The Experiment
I know, I know. Sorry it's been forever but things have been very busy. School, home, and so many things have just been all over the place! Looking back at how the past few weeks have been, I'm still amazed at how I'm here with you today :p
First things first.
I don't think scheduling posts every ____ day is very motivating. It's weight loss and no matter how we think of it, it's a long process and there's no half-assing it. Therefore, this would be something Emmaleigh and I would post on when the need arises and whatnot.
Second.
I'm sorry but to be perfectly honest, I have not been exercising or eating as healthy as I would like lately. I have only been maintaining my weight which isn't really anything to celebrate about but it's not dreadful either.
That being said, after getting into a funk with everything, because of a school thing, I want to get back into losing weight!
It's a behavioral experiment and if you'd like to join, feel free to!
The premise:
Write down a goal that is achievable in two weeks. Have five rewards and punishments. These rewards and punishments must be attainable and/or can be reasonably enforced.
You will need:
A monitor and a table showing the following details: date, behavior expected, actual performance, reinforcement for daily achievement.
My monitor would be my friend Mai as I would be hers. Our goal was to be able to exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes, for two weeks.
But of course I don't want to start without a plan in mind. I have to budget those 30 minutes right.
So now, I'd like to plan it so I don't make a fool out of myself :p
- Warm-up - 5 minutes. (stretching + dancing a little to some music to get pumped)
- Combination of forward and side lunges - 5 minutes
- Forward crunches - 5 minutes
- Side crunches - 5 minutes
- Squats - 5 minutes
- Cool down - 5 minutes. (stretching s'more plus deep breathing and such)
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water
- Eat a heavy but as non-greasy as possible breakfast
- Eat a nice portion of lunch and a small portion of dinner
- Have an a.m. snack and a p.m. snack
- 1 cup of rice is the limit (though I usually consume half)
- 2 pieces of chocolate is the limit (of those miniature things and or kisses we have at home. If it's dark chocolate, better)
The Value of Sleep
- Sleep = time for your body to repair. I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
- Sleep helps keep your heart healthy! I can attest to this because of my blood pressure woes =\
- Sleep helps deal with stress. Did you ever feel like everything's just going wrong, that everything's been terrible, that everything's overwhelming? Sometimes sleeping on it could just clear your mind and help you handle it better the next day.
- Sleep = better memory! I don't know about you, but I cannot function for an exam if I don't sleep. Sleep is equal to your computer saving its files. I feel like it's when I can integrate everything somehow. Otherwise it's just free-floating information that flits away.
- Sleep = better weight management! I think this is a big thing for me. I don't get enough sleep and along with my other problems leading to difficulty in weight loss. When you don't get enough sleep you get an increase in appetite -- specifically for food high in fat, calories and sugar-y death =\
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE UPDATE
Don't worry bloggie, I am back now, I had the full day to myself and just took a lil break from my reading so I can update everyone.
Ok. September is almost over and it's time for me to update everyone about the SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE I had that's open to everyone who wanted to join the weight loss challenge.
I FAILED!
Image credits to google images
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE IS A FAIL!
FAIL!
FAIL!
FAIL!
But this is a FOR THE WIN blog right?I will WIN the OCTOBER CHALLENGE! I will not let stress and temptations triumph over me! I am Em, I am the other half of TEAM EMMARAH, this is a FOR THE WIN BLOG and I will achieve my weight loss goal for October. That's a promise.
Are there any lessons I learned during the whole September challenge?
- Yes. My goals should not just be focused on how to eat right and trying to cut back on sweets and too much sodium. I also need to plan my time properly, don't and never stay up late if it isn't necessary.
This whole diet/challenge thing is very new to me and as I go along, I learn a lot of things, I fail some, I win some and I will not stop learning until I reach my weight goal.
I will see you guys again on the launching of the OCTOBER CHALLENGE.
It is still Sunday my time 5:56pm, so to some us, let's enjoy the rest of our Sunday and Happy Monday to all of you guys in the Philippines.
love,
Em
Detox
I was going to post Friday but I wanted to give Em's post its time to shine so I waited a little. But yay! Here I am.
Been hecka busy lately. I now have at least one exam every week. I actually have one tomorrow. I'm so overwhelmed and there's just so much going on that I'm actually feeling down and not so posty. But fear not! I will NOT let my emotions wreak havoc on my journey with whoever's with me and Em in this, be it one guy/girl, five, seven, who knows, right?
First things first, I am sad to announce that I am dropping out of the September challenge =\ I know, it's a disgrace/etc. It's not like I'm scarfing down sweet munchies as I type but from here on 'til the end of the sem I'd be pretty much stressed and I need a sweet treat every now and then to keep me going. Don't worry, I take things in moderation so I'll be alright :) Right now, I'm just going through a tough time is all and I don't want to be unfair by saying "I ate one _____" but I'm still going again and again.
Second of all. HOT DAYUM SOY MILK IS MAKING ME FAT :(( Sure it has health benefits, sure, but it doesn't do good with weight loss, pssh.
Next, I want to go through a detox diet. I'll be frank. And if you don't like TMI (too much info) stuff, then skip this entry. Go on. Click the red X.
Here's another chance.
And another.
Still with me?
You sure?
You can walk away.
Okay if you're here still then here's the thing. I've mentioned that I have problems with digestion, right? Weeeeell, thing is, I don't really have awesome bowel movements. I don't have them enough. Normally one would have it daily but me? Nope, not really. That's prolly one of the reasons I'm this way =\ And it's not good.
That being said, I think I srsly need a detox diet.
The problem?
I don't know much about them yet. Right now I can't do much research but I prolly will after my exam and get back to you guys on Wednesday :)
What's important for me to do now?
- Know what to eat
- Know how much to eat
- Know what I could/couldn't do (like exert to much effort since I'd be on low cal stuff/whatever or maybe I have to be near the bathroom a lot)
- Know what's SAFE
- Know what would work for me and my digestion for the LONG TERM.
LET'S EAT!
Hi everyone! Em here on a Thursday night. ;)
Yes. This was supposed to be an entry for yesterday but I was really tired and senseless so I talked to Mara if I could skip and instead do the entry today.
Yay! I'm here now and ready to talk about EATING the RIGHT food.
I do my own research and I even watch Dr. Oz and The Doctors about their tips on people on a diet and how to be healthy. Yesterday, I did my grocery shopping and I kept in mind of the food that are tempting but not healthy. What are those?
Dr. Oz’s List of 5 Foods to Keep Out of Your Grocery Cart:
1. Simple Sugars and Carbs (like Ice Cream)
Simple sugars and simple carbohydrates cause blood sugar imbalances. You have a burst of initial energy, but this energy high lapses very quickly and you be even more tired. Plus, who wants to wear this on our hips… like Gillian said, we don’t want to look like watermelons, we want to look like pears! So skip the junk food, pastries, pies, cookies and cakes!
2. Meats High in Nitrates & Saturated Fats (like Salami, Bacon, & Sausage)
Processed meats have added nitrates, which is a food additive that is linked to stomach cancer and degenerative diseases. Plus it will add fat to you and your whole family! So try to eat chicken and turkey instead. The gentleman on the show said that he even lost 100 pounds by not eating these types of foods for a year!
3. Ingredients You Can’t Pronounce (like Cheese Puffs)
Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a food item you are about to buy? Quite often the list of ingredients will have all types of things you can’t pronounce or have never heard of. If you need a chemistry course to read the ingredients, there is a problem! Besides, Gillian says these cause gas and burping.
4. Fake Healthy Foods (like Low Fat Cookies)
Fake healthy foods are what companies use to trick us! The food company’s marketing department knows the trigger words that make us think something is good for us like “low fat,” but did you know that when they say “low fat” they usually make up for it by adding tons of sugar. You won’t feel satisfied when you eat these foods and you will still have constant hunger.
5. Canned Foods High in Sodium (like Canned Soups)
Canned foods that are high in sodium are bad for your arteries and blood pressure, and generally they wreak havoc on your body. Dr. Oz said that most people shouldn’t have over 2300 mg of sodium, and if you are African American or elderly then you should have even less. If Americans can cut out 1200 mg of salt per day, we could save 100,000 lives from strokes and heart attacks.
[source: Dr. Oz’s List of 5 Foods to Keep Out of Your Grocery Cart]
And what did I buy from the grocery store?No more fat Em in 2011, just a fit and healthy one.
What was in your shopping cart? Healthy? No? Well, the next time you go shopping, take into consideration of the 5 foods that you should keep out of your grocery cart.
How's the September challenge going for you guys?
Mine? I fell off the wagon. :( This is really tough, and it's not good if I continue in defeating my goal. I should discipline myself more.
I can still do the September challenge!
Go Em!
D'Oh!
- drink a glass of soy milk at least once a day
- drink at least two cups of tea a day
THE SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE + OUR FEATURED BLOGGER OF THE WEEK
How are you guys doing today?How was school and/or work all week? School started for me and it's ok -- so far. Well, you guys know how school could get pretty stressful from all the deadlines to beat and exams right? Yes. So far, I am not tempted yet to shave my head bald from the stress and pressure around me. haha And as for my part time job? I restricted myself on my availability, it sucks about not getting that much hours as I used to, but school is way more important right?
Ok.
That's that and let's move forward to my exciting news for everyone. I have TWO EXCITING NEWS! Are you guys ready?
hmm, remember the SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE? Where in the whole month of September I will try to completely eliminate my bad sugar and too much sodium intake? I posted that entry Monday night and it's been 4 days since then and 5 days since I last weighed in and to be honest, the challenge is pretty tough. I still get tempted to run to the convenience store and grab a chocolate bar, but I'm not gonna do that, I am taking the challenge and I am gonna be healthy! The exciting news you might be wondering? I weighed myself today and I LOST 2lbs! I am really happy that even despite of the lack of exercise and sweating for the past 2 weeks, I still lost 4lbs in total.
That is the first good news, and the second exciting or more like interesting news I have for everyone is this blogger.
Yes. I did "interview" Steph thru email, I sent her questions and she emailed me back (thank you! :D). If you didn't click her link and didn't check out her profile, Steph used to struggle with her weight as well and now I want to share to you guys her success story.
- Please introduce yourself
- What/who motivated you to lose weight?
- How did your first few weeks of dieting go?
- What are your struggles in your "I wanna be fit and healthy" path?
- Have you reached your weight goal yet? If yes, what are your plans/goals on how to keep that weight?
- Did you enroll yourself to a exercise program?(gym, dancing, martial arts etc etc).
- Lastly, what's your message to us who are struggling in losing weight and how to keep us motivated.
Thank you everyone for the time in reading this entry. I learned something new from Steph and I hope you guys also did.
Let's all be healthy!
Happy Dieting!
xo,
Em
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