cardio

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Thick Thighs

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Despite not running, my thighs feel like jelly after using the desk peddler. It’s less impact on my knees and ankles (which are feeling better but not 100%) but my muscles are working. But my steps were down today so I’ll have to make up for that tomorrow.

For lunch I made my classic steamed veggies and steak and for dinner, I tried out Trader Joe’s new lemon Torchietti. I made it with just some garlic, olive oil, herbs, and a bit of parmesan on top. I didn’t really like it with this combination but I have plenty left and some ideas for other combinations. To replace breakfast, I’ve been having a handful of almonds so I’m not starving around lunch time along with a thermos of coffee I nurse throughout the morning.

Next week, it’s back to running and I start my ab workout app again. I probably will never have a six pack but I would like to firm up for a smoother look overall.

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Today’s Workout: Nope

I’m back to the desk peddler because my knees and ankles are aching. It happens sometimes during my period, I know it’s temporary but I’m not running again until it stops.

Here’s the food I’ve been eating these days. That chicken had rice under it and was marinated with lemon juice and the lime cajun seasoning from Trader Joe’s. It just made me happy to make my Caesar salad pretty. Sometimes, it just feels good to plate something nice before you dig in and destroy it.

Next week, I’ll get back on the treadmill. I’m also working on making sure my veggie scraps go into my little composter so I can try and grow some veggies this year. Anything to save a few bucks and take advantage of the unused space in my yard. 

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: A break?

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I missed last night’s workout because my kid needed me. We had a long talk which took up  my running time but it’s completely fine. It’s hard enough being a teenager, much less a trans teenager and I’m glad my kid can come to me if they need to. I “made up” for it today with the desk pedler.

These were the prepped meals for the last couple days, except for the popcorn. And that big bowl lasted three sittings. The Saxenda won’t let me eat so much. I used some of the seasoning packets from the ramen to season the popcorn.

Since the weekend is approaching, I’ll be switching to body weight workouts then starting cardio again on Monday. Part of me is looking forward to it and part of me is already over it. Either way, I still plan to keep up with being as active as possible.

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Today’s Workout: The Usual Spiel

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I spoke to my doctor about my high triglycerides and while she’s not too concerned, we’re gonna keep an eye on it. The very nice (slightly nervous) young man training with her gave me the usual advice of more cardio and take fish oil. I guess it’s a good thing I decided to get back into running. I also noticed my blood pressure creeping up, too. I need to take it easy on the salt.

Today I had steak and bok choy for lunch and a salad for dinner. I’m not usually a breakfast person. I usually just have some coffee since I’m just not that hungry first thing in the morning. I was tempted into having a couple Oreos because there was a little party for a friend of mine who’s leaving for another job but I sincerely doubt two cookies are going to destroy my entire day.

I’m still in the first week of c25k and I took my measurements to track my progress in a way that’s not the scale. We’ll see how things go. I have to be a little careful since I have a new piercing to take care of but it’s ok as long as I don’t let it get all sweaty.

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Today’s Workouts: Back to it!

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In addition to a quick 20 minute session on the desk peddler, I dusted off my running shoes and started C25K once again. I am super excited to get running again and it felt great. I was able to keep form and a decent pace for someone who hasn’t done it in awhile. I plan to do this at least three times a week like the C25K schedule goes and do the desk bike and weights on the other days.

These were my meals for the day. I just did not feel like having a salad at the end of the day and opted instead for pasta with tuna in lemon and olive oil. I have an overabundance of red onion right now so it was a little strong but, it was a light enough meal that I didn’t feel gross running shortly after.

For the record, I don’t have a problem with hydration. I drink plenty of water throughout the day. Soon, I will take the time to record my measurements and see if I can measure progress that way instead of the number on the scale.

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Today’s Workout: Still not quite there…

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I didn’t workout yesterday to do some chores instead (still counts as burning calories, right?) but today is the desk peddler. I am able to easily do 40 minutes or more so I think it’s time I get back to running. I totally missed my goal of getting under 200 by the end of the month (I’m still around 203-204) and I am very impatient with myself.

wp-1677538013301Last night I made another sandwich and I have decided I do NOT like the turkey. Maybe it’s the brand but I find it slimy to eat and I will be sticking with roast beef.

This was my lunch today. My child decided to use up ALL the onion I was saving for my lunch so I used scallions to replace it. It was about the same so it’ll do if the kid decides to make another salad using a 3-pack of romaine at a time. Kid thinks I’m rich! A bag of romaine is $4 if I can get it cheap. Considering we eat salads multiple times a week, that’s a LOT of money.

Over the weekend, I tried tomahawk steak for the first time. Like a typical nearly middle-aged woman who likes to cook, I spend too much time online watching food/cooking videos and the first time I saw this cut, I was obsessed. I had to try it. I used a reverse sear with butter, rosemary, sage, thyme, and as much garlic as I wanted. The onions went in last and I served it over rice with all the juices. Absolutely amazing and of course, I am comfortably eating the leftovers. I did save the bone to make some broth later.

I think that catches me up with everything. Now, I need to look into growing massive amounts of lettuce because I birthed a voracious vegetable monster.

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Today’s Workout: “Participation”

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I ended up with a webinar that was two hours long so there was no way I was going to just sit there the entire time. That’s the good thing about these things being over Zoom; I can pay attention, reply, contribute, and still do the desk peddler (I kept my camera off). My job is sedentary enough but two hours and no break to be able to get up and move around? Yeah, I did some light cardio during it.

I had my typical lunch of baby bok choy and beef but Misfits Market is out of the regular bok choy so, I had to get the more ruffly kind and that’s a slightly different cook time. I gotta say, these are MUCH easier to clean and I didn’t find any little bugs in there. Dinner was more leftovers so no pictures of that.

I’m still not under 200 like I hoped to be by the end of the month but I also haven’t gained anything. I’m still around 203-204. What sucks is my health insurance is suddenly inflicting all these new requirements on me in order to get a refill on my Saxenda. It’s really annoying to finally have something that is working for me and I have to jump through all these hoops to get it when I need it.

Fortunately, I’ve been taking half doses or less and have some in reserve but this is really stupid and I hope my doctor’s office can work it out.

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Workout and Food Photo Dump

I wasn’t on the ball with posting my workouts toward the end of this week so here they are with some examples of meals. I was able to get the sandwich to stand up straight but I wasn’t able to get roast beef and used turkey instead. It was ok, I much prefer roast beef.

As for my activity, I was able to squeeze in more steps on top of making sure every workout was 40 minutes or more. Next week, I’m going to try and push it to 45 minutes as well as more about more during the day. I got my Butcher Box so, I can give chicken a break for a bit and have some beef with my usual bok choy and ramen. I’m probably not going to get very experimental so forgive me if the food pics get repetitive but, I like what I like. It’s easier for me to plan ahead if I have similar things in rotation so I know exactly how many calories are coming in and how I’ll feel after I eat. I just need to make sure I don’t get sick of any of them.

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Today’s Workout: Replacements and New Meals

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My goal for the desk peddler now is to keep above 40 minutes if there’s time for me to do so. My stamina seems pretty good so the plan is to start adding the treadmill at the end of the day.

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Yesterday, I tried to replicate the grilled chicken salad I love to get from this little store by my job. It’s really good but over the years it’s gone from $5.99 to $7.99 to now over $10 and the portion got smaller. So, I got some precooked chicken breast from Butcher Box and put together the salad at home and it was perfect. Exactly like the one from the store. Again, I would love to support small businesses but I just can’t afford to splurge like that on a salad.

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While I had more leftovers for lunch, I made this sandwich for dinner. It’s roast beef, red onion, romaine lettuce, a slice of tomato, and avocado on some take and bake garlic bread. Holy shit, this was AMAZING, and about 350 calories! I need to practice building a sandwich that doesn’t fall over and find a way to put this together in a way that I can pack for lunch and it won’t end up soggy. I didn’t have any chips as a side since the garlic butter on the bread was pretty salty (and you know me, I have a salt problem) but this was super filling and a way for me to incorporate avocado without getting put off by the texture and the fact it just tastes like grass to me. Next time, I may add some lemon or red wine vinegar and see how that tastes.

Once I get my new bread maker set up and make some bagels, I’ll make the sandwich with that, too. This is absolutely going to be a repeat in my meal rotation.

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Today’s Workout: Percentages

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More desk peddler today but when I got on the scale this morning, I noticed that my body fat percentage is down. When I started keeping notice of it months ago, it was around 43% and now it’s about 33%. While my actual weight may be stuck, I think its awesome. It shows me that I’m not just spinning my wheels here and progress is being made.

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This looks like a mess but this was my lunch for today. Dinner was the same ole chicken and bok choy so, I skipped the picture this time. I have been trying to get more fish into my diet since I keep forgetting to take my stupid omega-3 supplements so I put in a can of tuna (in water to save calories even thought I really like the tuna in oil). I used red wine vinegar and olive oil as dressing and Nufield’s Garlic Croutons are a suitable replacement for the discontinued Garlic Parmesan Croutons from Trader Joe’s (Omg, bring those back!).

I don’t view salads as ‘diet food.’ I legitimately enjoy them and sometimes even have cravings for them. So, if you see me posting them, it’s not because I think a salad will be more beneficial to my weight loss than something else, it’s because I like them. Besides, I’m trying to avoid the ‘good food, bad food’ mentality with my regular meals and save the ‘bad food’ thoughts for when I’m treating myself to take out or something. 

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