Well...I am figuring that I will get this thing started when I return from Omaha, NE where I will be attending a dog show and visiting with folks I usually only get to see once or twice a year. There is a dinner get-together involved on one night - so I see no point in starting low-carb, only to almost immediately crash! Just a bit too self-defeating, even for me! Also working on getting rid of the heavy-carb items that are currently at the house - one of those items being, you guessed it....tortilla chips.
I am also working on finding more low-carb recipes to utilize. Really need to find easy breakfast items, since I tend to eat breakfast in the car while driving to work.
May have to go ahead and re-join E-Diets too! They had lots of great recipes and spelled out meal plans using an Atkins approach.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Weigh In - In the Beginning
As mentioned previously, at my recent doctor's appointment, I tipped 200 on their scale, which has caused me to wish to throw myself in front of a bus...yet I have chosen to attempt to lose weight in spite of various obstacles and irritations and use this blog as an outlet of release.
This morning I hopped on my own scale to compare with the one at the doctor's office. My scale is kinder....putting me at 184. So that is the weight I will use as my starting point since it's much more convenient to hop on the one in my bathroom than at the doctor's. Especially considering how I try and avoid doctors, check-ups, etc.
This morning I hopped on my own scale to compare with the one at the doctor's office. My scale is kinder....putting me at 184. So that is the weight I will use as my starting point since it's much more convenient to hop on the one in my bathroom than at the doctor's. Especially considering how I try and avoid doctors, check-ups, etc.
Friday, July 13, 2007
What to do, what to do
One other recommendation from the doctor...in terms of diet - low fat and high fiber with lots of fruits and veggies. I can feel myself expanding now. I am attempting to gear myself up to get on the Atkins or South Beach diet plans (or....without going into all sorts of dealing with the timetables - just cutting out the majority of carbs in my day). It's going to take a lot of gearing though, since I have horrid weaknesses in the carb area. The worst...tortilla chips. I am big on chips and dips - ha, ha - no pun intended! There are some things I can substitute for dip-eating....there are marvelous containers of mini-peppers (red, orange and yellow) that I use to scoop up a bit of garden veggie cream cheese or cajun salmon dip...but they don't work with guacamole or queso! There's just no substitute!
I am sitting here pondering and identifying the bumps in the road I expect to face...
(1) ME. More specifically, my willpower. Even more specifically...my lack of it. I do have certain food cravings, such as the aforementioned chips. There are times that it's hard to overcome the craving. Brownies, sugar cookies, chicken fried steak (although I haven't had one of those in a long while), bread sticks at Olive Garden, even just cereal (straight out of the box)! Although there are times on my own where I am able to avoid the presence of those temptations. But...enter bump #2...
(2) DH-DEAR HUBBY. I think he just wants to keep me FAT! Maybe so no other man would think to look and/or try to woo me away from him. Outside the fact that I love him...have I mentioned how damned TIRED I am? I don't have the energy to bother with one man....much less an extra one! Now....as hard as DH works to find me interesting low-carb stuff when handling the grocery shopping, and actually compare labels...he never fails to bring home gobs of "taboo" foods - cereal, pop tarts, a case of cinnamon rolls from Sam's, chips (ugh). No matter how much I will fuss - this crap shows up after every trip to the grocery. He's the type that puts the weight on in only one place - his belly. No butt, no legs, no chest - but he's got it all on his belly. Just where they say it's indicative of heart disease - so it's not like he doesn't need to be watching what he's eating too! And God forbid he give up the sugar soda!! Now - I need my "fizz" - but these days there are so many great choices in diet drinks (Fresca, the 7Up Plus flavors, Diet Rite fruity flavors, Hansen's Diet Ginger Ale, Minute Maid Light Cherry Limeade....I could go on. I tell myself if he were to be away for 9-12 months...I could lose so MUCH weight! Of course - watching what he eats and all....he may not be around :(
(3) MY LIFESTYLE - this can be a hard one. We raise and show dogs. Many weekends one of is away from home. Attempting to diet while on the road seems an insurmountable task. Many times we are out to eat with friends as well....the choice usually being a Mexican restaurant (chips!!). It's so hard to just order a salad (with no bread) when seeing all these other gastronomic masterpieces on the menu or coming to the table. It's actually pretty easy for me to skip desserts though. But I usually want some form of alcohol. And there's not really a convenient breakfast to order from the fast food spots that does not involve some sort of sandwich. Can't eat with a knife and fork while driving - trust me...I've tried.
(4) MY KITCHEN ABILITIES - cook? I am an "Open Box - Add Water" kinda gal. Cooking with fresh food is time consuming...and I'm pressed for time. Between the daily grind, contract work, pro-bono work (with dog clubs), and the dogs...time is a precious commodity around here.
(5) FATIGUE - Another factor working against having to cook meals at the end of the day is the chronic fatigue I have battled for a few years now. After coming home from work in rush hour traffic, I am completely beat. Trying to fit cooking in along with the rest of the daily duties around here - well....there's just not enough energy to spare. Of course....part of the fatigue is likely due to having to haul around all this extra weight. So it's a catch-22 - I could get more energy by eating better and losing some weight, but I am fighting to get the energy to do so.
So these are what I am looking to work through as I make my attempt, yet again, to shed the fat. These are what many of my future posts will center around as I manage (or attempt) to work on losing weight and post my various experiences and/or discoveries.
I am sitting here pondering and identifying the bumps in the road I expect to face...
(1) ME. More specifically, my willpower. Even more specifically...my lack of it. I do have certain food cravings, such as the aforementioned chips. There are times that it's hard to overcome the craving. Brownies, sugar cookies, chicken fried steak (although I haven't had one of those in a long while), bread sticks at Olive Garden, even just cereal (straight out of the box)! Although there are times on my own where I am able to avoid the presence of those temptations. But...enter bump #2...
(2) DH-DEAR HUBBY. I think he just wants to keep me FAT! Maybe so no other man would think to look and/or try to woo me away from him. Outside the fact that I love him...have I mentioned how damned TIRED I am? I don't have the energy to bother with one man....much less an extra one! Now....as hard as DH works to find me interesting low-carb stuff when handling the grocery shopping, and actually compare labels...he never fails to bring home gobs of "taboo" foods - cereal, pop tarts, a case of cinnamon rolls from Sam's, chips (ugh). No matter how much I will fuss - this crap shows up after every trip to the grocery. He's the type that puts the weight on in only one place - his belly. No butt, no legs, no chest - but he's got it all on his belly. Just where they say it's indicative of heart disease - so it's not like he doesn't need to be watching what he's eating too! And God forbid he give up the sugar soda!! Now - I need my "fizz" - but these days there are so many great choices in diet drinks (Fresca, the 7Up Plus flavors, Diet Rite fruity flavors, Hansen's Diet Ginger Ale, Minute Maid Light Cherry Limeade....I could go on. I tell myself if he were to be away for 9-12 months...I could lose so MUCH weight! Of course - watching what he eats and all....he may not be around :(
(3) MY LIFESTYLE - this can be a hard one. We raise and show dogs. Many weekends one of is away from home. Attempting to diet while on the road seems an insurmountable task. Many times we are out to eat with friends as well....the choice usually being a Mexican restaurant (chips!!). It's so hard to just order a salad (with no bread) when seeing all these other gastronomic masterpieces on the menu or coming to the table. It's actually pretty easy for me to skip desserts though. But I usually want some form of alcohol. And there's not really a convenient breakfast to order from the fast food spots that does not involve some sort of sandwich. Can't eat with a knife and fork while driving - trust me...I've tried.
(4) MY KITCHEN ABILITIES - cook? I am an "Open Box - Add Water" kinda gal. Cooking with fresh food is time consuming...and I'm pressed for time. Between the daily grind, contract work, pro-bono work (with dog clubs), and the dogs...time is a precious commodity around here.
(5) FATIGUE - Another factor working against having to cook meals at the end of the day is the chronic fatigue I have battled for a few years now. After coming home from work in rush hour traffic, I am completely beat. Trying to fit cooking in along with the rest of the daily duties around here - well....there's just not enough energy to spare. Of course....part of the fatigue is likely due to having to haul around all this extra weight. So it's a catch-22 - I could get more energy by eating better and losing some weight, but I am fighting to get the energy to do so.
So these are what I am looking to work through as I make my attempt, yet again, to shed the fat. These are what many of my future posts will center around as I manage (or attempt) to work on losing weight and post my various experiences and/or discoveries.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Straw
It finally happened....the straw that broke the camel's (heifer's??) back. When dragging myself in for that yearly extravaganza known as the "well woman exam" (considering my last "extravaganza" occurred about 15 or so years ago - whoops) they had me hoist my carcass on the scale...and it tipped 200. Time to jump in front of a Greyhound bus. I have to lose this weight. For cryin' out loud - I thought I was fat when I was 107 pounds in high school - I have reached maximum density! There's 2 of me! Granted that I am now twice the age I was in high school - I don't need to be twice the size!!
I am determined to work on shedding the extra me. This blog will be outlet for me to vent my chubby frustrations and to catalog my journey of loss. I figure the journey will be filled with highs, lows, bumps and rocky roads. Oh yes....did I mention venting? Hooray - fat AND crabby.
As to what prompted the initial doctor visit (the one before the poke-n-prod party)? Chronic fatigue - that I have been battling for a few years now. I've even seen an endocrinologist to further explore the possibility of thyroid issues. All for naught. Although I keep getting told that I could be depressed. Well yes....because I'm tired all the time and can't get anything done! That depresses me! I am hampered enough by ADD - so when I do have energy to accomplish something...it's done in such a scattered way! The various doctor visits always resulted in being drained of what seemed like gallons of blood, once they were able to snag a vein. My veins are as afraid of needles as I am - and tend to collapse once they have been found. I haven't collapsed yet - but close. I have cracked a chair arm though. One doctor (a year or so ago) had the nerve to tell me that according to my bloodwork, I was a perfectly healthy 40-something woman! I don't think so!! "Perfectly healthy" does not manifest as being over 70 pounds overweight and constantly on the verge of napping!!
Well...here are the initial recommendations from the doctor (actually, I guess she's not a doctor...yet - I have never seen the doctor who owns this office...only interns (?) or RNs):
(1) B Complex Vitamin - to try and help with the energy. This is the first time this has even been suggested to try and help with fatigue - so she gets bonus points from me for this one.
(2) Multi-Vitamin daily - I ended up choosing the generic of the One-a-Day Weight formula
(3) Calcium Supplement - her recommendation was Viactiv. But it's all sugar! Having attempted Atkins before, I didn't want to purposefully add an unneeded daily sugar source. So I made sure the multi-vitamin had the minimum dosage of calcium she recommended (actually, it exceeds it).
(4) Acidophilus - to help with the, ahem, yeast growth that's just below where my belly hangs. Yay - there's a fungus among-us :( She also gave me some Nystatin cream for that. My belly is my "boobie-do" - we've all heard that phrase pertaining to beer-bellied fellas having "dickey-do's" as in their belly sticks out more than their dickey-do. Well....I've never been gifted with an upper mountain range - and now my belly seems more prominent. We're going to work on this!
(5) DHEA - not a doctor recommendation but my own.
Now....handling these pills will certainly be my first obstacle. IF I can remember to take them (I am sorely lacking in short-term memory skills), I detest taking pills! I did get the Acidophilus in chewables though. The multi-vitamin could choke a horse in my eyes! I've never figured out my aversion to pill swallowing - but I will overcome!
I am determined to work on shedding the extra me. This blog will be outlet for me to vent my chubby frustrations and to catalog my journey of loss. I figure the journey will be filled with highs, lows, bumps and rocky roads. Oh yes....did I mention venting? Hooray - fat AND crabby.
As to what prompted the initial doctor visit (the one before the poke-n-prod party)? Chronic fatigue - that I have been battling for a few years now. I've even seen an endocrinologist to further explore the possibility of thyroid issues. All for naught. Although I keep getting told that I could be depressed. Well yes....because I'm tired all the time and can't get anything done! That depresses me! I am hampered enough by ADD - so when I do have energy to accomplish something...it's done in such a scattered way! The various doctor visits always resulted in being drained of what seemed like gallons of blood, once they were able to snag a vein. My veins are as afraid of needles as I am - and tend to collapse once they have been found. I haven't collapsed yet - but close. I have cracked a chair arm though. One doctor (a year or so ago) had the nerve to tell me that according to my bloodwork, I was a perfectly healthy 40-something woman! I don't think so!! "Perfectly healthy" does not manifest as being over 70 pounds overweight and constantly on the verge of napping!!
Well...here are the initial recommendations from the doctor (actually, I guess she's not a doctor...yet - I have never seen the doctor who owns this office...only interns (?) or RNs):
(1) B Complex Vitamin - to try and help with the energy. This is the first time this has even been suggested to try and help with fatigue - so she gets bonus points from me for this one.
(2) Multi-Vitamin daily - I ended up choosing the generic of the One-a-Day Weight formula
(3) Calcium Supplement - her recommendation was Viactiv. But it's all sugar! Having attempted Atkins before, I didn't want to purposefully add an unneeded daily sugar source. So I made sure the multi-vitamin had the minimum dosage of calcium she recommended (actually, it exceeds it).
(4) Acidophilus - to help with the, ahem, yeast growth that's just below where my belly hangs. Yay - there's a fungus among-us :( She also gave me some Nystatin cream for that. My belly is my "boobie-do" - we've all heard that phrase pertaining to beer-bellied fellas having "dickey-do's" as in their belly sticks out more than their dickey-do. Well....I've never been gifted with an upper mountain range - and now my belly seems more prominent. We're going to work on this!
(5) DHEA - not a doctor recommendation but my own.
Now....handling these pills will certainly be my first obstacle. IF I can remember to take them (I am sorely lacking in short-term memory skills), I detest taking pills! I did get the Acidophilus in chewables though. The multi-vitamin could choke a horse in my eyes! I've never figured out my aversion to pill swallowing - but I will overcome!
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