Hi all, I'm still home in my pjs and need to get moving, but I realized I forgot to answer a question yesterday so I thought I'd post quickly... and then that turned into this, lol.
Carol, it's true, sitting at the hospital is hard on our bodies! Glad you enjoyed some time in the pool.
Judy, Props for an OP day! WTG.
Debbie, enjoy your preparations. It'll be a great time, I hope.
Heather, when you said you had no work you were going to do, I thought you meant this was a day of rest! Moving tasks sound like work to me But you well deserve a break from that other kind of work.
Judy, I forgot to answer your pro-biotics questions yesterday, and Ubee you had some follow-ups. Although I've eaten Activia (at the advice of my doctor when he put me on antibiotics for an ear infection) and found that effective for avoiding the negative side effects of the antibiotic, I'm currently taking two different brands of probiotic blends in pill form. I started doing this because Krohn's disease runs in my family and I've been having symptoms that sound just like both my aunts over the last year or so. I did some research on Krohn's support sites and found that some people found probiotics helpful and others didn't, and it seemed that the right strain also was different for different people, so I just tried a few different ones. I noticed a lot of things almost right away, none of which I had expected or had seen anyone else write about: some improvement in chronic dry scalp, some relief from the stupid monthly acne I've never outgrown, reduction in heart burn. It took a little longer before I noticed that I had eaten some former trigger foods without the desire to keep eating them. In fact, I seem to be more aware of feeling full at the end of a meal (in other words, I don't have to force myself to wait 20 minutes to know if I'm full or not; I feel full as I'm taking my last bite or two of a planned meal). Maybe all this is the effect of being OP for a few months, but I don't remember having any of these experiences the last time I lost 50+ pounds--in fact, what I remember is continuing cravings that ultimately were a factor in my re-gain.
Ubee, when do you exercise? My doc advised that an hour after eating is the best time, since that's when the energy from that last meal is most available, so that the exercise will have the most effect on stabilizing blood sugar levels (which are related to hunger). Also, are you drinking enough water before and immediately after exercising? It took me a while to realize that when I think I'm hungry, sometimes I'm actually just thirsty.
Bonnie, sounds like your exercise worked to help you stay committed.
Ubee, ya know, I don't say "hey" to everybody here every time I check in. While I do respond to some on occasion, I do care for all of you here all the time. And I find such value in everyone's sharing of their victories as well as struggles, everyone's wisdom and experiences, as well as all our missteps.
And I know that when I share something, it'll mean something to some and not to others. So please don't feel like you need to personally mention me every time you're here. I won't feel jilted in any way! I promise!
So I was talking with my trainer yesterday about cutting calories. There's so much information out about losing weight, and much of it is very conflicting. When I read some materials, I'm told to not cut calories much, but to cut back on specific food groups, and to still eat five to six times a day, especially breakfast, or I might go into starvation mode. Other diet sources tell me I can skip breakfast, skip other meals and that I won't go into starvation mode at all. We read that we must exercise at least 30 minutes a day to maintain health, but for weight loss, we need to exercise at least an hour. There are so many types of exercise we are urged to do, but if we over-exercise, that's unhealthy too, although there are differing opinions as to what that is.
And then this week I've been reading that we can't cut calories and build muscle at the same time and hope to lose weight. Unless you're very overweight, because that state allows for drastic cut in calories because the body taps into fat stores for energy. And there seems to be different rules for obese people and dieting, but the information is all over the place! I wish someone would pin it down for us!!!!!
I think I'm suffering from information overload.
And a twisted ankle...In my cardio/TRX class last night, we were doing some plyometric work and I landed wrong on my right foot. Now my ankle is hurting and I can't walk on it. I was going to walk to my appointments and to work today, since the temps have dropped considerably and it's very comfortable outside, but I don't think it's going to happen!
I have three weeks till my next DEXA scan. I need to stay focused on my diet and exercise efforts. Didn't start the day off right. Kinda feeling sorry for myself. Another night of little sleep, ankle hurts...I self medicated with three slices of toast! I'm going back to bed for a nap and calling a do-over for today! No self-pity allowed! But plenty of self-compassion. They are two different things, right?
About the list, to clarify, I've never actually eaten all that stuff at once. But in the past I've probablr gone of and eaten all that stuff in 5 or 6 weeks. But I just started thinking about what I wanted to eat, and then thought about how much of it I'd really eat during my time off to feel satisfied and rady to go back on plan.
Georgia: When I started out, I figured out how many calories I should eat to maintain my weight, and then ate 500 less than that a day, which results in about 1 pound of weight loss a week (on paper anyway - but it generally worked). Now I figured out how many calories I need to be the weight I want to be, and eat that many. It is probably only about 300 less calories a day now than to maintain, but I exercise more than when I started. Weight loss has slowed a little, and over time I expect will slow more as I get closer to my goal weight, but I want to learn to eat right, so that when I finish, I will be doing the right things to maintain. In the past, when I finish/stop losing, I go back to old eating habits and regain. I dont know if this is the "right" way to do it, but it is what I'm doing now anyway. I agree with you that it can be confusung to know what to do.
wow what a day yesterday! I started out enjoying being able to drink coffee in my robe and sock feet. I always get dressed as soon as my feet hit the floor in the mornings. I decided to go ahead and carry the baby stuff to the basement for the weekend since I wont be working. Well on the way down my foot slipped and down I went, down 7 steps. I am ok just a few bruises and super sore today. We got the church decorated and the reception hall, but wasnt happy with the chair covers, we tried steaming them and it didnt help any with the wrinkles and deep creases. SO the bride , myself and a super awesome friend ironed all 200 of them. It took us almost 5 hours. I was beat by the time I made it home. Hubby ordered me a burger and I was ready for bed but had to run to the grocery store. fun fun by the time I got my bath and in bed I had trouble falling asleep.
I am up and moving slowly today, sore in places I never dreamed would be sore.
Scales are still being so nice, 231 again today. Im pretty happy with that!
Today is a bit of light housework and then to get nails done and relax til rehersal tonight.
Hope everyone has a wonderful POP weekend.
OMG Deb! Be careful!!! I'm so glad you are only sore. Hope you can take some time for a long, hot, soak sometime today. I know you'll enjoy the wedding. Cry. Have fun and love every minute of this joyous event.
A word of warning to everyone .... Years ago my best friend'd Dad fell down just enough stairs to slam the back of his head on a couple of them. He died. Same thing you were doing Deb. He was carrying something down in his stocking feet and not holding he railing.
I had another POP day yesterday. When the new Pizza Hurt commercial came on I almost considered ordering, after all, they keep getting cheaper. I didn't though. A week ago I would have been standing at their door drooling. Hurray for me!
Bonnie: Been there. Done that. - Eaten your list!
Georgia: Take care of that ankle. Be proud of your exercise success.
Angela: Thank for the info. I've put probiotics on my shopping list. It can't hurt to try.
Heather: A day with no work work is a good day. Hope you got a lot of moving stuff done and enjoyed you time with your trainer.
Ubee: I'd plan something nice to keep my mind and hands busy after exercise if being hungry tries to get into your head. I try to ask myself "Are you REALLY hungry or are you just craving?" a lot. It's kind of my mantra. Maybe a bubble bath or doing your nails, 15 minutes with a good book or a phone call to a friend will take your mind off of food.
Carol: Hope you got to "dig in the dirt" yesterday.
Find time to take care of yourself. Nurturing your mind and spirit as well as your body is important for long-term success on and off the scale.(From W.W.)
Good morning my chickies! (Warning! Georgia got 7 straight hours of sleep last night and woke up energized and obnoxiously chipper!)
The studio is closed today, so I am taking the opportunity to use my morning surge of energy to get things done around the house. So far, kid fed and sent to school, dog fed and her dog bowls are washed, house vacuumed, wood furniture polished, trash is out on the curb, and I'll be going off to get the car serviced in an hour. It's cool out this morning...just lovely!
Ankle is still bothering me. I guess I shouldn't be running around like this on it. Well, running is not really happening. I'm limping around on it. And it's not really my ankle. It's the top of my right foot, and pain is radiating out from the top left side of my foot, from the ankle to about halfway to the big toe. Not sure what that's called, but I'm only in pain when I walk on it. I can move my foot around just fine, point and flex, etc. But the moment I put weight on it, shooting pain! I'll lay off it after I get back from the car dealership. Then I'll put it and my wallet on ice.
I'm going to start doing the yoga this week, at home. I got a DVD and a book on basic yoga. I think I can do it while the ankle is like this.
I ran my numbers again. For my current weight, TDEE is 2921 calories. If I subtract 500 from that, well, I still gain weight at 2400 calories. My metabolism seems to ignor all the info on the Internet. I don't even start losing weight until I cut below 1860. If I eat carbs over 80 gm net, I get hungry.
My "golden" protein intake seems to be around 120 gm. I eat around 40 gm of protein per meal. Over that and I get a glycemic response, under that and I get hungry. I had just 20 gm of protein at breakfast (2 eggs), plus 2 strips of bacon, a Tbs. of cream in my coffee and a slice of toast. Just two hours ago, and I'm already hungry! I needed a little more protein and some veggies. I can't eat 40 gm of protein at breakfast because my morning blood sugar level is too high. Still trying to figure out my magic numbers for breakfast.
I'm shooting for a total of 1880 calories per day, which leaves me with 120 gm of healthy fats. That's definitely a ketogenic diet. When I stray from the formula, I overeat. If I go too long between meals, I overeat. But if I start timing everything on top of tracking everything, it feels overly obsessive and I get stressed. I am a very undisciplined woman. It's a huge mental effort for me to stick to the plan! I need to figure this out. I think I have an emotional issue with losing any more weight. I'm just not sure what that is, because intellectually, I really want to weigh under 200 lbs! The benefits of dropping below that weight, I want ALL of that!
I indulged myself in some Latisse the other day. Got it from the hair salon. It's for growing eyelashes. Haven't started on it yet. I seem to be allergic to mascara as well as the glue used for eyelash extensions, so I'm going to give this a try. I have a friend that started using it in January and her lashes look amazing! It'll cost me about $33/month to keep it up. So we'll see how that goes.
I'm sick of all my clothes! But I won't go shopping until I lose the 20 lbs I regained and properly get into a size 20. Right now my 22s are snug. But I have enough clothes to last me through the summer. Shooting for now clothes for fall.
Staying off the computer for the weekend, I think. Hope you all have a good one! My oldest is turning 21 on Sunday, so we're going to the new Star Trek movie and then going out for dinner and a cocktail. He can't go partying with his buddies till Tuesday after his last finals.
Yesterday was way over on calories. We had supper with a couple who enjoy food as much as we do. Next time we need to figure out a way for it to be healthier. At night I got carb crabby. I sent myself to bed early! Today is much better.
Angela thanks for your response. Our Peanut has profound autism so I have her on a pro biotic because of the leaky gut theory.
So I need to exercise an hour after eating. I know water is also be a big part of it. (Hello kidney stones!)
Georgia thanks for your social skills advice. My family is in the autism spectrum so I struggle in certain social situations. I appreciated the smiley face, to me that is important so I could catch your tone.
Yesterday was a perfect day, lunch and nails and then rehersal. Yes I ate to much food. The ribeyes were huge, I did skip the amazing looking cheesecake!
I think everyone had a great time.
Today we have a bit of running around to do and then hair at 11 and pictures at 3. I am excited and feel like we have done a great job. Cant wait for tonight and see how it all goes.
We have to clean up after the reception tonight so that will be a chore. but its ok.
I will never again carry anything in both hands while going to the basement. I also will only go down with shoes on.
Have a great day everyone and say a quick prayer for us. I plan to eat tonight and enjoy a piece of cake...I may sample both cakes.
Georgia - It is really weird right? I am struggling with FEELING like I should not lose more, when for health I know I need to loose more. I can't figure it out!
Content warning: going to talk about sex and being fat
I had a VERY interesting chat with Laurel Mellin (http://www.ebtgroups.com/about) yesterday. I've been learning the EBT practice for a few years (I'm a slow learner). I'm only half way through the kits. It's all about rewiring my brain so that I don't go to food (or any other "external solutions") for comfort or love or whatever emotional needs I have. Laurel and I talked about why I'm struggling so with losing weight. I'm coming to understand why I still hang on to being fat, why I sabotage my own efforts, why I'm hung up on escaping into a mindset of powerlessness and self-pity.
Clearing the cobwebs from my eyes about myself is really motivating. I don't want to be that person any more! It doesn't serve me at all! I do have some very real fears that don't pop up and challenge me if I remain fat. And it's mostly about my sexuality. Laurel said that as long as I remain fat, I'll never fully mature that part of who I am, because being in this state of overweight dulls my sexuality.
So I wonder if I've chosen to self-sabotage because I don't want to deal with men at all. It's a way to self-regulate because I expect that no one will want me in this state, and then I'm safe. And I don't have to say "no". The act of standing up for myself, for making choices on my own behalf, the risk of making a choice that won't work out, that's all managed because I'm hiding behind the sense of powerlessness that I hang on to.
I want to be done with that! I want to be authentic! I want to be genuinely brave! I don't want to be protected by my size. I don't want to need that.
So I think now commences the next leg of my weight loss journey. As I lose weight, I'll discover what more I am afraid of. But I'll be growing more too, in all the right ways.
Well its over and everything went GREAT!! I am beyond exhausted this morning and have alot of work ahead of me today. I felt pretty last night and know I wouldnt have if I hadnt lost the weight back off.
Today will be a day with good food, yesterday I have no clue what calories were, I know I didnt drink enough water.
Well yesterday wasnt a OP day. WE are the leftovers of a subway tray. THe bread is EVIL!!! Today will be back OP and I will push water. Oh and Tom showed up right after the wedding. Just thankful he waited til the wedding was over.
I got all the wedding stuff cleaned and ready to give back what we had borrowed. I also have the rest of the stuff boxed up for the grooms cousin who is going to be using yellow also and she is borrowing all our stuff. I just want it all out of my house.
Im back to work today and I think I am ready. I need to rest and I can rest better when in my routine. lol
Laundry has piled up this weekend so I will be working on that also. Its super humid here already today and storms are heading at us tonight.
I feel like I'm slowly getting back to a routine around here. I spent some time digging in the dirt, getting my house clean and planning a POP menu. Dad remains in the hospital, improving slowly.
Scale showed a slight gain this week. Didn't push water this weekend and someof my choices were not the best.
But you well deserve a break from that other kind of work.
I was going to walk to my appointments and to work today, since the temps have dropped considerably and it's very comfortable outside, but I don't think it's going to happen!
commercial came on I almost considered ordering, after all, they keep getting cheaper. I didn't though. A week ago I would have been standing at their door drooling. Hurray for me!
