Vlogmas Begins!!!

OMG, am I actually going to try and do Vlogmas???  That's right!  I am gonna do it! 

Check out Day One here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-QO-CFPt78

Be sure to check back each day! 

Happy Holidays!

Light Lifting Session 6

This was named Light Lifting first, but I was going to name it Don't Tell Hide Training Session 6...lol.  Read on for more.

So I wasn't quite a hundred percent myself on Saturday, still.  My trainer could tell and said we should have light session.  I was thankful.  Any session was better than no session.  He asked if I had any stress at work or with the diet, if my work was busier than usual.  I told him what I thought, a mixture of the weather change and tiredness probably had to account for it.  But enough of that, time to get lifting.  First, we did pull-downs to thefront and back.  Then  squats.  And then butt raises from the floor.  Did I mention when we squat, we hold a barbell with weights.  And when we raise our butt from the floor, we lift a weight on our lap. All fun. Fun if it helps the fat come off!

Today my trainer had his hair cut. It was short and spiky, literally in a small mohawk down the middle. Very cool! So I told him I wanted to touch it as a *joke* and so he put his head down for me to feel it. lol. He's a cutie! That's the only thing. Not so bad, right?

Couldn't Resist Day 24

Yesterday started off well, but finished badly.  

Breakfast was tofu, natto, cucumbers and konbu, and yogurt.  Lunch was roasted pepper and chicken with cucumber.  I  even had some protein.  I got home and was hungry, so I had a boiled egg and a piece of cheese before dinner.  Then I made a super yummy cabbage soup for dinner.  It was made with ground chicken breast, onion, celergy, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, chili powder, salt and pepper, and chicken broth.  Perfectly deliious, really.  Then I had a shower and settle d down to watcha DVD.  Throw-up for sadness and laughs and I went with humour.  (See pic below.)  Then, the craving started for something sweet and salty.  And I knew there was some carmelized biscuit spread left in the fridge.  So I got a small spoon and reached in for a big spoonful.  I went back for a second and third time, until the jar was empty.  I can tell you this, it was the best stuff I have ever tasted.  And took all my cravings away.  No guilt.  Can't fight nature, right?  But we can rise above our mistakes.  Let's just be thankful there is no more such deliciousness in my fridge.  ;)  

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheat Day 23

I love my recovery days.  I love then even better when it's not sweaty and hot!  Last week was like that, and so was this week.  Hoping next week is better. 

 

So I woke up wondering as I do lately what shall I eat.  I am starting to do a little bored with the same food, if you haven't guessed.  (Trying to use new spices is my way to beat that...)  So I decided to make chicken flakes with green pepper and celery.  I used some sesame oil and sesame seeds with a bit of soya sauce.  That tastes so good!  Had my usual plain yogurt, just from the pack today.  And some leftover miso soup. 

 

Mid-morning I drank a protein shake too.  But my morning was spent doing laundry and hanging our futons and blankets outside.  We have to air them, since we have a tatami mat-bedroom.  I need to vaccuum the mats so it's clean and fresh.  Since it was hot and sweaty, that's how I got doing this.  Also did some other chores, like dishes and the bathtub.  (Did the toilet and sink last night.)  I also did some filming for MyJapanLifestyle, which has yet to be edited.  Then, it was time to relax! 

 

For lunch, it was too hot to make a nabe (hot pot) like was I going to.  So I just cooked some cod on the grill with a bit of yuzu-ponsu (I don't think I should be using this, but it was only a tiny bit).  I put this on some steamed spinach and bean sprouts.  Then I added a bit more yuzu ponsu (naughty me).  I also had a bit of leftover curry scallop and veggies from yesterday.   

 

I decided to be a cheater yesterday.  Oh yes, I cheated.   A lot, too.  Not only with the ponsu.  I really wanted a pumpkin spice latte.  But I can't use pumpkin puree, because pumpkin is chock full of sugar and carbs.  :(  Anyways, I searched Pinterest for a nice puree-free recipe and found one.  This includes coffee, pumpkin spice, milk, and maple syrup (which I am definitely not allowed to have).  Well, I went ahead and had it!  To add to that.  We were out of non-fat milk.  So I used low-fat milk.  Can't win em all, right?  Hoping that will keep my pumpkin spice latte craving at bay for a while.

 

 

Mid-afternoon snack was a boiled egg and dried fish with dried seaweed.  :)   

 

Then, before dinner, my huge cravings started to kick in.  This all has something to do with PMS (for your information).  So more cheating involves:  cottage cheese (about 50g), cheese (two tiny squares), kanten jelly (doesn't count as a cheat since zero carbs and sugar), and the mother of all my cheats - Carmelized Biscuit Spread.  Two spoonfuls, too!  (Pick up your jaw now...)  I was hoping to keep that a secret, but alas,   I am trying to be honest here.  If not for anyone, but myself...it needs to be documented.  This is almost like eating cookies.  It is that good too!  I hope hope hope that is the last time.  Throughout this feeding frenzy...I managed to eat some curry soup with more cod,  Chinese cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms.  I also tried to drink a ton of water throughout the day to prevent dehydration.  (I think I had a bit of that last week.) 

 

Ended my night with some chick flicks, started with dinner.  Posted this pic on Instagram and Facebook.  I asked Left or Right?  I had a split decision.  I actually went for 27 dresses first and Monster-in-Law second.  I had enough time for both, yay!  And I slept okay after Hideki got home.  Although it was a very warm evening...   

 

I pray for strength tomorrow....  LOL.   

Not a Bad Day 22

I am playing catch up here with my blogs, but oh well...  as long as it gets done.  I think it's important to remind myself how well I am doing and how far I have come.  So on with the show. 

 

Today is called ''Not a Bad Day'' because that is just what it is.  My eating wasn't bad and training wasn't either.  Breakfast was a couple of eithers scrambled with natto and spinach.  And the usual cup of yogurt.  I love yogurt for breakfast. 

 

I went to training for 11.  Then I had a protein shake, because after training was the ''golden time'', as my trainer likes to say.  I took my blood pressure about 40 mintes afterwards and it looks normal.  It was 9:32pm like in the picture, but oh well.  I'm going to check it to see if it's that before my next session too.  



 

Tired face! 

 

Lunch was baby scallops with pepper, cabbage, and bean sprouts.  I used yummy curry powder.  And cucumber with shio konbu. 

 

Hideki was sleeping when I got home.  He woke up and then I took a nap!

 

 I'm glad we went shopping the night before!  It made my day so less eventful and just the right amount of relaxing.  For dinner, I made horse mackeral with some cooked mushrooms and nira and onion, and miso soup with tofu.  Dessert was apple for Hideki and grape kanten jelly for me.  We had peach tea, too. 

 

So then it was bathtime and some computer time before bed.  I was a bit wide-eyed from my nap.  But that was okay, since Monday was my day off.  Also my recovery day!  I {heart} recovery days! 

Loss of Genkiness Training Session 5

My fifth session was very ho-hum. First of all,   expected benchpress and squats, then abs, as per our mid-week routine. But apparently I lost my genkiness somewhere near the beginning. Genki equals feeling good or have energy. I  didnt haveit and I must have lost it, because my trainer noticed I wasn't my usual self. He asked me, ''What's wrong? Are you feeling okay? You lost your energy and the suddenly the tension dropped.''  That's when I knew I had lost it too. I told him that I was just a bit tired and my back had been sore this week.
Suffice to say, he took it easy on me. We did upper body only and planks for minute-intervals. Can you believe we didn't even do squats?  I am still surprised, but forever grateful. If you didn't know, my fatigue/loss of energy continued till Friday. I hope I can't keep my strength for the rest of the program.
Wish me luck!

Yay for Saturdays! Day 21

Good Morning! Feeling better although slightly in need of another hour's sleep. But it's okay...I've had my morning cup of joe. :)  Can't believe I have cut back to only one cup lately. Holy Energy! I feel good. First class went well. Then for lunch I had baby scallops, cabbage, and shishito with miso soup. It was so good! (Cuz I cooked it with a little butter which was totally okay!) For my snack that day, I had some こんぶ大豆 that my friend had sent the day before. And a couple walnut halves. I really enjoy this snack pack. I was pressed for time, since I had a lesson to teach after work. I was trying to find something to eat. But this diet makes it pretty had. That, and my loss of appetite made for a daunting task. I had to go to two supermarkets until I decided on 焼き鳥 (yaki-tori) and a yogurt cup. After all the searching, I realized that there was one different stick with my chicken breast and mushroom. And I had grabbed yogurt with added sugar. I was shocked and disappointed, to be honestand regretted not bringing dinner from home. I ate what I bought because I was strapped for time. I also hate to waste food and hoped that one cup of yogurt wouldnt overthrow my dieting regime. I'm sure it won't be that bad, right? To get a bit more protein, I had a shake before bed. Lesson learned: pack your own lunch!

Truckin On Day 20

 After waking up from my 10-hour sleep... I felt well-rested but still a little off, especially my tummy.  But nothing else to do.  Gotta keep on truckin! 

 

I didn't have a huge appetite, or any, really... but I had to eat something.  So I made an omelette with chopped up green pepper, broccoli, and onion.  In the center I added about 45g of cottage cheese.  I really enjoy omelettes, especially with the cottage cheese.  It's lighter than with regular cheese.  I do still miss my ketchup companion though.  :)  Also had a cup of non-fat milk. 

 

For lunch, I didn't have any fish left, so I packed some tofu and cut up some veggies (broccoli, erengi, shishito) to be steamed later.  And at the store, I bought a pre-cooked salmon filet.  It was good and chock full of protein.  I needed to have lots of protein because breakfast was pretty low.   

 

My kiddies took some cute pics with me at the lunch table.  :)

 

My trainer suggested taking アミノ酸 or amino acids to help relieve some tiredness.  And he also said having chicken was good to that too.  So I picked up some from the drugstore and I actually got some energy back for my class.  Yay!  Had some walnut and squid before class. 

 

After work, I went to the chiropractor to work on my hip adjustment etc. and got my muscles worked on.  Boy, did that feel great.  I had noticed my hips seemed a bit off and thought that might be a big problem.  I didn't say anything about that the first time, so this time they had me lie on a table that moved up and down with ka-chunk, ka-chunk.  It didn't hurt or was shocking...just kinda strange.  LOL.  But if that helped adjust the hips and shoulders, okay.  Did I mention that I had a female practitioner today.  She was good.  Talked only when needed and was very into doing her job.  I could relax and enjoy and she was firm and did different things for me.  Very attentive, too, saying things too ''Oh, you must be really sore here'' and working more on the area.  I think I want her again.  It's funny how I didn't even do squats on Wednesday, but my butts and legs have so much tenderness still.  It felt like she was stabbing me in the butt as she worked the area (same as last time), but this time I told her to be a little softer and she was. 

 

When I got home, surprise awaited... My good friend from Hokkaido sent me some happy mail!!  What a sweetie!!  Thank you, thank you!  Check out the cute polar bear goodies and snackies she said were good for dieting. :) 

I picked up some ground chicken to make some chicken balls for soup tonight.  To that, I added a big clove of garlic, Mrs. Dash garlic and herb, salt and pepper, and some curry powder.  I also cut up some erengi, shishito, maitake, celery, and spinach.  I added this all to a consomme base.  It was so delicious and really filled me up.  Nothing better than hot soup!  It was full of garlic and mushrooms, good for our immune systems, and green veggies for nutrients and fiber, plus the chicken to help with tiredness as suggested.  I had a nice hot bath afterward and felt amazing!  Crawled in bed and enjoyed a nice warm sleep.  Nitey-night!

Feeling Ill on Day 19

Guys, I was feelin like I was coming down with something when I woke up. Not much appetite today. But had to work, so gotta truck on! Breakfast, I made some soup with tofu and veggies, and had asparagus with cottage cheese. Also had my morning cup of joe. Don't function well without it. Before lunch not only was I incredibly sore, I felt sick to my stomach. It could be fom the training and/or weather change. I wasn't hungry, but still had to eat. The rest of the soup I made for breakfast, plus shrimp and cabbage. I just threw a bit of salt and pepper on it and steamed it in the microwave. It was good. But I had to lie down and take a nap after eating. It's convenient we have big mats at school. Felt like I had enough energy the finish the day. I went shopping for work. Saw these cutecupcake mugs. (If only I could eat them.) I was ready to die by finishing time. I tried to get energy by having yogurt and cheese. Then I had sanma for dinner and had to go to bed. At eight. I woke up just after six. I really needed some rest.

  

No Energy on Day 18

I woke up still a little sore, but I still had energy. Breakfast was salmon, leftover egg soup with mor shunjiku, and yogurt. By my second class, I had lost any energy I had and now felt like dying. I had cabbage and shrimp for lunch with miso soup. After that, I decided to get a massage from the place where I get my chiropractic stuff done. For twenty minutes and 1500 yen, I had them focus on my back and thighs. I thought I would be doing squats that night and those muscles would be most useful. He said I was incredibly stiff, told me how to sit with better posture, and recommended getting my shoulders done next time.
I felt lighterand stood taller after the session, though I still had slight pain in my back still.
Gotta keep truckin on! In the evening before class, i drank a protein shake. Didn't want to eat a lot before class and it was a lot quicker. Unfortunately, it did not give me energy for my session (whichI will talk about in a separate post). I ended up eating my salad by the river in the dark after training. Because I needed to finish dinner by nine. I stopped by Isetan just to drool on high percentage of cocoa chocolate. I have no courage to ask my trainer if I can eat this. I am afraid he wil say name. When I arrived home,I had some unreported snacking: kanten jelly, walnuts, and a piece of cheese. All perfectly healthy snacks, just not before bed. Oh well, I need to replenish. Better luck tomorrow!

Body Scan and Training Session 4

I  wanted to post about my fourth session before the next one...sohere goes.

Totally psyched to get weighed on Training  Day 4.  I  new I would definitely pass the three kilo mark  and I woke up feeling super skinny.  So guess  what.  I go into the room, step on the scale, and I am this close to four kilos down.  Yay, esctatic.  :)  He takes me into the room with the big expensive scan machine and I get my entire  scan.  It is intimidating, to say the least. I find out that my total body fat percentage is still prety high. I almost hasn't budged.  But it will soon.

So this session started well.  He decided we would talk about things  today.  Who  was your old music idol? After beginning to talk about music, I found out he likes the same kind of music.  He asked me why I came to Japan and what language I spoke with my boyfriend at home.  He was also very curious as to Hideki's build and character.  I enjoyed our chat.  All the while lifting weights, don't forget.

The elemts of this session were the same as session 2.  We focused  on shoulders, doing lateral pull-downs to the front and back.  Squats and wide stance squats as they were termed.  Then, finished off with some abs.  I experienced pain in my back again.  So we did as much as I could.  He was going to think of other ways to do abs.  If I were going to survive the two months.

I felt good.  I felt like I had done well and gotten better.  

However, that night and next day I felt a sore back.  I do hope it will get better.  I do think the hard training is starting to take it's toll on my back.  I enjoy sitting and not moving much, and I especially like to get sleepy about 8 or so at night.

Fill you in with the next session!

Hot Soup and a Haircut Day 17

Hi, everyone! I woke up this morning with a slightly sore back, but trudged on after doing some stretches in bed.

Breakfast today was tofu and salmon flakes with broccoli, natto, and yogurt.  I miss putting つゆ on my tofu.  :(  Or something other than soya sauce.  Or natto WITH rice (though not rice, per say).

I was killing for time, so I just washed some baby leaf, cut some veggies (snap peas, celery, and green pepper), and threw on ささみフレーク　(white chicken meat), 25g of beans, and 6g of walnuts.  Put some non-oil dressing in a small container and I was ready to go.  

Mid-afternoon snack:  

Oh, and I also bought some Red Zinger tea that I made and drank with my coworker.  

My ends have been so damaged and dead lately, I knew they needed some chopping. Went to the hairdresser and got a bit taken off.  Actually I was surprised I could keep some length still.  Thought I would need to get a bob.  Love it!  Oh, new place called Earth behind Terrace Mall in Tsujido, in case you are wondering.  They have 237 salons across Japan.  It was very natural and relaxing.  And I got a store opening, first timer discount.  Yay!  

So today I knew I had to cook shrimp and I thought, oh, let's make soup.  I usually just do cajun-style shrimp.  But since I did cajun-style chicken yesterday, thought I would mix it up.  So I got an idea online of making an egg soup.  First, I made a consomme base. Added 83g of shrimp, and a whole bunch of veggies (snap peas, pepper, mushroom, bean sprouts, shun-giku, asparagus).  Don't forget ginger!  Then slowly poured the beaten egg on it.  Yum!  ( I like yummy!)  For another word, think deliciously healthy.  If you are a shrimp lover, I highly recommend this one.  

Also drank some protein to round out my amount.  Counting protein is only slightly less difficult than counting calories.  The numbers are a lot smaller, but it's still way confusing.  Hoping I got it right!  But must trust my instincts.  

Okay, the day is out.  Think I have caught up on my blogging.  And I am off to bedfordshire....Nitey-nite!  

At Home Day 16

Hi, everyone!

Today was such a nice, relaxing day at home.  I was feeling very sore, specifically in my thighs, legs, butt, and lower back.  To top it all off, it was an incredibly hot day (a big break from usual comfortable cooler weather we have been having).  So I spent most of my morning/early afternoon cooking, doing laundry, talking to family on skype, and my nails.  It was nice!

For breakfast, I decided to make an omelette with these ingredients:  2 eggs, pepper, spinach, cottage cheese, and natto.  I used about 20g of cottage cheese in the center, and 13g of red and yellow pepper.  It was a very yummy omelette.  I also had a protein shake after breakfast.

My mid-morning snack:  

For lunch, I was looking up recipes for cottage cheese and decided to try out this one I came across for cottage cheese spinach chicken.  It looked super yummy.  I didn't have a lot of spinach, but I was going to make less chicken, so I thought I would just see how it turned out.
It was so yummy!  I highly recommend it.  I love the cajun seasoning too.

For dinner, I went with salmon, cabbage and konbu, and leftover miso soup (with spinach, bean sprouts and mushrooms).  It was very satisfying.    

Protein shake after dinner.  Then that was it.  Still debating whether I should go to the chiropractor tomorrow or not.  Anyways, I had lots of sleep cuz this girl was tired!