EstellaHavisham - Great Expectations

[EstellaHavisham]

Me:

Sedentary-by-nature bookworm, originally from New York but living in Germany. 34 years old, and still carrying around baby weight. Or can one still call it that past the baby's first birthday? I'm short, but always was within the normal range of body weight without having to bother much about it. Went to the gym before baby, because that's what healthy people do. But I've never been in shape really. I think a slug is my true spirit animal. A well-read, daydreaming, intellectual slug. Luckily, I'm also very frugal, and I refuse to buy fat clothes. I'm not really fat yet, but I'm getting there. Lately I've been feeling even more sluggish than usual, and this isn't acceptable because I have a job, house and kid to take care of.

 

My Main Quest:

I want to fit in the last pair of pants I bought before getting pregnant. They still have the tags on. That was 5 kilos ago. After that, it's another 5 kilos to what I weighed on my wedding day. From there it would be another 5 to my lowest weight in college. I want to avoid having a number as a goal though. I don't know my measurements from those times. 

 

SMART quest:

• No potatoes, grains, pasta, or rice. No sweets except one square of dark chocolate if I have been otherwise good.
• Strength training at least twice a week.
• Make an appointment at gym to learn to lift properly.

Life Quest:

Clean up the kitchen every night before bed.

 

Motivation:

All inclusive vacation in Turkey at the end of the year. It would be nice to feel comfortable in a bathing suit, and have new eating habits in place so I don't go overboard at the buffets.

 

Attribute Points:

I have no idea what this means.

[EstellaHavisham]

I'm ready for tomorrow! Tonight I made gulasch for dinner. Instead of noodles, I am adding carrots. My husband has noticed the change in me and is amused. At first he wanted noodles, but changed his mind and stuck with the carrots when he heard I will definitely not have any noodles. So he is a part of the challenge too.

 

Tomorrow I have no work, so while the baby sleeps I am going to practice the lifting moves using a broomstick. My normal gym day is Wednesday. Until now, I stuck with the machines and then jogged a half hour on the treadmill. I'm so ready to kiss the treadmill goodbye forever. But the weight machines... I enjoy them because I don't know what I'm doing otherwise. I am afraid of the free weights area at the gym. A lot of... I call them monkeys.... hang out around there grunting and throwing weights around and they seem aggressive. Also, whenever I leave the house I have to speak German, and the gym is no exception. I will see about making an appointment with a trainer. Until that appointment, I guess I will stick with machines and increase the weight?

[kasey]

I love the intellectual slug analogy.

 

I've been feeling pretty similar, so I might follow along and give you a cheer every now and then.

 

Good luck with the cutting out carbs. I suggest you look into some slim pasta type stuff. It's made with a vegetable and is in the pasta section of supermarkets in Oz. It works pretty well in some of the same situations if you get a craving for it.

[EstellaHavisham]

Thanks Kaysey. I'll have to check out the supermarket here, or maybe an Asian store. I heard that there is some kind of Asian noodle also made only from vegetable. Bread and noodles seem to be the most important food group in the German diet, so I'm not too optimistic.

[cepopaladin]

Thanks Kaysey. I'll have to check out the supermarket here, or maybe an Asian store. I heard that there is some kind of Asian noodle also made only from vegetable. Bread and noodles seem to be the most important food group in the German diet, so I'm not too optimistic.

Not sure how the Asian stores are in Germany, but the stores near me have tofu skin noodles, which might sound a little strange, but are quite delicious and composed of planty protein! If that's not available Spaghetti Squash work quite handily.

 

Good luck with the challenge!

[EstellaHavisham]

HAHA I don't know how the Asian stores are in Germany either! But I'll give it a look next time I am kid free, hopefully after work tomorrow.

 

Today I have been good so far and the day is more than half over. Went to visit a friend and politely refused a croissant. For lunch I made ground beef with pumpkin and it was excellent!

 

I made my daughter noodles to have with her lunch. Normally I cook more than she will ever eat and have what she didn't eat. But today I counted out 10 zitis for her... and picked six of them off the floor.

 

Tomorrow some friends are flying in from the US. They are actually going to a wedding in Denmark but are stopping here for a few days before and after the wedding. This will be a challenge because we'll be going to some restaurants with them for sure. They are staying in a hotel, so it could be worse! I still need to clean up around here, cat hair everywhere! Not much time, baby will be awake soon.

[EstellaHavisham]

It's the end of day 1 and I made it without a cheat.

 

And the kitchen is clean (life quest).

 

I didn't exercise today though. I've been trying to wake up at 5AM to do Zumba! But I've only made it 3 times in the last week. I felt like a million bucks though on those days. Tomorrow is another day.

 

Tomorrow I have work and the Amis are coming, so it will be more difficult than today.

[EstellaHavisham]

Weighed in this morning .3 kilos lighter.

Woke up at 5AM and did Zumba.

The day is half over and I am still on the wagon.

[EstellaHavisham]

Went out to dinner. Had a small steak and substituted the baked potato for broccoli.

[EstellaHavisham]

We went out to dinner again today since we have visitors. And I cheated and drank a small beer. We were at a brewery, I didn't feel like explaining why I don't want a beer.

 

But that was the only cheat since Monday and it wasn't too bad I guess.

 

Went to the gym and used the treadmill only to warm up. And then I used the weight machines and lifted as heavy as I could. Five reps, three sets. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

 

And one part of my quest is fulfulled: I am meeting with a trainer tomorrow morning to learn how to use the free weights properly!

[EstellaHavisham]

My daughter was up half the night crying and today she has a fever. So I had to cancel my appointment with the trainer. Now I am at home waiting for the doctor's office to open and for my husband to finish his half day of work, so I can go do a half day work.

 

We have so much chocolate and pudding and restaurant leftovers. Trying not to think about it.

 

Our American guests have moved on to Denmark for a wedding. But they are coming back on Sunday. And at the weekend, some Danish friends are stopping by on their way from from vacation. It's as if Germany is the middle of the world! I find it pretty easy to stick to a diet if I am alone, but the minute other people show up I have difficulties.

 

On Monday I am hosting a breakfast for the mothers who live on my street. We switch off every month. You can't host a German breakfast without buying bread, but I'm thinking about what else I can plan...

[EstellaHavisham]

Mini Challenge Responses:

 

Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)?  Is it reasonable?

• I think it's achievable and reasonable. The quest should be simple and measurable. Either the last pair of pants I will fit at the end of the challenge or they won't. By fit I mean I would put them on and would be able to wear them to work, comfortably sit, stand, crouch etc. At the moment, I can get them on and zip up. But if they were new in a shop, I would say they don't fit. YET!

 

Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on?

• I would say this quest needs subquests because pants don't magically fit on their own. The three subquests are all relevant and should help me.

 

Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them?

• I think my main goal is quite realistic. If I really do succeed in cutting out the foods that I tend to go overboard with, I think I could reach this goal.

 

Are your goals able to be measured and tracked?  What will you use to track them?

• They are all yes/no. Did I eat any bread/rice/potatoes/candy today? Did I go to the gym Wednesday and Friday? I've been tracking here on this post.

 

How are you grading your goals?  Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)?  Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€?

• I think I will start at 100% and subtract whenever I don't meet my goal. I don't have a reward yet. I haven't thought much about grading, just going with the flow.

What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured?

• The workouts would have to be dropped on those days, and unfortunately because of childcare, I couldn't go to the gym on a different day. I could do workouts at home though while baby sleeps.

 

Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge?  What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those?

• I have no modifications built in, but I know in advance it will be difficult/impossible to stay away from starches and sweets.

 

Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another?

• No I don't think so.

 

Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set?  If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them?

• I have time made. Two days a week, my daughter stays later at daycare.

 

Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest?

• I am also trying clean the kitchen every night. I have a bad habit of leaving dishes in the sink overnight. The kitchen is pretty open, so when it slides, the whole house starts to go with it.

[EstellaHavisham]

I didn't post for a couple of days.... and I fell off a bit yesterday, but today I am back on! It's been a pretty stressful week.

 

I went to the gym twice this week and lifted as heavy as I can. Still using only the machines, but tomorrow I will do the beginner body weight training at home. Haven't rescheduled the trainer, and I have no idea when that can happen again. Both trainer and I are as flexible as a German Panzer.

 

My baby is sick, so I had to cancel my appointment with a trainer, and the breakfast I was supposed to host on Monday is also cancelled. Only one person who was invited even ackowledged my message, and wished my baby to get well! So I will not be spending any more time with those mothers, so goodbye to a source of stress and processed-food-temptation. This got me into an unhelpful brooding pity party, and I ate some chocolate and drank two glasses of wine. But I have realized it's stupid to waste time on people who don't bring any value to my life. I am the only non-German in this group of women. I've always been sort of a loner, plus the language has proven to be too much to really want to be bothered. I feel less lonely when I'm home with my daughter than with a group of seven women I don't connect with. I worry sometimes though my baby will grow up an outsider because of her foreign mother. But that may have happened anyway. I'm sick of trying to fit in with these people. 

 

Another thing that I find discouraging, is I haven't seen the scale move. The tiny bit of weight I lost in the first couple of days is back on, I feel better, but I also feel deprived. I will keep going because I signed up for this challenge and staying the same is better than getting fatter. I will also take measurements today and record them, maybe something is happening that the scale doesn't reflect.

 

I had lovely hard boiled eggs with tomatoes and basil for lunch, excellent! Now I'm off to do garden work.

[EstellaHavisham]

Still here...

Today I haven't cheated once and it's nearly 8:30PM. Haven't done the workout though. I found out something really upsetting about a family member, and I've been kind of rooted to my seat.

 

I did take my starting measurements, a week late

[Blaidd]

you know what, that brooding pity party is ok as long as it only happens every now and again  Other than that it actually looked like you had a great week. Keep it up!  Sounds to me that you're in quite a stressful environment (not being near your support structure, I assume your parents etc are all back home), so I think you're actually managing fantastically.  PS.  Those "monkeys" aren't really lifting very much  it's just a show, so no need to be afraid - walk in there like the lioness you are.  Queen of the safari. 

 

You might notice that someone has added a tag to your post.  This is not to box you into a corner but rather because your goals or lifestyle have links to the guild you've been tagged and we'd like to bring you to the attention of one of their guild ambassadors. These ambassadors will be able to offer you advice, encouragement and support on your goals.  You don't even have to wait around for them to come introduce themselves to you, you are more than welcome to pop into the Adventurers' board and introduce yourself to the guildies there. I am also around to answer any questions that you might have so do not hesitate to PM me.

 

Good Luck with your challenge

AB xx

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

You have been doing well in your first week. How is it going now? I'm from Germany and hope you'll feel less an outsider soon. Good luck and best wishes for your challenge.

[Hratheceane]

I've cut out the grains and all that too, but meanwhile I'm living with my Carb Queen mother and spending a lot of time with my sweets loving fiancee. It's a struggle to go out to eat, but there definitely are options and alternatives. You'll find them and it'll become second nature soon!

 

I wouldn't worry too much about your baby growing up an outsider. It's mostly the language barrier, and I've been watching a few babies be raised to be conversational in English, German and sign language and even some Spanish. It'll be easier for your baby than you, really!

 

My life goal for this challenge is to not weigh myself, since I used to weigh every day. I get to do it at the end of the third week and the end of the whole challenge, but other than that, no measurements of any sort. The ups and downs of daily weighing can be massively more discouraging than seeing a leap downwards after a few weeks of dieting with no weighing. Maybe, if you're being discouraged, you'd want to try something similar? 

[EstellaHavisham]

Hello, I'm still hanging on!

Not much time to update though.

Just by cutting out sweets and grains, I've lost a little over 6 pounds since the challenge began!

 

Tomorrow I have an appointment at the gym again to learn how to lift free weights properly. My attendance at the gym has been pretty sporadic. My daughter started daycare in June, hardly a day goes by that one of us isn't sick.

[EstellaHavisham]

You have been doing well in your first week. How is it going now? I'm from Germany and hope you'll feel less an outsider soon. Good luck and best wishes for your challenge.

Thanks Luciana,

I've been in Germany over five years now... most of the time I am very happy here! I think I don't fit in with the neighborhood mothers because of personality, and not because I am not German. I get along well with my work colleagues and I am the only non-German there as well. When I was still on maternity leave, it was very important for me that these women on my street like me. Now that I am back at work, I hardly give a crap!

 

The language is very often a problem for me because I hate sounding like an idiot. And in new situations, this is nearly impossible to avoid! Before I meet with the trainer on Tuesday, I am going to sit down and learn what is barbell, dumbell, squat, etc. in German.

[EstellaHavisham]

I've cut out the grains and all that too, but meanwhile I'm living with my Carb Queen mother and spending a lot of time with my sweets loving fiancee. It's a struggle to go out to eat, but there definitely are options and alternatives. You'll find them and it'll become second nature soon!

 

I wouldn't worry too much about your baby growing up an outsider. It's mostly the language barrier, and I've been watching a few babies be raised to be conversational in English, German and sign language and even some Spanish. It'll be easier for your baby than you, really!

 

My life goal for this challenge is to not weigh myself, since I used to weigh every day. I get to do it at the end of the third week and the end of the whole challenge, but other than that, no measurements of any sort. The ups and downs of daily weighing can be massively more discouraging than seeing a leap downwards after a few weeks of dieting with no weighing. Maybe, if you're being discouraged, you'd want to try something similar? 

I also weigh myself every day even though I know it isn't ideal. I wear a fitbit and I have a fitbit scale, so my weight and bodyfat get saved automatically. I can view it as a graph on my phone or computer. So even though I may have gained one day, it's motivating to see the downward trend.

 

As for the language, it's amazing to watch my daughter already! She understands everything I say in English, but she speaks only a few words, all German. The way she says goodbye makes me melt!