Starting weight:  285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Thursday’s calories & net carbs: 1255 / 34.8
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1001 / 27.4
Thursday’s exercise:    none
Yesterday’s exercise:    none
Weight Thursday:: 247.2    Weight Yesterday:: 247.8    Today:  247.2
Change today::  -0.6 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  38.0 lbs. 

Up, down, up, down.  The same pound, over and over again.  I really expected to see 246-something today because the swelling on my knee has gone down considerably.  Oh well, hey, at least I’m not gaining.  I’m still not hopping on the elliptical yet, though.  I don’t want another setback, so I’ll wait until it feels normal, or at least as close to normal as my knees get.

Thanks, everyone, for all your input and support!  I have decided that on days when I can work up a sweat, I’ll add an extra 200 calories and/or 10g carbs, bringing my daily goal/limits to 1600 and 40g for those days.  My rules for going just a bit over will still apply.

I’m having no trouble keeping my calories below goal (sometimes too far below goal!), but I am starting to have some difficulty adhering to the carbs.  I’ve started cutting out certain carbs to try to stay within 30g a day, like for example on chicken taco nights I just have my taco innards in a bowl and skip the tortilla.  They’re only 3g carbs each but that’s 6g saved and heck, the good part is the inside anyway.  Still, I find myself going over (but still within the 10g limit).  Part of it I can blame on my addiction to popcorn.  On days when I want popcorn, I usually try to “save up” enough carbs so I can indulge … but sometimes the yen for popcorn hits on days when I haven’t planned ahead.  Or - like on days like today - I indulged a little too much!!! 

This evening we went to a sneak preview showing of “Bolt,” the new Disney 3-D animated movie about the dog who thinks he’s a superhero with special powers.  With the exception of the randomly-spaced 32 minutes of the movie during which I wanted to smack the mother of the child four rows ahead of us for not taking her very loud, very disruptive child out of the theater until the movie was almost over - I enjoyed every minute of it!  LOL!  Annnnnyway, I ate popcorn.  Too much popcorn.  Too much really tasty movie theater popcorn while mesmerized by the big screen.

It was really good, though.  =D

I stayed well within my calories for the day though (1252) - and I’m still within that 10g limit of goal (at 37g).  I still wish I hadn’t eaten that much popcorn.  And I still wish I’d smacked that mom on the back of the head a couple times.  =D   I’m sorry, but when my kids were little - I made sure that they did not disrupt other people’s enjoyment of their recreation time, whether at the movies or in a restaurant.  If a child cannot behave quietly in either environment - TAKE THEM OUTSIDE! 

That’s my opinion.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

5131

Starting weight:  285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Tuesday’s calories & net carbs: 1407 / 30.9
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1337 / 37.1
Tuesday’s exercise:    30 min. ex. bike
Yesterday’s exercise:    none (knee pain)
Weight Tuesday:: 247.8    Weight Yesterday:: 247.8    Today:  247.2
Change today::  -0.6 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  38.0 lbs. 

Yesterday I went over my goal on net carbs.  It’s good that I get to make the rules on my particular plan because I decided - back when I started counting both calories and carbs - that I would still be “on plan” if I either:  a)  kept at least one of ‘em (carbs or calories) below goal or b) stayed within 10g carbs or 100 calories of goal.  So far I’ve been able to stick to that.  Giving myself that little bit of leeway makes me feel guilty (because it feels like cheating) but it also keeps a lid on any temptation I might have to binge and go WAY over goal (probably because it feels deliciously like cheating, lol).

Now I’m faced with a decision.  I’ve been reading in other people’s blogs about how many calories people are consuming and many - particularly the really successful ones - are keeping their daily caloric intake above 1500 a day, some as high as 2000 a day.  I’ve read where people have upped their calories and started to see greater losses, which at first glance doesn’t seem to make sense.  I know all about the body’s “starvation response,” and how if a person cuts their calories too low, their metabolism will slow down.  I’ve googled this and read lots about it - and no one - and I mean no one! - has pinned down a number, the caloric level at which this occurs, because it’s different for everyone.  Nor can anyone agree on how long a low caloric intake level must be maintained before this response kicks in.  Some say two weeks, some say two hours.

In my googling efforts, I came across several sites which will calculate your daily caloric intake needs for you, based upon a formula which takes into consideration your height, weight, and age. 
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm  is a pretty cool one.

I also found a site that showed the formula itself, for those who want to do their own math.  Being the numbers nut that I am, I had to try it out:

The Mifflin-St. Joer Equation
(Approximate calories per day for resting metabolic rate)
[ (weight-in-lbs / 2.2) * 9.99 ]  +  [ (height-in-inches * 2.54) * 6.25]  -  [ age-in-years * 4.92]  +/- [ (-161 for women) or (+5 for men) ]

Mine came out to:  1682

Now here’s the thing.  I did the whole calorie-counting thing from January thru May of this year.  I tracked my daily activities and factored in the base metabolic rate that Fitday had estimated for me.  I kept my calories between 1500 and 1900 per day.  Regardless of what Fitday was saying I should have been losing, I lost only 10 lbs.  In five months.  It’s not that I wasn’t exercising!  In the month of April I logged 135 miles of bicycling.  That’s an average of 4.5 miles per day!  Yet in the month of April, I lost only 2.4 lbs.

I can’t go back to that!

I’ve shared on here that I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, a malfunction of the immune system that causes the thyroid to go all wacky and overproduce.  There’s no cure, all they can do is treat the symptoms.  So my doctor prescribed a medication for me (which I would have to take for the rest of my life) to crank my thyroid down - which of course means it would slow my metabolism down.  While taking this drug, if my resting metabolic rate was 1682, well, the drug would maybe turn it down to 1200, who knows. 

I have a confession to make.  About 3 months ago, I quit taking my pills.

I was feeling really good, so good that it seemed silly to be taking pills everyday.  Back when I was diagnosed, I got a conflicting opinion from the tech who did the testing on my thyroid, said that if it was overproducing before, well, it wasn’t anymore.  With this in mind, I know what it felt like when my thyroid was speeding (felt like I had the flu) so I knew what to watch for.  I kept some pills in reserve just in case I started feeling sickly again…

And it never happened.  No flu symptoms.  No overwhelming fatigue.  I felt great!  Except for my stupid knee, I still feel great!  I know I should go back and see my regular doctor, but I’m NOT going back to the endocrinologist!  I truly believe that I was misdiagnosed.

SO.  Now that I’m off the metabolism-slowing drugs, am I slowing it by not eating enough calories every day?  Should I try upping my calories for a while and see if it makes a difference?  I’m trying to decide.

I definitely don’t want to make any changes until I can start elliptical-ing again!  (The 6 miles on the exercise bike the other day was a bad idea after all - the next morning I could barely walk!  I’m icing the knee and taking it easy until it’s truly healed.)   What I’m thinking is that maybe I’ll up my calorie goal to 1800 on days when I can exercise.  (Not sure how to estimate the corresponding carb goal to go with that.)

So anyway, I need to make a decision.  All input would be greatly appreciated!

CARTOON OF THE DAY

5039

Starting weight:  285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1395 / 30.4
Yesterday’s exercise:    none (knee pain)
Weight Yesterday:: 247.8    Today:  247.8
Change today::  -0.0 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  37.4 lbs. 

My knee’s a little better today… whew!  The kneecap area is still sore and the muscle behind my knee still feels tight, but I’m not having any of that stabbing pain anymore when I walk.  I actually felt well enough tonight to put in 30 minutes (6 miles) on the exercise bike!  I’m hoping that tomorrow it’ll be okay to get back on that elliptical!  Woohoo now that would make me happy!

My theory about my knee is this:  I went a bit too far, too fast on the elliptical, and strained a muscle group, causing swelling which messes with the proper alignment of the joint - and - which aggravated my old injury.  The miniscus in my right knee was actually the first one that I tore (about 8 years ago).  I tried to push a very heavy box with my foot (bad idea) and actually felt it rip. 

Years ago, I didn’t realize that our knees, which support nearly the entire weight of our body, are our body’s most vulnerable spot for injury. 

The joint itself and the muscles surrounding the joint are complex, leaving lots of opportunities for things to go wrong.  The most common minor injury to the knee area is a sprain or strain of the tissues (ligaments, muscles, and/or tendons) - by being stretched beyond their normal tolerance during motion.

I really wanted to work my way up to an hour straight on the elliptical and so last week I put in a couple 45-minute sessions - and face it Eileen, ya just weren’t ready for that!  Even though in past months I’d worked up some stamina and strength from my bike-riding, still it was a different motion than pedaling, a motion I certainly wasn’t accustomed to.

I’m thinking that once I’m not carrying around 240-plus pounds on those knees, I’ll have less of these kinds of problems with them.  That’s what I’m thinking.  In the meantime, I’ll just listen very carefully to what my body says to me about my exercise and exertion, with particular attention to what my knees have to say.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4946

Starting weight:  285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1274 / 33.4
Yesterday’s exercise:    none (knee pain)
Weight Yesterday:: 246.8    Today:  247.8
Change today::  +1.0 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  37.4 lbs. 

Another gain this morning but I know it’s my stupid knee.  I’m still all swollen and sore.  I’m gonna put ice on it tonight and hope that that helps.  *Sigh*  I want so bad to jump on the elliptical but I really think I shouldn’t put strain on a joint that is obviously injured.  I just wish I knew what I’d done to injure it!!  I was just walking, for heaven’s sake!

Today I wore my pink jeans.  I bought these jeans about three years ago when I was going through a pink phase.  LOL I had pink everything, even sunglasses!  Anyway, I loved my pink jeans but unfortunately grew out of them after I quit smoking.  I started wearing them again a couple weeks ago - and I noticed earlier today that they are getting baggy.  Wow, that was quick! 

My friend Diane asked me today if I was gonna do a before-and-after picture.  Now, she knows that I blog about my weight-loss stuff but has no idea what the web address is and I’m not about to tell her.  This is a place where I can post whatever I’m thinking or feeling and so far I’ve only given out the address to one person that I know in RL (my niece - and I have no idea if she ever comes here and reads what I write).  Anyway, I told Diane that I had done a “before” picture and that I didn’t want to do an “in progress” picture to compare it with until I lost 30 lbs from the first one. 

What I didn’t tell her is that I weighed 270 in the “before” picture - so I want to get down to 240 before taking a subsequent one.  Except for my husband (and I guess my niece) no one (in RL) knows how much I weighed before or how much I weigh now.

I probably won’t share that my highest weight was 285 with ANYONE - at least not until I get very close to goal.  Am I weird?

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4885

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Friday’s calories & net carbs:  1213 / 35.9
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1359 / 30.9
Friday’s exercise:    45 min. elliptical 
Yesterday’s exercise:    none (knee pain)
Weight Friday: 247.2    Weight Yesterday:: 246.2    Today:  246.8
Change today::  +0.6 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  33.0 lbs.  /  38.4 lbs. 

Hubby and I have been busy going places all weekend.  Yesterday our son was in a high school band competition and we went to watch and cheer him (and the rest of the band) on.  We’ve been going every year for six years to this particular competion because our older son was in band also.  It’s pretty entertaining.

Then today my nephew (36 years old) was consecrated as a deacon at his church.  I don’t really know that much about how the Lutheran religion works but it seems like it was a fairly big deal for those involved.  We were happy to be there to support and congratulate him.

Last night after the band competition, we decided to drop by the movie theater and see what was playing.  We ended up leaving without seeing anything (there was seriously nothing playing that appealed to us at all) but anyway as I was making my way through the parking lot, suddenly my knee felt like someone had stabbed it with an ice pick.  Now I’m used to having occasional problems with my knee but here’s the thing: it was the WRONG KNEE.  I usually have pain and swelling in my left knee and this time it was my right.  I tried to walk on it normally but it kept hurting.  By the time I went to bed, it was swollen and sore.

When I woke up this morning, it was considerably worse.  The muscles on the back side of my knee felt like rubber bands stretched to their limit.  The knee itself kept “going out,” which is the only way I can think to describe the sensation.  It felt like the bones were not fitting together properly, like something was out of alignment, and it was very painful.  My right knee was visibly swollen in comparison to my left.

So it didn’t surprise me to see a 0.6 pound gain on the scale.

The sucky thing is, I don’t wanna aggravate the knee by doing anything strenuous with it - so no bike-riding and no elliptical.  I did some walking today at the grocery store and as long as I was supporting my weight on the cart I was fine but as soon as I tried to walk normally without support, I had major pain.  *Sigh*  That really sucks.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4856

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:  1265 / 30.6
Yesterday’s exercise:    none (Orlando trip)
Weight Yesterday:  247.4    Today:  247.2
Change today::  -0.2 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  32.6 lbs.  /  38.0 lbs. 

I love my elliptical.  I LOVE my elliptical!  Did I mention that I love my elliptical?!?  =D

It kicks my butt!  I just did 45 minutes and I am sweaty and my heart is still pumping and I feel like I just DID something!  When I get that thing crankin’ I feel like - like I’m running!  Only without the body parts flopping around LOL!!  I feel like I’m doing something that I definitely would not have been able to do 38 pounds ago.  I feel like I’m packing in some really good calorie-burning effort into a short period of time.  I feel energetic and healthy and more flexible, if that makes any sense at all.  I just feel GOOD.

I musta went over the edge… I never would have imagined that sweating my ass off would be something I actually look forward to.  =D

4804

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:  1362 / 22.8
Yesterday’s exercise:    15 min. + 45 min. elliptical
Weight Yesterday:  246.2    Today:  247.4
Change today::  +1.2 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  32.4 lbs.  /  37.8 lbs. 

Went to Orlando today, not for overnight, just for a meeting and then back home.  I brought snacks with me (Chocolite bar and smoked almonds) to hold me over because I figured I wouldn’t have time to eat lunch until I was on the way home.  So at about 2:30 pm I stopped at Golden Corral and paid eleven bucks for their buffet lunch. 

The plus side would be that there were many low/no carb choices so I had no trouble finding something to eat that would be on plan.  The minus side was that I had to wade through so many temptations.  I didn’t give in to any of them, but they were there.  Looking good.  Too good.

Woke up to a gain this morning.  *Sigh* I wanted to be under 247 and stay there.  Eh, normal fluctuations.

On the way home from Orlando I stopped to visit my sister (and my nephew and my niece, who both live with her).  I haven’t seen them since July.  I totally expected that they would say something about my weight loss, that they would immediately notice the difference.  None of them said a word.  It sucks that I have so much weight to lose, that I can lose almost 40 lbs. and it’s such a drop in the bucket that it’s not noticeable.  Then again, my friends and co-workers say all the time, that they can tell I’ve lost weight.

Oh well.  Maybe after another 38 lbs., it’ll be more noticeable.

4760

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Monday’s calories & net carbs:  1490 / 37.9
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:  1399 / 29.9
Monday’s exercise:    30 min. elliptical
Yesterday’s exercise:    40 min. elliptical
Weight Monday:  249.2     Weight Yesterday:  247.8    Today:  246.2
Change today::  -1.6 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  33.6 lbs.  /  39.0 lbs. 

Woooohoooo I finally got past the TWO-FORTY-SEVEN mark!!!  Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!!

It’s always so amazing when this happens - I lost 3 lbs. in just two days!  (I’m on day 5 of Tom so it was water retention.)  Helps to make up for the 1 lb. gain that I had to record for last week!  Sure, last week I made a commitment to a new higher level of weight loss and immediately I have to log in a gain instead of a loss!  Figures!

I’m trying to work my way up to an hour on the elliptical.  Last night I managed to make it through forty minutes!  I was only planning thirty but when I got that far, I pictured Jillian from TBL yelling at me to keep going.  “I don’t care if you’re tired!  I don’t care if your feet are numb!  I don’t care if your feet fall off, just keep going!”  LOL, it’s a good thing that woman makes up for her meanness with a warm and caring heart!!

I’ve had a weird little side-effect to the weight loss.  Ha!  I’ve never heard anyone else mention this in relation to weight loss so I just think it’s funnier than hell.  Okay here it is:  I’m shorter when driving.  I am!!!!  I’ve apparently lost some “padding” in my ass because now I have to adjust the steering wheel in my husband’s Jeep!!  Hubby says that pretty soon he’s going to have to buy me a pillow to sit on, because if I lose any more padding I won’t be able to see over the steering wheel at all!!!

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4717

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:  1490 / 37.9
Yesterday’s exercise:    30 min. elliptical
Weight Yesterday:  249.8    Today:  249.2
Change today::  -0.6 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  30.6 lbs.  /  36.0 lbs. 

I called my brother today, the one who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and made a special request:  “Because I am taking that day “off” from my diet, please make baked beans for Thanksgiving this year!”

My friend Diane laughed when she heard what I was requesting.  “You could have asked for double-chocolate-super-fudge-deep-dish-cheesecake or something scrumptious and decadent - but you - YOU ask for beans!”

Yup!  My brother, though, makes the world’s best home-made baked beans!  More tomato-y than B&M, thicker and richer than Bush’s, and less sweet but way more flavorful than Campbell’s, my brother’s baked beans are a little slice of heaven.  If I’m gonna indulge in some carbs, I want to make sure I don’t waste ‘em on anything less than pure joy.  =D

So after putting in my request (which, by the way, needed to be made well in advance because his beans take several days to prepare), the conversation turned to “what is Eileen bringing that day.”  We decided that I would be bringing fruit salad and a vegetable dish (I’m thinking corn souffle maybe).  Yummm.

The week before Thanksgiving, my co-workers and I are hosting a baby shower for our pregnant staff member.  We’re having Puerto Rican turkey (the most awesome turkey I’ve ever tasted!) and even though I’m tempted by the plaintain stuffing that goes with the turkey, I’m gonna stick to plan through this event.  The mom-to-be is diabetic, so she won’t be indulging in cake that day either.  I’ll just make sure that whatever I bring to share is something I can have.  Maybe broccoli-cheese casserole (even though it’s high in calories, it’s wonderfully low in carbs).  The good news is, I can have all the turkey I want!

In case anyone thinks to wonder what is different about turkey prepared Puerto Rican style, herbs and spices are injected into the meat a couple days in advance.  Not sure what all the ingredients are, but I know there’s garlic, saffron, and cilantro.  Also, sofrito (a very fragrant mixture of seasonings) is rubbed onto the outer skin.  I was used to very bland, almost tasteless white meat turkey so the first time I tasted PR turkey I was amazed at how wonderfully flavorful it was.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4644

Starting weight (7/15/08):    279.8    (1/8/08):    285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):       1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:  1128 / 28.3
Yesterday’s exercise:    30 min. elliptical / 10 min. ex. bike
Weight Yesterday:  250.2    Today:  249.8
Change today::  -0.4 lbs.   Loss-so-far:  30.0 lbs.  /  35.4 lbs. 

A guy once said to me:

“Wimmen cain’t be trusted - I don’t trust nuthin’ that can bleed fer five days and don’t die.”

Obviously he wasn’t exactly a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon, but he did make a good point.   It’s downright unnatural, this whole Tom thing.  Okay, alright, I know it’s natural, in fact it’s the epitome of natural, but it is also sometimes really creepy and unnerving.  Honestly, I’m just tired of it.  I am ready - more than ready - to be done with it.  Forever.  I’M FORTY SEVEN!  CAN I BE DONE WITH IT NOW PLEASE?!  *Sigh*

I got up this morning at 7 and went down to the hotel gym again!  I set the elliptical for a 30-minute-fat-burning workout and it took me seriously.  The machine wiped the floor with me!  After just three minutes I was ready to stop but I made myself work through it.  Twenty-seven sweaty minutes later I gratefully ground to a halt.  I felt good though - I was glad that I finished.

I’m back home again.  I haven’t done much but watch movies and eat.  I made ham steaks for dinner tonight.  Hubby had his with mashed potatoes and corn while I ate mine with green beans.  I had one little mound of mashed potatoes (just an eighth of a cup), just because I haven’t tasted them in like five months.  They were good but about an hour later I was craving sweets and I wondered if maybe the potatoes were the cause.  I actually gave into my craving and had a piece of milk chocolate (and some smoked almonds).  Now I have a small piece of Dove chocolate every day - but this was over and above that.  I went over my 30g carb limit (by only 8g) and over my 1400 calorie limit (by 90 calories).  It’s my goal to stay below at least one of those two limits each day, so I feel really guilty even though my indulgence was on a really small scale.

I did do one thing this afternoon that I’m really excited about… I rented a cabin in the North Carolina mountains for the week between Christmas and New Years!  I’ve been searching and searching the internet for just the right cabin and I finally found one that will be perfect for us!  It has three bedrooms and three bathrooms on three levels.  It even has a game room with foosball and electronic darts and satellite TV!  Sounds expensive, eh?!  Well, incredibly, this cabin costs far less for a week than it would to stay in a hotel or even motel! 

I’m so jazzed!!!  The kids are hoping that there will be snow on the ground!  My oldest son still has to see if he can get off from work that week - I sure hope so!  He’s 20 years old (sniff)… this may very well be our last family vacation together.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

4598