Stumbling To Bethlehem: September 2007

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Goooooooooooal!

After a 6.8 mile hike, I relax with Riesling wine

Saturday

Sunday

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Calories, protein, and high-GI carbs

Calories eaten yesterday: 1247
Fat: 33g (24%)
Carbs: 96g (31%)
Protein: 135g (44%)
Weight this morning: 133.4 (One week ago: 132.6)
Calories burned in exercise today: 259

Crap. I'm up from yesterday. How did that happen? I stuck to my plan and always lose all week, then gain over the weekend. My body truly hates me. Being an endomorph means having a body that wants to be fat. Losing weight becomes a fight against your very genetics.

I ran into my trainer today and asked a couple more questions. He wants me to eat 140g of protein, but no more. For the weight training I do, he said 140g should be enough. He didn't want me to stress my liver and kidneys. (I'm not a pro-bodybuilder so I don't need more.)

He wants me to add 100 calories a day, and a good start would be a high-GI carb after my workout. He says he has no doubt that I will make my goal, but I might make it faster if I eat more.

For the next little while my calories will be higher anyway. Some of the shells with the NS beef tacos are rancid so I am opening all my packages, finding the bad ones so I can eat them first, then bagging and putting them all in the freezer to keep the good ones fresh. So dinner calories will be higher until I get all the packages sorted through, bagged, and placed in the freezer, and the bad ones eaten. I won't need the high-GI carbs until all the bad tacos are gone and I can have a lower calorie dinner.

As long as I am getting about 1400 calories a day that is a start. He thinks I might be starving my body on 1300 calories. I told him I gain fat at 1600 (it's been tried and the reason I am now on NS), so I don't want to go higher than 1400 because I suspect my maintenance is around 1500. I really do have a slow metabolism, so even with all my exercise I do gain eating 1600.

So the goal for next week is to have my daily calories a whole lot closer to 1400. My current tentative menu for Sunday is just a little below that.

I bought more of the Muscle Milk Light since it is still on sale at the gym - $20 is a steal (see GNC prices) for this stuff since it's such a high quality. I'll buy the GNC whey protein tomorrow. I'll take a scoop of the Muscle Milk and a scoop of the whey protein to make my shake, and hopefully be able to add in those high-GI carbs soon.

Brad and I decided that even with payday we are too poor for a full meal out, so we will go to New Zealander for drinks and maybe I'll have a side salad, but we'll have dinner at home first. I told him to pick up steak and we'll steam some veggies in those new Zip 'n Steam bags. He bought yellow squash, zucchini, and prickly pear cactus. I've never had prickly pear cactus but I am willing to try it!

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Week 29, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1322
Fat: 33g (23%)
Carbs: 84g (26%)
Protein: 164g (51%)
Weight this morning: 133 (One week ago: 133.2)
Calories burned in exercise today: 100

A new low for a Wednesday. That's good. :)

My butt is so sore today, but I love DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)! That's when you work out one day and feel fine, but are sore the next.

I've had a serious case of the hungries lately, wanting to eat and eat and eat. So far I've pushed through it.

I slept in today a bit. I walked from the train station to work for my exercise. I stopped at WalMart on the way, looking for a pair of workout pants for the winter. It's getting too cold on some days for my bicycle shorts. The yoga pants April gave me are loose in the waist and feel like they'll fall down when I run on the treadmill. The leggings I bought last year are just plain worn out and I had to throw them away.

I tried on five pairs of pants and they were either too long, too short for winter, or didn't fit in the waist (too loose!). These were size small, which at WalMart is like a medium anywhere else. Anyway, I walked out with nothing.

Well, tomorrow is the big hike from Sibley Park to Tilden Park and back. I'm making Brad bring a flashlight because it's a long hilly hike and we may still be out after dark. I need to make sure I have a flashlight, too. Pictures forthcoming.

We are supposed to eat out this Saturday night. We haven't eaten out in AGES, so we promised each other that no matter how broke we are, we are going out! Period. He wants to eat at New Zealander, which is fine with me. They have been very good about doing substitutions for me so I can stick to my diet. I suggested a light dinner before we go to cut down on our costs.

On the "God front," He sure knows how to get my attention. I have let my devotional readings and prayer slip since getting my computer and satellite TV back. (If you don't know the backstory on this, it can be found here and here.) Well, I had a bad experience on a forum yesterday. It's supposed to be a forum about health and fitness - things are are close to my heart as any regular reader here knows. Instead, it was about attacking people and porn; even the admin of the forum attacked me.

Avoid Lyle McDonald and the people he surrounds himself with. One person there asked me why I was a Christian (I was not the first to mention it - they were). I didn't answer because I don't need to defend God, but really - the people in the forum are the best argument for Christianity. They are an example of the world - mean, backbiting, focused on sex. They are the best argument in favor of Jesus that I have seen in a long while.

I know from experience that when people attack me for no reason that the best thing to do it take it to God and ask that I would see my attackers through His eyes. So the bad experience got me to pray last night, and this morning I did my devotional reading before leaving for work. :) God knows how to get my attention when He wants to.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Week 29, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1291
Fat: 36g (26%)
Carbs: 92g (29%)
Protein: 140g (45%)
Weight this morning: 134.6 (One week ago: 135.8)
Calories burned in exercise today: 260

A new low for a Tuesday at least. That's something.

I'm on track here. Ran into my trainer today and of course he wants me to eat more - like 1500 calories a day and at least 140g of protein. I said I can't lose at 1500 (I gain at 1600), and he said no, but I could gain muscle.

I think my first goal will be to wrap my head around 1400 a day, but I am remaining around 1300 until I can get the last of this weight off! I am doing whatever I need to with my carbs to get 140g of protein a day, even on non-gym days. I ran out of whey powder today; I will buy more on Friday and make do with the Muscle Milk Light until then. Today at the gym I had my last scoop of whey protein and two scoops of the Muscle Milk Light.

I need to get the rest of this weight off before I add more calories. One thing I want to do is have a 100 Calorie Pack of high-GI carbs right after my workouts. This is supposed to help the protein and nutrients get into the cells and 100 calories wouldn't ruin my diet.

Did lower body weight work today and for cardio I did the treadmill workout in Muscle & Fitness Hers. Tomorrow I will sleep in since I have no money for groceries and I have the bare bones basics in my fridge. Back to the gym on Thursday for upper body work.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Monday, September 24, 2007

Week 29, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1286
Fat: 32g (23%)
Carbs: 90g (29%)
Protein: 149g (48%)
Weight this morning: 136.2 (One week ago: 140)
Calories burned in exercise today: 102

The NS chips that someone said they would give me arrived today. There were four bags and three different kinds. The top ingredient in all of them is soy flour! Good grief. I figure if I eat maybe one bag a week for the next four weeks maybe it won't bloat me too bad? I much prefer the Nacho Crisps because the first ingredient is those is soy protein concentrate, which doesn't bother me the way soy flour does. I guess I'll find out if I can handle one bag of these chips a week without bloating up like a balloon.

GNC has whey protein on sale - a 6 lb. tub for $40. It's only good until the end of the month so I told Brad we have to stop by GNC on Friday (we get paid Thursday). I am almost out of whey protein; I only have about 1 or 2 servings left. I'm working hard to make sure I get 140g of protein a day, even on non-gym days.

Went into San Francisco today. Tomorrow I hope to make it back to the gym.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Gratuitous Xena picture

I don't post gratuitous cat photos nearly often enough, so here you go. Click the photo to enlarge.

Technorati tagged: cat, cats, feline, pets, life, felines, tabby, tabbies, Flickr

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Week 28 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) (carbed up for the race)
Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4) - Week 13: 142.4 (-0)
Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8) - Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2)
Week 16: 140 (+0.6) - Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8)
Week 18: 139 (-0.2) - Week 19: 138 (-1)
Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6) - Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8)
Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4) - Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6)
Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4) - Week 25: 137.6 (-6)
Week 26: 139.6 (+2) - Week 27: 142 (+2.4)
Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Total loss: -16.8

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.
Calories eaten Thursday: 1442
Fat: 30g (19%)
Carbs: 107g (31%)
Protein: 139g (40%)
Weight Thursday morning: 132.6 (One week ago: 134.4)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 254

Calories eaten Friday: 1495
Fat: 31g (18%)
Carbs: 85g (23%)
Protein: 160g (42%)
Weight Friday morning: 132.6 (One week ago: 137)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 251

Weight Saturday morning: 133.8 (One week ago: 137.4)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 0

Calories burned in exercise today: 276

Down 4.8 pounds this week! Yes! This is what happens when I cut the soy flour out of my diet. Just 0.2 above my goal - again.

Made it to the gym today and did some weight training pyramid work. I decided I needed to write down what weights I'm using for each exercise so I took my old exercise journal with me. My workout took longer than usual because of writing everything down, but now I have a record to follow.

I forgot to mention that I got a compliment at the gym on Thursday! One guy said he didn't know if I knew, but my back was getting some muscle. I needed to hear that because after seeing how bad I looked from the back I have been trying to do more exercises that target my back.

I won't have any trouble getting 140g of protein today and my calories were higher than I liked, so I skipped the extra scoop of whey protein that my trainer recommended. Tomorrow, though, instead of having an Atkins meal bar I will have a protein shake. Same number of calories, but the shake is much higher in protein. And I really should get over my fear of 1400+ calories on gym days.

I forgot my lunch today, but had a can of tuna in my locker so I grabbed that. There's no salsa at work so lunch was just plain tuna with a slice of fat free cheese melted over it. Oh well. I drained the water off into a separate container. The cats will love it.

As I have mentioned in the past, not only did I take photos at the September 13 staff dinner, but Lisa and our boss Jon did as well. I now have all the photos up and decided to make a photo set devoted just to staff dinners. Currently there are three dinners that I have photos of; these are the first four photos in the set. Photos five and on are all from the last dinner.

staff dinners photo set

Brad and I did the Tilden/Sibley parks trail on Friday. We didn't make it all the way because I just wasn't into it, but we did find out that though both parks are up in the hills, to get from one to the other you have to go down, across a valley, and back up the other side. So no matter which direction you come from you end up with uphill at the end. This Friday we started at Tilden. Next Friday we will start at Sibley and hopefully make it all the way.

On Saturday morning I had too much fruit for breakfast - two bananas and a large apple. Oh well, I guess cheating by eating too much fruit is better that cookies and cake!

On Saturday morning I had too much fruit for breakfast - two bananas and a large apple. Oh well, I guess cheating by eating too much fruit is better that cookies and cake!

After church, I cleaned up lunch all by myself while everyone else listened to a presentation from the Missionary Society. Due to my big breakfast and too many snacks, I wasn't hungry for lunch, but I snitched some of the food as I cleaned up, included two small slices of zucchini bread, one of my weaknesses. I also had one of Beck's homemade peanut butter cookies.

And now for a few photos I took over the weekend. Click any of them to enlarge.

views from the Tilden/Sibley parks trail

sunset from the Tilden/Sibley parks trail

Abby sleeps in the cat tree

Friday's dinner - chicken breast and zucchini

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Body types, body fat test, & bodybuilding

Calories eaten yesterday: 1345
Fat: 48g (34%)
Carbs: 87g (27%)
Protein: 124g (39%)
Weight this morning: 132.6 (One week ago: 134.4)
Calories burned in exercise today: 254

A new low for a Thursday (yay!), though not a new low overall. I need to get below 132.2 to beat my all time low.

This is a long post because today was busy! I have done research on different body types, had my body fat test today, and got a new weight training program from my trainer.

Take a couple days to read this if you need to. I won't be posting again until Sunday with any photos taken over the weekend and with my weigh-in results.

Body Types

Learned some fascinating stuff yesterday about body types and why I might have such a hard time building muscle. There are three body types mesomorph, endomorph, and ectomorph, and I am an endomorph. For a woman this is the worst body type to have.

From: Bodybuilding.com:

This particular body type is generally predisposed to higher body fat % accumulation. Known to have a "soft look", it is harder for them to trim and tone through exercises and diet.

Other site with good definitions are About.com and BodyBuildingpro.com.

Body Fat Test

Ok, measurements and body fat test results, as promised.
Measurements (in inches):
Neck: 11.65
Chest (above breasts): 32.75
Breasts: 33.25
Biceps: 10
Forearm: 8.5
Waist: 27
Hips: 34.5
Thigh: 19.5
Calf: 13.25

Body fat percent: 26%
Fat mass: 35 lbs.
Lean mass: 99.5 lbs.

Weight Training

Yes, I said "bodybuilding" in the title, but that was for purposes of alliteration.

So I've built a tiny bit of muscle and lost a tiny bit of fat. As usual I got to talking to my trainer Jason, and I think I finally made it clear to him that I want to build muscle, not just preserve what I have. I may be an endomorph, but that doesn't mean that I can't build muscle at all; it just means that it's a lot harder and I won't see the results other people get. He harped on me about eating more. Haven't I made it clear by now that my metabolism is low and I would gain fat by eating the number of calories he tells me to?

After my appointment I got to thinking about whether I need to change my weight training program from trying to do 3 sets of 15 reps still. So I popped back into Jason's office and asked him about that. He said no, to build muscle I should do pyramids - increase the weight and decrease the reps with each set. He wants me to do 10-12 reps on the first set, 8-10 on the second, and 6-8 on the third.

He went off again on the food issue, and said that if I wouldn't eat more to at least add another scoop of whey protein to my shake. I figure 130 calories won't kill my diet, so I agreed. I think I'll split the scoop between breakfast and post-workout because otherwise I'd be consuming over 50g of protein after my workout. He told me to get a high quality brand such as GNC. And whereas before 140g of protein a day was too much, now that he understands that I want to build muscle, it's perfectly okay. [rolls eyes]

Finally got my reimbursement check for my dental cleaning two weeks ago. I get back $60 out of the $75 I paid. Good...I need to buy some basic groceries like eggs and now I can do that.

By the way, if you're ever looking for a good way to kill some time, check out my YouTube playlists. You'll find A&E Biographies, Judge Judy, true crime programs, the crazy antics of Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other cults, and lots more!

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Soy flour, soy protein, & bloating

Calories eaten yesterday: 1242
Fat: 25g (19%)
Carbs: 106g (36%)
Protein: 135g (46%)
Weight this morning: 133.2 (One week ago: 135)
Calories burned in exercise today: 144

Down another 2.6 pounds today. That's a loss of 8.8 pounds since Sunday. It has got to be the soy flour. As soon as I cut it out...whoosh. In fact, 133.2 is a new low for a Wednesday. My overall low to beat is 132.2, which I hit way back on July 6, and that was a Friday, when I usually see my lowest weight of the week. (I bounce up over the weekend since I just lose water weight during the week.)

Did some research yesterday on soy flour and bloating and learned that soy flour can cause bloating (from the carbohydrate component), but soy protein isolate and concentrate not so much because most of the carbohydrate is removed. Here's my research:

Found this on soy flour and protein in a Google search.

Q: How is soy protein different from soy flour?

A: It is the oligosaccharides in soy flour which cause problems with gas and bloating. These carbohydrates require the enzyme alpha-galactosidase to be broken down properly. Unfortunately humans often do not have enough of this enzyme. So when these carbs are not broken down in the small intestine, they pass to the large where they are fermented by bacteria causing gas and bloating. Soy protein isolate (SPI) is almost pure protein and thus considered practically free of "flatulence factors." (http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soyflatulence.html)

Making things worse, soy flour also contains enzyme inhibitors which further delay the absorption of the full soy bean.

Extracted soy protein contains none of these enzyme inhibitors or carbohydrates. Thus many people who avoid soy flour are completely fine when consuming isolated soy protein. But as each of us is different, the best test is always to try.

Too bad I can't take an alpha-galactosidase pill!

From:
http://www.wellnessfoods.ca/FAQ.htm

And from another site:
Q: What is the difference between Isolated Soy Protein, Soy Protein Concentrate and Soy Flour?

A: On a dry weight basis, isolated soy protein is 90% protein, soy protein concentrate is 70% protein and soy flour is 50% protein.

Q: Does consuming soy protein cause GI problems such as gas and bloating?

A: All DrSoy protein bars and cookies are made with a soy protein isolate which is specially processed and should not produce gas or flatulence, as it is essentially free of flatulence-producing carbohydrates as found in many products made from the whole soybean.

From:
DrSoy.com's FAQ

Slept in today, but got some walking in. I got Lisa's photos of last Thursday's staff dinner up. They are on the main page of my Flickr account until I add more photos, so check them out soon! My boss Jon sent me the photos he took, so I will work on getting those up in the next couple of days.

My lower body workout yesterday killed my glutes! My butt is so sore! But it's a good sore - the kind that tell me I worked out hard. Tomorrow - upper body, my favorite.

The two months of NS eggs I ordered came today. Just in time. I ate my last egg breakfast yesterday and don't have enough whole eggs left to make another breakfast (I need four eggs - one whole egg and three whites, and I only have three eggs left). So I have tomorrow's breakfast.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Week 28, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1405
Fat: 49g (33%)
Carbs: 109g (32%)
Protein: 121g (35%)
Weight this morning: 135.8 (One week ago: 136)
Calories burned in exercise today: 261

Finally seeing a whoosh. I cut out the soy, and the water weight leaves. Down 4.2 pounds from yesterday!

Made it to the gym today and used my weight training time to focus on my lower body. My legs are so tired now! I ran into my trainer so I scheduled a body fat test and weigh/measure for this Thursday! Wish me luck!

I used my last NutriSystem lunch yesterday - a packet of tuna salad. I put it on Light bread with fat free cheese and it was yummy! Since I am now on my own for lunch I have been thinking about what to do. I can do tuna with some salsa and cheese and the lower-calorie Weight Watchers meals. I still have some breakfasts, dinners, and snacks, so this is my first time that I'll be doing all lunches on my own! Wish me luck!

I found more pics of Marina and put them up. I don't have permission to share her Website, but the second half of this set of pictures are copied from there and I can share them.

Lisa sent me her photos of last Thursday's staff dinner. I have them in iPhoto right now and am working on editing them. I will post them when I am done.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Monday, September 17, 2007

Week 28, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1293
Fat: 33g (24%)
Carbs: 92g (30%)
Protein: 142g (46%)
Weight this morning: 140 (One week ago: 137.8)
Calories burned in exercise today: 152

The weight still isn't coming off, but after I've been off the soy cereal for a while the weight should come back down.

Slept in today, walked the 1.5 miles from the train station for exercise, then dropped my stuff and work and walked further up to the airport entrance and back - another 20 minutes.

Nothing much else to report. I hope to go to the gym tomorrow and do a lower body workout.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Week 27 Weigh-In

I also took a couple of sunset photos through the window of the restaurant.

sunset from El Torito, where we had dinner

Friday Brad and I went walking in Sibley Park. I took just one picture of a lizard on a small side trail. Click to enlarge.

a lizard on a small side trail in Sibley Park

Saturday after church Brad and I visited the Mormon Temple in Oakland, something I have been wanting to do for a long time. A lady explained some things to us about the temple, then left us to the exhibits in the visitor center. There is so much stuff to look at there, we couldn't do it all and I want to go back again. Here's some photos we took outside. Click on them for a larger size and full explanation.

me in front of a fountain at the Mormon temple

flowers in the garden at the Oakland Mormon temple

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Staff dinner at El Torito

Calories eaten yesterday: 1302
Fat: 34g (25%)
Carbs: 101g (33%)
Protein: 127g (42%)
Weight this morning: 134.4 (One week ago: 133)
Calories burned in exercise today: 260

Abby ran away again. I left the door ajar while I took out the trash and she got away. This is the third time since I moved into the apartment so I'm not really worried. She'll come back in three or four days when she gets hungry enough.

I have more info. on my sister's baby. Her name is Marina Celina. She was born at 10:00 pm, weighed in at 6 lbs. 9 oz., and was 19.25 inches long. She's a little small, but she was three weeks early. Pictures will be posted on my Flickr account as soon as I can clean them up and post them up. So far, I have six photos posted, but the remaining ones need some cleaning up. I'll get them up in a day or so.

My department at work had a staff dinner at El Torito Mexican restaurant. I had the beef, chicken, and shrimp fajitas with no rice, beans, guacamole, or sweet corn dessert thingy - just meat and grilled veggies. No tortillas. I think they used a lot of oil though, so it had a lot of calories. Unsweetened iced tea and Diet Pepsi to drink. I had a few tortilla chips and several bites of the appetiser platter, but mostly just dipped on NutriSystem chips in the salsa and ate those. I tried to be good. Pictures forthcoming, including a photo of my dinner. I am going to weigh a ton on the scale tomorrow. My metabolism is very slow and my body stores every calorie I eat as fat.

I made it to the gym today. I am a certified gym rat. The front desk staff know my name without looking at my membership card!

I got a compliment at the gym today! I was resting between sets on a machine and a guy walked past me and paused. He said something like, "You need to stop (working out). You are looking too good." I live for compliments like that! (c:

Today was a semi-cheat because of the staff dinner, so I bought a a box of Oreo 100 Calorie Packs and had one after my workout - the theory being that you need fast digesting carbs after your workout to replenish muscle glycogen and help the protein get into your muscles. So I had my regular protein shake plus the 100 Calorie Pack. Eventually I hope to have a 100 Calorie Pack after all my gym workouts, but I would like to reach goal first. I gave the box to Brad to hold onto for me so I won't be tempted. I really love these packs - they taste great! They taste so good and are perfect for after the gym - bleached flour and sugar. You don't get more high-GI than that.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

My sister had her baby, and my life

Calories eaten yesterday: 1276
Fat: 33g (24%)
Carbs: 93g (30%)
Protein: 137g (44%)
Weight this morning: 135 (One week ago: 134)
Calories burned in exercise today: 87

First, yes, my sister had her baby. Marina was born late on the night of September 10. I have no further information and have been waiting for an update. I spoke to April briefly on the night of September 10 and she sounded fine. She had a very short labor. So I am now officially an aunt. :)

I'm broke, so eating out this week is off. I just did the math and I have a total of $141 in overdraft fees. Geez, how did I let that happen?!? *sigh* Anyway, payday is tomorrow but I will be lucky just to pay my bills and eat this month.

I did buy some more NS eggs from someone on the forum. I'll be sending them a check. I got a pretty good deal - 16 eggs for $25 including shipping.

I haven't lost in the last month. I thought I was part of a Halloween challenge at the NS boards, but found out today that they didn't have a start weight for me. I asked them what day the challenge started (just after vacation), so I took the following Sunday's weight as my start weight. It is exactly the same as this Sunday's weight - 139.6. That is extremely depressing. I am starving myself on 1300 calories most days, and I have lost zippo.

And did I mention that I have a staff dinner tomorrow night as a Mexican restaurant? No matter how healthy I eat I always gain when I eat out because my meds make me hungry. *sigh*

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem, baby

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Week 27, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1294
Fat: 36g (26%)
Carbs: 101g (32%)
Protein: 125g (40%)
Weight this morning: 136 (One week ago: 135.4)
Calories burned in exercise today: 261

Well, I'm stupid. After bidding on and winning 14 NutriSystem egg breakfasts on eBay, I discovered that a simple Maintenace order for only breakfasts from NS is much cheaper. I paid $37.92 for 14 breakfasts ($2.70 per breakfast!). With NS, and with my 15% discount and the two coupons I had, I got 56 eggs breakfasts for $43 ($1.30 per breakfast) - less than half the price! Only a few dollars more, and 42 more breakfasts. I won't be doing that again!

At any rate, I'm stocked up on eggs again. I can do just about any meal on my own except breakfast. There's so few low-carb on-my-own breakfast options that I still feel I need NS for that.

By the way, the anti-Atkins nonsense is starting again on the NutriSystem forums (and I did not start it - somebody made an ignorant comment). If anyone has some good studies from PubMed or some similar place, please leave a link in the comments section. I posted what I could find, but I am sure there is much more out there. I'm trying to use studies and logic, but for those who are terminally stupid it won't work. I just want to prevent this person from getting others to fall into their ignorance. No, I take that back - it's stupidity. Ignorance can be cured with facts; stupidity can't.

I bought more Muscle Milk Light today. It's still on sale and I need enough to last me until the next sale.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Remembering

I can't begin to put my thoughts on 9-11 together this year, so I will just repost what I write last year. I still feel the same way, even on this 6th anniversary of the attacks.

Today is the 5th anniversary of 9-11. If you are like me, you know exactly where you were when you heard the news. (I was in bed listening to the radio.) Where were you? Leave a comment.

9-11 split history down the middle - before and after. The '89 earthquake didn't do that. Five years later and I barely noticed that anniversary. But this was different. This was so completely foreign to my experiences. When I was a child and terrorists took over planes, they had the pilots land, and they would negotiate for the lives of the people on board. Sometimes a few died; sometimes all survived. But no terrorist took flying lessons to fly the planes into buildings, purposely killing themselves and all on board. It's indeed a new era we live in, and we've all settled into the "new normal." Now, everytime I see a plane in the sky I say a quick prayer of protection for America and her allies.

Let's purpose to never forget the lives lost. Never before. Never again.

God bless you, my beloved country. I am proud to be an American!

Technorati tagged: anniversary, WTC, World Trade Center, New York, terrorist, terrorism, 9-11

Monday, September 10, 2007

Labor!

This is just a quickie post. My brother-in-law just called and said my sister has gone into labor and is at the hospital now! The baby is coming! I'll update more in another post when I know more.

Technorati tagged: labor, baby, birth

Week 27, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1297
Fat: 34g (25%)
Carbs: 88g (28%)
Protein: 141g (46%)
Weight this morning: 137.8 (One week ago: 137.2)
Calories burned in exercise today: 131

Above where I was last week. My body truly hates me. I feel fat and bloated. Why won't my body lose this weight?

12 hour day today. Bleh. But I need the overtime. My only exercise was the walk to work, but I stopped at both Pac N Save (for salad) and WalMart (for diet soda) on the way, so it took a bit longer and I got more aerobic time in. Don't know if I will make it to the gym tomorrow or not. Depends on how tired I am.

Forgot a couple things yesterday. I ate pretty bad on Saturday. I did well for lunch and dinner, but broke just about every one of my 10 Commandments other than that. One reason was because of the power going out. It went off most of the way through Monk - about 9:45 pm. It came back on at 1:30 am. This caused my computer to automatically start up since it had been on at the time the power dropped. The "ding" of the startup woke me up and I was too hungry to go back to sleep. So I ate - horribly. After dinner I continued to eat horribly. I probably ate 3-4 sugar-free chocolate bars on Saturday, plus no-sugar-added ice cream and sugar-free Mentos. I have got to get a grip!

Sunday the power went out again. I don't know what time since it happened while I was asleep. The "ding" of the computer woke me up again (I put it in sleep mode at night instead of shutting it down). I was able to get back to sleep without eating, but what is it with the power going off twice in two days?!

And now the computer is acting funny ever since the first outage. Most times when I load a page it comes up wanting my to type in my password and I have to hit cancel twice to get it to clear. I may have to get a new computer sooner than I hoped.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Week 26 Weigh-In

My low weight last week was 132.4, which is what I am in the photo.

Had lunch with Mom, Bill, and Brad on Saturday at Quinn's Lighthouse. Click on the photos to enlarge. There's too many to use the "small" size so I have to use the "thumbnail" size. The last two photos were taken at my apartment.

And finally, a couple sunset photos from my apartment building on Saturday. Click to enlarge.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Week 26, Day 5

Calories eaten yesterday: 1286
Fat: 29g (22%)
Carbs: 88g (29%)
Protein: 149g (49%)
Weight this morning: 133 (One week ago: 135)
Calories burned in exercise today: 215

133 this morning! Yay! My pattern of losing during the week and gaining over the weekend seems to have reestablished. 132.2 is the low weight I need to beat. The only time I saw that was July 6.

Had a bit of excitement on the way to the gym. A police chase passed us. The guy fleeing was driving a van and the right front wheel was nearly off. He nearly collided with my bus. I knew he wouldn't get far with the wheel nearly off, and sure enough, within a block or two we passed him crashed, although he didn't appear to collide with anything. I didn't see anyone in the car so he must have run off on foot. I said a quick prayer for him to be caught, and if the car was stolen, for the owner.

I am wiped out today. I made it to the gym, but I had no energy for my leg workout. I had a Diet Rock Star and then bought an ABB Extreme Speed Stack - basically a drink with a lot of caffeine, and only 10 calories. I got the cranapple and it was really good. When I got to work I sent Brad off to Starbucks for a Venti black coffee. Yes, I really am that tired. My only cardio was walking on the treadmill; I was too tired for anything else.

I had a scoop of the chocolate Muscle Milk I bought yesterday with a scoop of chocolate whey protein. That Muscle Milk does taste really good. Yummy!

The overtime I mentioned in yesterday's post is officially reset for Monday. A 12 hour day - ug! But I need the money.

See you all on Sunday with my weigh-in!

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Week 26, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1290
Fat: 31g (23%)
Carbs: 111g (36%)
Protein: 125g (40%)
Weight this morning: 134 (One week ago: 136.2)
Calories burned in exercise today: 259

Barely hit 134 today. Yay! I'd like to see 134 on the scale more often.

Hit the gym hard today, all upper body work. I'll go back tomorrow and do mostly leg stuff, plus any arm exercises I missed today. After this I did that 1/2 hour treadmill workout in the magazine. I'm getting better at the side stepping. I'll just keep working on it. That's the hardest part of that workout for me. I am so wiped, but whew! - what an endorphin rush!

The overtime that was scheduled for tomorrow may be reset for Monday. They said they will let me know by tomorrow.

Muscle Milk and Muscle Milk Light was on sale at my gym today so I bought two canisters of the Light, chocolate flavor of course. ;) It's normally about $35 and they had it on sale for $20. I figure I'll use it in place of my ready-to-drink EAS shakes to save money. I ran into my trainer while I was carrying it and he said it tasted really good. Going by the ingredients it's mostly casein protein with some whey. I don't see any soy protein in it which is good because I already have enough of that in my diet. It's sweetened with Ace-K and Splenda.

Got a call from Mom and Bill and they want to do out to eat at Quinn's Lighthouse. Saturday is the only day I can do that since it's my cheat day. I looked up all the information on MapQuest and faxed it to their hotel. They are supposed to pick me up at church after the Bible Study and then we will drive to Quinn's.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Week 26, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1325
Fat: 37g (26%)
Carbs: 84g (26%)
Protein: 149g (47%)
Weight this morning: 135.4 (One week ago: 138.4)
Calories burned in exercise today: 87

Well, I have my overtime on Thursday pulled out from under me. The trip Brad was going on on Thursday is off, so he will be in Net Control, and that means Lisa and I just have our normal shifts. Damn. I don't like change. I like things neat and orderly and I really rearranged my schedule to accommodate this and now it's not there. :(

My women's magazine said that if you can train each body part more that twice a week, you are probably not working out hard enough, so I guess I will go back to the gym tomorrow and hit the upper body weights hard, then go again on Thursday, but do more leg stuff. Time to get back in the game!

My pattern of weight loss seems to be settling back into that pattern again and buy am I relieved. I'm still guarded, but hopefully that my "normal" pattern has returned. I so want to get to goal!

I finally called SheKnows about the magazine subscriptions I ordered two years ago right before they quit doing the hard copy and put it all online. They referred me to the people that are handling subscription questions. The first person I talked to was very unhelpful and I was ready to call the Better Business Bureau. I needed more info to file with them so I called back for more specifics and was helped my someone much more helpful who gave me a username and password and said my two-year Web site subscription didn't start until I logged in (otherwise, it would already have run out!). She also said all three magazines (I had subscriptions to two) had been rolled into one. So I went to the Website she gave me and logged in and perused the online issue. So at least I will get something for my money, even if I'm being jipped by only getting one online magazine instead of the two hard copies I ordered. I could have ordered just one magazine two years ago and saved money! :-p

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Monday, September 03, 2007

Week 26, Day 2 (Labor Day)

Calories eaten yesterday: 1063
Fat: 25g (22%)
Carbs: 80g (31%)
Protein: 119g (46%)
Weight this morning: 137.2 (One week ago: 140)
Calories burned in exercise today: 233

So here I am laboring on Labor Day. Bleh. Oh well, I get comp time for it.

After burning myself out last week I am just doing light cardio this week and nothing more. I may go back to the weights Wednesday. Haven't decided yet. I want to, but I do have a tendency to push myself too hard.

Today I went to the gym and walked about 4.4 miles on the treadmill (1 hour 15 minutes). FitDay says I burned 233 calories. I forgot my protein shake, but had three bags of NS Nacho Crisps in my backpack (12g protein per serving), so I ate one of those. It only has 10 more calories than my shake.

A strange thing happened while walking to work yesterday. I sometimes have people stop and ask my if I am going to the airport (I guess with my Pullman backpack it kind of looks that way). Anyway, someone pulled over and offered me a ride this Sunday. I turned off my iPod and peered into the car to turn him down. After all, I'm walking to work, not the airport (which is much further), for the exercise. If I didn't want to walk I could take the bus. Anyway, it was a really hot day and the guy seemed genuinely concerned about me walking in the sun. The funny part about it is - and this is a "could only happen in the Bay Area" sort of thing - the guy was a midget! Yep, as short as the day is long. I thought it was funny because while people have stopped before, I've never been offered a ride by a midget!

I have all the NS bears I hope to earn uploaded. Eventually I hope to show off all of them here! The red is for losing 10 pounds, the purple for losing 20, and the gold bear is for hitting goal.

Since my official goal is just 17 pounds (137 pounds), I'll actually earn the goal bear before my 20 pound bear (134 pounds). I don't need to hit 134 on my official weigh-in day, just see it on the scale three days a week for at least two weeks in a row (to make sure the first week wasn't a fluke).

You'll recall that I fudged my weight before my last order to ensure I would have my 20 pound and goal bears before I had to cancel. They are still sitting in my closet waiting for me to make those goals. The 10 pound bear is still sitting on my bed, all alone.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Week 25 Weigh-In

Saturday:

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in