My new start is off to a fabulous start!
On December 26th I got on the scale and was fucking horrified to see I had ballooned up to 180.6! Not only was I horrified, I burst into tears and went on a rant about how I smoked for 35 years and I had put on 1 pound for every year I smoked since I stopped! 35 pound weight gain?!?! Holeee sheeeeit!
So after cancelling my membership with Curves, joining Good Life, meeting with a personal trainer, using the pool and equipment, changing up my diet considerably, I'm thrilled to say I'm down 8 pounds to 172.4!! I still have a long way to go but I'm so happy that it's working.
I think the diet change is whats helping the most at this point.
I've cut out a lot of things and added a lot of things. Probably the most significant thing I've removed from my diet is the amount of sugar I use. I really had no idea how much I was using. I drink diet pop and have for years and years. I was asked why bother drinking diet if I'm ordering McD's but the fact is I stopped drinking regular pop in the mid 80's simply cos I found it too sweet. I drink crystal light all the time. The hidden sugar? In my coffee of all places!
I thought, and said as much, yes, but I only use 1 tsp. Then the trainer asked me yea but how many do you drink a day? How many on the weekend? Okay I tried it with 1/2 tsp and it was horrid tasting! Then I realised that it was more like TWO tsps when I physically measured it out using measuring spoons and that's why it tasted so bitter with only 1/2 tsp. I started making it a bit weaker and it's easier to drink Anyway so I did the math to see just how much I was using and OMG ! 5 coffees a day, 5 days a week, 8 coffees a day on the weekend. 2 sugars per coffee, that's 82?! teaspoons of sugar a week!!! Gahhh! Times that by 52 weeks in a year and it's 4,264 tsps of sugar a year !!!! Fuck me lol
Crazy isn't it? I could use sweetener but I find it leaves a horrible taste when mixed with coffee and I don't want to ruin my coffee with it. I like my coffee and I'll drink it weaker so I can stand it with only a bit of sugar. I will eventually phase the sugar out of my coffee but baby steps for now.
The other big change is incorporating a huge amount of vegetables into my diet. I've cut back dramatically on bread and grains, replacing it with veggies and protein. I make heart healthy soup using lentils and beans, egg white noodles, cabbage and other veggies. Every weekend I've spent making things for the coming week. Sauce for my spaghetti squash made with ground chicken and rinsed to remove all the fat. I use heart healthy extra virgin olive oil and spices and herbs and roast my veggies. I cut down on potatoes and corn and anything that has a high glycemic rating. The trick is to eat like you are diabetic and the weight just falls off!
Jenn was close to having gestational diabetes and her doc sent her to the hospital for a class on how to manage your blood sugar, how much sugar is in certain carbs, she tests her blood 3 or 4 times a day and is thrilled to have lost some weight (although a little concerned that she was losing weight while pregnant, til the doc assured her she's fine). She looks better, less puffy, her skin looks better, she's eating like she's diabetic and it works!
Yesterday I had a craving for just plain veggie soup so as soon as I got home I made a huge pot. Yummy lunch for today! I also had an idea for a heart healthy shephards pie. Usually it's made with ground beef and gravy, veggies and mashed potatoes dripping in butter and topped with cheese.
Can't you hear your arteries hardening??? lol
So, I fried up some ground chicken into crumbles, rinsed it when it was cooked, added onions and mushrooms and a can of chicken rice soup. For the veggies I roasted some cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, and I stopped it with roasted acorn squash. I will heat it through today and try it. If it works I will buy some salt reduced soup to add to the meat next time. Canned soup is terrible for the amount of salt they use but since I added no other salt to it, it should be ok.
Although I have a cold at the moment, I feel better than I have in a long time. I'm loving the exercise, even the hated treadmill, and the new diet. I was gonna post my measurements, I have them but damned if I can find it right now. I'm sure once I CLEAN this place it will appear!
For now it's breakfast time, egg fried in no stick spray and a bowl of roasted veggies and a slice of whole grain toast. Yummy.
Then it's off to get the oil changed in the car and hopefully Jenn doesn't go into labour when we go shopping later!
Either way, and more about that later, by this time next week I will be the proud OWNER of a new baby grandson!! Can't wait to squeeeeze mah bebe!!!
Welcome to my blog, hope you enjoy reading.
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6 comments:
Congrats and best of luck with your new health initiatives. It is SO worthwhile, getting fit and staying healthy and sounds like you're making some really positive changes that will have long term benefits. Maybe you and your daughter can work together to keep on track. It's always easier with someone else with the same goals to work towards. Good luck to both of you!
Happy Week, G
PS: I don't know if you'd find it helpful, but I have a review about a meditation book over at MRLR I thought you might enjoy. Great way to stay off the ciggies or even think of them.
Good for you!! The sugar?? OMG! That's crazy. I would have been thinking along the lines you were, too. "Eh, what's the big deal? It's only a teaspoon." Have you tried Truvia? It's really the closest to sugar in substitutes that I've found. It's pretty good and "feels" like sugar, too, in that it's granular.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was 198 when I went back on track, so to speak, and I'm only 5'1", so that's pretty heavy for someone my size. (Although, I see you're friends with Hilly, too, and when she met me the first time face to face, I'll never forget it, she said, "You're not that big!" She felt bad, but to me it was a compliment, because I understood where she was coming from.)
Anyway, I'm glad you commented today. It's good to have supporters. I'll be here for you and I'll try not to let you neglect your blog. ;)
Thanks Geraldine, it certainly helped me learn some things about sugar and how our bodies manage it. Having Jenn on board helps keep us honest too lol
Hi Shelli, I've never heard of truvia. I'll have a look for it, may not be available here in Canada. Perhaps something similar. It's odd that I can take the taste of splenda in Crystal light and in diet pop but when you mix it with coffee it's awful.
Yea me too only 5 feet tall as well and this is the heaviest I've been since I was pregnant last. And that was 25 years ago!
It's all about how we perceive ourselves. There's a certain amount of body dysmorphia that alot of people suffer from. We either think we're smaller than we are or we think we're larger than we are.
Curves gym has no mirrors. I used to think that was a good thing. Since I joined Good Life I see it is a good thing . There is no kidding yourself, my rolls and flab are there front and center and I think it's motivating me to have to see it and want to make it look better.
Thanks for the support and I'll do the same for you! Nice to see ya :)
Sorry, It's better to have to see it. Curves lack of mirrors promotes denial somewhat.
Truvia is from the stevia plant, so you may need to check under that or a similar name.
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