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Awww, thanks so very much, Sherrie! Yeah, critters are the best!

 

Today I did the final week 2 run for C25k program. I think next week's gonna be pretty hard, but I'm already looking forward to putting that first new, longer run behind me on Tuesday! Today's run (#3 of this week's) definitely felt easier than the previous two, and I was able to do both the walks and the runs at a slightly faster speed. But, the incline on the treadmill I used was broken, which meant 0 incline, versus the usual 1.0, so a little bit different. Then I did the steam room, which I think is good for my skin (it's incredibly dry here). Lastly, I scheduled a free session with a trainer at the gym for Monday. Yay!

 

Breakfast: oatmeal with blueberries and chia seed, and a Vega WFHO shake

Lunch: leftover enchilada from last night's dinner, and side salad

Dinner: Primal Strip and a banana (I was running out the door to the movie theater.)

Snacks: cucumber and hummus, and soy yogurt

Pre-exercise: Vega Energizer

Post-exercise: apple

 

I finally saw "The Artist" tonight! Wonderful film!!!! (And the dog in the movie is so precious!) If you get a chance to see it, definitely do!

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Hi Karen,

 

Way to go on completing another week of C25K! SO PROUD OF YOU! You're doing so awesome! That's great that you're meeting with a trainer too! It's amazing how once we become fitter, we feel more comfortable trying new things and want to do more and more! I can already see it happening for you!

 

Love your eating! That's so much of the journey and you're doing really well with that! How are you feeling? Plenty of energy for your running?!

 

Can't wait to hear from you soon!

 

xo AGW

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Thanks so much, Amanda! Yeah, I've been pretty anal about keeping track of my food in my iPhone app. So anal that it makes it mentally challenging for me to eat out. Anyhow, looking forward to meeting with the trainer tomorrow. It's just one session, and I already spoke with him for a while yesterday, so he has a general sense of what I'm wanting. First thing on our agenda tomorrow is the rowing machine, which I'm excited about.

 

Today's exercise:

Elliptical (Strider): 65 minutes total: 10 minutes at each of the following resistance levels 4, 8, 12, 16, then 20 minutes back at level 12, followed by 5 minutes at level 10. I pushed myself really hard today and think I went considerably faster today at the higher levels than previously.

Treadmill: 20 minutes total: I hopped straight on a treadmill, incline levels 1.0/2.0. I know I'm not supposed to run on the C25K "off" days, but I was so pumped after the Elliptical, I couldn't help it! I did a brisk walk at 4.0 for the majority of the 20 minutes, but I actually sandwiched 2 runs in the middle, which felt amazing, since they were both longer than the runs I've been doing so far!

 

Breakfast: Oatmeal with chia seeds, blueberries, and a splash of almond milk.

Lunch & Dinner: Well.... I was at a little get-together all afternoon, so it was a weird combo of food. Some sort of raw ball thing, a piece of gluten-free vegan chocolate cake, small glass of champagne, rice snap vegetable crackers and Sheese garlic and herb spread, and some garbanzo beans. It wasn't the best nutritionally, but I did manage to stay at my calorie limit, using my best guesses on the sweet thingies.

Pre-Workout: Vega Energizer

Post-Workout: Vega bar

 

Oh, I also started taking apple cider vinegar today, 3 times. I heard it's good for a million things, including skin, weight, energy, etc. Do any of you have any insights into this? I got Bragg brand, as it's unfiltered/unpasteurized.

 

I've been getting plenty of sleep lately, but still so tired all the time. Hoping to get better sleep tonight, as I had some pretty violent nightmares last night.

 

Hope everyone has a great week ahead!

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Karen- don't stress over perfecting the food journal. Half the battle is just keeping it- it makes you much more aware of what you're eating and prevents mindless snacking. However, stress will do nothing for your goals or overall health. In the moments when you don't know exactly what the portion is/ how to log it/ etc. just step back, breath and congratulate yourself for nourishing your body with healthy food. Enjoy what you're eating and do the best you can to log it. Do not let what you're doing limit the enjoyment in your life- this should enhance your life- not take away from it! I always ask for my food without sauces and dressings when I go out. Steamed veggies, brown rice, salad bars with dressing on the side, etc. Even at 'healthy' places I usually order a salad rather than a wrap or sandwich because I have more control, but that's just what works for me! If you're eating out often, getting simple stuff like a salad is best but if you're eating out only 1 time per week- get something you enjoy and do the best you can. Stress is not a healthy thing so increasing it in your life isn't making you healthier! Shine bright, baby!

 

xoxo

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Thanks for the encouragement, Amanda! I know I just get a little neurotic about certain things sometimes. Great suggestions, thanks! Sherrie, thank you for your kind words. No nightmares last night that I remember, but just haven't been sleeping very well. I use the My Fitness Pal app. I think it's great! You can also use the website, and the two sync up. I've also heard great things about the Livestrong app.

 

Today I met with a trainer at the gym. It was OK. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was still a good experience for me. I did a few minutes on the rowing machine, followed by 1 or 2 sets of 12 reps of: seated cable chest, wall ball squats, assisted chin-up, lunges/side squats, seated DB raises, and step-ups. I realized today that I need to start doing wrist exercises, as my wrists are really weak. I felt a lot of pain in my wrists, as well as between my thumb/index finger.

 

After I finished up with him, I did 20 minutes on the stair-climber (50 steps/min, ~60 floors), then 20 minutes of 4.0 walking on the treamill.

 

Breakfast: grapefruit, oatmeal with chia, strawberries, and a splash of almond milk

Lunch: Green smoothie with PlantFusion protein powder

Dinner: Salad with kidney beans and Gardein chick'n strips, and garlic bread

Pre-exercise: Vega Energizer

Post-exercise: banana

 

I'm ready to finish out January strong tomorrow!!!

 

My mom had a setback in her recovery. She had a bad reaction to something and wound up in the ER yesterday and passed out today. Broke out in hives, her face swelled (said she was unrecognizable), and she couldn't breathe. Scary! Hopefully, they figure out what caused the reaction soon!

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Wow! I hope they find out what's going on with your mother asap. That sounds very scary! Hoping she recovers well. Keep me updated.

 

Great work in the gym today and all month long!

 

Wow, January really ends today! Time flew by so fast!

 

This challenge was so fun! Thanks for all the great work you did to make it happen!

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Karen, I'm always curious how people figure out how many calories- I'm using the Myfitnesspal and it tells me how many calories I should be eating (1200) a day then figures in when I do exercise (usually get an extra 250-400 calories depending on my workout). Do you follow this to know how many calories you eat?

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Hi Karen,

 

I hope your mum gets better soon, keep us posted on her recovery. I think it goes without saying that everyone here is hoping she recovers fast. Sounds like she had an allergic reaction to something.

 

Anyway i got a bad joke to make you chuckle:

 

2 dogs sat in a bar having a few drinks and in deep conversation, when in walks a horse.

 

The horse asks the barman for a beer, and starts telling the barman all of his daily problems.

 

The 2 dogs notice this and one turns to the other and says "da you see that......a talking horse, amazing!"

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Perfection is the enemy of good enough. Just gotta eat and log it the best you can. And from what I can see, even on your off days, your diet looks pretty good to me!

 

I've read lots of good things about the ACV, have taken/used it from time to time for things, but never on a regular basis. I've been considering giving it a try though, in part due to reading about the studies (albeit small ones) that showed how it helped with body fat accumulation.

 

Hope you get some good sleep and feel well rested.

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Hi sweetie! I hope your momma gets better really soon! I'm so sorry about the set back!

 

What can I say? I can't believe the month is already over! I'm so incredibly proud of all of your progress, dedication and hard work! Thank you for letting me work with you- I've loved getting to know you better! I'm excited to continue to work with you- you know you can get a hold of me via email or text or phone ANY TIME YOU NEED ANYTHING!

 

Congratulations on a job well done this month- your hard work has been amazing! Keep it up!

 

Thank you for letting me be part of your journey- it's been incredibly rewarding and inspiring for me!

 

BIG HUGE HUGS!!!!!! xoxoxoxo Amanda

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Jessica: Well, for the longest time I aimed for 1200 calories because that's what the program told me, but for over a year I was always going over 1200 and feeling like a failure. Finally, after working with Amanda, she told me to aim and plan for more than 1200 calories - more like 1300-1600, or something like that. The reason for that was two-fold: 1) I'd be more likely to succeed. 2) I'll likely need to lower my calories later on down the road after losing some weight, and 1200 is the minimum anyone should have anyway. So, I manually adjusted the settings on my profile to make 1400 my base goal, and then work from there, depending on how many calories I figure I burn working out. Does that make sense? Does it answer your question?

 

Doug: You're ridiculous (in a good way)! Thanks for trying to cheer me up with your silly jokes. You crack me up, you diamond geezer, you!

 

Iris: "Perfection is the enemy of good enough." I love that! That's a great quote! I can totally see the value in that. Hey, let me know if you end up trying the ACV thing. I only did it one day, but not the past 2 days. It's not the easiest thing to get down!!

 

Amanda: YOU are so wonderful! I'm so, so, so thankful I was able to have you as my coach this month. Thanks so much for agreeing to do the program, and for agreeing to coach me. You've really inspired me a lot with your wealth of knowledge and experience! You are a beautiful and generous soul!

 

OK... Last day of the NYNY challenge! Gosh, as I said in another post (to Amanda), I feel like we're all saying our goodbyes on the last day of school before summer vacation, and that we're all going separate ways! NO! I intend to be here tomorrow just as today, and on February 2 just as January 2, and so on! I hope most people will continue to stay an active part of the VBB community and help motivate and support and educate one another!

 

Today I went to the gym, but didn't manage to complete anything other than my C25K run. Started the week 3 runs today, which meant that my "long" runs were 3x longer than my runs when I started 2 weeks ago! I know that considering a 3-minute run "long" is laughable by most standards, but doing three of them today was hard for me! I worked up quite a sweat, which felt awesome! In any case, I'm actually quite sore from yesterday, and after finishing the C25K run, I just looked around and didn't feel like doing anything else, so I went home.

 

My eating was a little off-kilter today. I got up pretty late, so my meal times got off. Then, mid-day, I ate un-balanced and random stuff, so by dinner, I just had a fruit and spinach protein smoothie. So, I still managed to end the day fairly on-target in terms of calories.

 

"Brunch": Leftover salad from last night and the last of the enchiladas from a few nights ago.

Mid-day: "quesadillas" with Daiya

Dinner: smoothie

Snacks: soy yogurt

 

Hope to continue seeing all of you well into February... and December!

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Karen,

Thanks for the encouragement. I do hope all is well with your mom, I completely forgot to mention that in my post above.

What you're saying makes sense, will try to incorporate a little more "Leeway" and not get so hard on myself if I don't stay right at 1200 calories. And of course, I'm going to keep going far into February and hopefully March, etc. until I reach my goal (and probably afterwards too!).

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Hi Karen,

This is by no means over, I shall be continuing throughout the year.

 

Besides I've got a ton of jokes and complete nonsense to share.

 

I apologise in advance.

 

Seriously though. Thank you for your support, you deserve a medal for all the help and encouragement you have given to so many people. It has helped me stay on track and a welcome distraction to the depression.

 

I have gotten to know so many fab people I wish I could win the lottery or something so I could fly over and meet you all in person.

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Thanks, Doug! I've felt like I can really relate to you, so I appreciate that. Robert and I have traveled a lot together for lots of vegan events... Maybe someday we'll have an excuse to "have to" go to England!

 

Today I took a rest day from exercise. Not feeling bad or depressed or anything - just took a day off.

 

Breakfast: chocolate strawberry oatmeal. YUMM!! (oats, chia seeds, strawberries, and unsweetened cocoa powder)

Lunch: At coffee shop: ordered herbal tea and salad with tempeh, hummus, cucumber, sprouts, tomato.

Dinner: pumpkin-sage pasta and garlic bread. Tried my first recipes from the Happy Herbivore cookbook, and it wasn't good. I wanted so much to like it. Bummer. I'll keep trying more recipes.

Snack: raspberry almond Truebar

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Oh no! Karen, I'm sending good thoughts to your mom and hope they figure out what's going on so she can find relief.

That's so scary. How is she today?

 

Nothing wrong with taking a day off when needed. How are you? Do your wrists only hurt when you work them?

 

Thank you for the inspiration and support. I am so not going anywhere. This is what I've been missing. It's one thing

to find fitness support and another to find support with a group of people on the same path, food, strength, and health.

 

Hugs and good thoughts headed to you!

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Hi Karen,

 

Yes hopefully one day you can get to England it would be great to see you and Robert. I appreciate the kind words, i find i relate to you as well. At least you get my jokes so thats something.

 

Sometimes it's great to take a day off just because we can, with no guilt or other reason than we deserve to enjoy relaxing - it's good for the soul. I hope you enjoyed it

 

Anyway keep up the good work not just on this forum but the events for vegan outreach as well and catch up again with you soon (no jokes today, i'll save them for when needed:) )

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Thanks, Sherrie. Today my mom let me know that she was not happy with me for not having called in a couple of days. Apparently, she was way sicker than I knew, but seems to be in the clear now. Oy vey, mothers and their guilt-trips! It's not uncommon for my wrists to hurt when I work them. I've been finding when I do certain things with weights, they hurt and I lose blood flow or something. I don't know, it's weird. Maybe signs of carpal tunnel? This isn't anything new, though. Oh well, whatever...

 

Doug, I'd l-o-v-e to make it back to Europe one of these days! Just need to find an excuse and some dinero!

 

Today I did my scheduled C25K run. It felt easier than the previous one two days ago, yet still quite challenging. That being said, I did do an extra 3-minute run when it was all said and done, just because I felt like it. I didn't try to go too fast today. So, my shorter 1.5 minute runs I kept at 6.0 mph, and the "long" 3-minute runs I kept at 5.2 mph, since that felt more manageable to me. Following my run, I did 2 sets of 12 of chest press, lat pull-downs, wall ball squats, and step-ups.

 

Breakfast: fruit 'n' green smoothie with Vega WFHO

Lunch: Primal Strip, orange, and pumpkin cornbread

Dinner: Tempeh and veggies (squash, zucchini, red onion) sauteed with green curry sauce

Snacks: Protein shake and another Primal Strip

Pre-exercise: Vega Energizer

Post-exercise: apple

 

P.S.

I did tell my mom that a bunch of people she doesn't know (you all!) sent her well-wishes and healing thoughts, and she smiled and said to let you all know that she appreciates it.

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Hey Karen,

 

Thanks for dropping by my thread, i had to come on yours and make a comment.

 

I had been reading your thread but i used to think people wouldn't like others just making random comments on others pages. But from what i have seen everyone seems to appreciate it when people spend time to read and comment on their fitness journal.

 

Sorry to hear your mom is not well, send her or best wishes.

 

Good luck with your goals,

 

Matt

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Hi Karen,

 

Great going with training. If you found it easier that must mean you are making excellent progress which is very inspiring to see.

 

For the life of me I can't think of a joke that is not a bit blue and the gentleman in me would not wish to shock a true lady such as yourself. So for now a sort of clean joke ( I stole this from british comedy icons Morecambe and Wise)

 

Two priest stood out in the garden on a beautiful hot summers day.

 

One says 'nice out isn't it?'

 

The other replies ' yes, I think I will take mine out as well'

 

Have fab weekend

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Karen!

 

I am seriously so excited to see you tomorrow!

 

Can't wait!

 

Thank YOU so much for everything!

 

Looking forward to hanging out, working out, traveling and working on new projects with Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness.

 

You're the BEST!

 

RC

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