Today’s Date: July 11, 2011

I have been debating starting this for some time now… as a piece of motivation as a tool… as a certain I don’t know what. I’m not really intending this to be a separate 365 project, though it will be something I will hit every day for at least some bit of time.

Shame on me…

I have an IQ around 180. I have a photographic and a phonographic memory. I can spout my times tables from 1 to 25. I am in school with a 4.0, and was a double major of Physics and Mathematics. I say this not to brag about myself, but simply to say as smart as I am, when it comes to health and nutrition I am dumbfounded…

I have blogged in pictures about my sister’s death. She died way too early in life at the young age of 36, and I have already outlived her. On the day she went home to be with the Angels, I swore to my family that I would take my health seriously. I started charting mass exercises, I quit smoking, and… I gained weight. I have been making efforts since she died believe it or not. And the dumbfounded frustration is that it’s all for nothing. Sure quitting smoking is great, but there’s so much more left to do. As much as I don’t want to say or admit it, I am on the same path she is on: an early grave. I refuse that fate.

I was off for a week last week and went to the doctor. What I found out was that I was basically an Anorexic in the body of an overweight person. I didn’t understand how that could even work, and then I realized that my body needs around 2,500 calories to just maintain… give or take. To lose 2 pounds a week I should be at 2,200 without exercise. I was consuming 900 on a regular basis if I was lucky, and my body has been wrapped in starvation mode for the past 4 years. Not so smart, huh?

I feel like I am a child learning from the ground up. Everything I thought that I knew I have trashed. I have started working between 2 different websites (Loseit.com and sparkpeople.com); both have their pros and cons so until I can really decide I’ll just use them both. This is going to be a long journey, but one I have to make. My cholesterol and my sugars are at the beginning stages of being in the high range. My weight and BMI are already there. Strangely my blood pressure was perfect, though I do suspect the nurse who took it was grossly incompetent… okay, I know she was.

I don’t really have a plan of what I am going to feature in this second blog. It’s not mapped out like my regular 365. But I plan on taking some kind of step every day whether it’s an exercise, a course, a healthy food, a chart, or a feeling (positive or negative). I know I’m not alone in this fight, but I am finally doing this for the right reasons. Not for vanity, not for looks, not for a promotion… for me!

Tags:   Weight Loss Health Weight Program Nutrition Blog BMI Cholesterol Sugars Anorexic Sparkpeople Loseit Sherri Death Life Journey Medical Nurse Fate Smile

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Today’s Date: July 12, 2011

I woke up this morning to a nice surprise… I’d lost 2.4 pounds between today and yesterday. Overall I have lost 3.something pounds in the last week… In some ways I’m scared to have lost anything.

I say that because as many people will know and understand, there is a danger and a thrill in losing weight. It’s the same old train called motivational momentum. When it’s going, it’s a fine-running machine. You feel great, you feel positive… you feel like you’re getting somewhere. But something comes along and not only stops the train but just sends it reeling backwards… and it’s almost worse. Because then it seemingly takes an act of God to get it moving again.

I’ve many differing opinions on weighing in every day. Honestly I try not to. I try not to base success on the scale but on my energy levels, how clothes fit, and measurements. Still it can’t be helped. It’s something engrained in all of our minds that it’s hard to not say the “Ya, but…” and then focus on the scale numbers.

All of this being said, sure I celebrate the loss. I may lose again tomorrow, I may weight more. The fact is that I’m only trying to get excited about maintaining the right levels of calories, fats, carbs, and proteins. I’m trying to hit my minimum exercise goals, and let the weight come off when it’s ready to. Easier said than done. I have a health exam in 4 weeks and one day… and I wanna see a difference in my health, blood, sugars, BMI, cholesterol, and weight.

On a final note:
To the punks who broke the leg weight lift machine at the gym, I hope they prove it was you and throw you on the streets so you can grow up real fast. Karma sucks my teenage friends… come back when you’re crying from learning that lesson please!

Tags:   Weight Loss Health Weight Program Nutrition Blog BMI Cholesterol Sugars Smile Gym Weight Lifting Gloves

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Today’s Date: July 13, 2011

I lost again today, which, depending on how you look at it can be really good or not… I’m just going to say “it is what it is” and move on.

We all have our enablers and our crutches. For the last year really mine has been ice cream. Just a little here, just a little there, but it adds up. It’s been the main source of a lot of the weight gain since I quit smoking. It’s a “food” that I turn to when I am stressed, when I want to celebrate, and when I want to just relax. I had put it aside for a bit of time, but it’s a lot like smoking in that one bite and I’m back on the “wagon” again. It’s evil.

It’s probably a bunch of excuses for allowing myself this treat today, but I was almost 1,000 calories short for the day after 2 walks and lifting weights. I ate all day but just burned that many calories. I consumed 2,800 calories, burned 700 and I am supposed to have 2200. So I’m still 100 calories short for the day after this wonderful sorbet. It’s also insanely hot here (100 without the heat index, and the humidity here drives that up high).

The truth is that there are probably about five dozen things I need to change in the health of my life right now. And I know that if I do them all at once, I should just right “failure” on the door and leave it unlocked. Small steps… baby steps… sustained change… that’s what this is about.

So sure, I had a sorbet worth 480 calories and 0g of fat… but I worked my butt off, I still made my caloric and for goal for the day, I lost a pound, and I really feel my metabolism starting to respond. So inner voice telling me I just failed, I say to you: “Suck it. I’m callin today a success!”

Tags:   Weight Loss Health Program Nutrition Blog BMI Haagen Daz Raspberry Sorbet Calorie Intake Steps Ice Cream

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Today’s Date: July 14, 2011

Today again I lost… I still take any loss that decides to come my way and I am almost at that 10 pound mark. That’ll be awesome, but more so it’s how I feel more than anything else. I feel much better physically so I can only imagine when I get further and further towards my goal.

Tomorrow… may be a different story. Today was a big day for me, and after I went to celebrate at a Baja restaurant. Fish Tacos… probably the best fish tacos I’ve ever had and they are consistently amazing. I have been running a deficit in my calories every day. Not by a lot, but I had plenty of room in my weekly budget to intake some more calories… again, it’s about a slow loss over time.

Those who know me know I drink coffee. Lots of coffee. I knew that to bring down my sugars I had to reduce my coffee, and really I never drink water… until now. I bought one of these bobbles with the water filter built it. It’s really inspired my water consumption and I think that’s a large part of why I have been such a success and why I feel better.

www.waterbobble.com/

I feel good, but then the weekend is here soon. It’s actually sometimes easier to be at work when watching calories because I never carry cash and never eat from the vending machines at work. I don’t even eat cake from teams that are celebrating birthdays.

Another day down… this weekend will be pretty key I believe!

Tags:   Weight Loss Health Program Nutrition Blog BMI Water Bobble

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Today’s Date: July 15, 2011

I didn’t weigh in this morning so I really don’t know if I am plus or minus for the day weight wise. I know that I am on track with my nutrient counts and that should be all that matters. I am featuring my daughter in today’s blog for many reasons…

Much of my decision over the last few years from quitting smoking to losing weight was related to the death of my sister. I remember the day and sadly have many memories that I will never forget. One of them was of me standing outside my sister’s house hugging my daughter and making her a promise. I remember telling her, “I promise, I’ll never make you live through this with me. I’ll never make you watch me die because of something that I could have changed [my weight]”.

I miss my daughter, but she inspires me. She reminds me a lot of myself in a lot of ways. I want to be around for her for a very long time, and part of that means that I need to get healthy. We had Starbucks at 5:30 this morning but I only had my coffee, no treats from behind the glass.

I have really been learning a lot this week. I am a perfectionist, and that can be a very negative description. But by that I mean that I take what works and makes it better. Then I make that better and so on… it’s the analytical side of me that I was born with. I have maintained a mean plan, but now I’m looking at those foods and which could be replaced for something better. It’s going to be a slow learning curve, but I’m pressing on!

Tags:   Weight Loss Health Program Nutrition Blog BMI Chelsea Starbucks Daughter Inspiration Perfectionist

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