January 2012

[Lightman]

I was watching the latest biggest finale (I love that show, I very much relate to the contestants) and the winner gave this great speech about how he had overcome all the bad things in his life by having small successes and somehow tying them together. That had taught him how to be a winner again. That struck a core. Big steps are hard for me with MD, but what if I can take baby steps and link them together?
Year 2012, 12 months, 12 challenges, 30 days each... I haven't planned the whole year out, one month at a time. each small step interlacing my real world self and MD persona closer together.
Each month I'm starting a discussion "January 2012" an so on, each day I'm going to try to make  a small journal entry. At the end of the month I'm going to make a blog summary (hopefully with some pics) of the month. By journaling the ups and downs.  By trying to measure my efforts I really hope that I can stay motivated and see this through. 
If there is anyone else who wants to join in, you are more than welcome! Your goals and monthly challenge can differ from mine. 
So January. The first order of business is for me to chuck out my ADSL, tv and put my computer under lock and bolt. These are all major culprits in my MD taking a turn for the supernatural and ostentatiousness that will kill my new years resolution. Btw via cellphone  I can't access my blog or most of the other stuff on this site. 
January is media detox and back to basics month. In MD I'm a very fit (runs marathons, has abs) and very organized person. In real life, the only exercise I get is running to the subway in the morning, because I never can find my stuff so I'm always running late...
This month I will:1 get 8hours of sleep2 work out, at least 3 times per week3 eat a balanced diet (no more potato chips for dinner)4 clean and organize my home5 only DD about actual me 

[sasi]

@Lightman

I have 2 DVDs.One more for women i think-Tracey Anderson.Fine if you want to look like Jennifer Anniston but not sure that's a good look on a man!!

2nd one is new and I'm a bit scared to start it.Its called 30 day shred by JM herself. 20mins of brutal workouts for 30 days.I was getting a bit bored of the gym so thought I might try something more drastic.I have a couple of very stressful weeks ahead so have given myself permission to wait until those are over before I start doing it otherwise I'm just setting myself up to fail.

Food ideas wise any fish is great steamed.Try salmon with a bit of lemon and grated ginger over itAdd soy sauce after cooking if you like.Teriyake  fish or chicken(just buy a jar of sauce)also very healthy and delicious.I cook my fish wrapped in a foil parcel in the oven as you then get the juices as a sauce.I also make all sorts of healthy 1 pot dishes that can last for 2-3 days so I don't have to cook every night and can access healthy food quickly when I'm starving.

I had a moderately good eating day yesterday.Dark chocolate treats late evening though.However scales moving in the right direction.

Go us!

[Lightman]

Haha, I think maybe my "name" is a bit confusing, check out my last blog post- I'm all girl :) 
Btw I also have JM's 30day shred it is brutal and fantastic, you'll love it! 
Fish is a great thing to steam. I'm thinking of making one smoothie and one steam section in my freezer. Anything to make eating better easier! Also great job on choosing dark chocolate as a treat, at least it's loaded with antioxidants and is healthy for you, even if it might be a bit high in calories. 
High five on conquering the scale, I can't believe it's only been less than a week and we are already doing so great! If we keep this up for a whole year our "DD super selfs" will have nothing on the real life us! 

sasi said:

@Lightman

I have 2 DVDs.One more for women i think-Tracey Anderson.Fine if you want to look like Jennifer Anniston but not sure that's a good look on a man!!

2nd one is new and I'm a bit scared to start it.Its called 30 day shred by JM herself. 20mins of brutal workouts for 30 days.I was getting a bit bored of the gym so thought I might try something more drastic.I have a couple of very stressful weeks ahead so have given myself permission to wait until those are over before I start doing it otherwise I'm just setting myself up to fail.

Food ideas wise any fish is great steamed.Try salmon with a bit of lemon and grated ginger over itAdd soy sauce after cooking if you like.Teriyake  fish or chicken(just buy a jar of sauce)also very healthy and delicious.I cook my fish wrapped in a foil parcel in the oven as you then get the juices as a sauce.I also make all sorts of healthy 1 pot dishes that can last for 2-3 days so I don't have to cook every night and can access healthy food quickly when I'm starving.

I had a moderately good eating day yesterday.Dark chocolate treats late evening though.However scales moving in the right direction.

Go us!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks. It was tough to break bad eating habits and now they've resurfaced  through the holidays so it might be hard to start again. ugh but I'm going to try. I've had a rough few days (mentally, emotionally) so eating is sometimes my other comfort that I turn to. I think getting darker later is affecting my mood too, I need to get back to exercising more regularly too.

Lightman said:

14-15lbs just this fall is seriously awesome :) go Elizabeth!  I stay away from Facebook too, it just feels so vain and fake. It makes me sad. 

Elizabeth said:

@Lightman yeah... It's been difficult. Sometimes I think we get caught up what others are doing and sometimes it seems like they are leading more exciting or successful lives. But after a discussion with my brother I realized how people are living their life for social networking and hyping things up to look better. And there is always so much drama from people posting things that upset others, or just fights that you see people getting involved in. I decided that I could do with less of what others are doing and focus more on me. I haven't missed it as much as I thought.

I have also been trying to shed a few and started around august/september. I have lost 14-15 lbs but have plateaued there since the holidays (and maybe gained 1 or 2 back) but I did better this year than previous ones. I am still thinking of more goals but this has definitely been an inspiration!

[Lightman]

How old are you E? I read your blog post and you remind me a lot of myself when I was in my early twenties (now I'm 27). It will get better! This year has just started and it's wide open. One of my favorite quotes is "luck is when opportunity meets preparation" -Randy Pausch-   Roxanne, Sasi and I are going for it! One small step at a time. I always start my day with listening to "better get to livin" by Dolly Parton. Listen to it, think about it... We would love to have you on our "super squad 2012"... Think of it like the avengers with MD :) 

Elizabeth said:

Thanks. It was tough to break bad eating habits and now they've resurfaced  through the holidays so it might be hard to start again. ugh but I'm going to try. I've had a rough few days (mentally, emotionally) so eating is sometimes my other comfort that I turn to. I think getting darker later is affecting my mood too, I need to get back to exercising more regularly too.

Lightman said:

14-15lbs just this fall is seriously awesome :) go Elizabeth!  I stay away from Facebook too, it just feels so vain and fake. It makes me sad. 

Elizabeth said:

@Lightman yeah... It's been difficult. Sometimes I think we get caught up what others are doing and sometimes it seems like they are leading more exciting or successful lives. But after a discussion with my brother I realized how people are living their life for social networking and hyping things up to look better. And there is always so much drama from people posting things that upset others, or just fights that you see people getting involved in. I decided that I could do with less of what others are doing and focus more on me. I haven't missed it as much as I thought.

I have also been trying to shed a few and started around august/september. I have lost 14-15 lbs but have plateaued there since the holidays (and maybe gained 1 or 2 back) but I did better this year than previous ones. I am still thinking of more goals but this has definitely been an inspiration!

[Lightman]

Jan 5.  Today was pretty much a repeat from yesterday.   I did 30 min on the elliptical (a easier program though), followed by the smoothie and steamed dinner. Having habit and routines is very helpful for me, especially with my MD they really provide structure to fall back on. In the past I've had some damaging DD routines, now I'm working very hard to create healthy ones. Yesterday I decided that the only cleaning I will be doing in the nights is a 20min quick tidying up (dishes, clothes in the hamper...). Every night this week I've crashed into bed by ten and fallen asleep. But it has been very restless sleep, I don't think my body is used to this level of activity yet. So this month when I get home I will try to unwind and I'm keeping my work outs to 30 min of cardio. Tomorrow is a holiday in Sweden, so I have a problem... In the past (by past=before jan 1 2012) anytime I've spent more than 14hours alone I get very destructive: not sleeping enough, not showering, not eating properly, not going out, not answering my phone and bing DD unit forced to stop. That usually means monday morning, when I stagger into work "hung over", bleary eyed, not wanting to exist in the real world and depressed. My collages usually think that I've been  partying all weekend, because I look like crap. then slowly my job and my colleagues that I love bring me back to appreciating the wonders of the real world and I bounce back. I want to stay at home and sort my clutter, do laundry... But I'm a bit nervous. The other option is to visit my family and my childhood home, I usually do this on the weekends. The problem is that being back in my old room (that has so much bad MD history for me) makes me do all the things described above.…..........!? I think I need a plan, an itinerary for tomorrow, and a back up plan... 

[Elizabeth]

@Lightman thanks it means a lot! Yeah it will get better, I am 23 about to turn 24 in February. I think I am being too hard on myself and I am lucky to have a job period with the economy the way it is and jobs hard to find in the U.S. even WITH a degree. Its just not really in my field and others have had better successes than me and it gets me down a little. But you are right, its a brand new year! I would LOVE to be on board super squad 2012! :)

[Lightman]

First, having a job+degree at 23 is VERY VERY GOOD! Especially If we take your MD in consideration. Make this year about preparation, so that when the right opportunity comes along you'll own it!

Elizabeth said:

@Lightman thanks it means a lot! Yeah it will get better, I am 23 about to turn 24 in February. I think I am being too hard on myself and I am lucky to have a job period with the economy the way it is and jobs hard to find in the U.S. even WITH a degree. Its just not really in my field and others have had better successes than me and it gets me down a little. But you are right, its a brand new year! I would LOVE to be on board super squad 2012! :)

[roxanne]

Light - I so agree that habit & routine helps on so many levels.  Let's consider this more at a later time.  I think it's an important subject.  About tomorrow: can you go home for part of the time, but not all?  Maybe breaking up the time off will keep you more active, while still allowing some alone time.  Can you promise yourself to check in here every few hours or whatever makes sense so that you don't get into a deep binge?

Elizabeth - Light is so right - you have a job, a degree, a good mind, everything you need to prepare yourself for whatever comes your way.  I'm sure there are some really good things you can get from where you are right now.  "Bloom where you are planted."  I think that was Ste. Therese.

Well, Jan. 5.  I've thought more about trying to take baby steps to make my DD persona more like the real-life me & vv.  So now I am going to age my DD character by 2 years.  This is big for me.  She got to a certain age & stopped.  She never grew up.  (No wonder she has all that energy & stays in such great shape.)  Baby steps.

[roxanne]

Sasi. you are the cook here.  I love shrimp & snow peas, but am currently not using curry, soy sauce, or sharp spices. Just ginger & little bit of  garlic without red pepper flakes or soy seems a little bland.  Any good healthy ideas.  

[Lightman]

Rox, that's I great! You should have some sort of celebration to mark the event! 
My plan for today: I got up at 7am and am doing the normal routine I would do on work days. I'm basically just going to treat this like a work day, with a set schedule. It is a great idea that I should check in here every few hours do that I won't drift. 

[sasi]

Can you use chinese 5 spice powder?If you add that with a bit of chicken/veg stock to a stir fry (any veg and chicken/fish/shellfish)it's good.can add noodles or rice to serve.

The other sauce I use is a bit of honey with orange juice and orange zest,fresh rosemary.all over checken breast and then roast in oven(watch the honey doesn't burn)

Smoked paprika is also another handy thing to sprinkle over chicken/tofu

Simple one is a can of chopped tomatoes,red onion finely diced,spinach all over meatballs(i use quorn ones but doesn't matter).I also add a bit of chilli but could add basil instead.Cook onion in a pan first.I use a spray of spray oil.then add all the other ingredients and cook away(if using meatballs they would need to be precooked).If sause tastes too vinegary(from tomato juice)add just a pinch of sugar.Freezes very well also so useful if you want to have a quick meal later in the week.

Always happy to give cooking suggestions.let me know how it goes

 
roxanne said:

Sasi. you are the cook here.  I love shrimp & snow peas, but am currently not using curry, soy sauce, or sharp spices. Just ginger & little bit of  garlic without red pepper flakes or soy seems a little bland.  Any good healthy ideas.  

[sasi]

Ooops!!! My mistake.just looked at the name and made assumptions.That'll teach me.

Try Tacey Anderson matwork dvd.I do small parts of it each day and it has made a massive difference to the tone of my legs and arms.Better than any gym machiene.

I'm so please you tried the JM shred dvd and survived.Plan is to start it in about 2 weeks.Mightly scared but excited too.

Eating going well.Had quorn fajita strips in a fajita sauce with peppers,courgettes and mushrooms last night.Some left for tonight.

Scales 2 lbs lighter today!!!Hooray.2-4lbs to go now.

I lost over 100lbs just over a year ago and this is the first time ever I have kept the weight off.You are doing so well.keep going
 
Lightman said:

Haha, I think maybe my "name" is a bit confusing, check out my last blog post- I'm all girl :) 
Btw I also have JM's 30day shred it is brutal and fantastic, you'll love it! 
Fish is a great thing to steam. I'm thinking of making one smoothie and one steam section in my freezer. Anything to make eating better easier! Also great job on choosing dark chocolate as a treat, at least it's loaded with antioxidants and is healthy for you, even if it might be a bit high in calories. 
High five on conquering the scale, I can't believe it's only been less than a week and we are already doing so great! If we keep this up for a whole year our "DD super selfs" will have nothing on the real life us! 

sasi said:

@Lightman

I have 2 DVDs.One more for women i think-Tracey Anderson.Fine if you want to look like Jennifer Anniston but not sure that's a good look on a man!!

2nd one is new and I'm a bit scared to start it.Its called 30 day shred by JM herself. 20mins of brutal workouts for 30 days.I was getting a bit bored of the gym so thought I might try something more drastic.I have a couple of very stressful weeks ahead so have given myself permission to wait until those are over before I start doing it otherwise I'm just setting myself up to fail.

Food ideas wise any fish is great steamed.Try salmon with a bit of lemon and grated ginger over itAdd soy sauce after cooking if you like.Teriyake  fish or chicken(just buy a jar of sauce)also very healthy and delicious.I cook my fish wrapped in a foil parcel in the oven as you then get the juices as a sauce.I also make all sorts of healthy 1 pot dishes that can last for 2-3 days so I don't have to cook every night and can access healthy food quickly when I'm starving.

I had a moderately good eating day yesterday.Dark chocolate treats late evening though.However scales moving in the right direction.

Go us!