Revealing a Secret

 I have been keeping a secret!  I was going to say it's not a huge one...but you know, it has the potential to be huge!  Now I have to be honest, I've only been keeping this secret for a week!....or actually 5 days at this point.  Obviously I can't keep secrets, but it is what it is. 

I have hesitated about sharing this secret.  How many times have I come on here and had some grandiose plan or a wonderful challenge that I was gung-ho to start?   I don't have a number of how many times, and quite frankly I don't think I want to even KNOW the number.  Why?  Because if the number were ten  then I can pretty much guarantee that there would be at LEAST 9 corresponding failures. My success rate on these seemingly awesome plans is pretty much non existent!  (Just for the record, the number of grand ideas is MUCH higher than 10.)   So for me to come on and share my secret and spout off yet one more challenge that I am embarking upon is insanity at it's best.  Yet, here I am ready to embark upon another round with a new somewhat ludicrous idea for myself.

Years ago I had started to hear about the 75 Hard.  This is a challenge that lasts for 75 days (surprising right?) and involves some very specific actions that need to take place every day.  It's only five things, nothing to worry about right?   Hold onto your hat, until you see what the five things are!

    1.  Follow a Diet Plan

    2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside.

    3. Drink a gallon of water

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily

    5.  Take a progress picture each day

The rules are that if you miss a day, you go back to day 1 and start over.  Yeah, a bit all or nothing!  There is no room to fail in this challenge!

Easy right?    Maybe for some, but for me this sounds huge!  I've actually written about it before (you can read it here) but even then,  I shied away from the 75 hard challenge.  Instead I tried a Project 50 Challenge.  The project 50 had similar rules but the guidelines were a bit more relaxed.   So I tried the project 50 Challenge.   And of course, I failed.  Seriously, I don't even think I made it two weeks!  

So this past Sunday morning when I was messing around my computer and stumbled upon someones post about their successful 75 Hard journey I started watching.   Inspired, I decided right then and there to start the 75 Hard challenge.   No, I didn't wait until the next day or the next week.  I immediately hopped onto my IPad and downloaded a non fiction book from the library and within minutes I was in the office and riding the exercise bike!  Talk about starting something on a whim?

Oh yeah, and I started a plan that requires outdoor exercise for 45 minutes a day in the middle of a snow storm and at the beginning of a week where the temps were forecasted to be in the single digits.  I can't help but think of the parallel to my running adventures of 2013 when I started to run with the couch to 5K program in January and ran through some really cold days in those first few weeks!  (You can read about that time here.)   That was one of my rare successes...I completed the Couchto5K program and actually ran regularly for a few years.   Maybe suffering through hellish torture in the cold is what spurred me  to continue on when I wanted to quit, since I was able to  say to myself, "nothing is as bad as running on those really cold days".   Hmmm...maybe my VERY COLD beginning to the 75 hard will be a good thing!

I completed the first day of 75 hard 100% as the challenge is written...water, exercise, reading, picture and food! Check check check check and check.  But after the dust settled on my impulse decision I was able to realize that I DID want to institute a few minor changes in my plan.  SOOOO the 75 hard-ish that I am following is thus:

    1.  Follow a Diet Plan  -  I did not change this, but only cemented the 'rules of engagement' in my head.   My rules are that I need to keep my calories under 1,500 a day.  Since I do not historically lose at 1,500 calories, I will NOT be eating the calories that I "earn" via exercise.  With one exception.  I will allow myself to eat my earned calories one day each week.  That goes along with the plans and ideas that I have adopted throughout the last few years.  And that is that 100% restriction does NOT work!

    2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside.  Here is where one of the two major changes in the plan takes place.  The indoor 45 minute exercise is remaining as that.  However, the outdoor segment of exercise only has to be more than 30 minutes.   Seriously, it's dang cold out there. I heard them say on the news to not leave your dog out for more than 20-30 minutes.   So I am giving myself the grace to stop at 30 minutes.   There was one day that even my Newfoundland....the quintessential winter dog was done and ready to go inside at the 30 minute mark!

    3. Drink a gallon of water.   I actually made it to one gallon on day one.  But I am also giving myself grace on this one.  However, I NEED to be over 64 ounces of water each day!  My hope is that throughout the 75 days that I can build up to the gallon.   But honestly, going from near nothing to a gallon is a HUGE jump!  So 64 ounces it is!

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily.  Yeah, no problem!

    5.  Take a progress picture each day.   Easy, but just have to remember!

I am worried about one thing.....and that is when/if I get a job within this 75 Hard challenge.  Learning a new job will be exhausting enough...but to do so on top of trying to complete this challenge.  That might be hairy!   And part of me says "well if/when I get a job all bets are off".  But you know what, that is not HARD...and this challenges name is 75 HARD.  So Win...Lose...Draw, I'm going to attempt it!

So I am on day 5.    Stay tuned for an update on how my week one went!  

New Habit Progress

This month of December is full of building (rebuilding) healthy habits!  I started with tracking my food ad drinking water at first.  But then last week I added a new one!  The questions is how did I do?

I continued tracking my food.  I'm back in the grove and it has truly become a habit for me to track every bite I eat. I feel happy with my assessment that it was time to add a new habit!  

 My new habit was to keep my calories/points at a good level in order to lose weight.  first day of tracking was ROUGH.  I was honestly trying to eat right and keep my points low..but that first day I was 6 points over!  Eii Yii Yii!  Luckily we have those weekly points to allow us to 'live a bit!"    But the other days, I was able to eat pretty decently and had no issues staying within my points.   Ok, lets be honest, I WANTED desserts.  I WANTED more food!  I WANTED to eat junk food.  But I didn't!  I've kept my eating right where it needs to be!

My other original healthy habit......drinking 64 ounces of water.  What in the world?  This one is SOOO difficult!  I struggled.  Oh, I freely admit that I struggled!  BUT, slowly...surely I managed to start to bring it back around.  By the end of last week, I was getting my 64 ounces of water.  I was chugging the last 8 ounces at hte end of the day sometimes, but I was doing it!  I had to default to putting some flavor packs in my water (which I try to limit) but I got it!  This habit is far from set in stone.  But I finally feel as if I have taken a step in the right direction!

So how is my weight doing?  

I honestly have no clue!  I weighed myself on Monday, the first day I started to try to eat the proper amount of points/calories.  I have not weighed myself since then.  Part of that is due to convenience.  I've been showering in the hall bathroom....my scales are in the master bath.  But a bigger part is that I haven't felt the need.  I know that my eating over my birthday weekend was horrible...so I know that on Tuesday and Wednesday and maybe even Thursday my weight was still trying to regulate after that.  I didn't want to see a higher number.  I didn't want to be demoralized!  So I have stayed away from the scales.  Maybe next week!  :-)

Christmas is around the corner.  I'm as ready as I'm going to be.  Dinner on Christmas Day should be low key and not too big, which should help with my eating!  And if it does go a little crazy, well that's ok also.  It's only one day....one meal.  Meanwhile we had an ice storm....but no snow.  Will we have a white christmas?  It remains to be seen!

Habit Building

​It’s my birthday month!  Woohoo!!  It’s time to celebrate!

Ok, maybe there won’t be huge celebrations, but I’m going to claim the month as my own!

On December first I took the ‘this is a new year approach.    I didn’t wait for December first, it just so happened that my mind clicked on December first.  It wasn’t until about the third that I realized that I started over on a new month.

So what does my start over entail?  My start over at this exact moment is not hardcore.  It is tracking everything I eat. Good bad and ugly tracking.  I had not tracked through October or November.   This starting over is me working to get my water consumption back to a proper level.  My water consumption has been woefully lacking! And for right now that it is.  

Of course I know that living a healthy lifestyle involves a bit more than those two things.  It involves choosing healthier options in terms of my food consumption.  It involves adding more steps/activity/exercise into my life. And yes, those two things are probably more important than the tracking.  But I am building healthy habits right now. 

Tracking is one of the most important habits to build, for me at least.  This is for two reasons.  The first reason is that when  I’m not tracking I tend to eat more….and more….and more.  I eat and THINK I am eating decently.  But it’s crazy how many points/calories I am really eating!  I am still planning on following weight watchers.  I have had incredible success with their program in the past….and even in September when I was doing it I was seeing signs of success.   On the first of December I started tracking my food in the WW app.  I wasn’t aiming to be perfect in my food consumption…my goal was to track..to get in the habit of tracking.  I didn’t think it would be all that bad.  I wasn’t eating horrible!  I get 31 points a day…and I was hitting 55-60 points each day!  Yikes!     That brings me to the second reason why tracking is important for me.  Tracking is important because it makes me make healthier choices…it makes me more cognizant of my choices.   Slowly and without any real effort I have been seeing my daily points that I’ve consumed start to drop.  Yesterday I was only 6 points over.    Perfect?  Not at all, but much better than being 28 points over my daily budget.

We had a good weekend.  I worked on Friday after work and Saturday morning to get stuff done (groceries, laundry, errands, etc). On Saturday afternoon Jason and I drove up to check out the REI closest to where we live now.  And a nice little extra, there was a dollhouse store only a 2-3 miles from that REI!  I found a pair of bike shorts that were an incredible sale!  (70% off original price). They are a normal short but have a bike short insert.  At the dollhouse store I was able to control my impulses!  I wanted SO many things!  But, I only got three items and those three items were things I needed for a dollhouse scene that I am working on.  When we headed home we decided to stay off the interstate and we ended up stopping at Pine Grove State Park.   We couldn’t hike or do too much as Jason is still wearing a surgical boot…and can’t walk much without pain.  But we walked for a wee bit and we have vowed to go back.  (The Appalachian Trail goes through the park…so definitely good hiking!). 

On Sunday I spent time in the morning with my mom.  It is so difficult to see your parents age and to watch their health decline.  Mom is still struggling with the after affects of the stroke. (Physical mobility) and another condition that affects cognitive abilities. (Which the stroke also affects ). As hard as it is to see your mom barely able to walk even with assistance, It is so much harder to sit there and hear your mom struggle for something as simple as remembering what day of the month her daughter was born.  (FYI she got it wrong). 

After time with mom I drove south and spent a few hours geocaching with a long time friend. (Since we were about 12 years old).  It was a good thing.    

Monday…and back to work and the normal grind.  Still tracking…still working on my water consumption.  And gearing up for my birthday weekend!  I know that there will be cookies. It is my birthday cookie that my mom makes once a year…on my birthday.   I have the recipe and I will be attempting them this year.   

So this week has cookie making, a trip to the podiatrist for Jason’s foot, and of course my 50th birthday.

My weight?  I’m sticking to the water and tracking goal.  I don’t have a timeframe for actually adding in the next healthy habit/routine.  It will most likely be next week.  i want to have at least one of my habits a routine before adding a new habit.  I will be almost two weeks into tracking at that point…so I think I should be ready.  Water…well I’m still struggling with that!  But hey, I’m getting better, just a long way from being in a routine /habit with it!

Did I smmmmmaash the pattern: yo-yo weight

The weekend has ended.  I sit here almost ready to head to work to start this new week!   I had grand plans for the weekend!  I was so going to smash the cycle that I’ve been in for months.  I had a plan and I vowed to have some fun over the weekend also.  So how did I do?

The weekend was a success with my eating.  I had vowed to not snack and not indulge in non nutritious foods when I got hungry.   On Saturday that meant that I had a banana.  On Sunday that meant that I had a small bowl of cottage cheese.   I also kept my calories in check and feel good about my food intake.   Win!!!!

My next goal for the weeekend was to drink at least 64 ounces of water, my water consumption on the weekend is usually lacking.   I nailed this one too!   I got over 64 ounces both days...although I will admit that on Sunday I squeezed my win out by the skin of my teeth!!!  Win!!

I walked for about 35 minutes on Saturday!   

Cold walk around the perimeter of the field while Jason flew his drone.

We also took a short hike for 45 minutes on Sunday!!!!  

Cold creek on our walk along a trail!  No swimming today!

Exercise too!   A bonus win!!!!

So my weight....did I smash the goal????  Cue the self deprecating laughter.   Oh yeah, I smashed this goal!   But not in a good way.   The cycle has been that over the weekend my weight drops then oops back up on Monday or Tuesday.  Well....my weight never dropped this past weekend!   So while my goal was to let it drop and KEEP it low and this smash the cycle...I guess I can say that I did smash the pattern because the cycle was broken in that my weight never dropped!

So why did my weight never drop?   Who knows.  I know that my monthly water retention weight gain  is upon me...I did have some more saltier/sodium laden foods.   But I didn’t break the bank in calories and I ate healthy, nutritious food!   So who knows!  I’m not giving up...I’m still staying the course!!!

Smash the Cycle: yo-yo weight loss

I have had this weird cycle thing going with my weight.  It has been going on for months.  I talked about it in Late summer of last year!!!  I mentioned it throughout the winter.   And it is still going on!  I spent some time thinking (in the shower of course) and talking to a friend about it (Thanks Julie) and I believe that I may have found some clarity to my issues

The cycle is that I am in goes something like this…..

On my official weekend weigh in day, my weight is nice and low!  Hurray for me!  I don’t pig out over the weekend, but on Monday or Tuesday my weight pops up about 2 pounds!   Booo for me!!!  I sent my Wednesday morning weigh in results to my friend Julie and they usually are a bit lower each week…which gives me SOME hope, but it is still annoying to see my weight jump up each mid-week, even though it does go down again on the weekend. 

For example……..a typical two week period (totally made up numbers, because quite frankly, I am feeling lazy and it would have been way too much work to go get real numbers……but I will say that the first two numbers were real)

Saturday 250.0

Wednesday 251.4

Saturday 249.6

Wednesday 251.0

Saturday 249.2

You see….painstakingly slow!  So the other morning in the shower I really spent some time thinking about it.  I can’t help but wonder what results I would be getting weekly if I didn’t have that pop on the scales. (I have lost 2.8 pounds for January as of last weekend’s official weigh in, so I am losing…just SLOOOOOW).  So I decided to really try to keep that weight from popping this upcoming weekend.

I immediately said to myself.  WATER.  I need to make sure that I’m drinking lots of water on the weekend.  I know that my water intake is a whole lot less on the weekends.  I try, but it gets away from me.  I was easily on board with that plan.   But if I was going into the weekend and really try, I also knew that I had to really watch my caloric intake.  No, if you remember, my goal for January is NOT to watch my caloric intake, but to simply track. (the side benefit is that if I’m tracking, I’m usually eating within my goal range of calories!)   Ok, ok ok….I grudgingly agreed to actually restrict and make sure that I was in the lower realm of calories for each weekend day.

But then at work that day, I was writing an email to my friend Julie…and this is what I wrote…….and it brought clarity to my weekend weight woes.

My weight is down from where it was last Wednesday…like a pound down. So that is good.  I’m up from the weekend weigh in though.  GRRRR  it is crazy but my weight does the exact same thing each week.  It pops up on Monday or Tuesday and sits high all week long and then Saturday or Sunday it drops to a new low….(last Saturday  I was down to 250.0…..which is a 2.8 pound loss for January……today I’m back up to 251.2)   I was thinking in the shower this morning.  I am going to work really hard….drink TONS of water this weekend and really watch my food intake and see if I can break this cycle.   The odd thing is that I don’t really eat all that differently over the weekend.  Actually probably less…hmmmm thinking back though…not as much fruit as normal…and probably less veggies too since we usually get subs one night and pizza or Chinese another night.  HMMMM

 

Jason doesn’t eat unless he is really hungry.  (REALLY HANGRY)  I can’t even fathom why food has no pull on him!  It is insanely odd to me!   Ohh and he doesn’t like bread.   Who in their right mind doesn’t like bread?????  In some regards that is good for me…because if we are out and about we very rarely say “lets pick up lunch”  so it forces me to actually sit back and say “I’m hungry….really  hungry” before I say “lets stop and grab something for me to eat”.  (Closet eater and all that…I have to be REALLY hungry before I will make us stop because, well that’s not closet eating!)    But it’s bad on the other hand because since we don’t eat regularly when we are together there is a very good chance that I will end up eating a snack/something non-nutritious when I do get hungry!   

 

CLARITY!  The light bulb went off!  Yeah, my calories are in my range over the weekend…BUT I’m not eating as nutritiously as I do on the weekdays.  Add that to the high sodium of Chinese, subs and pizza (which I am eating in moderation!) and I have stirred up the perfect recipe for disaster!

So with that said, it helped me cement a weekend plan to break this weigh in cycle that I am in.   1.  DRINK DRINK DRINK…..Water…hahaha  but then you knew that because I don’t drink too much alcohol!  2.  Really watch my food intake….I haven’t been trying to stay beneath a certain calorie count, but this weekend I am going to do it!   And 3….and maybe the most important one…….eat nutritiously. Turn to fruit versus un-nutritious snacks!

So I’m ready to head into the weekend!  I’m waiting for my weight to go back down and then I’m ready to implement these three things!!!   It is time to smash this cycle!!!!

Smash the pattern

The scales have been displaying a particular pattern with my weigh ins during the last few weeks.  I’m not particularly happy with this pattern....and I’m determined to bust through the pattern.

 What is this pattern?  I weigh myself on Saturday and it’s my ‘lowest yet’ weight....which is awesome!  But then on Sunday or Monday my weight pops right up there about 3 pounds. It sits at the higher weight until Thursday when it starts to drop....and by Saturday it’s back to the low weight...and each week usually just a hair lower than the previous week.  So I’m happy because I AM dropping each week.   I have said I’m happy with small, slow steady losses...but seriously, 2/10 of a pound or 4/10 of a pound a week?  That’s slow!!!!  (Let me add that I’m handling the ‘pop up’ on the scale so much easier with that ‘three pound fluctuation allowance’ that I give myself.  I haven’t freaked out or gotten depressed, discouraged or upset!!! So that mentality really works!!!)

So what is causing this?  It could be a couple different things.   Each weekend I have really pushed myself with exercise.  So my muscles are aching and sore.  Muscles, while they are sore and repairing themselves do retain water.  Could that be it?   OR....Typically if I’m going to mess up and not drink enough water it happens on the weekend. So half the time I head into the work week trying to recover from a day or two of partial dehydration.  That could be it.    Maybe my eating???  Last week I did splurge on Sunday...I was over on my calories...I was ravenous!  I think that’s because of the extra calories I expended...but did that affect the scales???  I do sometimes through the week splurge on a dessert...but it is accounted for in my calorie tracker (and doesn’t always happen on the weekends...sometimes it’s a weekday!!).   So I’m not sure what’s up!   It is probably a combination of it all!

So how am I going to smash that pattern?   The weekend is upcoming.   No snacks!  No desserts!!  Lots of water!!!  I will be strictly watching my food and water intake through the work week and into  next week!!!  I can’t much help the exercise and muscles...because if the weather holds, I’m not giving up my bike rides and hikes!!

The water intake should be a real joy and easy to accomplish this weekend while we hike and or bike!   Jason had a birthday last weekend.   As one of his gifts he was given a card that said ‘pick out the hydration pack you want....’ (We have been talking about getting hydration packs for a LONG time, while we were hiking a LOT !!)   On Monday night he made his final choice and I ordered it from Amazon.  While he ordered his, I made the final decision and ordered one for myself!!  Mine arrived on Wednesday!   I ordered the Raven 14 from Osprey. (Amazon Affiliate Linkl)

His came on Thursday.  He chose the Raptor 14 also  from Osprey. (Amazon Affiliate link.)

We pretty much bought the same pack...Women’s version and men’s version.   We both wanted a bit of storage for some light gear and/or an extra layer of clothes. (For when I strip the outer layer during the winter!).  We haven’t used them yet...but I’m excited to get out there!!!

We are thinking that in his tool pouch we will probably have tools (surprise) but we read a review where someone used the tool pouch (built in tool roll in its own compartment on the bottom of each pack) as a first aid kid.  So his pack will have the tools and the plan is to make my tool roll/pouch a first aid kit.   Seems wise since we are together most of the time.

More to come...and maybe a full review on our purchases at a future date! But meanwhile....let me smash this pattern of weight!!!

Tips for eliminating Soda

When I was at my highest weight, 315 to 330 pounds, I was drinking a lot of soda.  When I say a lot, I really do mean a lot! I could easily go a day...a week and even a month with drinking nothing but soda. I know, not healthy at all! Just as an example, at one point when I was working at a job and I would get a bottle of Pepsi when I arrived, I would get one on my first break, my lunch break, and also my last break. That is four bottles of soda in an eight hour work shift.  That doesn’t even include what I drank at home!!  When I first started losing weight way back before I even wrote my first post on this blog, I gave up regular soda. It was amazing how quickly I dropped weight with that one minor change. That truly was the easiest pounds I’ve ever lost.

When I was in my early 20s, I decided that I needed to buy a new car (new car to me that is). I did not want to have a car loan. Therefore, I decided that I would save for a year or two and pay cash for a car. My method involved working two jobs(Substitute teaching during the day and waitressing every evening and weekend.) And I cut back on expenditures. One of the things that I looked at was how much money I was spending on Soda...a lot!  That quickly came up on the chopping block as an expense saving measure. At that point even though I was overweight, cutting out the soda had nothing to do with weight… It was all money.   Somewhere along the way though, I figured out that soda was just not the healthiest option.  One of my very early posts was a comparison between water and coke.  So I eventually figured out that for my health it was an important switch (and hey...the money savings is still awesome!)

I have toyed around with different aspects of eliminating soda in my life.   Many times it has crept back into my life eventually.   At one point I went from a heavy soda drinking lifestyle down to straight water as my only drink. At one point I went from regular soda to diet soda. I’ve also dropped from diet soda down to water.  Each time  I’ve tried different tricks and methods to make the process smoother and ultimately easier. I figured it was time to share some of those tricks and methods that I have utilized. Like always, take what you want, use whatever ideas and tips work for you, and remember that what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone.

1. Retrain the taste buds slowly.  One of the earliest problems I encountered was the taste.  Water was totally unappetizing to me.  I had no interest in water.  In fact I readily said I hated water!  With water being so un-appetizing, I went out and bought Kool-Aid packets. I bought the kind where you add your own sugar. The first 2 L containers that I made and subsequently drank were made with full sugar added. Sure, I missed the carbonation, but with the flavor and sugar  it wasn’t so bad. Slowly, over the following weeks I started to reduce the amount of sugar in my Kool-Aid. Eventually, I was only drinking water with a  Kool-Aid packet added and no sugar added. At that point it was a very easy jump to go from flavored Kool-Aid with no sugar to just straight up water. It took a while to eliminate sugar in a way that was easy and painless. But it worked really well and never again after that did I say that water was unappetizing.
2.  Caffeine headaches. If you are drinking a lot of soda, you’re most likely going to suffer some kind of caffeine withdrawal. For me it wasn’t so much the lack of energy that some people drink their caffeine for. My withdrawal has always been headaches. I have battled this one almost every time I slip back into drinking soda and then go back to more water-based in my drinking diet. For me the headache kicks in  about 36 hours after I drink my last caffeinated drink. It lasts for about 2 to 5 days. There are a couple ways you can deal with this headache. The first is to just Suck it up and just deal with the headache for a couple days.  If that doesn’t work, arm yourself with Advil or Tylenol. You can lesson the headaches by Tapering your caffeine consumption so that you get used to the lower levels.  Next, you can definitely Utilize other sources of caffeine… Coffee or tea name two of the most common ones.  In terms of The lack of energy without caffeine, get lots of sleep, eat healthy nutritious foods and know that the lack of energy will pass.
3.  I touched on this point in the section where I wrote about how to combat caffeine headaches/withdrawal. Drink other substituted drinks. Tea is a very good choice… Unsweetened tea that is (if your doing this to cut sugar).  This one, was never a good option for me because I don’t like tea or coffee.  For me the other choices were just as bad as the soda.
4. At one point, the caffeine had crept back into my life and I decided that I would be OK with drinking diet soda.  I was only looking at calories and not overall health at that point. Going from regular soda to diet soda was huge for me. Diet soda, to me at least, tasted really nasty. At that point though, I didn’t feel as if I had the willpower to drop Caffeine/soda completely. I had to retrain myself and my taste buds. First of all, I vowed that I would only drink diet. I quickly figured out that making the switch while I was eating was the easiest. When I drank the first couple glasses, I remember actually saying oh my word this is nasty and making crazy faces of pure disgust. But when I drank it with my food I wasn’t as focused on the flavor of the drink as much as I was the flavor of the food. So, slowly my taste buds changed. It didn’t take very long at all, maybe a week but the taste of the diet soda became the common norm for me. This also worked once when I was going from soda down to nothing.
5. There have been two different times  in my life where I have made the change from soda to not soda (or from regular soda to diet soda) while on vacation. I think this works really well because you’re already out of your norm. You’re not fighting the habits that are set in your life. I decided to drop diet soda once and for all as an every day drink a few years back during a vacation. I went prepared with Advil, and a full case of water in the car. I looked at it as a challenge. I allowed myself lemonade and other such drinks that I may normally eschew due to the sugar content… And it made me feel absolutely decadent and the decadence made me not miss the diet soda at all.

6. I have very limited success with ‘just cutting back’.  However it is an option out there.  Many times I have set the rule of ‘finish my water first’ and then I can have the soda.   This in theory is great.  But it opens the door for lots of slip ups.  For me, this is exactly what happens!

Where does this leave me right now?   I am mostly soda free.   I may grab one during the weekend.  Occasionally if I’m having a day where I feel as if I’m dragging I will grab a soda.  But for the most part I am straight up water...or at the very least, water with flavoring.

It really all boils down to making the decision to drop the soda habit and either tapering, substituting or going cold turkey.   I have done all of them.   I have gone months and years without any soda.  It really is a personal choice on how each person approaches this.  

6.  I have very limited success with ‘just cutting back’.  However it is an option out there.  Many times I have set the rule of ‘finish my water first’ and then I can have the soda.   This in theory is great.  But it opens the door for lots of slip ups.  For me, this is exactly what happens!

Really it all boils down to making the decision to drop the soda habit and either tapering, substituting or going cold turkey.   I have done all of them.   I have gone months and years without any soda.  It really is a personal choice on how each person approaches this.  

My current love/hate state I. Regards to soda is pretty healthy....I think.  Typically I drink only water.  On the weekends I usually splurge and drink a diet soda.  On a really rare occasion if I’m just really struggling at work with a day that just feels heavy, slow and tiring; I will go down to the cafeteria and pick up a diet soda.   I’m not addicted.  I’m not reliant.  I’m in a healthy place in regards to it!

Bottoms up: guide for drinking more water

Bottoms up! No, not alcohol!  Water… The elixir of life.   Was that a little melodramatic? No I don’t really think so. Water is absolutely essential to our bodies. I’m not going to get into the mechanics  of why it’s essential… that’s not who I am, at least not today.  I will touch on a few things though. They say water aids in weight loss and that a good deal of the time when we think we are hungry, that we are actually thirsty. Water is  good for your complexion. Water is  good for organ function. Ok,I’m done with the mechanics of why we should drink more water.…I think it’s a given that water is healthy for us. I will however say that it is recommended that we drink a lot of water. I’ve heard that a good general amount to drink is  64 ounces a day. I’ve also heard that we should be drinking half of our weight in ounces. So if someone weighs 200 pounds they should be drinking 100 ounces of water.  But really, it doesn’t matter what method you used to come up with your daily goal of water intake, what matters is that you drink water. A lot of water.

There was a time, when I drank absolutely no water. None. Zilch. Nada.  I drank a lot of soda though. It was actually a  very difficult process to actually get myself into the habit of drinking my water in the quantity that I need. And I don’t understand it, but Pepsi and sodas seem to go down the hatch a lot quicker than water. (I believe I read somewhere about some of the chemicals in diet soda having that effect… But once again, I’m not getting into the technical side of it….it’s too mechanical for me at the moment.) So how do you do it? How do you get yourself to the point of drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day.? For me, it’s a thing of setting the goal and then simply striving for it. The biggest issue is keeping track of how much you drink. Sipping out of a glass here and there is probably not going to get you your 64 ounces of water. It’s better than nothing and you may think you are drinking a lot, but in reality you may only be drinking 8 ounces or 20 ounces. So one of the biggest things ismaking sure you’re drinking your water and building that habit is to track the water.

I’m going to give a few little tips about making water consumption easier in the beginning because it has to be palatable in order to make us drink it and I know I actually struggled with that in the beginning.  After that,  I will move into ways to track the water consumption to make sure that you really are drinking what you need to be drinking.

TIPS!

Flavor!  

Drink Flaroviring

If you are new to actually drinking water…plain old water and especially switching over from straight soda it could be difficult because you’re used to the flavor. Do not despair, there are some wonderful products out there on the market to help.The flavor really does make a difference.  I still use them to flavor one or  two bottles a day just for something different to break up the monotony.

Temperature! For me, Cold water seems to go down faster and easier than warm water. For this reason I try to keep my water as cold as possible.

The bathroom!!!   I do find that when I am dehydrated or just starting out with upping my water consumption I do run to the bathroom quite a bit. After a day or two of consistent drinking the water it levels out some back to a more normal amount. Apparently this is because when you’re dehydrated and not drinking enough your body will store every little bit of water that it can. (My weight goes up when I stop drinking and become a little dehydrated for this same reason, my body goes into panic mode and holds onto every drop it can.) Once your body starts getting the water it needs it will stop conserving and holding onto that water.   At that point it begins to eliminate some of those excess stores of water…..extra trips to the bathroom…like I said, it will even out!  Another bathroom issue that I’ve been able to navigate is  going to the bathroom six times in the middle of the night. I tend to start to taper my water off toward the evening. I still do drink at night but I don’t pound the water quite so quickly. It works for me… experiment to find out what works for you. One last bathroom tip?   Actually pay attention to the color of your urine ! Seriously keep an eye on the color of your pee, if it’s really dark drink more! If it’s light/almost clear, then kudos and keep drinking!

Water first! I typically try to drink my water goal amount first before I start drinking a diet soda, juice, whatever other drink I’m around.  I found early on that if I drank my soda first then I would never want the water the rest of the day.  It started me on a slippery slope of only soda for the rest of the day.  So I set a little rule for myself that I had to drink at least 64 ounces before I switched to anything else. Over the years I’ve been able to relax that rule a little bit simply because soda is so sweet… Even the diet so I will actually begin to crave the water after drinking the soda for a little bit. I actually only only drink soda nowwhen I’m having a day where I am really struggling with exhaustion or a headache or something that makes me feel like I need the caffeine boost.  I’ve come a long long way!

How do you track Water? I have some ideas and tricks that I have used or seen used. 

Number one. A giant mug. This is probably the first thing that I did in my quest to drink my daily goal of water.

I purchased that 64 ounce mug and the first thing I did every morning was to fill it up with water and ice.  Then I would start drinking. That first mug had  water facts on it but it  also had a line that showed how many ounces of water was left in the mug at certain points.  In this way I could quickly glance at my mug see the water inside it and look at that line and see where I was in my water consumption for the day.  I always knew how much water I had drunk and how much more I had to go! This mug was so well insulated that my water would  still be cold at the end of the day, I prefer cold water so that was a huge plus. I loved that mug! I carried it with me everywhere! Family dinner?  My mug sat beside my plate!   Out to dinner? Unless it was a really nice restaurant… I carried my mug inside with me. Many days, I would have to refill that mug. Sadly, the mug met with an unfortunate end when I set it on top of the car to grab something and I drove away without retrieving the mug… The mug did not withstand the fall from the car . I bought a replacement… It was the same size but it wasn’t the same.  I bought another replacement… The Bubba mug (amazon affiliate link) and used that one for many years (I actually bought three agreement red, green and brown).Nothing ever really truly replaced the first much loved mug, but this method worked for me for many many years.

Bubba Mug

Number two. This is a method I have not tried myself, but I have seen it many times. Simply carry a gallon jug of water.

This is obviously aiming for more than 64 ounces a day, but is the same concept as the mug. Carry the what are you going to drink that day with you at all times. I have actually seen people draw  horizontal lines in permanent marker periodically on the gallon jug and they label each line with the timeline. The top line might say 8 AM the next line might say 10 in the third line might say 12. That way they have an idea of where they are in their water consumption and where they should be by a certain time of day. It sounds good to me because that’s exactly what my favorite mug did it showed me how much water I was at and where I needed to be.

Number three. Water bottles. This is been my primary method over the last year or so. But I also did it a few years ago when I worked at the deli. I carry water bottles to work. Every day in my insulated lunchbox I pack one frozen water bottle and threecold water bottles. Yes it takes up half of my lunch box but the frozen bottle is also my ice pack. I then walk out the door with my lunchbox in one hand and my one water bottle in the other hand. The water bottle in my hand is usually flavored water. Which as I said earlier is a great way to help get into the drinking of water and break up some of the monotony. I drink the flavored water during my commute to work. And then I work on the water bottles in my lunchbox at work. I can easily keep track of where I am by how many water bottles are left in my lunchbox. I typically try to drink one water bottle before my first break, one water bottle before my lunch and then at least one water bottle before I go home. Sometimes I make it to my ice water sometimes I don’t. But that’s OK because even without the ice water bottle I am already over 64 ounces. And that does not include any water and I drink at home.  (Notice that I’m still carrying all of my water with me!  This seems to be a trend for me!)

Number four. I have also tried filtered water bottles. (amazon affiliate link). Typically they are smaller, and require me to refill out of a water cooler,sink or some other tap water means while out and about. I have one of these bottles at my desk at work because it does come in handy in a pinch. I typically do not use this method very often, mainly because of the fact that the bottles that I have purchased tend to not be insulated as well as I would like the larger bottle gets warm and I prefer my water cold.

Number 5. There are some water containers that sync up with your phone with an app that helps remind you....I have not tried them...but they look cool!

Number 6.  Myfitnesspal and other trackers allow you to track the water

So there you have it!  My collection of  tips and ideas to help boost your water consumption. Water is honestly the most overlooked aspect of weight loss.  It is  also one of the most overlook aspects of health in general. It really does make a difference in everything!  I’ve said it many many times this is an individual journey and what works for me may not work forsomeone else. Find what works for you! Just like I have tried many of these ways and have to continually strive to find what works for me in each stage of my life and each stage of my weight loss journey.  The benefits are out of this world!   So come on and tilt the bottle, the mug, the jug, a glass and have a drink with me….WATER of course!

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To Stink or Not to Stink...That is the Question!

Running this morning?   That was the plan.   But it just wasn't happening.   My stomach was NOT right.    I contemplated the run.  I really did.  To reach my goals I really should have run this morning.  Due to schedules of course. (Work and prior obligations.)  But my stomach was just not feeling it.   In hindsight, it was the best decision, stomach aches and trips to the bathroom really don't mix well with a run!

I ate Chinese food LATE last night (9:30 or 10PM).  I ate too much Chinese food last night!

 I also barely got my minimum water consumption in.  I did it.   But barely!  What is my minimum for my projected water consumption?   I am aiming for at LEAST 64 ounces....but I've been getting closer to 120 ounces daily)

Scales were friendly to me this morning though.....We shall see....we shall see!

Meanwhile....I am sitting in that weird clothing size abyss between women's sizes and regular (non fat) sizes.   A size 16W is loose and baggy....a size 16 (not women's) is tight.   It's amazing how much of a difference the W makes on a clothing tag.  Just a few pounds more of weight loss and I will be out of the W's  and into regular size clothing ALL the time.   Just a few pounds more and I will be pulling out the bins of clothes that I have in storage.....a whole new wardrobe!  How fun!   

And as a side note....I forgot to put on deodorant this morning.  Really?   How in the world does one forget that????   So should I keep my arms extended at a 90 degree angle from my body to avoid any sweating and heat?   Or should I keep my arms plastered to my side to avoid any heated underarm smell from escaping?  What to do...what to do.  (I do think taking a walk on my lunch break may not be wise with this little issue though!)

No major epiphanies today....just plodding along with trying to turn this ship around after last week's experience of  eating junk and overage in my calories.   

Baby it's cold outside!

Well it's cold!!!  Frigidly cold.  The heat pump is running near constantly to keep our house warm.....and the floors still seem cold...my feet are FROZEN!  OH well....

So the cold weather deterred me from going out for my morning run.  Oh well.  However, I did go out for a few minutes at 7AM.  I had some experimenting to do.

First we took a pan of boiling water outside and threw it into the air........  Check out the video if you haven't seen this done. It's pretty cool!

Then I took my bubbles outside and blew some bubbles.  Also pretty cool.  You can see that the one bubble was frozen and shattered.....

Then I came inside and did something that I love to do on cold winter days....I baked.  Banana muffins this time

I was good though, I knew I was baking them so I didn't eat breakfast until they came out of then oven....I made these yummy concoctions my breakfast (no I didn't eat all of them...ONE was my breakfast!).  I managed and planned!  

Onward I go!  I will succeed!

Dehydrated Friday

I woke up thirstier than a camel.  I've been downing water like a mad woman.  My water mug/jug holds 54 ounces.  I've already had to refill it once (in fairness there is ice in it so I didn't drink 54 ounces already this morning upon editing this an hour or two later I've definitely chugged at least 54 ounces and it's not quite noon).   I'm however not surprised.  One glance at myfitnesspal makes it glaringly clear.  I ate food that was so  high in sodium that it's ridiculous.  Mexican Chicken soup is so tasty, but a bit high in sodium!    I don't usually watch sodium and I know that it will correct itself (with lots of water intake) so I'm not concerned. 

Today won't be much better.  My sodium intake for today is rather steep also.  (Probably because I'm having leftover Mexican Chicken Soup for lunch...and quite possibly dinner).   I tried a new recipe this morning.   I am calling it the Sausage Ring of fire.  OK, the "of fire" is my own addition, just because I'm a bit of a geek.  ~~giggling~~  OK OK OK, I'm simply calling it a Sausage Ring.  It is a bit too 'meaty' for me.  The meat flavor was to heavy for a gal that prefers to go meatless.  However, I thought it was still good.  Todd absolutely loved it.  He actually said it rivals his all time favorite breakfast.  So I guess I'll be making it again. 

Yesterday I didn't plan as well as I thought.  We ended up eating lunch really early, 10:30 AM.  That in itself is not an issue.  The issue is that I didn't plan on eating anything until dinner......which ended up not being until about 8:30.  Uhhhh in case you didn't catch that...  I went about 10 hours without any food to eat.  I realized my mistake at about 3 or 4 PM.  I scrounged around in my drawer at work and found a granola bar.  It was a bit old, but it tasted pretty good.  I was still hungry but that held me until my late dinner.  Of course I chowed down like a starving pig when I hit the dinner table.  GRRRRRR

 

I'm continuing to work on some other ways to reach out and 'be'.  One of them scares the living doo doo out of me because of how "OUT THERE" it really is.  I've written on this blog for years.  I've been transparently raw.   Some friends and family don't even know I have a blog.  Some people vaguely know I have a blog but have never shown any interest. (However, they could find me should they really look.)  I'm going to take a step that opens myself up even further and opens up this blog in a way that I'm not sure I'm totally ready for.....but my new plan is to live fearlessly.....so here goes nothing.  So there will be more on that soon!

 

Writing may be difficult today....I got a new computer here at work.  Joy of joy's, Word is not installed....uhhhhhh GREAT.  I guess I'll be focusing on adding calorie counts to my website!

 

 

Doing battle with my mind

My  mind plays tricks on me.  Yesterday morning I carefully figured out the calories on my favorite food at Southwest Moe's Grill. I ALWAYS order the regular size.  However, on the restaurants website  I saw that the regular size was roughly 750-800 calories and the junior size was 468.  Hmmm, that's a huge difference!   468 was doable.  So I planned to eat the junior size.  However, I got to the restaurant and my mom pulled out a buy one get one free coupon.  She and my dad were splitting a regular sized burrito, the free one was for me.  My burrito was going to be free!   Financially speaking, it made sense for me to get the regular sized burrito.  Seriously!  It makes sense right?  I got up to where you place your order.  I said "I want the Art Vandalay."
That part of my order was never in question.  The size issue is what was roaring through my brain!
  I looked at the guy and I wanted to stop right then and there and get the regular sized burrito.  It was free!  Yummy vegetarian burrito...FREE!   But then I finished my order......."Junior".   I know we have faced a fiscal cliff and that I just wasted the opportunity to get MORE free food than I already did.  I can tell myself that I would only eat half of it. I could seriously eat half of it and put the rest aside for dinner.  What a GRAND PLAN!  However, I know that I would fail miserably at that plan. I knew that if the food was in front of me that I would   Therefore, I summoned all of my will power and I added the word junior onto my order.  You know what?  I was still quite full and satisfied after a junior burrito!  This journey is only partly about my stomach ....it REALLY is a mental game!  (ohh and I carted my big water jug into Moe's with me, no asparatame laden diet soda or crystal light for me.  WATER baby!!!!)

I joined a weight loss group on line and then was drafted into another.  One weight loss group weighs in on Sundays. The other one is Monday.  OK, not a problem.  I can weigh myself both days.  This is easy.  it will keep me on target on Saturday since I have a weigh in on Sunday.  It will also keep me on target on Sunday since I have to face the music on Monday also.  How perfect is that?  I had taken a sneak peak at the scales midway through last week.  My weight was down.  I was ecstatic.  So yesterday I hop on the scales and low and behold I was up. (still down from my previous Sunday weight).  Uhhh really?   I ate RIGHT!  I ignored the wine!  I ignored the beer!  I ignored the snacks!  I drank water and only ate one chocolate covered strawberry at a party for goodness sake!  And I gained?  WTF? (for the sake of honesty and integrity, I will admit it was less than a half pound up from where I was at my sneak peak..but still)  I stepped off the scale.  I wanted to scream!  Why?  I did it right and the scales didn't reflect my efforts.  I gathered my emotions and reminded myself that the scales are a fickle thing.  I didn't let the number on the scale deter me from my mission.  I watched my food intake.  At the end of the day I even had enough for a half cup of ice cream (of course individually packaged by me, in my freezer for ease of consumption without the temptation).  This morning I was nervous as I stepped on the scales.  I had weighed up a bit yesterday and I had that ice cream late at night, but it was all accounted for.  I ate RIGHT even though the disappointment with the scales in the morning made me want to run screaming and crying to the nearest bucket of food.  I stepped on.   And Low and behold I was down a pound from my sneak peak weight!  I lost 3 pounds this past week!   The scales do not always tell the true story.  Yesterday, I KNEW that, and I held firm and waited until the scales actually correctly showed my efforts!

Transamerican virtual walk is going well.  I'm 45.2 miles in.....I'm heading towards Glendale, VA!

Water consumption

The weight was a bit up today.  I knew it was going to be.  I knew it as soon as I came to a semi conscious state.  Why?   I was SOOO thirsty.  Mornings when I wake up thirsty, my weight is up.

Water consumption is a tricky thing.  I've read and been told by people 'in the know' that if you wait until you are thirsty to drink....then it's too late....you are already dehydrated.    I learned this the hard way years ago when I was biking regularly.  I had a couple really scary bike rides.  I wasn't thirsty so I didn't drink.  And I ended up laying prone on the edge of the path with my bike laying beside me.  I wasn't drinking...I wasn't thirsty.  And in times of exercise the problem comes in that once you get to that point it's near impossible to 'catch up' on your water consumption while you are still exercising.  I'm very careful now.   But it makes sense and it also really makes sense as to why I'm retaining water/my weight is up on morning when I wake up just totally parched.  It's EVERY time.  (and isn't that crazy that we retain water when we are becoming dehydrated).

Sooo yes, my weight was up this morning.  I did NOTHING that would cause it to be up. I ate within my calories, I exercised (walk in the morning, zumba in the evening...so two hours of exercise).  No reason.  Well, I did eat late (zumba doesn't get over until 7:45).  So I'm not concerned.  I'm drinking my water today....my meals are all planned out.  I've got zumba tonight again for exercise.  And I'm just going to keep on keeping on and ignore that pesky number today!

Water was not the wisest option yesterday!

Hmmm, I thought I wrote a post yesterday. I guess I didn't! Oops. Not that there is nothing new to report. I'm plugging along. I'm eating withing my food budget so I'm happy. I did see a jump on the scales yesterday morning. I knew there would be a jump even before I weighed myself. How did I know this? Was it because I ate like a demon the night before? NOPE, I had eaten really good the day before, however I woke up thirsty as all get out. When I wake up thirsty, it's not a good sign. (By the time we get thirsty, our bodies are already somewhat dehydrated). And that sign is usually a bit of a jump upward on the scales. I was right .6 of a pound up. It's all good.

So I endeavored to drink up yesterday. Well, at least that was the plan. I got to work and commenced drinking. And then the toilets started backing up. Now this is a on-going problem we have here. They back up, we call the plumber, they scratch their heads and just 'wonder' why in the world the lines are getting clogged up. They open the lines and they leave. 2-3 months later it happens again. SOOOOO yesterday this happened again. We called, they showed up at about 11:30 and commenced working. We lucked out and got a guy that actually was determined to find out why this is happening so consistently. He was here for 5 hours or so....and oh yeah, he found out. (The sewage line connecting our building to the city sewer lines is apparently gone.....corroded away.). They'll be back beginning of next week to determine where the pipe ends and where they need to dig...and then digging will commence (most likely in lane two of the drive through...haa haa haa). BUT, all of this to say that we had no bathrooms. We had to go elsewhere (like drive home...only 2.5 miles) So I put a halt to the water consumption. Well, not a halt, but I slowed it down! YIKES!

So today I'm back at work. (I won't even go into the bathroom restrictions that are placed upon us at this time.....eeeewwwwww). I'm going to work on my water and not worry too much, because I'll be going home in 4 hours.

Oh yeah, so with not drinking much water yesterday...my weight dropped 2/10ths of a pound. I'll take it!

Turkey Burgers!

February 15, 2009 (168 of 365), originally uploaded by mfcstotler.

Ohhh so yummy! :-)

Not too much to write about. Just a relaxing weekend. I indulged a bit on Valentines day. But no worries.

I'm floored. I don't eat at fast food much. But back in December we stopped (to use the bathroom) at a Burger King. I ordered a medium drink while there (diet drink of course) and they mentioned that it was the new sizing. Yeah, it was pretty big. I pushed it out of my mind....today we stopped at Wendy's to pick up a drink for Todd. I went ahead and got a medium diet for me. Ohhh my word...they upped their sizes also (I'm not surprised, if one has upped their size it's reasonably positive that they all have). I drank about 1/2 of it . Before I threw the cup away, I decided to see how many ounces......32 ounces in a MEDIUM! How the heck big is the large...not to mention the supersize/king size/biggie????? That is mind boggling!! Add that to the fact that most people do NOT fill their cups with ice tea or diet sodas. And we wonder why america is obese and growing larger each day?????????

When we sat down to eat dinner, I still had about 1/2 of my diet soda left. I started my meal with that as my drink. I realized that it totally altered how my food tasted. I didn't like it. Yeah, I used to ONLY drink soda with my meals. BUt I've actually grown to prefer water...it enhances the meal experience...because it forces one to focus on the taste of the meal instead of muddying the waters with the taste of soda. (Yeah, there are still meals out there that I feel NEEDS to have a soda or other drink...but they are becoming more rare). This is amazing to me..the girl that used to hate water!

Is this an excuse???

I went over my points today...and blew my numbers. I'm rather disgusted as I wanted to make the 6 weeks (even though my body is NOT giving up the weight)

Oh what you may ask. Well....we live in the land of stink bug invasion. They are terrible around here. IT's terrible. And they keep getting into my house. I get rid of them and they get in again. I can't figure it out.

ANYWAY....I was sitting here on my computer tonight and I had my big 64 ounce water jug/bottle sitting here. I absently reached for it and brought it to my lips. I tilted it back and opened up my mouth........and immediately began to feel and hear a crackling in my mouth! My first thought was 'how did a piece of paper get on top of that water bottle spout'. Then I tasted the awful taste and felt this burning sensation on my tongue, even as I spit out the crackling 'piece of paper' onto my hand. Ohhh my word...it was a stink bug!!!! I ran to the sink and kept shoveling water into my mouth and washing my mouth out. I got a big glass of water and inserted my tongue into the water. Ohhh my word...the bad taste was gone but the burning sensation was still there! Todd was concerned but then started to laugh hystarically when he heard and saw me. He instructed me to drink milk. I did it. Fat free of course....1 cup.....2 points. I stuck my tongue in that milk and drank it (have I ever said that I don't really like milk??) Sadly, the milk didn't help and my tongue just burns and stings!!! It's terrible!!!!

SOOOOOOOOO......2 points over what I should have!!!!! SHUCKS!!!

This day is just turning out to be one hoot after another...first the commando incident...now the stink bug....should I just go to bed now and call this day over??????