Thursday, October 29, 2009

Back From The Brink

The weight that I regained is now gone! I was down to 169.5. Then I bounced back up to 173. This morning I'm down to 169, so I'm actually down another half pound. Now if I can just keep going in the right direction.

Now that the weather has turned, I have a new weight-lifting regimen. We heat mainly with a wood stove (this is Idaho folks) and a little electric. We just had 6 cords of work delivered, which is stacked in an outbuilding that used to be called a detached garage. It's my son's job to split the wood and stack it on the front porch. I've been helping to carry the log chunks from the garage. I carry just enough to know I've had a good workout, then leave him to it.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

How Flattering ...

Once again, I have been seriously derailed - I have a gross little old man's disease. That's right - I have gout. Doesn't that just sound terrible?

Actually, it's a build-up of uric acid in the joint, and mine is located in my right big toe. I've been hobbling around like an injured drunk for a week. I went in to my chiropractor and he put the joint back in for me (it was seriously out of alignment) but then it just wasn't getting better. I'm glad to say that after 24 hours of serious doses of flax seed oil, I'm almost better, but it was been a wild week, I tell you what. Practically no walking, walking slowly when I do, and lots of nice purple swelling.

So ... no exercising.

I've about decided there are some Stay Fat Fairies at work in the universe, seeking to keep us as unhealthy as possible.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Regaining my footing

I feel like I'm trying to climb a mountain, and a couple of weeks ago I slipped on a glacier and fell halfway back down. I literally gained back half the weight I have lost so far. But I'm working my way back and I'm only a pound up from where I was before I fell. I should probably come up with more analogies about pitons and safety ropes and whatnot, but it's too early in the morning to do that much thinking.

I've started exercising with Wii Fit a few times a week. It can be a little deceptive. It feels like playing a game, but the soreness and stiffness in my thighs tells me the step aerobics are a real workout and I overdid it. I've heard there's a way to play on the Wii with friends over the internet, but I haven't figured out how. Anyone know?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Making Good on My Promise

I'm here to make good on the promise I gave in my last post. I came back to make a more positive report. :-D

Tristi, I know, you're right. I should be reporting in regardless of doing well or not doing well. It's just hard when you have to keep posting that you're not doing well for weeks and months at a time! Ugh. I'll try to do better about that, though.

But, since I DO have a positive report, I'll go ahead and post it! :o)

I've started using an iPhone app I was using months ago that fell into disuse for a long time that tracks your food and exercise. It's a very handy tool and it calculates the calories you can eat each day and adjusts for the exercise you do, etc. It's called "Lose It" for any iPhone users who are interested in it.

Personally, I don't totally believe in the "calories-in, calories-out" mentality. I think it's helpful, but only part of the equation. HOWEVER, I eat way, /way/ better when I'm tracking my food, whether by calories or any other way, and this app makes it very easy to do.

So I've used it for the last two days, and I'm eating so much better. I also did a jog/walk combo on the treadmill yesterday, and took a bike ride with hubby today. I feel so good right now. I plan to go for a swim at the gym tomorrow, and then I'll have gotten in a whole triathlon. Kinda. :-P

Here's to a new week. :o)

Friday, October 16, 2009

It's No Accident

The fact that I haven't checked in for a while is no accident. I've purposely been avoiding this place because I'm ashamed at how badly I'm doing. I get a workout in here and a workout there, but I just can't get going on it. And to let you know how far off my diet I've gotten, I just eat ice cream straight out of the carton these days, even though I had gotten so good at just dishing up a little bowl when I did have some before. I was in shock a couple nights ago when I woke up out of my daze and realized just how much ice cream I had consumed in one sitting. :o(

There is a bright side, though, and I don't want to neglect it. I went to a Power Pump class last week, and another one yesterday. Even when I was in way better shape 6 months ago, those Power Pump workouts were KILLER, but I decided to go anyway instead of going to a less intense class because I want to kick myself in the butt. It was embarrassing to see myself in a mirror every direction I turned, and it was embarrassing to have to put the weights down and get a lighter set when the very slim, muscular woman next to me was putting her weights down to get a heavier one, but I dug deep and did it anyway.

I've also been on a couple bike rides with my husband in the last month, but it's been hard to find even an hour here and there when he's not working AND the sun is out at the same time.

But the treadmill and I still aren't on speaking terms. I'm going to rectify that right now, though. I'm off to jog on the treadmill, because if I say I'm going to run, I'll get scared and back out. ;o)

I'll be back soon with a more positive report. :-P

Earth to Tristi ... Come in, Tristi ...

Wow. These last two months have been pretty wild, and that's an understatement. Between my mom moving in to our already small house, and getting sick, and dealing with frisky kids and any number of other things, I feel like I've not only been derailed, but thrown off the train and run over by it. When I got on my Wii Fit the other day, it pretended to not even remember my name. (Sarcastic piece of equipment ...)

It's so easy to gain weight. It just happens and you don't have to do a single thing to cause it to happen ... just drift from day to day, not paying attention. Losing weight, on the other hand, takes a lot of attention, and I simply haven't had it to give. By the time I do all the stuff I'm supposed to be doing, and maybe get a shower in there too, I don't have anything left. This has been a constant source of frustration for two months now - having good intentions, and yet, not having the ability to do anything about it.

But the sickness is gone (I think) and my determination is growing. I've been a fat little chicky nearly my entire life. The picture I posted up top is of me and my dad, taken when I was seventeen. I'm not terribly overweight, but I'm overweight enough. My weight gain actually started when I was ten, when I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem, and it's been a battle for me ever since, made worse by compulsive overeating that started when my parents divorced. I'm tired of this being my life's pattern. I'm tired of telling myself that if I just accept myself how I am, I'll be a lot happier - guess what - I'm still not loving my weight, even after a lot of positive self-talk.

You may be wondering where all this rambling is going. I'm not really sure, but it feels good to vent. I want to change my life, but every time I try, it seems my life fights me. I'm going to have to get stronger than my life, take charge, control it and stop letting it control me. It's got to happen.

My goals for the rest of this week, and next: get back to the daily exercising. I can feel my body starting to weaken again, after all the time I spent strengthening it with regular exercise before. That's what I'll start on first, and I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

OH MY WORD, YOU GUYS!!!!!! What is better news than losing weight???? Come on, my writer friends! You know!

WiDo publishing wants to publish my book!!!!!! (Yes, I am aware there are too many exclamations and I don't care!!!!!!) I'm going to be a published author! All those hours of plunking away at the computer are now paying off! I SO love to write and now I'll be paid for it! Who would'a thunk it? he he

Not only that, but they want the book to be a series! They are also interested in another story that I just barely finished last week that they saw at the LUW conf.! WOO HOO!!! I am still on cloud nine!

I feel so blessed, so grateful and now I KNOW for a fact that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! lol

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Quick Check In

I haven't posted in a while because honestly, not much has changed. I'm still finding it hard to squeeze in exercise time, but doing good with the diet (minus a few snacking episodes this week). I'm still working on starting an exercise group with my Relief Society and have three or four girls interested. We are now working on finding a time we can all agree on. Luckily, one of the girls has keys to the Church building, so we have a place to meet that will fit all of us and our kids. I'm going to try to get it started and going this week, so I'll let you know.

As for my weight, I think I've officially lost two pounds. I haven't seen the up and down, up and down for a couple weeks. Two pounds wouldn't be such a big deal, but these are the two pounds that mean I've got to lose weight before this gets out of hand and I just need to be a little more careful. So I'm feeling good about that.

Not going the way I'd hoped.

Not going so good for me. My diet hasn't been so great. I made a half batch of cookies and that was what did me in at the beginning of the week.

My throat was sore last night and on our way home from Idaho Falls we got stuck behind a bad accident (a bus rolled over with marching band kids--from American Fork) and by the time we got out of that my throat felt worse so when we stopped at the gas station I bought a bag of Rollos to suck on to keep my throat moist--water just didn't seem to cut it. Of course, I could have bought a bag of vitamin c drops or something, but I didn't even look for that--just went straight for the chocolate because when I get stressed, chocolate is my comfort food! And I was stressed from waiting in the accident (and worrying about the people in the accident), it being so late, and we'd had a hard day of working out in my brother's yard, and wanting to get home, well--etc etc . . .

I exercised a lot this past week--the result? A swollen knee. I biked every day and went to taekwondo twice and then on Friday, even though I didn't bike, I went after school and did some 'martial arts' stuff with a couple of other teachers. So I exercised EVERY DAY and my knee did NOT appreciate it.

Luckily the swelling is gone now--this next week I'm going to take it slower--I'll try biking 2, maybe 3 times this week, and my normal taekwondo stuff. Hopefully that will help and in a couple of weeks I'll try to go back to biking every day. Maybe I just need to take it slower and build up to the exercise.

But the net result of all of this? A gain of two pounds. Sigh. Last time I dieted like this I lost 1-2 pounds a week and now I'm struggling to lose anything. I guess I need to accept the fact that things are going to be much harder this time and that at least I'm trying to improve my overall health by exercising.

Not feeling exactly comforted!



Friday, October 9, 2009

Hey guys

Hey guys. It's been a few days. Thought I'd check in. The weight is still melting away, but slowly. That's okay, as long as it leaves! =)

I'm down to 157, which makes me super happy! That makes 18 pounds in little over a month. I feel great and may do one more short stint in January to get down to where I want to be if I can't on my own by then. You can do a 40 day injection, or a 23 dayer. Either way, it's tough. It's hard to diet. It's hard not to cheat, but I've found on this diet, that you are more motivated not to cheat because you're putting out money.

My last injection is on the 15th, then I have to do three days of sticking to the diet, (because the hcg stays in your system for up to three days, and you'll gain weight if you don't.) then do a three week "no starch" diet. Although, I'll need to add plenty of healthy fat back in since my body is used to having so much in its system with the way the hcg works. It's fascinating. Anyway, that's where I am. Hope you all are doing well too. Hope to see you soon!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

I need a tune-up.

This morning was weigh-in day, and I'm up 2.5 pounds. Between my husband's low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diet and working overtime and giving in to too many cravings, I'm not doing very well here. Why do they have to put that darn Halloween candy out so far before the actual holiday? This is the toughest time of the year for me. First it's Halloween candy, then the Christmas candy comes out before Thanksgiving. Then Thanksgiving comes with the huge meal and leftovers that go on forever. Then the traditional Christmas baking and candy (which goes on sale right after Christmas). There's a quick respite when everybody is make New Year's resolutions, and the next day they bring out the Valentine's Day chocolate. As soon as Valentine's Day is over, out comes the Easter candy, and my personal worst temptation ever - Cadbury anything. Cadbury even trumps Hershey.

I have got to buckle down and get back to my original plan. It was working pretty well for a while.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I'm still HERE

So I haven't checked in in a while and was having fun reading all your updates. Congrats to Melissa and all those who have had success.

I weigh the same which is miraculous but I learned something new about myself. With my eighth baby I got CMV which turned to GB, and I was in bed for the most part of a year partially paralyzed. I recovered but still get very tired and have been told by physicians that I just need to build up my strength up by more exercise. I believed them but every time I do, I'm exhausted!

So I start a new diet plan and can't understand that after a few days I'm literally bedridden. Well, I found out after reading some medical abstracts yesterday that because of my condition (my nerves are ragged and can get swollen- its called CFIS) that high stress exercise is the worst thing I can do! They suggested, yoga or Tia chi (sp?)

That is so great because I went to the PT the other day for my knees, and he told me the same thing, that all the exercises I'd been given were actually deteriorating my knees rather than helping them and that I need to do low impact exercises the surrounding muscles instead of putting more stress on my already pathetic knees.

I guess the trick is to figure out my personalized owners manual for this body of mine and stick with it. I'm excited to start AGAIN with low impact so I don't wear myself down and see where I go. Hopefully it's all uphill and down on the scale.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Checking in

Wow, it has been a couple of weeks since I checked in. Busy times. The bad news is that I haven't lost any weight. The good news is that I haven't gained any either. I had the beginnings of a migraine at work the other day and took some Excedrine. After an hour it wasn't lessening any so I broke down and bought a Coke. I drank about 4 sips of it- and it was nasty and too sweet, all that sugar- but after those 4 sips, the headache was gone. I ended up throwing the rest of the Coke away.

I have found that since I quit eating sugar, that when I do eat it I don't really like it. I had a taste of my daughter's chocolate bar the other day. I remember them being soooo good, but this was a disappointment to me. Same with the cocoa I tried drinking after her soccer game Saturday afternoon, where it was freezing.

This will be my first holiday season without sugar so I will be posting tips and ideas as I find them. I ordered my Halloween giveaway stuff from Oriental Trading so that there will not be a ton of candy tempting me. Plus we will be in Logan with the marching band until 6 or later, so there won't be a lot of trick or treating for my kids.

Thanksgiving I usually make 10-15 pies to go along with all of the other good stuff and we nosh on it all weekend while we decorate the house for Christmas. This year my daughter has a soccer tournament in St. George starting the day after Thanksgiving so we will have to leave Thursday evening. I don't think I will make as many goodies to sit in my fridge and spoil. So maybe that will make this holiday easier.

Christmas. Last year Santa found some yummy goodies at The Good Earth. There were caramels and chocolate bars that are sugar and artificial sweetner free and taste great. Fruit leather, freeze dried fruit, cookies and everyone loved them and ask for more. It is the pies and sugar cookies that I am going to miss. Maybe I should just plan a trip to New Mexico to see my parents for Christmas.

Not Sure How

So I am not sure how it happened but I lost 4 pounds last week.

I stuck close to my goals of no seconds, small portions, and no treats except for Sunday up to Friday. Friday I went to the zoo. We saw the baby elephant (so cute!). We walked and walked. We ate an ice cream cone. I ate it thinking this will be my Sunday treat but then came Saturday. I went to a baby shower on Saturday. There were delicious treats and I ate them. I was moderate though. I ate small portions. Sunday I made a roast and potatoes and gravy. Then because my Son begged and it was Conference Sunday I made a chocolate cake. I did stick to my goals of small portions and no seconds but my goal of no treats until Sunday went out the window.

Despite my miraculous weight loss I am going back to my original goals. Why tempt fate right.

Here comes week three.

ARGGG!

Hey gang. What a strange week it was. I hardly lost any weight at all. Sometimes, on the HCG diet, your body will become immune to its affects. The symptoms are that you stop losing and you get VERY hungry. It's the HCG that keeps hunger at bay, if it doesn't work, you're starving! If you skip one day a week of the shot, you shouldn't become immune. The day I skipped the shot all I could think of was McDonalds, doughnuts, Olive Garden...you get the idea. I thought I was immune now. AND, I hadn't lost weight--and I was doing everything right--in almost two weeks.

So I decided to do an apple day which usually gets you over a plateau. It didn't work. Needless to say, I was quite discouraged. I've joined a website called Happily Thinner After that's just for people doing the HCG diet. They suggest an egg day instead of an apple day, so four days after the apple day, I did the egg day. It worked. But the weight loss has been in ounces, not pounds. That's okay though, as long as I keep going down.

So, today I was at 159 exactly. I put on some jeans I haven't worn in ages, and damn (pardon my French) but I look good! Can't wait until I'm down to where I want to be.

A Rollercoaster Week

I've had a lot of ups and downs for the past week and a half. First of all, I made the huge mistake of buying a snack size bag of Lay's potato chips, thinking just a little bit wouldn't hurt. WRONG! I have a problem with too much salt, and apparently I have been getting enough sodium in my regular diet that the chips just pushed it into critical mass. When I overdo the salt, I retain water, which seems to build up fluid in my inner ears, which makes me dizzy. I also developed a headache. (My body will take any kind of stress and manifest it as a headache.)

So I broke my rule and drank a Dr. Pepper. The caffeine is a diuretic, which helps to flush out the retained water. It wasn't enough to kill the headache though, and I took some Excedrin, which is my last resort because it makes me feel sick and very jittery. So I ate a large amount of chocolate, which for me is like a tranquilizer that doesn't put me to sleep.

After all this self-medicating, I was dreading what the scale would say on Thursday morning. Sure enough, I was up 3 pounds. It was so depressing I totally put off posting. But then the next morning, I was back down to where I had been the week before. Weird!

On Thursday night, out of the blue, my husband's sister called to say she and her husband were coming up for the weekend, and they were bringing us a Wii! She uses Wii Fit every day and loves it, and she is worried about my husband's health and wanted him to have an easy way to exercise. They got here on Friday night and my son, our resident tech expert, set up the Wii. It said I am 3.5 pounds heavier than our scale said that morning, but some of the difference could have been evening weight versus morning weight, and fully clothed versus not. At least that's what I tell myself. My body fat in the overweight range, but my Wii Fit Age is only 42, or 5 years younger than my real age.

This morning I stepped on the bathroom scale again and I'm back to where I was before the potato chips.

Update from the Nuthouse

by Rebecca Talley

Yep, my house is definitely the nuthouse! We're neck deep in home projects hoping to finish them all by next Thursday when everyone starts arriving for the open house. I'm thrilled to be getting so many projects done, especially since some of them have been lingering around the house for years. But, it's been such a time crunch that I've had to shift focus from other important things like finishing the final revisions on my next manuscript and getting a son to finish his Eagle project. He's only 13, so there's time, but I'd planned to have him do his project this summer, but wedding plans, sewing dresses, and home projects all took precedence. But, we'll get back to it in a couple of weeks and get 'er done.

I didn't lose any weight this last week, nor did I gain any. I still have 9 lbs. to get to my goal weight and hope I can do it by the end of the month--just in time to gorge myself on Halloween candy, carmel popcorn, and carmel apples (at least that one is sort of healthy, right?).

I'm back on Phase 1 of the South Beach diet for the week and hope to lose a pound or two in the next week. The weight stress is nothing compared to the open house stress I feel. At least I have some of the decorations done. And, let me just vent for a moment. I scheduled the church for Friday and Saturday next week. Somehow, that info was lost and another member of the ward scheduled a wedding the night before the open house. I'm thrilled this young woman is getting married and very happy for her, but that means I can't decorate when I needed to and I won't have the tablecloths I was counting on so now I'm in search of other tablecloths. I'm sure it will all work out, but it throws another kink into the plans.

In two weeks, I'll be so relaxed!!

Friday, October 2, 2009

I am woman, hear me roar!

Yes friends, it's time to crow! I did something I never thought possible. You see, I have a disability. And that is that I have a super sensitive smeller. Yep, super sensitive. It always has been. During my pregnancies, it was terrible because it was even more enhanced.

So, I have discovered during this diet that my main down fall is smell. If I smell it, I'm done for. If not, no biggy. I could care less about it. Well, never have I been able to resist the lure of popcorn at the theater. You walk in and the aroma engulfs you. Well, I wanted to go out with the hubby and see a movie, I LOVE going to the movies. So, I went prepared with an apple stowed away in my purse. I knew I could do this. At least I hoped I could.

We walked in, the smell overwhelming. My mouth watered instantly, but one thing I've learned this week--that I've been experimenting with--is that I can enjoy those sweet scents, but don't have to taste them. Many times over the last week, I have inhaled deeply, enjoying the smells of food I love, but have been able to refrain. I was able to do this at the theater!

Did I mention my terribly disloyal husband who bought his coke and popcorn (with butter) and sat down next to me? I gave him my best glare and told him he couldn't tempt me and that I would blog about him today and about his traitorous heart! He didn't seemed to mind.

Not once did I cheat or sneak a bite of that forbidden delicacy. I wanted to, but I had a WILL OF IRON!!!!

So, you can teach an old dog new tricks. I learned I can make a goal and stick to it, even if it hurts. The more I stick to it, the easier it gets. Although, I do miss those yummy things. Can't wait until I can have them again, in small portions! lol

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Update on Tristi

Still a little sick, still a lotta fat.