Hodge-podge of Miscellany and Weigh-In

I've been quiet lately, just trucking along as usual, reading blogs (but not commenting too much) and thinking about things.

Finished reading The Diet Fix by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff and the upshot is:  it's just okay.  If you can find a copy on sale or at the library, I'd say it's worth a read. I found a lot of good common sense tips and strategies, things I already knew, such as logging all your food in a diary and count those calories!  A good quote is "The more weight you want to permanently lose, the more of your lifestyle you're going to have to permanently change" Very True!   But... he is okay with sugar substitutes like Splenda. For myself anyway, I find that sugar or substitutes makes me crave sugary sweet stuff all the more. And I try and keep away from processed man-made franken-foods like Splenda. (Natural, organic as much as possible works well for me.) He did not address stress/emotional eating in any meaningful way or food intolerances. Maybe saving it for another book?

On the medical front, I've had some news (not bad news, really) that I've been processing and discussing with my man. I'll be taking some meds. Have to. The doctor said some of the side effects will include fatigue.  At this point, I can't imagine being any more fatigued. This past week, my sleeping has been about five to six hours per night mainly because I can't seem to relax, stop thinking and let go. Hoping it's just a blip. I started taking a warm bath, with a few lavender drops, before bed the night before last and it seemed to help.

Been eating on track for the most part, a couple of chocolate cheats this week. I don't regret it. High quality indulgences that I didn't want to pass up. I wasn't acting out of stress or any other emotion. Nor did I chow down on a whole box! 

Exercise could always be better but I've been walking every day and stretching in some way every night. A gym membership is on the horizon. My man has said he'd join with me too. A nice step in the right direction :) With hot summer days around the corner, I won't want to be outside when it's hot, hazy, humid and smoggy. Besides I need to start using heavier dumbells. These 5lb ones I have are no longer a challenge.

Weight: 181.3 lbs   A number that is still going down :)

Eating out, Books and Still Going Down

Navigating the mine-field of eating out has been a challenge lately. Lots of graduations and birthdays have just passed and are coming up. And all involve supper at restaurants.  I know I've been making the wiser choices judging by the scale and looser pants. I usually order grilled lean meats no salt added and salads with no dressing. Drinks... water with lemon or lime, seltzer or if I'm feeling it, a white spritzer. For dessert? I chew sugar-free mint gum. Boring but it works.

I've been reading a new weight loss book and re-reading a couple of others. The new one is The Diet Fix by Yoni Freedhoff and the re-reading are Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels and Eat Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno. I know it's a bit of an odd way to read, but I read one book on the bus, one on breaks at work and another before bedtime.  It's one way to keep my mind focused on staying on track :)  I'll write a little review of The Diet Fix in a couple of weeks once I'm done.

One discouraging aspect of my life lately is that even though I've been losing steadily, it's coming very slowly off my waist. Hips, legs and everywhere else are coming along... just not that belly fat. That stubborn belly fat. In my case I just have to be patient. I'll likely see slow progress and it'll be the last to go. My mother and I share the same apple shape so I know it's part genetics. The answer I think will lie in shaking up my exercise routine. I'll be looking into what I can do and exercises that I won't get tired of doing this week.

Weight 182.5 lbs  

Mom, Chemical Footprint and a Weigh-in

Had a really nice weekend visiting my Mom. Bonus was it's warm enough to wear sandals for the first time this season! We went shoe shopping and I picked up a nice pair for work. My Mom chose a pair of Birkenstocks. Didn't know she was a hippie, ha ha! Made me realise how I've not been taking care of my feet over the winter, so we gave each other pedicures. Emery boards, foot soaks, olive oil and moisturizer, woo-hoo! No polish though... I'm just not into that.

Once home, I noticed I had some spring cleaning to do. Lots of dust and sand have come into the house from outside so after taking off a layer with a damp mop, I had a second go-round with a water-vinegar mix with a little bit of dish soap and some lavender oil drops. Did the trick. 

More and more, I'm looking to reduce the amount of chemicals I use. Like with food, just trying to make better choices. I use a damp cloth, vinegar water or baking soda water mixes as much as possible. I still keep bleach though... you never know when you have to disinfect. I use it rarely. Still haven't found a good 100% solution for the laundry yet. Method or Seventh Generation brands do an okay job.

One solution I found was for antiperspirant. I no longer use it. I use deodorant instead. I kept getting skin irritations with the standard antiperspirant brands that I had to find another solution. Also I had a couple of white dress shirts that became pit-stained. Apparently it's the aluminum that does that.  Finding a "natural" deodorant has been a trial. Going through over ten different brands until I found one that worked with my own body's chemistry.

As for sunscreen, I haven't found any ideal solution here either. The Environmental Working Group's Guide to Sunscreens is a good place to start. I use one that has zinc oxide or titanium dioxide even though they make my skin look a bit paler than I already am. Avobenzone makes me itch like crazy so I stay away from that ingredient. I also will wear a hat and stay in the shade whenever I can. But I love traveling to the beach and swimming at the lake so... I takes my chances :)

Weigh-in: 183.1 lbs

Not as good as I've been doing lately, but that number is still going down. This week I had a hard time getting a good night's sleep, which in turn made me extra groggy in the mornings and running late I had skimpy breakfasts. The domino effect set in and I became a hungry hippo at the end of the day. Yes, that problem again with eating big portions at suppertime. Also because of running late, I didn't walk in the morning and was too tired at the end of the day to make up for the lost workout.  Will do better this week!

Wonderful Weather and Weigh-in Wednesday

The weather here has been great this week, meaning no rain. Woo-hoo, bring on the allergy pills!  LOL  So I'm out walking in the morning part-way to work and after work walking part-way home. I try to keep a brisk pace and it takes about an hour of my weekday. It's a good way to relax before and after work. 

Maybe it's just the Spring, but I'm much more active outdoors. Even though I shoveled a record-breaking amount of snow this past Winter, I'm definitely more active now. There's the yard to tend to, lots of twigs and leaves picked up, lots of weeds to pull. Strength training or yoga or T'ai Chi at home in the evening is still on the schedule.

My man and I are giving some thought to Summer vacations... Lots of possibilities since we've been saving money like mad. I think one of the prettiest places I've been to was Monet's garden in Giverny. Here's a view from the flower garden looking toward the house.

I wouldn't mind going again but there's a big old world out there that we can explore.

Food-wise I've been keeping to my food plan and making sure to hit my protein targets for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack so I'm not ravenous once I get back home.

I've also been much more careful with calories on weekends. I noticed in my food journal that my calories had been getting a bit too high and some meals I just couldn't be sure 100% of the calories. I know it's eating out that is the cause. Most of the restaurants my man and friends go to are small businesses that do not post nutritional information. (Here in Canada, it's mostly fast-food chains that do.) So the calories in my journal were guess-timations... yeah, that won't do anymore! I'd usually go for a chicken stir-fry, no extra salt please or a salad with grilled or Tandoori chicken, no salad dressing.  Instead, we've been hosting friends at home. At least this way I can have some measure of control. I don't want my hard work during the week wrecked by a meal or two over the weekend!

Still on a downward trend and weighing in at: 183.8 lbs