Caroveggie's Journal

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:12 pm

DWu wrote:Have you checked out prices at your local YMCA? They're usually cheaper than mainstream gyms. Or, how about a beginner's pilates or yoga dvd? Or some other program you can do at home?


As for gyms, I used to belong to the YMCA and it was $55/month I think. Maybe $5-$10 higher because I also had the locker. That's too high for me now. Club One was a little more expensive than that. I think 24 Hour Fitness can be cheaper, about $350 a year with the Costco purchase. The cheapest gym I've found is Planet Fitness, but no pool. Location is also a problem right now. Once I settle into "home" -- wherever that may be -- I'll have a better idea of if I want to put the $ into a gym membership.

Then I also have these DVDs for bodyweight exercises. I'm actually pretty excited about them and want to use them once I've moved out and (hopefully) have a bit more room. I do not have much room in my current bedroom, where there's a tv/dvd set up for me. My parent's furniture is in the room and my full size bed. I tried doing one of the DVDs once and it was pretty cramped. My mom is usually plunked in front of the downstairs TV so it's not really a great option for me at my current set up.

Good idea though, that would save money.

I am currently into the idea of early retirement and saving every penny. Which is why even the Costco 24 Hour Fitness membership seems too high for me. I think while I would probably appreciate a gym and get a lot out of it, right now I'm just not ready to commit the $ to it.

Thanks for the advice though, it's still good advice. And happy new year!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:10 am

I have lost another pound! I am now 6 pounds down from my high.

I am tracking my weight loss with a Google spreadsheet and it's great to see it going down.

Yesterday I again jogged for 1/2 an hour. I ended up quite a ways from home so just walked to a store to browse and then walked home. Funny when I was jogging I passed by some fast food places and was surprised to see people eating there. On New Year's Day! It surprised me.

Today I'll be biking to work. Oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. Aloo gobi for lunch. Probably a sweet potato and Brussels sprouts for dinner.

I'm feeling very happy and positive about this whole thing. Much better than I have in the past. I think it's the jogging which does it. It really pushes me into health mode.

I was also thinking recently that I'd like to eventually join some sort of athletic sport. Maybe roller derby? Amateur soccer? I'm not so good at soccer but it is fun. I was thinking roller derby because I'm good at skating. Well, decent enough. I'm not sure how to play it though. I've also never seen a game of it, although now I want to.

Besides weight loss, I'd also like to save more money this year. Already I've resisted going to cafes twice. That was just yesterday. I never realized how much I like going to cafes until I tried resisting going to them. Seems to me there should be more warm, quiet places with wifi for lounging or reading a book. I'll try libraries more in the future. (Libraries were closed yesterday.) Anyway, saved a little money there. Although now I'll only order plain green tea or chamomile. No more fancy high calorie fattening drinks for me. And definitely no pastries.

The year has started out on the right foot. :cool:
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby PeripateticDanielle » Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:22 am

Yaay, libraries! You know, perhaps you could also try a college/university library if one is nearby. They often have great lounge areas in their libraries. It's sometimes difficult to find quiet places, but it can be done. :)
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Fri Jan 02, 2015 10:43 am

Happy new year everyone!

Maggie, yes I am in a great groove. :) Good to hear you are too. At least I read your journal and it sounds like you're doing well. (Except for the cough.)

Danielle, yes I love libraries and that is a great suggestion! I hadn't thought of that. Working in SF there must be some college/university libraries around I can lounge in.

The news from this morning is that my bike conked out on me on the way to work! I was switching gears and switched back too fast and the chain got stuck. Now it looks like the derailleur is out of shape. (But don't derailleurs always look out of shape?) So I'll be spending yet another lunch hour walking my bike to the local bike shop to get it fixed. I'm kinda hoping they won't have it done by this evening so I can walk home. I think I'd like to get in an hour walk. Although I take it back. It's Friday so I'll want my bike for the weekend.

I still need to buy a new battery for my fitbit. Might as well start recording my steps.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Lizzy_F » Fri Jan 02, 2015 4:45 pm

Hi Caroveggie! I've enjoyed reading your journal. Congrats on your recent weight loss!!! It's seems like you are full steam ahead into the new year! Thanks for sharing that Lani link a ways back. Very good read for me!!
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:23 am

I am doing good and have lost 7 pounds!* Woo-hoo! I like this tracking everyday thing. Gives me something to do every morning. :smirk:

My fitbit now has a battery and is working so I'll try to get more steps in each day. Biked to work today. I may take a walk at lunch.

Not really much to report. I've been on plan and happy. Not a single cheat, nor a desire to, which is the main thing. I've been leaning on my standard aloo gobi for the lunches, but I'm happy enough with that. Oatmeal nearly every morning. Brussels sprouts or broccoli and a potato or sweet potato for dinners. Chickpeas in a crunch (they're great for a super fast, tasty meal). Pretty standard, non-fussy eating.

I've seen 2 movies in the theatre since this diet change and didn't buy popcorn or soda or nachos, candy, nothing. One time I snuck in a container of seasoned chickpeas and cherry tomatoes which was yummy and the other movie I ate before. It was nice not having the need to pee thing that usually happens after a movie with me. Kinda strange too! :lol: I was like: Wow! What an experience! I don't need to pee after a movie?

If anyone has recommendations for fun sports that are very active and OK for amateurs, please chime in. I'd like to commit to something fun. I'm thinking roller derby (but have to get skates which goodness! Can be expensive!) or soccer? Maybe soccer isn't the best since I kind of suck at it. Something that's not that hard to learn/get good at. Er, better at.

That's about it for now.

*so another pound down since I started. Not another 7 additional pounds. (Although that would be great.)
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby GlennR » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:58 pm

Caroveggie wrote:...
I've seen 2 movies in the theatre since this diet change and didn't buy popcorn or soda or nachos, candy, nothing. ...


Me too, I saw two movies and didn't have popcorn or drink. On top of keeping me eating the right stuff, I don't mind keeping the extra money it would have cost for those unneeded treats in my pocket. :-D
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby PeripateticDanielle » Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:51 am

Yaay Caroveggie! You sound like you're doing great.

Hm, how about ultimate frisbee? Perhaps your area has that going on. Meetup.com is a good place to go to get some ideas, too. A lot of times people will meet up to bike/walk/hike/whatever, and that can be fun even if it's an activity you normally do, because it's with other people. I used to go to the nighttime hikes in Griffith Park when I lived in Burbank. It felt completely different from going on the same hike during the day. Nature from a different perspective.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:00 pm

GlennR, that's right, I'm saving money also! Another benefit.

Danielle, I don't know about ultimate frisbee, but when I lived in the Inner Richmond, there's a frisbee maze in Golden Gate Park nearby. You throw the discs at a station and then go to the next one. You get a nice hike in. Maybe I'll check out ultimate frisbee on meetups, like you suggested. I'd like to find a very amateur group of sports enthusiasts who'd like to play something or exercise with me and don't mind if I kinda suck (which I'm sure I will!)

Last night I had to be downtown to pick up facial foundation for a study I'm doing. I locked up my bike, picked up the foundation (which I'll wear for a month in exchange for $40) and then decided to take a walk. The thing is, living in SL with my parents at the moment, I know they would not be keen on me taking a walk or exercising in the outdoors when it's dark, at least not in suburbia (which is a shame, if you ask me). It's actually much safer in the city, with all the lights on and people everywhere, so I decided to walk to the Ferry building (from Union Square). When I got there, I browsed around, and decided to walk further, to Pier 39. I got there, and saw the sea lions and such, and then decided to walk a little further to Fisherman's Wharf. I was hungry at this point so I bought dinner at Chipotle and read. I had a tofu-veggie burrito there. I didn't finish it, it was very big. I'm not sure if the tofu stuff was made with oil. So maybe I should've gone with just veggie or a salad. Oh well. That meal's over. I did request no cheese, sour cream, or guacamole, so that's good. Anyway, I'm back to my healthy habits again. After dinner I walked all the way back down the Embarcadero and then back to Union Square. I had at least 18,000 steps on my pedometer, which is good.

I got home pretty late and had trouble getting up this morning. I didn't bike to work but bussed. I'll walk more at lunch or at least I'll walk home after work. That'll take about an hour.

Because I got up later than usual, I didn't have time to weigh myself for my chart. So I'll have to do that tonight.

I logged into my fitbit account and joined some vegan groups and also the SF Bay Area group. If anyone is on fitbit and would like to be my friend on there, please add me. I believe I'm on there as Carolyn A. It might be easier to add me if we are already facebook friends, so just PM me through the McDougall forum and we'll get that squared away. :)

I wonder how many steps I can get in a week if I really try?

While I forgive myself the tofu in the Chipotle burrito, I do intend to be more strict from now on. It really keeps my mood up when I'm strict and I like to see progress on my weight loss!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:17 pm

Holy Toledo!!

I found this Chipotle nutrition calculator to see what the damage was with the burrito I had last night:

http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

It came to 1,170 calories! What!

Thank goodness I didn't eat the whole thing. Also, I think it's especially high because I wanted a little brown rice and white rice, both black and pinto beans, and because I got a burrito, rather than a salad (the flour tortilla is 300 calories!) So hopefully the portions were a less than the 4 oz listed on the calculator, so hopefully my burrito last night was not really 1,170. I'd say I ate a bit more than half. Hard to tell because I massacred it with a fork and knife. There was a good deal left.

Next time I go there, I'm sticking to a salad!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:56 pm

I seem to be hovering around where I'm at now weight-wise. I guess it's because, except for the biking to work, I've not been getting much exercise. My work is very sedentary and it's so cold and dark after work that I tend to stay in and not do much. I'm still glad I'm tracking my weight daily because I can see that I need to work harder to get more exercise in. I've been very tight and strict with the diet (except for that Chipotle burrito, but that wasn't that bad). I only get tea if I go to a cafe and not a single cheat with chocolate or restaurant foods.

I forgot to wear my fitbit yesterday, but I have it on now. I need to make some time to get some more jogs in, I guess. Or maybe just buy some skates and go to a large tennis court and skate around for a while. It's a little sucky because my parents don't want me going out at night (since I don't have a car). I'm looking for a new place but not finding much. I think it'll be a bit of a wait until I move again.

Guess I have to do more to see more progress.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:00 pm

I slipped back into bad habits but am changing them as we speak. Besides changing my eating habits, I'm going to resume biking to work, which ended about 2 months ago, when I got lazy and was too tired in the morning. My friend and I are doing this together which I think will really help keep both of us on track.

I'm going to throw out my non-McDougall food (I have some Amy's brand soups that fit into that category) and draw up a shopping list so that I can have a successful week.

I'll start biking to work tomorrow. And I lost my fitbit. Wish I could find that thing! Where did I put it?

Need to get some errands done.

Happy Easter! :-D
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Mike » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:43 am

I'm so envious that you can bike to work - it's too far a commute for me. I used to do that when I lived in Sweden, only 15 mins each way, but I loved it (it did get tough in the cold, though. I think the worst I remember was -25 deg C and the tears froze on my eye lashes). I hope you enjoy picking this up again!
Mike

Start: 13 Dec 2014, 126.9 kg
Target: XX XXX 2015/6, 73.1 kg (BMI = 21.75)
Current: 104.8 kg
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby PeripateticDanielle » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:50 pm

Welcome back Caroveggie!

That's a great idea to bike to work with someone else. Hope you have fun biking in the spring weather.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby sksamboots » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:19 pm

Welcome back! :nod:
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