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

Quickie Weigh-In

Rainy days here. I'm on the hunt for a comfortable pair of rain boots. I just have a cute pair of uncomfortable ones. So for walking outdoors in the rain, I have a pair of fugly sneakers. Works for now.

A little more progress on the scale this week.

Weight: 185.0 lbs

A Last Minute Outing

So I didn't have much on the agenda for this weekend and while I was surfing on the interwebs, up popped an ad for Jillian Michaels' Maximize Your Life tour. Took a look and there were some tickets left. Called up a friend and she was willing to go with me. Hopped in the car and drove to Montreal and took in Jillian's show.

If you've read her books and listened to her podcasts, you'll already know a lot of what she talks about in her show. I do have a couple of her DVDs that I do once in a while (but put on mute because her voice is so grating LOL)

A few of parts of her show stood out in my mind. 

The big secret to weight loss:  Eat Less. Move more.

Ha! Simple but so true. Yep, she admits she and others make millions based on just this.

She doesn't mince her words:

It's your fault if you're fat. 

And I have to agree... it's my fault if I'm not in the place I want to be with fitness and weight. I haven't done all the work necessary to lose the excess fat. I can say I'm a work in progress. I'm definitely not in the same place I was at 220+lbs.

Fear is what holds you back from pursuing your dreams.

Will have to think about this one some more.

The Q and A section at the end, she really impressed me with the answers she gave to:

Why can't I finish what I start?

Why are there so many negative people around me?

Why do you ride on the contestants on The Biggest Loser? 

Show us your abs! -- Oh yes she did!

She did her job as a motivational speaker and left me with a few ideas to mull over at home. And gave me a little kick of motivation, even though she says motivation begins with ourselves.

Would I go and see another speaker like Jillian? Hmmm, probably not again soon. It's just not my style. I'd rather learn from books, articles and blogs rather than spend 2 hours listening to someone speak.  

Overall it was an educational and fun night, especially with her sidekick and podcast producer Janice as comic relief.

Sticking to Plan and Weighing-In

Through Easter and for the most part of the week, I've been sticking to plan. Normal portions, getting enough protein, limiting sugar and salt and for activity walking, stretching and some strength training. I'm feeling good and clothes are a little looser in some spots.

After work, which has been a biatch lately, I do really feel like just getting home as fast as possible, grabbing a quick supper and curling up on the sofa and watching TV or going on the Internet for the whole evening. Instead of succumbing, I'm fighting against this!  

I walk part of the way home, stop to do groceries, prepare a veggie-filled supper with a lean protein and then take a full 30 minutes to relax by eating my meal slowly. Savouring the bites rather than inhaling the the meal down in five to ten minutes. I find this tip from my counsellor has helped me in the past few weeks. Just slowing things down and appreciating what I have. With cleaning my routines and bad habits, things just seem to be on the right track!

Weight: 185.6 lbs 

Easter Wrap-Up

So nice to get together with relatives I don't see too often as we live in different cities. There were a lot of laughs and a lot of reminiscing about good times.

The Bad: I had pie and I had some chocolate

The Good: I wasn't feeling like I had to eat anything out of guilt, sadness, boredom, awkwardness or some other emotion.  Since it was a special occasion, I decided to indulge just a little.

The Ugly: Tears from relatives who thought I was rejecting them by leaving food on my plate. This is an ongoing issue. I did my best to explain the meal of salad, ham and roast veggies was tasty, but that I was full. I can't do anything more...

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday there were three large meals with relatives. Most served healthy food, some did not. Fried anything did not cross my lips. No doughnuts, croissants, or Belgian waffles. I was able to stay on track through all the meals with the two exceptions I mentioned above.

Food highlights: 

• A stuffed acorn squash with ground beef, diced apple and carrot with a small amount of crumbled bacon.
• Baked Trout Almandine
• Spinach salad with baby arugula, caramelised walnuts and goat cheese (I only ate a couple of the walnuts as nuts are still triggering for me these days)

I'll weigh-in on Wednesday to see if I've really kept on track.