Getting Protein on Recovery Day - Day 9

Hi everyone!  How are you?  I am great!  Not so much muscle pain.  Just a bit in my shoulders and glutes (good, right?)  

Everyday is exciting, especially when I get to sneak a peek at my weight.  Do you think I would wait until my next session to check?  No way!  To let you know, I am losing weight, steadily.  And boy am I happy.  

K, on to meals.  Today I had to drink a lot of protein because it was my recovery day.  First thing, after waking, I had my first shake with water.  Lunch with water.  And before bed, with water.  

Breakfast:  

Tofu (100g) with dried salmon flakes from my friend in Hokkaido (soya sauce on top).

豆腐(100ｇ）と鮭ぶし、醤油かけ。

The dish on the right was from a recipe I found on the Cookpad website.  

Bean sprouts and Chicken Flakes (sesame, soya sauce, tobanjan, ra-yu, garlic)

もやしとささみフレーク　(ごま、醤油、豆板醤、ラー油、にんにく）

Lunch was wierd for me.  Because I had a plan to meet my friend, I had to eat something before I went.  But I wasn't super hungry.  So I ate some shrimp (エビ） and mekabu (めかぶ）.  This was my first time eating mekabu and I DID NOT like it.  I ended up throwing it out and eating a piece of broccoli.  It kinda tastes like kuki-wakame, but it's really crunchy, similar to kazu-no-ko, which I HATE.  So no more of that for me!  I then had a piece of broccoli, instead.  

After meeting my friend, I was super hungry.  So I came home and had three almonds.  Then I thought I would have a salad with broccoli sprouts, asparagus, cottage cheese, and mushrooms.  Still hungry, so I had the leftover meat (50g) from the day before.  It was still too early for dinner, so I was a bit worried I would be eating too much that day.  But maybe it was okay.

For dinner, I just had some fish.  Some yummy grilled fish.  It was good and full of protein.  

I talked to Hideki about the whole children/hip thing again (I did yesterday too) and had a good laugh.  I assured him that I would be a new, curvy Sherri and he liked that image too.  :)

And before bed, I had my last protein shake.  I did feel that I had drank enough protein by the third, but hoped it was all part of the program and results would becoming.  (Check tomorrow to see if it did!)

Update:

お食事は特に問題ないですね。

No problem with your meals.

間食を含めたその食事だとプロテインしっかり取れてるので、一日3回も飲む必要はないかなと思います。

1杯、2杯で十分でしょう。

Including your snacking in between meals, you are getting enough protein that you don't need to drink it three times a day.  Once or twice will suffice.

プロテインも摂りすぎると脂肪に変わってしまうので気をつけて下さいね。

If you consume too much protein, it will convert to fat, so be careful.

また、プロテインも水分と一緒と考えて結構です。

You can count your protein (drink) towards your water intake too (since I am drinking it with water).

Good to know, I did not want to drink that last protein shake anyways.  :)  

Must find out my accurate protein gram count so I can calculate it better next time!  

''Have You Ever Had Children?'' Training Session Two - 9月22日

So today's session started with a weigh-in.  And I have lost 2 kilos already...1.9 to be exact. I was happy already. :)

Then my trainer proceeded to ask if I had any children. What!? No, I am not married yet. But I knew what he was getting at. He went　on to say that sometimes when women give birth, their hips spread...  Sorry, big hips just run in the family, buddy (but I didn't say that).  Just have to prove that you can lose the fat on your body, but still look sexy with curves.  (Don't think bad of him, he said in orientation that I wasn't that big.)

Then, he probably felt the awkwardness and said let's get started training.
 
Our exercises were shoulders (we did pull-downs to the front and back), squats (I felt it more the second time), including inner thigh squats (holding a weight, of course), and finished off with crunches. I felt a lot of pain in my butt and a little bit in my back. But, pain in your butt is a good thing, cuz that's what I'm trying to lose.

I followed up with a lot of stretching and a protein shake. I was able to drink a lot of water throughout and afterwards.

Let's see how much pain I am in tomorrow...but you know what they say,

No Pain, No Gain!

頑張りましょう！

Ganbarimasho!

Day Eight

Today was my second day of training.  So I knew I would need a lot of protein today.  But still remembering ''Simple is best''.  

For breakfast, I had four shrimps, 150g of tofu with shake-bushi (鮭ぶし - dried salmon flakes), 3 sticks of asparagus, and a plain yogurt.  It was yummy.  Hideki was still hungry, he said.  Oh well, he could have anything he liked for lunch.  I had to look out for me.  And he also got yuzu jam on his yogurt, just to let you know.  :(  I miss fruit on my yogurt.  

I didn't have time for lunch, and as I woke up late and ate breakfast at 10, I knew I would not be so hungry before I left for training.  So I made a protein shake.  I found a really yummy recipe with cocoa powder and almond milk with protein powder.  But I wasn't dare going to use cocoa powder without asking and I asked about the almond milk in the session.  But I sent him the nutrional information to check out and am still waiting to hear back on that.  Fingers crossed.

Went to training, then had another protein shake afterwards.  It's important to get your protein and refuel they say.  I'm glad it's kind of vanilla-tasting. 

Afterwards, I met Hideki and we went shopping.  I was starting to get hungry, so I had four almonds in the car.  Yes, count them, FOUR!  Man, that filled me up (actually it did!)  I gave Hideki five. :)    

So for dinner, I knew Hideki was gonna have beef because I had removed it from the freezer to defrost earlier.  When we went shopping, I decided to get some beef shoulder roast.  Then package was 158g.  Even though were are not supposed to count calories.  There is a lot of calories in beef, so I only had about 100g and saved about 50g (it came in three equal-looking slices, so I didn't feel the need to weigh it).  I also cooked some yummy mushrooms (portion controlled) and salad with lettuce, brocolli, green pepper, and sprouts.  I hope that today's meals weren't a set-back.  I am trying to think about this.  I thought my salad might be a bit big-sized, but I thought...it's salad.  

As always, fingers crossed!

Update:  

お食事は特に問題なさそうです。

There are no problems with your meals.

アーモンドミルクやパウダー、もし糖質が0、1なら問題ないでしょう！

1や2だったら気をつけてください。

If almond milk or powder has only 0.1 g of sugar in it, then there is no problem, right?

But if it's 1 or 2 grams, then be careful!

...彼氏さんに負けないように、頑張って下さいね！！！

Don't let your boyfriend do better than you! 

(I told him Hideki had already lost three kilos). 

Good to know.  I might order the almond milk next time or when I want to make yummy shakes for a nice snack.  :)  

And I will definitely be doing better than Hide!!

Back on Track Day Seven

Today, I feel back on track.  I actually got a mail this morning, around 9am.  He gave me good feedback.  ''Simple is best.''  (See here.) So I am continuing with that principle.

Breakfast, maguro remainder from last night.  Miso soup - fresh this morning, with nameko, wakame, and mizuna.  And green beans.  I was worried about the sugar content since I didn't know the numbers, but figured if I just had it for breakfast only I would be okay.  

Lunch was hot miso soup (I made enough for breakfast and lunch) in my handy thermos.  So happy the weather is getting cooler.  If it was summer, I couldn't have miso soup and nabe etc. when it's still sweating weather!  Okay, back to meals now...  I cooked some shrimp with some chipotle seasoning.  And eringi　(king oyster) and maitake mushrooms.  Mushrooms are so good and healthy.  Great immune booster and fruit of fall!

Snack today was dried fish snacks (yummy!) and kuki-wakame.  

I had a class to teach that evening, so I made a salad for dinner.  Mizuna、kaiware (white radish sprouts), and roasted chicken breast.  Non-oil dressing on the side.  And mozuku.  

That evening at class, my students brought treats, as quite often they do.  It was a bit sad to turn down chocolate from Germany and Belgium caramel filled waffles and Japanese sweets.  But, it was for a good reason, so I didn't really want to eat them.  I didn't announce it.  My friend Takako knows I am on a strict diet.  And I also mentioned to Kazu too.  So I gave him the extra chocolate and waffles to take home to his family (secretly without showing anyone, cuz I felt bad about giving them away).  I am learning some good eating habits now though.  And I am very thankful for my strong strength of will.  I even took two chocolates home to Hideki to eat and he was so proud that I turned them down and refused to eat anything.  

Update:  Trainer said my meals were fine!  No problem!  He reiterated ''Simple is best''.  And even told me another student ate super simple meals (showing me pictures) and said she had lots 17 kg.  Wow!  Some nice food for thought.  

Muscle Training Day One - 9月17日

I was so very nervous, but ever so excited to get my training started.  I was hoping I wouldn't have to lift super heavy weights like the threatened me with.  

I was pleased to see two big bottles of water in the room (650ml ones).  I love water and drink it all the time!!  Plus, I would be needing it with all the sweating and working out I would do.  :)  

First up:  Chest/shoulder exercises.  I got to watch my trainer before my turn.  Lay down on the bench and push up 20kg and then 30kg.  Oh my god, I thought I would die.  I am so glad I have a trainer who can ''spot'' me (or help pull it up into the air).  I don't think I could do it without him.  Praying it gets easier!  Everything was to be done in 3 sets with about 15 repetitions, sometimes he would throw in one more...for fun (for him, I think).  Then we moved on to the incline bench and did dumbell presses.  He upped the angle and we did incline flys.  (I googled the names of chest exercises, because one:  our sessions are in Japanese, and two:  I don't know the names.)  Then we did a standing exercise, called lateral raises.  Which was the easiest part of today's session.  The hardest part though is the form.  I am still getting the hang of it.  But at least I can smile at my trainer's gorilla stance.  :)

Next:  Squats.  Not just squats.  Squats with a barbell and then weights.  Yikes!!  Everyone hates squats. I despise them.  But I know they should be my best friend, since they are the one thing that will help me lose my ass.  (What more can I say?)  I don't want to say much more on this... (we don't have a good relationship yet).

Last:  Abs.  Down to the mat.  Regular crunches, then to the left side, then the right side.  Repeat times three.  Points to remember:  Look at your stomach, Shoulders slightly off the ground, and Bring your arms up towards the bottom part of your upper thigh when doing obliques.  After that, he wanted me to do leg raises, straight legs from the ground up into the air (okay, I guessed they are called leg raises, lol - as I check the name just now).  But that didn't seem possible, so we switched to leg tucks.  They are actually okay for me.  

Afterwards, I was full of energy and felt like a million bucks.  Awesome first training day.  :)  

お疲れ様でした。Otsukaresamadeshita.  

  

Please Let Me Do Good Today Day Six

*** I had to repost this due to technical difficulties.  Not exactly the same as before, but oh well, you get the point.

This is called the back on track day a.k.a. please let me do good today because I was determined to take back my previous glory of nothing wrong with my diet. My goal was to eat the right foods, and not eat too much. I studied the guideline booklet I was given in the beginning and saw that the important thing was to have one dish of high protein food or two foods that were high in protein together.  Plus two sides, one usually lighter.  So that was how I would try to plan my meals.

Breakfast was very simple. Baby leaf salad with sprouts and the tiniest bit of low-fat cottage cheese.  Cottage cheese has zero carbs! Then, natto and last night's miso soup.

For lunch, I made wakame soup (consomme soup, sesame seed, and wakame), chicken breast, nira and enoki mushrooms.  I tried to keep it simple.  

So I had cheese for a snack today.  Did I mention I love that I can eat cheese for my snack?  (I'm sure I did.)  Oh, and kuki-wakame.  I figured out this was made with vinegar and I like it.  But it has almost 1g of sugar in 1 package, so I might need to watch my sugar content on days I have this.  (I am allowed 7g of sugar intake per day.)

Dinner was simple again.  You know triangle/grouping of three technique?  That is what I am aiming for now.  I had maguro, chingensai and bean sprouts, and okara.  

This is where I end:  Please, please let me do good today.  

Update:  

今日はだいぶシンプルになりましたね！

Today (your meals) were very simple!

特に目立つものもありません。

大丈夫です！

I didn't see any problems.

It's alright!

今日もその調子で頑張りましょう！

Let's try to continue like this (the next day)!

(He asked if I had thought about going to the chiropractor.  And I didn't mention it, but I actually did go!  Thank goodness I was being proactive.  (^_^;) My body got a little bit straighter than before.  )

Thank goodness I did well this day!  Stress unravelling....  Yay!!

This is called a Terrible Dieting Day Day 5

*** I had to repost this due to some technical difficulties, so it's not exactly the same as the original, but you get the point.  

Today shall be known as the terrible dieting day!  It might not look like it, but I ate too much food and had things that added up to a higher sugar intake.  I knew this as soon as I got my trainer's feedback from the previous day.  I'll mention that episode again later, but let's get to my meals today.  

Breakfast:  I wanted a salad and I love vegetables, so I put some avocado, tomato (half of each), and a couple slices of carrot left over from when I made the nabe.  Then I needed protein, so I had an egg, natto.  With okara on the side.  I actually didn't eat the cucumber and konbu for breakfast.  I thought this wasn't bad, but I know now that I should not have had the tomato, carrot, and avocado all together.   

Lunch:  I had cabbage and salmon with bean sprouts.  To add to that, I had an egg, mozuku, and plain yogurt.  I miss having yogurt whenever I want.  :(

My snack today was yakinori (roasted seaweed).  After I ate it, I realized I had seaweed all in my teeth.  Must be careful with this one.  

Around mid-afternoon, I got a mail from my trainer about my previous day's meals.  You can check that out in yesterday post here. I was freaking out and couldn't believe I was following my diet properly.  I already felt like I wasn't eating much.  I was lost, confused, and very worried.  I wanted to do my best.  I got picked up from work to go grocery shopping and it felt a lot better to talk to Hideki about it.  He is so supportive and lets me take all the time I need at the store checking everything and thinking about what I should eat.  Then I decided that the past was the past, I would move on and just think about this day on.  Half a day of fretting was quite enough for me.  

  

Dinner:  So our healthy dinner that night was aji (horse mackerel), miso soup (with tofu (100g), wakame, and nameko), and the leftover pickles from this morning.  My drink was just jasmine tea. Hideki had the same thing.  I felt very confident that this was healthy and prayed that tomorrow's critique would be much better.  Fingers crossed!       

Update:  

結構severeなんですよね。

一番の成功法としては、SIMPLE IS THE BEST　です。

豆腐、納豆、卵、こんにゃく、鶏肉、わかめ、サラダ等をシンプルに食べると経験上結果がでると思います。

(Today's meals) were pretty severe.  

The best way to succeed is SIMPLE IS BEST.

I think from experience that eating simple foods like tofu, natto, egg, konyaku, chicken, wakame, salad will give you results. 

今日の朝食はとってもシンプルなんですが、トマト、アボカド、ニンジンがそろってますね。

量を控えなきゃいけない食材が3つ揃うとちょっと厳しいかも知れません。

Today's breakfast was simple, but you added tomato, avocado, and carrot.

Adding three foods you should be using less of, it's severe (equals bad!)

たとえば、写真のサラダに上３つの代わりに、豆腐、わかめを乗せる。

Instead of putting them on the salad, you could put tofu and wakame.

...試してみて下さい　：）

So please try that.  (Okay! :) )