Thursday, November 25, 2010

Weigh-in Wednesday #4 + is this the end?

Before I get started on yesterday's eats, I want to share some thoughts on Weigh-in-Wednesdays and where I am at with weight loss. This week's weigh-in was exactly the same as last week's - no change. Being a full-time student working 25+ hours a week in an office, I spend the majority of my time in class, studying, or at work, in other words pretty much dormant. My resting BMR is between 1350-1400, and with a sedentary lifestyle, my daily caloric needs are likely between 1600-1800. To lose 1lb a week (my goal) I need to deficit 500cal through either diet or exercise. I have not been able to find the time to go to a gym (and running outside is out of the question) and have been taking the dieting approach.

Subtracting 500 from my caloric needs, this would mean consuming between 1100-1300cal per day. Right now my target is between 1200 - 1550, with most days nearing the high end and a 'low' day being in the 1300s. However, 1 - 2 nights a week I usually go over by 1000, sometimes 2000 calories, essentially offsetting any progress I've made through the week.

To this I see three immediate options:

1. Make time to exercise: which I am not willing to do, as sleep, studying for exams, my job, and the few hours I spend per week with friends are more important right now.

2. Drop my calorie range to between 1100 - 1300 and eliminate high days: this was the route I tried to take during October which led to a period of binge-eating and food obsession. I was losing weight, but I was unhappy and slightly crazy. I avoided eating out and putting anything in my mouth that wasn't previously allotted for, and if you DARED offer me some of your chips or beer, you were my mortal enemy.

the truth is ... with a range of 1200 - 1550 I am able to have a few treats a day while meeting all my nutrients, I am not willing to risk my sanity now that I finally (after weeks of indulging on chocolate and ice cream) have returned to a healthy relationship with food

and as for eliminating high days, this would mean giving up my wine (and weekly pastry) habit. Some people may argue that this is a needed sacrifice in order to meet my goals, however, the way I choose to look at it is that if I were involved in an accident tomorrow. What would I regret more? Not having that glass of wine or share that chocolate croissant with the people closest to me? Or not saving 300 calories? while moderation is DEFINITELY the key in this regard, I am also not willing to put my life on hold for the pursuit of 'skinny'.

3. Keep doing what I'm doing: maybe I won't lose any weight in my current lifestyle, but I think I am ok with that. next semester when things become a little less crazy I definitely plan on incorporating exercise in my daily ritual, as for right now. I'm happy just making decisions that focus on health - both mentally and physically - does this mean the end of Weigh-in-wednesdays? Probably not, as I still would like to keep track of progress (if there is any) and certainly avoid upward shifts ... but at least for the next little while, I won't be disappointed if things stay exactly the way the are.

Enough blabber! On to the eats ...

Usual (can you believe it?!) breakfast sammie and grapes



Ham and egg with ketchup



Lunch was amazing! A ham sandwich with apple pear and carrots.



What made this sandwich amazing was BLUE CHEESE!!! Thick slices slightly melted into the bread with sprouts and lettuce to give it volume. I've stopped putting normal cheese in sandwiches because most of the time you can't taste it and it's a waste - but goat cheese, cream cheese, and blue cheese definitely have enough flavor to stand out against the bread! This combo was soooo good.



Dessert was a spicy apple ginger chew.



Kept my friend Kit company at the pit (haha) for a while. He got a burger and fries and a pitcher, I didn't touch the beer but did help myself to 4 waffle fries. (Mostly because I wanted to eat ketchup hahaha) We used to have the same spare last year with some other friends and would often go to the pit for their cheap burgers. The first time I've been there this year! (During the day)



Then I had some apple slices and carrot sticks during my last class of the day.



Then it was time for a special date night dinner! Al and I always talked about a pasta date night but never got around to doing it and last night was the night! Upon some recommendations from friends, we went to Trattoria where I got the Lobster Fettuccine ... the lighting makes it look yucky but I assure you it was excellent. Loooove lobster!



Followed by some necessary date night wine watching Glee!!! Two joys of my life. This was a South African shiraz that was very light and sweet (for a Shiraz), I really enjoyed it but Al didn't.



Also with wine comes chocolate! This are pretzel rods coated with caramel, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate drizzles. Like a chocolate lollipop almost. The sweet-salty-smooth-crunchy combo is so much more satisfying than just a square of chocolate ... it's also only 80 calories!



That concludes an awesome night that was most definitely over 1550calories! I'm surprised no ice cream was involved.

7 hours later I had to get up for work!! I stumbled around the kitchen and managed to make a breakfast. Bagel + Apple Pear.



This Bagel was an egg with the yolk broken when it was almost done and two slices of smoked ham.



I got to work really late because of an overnight snow storm and was cold, wet, and very dehydrated from drinking the night before. Misattribution to hunger and junk food cravings led to the consumption of some onion rings.



Breakfast (including onion rings): 299 calories

Lunch looks the same as all the other days, sandwich + fruit + too much cinnamon.



I read in the national post the other day about strange food pairings that work well. One of them being goat cheese and soy sauce. As I'm a huge advocate of both, I gave it a test try! I microwaved a chunk of goat cheese with a splash of soy sauce and smeared it over the bread while it was spreadable. The result was some INTENSE flavor that took some getting used to but really, quite delicious!



And some candy. I'm addicted to these ginger candies!!



Lunch: 370 cal

During my lunch break I met my friend Emily and her co-worker Lindy at the Blenz for an Americano and a sample piece of chocolate banana loaf. Mmmm.



And then I was SWAMPED with work by the time I got back to the office. Literally came out of no-where, finish this as fast as you can but do it perfectly, kind of swamped.

I wanted to stress eat like CRAZY!!! I think my hand opened and closed the candy drawer probably 15 times!! Each time I asked myself, "Will eating make your situation better?" and the answer was a consistent and resounding NO. I concentrated on my work and instead took a snack break when my stomach started grumbling.

Granola Bar that tastes like a chocolate bar!



Followed by some actual chocolate. (Actual amount consumed greater than amount shown)



Afternoon snack: 298cal

I stayed two hours overtime today because I wanted to make sure my work was perfect. In the end, I don't think it was, but it really was the best that I could do. That's the thing with real life vs school work. You never know what's 100% ... by the time I got home it was 7 and I was STARVING. Dinner was leftover pasta with a green salad.



A big handful of lettuce and a big handful of sprouts dressed in watered-down tzatziki sauce.



Leftovers are amazing because you know how much deliciousness to expect ... in this case a lot! (Look at that giant chunk of lobster)



Grapes make the perfect dessert!



Dinner: 435cal (estimated amount for the pasta)

Total: 1402cal

What a long day it's been! So ready for a relaxing weekend of just catching up on sleep and schoolwork, and round 2 of date night to break up the monotony on Saturday. :)

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