food

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workouts: The Slump

The day was shaping up to be all productive and shit. I’d packed my salad for lunch:

Knowing that I’d need to go to the store on my lunch break to pick up a few things, I did my desk peddler… Then at the end if the day, I was just done. I didn’t want to cook anything but of course I had to eat dinner. I spent the entire ride home wondering how easy I could make dinner and settled on pasta.

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I know it’s basically a carb overdose but I kept the portion reasonable and added the cheese for fun. Something about this whole week has just not been great in terms of being motivated. I hope next week is better since I’m getting on the treadmill again.

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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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atthequillsmercy

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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Today’s Workout: It was not the day.

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My period is making my joints hurt more than normal (I bet the cold is a factor, too). The desk peddler was all I could handle since not only am I achy, I’m too tired for coffee to be effective. But, I have a ton of ARCs I really need to finish so, I did that while using the peddler.

For lunch, I took the time to pack my Bentgo salad container (not sponsored or an affiliate). It’s a nifty way to take a salad with me and keep the ingredients and dressing separated. I over did the onion but other than that, it was very filling. It’s a pain in the ass to clean but I love using it.

I made dinner at work with the Itaki (still no money made from this link). This time was steak tips; which I honestly like more than the chicken.

Even though I didn’t get in a run, I was more active during the day. I usually only hit an average of 2,000 steps a day and now, I average 3,000 or more. Even if it’s just to get up and look out a different window in the office, I do it so I’m not sitting so long. I have a movement reminder on my smartwatch and it’s going off less these days. I hope to keep this up and finally get out of the 200 club in a few weeks.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Don’t Hurt Sam!!!

Yeah, part of the reason why I like running with this app so much is I am so invested in the story and strangely protective of Sam. I bet a lot of users love Sam and he should be protected at all costs. But to be on topic, this run was a little hard. I had more soreness than normal; which is to be expected given it’s that time of the month. Everything hurts more. I just power through it.

For lunch I didn’t have a chance to prep but I had some soup available. Dinner was a salad with tuna and I will admit, I think I ate too much. I was struggling to finish it. I had plenty of steps during the day, too. I had to get my taxes done so I was home earlier to do my run, eat dinner, and had plenty of time to wind down. Too bad I can’t leave early every day. 

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Today’s Workouts: Too much?

Today I did two cardio sessions: the desk peddler and c25k. I do wonder if that’s overdoing it for my legs but I feel pretty good about it. Just moving around more and seeing my daily goals get checked off makes me happy.

It figures that the day after I say I don’t usually eat breakfast, there’s free bagels in the breakroom so, I have one for breakfast. The cream cheese was the light kind and I didn’t use much but I felt weird after. I’m just not used to eating early. For lunch, beef and broccoli with half a block of ramen noodles. I don’t use the seasoning packet since these are not the plain noodles I usually buy. I save those packets to mix with butter as a popcorn topping. That way, I use much less salt because I LOVE savory, salty popcorn. It’s my favorite snack.

When it came to dinner, I wasn’t hungry. I ended up having a little snack (not popcorn, sadly) after my run and that’s it. I really only have two regular meals a day; especially if I’m eating my usual meat and steamed veggies with noodles for lunch. It’s really filling.

Crap, I’m craving popcorn now…

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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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