Some vacation details

Calories eaten yesterday: 1104
Fat: 28g (25%)
Carbs: 61g (24%)
Protein: 125g (50%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 388

Let's start with another cute photo of Xena. She loves sleeping on my bed. :) Click it for a larger size.

Went to the gym today. I did an hour of weight training and 40 minutes of cardio. I wanted to use one of the newer ellipticals, but all of them (newer and older) were being used, so I settled for the stairmaster. I did levels 6-7.

After taking the train I walked in to work, talking to my Mom on the way to find out more about my vacation. What are we doing? How's the weather? Should I bring a swimsuit? And so on.

It turns out the weather is quite nice with lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s. Hello shorts! The resort has seven pools, most outdoors, a miniature golf course, and several exercise rooms. Yay! I'll bring back lots of photos!

Mom is inviting everyone down this year because it's a time share and they are selling it. So it's the last chance to have fun and she wants to share it with everyone. A day or two after I leave my brother and sister and their families are coming to visit.

I won't be updating my blog while I am gone, but I will be able to update my Facebook status by cell phone at the very least. Messages don't always go through, but it's the best I have. Today I sent a status update from my phone before and after my workout. The first made it through, the second didn't. :-p

Fighting the Addiction

Calories eaten yesterday: 1324
Fat: 25g (19%)
Carbs: 62g (21%)
Protein: 143g (46%)
Weight this morning: 132.2
Calories burned in exercise today: 175

I'll start this post off with a photo of Xena's paws just because everything about her is so cute. Click the photo to view it in a larger size. As you can tell I do not declaw my cats. It's a barbaric procedure.

Breaking a carb addiction is hard. Everywhere around me is temptation. I can ban things from my house, but I still have to deal with work. Yesterday I successfully avoided a caramel apple empanada dessert from Taco Bell. I've had them before and know how good they are. I took a photo, but didn't take a bite. Today at work there are pastries everywhere. Someone must have given us several packages because everywhere I turn there is at least one package, sometimes more.

I hope I can resist because I know how bad sugar and white flour are. I looked at the nutritional info on one of the packages and one pastry has 430 calories - for something that a person would consume in 3 minutes flat! I think my breakfast of 2 hard boiled eggs was much healthier and more filling than a pastry. Two large eggs have 154 calories, 10.6g of fat, 12.5g of protein, and only 1.1g of carbs! :)

Exercise today was lots of walking. I walked down to the train station, turned, and walked partway through Alameda before catching the bus the rest of the way in. I wanted to stop at Southshore for groceries but didn't have time. I was a few minutes late as it was.

I've stopped using the "134" tag on my posts. It was originally to mark days when I showed a 20 pound loss from when I started NutriSystem at 154 pounds. Since I am beginning a new diet I'm ditching that tag. My overall goal remains 136 pounds as a high weight and 126 pounds as a low weight. Water weight can easily cause a 10 pound difference from one day to the next. My official Atkins starting weight is 140.2, so I need to lose 4.2 pounds.

The only thing that will derail me is my vacation at the end of this month. I leave at o' dark thirty the day after Thanksgiving (and I'm working on Thanksgiving night!) to visit my Mom and her hubby in Florida. I won't be able to log food while I'm gone. I can make healthy choices, but will be somewhat limited in those choices.

Tomorrow I hope to go back to the gym.

FINALLY made it back to the gym!

Calories eaten yesterday: 696
Fat: 15g (21%)
Carbs: 39g (25%)
Protein: 89g (54%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 348

First, to the anonymous person who said I made no effort to look after Brad on Friday, perhaps you'd like to know the rest of the story and not make snap judgments.

How am I supposed to look after him when he is at someone else's house? I offered to let him stay at my apartment, and I offered a glass of wine before he left and/or our favorite TV show that was about to come on. He turned me down on all of it. How do I "look after" someone who doesn't want to stay?

So get off your high horse because you weren't here. I offered him stuff and he turned me down. He wanted to be in his rented bedroom at Nicole's and I had to respect that. I wanted him to stay, just as he normally does on Friday nights. He wanted to go.

Let's start off with a photo of Xena drinking the water I drained off a can of tuna. She thinks it's the best thing since wet food. Click the photo for a larger size. :)

Made it to the gym today. I overslept but it didn't matter because the buses are on a Sunday schedule due to Labor Day (the bus to the gym runs only once per hour) so I couldn't get to there until nearly noon anyway. I did one hour of weight training and then shortened my cardio from 40 minutes to 30 minutes. I walked into work from the train station (30 minutes) and made it with a little time to spare.

Tomorrow I have to do my City run to get my mail. I was supposed to check last week but didn't feel up to it so now it has to be done tomorrow.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Week 112 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Week 108: 137.4 (-0.8) - Week 109: 136 (-1.4)
Week 110: 133 (-3) - Week 111: 134.2 (+1.2)
Week 112: 132.8 (-1.4)
Total loss since starting a low-fat diet: -21.2
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -73.2

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1225
Fat: 17g (13%)
Carbs: 98g (33%)
Protein: 124g (41%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1159
Fat: 5g (4%)
Carbs: 71g (26%)
Protein: 62g (22%)

Weight Thursday morning: 129
Weight Friday morning: 127.8
Weight Saturday morning: 128.2
Weight this morning: 132.8

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 292
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 35
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 71
Calories burned in exercise today: 166

A new low weight for me! I need to lose all the weight I can because I will spend this coming weekend with no control over my food intake. Add that to the stress of the situation and that equals weight gain. That's why I have been working so hard to lose weight lately - so I can gain some and not get too high.

Crazy weekend. Friday morning I had my doctor's appointment. He upped my Armour from 120mg to 150mg (1 1/2 grains). He said adding 50mcg of levothyroxine was a good idea. In case I run out of Armour I got scrips for Cytomel and 125mcg of levothyroxine. This is my fallback plan, but the Cytomel is $1 per pill. I could swing it for a short time, but it's not a viable long term option

So I am currently on 150mg Armour and 50mcg levothyroxine. I did not schedule a new doctor's appointment because with the changes in medication (old Armour, new Armour, possibly Cytomel) my blood levels won't be stable for testing for quite a while. I told them I would call and make an appointment later.

The doctor gave me a compliment. First he said I was a difficult case - the medications that should work are not and my numbers are all over the map. He then asked if I'd thought about going to UCSF Medical Center. I said no and then he added, "You probably know as much as they do anyway." I do try to be an educated patient. :)

Brad drove me home and then dropped me at the grocery shopping before heading back to work. I bought what groceries I could carry since my cart is broken. The bags were heavy on my shoulders for the walk home.

I called Dad to try to calm him down about the situation with the van. Didn't do any good and he refuses to sell. This means I have to fly back from Seattle since I won't be driving down in the van with Brad. Brad called my Dad that afternoon and was able to calm him down. They had a nice conversation but he still won't sell.

Friday afternoon I went to CVS pharmacy to see if they had any Armour. They did, but only 30s, 60s, and 90s. They refused to give me 60s and 90s to equal the 150 dose I am on. I will have to call the doctor's office on Monday and see if they can phone in a script for 60s and 90s.

Between that and Dad I was really depressed. I had some wine and no dinner and then went to bed. I was too depressed and angry to care about eating.

Friday night Xena didn't sleep with me, but I wasn't too worried and figured she was under the bathtub or something. Saturday morning I looked everywhere - in every nook and cranny. She was nowhere to be found and did not show up for breakfast!

My baby was missing! Xena is the one who's been an indoor cat her whole life. She can't take care of herself outside. She snuck out sometime Friday night and neither Brad nor I noticed (I had gone to bed early anyway).

I was pretty depressed at this point and craved sugar and chocolate.

Brad and I headed to church. Between my Dad, the medication issue, and Xena, I was too depressed to participate much. I hadn't slept well Friday night so after the worship service I just rested during Sabbath School, ate some potluck lunch, and then rested again while everyone else cleaned up.

I did get up once during Sabbath School and go to the 7-Eleven next door and bought a large cinnamon roll. I sat outside and ate it, then went back to the church and continued resting (laying down across three chairs).

After church we had a business meeting. I'm the clerk so I have to go. Thankfully it wasn't the three hour meeting it usually is. We wrapped this one up in two hours. Brad and I had our ride drop us by the binge into Alameda instead of at home.

We ended up going to Zeytini's for their Happy Hour special (buy one glass of wine, get the second one for 25 cents). Brad paid, but I did give him some money to help cover my glasses.

He also offered to buy me a Mochatini at Applebee's because he knew how stressed out I was. It's my favorite drink so I took him up on it. I also got a Diet Coke because I was sooo thirsty. Brad got an iced tea and the cheese sticks appetizer. I was saving my appetite so I let him have most of it and just ate two.

We stopped at Starbucks on the way back and I got my favorite coffee drink - a double tall skinny vanilla latte. I also got a piece of the reduced fat cinnamon coffee cake and a double chocolate biscotti.

Then we went next door to Tuttimellon and I had two yogurts with toppings - a small chocolate frozen yogurt with M&Ms and granola, and a small plain frozen yogurt with M&Ms.

We stopped at Safeway on the way back for my weekly Saturday treat of two Yoplait Light yogurts. I also got a package of Hostess cupcakes - I craved the sugar and chocolate.

I checked my cell phone when I got home and found two messages from my next door neighbor (I had altered her about my cat). She said she had found my cat and Brad and I rushed over to get her. She was safe and sound, though pissed off at me for leaving her outside to fend for herself.

We came back and I ate the stuff from Safeway plus a granola bar, and the healthy chocolate pudding I made the night before. I wasn't hungry for dinner and neither was Brad so we just went to bed.

This morning we got up and walked to the train, then from our stop into work. We stopped at WalMart and I bought stuff I'll need for my trip this weekend - beef jerky, pork rinds, granola bars, hand wipes, etc. I still need bread and peanut butter, but WalMart doesn't have the kinds I like so I'll have to stop at Safeway for those.

Tomorrow I hope to go into San Francisco and buy a new cart for laundry and groceries. There are lots of little shops on Mission Street that sell those and they are right on the train line so I won't have to take any buses.

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How fat is your state?

Calories eaten yesterday: 1096
Fat: 19g (17%)
Carbs: 83g (33%)
Protein: 129g (50%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 175

Let's state off with a random cool pic of Abby. I caught her at just the right moment as she took a bite of her cat food. Click the photo for a larger size.

Okay. Moving on. Didn't weight in this morning. I'm a bit constipated so I knew my weight would be higher than yesterday and didn't want to be depressed.

I'm working overtime today so my only exercise was walking to the train station and then from my stop to work - about 1 hour total. My pedometer is not counting steps very well. I changed the battery three months ago, but I wonder if maybe it's just plain wearing out.

Here's a cool tidbit I found online: How fat is your state? Where I live (California) 23.1% of adults are obese - not merely overweight, mind you, but obese - with a BMI of 30 or above. California rates 41st among 50 states plus DC - overall one of the slimmer states.

The fattest state is Mississippi with 31.6% of adults obese, and the slimmest state is Colorado with 18.4% of adults obese.

On another subject, a word to my critics who comment on the Blogger version of this blog. I am hypothyroid, people! Maybe you don't understand what that's like. Yes, my emotions get the best of me. Thyroid hormones effect every cell in the body. Every. Single. Cell. Messing with my emotions is just one aspect of many.

Then add severe clinical depression to the hypothyroidism. I take meds for it, but the meds make me hungry and hunger makes me more likely to go off also. If I eat enough to satiate the hunger I gain weight. Try walking a mile in those shoes and then come back and criticize me! I only noticed one comment from someone who thought the thyroid meds might play a part - only one person stopped long enough to consider all the data.

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Week 111 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Week 108: 137.4 (-0.8) - Week 109: 136 (-1.4)
Week 110: 133 (-3) - Week 111: 134.2 (+1.2)
Total loss since starting a low-fat diet: -19.8
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -71.8

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1361
Fat: 25g (18%)
Carbs: 76g (24%)
Protein: 150g (46%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1499
Fat: 28g (18%)
Carbs: 76g (22%)
Protein: 134g (38%)

Weight Thursday morning: 127.2
Weight Friday morning: 128.4
Weight Saturday morning: 129.6
Weight this morning: 134.2

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 292
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 120
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 153
Calories burned in exercise today: 181

I lost 3 pounds last week so seeing the scale bounce up a bit isn't surprising and I'm not too upset. Besides which, I absolutely stuffed myself with macaroni & cheese and enchiladas at the church potluck yesterday. I ate more than I normally do on a cheat day and it was more like a binge so I deserve to gain and am happy that it was only 1.2 lbs.

I must lose weight because I am going to gain like crazy during my Washington/Oregon trip. There will be no healthy food for 4 days, much less fresh food. I'm taking low-carb bread and unsweetened peanut butter with me, but peanut butter is high in calories and will make me gain even though it is healthy. Maybe I can also bake some wheat gluten bread for something to munch on. I'm also planning on taking celery so I at least have something fresh the first day or two.

Before I relate my weekend, here's a gratuitous photo of my kitty Xena's paws. I took several good shots of her yesterday because she posed so perfectly. Click the photo to see a larger size.

Ok - my weekend. Friday I went grocery shopping, baked chicken breasts, and washed and cut zucchini. Bagged salads were on sale so I just bought a bunch of them.

Saturday Brad and I got home late from church and sipped wine and beer, munched some leftover veggies from the tray I bought to church, and pay-per-viewed Pink Panther 2. In the evening we walked down to Walgreens to put more money on my TransLink card using my commuter checks, then up to Safeway so Brad could buy cottage cheese. We also pick up wine and one Yoplait Light yogurt for me.

I did eat some donut holes and part of one of Brad's donuts that we bought down by Walgreens. Then I wanted cookies from Subway or McDonald's but thank goodness they were closed by the time we walked by.

Today we slept in, then walked down to the train station, and then from our stop to work - about 1 hour total. We stopped at WalMart so I could buy some Diet Coke.

I will not be weighing in the last weekend of this month while I am away, so whatever week I am on will be repeated twice.

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Xena photo

Calories eaten yesterday: 1483
Fat: 35g (22%)
Carbs: 90g (25%)
Protein: 192g (53%)
Weight this morning: 131.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 192

Today I'll share a photo of Xena preening Brad's face. Click it for a larger size. :)

I ate so many calories yesterday because I was starving. I ended up having a package of shirataki noodles (40 calories) and an extra chicken breast (220 calories). :-p Still just as hungry today, too. :( I even had breakfast this morning - Egg Beaters high in protein - and it didn't help much. Last time i was this hungry was because of a change in my thyroid dose. This time I can't blame that as I have been on Armour about a month now.

Kinda tired today after yesterday's 12 hour shift. Walked to the BART station, went into the City, checked my P.O. Box, then walked from my stop to work when I came back. I stopped at Pac N Save for Diet Coke and salad. Hopefully I can hit the gym tomorrow.

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Cats, chocolate cake, & cottage cheese

Calories eaten yesterday: 860
Fat: 19g (21%)
Carbs: 54g (26%)
Protein: 114g (54%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 353

Let's start with a random pic of my feral girl Abby. :)

Went to the gym today. Did one hour of weight training and 30 minutes on the crossramp elliptical. Walked to work from my BART stop. Dropped my stuff, then went to Subway to sip a Diet Coke and read a book. There was a party here with chocolate cake so I wanted to make sure I wasn't here for it and told Brad I would be about 30 minutes late. Thankfully they cleaned up before I arrived (how sweet!) so I was not exposed to the evil cake.

Speaking of food, I forgot to pack my cottage cheese today! :(

Felt about the same strength-wise at the gym, but I seemed to be able to work a little harder on the cardio. I know the T3 in the Armour is powerful and messing with me. It will take me some time to adjust.

Haven't decided yet if I will go to the gym tomorrow or sleep in.

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Weekend plans

Calories eaten yesterday: 1171
Fat: 20g (16%)
Carbs: 74g (27%)
Protein: 158g (57%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 166

Here's a cute photo of Abby to start off this blog entry. I caught her at just the right moment. She's such a beautiful feral tabby cat. :) Click the photo for a larger size.

I overslept and had to rush out of the house to the laundromat. I set my alarm, but forgot to turn it on! Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of laundry this week.

I walked down to the laundromat and back, then down to BART. I caught the bus through Alameda and stopped at Safeway for garlic wine vinegar. My local Safeway only carries the small bottles and I wanted the big ones.

Weekend plans:
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then an appointment at the Apple store to deal with my iPod Touch's audio issues.

The doctor will probably prescribe me Armour and I will need to get the prescription filled. Armour is going through a reformulation right now and I am trying to find out if and how I can get the new formulation. Costco pharmacy was no help, and Forest Pharmaceuticals was closed for the day.

My foot is still hurt so I plan to take it easy on Saturday with no walking/hiking. Sunday I go into work early, and next Thursday I am staying until 3 a.m., so it will be a long week.

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Exercise blues

Calories eaten yesterday: 1217
Fat: 27g (21%)
Carbs: 92g (31%)
Protein: 144g (48%)
Weight this morning: 132.2 (One week ago: 132.8)
Calories burned in exercise today: 190

Here's a recent photo of Xena. She's so cute and the close-up came out so well that I wanted to share. Click the photo to open a new page with a larger size.

After the overtime yesterday I slept in, then walked to the train station, then from my stop to work stopping at WalMart on the way (about 1 hour total). Still hotter than heck today, but it's supposed to cool down starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will do my biweekly mail run into the City that I was supposed to do today. I owe money for the blood tests done a few weeks ago; I have the money in cash, but need to deposit it and write a check. I also need to deposit a check I have so I can cover basic food expenses.

I won't make it to the gym at all this week - Sunday I hiked with Brad, Monday I worked overtime, today I slept in to recover from the overtime, tomorrow I'm going into San Francisco, Thursday is laundry, Friday is a doctor's appointment followed by Costco and groceries, and Saturday is church and possibly a hike with Brad. *sigh* For what it's worth, I am getting in about an hour of walking everyday, which also saves me bus fare.

April called me last night from Dad's new nursing home in Oregon. He doesn't like being there and still thinks he can care for himself. He doesn't believe April and I when we tell him he needs to be there. Plus it is very hard to talk to him with his hearing loss.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Week 99 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) - 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)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60: 134.6 (-2)
Week 61: 137 (+2.4) - Week 62: 138.6 (+1.6)
Week 63: 137 (-1.6) - Week 64: 137 (-0)
Week 65: 141.8 (+4.8) - Week 66: 135.4 (-6.4)
Week 67: 136 (+0.6) - Week 68: 139.2 (+3.2)
Week 69: 137.2 (-2) - Week 70: 138.2 (+1)
Week 71: 136.4 (-1.8) - Week 72: 140 (+3.6)
Week 73: 139.4 (-0.6) - Week 74: 140 (+0.6)
Week 75: 137.6 (-2.4) - Week 76: 141.6 (+4)
Week 77: 136.4 (-5.2) - Week 78: 139 (+2.6)
Week 79: 138.2 (-0.8) - Week 80: 139.2 (+1)
Week 81: 139.4 (+0.2) - Week 82: 137.6 (-1.8)
Week 83: 137.8 (+0.2) - Week 84: 137.2 (-0.6)
Week 85: 137.2 (-0) - Week 86: 136.2 (-1)
Week 87: 140.6 (+4.4) - Week 88: 138.8 (-1.8)
Week 89: 139.4 (+0.6) - Week 90: 142 (+2.6)
Week 91: 135.6 (-6.4) - Week 92: 140 (+4.4)
Week 93: 138.8 (-1.2) - Week 94: 138.6 (-0.2)
Week 95: 137.2 (-1.4) - Week 96: 137.6 (+0.6)
Week 97: 139.8 (+2.2) - Week 98: 139.6 (-0.2)
Week 99: 141.4 (+1.8)
Total loss: -12.6

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1295
Fat: 23g (16%)
Carbs: 86g (27%)
Protein: 143g (45%)
Weight Thursday morning: 131.2 (One week ago: n/a)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 277

Calories eaten Friday: 2521 (no, that unfortunately is not a typo)
Fat: 44g (17%)
Carbs: 264g (44%)
Protein: 165g (27%)
Weight Friday morning: 129.4 (One week ago: n/a)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 0

Weight Saturday morning: 133.2 (One week ago: 131.8)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 357

Calories burned in exercise today: 148

Yes, I gained a lot of weight. I spent both Friday and Saturday overeating and am paying for it today. I guess I'm pretty much fasting today since I am not very hungry and need to make penance for the last two days. I did have a double tall skinny hazelnut latte though (90 calories), since it is Easter. :)

Easter is over now and I'm heading into week 100, so I will do better!

I haven't done a cat photo in a while, so here's a photo of Xena taken last week on her 7th birthday. Click the photo for a larger size.

Ok, now onto my weekend.

Friday I attended Good Friday services. I came home and then Brad and I went to Costco for Diet Coke, Diet Rock Star, laundry detergent, cat litter, Airborne, and I bought a huge package of Ziploc sandwich bags and Ziploc quart bags. Then we went to Safeway for groceries.

My eating got out of control that night. I couldn't sleep and woke up shortly after falling asleep and pigged out. Curse those Cadbury eggs! I'd bought a package of four and alas, I ate all four. :(

I bought hot cross buns on Saturday morning to take to church and ended up eating most of them myself. They were not very popular I guess because so much of the icing came off and stuck to the package. :(

Saturday we left church after eating (I didn't stay to clean up like I usually do). I pigged out at church on rice, pizza, soup, and apple pie. I had a second piece of pie even though I wasn't hungry just because it tasted so good. :(

We went home and I quickly cut up some veggies to snack on this week. Then we went for a long walk (two hours to two and a half hours) in Anthony Chabot Regional Park starting at Bort Meadow and did a nice little loop. It was a bigger loop than we expected because we took a wrong turn, but the walk was still shorter than I would have liked.

Today we went to Easter Sunday services. We left afterwords and, since I was wearing my Easter dress, we took a short, flat walk up the Stream Trail in Redwood Regional Park to the point where it starts to go up. It was still a little muddy from the rain last week.

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Happy birthday Xena!

Calories eaten yesterday: 564
Fat: 10g (16%)
Carbs: 58g (41%)
Protein: 62g (43%)
Weight this morning: 132.6 (One week ago: 135)
Calories burned in exercise today: 146

Today is Xena's birthday (or as close as I can guess)! Xena and Abby will get tuna tonight for dinner. :) I won't get the photos I took of Xena this morning up for a day or two, but to the right is the most recent photo I have of her, taken Saturday. Click it for a larger size. She is 7 years old, which officially makes her a senior cat. :)

I've become active on Facebook again. Feel free to add me if you know me! Here's the start page for me. My Facebook name is "Victoria Shephard" - my real name.

After my 24 hour fast I dropped 7 pounds yesterday! Wow that was a lot of water weight I was retaining! Today I'm doing more normal eating. It's not an eating disorder to fast after eating 2+ days worth of calories.

Today's exercise was walking to the 7-Eleven by the bridge, taking the bus to just past the airport, and then walking the remaining distance into work. I didn't make it to the gym. I was just too tired from the weekend and needed to recover.

Tomorrow I need to go into the City and get my mail.

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Dad is in a nursing home

Calories eaten yesterday: 975
Fat: 19g (17%)
Carbs: 72g (30%)
Protein: 127g (53%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 122

I finally checked my e-mail last night after getting a call from Eleanor saying that my sister (April) was trying to get ahold of me. She had left two voice mails (my phone was off for a good part of the weekend), and sent two e-mails (I don't check my e-mail on the weekend).

Anyway, the e-mail said that sometime late last week (no day was given) my Dad was put in a nursing home for a bedsore. Of course, having high blood sugar doesn't help him heal. So right now he is in a nursing home in Grants Pass. I think he's expected to stay for about a month.

The phone number was in the e-mail and April said to call. I did and Dad sounded quite chipper - I guess just happy for the phone call.

April doesn't want him to go home again. She wants him in a managed care facility in her area (Seattle).

Here's a random photo of Xena chewing on a plastic bag. Brad put together my table and there were a lot of little plastic bags that the screws and stuff came in. Leave it to Xena to find one and chew on it.

Today's exercise was walking down Fruitvale to the 7-11 by the Alameda bridge. I bought some bottled water and then caught the bus into work. I was too tired to go to the gym and I was at work late because L didn't come in until a quarter past midnight. The thyroid meds are still wiping me out. I can't wait to get my blood tests and drop back to 100mcg. Tomorrow's plan to to get my mail in the City.

Yesterday after I decided not to go to the gym, I stayed up late doing food prep for my meals - opening and packaging tuna, washing and cutting veggies, and portioning cottage cheese. I got to bed around 2 a.m. finally.

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Week 95, Day 4 (again)

Calories eaten yesterday: 1184
Fat: 21g (16%)
Carbs: 78g (27%)
Protein: 163g (56%)
Weight this morning: 132.2 (One week ago: 131.2)
Calories burned in exercise today: 190

Working overtime today - 11 am-11 pm so I am tired from having to get up early (not getting enough sleep). I need the money so badly. Dad's check still hasn't come and may not come until next month, so I am scraping by as well as I can. I did take $30 from the money I gave Brad for Costco and will use it to buy cottage cheese and cucumber for next week.

I am trying to save out enough of that money for the Alli if they still have the 2 for 1 deal. Since they were sold out I rather doubt it, but I can hope. If they just have their regular deal then I will put the money toward other stuff.

I got a little exercise today - walking to BART and then from my stop to work. I stopped at WalMart to get more of the wild strawberry Crystal Light. That stuff tastes fantastic! and has B vitamins and caffeine.

My "bloating" isn't going away and I might as well just face it - I have belly fat. I have gained fat from these Saturday binges (let's call those what they are) and it's all on my belly. I am up a pound since this time last week. I quite literally am a fat pig. Oink!

I must stop eating so much on Saturday and eat light even that day. At least there won't be any going out for a while. Brad and I are both strapped so we'll be eating in. I'm planning on pasta for this Saturday except that I will have the shirataki noodles and I will give Brad the Dreamfield's.

I'm going to finish this post with a cute photo of Xena. She has always loved sitting or lying under umbrellas. The day this was taken it has been raining and I dried out my umbrella by leaving it open in the kitchen. Xena went to sit under it. Click on the photo for a larger size on it's main photo page. Also, click here for another cute photo of her.

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Week 95, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1184
Fat: 28g (22%)
Carbs: 84g (29%)
Protein: 139g (49%)
Weight this morning: 131.2 (One week ago: 133.4)
Calories burned in exercise today: 348

I haven't posted any recent pictures of my cats, so here's a photo of Abby playing on the cat tree. Click the photo for a larger size. :)

Xena is taking the position of top cat in the house and chases Abby around. I hate it, but I have to let them work it out as long as there's no serious violence. Thankfully, that seems to have passed. Now there is an uneasy peace and occasional swatting, mostly on Xena's part.

As a reminder for anyone who's interested, all of Xena and Abby's photos can be found here.

Foodwise, I failed today. I've been super hungry so I got a cheeseburger next door (no mayo). Later I got a 6 inch turkey sub at Subway (no mayo or oil), plus two cookies. I also ate some candy from downstairs. I feel better, but grrr....I hate being so hungry all the time.

Went to the gym today and did one hour of weight training followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill going between 3.5 mph and 7.0 mph, one minute each. I found I can do 7 mph for one minute intervals, but I need to work up to it starting at a lower speed and going a bit faster with each running interval. Even at 7 mph I couldn't get my heart rate up to 167bpm (my target heart rate that I mentioned yesterday).

I walked to work from BART, though it started raining toward the end. I had to use the heater at work to dry my pants because umbrellas offer so little protection to your lower body. Rain never comes straight down.

Tomorrow is laundry and it looks like I will be working until 3 a.m. L's dad is in the hospital again so she is out tonight (that shift has been covered), and may be out tomorrow night as well. If she is, I'll be working until 3 a.m.

If I have to work until 3, Brad and I will scrap seeing Coraline this weekend (the Regal has it in 3D!) so that we can use Saturday night to do all the stuff we won't be able to do Friday.

I'm still trying to find a place to get Body Gem metabolism testing done. My gym does not do it anymore. I called the YMCA, but they don't do it either.

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Week 92, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 943 (no, that's not a typo)
Fat: 20g (19%)
Carbs: 66g (28%)
Protein: 122g (53%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 190

I feel like I'm fighting something - like I'm on the edge of getting sick. I don't feel sick, but I don't feel well either.

Today was mail day so I went into the City. My 10 million step charm was there waiting for me along with a special pink large shoe key fob. The property check came so I deposited it and bought some magnesium at GNC.

Tomorrow I hope to sleep in. I have to catch up on sleep. I didn't get enough rest over the weekend and I just feel plain run down.

Missing the gym for over a week took it's toll. My pecs are still sore from Sunday's workout and I've lost strength and stamina. I couldn't get my running pace above 5.7 mph and couldn't maintain that for long. :(

The cats are at it again. Xena's newest behavior is to chase Abby - and not in a friendly way. I wish I could do the move over and make it easier for Xena to adjust. Her replacement for the window she no longer has is the fish tank. She's staked out the counter area in front of the tank as hers, which is fine. Abby took over the cat tree and I only wish I'd brought both trees with me because Xena doesn't use "Abby's" tree.

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Week 84, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1335
Fat: 19g (13%)
Carbs: 125g (38%)
Protein: 143g (43%)
Weight this morning: 133.4 (One week ago: 133.4)
Calories burned in exercise today: 111

I was sooo beat when I got home last night. I cooked up some Cream of Wheat for today and tomorrow, scooped the cat's litter box, and had my bedtime cottage cheese along with one of those 64 calorie beers. After what I have been through the last few days I deserved it!

I took 3mg of melatonin, two Benadryl, and two Xanax. The cats were chasing each other around and fighting, but they finally settled down and I slept about 9 hours. I wanted to sleep another hour, but I had to get to work. I'll try to do more catching up on sleep tonight.

I have to say, the melatonin has really helped me. I have always had trouble sleeping and I seem to fall asleep much easier when I take it.

This morning I walked down to BART, but needed to buy salad at the Safeway in Alameda so I caught the 50 bus and got the salad. I got off the bus about a 10 minute walk from work and walked the rest of the way.

As many of you know I have my employer take $40 out of each paycheck and set it aside for me - sort of like a savings account. Last week I asked for $150 of the $220 they are currently holding. I wanted it by Thursday, but it came today! Wow, that was fast. This will enable me to pay a couple of bills and buy food until the next payday. I am hoping to set some aside for next Saturday as Brad and I are hoping to do a loooong walk.

The cats are still an issue. Last night they were both very energetic and running all over the place. Some of it was play with something they considered a toy, and some of it was fighting with each other.

They fight and provoke each other even with the Feliway plug-in. I am hoping things will get better. I'm feeding them in the bathroom again and opening it up to them more often. I just have to move the shower curtain to keep Xena from hiding behind it. Eventually I would like to move the litterbox back in there without Xena guarding it.

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Week 81, Day 5

Calories eaten yesterday: 1373
Fat: 29g (19%)
Carbs: 120g (36%)
Protein: 152g (45%)
Weight this morning: 131.4 (One week ago: 131)
Calories burned in exercise today: 292

I walked to the laundromat and back, put away my clothes, walked to the BART station, then walked from my stop to work, stopping at WalMart for a refill of my thyroid med and a few items - 1 hour 45 minutes total.

I haven't talked about my cats lately. The relational issues are getting worse again with more hissing from Xena and more paws and claws from both. I have noticed that Abby is trying to take over Xena's bed on my bed and I bet Xena resents that and smells her scent. I sprayed Xena's bed with the spray type Feliway and am chasing Abby off whenever she settles there.

The Feliway is also running low and that may be effecting Xena's behavior. I need to get more since it does seem to help Xena to be a bit more calm. Cat fights are breaking out more lately and I will bet anything that it's because the Feliway is running out.

So I need to hit Petco tomorrow at the shopping center where the grocery store is. Dad's check should be coming soon so hopefully that will help me get through the next two weeks. Today was another dismally small paycheck so I will need that little extra to pay for this cat necessity and buy food.

I've stopped using the monthly bus passes. I just haven't been using $70 worth of rides. I've been walking a lot anyway, so now I will just do more. I bought a 10 Ride pass and sometimes I will just use cash. For example, with the 10 Ride pass I pay the standard $1.75 per bus ride - no discount. But when I get off BART I can get a transfer that will save me 25 cents, so I am better off paying with cash. This means keeping ones and quarters with me at all times.

I used all of my Commuter Checks this month to buy two $64 BART tickets. I am chronically running out of BART fare so this will really help. I purchased my 10 Ride bus pass with cash. I still have one monthly bus pass sitting around. I'll hold onto it for now. It won't expire until a couple months after the next fare increase so there's no need to worry about it right away.

One lady at the thyroid forum swears that my increased hunger is because the thyroid med is revving my metabolism. Here's the thread. So where is the weight loss if my metabolism is going up, hmmm? :-p I'm probably undoing it on Saturday because I just eat everything in sight. :-p

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Health club membership, and some thoughts on pets

Calories eaten yesterday: 1128
Fat: 22g (18%)
Carbs: 111g (40%)
Protein: 118g (42%)
Weight this morning: 135 (One week ago: 133.6)
Calories burned in exercise today: 167

My weight was barely down today so I did gain a lot from my off plan days and I was seriously dehydrated yesterday morning. As you can see, I am way above where I was this time last week.

Got a call this morning from the guy at 24 Hour Fitness. My membership doesn't run out until the 10th, but he swears that if I prepay three years tomorrow that I can get a great deal. The deal sound good, but I'm trying to get ahold of him to ask about initiation fees, whether I have to pay for the personal training, processing fees, etc. In other words, how much more will I have to pay over the quoted price? Anyway, I have an appointment with him at 1:15 tomorrow and hopefully I can do some weight training before that.

I'm still wiped out. I was totally overcome with tiredness by 1:30 this morning and I'm usually still quite awake then. This was after about 10 hours of sleep the night before and only light exercise. I was even so far out of it that I missed my bus stop and had to walk back. :-p

Boss "J" isn't here today because it's a holiday, but I will have to deal with him tomorrow. :( I'm still too far out of it to care about eating very much. It's part 4 pm and I haven't even had breakfast. I'll eat some green beans soon.

A co-worker in my department "Y" made me really angry last night with his comments about cats. He mentioned he finally got his cat spayed (and when they did it they found she was pregnant again) and we talked about prices. I mentioned that Xena's pain meds cost $12. "Y" doesn't believe in pain meds because, in his words, "It's just a cat. It doesn't have a soul."

Excuuuuse me? First, the Bible doesn't say if animals have souls. Second, why should it even matter? It's a living, breathing creature. God set us as caretakers of the earth and all it's creatures. We should do our best to take care of the ones we adopt. Cats feel pain just like people. Cats need the see the doctor just like people. Cats need dental care just like people. Why should the fact that it is a "lesser" creature matter one whit?

I just don't get people like that, especially a Christian. I've seen the same with my pastor's family's pets. I don't feel they take nearly as good care of them as they should. As Christians we should care more than anybody else as we have to answer to a higher power.

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Week 74, Day 5

Calories eaten yesterday: 1227
Fat: 28g (20%)
Carbs: 89g (28%)
Protein: 159g (50%)
Weight this morning: 129 (One week ago: 131)
Calories burned in exercise today: 205

Did laundry - walked there and back, of course (16 minutes each way). Then I walked up to the bank and stopped at the natural food market for almond milk. Then I walked from my apartment down to the BART station and took the bus into work. Nothing else to speak of except for accidentally stepping on Xena's tail when I went to put my rollie cart away after putting away the clean laundry. Poor thing! She yelled something awful and fled under the table. I crawled under to pet her, and after growling at me thinking I had come to hurt her more she soon calmed down and seemed to realize that it was an accident.

Speaking of the cats, I've decided to feed them on the bed. Xena has pretty much abandoned the bed to Abby so feeding them there will hopefully help Xena to feel more like the bed belongs to her as well.

My latest doctor bill came today. Even with the 25% discount and my employer paying 80% my part came to $62.50! Good grief. It must have been the x-rays. :-p The original total bill was $410! Lupe said I could wait to pay my part until next week when we get paid because I have very little money in my account and need to pay for groceries.

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