My bad day

Calories eaten yesterday: 1324
Fat: 33g (23%)
Carbs: 96g (30%)
Protein: 144g (45%)

Weight this morning: 133.8 (One week ago: 133)
Calories burned in exercise today: 101

First, the rant of the day:
More craziness on the NS board. I'd put up a link, but you have to be registered just to read there. This time it's an insane wanna-be vegan. I swear to God these people are seriously lacking some nutrients to act the way they do. I posted on a vegetarian thread that I agreed that putting fish oil is the vegetarian entrees was wrong. Another girl posted and said she was a wanna-be vegan. Curly Jessie explained that you can't really do NS as a vegan due to the dairy products in their entrees. I simply said that I didn't feel veganism was healthy or natural - it's not the way our bodies were designed to function. Humans are omnivores and I believe we enjoy the best health on that kind of diet.

Anyway, Ms. Wanna-Be Vegan took offense at that. I had some concerns, which a couple other people were able to answer in an intelligent and non-confrontational manner, but Ms. Vegan Girl didn't (couldn't?) answer. I wonder if she even knows why she wants to be vegan or if it's some sort of in vogue thing with her friends or something. She comes across as quite young. [Edit: It turns out she's 33. I find that quite frightening. She also loves potatoes and sugar according to her profile page. Yep, a true carb addict who doesn't know it and wouldn't care if she did.]

This has been a horrible day for me. It's cold and rainy and gray. It took me nearly an hour to get to the grocery store. I barely had time to wash my veggies and cook my NS pancakes. I didn't have time to eat them with sugar-free syrup, so I sprinkled some flavored Splenda over them while they cooked and popped them in a baggie to eat on the bus. They were good that way.

It took me an hour and a half to get to work. The first bus broke down (brakes weren't working well in the rain) and we had to wait for the next. I really needed to stop at Walmart and that made me about 10 minutes late. Otherwise I would have made it just in the nick of time.

Today's payday and all that money (plus some) is already gone. I e-mailed Jon about cashing in my comp time (5 days total), plus another 5 days of vacation time. That would give me the equivalent of a full paycheck. I may even be able to buy a new digital camera. My old one is very outdated and some of the features (like zoom) broke ages ago. Anyway, until I get that check I can't buy anything or even pay any bills, but they should get me the check next week. I am also waiting on checks from my Dad and the mortgage brokers.

Oh...I almost forgot to mention a milestone. Today marks three years since I started taking Celexa. Unlike the Zoloft, this hasn't pooped out and I haven't had to increase the dosage. Of the medications I've been on, this is definitely the best.

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Vegan insanity

Vegans really hate us low-carbers because we eat meat and other animal products (cheese, eggs, butter, etc.) Unfortunately, not everyone is as tolerant as my vegan friend Lira, or my raw vegan friend Tina. Some people feel they have to bash and/or ridicule anyone who doesn't believe in veganism.

In a blog post entitled "Health Points," some guy I don't even know ridicules me for calling pork rinds, "the perfect snack." They are, but I guess this sort of silliness is to be expected from someone who believes, "A diet-style rich in phytonutrients and low in animal protein will resolve your cravings, and hypoglycemic signals...Atkin’s [sic] has a history of dangerous and fraudulent statements that has injured the health and likely shortened the lives of thousands of people." In other words, he's just another crazy vegan with an ax to grind who thinks that carbohydrates should form the basis of our diet.

That worked real well for me. I guess carbohydrates are wonderful if being 70 pounds overweight (and I was still gaining) is "wonderful." The anti-Atkins people will never get their heads around basic nutrition. Carbohydrates aren't necessary people! There is no such thing as an "essential carbohydrate." There are essential proteins and fats, however. Jeez...biology 101 here.

Therefore, since carbohydrates are not essential, they should not form the basis of our diet. Basic logic, no? Give your body what it needs (protein and fat), not what it doesn't need (carbohydrates). Long-time readers here know that most of the carbs I eat come from vegetables and non-sweet fruits (such as tomato and cucumber, both of which are fruits). These are the only carbs I eat because they give me all the vitamins and minerals I need with minimal carbs to wreck my blood sugar.

I left a comment on the blog post. Who wants to take bets on whether it passes moderation? LOL

Keep on keeping on, people! Living la vida low-carb has always been the healthiest way to eat. Let vegans eat their low-fat beans and rice. Give me a steak with lots of yummy fat and protein! :)

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Clothes shopping :) and my vegan stalker :(

Calories eaten yesterday: 1814
Calories burned: 2034
Carbs: 55g (too high to lose weight)
Fat: 79g
Calories burned in exercise: 265

Today should be the week 8 weigh-in. I'm just going to start the count over and get really serious in mid-August once I get back from vacation. I can lose weight right now, but all my efforts will end with eating dorm food for a week. I can make good choices, but I have no way of counting calories or carbs and end up overeating because my appetite is bigger than my metabolism.

I'm also lacking in motivation. My get up and go has got up and went. I'm tired and trying to lose and just want to maintain. I also want to get below 140 and stay there. *sigh*

My butt is sore. I think it's the combo of the leg exercises I did yesterday and the treadclimber. More than my poor little butt could handle. So I laid off on the leg exercises today, but did the treadclimber again because it's just so much fun and I work up such a sweat. That thing really burns the calories!

My raw vegan stalker is back, this time with a comment about me looking "ill." She conveniently overlooks the camera I was using and how bad restaurant lighting can be. (Can't look at those things because they would contradict her beliefs and the truth might be too scary.) Is it the lack of fat in their diets that screw up their brains and make them need to evangelize us poor, misguided meat-eaters? This woman has serious issues. (Gotta admit she takes good pictures, though.)

Went clothes shopping today. 1) I needed a pink tank top to go with a certain skirt I have. 2) I needed a new pair of bicycle shorts. My old ones are springing holes in the thighs.

First I went to the little boutique at 24 Hour Fitness. My club has a small store. I found a pink tank top and a white tank top with a butterfly that has some pink in it. Because the arm holes were so big I was able to get medium. Usually I have to buy large shirts to keep them from being tight under my arms. (I have large breasts that make buying shirts and dresses a nightmare.) The tops were $22 apiece. $45.68 for both, including tax.

Then I stopped at WalMart to see if they had bicycle shorts. I found only one pair, gray, that was a size 8/10 (medium) and fit well. And only $6! I also bought a pair of Levi's jeans. The "8 short" fit perfectly, just like the ones at Old Navy. I wanted denim shorts, but couldn't find blue, so I settled for green. I need another pair of shorts for Conference. It's always hot and of my two pairs, one is slightly tight and one is slightly loose, and it will be too hot to wear jeans at Conference.

The green shorts will go nice with the pink tank top. They had only sizes 4,6,and 10. The 6's looked big so I grabbed them and the 10s to try on. The 6's fit! They are "6 Misses," but they are the biggest 6's I've ever seen. I'm about 145 right now - no way would I fit a normal 6. Still, I'll take the compliment. ;) If it's still a scorcher tomorrow I'll consider wearing the green shorts and pink tank top. $42 even for all that, so $87.68 for all the clothes from both places.

I don't usually like shopping for clothes, though it's a bit more fun when I can fit into such small things and look so hot (just like the weather). :)

No time for the gym tomorrow. I have to run into the City to take another shot at getting my PIN number for my new debit card, and getting a new lock installed on my P.O. box and a new key. I paid for it all last week. Now I just need to make sure it's installed and get the key.

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Back into the 130s!

Weight: 139.8
Calories eaten yesterday: 1703
Calories burned: 1905
Deficit: 202 calories
Carbs: 48g (good)
Fat: 68g (too low)
Calories burned in exercise: 79

Hit the 130s (again), though not a new low. :) My previous low was 139, so that's the weight to beat. But I'll gladly take 139.8. It's still out of the 140s, and that's what matters.

Now the weekend starts and with it boredom and lack of distractions that may cause me to eat more.

I checked my calendar and discovered I do have a chiropractic appointment today, so I should be able to get some exercise by walking to and from the 57 bus.

Regarding the raw foods vegan who's been trying to convert me to her way of eating, I remembered yesterday that I do have a vegan linked in my dropdown list. Lira at Unknown Island North is a recently converted vegan, but she doesn't feel a need to go around telling others how unhealthy their diets are.

Personally, I don't think consuming that much soy is healthy for anyone (soy is the only non-animal complete protein that exists). If humans were meant to be vegan, carbohydrates would not be unnecessary. But they are, while fat and protein are necessary. And I say this as someone who likes tofu and eats other soy products as part of my low-carb diet. I believe that humans are meant to consume animal protein - meat, dairy, and eggs.

Honestly, if I had the money I'd buy organic, but I'm not that rich. I can barely afford organic eggs, never mind meat, which I eat more of. Organic and free-range are better because they are less cruel, but I don't believe that eating meat is inherently cruel. Send me money and I'll buy organic free-range meat. ;)

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