iChan: 38th Best... Around...: June 2011

These "Walk Outs"

Today's Results

The scale reads: 140 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 10005 steps (3434 aerobic steps for 29 minutes), 3.94 mi., 274 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Dance It Off and Tone It Up (10 minutes)
Cheryl Burke's Disco Abs - Boogie Oogie Buns and Thighs (20 minutes)
Leslie Sansone's "Cardio Slimdown" (20 minutes)
Jane Fonda's Prime Time Walk Out (23 minutes?)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

AM Snack

Blueberry Light and Fit
Pink Lady apple

Mood Before:

Tired and running on adrenaline.

Mood After:

Ready to go back to sleep.

Lunch

2 chicken tenders (like the last couple of days)
Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots

Mood Before:

Hungry. I need a more substantial meal.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

Chips and salsa
Adobe Avocado (stuff avocado with chicken)
Spanish rice
Refried beans
Tilapia

Mood Before:

Rushed.

Mood After:

I overdid it. Wishy-washy.

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

In the last couple of years, it seems like the public is embracing walking with the outpour of walk out DVDs, Shape-Ups, Reetones, 10k steps/day plans and so forth. Yeah, I can say I totally jumped onto this bandwagon especially with my obsession to get in my steps. However, the walk out DVDs hasn't really piqued my interest like the other Wal*Mart or Target varieties.

This evening I finally tried a Leslie Sansone with ExerciseTV. Not a fan. At all. Her laugh reminds me of a Nicole Sullivan character from MADtv. Her enthusiasm doesn't seem genuine. I didn't really break out a sweat.

I thought good ol' Jane wouldn't let me down. Oh, but she did. My thoughts echo this Amazon review.

Have you tried one of these "Walk Outs?"

Was I naive in my thinking that walk workouts could be an equal amongst my high impact or multi-interval aerobic library?

Jillian Michaels "FREE" Offer... Hmm?

Today's Results

The scale reads: 141 lbs. (Analog scale - Yay! A new low on the analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 15404 steps (6593 aerobic steps for 67 minutes), 6.07 mi., 451 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Jane Fonda's Complete Workout (35 minutes)
Knockout Body (20 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Nature's Own™ Healthy Multi Grain with Peter Pan™ creamy peanut butter
Raspberry Light 'n' Fit yogurt

Mood Before:

Forced against my will. Do I really have to eat breakfast?

Mood After:

Neutral.

AM Snack

Mango

Mood Before:

Pressured. Didn't want it to go to waste.

Mood After:

Shocked. It took me 21 bites to finish this "small" mango.

Lunch

2 Lemon chicken tenders sans sugar and curry sauce
Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with garlic and herbs

Mood Before:

Annoyed.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

2 Lemon chicken tenders sans sugar and curry sauce
Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with garlic and herbs

Mood Before:

Rushed. Hungry.

Mood After:

Satisfied and ready to bust out the Jane Fonda.

Evening Snack

--Skipped (since I had more than 80 bites today)--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Image courtesy of ty.rannosaur.us

While reading fitness, I couldn't help but notice an ad for free copies of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and Shred-It. I've always heard her name in magazines, ExerciseTV, and random talk show segments. I never watched The Biggest Loser so I have no idea how her harsh, demanding intervention works with weight loss.

Shreddy shred shred. Why did she decide to call her workout "The Shred?" I think of a weak, bumbling fool. The Shredder. Shredder never effectively shred anything with those metallic spikes.

Anyways, I don't know if it's worth the $5 S&H gamble to get

2 "free" DVDs
2 "free" weeks access to the online diet and fitness plan (It typically costs $4/week and you're automatically billed quarterly if you forget to cancel during your free trial. It's a total of $208 if you forget about it the whole year.)

What have you heard about Jillian Michaels? Would you take up this offer?

80 Bites

Yesterday's Results

The scale reads: 143 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 14821 steps (3796 aerobic steps for 39 minutes), 5.84 mi., 415 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Cheryl Burke's Disco Abs - That's the Way I Like It Abs (5 minutes)
Paula Abdul's Cardio Dance (25 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Nutella™ on a slice of Nature's Own™ Healthy Multi Grain bread

Mood Before:

Reluctant. I have to force myself to eat? Just because it's breakfast?

Mood After:

Indifferent.

AM Snack

Blueberries

Mood Before:

Excited. Yay, antioxidants!

Mood After:

Skeptical. How long did I have this carton of blueberries?

Lunch

Yellow squash with garlic and herb
Chicken fajita

Mood Before:

Rushed. The blueberries didn't hold me over.

Mood After:

Relieved.

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

Lemon chicken tenders sans sugar and curry sauce
Cherry tomatoes
Mango

Mood Before:

Excited.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

Evening Snack

Small pink lady apple

Mood Before:

Stressed.

Mood After:

More calm.

Inspiring graduation speeches (like Conan O'Brien's recent Darmouth College address or Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University address) not only move people to find a suitable career, but to find the courage to pursue other ventures even though there maybe naysayers and hiccups along the way. I'm my own naysayer at times and I've definitely experienced self-imposed hiccups during this weight loss endeavor. I just haven't really made it a priority. With less than a month to go before the weigh in, I need to make this a priority.

That means saying to better portion control to food items like:

King's Biergarten wienerschnitzel with a variety of sausages

Brick House's fried zucchini with sriracha

Brick House's prime rib sandwich with garlic tater tots

Pappa's BBQ Endless pork ribs

Wings 'n' More Fried Twinkies

Wings 'n' More Monte Cristo with chips

Bakkhus burger with Parmesan fries

Captain D's stuffed crab, Gulf Coast shrimp, and fried fish filet

80 Bites - The App
If my phone were smarter and part of the "i" family of Apple products, I might give the 80 Bites app a chance to help with portion control. According to Fitness, it helps stop mindless eating by tracking bites. Yes, bites. To reach your ideal weight, "experts" say, you should take no more than 80 bites per day.

What if you chomp your food? What if you're a nibbler? I don't know if this 80 bites business works for everyone. What is considered the average bite size for each person?

I'll try to count my bites. Let's see how many bites I take a day.

The Sleep and Food Mood Journal is Kind of a Drag

I've noticed through this logging of my hydration, sleep, and food that I'm a big-time Debbie Downer to myself. Whenever I'm getting all right sleep I subconsciously mess it up with inactivity or eating to combat some minuscule stress I'm experiencing (In my mind, I'm exaggerating how horrible my current dieting and exercise levels are).

I will work on getting at least consistent hours of sleep, drinking more water (to keep me awake when it counts), and eating when I'm not an anxious wreck. I'm really a grumpy, anxious person as of late whenever I finish eating. I guess I am more of an emotional eater than I would admit.

Yesterday's Results

The scale reads: Didn't weigh myself today Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 11253 steps (6686 aerobic steps for 71 minutes), 4.44 mi., 319 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Jane Fonda's Lower Body Solution (35 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

7½

Breakfast

Kellogg's™ Frosted Mini Shredded Wheat with 2% Milk (in an 8 oz. cup)
Nutella™ on a single slice of Nature's Own™ Healthy Multi Grain bread

Mood Before:

Bordering on cranky.

Mood After:

More motivated to start the day.

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

Cantaloupe
Lenny's Sub Sour Cream and Onion chips

Mood Before:

Edgy.

Mood After:

Drowsy and tired.

Dinner/Supper

HEB Chicken fajita
Yellow squash with garlic and herb

Mood Before:

Dizzy and disoriented.

Mood After:

Charged up to do some aerobics.

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

June 26^th's Results

The scale reads: 147 lbs. (Digital scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 4108 steps (0 aerobic steps for 0 minutes), 1.62 mi., 117 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

Captain D's fried Gulf shrimp (6)
Captain D's stuffed crab
Captain D's fried fish filet (1)
Broccoli
Fried okra
Cocktail sauce (used on the seafood)

Mood Before:

Disoriented.

Mood After:

Sluggish.

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

2 pieces of ribs
Spanish rice
Potato salad

Mood Before:

Overwhelmed.

Mood After:

Overwhelmed.

Evening Snack

Klondike™ Heath bar

Mood Before:

Sweet tooth.

Mood After:

Relieved. I shared it with Chris.

June 25^th's Results

The scale reads: 147 lbs. (Digital scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 8799 steps (3814 aerobic steps for 36 minutes), 3.47 mi., 231 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Cardio Tease (20 minutes)
Get Into the Move: Get Up and Dance (20 minutes)
Get Into the Move: Cardio Challenge (20 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Pancake (3 small ones)
Turkey bacon
Grapes
Strawberry

Mood Before:

I'm not hungry, but everyone else is eating.

Mood After:

Neutral.

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

Cheetos Flammin' Hots Limón
Fritos with Tapatío

Mood Before:

Needy.

Mood After:

Still needy.

Dinner/Supper

Spring roll (1½ rolls)
Super meat combo pho

Mood Before:

Stressed and hungry.

Mood After:

Calm.

Evening Snack

Popcorn

Mood Before:

Bored? Needed something to munch on as I watch a movie.

Mood After:

Regretful. I practically ate an entire 3.5 oz bag.

June 24^th's Results

The scale reads: 145 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 10869 steps (5944 aerobic steps for 57 minutes), 4.28 mi., 295 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Jane Fonda's Step Aerobics (45 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

Chicken club sandwich
Pasta salad

Mood Before:

Rushed.

Mood After:

Foggy.

PM Snack

Coffee Oasis' spiced hot chocolate

Mood Before:

Excited that I'm alone with Chris at this local coffee place.

Mood After:

Fulfilled.

Dinner/Supper

Bakkhus burger
Parmesan fries
Piece of gyro with fire feta

Mood Before:

Indecisive.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

Evening Snack

Dunn Bros. Amaretto Frappe-like thing
Coconut porter

Mood Before:

Sluggish.

Mood After:

Impatient with myself. I drank a lot of empty calories tonight.

June 23^rd's Results

The scale reads: 144 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 11203 steps (4757 aerobic steps for 55 minutes), 4.42 mi., 335 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Banana
Nutella on Nature's Own™ Healthy Multi Grain bread

Mood Before:

Tired.

Mood After:

A bit more energized.

AM Snack

Cantaloupe
Blueberries

Mood Before:

Wishy washy.

Mood After:

I need the fruit.

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

Pringles Cheddar Multigrain chips
Hot dog with spicy mustard

Mood Before:

Famished.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

Dinner/Supper

1 glass of sangria from Chelsea Wine Bar

Mood Before:

Rushed and guilty.

Mood After:

Not happy with my low tolerance.

Evening Snack

Fried Twinkies (1 ½)
½ of a Monte Cristo with chips
St. Arnold's Summer Pilsner

Mood Before:

Sociable.

Mood After:

Remorse. I wish I ate a more substantial dinner so I didn't go crazy with the calories this late.

June 22^nd's Results

The scale reads: 144 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 8019 steps (3578 aerobic steps for 38 minutes), 3.16 mi., 224 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

Dumplings with soy sauce and garlic

Mood Before:

On edge.

Mood After:

Relaxed

PM Snack

Soy sauce chicken (2 pieces)
Soy sauce egg
Chinese vegetables
Rice

Mood Before:

Cautious.

Mood After:

Grateful.

Dinner/Supper

Lenny's Sub roast beef sandwich

Mood Before:

Prepared.

Mood After:

Relieved and grateful that my aunt sent me off on a full stomach before the event.

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Sleep and Food Mood Journal Roll

Wow, because of this journal, I want to eat less so I don't have to record that much. I'll provide the accompanying pictures of my new eating adventures in the next post. For now, take a look at how commitments and social gatherings really do me in with my eating habits. Plus, I didn't reach 10k steps every day in the last 5 days. I had instances of over-sleeping and under-sleeping. Ironically, in both scenarios, I tend to eat more throughout the day.

I will find ways to balance good sleep, hydrating, eating, and staying more active this week.

Yesterday's Results

The scale reads: 145 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 10093 steps (1124 aerobic steps for 10 minutes), 3.98 mi., 289 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Walked to and from Space Center Houston
Walking to the laundry area, dealing with mosquitoes, folding up large items

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Italian blended vegetables (lima bean, carrot, squash, and cauliflower) with garlic herb

Mood Before:

Grumpy. I hope it won't upset my stomach since I left it in the microwave and forgot to refrigerate it

Mood After:

Indifferent.

AM Snack

Banana

Mood Before:

Obligated. This banana will go to waste if I don't eat it soon. Like now.

Mood After:

Dissatisfied. It was too ripe.

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

Laughing Cow™ Creamy Swiss and Ritz™ crackers

Mood Before:

Need to fulfill myself. Something is lacking here.

Mood After:

Indifferent.

Dinner/Supper

Pink lemonade
Potato salad
Mixed green with balsamic vinaigrette
Brisket
Chicken breast
Sausage
Garlic toast
Peach cobbler

Mood Before:

Busy like a drone.

Mood After:

Glad I had a hearty meal in good company

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

June 20^th's Results

The scale reads: 147 lbs. (Digital scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 4801 steps (0 aerobic steps for 0 minutes), 1.89 mi., 122 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Strawberry Mini Wheats with 2% milk
2 healthy grain slices of bread with Nutella

Mood Before:

Destroy guilt about being wasteful. Must eat things before their "Best By" date.

Mood After:

Indifferent.

AM Snack

Blueberries

Mood Before:

Fogged up. Need some clarity.

Mood After:

Yay, antioxidants!

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

Cheetos Jalapeño cheddar

Mood Before:

Weak. Giving into temptation.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

Dinner/Supper

Chicken fajita
Italian blended vegetables (lima bean, carrot, squash, and cauliflower) with garlic herb

Mood Before:

Rushed. Need sustenance before a long night of class.

Mood After:

Indifferent.

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

June 19^th's Results

The scale reads: 147 lbs. (Digital scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 6506 steps (0 aerobic steps for 0 minutes), 2.56 mi., 178 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Denny's chicken fried steak with hash browns, scrambled eggs (seasoned with pepper), and wheat toast
1/2 of a full grain wheat praline pancake

Mood Before:

Anxious. The line for Father's Day is scary anywhere. When are we going to get seated?

Mood After:

Content. Sharing food with kind sir is great.

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

1 bag of popcorn
Hot dog on toasted wheat bread with mustard

Mood Before:

Demanding. I want more time with kind sir. I want comfort foods. I want to watch a movie.

Mood After:

Satisfied.

Evening Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

June 18^th's Results

The scale reads: 147 lbs. (Digital scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 4800 steps (2183 aerobic steps for 25 minutes), 1.89 mi., 132 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Eggs with a sprinkle of Frank's hot sauce
Papitas
Baked beans
2 slices of Spam

Mood Before:

Recalcitrant. Do I really have to eat now?

Mood After:

Subdued. I guess it was a good thing I ate.

AM Snack

Cheetos Flammin' Hots - Limón Crunchy
Fritos with Tapatío

Mood Before:

Unsettled.

Mood After:

Remorse. Probably overdid it.

Lunch

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

PM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Dinner/Supper

Pappa's all-you-can-eat pork ribs (5 1/2 ribs)
1 slice of white bread
A bite of cucumber salad

Mood Before:

Excited. For only $9 + tax I get to eat all the ribs I want.

Mood After:

Over-satiated. I wish they were more tender and fall-off-the-bone-like. My jaw kind of hurts!

Evening Snack

Banana cream cake slice
Oreo ice cream

Mood Before:

Happy

Mood After:

Happier

June 17^th's Results

The scale reads: (I didn't weigh myself today) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 4706 steps (0 aerobic steps for 0 minutes), 1.85 mi., 134 calories

Other aerobic activities:

Cheryl Burke's Disco Abs - I Will Survive Cardio (30 minutes)
Cheryl Burke's Disco Abs - The Beginner Hustle (12 minutes)

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Cantaloupe
Banana
Light and Fit Pear Yogurt

Mood Before:

Rushing. Gotta go!

Mood After:

Pacified. At least I have something in my belly

AM Snack

Starbucks™ Iced Caramel Macchiato (Tall)

Mood Before:

Pressured. I'm here for the third time this week.

Mood After:

Annoyed. The barista overcharged me. Oh well, that's the tip they get for me being here thrice in one week and not paying until now.

Lunch

Bowtie pasta salad
Eggplant + chicken breast sandwich

Mood Before:

Adrenaline rush. These Texas High School Aerospace Scholars have good heads on those shoulders. They definitely know more than I do at that age and was more ambitious to pursue help and greater understanding of the opportunities that lie ahead for them.

Mood After:

Gluttonous. Man, how many calories have I consumed already?

PM Snack

Berrylicious yogurt (mango, Irish mint, New York cheesecake, coconut, Reese's flavors)

Mood Before:

Timid. I'm just going to get a little bit.

Mood After:

Scared. Man, those machines dispense yogurt too quickly. I got more than I wanted.

Dinner/Supper

Zucchini appetizer with sriracha sauce
Prime rib (with provolone and onion straws and dip) sandwich
Garlic Parmesan fries
Strawberry daiquiri

Mood Before:

Adventurous. I'd like to try something new in Galveston.

Mood After:

Bloated. Disappointed, yet satisfied.

Evening Snack

Cantaloupe

Mood Before:

Guilty.

Mood After:

At least I ate some more fruit.

June 16^th's Results

The scale reads: 144 lbs. (Analog scale) Goal: 127 lbs.

The awesome pedometer reads: 10060 steps (6155 aerobic steps for 55 minutes), 3.96 mi., 273 calories

Sleep and Food Mood Journal

Breakfast

Stale Apple Jacks™ + 2% Milk

Mood Before:

Annoyed. Man, this new, big box expired and I didn't eat it yet. I should see if it's still good

Mood After:

Disappointed. I shouldn't have done that. It tastes horrible

AM Snack

--Skipped--

Mood Before:

Mood After:

Lunch

Baked catfish
Steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower
Cantaloupe

Mood Before:

Desperate. I should eat something

Mood After:

Satisfied

PM Snack

Starbucks™ Strawberry frappe
Pringles™ Multigrain Cheddar
Watermelon

Mood Before:

Pressured. I've been hanging out at Starbucks and not really purchasing anything. Thank goodness Angie's kind enough to treat me to a beverage.

Mood After:

Guilty. Boo. Empty calories.

Dinner/Supper

Cucumber salad
Austrian potatoes
Sauerkraut
Baguette slices
Wiener schnitzel
Spicy chicken bratwurst (chicken, Swiss cheese, apples, jalapeño peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach)
Grilled bratwurst (Traditional bratwurst with fresh onions, garlic, and parsley)
Weisswurst (white ground pork sausage with parsley and onions - supposedly the tradition sausage of Oktoberfest)
Horseradish
Mustard

Mood Before:

Adventurous. I'd like to try something new

Mood After:

Relieved. I'm glad I've tried authentic German food that tastes decent and was more fulfilling than it looked

Evening Snack

Watermelon

Mood Before:

Sweet tooth!

Mood After:

Proud. I had the self control to say "No" to ice cream and eat something a little healthier.