo proud of myself and being so positive in my last post I am a bit embarrassed about this post!  It is written the day after…. and just as well really because I think I needed time for reflection.   Yesterday was not a great day,  I was so angry at myself last night and a big wave of defeat hit me and I let myself derail a bit.   I was so angry last night but this morning (after a good sleep) I was able to put it into perspective.  Sure I made some bad decisions yesterday but I also made some good ones and it could have been a hell of a lot worse.  The problem, I was over tired, stressed out and let one mistake get to me.  So I guess you are wondering… what happened?

The day started ok, normal breakfast, pissed around on the Internet instead of working (which upped my stress levels) and then went into town to see my stepsister in a play.   I was starving so I stopped off for lunch on the way to meet my stepmum (Kob).   I was planning sushi but the restaurant was full so I went to itchibaan (a Japanese fast food place)… I ordered Gyoza and steamed pork dumplings.  It didn’t look like that will fill me so I also ordered a noodle soup (which I didn’t eat) and a water.   Not great food decisions (veggie intake =0 and the Gyoza are a little bit fried) but it could have been worse (they had fried chicken, French fries and lemonade that I wanted but didn’t order).  

We couldn’t find the place for the play so Kob and I went to Emporium for lunch as Kob was really hungry.  Kob was craving forang food so we ended up at a really nice Italian restaurant.    I filled up on doey bread and ordered a tomato soup, I drank water.   Kob ordered a salmon pizza and I also had one slice of that.    

I was so mad at myself about lunch…. But looking back it wasn’t that bad.  I wanted to order a whole pizza for myself and I didn’t.  I wanted a second slice of Kobs pizza but I didn’t have one.  I wanted to have desert and I didn’t.  I wanted an orange juice but I stuck to water.   So the only really bad point of the meal was how it left me feeling….I felt incredibly tired because the food choices I made were not energising… they made me very bloated and very very sleepy.  They also triggered cravings I haven’t had in ages.

So this is where it got worse….  On the way home… Kob wanted to go to the bakery to pick up some nibbles for my dad.  I knew it was a bad idea to go in there, but I followed her in…. and I let my cravings get the better of me.   I got a banana roll (kind of like a banana cake rolled up with ‘cream’ in it)… and when I got home because I was so tired I ate it all – looking for an energy kick and also because I was mad at myself.  The thing weighed a ton, didn’t taste like banana cake and the cream wasn’t real… I don’t know what I was thinking.

Then dad came home with chippies and beer.  I said to him…  ‘what the heck, my day has turned to crap anyway’ and I was having a lot of negative thoughts in my head about my measurements being taken at the gym and my progress so far.    Here it could have got A LOT worse and while I derailed I should be proud of myself for listening to my body:

• I poured a beer.  Had a few sips and decided I didn’t need anymore.  I didn’t even have ½ a glass
• I poured a bowl of chippies….  I could have scoffed the lot, but I didn’t.  I had a few, satisfied my craving and left the rest for dad.
• There was left over pizza in the fridge… but I didn’t touch it.

So… the only really bad decision I made yesterday was eating that cake and not exercising because I was tired, grumpy and disorganised.   I also had sore ankles from wearing heels (and the running yesterday)…. so it was a very good decision not to run…. but I could have walked.

Food: 
 

• Breakfast: Cerial and soy
• Snack: ½ apple
• Lunch: Gyoza and pork dumplings
• Snack/Dinner: Bread sticks, tomato soup and 1 slice of salmon pizza
• Snack: Large Banana “Cream” roll (should have served 3 people)
• Snack: ½ glass of beer, small packet of chippies

Water consumption – very high

Day 88: I am so proud of myself! March 27, 2008

I am so proud of myself, I went for run 1 of week 5 of the couch to 5k and I can say with absolute confidence I can run 5mins at a time with no problems!   Today I had to do 3x 5min runs each with a 3min walking break in between AND…   it didn’t even come close to killing me.   FANTASTIC.       My next run is going to include 2x 8min runs… how exciting!!!  [ok, a tad scary as well.. but still very exciting].

Ok… so I seem to have picked myself up from yesterday (I feel so much happier having been for my run).  I have only got 3 more exercise piggies (stickers) to get this week and I would have done 5 workouts.   I have my PT session on Sunday and I haven’t spaced my runs well this week…. I hope that I am going to be ok without a recovery day between run 1 and run 2.   And I hope I will be ok with doing a 20min run before a PT session!   eeek.   Maybe I should do run 1 and run 2 this week, then do week 5 again next week.   Any thoughts?   Am I protecting my joints (I find my ankles are very stiff in the mornings) or being a wussy?   THis is how this week has panned out…. its SUnday I am worried about….

• Mon - scheduled rest
• Tue - bike ride
• Wed - unscheduled rest
• Thur - run 1 (5 min warm up, 5 min runs x3 (with 3 min walks in between), 5 min cool down)
• Fri - run 2 (5 min warm up, 8 min run x2 (with a 5 min walk in between), 5 min cool down)
• Sat - yoga (to try stretch and rest)
• Sun - run 3 (5 min warm up, 20 min run, 5 min cool down) followed by a 1hr PT session!!!  
• Mon - scheduled rest

What do you think about Sunday?  Is it too much?  Or am I looking for an excuse to postpone that 20min run!

Food for today:I am not sure what the calorie/fat intake was of my sandwhich today but at the end of the day its better than a fry up.   While the kg are coming of slow and steadily I don’t see the point of obsessing over calories… having said that, I am conscience I eat out a lot and have little control over what actually goes in my food.  

• Breakfast – cereal and soy
• Snack – none
• Lunch – smoked chicken sandwich on 7grain bread with cheese, lettuce, cucumber, red onion and mayonnaise (at a ‘cafe’)
• Snack – apple and some dark chocolate.
• Snack – another apple
• Dinner (late) – noodles and a banana/mango shake

Water consumption – very high and I drank LOTS of green tea today too.