Walking With the Master, Day 5, Maundy Thursday

Walking With the Master
Day 5, until evening

The Last Supper, Thursday
Matthew 26:17-29 (KJV)
Matthew 26:17-29 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 14:12-25; Luke 27:7-20; John 13:1-38 (KJV)
Mark 14:12-25; Luke 27:7-20; John 13:1-38 (NIV)

Jesus Comforts the Disciples, Thursday

John 14:1-16:33 (KJV)
John 14:1-16:33 (NIV)

Gethsemane, Thursday

Matthew 26:36-46
Matthew 26:36-46

For further study:

Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46
Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46

And here is a Maundy Thursday poem I wrote:
Staying the Course: A Poem for Maundy Thursday

Technorati tagged: religion, church, Holy Week, Easter, health, Jesus, God, faith, Christianity, Bible, Matthew, Maundy Thursday

Nice healthy cold

Calories eaten yesterday: 1312
Fat: 43g (30%)
Carbs: 87g (27%)
Protein: 105g (32%)

Weight this morning: 141.2 (One week ago: 143)
Calories burned in exercise today: 97

A new low this morning! Yay! My previous low was 141.4 last Friday. I'm going to start noting on here whatever I was one week ago as an additional way to track my progress. As you can see above, last Wednesday I was 143 even. My official weigh-in day will remain Sunday.

Still sick and feeling pretty crappy. I slept in and walked to work to get some steps and exercise. Not too hungry at least. That's good.

My second NutriSystem order came today! Photos forthcoming. They included the water bottle I ordered but forget my second free week of food AND my bear. I called them and they said they would send both. While I haven't "officially" lost 10 lbs. yet (to get a bear), I had lost more than 10 when the order was sent and am at more than 10 today. Brad will drop the order off at my apartment when he comes over Friday.

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Almond Biscotti dessert - Tasted okay, but the chocolate one was much better.

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

Walking With the Master, Day 4

Walking With the Master
Day 4

The plot against Jesus, Jerusalem, Wednesday

The Bible doesn't say what day Judas betrayed Jesus. Since there is no other reading today and yesterday's was so long, I've placed the plot against Jesus today.

Matthew 26:14-16 (KJV)
Matthew 26:14-16 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6 (KJV)
Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6 (NIV)

Technorati tagged: religion, church, Holy Week, Easter, health, Jesus, God, faith, Christianity, Bible, Matthew

Week 5, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1498
Fat: 47g (29%)
Carbs: 95g (26%)
Protein: 132g (36%)

Weight this morning: 144.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 104

I'm feeling sick again! I have had a sore throat since yesterday so I've dosing on Vitamin C, Zicam, and I bought some Airborne. I am replacing everything around my apartment that I can - I threw away my dish sponge and replaced it and bought a new dishrack at WalMart. This time I got stainless steel. It shouldn't let mold grow as badly as plastic. I washed out the water container on the Pod coffee maker in case anything grew in there. I threw out the plastic silverware I use at work and replaced it. I put all my plastic water bottles in the recycle bin and bought new ones. I bought those tiny bathroom cups for mouthwash and a dispenser for them. I tossed my toothbrush, found the main body of a Crest SpinBrush, and put a new head on it. I'm looking for a whole brand new SpinBrush but couldn't find one at either Safeway or WalMart. Maybe next week. And the newest rule in the house - every dish will be washed with soap and water every time it is used; no more just rinsing things because I live alone.

I have no idea why I am getting sick so often. I didn't change anything. It's not my diet because I did great on Atkins for 2 1/2 years before this started and now I'm on NutriSystem. I can't afford to be sick anymore. I only have three sick days left until my rollover in September.

Other things I bought at WalMart - a white cotton blanket for my bed. Right now when I wash the blue blanket it's the only one so I can't make the bed until it's done. Now I can switch these blankets off. I also got shower curtain hooks that match my toothbrush holder.

I looked for egg whites today. I discovered that a dozen expensive cage free real eggs are cheaper than the egg whites in a container. So I bought the real eggs. I know how to separate an egg when needed (I learned in 6th grade in Home Ec class).

No gym today. I went grocery shopping. None tomorrow either since it seems I'm getting sick.

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar dessert - Similar to the Chocolate Crunch Bar, only mint flavored (duh!). Too high in sugar for my liking (11g) so I didn't reorder any. I just got one on my first order so I could try it. It tasted okay - I like mint and chocolate together - but went down too easy and was gone too fast, lol!

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

Walking With the Master, Day 3

Walking With the Master
Day 3

This was a long day of teaching and arguing for Jesus. I have to wonder if this day wasn't one of the turning points that turned the people against Him.

The authority of Jesus questioned, Tuesday

Matthew 21:23-27 (KJV)
Matthew 21:23-27 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8 (KJV)
Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8 (NIV)

Jesus teaches in the temple, Tuesday

Matthew 21:28-23:39 (KJV)
Matthew 21:28-23:39 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 12:1-44; Luke 20:9-21:38 (KJV)
Mark 12:1-44; Luke 20:9-21:38 (NIV)

Jesus anointed, Bethany, Tuesday

Matthew 26:6-13 (KJV)
Matthew 26:6-13 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-11 (KJV)
Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-11 (NIV)

Technorati tagged: religion, church, Holy Week, Easter, health, Jesus, God, faith, Christianity, Bible, Matthew

Week 5, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1462
Fat: 41g (26%)
Carbs: 97g (27%)
Protein: 130g (36%)
Weight this morning: 145.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 299

I realized I said I was going to post a pic of myself taken at dinner Saturday night and then I didn't. Here's the paragraph I wrote, and this time, the photo. Click it to enlarge it.

Here's a picture of me taken last night at Applebee's. The dessert is the Weight Watchers chocolate raspberry cake. It was totally not worth it in terms of price, size, or taste. It was expensive, tiny, and didn't taste great. It was okay, just not worth it. I won't do that again.



And here's my sister's ultrasound photo. Yes, my sister is preggers! She's about 12 weeks along. You have got to see the larger size of this by clicking on it.

Made it to the gym. Did one hour of weights and a half hour cardio. Bought more Creatine and it was even on sale. Coolness.

My gym has another deal going. Five half hour sessions of personal training for $99. I had them check if I'm eligible for this deal, and I am! I really do want this, but now I've got to find 99 more dollars on top of what I owe for NutriSystem, and trying to get the money together for Conference this summer. Argh.

Speaking of NutriSystem, my shipment is en route and will arrive tomorrow or Wednesday.

I think I am getting sick again. My throat feels weird today. What is it with this sudden spate of sickness? I used to never get sick and now I have already had two colds this year! All I have on hand is Vitamin C so I'll dose up on that. *sigh* I only have three sick days left until September. I can't afford to get sick!

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Biscotti dessert - Pretty good. In fact, pretty darn great as long as you have coffee to dip it in. :) I only reordered one because my order shipped before I had a chance to try this.

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

Walking With the Master, Day 2

Walking With the Master
Day 2

Jesus curses the fig tree, Monday
Jesus cleanses the Temple, Monday

Matthew 21:18-19 (KJV) and Matthew 21:12-13 (KJV)
Matthew 21:18-19 (NIV) and Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 11:12-18 (KJV)
Mark 11:12-18 (NIV)

Technorati tagged: religion, church, Holy Week, Easter, health, Jesus, God, faith, Christianity, Bible, Matthew

Week 4 Weigh-In

First, my weigh-in numbers.
Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Total loss: -6.8

A 1.2 pound gain. I have got to get more serious and cut back my calories more. This totally and completely sucks. I wish I could blame it on PMS, but I don't gain water weight before my period and never have.

Now to catch up on my stats:
Calories eaten Thursday: 1626
Fat: 43g (24%)
Carbs: 103g (26%)
Protein: 124g (31%)

Weight Thursday morning: 142
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 266

Calories eaten Friday: 1265
Fat: 21g (15%)
Carbs: 84g (27%)
Protein: 81g (26%)

Weight Friday morning: 141.4
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 270

Weight Saturday morning: 143.6
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 0

Weight this morning: 147.2
Calories burned in exercise today: 237

Friday Brad and I walked twice around the lake. I was so bored. We need to find a new place to walk that is still pretty close. I ate my NutriSystem Chocolate Caramel Bar dessert (review below). The large amount of sugar and other carbs spiked my blood sugar, giving me a short burst of energy, but pretty soon it dropped my blood sugar and I was tired again. NutriSystem is based on "good carbs"? My ass they are. This bar was anything but good carbs. How come something like this is on the diabetic program? The dietitian who drives me to church every week thought 14g of sugar was excessive for any diabetic food.

I didn't know if I'd make it to the gym today. I went to Palm Sunday services at St. Paul's, then walked to my health club (10 or so minutes). I had brought my workout clothes and changed into them out of my church clothes. I had enough time to do 1 hour of weights, but no time for cardio, so I stayed in my workout clothes and walked to work from the BART station to make up for it. I stopped at Starbucks on the way. I am planning on having the chocolate macadamia biscotti for my NutriSystem dessert today and biscottis need to be dipped in coffee. :)

As you can see I've switched things over to an Easter theme. It's Holy Week so it seemed apropos. It will go away a couple days after Easter. :)

Brad and I had dinner at Applebee's. I had the Weight Watchers chocolate raspberry cake for dessert. It was totally not worth it in terms of price, size, or taste. It was expensive, tiny, and didn't taste great. It was okay, just not worth it. I won't do that again.

We hit Starbucks before and after Applebee's. The first visit I had a tall (small) Caramel Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee, no whip (140 calories, 26g net carbs), and the second visit I had a tall (small) nonfat Cinnamon Dolce Latte with Sugar Free Syrup, no whip, no sprinkles (90 calories, 14g net carbs). I could have sworn the latte was 120 calories, but either way, it's not too bad. So it could have been a lot worse. :) Starbucks has full nutritional information on their Web site.

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Bar - Pretty good. I liked this. It's a bit high in carbs, though, so I added just one to my next order.

Chocolate Caramel Bar dessert - Overly, sickly sweet. It's like getting used to diet soda and then drinking a regular. Bleh. Predictably, it spiked and crashed my blood sugar from the 14g of sugar (and 23g net carbs). Thankfully they discontinued it so I couldn't make the mistake of ordering any.

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

Walking With the Master, Day 1, Palm Sunday

Welcome to Holy Week and the annual tradition of Holy Week readings as we walk with Jesus through the last week of His life. We will be using the Gospel of Matthew this year, with links to the parallel passages in the other Gospels. The first link will go the the KJV version and the second to the same passage in the NIV. I chose these two versions because they seem to be the most popular. These devotions are arranged chronilogically. I will get them up as early each day as possible.

Walking With the Master
Day 1

Today's reading: The Triumphal Entry, Jerusalem, Sunday.

Matthew 21:1-11 (KJV)
Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)

For further study:

Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19 (KJV)
Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19 (NIV)

Technorati tagged: religion, church, Holy Week, Easter, health, Jesus, God, faith, Christianity, Bible, Matthew

Study: Atkins diet better for weight loss, health

Ah, all those people who hate the Atkins diet are going to hate this study, proving once again that Atkins is a healthy long term diet and is better for weight loss than the other plans studied. Four plans were studied - Atkins, Learn, the Zone, and Ornish. It breaks down thus:

ATKINS (20g carbs daily for 2-3 months, 50g daily thereafter)
ZONE (40-30-30 ratio of carbs to protein to fat)
LEARN (55-60% carb intake, less than 10% saturated fat)
ORNISH (No more than 10% calories from fat)

After one year, some of the participats had fallen off their plans. Atkins had the highest retention rate:

ATKINS - 88 percent
ZONE - 77 percent
LEARN - 76 percent
ORNISH - 78 percent

...and lost more weight than the other three groups.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), March 2007:

Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women


A .pdf of the full study can be found here.

Here's the layman's explanation of the "medical-ese" in the above linked study:

The body mass index of the ATKINS group at the end of the study had been reduced by more than three times as much as the ZONE group and twice as much as the ORNISH group. At the same time, the body fat percentage loss for the ATKINS group after 12 months was three times higher than the LEARN and ZONE groups as twice as high as the ORNISH group. This echoes what previous research found regarding body fat loss on a low-carb diet.

As for cholesterol, LDL remained relatively stable among all groups except for the ORNISH group which saw a noticable drop, but it was the HDL and triglycerides numbers (which this recent study confirms is a better marker for measuring heart health anyway) that were dramatically different.

The ORNISH group saw HDL remain exactly the same after 12-months while the ZONE and LEARN groups saw equally modest increases in HDL. But it was the ATKINS group's rise in HDL that was more than double that of ZONE and LEARN while their triglycerides dipped twice as much as ORNISH and LEARN groups and seven times as much as the ZONE group.

While the waist-to-hip ratio and blood glucose levels were not statistically different among all groups (although the ATKINS group again saw a greater drop in insulin levels), blood pressure among the ATKINS group was significantly lower than all the other groups, including nearly four times lower than the ORNISH group.

Technorati tagged: diet, Atkins, Atkins diet, Zone, Ornish, Dean Ornish, weight loss, health

Atkins anniversary!

Calories eaten yesterday: 1256
Fat: 29g (21%)
Carbs: 96g (32%)
Protein: 102g (34%)

Weight this morning: 142
Calories burned in exercise today: 266

142. Coolness. A new low for me since starting NutriSystem, and my original goal weight. Hopefully I'll show some kind of loss for my official weigh-in on Sunday.

Today is my three year Atkins anniversary! It's kind of funny that I'm not on Atkins right now, lol! But I mention it because 1) I do plan to go back, and 2) it was a watershed moment in my life as far as eating healthier - no more junk food, detoxing from sugar and other carbs. I know I will never go back to how I used to eat. Eating healthy is now second nature.

Today was paycheck #3 this month, something that happens only a couple times a year. This is one of those rare paychecks that I don't have to pay rent out of. :) I jumped online and got caught up on all my bills, except for NutriSystem, which I did pay another $100 towards. I now owe about $120 on the first month's food and my second month ($250) will be charged to that account soon. I also bought the Flowbar, a piece of fitness equipment I have had my eye on for awhile.

I called NutriSystem today since my order ships tomorrow to make sure I'd get my bear (I may not have officially lost 10 pounds yet, but unofficially I have). The customer service rep said I should. I also checked to make sure that I'd get another free week and again she said I should. So hopefully everything will work out fine and by the time I show less than a 10 pound loss on Sunday the box will already be on its way. :) Heck, if I'm lucky I'll show a 10 pounds loss Sunday!

I got a compliment from a co-worker today. It was Al. He always says, "Hi, Slim" when he sees me, but today he asked how much I weighed and I said 142. He said I looked like I weighed in the 120s! I don't even wish for that. With my build the 120s would not be healthy. Every chart and method I have looked at says I need to be in the 130s. But anyway, it was nice to be called "slim" and that I look like I weigh less than I do. :)

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dessert - Soft and yummy. I love oatmeal cookies. I don't usually like raisins - unless they are in cookies. I ordered a few more on my next order.

I was thinking of putting a lot of cookies on my next order, but logic finally won out and I ordered fewer cookies and more of the chocolate cake and chocolate pudding - items lower in sugar and higher in protein.

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

More NutriSystem insanity

Would you believe they are STILL at it on the NutriSystem board? Yep. Just one post after another bashing Atkins. About half are from the same (usual) person of course. The girl is 48 but she acts 14. As I said, there is none so blind as those who will not see.

Ignorance I can abide. After all, ignorance is simply the lack of knowledge, and a lack of knowledge can be remedied. Willful ignorance is just inexcusable, though, and these people are willfully ignorant. That is the saddest part of the human condition is those who stick their fingers in their ears and refuse to have an open mind about anything. The grain and corn lobbies have done a great job indoctrinating people over the last 30 years. It's very sad, and the American people have paid the sad consequences of that indoctrination in skyrocking obesity and diabetes rates.

I think these NS people just can't handle any truth that differs from the "truth" the grain and corn lobbies have fed them their whole life.

And most of them who did Atkins wrong still think they did it right. I wonder how many actually read the book and ate all the veggies recommended? I'd wager not many.

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

Week 4, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1287
Fat: 33g (24%)
Carbs: 102g (34%)
Protein: 94g (31%)

Weight this morning: 143
Calories burned in exercise today: 89

Woohoo! Only one pound away from the highest weight where I feel good and look sexy (142). Granted, it's not an official weight, but the first step to getting it as an official weight is to first get it as an unofficial weight. So very good. And my jeans are getting looser. :)

I was right about getting attacked on the NutriSystem board. Sure enough, the usual person who goes after me attacked me, calling me names and questioning my motives for being there. She said I was trolling for blog topics, as if I don't already have enough to write about. Um, check the archives. *sigh*

Anyway, on to more important stuff.

I've been putting the finishing touches on my second NutriSystem order since it ships Friday. As I did that I noticed that my $30 coupon that had been applied to that order was no longer there! I called NS and told them that they forgot to apply it last month, and up until yesterday it had been applied to this month. Could they please reapply it? They not only did that, but they gave me an extra $20 off for my trouble! Right on! So my next order will be only $250. :)

I went grocery shopping today and found Diet Coke with Splenda again! Jimmy Moore had this to say on his blog about why people such as I have still been able to find it:

Speaking of Splenda, I asked (Coca-Cola North America spokeswoman Susan) McDermott specifically about Diet Coke with Splenda and what the availability of this product was like in 2007 since it was set to be discontinued last year. She said the product tends to sell great in certain regions and not at all in others, but it is still available for purchase. With so many different Coke products available today, local stores will only stock what they think they can sell. So if you want it and it isn't available in your area, then let the manager of your favorite grocery or retail store know. I was assured it IS available!

So hopefully I'll be able to continue to buy it. I pick up a 12 pack whenever I see it.

I haven't been able to get to the gym since Sunday. Hopefully I can go tomorrow. My walks to work burn less than 100 calories.

Brad is going out to dinner with his friend Britany on Friday, but he says he scheduled a later dinner so we'll have enough time to walk a couple times around the lake first. Yippee! I have really come to count on our Friday walks to help me make my step goal.

Saturday we are having drinks at Garibaldi's. Brad got into a tiff with Lisa and I awhile back and said his apology would be to take us out to drinks there. It's too expensive to eat there, so after drinks we will go to Applebee's for dinner. I'm going to get the Quesadilla Burger that I got last time and just sub out the fries for broccoli. It was yummy! Lisa has been busy and Brad and I were going to do it without her, but both her and Davina may be available this weekend so we may be able to get all four of us together. :)

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Double Chocolate Almond Cookie dessert - I wonder if the peanut butter cookie was a bit dry because the package had been open for a few hours before I ate it. I opened the chocolate almond cookie just before eating it. It was a tiny bit dry (but only a tiny bit) but oh so good! Yummy. I have several on my next order. :)

Here's a random kitty photo of Xena. She's so cute.


And a random photo of the toothbrush holder I bought at WalMart. They also had shower curtain hooks available in the same motif that I may get later.


Click either picture to enlarge it.

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

Week 4, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1456
Fat: 27g (17%)
Carbs: 137g (39%)
Protein: 115g (33%)

Weight this morning: 143.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 92

The scale is slowly creeping down, but it's depressing. This is ground I have covered before. I am so impatient to lose this weight and not only get back to where I was before I gained the 15 back, but to see that magic 137 on the scale. I came close to that weight, but carbing up for the glucose tolerance test was my undoing. (I gained 10 pounds in 5 days and it didn't come off.)

At any rate, I hope I can take some lessons from NutriSystem back to Atkins with me. Mostly I know I just eat too much. I know I can control my weight if I just eat less, even though that means being hungry all the time.

Well, they are at it again on the Nutrisystem board. This time they are devoting a whole thread (free sign-up required) to bashing Atkins. [rolls eyes] There were a couple reasoned responses from the usual level-headed person, but most people just bashed it - the fat is unhealthy, they did it and lost and gained back more - yadda yadda. Good grief! And of course the latest study proving Atkins is better (how the thread started) is ignored. There is none so blind as those who will not see...

If the thread stays up, I assume I will soon be attacked. We'll see.

Ok, rant over.

Speaking of Atkins and low-fat, I've noticed an increase in my anxiety levels the past couple weeks. I wonder if the fat in Atkins wasn't helping with that and now without that I'm experiencing more. The Celexa is certainly covering most of it, but there is definitely more than I had before starting NutriSystem. I'm also noticing an increase in acne. I had three pimples when I started. They have not gone away and are trying to bring friends. I know for a fact that my acne is directly tied to sugar. Whether it's tied to all carbs in general or sugar only I don't know, but NS is higher in sugar (and much higher in carbs) than Atkins, even though I'm subbing some of the carbs for protein.

More NutriSystem food reviews:
New Orleans Style Rice with Chicken Breast lunch - Spicy. Smelled bad so I added a slice of fat-free cheese and a tablespoon of salsa. After that it tasted okay so I will reorder it. The linked photo is before the additions.

Peanut Butter Cookie dessert - A little dry and crumbly. Otherwise it tasted okay. I think I will order more puddings and fewer cookies than I was planning.

Vegetable Fajita dinner - Pretty tasty, but a bit messy and high in calories. It's 240 calories and you have to add your own tortilla. One large tortilla is 80 extra calories; two small ones are even more. I'll put just one on my reorder.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, fitness, exercise, obese, overweight, NutriSystem, Atkins
Photo courtesy of Mr. Breakfast.

Overtime

Calories eaten yesterday: 1410
Fat: 35g (23%)
Carbs: 86g (25%)
Protein: 140g (41%)

Weight this morning: 145.2
Calories burned in exercise today: 0

Fun fun. Brad had "something come up" and decided last night that he couldn't work today. Jon (boss) is off today, so that left Lisa and I to cover. Normally, Lisa and I would just do 12 hour shifts, 11 to 11, but she had to take her Mom to the doctor this morning so she couldn't stay until 11 a.m. So she picked me up at 7:45 this morning (needless to say I didn't get much sleep) and I'm working 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then she will come in at 8 p.m. and work until 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, assuming Brad does come back tomorrow. The good side to this is I can use the overtime and she drove me here this morning and said she will drive me home tonight.

Hey, at least I'll get home much earlier than usual and be able to enjoy some of the evening TV programs I usually miss. :) I'll also have more time to inflate the exercise ball I bought yesterday. I was barely able to start it last night. After being asked to come in early I got ready for bed in a hurry!

Anyway, due to the overtime and getting driven to work I won't get any exercise today. Today was supposed to be my bi-monthly run into San Francisco, but I'll do it tomorrow. Then grocery shopping Wednesday and I'll hit the gym again on Thursday.

I got a compliment at church on Saturday. Hedda (I'm not sure how to spell it) reminded me of a few weeks ago at Brent's house when we saw "One Night With the King" on video. I had missed church that day due to illness, but felt well enough to show up for the movie that evening. Hedda said I was wearing a tank top and that her daughter Joy, talking about me, said to her, "Wow Mommy, she has muscles." Hedda told Joy, "That's because she works out."

I'm not sure when Joy made that comment - if I flexed my muscles or if Joy just noticed I was toned without me flexing, but I thought it was cool either way. :)

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Hot Cocoa dessert - Pretty good. At 80 calories and 12g of protein it's healthier than any other commercial mix (even the no sugar added ones) and tasted just as good. However, due to the high protein content, it does have more calories than the no sugar added mixes.

Tuna Salad lunch - As I stated in yesterday's entry, I can't tell the difference between the tuna and chicken salads and since I need to eat fish and the tuna has 1g less carbs and 1g more protein, I'd just as soon go with that.

My next order is shipping soon and I still have some foods to try. Keep looking for more reviews with links to photos!

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

Week 3 Weigh-In

First, my weigh-in numbers.
Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6)
Total loss: 8 lbs.

Catch up on my stats:
Calories eaten Thursday: 1388
Fat: 32g (21%)
Carbs: 90g (27%)
Protein: 107g (32%)
Weight Thursday morning: 143.4
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 252

Calories eaten Friday: 1280
Fat: 25g (18%)
Carbs: 89g (29%)
Protein: 91g (29%)
Weight Friday morning: 142.2
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 271

Weight Saturday morning: 143
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 0

Weight Sunday morning: 146
Calories burned in exercise Sunday: 254

Yay! I have now lost 8 pounds even though I was off plan yesterday! Yesterday I had more peanuts than I should have, way more low-carb ice cream than I should have, and two large riceless, beanless burritos (burritos with just meat, tomato, avocado, salsa, and sour cream) with Brad. I meant to put on some cheese, but forgot to take it out of the fridge. No rice or beans allowed in my house. :) Also had a small sugar-free non-fat vanilla latte with no whip or sprinkles at Starbucks.

Anyway, a 2.6 pound loss this week. Way better than I expected. After yesterday I didn't know if I would lose. I hope week 4 will be another great week and I'll lose some more unneeded weight!

True confession time - as sick as it is, can you believe that I wanted to throw-up after I ate those burritos? Not because they made me sick, but because I felt that all those calories would make me gain. Don't jump on me. I haven't done it and I know it's not healthy. Sometimes I just want to lose weight so bad. So I'm confessing the desire. Confession is good for the soul, right?

My 65cm exercise ball is way too big for me. When fully inflated I can not sit on it confortably, so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the 55cm ball today - the one made for people 5'2" to 5'8" (I'm 5'7"). I got it at my health club and the 55cm ball is blue. Now all I need is a chair to go with it, lol. Seriously though, there are many benefits to sitting on an exercise ball rather than a regular chair.

Brad and I went walking Friday. We were running too late to make it to Lafayette and still get in a good walk before they closed, so I asked him about places in Alameda County and he took me to a good place to walk in Oakland. It was dirt trails, but fairly flat. We walked one hour down the trail, which took us to a steep downgrade that I had no desire to go down. I wanted to walk two hours so we turned around there and headed back. Here's some photos from our walk. Click to enlarge any of them.

a caterpillar on the trail


the view from the Western Trail


me - you can't see it, but Mt. Diablo is behind me


After Brad and I came home I fixed him a blue raspberry martini:

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Chicken Salad lunch - I can't tell a difference between this and the tuna salad. I put it over a regular salad and then put Walden Farms dressing on it. It's not bad at all, but I think I will order more of the tuna since it has 1g less carbs, 1g more protein, and fish is just more healthy than chicken.

Flame Broiled Beef Patty dinner - The linked photo is dressed up. I forgot to take a picture of the plain patty with its fake grill marks. I liked this entree and will buy more when I reorder. Better than the chicken patty.

Apple Cinnamon Soy Chips dessert - I like them. Sweet and yummy. They're a keeper.

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

Study: Should we watch our salt intake?

A lot of respected people - doctors and nutritionist, for example, say we should watch our salt intake. And many of us listen because we trust these people to know what they are talking about.

As most of you probably know by now, I don't believe something just because somebody with some letters after their name said it. I prefer to do my own research, including finding the more recent studies. Well, I came across this one on salt and it confirms what I've known for the last three years - salt intake it not dangerous to most people. There are a very few people (about 5% of the population) who are "salt sensitive" and see their blood pressure go up when they eat too much, but they are few and far between. Quite frankly, the most salt will do to most of us is make us retain a little water. Yep, that's it.

Where's my proof? Glad you asked. I recently came across this study from May 2000:
The dietary guideline for sodium: should we shake it up? Yes!

This is from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) and is in "medical-ese." For a layman's interpretation of the data, click here.

So for those people who push what I say aside because it challanges conventional dogma, here's the first in what I hope will be a series of studies that show that I might actually know what I'm talking about. ;)

Enjoy!

Technorati tagged: diet, sodium, salt, AJCN, blood pressure, fat, heart disease, low fat

Week 3, Day 5

Calories eaten yesterday: 1533
Fat: 36g (22%)
Carbs: 97g (26%)
Protein: 152g (41%)

Weight this morning: 143.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 252

Before I talk about today, I need to respond to the person who said I was stressing my liver with wine when I said I don't like to stress my pancreas with carbs. The answer: Yes, I am. This isn't a perfect world and you have to pick your poison. If carbs are your poison, fine. Mine is wine. Just about everything these days stresses our bodies and organs in ways they weren't meant to be stressed - pollution in the air, preservatives in food, pesticides on our produce.

If this were a perfect world I would have the money to buy grass fed beef and organic vegetables, as well as the time and inclination to prepare wonderful tasty dinners instead of eating NutriSystem meals and frozen entrees full of preservatives. In a perfect world I would have no vices and eat nothing but a healthy low-carb diet with only the highest quality, organic, locally-grown products, and drink nothing but filtered water and green tea. Additionally, I'd be thoroughly happy eating this way.

But this isn't a perfect world. A quality life is as important to me as quantity, so I pick my vices carefully and try to eat healthy. I prefer to eat less carbs and let my liver finely balance my blood sugar rather than using the blunt instrument control of the pancreas. But hey, if the blunt instrument method works for you, have at it. At least sweet fruits aren't as bad as sugar and will give you a few vitamins. Just don't criticise me for my choice to eat only vegetables and non-sweet fruits.

There are worse vices than fruits, and there are worse vices than wine. They both have some benefits that help to offset their bad side. Can we agree on that?

Ok, onward and upward.

Calories will be a bit higher today because 1) I went to the gym and had my 290 calorie protein shake after, and 2) I'll be up late doing laundry so I have a little extra wine and sometimes some extra sugar free Jello. I'll still eat less than I burn, at least going by FitDay. I have tweaked my activity level there to read "Sedentary (bed-bound)" since it said I was burning more than I was when I set my activity level for "Seated work," which is what I really do. I try to eat less every day than my "Sedentary" status plus whatever exercise I do. More correctly, I try to eat less than my "Sedentary" status period.

Yes, I did make it to the gym today for a total of three times this week. Did one hour of weights and 30 minutes of cardio on the exercise bike. I was able to put it on level 6 and sustain that. Yay! I put my pedometer in my sock so it would count "steps." :)

I also learned a new move today, the "Arnold Press." It was most likely invented by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (governor of this great state). I saw it in the woman's muscle mag I read and decided to try it.

One of the muscle bound guys I see there all the time saw me doing it not quite perfectly and showed me the correct form. I love it when the guys at the gym pay attention to me! :)

This low-fat diet seems to be having its first deleterious effect - hangnails. I used to get them occasionally, but I have had a lot over the last week or so. Now it could be due to my use of Purell, but I don't think I use it enough to dry out my hand. I use the Purell maybe a couple times a day because I can't afford to get sick again. So I really think this sudden rash of hangnails is due to going from a diet with a healthy amount of fat to one lacking in fat. Geez. When will people get over their fat phobia?

It looks like I will just have to deal with this for the duration of the diet.

I also seem to be getting more pimples - a sign of eating too much sugar. I'll have to see if it keeps getting worse, or if this is just one of those things I get sometimes.

Got my reimbursement from my employer today for their portion of my dental bills. I hope this combined with the money from Dad will be enough to cover the rent.

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

Week 3, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1331
Fat: 30g (20%)
Carbs: 88g (27%)
Protein: 136g (41%)

Weight this morning: 144.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 268

Yesterday was the first day of Spring (5:07 pm PDT). That means the days are finally longer than the nights! Yippee! Where did winter go? :)

I have taken my food journal down temporarily. I'm still using it, but the link there won't currently work. I got some criticism from - no surprise - NS folks, so I've temporarily made it private. I'm still posting the macronutrient breakdown each day, though.

I took one of those "Rocket Shot" energy drinks right before my workout today. It seemed to really help me find my groove a whole lot faster. I find my muscles are always a bit weak for my first exercise until I warm up and get a good pump going. Now if these things weren't so expensive I could have one before every workout...

As the linked review states, it doesn't taste very good, but it's only 1.8 ounces, so I had it downed in just two mouthfuls. I think the 7g of sugar was a big part of the instant energy - just enough to get me going, but not enough to seriously mess with my blood sugar.

Did one hour of weights and the time just flew by. Then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical.

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Chicken Breast Patty dinner - Bland when plain. I added a slice of fat free cheese and a tablespoon of salsa and that helped.

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

Week 3, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1435
Fat: 34g (22%)
Carbs: 97g (27%)
Protein: 149g (42%)

Weight this morning: 147.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 102

Today was grocery day. I thought my grocery bill would do down when I started NutriSystem, but so far it's running about $100 per week. Also, I can see I'm going to run out of lunches way before I run out of dinners so I bought some of the lower carb Smart Ones frozen meals today.

There is no room in my freezer! There's Atkins meals in there (meat and veggies in Tupperware), various bags of frozen veggies, some ancient frozen low-carb Lean Pockets, a huge bag of cooked and frozen chicken breasts, one package of low-carb ice cream, and now as many Smart Ones dinners as I could stuff in. I had to take the ground beef out and put it in the fridge. Oh well. Brad and I will have tacos on Saturday and use up the rest then.

I did find more Splenda-sweetened Diet Coke today. I could really only carry one case home even though they had more, so I bought the one and it's in my fridge now. :) I am a diet soda addict and love it when I can find Diet Coke with Splenda. Diet Coke is my favorite drink. They discontinued the type with Splenda so it's getting harder and harder to find.

No time for the gym because of the grocery shopping. I just walked from the train station to work. It was threatening to rain but didn't so I made it to work dry. Calories burned: 102.

The money from Dad came today. As soon as my employer reimburses me for their portion of my recent dental stuff I might be able to cover the rent.

I'll be having the NutriSystem chicken breast tonight and review it tomorrow. I'm going to doctor it up with one slice of fat free cheese and a tablespoon or two of salsa.

I tested my blood sugar after eating a mini bag of popcorn today. Net carbs eaten - 19g. Blood sugar before - 103. Blood sugar 50 minutes after - 136. That's a rise of 33 points. Not great. :-p

Ah well. Life - and food - aren't perfect. America is a country of carb addicts, and most people don't even realize they're addicted, or that grains trigger the pleasure center in the brain, the same center that is triggered by illegal drugs. No wonder we find it so hard to give up carbs!

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