Today, Bitches.

Wherein I battle my inner demons, one day at a time.

[elephanticorn]

There's an image I've heard people in recovery use-- that getting one's addictions all under control is a little like putting an octopus to bed.

Anne Lamott, “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”

[elephanticorn]

So, who thought that this kind of greek yogurt tastes like strawberry cheesecake? Okay, well, you’re wrong and you should feel bad.

[elephanticorn]

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it."

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

[elephanticorn]

Kitchen Experiments

I think I did pretty fantastic for it being Monday.

Fitness: Worked out for an hour, strength training and functional agility training. Did my plank challenge (2:22 out of 2:30, so close!) and my wall sit challenge (40 seconds, 10 seconds rest x3).

Nutrition: Healthy omelette for breakfast, healthy chicken and apple for lunch, and peanut butter. Greek yogurt and almonds as my afternoon snack. And for dinner, a new recipe! tp://thewilyhound.com/2012/07/31/quick-recipe-quinoa-with-chicken-sausage-and-vegetables/

And then, two squares of dark chocolate for dessert. So basically, I ate healthy, avoided binging, ate only when I was hungry, and incorporated new foods into my diet. If I had only drank more water today, it would have been near perfect.

Mentality: Today makes me feel way better about myself than yesterday did. Yesterday, I had some trouble with binging on cheese and bread and ice cream sandwiches. I think I have to attribute that to sitting on my ass and watching OITNB. Bingewatching=binge eating for me. But I had a moment of clarity and threw the ice cream sandwiches away! Small victory, but the day was still a bust. Oh well, onwards and upwards.

[elephanticorn]

Weekend Warrior

So, yesterday I did slip, but did NOT let my slip turn into an all-out binge, even though I wanted to. And I am super proud of myself for that.

My dad had this cinnamon bread that they give you with pizza, and I ate probably 3/4 of that kind of early in the day. But having done that, I didn’t throw in the towel.

I had a healthy omelette for breakfast, a salad for lunch, an apple and a cheese stick as snacks, and beet noodles with chicken for dinner. 

I had a craving for probably 2 hours for an ice cream sandwich, and so I went to see Inside Out instead, and kept myself captive away from food. Although this isn’t always the best strategy, given the smell of movie theatres, it worked.

Onwards and upwards! Fighting the binges, one day at a time.

[elephanticorn]

The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences."

Winston Churchill

[elephanticorn]

It’s Today! Hooray!

Yesterday was full of excitement, but there’s no time like the present. Today, I played an hour of frisbee and burned a crapton of calories.

Fitness Challenges for Today:

Plank 2:00; Wall Sit 2:00; Practice Wall Planks/Beginning Handstands for 5:00.

I’m also going to work on not being a recluse. I have an invitation to a rooftop movie watching party with a bunch of strangers, so I just need to make sure I don’t succumb to my introvert impulses and give an excuse to not show up.

Food Challenges:

I need to drink more water than I did yesterday. I had a healthy omelette for breakfast, but I also had toast with butter and jam, so for the rest of the day I need to try to be healthier in my choices.

Other Challenges:

Complete at least two Udemy videos on learning CSS.

What are your challenges for today, Tumblr?

[elephanticorn]

Today’s Victories

So, today I wanted to exercise and eat clean. In one sense, I achieved that. In another, I didn’t.

Breakfast and dinner were solid. Lunch was terrible. I had lunch with a friend in a restaurant, and it is $5 Burger Week, so I ended up having most of a burger. I substituted broccoli for the fries, but I still feel kind of guilty about the burger.

Dinner, though, I was really proud of myself. A week or so back, I ordered these dinners from Hungry Root, which is this company that sells pre-packaged veggie noodle dinners. For anyone who wants to eat healthier but doesn’t have the time to prep a fancy and healthy meal, this is a great alternative.

Tonight, I cooked their Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Alfredo. The whole package was 380ish calories, and it was large enough to split in two! So I added four ounces of chicken to the whole thing, and I feel full and happy. 

I DID complete my fitness challenge of Planks and Wall Sits. Next month, I think I might want to do a push-up challenge and a yoga challenge. Does anyone have any suggestions for a monthly yoga challenge?

After talking on NerdFitness, I am going to try not to eat anything after 8:30 this evening. 

Pictures of the noodles:

[yourfitnessjourney]

[elephanticorn]

Here we are, this is the vibe I am going with today.

[elephanticorn]

Making a Change

I’ve titled my blog, TODAY, BITCHES. I’ve done that because 1) I need to stop being complacent about where I am in my life, 2) to celebrate the present-tense, and 3) because I like calling people BITCHES.

At any rate, TODAY is when I am going to remake myself. I can’t be inundated any more with monthly challenges or five year plans. I have to stop looking to the future for the answers.

I am 199 pounds. After 85 pounds of weight loss, and 25 pounds of rebound weight, I am almost now at the 200 mark, a place that I never wanted to be again. I am hitting the RESPAWN button and going back to my last save point.

Tumblr, will you hear my cries for accountability and support? I feel like you will, you beautiful bastards.

TODAY:

199 pounds. Ran 3 min 1 min intervals for 30 minutes. Ran sprint-walk-run-walk intervals for 15 minutes. Fitness challenge of planking for 2:15 minutes and wall sits of 1:30 minutes to be done this afternoon.

Nutrition Challenge: Going out to eat and not giving into the menu. Eating a healthy dinner. Getting enough water. No binge eating.