FatKat

2009-10-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Stop, start, stop, start... I am a blogging failure with this blog.

But.

I have not been a failure with the weight loss. I recommitted to getting my fat ass trimmed down about 13 weeks ago, and it's now 30 pounds lighter.

50-55 more to go.

The Spouse Thingy and I started this together; we sucked it up and joined Jenny Craig, because having to report to someone, explain if we weren't making progress, seemed like a good idea. Accountability tends to work.

And it did. Right up until they kicked my ass out of there. He gets to stay; I'm on my own.

To be fair, they didn't kick me out for noncompliance or for being a bitch; they refunded my contract because I am too sensitive to the soy in their foods, and the JC nutritionist was afraid it would turn into a full blown allergy. So props to them for putting my health above profits, but it kind of sucks because I liked their food.

I still go with the Spouse Thingy when he weighs in, and if I have problems our (well, his) consultant will still help me.

But still...13, almost 14, weeks in, and I've dropped thirty pounds. I am not unhappy with that, not at all. It sucks to realize there's still over 50 more to go, but that sounds a lot better than the 85 I was looking at in July.

I have a little more faith this time around that the weight loss will stick. I'm more determined this time, I'm not hungry all the time, and I'm finding some things are a lot more fun with less fat to get in the way.

You can use your imagination for that :)

Here We Go Again...

2009-07-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

I now weigh more than I ever have. Not by much, but a couple pounds is enough that I'm pissed off at myself.

This is me officially recommitting to getting into a shape other than round.

Failure is not an option. I'm nearly 48, and if I don't do it now, I may not see 50.

And the beauty...no one remember this blog. Heh.

2006-06-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't exactly forget about this blog. I didn't intend to abandon it, either. What I did do was get very frustrated, and had nothing worthwhile to post to it.

The basic explanation: after abdominal pains that sent me to the ER twice, and months of not knowing what the problem was, then coming to realize that the diagnosis of "well, maybe it's an ulcer" might be more right than wrong, I mostly gave up. I wasn't getting the sudden, stabbing pains that had me writhing in pain under the horrible fluorescent lights of the DGMC ER room, but I was having near constant stomach discomfort that only seemed to ease up with food in my stomach.

Yeah, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that eating more when you're trying to lose weight is counter-productive.

And yeah, I gained back quite a bit of what I lost. But now I have a new doctor who, upon the very first time seeing him, is taking a sane route to What's Wrong With This Patient. He drew blood to test for H.Pylorri (sp?) and put in a referral for me to see a gastrointerologist. One way or the other he's going to figure it out, instead of taking a wait and see stance.

It may very well be that I end up with the sae treatment regimin that I was given at the base hosptal, but it will be knowing what the problem is. And if it is an ulcer cause by a bacteria, a couple weeks on antibiotics should fix it.

Then I can start all over again.

In the meantime, I'm not beating myself over weight regained. I've over-eaten and I know it, but honestly, I've kind of enjoyed it. I also know I can't keep doing it.

Funny though...my blood pressure was lower than it usually is when I saw NewDoc. Go figure...

2006-02-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Oohyeah.

It's just 1 pound, but it stayed OFF, so it counts.

It's kind of amazing since I haven't made an effort to eat well the last week or so...It must be the smoothies. Yep. Berry Fulfilling smoothies.

2006-01-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

Ok..on my "official" weigh in day the scale was still holding stubbornly at the same number it has been for...7 weeks? Something like that. I expected a gain, frankly, because I've had fries a couple of times and a Big Mac once. Oh, and a low cal smoothie twice. That was freaking good... That may be lunch today.

Yes, I'm drinking my lunch.

So no gain on the scales Friday morning. Just the same number that's been taunting me.

But this morning...woohoo, a 1 pound loss. That pound might be back tomorrow with a friend, but for now, I'm happy, I needed to see the scale number change in the right direction.

I still have not gotten back into a workout routine, but honestly, it's hard to fathom it with a back that feel like it's about to crumble. I think this summer I'm going to buy one of those tall inflatable pools for the back yard; it wouldn't be good for laps, but it would be find for other workout types. And they're kinda cheap.

We'll see...

2006-01-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yay.

It was water weight.

And it's gone.

Now..to break the freaking plateau. Having pizza tonight surely didn't help, but what the heck. It was cheese and I was way under calories when I had it.

I can rationalize anything. :)

2006-01-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

It's got to be water.
That's my mantra for today.
It's got to be water.

I hit the scale this morning and was up 4 pounds from yesterday. So I'm wandering around the house muttering "It's water weight, it's water weight..." I aven't had breakthrough on my DDAVP for three days running, so I know I'm retaining, I can feel it in my arms. So I'm hoping all of that is water...

I refuse to believe it's the pancakes... ;)

2006-01-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sheesh, that's 4 weeks in a row with no change. I had high hopes for this week, until the day before yesterday when I did not eat well--my calories were ok but my food choices were not--and yesterday when I skipped breakfast (had to for an abdominal ultrasound) and was insanely hungry the rest of the day. I wound up having Subway for lunch (not a bad choice, low fat and only 330 calories) but then we had pancakes for dinner (which I'm assuming were driping with calories) and later I as still hungry (really, tummy growling and everything) and I had an apple, and then popcorn.

So I suppose I should be glad I didn't gain, eh...?

I have come to realize that if I don't eat breakfast, or if I do and eat the wrong thing, my appetite is much higher through the day. If I eat oatmeal about an hour after I get up (can't eat before then because of medication issues) I'm not hungry all day and just eat normal amounts and don't crave crap.

Face it, if I had had a box of chocolate here yesterday, I would have eaten it all.

On th food front...I got email from someone else who'd done NutriSystem and had problems with the food; she, too, turned out to have a bad gall bladder, and once she got it out she was able to go back to NS foods. Still had the NutriToots, but no the pain. Since I really liked the food and as doing well weight-wise on it, I would like to be able to go back to it.

Something to look forward to. Presuming I ever get this sucker yanked out.

2006-01-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm on week 3 of a plateau, and while I know I should expect these every once in a while, that doesn't mean it's not annoying the boogers out of me. One part of my brain is moaning "at 1200 calories a day I should be able to sit in front of the TV and just drool and still lose weight" but the rational part is telling me to get off my ample tushy and break a sweat.

But the bad with the good: we did a preliminary run on our taxes, and Uncle Sam wants an insane amount of money from us. Enough that we have no idea how we're going to come up with it. But the good thing? Last year that would have spurred both the Spouse Thingy and I do indulge in a little stress eating, but we didn't.

(Coming soon: Thumper puts up half of what she owns on Ebay) ;)

I really do need to get a little more physical...I just miss having people to work out with. No excuse, I know, but it was a lot more fun when I lived in Ohio next to several Evil People who dragged me off to aerobics every morning. And I miss being able to train in a martial art. And swimming.

Yep, I'm full of excuses and other, ahem, things...

2006-01-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

I'm still not getting the protein I probably should...just an egg with breakfast, or a teaspoon of peanut butter would do it, I think, but I can't eat any more than that oatmeal.

And yep, I had cake. But it was a compromise; I wanted a huge freaking slice, but split one slice--and not a big one--with the Spouse Thingy. and it wasn't an impulse; after decided I wanted one we ran some errands and when I still seriously wanted it when we were done, I figured I'd eat it or else I'd have the munchies the rest of the day.

And if it was the wrong thing to do, at least I took him down with me ;)

We're having lunch out tomorrow--at a buffet place--but it's to celebrate a birthday, so it's ok!

2006-01-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Um...why, yes, I did need that chocolate.
But it was DARK chocolate!
It was healthy!

2006-01-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

Better today, but I think I needed to eat more, actually. I wasn't hungry, but I fell short of the 1200 calories I should have had. And I think I should have had a protein with breakfast.

I also didn't weigh this morning. I usually do, but I feel a little bloated (DDAVP has not worn off in a couple of nights) and new it was going to be up a couple of pounds...and I didn't want to see that.

2006-01-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm obviously having a hard time getting back on the right track. I blew it right out of the gate this morning by reaching for Pop Tarts instead of something reasonable. Why? Because they were there, I was lazy. I used to eat oatmeal every morning...not exactly the same.

And other than the soup...NO veggies in there today.

This was sooooo much easier on NutriSystem. Other than the pain...

2005-12-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I'll keep up with the online food diary, but for a few days I figured it's be worth a try...

And yeah, pancakes was not the best thing I could have had for dinner, but it was better than the pizza I wanted to order. I think.

2005-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

2005-12-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Another even week--no loss, no gain. Considering how crappy I ate all week, that's a major victory. There have been cookies (oooh, my mother in law makes these awesome oatmeal crispies that I am powerless against) and pumpkin pie on Christmas, and yesterday's Arby's regular, followed by a piece of chocolate cake, and then a late dinner at Denny's were probably not the best choices I could have made (but they were goooood...)

We're grocery shopping today, I need to get some reasonable foods in this house to keep me from reaching for the junk (and to keep me from eating out) and to get me back on track.

We're also checking out the base gym today. It occured to us that we can likely use it for free...no pool, which I need, but for now free beats $100 month for a membership where I have to fight for a lane in the pool (though later, probably after we know how much we'll get socked for in taxes this year, we'll join Gold's Gym....pool plus tons of classes there, especially karate, which I want to try again even if it hurt, and damn, can I create a longer run on sentence???)

2005-12-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

Ooops, yes, it's Friday. Bad news is I didn't lose anything. Good news is I didn't gain anything. And considering this has been the week frm hell, that's decent enough!

2005-12-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

New goal this month:

JUST DON'T GAIN ANYTHING!!!

2005-12-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Half a pound lost again.
Better than half a pound gained.
Or worse.
We won't discuss the fries or the chocolate truffles...

2005-12-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

I stopped eating the Nurtisystem food because it was tearing me up. The problem is I didn't know ingredient was doing it.

Tonight I tried a couple small pieces of a sugar free candy...loaded with malitol.

Malitol is not my friend.

I still don't know if soy is a problem, but I can be sure that mailtol is, and NS foods tend to be loaded with it.

My poor tummy...

2005-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Half a pound.

I suppose that's something...I fought that damned half pound all week. Up and down, up and down...but at least on the scale this morning it was gone. It might be back next week, but for today, it's gone.

Could be worse. We found this nice store yesterday with awesome dark chocolate truffles, and dammit, I had a few. I could be UP a pound instead!

2005-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

All my jiggly stuff held steady this week; no loss but on the bright side, no gain, either. I'm coming to terms with the idea that I'm probably not going to make my -30 goal for Christmas, but that's okay. If you'd asked me when I started all this if I'd be down 20 by now I'd have laughed at you.

We're going to start Christmas shopping this week.
Does that count for exercise?
That should count...
All those people, all the pushing and shoving...yeah, that should count.

2005-11-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Weight is holding steady... the doc increased my synthroid today, so I have marginal hopes that might help up my metabolism a tad. It's not a huge increase and I *know* it's not a weight loss drug, but I can have my little hopes ;) At least maybe I won't feel so freaking cold!

2005-11-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

On a whim last night--after eating turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and PIE--I decided to try on some next-size-down-jeans that have been in my closet (in one state or another) for the last few years.

They fit.
Comfortably.

So my next goal is to not only get as close to -30 as I can by Christmas, but to make those jeans as loose as the ones I'm wearing right now.

Standing up and having your pants fall down...who'da thunk that would be good for the ego...?

2005-11-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I took the official weight a day early, mostly because--even though I'm not cooking this huge Thanksgiving dinner--I plan on eating a little more than usual today. I'm having PIE, dammit!

I got on the scale this morning and was way surprised. Total loss to date: 21.5 pounds. I lost last weeks gain of 2.5 pounds plus 2.5 more. I know some of that was water, and I'm not sure how the rest came off, but I'm not questioning it.

But... yay!

2005-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

The other night, when I had 400 some odd calories left to play with and was really hungry?

Well, I caved. I did not eat Good Stuff. My son came home at 10 P.m. and was hungry, too, and pancakes sounded really good to both of us. Great big fluffy pancakes, dripping with butter and syrup. It was a Mrs. Buttersworth calorie fest.

And last night? Well, let's just say I ate out and didn't make the effort to pick reasonable things from the menu.

So after 2 days of not making the wisest choices, I dreaded getting on the scale.

And what do you know... The 2.5 pounds gained from last week were gone, along with 1.5 of their little fatty friends. It's not the Official Weekly Weigh In, of course, but it sure as hell made me feel better.

There won't be a Thanksgiving Blowout dinner, and no leftovers to contend with (we're eating out...All Hail Denny's) so I have high hopes of not gaining anything else this week, except maybe a pound or two of water if my DDAVP doesn't wear off.

And today's weighing makes me unofficially at more than 20 pounds lost overall.

2005-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I hate nights like tonight. they dont happen often, but when they do...

I'm hungry. Not just a little munchy hungry, where a banana or a yogurt would fix it; I want food and lots of it. I had dinner just two and a half hours ago, and if I dared, I could eat a whole other meal.

And if it wasn't for the calorie count, I'd be downstairs, making hot chocolate and toast. Well, if I had the stuff to make hot chocolate with. I'd make it and 3 or 4 slices of toast slathered in butter. So I suppose it's a good thing that I don't have the makings for it, and that I'm night blind and can't take myself to the store for a container or Nestle's Quik.

I still have 420 caories to play with today, maybe a little more if I decide to go over 1200, so I can still eat something. I just know me. If I eat something now, come 10 p.m., when I usually have a snack, I'll still want one. If I rationalize that I can have some raw veggies, come 10 p.m. I'll rationalize myself into a major detary blowout.

So it's damned lucky I can't drive at night, because a 600-700 calorie hot chocolate blowout would sooooooo be happening...

2005-11-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

Up 2.5 pounds.
I'm pissed.
Not at myself, just pissed in general.

No, I'm not giving up, and I knew a week like this was headed my way, but it still ticks me off. It's not even disappointment: I got on that scale this morning and was downright angry.

You'd think that at 1200 calories a day, at my current size¹, weight would drip off, not sneak back on.

So.

I need to be more diligent about keeping a food diary. I keep track of calories ingested, but I need to take a closer look at what those calories are, I think. I started this knowing I needed to be on a low glycemic diet, and I suspect a pound of that gain is because I took in too many higher glycemic foods. And some is water; the last 2 nights my DDAVP hasn't worn off, and today I feel it in my forearms. That's not something I can control.

Good thing though...I don't have that urge to go eat something totally not good for me. All I want right now is a banana. :::checks clock::: Too close to lunch, though. I can have it as my fruit with lunch instead.

Yep, I'm that anal right now. I could have it now and skip the fruit with lunch, but I know me. I'm going to want it with lunch, too.

¹Nope, I'm still not comfortable with admitting just what that size is...

2005-11-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok. realistically I know I'm going to have plateaus.
I can deal with those, even if I do whine about them.

But sheesh...I ate like crap week before last and lost weight. I'm back on track and so far I've gained weight this week.

I'd chalk it up to water weight, but my DDAVP has worn off early three nights running and I've shed any possible ecess water.

I know, I know...in two days I could get on the scale and it'll be gone again. But dangit, I'm so close to having lost 20 that I'm not exactly patient about it.

Not. At. All.

2005-11-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

I think the crappy diet over the last couple of weeks caught up with me. I ate better this week than last, but I was less active and lost absolutely nothing.

It's a little more difficult without actually using the NS foods; I mean, I have to think about what I'm eating. I was hoping to do all this without having to engage the brain all that much...

So, back on the calorie counting bandwagon. At this rate I'm not going to hit my target of 30 pounds gone by Christmas...

2005-11-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Ooohyeah.
Minus 5 for the week.

I have a totally new diet plan: eat fast food until you hate it, but haul boxes up and down stairs every day. You wont like it, but you'll lose weight.

One more pound to minus twenty!

2005-11-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

I had low expectations for this week; we're in the middle of moving and the dietary front has been looking pretty awful, but in spite of the steady stream of fast food and Denny's, I've dropped a couple of pounds. "Official" weigh in is tomorrow, so we'll see. I'll be happy with 2 pounds!

And dangit, I am too old to be hauling chit up a flight of stairs...

2005-10-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

One more pound gone...but it seems a little disappointing. I've kept it right at 1200 calories a day, the highest I've gone is 1300 one day, and still only one pound. At my weight, more than just a single pound shoulda come off...

=sigh=

2005-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

So far I'm doing ok eating low glycemic without the NS foods...looking back over my food diary for the last few days I'm dropping the ball on getting enough vegetables in. It's easy with NS; you have the entree, and fix a couple of veggies to eat with it. It should be that easy without the NS foods, but I seem to be skipping the veggies, thinking "I'll eat that later..."

For some reason, broccoli doesn't sound as appetizing at 10 p.m.

2005-10-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ha!

Weighing is a habit; I stripped and got on the scale this morning without even thinking about it--another pound down.

I'll take it.

2005-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

No weight loss this week. I'm not thrilled but it's ok...I weighed this morning, and won't tomorrow even though I usually weigh in on Fridays. I somehow doubt I'll lose 10 pounds overnight, unless my DDAVP wears off ealry and I pee it off (which can happen!)

That just means next week will be a 3 pound week, right? Right!

Considering I've been off the NS food this week, I'm really not too disapointed. It make take me a bit to get in the swing of preparing my own low glycemic and lower calorie foods.

A Big Mac is low GI, right?

2005-10-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I have my answer. Two days off NS to calm my tummy, went back on it today...and instant yuckiness.

Damn, this means I have to actually cook..

2005-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

You can file this under TMI...

I've mentioned before the, um, social unacceptablity of being on NutriSystem: people on the NS support boards refer to this common problem as "NutriToots." Kind of funny, especially when you're offending everyone around you. And if you have the sense of humor of a 6 year old (which I obviously do.)

It's not so funny when the problem escalates with the longer you're on the plan. I did think it was funny at first and took some comfort in reading others' comments that after a while, it eased up and eventually went away. I got some quality alone time--I didn't mind making the cats' eyes water or sending other people running from the room.

Until Saturday night.

Without getting too graphic, let's just say that this side effect grew to epic proportions, which increased to other bodily eruptions that had the cat looking at me like "What the hell did you just do? If I did that you'd be rushing me to the vet!" and had me =this= close to calling the Boy at whatever party he was at and asking him to come home so he could take me to the ER.

I was in a serious amount of pain; hell, having the brain tumor removed hurt less. At the worst point, not only was there pain and eruptions of the explosive kind, but I broke out into a cold sweat, I got that funky tunnel vision that preceeds passing out, and then felt as if I was on fire.

I literally crawled back to bed... I didn't eat any of the NS foods yesterday or today, and aside from being totally wiped out from Saturday night's torture, I feel fine.

Tomorrow I'll eat a few NS things and see what happens...but if what happens is even remotely close to Saturday night, I'm tossing in the towel. I know how to do a low glycemic diet on my own, I was just happy to not have to make the effort to cook and clean up.

The Spouse Thingy is staying on it; he doesn't have the same problem and he can eat whatever food I have left if I wind up having to stop.

2005-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, we'll toss yesterday up to a free day. I started the day with good intentions, but left the house unprepared for lunch time hunger pains--and they hit hard. Yep, we could have stopped somewhere for something healthy, but a burger sounded really good. So we stopped at Wendy's, and I ate 75% of a single (no cheese) and half an order of fries.

But later we decided it was truly going to be a free day and went out for pizza. And holy crap, when did a large become the size of a smallish medium??? It figures, we decided we're going to just ENJOY, and there was not a whole lot of pizza there...

Do I feel guilty?

Hell, no.

One of the things I don't understand, surfing around support boards, is when people get honestly upset because they popped 3 french fries into their mouth, or they were stuck somewhere and had to eat what was available, and they go over daily calories by 40-50.

We all have to learn to eat in Real Life, not just with specially prepared foods in front of us. Once in a while you're going to consume some not-so-wonderful-for-you things, and it's ok. As long as you know you can limit it to one day every once in a while, it's a good thing.

And I do understand some people are in a place emotionally where they just can't allow themselves a "slip" because it will cause an avalanche of poor food choices, but for the most part--enjoy once in a while.

Your sanity will thank you.

2005-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

1.5 more pounds gone.
Hopefully forever.
Yay me!

2005-10-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

If I don't lose weight this week, it's not my fault.

That smoothie just jumped into my hand, and I was forced to drink it.

Yep. Forced.

2005-10-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

I used to train in a martial art.

never had to break boards, but I'm pretty sure I'd have all the luck that this little smiley guy is having...

I'd love to get back to it; my weight is not what's kept me from it, my back and hips certainly have. And while the arthritis probably isn't going to just vanish and the narrowing of my lower spine won't just reverse itself, I still harbor this little fantasy that getting the weight off might make it possible.

I was never that good at sparring, but dang, I loved forms (kata, hyung, poomse...a rose by any other name kind of thing.) If I'm not taking blows, maybe...

One can hope.

2005-10-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Two days ago we were very, very bad... We stopped at Denny's for lunch (grilled tilapia, which is a reasonable choice, but then there was garlic bread, and I said "screw it" and ate it, and was very happy about that.)

Later we went for a nice long walk...and I got three quarters of the way and then had to stop. I couldn't walk any further, not because of a lack of endurance, but because my back and hips suddenly decided to mutiny. So he went home and got the car, and by that point I was so hungry I was going to eat the foam insulation in the passenger seat...so we went for fajitas.

And trust me, it was gooooood.

Got on the scale this morning...in spite of the fajitas (and chip & salsa, the torilla, and the little corn tomalito that no sane person can resist) I was down 3 pounds for the week.

I am a firm believer in one good "cheat" meal a week, but having eaten out twice in one day just felt, well kinda naughty. :)

If you're interested in a low glycemic diet, but don't want to bother with something like NS, check this book out. I read it a couple of years ago; it explains the whole low GI diet quite clearly and for those who aren't as lazy as I am, it's easy to do.

Face it, I buy NS foods for convenience...

2005-10-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

A victory of sorts...?

I needed a new pair of shoes, so off we went to buy me a new pair of shoes. As I reached down to tie one of them, one of my rings just slid off my finger. The other 2 that I wear are also loose. The down side: the ring I wear on my middle finger is kind of ornate, and if I have to get it resized, it'll mess up the design.

Today's weighing has me down a total of 11 pounds, but knowing how things went last week, I'm not holding my breath. I'll be happy if it sticks, but not surprised if I get on the scale tomorrow and am up a pound.

And it looks like I'll get my next food shipment tomorrow. Yay.

2005-10-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tsk. It's totally not fair that men can lose body fat faster than women. He's down 11 pounds and I'm still stuck at 8.5... Yes, I'm whining!

2005-09-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

There is a downside to the whole NurtriSystem plan. The food is good, its filling, it works, but... When you buy your food, you get 28 days' worth. If you choose autoshipping, they'll send you the same thing everytime unless you tell them to change things. All god.

But you buy 28 days' worth, and they autoship every 30-31 days. So at the end of Day 28, if you've stuck to it and not eaten other foods as your main entrees, you're out of food.

It does not add up. Nope.

So...I'm at the end of Day 28. I do have some food left over because there were a couple meals when I ate out (made good choices, I think) and there are a couple of things I won't touch because they're (to me) nasty. I'm left to wait until my next shipment gets here (supposedly it goes out tomorrow, I'll believe that when I see it) and to contemplate whether or not I should have saved all the boxes the food came in.

'Cause if nothing else, I coulda blended the boxes together for a nice high-fiber carboard shake...

2005-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

OK, if it's not water weight, I'm going to shoot myself. Over the last couple days my weight has inched back up the 3.5 pounds that I lost last week, in spite of sticking to the diet like Superglue... I've struggled to take in 1200 calories a day--the last couple days I've been under 900. Not good, I know, but I doubt just a couple days is enough for a body to suddenly scream Oh No we have to hold onto everything!

Intellectually I know it's water for the sole reason that my DI medication hasn't worn off for the last 4 nights, and when it doesn't, I don't pee off everything I've had to drink. But knowing that doesn't make me feel any better.

If I do get a couple nights of breakthrough on the meds, I think I'll be even for the week. No loss. Dammit.

2005-09-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

:::jumps up & down:::

Down 3.5 pounds for the week!

A small personal victory for myself yesterday: I was out running errands and managed to get stuck behind an accident...so I turn around and decided to cut through the air force base to take the back roads home (it took 30 minutes to mve 4 car lengths...I figured the long way home was faster...) By then it was almost 4 p.m. and I still hadn't had lunch and was very hungry and thristy.

The base has a conveniently located Burger King. I decided to go through the drive through and get a Diet Coke...and I resisted the call of the Whopper Jr. Granted, I should have stopped and eaten something because I was right at the edge of eat-or-get-sick, but I waited.

And yes, I'm proud of me. In the past I would have used low blood sugar as a reason to stop and eat a burger.

Now, if it had been Wendy's...oh yeah, I would have stopped and gotten a small chili and a side salad...

2005-09-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

Small victories...I have this pair of jeans--my favorite pair--that have been just a wee bit too snug in the waist to be terribly comfortable, so I haven't worn them in about a year (hell, they were tight in the waist then, too...)

On a lark today I decided to try them on--they fit. I can sit and not feel like I'm being cut in half. Now, they're not hanging off me, but they're comfortable.

I need to wear the crap out of these, just in case they don't fit again in a few weeks...

In other news...last night we decided we'd been doing well enough that we could eat out. We chose Red Lobster and each got the Tilapia with broccoli on the side, and limited ourselves to just one of the cheesy bisquits. Less than 500 calories for the whole meal. Even with that, at the end of the day I just barely hit 1200 calories. Oddly enough, oveeating hasn't been an issue with this--undereating has. I usually end the day at 1000 calories, 200 short.

And no, I'm not happy about that. I *know* I need those other 200 calories...who'da thunk it'd be hard to get them in...?

2005-09-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

The immature part of me thinks this is funny...someone on the NS support boards has a name for that which makes us socially unaceptable.

NutriToot.

=snort=

Yes, part of me is 5 years old.

2005-09-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Two weeks down, and 5 pounds gone. Yay.

The downside: consuming so much in the way of vegetables, salads, and all the soy that's in NS food, I am a bit...um...socially unacceptable. I keep hoping that will ease up bit so far I am not someone you want to be trapped in an elevator with.

And I was thinking about my weight goals earlier: while overall I want to drop 70 pounds, I'm hoping I can shed 30 of it by Christmas.

Doable, right...? At the very least I'd like to be down a couple sizes, necessitating the purchase of new clothing.

Yep, there's a method to my madness.

New stuff.

2005-09-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

We were out most of the afternoon, so we wound up stopping at Denny's for an early dinner. I went in thinking What the hell, one meal won't throw everything out of kilter, but I wound up ordering something actually healthy. Grilled Tilapia with some green beans and just a little bit of rice. Not too shabby, and it still fit in as a low glycemic meal.

The Other Half's food is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, so he's having one last evening of decadence with peach cobbler. I think his big worry is that the portions will kill him and he'll starve for the first 2 weeks as he adjusts to it. I adjusted pretty quick; a small piece of fish and some green beans stuffed me tonight. It doesn't take much now, and I hate feeling overly full, so for me it's all good. He'll get used to it, or learn to love lots of veggies...

I think I weighed last Thursday morning, but this week I'm pushing it back to Friday (the official weight date, that is; I still weight just about every morning.) Looking back, I started on a Friday so I weighed in a day early last week.

This would all be so much easier if there were just a pill to take. Melt the fat away and look 10 years younger. Yeah, I'd buy that!

2005-09-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

I finally found a NS meal that I cannot stand. BBQ beef over rice. It was so bad I wound up tossing it out. I think the horridness came from the BBQ sauce--it tasted like going to the dentist. I don't know any other way to describe it. Just...nasty.

I got on the scale this morning and was down another 2 pounds, but I know better than to count on that for the week.

While I am going to get tired of salads (I can replace that with salad veggies, and I foresee a trip to the grocery store today to get some cucumbers) I'm not getting hungry very often. Pretty much only before it's time to eat again.

The Other Half's food hasn't even shipped yet, so there's no telling when he'll be able to start. I've read lots of people commenting on a sudden slowdown in food shipments...could be related to the fact that NS is diverting a lot of their stock south as donations to feed displaced hurricane victims. So he can wait a few days...I offered to let him start with part of my food, but he's afraid I'll get caught with no food if his doesn't ship soon enough.

I doubt I would starve or begin a feeding frenzy; I do know how to eat low glycemic on my own, but he's not willing to let me lose my momentum, so I appreciate that.

Now, I just wish my digestive system would get used to the increase in bulk...I am socially unacceptable, and sometimes afraid to sneeze...

2005-09-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

My other half (hey, I am not saying "better!"> has decided to join me on the Nutrisystem food plan. This should make things esier. Well, for us. Maybe not so much for our son. :)

And I did my "official" one week weigh in, and I did lose weight for the week: 2 pounds. Not the nice 3.5 I was hoping to hold onto, but I'll take it. I suppose it's too much to hope for to have 2 pounds gone every single week...or maybe not.

Gee...I might have to start =gasp= exercising...

2005-09-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Total frustration: losing a few pounds early on, and having them all back just a couple of days later.

How in the hell...?

2005-09-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few days in and I'm down 3.5 pounds. WooHoo! I won't jump off a cliff if I'm up a pound tomorrow (because of medical stuff, I'm supposed to weigh every day...) but 'll take every victory I can get.

One of the things I was worried about was that I'd be hungry all the time...luckily I'm not. The portions are satisfying, and by eating 5 times a day, by the time I do get hungry, it's time to eat again.

I'm waiting for that first really gross thing that I can't gag down...Surely somewhere in te food I ordered is the one thing that will make me want to hurl.

2005-09-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

OK, the food boxes are small, but... holy canole, I just had dinner and I am stuffed. They do want you to supplement with fruits and veggies and dairy.

Breakfast is one of their entrees, a dairy or protein, and a fruit. I could not manage the fruit this morning; I'm not a morning eater and I'm gonna have to work up to that. The shredded wheat cereal was very good, and I had a lite yogurt with it. Oh, and you're supposed to put 4 ounces of skim milk on the cereal, but being lactose intolerant, I didn't...

Lunch is an entree with a dairy or protein,and a salad. Um, we were out and I did not think to bring food with me, so I had a small McD's burger, and 5 french fries. Bad on me for day one, eh?

Snack is a dairy or protein, and a fruit. I did not have snack this afternoon... never thought about it.

Dinner is an entree, salad or fruit, 2 vegetables, and a fat. I had the pot roast entree, and it had more meat than I normally would eat, with a few odd carrots and potatoes in gravy. And it was damned tasty. I made a salad and some green beans, thinking I had enough green beans to count as 2 veggies, but I just looked, and I did not. I had no clue what to have as a fat. Lick the margrine 2 or 3 times? I know I need fat, if I can't find other ways I may have to get some flaxseed oil.

So...I am behind on food. I missed a fruit this morning, one at snack, and a dairy or protein at snack. I shorted myself a veggie at dinner. I still have "dessert" to look forward to later, one of their little pre-packaged snack thingies.

Now I'm not sure if I sure try to have a fruit with it to make up for not having that earlier, or skip it today.

I'm not sure what the total calories are in the womens' program... the entrees seem to be about 220-250 calories each. I'm guessing it's about 1200-1400 depending on the chosen dairy/protein/salad stuff. And somewhere on the website I read that there are a bunch of "free" veggies, stuff you can pretty much eat as much of as you like.

:::looks:::

Yep, pretty much unlimited salad-type veggies, and lots of them are my favorites (like cucumber, celery, spinach, alphalpha sprouts...)

Hopefully the rest of the food will be as tasty. If it is, I'm gonna be in fat kat heaven.

2005-09-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well now...that was fast. My food order shipped yesterday and it arrived today. So I start tomorrow. I'll weigh in first thing in the morning (well, after I pee...every ounce out helps) and take measurements (no, I'm not sharing!) and the Change Of Eating Style will begin.

There will even be some Before pictures, and if I drop the 70 or so pounds I'm hoping to, I'll share them. But only then. When I have a Hot (but possibly age-related sagging and wrinkling) body to show off.

Those food boxes are awfully small, though...!

2005-08-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

I just checked the online system, and my food is on its way. It should be here in 3-4 days, so I suppose I should stuff myself silly with pizza and chocolate now while I can! (No, that's not really the plan, but it is tempting...)

I've avoided taking my measurements thus far; I figure I'll do it the day I actually start eating the NutriSystem food, and I'll weigh myself that morning, too.

This stuff better taste good. I'm actually seriously looking forward to it, and if it sucks I'll be as disappointed as a kid who Santa forgets on Christmas.

2005-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

How I Got Fat

Cupcakes, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Pizza, McDonalds...

Ok. Some of that for sure. But my weight came up on me in some odd ways. I was in damned good shape--150 pounds and about 16% body fat--and was extremely active, but in a 30 day span I gained 30 pounds. I wasn't pigging out; my diet was fairly normal and I was working out 2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. Hard workouts, too. Martial arts. Weights. It was like I'd sneeze once a day and a pound would appear.

My weight stabilized; I maintained it but couldn't lose it, I argued with my doctor about it (he did not believe me) and a year later the same damned thing happened. Thirty pounds in a month. My doc sneered at me, said I needed nutritional counseling, and left me feeling like I was doggy doo dragged in one someone's shoe.

I refused to see anyone about it again, not even when 10 pounds piled on in about 3 weeks a year after that. There was no point.

I've struggled with this extra weight now for over 10 years. And in that time I've been diagnosed with 3 pain conditions, including arthritis, had a pituitary tumor (removed; benign) and learned something:

At least one doctor belived me. During some post-surgical treatment for all kinds of hormone deficiencies resulting from the tumor, I was told something I had wanted to hear for years. "Well, yeah...you're insulin resistent. We now know that for sure due to your insulin stress test. It could potentially cause you to gain weight quickly and prevent you from losing it."

Validation.

But not an excuse. The weight could be dealt with, he said, but I'd have to shake up my nutrition plan. Skip the fad diets, dont bother with Atkins, just eat according to the glycemic index.

Yay.

And I did. And I lost a few pounds. But somehow I got sidetracked by a couple of birthdays, birthday cake, and neighborhood BBQs... no more. I just had my 44th birthday, and dammit, I will lose the weight. Nutrisystem follows the glycemin index, and for at least a little while I can use their food to get me on track (and because I hate cooking...)

I should get my first shipment of prepackaged food in 4-10 days. Until then, I'm gonna enjoy myself--not pig out but I may eat out a couple of times--and then the fun begins.

It is fun, right? Getting healthy HAS to be fun!

2005-08-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've hit middle age, I've gained way too much weight in the last few years, and dammit, it's time to do something about it. Thunder Thighs No More! Today I joined Nutrisystem, and once the food gets here, I'm determined. As long as the food doesn't suck.

I won't share my measurements or my starting weight, but I will (hopefully) have some statistical information to keep me accountable. Maybe something as simple as a + and - system...like every Monday informing the world of pounds lost (-5) or [shudder] pounds gained (+1.22).

I'm trying to keep myself accountable. And trying to see where my head is at during the process. Anyone can play along, as long as they place nice.