Friday, June 22, 2018

Pill Popper: multivitamins and victories

Another week in the books and I am making some progress. I am making small changes that are setting me up for great success.  I am setting up myself for a lifetime of good habits and health, a sustainable future.  While I want this to go fast, I’m ok with where I’m at!   I added in a multivitamin into my daily routine this week, which has been interesting.  I am moving forward toward my goals and I am happy to say I did have some victories this past week!


I have had some history with taking multivitamins. I know that when I was losing the first time, I religiously took a multivitamin. I can’t remember what made me do it but I know I did it. Somewhere along the way I fell out of the habit. While I was working at the bank, one of my favorite customers was this elderly lady. She was spunky as all get out! In her mid 90s she was still driving herself to Florida to visit her daughter and to check on her residence that she owed down there… At least once or twice a year. She was so much fun to talk to. Every time she left the bank, she would leave us with two words of advice. Play the lottery and take your vitamins every day. Yes, she credited a lot of her health to her vitamins. Maybe I should back up and say that she was a nurse for many years… She was trained during the war. So I do have to give credence to her advice. We all know though, that I’m a little stubborn. So I did not run right out to get any multivitamins. Fast forward the clock to now. Jason and I are both very interested in living a much healthier life. We are trying to be more active. We are trying to eat healthier. We want to live to a ripe old age… Living life to our fullest the whole way to the end!  Thus began the talk of multivitamins between us.  We did a little research, we read a lot of labels. And finally we decided on A particular multivitamin. Oddly enough, we both chose the same brand. We are almost a week in to our new habit now.


So how do we feel?  Jason asked me the first day only an hour or so after taking my first dose and I put up my arms  like I was in a body builder competition and showing off my muscles,  but seriously?  It’s going well.  I’m not sure I feel different, but I’m ok with it and I know that I’m doing good for my body!  I’m taking care of my body!


Observations? I am a girl that takes very little medicine. Literally an Advil or two every once in a while.… As in I can go months without taking any. The brand that we chose comes in a box of 30 day supply. Inside the box are a little packets… 30 of them. Each packet contains a number of pills. Off the top of my head, the regular multivitamin pill (2 of them) , fish oil,  green tea, for me cranberry for him Maca and a few other things. So all of a sudden I went from taking no pills to seven pills a day. I have no problem swallowing pills… It’s just really odd for me to be downing pills like I’m an addict!


The next observation, my pee.   I started talking the pills around lunch on Sunday.  My pee was normal that day before hand ...a little darker in the morning but a nice clearer color indicating decent hydration.  That was the day we went to the zoo...and I was slamming water because it was so hot!    Before we left the zoo I ran into the bathroom....I came out and because we frequently talk about hydration I commented on the color of my pee (yeah we talk about the color and our hydration a lot!).  My pee was bright yellow...much  darker than normal!  It wasn’t until he went to the bathroom when we got home that we realized what was up?   The multivitamins!  I never had my pee turn different colors from it before (that I can remember).  But from research it happens when/if there are excess vitamins that your body doesn’t need...it is eliminated and shows up as a bright almost neon color.  Who knew!  (Yes the color fades as I drink  more throughout the day!)


And now for those minor victories… Bullet point style to make a Friday nice and easy.


*On Wednesday my team at work won a lunch. They ordered pizza. I know that I could have eaten a piece of pizza and been fine. Would I have just had one piece???  Would I have stopped at one piece? What was the healthy option for me? I actually stuck with my packed lunch which was primarily fruit and vegetables. Surprisingly, I did not miss the pizza at all!!!  By passing up on the pizza, I was able to stay within my calorie range with eating my planned dinner.  


*We have rice crispy treats at the house that I made. I have managed to keep my pieces very small on the nights that I have indulged.  But I have also actually been able to manage to say no once or twice this week.


* I am starting to get my calories down to the lower end of the caloric range that I set for myself.   Yes, I did bump up to the higher end once or twice...but consistently I was much lower!



(Yes I know I was too low on Thursday...but I was feeling queasy and just didn’t feel like eating much....eating made me feel better though...so maybe my stomach was hurting due to being hungry!)


*My team is having a potluck today (Friday) . Well actually they’re having food catered in. I am not participating.Honestly, this one was an easy decision. I think the price is outrageous!!  I participated the last time we ordered from this place  and the amount of food I ended up with on my plate was ridiculous!  A rabbit would walk away hungry. But, even beyond the price of the catered lunch is the fact that Friday night is when Jason and I usually go out. I want to be able to enjoy that with the love of my life versus eat an overpriced meal at my desk while I’m trying to work and take phone calls. It has caused some tension for me as my team (some people) did not handle it well and made comments about how I better not eat if I wasn’t paying and some really rude comments about how if I were participating I would eat all the food anyway.  As for eating without paying, would I do that?  Well of course not, I wouldn’t even dream of doing that!  But it stressed me out because I don’t like drama and that’s what it was.   But guess what I’m eating for lunch?  My normal fruit and veggie lunch!  So a victory! 


*I have walked on all my breaks!  It was hard because we had some rainy days where literally it rained before my walk...and started raining again at the end of my walk.  I also had to walk in the parking garage because of rain during some breaks.  Oh and it was stinkin’ hot on some of the days!  But I walked!


*My weight...I am down!! 2 pounds and the lowest I’ve been in a while (since March!!). And hmmm....that is when we moved...has it just taken me a few months to get into the groove and find my footing with my new housemate and living quarters?  Either way, I’m on the downward trend now!!