Week 2 - 19

Starting this week with 172 lbs. Thats one pound less that what i was, in-spite of all that festival food and not doing some exercise. So more effort and more discipline is needed. Some change in my timetable this week and also the menu as I am trying to reduce carbohydrate consumption.

Duration : Nov 8, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010
Workout : The targets for this week
50-->60 mins of walking Daily
05-->30 mins of Breathing Daily
15-->30 mins of Yoga
Starting Weight : 172 lbs

Day 1 - Nov 8

Waking up : 7:00 am
Morning - 8:30 am : Oats + Milk + 1/2 Apple
Afternoon - 12:30 pm : 1&1/2 Roti + 1/2 Cup Sauteed Savoy Cabbage
                                 1/4 Cup Rice + 1 Cup Pappu Charu (Lentil Stew)
Evening - 1 Boondi ladoo + 3 almonds
Night - 1 Cup Rice + 3 Cups Pappu Charu ( Lentil Stew)
Hydration - 128+ oz
Workout - Yoga : 30 mins
Retrospect : Not a good day.
Pros  : Had veggies , fruits, dal.
Cons : No exercise except Yoga.

Day 2 - Nov 9

Waking up : 8:00 am
Morning - 8:40 am : 2 Slice 12 Grain Bread + 1 Cup Skimmed Milk
Mid-Morning Snack - 1/4 Apple
Afternoon - 1:15 pm : 2 Pesara Attu + Eggplant-Fresh fenugreek Curry
                                 1/4 Cup Rice + 1 Cup Pappu Charu(Lentil Stew)
Night - 8:00 pm : 1 Kiwi + 2 Pesara Attu + Eggplant-Fresh fenugreek Curry
                                 1/4 Cup Rice + 1 Cup Pappu Charu(Lentil Stew)
Hydration - 128+ oz
Workout - Walking - 45 Mins Uphill walking @ 3.0 mph
Retrospect : A good day.
Pros  : Portion control.Included fruits and veggies and greens
Cons : No Yoga or breathing

Day 3 - Nov 10

Waking up : 6:45 am
Morning - 8:15 am : 2 Pesarattu + Chutney powder
Mid-Morning Snack - 1/2 Apple
Afternoon - 1:15 pm : 3 Small Pesara Attu + Coriander Chicken Curry
Evening - 6:00 pm : 6 Almonds
Night - 8:00 pm : 3 Small Phulkas with Coriander Chicken Curry
Hydration - 128+ oz
Retrospect : Not a good day as there is no workout day. This means double workout tomorrow. On the brighter side..got a brand new haircut and it made me feel really good. Though after washing and drying, it is not falling the way i expected it to, will check it after the next wash. As for today am happy to have short hair which is a breeze to maintain and hopefully it will reduce my hair loss.
Pros  : No snacks. Three straight meals with controlled carbohydrate consumption. Included fruits.
Cons : No workout at all.

Day 4 - Nov 11

Waking up : 6:50 am
Morning - 8:30 am : 1/4 Cup Oats + 1 Cup Skimmed Milk with a little sugar
Mid-Morning Snack - A cup of mini- carrots
Afternoon - 13:30 pm : 1 Roti + 1 pesarrattu + Chicken Curry
                                 1/2 Cup rice + 1 cup pappu Charu
Evening - 5 Almonds
Night - 3 Small Pesarattu + Chutney Powder + 1/2 Cup Rice + 1 Cup Pappu Charu
Hydration - 96 oz
Workout - Breathing 15 mins
Retrospect :
Pros  :
Cons :

Day 5 - Nov 12

Waking up : 7:00 am
Morning - 8:40 am :
Mid-Morning Snack -
Afternoon - 12:30 pm :
Evening -
Night -
Hydration - 96+ oz
Workout -
Retrospect :
Pros  :
Cons :

Day 6 - Nov 13

Waking up : 9:30 am
Afternoon - 12:30 pm : 1 All Bagel with Egg and Hash browns
Evening - 1 Cup Maggi
Night - 8:15 : I-Hop Harvest Grain N'Nut pancakes with blue berry compote
Hydration - 96+ oz
Workout - Breathing 30 mins
Retrospect : Not a good day. No Exercise and no diet control
Pros  : None
Cons : No exercise, No portion control, included lots of Carbs.

Day 7 - Nov 14

Waking up : 9:30 am
Morning - 11:30 am : 1.5 Cups Milk + 2 Slices 12 Grain Bread
Evening - 1 Starbucks Low Fat Grande Pumpkin Frappucino
Night - 2 Rotis + 1 Cup Dal
Hydration - 96+ oz
Workout - Walking - 50 Mins
Retrospect : An ok day
Pros  : Portion Control to balance the previous day. Exercise included
Cons : No Breathing or Yoga.

Week 1 - 20

Duration : Nov 1, 2010 to Nov 7, 2010
Workout : The targets for this week
45-->60 mins of walking Daily
05-->30 mins of Breathing Daily
15-->30 mins of Yoga
Starting Weight : 174 lbs

Day 1 - Nov 1

Woke Up : 8:00 am

Morning - 9:40 am : 2 Slices of 15 Grain Bread + Scrambled Egg

Mid-Morning Snack - 1 Glass Mango Juice

Afternoon - 1:30 pm : 2 Rotis + 1/2 cup Moongdal Bokchoy curry + 1/2 Cup yogurt
Snack : 1/2 Snicker
Night - 9:00 pm : 2 Rotis + Chicken Curry
Hydration - 96 oz
Workout - None

Retrospect : Not a good day. Did a lot of cleaning in the house but no other workout 

Pros  : Portion control and drank the target amount of water.

Cons : Ate a chocolate

Day 2 - Nov 2

Woke Up : 8:00 am

Morning - 9:40 am : Three dosas + Chutney powder + 1/2 Apple

Afternoon - 1:00 pm : 2 Rotis + 3/4 cup Angular gourd Dal + 2 small Chicken pieces + 1 Peach

Evening : 1/2 Apple

Night - 8:15 pm : 4 Small Dosas + 3/4 Cup Brinjal Curry + 1/4 Cup Dal

Hydration - 96 oz

Workout - Yoga - 30 mins
Walking - 45 mins
Breathing - 15 mins 

Retrospect :  A good day. Was very hungry in the evening and did not eat anything resulting in a heavy dinner. Need to avoid this.

Pros  : Included fruits and veggies. Did workout

Cons : No greens. Dinner too heavy. 

Day 3 - Nov 3

Woke Up : 8:00 am

Morning - 9:40 am : 2 Slices 15 Grain bread + 1 tbs Honey + 1 tbs Peanut Chutney

Mid-Morning - 1 Plum

Afternoon - 1:30 pm : 1 Roti + 1 Cup Bottle Gaurd Masoor Dal + 1 Glass Buttermilk

Evening : 

Night -  : 2 Rotis + 1 Cup Egg Curry

Hydration - 96 oz

Workout - Yoga - 30 mins

Walking - 45 mins

Retrospect :  An Ok Day. Again very hungry in the evening and did not eat anything resulting in dinner more than required. To Watch out

Pros  : Included Fruit, Dal and Veggie

Cons : No Greens. Dinner too heavy

Day 4 - Nov 4

Woke Up : 9:00 am 

Morning - No b.f as woke up very late

Mid-Morning - 11:00 : 1 Roti + 2 small Dosas + Bottle Gaurd Masoor Dal Curry

Afternoon - 3:00 pm : 1 large Banana

Evening : 5 Dosas + Chutney Powder + 1 Tsp of Olive Oil

Hydration - 96 oz

Workout - Yoga - 30 mins

Retrospect :  An good day. Though my timings have gone awry and no exercise specifically, i still call it a good day cause did a lot of cleaning around the house for more than 3 hours and that was really good exercise.Hurray tomorrow is Diwali. This is my first one away from my parents :( but hey the first one with my husband :), and guess what prepared Ladoo for the first time in my life. They came out perfect . Though i could raise my hands cause of exhaustion..it was worth the effort. Sreeni loved them too.:)). And i could eat them after all that effort..eating left for tomm..

Pros  : No walking but cleaned the house.

Cons : No Greens. No fruits

Day 5 - Nov 5

Woke Up : 8:00 am

Morning -9:40 am 2 Slices 15 grain bread + 1 Tbs honey 

Afternoon - 13:00 pm : 1 Cup semiya sweet

Hydration - 96 oz

Workout - Yoga - 30 mins

Retrospect :  Diwali Evening..had really good time today. Invited some friends over for dinner. Wore a Saree( of-course with a lot of difficulty and with some help). Its nice to wear new clothes and go around all decked up once in a while. Feels really good. For Dinner had festival food. Portion control was the only thing i managed.

Day 6 & Day 7

A night of poker and a day of shopping and eating festival leftovers is how I spent the weekend. It was brunch and dinner everyday. But kept it on the light side. Have lost a pound in-spite of all this so its not that bad after all.

In retrospect an ok week. Not great but not bad. Needs further improvement.

Long Break

It has been a long time since I last posted. What with a move,falling sick,..with lots of people visiting, we visiting places...my schedule went for a toss. And with a roller coaster summer, I just could not get back to it. Thanks to a health problem and my neglect I have put on what little I lost and the target now is to lose 63 lbs. Its a tougher goal now and would require more effort. With the summer at its end, this time made plans to stick with:) :) :).

I had earlier planned for 58 weeks having 58 lbs ,but this time I will be taking a smalled target of 20 lbs in 20 weeks ... The plan remains as indicated in my earlier blog "59 Weeks". My plan starts from today..here I go.

End of Summer

It has been a good summer though. Satya and Pavani's visit from Australia was a real fun trip. Went to Niagara Falls, was awesome. Had lot of fun in the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds. Loved Cave of the winds and wouldnt mind another trip next summer.

Week 2 - 58

Hi , from this week onwards my waking up time will also be recorded as I am trying to wake up earlier than I usually do. As of today it is 9:00 am which is too late and is causing a delay in all my activities including my breakfast and lunch timings. My target by this weekend is 7:30 am. So here i go trying to change one more thing about myself.

Duration : May 17, 2010 to May 23, 2010

Workout : The targets for this week

·        30 mins of walking Daily

·        15 mins of meditation Daily

·        15mins of Breathing Daily

·        20 mins of Yoga

Day 1 - May 17

Woke Up - 9:30 am
Morning - 10:45 : 1 cup of Oats + 1 cup of Soy milk
Afternoon - 1:30 : 2 Cups of rice with 3 cups of sambhar
Evening - 1 bowl of Honeydew pieces
Hydration : 6 glasses of water
Workout  : 15 mins of breathing
                15 mins of Meditation
Retrospect : Not bad and not good.
Pros : Included breathing and meditation
Cons : Ate rice, No greens included

Day 2 - May 18

Woke up - 9:00 am ( A half hour improvement on yesterday)
Morning - 10:30 am : A few spoons of poha and a cup of honey dew slices
Afternoon - 2 Avacado rotis with  a cup of aloo chole and half a cup of saag
Evening - 8:00 pm : One Pear
Hydration: 5 glasses of water
Workout: 30 mins walking
15 mins meditation
Retrospect : Another ok day
Pros : Included walking and meditation, portion control of food, included fruits and greens
Cons : No breathing and yoga

Day 3 - May 19

Woke up - 8:30 am (Another half hour improvement)
Morning - 9:30 am : 1 cup of Oats + 1 cup of Soy milk
Afternoon - 1:00 pm : 1 cup of Aloo Chole with 1 cup of curd and 1 cup of Honeydew pieces
Evening - 6:30 pm : 1 bowl of Honeydew pieces
Night - 8:00 pm : 2 small Avocado sesame rotis with 1 cup of sarson ka saag and 1/2 cup of Aloo Chole and cup of Lettuce + 1 glass of zeera buttermilk
Hydration - 7 glasses
Workout : Vacuuming the house
               45 mins of Racquetball 
               15 mins of breathing
Retrospect : A good day. 
Pros : Workout done. Greens included. Fruits included. Portion control maintained. 
Cons : No meditation and no Yoga. Water consumption to be improved

"Guess what, I checked my weight today and I am only 164 pounds thats 5 pounds less than when I started.I am on top of the world today.Will check again at the end of this week

Day 4 - May 20

Waking up : 8:00 am ( Another half hour improvement
Morning - 10 am : 12 Hydrated Almonds, 4 Idlis with a cup of Peanut mint Chutney
Afternoon - 2:15 pm : 11/2 cup of Aloo Chole + 11/2 cup of Yogurt
Afternoon Snack - 3 pm : 1 Caramel Frappé Light Grande 
Evening - 6 pm - Onion Fritters - 1 Small Bowl
Night - 3 Idlis with 1 Cup of Capsicum Tomato Curry + 1/4 cup Mango Sorbet
Hydration - 8 glasses (98 o.z)
Workout - 75 Mins Brisk Walking
Retrospect : An ok day. Managed a workout inspite of a busy day. Included a lot of things just to see how many things can be accommodated in the calorie goal. Looks like a lot of things, but as the calories we log in mite not be very exact ( home made food, calories would be approximate), decided that will avoid too many things in future.
Pros : Good workout. Portion control maintained
Cons : No greens, No fruits, no meditation, breathing and Yoga.

Day 5 - May 21

Waking up : 7:30 am ( Target achieved- to me maintained from today)
Morning - 9:00 am : 1/2 cup Oats + 120 ml Soy Milk
Mid-Morning Snack - Raspberry Sorbet - 1/4 Cup
Afternoon - 1:30 pm : 4 Idlis with 10 tb Peanut chutney
Evening -1 Veg Puff
Night - 2 Egg Puffs + 1 Can Soda
Hydration -6 Glasses
Workout - None
Retrospect : Not a good day. Also feel kinda weird as if i have eaten too much today. Need to do some good workout tomorrow.
Pros : Wake up time reached target.
Cons :No Fruits, greens, workout and ate Puffs.

Day 6 - May 22 ; Day 7 - May 23

    The weekend has been a buzz of activity with shopping, partying , more shopping and more partying. I ate all kinds of food not really part of the diet plan but stuck to portion control. Have balanced it with a lot of walking around during shopping. One the bright side played poker for the first time and guess what.. i won some $$ too. It was fun. Being a new player in the whole group, they still cannot make out my game but guess it wont be long before they do...so here to hoping i manage a few more wins before they do..:)

Retrospect : In retrospect, a good week , managed waking up early, a day at the gym, diet control and good workout. Will not stress to much on what has not been done...though done imperfectly, doing it on a regular basis counts and looks like it really helped. Checked my weight this week and it is 164 pounds, 5 pound less than when i started and thats 2 weeks since i started. So here this week ends with a very happy happy me.

Week 1 - 59

Duration : May 10, 2010 to May 16, 2010

Workout : The targets for this week

·        30 mins of walking Daily

·        15 mins of meditation Daily

·        15mins of Breathing Daily

·        20 mins of Yoga

Day 1 - May 10

Morning : 1 cup of Oats with 1cup Soy Milk
Noon : A cup of Val made like chole with a cup of sprout and a cup of curd with onions and one Puri
Teatime : An apple
Evening : Few Chakkalu and two glasses of jeera buttermilk
Hydration: 8 Glasses of water apart from the buttermilk
Workout : 30 Mins walking

Day 2 - May 11

Morning: 1 cup of Oats with 1 cup Soy Milk
Noon :  Two Ragi rotis with Angular Gaurd curry  and 1 Glass of Butter milk
Evening:- 2 cups Bagara rice with Chicken curry
Hydration : 8 Glasses of water + 1 Glass of Orange Juice
Workout - House work

Day 3 - May  12

Morning: Nothing
Noon : 2 cups Bagara rice with Chicken curry + 1 can Soda
Evening : 2 Glasses of Buttermilk
Hydration : 7 Glasses of Water
Workout: 60 Mins of Brisk Walking

Day 4 - May 13

Morning : 1 cup of oats with 1 cup soy milk
Noon: One Big Bowl of toor dal rasam and a glass of buttermilk.
Evening: 2 Rotis (made with one part corn flour and one part wheat flour) with 1 Cup Dal
Hydration: 6 glasses of water
Workout: 60 Mins Walking
              :15 Mins Meditation

Day 5 - May 14

Morning: 3 Besan Childas with Pickle
Noon: 2 Rotis with a cup of bottle gaurd curry + 1 cup of curd
Evening :  2 Besan Childas with Bottle Gaurd Curry
Hydration: 6 Glasses of Water
Workout: 30 mins walking + 30 Mins Jogging

Day 6 - May 15

Morning - Nothing
Afternoon - 1:30 - Chilli and Garlic Rice with Chicken + 1 Glass Lychee Juice
Evening - 1 Large cup cold coffee
Night - 9:30 - Ravva Dosa with 1 cup chutney and 1 cup Sambhar
Hydration - 6 glasses of Water
Workout: No Workout

Day 7 - May 16

Morning - Nothing
Afternoon - 1:45 - Rice with Sambar and Flatbeans vepudu
Night - 8:45 - Two Masala Idlis with one cup chutney and 1 cup Sambhar
Hydrations- 6 glasses of water
Workout : No workout

Retrospect :
The first week and not a good one, though managed a couple of days where i stuck to the diet plan. Managed some workout except for the weekend. No meditation and no yoga. So it requires more effort on my end  to improve this. One really good thing has been that noting down what I have been eating has helped me watch my portions. But really need to work on it.

59 Weeks

Well folks here I am charting out a plan.

     As the title says, my plan is to lose a pound a week. It might not happen immediately but I aim to reach there. This I plan to achieve with a change in my diet and a regular workout. Well given that I need to lose around 59 lbs..it will be 59 weeks!!!!!. wow that sounds crazy.thats more than an yr oh oh....guess I am on for a long time. Let me take it a week at a time and will deal with it.

   .Here I go..

My Plan

Duration    :  May 10, 2010 to June 27, 2011

Workout    :  This workout is a general outline for what all is to be included

1.      1 hour minimum of Cardio Daily (Walking/ Jogging/ Elliptical/ Aerobics / Swimming  etc.)

2.      15 Mins of Meditation Daily  - Preferably before bed time

3.      15 Mins minimum  of Breathing Daily  - Preferably in the morning

4.      30 mins of yoga/crunches – Preferably in the morning

Diet Plan        : (Courtesy – Indira  of “Mahanandi”  http://www.themahanandi.org/2010/04/30/jihva-workout-vratham/) This again is a general guideline and a weekly plan will be updated. The below mentioned are to be included in a regular basis. The others will be decided as we go..

1.      Grains - Whole grains.

2.      Include as much fresh food as possible

3.      Fruits – Two portions daily

4.      Veggies –  Two Portions daily

5.      Proteins – Lentils and Beans atleast twice a day

6.      Greens – Atleast one serving of raw greens a day

7.      Unsalted nuts and seeds in moderation

8.      Sweetner – Just a tad of honey/jiggery

9.      Dairy - Yogurt

10.  Drinks – Water/Fresh Juices/Lemon Water/ Coconut Water/ Buttermilk

Calorie Count : 1700 to 1800 per day

        The plan above is a guideline. The plan for each week will be posted on the monday of each week followed by a daily update. Thank you for stopping by.

A Lifestyle Change

Welcome to my blog. This blog is to be my space to note and keep track of my progress as I embark on my Quest to reach my target weight - A Simple 110 lbs.
      A location change across continents, a change in weather, food, my routine, a slew of antibiotics and a thyroid problem have all contributed to a whopping 169 lbs in six months. I have seen myself grow from a very active person to a person who gets tired easily, resulting in me losing interest in any activity I take up. None of the clothes I bought six months ago fit me now. Shopping is a pain as I try clothes one after the other , look at myself in the mirror and sigh with disappointment. Going out is another episode of changing from one outfit to another, resulting in a very upset me and a consoling husband.The list is quite long. A loss of confidence and mounting frustration are part of the side-effects.
       A conversation with my dad and a week of self introspection ended in a realization that the first thing I needed to get back was control. Lot of things that happen to us in life are not in our control but a few things are. A healthy me is definitely something that i can work for. The idea of making a lifestyle change has been marinating in my head for quite some time now. Sat down today to workout a plan for myself and call it divine intervention or just a coincidence that i came across this post "Jihva Workout Vratham" on Mahanandi..a blog i follow. This has provided me with just the plan to start off that change. I would really like to thank Indira for this. The will power required to do this will be immense as my system will go through a major change but a hope that success will be a reward greater than just weight loss is what I plan to rely on.
      Wish me all the best.