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Wednesday, April 16th, 2003
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alright! i stayed up too late last night writing a paper (oh, the woes of a high school senior) but still went out and jogged for 1/2 an hour and do reps of situps, leg lifts, jumping jacks, and hand weights. i knew once it was over i'd be glad i'd done it, and could then relax. so then i dozed off without meaning to while reading. ^^; it was bound to happen, but i have lots of little tasks to get done before vacation and anime boston on friday. so tonight, i'll fix some parts of my costume, figure out how to connect my digital camera to my computer, then hit the sack.
i'm reading a very interesting novel i checked out from work called "fast food nation" by eric schlosser that i've heard many people raving about. i skimmed through it before, but i missed a lot of the 'facts' the book is famous for.
did you know...
-that up until 1990, mcdonalds cooked their french fries in a mixture of 7% oil, and 93% beef tallow? even today the fries are made with "natural flavoring" to subtly taste like beef.
-in a survery done of american schoolkids, 96% of the children could identify ronald mcdonald. the only fictional character more recognized is santa claus.
-in 1970, americans spent about $6 billion on fast food; now they spend more than $110 billion
the facts are pretty shocking- especially ones about how beef and potatoes are produced, the workers & conditions, and how "speedie service" has affected traditional meals and family values. the book dicusses almost anything you could think of that mildly realtes to the fast food franchises. it will definately 'open your eyes', if not just being a thought-provoking read.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2003
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ok, quick update. i'm trying not to neglect this journal too much. ^^;
good news! in spite of my rather bad news last post, this one brings hope. :D i'm at 168 today, whohoo! everyone should have seen me when i first saw even 160-something appear on the scale. i jumped up and down and did a little dance and everything, lol. there's no secret, really. i just eat three meals a day now, in moderate portions of everything i love. usually a piece of fruit for breakfast (or i alternate toast, cereal, shakes i make), yogurt and a fruit or a sandwich for lunch, and a salad and whatever i want for dinner. AND dessert. can't forget that, it's the best part. ^~ this is all based on the supermodels eating plan, btw. i'm never usually swayed by ANY promoted eating plan/method, but well...there's really nothing to it. i just eat whatever i want, but in small portions. granted, most of the foods i love are healthy (fruit and salad everyday) so i probably wouldn't be losing weight as quickly if i ate a plate of bacon every morning for breakfast and 1/2 a cheeseburger for lunch. :P so, eating healthy helps. and i exercise every day for 1/2 hour.
so that's how my routine's been lately. only 4 days to anime boston! i'm really excited- my costume's almost finished. wow...i can't believe i've lost almost 20 lbs since i first made that resolution to lose weight in my earlier entry about the con. i guess i accomplished my first small goal. :D next, another 20 for graduation!
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Thursday, April 10th, 2003
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i had a binge the other day. i probably ate in an excess of 1,000+ calories of what i regularly do. ew. ew. ew. after i jumped on the eliptical machine and exercised for an hour or so like a crazy person. i have issues. :\ i'm "back to normal" today but really...now i have to work off another 2 lbs or so that could have already been off! ugh, i make myself so mad sometimes. it's not even that wonderful time of the month. :P
anyway, i've really got to keep it together until anime boston and our disney trip. they're both next week, finally! aside from my infrequent binges, i'm pretty happy with my progress so far. that said, i could have been doing better by now, but oh well. the longer it takes me to get this weight off, the longer it will STAY off.
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i am BEAT. today i went on one college visit in RI and an 'accepted students' reception (i.e. snobby-rich people gathering) for UVM. both were nice places, buuut not for me. so i can scratch two places off my list.
we walked like nomads around the URI campus...but i still felt guilty when i got home and jumped on the eliptical machine for about 15 minutes. then my mom made homemade tuna melts (healthy version) just for me. AND she made new style cheesecake. i <3 my mom. i have to keep reminding myself that it will be there all week in the fridge, and that i don't have to have a lot of it all at once. i had a small piece though, so it's all good.
i'm trying to condition my weak little arms by lifting weights for at least 5 minutes a day. i can do 5 minutes, at the very least. ;P and now, i'm going to get some much-needed rest. our orchestra concert's on tuesday. ^^
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it looks as though i'm not doing so well in updating this journal, although my mind is often on it. i'm more likely to check my friends page daily than update my own, i suppose. ^^;
in other news, spring is here! i love waking up hearing the birds in the morning once again, and seeing our crocuses starting to bloom by our front walk, cliche as it sounds. the season in general just puts me in a relaxed and calm mood every day. the cool breezes and light rain showers are simply lovely~ i may take some pictures of the scenery with my new digital camera i bought this weekend and post some shots.
on another note, i thought i'd share this site which gives some simple meditation techniques to those who are interested. the exercises are easy to incorporate into any kind of lifestyle, and i really think the benefits are worth it. i've been doing just 10 minutes a day of mindfullness and i feel less stressed and able to compose my thoughts. there are plenty of books on the subject, but the site shows simple steps for beginners. hopefully someone will enjoy it. :)
oh dear. my website's been horribly neglected as well, i can't even remember how long that "please wait until more content is up" message has been there. -_- changes will be made in the next few days.
*lol*, and now for some actual weight-loss news! i am down to 174, largely thanks to the new supermodels community i joined. the people there and the plan has really helped motivate me. my first mini-goal is going to be 165, i've decided. wish me luck.
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"...Also, the authors of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets advocate taking advantage of ketosis to accelerate weight loss. Ketosis is an abnormal body process that occurs during starvation due to lack of carbohydrate. Ketosis can cause fatigue, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. Potential long-term side effects of ketosis include heart disease, bone loss, and kidney damage."
and people ask me why i'm against the atkin's diet. i don't understand why people would harm there bodies in such a way. weight-loss of this kind just isn't healthy, period.
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i went out to exercise today in my normal "winter" gear (fleece pullover, lined warm-up pants and gloves) and i was sweating bullets by the time i finished running. it was a really nice day out, i don't know why i didn't notice that BEFORE i went out as an abominable snowperson. ^^;
i got a vegetarian magazine called "vegeterian times" at the grocery store today, and i'm dying to try some of these recipes. they look super yummy! cooking isn't one of my fortes (most things i try to cook turn out wiggly and black) but i'd still like to try some of these foods out. like baked tacos w/ tex-mex flavored baked tofu; i've got to try that.
there was also a article on feng shui (more metaphics for me to oogle over) so i may experiment with my room to try and "harmonize" it. if anything else, it'll give it a new look, and i can at the very least laugh at myself for my over-abundance of time to do anything more worthwhile.
as for tonight's message on iraq, my mind is preoccupied with what will happen come wednesday evening. i consider myself a pacifist, but i don't always believe diplomacy will solve everything. this doesn't mean i want to go to war either, but as a world power, i think it's a responsibility of the u.s. to fight against terrorism and use it's power to eventually protect and promote peace in a more global sense. it's hard what to think is 'right' in such times. i can't stand bush (and i can't believe he's doing this without backing from the United Nations) but i just hope peace can be achieved with the least amount of conflict possible.
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Wednesday, March 12th, 2003
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i don't know what's wrong with me lately, but i haven't been able to keep my eating habits in control. i think it's because if there's candy or sweets around me, i feel inclined to take some if someone offers them to me. i have to learn to say 'NO'. it never seems to be a problem in my house, even if we have stuff around.
that was on monday though. yesterday, our peer leader group went on a field trip to a convention that a had a bunch of workshops at a local college. very cool. there were about 700-ish of us peer leaders total, and it was such a great experience. the first session (class) i went to was called 'stop! do you know if you're breathing?' by a woman who's writen a few books on meditation. i loved it~ now i want to get some books (and a few of hers) and check out mindfulness, meditation, and calming techniques. it was so helpful and i actually went in with a headache, and left the class with it gone. i'm so inspired. :D
the second session i went to featured a panel of state penitentary inmates who were almost finished with their sentences. almost all of them were in jail for drugs and drunk driving. they all told there stories, and said that if they had peer leaders around when they were younger, they probably wouldn't have gone off the wrong path and all that. motivational stuff, we were all pretty moved.
...i know that all non-health related, but it was really inspiring for me so i thought i'd share anyway. funny how such a small thing can affect us. i guess it does have a connection, because i feel like it's impacted my life in such a positive way, i feel more determined and calmed in general. oh. and i'm not going to weigh myself for a few days, because i'm becoming far too obsessed with checking it every day. i think saturday-ish sounds good.
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alright, i'm going to try recording the food i eat in this journal too, in hopes that it will keep me a little more on-task and whatnot. i use fitday.com already, so i can just cut & paste what i record there. sometimes i don't eat regular meals either; i either just eat when i'm hungry, or have little snacks throughout the day. anyway, here it is. :D
breakfast
vitamins c & b
1/2 banana
1 chocolate rice cake
lunch
1 apple
1/2 container of fat-free yogurt (strawberry)
snacks
baby carrots
dinner
salad w/ croutons, salad dressing & shredded cheese (all fat-free)
1 slice digiorno pepporoni pizza
dessert
sugarless j-ello w/ fat-free cool whip
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Wednesday, March 5th, 2003
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last night i went to my friends' mardi gras party, and had such a great time. *^^* my family are french-canadian, why can't we celebrate it? devious, i tell you. XD anyway, they had such delicious food there (of course). one of my favorite foods- fondue. :9 french bread w/ melted brie cheese, chocolate-dipped strawberries & pineapples for dessert, and other things like salad and pasta. yum! although, i think i must have gained a pound. ^^; ahh, well. we did a lot of dancing there and i went for a long run today, so i think i made up for it. and it was in the rain, so i get extra points for that. *laugh*
although...sometimes, my mother can be so rude and cruel about me trying to lose weight. which is ironic (and confusing), since for the most part she is very supportive. for example, when i came home last night from the party, the first thing she said was, "so, did you get fat?" now, mardi gras literally means "fat tuesday", when people eat before the fast for lent. so at first i thought she was kidding, but when i saw her face, she was serious. she's also overweight, about 10 lbs less than me. yet every chance she gets, she likes pointing out how much 'bigger' i am than her, and how her clothes would be so much looser on me. i feel as though she's always competing with me, as if she can't stand the thought of me losing more weight than her. it's SO childish. so i never mention how much i've lost or anything, because she just starts talking about herself. yet on the other hand, she loves planning low-fat food & menus w/ me, exercising, that kind of thing. i don't get it. it's quite hurtful, and i might just snap at her the next time she mentions something mean. ugh. well, i didn't intend this to turn into a rant about my mother. >< but i guess it relates to my progress, good or bad. bleh, whatever.
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good news; i'm down to 179! finally, at last. ^^ now that the weather's starting to warm up, i can go for longer runs, which is what i think's helping me lose weight a little faster. it's not fun going out when it's 16 degrees out and my face becomes a popsicle. ><
oh, and a tip. i know this is frequently mentioned when talking about eating habits, but i thought i'd mention it again. i've really been trying to listen to my body (when i really feel hungry, how full i am, etc.) and for the past few days i've tried to eat dinner at least 2 hours or so before i go to bed. that, or however long it takes me to digest my food before i go to sleep. it really helps! before i would go to bed on a full stomach; from what i've read, not a good idea. i guess the food just gets absorbed by your body, not really digested. :\ i.e., turns into fat instead of being used up by your body. not good!
sooo, now i go to bed on a empty/digested tummy, and for me it's really been working. i wake up not feeling sluggish or as tired. yay! and my food gets burned up, not stored. more good news. it really works for me, so i thought i'd pass it on. :D
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Tuesday, February 25th, 2003
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i'm so excited; tonight my mom agreed to help me make a quistis trepe costume for anime boston! *^^* since i have little to no sewing skills (and my mom's great at sewing) this works out SO well. ms. trepe is featured in the image above (thrown together by me XD ) and she kicks butt, in my personal opinion. she's incredibly cool, strong and level-headed in the game, but really sensitive and caring too. not to mention i love her outfit. :D (for my lj friends who have no idea what i'm talking about, quistis is a character in a popular video game series called 'final fantasy'. viii, specifically). i need to get the fabric/accesories, and plan to do as much of it as i can on my own. but someone with actual skill is readily apprectiated. *laugh*
so, what better way to both dress as one of my favorite video game characters and be motivated to get this extra weight off? maybe that will help me. ahh, cosplay is so much fun. ^^ and i'm going with a group of friends who'll be cosplaying as some other characters in the game, so i want it to be memorable and all that. i don't expect to end up looking like quistis (i wish) but i can at least lose weight and feel better no matter what.
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Monday, February 24th, 2003
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bad me. >< the combination of vacation (me being lazy) and my cold i got this past week/end has not been good. i've gone back up to 185, but no big deal. it was only a couple of pounds anyway. ^^; and i've gotten right back on track. i have a bad habit of saying 'have whatever you want' to myself when i'm sick. i had a sore throat, so i had ice cream. :P
anyway, being back in school helps me get back into a routine too. i'm going to try doing sets of 20 crunches and leg kicks (a la tae bo) before bed. i need to get beefed up, muscle-wise, that is. XD
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Wednesday, February 19th, 2003
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ooooh. we just got a new digital scale, and it's got loads of new features. the old one was broken, old, and decrepid, so it was time for a new one. anyway, the scale measures things like body fat, your weight in tenths, and calories you need to eat in a day to maintain your current weight. well, at least i thought it was interesting.
...and finally, someone ate the rest of that cheesecake. thank goodness. OH. and i'm going to try and bring some decently healthy snacks to work from now on too. no more $1 bag of mini-oreos, no matter how cheap they are. :P
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Monday, February 17th, 2003
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i've recently discovered fitday.com from a link in someone's journal. it's such a great tool; i love being able to see how my carbs/fat and daily exercises are charted. i'm a visual person, so i love the graphs. ^~ the 'add your own food in' option is very helpful too. always a plus.
and i've dropped two lbs this week. yay me. XD
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Saturday, February 15th, 2003
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for anyone who wants to read an inspiring weight-loss novel (although fictional) i'd suggest jemima j. i enjoyed the story although the ending is too unrealistic for me (as far as the 'love' part is concerned). i think jemima's struggle to lose weight seemed entirely attainable. she went 'cold turkey' on anything sweet or unhealthy, and exercised like a madwoman. ^^ anyway, it motivated me a little (besides being a good read), so i thought i'd share.
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Wednesday, February 12th, 2003
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i had such a wonderful time tonight~ the chamber orchestra i'm in at my school went to an open rehersal for the boston symphony orchestra tonight. i'm quite tired (we just got home) but happy nonetheless. ^^
we first had dinner in the prudential center at marche's which was delicious. i had a ceasar salad, california rolls (crab meat, avacado & cucumber...mmm, sushi. :9 ) and chocolate mousse cake for dessert. only at marche's. XD i had fair portions of everything, yet i still came out quite full. so i stayed inline, but also got to indulge. yay.
the concert itself was excellent. although it was only an open rehersal, it felt quite like the real thing. our tickets were free because our teacher won them with an award but would have been $35 otherwise. the actual concert must be at least three times that. x__X anyway, the orchestra featured midori, an apparently world-famous solo violinist. and no wonder! she played so well, and beautifully...they mentioned she had a few cd's out in the program, i may splurge and get one too.
oh! and the hall. meh, i wish i had brought my camera. ;-; our group sat in the third balcony wing, center, which (imo) had one of the best views of the stage. the cielings were gothic-style, and about 20 ft up were huge chandeliers and greek statues lined the walls. the stage was huge, and bordered by a gold flore-de-lise pattern; maybe i'll get to go back there one day and take pictures. ah, i hope so.
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Tuesday, February 11th, 2003
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i don't think it helps that i'm selling candy as a fundraiser for my music trip this april (to disney!) at all. i haven't had any, but it's still hard to sell chocolate when i'm dieting. :X gaaaoo. must resist. think disney, think warm weather, think bathing suits...maybe that will help me? ^^;
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i've read recently (and people have told me) that getting less than 1,000 calories a day will slow your metabolism down and cause your body to go into 'starvation mode', so i'm trying to eat more calories now. i feel so guilty doing it though...i've been eating about 600-900 this past week. i should have realized it wasn't healthy though. actually, i'm suprised i've had so much self control.
i guess the key is to eat fruits & veggies or nutritious things for those extra calories, not junk (obviously). i think the reason i started restricting calories was because i didn't feel i was getting results fast enough. i'm too impacient, unfortunately. :\ but, i will now try 1,000 a day and see how it works.
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Monday, February 10th, 2003
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brr...it's so hard to get going (and outside to exercise) when it's cold out sometimes. i usually run/jog for about 1/2 an hour, sun, snow, rain, etc. well, it was snowing today! ^^ i don't really mind that much though. it was quite beautiful outside~
aside from that, i also played ddr for half an hour on workout mode and burned 500 calories (so says the calorie meter in the game). it's quite the workout, but i love it! and then i shoveled snow too. maybe this will make my arms stronger? *laugh* i hope so. in either case, it's nice feeling exercised-out but healthy.
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purepuccha's journal
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