lauraf

Thanks Karen, i will definitely keep my eyes out for it!! Things are looking up already (finger crossed they continue that way), I think getting to the gym and getting the blood flowing really helped me too.

Today has been a rest day, although somehow I have managed to down 5 litres of water when I usually struggle with 2 - Odd! I'm going to try and stick to my February resolution of at least 2 per day now! And also back to the gym 3x per week.....hopefully I should be able to get there tomorrow. I'm also gonna try and get some pics of me now, because now 4 and a half months in I'm really bummed I didn't take pics of me before! I don't wanna leave it any longer!

It's been a tough couple of weeks, had family problems and turned to food for comfort *kicks my butt* and because of the bad snow/ice here in the UK I've not wanted to risk driving the 20 miles to the gym....until today. Today was my first day at the gym in a long time, and god it felt good!

My workout wasn't my usual one as the gym was sooooo busy but I did:

Cross Trainer 60 minutes- 30 mins level 5, 10 mins level 7, 20 mins level 5 661 calories 3.73kms

Seated cycling 20 minutes- level 3 9.74kms 146 calories

Food has been better today too. I had a snack pack of rice cakes, a vega shake (yum!!!) and I'm about to have stew.

I will definitely sleep tonight when my head hits the pillow!

The last 2 days (Wednesday and Thursday) have been rest days for me. I've decided I'm not going to keep as much of a track on my calorie consumption as I have in the last month. I lost about the same amount of weight as when I wasn't calorie counting in Oct-Dec and it was a bit too time consuming for my liking.

I hit my 2 litre target for water consumption yesterday and I am on track to hit it today (Thursday). I also found some Vega samples so going to try them out and hopefully find one I like to purchase in the sale, thats tomorrows job.

Seeing so many people were there doing it with me, showing me what they were doing. I was able to learn from their journals and their comments on mine spurred me on.

Yesterday I finished up with 1628 on myfitnesspal, I had pasta with a tomato sauce for dinner. I also drank a further 500mls.

Thanks jmichael614 I will definitely try out the smoothie you mentioned. I went shopping today and bought a heap of fruits

I got to the gym today- I'm very happy! My workout looked like this:

- Cross trainer: 60 minutes on level 5, 638 Calories and 3.65kms

- Abdominal crunches: 3 sets of 15 @25 ( can seem to manage to do even 1 at 30)

- Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 8@35 and again after a nice bloke came up and showed me how i should adjust the machine to suit my short legs another lot of 3 of 8@35. It felt so much better the second time!!

- Pectoral 3 sets of 7 @30

Thats all I had time for today - Theres a limit on the car park I use of 2 hours, not sure why I didn't manage to fit in my usual workout.

Food today:

Breakfast: Bean spread on a rye crispbread, 4 portobello mushrooms grilled

Lunch: 2 Soya burgers in 2 buns with cucumber salad, raw spinach and tomatoes

Dinner: Pack of rice snacks--- I'm so hungry though so there will be more to add to that.

Calories so far: 1317 calories Water so far: One and a half litres

Weight today:199lbs

I'm so glad this challenge was set! It gave me the extra bit of motivation I needed after Christmas to get my butt back to the gym and back to eating better. I've managed to go to the gym 3 times a week like I aimed for and I have also kept another one of my new years resolutions.....to not bite my nails.

This month I had tried to drink as much water as I could each day although I do find it difficult...I've not always hit the 2 litres per day like I had hoped....so that is Februarys challenge for myself- Along with purchasing (and using) some protein powder because I've not been hitting my protein targets with food alone the past month.

No gym today as work ran over as per usual, very annoyed but nothing I can do about it. Off work tomorrow so will definitely go in the morning. I love working out in the morning!

Today I have eaten:

Breakfast: Small bag of light crisps

Lunch: Pea, spinach, and potato wrap and a handful of crisps

No dinner yet. Going to have something in a little while.

Calories so far: 1153 calories Water consumption so far: 1 litre

Rest day today but I was at work assisting with a major service on a car. Here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Snack pack of rice cakes

Lunch: Celery and carrot sticks with houmous

Dinner: Sausage Casserole with pearl barley

Snack: small carton of Chocolate Rice milk

Myfitnesspal calories: 1785 . Water consumed: 2 litres

Hopefully I will be able to get to the gym tomorrow after work

Late back from work yesterday.

My calorie intake yesterday was 1682.I had eaten:

Breakfast: 7 Medjool dates

Lunch: Slice of pizza (no cheese), 2 cereal bowls of salad and a handful of potato wedges

Dinner: beans on toast

Water: 1 and a half litres

Todays calorie intake so far is 976 (its only 5pm). I have eaten:

Breakfast: Houmous with carrot sticks

Lunch: Spagetti bolognese

Water consumption so far 1 litre.

Third workout of the week today, I did:

Cross Trainer: 60 minutes (half level 4 and half level 5) 640 Calories burned, 3.66kms

Abdominal Crunch: 3 lots of 14 @25 (i really struggled with this today!)

Pectoral: 3 lots of 5 @30

Chest Press: 3 lots of 8 @30

No leg extensions today as machine was always being used.

Rowing: 15 minutes. 2453m 128 calories

I'm really pleased I started a journal on here. It has meant I have been to the gym 3 times a week for the last 4 weeks which was my aim

Todays workout:

Cross trainer: 60 mins (level 3 30 mins, 15 forwards,15 backwards and level 4 30 mins) 597 Calories 3.44kms

Abdominal crunch: 1 lot of 15 @25, 2 lots of 2 @25

Leg extension: 3 lots of 9 @35

Chest Press: 3 lots of 10 @35 , 1 lot of 4 @30

Stationary rowing: 10 minutes, 1670m 84 calories

Food today:

Breakfast: 4 rice cakes

Lunch: 2 meat free burgers with tomato and spinach, garlic bread, potato wedges

Dinner: Hot chocolate

Myfitnesspal calories: 2239

Water consumption: 2 litres

First of all. Update to Mondays calories. Total was 1690 after supper. (i had crumpets with worcester sauce)

Yesterday I didn't get chance to post.....I didn't get back from work until 1am! (we had been working on a car 100 odd miles away!) and by then I was ready for my bed! Total Calories yesterday was 1484. I ate:

Breakfast: Bean Salad

Lunch: Nutty rice salad, rice cakes and an iced finger bun

Dinner: Beans on Toast

No chance for a workout, Water consumption : 1 litre and a half

Today I got up late after getting to bed so late. I spent the whole day cleaning the house while my partner went to work. Couldn't get to the gym tonight because I need my partner here to watch our daughter so I'm hoping to go first thing tomorrow before work.

Today I ate:

Breakfast: 'Beef' slices

Lunch: 3 Grilled mushrooms

Dinner: Pasta with tomato sauce

Myfitnesspal calories:921 so far. Water consumption: 1 litre so far. Not really hungry but I guess thats because I've not been up all day.

Going to go and get an early night now

First an update to yesterdays calories. Final total was 1482, I had missed off an orange juice i'd had and I had a hot chocolate for supper. I hit the gym first thing this morning, although I've been tired for the rest of the day I enjoyed going then rather than late on.

Todays workout:

- 60 minutes on cross trainer (25 mins level 2, 15 mins level 3, 20 mins level 4) 3.53kms and 606 calories

- Abdominal crunches - not done today (ran out of time)

- Leg Extensions 3 lots of 8 @35

- Pectoral 1 lot of 2 @30 and 3 lots of 5 @25 (I really failed at this today!)

- Chest press 3 lots of 8 @25

- Stationary Rowing 20 minutes, 3333m, 168 Calories

Food today:

Breakfast: Snack pack of rice cakes

Lunch: Sausage casserole with pearl barley

Dinner: Nothing yet.....not feeling hungry again

Calories so far today according to myfitnesspal: 1282 , Water so far: 1 litre and a half. Weight today 200lbs Since October 2nd 2011 I have lost 17.5 lbs.

Food today:

Breakfast: Low fat crisps (I need to be more prepared for eating when out with work!!)

Lunch: Boiled brocolli, carrots and potatoes with sausages and gravy

Snack: Snack pack of rice cakes

Dinner: 2 Sandwiches with mock chicken slice, tomatoes and spinach,watercress and rocket. 4 grilled mushrooms

Myfitnesspal Calories: 1269 so far..... I may have some supper to try and up the calorie intake a bit, I'm worried that some days I'm eating too little.

Water consumption today: 1 litre and a half so far.

I will be hitting the gym again tomorrow- I have the day off work, I can't wait!

Didn't get to the gym today like I had hoped, I spent all day running errands. Not happy but at least I've already done my 3 sessions this week

Today I've eaten:

Breakfast: Beans on toast

Lunch: Jacket Potato with beans and side salad

Dinner: Soya burger in bun, couscous, tomatoes,spinach and grilled mushrooms

I've come to realise I'm not very adventurous when it comes to eating different things. MyFitnessPal calories 1642.

Water consumption: 1 and a half litres

At work again tomorrow but may get chance to squeeze in a dog walk on the beach.

Thanks for the encouragement Matt!! Once upon a time I would have eaten for comfort but I've managed to curb that in recent months.

I didn't get up until 11am today after a late night surfing the internet, luckily I wasn't meant to be at work. As soon as I got up I was busy cleaning, cooking and organizing. I took 2 loads of stuff to the tip and loaded the car up with 7 boxes (!!) of paperwork to take to the office tomorrow. It's been a busy day but I enjoyed it (am I weird?!)

Not been too hungry today probably because of the late start, I had:

12pm: Peanut butter Sandwich

6pm: Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Myfitnesspal calories: 1285 Water consumption: 1 litre

Hoping to go to the gym tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Rest day today. Went to work, had a crappy day and I'm glad to be home!

Food for today:

Breakfast: Houmous wrap

Snack: Low fat crisps and a banana

Lunch: One slice of pizza with no cheese, 2 cereal bowls of salad (peppers,onions,sweetcorn,couscous)

Dinner: Small plate of pasta and 2 tablespoons of 'cheese' powder

Myfitnespal Calories: 1964

Water consumption: just over 1 litre

Third Workout done this week already today! Works been very quiet so making the most of the time off. Will have to go to gym again this week though as won't be able to wait until next week!

Workout today:

- 60 minutes on cross trainer doing 3.53kms and burning 489 calories (although I missed where it asked for my weight so i'm guessing it should have been more like yesterdays total of 600 for a similar workout. Level 1 20 minutes, level 2 20 minutes and level 3 20 minutes

- Abdominal crunches 1 lot of 4 @30, 1 lot of 5 @30, l lot of 2 @30, and 1 lot of 10 @25

- Leg extension 3 lots of 8 @30, 1 lot of 2 @25

- Pectoral 3 lots of 11 @25 and 1 lot of 3 @30

- 15 minutes on stationary bike, 8.01 kms burning 98 calories

Food today:

Breakfast: 4 large grilled mushrooms with worcester sauce and 'cheese' powder

Lunch: small portion of pasta with 'cheese' powder

Dinner: 2 soya burgers in a bun, couscous, grilled mushrooms and a slice of garlic bread.

Myfitnesspal : 1283 calories

I wasn't very hungry today really. Looking at it now I should have tried to use more calories before dinner. Water consumption: 1 litre and a half. Weight 202lbs

With work being slow I managed to read a bit more or Roberts book. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.

Hi I currently weigh 202lbs, i'm looking to lose 50lbs. I know it will take time.....its taken me 3 months to lose my first stone.

My question though is, how many calories should I be aiming to consume?? I have an account on myfitnesspal and it says I should be aiming for 1900 calories a day... but if I input calories lost through workout on there, it says I should consume more calories to recover the amount burned off is this right when i'm wanting to lose weight?

Thanks in advance

Laura

Food is looking good Hope you're well x

What motivates me is my health, I suffered from pregnancy induced heart failure in 2007. I recovered and lost the weight I'd gained in my pregnancy and got it down to 169lbs from 198lbs. Since going vegan I've put weight on (too much good food) and in October 2011 I weighed 217lbs. I'm slowly getting my weight down (i'm now at 202lbs) through healthier eating and regular exercise. I want to be around to see my daughter grow up.

Happened to be in the area where my gym is so had an impromtu visit and did:

-60 minutes on cross trainer, doing 3.63km and burning 615 calories (30 minutes on level 1. 30 on level 2)

-Abdominal crunches 3 lots of 15 @25

-Leg extension 3 lots of 8 @30

-Pectoral machine 0 - gym was so busy again there was a queue for this whenever i was free so instead i did......

-Rowing machine 25 minutes, 4220 metres, 214 calories

Going today saved me doing a 40 mile round trip tomorrow and the fuel to go with it.

Food today:

Breakfast: Snack pack of rice cakes

Snack: Tropical smoothie

Lunch: Soya burger with bun, with cup of mixed side salad-- Chocolate fudge cake with ice cream for pudding (we were eating out)

Snack:Growing naturals vanilla protein powder made with water

Dinner: Pasta with spicy tomato sauce and grilled whole mushrooms

Myfitnesspals calories: 1875

I'm a bit confused with the calories, myfitnesspal deducts my workout calories from what i've eaten, so should I be eating more calories to reach target amount like it says? (I'm trying to lose weight)

Water consumption today just shy of 2 litres. Weight today 202lbs.

My workout today:

-60 minutes on cross trainer, doing 3.64km and burning 613 calories

-Abdominal crunches 3 lots of 15 @25

-Leg extension 3 lots of 8 @30

-Pectoral machine 0 - gym was so busy there was a queue for this whenever i was free so instead i did......

-Rowing machine 25 minutes, 4141 metres, 209 calories

Food today was.......

Breakfast: 2 glasses of tomato juice

Lunch: Potato, lentil and chickpea tikka masala with pearl barley

Dinner: one celery stick, one carrot and 50g houmous and a snack pack of rice cakes

Supper: Hot chocolate made with soya milk

Myfitnesspal calories: 1374

Weight today:203lbs exactly still- bit disappointed with it.

Rest day again today although I spent most of the day sanding, painting, cleaning and removing excess grout from tiles.

Today I ate:

Breakfast: wholemeal bread roll with a tablespoon of peanut butter

Lunch: 7 medjool dates

Dinner: Sausage Casserole with a cup of Pearl barley (casserole included vegan sausages, butter beans, potatoes, cannellini beans, sweetcorn, chopped tomatoes, onion and garlic

Supper: Warm lemon water

Myfitnesspal cals:1807 - I'm hoping this is accurate as I'm finding it hard to calculate for the main meals- I made a big pot of casserole for all family so can't work out exactly what I ate.

Water intake today: 1 litre - I never seem to drink enough when I'm not at the gym

No work today but a day full of housework. Also squeezed in a 2.6 mile walk.

Food today:

Breakfast: 5 dates

Snack: Snack a jack rice snack

Lunch: Vegetable stew and dumplings

Dinner: 2 Small soya burgers with bun, 0.3 cup of couscous and a cup of cucumber soaked in rice vinegar.

MyFitnessPal says 1672 Calories

Water consumption 1 litre and a half water/juice

Turning vegan in May 2008 changed my life completely. I had been vegetarian since 1998 when I was 12, but then in May 2008 I met my current partner. I don't think I would be vegan now if it wasn't for him, I'd never questioned my vegetarian diet before (I don't think I had met another vegan before him)

After seeing Earthlings and various other films I knew had to change my diet not just for me but for the animals and the planet. Being vegan and seeing all the propaganda that pushes meat and dairy that's 'the best' and 'essential' has made me question everything I read or hear. Not everyone is out for the better of me, certainly not big corporations.

My weight went up when I turned vegan, I found many foods i'd never tried before like houmous, couscous, tofu (in chinese takeaway), and dates. All of which I love now. My weight is now slowly going back down with a better vegan diet including more raw and less soya cheese and meat substitutes (and fries!!) and more exercise.

I wear my Vegan bodybuilding and fitness vest to the gym in the hope it will get someone to think. I love coming on forums like this one and facebook and hearing other peoples vegan experiences. It's exciting that the vegan community is growing all the time. My daughter also went vegan when I did. I'm so proud of her, she's vegan by choice now, she knows the facts and happily tells anyone that will listen long enough that she is vegan.

Aswell as our diet being kinder to the planet, it also got me and my partner looking further into other things......we are currently living in a converted double decker bus with my daughter, we power the electrics with solar, the heating and hot water with solar and a wood stove (which is also currently our only cooking appliance) , recycle, and where we can use fallen wood to power the stove. We are now striving to live a simpler/greener life in general.

I will be vegan for life.

Third workout this week completed today:

- Cross Trainer 55 minutes 3.31kms and 562 calories

- Abdominal Crunches 3 lots of 13 @25kgs

- Leg Extension 1 lots of 10 @25kgs and 2 lots of 7 @25kgs

- Pectoral 3 lots of 5 @30kgs

- Rowing machine 15 minutes 2637 metres and burning 135 calories

Today I have eaten:

Breakfast: 5 dates

Snacks: Packet of walkers squares

Lunch: Small mushroom and onion pizza (no 'cheese'), handful of potato wedges and a cereal bowl of salad

Dinner: 60g Houmous, 2 large carrots and 2 celery stalks

MyFitnessPal says 1637 calories

So far I have consumed 2 litres of water, will be having more before bed.

Didn't get chance to weigh myself today as changing rooms were busy when I was leaving the gym.