WATCH-ME'S Goal Seeking Journal

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

YouTube - Enya - And Winter Came

This song is so beautiful...well done, Enya...


Nature
Serenades
Night

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Medium day in carb rotations. Noticeably more balanced and satisfied by lunchtime than in the three days previous. It's funny how long term LC/VLC ends up disrupting my internal sense of balance and satiety.

I've often wondered if that's just how I'm wired, it-is-what-it-is, or if it's because of my regular workouts and the intensity with which I strength train. I've read where some people do fine long term on LC/VLC while strength training, esp after their bodies "adjust" to ketosis. I'll do fine for a while, but at some point my body starts to rebel and I just can't seem to get full (and it actually begins to affect my moods, promoting, uh....irritability?) So. I've learned with time that that usually means it's time for a carb up day, either to medium or to high, calm that monster down and feed the muscles.

Today my carbs have been pumpkin, oats, Ezekiel bread, LC tortilla, sweet potato. Lean protein, lower fat and spinach added to that.

Ready to do some cardio and a bit of Callanetics before showering and heading out. Back to LC for the next couple of days.

MED DAY TOTALS:

CALS........1580
PROT.........164
CARBS.......115
FIBER..........29
FAT............54

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

YouTube - Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus...

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

It's pouring the snow. I arrived at my office about 20 mins ago. Traffic was crawling along, wary travelers making their commute into the city. All those years of living and driving in the mountains have served me well; I am rarely daunted in my snowy travels.

I stepped off the elevator, keying in my security and into our suite, to find no one else at work ... just me! Dedicated worker that I am! Fine with me. I started a pot of coffee, lit candles, Christmas lights, and cranked up the Christmas carols...and I will work in spirited solitude as the snow piles up outside. Works for me.

If I get my work done by noon, I'll walk over to the mall and do a little Christmas shopping, run errands.

It's beautiful out. The snow blankets the earth in festive silence.

I got coffee, a pumpkin muffin, my LC lunch. I'm all set.

"...Sense of joy fills the air
And I daydream and I stare
Up at the tree and I see
Your star up there

And this is how I see you
In the snow on Christmas morning
Love and happiness surround you
As you throw your arms up to the sky
I keep this moment by and by..."

Wintersong

[tempted_by_food]

T...Enjoy your day at work, it sounds homely in a strange way with the lights, coffee, and carols fun lol I am sitting here looking out the window and watching the snow beat it down, it is lovely to watch, only when I am inside and dont have to leave of course!!!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by tempted_by_food

T...Enjoy your day at work, it sounds homely in a strange way with the lights, coffee, and carols fun lol I am sitting here looking out the window and watching the snow beat it down, it is lovely to watch, only when I am inside and dont have to leave of course!!!

It WAS great, having the office all to myself, watching the snow as I worked, the relaxing atmosphere.

Great day at the office....(Imagine that?)

Snow continued to fall, and we ended up with about 5-6 inches. I shoveled our driveway when I got home (for the exercise mostly) and followed with 15 mins cardio.

Today was weigh day. I'm bummed. No loss AGAIN.

I want to cuss.

(sigh)

Just keep swimming, T.

Today is a new day. Taking the day off from work to catch up on stuff. I'll go to the gym this morning. Hope to get a lot accomplished today. Only a few more days till my sons are home. Can't wait.

[tempted_by_food]

Enjoy your day off look at the bright side, you didnt have a gain, your hard work and effort will pay off

[tempted_by_food]

Wishing you, and your family a very merry xmas!!!!

[Danipower714]

Merry Christmas and wishing you the best in the New Year!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Santa and I need to talk.

[lola001]

LOL Twyla! Happy holidays!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Hi, Lola Happy New Year to you!

Here it is, now 3:52 a.m., and I've been awake since 2:00 a.m. I tossed in bed for an hour, then came downstairs to read for a while. Didn't help. So then I logged onto LCF and got a good laugh from a friend's PM.

And so now I've wandered into my journal for some introspection.

I shouldn't have drank that LARGE coffee at 7:30 pm after dinner out with my friend. It didn't occur to me when I ordered it that it might keep me awake. I crashed into bed very tired at 11:00 pm, then woke up jittery and restless at 2:00 am and the rest is history.

I'm ready to reinvent myself starting (seriously starting) January 1st. I've gotten a little careless Christmas week. I don't regret this. It was an intended "diet break" for me. But I also have more work to do, and I want to be able to "strut my stuff" with confident abandon by late spring. I will need to prioritize and sacrifice and put in the work, make good choices, and take my plan one day at a time with laser focus.

2010 presented a lot of disappointments for me overall. I experienced loss, depression and sadness this past year like never before in my life. It sent me into a tailspin that I wasn't ready for, beating me down, and I've been fighting it ever since. I am ready to move forward and pick up the pieces.

If it's to be, it really IS up to me.

I made it to the gym yesterday and nailed glutes for the most part, with a little delt work thrown in. 30 mins cardio, 40 mins weights, total. Felt great. Reminders of my hard work already surfacing, as I made my way down the stairs an hour ago when I couldn't sleep....HELLOOOOO GLUTES. I've kept to VLC/LC Monday through Wednesday of this week, and I plan to continue that pattern through New Year's Eve, when I may allow myself a few more carbs, but still basically on plan.

Monday was my only day spent at the office this week. I've worked from home ever since, no reason to make the commute since my boss is out of town and there is no docket. It's been nice to be here with my sons and do the mom thing at a casual, relaxed pace.

I'm anxioius to see what the new year will bring. There are forces, situations, that I find myself confronted with which, if allowed, could beat me down, add stress to my life, exacerbate my frustrations. I choose to NOT ALLOW that to happen. I have to move past those distractions and disappointments and take care of myself, for myself, with careful focus on my desires and passions within me. Fitness is so very important to me. It defines who I am. No escaping it. I accept that willingly and with an attitude of dedication and commitment.

It's a new year, and I'm ready for a new chapter. Onward.

[Danipower714]

Originally Posted by WATCH-ME-SHRINK

It's a new year, and I'm ready for a new chapter. Onward.

YES!!!!!!!!!!

[sweettooth]

Originally Posted by WATCH-ME-SHRINK

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][B]

2010 presented a lot of disappointments for me overall. I experienced loss, depression and sadness this past year like never before in my life. It sent me into a tailspin that I wasn't ready for, beating me down, and I've been fighting it ever since. I am ready to move forward and pick up the pieces.

Hi Twyla!
catching up a bit with your journal... I'm so sorry to hear that all the sad events of this year are paying a toll on you

But look at it in a positive way: 2010 is over and you've learnt a lot from all you've been through , so I'm sure you'll start 2011 full of energy and with many more "weapons" to use against loss, sadness, stress and so on. I believe that when life beats us so strongly, we learn to change our priorities in life and understand what is really important for us, so that we are not bothered anymore by the "silly" things that used to get us upset.

I wish you a very special and happy 2011!!!!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Hey, Dani and Ellie.

Ellie, thank you for those positive affirmations. You're correct. We learn from our valleys, don't we? As uncomfortable as they can be, we can learn from them, grow stronger.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

It's New Year's Eve day, 2010. The last day of this year. The sun was shining this morning, mild out. A good morning for a run, the snow and ice having melted.

I was trying to decide if I could "manage" a decent run, considering the DOMS that had begun in the wee hours of yesterday morning from my glute work at the gym on Wednesday had intensified over the course of the day/evening. I can't remember when my glutes have been THIS SORE. OMG.

I decided to give it a go, do some light stretching, begin with power walking, and then ease into light, short intervals. By the end of my run, the soreness in my glutes had actually lessened a bit and of course the endorphin magic had had its way with me. I was SO GLAD I'd decided to go for it. I ended up with 12 intervals in a 36 min session.

Probably ate too much yesterday. A little too careless. Enjoyed some wine, which probably contributed to that carelessness. On the positive side, I got in a great 43 min Turbo Jam cardio workout. It had been a while, and the "shakeup" to my muscles and the challenge of the cardio intensity was such a rush! Felt wonderful. My obliques and my upper back and rear delts were sore this morning as a result. Love muscle confusion!

Today is my last day of passive nutritional vigilance. I won't be able to track my food anyway since we'll be eating out this evening. But I'll try to eat intuitively for most of the day and hold back until dinner.

I'm anxious to begin the "structure" that awaits me starting tomorrow. Tracking my food, tracking my water intake, planning out my workouts, tallying my cardio for the week.

The only thing misisng from this equation is a workout partner. The give-n-take exchange of nutritional and workout goals and deadlines. It can be quite motivating and inspirational. So few in my world share my enthusiasm. Or, if they DO make the decision to turn their fitness around, it seems it's short-lived.

It's been good having my older sons home, esp Gavin. He's very much into nutrition and training, and he holds me accountable and vice versa. I only wish he would show half that much interest in his grades -- yikes, how they've suffered this past semester. Hopefully "the talk" a few days ago will shame him into action and reprioritizing when he returns this semester.

Okay. Gotta go dry my hair and tidy up the house a bit, work on transcripts for a bit. It's a beautiful day out. Inspiration beckons me.

The new year awaits....

[tempted_by_food]

Happy Newyear may 2011 be filled to the brim with blessings, love, joy and happiness

[Glamour P!]

Happy Happy New Year T.....

Luv ya x x

[TaDa!]

Happy New Year Twyla!!! I am also chomping at the bit for all this holiday stuff to be done -- in my case so I can get back to business at the gym after a very lazy week! I too have no one who inspires me in real life ... but that's okkkkkkk I have people like you

Here's to an amazing 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Pauline

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Happy New Year,

TBF, Glam and Pauline!

Happy New Year, Everyone.

I'm ready to rock 2011.

I always liked the saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

There's a lot of truth in that sentence. Everyone runs into obstacles, setbacks, hurdles, disappointments, loss -- fill in the frikkin blank.

But it's not about the hurdle, it's about the resiliance to move past it, to not give up, to rise above, to be strong in the face of adversities and say, "I'm still going, I'm not quitting, I'm worth the effort. I will make something good out of this."

I find that seeking out the life rafts to keep me afloat is the most productive thing I can do. Circumstances, influences, "life," they all have a way of chipping away at our focus, our determination, our dreams, our happiness. It's gonna happen. Eventually. But we know ourselves better than anyone, and it's a matter of finding ways to stay afloat, to keep paddling, move forward, stay happy, inspired, motivated, mentally and physically STRONG.

It's far too easy to surrender or give in to defeat. That's a mindset. It's the "easy way out."

A new year is a great time to make affirmations, to turn it around, to change our mindset. Inspiration is a powerful thing.

I'm so ready for that.

I didn't expect to wake up feeling LIKE THIS today. It's a very strong force that I feel within me, as if blessed with some sort of epiphany in my sleep. This is good. No looking back.

Today will be all cardio. I plan to do 60 total minutes of cardio today in one form or another. Turbo Jam was so much fun and such great intensity the other day. I'm eager to do that workout again. So that's likely at least part of my cardio quota for today.

Nutrition? Okay. I plan to not count calories for a couple of days, just carbs. I am gonna try to keep carbs very low for 2-3 days, purge the cravings, and then start Monday tracking religiously.

A good start for a new year.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

Happy New Year Twyla!!! I am also chomping at the bit for all this holiday stuff to be done -- in my case so I can get back to business at the gym after a very lazy week! I too have no one who inspires me in real life ... but that's okkkkkkk I have people like you

Here's to an amazing 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Pauline

Pauline, this jumped out at me. I didn't realize that about you. Really? Hmmm.

Ya know what? We should draw from, quench our "appetites" and passions from each other. That's what support is all about, isn't it?

Count on me. And I plan to count on you.

Yes. Ditto.....Here's to an amazing 2011!

[TaDa!]

It's ok to be special, lol! To us Twyla!!!!!



Pauline

[Redeemed]

Stopping by to say, "Hello!" Have a blessed New Year!!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Stopping by to say, "Hello!" Have a blessed New Year!!

How sweet! I return the same warm wishes to you.

By the way, your wisemen quote made me think of my oldest son, who made it home for Christmas from Germany this year. Our church holds a candlelight Christmas Eve service each year, reenacting the Nativity on a stage in the round. There is acting, scripture, music, costumes, all of it. It's beautiful! My oldest son was asked to be one of the wisemen this year. He sang the third verse of We Three Kings as he entered the stage area, and made his way to the manger with his "gift." It was very cool watching him take part in this meaningful part of Christmas.

Today was successful. Stayed low carb all day, completed water quota (one more to go), and appetite and cravings less today than yesterday. Rest day from exercise. Yesterday was Turbo Jam and 20 mins of Callanetics.

I love the feeling of eating clean and being on track again.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Monday morning. New week. (Do I remember how to get to my office?)

2011. New Year.

I'm having coffee and within minutes will begin my full hour of Callanetics. My plan is to go to the gym after work today, again on Thursday, and again on Saturday. I'll try to get in 4-5 cardio workouts this week, and one other Callanetics workout.

I'm declaring war on my lower body and on my body's inclination to get lazy and sluggish and soft. Growing older can be painful, but only if we let it.

I felt even better this morning, the third day now on low carbs. I've only been doing cardio and Callanetics. Today will be my first day back to the gym since a few days after Christmas. SLACKER!

It's likely to be PACKED there. Likely? Hmph. More like guaranteed.

Reminds me of when I had just joined the Y last year around this time. Their weight room and cardio area (far smaller than my gym) was crawling with people. I also remember all the women growing mold in the cardio section. They were there when I arrived, and they were STILL there when I left. Keep on pedaling, baby. Pedal to the moon and back. Enjoy the ride.

I'm gonna throw some chicken breasts in the crockpot to have for dinner tonight. Chicken and green veggies is on plan for dinner.

Eggs and green salad for lunch.

My tracking begins today. I plan to review pages of my journal from about a year ago and review my successes. My tools and my guide.

Here's to a good week.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Monday totals:

45 mins Super Callanetics a.m.

GYM P.M.
12 mins cardio warmup
38 mins lower body, w/ 3 sets supine straight-arm pullovers
18 mins cardio s/s

NUTRITION:

CALS.......1633
PROT........136
CARBS........38
FIBER.........13
FAT...........109

MUST place a Netrition order tonight.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Tuesday January 4th.

I slept in 20 mins later this morning. On purpose. I'm trying to juggle my hours of sleep weekly, and every minute counts. Since this morning will be 30 mins of cardio, I knew I could sleep in a little later. My bedtime remains 10 pm. But I've decided to not get up early to exercise on Thursday and Friday mornings -- for now, to see how that works for me. Two extra days to sleep in. Thursdays are gym days anyway, so I'll be there each Thursday evening, and Friday late afternoon can be a gym day. There is some wiggle room for adjustments, yet it still leaves 3-4 gym visits a week.

I was going to wait to weigh in on Wednesday through Friday of this week, wanting to see if and how my weight may fluctuate in those three days, with Friday being my official face-the-music day. I woke up this morning to use the bathroom around 4:00 and I was having difficulty getting back to sleep because my tummy was growling. Hmmm. I eventually did, and when I woke up, decided to go ahead and see how much damage was still left over from last weekend.

I've lost all of my Christmas Day through New Year's weight and I'm down to what I weighed Christmas Eve. Wow. All of that accomplished just since Saturday. (albeit, mostly water weight)

Setpoints.

Now comes the hard part. Why is it that losing 8-10 lbs seems like such a spectacular, butt-busting feat? What is eight to ten pounds? It seems like such a small amount of weight to lose in the scheme of things, yet now is when it begins to come off SOOOOOO SLOWLY, so painfully.

I'm geared for the mission. What else do I have to do? Winter can be boring. Depressing. Give me a challenge. Something to look forward to, to be excited about. That alone could be enuf motivation.

Today is Gavin's "last supper" before heading north for his second semester. I'm having beef roast, etc. Since I'm LC and higher fat, this will work for me, along with green veggies. Zach will return to Germany on Sunday. It's been great having them home again, even with Gavin's messiness and slob appeal.

Then back to routine.

Gonna TRY to keep cals around 1500ish today.

I'm dialing back intensity a bit at the gym for a couple of weeks, just to get through the VLC and in solid focus, KEENLY aware of every nuance from my body's signals. The intensity can be increased when necessary.
For now, it's best to leave it set at "medium."

I'm jacked. My wings are back in action...
I believe I can fly.

[tempted_by_food]

Hey T...have you ever heard of the "The Grabriel Method" he talks about body set points and how to lose weight without dieting heres a link it is a bit lengthy at 56 minutes but it makes total sense I think I am going to read the book.

YouTube - Jon Gabriel - The Gabriel Method

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

"Sans."


Got it.

Thank you for that clip. I am most curious to watch this one. I'll watch and report back to you on this. Very cool.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

So far today I'm at 1254 cals, and that's including 1.7 oz of beef roast that I tasted when I walked in the door from work.

I'll likely stay within my goal of 1500 cals today. So far so good.

Turbo Jam this morning, about 28 mins, and hopefully another 20 mins of light cardio tonight.

Hunger very controlled today and energy up.

I found a great dark charcoal pinstripe suit on sale yesterday, great buy, lovely. The pinstripe is very tiny, and sort of pale aqua or teal. I'm on the hunt to find a feminine blouse or cami to wear under it. Picked up a couple tops today also, great buys, practically giving it away, one black, one nude. Me and my neutrals. Can't release their hold on me.

My youngest is going skiing Friday and has outgrown last year's coat, so I went out today to find him one -- no luck -- and ended up shopping for "Mommy" instead. Hopefully the one I've ordered him online will be here by Friday when he leaves after school.

Feeling encouraged and focused. I think I've found my way back. Thank God. My heart has been dark, lost, for so long.