| Goal | Actual | |
| Calories | 1540 | 1185 |
| WW Points Plus | 26-29 | 26 |
| Carbs (net) | <50 | 54 |
| Fluids/Water | 120 oz | 136 oz |
Spring Chick Check In
Nothing to new to report, still going along, walking, trying to eat right, trying to keep carbs low, trying to get enough sleep, trying to be a good mom, friend, sister, employee, daughter – sometimes there’s not enough hours in a day to be all of them to all people, is there?
Love having a buddy!
EAYGWC – Day 2 – SUCCESS
Feb 28 – EAYGWC – Day 2
| Goal | Actual | |
| Calories | 1540 | 1210 |
| WW Points Plus | 26-29 | 27 |
| Carbs (net) | <50 | 66 |
| Fluids/Water | 120 oz | 128 oz |
A much more typical week day for me. Monday to Friday when I’m working, I tend to have a protein shake for breakfast because I get up so early and my endocrinologist has instilled in me that I should eat something within an hour of getting up. I just can’t stomach food so early in the morning or so soon after waking, and I don’t want to get up earlier to take time to eat something either. So I make the shake the night before and normally drink it on the way to the train station. My carbs were a bit high as I had three servings (1/2 cup each) of fruit compared to 0 or 1 for the past few weeks so I need to make sure rising carbs don’t become a habit again, the Thai chili sauce also is high in sugar. The good thing since I started counting carbs though, is that I actually measure out fruit. It is 0 points on WW - that doesn’t mean unlimited, all you can eat – so there was no real difference if I had 1/2 cup of strawberries or a whole cup to my points at the end of the day but the carbs add up quickly so measuring is definitely important for me when it comes to fruit.
Reducing the carbs so drastically has definitely cut down on the “hungries”. I did have an attack of the sugar monster the other night which resulted in eating a box of Junior Mints (they are truly my weakness and after that box I have decided I can’t keep them in the apartment or my desk), but that was mostly related to PMS and I am confident that as time goes by on a low carb diet, even those attacks will diminish. Although they were empty calories (albeit delicious) they did fit into my calorie budget and because I did stop at the one box of Junior Mints and not use it as an excuse to go into a sugar frenzy – it also didn’t snowball into hours or days of sugar cravings as has happened in the past.
We had a little bit of the roast left from Sunday so I made a hearty soup for the boys with some fresh crusty bread and I had some beef stir fried with broccoli and red onions used 1 tbsp of Thai chili sauce (really high in sugar, hence the tiny bit) to spice it up a bit. I always said I would never cook two sets of meals, but really when the base of the meals is the same, just prepared differently, it’s not so hard. I’m in the kitchen anyway, I’m already chopping the same vegetables for the soup (I added potatoes and carrots to the soup) – it’s not that hard to throw mine in a skillet and stir fry while the soup simmers.
I’m "downwardtrenz” on My Fitness Pal if anyone wants to be friends.
Exercise
Fibre 1 Chill Challenge tomorrow night. Although I did register, it starts at 6 p.m. and the train schedules have been whacky because of a rail disaster on my train line so I am not sure I can make it there by 6 p.m. but I’m going to try. I want the toque to match my running shell and it’s 20 minutes of good exercise – I’ll most likely run and will wear my heart rate monitor and Garmin so I can have a calorie burn reading to put into My Fitness Pal.
Running Room Clinic starts next Friday and I am getting more and more excited about it as the day comes closer. Leigh and I are going to be running rock stars. It will also help me train for the Round the Bay 5k at the end of March.
A look at progress
 |  |
| 250 + lbs New Years 2009 | 202 lbs Feb 2012 |
Other Randomness
Thanks for all your input on the heart rate monitor, BodyMedia, BodyBugg and FitBit. I’m definitely leaning towards a FitBit especially since I found out it syncs with My Fitness Pal.
 |
| Feb 27 2012 - Day 1 EAYGWC |
 | |
| Start – Week 1 | 213.8 |
| Week 2 | 213.4 |
| Week 3 | 210.3 |
| Week 4 | 210.3 |
| Week 5 | 206.8 |
| Week 6 | 204.3 |
| Week 7 | No weigh in |
| Week 8 | 202.3 |
| Total Loss | 11.5 |
I weighed in for a 2lb loss this morning, so that’s 2lbs over 2 weeks. Not great, but still going in the right direction.
Here’s a recap of my goals from the start of the challenge:
Goal: Run 5K twice a week (outside or treadmill)
Not happening yet and I think this may have been too lofty. I will start running regularly again as of March 9.
Goal: Track and stay within WWP+ every day/week (27 per day + 49 per week)
Yes!!!! To be honest this one was easy as I’ve been doing it so long. I’m now down to 26 points per day and I think since the challenge started, I went over my total points on one day.
Goal: Run 2x a week either inside or treadmill. Do some kind of workout 5x a week
No running to speak of, but I have been walking every day
Goal: My check in day will be Wednesdays as that’s my WW Weigh-In day. I’ll blog at least 4x a week about progress and life in general.
I’m averaging about 3x a week but always do my weekly update!
Goal: Following a whole bunch people doing the challenge.
I’m following about half the challengers and I try to comment at least once a week on each of their blogs. I also have Cowgirl Warrior as my motivation buddy and it’s great checking in with her just about every day.
I’ve been doing well with eating, not exactly following the metabolic diet but going in and out of Phase 1 and 2 and keeping track of carbs. I’ve noticed that I have cut way back on fruit as well as the starchy/high carb vegetables and also am drinking a whole lot more water than I was before.
Goals for Week 9:
Tonight’s dinner was pork schnitzel – cooked in the oven, steamed green beans with a bacon cream sauce and there was rice and corn for the boys as well. I made the cream sauce using evaporated skim milk, garlic cloves and cornstarch and stirred in very crispy bacon bits. It was really, really good. The schnitzel was lightly breaded but it was so light that I’m not worried about it and I counted the carbs for it. I could have done a plain pork chop for myself but I didn’t feel like opening another package of meat to take out one chop. I’ve been keeping my carbs between 25-50 grams and most times they are under 35, the odd day it goes a bit higher.
I’m experimenting with what the right level is for me. I’ve tried to do as much reading as I can on low carb diets/lifestyles and they all seem to say the thing for a quick weight loss is maximum 25 g but that should only be for a few weeks then I find varying info from under 50 g to 50-100g for ongoing weight loss. It’s not difficult to stay under 50 so I think if I can keep losing at that level and get my head around the fact that this is not a temporary thing, I have to eat this way forever – I think I can do it! Most of the reading I’ve done says that 150g or more is not recommended for weight loss and definitely not for anyone with any kind of metabolic disorder.
The trick for me has been to make sure that I eat enough at each meal so I don’t get low blood sugar because if I do, all bets are off, and I start to crave any kind of carb that will quickly turn to sugar and make me feel better. The other part is to find ways to still have meals I enjoy and are not repetitive. Like I said, I’m not at the “food for fuel” stage yet and I don’t want to get bored eating the same things every day and then go crazy because I want pasta – dammit!
I bought yam noodles today too at Loblaws. Never tried them, but read about them on someone’s blog – wish I could remember whose – and I’ll try those one night this week to see if I like them. Have any of you ever tried them? Recommendations?
I have not talked about exercise in a long time. I’ve been walking 30-45 min every day either at lunch or when I get home in the evening but I have not been running or doing anything else. My gym membership expires tomorrow and I have no desire or inclination to renew it. I am getting more and more interested in cross fit from hearing about through Guenther, illiterate and CarbTripper but I am very intimidated at the thought of trying it and I can guarantee I won’t go by myself while I feel that way. The good news is that our weather is staying mild and in a few weeks it should be lighter longer and I can run at the park near my apartment after work again and Leigh and I start our Running Room Clinic on March 9. I am really excited about starting to run regularly again and I think I will do better with a group than on my own – I did so much better when I ran with Guenther regularly.
The Spring Chick Challenge is really keeping me focused on my goals and it surprises me because I normally hate challenges! But whatever works, right?
While I’m on that, I just want to give Stormy a big shout out for all the work she has put into this challenge, her encouragement, her mini challenges and her organization at keeping us all on track. Thanks Stormy!
I’m flirting with the idea of taking up this challenge too…but am a bit scared….I have a couple of days to think about it before I make up my mind. The theory itself is one I believe in, I know a lot of people have lost weight following it, I just need to be sure I want to and can commit to it. I’m tracking my calories for the next few days (before I let Allan know I want in) so I can see how close I am to my calorie allotment right now (1540 for me , goal weight is 140) because I do not want to set myself up for failure or take on something I can’t stick to.
Yeah, I get it’s a challenge and it’s not supposed to be easy – but at the same time – I don’t need to add more stress to this process.
I really feel like Week 7 was a waste of a week in weight loss land.
I was doing well following my metabolic diet up until Tuesday night. Then Wednesday morning I had to go for some upper G.I. tests, which meant fasting and then drinking that awful barium chalky drink.
From then, the entire week went downhill and I am hoping the slide ends today. First, after I left the clinic I knew I had to eat, I was shaky, sweaty, dizzy – all signs of low blood sugar – so I went to Tim’s and got a breakfast sandwich. Still determined to follow my diet as close as possible but knowing I needed carbs quickly, I took off half the English muffin and ate the bottom half, the egg and the ham (didn’t get the cheese). I drank my tea and within 15 minutes I felt better. I got on the subway and two stops later had to get off because I knew I was going to throw up.
Thankfully I know Union Station like the back of my hand so I was able to sprint to the washrooms.
The day and the week just kept getting worse from then. I don’t know if I was sick because of GERD, the barium swallow, low blood sugar or some other random configuration – but it lasted all day. The nausea, the shaking, the fever/chills. That night I was so tired I went to bed early.
The next day I decided to go easy on my stomach and just eat some toast and chamomille tea and forget about the metabolic diet for a day until my stomach could stomach real food. I made it til lunch time and then it hit again.
Friday was the same. I did go out for dinner with some friends on Friday night but it was more for the company and because I had cancelled a few weeks ago and didn’t want to again. I did order food but picked at it and only ate some toast and coffee.
Saturday I pretty much stayed in bed until 3 p.m. and when I got up I made some homemade chicken soup for me and Liam and had a piece of rye toast. There were a few iffy moments where I didn’t think it was going to stay down…but so far so good.
I didn’t get to WW yesterday as they close at noon. My scale yesterday afternoon showed an increase that isn’t possible by any laws of physics, so I’m hoping its a combination of being ill and not eating properly for 4 days and extra sodium.
This morning I am feeling more human. No fever, no chills and no stomach problems. So I’ll eat lightly today and hopefully tomorrow can try eating properly again and lose these pounds that shouldn’t really be there.
Like I said, Week 7 – no progress – a complete waste in the weight loss world. Let’s hope Week 8 is a bit more productive.
 | Weigh in this week – 204.3 which is 2.5 down. Total down for the challenge is 9.5. |
 | My eye continues to heal. Some days are better than others, but overall, it’s getting better and better. |
 | My new way of eating this week was following a metabolic diet which is very low carb. Although I’ve been low-processed-carbs for several years, I realised I was still eating too many natural carbs – fruit, brown rice, oatmeal, root vegetables and decided to try something different. My biggest challenge was replacing the carb calories with protein calories so I wouldn’t be hungry. For a non-carnivore, this was hard…but I’m getting there! The diet is very close to Atkins Phase 1. I’ll write more about it and how I”m making it work for me, in a separate post. |
 | That’s my joke for the day! The weather is not cooperating with me and I am not cooperating with myself by pushing myself to the treadmill. Between my eye and the “just not feeling like it” mood this week, exercise was non existent. |
|
| This is a good tip – I’ve been doing this for years, it also makes you very conscious of when you go for seconds so you have a better idea of how much you’re actually eating. So I’ll keep doing this! |
My goals for this week are pretty much the same:
I had all kinds of plans for today but woke up with a sinus cold and was coughing most of the night so I cancelled everything in favour of sleeping in, which did help a little. I am going to go back to bed for a few hours before my eldest son comes home and I have to start the food/work/school prep stuff for the week ahead. I swear the clocks from Friday night to Sunday night go at double time…do you ever feel that way?
I need to review my goals from the beginning of the challenge and see where I am at half way point – but not today.
My word for this week is "submersed".
I have submersed myself in a whole new way of eating. Today is Day 4 and I am committed to two weeks. Today I was a little more creative in my cooking and enjoyed my dinner more than I have the first three nights, so it's all about relearning how to cook and what makes a meal.
I am scouring blogs and recipe sites for ideas and inspiration. I would like to get to the point where it's not about food - it's about fuel for my body -but I'm not there yet. Right now, it's about the food.
My scale is showing a slight drop since last Friday's weigh in - keeping my fingers crossed it carries through to Saturday morning.
I realised driving home tonight that it is Valentine's Weekend coming up and although I survived my first Valentine's Day alone last year, the thought of it this year is a bit depressing. Not that I expected to have a new love of my life yet, but I miss Couplehood, you know?
 | Eye Update Thankfully my baby blues are well on the road to recovery, not 100% there yet but getting closer. The opthomologist took out the contact lens bandage and although I did feel some slight irritation, it wasn’t painful and every day it should get better. I am going to miss my contacts for the next month or so. I hate glasses! |
 | Cross Fit Workout My trial class was Kettlebell class. Well.. that was a story. I thought it was tonight but turns out its next week. Now after driving to a scary (to me) part of Hamilton in the dark to an area I’ve never been to, you would think I would have just gone in and asked if I could do today instead since I was there. I didn’t. 1. I am really not good at asking for stuff like that when I committed to a different day. 2. I admit it did look a bit scary and intimidating inside. 3. My eye was hurting me on the way there from the lights and when I realised the mix up, I thought maybe it was for the best anyway. |
 | Food I am changing up my routine this week. Will tell you all about it (success or epic fail) on the weekend when I do my Spring Chick weekly check in. |
 | Random Otherness I could really get used to not working. Although I wasn’t really well the last few days, not working was really nice and because it was unplanned, it was really, really nice to just go with the flow of the day and have no plans. I need to win the lottery or find a sugar daddy so I can keep living the lifestyle I’d like to become accustomed to. |
 | Health I am feeling very much better. I think we’ve licked the breathing issues, I’m sleeping better, have way more energy than I did a month ago and feel so much less stressed. |
 | Blessed I am reminded again this week how very lucky I am to have amazing people in my life who love me, take care of me, encourage and support me, teach me and make me smile. |
 | Here’s to a great week ahead for all of us! Now my eye really is hurting so I am going to take T3 and go to bed because tomorrow is back to work. |
What a cute badge! Thanks Stormy!
My 5 week total loss is 7 lbs. I am back on the path to Onederland and this time I need to find the formula to keep me below that 200 number and keep going down. I’m working on a plan in my head, not quite ready to share though.
Week 4/5 – Had a bit of setback with my eye injury in both exercising and food but the worst is over and I am back on track and going full strength. I managed to be caffeine free for 14 days and had limited sugar to once a week, but now I am starting my count over as the last three days have been very much off plan and off track.
My next eye check up is on Monday and if all goes well, and the contact lens bandage is removed, I have a cross fit class at 6:15 that night – a kettle bell class! I am a bit scared but at the same time, am looking forward to something new. Once my eye has healed I will be back to running and my Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun schedule of exercise like I planned last week.
At the start of the challenge I was aiming for 1lb a week so I am a bit ahead of schedule, but not getting cocky as I know my pattern of weight loss. I would love to be back under 200 by the end of the challenge…that’s my goal and I’m working towards it.
Best moment so far was running those 30 min last week after so long of not being able to. I don’t think there’s been a “worst moment” yet. I’m trudging along. There have been lots of great moments, meeting Leigh, signing up for two more races, the boxfit class, the smallest size in my favourite plus size store (Avenue) being too big, being called Skinny Minny by a coworker (who is a real skinny minny herself)….realising I can live without sugar and caffeine every day!
So this week ahead I’m focusing on getting back to exercising, tightening up my food choices and generally working on getting as healthy as I can. Stuff is gonna happen, stuff I can’t control – it’s what I choose to do NEXT that is important.
Would love a buddy!!!! I am always available by text/email or MSN messenger because they are on my iPhone but any other kind of chat is iffy because I am not on my laptop much anymore and my evenings are usually full of domesticity or trying to fit in exercise or sleep! So Stormy if you’re coordinating, I’d be glad to send you my contact info, just let me know!
Hope you all have a great week 6.
My eye is so much better today. Truly, our bodies are amazing creations capable of so much more than we think or give them credit for.
Even up to last night, I was in a huge amount of pain and could barely keep my eye open at all and light was extremely painful. Less than 24 hours later, although my vision is blurred in that eye, the pain is so much less and the light is just annoying rather than painful. I am sincerely hoping by Monday to be completely as good as new. I am still babying it until the contact lens bandage comes off on Monday so I am trying to keep it dry, out of the wind/elements and as clean as possible to speed up healing.
I don’t actually know what the cause was, whether I tore it trying to take out a contact lens or whether the lens itself was the cause – either way, it is extremely painful and I truly hope none of you ever experience it.
Thanks so much for your well wishes and concern. It meant a lot to me. I have to say I have amazing friends. My friend Shelley and her husband Kevin took awesome care of me for two days - letting me live in their home and driving me to medical appointments and making sure I was fed and comfortable. I am so blessed to know them.
I did get to WW today to weigh in and lost 3.5 lbs...which is a bit of miracle considering since Tuesday I have eaten out meals because of this injury and being away from home. And I’ve been unable to exercise. I am working diligently to make sure I don't have a regain next week. This is also a carryover from last week which was PMS week....but regardless...I'll take it!!! Onederland is in sight again!
I’m going to say this is my Week 5 weigh in for the challenge as I am so skewed in the timeline and just continue along with the weeks as set out by Stormy so I don’t get all mixed up and don’t have confusing posts! I’ll do a proper Week 5 recap on the weekend.
