wendys-health-journal

[wcwendy]

I forgot to add that I had a whole bunch of shredded coconut with lunch--probably at least 1/2 cup. I don't know why I like to just eat and eat that.

[wcwendy]

EATING

I ate well on Thursday and until dinner on Friday. I hadn't thought about dinner, and when it came time to cook, I made a noodle dish and decided to eat it. Then I ate some more crud--Chex Party Mix. (It's yummy.) THEN....later, I was on the phone and without even THINKING I got and ate a (small) bowl of berry gelato!!

It was really a strange experience. For the past 2 months I have thought about EVERY thing that I have eaten, then to suddenly realize that I had eaten all but 2 bites of a bowl of ice cream was...surprising. It was just really odd.

Anyway, I was going to go back on plan today, but decided that since I wasn't eating right anyway, that I'd not worry about it at our marriage home group's Christmas party tonight.

Which of course leads to eating cake for DH's birthday, then we'll be making cookies, chocolates, pies, then there's Christmas Eve, then Christmas, then there will be the candy the DH probably bought for me (but I hope that he didn't), and leftovers from things that people will give to us...

Normally, I would ignore whatever junk people give us, but if I really don't get back to my doctor's WOE, I will likely continue to eat crud until I get a huge slap in the face, so to speak, KWIM?



So, I need to decide before tomorrow morning...am I going to eat the way that my body needs me to eat, and start tomorrow (I'm done eating tonight ) or am I going to continue to make myself feel icky for another week? And will I have enough willpower after another week to really get back to it?

I know what the best answer is. It's just that there's that REALLY good German Chocolate Cake that I'm making with the butter, HWC and flaked (not sweetened dried out) coconut. It's moist and delicious.

But is it worth the headaches? The stomachaches? The falling asleep? The bloating and weight gain?

NO! I have decided right now! I will stick to what my body needs and I will enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas because I will feel good and will not have BS crashes!

[wcwendy]

Originally Posted by wcwendy

NO! I have decided right now! I will stick to what my body needs and I will enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas because I will feel good and will not have BS crashes!

Well, that decision didn't last very long!

I have to get to eating what the doctor prescribed, but ...if I only knew what the "but" is. Well, I can change my eating if I want to do it, so I don't really need to know what my issue is right now; I just need to really decide to change.

A lot of my problem is that I forget how badly I feel after eating high carbs/dairy/sugar.

[wcwendy]

December 17--30 minutes total on elliptical and treadmill
December 21--30 minutes on elliptical
December 25--15 minutes shoveling snow and ice
December 26--30 minutes on elliptical
not much exercise, but helpful--10 min in sauna; 15 min in pool with kids; 5 min in hot tub
just under 2 hours shoveling ice, water, and slush

I'm starting to feel that shoveling! I wish that the hot tub were full! It got really gross because I wasn't taking care of the chemicals, so we had to drain it after only a week or so! I guess there's always the old fashioned bath!

[wcwendy]

We were in a car accident in 2002? My back hurt so badly that I couldn't even carry a purse (and mine are small and lightweight!) without my back hurting.

This morning, I sat down and something was INCREDIBLY different! My mid and upper back felt...nonexistant! Like a chenelle sweater. I moved and moved, and felt...nothing. No pulling, no pain, nothing bad--I could just...MOVE! It was so great!

Shoveling might be a good exercise for me?

[wcwendy]

breakfast:
leftover salmon
bacon
fried egg(s)

lunch:
baked, brined chicken
leftover vegetable tray
okra
pomegranate--part of one

dinner:
broiled salmon
cauliflower fried in eggs and cumin
salad w/ avocado
collards

snacks:
leftover vegetable tray

*****
Trying to get DH out of bed so that we can go to the Y.

[wcwendy]

I didn't actually follow yesterday's food plan. I forgot to put the chicken into the oven before we left for the the Y, so it wasn't cooked for lunch. Then we were there until 2:30! We ate (leftovers) close to 4:00, so we weren't going to have dinner, but around 7:00 I wanted a Thai beef salad. We ended up having Thai food for dinner. Yummy!

Today's food:

Breakfast
restaurant Tom Ka Gai soup--until I realized that it was sweet. Must have had sugar in it.
2 sausage patties

Lunch
large salad w/ lots of shrimp, cucumbers, daikon, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, topped with balsamic vinegar and freshly-round pepper

a little ham and olives that I snitched from a noodle dish
pomegranate vanilla tea
lots of water

[wcwendy]

Since Christmas, when I eat sugar, I fall asleep--most of the time.

Fell asleep yesterday after lunch.

Was afraid to have dessert the other night because DH and I were on a date and I didn't want to fall asleep. I had eaten some pasta (not much) with my seafood dinner, and popcorn shrimp (lightly breaded), and enough bread to equal a roll and a half. I started to get that zoning out/falling asleep feeling after dinner.

I've noticed a couple of times that my heart races after eating a lot of simple carbs--like yesterday after lunch. I fell asleep, then tested my heart rate. It was 118 or so. It went down to 93 after a few/several minutes. This morning, it was 73.

I felt so badly yesterday that I am back on my correct WOE! I still feel tired and like I want to do NOTHING today. I hope to feel better tomorrow. I was going to clean the house, and I have a lot of housework that I had planned to do this week. Instead I'm sitting around thinking about going to bed.

[wcwendy]

Went to the YMCA:

elliptical 30 minutes
swam 15 minutes--mostly just goofing off with the kids
steam sauna for 20-30 minutes

[wcwendy]

I've had trouble staying on his recommended WOE--I've quickly gone completely offplan and ended up eating all kinds of sweets.

Before restarting this December, I was going to talk to him about my sugar cravings when I consume fruit. Once it came to my appointment, though, I decided that I was being silly and that I could just decided to control myself. I didn't talk to him about it, deciding to give it another try.

Well, here I am 3 weeks after seeing him, and over a month after altering my WOE, and I feel awful and am back to eating brownies and chocolates.

Yesterday, I decided that I should talk to my doctor about it. I've been reading a lot about "them" finally discovering that sugar is legitimately addictive. I had been hesitant to tell my doctor that I felt addicted to sugar because I felt that it was a weakness of mine, or a really bad habit.

Well, I've realized that I don't lack self control as much as I had thought. I have a problem regulating my blood sugar level, hypothyroid, and new evidence shows that it's harder to lose and easier to gain when a person gains more weight. These all point to me having physical problems that have helped me to become the size that I am--it wasn't ONLY ME eating a lot that caused it.

This makes me feel more at ease about discussing a food problem with my doctor because it feels more like a physical issue that needs attention, rather than a lazy person who needs to just buck up!

OTOH, today I decided to just give his diet a GOOD effort. I'm not sure that I've tried as hard as I should to stick to his WOE, and how can I go in and tell him that I can't stick to this WOE when I don't know it's true? I can't. So, today is day number one of DECIDING that I will do my best to stick to the WOE that he feels will help me.

If I give it my best shot, and it still doesn't work, then I'll talk to him. In the mean time, here goes!

[wcwendy]

Had a great dinner last night--then ate a cup of b-u-t-t-e-r-y movie theater popcorn. At least I ate mostly healty food!

Chicken brined, then baked w/ salt, pepper and cayenne--It was so good!
cucumbers w/ olive oil, garlic, dill, salt
collards boiled w/ bacon, leeks, cayenne, salt, pepper, jalapeno vinegar
Brussels sprouts
1/8 c garnet yams
guacamole

[wcwendy]

I wanted coconut chicken curry, but they didn't have it. Maybe if they hadn't been understaffed last night, they would've asked the chef to make it. As it was, we waited for our dinner for almost an hour. I had to ask for each of my chai tea refills, and had to ask 3 people for the last one, then I only got half a cup. They really needed more people there.

[wcwendy]

Yesterday's food

breakfast
leftover Indian food (a chicken dish w/ sauce)

snack
dried shredded coconut

lunch
homemade chicken coconut curry--lots of it

dinner
homemade chicken coconut curry

NYE party
sliced meats and cheese--havarti, salami, etc.
fresh mozzarella and prosciutto roll
fresh pea pods
grape tomatoes
5+ cups homemade chai (with sugar and half-and-half)
1/4 c. sparkling apple cider

[wcwendy]

Chicken Coconut Curry

Heat 1/4 c peanut oil in wok.
Add:
1 TBSP sliced ginger
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/8 cup sliced leek

When onioin is cooked, add then stir:
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp garam masala
1+ tsp curry powder

Add:
2 c. cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 can coconut milk
Cover and cook, stirring, until cauliflower is almost cooked. (5-10 minutes?) If coconut milk thickens too much, add some water or chicken broth.

Add, stir, then cover to cook:
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 cup cooked chicken
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt (less if using chicken broth)
juice from one lime

Cook for a few minutes. Serve.

********
This is what I cooked yesterday.

If the chicken hadn't already been cooked, I would've added it before the cauliflower, letting it cook for a minute to absorb more flavors. The lime juice could have been added earlier, too, but it was a last minute decision. I would add it with the raw chicken next time.

Also, toward the end, I added some dried shredded coconut. It might have tasted alright if I had added it sooner, so that it would've been more hydrated, or if I had soaked it in hot water before adding it.

[wcwendy]

I forgot that I added:
one chopped tomato when the dish was finished

[wcwendy]

I just remembered a desire that I had this fall. I wanted to NOT be wearing plus sized clothes by mid December, but here I am at the same size. THAT is why I don't understand people who set goals like:

"I'm going to lose x lbs by x date."

How does one do that? How can a person MAKE oneself lose weight and/or get smaller? Maybe it works for people who don't have health problems?


Actually, I did have a goal once, and I made it. I weighed over 200 lbs and wanted to wear a friend's wedding dress that would've fit me at 120 around 20 years old. I told her that I WAS going to fit into it, and I did! I got down to 132--which was a few pounds too low for my adult figure--had the dress fitted and wore it for my wedding!

I did different things to lose weight--ate less, later cut sugar and wheat, except pizza once/week (only 2 slices), but I never exercised. I also never decided to lose a certain amount by a certain date. I lost probably 70+ lbs in about 15 months. Of course, I was 12 years younger then, and didn't have as bad a problem with my blood sugar level, and no problem with my thyroid (at least not that I KNEW).

Also, when I was a teen, I went from 138 to 117. I purposed to get to 121, but my eating had changed so much that I lost an extra 4 pounds before I could make it stop. (That was scary! I was even at 116 sometimes.) But it took time; I didn't lose it by a certain date.


I still don't understand how people can say that they'll lose a certain amount by a certain date. How can they DO that???

[wcwendy]

MAIN DISHES
* brined then baked chicken legs (I use a Martha Stewart turkey brine, minus the sugar, and whatever I don't have in the house at the time! )
* Thai basil chicken
* Indonesian crispy whole fried chicken w/ onions and lime
* broiled salmon
* fried fish--w/ lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper
* fajitas w/o the tortilla shells
* Indian curried beef--first time for this

SIDES
* have a Costco platter of vegetables
* Tom Ka Gai--Thai coconut chicken soup w/ mushrooms
* Brussels Sprouts
* zucchini fried w/ onions, bacon, salt and pepper
* Japanese spinach--lightly boiled, squeezed of liquid, then fried in butter, salt and pepper
* salad
* guacamole
* swiss chard cooked w/ bacon, vinegar, chili, onion, garlic, salt, pepper
* stir-fried vegetables--cabbage, bok choy, garlic, ginger, leeks, bell peppers...
* wilted lettuce salad


Well, that takes care of dinners and lunches (since we always have leftovers). I forgot about breakfast...thinking...

[wcwendy]

15 min. racquetball w/ Matt and kids
30 min. elliptical

I was sweating so much, my legs were burning, I was having slight trouble breathing, but I couldn't get my heart rate above 124! The woman in the exercise room said to go by how I'm feeling, and that the machines don't measure extremely accurately.

[wcwendy]

I realized that I should be posting my weights to see when/how often it changes, and I should be keeping track of what I'm eating. The dietitian/nutritionist would probably like to see what I'm eating, and if I don't lose weight and/or my cholesterol does/doesn't move, my ND might like to know what I've been eating.


Dec 29....204.5--Start date for doctor's WOE
Dec 30....202
Dec 31....203--PM: lots of chai w/ sugar
Jan 1......203--pomegranate; Indian dinner out w/2 cups chai
Jan 2......203--PM: lots of chai w/ sugar, pomegranate
Jan 3......202

[wcwendy]

Jan 4......202

Lots of water retention. Probably the pomegranate and pork rinds at bedtime.

According to ******, I consumed about 3000 calories yesterday with almost half of them at bedtime.

[wcwendy]

Yesterday was day 7, and for some reason I decided that I could handle a Grande Green Tea Frappuccino. Well, later I ended up eating 6 Lindor Lindt chocolate balls, 2 pieces of baklava, and I don't remember what else. Not a TON of sugar, but more than my body wanted. I feel icky.

[wcwendy]

I'm planning to buy myself an iPod Touch to watch movies and listen to music and books on tape while I exercise.


Goals or rewards:
* shopping in Portland with a friend of mine--I have to choose a weight or size for this one. She's really good at getting me to try on things that I wouldn't try if I were alone.
* hiking with DH--Hmm...that could be a goal for...say...June?
* walk a 5K race with the kids
* Oo! A new movie for the iPod for every 12 miles on the elliptical.

I'd like to have my hair like this for a while, but not until I'm thinner. Right now I'd feel like I'd look like a fat person who was unhappy with herself but thought that if she did something funky then she'd look cool--desperate to be accepted, in other words. In reality, though, it's not to be accepted nor cool--it's because I think that it would be fun. I think.

[wcwendy]

Exercise:
Elliptical 26 minutes
swimming 15 minutes
sauna 15 minutes

******************
Breakfast:
2 slices of bacon
1 1/2 duck eggs w/ Vindaloo sauce

Lunch:
chocolate protein shake w/ frozen banana, raspberries and strawberries w/ almond milk and hemp milk

Snack:
1/2 egg w/ Vindaloo sauce

Dinner:
*Pho w/ shiritaki instead of noodles. Yummy!
*fresh, organic pina colada--fresh pineapple, fresh coconut and ice cubes. The coconut was kind of chunky, but the flavor was good.

Snack:
few homemade pork rinds that didn't work
coffee w/ cinnamon, half-and-half, stevia
piece of fresh coconut

[wcwendy]

End of week 3 of my 12-week personalized fitness program.

So far, I have exercised 5 hours and 15 minutes. It doesn't quite meet my 3 days/week goal. My original (and current) goals were to exercise for 20 minutes 3 days/week. I think that I'll change that to 45 minutes 5 times/week. Hmm...my doctor recommended 50 minutes. Since I've been doing 30 minutes already, I wonder if I can suddenly add 20 minutes to my workouts? Hmm...

Because school just restarted, I have a NEW schedule. Listed in hours at the Y:
Monday--1 1/2
Tuesday--1
Wednesday--1 1/2
Thursday--1
Friday--1 (plus free massages!! )

Currently, I've been exercising for 30-45 minutes, then using the sauna and/or swimming with the kids most days.

[wcwendy]

I'm not quite sure that I've been paying attention to the percentages. I think that my carbs are more like 70% with proteins around 20%. I love vegetables! I've got to remember to LOOK at the food on my plate to see if I'm doing it right.

[wcwendy]

I keep getting messed up with my WOE. Tonight, I decided that for ONE week, I would eat only :

meat
vegetables
maybe some sunflower seeds on my salad

Of course, for me, this includes seasonings and fats.


Then it hit me--This IS the diet that the doctor prescribed!! Excluding the small amount of fruits/berries. And I realized that THAT is where I'm getting messed up--the fruit/berries. My mind tells me that I shouldn't be eating those, so I'll go ahead and have a little of this or that (like strawberry milk, another piece of fruit, a little cereal, lots of cream...).

Maybe if I make a list of what to eat, and post it in the kitchen, then I will be able to see and remember that I AM on plan, then I won't go off!!


And NO dairy this week!

[wcwendy]

EXERCISE
50 min elliptical--35 min on incline 10, resistance 5-8 most of the time
10 min in steam sauna

FOOD
entered in ******

total calories: 2,062
total fat g: 139.5
total carbs: 127.2
total protein: 82.3

For some reason I had popcorn, and biscuits w/ jelly at dinnertime. That was a bunch of carbs!! According to ******, I used 830 more calories today than I consumed. Hmm. If that's accurate, that would be great!

[wcwendy]

been 202/202.5 for awhile
Jan 13--201.5
Jan 15--201

[wcwendy]

Gathered my weights and here they are:

Dec 29.....204.5--Start date for doctor's WOE
Dec 30.....202
Dec 31.....203--PM: lots of chai w/ sugar
Jan 1.......203--pomegranate; Indian dinner out w/2 cups chai
Jan 2.......203--PM: lots of chai w/ sugar, pomegranate
Jan 3.......202
Jan 4.......202
Jan 13.....201.5--all day: chai w/ sugar; PM: store-bought biscuits
Jan 15.....201--chai w/ sugar, PM: homemade biscuits w/ sausage gravy
Jan 16.....200

[wcwendy]

DATE.........MINUTES...CALORIES
1/15/2009 .....45 .........341

1/13/2009 .....50 .........426
1/10/2009 .....50 .........472
1/8/2009 .......50 .........485
1/7/2009 ........6 .........108

1/6/2009 .......26 .........221
1/2/2009 .......75 .........682

12/28/2008 ....30 .........291
12/26/2008 ....140 .......973
12/25/2008 ....15 .........94

12/21/2008 ....30 ........160
12/17/2008 ....31 ........205