Weekly(ish) Update

It's been a crazy few weeks around here, though why I think it will slow down I'm not sure.  Matthew is back in school and I'm back to my normal duties at work. This week has been interesting, and yet again, I dropped Weight Watchers.  It was time to renew my three month subscription and I was not interested in paying that big chunk of money again.  So it's back to myfitnesspal and keeping that up.

I gained about four pounds over the last couple of weeks, much of which had to do with a huge pile of stress at work and lots of eating out from having no off time.  Matthew said he gained weight too, which is no surprise, since he eats what I eat.  This week, though, I'm back down to 217, and I anticipate being back at 215 by the end of the week or so.  We bought lots of fruits and veggies this week to have healthy snack foods around, and I made a menu plan to stave off eating out.  Tonight: tortellini soup with lots of veggies and tastiness.  :)

Weight: 217
Water: 4 cups a day
Exercise: brief (and I mean brief) walks each day

Goals:
Weight: 215
Water: 8 cups a day
Exercise: five block walks at least four times this week.

Weekly Weigh In: Hello 2teens!

Hello, again!  The past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, with a sudden, fast-paced project at work, parties, and dates with Matthew.  :)

I am still working on making healthier choices at parties and when we're out on a date, but the rest of the time, I've tracked pretty well, and lost weight to prove it!  As of this morning, I'm in the 2teens! Yay!

Weight: 217.2
Exercise: minimal
Water: about half my goal

Goals for this week:
Weight: 1 pound loss
Exercise: 3 twenty minute walks
Water: 64 oz. per day

I can do it!

Bye bye, arm flab

Okay, I know this is gross, but when I used to do my hair, I would notice the flabby, gross bits of nastiness hanging off my upper arms.  This morning, when I was putting on my workout clothes and pulling my hair into a pony tail, I noticed, Hey, there's no gross stuff on my arms anymore.  Now, yes, I still would like to see my arms get more toned, but come on, you have to admit, this is awesome.  I think all those push ups, mountain climbers, and plank walk outs that make me curse at the aerobics video chick are making a difference!

Slightly Elevated Blood Sugar

My aunt was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes, and this was definitely a wake up call for me.  We are similar in  many ways, but one of them is our love of unhealthy foods.  In my teenage years, when I headed to her house, I would pick up a package of cookies and the two of us would eat them all in a weekend.  We both love high fat, delicious foods, and this love of food has had a negative effect on both of our bodies.

When I went to see the doctor last month, she ran a full chemical panel on me.  I got the results today, and it turns out, my blood sugar was high.  Not high enough for me to be considered diabetic, but five points above the "normal range" at 104.  65-99 is considered normal and 125 or higher is considered diabetic.  I believe this makes me "pre-diabetic." Oof.  Pre-diabetic at the age of 26.  That's a wake-up call if I've ever had one.

Dr. Bettina told me in the office visit, "Rachel, overall, you seem to be a healthy girl.  Is it a good idea to get your weight in check now?  Yes." She reaffirmed this statement on my test results with an impersonal, "Strongly recommend: Healthy diet. Regular exercise. Weight reduction."  Well, Dr. Bettina, I'm workin' on it.

Weekly Weigh In: Week 44

I was sick this week (feeling much better now, thank you).  The general inability to taste anything might have had something to do with my weight loss this week, but that's okay.  I did NO exercise this week, since I felt   exhausted and boneless most of the week.  I did not track my foods well either.

This week, though, is a brand-spanking-new week, and I have already tracked my breakfast. ;) My plan for today is a twenty minute walk with Matthew and the doggles this evening after dinner.  I will drink water throughout the day from my straw cup. We don't know why, but anecdotal evidence seems to support that people will drink more from a cup with a straw.   I know it's true for me.  I feel like I'm getting up to refill that thing every fifteen minutes. 

Snacking on fruits and veggies is a huge score for me, since I do feel full all day long and it cuts down on the gigantic portions I used to eat at dinner and lunch. Also, when I was doing myfitnesspal, I would track those babies, and it was frustrating to see my calorie count going higher when I was eating something healthy.  Now, I understand that healthy foods also have calories and when my points for the day are gone and I eat a salad I am still adding calories to my body, but WW makes me feel so much better about it because I don't get any extra points for fruits and veggies.  It's wonderful! 

Back to the being sick this week, I felt sick for five (5) days.  Matthew, my sweetheart of a hubby, is still sick, and got sick the Thursday of week before last.  I think that taking a multi-vitamin and eating all my fruits and veggies is boosting my immune system.  I was thinking I would be sick all week this week, but I'm feeling almost entirely better today, and I was only a little bit sick! Yay! 

Now down to the nitty-gritty. 

Progress: 

Weight: 220.4 (I'd like to point out that this number has a zero for its last digit.  Next week, I hope that it will be in the teens!)

Exercise:  A big fat negatory on this one.  Sorry guys.  I'll do better this week.  

Water: I didn't track, but it still feels like not enough. 

Goals:

Weight: At least a one pound loss.  Two-teens, here I come! 

Exercise: Imma say...two high intensity (BeFitin90) and three low intensity (walks with Matthew) 

Water: 64 ounces a day, every day this week. 

Weekly Weigh In

This past week, I was in Las Vegas for work.  Surprisingly, this wasn't the train-wreck for my diet  lifestyle change I thought it would be.  Eating out every day was not too bad, and I ate fatty meals only once or twice on our trip.  I mainly stuck with foods like fish tacos, a delicious roasted peach and Gorgonzola salad, and shrimp Baja salad.  These meals were delicious and tasty too! 

I raved to Matthew about that peach salad, and when I logged on to my Weight Watchers app this morning, there it was:  the recipe for Arugula, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad.  

Makes 4 servings

15 minutes prep time

WW Points Plus: 4 per serving

3 medium peaches, ripe but not mushy

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (apple cider or balsamic would each taste good too)

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 cups, arugula

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly

1/4 cup semisoft goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cups dry roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Peel and pit one peach; cut into chunks.  Cut remaining peaches into thin slices or wedges; set aside. Put peach chunks, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth and set aside.  Place arugula, onion, and peach slices in a large serving bowl; drizzle with dressing and gently toss to coat.  Sprinkle with cheese and nuts; grind some extra black pepper over the top if desired.  Yields about 2 cups of salad mixture and tablespoon each cheese and nuts per serving. 

You could use mango or apricots instead of peaches, or roast your peaches for a new level of flavor.  It's a delicious twist on the basic green salad.

*This is a Weight Watchers' recipe and not mine.  I do not take credit for this idea.* 

So, this week, I didn't track meals like I should (even when I'm out of town), but I did make some progress. I lost two pounds.  I ate fairly healthily, with the exception of an In-n-Out burger one night, a few Cokes during the week, and a piece of coconut cream pie.  I worked out by swimming about 20 minutes one day and walking three miles one day (it was a four day trip).  I am fairly proud of myself, and felt it was pretty easy to pick back up Saturday: tracking my foods, exercising, and knowing I still made progress over the week. 

Weight: 223.0

Exercise: good 'nuff

Water: Not enough for Vegas.  It's really hot and dry there.  This is one place I would really need to improve if I were there on a regular basis.  By the time we left, I had dried, chapped lips and dried out skin.  

Total weight loss so far according to my Weight Watcher's app: 9 pounds (apparently I was at 232 at some point).

Weekly Weigh-in

Starting Weight Watchers again is a whole new interesting experience. A lot of the meals I've made are delicious, and low in points, and it hasn't felt like much of a sacrifice over the last week.  The last time I did the program, I ate the same foods I normally did, but ate less of them.  Typically this would get me really, really, really hungry, then I would try to be happy with a bratwurst and half cup of potato salad.  Not surprisingly, this didn't work.  But this time, I took Weight Watchers' advice and got a lot of fruit and veggies (somewhere around 10 pounds for the week, if you can believe it) to eat with meals and as snacks.

Obviously, snacking on fruits and veggies helps me meet my daily serving recommendation, but it also allows me to eat whenever I feel a tinge of hunger.  Eating all the time, but good things, is helping me take smaller servings of high point-value foods at lunch and dinner.  One of my favorite mid-meal snacks is 2 oz. of cheddar cheese, an apple, and a stalk of celery.  (I can't believe I just said that...the pre-WW me would say something very different.)  When it really comes down to it, I think I've done pretty well this week.

I also found out a dessert that I love (and ate pre-WW) is only 3 points: all natural coconut fruit bars made with coconut milk.  They are delicious, sweet, and creamy, and totally satisfy the sweet tooth and ice cream craving.  Next week I also plan to get a cup of yogurt to try making my own yogurt in the crock pot.  This way I can make low-point smoothies for breakfast/snacks and get in my dairy, fruits, veggies, and tastiness (for cheap).

I did a few workouts over the week, but not as many as I would have liked.  I'm enjoying finding YouTube workouts and am surprised at the variety available.  In addition to the workout I posted last week, I found the Be Fit in 90 workouts, which is a workout program that covers a 90 day span with a series of videos for each day (with rest days too). Most of them are about 35 minutes long, and typically include strength, cardio, yoga, flexibility, and high intensity drills.

Over the week I  carefully budgeted covered my points saving my extra points judiciously, hoping to save a number of for the weekend.  I had about 47 points, which were all used over the weekend for meals at Mom and Dad's house for a treat of fast food, a high point dinner on Saturday, and a high point dinner on Sunday. I gained about a pound on the weekend, and lost a lot of the momentum I had build up over the weekend.

My activity goal for the week was: 18 activity points
My actual activity for the week was: 12
My activity goal for next week is: 18 points

My water goal for the week was: 8 cups of water a day
My actual water for the week was: 4 cups of water a day
My water goal for next week is: 8 cups of water a day

This week's weight: 224.8

I can't breathe!

So on YouTube, I was looking for some workout videos to try and found Core Rhythms Full Workout.  It's super fast, super fun, and will wear you out.  I was sweating like a race horse after about 10 minutes.  I think I could do this one regularly!

Here we go again!

I went to the doctor this week, and asked her about my weight and if she had any suggestions for effective weight loss.  I explained that I had gained rather a lot of weight after getting married seven years ago because of my combined worse diet and lack of exercise.  After talking to her for a few minutes, she said that she would be happy to do a chemical panel on my blood to see if thyroid might be a problem, but it was most likely that I was eating too many calories and not getting enough exercise.  She suggested that I start Weight Watchers again.  I explained that I was frustrated with the program, since I wasn't seeing a lot of progress and didn't enjoy tracking foods and avoiding the foods I love the most.  She was very nice in responding to my concerns, but the basic message was, "Grow up."

I tend to think like a toddler about food--I want it and I want it now!--and this has been a problem for me since I was given free reign to eat anything I wanted when I got married. I know what it takes to eat healthily, but I was never happy to make that sacrifice in the short term to make a difference in the long term.  It doesn't make sense, really.  I do it elsewhere in my life...I'm happy to give up my time to invest in friendships, I have less money to live on now to prepare for Matthew's and my future, but food was off limits. I don't understand myself sometimes...okay, often.

So, per doctor advice, I am again on weight watchers.  I have done two days, and scarfed down a candy bar yesterday.  I know I have extra points to use for just these things, but I felt so guilty eating it.  This isn't healthy, I told myself. But it tasted good, and I was obsessing over not being able to have it.  I need to find some alternatives to chocolate and try to keep it out of the house.  Maybe some cocoa roasted almonds?

Since starting again a couple of days ago, I've realized the Weight Watchers recipes are so much better than I remember.  Everything I have made is tasty, and it's been fairly easy to track the good health checks and the meals I've eaten.  If I can get over the self-flagellation when I mess up and realize that it's okay to make mistakes, I can just pick back up when I fall to make this work for me for a lifetime.

Soooo, weekly weigh-ins are on Mondays, and since I really can't afford to pay membership fees and pay a weekly meeting fee, you guys are my meetings.  Coming up Monday June 17th: a weigh in, a few tasty recipes, and most likely more moaning and groaning.  Hope you're up for it!

Update: Still at 225ish

The good news: My weight has not increased.  The bad news: My weight has not decreased.

I am holding steady around 224/225.  Over the last few months, I tried to get started on a C25K plan, could not run the entire first day, and after two weeks of trying to run that first day, started experiencing knee pain that lasted three or four days.  I decided running may not be the thing for me.

I picked up Body Clutter, a book written by the creator of the FlyLady  cleaning system.  I started reading last night, and I'm not sure, but I don't think my weight is because of a deep-seated neuroses.  The book talks about how people eat for comfort.  The first stories talk about a woman whose dad was emotionally available so she eats chocolate and a woman whose husband constantly told her she was fat and ugly, so she made herself more unappealing to him by eating out her unhappiness.

I don't have problems like that, as far as I know.  My family is always awesome and so is Matthew. I think my problem is that I like food, and I don't like exercise.  I have yet to find a form of exercise that I enjoy enough to even pursue.  I like swimming laps: it's not sweaty or hot or uncomfortable. Also, it's a great workout.  That and yoga are the only forms of exercise I even remotely like, and I like neither of them enough to spend money on a gym membership where I could do them consistently.  :\

Another development over the last few months is a growing comfort with the way I look now.  I think FlyLady might have something to do with this, since part of the system is to wake up every morning, and get fully dressed, including hair and face. This is not because I need makeup to look pretty, or because it's important to pretty myself up for my family; it's because wearing my pretty clothes and feeling good about how I look builds confidence. Looking in the mirror all day and seeing something besides a rat's nest of hair and yesterday's makeup makes me smile.

So have I lost 100 pounds in six months?  Nope.  Have I met my goal weight?  Nope.  Have I met my goal of satisfaction with the way I look? Almost.  Naked me is still a little uncomfortable, but I'm getting to like myself more and more.

Goals:

1.  Be happy with where I am.  I don't look like I'm about to keel over from a heart attack or anything, and I regularly look very nice.

2. Make healthy choices like fruit over a candy bar, veggies over chips, and watch sodium and sugar intake.

3. Find a form of exercise that is not entirely unpleasant or painful and do it regularly.

Waiting for Vacation

Ever feel like you just don't have any give-a-shit left?  Yeah, me too. It's been one of those weeks.  Work is boring, yet frustrating, Matthew and I have barely seen each other, and my family is stressing me out.  I've been trying to chase down an affordable apartment (suddenly no easy feat, since people are selling their homes and moving to complexes in droves).  Basically, I've been stressed and overwhelmed all week, which has made eating right and exercising less than an afterthought.  Really, it's more of a no-thought.

Last night, I stayed home from knitting to spend time with Matthew, and the two of us sat next to each other totally zoned out all evening.  He was playing Skyrim and I was looking at Better After.  We sat that way for almost five hours.  There were dirty dishes in the sink, wet clothes in the washer, and dirty laundry from the day strewn across the house.  I hadn't exercised, I had grading to do, and there were about a million better ways to use my time.  This morning, I woke up to all those dirty dishes, all that dirty laundry, all the undone grading, all the emotional stress, and felt like I needed a vacation.

I'm proud to say the house is back in order, and I'm about to head into the office to catch up on some grading and attend a three-hour editing meeting (so fun).   I feel like I'm drudging through, but I just might make it.

Two months ago, I asked for vacation for spring break.  Now that vacation starts in 28 days.  I made a countdown calendar this morning, and crossed off the first day. In 28 days, I will be sitting at home, not worrying about work, possibly sanding my dresser to finish staining it, maybe painting an end table, and enjoying time away from daily stress.

Overdid it.

Why do I not listen to my body?  On Wednesday, I was already feeling worn out from working out that morning.  Oh, did I mention that?  You know that total body rush super-exercisers talk about?  The one that makes them feel crappy if they miss a run?  I don't have that.  Nope. If I work out, I'm exhausted.  All day.  And most of the next day.

Well, instead of taking a break and alternating days, as a normal person would, I decided I was going to work again yesterday.  I did.  Even though I'd had a long work week, was already exhausted, and felt like poo.  I thought, Surely I'll feel better after I work out.  Nope.  I felt like crap.  Super crap.

So yesterday I took the day off and recuperated.  I slept and read and took lots of warm baths.  I am not working out today, since I already feel creaky and my back hurts, but I'll get some exercise tomorrow.  Gabe is down in Ardmore this weekend, and I was thinking if the weather cooperates, it might be a fun time to go run around and eat a picnic lunch at Regional Park.  Plenty of walking and scrambling on playground equipment to be had there!

Getting back on track

It's been a while, blogoshpere!  I'm finally getting into the swing of a new year and back to blogging about the weight loss journey.   Over the holidays I, predictably, gained weight.  In fact, I gained more than I had lost. The new year started and I had to fight the urge to quit.  I thought about saying, "screw it," deleting the blog, and pretending I had never made this commitment. But...people kept asking, "Hey, when are you going to update? I miss your posts."  For some reason, this was the impetus I needed to get my shit together and keep going.   I also started doing the FlyLady system of housekeeping. All of a sudden my house was no longer an excuse for sitting in the apartment pretending that I was going to clean it up. So today, the house is clean, breakfast is ready, and I have forty minutes scheduled into my day for sweating my ass off in the gym.   Here we go!!