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Workout summary for Sunday, March 27:

Rest and recovery day!

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,751

Fat: 105.3

Carbs: 415.8

Protein: 71.7

Workout summary for Monday, March 28:

Strength training class.

Grade: B. Re-evaluating my goals makes it difficult to push myself since I don't have any specific one in mind.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,840

Fat: 64.8

Carbs: 281.3

Protein: 58.1

 

Workout summary for Tuesday, March 29:

Rest and recovery day!

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,854

Fat: 69.9

Carbs: 278.7

Protein: 47.4

 

Workout summary for Wednesday, March 30:

Strength training.

Grade: I don't really remember this day, to be honest...

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,173

Fat: 84.6

Carbs: 313.8

Protein: 61.2

 

Workout summary for Thursday, March 31:

I went on a walk with my dad through a regional park. He walks this route every day while I'm at the gym, and let me tell you - it was NOT easy. I walked at a very past pace for about one hour, and was not wearing the proper shoes for the amount of snow that is still on the trails.

Grade: A. Who knew walking could be such great exercise?

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,570

Fat: 41.1

Carbs: 469.8

Protein: 98.0

 

Workout summary for Friday, April 1:

45 minute core class.

Grade: A. Feelin' it.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,066

Fat: 40.7

Carbs: 365.7

Protein: 77.8

 

Workout summary for Saturday, April 2:

Kickboxing.

Grade: A. Today was a really emotional class. I was riding the energy of the room and pushed myself hard. I think right now, exercise fills a void in my life that human-to-human interaction might were I in a situation more conducive to that. I am not directing my energy towards much but my part-time job and exercising. Long story short, it was a great workout and I realized a lot. Also, my plan was to go to yoga right afterward but I was really processing a lot mentally so I let it go.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,819 (+smoothie, 200-300)

Fat: 37.5

Carbs: 321.8

Protein: 71.6

 

Weekly update:

I think I've fallen off the wagon these past few weeks. Now that I'm feeling fit and also feel more confident about my body, I don't have as much of a sense of urgency as I did when I started exercising. I don't think I'm pushing myself as hard in the gym, nor am I being as careful in documenting what I eat and eating the right portions. I have to remind myself that there is always room for improvement; if I keep going at the same intensity that I did the first 2-2.5 months I was working out, I think I could get a really ripped look for this summer. The only part that resists going as hard as I have been is that I don't want to get so "obsessive" about this. I wasn't so obsessed these past few months, just really dedicated. I like dedicating myself to this realm of life - the health-conscious one that pushes limits and challenges onself - and I want to keep on going. I think I was judging myself by thinking, "Are you seriously unsatisfied with where you are now? You've come so far! You don't have to push yourself as hard anymore." I am happy with where I am, definitely. But I really like how it feels to push myself to extremes, and I want to keep on doing so. Whew. I'm glad I got that off of my chest.

 

So far I have already eating way over my 2,000 calorie mark. That's due to inadequate planning (and also a bag of root vegetable chips my dad mysteriously bought yesterday. I was so blown away by the concept of eating something fried and crunchy that I went kind of wild... errr...).

 

OKAY! I'M BACK IN THE GAME, PEOPLE!!!

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Workout summary for Sunday, April 3:

Rest and recovery!

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,537

Fat: 63.2

Carbs: 445.7

Protein: 66.7

 

Workout summary for Monday, April 4:

Strength training class

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,789

Fat: 45.0

Carbs: 300.9

Protein: 57.4

 

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 5:

Cycle class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,583

Fat: 24.2

Carbs: 293.8

Protein: 57

 

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 6:

One hour of Yoga Sculpt and one hour of cardio kickboxing.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,655

Fat: 71.2

Carbs: 208.4

Protein: 61.9

 

Workout summary for Thursday, April 7:

One hour of yoga and 30 minutes of cycling, followed by another 30 minutes of yoga.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,884

Fat: 35.4

Carbs: 329.6

Protein: 79.1

 

Workout summary for Friday, April 8:

45 minute core class

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,878

Fat: 39.2

Carbs: 328.3

Protein: 77.0

 

Workout summary for Saturday, April 9:

Hardcore Cardio Resistance Training (CRT) class. I was a star.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,639

Fat: 18.5

Carbs: 308.4

Protein: 75.0

 

Overall summary of the week:

I got back on the bandwagon (minus Sunday) and pushed myself hard. I really should have taken a week off a while ago to recover from continuously working my body for three months. Can I go two more weeks? Should I go two more weeks? Perhaps I should go for one more week of my recent routine (3x strength, 2x cardio, 1x yoga per week) and then take it to half-intensity the last week of April, and then go all out the second week of May. Any suggestions?

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Workout summary for Sunday, April 10:

Rest and recovery!

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,236

Fat: 27.4

Carbs: 206.0

Protein: 53.2

 

Workout summary for Monday, April 11:

Strength training class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,024

Fat: 32.2

Carbs: 362.3

Protein: 82.0

 

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 12:

Zumba class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,875

Fat: 42.9

Carbs: 323.2

Protein: 77.5

 

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 13:

Didn't workout today in anticipation for the show I wanted to go crazy at the next day...

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,602

Fat: 22.8

Carbs: 308.1

Protein: 54.0

 

Workout summary for Thursday, April 14:

Danced my pants off at an electronic music show.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,402

Fat: 19.2

Carbs: 256.1

Protein: 62.7

 

Workout summary for Friday, April 15:

Walked 3+ miles.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,490

Fat: 36.4

Carbs: 471.1

Protein: 80.6

 

Workout summary for Saturday, April 16:

One hour of labor-intensive garden work. LifePower Vinyasa 2.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,078

Fat: 18.4

Carbs: 410.4

Protein: 92.3

 

Overall summary of the week:

I felt uncomfortable with the idea of skipping days at the gym, but apparently (indicated by how much I slept today) I needed a lot of rest not only from this week but the past few months of working so hard. I am amazed at how much I exercised last week. Not only was it frequent, it was pretty intense. This week, even though I didn't step foot in the gym three days less than usual, I still got exercise from dancing and walking. It was a lower-intensity week, though, as my heart-rate didn't get up super high. Progress is slower and less perceptible these days. I suspect this is typical as people get more and more in shape. I'm still progressing, however!

 

Upcoming goals for the week:

I am running a 5K in two weeks that I haven't started "training" for yet... eek! I know it won't be too difficult finishing it, since I am already in good shape. However, I haven't gone on an actual run in many months, and I think my muscles need to become reacquainted with this exercise. I also have to learn the route. My initial goal was to run 10K every week for a month leading up to the race, but so far I have failed and haven't run at all. How did that happen? Ouch. Well, I still have two weeks to prepare, and I need to get serious about it. My plan for the week is to lift on Monday, run indoors on Tuesday, lift and/or core class on Wednesday, run the route outdoors on Thursday, yoga and/or core class on Friday, cardio kickboxing and/or yoga on Saturday, rest HARD on Sunday.

 

I haven't eaten dark green leaves in a week or so and am going to try to eat a lot this week. I am also concerned about my protein-intake... I don't want to take supplements, but want to get the most out of my workouts. Rumination time begins now.

 

In other areas of my life...

- I would like to finish a book I have been reading for a long time early this week, and begin another one by the same author.

- I have also been meaning on make a budget for myself and figuring out my finances. I would like to create a budget at the very least by the end of this month.

- I also have a garden that I am tending to (my first one!) and need to start planning for that this week. I would like for there to be plants in the ground by the first week of May.

- One more thing -- the weather is nice these days, so I am going to start to commute to work by bike. It is only two miles away, but for some reason it seems a little daunting to bike there (why?!). This is a mental block that I will pummel through this week. I only work three days, so that's 12 miles on bike. PIECE OF CAKE.

 

Notes for me:

- Cook food for the day before going to the gym.

- Remember to put your lights on your bike.

- Pick groceries up tomorrow before work, leave by 12:00

- Finish book before going to bed

- Do some budgeting on Tuesday. Plan my garden.

- Go to Barnes&Noble/Half Priced Books on Wednesday. Moleskines for finances and other... ? Buy garden supplies?

- Pick up the rest of my groceries on Thursday. Buy the seeds that I need.

- Do some planting on Friday.

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In response to my monthly reflection, posted on April 1st.

 

Hey, everyone. It's Veganarchy here with a stellar update. Today, I ripped it up at the gym. I attended a strength training class, and I grit my teeth through the pain and kept on lifting, even when I thought I couldn't perform one more rep. I have no hard evidence to back up my claims of how hard I worked today (well, I was lifting the heaviest body bars: 24 and 18lbs), but I will say that NOW I really know what it means to LIFT! Today was an "aha" day, when my preconceived physical limitations were crushed by my commitment and will to get strong and crush my goals of... of... wait, what were my goals? At first, it was to lose weight and achieve the "dream body." Now, it's just to see HOW FAR I CAN GO. How far can I push the limitations of my body, mind, and spirit? I think that it took an incredible amount of poise, concentration, and will power to accomplish what I did today. YES I am tooting my own horn, dammit! I think I deserve that. I want to be able to lift my chin a liiitle higher when I walk, and strength training is helping me to do so. It's not about physical appearance anymore - to be honest, I know that my body is in great shape. It's more about testing myself. I'm looking to push myself out of my comfort zone every single time I lift now, to give 101% every time I exercise, to ask myself, "is that the most you can do? you can't give me eight more reps? really? are you SURE about that?"

 

It's not about lifting through the physical pain. It's about lifting through the mental blocks of your mind that tells you that you can't go any more. It's screaming, "no you can't! impossible! stop right now!" but it's always possible. It's always possible to give more, to do more, to grow more, than you are right now.

 

Try and reach your potential... and surpass it.

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Workout summary for Sunday, April 17:

Rest and recovery!

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,122

Fat: 21.6

Carbs: 208.5

Protein: 31.4

 

Workout summary for Monday, April 18:

Strength training class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,387

Fat: 24.8

Carbs: 261.0

Protein: 29.2

 

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 19:

Ran the route for the 5K in May.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,797

Fat: 30.7

Carbs: 325.0

Protein: 57.8

 

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 20:

Kickboxing "jam" class. 30 minute abs. Strength training class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,757

Fat: 37.3

Carbs: 281.2

Protein: 84.9

 

Workout summary for Thursday, April 21:

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 1,759

Fat: 49.6

Carbs: 276.7

Protein: 77.6

 

Workout summary for Friday, April 22:

Yoga class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,090

Fat: 56.0

Carbs: 328.1

Protein: 92.2

 

Workout summary for Saturday, April 23:

Cardio kickboxing class. Yoga class.

 

Nutrition:

Calories: 2,306

Fat: 30.5

Carbs: 445.6

Protein: 76.7

 

Weekly summary:

Strength training x 2, cardio x 3, yoga x 2

 

Average nutrition:

Calories: 1745.43

Fat: 35.79

Carbs: 303.73

Protein: 64.23

 

Weigh in: 122 lbs

Edited by Veganarchy
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Nutrition (weekly averages):

 

Week #4, January 23:

C: 1551.8

F: 38.7

C: 299.98

P: 108.1

 

Week #5, January 30:

C: 1469.33

F: 32.72

C: 230.30

P: 67.22

 

Week #6, February 6:

C: 1385.29

F: 40.99

C: 174.20

P: 71.57

 

Week #7, February 13:

C: 1309.14

F: 41.23

C: 193.39

P: 61.49

 

Week #8, February 20:

C: 1311.43

F: 41.76

C: 175.71

P: 76.87

 

Week #9, February 27:

C: 2052.14

F: 68.13

C: 291.91

P: 98.59

 

Week #10, March 6:

C: 1732.86

F: 49.11

C: 268.84

P: 83.14

 

Week #11, March 13:

C: 1852.14

F: 51.35

C: 281.07

P: 85.22

 

Week #12, March 20:

C: 1889.67

F: 70.3

C: 270.67

P: 69.62

 

Week #13, March 27:

C: 2174.72

F: 63.42

C: 349.56

P: 67.73

 

Week #14, April 3:

C: 1852.14

F: 42.39

C: 316.44

P: 67.73

 

Week #15, April 10:

C: 1819.14

F: 28.47

C: 333.89

P: 71.76

 

Week #16, April 17:

C: 1745.43

F: 35.79

C: 303.73

P: 64.23

 

At week 26, I will calculate my body fat and compare it to my last results, conducted on February 1st.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Weekly workout summary:

Monday: One hour of strength

Tuesday: Didn't exercise... what the eff? Why not??

Wednesday: One our of kickboxing, 30 minutes of core, one hour of strength

Thursday: Ran three miles

Friday: One our of strength training, 45 minutes of core/pilates, one hour of yoga

Saturday: Biked 17 miles (10 miles in 45 minutes up and down hills = 22 mph!), yoga class

 

Weekly nutrition summary (averages):

Calories: 2077.66

Fat: 48.23

Carbs: 272.5

Protein: 67.1

 

I'm getting really sloppy. One day I had bad diarrhea (due to either overly-fermented oats or lots of raw veggies in the system for the first time in a while), and I decided to replenish the bacteria in my stomach with some free yogurt I brought home from work (intended on being for my dad). Then I went ahead and ate some free cottage cheese, and at work the next day I went down on some free cheesecake. It even had high fructose corn syrup in it! Ick. WELL. I felt super guilty about it all, and in hindsight it wasn't THAT big of a deal. But it really messed with my decision-making process and morals and whatnot. Making mistakes is how I learn, and I now realize that for me, making exceptions definitely does not work -- it is just too slippery of a slope to glide down once I pass that tiny bit of dairy past my mouth. Alright, so, I ate a lot of dairy, and consumed a sh*t ton of extra calories this week. Shame on me, but now I know. No dairy means no dairy. Dedication is dedication. There are other flavors and textures that my taste buds have yet to uncover, and dairy does not have to be a part of my dietary experience.

 

I have also been drinking plenty of soy milk and eating bread made out of wheat. My body hasn't reacted negatively, at least not in ways that I am aware of, but I am still deciding to stop my intake of these foods. It makes me feel a lot safer.

 

I bought some hemp protein powder; it was on sale due to it being national hemp week! I also bought some hemp seeds that were five dollars or so off the regular price (originally $18/lb reduced to $12 - yeuh!). I want to get back on track! I want to be more mindful of what I am putting into my body - if I want to eat more, let it be more whole foods! Let it be something that is nutritious, and not something that is destructive to my body. And let me consume less overall, if I can help it (which I can).

 

An active lifestyle is a happy life.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Looks like after four straight months of documentation, I finally caved. Writing down everything that I consume and every exercise I perform is taxing on my brain, and at this point in the game, is an unnecessary form of stress.

 

I had been pushing hard for four straight months with no room for proper recovery, and I think my body was telling me to slow down.

 

Working backwards...:

Friday, May 20:

- NADA.

Thursday, May 19:

- Transfer student orientation.

- Biked to and from work w/ groceries. 4 mi.

Wednesday, May 18:

- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.

- Placement testing.

- Slept 4 hrs.

Tuesday, May 17:

- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.

Monday, May 16:

- Strength training

- Biked from gym to work to home. 8 mi.

Sunday, May 15:

- Biked around the city. 6+ mi.

- Slept 4 hrs.

Saturday, May 14:

- Biked to work to bus station. 4 mi.

- Biked from record store to art show. 1 mi.

Friday, May 13:

- Biked to gym and back. 4 mi.

- Yoga.

- Cleaned bathroom and my room.

Thursday, May 12:

-

Wednesday, May 11:

- Biked to and from work, gym, home w/ groceries. 6 mi.

- Strength training (night class).

Tuesday, May 10:

- Step class.

Monday, May 9:

- Strength training.

Sunday, May 8:

- Rested.

Saturday, May 7:

- Biked to and from work x 2. 8 mi.

- Ran a 5K (26:6).

Friday, May 6:

- Rested before the race.

Thursday, May 5:

- Cycle/yoga class.

- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.

Wednesday, May 4:

- Boot camp conditioning.

Tuesday, May 3:

- Zumba class.

- Ran 5 K.

- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.

Monday, May 2:

- Strength training.

- 30 minute personal training session

 

... something like that. Eating clean. Just started incorporating wheat grass and spirulina in the mornings. Psyllium husk and bentonite clay. Drank 32 oz of cranberry juice. Detox baths. The like.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 7 months later...

Hey, everyone. It's Veganarchy here for the first time in eight months! A lot has happened during that time, and I'm coming back to this website and forum for support from people who share similar interests as me and might have gone through similar life events.

 

Looking back on those six or seven months or so of exercising so intensely, I can say that I am really proud of myself for having pushed myself so hard. I gleamed a lot of knowledge from being so disciplined, but especially from working so hard while weight lifting. I learned that weight lifting is a powerful tool to work through the mental blocks, those that tell us it's not possible to go any further, or to improve any more. Unfortunately for me, when the weight lifting stopped, so did my application of my insights into the human potential.

 

I stopped lifting because I got very sick. It was not a physical sickness -- I was mentally disoriented and was placed in a hospital for a long time, on and off for three months. During this time, I was fed sub-par hospital food and for some reason I fell off of the vegan bandwagon (I think due to lack of knowledge. I have since ready Kathy Freston's Veganist and parts of The Ethics of What We Eat.). I started to eat emotionally and didn't inhibit myself from going for the fatty desserts and eating three peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches a day, in addition to three meals. When I left the hospital for the final time, I ended up weighing about 140 lbs, a huge leap from my 118.

 

But the eating didn't stop after I left the hospital. I went to a group home for two weeks and even though the food there was god-awful, I at my fill and more. And then, even after I left the group home, I ate as much as I wanted without inhibition. I ended up looking like this 1231163575_Photo60.jpg.076805ca4ce75412f37f1331feb67461.jpg (this past summer) to looking like this 1012514424_Photo12.jpg.20f240be567f3507dc84e95e83a17917.jpg (current).

 

I fit into a size zero pant and am now wearing a size four. Of course, the discouragement is insurmountable. All of that hard work for what? Last winter I weight in at 135 and got lean and mean to a weight of almost 115, and now I weigh even more than I did when I be can exercising diligently.

 

So is it possible to get back into the shape I was in at the end of this past summer?

 

Of course it is.

 

I have signed up for a small group training program that meets two times a week, and classes are only 6-8 people. That, in addition to other classes that are available at my school gym, and going to yoga classes frequently should all help in getting myself back to my ideal shape and weight. Yoga especially, can help my mental and spiritual (as long as my physical) well being.

 

Okay, off to my "Tone and Tighten" class! I might edit this later.

 

Oh, and I need all the support I can get from you folks out there who have possibly gone through similar life events! Or even if you just have a few words of encouragement, that would be great.

 

Namaste,

Veganarchy

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