Progress...Progress...Progress!

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Now that I have climbed to the top of my mountain (I passed my half way point), I have to gear up so that I so not stumble on the way down... I have my final 20 lbs to go and while determined, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit being a bit scared.

After all, self sabotage has always been my nemesis. In the past whenever I met success I found a way to blow it. I feel that overcoming this terrible negative and self destructive habit is my biggest challenge to date. Already today I had my worst eating day... I gave into my craving for a truly authentic falafel for lunch. There were positives though... I had the individual falafel balls with the homemade pita on the side. And I did control what I ate. I had 5 of the balls (should have stopped at 4) and only a quarter of the pita. I also had a few TBS of humus with it and cucumber. It was worth every bit. While I am still under calories for the day I have to be extra careful in what choices I make. Oh yea, and increase those daily steps! So all in all I think I caught myself, stopped before the falafel took control of me and learned about my ability to stop when the red flags start waving... All important tests for me to pass. It represents a start in creating new healthier habits. Also, I did think long and hard about the best way to fulfill this craving and I think I made a good choice (minus the fried food).

i have also discovered that I need to severely limit my gluten intake, that brown rice is tolerated rather well and that my lactose content needs to be reduced to 2 dairy servings daily.

If I keep all this in mind and keep working at developing a daily exercise habit then I am convinced in my abilities to lose the final twenty. Intellectually I have got it... Now to just put all this into workable actions!

No time like the present... I'm off to find a SP video to do!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

1COUNTRY_GAL 8/6/2011 4:35PM

AWESOME you can do it! Congratulations on your successful journey and the last part to reach your weight goals.Slow and Steady,almost there!I know YES you will! Diana Comment edited on: 8/6/2011 4:36:59 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

Tired but happy!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

I just returned from a wonderful week long trip in Portland and the Oregon coast (heaven). I picked up my youngest from sleep away camp (sooo good to see him) in Portland and we stayed to visit my oldest who lives there (he's such a man now). It was a delightful week spent with my "book-end" kids. I am proud to say that I stuck to my eating plan... Although I did gain a pound or two, which I believe was a result from my attempts to add in starchy carbs & healthy grains.... I walked everywhere... well exceeded my 12K goal a day for steps and took stairs to and from amy son's 5th floor apt several times a day (unless I had bags or laundry to carry!).
All and all a good week.

Now back to fine tuning the eating plan... I think this week my grains will all be gluten free. Maybe that will keep the weight gains away and still allow me to add healthy grains back into my diet. I will get this final 20+ poundage off! I will, I will, I will.

Off to have breakfast.... Good luck to me!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

BETTA13 7/31/2011 12:02PM

Sounds like a great trip. We were going to the coast too but changed our mind since we go there a lot (family in Portland) so we're going to yellowstone instead. Woohoo. Should be fun. My sisters have sent their tweens overto to w us. Yay for family!! Report Inappropriate Comment

IILAAD65 7/30/2011 6:03PM

You will You will You will!!! Glad you had a good time in Portland!! I would love to see Oregon! -Beth- Report Inappropriate Comment

Success while traveling... It is possible!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I am getting ready to head out for the weekend. We are taking our (nearly)14 year old to football camp in Utah. For me it means a lot of sitting around watching and eating out of a cooler and hotel. Challenging yes... Doable? ABSOLUTELY!

Today is the day I begin adding small amounts of carbs and sugars back into my body to see how much I can handle "safely". I look forward mainly to having cheese and milk, low carb tortillas, quinoa, brown rice and the occasional dark chocolate. I hope to handle at least 1 serving of grains and 1 cheese daily. Many of these foods are very portable so I don't envision eating being too terrible. I will have to be very careful about portions... and my favorite scale broke yesterday!

I broke the 150 mark yesterday. I do not intend to go back there! This weekend is packed with motivation, incentives and challenges I look forward to overcoming!.... And I will find a great hike nearby! See you Monday...

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LHLADY517 7/14/2011 5:20PM

Good job and great planning. Report Inappropriate Comment

The Scale is REALLY Moving Now!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I may have been away from SP for awhile, but not from my healthy lifestyle changes and weight loss. Back in February I accepted the fact that I am extremely carb sensitive. My body was very inflamed and no matter what, I gained.

It may have taken four months to figure out what to do... but I developed a plan and STUCK to it. Ha! It worked! I am down 28 pounds (31 counting my efforts pre SP). Things have finally changed.

I went totally off starchy carbs and all sugar. I lived on very lean protein, fruits and non-starchy veggies since June. I think I am ready to begin adding small amounts of healthy carbs back into my diet. I will add 1 new carb daily every three days and see how my body handles it regarding weight and glucose. I think I'll do this for a couple of weeks before adding a second daily carb. My guess is that I will forever be very low carb and eat in the range of 60-80g of starchy carbs a day.

I am having my blood work drawn again in a couple of weeks and can't wait to see how much my inflammation levels have dropped, amongst other things... I am sleeping better, have more energy and am enjoying exercising again. Who knew!!!!

Soon enough I hope to fit into my old clothes (which are really quite new and I miss wearing them!).

Thanks to everyone who has offered their tips, suggestions and above all SUPPORT! I may have been out of touch, as this took all my focus, but I so appreciated each and every one of YOU!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CCPETERSON76 7/10/2011 10:22PM

That is wonderful! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

Carb Sensitive and Accepting it!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

This past week I was lethargic, dragging my feet and completely not myself. As it turns out I was suffering from a flaming UTI and once I began a course of anti-biotics things began to turn around. Since I stuck close to home and didn't spend much time exercising I had lots of time to reflect on my weight loss journey.

I took charge of my health again and had a wonderfully productive discussion with my doctor toward the end of the week. We decided a full blood work up was due, going beyond the basics. Results are due early this week... Baring anything unusual, we both expect the results to confirm what I already know. My thyroid will be stabilized, menopause is charging through my door, I am still not properly absorbing calcium and my Vitamin D levels are still low. Most importantly this time though is to confirm my insulin resistance and extreme sensitivity to carbs.

Over the past several months I have made great strides - exercise on average 50 minutes daily, log between 10-15,000 daily steps, eat a relatively "clean" diet and don't lose weight! The one major change is to accept the carbohydrate sensitivity fully and reduce my intake dramatically. It is the one thing I have not done thus far. Typically I consume around 150 carbs daily, trying to balance each carb with a protein. The fact is though, for me, it is still way too high.

This week my goal is to begin reducing my carbs with a goal of reaching 30 per day and then beginning to reintroduce some carbs one at a time to determine which ones affect me the most adversely. My hope is to find my optimal carb intake where I get the nutrients I need and can finally begin to lose weight. My guess is that number will be around 60 carbs a day. We'll see!

This will take careful planning and I must stay focused and determined. I need to time my calcium intake with my thyroid meds as well as find variety in my diet given that I eat very little red meat and poultry (it is very hard getting kosher meat here in Boise) and I don't eat shellfish or pork products. Thank goodness for fish!

Wish me luck and thanks for all the support and encouragement from my spark family. You guys always get me through these hurdles! Any suggestions for making it through this challenging stage are always welcomed with open arms! LOL!!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

REJ7777 5/4/2011 6:34AM

From what I've read, the problem might come more from grains than from fruits and vegetables. It's so important to eat our green vegetables so that our body can have the nutrients it needs! I hope that you find the balance that's just right for your body. And congratulations on continuing to Spark even though you haven't been losing weight! Good practice for maintenance when you get to goal! Comment edited on: 5/4/2011 6:35:23 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

MISSLISA1973 2/12/2011 2:30PM

I'm so glad to hear you are working closely with your doctor to make sure you are doing what your body needs. Many people just give up and never think about what the root cause of their problems may be, but you are really taking the bull by the horns and gaining control of your life. Way to go, you! Report Inappropriate Comment

BECKY2129 2/12/2011 2:20PM

I have cut most starches out of my diet and it has made a huge difference. I still watch my other carbs, but I consider carbs from things like fruit and yogurt okay. I have a friend with thyroid issues who has found that if she doesn't consume gluten she doesn't even need to take her thyroid medicine. It's something to look into. Report Inappropriate Comment