Well, I've been here a few months now, joined a fair few challenges and dropped some pounds, I visit this site on a daily basis anyway so figure its about time i have a journal, that way everything that passes my lips is accounted for. So, the aim of this journal is:

1)to write down everything i eat, whether it be 4cheeseburgers or one sunflower seed, no matter how guilty i feel
2)track my water intake
3)track my daily exercise(structured as well as unstructured)
4)log my daily trials and tribulations(diet related and otherwise)

so as of tonight i will log all of these things, wish me luck!!!

Hiya ebony!

Glad to see you are starting a journal... I find it really helpful and I'm sure you will too. :)

Angela~ Sooo happy you have a journal now... now I can find out all of your secrets to loosing weight :laugh: Journaling REALLY helps put your DAY in front of your face. Sometimes it's very hard to actually see that your going way over board or under board-- you think you're doing everything right and then you look at your journal and realize your mistakes. It's an awesome tool. I look forward to posting here!

Whoohoo, Angela has started a journal!!! Good for you!!!

Looking forward to cheering you on and getting to know you better.

aww thanks everyone, im really glad i have everybodys support, and if i start whittering on about random things just give me a little nudge!lol. I'll be back later to post info on my day...hopefully it will all be good :)

well i must say ive had a crappy day, been feeling really tired and lethargic for no reason, went in the gym for a little bit this morning and my food was fantastic until dinner which ive just had, ended up having chocolate..but im going to let it settle and go in the gym again in an hour to hopefully burn some of those extras off and then have an early night.

Breakfast(9am) ~bowl of weetabix with ss milk and raisins
Snack (12.45pm)~an apple
Lunch (1pm) ~vegetable grill with kale,carrots and corn on the cob,a wholemeal bun
Snack (4pm)~ an apple, couple of strawberries,nuts,raisins, a cracker
Dinner (5pm)~vegetable stirfry with quinoa,1 slice wholemeal bread
Dessert ~cup of tea, mini toffee crisp(130cals), mini roll(130cals)

well today my exercise totalled 20mins of cardio and 20mins of stretching,nowhere near what i should be doing but at least its something.


so needless to say im not happy about the pointless 260cals i just put in my body but whats done is done, as long as i dont eat anything else tonight im ok, and hopefully it'll be a good workout in an hour or so, im feeling pretty demotivated now though, feel like ive let myself down.will be back later to post exercise for the day.

Well today i weighed in and have gained a pound, which im strangely ok about...the way ive binged lately and relied on food emotionally i thought i would have gained at least 5, but it just goes to show that even on bad weeks you dont have to go completely overboard, you can still control it to a certain extent. I've also decided to have all of my text in orange now, its much sunnier and more positive than black :p

well today has been a much better day overall(so far), although i have found that im still feeling tired, lethargic and a bit headachy..which isnt me at all, im usually full of life!so im going to the gym now to see if it helps, although i know i wont be able to do as much as usual im going to push myself as hard and as far as i can.so food intake so far has been
Breakfast(9.30AM) ~ a poached egg on 1slice wholemeal and a small serving of weetabix with semi skimmed milk, nuts and raisins
Lunch (12PM ) ~ 1sweet potato with a slither or dairylight cheese, grilled courgettes and mixed salad(no dressing), and one small quorn burger(73cals)
1 mini roll,fruit salad
Snack (4PM ) ~quarter of a pomegranate,half an apple,1small oregano cracker(28cals)
Dinner (6.15PM)~1 quorn fillet on 2slices wholemeal,grilled with salad and steamed veg, 2pieces dairy milk, 1 choc biscuit, bowl of fruit saladok so i kind of indulged today, but i do feel as though ive made some progress from the weekend, as these arent emotional binges, im managing to stop at 1 biscuit, and im actually tasting the food, i think if i tried to deprive myself of chocolate completely like i was last week i will end up binging again and dont want that, so am allowing myself a little every time i crave it( i think TOM if coming too so maybe thats why im craving it so much)...but hopefully after the next couple of days i'll be able to say to myself 'you dont need chocolate, at least if youre going to overeat or indulge, only put nutritious food into your body'...and usually the step after that is that i start enjoying the food i have and dont feel the need to binge at all....im not a stupid girl, i know its all about progression...im not the kind of person who can go on a 3day fast or stop something immediately...so this is the sensible approach for me. anyway i get the feeling im rambling now so here is my exercise for today:

28mins cardio.....20mins abs and arm toning

well good afternoon campers!today has been a good day so far, not necesarily interms of diet of exercise as ive eaten chocolate again, but i refuse to beat myself up as TOM has arrived so i know thats why, as long as i dont go overboard im good, but I went to take my driving theory test today and passed!im over the moon because i was panicking this morning, but i got 100% of the questions right! also on the way back to the train station i had to climb a rather steep hill and actually ran half of it :D

Breakfast~ bowl of weetabix(1 and a half biscuits) with nuts and raisins
Snack ~ an apple, a four finger kitkat(257cals), a peach
Lunch ~half tin of beans on 1 wholemeal toast, 1 poached egg
Dinner ~
well i'll be back tomorrow to post the rest as im having dinner at my sisters house tonight, think shes making me nut roast and fruit salad for dessert..sounds yummy :)

ok, so i havent done fantastically well in the past couple of days, did no exercise on friday and the diet hasnt been great either. I've realised that i cant really commit to writing down everything i am eating on here as im a really busy girl!but as for exercise i can definitely log that. I track what i eat in my head and know if ive gone wrong, so if anything goes particularly well..(or badly! )i'll post it on here. Im aching all over today as did quite a lot of cardio yesterday, played squash,went for a short run on the beach, but while my boyfriend wussed out and went for the wet sand, i went uphill on dry sand and over some wooden partitions(man it was hard!) but felt really good afterwards..so good that we went in the gym and i did another 15minutes of pretty vigorous skipping!so because im aching pretty much everywhere i might not get any cardio done, got an interview tomorrow too so need a pretty early night, anyway, be back later to post exercise(or lack thereof)

well dont ya just love mnday mornings, had a manic day so far..a job interview, work, various phone calls to make/problems to rectify..but unbelievably ive managed to stick to good nutritious foods, I drew up a meal plan for myself this morning, so that rather than logging the foods after ive eaten them,i write the plan in advance and stick to it, that way i still have a record of what ive eaten...so im pretty happy with myself about that...i have a staff meeting at job number two in an hour, then plan on going in the gym...so all going to plan, i will be back later to post my exercise for the day :)

ohhh dear i didnt make the gym last night, ended up doing application forms and organising interviews all night...and then i succumbed to temptation a couple of hours after my tea when my mam bought pizza...they stupidly bought one for me..and i ate the whole thing!what was i thinking?!! so i feel pretty nasty about it today, especially since i felt i was going downhill fast and devised that meal plan for myself...but ive slapped myself in the face, picked myself up off the floor and am planning two gym sessions and a long walk to work(about 30mins)..Theres no need whatsoever for me to deviate from the meal plan, and in this case it actually helps because im so busy today, so i WILL be back later to post my exercise..and then again even later when me and Anthony(the boyfriend) have been in the gym tonight. oh p.s, got another interview on thursday..theyre rolling in :)

woohoo, i went in the gym after my little slump! did 15mins skipping and 20 of ab toning and weights..also did some stretching(crab stretch down a wall,splits etc)..quite proud of those last ones :p this is all i had time for this morning, but I walked to work(30mins) as well, didnt manage to hit the gym, ended up having a n in depth discussion with my boyfriend(he had a really bad day) and he comes first :) but at least i got something in there..ate my dinner quite late, but it was a good portion siza and i hadnt snacked since lunch so i was starving!all in all, a pretty good day!

I havent had such a good day in diet and exercise terms today..had 4biscuits after lunch and have been nibbling on my mams little chocolate sweet things all afternoon..i just love those little critters!I was also feeling quite down this morning, mostly because of the conversation with my boyfriend last night..i wont go into detail but i was upset nevertheless, completely demotivated..and convinced myself i would miss the gym and be a lazy ass tonight...but fate seems to have kicked me up the ass, because i have an opportunity for a really good job in a call centre( i need fulltime hours to fund the personal training course), im going for a meeting/interview about it tomorrow, so fingers crossed! I also have a few more interviews lined up this week, so hopefully I'll get one of these jobs. Ive also spoken to my boyfriend and clarified a few things..so i have my oomph back :d ive got my trainers and gym gear on and fully intend on making the most out of the rest of my night..yeah ive eaten biscuits...but it wasnt a binge, i genuinely enjoyed them, im not going to feel guilty...just make sure i do some exercise and have a balanced meal tonight(probably my famous homemade carrot and coriander soup..mmm)..anyway, I'll probably be back later to post my exercise and tomorrows plans.

well today went a lot better than expected(aside form the chocolate thingys and biscuits that is)but i went in the gym and did 40mins of cardio and lots of ab toning, then washed my hair and had a bit of a pampering session(moisturiser/manicure/pedicure/facial etc) and got my things ready for my interview tomorrow. Im thinking i really need to start hammering the gym more as of tomorrow and definitely dwindle my little 'treats' down, as i said yesterday i dont feel guilty now if i eat something bad, because i stop myself before a binge..but now is definitely the time to tell myself 'no matter what, nothing but nutritious food goes into my body'..so as of tomorrow, thats my motto, and although i havent missed more than one day in a row of exercise i really want to kick that up too, so this journal holds me to it, I'll post here what exercise ive done and what 'treats' ive had.Anyway, gonna head to bed for an early night so im bright eyed and bushy tailed for my interview.

Good luck with the interveiw Ebs!
You'll do fine, I just know it!
As for the treats,... oh well! we all balls up from time to time. Give yourself time. You'll be ok. A good tip I discovered was to count to 100 before I even go to get sweets. In that 100 ask- what do I want that for, am I hungry, how will I feel afterwards.
You may come to realise that you dont really want It, and automatically not feel like it.
Good luck anyway...pm me anytime!
Dais xx

ahh thanks for popping your head in daisy, and for the advice :)
Well its now sunday and i feel a bit lazy, I recieved all of my course materials yesterday, but was so busy i hadno time to look at them..but me and anthony did manage a gym session together..although i was mildy distacted by how sexy he looked in his black vest...hes got bulging arm muscles and fantastic abs..I'll post a pic when i figure out how to use the damn gallery..lol, so I was glad i got a workout in. my food intake hasnt been fantastic in terms of what it is, calorie content and such...but I can say that a binge hasnt even crossed my mind, Ive been eating normal portions and stopping when Im full so thats a blessing in itself, my lifes about to get extremely hectic soon, as I'll be starting a fulltime job (40+hours per week), and I'll have to study at least 15hours per week, as well as trying to fit in workouts and meal plans..but as long as im organised im sure i'll be fine.anyway, will be back later to post exercise for the day, off for another hour of study.

ok so last night wasnt particularly good, I'd been studying for a good few hours, and decided i would go in the gym at 6oclock, have a nice long bath and get everything ready for my interview today(at 1.15pm)...but i did some cardio and weights etc....10mins later i had an absolutely stotting headache...it came from nowhere and just wouldnt subside...i think it might be because i had a blue riband chocolate bar, and my body isnt really used to chocloate anymore...so i ended up going to bed at 9oclock. But although last night wasnt too productive, i was up at 8 this morning and managed to get everything done in a couple of hours, so now ive got time to do a little bit of study before the interview!I plan on going in the gym tonight, or maybe for a run, will be back later.

Well today has been really good for me so far, as i said this morning I got quite a bit done before i left for my interview, which was actually really good(it was at boots, for any fellow brits reading), it was an interactive interview with activities on the shop floor and i really enjoyed it, so hope im going to get that. Anyway, i came back..went to work and now im back from work and ready to study for at least an hour before i go in the gym, really need some cardio today, i think my bodys actually craving to be pushed which is downright AMAZING for me,lol. So I'll do that, got a few things to do around the house, then its that long bath i missed last night and a relaxed night i think. I'll be back later to post exercise(or lack thereof)...hopefully the former :p

Angela,

Sounds like you will have a terrific day. Isn't it amazing when you feel like you really WANT to get exercising, LOL. Keep up the great work.

Hi, My weekend so far has been a combination of good and bad..its my first whole weekend off in three years(since being at the bar)..so i planned a night out with my boyfriend on friday night, I was going to chill out in front of the tv with a glass of wine on saturday night, and maybe do a facial, manicure and perdicure, then today was going to be spent doing coursework, and exercise tonight.However...the only thing that went according to plan was the night out, as we didnt get to bed until 3am, were up at 9 for an appointment and out all day, so when i got home(about 8.30pm) I was so shattered i had to go straight to bed!lol, I slept for no less then 12.5 hours last night...and woke up with conjunctivitis this morning(id forgotten to take my contact lenses out) and with sleeping for so long my eyes had stuck together like you wouldnt believe....lol....so again..there goes the study out of the window...im having trouble typing this even...haha..as for food,i havent been great either..have had chips and chocolate and done o exercise since thursday...but the good news about all of that is that i feel completely rotten today, clearly because of the lack of exercise and water and atrocious diet...so i know the only thing that will make me feel better is exercise....lets hope i dont bump into anybody while jogging!lol...back later...

Hmm...havent been here for a few days, ive got no excuse..just disappointment in myself, weighed in today and im up 2.5lbs...im half a pound heavier than at the end of august which isnt great.I have reasoned that a portion of that is probably muscular weight as ive dont a fair bit of strength training(more than usual) but im not going to kid myself into believing ive been a saint this week and i dont know why its happened, which is why ive ladi down some ground rules..(copied and pasted from my weekly weigh in thread)..Ive written the negatives and positives of the week and what needs to change in the next week..

POSITIVES:
1)not once have i overeaten, binged or eaten anything after my dinner at night..or later than 8oclock, which is a huge thing for me because all three of those used to play a major part in my life, so im pleased with that
2)Ive had no inclination or desire to exercise whatsoever yet Ive still managed to fit in 3 cardio sessions and some strength training.

NEGATIVES:
1)my diet hasnt been great, chips and gravy, biscuits and crackers have all formed a part of my diet unecessarily this week.
2)the exercise i did do was pretty mediocre.
3)Ive been more focused on my studies than anything else this week so havent properly planned any meals or exercise time, its all been a bit of a mish mash.
CONCLUSION:This week i need to get the oomph back into my exercise regimen and try to find the motivation for it again...maybe with a few personal challenges, yet not set myself up for disappointment with unrealistic goals, my diet was ok but not great, if i make little changes with certain things yet still not deprive myself i should be ok, such as not having a cup of tea and chocolate biscuit after dinner, having fruit instead etc. Water intake also needs to be 3litres plus this week as my skin hasnt been great.So there it is for all to see, I cant go back on my word now.
Today I had a bit of a lie in and hit the books for an hour and a half, im having a short break now,done a bit of housework, got a couple of emails to send. I had some chips and gravy from the chinese last night, made some salad and fruit salad to fill me up first but it dosent justify eating it at all really, so im thinking just a big fruit salad for lunch, then more study, gym and who knows for tonight.back later

Angela: I miss youuuuu! I haven't been around here either. We need to kick our butts back into shape. I've had my up's and down's too. I wish you didn't live so far, we could just work out together and keep ourselves in check. :laugh:

hey rebekah, thanks for popping in, i know,im the same, and ironically ive found that the less im on here,the less i stick to my challenges and goals..so at least im going to try to get on here once a day.think its time for some new mini golas together,worked around our situations now?

ok, time for negatives and positives of the week:

NEGATIVES:
1)I ate pizza and had alcohol in pretty large amounts on friday as it was my sisters 25th
2)i didnt eat fantastically the next day(nursing the hangover)
3)the back end of the week was abismal for exercise
4)i didnt do too well with water intake towards the end of the week

POSITIVES:
1)I didnt beat myself up about what i ate on the weekend and go opn a binge because i felt guilty
2)i fit in quite a bit of exercise and got the most from my workouts
3)i only binged once,and didnt eat late at night once

CONCLUSION: clearly its the weekend that is causing me trouble, im finding it like a lease of freedom since working weekend nights for 3years...but i need to pull back the reigns...maybe go out one night on a weekend but not the rest, and control the alcohol intake.My workouts were great at the start of the week but petered out towards the end, as did the diet and water intake, so i need to stay focused and active...it dosent need to be structured all of the time...a walk at the beach or dancing like a loon around the kitchen will do :p. Ive signed up for bodypump/cardiotone/bums & tums at my leisure centre so going to do that once a week with my sister..think i need a change of scenery and stimulus to get me going again.so wish me luck :)

THis is a great idea you have got going on here ange - I may pinch it!
Your doing good lady! Keep it up.
Hope to chat soon - its been a while! Im off on hols tomo, but we will catch up soon.
take care, Dais x

good morning,I have a good feeling about today, yesterday was a bit crappy..im so not used to having weekends to myself that i cant seem to get anything done on mondays now, so yesterday i didnt do much at all, a couple of hours study and nothing else..i dont know where the time went..but luckily i managed to salvage the day by chugging 3litres of water and doing an hours cardiotone class with my sister...with having a gym in my garage and lovely surroundings to run in, i hadnt been to an organised class since i was about 17, but i really need to get my cardio levels up and start working different muscle groups, its also a good experience to watch others teaching as thats going to be pretty soon(when i get my first qualification to teach). But it was nice to do something different, id started to lose motivation for a number of reasons(the horrible weather creeping in, ltiredness and lethargy with not being at work)..and just generally ridiculous excuses that made no sense.so i had a bit of a talking to myself last night(lol)..and realised ive got 6more days off to make the most of, I can get tonnes of study done, and really be working on my fitness levels this week. Im so glad i went to the class, as im aching all over today( a feeling of great achievement to me) and ive got a little bit of my motivation back too :p.....so plan for today...
8am ~breakfast(poached egg on 1 wholemeal, 1 slice wholemeal toast with jam,half an orange)
9am ~ driving lesson
10am ~sort out emails/few phone calls to make
11am ~gym for some aerobics and toning

not sure about the rest of the night yet, will probably do something with the boyfriend. back later to record exercise etc.

Angela,

Good luck with your interview.

I think you're doing great with the exercise. Sure wish I could.

I also think you have a good thing going where a little treat doesn't open the door to a bad day of eating. I really have to learn this myself...very much! lol

You're doing good!

Whoopee

ah thanks for popping your head in whoopee..yeah to be honest it took me a LONG time to realise that giving into a piece of chocolate or too isnt weakness,its just enjoying life, i suppose its finding the balance between treating yourself and gorging..but i truly believe that if everything in life is enjoyed in moderation it can really be appreciated..i mean you dont really 'appreciate' chocolate for its taste when youre binging on it..so thats my motto...everything in moderation...including exercise..afterall you can overtrain in those terms...so a healthy balance is the order of the day.If youd like any tips or advice let me know.but above all else just believe in yourself and keep logging onto this site for support if you need it,ive found everyone amazingly kind ans supportive in tough times :) and thankyou for the good luck wishes...i got the job :)

Congratulations!

I'm learning a lot from you, Angela. Thank you.

Whoopee

well yesterday and today(so far)havent been particularly productive in diet and exercise terms...ive hardly slept for a few days as i found quite a large lump in one breast and was worried about it, eventually got to the doctors yesterday, and she says i have very little fat around them, mostly fibrous tissue,so generally you can feel the shape of every bit of tissue, shes sending me for an ultrasound to be sure so i feel a little better, but i tried to do some cardio yesterday and it really hurt, i had pretty bad cramp to top it off so ended up not doing any exercise..and although the day off was good(i really needed it)im struggling to find motivation for the gym now..even for toning and strength training. Luckily,my food intake was pretty good yesterday, i did have 2chocolate biscuits but i blame that on hormonal chocolate cravings, and it was controlled so im not too worried about it. so im allowing myself chocolate for a couple of days,just in limited portions. Also,at my weigh in, i was 2lbs down from last week, but this was during TOM so im hoping it would have been less.anyway, on the up side i have got a lot of study done over the past couple of days. My aim is to do a couple more hours of study,then go in the gym..for as little or long as i can handle(anythings better than nothing)..then have a night of relaxation and pampering...

Whoopee~thanks, thats great..anything specific youd like advice on gimme a shout

well,started my new job today and im really tired,wuite pleased with myself though as i managed to get to cardiotone class, although amongst the rush ended up eating some cake i shouldnt have..but food the rest of the day was great, feel that the class was slightly unproductive as the instructor wasnt the best...so plan on getting up early and going in the gym for 45mins to 'makeup for it', and hopefully i can rope anthony into coming in the gym with me tomorrow night when hes here as well...i think this jobs going to tire me out more than when i was at the bar working until 3in the morning..but its all pennies for christmas!anyway, im really tired so gonna head for bed for an early night so im motivated when i get up for the gym :)

well i was really good on tuesday and actually did get up, only had time for 20mins on the treadmill but its better than noting(not to mention a damn miracle for someone who dosent normally see the light of day until 10am!)...so i was happy with that, although i didnt get time to go in the gym last night as i had so much to do,but tonight ive made of point of doing everything i needed to early,and me and anthony are going in the gym together at 8oclock.its even more hectic than ever for me right now,but thats just the way i like it so im still smiles(for now).....

ok....im in a state of absolute disgust with myself this week...i see last week as a week of adjustment for me, as i started a new job further away and with different hours...i was eating smaller breakfasts and lunches but was slipping up slightly with dinners when i got home, so i saw that as something to work on this week..but unfortunately saturday night meant ive had a horrible few days...i was in such a hurry i only drank half a litre of water(my body is used to 3litres per day now), and then got horribly drunk on saturday night...to the point where i was still hungover on monday morning!
but to make matters worse..on sunday night not only did i eat pizza,chips,garlic bread AND garlic mushrooms...i ate them in copious amounts and ate a whoe lot more junk for no apparent reason...in turn ive felt like absolute crap since sunday...im still actually feeling sick now...i think ive shocked my system with so much alcohol,so little water...and ridiculously fat laden food....so im ready to log this now and share with you all how sick to the stomach i feel about what i did over the weekend...and this is my vow to make an improvement with the way i handle myself this week, and this weekend...so by no means am i letting myself off the hook, but i am accepting that this happened..and freeing myself of guilt for it...the way ive felt for the past few days has been punishment enough..i also think if i continue to feel guilty i'll be more likely to binge...so for the first time...i wont let myself...so heres to a new week..which i plan on starting now...a week of copious amounts of water..delicious healthy food, and structured exercise wherever i can fit it in...also..its weigh in tomorrow and i just know my stupid behaviour will be reflected in my weight..but i can..and will control this...wish me luck!!!

Wow its been so long since i posted ere, i didnt actually realise how far ive come from that point. Im now a qualified gym instructor, studying as a personal trainer. I still have daily issues with food which i dont think i'll ever lose, which is why id like to continue to be a part of this website, focusing on increasing my fitness and flexibilty levels, everyone i remember from last time seems to be doing fab, i wish you guys the t of luck, and hopefully i'll be around a lot more often from now on :)