To goal or not to goal.

It’s Monday!Even though it is my 2nd workday of the week, it still feels like Monday LOL!  Headed off to the gym.  My legs felt really, really tired after Saturday’s outdoor run yesterday and still a little stiff today, so I lightened up the leg weights a bit today.

After treadmill warmup:

  • Chin ups:  2 sets of 2, 1 set of 1.
  • Barbell squat:  3 sets of 10 with 65#
  • Incline dumbbell chest press: 3 sets of 8 with 25# DBs
  • Cable squat to row:  3 sets of 10 at 50#
  • Arnold press:  3 sets of 10 with 8# DBs
  • Reverse crunches:  3 sets of 15
  • Lower back extension (machine):  3 sets of 10 at 100#

Then I walked for 30 minutes at 3.5 mph with 0.5 incline.  I didn’t want to run as my thighs were so tight.  I’ll save that for tomorrow 😀

Brekkie was on my mind for most of that walk, or more specifically, protein waffles!

These were so good.  Sometimes I am really sad when my meal is done because I enjoy it so much.  Guess that’s how I ended up at 250 pounds, right? – kept eating the stuff I liked!

So I have been thinking about where I want to settle up scale wise.  I have maintained in a range for the past year and a half right around 145.  I am up a couple now post cruise, but generally I bounce around above and below this number.  My lowest weight was 139 and that was before my heavy strength training.  I actually wear the same clothes now that I did then (testament that lifting does *not* make you bigger, just heavier).  There is a part of me that says if this is where I am maintaining, then I am at goal.  John says that I am at goal. Makes sense.  My body seems to kind of like it here, and I can maintain pretty well and eat a nice amount of food.  It might just be complacence, though.

However, there is still that little part of me that wants to see if I can finish up. My personal heart-of-hearts goal.  I don’t know as 135 is possible.  According to all charts, it is really the top weight I should be at – but charts are lame.   It will take a lot for me to get there, and probably I would have to be more restrictive than I want to be.  Then again, that might just be the brat in me that doesn’t want to do it.   I just don’t know, and my puzzler is sore thinking about it.

After doing the Oz show and this photo shoot, I think that I feel ready to go ahead and try to push some just to see if I can.   My initial goal will be to get to 140 and reevaluate again.  That’s just a little bit, although it will take a long time as I lose really, really slow.  Not sure if anyone remembers my turtle ticker I had for a long time LOL.

Anyway, in order to do this, all I really have to do is quit the snacking between meals.  And I’m not talking about planned snacks, but those snacks that don’t make it onto the blog, like a dip into the peanut jar here, or a couple dates there, or a few extra bites of cheese while making dinner.  The *nibbling* stuff. Those things probably give me an extra 200 calories or so a day.   If I stick to 1500 calories, I can lose.  That’s not so bad.  Of course, I do eat more on longer run days, but I have such a sedentary job that I don’t burn more than 70 calories an hour for my work day and not much I can do about that.  That is one reason why my workouts seem intense – it’s because they have to be to make up for the all-day sitting.

So that’s the plan.  I am going to update each day on how I am doing and take it 1 week at a time.  My goals for this week are to curb the extra snacking, eat enough protein, and make sure my meals are balanced.  Exercise is always a given 😀

Anyway – in the spirit of the balanced meal – here was dinner!

Chicken with sauteed broccoli and a kiwi.  The anatomy is this:  3 oz of chicken breast, 2 cups of broccoli, 1 whole kiwi, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, plus 1 tsp of coconut oil (that the broccoli was cooked with).  This kiwi was awesomely perfect.  Just the right amount of juiciness, tart, and sweet.  This is a nice light dinner and allows me a snack later on 😀

I am also thinking about going on the Q&A band wagon again.  Start thinking if there is anything you want to ask me at all about whatever.

31 thoughts on “To goal or not to goal.

  1. Alissa

    I’m sure it’s hard to know when you’ve hit your goal. It’s easy to have a number in your head, but your body might be telling you otherwise. I think you look great the way that you are now but I’ll be here to support you if you decide to push on to your goal on the scale! 🙂
    .-= Alissa´s last blog ..WI at Work Day =-.

  2. Shelley B

    Haha, I actually lol’d at “charts are lame” – don’t I know it!!! My thought is, since you are curious, try 140 and see how you feel. If you are still pretty happy with your eating, then that may be your maintenance weight. If it’s too much of a battle, then the heck with it. You have to make this work for the rest of your life, and let’s face it – life is too short to struggle over food every day.
    .-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Wednesday Workout Update – With Apologies to Clint Eastwood =-.

  3. Lynn Haraldson-Bering

    I truly believe our bodies know where they want/need to be. If you cut out the unplanned snacking but keep all the rest, your body will tell you where it wants to be. If you’re happy with your food intake (no feeling deprived, etc) and eat enough to sustain your mad workouts(!) then you are at goal. Just check in with yourself and ask, “Am I overall happy here?” OK, I’m done giving you my 2 cents. Maintenance is my passion. But you know that 🙂
    .-= Lynn Haraldson-Bering´s last blog ..Let It Be…Naked =-.

  4. MB

    I think you look great just the way you are now but if you want to push it I’ll be here cheering you on. Those stupid charts are such b.s. especially for people who have any muscle.

    Are those last 10 pounds just the “vanity pounds” that will likely be a struggle to lose and hard to keep off without serious deprivation?

    I’d be so happy to get where you are and still be able to eat bagels. 😉

    1. Lori Post author

      I don’t know if those last 10 are vanity or not. It may be loose skin and I can’t lose any more. Since I have never been this small, not really sure if this is the stopping point. I have nothing to reference from.

      And I’ll always eat my bagels 😀

  5. Dawn

    I’m with the rest, I think you look great as you are. But I do understand wanting to try to push to see if you can lose a few more. I think your body will let you know if it’s where it wants to be or not. Good luck, I’ll be here rooting you on.

  6. Elaine

    This is a very interesting post and close to my heart. I wonder the same thing. I can maintain a BMI of 26 pretty painlessly but my blood sugars are still not where they should be. Like you, I’m going to try it– if I can maintain a BMI of 24 without getting into a fight with my body, that would be great. But I’m not going to live in a place of restriction and self-dislike. Guess the only way to find out is to try it and see.

    That said, you look great and very “normal” to me, other than being fitter than the average bear.
    .-= Elaine´s last blog ..Back! =-.

  7. Kimberley

    I had some delicious broccoli tonight too. It was so good.

    About goal…I guess you are the only who can decide what feels good to you.

    When I lost 136 pounds, I was down to 154. If you look at my very first blog post there is a pic of me. I think I look quite thin so my goal now is 160.

    It is such an individual thing. You will figure it out though. I am confident about that.
    .-= Kimberley´s last blog ..Worthy Cause Wednesday =-.

  8. debby

    Lori, you know I feel similar to how you feel. Regarding wanting to lose more. But I want to point out that I think your reasoning is a little off. You used two words to describe yourself, questioning if this was part of the equation: “complacence” and “brat.” Anybody who reviewed your life for the past year or two would not be able to use those words to describe what you have done and been. I think you have worked pretty hard to arrive at the point you are at today.

    On the other hand, I do agree that it is amazingly true that just small changes can make the difference in whether or not you lose weight or not.

    Of course I type all this after a 12 hour shift in which I consumed WAY TOO MANY @#$%^&&^%$$# Hershey’s Kisses!

    Either which way, you are an encouragement and an inspiration to me and many others, Lori!
    .-= debby´s last blog ..One Day Off =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      The complacence and brat really are things that go through my head. While I know I am focused and have had success, there is always that part of me (the type A part) that needs some challenge to myself.

  9. Amy

    I know how you feel – I’ve been maintaining for a long time now at a weight that is substantially lower than the one I started at, but still not my “ideal” weight according to charts. From time to time I get frustrated and think I should just get the rest of it off, but there is some resistance somewhere that prevents me from making progress – maybe seeing you do it will inspire me to kick up my efforts!
    .-= Amy´s last blog ..Gold medalist! =-.

  10. Miz

    I am with Lynn above and think (eh KNOW) that our bods intuitively sense where they should be…a weight where we can stay and not struggle day in day out.

    For me this weight was, I think, more than Id planned to lose when I started (so long ago Im losing my ability to recall coupled with the fact I weigh in yearly :)) BUT its a weight Ive been able to maintain for 16 years.

    In summation 🙂 I have to chime in that *I* think our bod knows best.

  11. Jody - Fit at 52

    Nothing wrong with a good goal & trying it if that is your passion to do that. I think my body naturally likes to be a bit heavier BUT I wanted to be leaner & see my muscles more so I do work at it hard & eat pretty clean because that is my goal for now. I could do less & not be as lean but for now, I want to be like this. I am sure at some point, I may go less but not yet.

    If you want to try, I say go for it. It is hard work but kinda cool to see what we can accomplish. If your bod does not want it, it will say so…
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Diet & Dieting – Dr. J Guest Posts! =-.

  12. Fitcetera

    I really enjoyed what Debby had to say in her first paragraph about this and second it.
    I also like Jody’s perspective on this as well though.

    Having witnessed what you’re capable of, I know you can achieve this goal.
    Whether you’d be happy at the end of it only you can decide and see for yourself. You’ll only know the answer when you get there.
    .-= Fitcetera´s last blog .. =-.

  13. Biz

    I think you are doing awesome – and maintainingn is sometimes just as hard as losing!

    I hate the charts too – I am short, so my doctor wants me to be between 120 and 130 – if I go for 120 – thats 49 pounds left to go!

    Curious how you’ll feel when and if you get to 140.

    Hugs!
    .-= Biz´s last blog ..Red Pepper Soup =-.

  14. Susan

    Verrry interesting thoughts in this post Lori! I say you might as well go for it. Who knows, you could be in your happy place weight-wise right now, but you won’t know till you try something different! Just remember the hard work doesn’t kick in until it’s time to maintain. It’s “easy” to set goals and be strict for a temporary period of time. But it’s a lot harder to continue that vigilance indefinitely once you hit that goal. I still go back and forth. I’m really strict about my eating for a few weeks and get down to a low weight, then I loosen up for a couple weeks and creep back up. It’s always an ebb and flow 🙂
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..‘F’ is for Balance =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      Maintaining this weight has not been all that hard (as evidenced by the treats I eat!!), especially with the exercise I do. I am not one for strict eating for very long, so this may be short lived….

  15. Ang

    I have no doubt that you can accomplish your new goal! I do think you look fabulous now so if it ends up being to hard to maintain at 140 or 135 there is absolutely nothing wrong with where you are at now!

    Those lame charts indicate I could lose up to 50 lbs! Being short is tough! lol!
    .-= Ang´s last blog ..Valentine’s Day Festivities! =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      I don’t know as those really matter all that much. We do eat hormone-free/antibiotic meat and dairy. The pesticides – well, we just can’t afford organic. Hate to say it, but there it is. It’s too spendy up here. I would have to seriously cut back on my fruit and veggie consumption if it had to be organic. I think eating clean matters. I think it is better to eat regular grown strawberries than a 100 calorie snack pack any day.

  16. julie

    I’m in similar situation, though haven’t spent time maintaining. My original goal was BMI < 25, which I have hit (147), and I still am chubby, have reset goal to BMI = 22, which is around 130 or 132. Right now, I lose about 2 pounds/month, and it's not uncomfortably restrictive. I wouldn't want to restrict any more, so would stay here if that's where I stayed, but as long as exercise will lower my weight, I'll go lower. I'm sort of thinking little goals, one BMI point at a time. Next goal, 142! I haven't actually checked these numbers, shows how indifferent to goals I'm feeling.
    .-= julie´s last blog ..Thoughts on reaching goal =-.

  17. Jennifer

    I had my “goal” and then my true heart of hearts goal. Then there’s the goal that I probably should be at, which is another 6-10 pounds from the 29 I’ve lost. And honestly, I am confident that I can keep this weight and much less confident that I could keep the other. So, I didn’t change my WW points to go up to maintenance (though I did add two each day) and am continuing to work out. It’s not perfect, but it’s 100% livable! Good luck and I look forward to watching your journey!

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