[soImarriedAnerd]

Hello everyone!
My goal is to lose 25lbs before TTC. We are planning on starting TTC in June 2008.

I am currently 150 lbs. I live in hotels around the world (currently in China till end of march) and don't have a kitchen so all my meals come from restaurants. I am usually able to purchase snacks and I do have a mini-fridge in the hotels we live at. There are many times I am not really sure what i am eating so bare with me when all i say is seafood or meat sometimes.

Also I have a HORRIBLE habit of not eating anything all day then having a dinner (not always a huge one either). My entire life I rarely feel hungry. I would get busy and sometimes not eat for a couple of days (and not notice) I am very good about dinner because my husband comes home from work and wants food, and on weekends when he doesn't work---same thing goes. I have eaten like this for at least 12 yrs (in HS i social ate for lunch). My weight has been 120-185lbs in the last 12 yrs, with no real change in life style-i just fluctuate a lot. I am trying to eat more regularly.

I also don't exercise much in the typical fashion--using the gym. Some hotels we stay at don't have gyms, when they do I try to get down there twice a week though (with little success). I did buy a rubber band with handles to use while traveling, they haven't got much use, but i do still have them. I do get days were we hike/walk a bunch though, or go dancing!

I am trying to increase the amount of water I drink. I don't drink soda much, I hate coffee and only occasionally like tea, I really just don't drink anything. I hate the flavor of water (sounds funny I know). I get tons of water in when i use my crystal light packets I pack with me from the states. But once I run out my water intake goes back to nill. I have however stuck to my new-year's resolution to take one vitamin a day!
So thats a little about me. I will do another post tonight to start off my official log!
-Angela
PS I am a total slacker and need pushy women to help me out. Don't hold back.....i need your help.

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb. 2nd- Day #1 (Sat.)

Breakfast- nothing

Lunch -
1 piece of fried chicken (leg), med order of french fries with mayonaise, and can of sprite.

Dinner-
Buffet. Main servings of clam, mussels, oysters, crab, fruit, salad (unknown dressing), spagatti, a bun with butter, and cup of fried rice. Little bites of beef stew, duck, and a chicken/celery salad. 12 oz coke and 30 oz of hot lemon water.

Activity-
20 min walk.

[Mod-LadyCoconut]

oooh angela you sound like you're going to be a tough one! You obviously aren't consuming enough, and I can see why it's hard to stick with something or count calories, etc. when you're literally on the go ALL the time! Your metabolism is probably really suffering from this, and your body must often assume it needs to hold onto ALL nutrients or it may starve. Your goal needs to be eating LOTS of small meals/snacks and getting the most nutrients in for the meals you do eat. The food in your log wasn't particularly healthy. I assume you have access to grocery stores, you just have limited refridge space, right? Do your hotels have microwaves? Give us some more details about that and we can give you food options.

As far as exercise, I have a few thoughts. Do the rooms typically have a dvdplayer/vcr? You could get an exercise tape to keep with you and do 20 minutes of floor work or something. Or if there is a 'guide' on the TV it may have an exercise channel?

keep posting and i'll try to give you advice/tips where I see fit, and encouragement of course!

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 3 Sunday log (moved to a new Hotel- this one has a full gym-with hot tub/cold tub, steam room, sauna!!!! Oh yeah treadmills/bikes/weights also, the room has no dvd player, no microwave, very small fridge in room, no grocery store near in but a gas station with snack food)
FYI-AF is starting to rear her ugly head! So my diet will end up with more salty foods (I love salts and a very little bit of sweets-luckily not a sweets girl)

Breakfast-1/2c yogurt (starting small on this breakfast thing-I really had to make myself eat this, I was not hungry!)

Lunch-1 fruit by the foot
3 dove white chocolate bits
1/4 cup dried bannana chips
1 cup of pistacios
20 oz water
----AF starting tomorrow this is not typical, but I need sweet and salty!

Dinner- 1 cup rice with eggs/crab pieces
2 pork ribs with honey glaze sauce
2 dumplings with pork meat in the middle
1 cup sweet corn/crab soup
25 ox hot water with VANILLA!!! Never had that before----its like drinking cake frosting (again this could be future AF talking!)

Exercise- 45 min of cardio/weights, does sitting in the steam room for 30 min count to-i sweat alot hahaha?

[soImarriedAnerd]

oooh angela you sound like you're going to be a tough one! You obviously aren't consuming enough, and I can see why it's hard to stick with something or count calories, etc. when you're literally on the go ALL the time! Your metabolism is probably really suffering from this, and your body must often assume it needs to hold onto ALL nutrients or it may starve. Your goal needs to be eating LOTS of small meals/snacks and getting the most nutrients in for the meals you do eat. The food in your log wasn't particularly healthy. I assume you have access to grocery stores, you just have limited refridge space, right? Do your hotels have microwaves? Give us some more details about that and we can give you food options.

As far as exercise, I have a few thoughts. Do the rooms typically have a dvdplayer/vcr? You could get an exercise tape to keep with you and do 20 minutes of floor work or something. Or if there is a 'guide' on the TV it may have an exercise channel?

keep posting and i'll try to give you advice/tips where I see fit, and encouragement of course![/b]

I just moved to a new hotel yesterday. My current fridge is the the small fridges that can hold about 6 cans of soda, 6 small liquor bottles and 4 candy bars (the mini bar kind, I took the soda/bars/liquor out so i have a little room). This hotel has a gym! When I have a gym I am better at going. If they have a steam room-which this one does-I go very regularly, the steam room is so great it makes me want to go. This hotel also has a breakfast for free with many options. No microwaves-thats an American thing, i rarely see them anywhere else. I do have a tea pot-which I have recently learned I can boil eggs in.....LOL one of the other roadwives let me know this! Grocery stores aren't really how they do things at this place (small town in china). The have tons of stands of seafood, stands with veggies, stand with fruits, etc. etc. But many of my staples are not at this location. I normally do bananas and apples,,,,none that i can find here. I did find some oranges here though. Many times I don't know what things are. If there are people who speak english I can ask, but this location has been the worst. The only people who know english here are a couple of people in the hotel staff. So I can only guess what something is and how to eat it. Thank goodness i don't have allergies to food! The current hotel-Sheraton, has many American options for its breakfast/dinner buffet so thats good. My diet should get a little better here. I do have a gas station near by so there are tons of snack foods, I got dried banana chips and pistachios, and fruit by the foot (not really healthy but the best options in the place--sounded health lol "fruit" by the foot)

Oh and my DH has lost 30lbs since Nov!!!!!! He is not even trying! So I have learned thats darn good motivation for me, I have to hold up my "the hot one" title in the relationship hahahaha

More info on why this is hard for me....I CAN'T cook. My dad owned a steak house growing up so we ate there 5 nights a week. We ate out 95% of my childhood. My mom couldn't cook either. examples---she still thinks you can make a turkey in the microwave, she tried to make all spice cake once and didn't know there was an All spice so she just used all the spices in the cupboards (garlic salt, parsley, pepper, salt, paprika, etc). She has actually melted a pot while trying to pop popcorn on the stove! And started many fires in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe at least! But there are no recipes for everyday things. I just didn't get taught basic things in the kitchen like most girls do (i am a big tom boy).

So for example when one of the other roadwives said i could use my tea pot to boil an egg.....well i have never done that before . I didn't have the heart to ask her....1. so do you put the egg in when you start the water or when its already boiling? 2. How long do you boil it for? 3. How do you know when its done? 4. How long is a hard boil egg good for-do you put them in the fridge? 5. Does it matter what kind of egg (size color etc)? I hear egg salad sandwiches are easy, but I don't know how to make them either?
See i need major help. I need basic recipe ideas for very common foods that you can make with a few items.
FYI-I make a mean mac n' cheese with PBJ sandwiches!

[Mod-LadyCoconut]

Yeah you're a tough one! I can think of things you can do but if you don't have a grocery store I don't know how you'd get them. For example, instant oatmeal you can make with boiling water from the teapot, it'd be a good 100 cal(ish) breakfast that's warm and filling but easy to eat since you aren't hungry in the mornings (neither am I.) yogurt is another good option but I don't know if you'd be able to find that. I'm trying to think of healthy options that are in a gas station. because the foods you're listing are great sources of protien (eggs, nuts) but they're also fatty and if you're trying to LOSE not great filling choices. (although if you're never hungry... you aren't probably concerned with filling...) for boiling an egg you put it in when the water is cold so it doesn't crack and when it starts to boil I usually leave mine in for about 12-14 minutes for hard boiled eggs. i prefer mine hot, and when they're in the fridge they get that green ring but they're still good i just don't like them that way. i can tell you how i make my egg salad but it isn't healthy with all the mayo that goes into it, plus egg yolks are pretty high in calories too. See, you're tough b/c it seems like the reason you gain may be from not eating ENOUGH -- but at the same time the foods you do get in are not nutritious. Maybe see if it's possible to sign up at calorie-count.com and guestimate your caloric intake day to day for the next week. they have brand new foods, and you can just put in generic things like "chicken wing" or whatever and it'll give you the average. this way you'll know if you're under or over a caloric amount that's good for you, and we'll know how to work it from there.

[soImarriedAnerd]

Ok so my weight story......
I change weight without doing anything different, I have never once tried to watch what I eat or diet. I lost 60lbs in 4 months, not doing anything different-eating the way I eat now (actually much worse). I would sit down and eat a whole LARGE chicken/bacon/ranch/motzerella cheese pizza (the speciality of my area of town!-darn it now i am wanting one ) And i was eating whole racks of ribs with french fries and mayo plus drinking more.
The weeks before my wedding I lost weight (probably stress there) but I lost it so fast that the week of my wedding I did two trips a day to burger king and mcdonalds, oh and cheesecake factory because my dress was to big I had to try to gain 15lbs that week, which I did barely!!
What I am eating now, I know is unhealthy. However I was much much much worse not to long ago. I would eat easily 5000 calories a day-but in one sitting! So my current eating healthier life style change.. is eating less crap, problem is...I only eat crap so less crap is a step but the add healthy stuff is hard.
In school I took a food science class and we had an assignment to document what we ate and then figure out the stats (cal/fat/vitimins/etc). My teacher actually kepts me after class and showed me I consumed more calories then two of the football players!! She wanted to make sure that I did it right, then she reallized i did it correct. I was consuming about 6,000 calories a day that week-because I tried eatting more than one meail (thats about the coloric intake of 13 whopers a day) And I never exercised more than walking to classes. That week my wt was 125lbs.
This new eating is a new years resolution for me, but here are some typical dec meals.
Typical mcdonals meal----Big Mac meal with largest fries and larges coke with a McChicken and sometimes a hot fudge sundae. Typical KFC meal-4 pieces of fried chicken, largest order of fries-with may (and I pour the mayo on it) large coke and mash potatoes, bun with butter and honey (2 packets per half slice!).
Typical pizza hut meal---med meat lovers with free refill soda.
Typical TGI Fridays--full rack of baby back ribs, fries with tons of mayo, potato skins(shared these with my husband though), and soda.

See I also have the oppisite problem. I rarely feel hungry, but I almost NEVER feel full! Meidically speaking I should be 500+lbs, with a cholesterol of 600 and heart disease or just dead.

So really my weight doesn't concern me since I know in a month or two i will be back down to 130lbs. I mainly want to try to eat more normal (like 3 times a day) and eat more healthy (to give my future baby a good start). I want to be more normal! I learned my eating habbits from my mom, I DON'T want my kids to learn them. And since telling them and showing them are HUGE differences to me, I am trying to change my habbits now. Plus I need to start exercising regularly-again not really for weightloss but to get good habits for my futrue kids.

This hotel will help some, only problem is...i don't think we will be here long. Next time I am in the country or next time i have access to a store, I will try to find instant oatmeal-good idea! Ok the non-cook in my wants to know can i make regular oatmeal with a teapot, if so, how? Thanks for the hard boil egg info. I will try to find some eggs and give it a try tommorow!
---Angela

[soImarriedAnerd]

Monday Feb 4th log
Great pre-AF day!

Breakfast- (i do better drinking some of my breakfast, and yougurt, I really had to choke down half a piece of toast)
4 oz tea
4 oz fresh squeezed pinapple juice
3 bites of some bad noodle thing
1/2 piece toast with peanut butter
1/2 cup yogurt with almond's sprinkled on it

Lunch-
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup banana chips
1 piece Dove White chocolate mini bar

Dinner-
1 cup spaggeti
4 mussels
3 sandwich slices of chicken
1 sandwich slice of turkey
2 oz of beef with red wine sauce
1 6 inch little white fish with pepper and lemon
1/4 cup creme brule
1/2 cup bread pudding

Water-80oz

Exercise-30 min in gym (cardio and weights) (and 30min in a steam room-hey I sweat alot its got to burn at least a couple calories LOL)

[soImarriedAnerd]

Tue Feb 5th log

AF flow hit right on time (8-9am) you could set your clock by me hahaha. So I was tired and lazy today. However I did manage to get my butt out to the gym! I can't remember the last time I did that when AF came to visit. I have to thank all you ladies for that. I was reading up on some logs and felt a little motivated. Mmmmwwwwhhaaaaa (big kiss to you all for that!)

Breakfast-Nothing

Lunch-Nothing

Snack: 2 fruit by the foots
3 bite size Dove white chocolate bars

Dinner-(McDonalds)
1 big mac
1 McChicken
1 large fries
1 med coke

Exercise-25 min in gym (cadio and weights) Woooohoooo!

Water-58 oz now but I will finish another before bed....so 78oz for today.

Not a great day, but a great improvement from last month on this day.

[bittersweet]

Hmm...this is hard. I don't know what suggestions would be helpful, as you don't have access to the things we do.

But it's not good for your health to have your weight fluctuate so much. If your heart and arteries arent already suffering, it will eventually catch up to you if you don't change your diet.

Chinese people eat pretty heathly (i think? fish, rice, seaweed?) so I would try going to markets and eating what they eat. You might like it! Try not to eat as much processed food. Go to the market by you and just try to get things that look fresh, even if they are unfamilar to you. Anything has so be better than mayo and fries! Seaweed is actually really good. And you don't need to know much English to buy things. Just learn some numbers and point to stuff. Maybe take DH the first time you go out to shop to get familar.

Oh, and don't underestimate the internet! I have friends in Iraq that order peanut butter from NY and boxes of oranges from Florida. You could order some boxes of granola bars and other nonparishable snacks that you can travel with. Lara bars are great. They are pure and made of whole, raw, and unsweetened fruits and nuts. There are always military MREs. Meals Ready to Eat. They arent half bad, come with flamless heaters, and are filled with tons of stuff like fruits and vitamin enriched breads. You can get those sent to you also.

Or you can ask family members to send you stuff. Whole Foods makes a variety of dehydrated fruits and veggies that im sure could be sent to you.

There has to be a way for you to get your hands on healthier choices that don't involve a gas station.

I hope I didn't sound harsh...I don't mean to, I just want to help you eat better

On a good note, looks like you are getting in regular exercise which is great!

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 6th wed (Chinese New Year eve) Moved hotels-new hotel. Fridge in room, tea pot in room, no microwave, no gym , but there is a grocery store near by!!!!)

Breakfast-nothing

Lunch-snickers bar
2 fruit by the foot

Dinner- (my DH company had a party for the Chinese new year's eve we ate for 3 hrs but i did little bits of it all so it looks like a long list but only little of each)
1/2 a medium cucumber in some type of vinegar sauce (i made an effort to eat this since I knew it was a veggie)
6oz-ish of strips of meat dipped in soy sauce (probably beef/possible pork)
1/2 cup something that tasted like a combo of water chestnuts and cabbage----that was probably a vegetable!
1 small white fish with a soy sauce
1/2 cup of some soup type thing that had squid/eggs/????
2 bread dumplings with brown meat in them
1 wheat bread bun
1 cup of Chinese tea---weird stuff made my hair feel like it was growing!
1 serving of watermelon
2 oz of squid
1/2 cup peanuts
20 oz flat sprite
1 can of coke
3 shots of white "kick you in the butt" rice drink, and tastes like butt ....illegal in the states because of its alcohol content (for good reason!)

Water: 60 oz...i will try to add more before bed but its not looking good (UPDATED!! total 75 oz!!!!)

Exercise: did alot of walking in the cold but didn't make it to the gym.

( I did excellent tonight with the liquor- the custom here is if some one wants to cheers with you, you have to do the shot---if you don't its considered VERY DISRESPECTFUL (and its all about respect here)-problem is I am one of two white people (DH the other) and I am blonde so I stick out and everyone wants to cheers with me! Last week we did this and I drank over 10 shots and other stuff this time when they were not looking I filled up my glass with flat sprite! hahaha i felt like I was in Highschool again!)


Ok but here is some way cool news. They fly in "special" fruits to celebrate New Years and my hubby and I got many gifts of fruit. So now my hotel room has like 5 bananas, 1 large box of oranges, tons of apples and pears and other random fruit!!!! What perfect timing! They also gave us a box of what they call "instant nutritious cereal"-haven't tried it yet but it looks like infant rice cereal to me. (I will try it for breakfast tomorrow and let you know) And another box of misc things to eat- peanuts, pumpkin seed, some cracker looking things that have seeds on them-thats probably healthy and some brown thicker cracker looking things and some oh heck i don't know white sticks of dry bread looking things) hahahaha I so never know what I am eating! If anyone knows Chinese I could try to do a picture so they can read the bags for me.

[soImarriedAnerd]

I hope I didn't sound harsh...I don't mean to, I just want to help you eat better [/b]

Thanks! Don't worry about sounding harsh with me, I need it big and bad, I actually kind of encourage it! I am horrible at taking care of myself....much better at taking care of others. I think thats one of the reasons I am working hard at this is because I only kind of see it as helping me, but I really see it as helping my future children. (healthy pregnancy and then showing them healthy eating habits)

I am guessing your friends who are in Iraq are in the military. The military stuff doesn't have to go through customs like the normal mail does. Its very hard to get food through normal mail. It gets delayed a long time and sometimes can't get through. Also many times his company changes their mind and puts us somewhere new -we only get 72 hrs notice that we are moving, so we would spend money to mail us something and then we may be gone before it gets here. Next time I am in the states though I will be filling up a bag of non-perishables to eat on the next trip. (and then fill it with souvenirs on the way back!) Funny that you said Peanut butter! You can't find that anywhere but the states! I actually pack peanut butter all the time! I just already ate it this time.

See above post about the "special" fruits the gave us! And I now have a grocery store!!! I will try to see what they have this weekend. So ladies I need healthy snack ideas (my fridge is about 1 ft by 1 ft-largest i ever get!). Think simple and basic ideas, no brands, after all I have to identify them by package, since I can't read Chinese. Fresh fruit how ever is a taken care of.

OK now don't laugh but....
Do you put apples/pears/bananas/oranges in the fridge or just on a shelf? I want to make them last as long as possible. How long do they normally last for? Any tricks to make them last longer?
-Angela

[bittersweet]

OK now don't laugh but....
Do you put apples/pears/bananas/oranges in the fridge or just on a shelf? I want to make them last as long as possible. How long do they normally last for? Any tricks to make them last longer?
-Angela[/b]

That's not a silly question at all! I would say bananas on a shelf for sure. They seem to get weird if refrigerated, they don't ripen right. I also prefer to leave pears and oranges on the counter in a fruit bowl. That's a personal preference, since they have a longish shelf life and it saves space in my frig. I refrigerate all veggies, apples, and any type of berries, necarines, peaches.

And to make them last much longer, use Green Bags. Sounds like a scam, but they had them in a grocery store near me, so I thought I'd try them. I was really impressed. I've had lemons and lettace in my frig for going on a month now and they still look great. But I put all my produce in them and I haven't had to toss anything due to spoiling since I started using them.

[soImarriedAnerd]

Here is a video of some of my more interesting foods. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iBfGuIFEuE (now you know what I look like!)

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 7th log thur. (hotel does have a gym i found out late tonight, tomorrow I will get back to the gym.) I haven't had that much fruit in one day in months!!!!

Breakfast-1 apple
1 cup instant breakfast wheat/corn stuff----tastes like the milk on the bottom of the bowl after eating cornflakes. LOL

Lunch-2 bananas

Dinner-2 cups spaghetti,
1 tiny piece of pizza
8 little onion rings.

Snacks-3 fruit by the foot---there gone now, will not buy more!

Exercise-30 min walk

Water-40 oz down, will hit 80 by bed time.

Oh and my DH has lost 30lbs since Nov!!!!!! He is not even trying! So I have learned thats darn good motivation for me, I have to hold up my "the hot one" title in the relationship hahahaha[/b]

Oh mannnnnnnnnnn lol-- that's motivation! DF and I are very competitive when it comes to things like that, I just CAN NOT get him to be on the weight-loss bandwagon with me!

[soImarriedAnerd]

Well i think i figured out why people lose weight when they eat healthy! TMI warning----due to all that fruit, the FIBER has emptied me out! LOL

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 8th Log

Breakfast-
1 apple

Lunch-
1 orange

Dinner-
1 Snickers bar
3 bananas (i can eat them when i am not hungry)
1 small bag of bbq lays chips

Water-will be 76 by bedtime!

Exercise-45 min of cardio and weights (i haven't been to the gym 4 times in one week since......maybe 15 yrs ago)

Today it was hard to get myself to eat, i am just not hungry. I know this is odd but does anyone have was to INCREASE your appetite?
I get my mail very late....this includes magazines though. I just got my Marie Clair with pregnant Christina Agularia on it--I use that for my motivation to be the HOT momma!!

Plans for this weekend:
1. Gym 30 min each day
2. 80 oz of water each day
3. regular size fries and small coke at my weekend McDonalds run. (baby steps)
4. Tell myself 2 things about my body that i LIKE each day.
5. 3 pieces of fruit each day

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 9th, Sat Log----No JUNK FOOD!!!!!!

Breakfast-
1/2 cup yogurt

Lunch-
2 apples

Dinner-(done by 7:30pm)* I am going to try to stop eating 3 hrs prior to bed.
1 serving ham
1 serving cheese
2 servings bread
1/2 serving chicken
1/2 serving beef
1/2 serving lamb
1 servings of crab
2 servings mussels
1 cup pasta
1/2 cup rice
3 servings of cooked carrots
1 serving watermelon
2 marshmallows in choc. sauce (one bite size)


Exercise-45 min....its starting to get easier for me, my heart doesn't feel like its going to pound out of my chest and I am not huffing and puffing hardly!!!!!

2 positive thoughts about my body today-
1. I love my thin long neck!
2. I like my little wrists.

[soImarriedAnerd]

Feb 10th Sun Log

Breakfast-
1 apple

Lunch-
nothing

Dinner-(weekly mcdonalds run)
1 big mac
1 mcchicken
1 reg fries
1 small coke

No exercise today 10 whips with a wet noodle!
Water-80oz

Two things i like about my body today-
1. I like that I have a inny for a bellybutton
2. I like that i have a hanging earlobe. (not the kind that fuse to your head)