This is Day 7 of the 14-Day Healthy Living Challenge held in Jan 2015 where we work on improving our diet and fitness for 14 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hi everyone!! :D We’re now at the mid-point of our 14-Day Healthy Living Challenge. Let’s get started!
Challenge Tasks to Date
- Announcement and signup page: Join 14-Day Healthy Living Challenge!
- Day 0: Create Your 14-Day Healthy Living Plan | Comments
- Day 1: Drink 8 Glasses of Water | Comments
- Day 2: Eat 5 Servings of Fruits & Vegetables | Comments
- Day 3: Create Your Calorie List | Comments
- Day 4: Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure | Comments
- Day 5: Create Your Ideal Meal Plan | Comments
- Day 6: Follow Your Ideal Meal Plan! | Comments
My Day 6 in Pictures
Here’s a recap of my Day 6 in pictures:
Brunch: Same grilled mushroom overload burger and banana that I had on Day 1, so I’m using the same photo. I’m someone who’s perfectly happy eating the same things all the time once I’ve found something that I like!
Dinner, same combi as my dinner on Day 4: QQRice and freshly squeezed orange juice! My QQRice ingredients this time are red rice with pickled vegetables, mushoom, vegetable floss, braised peanuts, and mock duck. Yum!
My third exercise for the week! Nighttime jog of 2.41km at 8:25 min / km, burning 155 calories.
Supper: The second half of the salad I took away yesterday and an orange carrot soup with bread. I really like the salad; Ken had half of it and said it was great too! Salad ingredients, same as yesterday’s: Mushroom, chickpeas, pineapple, grapes, sunflower seeds, cucumber, and sesame seeds! I ended the day with a nice ginger tea (not in picture).
Reviewing my 14HLC goals, they are
- Exercise at least three times a week – Completed my third exercise today! :D
- Cut out deep fried / oily food from my diet – Check!
- Eat salads more regularly, ideally once a day if I can – Check, ate another salad today!
Check out other participants’ amazing food logs and progress updates in Day 6’s comments section!
With that, let’s move to Day 7’s task, which is…
Day 7: Review & Plan for Week 2
It’s now the end of Week 1 of our 14-Day Healthy Living Challenge. How’s everyone doing? :D
Some of you may have been sticking to your plan to a tee. If so, that’s awesome — give yourself a HUGE pat on the back! :D Some of you may have fallen off track for some days, perhaps even since Day 1 of the challenge. If so, that’s okay. Everyone falls off track in their diets and exercises — even their life plans — all the time. It’s no big deal. Really.
When you fall off track, the question isn’t so much of how far off you are from your target. The bigger question is what you do when you get off track. Do you beat yourself to a pulp and feel bad about what you’ve done (or not done)? Or do you acknowledge that things aren’t the way you want and work on them? The difference between these two actions is huge. The former drags you down a self-defeating hole. The latter helps you to move forward and create real change.
Now, regardless of how you’ve been doing, I invite you to (re-)join us in the discussion threads. If you’ve been feeling bad about not sticking to your plan, well, stop doing that because there’s nothing to feel bad about. If you’re thinking that it’s pointless to participate because you’re X days behind in the tasks, then stop the self-limiting thought too. It doesn’t matter how far back you are in the tasks; the important thing is to take it one day at a time and focus on the NOW in the challenge. That’s the kind of attitude that will take us for long-term success in our goals! :D
Remember, this is our challenge, and we’re all in this together. You’re not doing this alone — all of us are working on living healthier, together, as one big family.
Now that it’s Day 7 / end of Week 1, today’s task is to reflect on your progress in the past week and plan for Week 2 ahead!
Step 1: Review Your Past Week
Think about the past seven days since you started the challenge. Then, answer the following:
- On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why?
- What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why?
- Have there been any obstacles preventing you from sticking to your healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can you overcome them?
- What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
Step 2: Catch Up on Week 1’s Tasks
Have you completed the tasks for Days 1–6? If not, catch up on them today!
- Day 1: Drink 8 Glasses of Water
- Day 2: Eat 5 Servings of Fruits & Vegetables
- Day 3: Create Your Calorie List
- Day 4: Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
- Day 5: Create Your Ideal Meal Plan
- Day 6: Follow Your Ideal Meal Plan!
Step 3: Set Your Healthy Living Plan for Week 2!
As we move into Week 2 and the last week of our 14-day challenge,
- What are your key goals for the next week? Review your 14-Day Healthy Living Plan and add on/revise your tasks/goals for Week 2 as needed. If your goals are the same, stick with what you’ve written.
- What are your key action steps to make Week 2 a bigger success than Week 1? How can you prepare for a great Week 2 ahead? Write the steps down, then act on them!
Next, Follow Your Plan for Day 7 (Take Pictures Too!)
What tasks have you set for Day 7 of your 14-Day Healthy Living Plan? Do them today!
Take pictures of your healthy meals — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and mid-day snacks if any — and share them in the comments section. :D After all, a picture tells a thousand words, and when you share photos of your healthy meals, it inspires others to eat healthily and gives them ideas on what healthy food they can have too!
Post your initial comment sharing your results for today’s challenge task, then add on throughout the day as you have your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or if you’re doing any workouts. Attach photos of your meals by clicking the image icon on the bottom left of every comment box. As you add on to your comment thread, be sure to click on the reply button directly below your original comment so that you reply to your own thread (as opposed to starting a new thread).
Share Your Results (and Photos!)
Share in the comments section!
- Your reflections for Week 1
- Your plan for Week 2
- Your progress with your healthy living plan today
- Pictures of your meals
- Pictures of your workout (if any)
Do check out the other participants’ comments too and share a word of encouragement or two. We’re all in this together, so let’s support each other as a group! :)
After you’re done, proceed to Day 8: Get a Great Workout!
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On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why? – 8. I’ve been eating healthy dinners and lunches and drinking water, but not as much fruit as I’d like.
What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why? – Better than I was before ;)
Have there been any obstacles preventing you from sticking to your healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can you overcome them? – I…forget to eat fruit? :P Or sometimes I have lunch and then don’t want anything else. I might have to have my fruit before my lunch.
What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise? – I’m slightly below my daily calorie needs.
Yesterday’s results:
Fruit – didn’t actually have a chance to have any, due to being busy all day.
Water – I think I had more alcohol/tea than water, as I visited friends for dinner. But a little social drinking here and there is no biggie :)
1. Reflections: I have achieved *some* of my tasks. I don’t mind too much about not being 100% successful because I’m already feeling happier and more aware of my health goals, which is what matters to me the most right now :)
I am especially happy with the 2 minute meditation (I focus on gratitude for the good things in my life while listening to cheery bird sounds), which always fills me with positive energy about my life and also (surprisingly) makes me more productive!
2. For the next week, I am replacing my two diet-related tasks with Celestine’s 5 fruit and vegetable portions a day because it’s simpler while it achieves the same end result.
3.-5. I had some good progress today (picture of the plan attached), similar meals to yesterday (attached) and even a good gym workout!
My reflections for Week 1
1. On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why?
I have been eating healthy and I am very happy with my new diet plan, but still there is room for improvement so I would rate my diet 9.
I would rate fitness 6 as this is just the beginning. I have lot more to accomplish.
2. What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why?
My main goal was to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I am doing okay so far. I have been eating healthy, working out regularly &
meditating daily as planned, but I haven’t been able to wake up daily at 6 am. Some days I had to stay up late at night due to work and I felt waking up early next morning would have made me feel tired/sleepy/low energy so I woke up a bit
late (max. 7:30 am).
4. What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
Things I learned…
– I need to eat more fruits.
– I need to consume 1589 – 1821 calories per day; depending on my activity level
Catch Up on Week 1′s Tasks
Though I haven’t posted any updates on last 3 day tasks (due to lack of time), I have read all the tasks and completed them on time.
My plans for week 2
Follow the diet plan I prepared in week 1
Continue to eat healthy, avoid junk/oily food, workout regularly and meditate daily as I planned in the beginning.
Day 7 Review and Set Your Plan For week 2
Ask Myself:
On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why?
What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why?
Have there been any obstacles preventing you from sticking to your healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can you overcome them?
What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
I’m at about an 8 in terms of Week One.
Goals and Visions and Growth
I have exercised/swum in the ocean, and that is progress. I have properly hydrated myself on a daily basis with little exception. I have not reacted when my best friend was impatient; I was calm, patient, helpful, and we got the job done without any fall-out. I have refrained from most negative thinking, and when evaluating what is best to do that involves business and others, I have seen more clearly, not going off on a tangent of making it about the other person, which would not be helpful or constructive or efficient. Just see the situation clearly, not get side-tracked, keep focused on what needs to be done at any given time. Take deep breaths. Follow my Ideal Meal Plan and Ideas for Positive, Healthy Living. Take more deep breaths.
Actions Taken and Thoughts for Moving Forward
I have eaten healthy meals and in healthy portions. There is always room for progress! I had a dream about walking freely, so that is a step in the right direction! I can do more visualizing, and I will! I have learned, been reminded, to keep an open mind, be willing to try something different, because it may just help me over a hurdle. I am willing to look up some calorie values in order to give my calorie intake a reality check. It’s mostly about eating the right things in the right portions so I have proper energy to go about my day.
It’s also not always about what I’m eating, but what’s eating away at me? I probably need to slow it down and check in with my feelings and nurture myself in other ways. Not just feeding my body, but also my mind and my soul. Meditate….Breathe.
I still have an association of eating certain foods as ‘comfort foods,’ and I need to find comfort in feeling better about my body and being more and more positive, accomplishing projects and goals, no matter how small they may seem, and less emphasis on comfort ‘foods.’ Also, feeding my mind with inspiring reads is important and very effective for me, as is listening to favorite music, watching movies, and being with supportive, loving friends.
Obstacles happen. They just do! Trick is not to get hooked by that obstacle, but find a way that addresses what action is needed that is most helpful. Not to use that obstacle as an excuse to not continue in the direction that I really want…to be willing to really treat myself lovingly instead of self-sabotagingly.
Pep talk myself out of being down on myself or ‘magical thinking’ that calories don’t count, ‘Just this time.’ See things as they are, unconditionally loving myself, and letting that shine, as I imagine, realistically, how things could be.
I’m finally back! :D I was writing down the tasks in my Notebook. In my island Puerto Rico, Christmas lasts till January 6 and we celebrate on the 5 and 6 the Three Kings (not sure if Singapore does that? We get 2 gifts as tradition from Christmas. Santa and Three Kings but Three Kings is more local) so I didn’t have time to comment. Let’s see how I catch up on commenting now o.o’ I do admite as pre review for now that I did not follow my planned diet on 5 or 6. I ate a LOT of junk food due to the festivals. I lost track of every diet plan there!!! I only continued the water task and calculations of those 2 days. But I plan to start all over tomorrow now that all the final parties are done.
Reflections on Week 1:
1-on a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why?
I’d use a scale of 8 including day zero and grade myself 5/8 because I initially procrastinated and in a way didn’t notice much the tasks of day 5 and 6 because I was distracted with Christmas festivities and slacked off in my diet those 2 days.
2-What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why?
Reach 100, follow a protein diet, lift weights one day yes, one day no. I don’t know how I’ve been doing on my weight. I think I might check that put today. I did follow my protein diet except on day 5 and 6 and I lifted weights but skipped 3 routines which were shceduled because I forgot.
3- Have there been any obstacles preventing you from sticking to your healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can you overcome them?
Yes. The festivities! I got distracted, tempted and busy plus procrastinated due to sadness of the meal plan but I did drink lots of water. (I only managed to do that task when it was already week 2) plus lack of reading my schedule daily. I can overcome them by trying to choose at least one healthier option when out (since I know I won’t follow it if I try to go full on), doing task on the day it corresponds no matter what and reading my schedule.
4-What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
I’ve learned that:
A-4 bottles of water (16 ounces)equal 8 glasses and my body only needs 2 bottles/4 glasses a day.
B-I was eating less veggies and fruits than recommended. I didn’t know I needed at least 5 rations.
C- I was consuming too much sugar in my diet and I have to reduce that.
D- the key to gain weight is in eating 2,000 calories a day in my case. After the calculations more or less that quantity is ok.
E-sometimes we get off track but the importaint thing is to bounce back and finish what you started.
1-What are your key goals for the next week?
Since I’m little late for this I’m planning from day 9 and onwards. The goals are the same but slightly modified due to the things I learned in week 1.
1-eat 2,000 calories a day while at the same time concentrating on high protein foods and evading excessive sodium and sugar. (A baby step is I’ve changed coffee for a glass of milk in the mornings.) Surpisingly it makes me feel more awake than a cup of coffee. (And I used to be a coffee addict for some months now but on December I lost the tastebud for coffer and happened to give up in coffee (it was a planned goal which I accidentally achieved since I don’t feel I want coffee anymore.
2- count just the calories during what’s left of the challenge just to have an idea if this new diet is working out or not.
3- make sure to incorporate at least 5 rations of mixed fruits and veggies in my diet
What are your key action steps to make Week 2 a bigger success than Week 1?
BUY a calendar and a an agenda for 2015!! (I don’t like online ones very much) If not, make it myself and read/update it every morning, middle day and night and review it at least once a week. I’ve realized that when I write things down I am more productive.
1. My reflections for Week 1:
I feel my diet is a 9: since the challenge started I ate a lot more fruits than usual. I did not eat any chocolate! My meals were healthy and I was not hungry in between meals (that happens sometimes when I do not take time or plan my meals).
And my fitness is a 7: I missed 1 yoga and I did not go for a walk every day.
2. What goals did I set for myself at the beginning of the challenge? How have I been doing in them? Why?
My goal was to drink more water (2 glasses more), do yoga at home twice a week, make a meal menu and make a shopping list, go to grocery store (also buy nuts), go for a short walk everyday, try not to eat chocolate.
I was a little bit tired to go for a walk and dinner was already ready for me when I came from work, so I was too lazy to go outside after dinner. I missed 1 yoga practice – I planned on doing it on sunday but did not had the right energy, now from monday till today I did not had the time. I did not eat chocolate because I did not had cravings for it. I drank 2 glasses of water more per day than usual because I had full bottle of water always with me. Meal menu, shopping list, going to grocery store (buying nuts) – also checked; I did it cause they were on my to-do list.
3. Have there been any obstacles preventing me from sticking to my healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can I overcome them?
For yoga – lack of time, energy; I can overcome that with better time organization. Although if I do not feel like doing yoga, I could try it anyway cause my feelings might be wrong.
For walks – lack of will; I can overcome that with just doing it and with setting a goal to go for a walk 3 times a week
4. What are the biggest things I’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
– for day 3 and day 4 challenge I thought to myself “oh, I do not need to do that task, calories are not important to me”. Somehow I did it anyway and it came out that it was very useful and beneficial. I learned that I not need to underestimate something – I have to try it, cause it can turn out the opposite of the expectation I have about it at first sight.
– if I would like to gain weight I have to consume 250 calories more per day.
– although I already have a healthy lifestyle, I can improve it.
2. My plan for Week 2:
Key goals:
– the same as in the first week
– eat 5 servings of F&V
Action steps:
– make another menu plan and go to grocery store
3. My progress with my healthy living plan today:
– drank 8 glasses of water,
– ate 6 servings of F&V,
– did go for a walk. I did not have a bicycle today, so I had to walk. All the walking today equals 5 short walks for all the days in last week when I did not go :)
Miss Elf, I find your post thoughtful and encouraging, Thank you!
Especially, “- for day 3 and day 4 challenge I thought to myself “oh, I do not need to do that task, calories are not important to me”. Somehow I did it anyway and it came out that it was very useful and beneficial. I learned that I not need to underestimate something – I have to try it, cause it can turn out the opposite of the expectation I have about it at first sight.”
I thought similarly about day 3 and 4 since I had so much of calorie-counting in my lifetime, and learned successfully to eat healthfully for myself, measuring portions. Reviewing calorie counts at this point in my life just may be helpful and provide some useful info that will actually help me live more healthfully, so I will assume an open mind about this. And more willingness to do something differently. Eating healthy is great, but not paying attention to the actual calories as in my focusing on ‘This is healthy, so it’s okay for me’ is not going to make the calories go away!!! That is just not realistic or the way it works! Good to know that I am not the only one that may underestimate something, whether it be a calorie or something else!
Things really can turn out the opposite of what i think at first consideration, so it is wise for me to be open to see something in a new way, open to trying to do something differently. Thanks for your sharing what you have learned….it’s an AHA! moment!
Thank you, Swann! :)
It is wise to be open to new possibilites because every single moment is different. And life gives us so much if we are willing to accept it and play with it instead of fighting it, rejecting it, judging it, making false assumptions, …
I noticed that by eating more fruit and vegetables, especially salad, I have lost my taste for less healthy foods. I also noticed that dairy foods of all kinds seem to cause bloating and weight gain, and next week I am going to cut that out of my diet. Because it is so cold (today it’s -15 C) I don’t find a diet that relies on fruits and vegetables to be sufficient. I need carbs! To balance that I will have to step up my physical activity next week!
Mostly what I’ve found is that when I pay attention, I prefer healthy alternatives, and when I have my attention on other things, I tend to do whatever is easier, and that is often less healthy.
Hi Vicki, I’ve the same observation myself — that dairy foods cause bloating / weight gain. Same for oily, fried, and creamy foods. Just cutting down on these in the past week has made me thinner / helped me to lose weight even though I’m not deliberately eating less or reducing my calories.
I didn’t do the previous two tasks because I can’t find the calories online. The foods we eat eat sometimes don’t have names here. People only know ethnic foods they know from famous African restaurants. I am looking for the calories for a sauce we called “black sauce” and fried cakes, “tsala”. I f it’s okay can I still use my calories from the day before?
Hi EY, yes of course! Do what works best for yourself! :D It is true that it can be hard to find the calories for local food. I’d recommend to use estimation in such cases — for example, in Singapore a common dish is prawn noodles (it is noodles with prawns, fishballs, and some vegetables). So the key ingredients here would be noodles (estimating the serving size), X number of fishballs, and X number of prawns. Very tedious at first I know, but it’s a one-off calculation and once one gets the hang of it, it becomes an intuitive process. For example, nowadays I generally apply a calorie count of 200-300 for an average sized salad with dressing, and about 200-300 for an average sized soup with 1 piece of bread as these were the figures I got when I did meticulous tracking in the past, so I know a salad/soup averages at 200-300 calories (provided it’s a healthy pick, not the oily type, have healthy ingredients and is an average serving).
Hi, Celes!
I’ve been thinking about fixing my diet for the last 3 weeks at least, so now I’m happy to participate in all this. I learned about you having this programm only when it was already day 5, but I’ve done calories counting thing before with my fitness instructor and have all the numbers handy.
1. Your reflections for Week 1
Last 2 days did great on all this and feel that I start getting thinner and healthier. Would give me 8 out of 10.
2. Your plan for Week 2
Today in the morning I was 53.5 kg and I want to loose some kilos till I get 51.0 kg. I have some fat that built up recently on my hips and butt (without it, it all looked better). For this I will eat only the food I plan to eat and will eat not 2-3 times a day, but rather smaller portions 4-5 times a day.
3. It’s 2pm here and today I am doing great: ate healthy and already exercised.
4. And here come the pictures!
For breakfast I had oatmeal, with coffee with milk and apple.
For lunch had those eggs, and coffee with apple again (sorry, I just love them both).
And did some threadmill running later on.
Hi Maryna, it’s so exciting to have you here with us and I’m glad you joined despite knowing about the challenge on Day 5! It’s better late than never! :D Do you have your own treadmill at home or do you go to the gym for your exercises? What is your target daily calorie intake that you’re aiming for?
Thanks a lot for your reply! I’m also exited to be here and to share my small insights with people around the world. A great way of getting motivated and sharing my goal with others!
I am fortunate to have a treadmill at home (which I bought something like 2 years ago). I love that I can jog without losing time for getting myself to the gym and can put some YouTube video on (with full volume) and enjoy the process (I usually stick with a TV series that deals with travelling). But we also have treadmills at the gym I go to, so oftentimes I jog a bit there after a workout.
My BMR would be 1364 kcal, and TDEE is 1637 kcal +extra calories when I exercise, which is kind of nothing really surprising.
So, now some updates on how I did today.
For dinner I had some steamed yellowtail (fish) with cabbage and carrots, which was the greenest thing I had at home (it is -17ºC (1ºF) here, so I don’t really feel like shopping for food today).
For a snack later on I had a green apple, a cup of cocoa with milk and some dried tomatoes.
Around 7.30 pm I had 2 cups of homemade yoghurt (on the photo there is 1), an orange and some fruit tea with honey.
That was it, probably it all does not look that exiting, but it was good and healthy and this is what matters.
Hi Maryna, that’s what I thought, too! When I saw your treadmill picture, I immediately thought that it might be a treadmill at home, so that’s really awesome that it’s indeed so! :D It really makes working out more convenient; like you say, not losing time. I think if I am to get an exercising machine one day, I’ll likely get the cycling type; we live in flats here so having a treadmill might create vibrations/trumping that the neighbors downstairs can hear at night.
Brunch: Grapes and the same mushroom overload burger I’ve been having. More updates later! :D
Okay today’s dinner was WEIRD. I had a mini-QQrice which was great (the filling was emperor vegetables), and then Ken helped me to take away a bunch of food from Cedele (salads, soup, burger) for today and tomorrow.
But then when I tried the salads, they were quite oily and too creamy, and really just didn’t cut it for me. One was tofu and the other was some potato salad. I had a few bites of the potato salad and just couldn’t stomach it, then I tried the tofu one and it just wasn’t good. I think eating 100% healthy the past week has made me very sensitive to overly creamy/oily food; I just find them kind of repulsive now, physically. (I gave the potato salad to Ken and probably will pass the rest of the tofu one to him later when he gets back; he just went out for supper.)
So I made some chickpeas and grapes for myself, as well as cut half a dragon fruit for supper. Pictures below (didn’t include the salad pics since I didn’t finish them in the end).
For supper, tofu burger with pumpkin bread. I had a business call yesterday and have so many new ideas floating in my head that I wish there were five of me that can do all of them at once. Sometimes I wish we (humans) don’t have to sleep at all so I can just keep going and working and working! Writing Day 8’s post now, see you guys there! :D
Haven’t done the previous two tasks because I’m not into calorie counting. I understand how it can be helpful for others and I am respectful of their choice, but for me calorie counting has never done anything beneficial. I used to count every calorie I ate on a daily basis and it drove me nuts, making me even more obsessed about what and how much I ate. Not a pretty picture. But then again, this is just me and just because it hasn’t worked for me it doesn’t mean that it won’t work for others.
Now for the questions:
1. On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your diet and fitness in the past seven days? Why?
Diet – 5. I’ve eating more veggies and fruits, but I still eat chaotically and I have sugary and fried foods. Exercising – 10. I’ve been exercising 5 times a week for 30 minutes and I feel amazing! But I’ve been exercising regularly for years now, so it’s not like I’m starting from scratch with exercising, I’m just making it more intense to challenge myself.
2. What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge? How have you been doing in them? Why?
To eat less sugar and less fried food, and to eat only 3 times a day – kind of failed in all three of these goals, because it’s winter and fresh produce is hard to find or it’s really expensive, and because examination period in college has begun and my schedule is crazy with 2 exams off the list and 8 more to go.
3. Have there been any obstacles preventing you from sticking to your healthy living plan? If yes, what are they? How can you overcome them?
The obstacles I’ve encountered are, as I’ve already mentioned above, exams and the fact that it’s winter. In terms of what I can do, I just keep trying to get as many fruits and veggies in my diet as possible (I bought some frozen vegetables mix and several types of fruit — mango, bananas, clementines, apples).
4. What are the biggest things you’ve learned this week, health and fitness related or otherwise?
That excuses get you nowhere (something I already was aware of, but now it’s been reinforced). Also, slow progress is still progress.
Hey Lina! The previous two tasks AREN’T about calorie counting, though some may find it beneficial to do the calorie counting in tandem with planning their ideal meals. For example one’s ideal meal may be to have a salad, a soup, and a sandwich a day plus meeting in line with his/her calorie needs AND not eating junk food / binge eating (you mentioned before that sugars are something you want to cut out of your diet), so that’d be the overall directions pertaining to his/her ideal meal. Calorie counting is merely a specific step one undertakes to create specificity around his/her calorie intake, and it helps especially if the person has never done any calorie counting in his/her life and has no idea about the calorie content of each food.
As you mentioned, since you’ve done calorie counting before, then you’d be pretty aware of the calorie amount of each food and hence can estimate to a good level the quantity of food you should intake for each ideal meal (for example, maybe 350 ml of soup as opposed to 1 liter of soup; half an avocado in a salad as opposed to 3 avocados (because avocado is very calorie dense)). So really, Days 5-6 are more on envisioning one’s ideal meal and following through with it as opposed to counting calories (which is really more the case for Day 3’s task). Hope that helps!
Then my bad, I thought that since we had calculated our TDEE one day and then we had to create our perfect meal plan to get our TDEE that they were connected (in terms of caloric intake/having to count the calories per each meal). Thank you for clarifying that for me. :)
I tend to snack when I have classes, because we get like 10-minute breaks in between classes and sometimes we have 5 classes in a row or 2 hours each. So we don’t get the chance to have a proper meal in-between them, we just eat on the go: pretzels, a piece of fruit, biscuits, etc. (usually not the healthiest things).
As for the sugary/fried food, my parents tend to cook fried stuff (they like it, so they don’t give it up just because I’d like not to eat it) and I’m the one who gets the sugary stuff (kind of sabotaging myself, I know; most of the time I buy something sweet when I’m at the university).
Hi Lina! When I’m in a situation where I can’t have a regular meal, I find that what helps is to have a lunch box with packed food that either I made myself or a healthy meal that I got from somewhere. Then during the breaks, I can have 4-5 bites of the food in the lunch box, and then pack it away until it’s time to eat during another break. And of course, there are always the healthier snack options like a fruit over chips (and many fruits to choose from, grapes, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, etc.), a small packed salad over fries, and so on. Granola bars can work too! (Not the sugary types; there are some healthy ones and they are better than potato chips any day!)
Yeah, my parents tend to cook fried/oily stuff too so I can understand; I realize most parents do, actually! I think it’s just the norm cooking style for our parents’ generation (perhaps in a way it still is today); salads and the movement toward healthy eating probably took more steam in the past few decades. I think by having a few clear healthier alternatives to dine on, alternatives which we like and enjoy eating (and to know that eating these don’t deprive us but instead enrich us nutritionally), it makes it easier to gravitate toward these options than the snackish, sugary, fried options.
For me (eating the unhealthy fried foods) it used to be a lot about convenience and having a quick food source to fill me up, but once I make things easy for myself (e.g. stocking lots of these healthy foods, stocking up on all varieties of fruits in the house), then it has become quite a breeze to stay in accordance to my personal ideal meal plan.
Packing food definitely works, I’ve tried it before, but sadly I didn’t keep doing it so a habit wasn’t formed. Just like you said, unhealthy food is always more convenient and faster to obtain. Lately, I’ve been taking sandwiches (roasted chicken meat) and several fruits with me to college in order to stop buying chips, pretzels, chocolate, biscuits, pizza, etc. and it has definitely made a difference in the way in which I eat. I’m just working on making it a habit.
Thanks for your sharing Lina, I totally relate to the counting every calorie thing. At one point in my life, long ago, I did the same thing, and it was crazy-making for me. I was just sharing with Miss Elf after her helpful post that I was willing to check out some calorie values as a review/reality check, as this may be helpful to me regarding dropping excess pounds.
Also, I was thinking the same thing, ‘Slow progress is still progress,’ hopefully steady progress!
Good luck with all those exams, and with living healthy. IOf course living healthy will help with exams and everything else! ‘m thinking of the saying ‘take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.’
Thank you, Swann!
That’s a great saying and it’s true. Small changes in small areas of our lives will lead to a general improvement in the big picture and in the long run.
Good luck to you, too, in creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself!
Celestine, hi there – I was glad to read your comments above. I have fallen partially off track. For posting an update, do I go back to where I posted my original Healthy Living Plan and write there? Thanks. I sure have been feeling guilty as well as not knowing exactly where to jump in…
Hi Ola! If you’re sharing with regards to today’s task (i.e. reflecting on Week 1 and planning for Week 2), then post here! If you’re sharing an update with regards to today’s meal and exercises (if any), whereby today is Jan 7, then post here too! Basically each day’s discussion thread should pertain to that day’s meal and task.
That’s fine if you’ve fallen partially off track, honestly I’m sure many people do. The number 1 new year’s resolutions for people in the world is to lose weight / be fitter / be healthier, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that that’s the number 1 resolution that most people “fail” / “give up” on as well. Gyms always see an increased of sign ups and people at the beginning of the year and most of them disappear after a few weeks/months. The most important thing is always to identify what are the factors causing one to go “off track,” and to address them accordingly, in an objective fashion. Welcome back to the “fold” (so to speak) Ola! :D *hugs*
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