Lil’Rali

I don't really let it freak my out so much as seeing that I can't get past this stupid number But looking every day has helped me figure out what foods cause me to retain more water than others. Thanks! I'll take some photos and attach them later. I'd love some feedback if there is something you think I should change or add. I'll provide an update of my weekend and how my day went later today!

it should be linked in my signature now (below)!

DAY 4: Thursday, May 31, 2018 I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning but I did. I weighed in at 273.5 So my plan today was to do everything I could to not let that get to me. When things didn't go to plan I found other ways to go around it. For example, I the fruit I had cut up earlier this week when bad so I packed yogurt for that snack. When I went to eat it, I found it went bad. I initial reaction was to say screw it and eat the chocolate in my office (that's there for the team), but instead I went to the vending machine and got a protein bar. I also really wanted pizza tonight because Thursdays have been Pizza Night for the last two months. instead when I got home I just immediately started cooking dinner. Now I just need to get past the sweet craving. I think I'll try brushing my teeth then work out. Then I'll probably call it a night. Can't wait to see how things go tomorrow! Nutrition: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Protein Bar Lunch: Ground Turkey, Mushroom, Zucchini Snack: 1 hard boiled egg and Anderson Peanut Butter Pretzels Dinner: Grilled chicken, rice and broccoli Workout: Strength Training with Back & Abs Deadlifts 12 reps/4 sets/ 25lbs Barbell Bent over Row 12 reps/4 sets/ 25lbs Wide Grip Pull up w/ Equalizer 10 reps/4 sets/body weight Russian Twists 30 seconds/4 sets/body weight Crunches 30 seconds/4 sets/body weight

Day 1- 3 Update I *re*started my Battle Log yesterday so I want to catch up on days 1-3. I'm going to give a quick update on my workouts and nutrition. DAY 1: Monday, May 28, 2018 My goals for Day 1 were to just stay focused. I spent late last week working on a strength log as well as figuring out what format I wanted to meal plan. I filled it out on Sunday, bought groceries, and prepped for Monday. I find that if I prep too many days in advance, at some point my irrational fear of left overs kicks in and I waste food. To combat this, I decided to buy enough groceries for a couple days and then make my lunch and prep my snacks the night before or morning of. Nutrition Plan: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Yogurt w/ Honey and Raspberries Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with Celery & PB Snack: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs and Carrots Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Peppers & Onions Actual Nutrition: Shake for breakfast, 5 Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger with pickles, onions, and mushroom for lunch, M&Ms for snack at the movies (portioned out and not purchased there), BBQ chicken with half a baked potato for dinner. Notes on Nutrition: Monday happened to be a holiday. So my plan didn't actually get followed, but I think compared to how things have gone on social days in the past, I made the best choices I could. I didn't get popcorn and soda at the movies like I normally would. I also made a conscious effort to choose things with more protein. I also didn't hit my protein goal. Workout: Strength Training with Arms & Abs focus Alternating Dumbbell Curls 12 reps/4 sets/25lbs weights Barbell Curls: 12 reps/4 sets/25lbs weight Pull ups on the Equalizer 10 reps/4 sets/body weight Weighted Russian Twists: 30 seconds/4 sets/5lb weight Crunches 30 seconds/4 sets/body weight DAY 2: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 I don't know how I feel about Tuesdays that are actually Mondays. I didn't let that ruin my day. I am doing my first kickboxing class today. I convinced two other people to join with me. I think this is helping me stay on track today. I don't want to eat anything I'll regret once I start moving around. Nutrition Plan: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Yogurt w/ Honey and Raspberries Lunch: Grilled Chicken with Peppers & Onion Snack: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs and Carrots Dinner: Ground Turkey with Mushroom & Zucchini Actual Nutrition: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Yogurt w/ Honey and Raspberries Lunch: BBQ Chicken Leg, Zucchini & half an Avocado Snack: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs and Carrots Dinner: Steakhouse Salad with Ranch at Outback Steakhouse Notes on Nutrition: Overall I think I was pretty on point....I really wanted other things from outback...but the steak salad was good. I was hungry after kickboxing but it was so late so I decided to just go to bed. Workout: Kickboxing Class - OMG it was so much fun! DAY 3: Wednesday, May 30, 2018 Super sore from Kickboxing, but determined to stick to the plan today. I weighed in at 273.1 - I have yet to break the threshold of 273...will this finally be my week??? I was craving chips during lunch so I ended up buying chips. After dinner I had a sweet tooth and remembered I had some candy and ice cream. Luckily I didn't binge and stopped myself before things got out of hand. Hopefully that didn't ruin anything too much. I'm not perfect and I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'm just going to keep going. Nutrition Plan: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Yogurt w/ Honey and Blueberries Lunch: Ground Turkey with Mushroom & Zucchini Snack: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs and Carrots Dinner: Ground Turkey with Mushroom & Zucchini Actual Nutrition: Breakfast: Protein Shake Snack: Cantaloupe, string cheese, celery & PB Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with Ruffles Sour Cream & Onion Chips Snack: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs and Carrots Dinner: Ground Turkey with Mushroom & Zucchini Snack: M&Ms and hagen daz ice cream - I'm not proud. Workout: Strength Training with Legs & Triceps Focus Bent over Tricep kickbacks 12 reps/4 sets/25lb weights Overhead Tricep Press 12 res/4 sets/ 25lb weight Dips on the equalizer 10 reps/4 sets/body weight Sumo Squats with a barbell 12 reps/4 sets/ 25lbs Bridge 30 seconds/4 sets/bodyweight

I finally found enough courage to join a kickboxing gym! Woot! I had my first class last night and I'm in love. I'm looking for recommendations for gear - both for what I can use at the gym (gloves, wraps, cleaner, etc) and at home. I'm also considering getting a punching bag. My roommate also does kickboxing so it will definitely get used. Also if there are any good videos or people to follow on youtube or podcasts, let me know.

I'm late the challenge (2 days), can I still join or should I wait for the next one?

Just keep at it! one day everything will click into place. That's what I keep telling myself at least! Good job on sticking with it!!!

Sometimes you just have to restart - a few times Welcome to my *new* battle log. I am going to make a solid effort in actually updating this daily or as often as possible. A few updates: I changed my username from Red_Queen to Lil'Rali after my D&D character because she is strong, independent, and doesn't take crap from anyone while at the same time super charming and funny. Basically what I strive for! I've actually gained all the weight back I lost from following the Alkaline/Acid diet (years ago). I'm not happy about it, but the realization that I've completely lost all the progress I made just deflates me. I have been struggling the past year with depression and anxiety because of a breakup which didn't help at all. I have still been trying to lose weight, workout, eat right, etc - but nothing has really stuck. I ended up going to a weight loss doctor two months ago for surgery. The fact that I made it to the point that I was willing to go under the knife to "fix" my problems scared the crap out of me. I'm not saying it's not a good option - because weight loss surgery has helped a ton of people and I see the benefits - but for me, it feels like I've given up. I'm approved for surgery and there is a six month weighting period. However, I was so scared and upset with myself that I decided to see the non-surgical weight loss doctor. My first weigh in with her was 276.9 lbs - My heaviest. She gave me some goals to work towards over the next month. I needed to focus on eating 100g of protein and 100g of carbs per day. I was all in the first week. The second week I thought I made the right choices, and by the third I was completely not doing what I was supposed to. I tried to make it up a little the week before I saw her - but again I didn't' really focus on what I was eating and I didn't really do much to help myself. When I went back for my check in earlier this month I weighed in at 277.5 - I gained more weight and again at my heaviest. While I felt like I went in there with so many "wins" for the month, reality hit me hard. So, now I'm a week and a half out from seeing her and I definitely recognize my patterns. Week 1 I tracked and logged everything I ate and tried to focus on protein and carbs. Week 2 same thing, then week three I completely failed. It's week four and I'm happy to report I'm back on track after taking some time to be mindful and understand my patterns and where I go wrong. Here is what I found: I am good at kind of making a plan for the week. I am GREAT at starting my day with a protein drink and packing healthy snacks for work. Where I was going wrong was in three places: 1. I didn't take my lunch to work. This left me open to the chaos of the cafe as well as allowing my emotions and cravings to drive my lunch choices. That salad bar is great but that pizza or Mexican food looks waaaaaay better. 2. on Thursdays I watch critical role with some friends and we traditionally order pizza. That pizza triggers a land slide and gives me the unconscious excuse to eat not so well at my D&D game on Friday. 3. I never have plans for the weekend as far as what I'm eating. My food choices over the weekend essentially undo everything I did right Monday through Wednesday. These are the reasons I've essentially lost the same three pounds that last two months. This week I put a stop to it. I made myself a custom planner - side note, I LOVE making things and if anyone wants me to send them the planner I created, please message me. I used the planner to plan out strength workouts, meal plans for the entire week, write my grocery list, and then turn around and track what I've eaten against my plan. I also talked two of my friends in to joining a kickboxing gym with me. We found a groupon with 10 sessions for $50 that included gloves. We had our first class last night and it was fantastic! How will I use this battle log: I hope to use it daily to log my strength workouts, report in on how kickboxing is going, and as a way to stay accountable to what I am doing. I hope to gain back followers like I used to have because that is what really kept me motivated. We had a community of support and it was wonderful. So now that you've read my intro post, please click follow (if you want). I promise to follow back and be active as much as possible. Starting stats: Weight: 273.1 (that's right - I've currently lost those same pesky three pounds). **Measurements will be updated on 6/1** Body Fat: BMI: Neck: Chest: Waist: Hips: Bicep (L/R): Forearm (L/R): Thigh (L/R) Calf (L/R)

It hasn't been much of a journey this month - but I'm working on changing that I'm about to restart my battle log!

Hi all, Wow, I haven’t been on here in a few years. I’m so glad this community is still here. I am looking forward to being active again. Last time I was here, I had good intentions of making changes in my life but really didn’t follow through. I’m starting at ground zero now and going to give it my all. Respawn point::::273.8 lbs Last month I met with a weight loss doctor. I got to a point that I am considering WL surgery. The consult scared me. I ended up seeing the doctor’s counterpart for medical WL (non-surgical) and she gave me some goals. I meet with her again on Tuesday and I’m hoping I’ll have kept the few pounds I lost off - I weighed in at 276.9. The goals she gave me were to track all my meals, weigh in every day, and eat 100g protein and 100g carbs per day (not the bread kind though). I did really well the first two weeks then fell off - yet I still weighed in every day so I’ll count that as a win. I’m nervous about my upcoming appointment and what she will say. As far as action and planning - I ordered some fitness equipment and it should be here in the next week. In the meantime I’m going to utilize the gym at my complex and just start somewhere. I just need to be mindful every day and focus on little victories. I’m also going to be active here again as it was a big motivator last time. Encouragement, advice, and support welcome!

I need to set a reminder to post everyday Here is Monday's workout: 1. Single Leg Thrust w/ 3 sec Pause 3 x 8/Side 2a. Trap Bar DL 4 x 3x3 @ 185lbs first set, dropped to 165lbs for the rest 2b. Push Ups ( BB) 4 x AMRAP 3a. KB Reverse Luges 3 x 10/side 3b. Elev. renegade row 3 x 10/side 3c. Band Pull-a-parts 3 x 10 4a. Sled 4 x d/b 4b. Farmers walk 4 x d/b (2x45lb KBs). I talked to the owner of the gym about ending my membership, I'm currently interning there so he said we can work something out. Looks like I won't have to quit afterall.

Thanks Alicia. I'll find out (hopefully) this week how I did on my midterm. As for the last couple of days I've been good about eating mostly the right things. I'm human and a human that loves candy and sweets. Occasionally I'll find myself going overboard. Luckily this weekend I caught myself and stopped. I made a healthy dinner last night. Today I am working on packing and moving things at work. It will be nice to have a clean organized space. I am working out later tonight which I am looking forward to. My 90 day goal is to deadlift my body weight. I'm currently at 260 and lifting 185. for the next 30 days my goals is to be able to live more than 200 pounds. My hope is by raising my lift amount I'll also lose weight so I won't have too far to go for my last 45 days. One thing I'm conflicted on is actually staying with the gym I'm at. I love it for many reasons: The atmosphere is welcoming, everyone is inspiring and encouraging, I really believe that the results I'm getting (no matter how small or slow) are a permanent result and not the result of a quick fix diet. I want to stop going because the cost is high. I'm not able to save money and I end up spending more on gas because it's about 45 minutes away from my job and about 30 minutes from my home. I actually have a free gym membership from my work at a local gym that's 5 minutes away from my job. it's a crazy gym that literally has anything you can think of - they were even going to build an indoor water park. I kind of want to go back there or switch to LA fitness. I'm just not sure. If anyone has some advice feel free to share.

Well, I'm back. I have actually been doing fairly well for the last few months, but I'm really missing the community piece to my journey. So here is a quick update: Since I last posted I'm sure I've gained weight. My new heaviest weight is 170-ish fluctuating around 170, but always above. I think I saw 172 or 173 at one point. I actually joined my old gym back in February and since then I've lost 10 pounds. I'm hovering around 160 now and dropping. I'm still struggling with eating the right things consistently and working out more consistently (I have gone at least 2 a week for the last 4 months). I'm happy with the 10 pounds lost, and I know I can lose more. Other things that have gone well for me: I'm out of retail and I have a corporate job now (woot!). This gives me so much more flexibility to workout and geek out when I want. I've started new craft hobbies and gotten into more and more board games. I am a lot happier and just overall in a really good place. So today - this is a daily battle log after all! - I started my day with a glass of water and a multi-vitamin. This is a new thing and a way to get me to 1. drink more water and 2. take a vitamin. - I made a protein shake (water, PB2,and Isopure Chocolate) - My plan for lunch is to see what is available in the local/organic section of the cafe. I usually grab salmon, but I may have some chicken instead. they also have the most amazing cabbage. - After work I have a mid-term which I feel prepared for and following that I'll go home and make dinner: grass-fed beef with brown rice and sautéed mushrooms and bell pepper. I'll check in tomorrow and confirm the plan - oh and today is a rest day. I have my workout scheduled for tomorrow.

yes....It was probably 3 or 4 more paragraphs and there was way more detail on some of my motivations, wins, and struggles.

I'll bring my s/o. He is really into comics and some board games. Is the 31st a set date?

Ugh...just posted a huge post and then accidently hit the back arrow.....So shortened version of everything I just wrote. It will save you time reading I suppose I'm sorry I didn't post yesteray, I ran out of time before the gym and after the gym I was so tired I fell asleep. The good news is I have two workouts to post They will be below. But first a few awesome things and one not so awesome thing. I'll start with the not awesome thing. I gained 1.4 lbs last week. Jesse thinks it's because I was sick and didn't do much moving and the three workouts I did were minimal because well I was sick. Also I ate some not so great things which probably contributed to the gain. For example, I had some ice cream a couple times for my sore throat. On the positive side I set two goals for myself last week. The first was to write everything down that I ate no matter what and the other was to workout 3 times. I accomplished both of those goals and bought myself a new gym bag as a reward. The gym bag is awesome because it has lots of pockets (girls like things with lots of pockets) and a shoe compartment so I can have my gym shoes in my bag without making my clothes smell like gym shoes - not that they smell bad or anything but it's nice to keep them seperate. This week my goals are to workout 3 times again ( or more) and to continue to write everything I eat down - but also track the points. Overall, I need to see what I'm eating and how it's effecting me. Last week was the first week of taking this all seriously and I can see the food choices I made weren't the best (ice cream). This week even though I'm not restricting myself to my points allowance, it will be a good indicator of portion control and continued food choice. I already made a better choice today at lunch. Instead of going for the cheesy, fried, greesy "healthy" thing at PCC, I grabbed a baked chicken thigh, I portioned out 1/2 cup of quinoa, and some brussel sprouts. It's a definite step in the right direction. Phew, now that I've written all that twice, here are the workouts: 1/4: Eliptical for 35 minutes, resistence 1, crossramp 1 2.27 miles209 calories burnedArm Circles 3 sets: 10 circles per arm holding 5lbsMilitary Dumbell Press warmup: 16 reps X 10 lbs4 sets: 12 reps x 10 lbs90 degree lateral raise warmup 1: 15 reps x 10 lbswarmup 2: 13 reps x 10 lbs12 x 10 lbs14 x 7.5 lbs15 x 5 lbsarnold dumbell press 3 sets: 12 x 10 lbsFront raise 4 sets: 10 x 10lbsDumbell upright row 7 x 10 lbs10 x 10 lbs10 x 10 lbs11 x 10 lbs1/5: Eliptical 35 minutes resistence 2, crossramp 2 2.38 miles230 calories burnedLeg Press - Machine 12 x 90 lbs (45lbs on each side)12 x 70 lbs (35lbs on each side)12 x 70 lbs (35 lbs on each side)Hip Abductor - Out 2 sets 60lbs x 12 reps.yesterday's workout was just on legs to make up for not doing legs on the 4th. By the time I got to the hip abductor I was so exhausted. We left the gym and I passed out. Today I have back and biceps. I'm looking forward to it because I love to lift. I'm not lifting very heavy things now, but hopefully I will be sooooooon I'll try to post my workout tonight, if not I'll get it posted tomorrow for you. Thanks for all the support!

I made it through a day without a sore throat Jesse still won't let me go to the gym. He is there now and I'm super jealous. I just planned my workout days for next week in hopes that I can go. I made healthy choices today again and avoided fast food. I've also successfully logged my food intake this whole week. Tomorrow will be day 7. I've also stayed positive about my healthy choices and mistakes all see which is amazing. It really helps to just focus on today and only worry about three days at most.

Goood morning! Yesterday was supposed to me legs and shoulders, but I had a wicked sore throat and my boyfriend said I should not workout until I'm fully better. He is also mad that I'm back at work. I've been keeping up on WW and nutrition so that is a plus I have going on. Yesterday I avoided mall food, with the exception of roasted potatoes and steamed veggies from an Italian place which I paired with my turkey chili. I'm at work now and I didn't have time to make my lunch this morning so I'm planning on either grabbing a salad from somewhere or walking over to the grocery store and getting something from the deli there that is healthy. I did bring some peaches with me so I have yummy fruit to keep me from sweets. I might gym tonight if my throat doesn't hurt - if not then tomorrow for sure.

I started a new battle log. which I plan to keep updated. I hope everyone is doing well!!

I dropped off the map at NF for a while, but I'm back and would love to meet up too - board games or fitness - everything works for me. I work and go to school so if I know the date/time in advance I can request a day off.

White Bean Turkey Chilli: Ingredients: - cooking spray ($4.00) - 2lbs ground turkey (99% fat free if available) ($10.00) - 1 large onion, chopped ($1.00) - 2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced ($.50) - 32 oz low sodium chicken stock ($3.00) - 30 oz white beans, drained and rinsed ($2.00) - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro - chopped ($.50) - 3 TBSP Lime Juice ($1.00) - 1 TSP cumin ($4.00) - 1 TSP Oregano ($4.00) - 1 Tsp Chipotle chilli powder ($9.00) Directions: 1. spray a large skillet with cooking spray and add turkey, onion, and garlic. Cook the turkey meat, stiring occasionally, until brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes). 2. Add cooked turkey and remaining ingredients to the crock pot 3 1/2 quart or larger. Cook ok low for 4 hours. Review: Ease of Cooking: 9.5/10 (onions make me cry) Overall this was very easy to make. I mostly battled with the onion because I kept tearing up while cutting it. Make sure you have a very large pan or cook the turkey in portions. I thought I started out with a large pan (10 inch) , but I really needed my very large pan (15 Inch). It was also nice to put everything in to the crock pot and forget about it. So for ease of cooking 9.5/10. Taste: 9/10 The chilli tasted amazing, though I felt it needed salt so I added some after it was cooked. I guess that kind of defeated the purpose of low sodium chicken stock. I also found the chili was missing something. I think next time I'm going to add some tomato to it or maybe additional veggies. Cost: $39.00 - if you absolutely have zero ingredients on hand. If I didn't already have the spices and things on hand, this would have cost me about $40. That may seem like a lot, but compared to eating out and only getting one meal out of going out, vs the extra 4 servings I have left after feeding other people last night, this is a much better deal. The most expensive thing was the turkey itself. Having the spices on hand and the cooking spray will help lessen the blow to your pocket. I always have garlic on hand too. One thing that could also help is having chicken and vegetable stock on hand. They go on sale often and it would be easy to pick an extra one up.

Good Morning 2015! I ended 2014 with a workout, and home cooked meal, and the sandlot. Yesterday's workout - back and biceps, no cardio (still sick and cardio would kill my lungs) Bicep Curls using EZ Curl (curved bar) 3 x 15 reps @ 20lbs 1 X 15 reps @ 20lbs using inside grip Reverse Bicep Curl using dumbells 3 x 15 reps @ 7.5lbs each Isolateral Low Row - Machine 1 x 12 reps @ 20 lbs each side 1 x 15 reps @ 15 lbs each side TRX Flys 2 x 15 reps using body weight My workout doesn't look like much, but it's a start in the right direction. I'm going to rest today (as planned) but it's possibly I'll hit up the gym. Other than that, yesterday I made some really delicious chilli (I'll post the recipe in my adventures in cooking journal). I completely forgot I asked my boyfriend to take me to dinner. I'm glad I did because the food I made was healthy and delicious and now I have left overs I'm actually excited about One other win I have from yesterday is that I went to the store and bought groceries - along with some deli food. Their portions were so big and I realized I hadn't thought about portions before. When I got home with it, I took out a measureing spoon and measured a proper portion into my own dish and put the rest away. This is something I would never do. Normally, I would just eat and eat and eat because it was there - on the plate- in front of me. I'm really happy with that win

Welcome to my recipe journal. Here I will post recipes I try each week and review how they went. I'll mention cost of ingredients, ease of preparation, and how it turned out. I'll also try and include any side items I pair with it. I'm always open for suggestions so feel free to share all you want My first recipe is White Bean Turkey Chili. I'll be using a slow cooker for it and will update this post once it is finished