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Today was the last chest day for round 1 of my strength training class. I get measured on Friday. Hopefully I've got some big losses re: inches, because the lbs on the scale really SUCK!!
I went for a walk yesterday - 2 miles total. I walked to the grocery store and then bought groceries and walked back. I bought a 5lb bag of potatoes, a 5lb bag of apples as well as 2 1-L containers of juice and other stuff. I gotta say, carrying about 15 lbs of groceries home is HARD! MY arms were all stretched out and my knuckles were dragging on the ground by the time I walked back home (1 mile). Yikes! But it was kindof a great way to get a short walk in - felt great!! And my knee was okay. It doesn't quite feel 100% stable yet; like if I'm not careful it could happen again, but I was careful and so the walk was completely uneventful (the way it should be!!)
Alright, I gotta get to work. Have a good one!!!0 -
Hi guys! Hope you all had a lovely weekend. I totally lapped up the amazing weather on Saturday and got in a TON of walking and workouts both days, woohoo! I feel like I'm totally on top of my fitness game now and I'm really enjoying seeing how much I improve.
Like you Karrie, still hoping that I have some inch loss or at least a body shape-shift! I do feel better but I don't find my clothes are baggy really yet. Great that your knee is doing much better, Karrie. I hope it's back to normal soon! What is your half-marathon date again?
Mihani, too bad you had to work so much this weekend. Do you think we could draft a petition here to ask your boss to hire some help and you could pass it along to him? We could be persuasive!! I laughed at your dog brushing too. My sheltie mix is losing SO much right now. It's just everywhere. There aren't enough brushes in the world and he squirms so much!
Zooty, you have a chow chow mix!!! Omg, post pictures if you get a chance one day! My fiance's family are long time chow lovers (generations!) and I think they are hilariously cute. Your mix with malamute sounds so cute too. Great job with the taste buds and all the veggies and smoothie too!! I'm still struggling with finding a smoothie I like that still has some greens in it! I can't tell but maybe I just don't like spinach in smoothies? I made a super basic one and I still felt like I had to choke it down this morning (almond milk, spinach, berries, almond butter, flax seed, banana).
I think the more stressed I am about food and my weight, the worse I am becoming with my habits. I am reading about emotional eating a lot and it all makes sense but I am having so much trouble putting it into practice. I am actually at the point of thinking of going to see someone about it. Anyone else have issues with this? I recognize my problems but can't seem to figure out the solution, which makes me stress more, and then binge on chocolate more after all my healthy meals!0 -
lia - try adding an extra banana to cancel out the flavor of the spinach...!
My half marathon is May 31st - just 5-1/2 weeks away. It's seriously go time - I have no more time for injuries!!!0 -
Zoot, great job with the smoothie and walking. I had not heard it expressed as adaptable taste buds, but I like that. One of the group members, Sabine, says that she eats what she wants but what she wants has changed. I like that too. My older dog is a German Shepherd. Not pure, but close. I had an Australian shepherd years ago, she was one of my all time favorite dogs with a bigger than life personality, but she was SO smart that she was all kinds of trouble, and I swore I’d never have a dog smarter than I am again lol.
Karrie, I’m betting you see some great results on the measurements. Didn’t you say that your clothes are fitting better? That’s really tough walking that long loaded down with groceries. I just can’t get over how awesome you are doing with the exercise. I need some of your determination!
Lia, I wish I had a solution, if I did I wouldn’t be struggling either. I definitely seem to get out of control when I’m stressed or upset. I’m really trying to at least binge on better things. Like if I want to eat two big huge bowls of salad then I will, or I will make a BIG bowl of chopped up fruit with a few nuts and maybe some shredded coconut or even a few dark chocolate chips. Cardamom and cinnamon are really good on fruit salad too. It seems like a really decadent dessert, but filling and doesn’t kill my calorie budget. Have you tried any other greens? I sometimes use romaine or even a handful of spring mix, those are really mild in a smoothie. I will use kale sometimes, but I don’t like too much of it in smoothies. I haven’t tried collards, chard, bok choy, etc. but I keep meaning to. They just don’t seem smoothie-ish to me.
I was sick as a dog on Saturday night. I was fine all day, late in the evening I got really sick to my stomach and was up almost all night. I don’t know if I had a little bit of food poisoning or what. I am still feeling pretty beat up but better. I was okay enough on Sunday to go back to the office for a while but I didn’t stay too long. I left the office on time today and I’m going to hit the couch here in a few minutes. I haven’t eaten anything but saltines and ginger ale for 2 days and a little bit of mashed potatoes last night. I’m seriously craving some veggies and fruit now, but I am afraid to eat much yet. I may make some plain noodles tonight, maybe toss them with a tiny bit of olive oil.
I’m off to rest and recuperate.
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Hi all! Been swamped in my Economics class (ugh!) and finally finding time to come up for air. I think being back in school while working is one of my biggest challenges when trying to focus on my health. I tend to let eating right and working out slip way too far. Still trying to figure out if I want to keep pursuing this all the way through to my MBA or if I want to stop after the next class and pursue my CPA. I struggle with this decision immensely. I read a quote the other day that talked about the donkey that starved because it couldn't decide which bunch of hay to eat from. Kind of hit the nail right on the head!
Yesterday was on track all day until dinner again. I got home and went for a quick 30 minute walk before settling in to study. On days I am studying DH is in charge of dinner, which, never really ends well. I think we both kind of feed off of each other when it comes to our food issues. Even though dinner was off track I felt like it was a successful day just by having everything so on track through the day AND getting in a walk. Hoping focusing on what I am doing right will help keep me from criticizing myself so much. I tend to get caught up in perfectionism a lot and I know that is another thing I need to work on in order to be successful.
Hope you all have a great day! Will check back in later.
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Good morning.
I had a terrible sleep last night. I dreamed it was time for the half-marathon. But I was wearing something on my leg that was keeping me from bending my knee. I could barely walk let alone run. And my friend didn't even show up. And I was late and missed the beginning of the race. And then because it was a dream, I did part of the race on rollerblades and another part of the race in a wheelchair. Good grief!! Maybe I'm getting a little worried about race day?!?!?! lol... It is rather funny, though - could it be any more obvious that I think I can't do it?!?!?!
Because I had a bad sleep, I didn't get up this morning to do a workout. And the kids have activities tonight, so I guess that means today is a rest day. Oh well. I can allow myself that. I am nervous about how I'm going to increase my mileage in just 5 weeks without blowing my knee again. Time to make a game plan. I've been kind of tossing around a running schedule in my mind, but I think I have to write something down and see if it's do-able and then either commit to it and do it, or bow out of this race if it's unacheiveable...
Also, with a lack of sleep comes bad food choices. I had peanut butter toast this morning for breakfast, followed by a giant bowl of pistachios. But I think I'm going to make up for that by having a big salad for lunch and then maybe a stirfry for supper, sans rice... Just the veggies, please! Let's see if I can salvage this day, after all.
I hope you're all having a better day than me!!0 -
WHN- how nice that you have a grocery store that you can walk to! I live where you have to drive to most anything though I do have a farmer's market about 2 miles away and am threatening to get one of those tricycles with a basket that I saw at Sam's Club, lol. Your dream was rather funny; they can be so quirky! Hopefully you will sleep much better tonight. Rest days are important, too! Definitely true for me on the poor sleep/bad choices issue.
Lia, I will see what I can find for photos of her. She passed away about 10 years ago but was a wonderful girl. She was all blue and a rescue. What helped me change the most, and is the source of my motivation, is that I finally got angry. I got my back up and this has been quite useful. For almost a year and a half I have deliberately channeled that anger into researching to find a better solution and I am currently reading Fuhrman's End of Diabetes. Obviously what I had been doing all my life was an abysmal failure and I only needed to recognize the condition of my health and body to know that truth. What I wasn't doing before was looking and that was the emotional component for me- denial. I now ask myself periodically "is this working for me?" and if not, I tweak which is what has led me here. After daily research in all nutritional areas for 18 months, I see that Fuhrman is wrong about a few things but for the most part I agree with him and chalk those things up to his soap box and selling books. Nobody has all the answers and you have to sift through things to determine what is right for you personally, which is what I am also doing. I don't see the learning ever ending and that is quite good in my opinion. I feel that we should always be open and flexible about change. Also, I promised to give myself 5 minutes for anything that I don't want to do be it exercise, chores, anything. 99% of the time I do it after the 5 minutes so that trick works. Maybe when you feel stressed or emotional about eating you could try 5 minutes of exercise, meditating, journaling, etc...? A small break in the negative thought process can do wonders. Also, on the smoothies, I don't eat sugar and use only a bit of stevia and minimal berry fruit because I have to. Not eating too many sweet foods (natural or not) makes everything else taste naturally sweeter and now a strawberry tastes like candy to me. If I try a banana I can hardly stand its sweetness. It is a good thing, though. I have used every type of green (kale, collards, chard, baby spinach, romaine, bok choy, celery, parsley, avocado, you name it) and they all are fine. I invested in a Vitamix last year and it pulverizes anything.
My experiment this week continues with the morning pre-breakfast exercise (day 3 today) and it is a resounding success so far. I get a ton of energy from it which completely amazes me. I have already cut out lunchtime coffee and reduced morning coffee, too. I walked 4 1/2 miles Sunday, 5 1/3 miles yesterday and today the goal is 6 miles. I was down 1/2 lb this morning so between this and the ramping up the plant foods things are looking up! Last night I had a 2 ounce grass fed beef burger on my homemade grain free bun, an artichoke and a big salad of baby greens. I was very pleasantly full and satisfied with far less meat than normal. I am trying to do no meat except at dinner this week and added in 1 Tbsp beans with dinner last night as Fuhrman suggests per meal to start. I need to do that and see how my sugars go. Do any of you have a good egg substitute for baking? I tried ground chia slurry yesterday and it failed me with my morning mug muffin.
Mihani, we had a typically colored tan and black GS and a silver and black one growing up. Lovely dogs! Get well soon; food poisoning and stomach bugs are awful!
NewMe- I have been seriously thinking of returning to school myself. At 52 I had doubts but I feel so much better now I believe it is entirely possible so good for you doing it while working full time! I like that donkey quote a lot- that is me, too. I can't decide what I want to be when I grow up, lol. I have a BA in history and a minor in English Lit. then went to law school but quit when I became disillusioned. Sometimes I wish I had done medical or veterinary school but that is out now because there is nothing where I live. So, I have considered pharmacy, MBA in health care or general MBA. My problem is that too many things interest me. Part of my intense researching this last 18 months has been to exercise my brain and gear up for school again.
Sorry this is long, I did warn you, lol!0 -
For egg replacement I use 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water. I use it in everything - muffins, cookies, etc. But here's an image you might find useful...
I always think about going back to school too. But like you, I am interested in too much stuff, so I'd never be able to decide what to study...0 -
Thank you!!! I will copy that and try them out. I really appreciate your posting that
. Printed and on refrigerator already, lol. 0 -
Hey everybody, long time no see0
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You've got to be kidding me. I just wrote a huge post and that's all that shows up?
I will type it on my laptop later today, but in a nutshell, you are all doing great, and I'm getting back on track0 -
I ate salad last night and it tasted soooo good. It's funny usually I'm craving the stuff I was eating when I was sick, but I got tired of it fast when that was all I was eating, and wanted veggies. I'm going out after work with a friend, and I'm pretty wary of having a drink with just recovering from this bug or whatever it was. I may have one glass of wine or I might just have club soda. We'll see. I went to bed really early so I'm up way too early. Guess I'll head to the office and get a head start on the day. Going back to smoothies for breakfast and lunch today. Will have salad at the pub.
Hey Peas, glad you're back! Hope you're feeling good.
I read everyone's posts, will take more time to catch up tonight or tomorrow.0 -
Was measured this morning; I didn't see the numbers yet, but she told me I lost 1" from my waist and another from my hips. My results are not quite accurate, though, because I was late this morning, so I had to be measured after the workout instead of before. So she said I've likely lost a bit more than that. But it's a fine measuring point for the next 8 weeks.
This time around, I really need to focus on my fruits & veggies and on my carbs (reducing them!). That's gotta become my main focus!!
Today was shoulders & back day. I increased weight on each and every exercise. Then, I pushed through 100 shoulder presses at 10lbs (remember, it was just last week that she took my 5's away from me and gave me 8's!!). I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I did it!!! Now she's probably going to push me even harder (oh no, what I have done!!!!) So tomorrow I will not be able to lift/reach or even wash my hair... But it felt good to be that strong and to prove myself wrong!
I'm going to give it a go on Friday for leg day, but I've gotta get out and buy myself a knee tensor. I still feel a bit wobbly and I don't want to do any more damage to it.
Alright, I really have to run. Have a great day!!0 -
WHN- Woot! Grats on losing an inch in various places!! That is fabulous!
DH and I shut down the gym last night at 10 pm and I don't want to go that late again if I can help it. I was fairly energized and got to bed late as a result. I walked on the indoor track to get my step numbers up and kept seeing myself reflected in the windows (not pretty since they distort you larger like TV- maybe that was intentional?) but it motivated me rather than discouraged me so that is an attitude NSV for me. I must get my weight training on a schedule like I have managed to do with my walking but one accomplishment at a time. I feel like such a wussy weakling and I desperately need toning. I didn't get to 6 miles yesterday but at least matched the day before at 5 1/3. I need to shift the majority of my exercise to earlier in the day to make sure I get it done. I want to walk 10 miles in one day just to say to myself that I did it so that on a hard day I can remind myself of that accomplishment. My record to date is 8 miles or about 20,000 steps. Last night my only animal product was 4 steamed shrimp with a big salad, steamed broccoli and another artichoke for dinner and I was full but not bloated despite the volume. I have finally learned to eat my salad first then go for the other veggies while using the meat as a condiment. Later I will reduce the meat further. I made a quick dressing with a tsp. of cashew butter, a squirt of toasted sesame oil for flavor (I would like to find a flavorful substitute for that) and some honey balsamic vinegar and it was pretty good. Eating in that order and using meat as a condiment is another NSV for me and I am really enjoying it to my pleasant surprise . What I seem to be seeing this early on (day 4) with the increased LC veggies/lower animal products/no dairy/no grains/some fruit is exactly what Fuhrman predicted; even better glucose control and feeling really good. I find that fascinating. As I have previously mentioned, I got off of all of my meds over a year ago on my variation of LCHF/paleo but I am not 100% satisfied with the results. I am liking this WOE much better even though I saw nothing wrong with the other variation. This is just far less animal & added fat/way more plant. It did correct my lipid profile so there is something to it. I notice that my glucose comes down much better after exercise and is better to begin with when I get all of my daily servings of veggies so I hope that becomes consistent. I also have been pushing more fruit (just berries) and started the beans at each meal and so far I've managed to tolerate 3/4 c fruit/ 3 Tbsp beans in a day with no negative effects but I am taking that up slowly to find my limits. I have also started one glucomannan fiber before each meal per Dr. Hyman's recommendations and I find that it does indeed make the meal more lasting for satiation and should help with glucose spikes. Are any group members diabetic besides me? If so, what have you experienced?
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good NSVs, Zooty! I'm not a diabetic, so I can't give you any feedback there...
I popped back online because I forgot to tell you an interesting story a friend told me yesterday.
His aunt used to work at the mayo clinic. Back when he was an older teen or young adult, (so this would have been in the 70's-80's), she told him that they had done a study on the consumption of asparagus and it's effect on cancer. She told him that the results were so dramatic, and that the study was shelved because of it. No money in giving out prescriptions of asparagus!!! CAN YOU FRIGGIN' BELIEVE THAT!?!?! How in the heck are we ever supposed to make TRUE advances in science if the most basic, easy-to-follow and AFFORDABLE solutions are kept secret!?!?!?! That just ticks me off.
But he said he's never forgotten that, and while he could never give up meat, he certainly believes in the power of produce!!
Just wanted to share - if anyone would appreciate that story, I knew it would be you guys...
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That's really interesting Karrie. I love asparagus, I guess I should eat it more often! I hope you're able to lift your arms tomorrow. I do like the soreness that comes from a hard workout though, so much better than the soreness that comes from everyday activities that are too hard because I'm out of shape.
Zoot, I know a couple people were at least pre-diabetic in the group, can't recall who exactly. I have been okay there, but I do have some adult onset diabetes in my family history so I am very aware of it and hoping never to have to deal with that.
I am back on real food as of last night as I mentioned. Today I had my smoothies, some carrots and celery, an apple. At the pub I had one craft beer and split a hummus plate with my friend. It was really good. I had so much fun, but just getting over this bug I am awfully tired. I will be heading to bed early again tonight. I'm thinking that starting next week I'm going to make it a goal to be in bed no later than 9:00 so I can get up early and work out before I get ready for work. I need to make exercise a priority and the way work has been lately it's just not happening in the evenings.
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I have given up on trying to post a full update; I've now lost everything 3 times while trying to post. Suffice it to say I am fine, just maybe hiding out a bit because I know my eating hasn't been very good.
You guys sound like you are doing really well, from Mihani's super healthy smoothies (one day I'll get there!), to Karrie's strength training class, and it's nice to see some new faces. Naughty ZOOT, love your username
Have a good night, everybody.0 -
That is really interesting about the asparagus! I am not at all surprised to hear that the study was shelved, though. I wonder if his aunt ever told him the amounts used in the study. I Googled and found this which explains why it is effective: http://www.livescience.com/45295-asparagus-health.html. I too love it but I am one of the unfortunate souls that gets the stinky pee after eating it
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MakePeas- thanks for the name compliment, we are big Monty Python fans in our house. I have had the same posting issues as you in the past so sometimes I just open a document, type, copy and paste so that I don't lose my thoughts. Just a suggestion.
I had a mammer jammer green smoothie at lunch and raised my fruit content to 3/4 cup as planned. I had great blood sugars so I will have to eliminate some of the variables to see what is making the difference. I think tomorrow I will skip the glucomannan and see what happens. I am also soaking 1/4c steel cut oats in the refrigerator to try Dr. Fuhrman's suggestion of eating them uncooked but soaked to improve the resistant starch which I have to have to control my glucose levels. This will be the first oatmeal or any grain I have tried in nearly 18 months so wish me luck!0 -
Oh Zoot, as I have been reading/catching up today, all I can think to ask is, "Do you want to be spanked first?"
Lol...
Good luck with your soaked oats!
For an interesting read on the progression of cancer treatment, try "The Emperor of All Maladies", it was also a two part film on PBS recently. It was interesting to see how the thought processes have changed, where the thinking started with researchers, and to think of how things will change again. I probably would have died from the treatment, much less the cancer, in the 80's. Maybe even in the 90's. Or at least wished I had.
I have three more papers to write, and I am taking the dogs to the vet today for boosters and...I forget what else, lol! Good thing, though, as I think the puppy may well have a UTI. Certainly acts like it. She has slept through the night with me for the last two nights, which means I am still exhausted but better. Exhaustion also leads to poor food choices for me, as it has the past few days. Not entirely, but enough to throw off progression. And as we all know, it is hard to remain motivated in the face of poor progression.
I worked the weekend, which I hear was beautiful (patients family members kept coming in and telling us how wonderful it was outside, we were thinking, what is wrong with you people? We won't even get lunch and you have to keep telling us it is amazing outside??? I have to laugh or I would cry.)
The interior construction is pretty much done, with the exception of a few detail things! Thank you God! Our new bathroom suite is so nice, and so relaxing...there is much decorating to do yet (yay!) and my hubby has to do the shelves in the new linen/storage closet so we can get the bins of those things put away-and thus have the walk in closet cleaned up-but we are so close and nobody is here bounding around or sawing anything! We have some work to finish outside on the patio/deck, but...I can deal with that.
I had watermelon, strawberries, and Greek yogurt for breakfast. I think I will have a spinach salad (sensing a trend here, guys) with berries for lunch, and I think I will make a decked out veggie soup for dinner. My youngest stepdtr has requested lentil tacos for dinner soon, I think that will be Friday. That is a big deal as she is quite the carnivore, so even though she will eat anything without complaint, I get excited when her requests expand!0 -
Lol! That is Dh's department. He is Sir_Robin, btw. Maybe he isn't brave enough to spank, though, lol. Well I had a disappointing test with the oats this morning after almost a year and a half of not consuming them and I was curious but very skeptical. I soaked 1/4 cup plain McCann's steel cut oats overnight in water then warmed them for 15 seconds in the microwave to remove the chill. The theory is that if you consume them raw but softened then the resistant starch is not reduced by the cooking process and then it is a slower digestive process and easier on glucose levels. I ate them 100% plain with nothing else (except I did take the glucomannan cap which should have slowed things down more). I am testing after coming across this theory called The McDougall Diet which is based on starches (corn, potatoes, rice, wheat, etc.) with the addition of fruits and vegetables. I cannot believe in any way, shape or form that this is healthy for diabetics despite his claims but I am always curious. My pre-test glucose was 108, at one hour (should be under 140) it is 242 so I am aborting the test at this point. I am wondering what it would be without the glucomannan cap! Seeing a number like that gets me all anxious and that raises glucose further so not a good thing. I'm going to go work on getting that down again now. Guess that answered my question! I will continue with my ETL ramp-up and see how that goes. So far my glucose levels have been improved and I am down 1 lb in 4 days so let's hope is a real trend!0
