Sugar Bugs!

The other day (Friday of last week) I was trying out a new mouse on my work computer... I had to get down near the back of my desk to plug it in... well, when I got down under my desk, I noticed a candy that I must have dropped who knows when. (FYI it was a Malteser type of Easter egg candy) It looked like all the chocolate had been melted off (I assumed from the heat that the computer tower was throwing.) So, I went and picked it up... just as I did that, I noticed the pile of chocolate bits start to move!!!!
OMG, there are bugs eating this candy! Then I looked at the little piece of malt that I had in my hand, and it had what looked like tiny maggots in it also!
GRRROOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I threw the candy on the floor and proceeded to freak out! LOL EWWWW.... my office has *Sugar BUGS* in it now!
I have since thrown out all the malted easter egg candies I had stashed in my cupboard... I mean, all I can think of when I see them now are *Sugar Bugs*!!! ... and with that, I think I've cured my *Sweet Tooth*!!!!

Not weighing myself is HARD!

So, why do they tell you not to weigh in daily? I forget the logic to that!
I have been on SparkPeople for a while now, and they advocate a weekly weigh in. ...AWEEK??? WHA?!?.... You telling me, I gotta wait a whole 7 days to know if I am loosing??? HELLS NO!
That sounds silly to me, especially for me! I'm a numbers FREAK! And I love to chart out my success (and failure) in an Excel chart. (Yes, I'm a Spreadsheet geek! LOL) But for me it shows me how far I've come, and if in fact my efforts are paying off! (I first did this with a pencil and paper back in College when I first got back to working out. I managed to loose 10 pounds in 4 months (January to April 1997) just by adding regular exercise to my day and avoiding candy and chips! (Remember Jenny?... that was when we were hitting the NAIT gym! Oh those days!) For some reason I continued with the exercise, but my diet sure did go back to the way it was back then! Anyways, the nutrition plan I'm on seems to be kicking my body back into DRIVE and I am able to function on a lot fewer calories (without feeling hungry!) then I thought!!! :)
WHO KNEW???

I actually woke up EARLY (6:30) this morning to eat my breakfast at home, rather then pack it with me and eat it at work an hour or more later. My stomach was growling by 10 though... but I had packed a snack of minute oats, soy milk and berries. What a great pre-workout snack! :) I feel ready to hit the gym now... especially now that I know my body's running on almost 30 g of protein :)
...
..
.

Pound 5

My scale has been majorly schytzophrenic the past few days. I usually weigh myself 3 times, and take the average, or if one number comes up twice, I take that number... Well, the last time I weighed myself, the first number was super light, I was like "WHAT??? NO WAY! I didn't loose THAT much!" so I had to get a reading that was more believable to me (and the 2nd two readings were higher, as I expected!) Today, my first reading was actually an unexpected surprise, and I wasn't even going to do the 2nd and 3rd readings... but I figured I had to, just to be consistant... and the last 2 readings were WAY LOWER!!! WHAT???

Do digital scales do this when their batteries are low? Or is this kind of fluctuation in readings normal? (I know if I put the balls of my feet in different areas I can get the reading to go heavier or lighter. I don't think I'll ever be able to trust it.)

So, for today's weight, I actually took the higher reading as the truth, and it was still a 5 pound loss!!!
I'll soon be out of the 150's :) WOOT!!!!
Meeting with my nutritionist tomorrow to get some more pointers too! I'm looking forward to it!
...
..
.

Fainted today

I fainted this morning :( At work :(( In my collegues office :(((

Yeah, it was pretty stressful! I got all worked up about a stitch (pain) in my side, that just wouldn't go away! I called my mom, thought maybe she could diagnose me, but she only made it worse; "Maybe it's a blood clot!" She said! OMG... [freaking out ensues!] I run to my collegues office and proceed to tell her the story and I feel it... the blood, rushing out of my head. *1,2,3... down for the count! I had fainted! When I came to, my collegue and another co-worker we standing in front of me, just staring at me! They weren't sure what to do... but I did, and I just slunk too the floor and laid there taking deep breaths till I calmed down. (which actually took a while!)
(ASIDE: Yes, I am a fainter! I have fainted from the sight of my own blood. I will faint if I talk about a medical condition pertaining to blood. Even the word "clot" [shudders] is not a good one to use too many times around me! (I know... I'm weird! )

So back to the fainting story... I'm fine now, from the fainting. Honestly, that part didn't even phase me. My issue is that I still don't know why this side stitch persists? Is it fitness related? Do I actually have a blood clot??? Or just a spazming muscle? The pain reminds me of a *growing pain* like I used to get as a teenager, you know the ones where it sorta hurts to take really deep breaths?
I have a DR. appointment this afternoon. I hope she doesn't think I'm a freak, if it turns out to be nothing! :(

Loving the plan!

I've been spending most of my on-line time at SparkPeople logging my fitness and nutrition goals for the day. I forgot how much I actually enjoy keeping a food journal, and how MUCH it really does help! (Seeing the calories get added of your total for the day is a real eye opener!) Lately I've been eating between 1600 and 1800 per day. Not sure what a normal range should be, but I'm happy with these numbers!

Yesterday Collin and I went for a walk around the Glenmore resevoir... I forgot how long that apth is when you are not on wheels! I don't think we've ever walked it before (we usually rollerblade it!) It turns out it's actually 14km long! It took us 3 1/4 hours (with one pit stop for water) to get back to the truck! Both of us were starving by the time we got to the truck, not to mention completely pooped out! It was a great though, because I knew that night we were just going to be sitting in front of the tube watching the Flames game. (We robbed them from that game!)
My poor feet, I need a hot bath tonight!
...
..
.

My Dieting Personality

I don't like to call it "dieting" it's more like "food budgeting", right? (Dieting has such a negative connotation these days!)
I had joined SparkPeople a while back, and decided to use their food journal to help track my daily intake during this initial stage of my nutrition plan.
They also had a quiz to determine what your dietting style is, and it hit the nail on the head for me... and gave me so many great tips on how to make sure I attain my goals. Have a look:

I'm the FAST FUELER:
Convenience is everything - and it's a problem. You tend to be on the go a lot and have a no-nonsense but inconsistent approach to health and fitness. The rational side knows about good nutrition and how it helps you get more done. But eating right all the time is a real hassle, especially when you just want to know what tastes good! Moreover, you prefer to eat when hungry but your busy schedule makes it difficult. Relatively speaking, it is also likely you have less weight to lose compared to most.
Fast Fuelers as a general rule tend to get caught up in what they're doing and sometimes forget to eat. A skipped breakfast or lunch is a recipe for trouble, usually ending up in an evening or late night calorie load-up. Fast Fuelers do not necessarily eat a lot of fast food, but your hectic day can lead to unhealthy food because a trip home or the grocery store just isn't convenient.

What can you do? Retake control of your diet with meal planning, convenience, and more consistency. Spacing out smaller, more frequent meals will keep your energy reserves stable and avoid the highs and lows of "grab and go" meals and late night snacking. You need to structure good nutrition into your day (like other appointments) to avoid the compromising situations that cause you to skip meals or hit the drive thru. You are likely an excellent do-it-yourselfer in other areas of your life. Plan and pack ahead. Use that advantage of discipline and determination to stick to a real plan!

How SparkPeople can help: SparkPeople's structured meal plans match your caloric needs and take the guesswork out of healthy food choices. Our searchable 10,000-food database makes it easy to plan ahead and keep track of calorie levels, overall nutrition and your weight loss progress. Choose from our plans or mix and match your own. Our food planning, tracking and calendar tools help you control your eating habits without using up a lot of valuable time or brainpower.

Great tips for FAST FUELERS:
-Bring stability to your diet, using your rational side to plan ahead and stay consistent.
-Pack your lunch or have someone pack for you so it's there when you need it.
-Have and use plenty of disposable resealable containers of different sizes.
-Batch-cook food on Sunday for the rest of the week
-Make a point to have more fresh fruit and vegetables within arm's reach.
-Try cutting the intake of coffee and soda in half or substituting with green tea.


Doesn't sound like you? Are you more likely an Emotional Eater, a Portion Distortioner, or just Carb and Calorie Crazed! Find out at SPARK!

If you want to join me in my weight loss journey, I would recommend getting started by checking out Spark! It's got so much information and other tools to use to make your goals become a reality! You will be very surprised how much you can accomplish in the right environment and support!!!
...
..
.

Pound number 2

So, since starting phase one of my new nutrition plan, I have already noticed a change on the scale! 2 pounds! (And I'm not even being super strict yet! ... it's amazing what eating a few meals of cheese curd and yogurt will do to your body! :) I know it's the bread and pasta that I need to avoid, and co far I've done a GREAT job at staying away from those carbolicious goodies!

Phase one of my nutrition plan is geared twards shocking my body, cutting out all of the processed sugars that I get way too much of normally! (Sweet tooth?!) It's been a bit of a slow process to get into this diet, but once I noticed that I was making progress, I was stoked! Yesterday I followed the diet to the letter, and I woke up today and lost another pound! YAHOO!

Trust me, eatting this diet is tough, but my saving grace is knowing that I only have to do it for a month! (...Then Phase two begins!)
...
..
.