28 September 2012

Weekly weigh-in #14 : -2.1kg (total -15.1kg)

Remember what I said about getting ready for the next battle last week?  Well, I clearly won this one.  I aced two of my objectives in one go : 10% of my starting weight as well as the -15kg badge.

21 September 2012

Weekly weigh-in #13 : -0.0kg (total -13kg)

Status quo this week. 
I have a feeling I hit a plateau every time I have had a significant loss.  I know it means that my body is adjusting itself to the new weight and that this plateau or stabilisation is necessary in order to avoid the yoyo effect. 

17 September 2012

Hitting the weights

Foodwise, this hasn't been the best of days. Although I stayed with my calories budget, I clearly messed up my proportions by indulging on cheeses (needless to say, full-fat ones) during the afternoon. It had been a while since I had this type of craving, and since I wasn't at home (bc cat-sitting at my parents' house), I didn't have any healthy options to flee too.  I was caught completely unaware. It could have been worse though as there were sugary treats available.  In the spur of the moment, I thought that cheese, being a source of protein, would be the healthier choice.  When I see that the 60g of gruyere cheese cost about 250 kcal, I am not quite so convinced anymore.

16 September 2012

A crappy runner

Today started with a sleep-in and me skipping the Start2Run workout in the forest at 10.00.  I know, it's a bad start to a running training.  It's just that I came home after midnight from my birthday dinner party, and instead of hitting the sack, decided to fiddling around the house for another two hours.  I can't honestly remember what I did, but it explains why I couldn't get myself into a vertical position after repeatedly snoozing the alarm.

15 September 2012

Nearly Wordless Saturday (Teppanyaki birthday dinner)


Until tomorrow,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 271 kcal (20 cl halfskimmed milk, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate)

Lunch : 423 kcal (Chicken Saladwich & Raw Ham/Melon Salad)

Dinner : ?? kcal (the above pictured teppanyaki birthday dinner)


Drinks :   1.5L water + 1 alcoholfree cocktail

The dinner is missing from this overview.


14 September 2012

Weekly weigh-in #12 : -0.6kg (total -13kg)

I came home from Spain with an extra kilogram (thanks to tinto de verano and other delicious calorie bombs) on my frame.  So although this loss might seem small compared to the pre-holiday weigh-in, I actually lost 1.6 kg this week.

Quite happy to be back on track and having lost the holiday "souvenir" with some extras.  Time to start again in earnest.

Until tomorrow,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast :139 kcal (2 light toast with homemade peach jam, 1 peach yoghurt 0% fat)

Lunch : 489 kcal (2 inari sushi, 2 california rolls, gari, shoju with wasabi, wakame salad)

Dinner : 554 kcal (steak with garlic oyster mushrooms)


Drinks :   2.5L still water



13 September 2012

Happy Birthday to me :o)


Today, and for the 10th time in a row, I turned 29. :o)  

Something to celebrate with some cake, or in this case, cakes.  My colleagues were very pleased when these guilty pleasures turned up on the office's kitchen counter.  
Despite tomorrow's weigh-in, I did treat myself to some of the cake, but with moderation obviously. I didn't go overboard on the sugar intake although the cakes were really to die for.  When I bought them, undersigned chocoholic had a crush on the chocolate mousse cake but in the end, the passion fruit bavarois turned out to be my fave.

Only downer on this festive day?  I got myself a parking ticket while I was in the bakery.  So these treats turned out to be more expensive than initially planned, but still well worth it.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh-in !

Until tomorrow,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 8 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate 5 pts, apple)

Lunch : 5 pts (4 wasa crispbreads 3 pts and 200g mandjeskaas 2pts, 1 spring onion)

Dinner : 6 pts (200g steamed turkey 5pts, 200g carrots 0pts, 100 ml tomato/zucchini soup 1pt)

Snack : 11? pts (a tiny piece of the chocolate cake and a small piece of the bavarois)

Unused : 16 pts

Drinks :   2.3L still water + 1 can Diet Coke

The cake pieces are missing on this chart because I have no idea what their value was.


12 September 2012

Start2Run >>> ready, set, go !

Today was my first day of the Start2Run programme.  I was a bit nervous because while most people come with a partner or a friend, I was on my own and didn't know any of the other participants.

First surprise on arrival in the forest : cars everywhere.  How many people were going to be there?  On the info meeting, we were about 30 people but the number of people waiting for the start signal was far superior.  We were 62 runners and some of the people who registered couldn't make it to the first run.  The group is huge !  As usual the number will dwindle when the weather gets really bad/cold, or as the pace picks up.  Hopefully, I won't be one of the dropouts.

When I tried the C25K programme on the iphone two months ago, I couldn't run more than 30 sec without having the impression that my heart was about to jump out of my chest.  Since then I have been powerwalking a lot and my walking pace has increased substantially, but I never tried running again.  I was wondering if I would be able to make the 1 minute runs this time.  It seems silly for experienced runners (1 minute runs? Ridiculously easy.) but I swear that by the 8th interval the minute seemed to last an eternity.

Anyway, the 1 minute runs where followed by 3 min walks and although the first 5 runs were going just fine, I was really struggling to keep running during the last three ones.  Next run will be this Friday, with 1 minute runs and 2 minute walking intervals.  I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Foodwise, things seem to be working out nicely.  I had a yoghurt at 4.00 PM and had dinner after the run.  I went slightly overboard on the amount of fish I prepared, but I didn't add any fat and omitted any starchy foods.  Hopefully Miss Scales will also be impressed by this change in energy input.

Until tomorrow,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 8 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate 5 pts, apple)

Lunch : 13 pts (endives with ham and cheese 9pts, 200g potato 4pts)

Dinner : 5 pts (240g steamed seawolf and 200g leek)

Snack : 1 pts (Vitalinea strawberry yoghurt)

Unused : 19 pts

Drinks :   2.5L still water



11 September 2012

In perfect health

Good news from the health front : I am apparently a quite healthy fatty, much to the surprise of the endocrinologist.  No cholesterol, no hypertension, no diabetes, ... With the exception of my slacking thyroid, my bloodworks are textbook material. :o)

I am really happy that all is working as it should.  For the thyroid, they upped my medication again and I'll have to go in for more bloodworks in 6 weeks to see how I react to the higher hormonal dose.

The dietician was very pleased with my weight loss to date and didn't have any substantial remark on my food plan.  The only thing she said was that I should have a snack in the afternoon.  That way, I will be less ravenous come dinner time and it will be easier to downsize the importance of dinner in the whole day.  At the moment, dinner brings about 40% of my daily energy and I should be able to reduce it to about 30%.  By cutting down on carbs during the evening and having a protein rich snack in the afternoon, the balance should be restored.  I am going to eat a yoghurt around 5 PM and see how that works.  She set an interim goal of an extra -15kg, which I should reach over the next 6 months.  Considering my weightloss over the past weeks, I think this number might be a bit too cautious, but we'll see.

Next Monday I am going to meet a physical therapist to set up a workout, cardio and muscle strengthening.  Before setting off on the workout though, he wants me to have an appointment with a cardiologist.  In the programme, they really aren't taking any chances with me.

Talking about exercising, I am starting Start2Run tomorrow night.  The group is meeting in the forest at 6.30 PM, and I bought some lightweight running gear today.  Unfortunately, I had to shop in the men's department as the women running clothing line doesn't go over a size L.  Isn't it contradictory that you have to exercise to loose weight, but that they don't provide you with the appropriate gear just because you are too big?  It's another pet peeve of mine, so I won't go into it tonight, but I find it highly annoying.

Until tomorrow,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 4 pts (soyjoy apple bar)

Lunch : 8 pts (Ratatouille Bento : Valess BBQ filet 4pts, 100g potato 2pts, 1 tsp olive oil 1pt, ratatouille veggies 0pts, fruit 0pts)

Dinner : 12 pts (endives with ham and cheese 9pts, 160g potato 3pts)

Snack : 5 pts (petit louis cheese and ham)

Unused : 18 pts

Drinks :   2L still water



10 September 2012

Back on the diet wagon

Back at work after a week abroad.

Unsurprisingly, eating out every single day without control on what went into the dish, led to a gain of 1.1 kg.  An unofficial gain obviously, as my official weigh in will be this Friday and I plan to get rid again of the extra kilo by then.  So I did slip off the diet wagon a bit, like the kitty on the right.  But I managed to hang on in order to limit the damages.

I will be spending the whole day at the hospital tomorrow, with appointments with the endocrinologist, the psychologist, the dietician and the physical therapist, ...  I should also receive the results of my glucose resistance test.  Fingers crossed that all the results will be great.

Until tomorrow for the update,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 8 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate 5 pts, apple)

Lunch : 10 pts (6 wasa crispbreads and 125g philadelphia light salmon cheese)

Dinner : 16 pts (omelet with 140g ham and 200g potatoes)

Unused : 12 pts

Drinks :   2L still water



1 September 2012

Making healthy choices

Making healthy choices is something you shouldn't forget, even on holiday.

My airport ritual consisted always of a White Cafe Mocha at Starbucks.  For most people, Starbucks is very ordinary but the store at the airport is the only one I know in my surroundings, so going there is always something special.

I checked the Starbucks website to find out how costly in calories my regular treat was and was gobsmacked when I found out it was almost 500 kcal. Come again?

I talked about it with friends on FB and one friend from the US suggested ordering a skinny version. I didn't know you could.  So I perused the website and found this 130 kcal frappuccino caramel light, the perfect replacement for my usual calorie bomb.

In general, I am strongly opposed to drinking my caloric budget, but I make an exception for special occasions. and I think holidays qualify for that category.

Until tomorrow ...


Overview of my day :


Breakfast : 4 pts (tall frapuccino caramel light)

Lunch : 7?? pts (70g sandwich on the iberia flight : polar bread, cheese and ham) 

Dinner : 20?? pts (150g tapeo latino, 60g manchego, 3 crackers, 250g tortilla de patatas, 40g fuet nobleza)


Unused : 15 pts


Drinks :   2L still water.





31 August 2012

Weekly weigh-in #10 : -2.9kg (total -12.4kg)

The title says it all. Very happy about my week.  :o)

Tomorrow, I'll be off to Spain for a week, so I don't know if I'll be able to update this blog. I already have the travel blog to keep, so I probably leave this one for a week.

Until tomorrow or next week,



Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 7 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness plain 4 pts, apple)

Lunch : ?? pts (2 inari sushi and 2 spring roll shrimp sushi with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger)

Dinner : 13 pts (WW pizza with salad and lightmustard dressing)

Unused : ?? pts (the only certainty is that I used 20 points out of 46)

Drinks :   1.5L still water

Totals for breakfast and dinner as lunch values are a big mystery


30 August 2012

Looking for clues

For the past week, my weight has been going down steadily without my knowingly changing anything in particular to my diet or activity level.  I plateau-ed around -9kg for almost two weeks before my body decided to give up resistance and let go.  As of this morning, I have accumulated a -2.9 kg loss this week.  Not sure what tomorrow's official number will be, but there you go ...

Because I like to know why things changed suddenly and also because I am still trying to determine which foods (besides bread) are processed slower than others by my metabolism , I had a closer look at my food diary and fitbit stats of the past week and I noticed several things.

1.  Since last Thursday, my daily calorie intake has been hovering around 1.500 kcal, sometimes, just over but usually just under.  This is only about 100/150 kcal lower than my average during the plateau period i.e 2 apples worth.  Such a small difference, isn't it?

2.  For the past 7 days, my carb/fat/protein ratio has been more balanced.


I have to honestly say, that I never paid much attention to the ratios.  My main focus has always been to make healthy choices and to keep the kcal in check, in order to achieve a deficit of at least 750 kcal a day.  

3.  My dinner, which up to now was always about 40% of my daily energy intake has dropped to 34%, closer to the recommended 30% for weight loss.

4. My amount of daily steps have gone from around 5.000 steps to around 6.500. 

I don't know if these findings are just a lucky coincidence or are truly the key to speed up my weight loss.  There is only one way to find out and that is to persevere in that direction.  It will be hard to keep up this winning streak next week though, as being abroad on holiday, we will be eating out every single day.  But I'll do my best.

Until tomorrow ...


Overview of my day :


Breakfast : 7 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g plain nestlé fitness 4pts, apple)

Lunch : 11 pts (Thai Meatballs Bento: ground beef meatballs with rice and pak choi, snowpeas and baby corn cobs) 

Dinner : 14 pts (veal sausage, boiled potatoes and cut green beans)


Unused : 15 pts


Drinks :   2L still water.





29 August 2012

Start2Run

I went to the infosession about the Start2Run programme tonight and decided to sign up for the athletics club and the programme at the same time.

According to the schedule, we should be able to run a 5K by December 16.  Looking forward to that :o)

First session will be on September 12, and until mid-October all the training sessions will be held in the forest.  Sounds like fun.
 
Until tomorrow ...


Overview of my day :


Breakfast : 5 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate 5pts, apple)

Lunch : 12 pts (Chicken Shawarma Bento: chicken shawarma with one pitabread and aioli made of a lowfat petit suisse cheese with garlic)

Dinner : 11 pts (Thai meatballs with rice)


Unused : 19 pt

Drinks :   3L still water.




28 August 2012

Black & Blue

I hear black and blue are the new winter colours. Me and my bruises are very fashionable, indeed. Can't wait to get some new colours tomorrow ... Not.
 
Until tomorrow ...


Overview of my day :


Breakfast : 8 pts (20 cl halfskimmed milk 3pts, 45g nestlé fitness chocolate 5pts, apple)

Lunch : 9 pts (half a light mozzarella ball with tomato and 1 tsp of olive oil, 4 wasa crispbreads with light philadephia salmon cheese and two plums for dessert)

Dinner : 12 pts (chicken shawarma with one pitabread and aioli made of a lowfat petit suisse cheese with garlic)


Unused : 18 pt

Drinks :   2.75L still water.




27 August 2012

First day of tests

Today I had my first day of tests at the hospital, a prerequisite to start the obesity platform programme.  When I had my talk with the psychologist at the end of July, she told me I needed to schedule an appointment in order to get bloodworks done.  The leaflet she handed me over said that it would take about three hours, which I found a bit strange because even with my bad veins, it wouldn't take that long to fill a couple of vials.

At the scheduled time, I was sitting in the waiting room with several other programme candidates. A nurse came to fetch us and lead us to a room with four beds, telling us to get comfy. Huh?  Apparently, the scheduled appointment was more than just regular bloodworks.  They also planned a glucose tolerance test.  If you never had this type of test done, it consists of fasting for 8/10 hours (i.e no eating or drinking from 10 PM onwards) before getting blood drawn.  After that initial sample, they make you drink a solution of 75g glucose (extremely sweet and sticky, think warm flat fanta syrup) and afterwards take three vials of blood every half hour for a 2 hours period) to see how quickly your body disposes of the excess sugar.

Problems is that with my bad veins, the IV they placed in order to draw the many blood vials easily, clogged up almost immediately.  They tried finding other veins for an IV without much success and ended up trying out several places painstakingly drawing blood 2 ml at the time.  As a result of this 3 hour long "battle of the veins", my hands, wrists and arms are sore and bruised.

And the best part?  The hospital called me again this afternoon.  Because of the whole messy business, some of the samples were compromised and I need to go back on Wednesday for more bloodworks. :o( Sometimes I wonder why this type of thing always happens to me.

Anyway, I'll have the results when I go back after my holidays.  I have never had any problems besides the thyroid thing, but now I feel a bit anxious.  Hopefully nothing will show up on the test results. Time will tell.

Until tomorrow ...


Overview of my day :

Breakfast : 8 pts (1 apple after the test and I estimated the value of the testing fluid for 75g of glucose)


Dinner : 10 pts (130g steak, 300g cauliflower, 200g potatoes and a white sauce made from 100ml semi skimmed milk and 1 tsb of flour, one petit louis cheese)


Unused : 18 pt

Drinks :   3.5L still water.