It took me some time to sit down and write this post - challenge #9 with the mealplan has really been instructive and I somehow know more about where I want to go now.
But it seems to need some preparation. As I wrote before - I feel like standing at a crossroad - knowing I will go, but not feeling a pressure to be in a hurry, but planning wisely the next move.
Putting myself through random challenges over and over again has made me stronger, but to make this real change, I will need a strategy to stick to for a longer period of time. There must be the one moment I can cure my food addiction and I figured out, there will be a period of rehab time.
So, to conclude this challenge, I went off track for the last week of this challenge because as I was forced to have some slips, it was getting more and more difficult to get back on track and I felt that this wasn't going to do me good.
I only shop for lean protein, potatoes, rice and muesli still but as my father and sisters are preparing for their pastry chef exams, there's temptation everywhere and they need a gusto from time to time. I cannot willpower through this (and do I even want?) without being well prepared.
It seems that I will have to refine several things yet and pay attention to those little things: tking into account that I will no longer be able to stuff my face with food when I'm feeling weak, depressed or stressed - that my body will feel to want to get more food in and I will not be as "strong" as I'm now, that my husband will have to know exactly what I'm doing etc.
For travel, I will have to be prepared too: I will have to know exactly what I need, so I can say to my friends what I eat and what I don't whithout offending them. And I will have to be clear with all of this and don't let myself get distracted by the opinions of others and new fancy internet diets.
Do you think it's okay if I wait for all of this for four weeks until the pastry exams have passed?
Well, I do think it's okay.
But I will do another challenge anyway - a last one, that isn't 100% focused on my fitness goals, but more on preparing next challenge and building up mindfulness while eating and a clear daily structure that will help me afterwards.
Of course, I'm not looking into the weeks for binging but I will continue buying healthy foods and eat them! I just won't be very restrictive.
So, that's my word for today - last challenge really was great and hey! I finally got that hometrainer - it's a very old one stil relying on mechanics for measuring distance - some friend of mine surprised me with it - his grandpa wanted to throw it away - that's how the rewards come in. I'll post a picture soon!
I'm about to get in the car to leave for Switzerland for work for the weekend - this is my challenge update post on-the-go.
For this challenge I've been surprised to have practical tools at hand how to get a grip on my eating habits although I wasn't really prepared for it. Yes, I know now that I can commit to this but that it also needs some commitment and planning of other things. I will have to set clear goals, create a step-by-step road I can stick to in a longer term than just one challenge. I'll have to set priorities in my life and set limits to where I say NO to temptation and how to still be able to join social meetings.
I'll also have to simplify my life more so I won't get triggered by stress so easily - and I will also have to start thinking of all of this like a rehab period: that will ask of me restriction, but that will transition to a normal life - my dieting won't rule all my day!!! But in the first time maybe.
So, this end of the week I wasn't perfectionist when it came to my diet. I'm happy to be able to prepare the trip to Switzerlnd and I will meet a lot of horses and people and maybe I'll also get osme feedback from outside on how to start all this process.
I thank you all for reading - sorry I couldn't write more - see you on Monday!
Yours,
Elanor
So, for those of you who want to see what I'm eating exactly throughout the week, here ya go:
I permit myself 1 rest day per week - this isn't supposed to be a cheat day but this time I ate some chocolate for example and we made dinner together as a family, having "Käs'spätzle" and a roasted pork. Typical german food.
It's challenge time!!! Last week was full of preparation!
Together with a fellow rebel we prepared a diet meal pland and I really want to find out how much weight I'm able to drop with it in the next 4 weeks.
It's protein-rich because it contains loads of yoghurt, quark, fish and chicken. The fat comes from olive oil and the rest is either oats, rice or swedish crispbread. It's a little more carbs than I usually do, but I'm looking forward to!!!
And of course there's loads of vegetables. I took my measurements yesterday already and made my weigh in. Now wish me luck for everything. My other goals for this challenge will be to workout again 9 times overall - that makes a little more than 2 workouts a week - but I won't do any lunges anymore as my injury after the last time really was annoying me.
My other goal is to meditate everyday for about 5 minutes and see what impact it has. I want to try so many things and the challenges are always great for it :-)
I wanted to do a video of my groceries that I got for the new mealplan but I wasn't able to do shopping on Saturday so I'll only be able to do it next week. Read me again soon!
So, today I woke up at 5:30 a.m. because me and my husband will leave for a trip to Germany to see our family, I did my workout and recorded a short video message which I just edited and added the 3rd song of this challenge that I recorded.
It's always amazing how the habits I choose to build turn out. This challenge's goals were to record and upload one song every week, to get some experience. You know, I don't want to be perfect in my recordings, I just want to DO them. There has to be a start somewhere and we all know we will suck the first times but it's "getting better all the time" ;-)
Once you make the first step, there's only improvement - even if you try to tell yourself that you're awful at what youre doing, you can't deny that there still is some improvement anyway.
The same is true for my recordings and you know what? I got motivated to record not only myself but also convinced my sisters to let me record them playing the piano and make a CD for our grandma with just 6 songs. I could easily add one of the songs I had recorded and wow - never thought that could be possible!!!
pixabay.com
The only thing I can tell you if you have a dream is to make one first step in any little way towards it - one where you can overcome your fear. If it's just to record you playing the drum on your cell phone and only listening to it yourself, that's fine. Next time you might share it with a close friend.
What really is important is that you choose a goal for yourself so you get to do it. Otherwise you'll push it away for later and never do it. Take 4 weeks, set some really easy goals and let yourself get inspired!!!
Make sure to check in here again during the week to see pictures from our trip to Bavaria!!!
Yeah - I've been rocking my first workout! My body just feels awesome!!!
I love this meme I just found because I also destroyed myself: my ego! It's always talking me into staying in my comfort zone but I feel so good when just moving at least a little.
But one thing I'm still lacking: my reward for the completion of the challenge - any ideas someone?
It's 6 o'clock in the morning and I can't sleep again after my husband left for work at 4. As I want to get enough rest for the day, I decided doing this blogpost now so I don't get stressed about it later - at least that's what's been happening throughout the week, leading to not having written a thing on wednesday and not yet having recorded the new video.
But I'm eagerly preparing the challenge which is starting today. But I wanted to update how the last challenge ended. Here's the copy-paste that I wrote in my Nerd Fitness challenge-log:
Ok, this challenge did not work the way I intended but led me to rethink several things and I finally think that I found out more about what suits me. So, just to recap what I’ve done this 2 weeks:
I informed myself about thyreoid issues (maybe I’ll write more about this on my blog).
I reinstalled my computer and finally got some work done
I reorganized my daily scedule to be able to flow again
I prioritized my mental health also, writing about how I feel on my blog but I also made it a priority to speak up immediatly when I feel stressed about someone and resolve the issue - as small as it might be
I focused on what really helped me: paleo diet and not fussing so much about counting calories. Result: weight gain stopped! I’m so relieved. I’m feeling more energetic again and my immune system starts to be in good shape.
I informed myself about how strenght training works and how the exercises can be properly done taking in consideration my massive weight because I have the tendency to overdo them and making to much.
I spent around 2-4 hours outside working almost everyday in every weather.
I got enough sleep whenever I needed.
I spent 5 days in listening to spiritual retreat talks (about 3 hours) while doing my daily chores
I could add to this list many things but those are real achievements and I think that I deserve my reward and to consider this challenge a real level up! I will buy myself a new agenda as I said.
And another reward I already started celebrating: you know, I want to find a way in doing more strenght training again - softer, but more often. I realized that I needed some space for this where I felt comfortable doing the movements - a batcave somewhere I like to be. So, today I started decluttering a part of my bedroom that was used for laundry and I will install myself there - level by level - with my dumbbells, my yoga mat etc. yay!
So, I hope you read me again soon with the details for my new challenge!
It's Sunday night and I had to wait for my husband to go to bed to be able to write this article on his computer because - as I said before on my Vlog - my own computer broke down on Friday.
I'm so glad I already had saved all my files and tomorrow morning I will be calling the company concerning the hard drive's warranty - until everything is solved I will then be reduced to check my e-mails and Facebook on other family member's computers which means, as I'm a graphic designer, I won't be able to work neither to make my Vlogs and stuff ... sigh ...
Okay, so let's talk about fitness and weight loss again so I can distract my mind a little.
(*clenches teeth because Myfitnesspal won't allow myself to connect via Facebook on this computer ...*)
Even though my weight loss progress scale wise is minimal and I can't really track my day neither on MFP nor on Habitica without having to log in and out every few minutes, I start to see progress. I really struggled with my farm work in the past few week but finally my body seems to have adapted to it. I need to take 1-2 days off per week, but I'm no longer at the limits of my strenght and endurance everytime so I gain hope for the future.
My plan is to add more of the following to my daily activities: gardening (yummy healthy food), dancing, strenght training.
The Nerdfitness challenge ends today and I'll have a whole week to decide on new goals and I will definetely start in incorporationg more exercise into my day via the mentioned activities.
I also will find a way to cut out grains more and more and restricting my snacks even more, starting to pay attention to my macros. What the exact goals will be to achieve this is not yet decided though.
I think I'll leave you with this short update for today - you might read more on Wednesday because even though the challenge has ended, I will update here twice a week as usual.
Thanks for your support - please give me a +1 or leave me a comment if you like what I write to show me you're there.
Hello my dear readers!
A very ... special ... week has just ended and I don't know yet, where my mind is at the moment. Most of it is fitness/weight loss related - but there are a few other personal things that changed too.
The scale wasn't very kind to me today - seems that I've gained weight again - aliments with wheat really seem to make me bloated even though I stay within my calorie goal ... gluten sensitive? I don't know - there are so many sceptic people about it - but I'll stick to my opinion, that the paleo diet is the best for me so I won't worry too much about.
So, this was my first "discovery" of the week: it ALSO matters WHAT I eat, not only, how many calories it has - sigh. Second: I'm still thinking about how to integrate more exercise into my day but on the other hand I feel exhausted also. I hope I will build more and more endurance - I do quite a workout everyday in the stables but I really would love to do more!!!!!!!!!
Then my sister's finally got her driving license! She's so proud because driving was one of her greatest hobbies and now she's finally allowed to do it with any normal vehicle on normal roads. It really will be a big help for all of us.
On the other hand it reminded me of the time when I made my license - how much difficulty I had to put everything into practical. I really feel comfortable learning theoretical stuff but never really found my place in anything physical - often because I was so heavy. It's not that I need to be better than others but I would really love to enjoy moving again - not feeling to have to push myself but that everything flows ... just because of the fun of it ...
... omg, I'm nearly crying now - I didn't expect this - but it is true: I struggle to move this heavy body everyday and the best it gets is still so much less than any "normal" person - it's so much easier for them ...
...
Let's look at it in a more lighthearted way:
So, while I'm gulping down my water I still need to drink for today I have to say, that I'm happy overall - I just need to digest everything. So much is coming to the surface of my mind at the moment that I'm sometimes just sitting around and thinking.
But I know this will pass and that my comittment to this blog, my fitness and diet will help me.
I've prepared a better shopping list so I will make sure to have enough protein and veggies around for next week and I want to incorporate some squats, planks, push ups and inverted rows into my daily work, as well as added some clear goals to my habitica.
Please excuse me for this random ramble today and I hope you check in again!
Hello together!
I hope everyone had or is having a great Sunday!
First of all: I rocked the scale today having lost already 1,7 kgs so I'm again below 130!!! This is how I jumped around after weighing (my husband was at his work so he didn't see me ;) ).
I'm sorry no new video has come out yet - I still have to learn to scedule the time to make it - but I filmed it already and it's in the process of being edited.
So, how's it going? I'm tracking my daily activity without fail and for the last 4 days my average time moving was a 143 mins per day, making it 2h23. Okay, I won't put much on this number yet and wait till more days are gathering up so I can have a more accurate average number.
My goal would be to be able to easily do at leat 3 hours per day - because if I'm talking about moving, this means I included all household things where I was standing around too, which probably isn't burning lots of calories.
So, beginning with the last week of the challenge, I will start to also track my gross calories burned by my daily activities - I'm not doing this because there's really a need to it - I know that I should move more - but I like tracking it and it gives me a better feeling about myself.
I'm really curious about the results - is 2,5 hours of work much everyday or not? I don't have much comparison but my husband can easily do so much more! I haven't been around people doing sports a lot, so if you'd like to share your experiences this would be nice!
Ok, I'll check in with you again on Wednesday and I hope my next video will be finished by tomorrow - thanks for reading!
Hey! It's Wednesday again and though I didn't make any video yet (we had a storm and I was outside all day with my animals), I'm right on time to write this blogpost.
In my Nerdfitness-Forum Challenge log you can find more details about how my days went since Sunday but I want to fill this blog with more than pure data. I want to write down what moved my head in those 3 days.
It's hard for me to admit, but I really have to rescedule my biking goal - I would so much love to go for a ride, but I'm so tired every night and I just don't want to see any outdoor's rain, mud and wind anymore. I'd rather make body weight exercises. But yet a smaller goal came to my mind, but you'll read about it a little more below.
John, from the Obese to Beast YouTube Channel is a big inspriation for me. Not only because he's lost such a big amount of weight but also because his videos are so helpful. Some days ago he posted this very cool video - you might only understand it if you've been through what he's talking about yourself: how weight loss and willpower ride like a rollercoaster up and down and you never really get it. People in the comments argue, that there is no proof scientifically for metabolism damage, but if you've been there, you know exactly what John is talking about.
Here is the video:
So I realised something important about the weight loss equation that wasn't as clear before in my mind: "Calories in versus calories out" doesn't mean the same thing as just cutting out calories!!! It's all about balance!
My body has a certain ratio in which it burns calories everyday - this ratio depends on my body fat percentage and also on my level of activity. Eating less than I burn will FORCE my body into burning his stocked energy - Ok - I think, this is an obvious thing.
As a person interested in Biology I might add: my body's metabolism is constantly trying to find balance and it gets used to a certain amount of food and a way to process it - to loose weight we breaks this balance and we hope, that our body gets used to eating less. We are focused on the result: having a different number on the scale - but do we care to regain balance?
How can we have a healthy relationship with food if we forcefully strain our body and try to imitate having less food available?
At this point exercise comes in - strenght training to be more precise. I never really got this point - as I understood it it sounded like this: everyone talks about calories and that diet is 90 % of the battle - so, eating less equals weight loss - exercise keeps our mind busy, we spend more time doing something else than eating and it makes us feel good and we also build endurance - ok, so I can just eat less/right and loose weight without exercise also?
But I didn't yet pay attention to this tiny detail rarely ever mentioned anywhere: we cannot durably eat less than our BMR!!! Our body will always try to bring us back to it! Even if we do more exercise, we will get hungry for more food!
So, is weight loss a hopeless case?
First of all, I'm still trying - my journey is just on the beginning and everything I write here is just a hypothesis - but I dare to say: no! There's something we can do:
1. Build muscle!
Our body will then spend it's energy into building up the muscles instead of storing it as fat, which will make us even more endurant and strong to take on even bigger challenges. Plus: more muscle means we are spending more calories to mantain them, which means we can eat more, which means it's easier for us to eat less.
2. Eat clean!
There are certain foods that make us feel full easier on one side but there are also those full of minerals, protein, vitamines and healthy fats that really help our metabolism and make us feel great! We don't have to stuff our face with carbs and feel bad all day long because of our sugar levels. We can choose smart foods and not restrict us!!!
The 2 combined can help me to feel full and not hungry but caring about my weight at the same time - I'm curious where this hypothesis will lead me - it's very basic and simple so I can easily track it's evolution.
For 3 days now I started to eat more and more paleo again and I start to feel great again - what a happy moment.
I wanted to come back to my biking challenge: having realized now, that cardio is good but strenght training is having more benefits I'm thinking of changing this part. But I won't go into strenght training right away, there was something else with wich I wanted to start out:
Track my daily level of exercise in my daily life!
Before I make new workout plans, I want to know how much I'm doing already and have a better look at my real life. This is a small step but for the next few weeks I will track the minutes I spend working on the farm, doing grocery shopping, playing with the dogs, cleaning the house, working with m horses etc. I want to know how much of the day I'm active and to be able to optimize this or bring it to a more regular basis.
For example: let's say I find out I'm moving around 3 hours on some days and only 30 mins on others, I could then make the goal of moving for at least 1,5 hours every day so I know, when I'm doing less, I will have to look out for another activity (e.g. work in the garden).
This is my goal-change for this challenge - I will keep you updated on twitter, tumblr and in my NF-Battle log.
Thanks for reading - I will write again on Sunday!
Monday started a new challenge in the Nerdfitness Forums and as it was just the moment I started this blog, I signed up and created my thread there too. It's completely free and just implies wrinting up 3 habit goals you want to achieve during the challenge, one for nutrition, one for fitness and one for other life issues. Go, and check out my thread if you want!
It's my 6th challenge and last year, those challenges really had an huge impact on me and not only that: my husband also joined in and we did some household challenges together. I didn't have the time to prepare one with him this time, but the habits we built stick around for several months now and we have a weekly planner - not only for meals but also for everyone's chores.
Are you interested in knowing my current challenge goals?
1.: Nutrition
I'm working towards restricting to snack - already I do not permit myself a snack between breakfast and lunch - but I went back to having a small breakfast because I'm working in the harsh cold outside in the morning and if I don't eat anything, I'm completely starving at noon and my mood is really bad. For the afternoon I usually have 1-2 snacks but I could do less.
The point here is not the quantity of snacks - it's to take over control of my eating habits - to not always have to take a piece of something, just because it looks good - I can eat to my fill, but I will not allow myself to slip out of control!!!
This is why I additionally track my food and convert the calories!
2.: Fitness
I really got inspired by my father to do some biking - I always liked it and I want just to make a small ride - but because there isn't any nice parcours around my house I always neglect it - so this challenge I want to work towards taking the bike once a week to ride to my workplace (about 3 km).
For this week, I made the goal to a) check and clean the bike and b) make a small ride of about 1,5 km to see how it feels. I still didn't do it, so make sure to check in with me on Sunday!
3.: Other
I decided I wanted to solidify my dental care and be very strict to brush my teeth everyday - i often neglect this. It might seem simple, but it really is so important!!!
So, those are my goals and I'm pretty happy till now - I had some slips, but other things went better than I thought.
Do you want to try a challenge? Did you ever do one?
yay!
