Happy Halloween!!!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson

Happy Halloween everyone! Candy everywhere but I got rid of most of mine. I might make a goodie bag for the mailman and garbage man. It would be a nice thing to do and it gets rid of the candy right?

I came close to my goal but only by eating what I shouldn't be eating.

And speaking of what we shouldn't be eating this whole low/no carb thing is for the birds because of the simple and complex carbs. For example a banana has 31 carbs but it's fruit it is supposed to be good for you but when you look at the numbers 31 carbs can make a huge difference.

Ah, but wait there's more. Read on my friends.

Complex carbs (pasta, potatoes, oats, vegies and grains) must first be broken down into simple sugars and then those simple sugars have to be converted to glucose before they can be absorbed into the blood.

This is good because the longer it takes for a carb to be broken down into glucose, the better. Why? Well a carb's rate of absorption into the bloodstream produces a proportionally strong release of the hormone insulin. Rapid absorption of glucose causes rapid secretion of insulin. This in turn signals your body to store fat. And this is followed by fatigue and cravings for more carbs due to the blood's sudden depletion of glucose.

In other words if a carb is broken down too fast it becomes your body's version of a catch-22. This is probably why my nutritionist friend told me that she always writes a diet for someone who wants to cut carbs as if they were a diabetic so they looked more to the glycemic index which makes perfect sense. Doesn't it?

No? Well there is more.....

Many simple carbs actually absorb at a much slower rate than many complex carbs. Most fruits, for example, contain fiber that slows down the digestion process. Also, sugar that comes from fruit and dairy must be converted to glucose before it can be absorbed into the blood causing yet another slowdown in the digestion process.
You will actually feel satisfied longer by eating an apple vs. an equal-sized bowl of pasta. Because even though pasta contains complete carbs those carbs are still broken down into glucose faster than the apple's sugar.

Translation: the longer it takes to turn carbs into glucose the better chance we have of burning off said carbs as energy before they hit the bloodstream and are stored as fat.

So the moral of this story kids is not so much to worry about carb numbers (in my humble opinion) but to rely more on the glycemic index. This measures the rate of absorption of carbs. A carb that has a low glycemic index absorbs slowly which is good. The higher the number the faster it absorbs which is bad.

There is only one exception to that rule of good vs. bad glycemic index numbers. Within 45-60 min of a workout (this number varies by source) you want to have a lean, complete protein (30-50g) along with carbs high on the glycemic index (30-60g). Because the carbs with the high glycemic index will rapidly absorb into the bloodstream and as the glucose causes an insulin spike the insulin will help shuttle the protein into the muscles repairing and building new muscle.

So there ya have it kids. Our carb lesson for the day. So we need to study the charts we have of the glycemic index and use that more as a reference than the carb numbers I'm currently counting.

And you thought I wasn't learning anything on this diet. Now if Damon the hottie cabana boy were here he would have had flowcharts, and graphics with colorful diagrams (he tends to go a bit overboard but he loves his graphics. You know what they say, men are so visual ;-)

Numbers for today

Calories 2116
Fat 92
Carbs 249
Proteins 69
8oz. glasses of water 0

Good News

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.” -Lewis Carroll

Good news today. It is Saturday and that's weigh in day. I didn't think I would have lost anything this week but I stepped on the scale anyway this morning and was surprised to see I had lost 4 pounds this week! It was a great way to start the day.

Now the bad news is I tried and tried but was still over 600 calories short today. Damn it. I even broke into the Halloween candy hoping to make up some difference and those mini candy bars aren't adding up to much. I think 2 of them added up to about 150 calories. That wasn't a help at all. I got a chocolate fix even though I didn't want it.

Now what was it I said a few days ago about do-overs?

Totals for today

Calories 1513
Fat 58
Carbs 180
Protein 46
8oz. glasses of water 0

Eat all day long to no avail

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” -Albert Einstein

I get full from so little that I just can't eat as much as I'm supposed to. Maybe this is normal and will change as I continue to eat more meals throughout the day. Remember I'm used to eating once per day so this may take time to adjust. I'm guessing here but I do know that it is not good to eat less than the 2150 that is my goal.

Also I have GOT to eat more protein.

Now where do they come up with the measuring system for food? Some food is listed by weight. I had some soup for lunch today and put in some saltine crackers. The book lists a serving size as 4oz. Huh? How many crackers is 4oz? Saltine crackers are saltine crackers. No matter what brand name or generic I have never seen them look any different than any other brand so why can't they say 5 crackers???

Then to get even more insane I had some carrots with dinner. I open the bag of carrots to peel a couple and I look at the serving size. I am not making this up. Serving Size: 7" long 1 1/4" diameter. Servings per container vary.

So now in addition to the scale you need to have a tape measure in your kitchen. How insane is this? It's a frickin carrot people, it's good for you. So just give us a number of calories and say 'per carrot'. 7 inches and 1 1/4" diameter is insane unless you are measuring something else.......ok I went there but you were all thinking it. You know you were. Admit it. I'll wait.

Now don't you feel better? Good. Let's move on.

Totals for today

Calories 1819
Fat 56
Carbs 266
Proteins 60
8oz. glasses of water 4

Better but not there yet

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” - Aldous Huxley

Now I know why it's so easy to miss meals. Because this eating all day is exhausting! Geez, it seems like I just finish a meal/snack and 'bing' it's time to eat again. I missed breakfast because I get sidetracked too easy and eating has never been a priority.

I know, an overweight person saying eating has never been a priority? But it's true. I can forget to eat every single day. I can be hungry then decide I want to finish whatever I'm doing and before I know it 3 hrs have passed and I still haven't eaten yet. This is my ongoing problem. It's hard to break old habits of eating one meal a day.

But man what to eat? I pulled out a Quaker granola bar and a bag of 100 calorie goldfish and then thought, "well that's not a lunch" so I put it back and made a sandwich instead (which of course is killing me in the carb dept).

If I can keep this up I will be much better than I have been the last week or so, right? So keep your fingers crossed out there that I continue to remember or if you have seen Damon the hottie cabana boy send him my way please.

Totals for today

Calories 1940
Fat 73
Carbs 266
Protein 65
8oz. glasses of water 2

Looking for the fork.....in the road that is.

“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong” -Benjamin Franklin

This quote fits how I feel right about now. I am not failing in dieting and exercising but I seem to be finding all kinds of ways to do it wrong.

More missed meals today and no matter how I tried to make up for it I just couldn't do it.

Not much else to say. There is no excuse for the fact that I am continuing down the wrong path. Time to find the fork in the road and get back on the right path.

Totals for today

Calories 1579
Fat 70
Carbs 166
Proteins 50
8oz. glasses of water 2

Someday I'm going to surprise you

“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.” - Author Unknown

You heard me. Someday I will actually get this together and be eating more than the 2150 calories per day. I know we all have dreams right? Try not to quash mine will ya? I'm getting as tired of failing at this as you are reading about it. Believe me.

Tomorrow is a trip to the grocery store and hopefully find something exciting, healthy and come closer to the goal.

Ah,ah, ah! I said no quashing the dreams people. It is my pipe dream, let me have it at least until I go to the store and find out that this exciting, healthy thing does not actually exist. I may have better luck finding Damon the hottie cabana boy in the grocery aisle right?


Totals for today

Calories 1611
Fat 59
Carbs 218
Proteins 57
8oz glasses of water 4

Damon the hottie cabana boy is not doing his job!

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” -Leonardo da Vinci

Ok it isn't Damon's fault, I really can't blame him. I can try but remember he doesn't exist (but wouldn't it be nice if he did?). In the end it is my own fault for missing meals and trying to make up for it all in one fell swoop.

That is NOT the way this is done. But just like anyone who has fallen off the ladder and fallen back into old habits, tomorrow is another day full of do-overs.

Every moment we live is really a do-over or at least our chance at one so I am going to take the opportunity to have some do-overs tomorrow. Hopefully I won't need it but who am I kidding?

If I can get my sleep pattern on track I think it would make a huge difference. Sorry, just thinking out loud.

To do-overs everyone.....clink!

Totals for today

Calories 1811
Fat 63
Carbs 255
Proteins 66
8oz. glasses of water 2

Alarms, timers and cabana boys, oh my.

“Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It's all about timing.” -Stacey Charter


Ok I have decided that either I need to find a timer system that goes off every 2-3hrs or hire a cabana boy (do you have to have a cabana to have a cabana boy?), preferably a hot one. Sorry if that's sexist but come on, if I have to have someone to tell me what to do, the least he can be is a hottie right?

Ok so the hottie cabana boy (hmmmm let's call him Damon) will be in charge of reminding me to eat every couple of hours and as long as he is on the payroll he might as well make said meal/snack right? Wonder where one would find such a thing. Yellow pages under 'hottie cabana boy'? Probably not. Ok so I guess plan 'B' would be to set a timer. It's not as fun but I guess it's just as functional as long as I can remember to set it that is. I can't remember to eat, now I have to remember to set a timer?

Didn't reach my goal again (I know, it's like broken record isn't it?) and the only reason I came as close as I did was due to my being exhausted from another project I did today and eating something I shouldn't have but I missed too many meals today so I was playing catch up.

That's probably a bad idea too. See? Cabana boy Damon would really have his hands full with me and think of the job security. Obviously I'm not able to eat when I'm supposed to let alone eat a mere 2150 calories per day.

Totals for today

Calories 1896
Fat 72
Carbs 234
Proteins 67
8oz. glasses of water 4

Too early to plateau

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'” -Charles M. Schulz

Weighed today and no gain, no loss but it is too early to plateau. The problem? Can anyone guess?...I'll give you a minute. Let's all say it together shall we? I'm not eating enough!!!

So we are back to the issue from day one where we thought eating 2150 calories a day would be a breeze. Obviously we are still having that issue. I need to get over it and eat more. I am back to missing meals and snacks which, of course, is part of the problem as well.

Totals for today

Calories 1441
Fat 64
Carbs 162
Proteins 79
8oz glasses of water 6

Friday 10/22 catch-up

I missed posting on Friday. Oops. My bad. If it makes it any better I had good reason. I spent 7 hours working on a sandbox for my niece and let me tell ya I worked my ass off. But I got a great workout and was exhausted at the end of the day. I took a shower, ate something and I was out for the night.

If anyone cares the sandbox looks awesome and I think she will love it as her Christmas present.

Ok back to me. Easting didn't go so well. I really worry about eating way under my goal because my goal is based on the resting metabolism rate for my goal weight. In other words the minimum needed to let the body do its thing without me moving. So if I'm not meeting that minimum I am not doing my body any favors. I was close today but that doesn't make it better. A goal is a goal and I am not eating near what I should be.

Totals for today

Calories 2020
Fat 76
Carbs 284
Proteins 82
8oz. glasses of water 6

Changing up the work out

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way." -Les Brown

I say I am changing up the work out and that is true in a way. I have started a construction project for my niece so there is lots of sawing, lifting, etc. Using hand tools instead of electric which will only help the arm workout. It's been a fun couple of days but it is progressing and I am exhausted by the end of the day. I am spending almost all day working on it because once I start in on it I hate to quit.

I ate on the run for lunch as I was running some errands and then forgot to eat dinner because I was working on 'The Project' (I think that is a good name for it) and didn't remember to eat till 9pm!!! Bad me. Then I hadn't been to the grocery store yet and I had a bit of taco meat left which I was able to stretch into 2 tacos. So between that and the fast food lunch I went a bit over the limit.

I did, however, remember my protein shakes and had one of those as part of a snack as well as drinking 6 glasses of water.

Tomorrow is my official cheat day so don't be looking for any numbers on 10/21 because there won't be any. But maybe it isn't a cheat day. It's my birthday and in birthday-world there is no such thing as diets so therefore there would be nothing to cheat on. I know it's a stretch but it's a funny one you have to give me credit for the humor if nothing else. Right?

Totals for today

Calories 2225
Fat 92
Carbs 259
Proteins 105
8oz glasses of water 6

Still not eating enough

"Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us." Sir Winston Churchill

Good grief how hard is it to eat and why am I having such issues. It seems all I do is eat! ARGH!!!

I even got dinner out hoping that would help. Well let's look at it this way. The 21st is my birthday and an official cheat day. I am writing nothing down for that day so I guess by coming in way under the gun this week it will help when I am eating my steak and loaded baked potato and who knows what else.

My luck I'll be sick the next day from eating all that good stuff. I can't win right?

Ok back to today. I finally bought some protein powder. I decided to go with the EAS only because I had tried their ready made stuff and liked it and I was tired of reading about protein powders. Yeesh. Ok so the powder is only 25g of protein but I can also have more than one a day. I can put it in water or milk although I would think the milk would taste better. Time will tell.

Totals for today
Calories 1340
Fat 58
Carbs 163
Protein 53
8oz glasses of water 6

Oct 18 missed post

I turned off the computer before posting. Bad me!!! I could have fired it back up again but the day wasn't that exciting really so I figured I would just catch us all up now.

Ate way too little even though I think I'm eating tons!! How is that possible?

Totals for today

Calories 1766
Fat 81
Carbs 164
Protein 71
8oz. glasses of water 2

Yeah I'm not so proud either but life goes on right?

Over the limit for the first time

"The only easy day was yesterday" US Navy SEALs

Today I finally went over 2150!!! I shouldn't be happy about exceeding my calories by all of 60 but considering it is so frickin hard for me to get close in the past this is a good thing.

How did I do it? Well I ate stuff that was probably bad but the numbers are a bit misleading. A lot of my carbs came from my banana bread I made the other day. Yes not good for me but it is my once a year (if that) splurge. Why a banana by itself is good for me but bake it in the oven and it isn't amazes me. Yes I know there are other things in there that make it bad but such is life.

I am not going to be one of those dieters that starve themselves and deny themselves what they really want. We have to learn how to eat real food and how eat in moderation. Some of these weight loss programs that have their own food amaze me because sure you can lose weight by eating their frozen food but how does that teach you moderation in the real world?

So post work out I had another protein shake and damn it! I just remembered I was going to try the Ensure one and I had the EAS Myoplex one instead. I like the EAS Myoplex shake and I think it has more protein in it than the Ensure one. Oh well there is always next time.

Work out went well. Every exercise I do I am doing more of them either in more reps per set or more sets of the same number of reps from last time. Sit-ups I have decided to just count as a number instead of counting that as reps or sets. I am up to 45 which is pretty amazing considering this is the end of week 2.

Next week new exercises probably more intense so my numbers might go down but I have decided to keep up with the sit-ups hoping to get to 100 before too long.

Totals for today

Calories 2210
Fat 109
Carbs 250
Protein 98
8oz. glasses of water 4

Muscle Milk Sucks!!

"There will never be the 'perfect' time and condition to do a workout. You have to create it" M. Lauren


Today was the day to try muscle milk. YUCK!!! It was gritty, and tasted nasty and left a bad taste in my mouth. I drank it all though because they aren't cheap and I needed the protein. But I won't buy it again. The other one I tried by EAS was much better. Good to know right? This is why I am sampling different kinds.

Work out went ok, my right knee has issues once in awhile and today was one of those days. I'm not saying I didn't workout because I did I just tried to be good to my knee and not push it for fear of having more bad days because of it. I had aggravated it once before from jogging and it was a couple weeks before it was better. Lesson learned there. Listen to your body. So I did one exercise that involved deep knee bending and then replaced the other with sit-ups and leg lifts instead. I figure it is better to replace the exercise with another than to hurt myself.


Totals for today

Calories 2129
Fat 99
Carbs 242
Proteins 90
8oz. glasses of water 6

Eventually everything will even out......I hope

"In order to change body composition and gain strength we need to put muscles under stress that they are unaccustomed to" M. Lauren.

I think that is a good quote to keep in mind. Maybe I will write it in my exercise log.

Same story as every other day I don't know why I continue to break it down. I have GOT to get these numbers in order and get the calories where they should be. I have to do some more studying on macronutrients I guess. Why? Well my carb numbers look through the roof yet some are complex carbs which are good and simple carbs which are bad. Complex carbs (although not all of them) take longer to break down into glucose in your blood thereby allowing you to use them as fuel longer and burn off more calories.

It's very frustrating.

Numbers for today

Calories 2042
Fat 76
Carbs 274
Proteins 49
8oz. glasses of water 4

Closest ever

Well today I came the closest ever to 2150. I only missed it by 4 calories!!! Of course I probably shouldn't be too proud because I had lunch out today and that was what got me close. But it was really yummy.

Water was back up but only to half of what it should be. Of course half is better than zero right? If you can't tell I am that perverbial 'glass half full' kind of person.

I know not too exciting today but it wasn't an exciting day. Can't make something into something it's not ;-) In other words, it is what it is.

Totals for today

Calories 2146
Fat 83
Carbs 270
Proteins 80
8oz. glasses of water 4

Going to have to regroup

I am going to have to get my shit together. I can't keep going under my goal of 2150 day after day. It is counterproductive to my goals. I need to plan better meals and not miss any.

I must have a protein at every meal!!!!

I didn't get my workout in today as sometimes I get tired after donating platelets so today became my off day instead of tomorrow.

Water was better but still only got half of what I should have.
Calories were way low as was that pesky protein.

This is all just a learneing curve and I will get better at it.

Totals for today

Calories 1557
Fat 61
Carbs 190
Protein 43
8oz. glasses of water 4

I'm going the wrong direction

Wow today I failed miserably at coming close to that as yet elusive goal. Damn it! How frustrating. Who thought eating was this hard!

It was an off day for exercise but looking forward to tomorrow and trying the next candidate in the protein shake.

I used to think that working out at home would never work you had to go to the gym just for the setting alone that would get you going and keep you motivated. But I was wrong. Maybe it is my own motivation that tells me I am doing the right thing at the right time I don't know.

What I do know is that I am really enjoying working out at home and look forward to the next workout. I guess it's like working out of your home. You have to remember that space is your office, well in this case, this space is my gym. And really what gym can you go to where you have 2 dogs cheering you on ;-) Yes they get in the way occasionally for instance when I am on the floor getting ready for sit-ups and they both stand over me like a drill sergeant. Ok they aren't that bad but they do keep my spirits up and that's the most important part. Staying motivated and keeping your spirits up.

Tomorrow I have to donate platelets so I have to make sure I have a good meal before I go. That shouldn't be a problem and thankfully I am working legs tomorrow as once I give platelets or blood I am not supposed to do anything strenuous with that arm. As long as they don't decide to take platelets out of my leg we are good.

Totals for today

Calories 1452
Fat 45
Carbs 190
Proteins 79
8oz. glasses of water 0

Protein shakes begin

Today was a pretty good day and I used up almost all my calories. Yipee!!! It's a huge accomplishment for me. Of course I had a big dinner to do this and I can't do that all the time.

So I came up with a game plan. 2150 cal/day and I am supposed to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks (which I think all 3 snacks could be the same total calories as one meal) so divide 2150 by 4 and that equals 537. So every meal should be approx 537 calories. And then I take 537 and divide that by 3 snacks and that equals 179. So every snack should be approx 179 calories.

If I keep to this formula I should be on track every day. Let's see how that goes kids. Stay tuned.

I did try my first protein shake post workout today because you are supposed to have something high protein as well as something high on the glycemic index (the one time it's ok to do this) within 45-60 minutes post workout to help repair the muscles.

First one up: EAS Myoplex Chocolate Cream Shake.
Calories 210
Fat 2.5g
Carbs 23g
Protein 25g

My opinion: It was ok. It tasted a bit watery and had a bit of a funky taste but it didn't taste nasty. It was easily chugable and didn't leave an aftertaste in your mouth. I would drink it again and would be interested in trying their powder as well which I think is higher in protein so that will be nice.

So one down Muscle Milk is next.

Totals for today

Calories 2097
Fat 93
Carbs 193
Proteins 103
8oz glasses of water 4

Missed my mark....I really shouldn't be surprised

Yup, you guessed it. I didn't come close to 2150 yet again! Some day I will accomplish what seems like such an easy goal. It's frustrating as hell for me.

Protein powders. I am still looking into those but good grief there are soy proteins, whey proteins, brown rice proteins, and get this designer protein! Designer protein people. What the hell is that?!?!?!?

I am going to get this solved I know I will find the right one for me. One that tastes decent (it doesn't have to be great just palatable), easy to work with (mix with water, smoothie, whatever).
It will happen.

Until then I did find some single bottles to try of ready made mix (although they also have a powder version). One is Muscle Milk (that isn't really milk) and has 25g protein per bottle, another is Myoplex and that also has 25g protein and then I got some Ensure muscle health which only has 13g of protein but I got all three so I could try them and find out if there was one I liked over the others.
Stay tuned to see how that taste test goes.

I looked at protein bars as well at the store and they are either hard as a rock or they feel like they are made of soft concrete. Needless to say I didn't get any of them. Maybe another time.

I had some beef today. Got some hamburger 85% lean and made a couple of tacos. Oh boy were they good. Maybe it was just that I was craving something besides chicken I don't know.

Also bought a slice of ham so that will make a nice change of pace as well.

Todays numbers are not great I need to step it up. Maybe I am so concerned about what I eat and keeping the numbers that I am afraid I will overdo it and somehow that keeps me from even coming close. Am I my worst enemy? I will keep at it and keep trying to get to 2150.

Totals for today

Calories 1760
Fat 87
Carbs 196
Protein 70
8oz. glasses of water 4

Two steps forward one step back

Remember when we started this whole blog thing? We talked about how hard it was to eat 2150 calories per day. Well today was a prime example of this. I didn't even come close. I think today was the farthest away from my goal I have been yet. I missed it by 283 calories! That's not the less than 50 I have always kept to. OY! What am I going to do?

I am going to eat more I guess. Again, I have to move past chicken and salads I guess and move onto some beef. Beef will be good for me and give me some well needed protein.

Did someone mention protein? That's another goal not met the protein powder. I am still in the research stage on this and have to make a decision soon. I want something that isn't going to taste nasty or that, of course, defeats the purpose right? Who wants to drink something nasty every day? So taste is a consideration as is price. I don't want to take out a loan on this stuff and it can be spendy and I really don't want to buy it in huge 2 lb canisters. But again, it is what it is right?

And water. I drank water today but only half what I should have drank so I need to drink more (where have we heard that before?)

I guess a trip to the grocery store is needed for tomorrow. Plan some new meals and expand my diet food repertoire and see if I can achieve some of my goals.

On the good side (the is the 2 steps forward part) I lost another 2 lbs. Again not a huge lose but it's a start. This is the first weigh in since I officially started the diet. I hope for better results next week.

Workout went well we were back to legs today with the addition of abs into the mix.
Hopefully the soreness in my legs from the last workout was only because it was the first big leg workout. I think I worked muscles I didn't know I had ;-) Today those muscles felt it but I think they were more willing to work with me. Nice of them isn't it?

Totals for today

Calories 1867
Fat 85
Carbs 191
Protein 68
8oz. glasses of water 4

So much for goals

My goals for today were to look into protein powders which I started to do (does that count?), eat more which I think I did, drink more water....oops didn't get that one at all today, and find some smoothie recipes to try. That I did.

I found a few smoothie recipes that looked interesting. The one I tried today had banana, peanut butter, milk and 2 tbps of chocolate syrup in it. It was good (really did me in on carbs for the day) but not great. Not one that will make me want another anytime soon. I am going to try a fruit one this weekend. Hope to find one I like eventually.

I'm kind of getting tired of chicken but it's here and I guess I have to finish it. With the smaller portions I'm eating it's going to take forever. I need to branch out into some beef I think.

I am good about portions and making good meals I just have to plan farther out I think so I can have a wider variety of food.

My legs are still hurting but it only shows me that I am doing the work I need to do.

As for the protein powders, there is so many of them out there. Whey, Soy, where to begin? Then there is the concern about low quality protein. Huh? How am I supposed to know what is good quality and what isn't? Every company is going to say theirs is the best so now you have to look at customer reviews and ratings and decide if these people know what they are talking about and if their goals are similar to mine or if they are bodybuilders.
This will be on ongoing goal for awhile I think.

I was talking with a friend earlier today and I was telling him about what I am doing and we got to talking about portion sizes and who comes up with them. I know I mentioned this another time too but it still irritates me. I think that a lot of these people who write these calorie counting books and decide portion sizes (1oz, 3oz, 2tbsp, 4 leaves, etc) never actually had to do it. These are the skinny people you hated in high school. We now know what they are doing with their lives. It's kind of like going to a dentist with perfect teeth, he doesn't know what it feels like to be under the drill because he has never had a frickin cavity in his life. Same for the people who write the diet books and calorie counting books.

Hey, I'm not begrudging them their books or their bank accounts, I just think that they need to understand their customer base like any good business should, that's all.

And what do you do when the 'serving size' is 1/4 cup (granola) but you only want a little to sprinkle on top of some fruit. Now I cut it all in half charging myself for 1/8 cup but I didn't eat that much I know it. Does nobody take this into account? That maybe someone doesn't want/need that much?

Ok I'll step off the bandwagon for now but I think this is going to continue to be a thorn in my side. Again, I have nothing against portion sizes per say, I am just having issues with who decides 5 leaves of lettuce or 1 cup chopped whatever. It's all kind of a mishmash if you ask me. Even different forms of chicken are measured differently. Why isn't it x oz period. What difference does it make if it is broiled, baked, grilled, etc. In the end chicken is chicken and it all eats the same so why not measure it all the same.

Apples to apples people. It ain't that hard.

'Nuff said

Goals are to finish goals from yesterday!!!

Totals for Today

Calories 2115
Fat 90
Carbs 246
Protein 101
8oz. glasses of water 0

Everyday there seems to be more to learn

Well I really did a bad thing today. I didn't come close to the magical 2150. Today I was 250 calories short! And way low on the proteins. I am looking into recipes for smoothies to help boost the proteins. Maybe I need to do what others I have read about are doing. Eating what they want but eating healthy, smaller meals throughout the day and not keeping track of everything they eat. Maybe because I am counting everything I am being more conservative than I need to be.
Just a thought

Worked out today on arms and added sit-ups to the mix. My legs are still sore from yesterday but it's a tells me I am doing the work I need to do.

Now all I need to do is make sure my proteins are up to give my muscles what they need to heal properly.

Bought lots of frozen fruits for the smoothies. Looked at some protein powders but need to read more about them to know what to get.

Splurged and got some fresh raspberries (my favorites) for a treat. They are so good but for some reason very spendy.

My water was down from yesterday. Need to keep that going the other direction.

Goals

* read up on protein powders
* find more smoothie recipes and try a few
* eat more
* more water

Totals for Today

Calories 1864
Fat 95
Carbs 166
Protein 67
8oz. glasses of water 4

No pain, no gain......right?

Today was an ok day. Meals went well although I am still working on my goals from yesterday. I did manage 2 more glasses of water today so I have had 6 total today. That is probably the most water I have ever had in a 24hr period. My poor kidneys are probably in shock ;-)

I will keep it up and hopefully get those last 2 glasses in and keep up to the 8 glasses/day.

Exercises went well today also. Today was leg work and it was harsh but I did them, noted them in my exercise journal. Squats, lunges, leg lifts and swimmers. Great exercises I felt immediately. I may have overdone it for the first day of legs but no pain, no gain right? I didn't do millions of them and did take my rest periods so I'm sure I didn't overtrain.

I thought for sure I would have issues climbing the stairs tonight when I go to bed but I actually had issues coming down the stairs after my workout. Poor legs felt like jelly and thankfully someone has invented railings otherwise I would have rolled all the way down.

Now that would have been bad.

Had unused calories today as I always do but today was less than usual so that, I think, is good. I am supposed to keep to the 2150 so maybe I would be better off to go over by a few than to not come near it. I am so mindful of not going over that number that when I get close I stop so I don't go over. But I was told the 2150 is the number that I need to eat at my goal weight which is the noted number less than what I need to keep my current weight.

So new goal would be to stay within 2150 or at max 2200. That gives me 50 calories to go over so I can get at least what I need. I think that makes sense. Instead of stopping at 2100. Hmmm, maybe that needs some more research. Has anyone ever thought of these questions for dieters? Of course not because that would only make sense.
My protein is still not near what it should be and I really have to work on that. Also need to look into protein shakes to have one after my workout. I have read that is the best thing to do go help repair the muscle while also having something high in carbs from the high end of the glycemic index (the one exception to the rule). The food on the high end of the glycemic index breaks down into glucose faster and when you have it after a workout with the protein it helps get the protein to the muscle faster as well as replacing the insulin you used up during your workout so your muscle can heal faster. I think I explained that right.

Ok so goals for tomorrow

* keep up with the water and try to add 2 more glasses
* work on adding more protein
* protein shakes
* look into homemade smoothies and if they are good or bad

Totals for Today

Calories 2073
Fat 104
Carbs 167
Protein 99
8 oz. glasses of water 6

modifications need to be made

I am keeping up with my food journal but I have to lump stuff together now (salad) instead of listing every ingredient. I will, of course, tally up all the numbers for all the ingredients.

Speaking of which, who comes up with serving sizes? Truly who does that? I can understand some of it but especially in these calorie counting gems being produced. A whole tomato is X. Ok that's great but who eats a whole tomato in their salad? Or when they do break it down to smaller units it will say Cucumber, chopped 1 cup. Again I say, really? 1 cup chopped cucumber? How many people are you feeding?
When I make a salad I take a small handful of chopped cucumber or tomato that would maybe measure 1/8 cup.

Next time you chop up something or get your measuring cup out, take a good look at it. You can fit A LOT of chopped anything in a cup. I thought the whole point of dieting was to eat less. Yeah sure veggies are good for you but that doesn't mean you need to eat your whole veggie bin in one sitting. What happened to moderation?
My favorite measurement so far has been iceberg lettuce, 5 leaves. Not 4, not 6 but 5. Who decides 5 is the magic number?

I had a salad for lunch today and I don't think I used 3 whole leaves which I tore up then added my little bits of cucumber, tomato, cheese, 1/2 piece of bacon and a couple slices of chicken torn up, some sunflower seeds and dressing. Done and it was a good amount of food and very filling. If I were to have made the salad based on someone's idea of serving sizes (these people have never been on a diet nor had to worry about servings I am convinced of this) I would still be eating that salad.

Lip is healing good. It was bruised this morning. I never knew your lip could get black and blue but it did. Still swollen but keeping a low profile.

I do have to work on a few things. I have to work on a better balance of proteins v. carbs and fats. I have yet to hit my target protein goal so I will work on that. Oh and I have to drink more water. I have always been bad about it so for me to drink 8 glasses is huge. I have yet to make that goal either.

Ok here is the official goal list.

* work on eating more proteins to meet goal of 240g/dy
* expand my meal planning
* drink more water!!!

Totals for Today

Calories 2102
Fat 91
Carbs 223
Protein 84
8oz. glasses of water 4

Redemption!! And a boo-boo to boot

Ok I thought I went over yesterday and kicked myself for it. Then I realized that I had made a mistake. The stupid calorie chart I was using listed 210 calories for my hardboiled egg. I thought that was kind of high seeing as they say eggs are good for you. That is when they aren't saying eggs are bad for you but currently eggs are on the good side.

So I got another book for calorie counting (I needed one so I didn't have to keep looking online) and it lists a whole hardboiled egg as 78 cal. Well that's different, why is that?

Ah in small print I see for 210 cal you get 1 CUP chopped egg.

So my bad, I am redeemed though so that made me feel good. I didn't go over as a matter of fact I had 69 cal left.

So now to today. I did a dumb dumb thing and while exercising (don't ask how this happened it would take too long to explain) my hand let go of the bar while in movement toward me and.........yup you guessed it. Smacked me in the face and split my lip.

Never have I had a split lip before and it hurts like hell. I iced it and it is somewhat better but still swollen as I'm sure it will be for at least another day.

Now I have to come up with a good story to go with it.

A runaway baby buggy....no that's not going to happen.
Too bad it isn't winter and I could have saved an old lady from falling down her steps.
Hmmm let's see.
I hit it on the door? Nope, too used.
Training the dog and her head zigged while mine did not zag and she got me. No odds are if that were to happen (and I think it has happened to all dog owners at one time or another) it would be my bottom lip.

Maybe I can just hide for a couple days. My neighbor is a cop so maybe I should not run over and borrow a cup of sugar, I'm sure he would be curious about what happened.

Oh well, fat lips heal, I'm just glad it didn't take out my teeth. Surprised actually cause I hit myself pretty hard but thankful all the same. My angel was watching over me. Too bad she didn't watch over me BEFORE I split my lip ;-)

Ok so it's dinner time and I'm not hungry (this eating all day really is going to kill me). Yesterday and earlier today I was hungry after the allotted 2.5 - 3.5hrs which I guess is what is supposed to happen. Maybe it is the fat lip and the massive headache that is putting a damper on dinner.

I'll be a good dieter though and not skip the meal.

Exercise went good. Didn't do as much as you think you can though. Funny how you are always stronger in your mind isn't it? But it's a good starting point and we all have to have one of those. Today it was arms, Wed will be legs.

Yes I know I skipped a day there but I'm only supposed to work 4 days/wk for now and I thought Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat would be good. Don't know why but I like it and I guess that is all that counts.

Till next time.

Totals for today

Calories 2120
Fat 111
Carbs 215
Protein 99
8oz. glasses of water 4

Bad day so soon?

I can't believe it. I went over my calories today. I didn't sleep well last night (what a shocker) and fell asleep about 5am so needless to say I missed breakfast and snack then forgot to have lunch. So I thought I would make up for it and I thought i had more than I did I guess. When I tallied it up I was over by 350 calories.

350 calories isn't that bad is it? Well it frustrated me no end that I miscalculated. What a dumbass!

Ok hypothetical ass-kicking officially over.

Time to get back on the horse tomorrow and walk down the straight and narrow. Now that I am supposidly on track with the eating, tomorrow I begin exercises.

THAT I am NOT looking forward to it but my new motto (words of a very smart man) fits here.

"It's a small, immediate sacrifice for a long and healthy life".

Totals for today

Calories 2081
Fat 111
Carbs 190
Protein 78
8oz. glasses of water 0

And so it begins

Ok a bit of background. As I mentioned earlier, I am soon to be 45 years old. I am not going to make excuses for being overweight just stating facts. I was raised in a meat and potatoes family in the northern part of the country.

I am a picky eater the list of what I will eat is very much shorter than what I won't. Be that as it may, I am still overweight.

Activity? Hmmmm, oh yeah that's part and parcel of this isn't it? Ha! Again, I figure skated (remember I'm from the north people) and took dance classes as a child but I realize now that when I became a teen, activities weren't a huge priority and weren't suggested to me or pushed for that matter.

So here we are, and like any other life change we make it is something we have to do for ourselves. We can't do it because people want us to no matter how well intended they may be.

In 2009 my life changed forever when my mother passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Yes big surprise I come from a long line of heart attack deaths. So that scared me. I didn't quit smoking right then because to be honest the day after your mother dies is NOT the day to quit smoking.

So I waited and knew I had to do it and was ready to do it. Last October I has my last cigarette and surprisingly have not missed it since. Funny it was such a huge part of my life and I quit and moved on without looking back. I won't say it was easy, I thought about it a time or two but I never craved it, nor did I cheat and sneak 'just one'. I quit and that was that.

I feel so much better since doing that so now I am going to tackle another monkey that has been on my back forever. Unfortunately, I can't just quit this one which is the hard part. We all still need to eat right?

My problem all my life has not been how much I eat because I truly don't eat much, but it was what I ate and when I ate it that seems to be the problem.

I am an overweight person who forgets to eat. Yes, you heard me. I forget to eat! That's part of the problem people. I start doing something and my stomach says it's lunchtime. Ok just a minute let me finish this one thing.

Next thing I know 2 hours have passed and my stomach is reporting in again. Crap, that's what I was going to do. Ok let me just finish.......I think you get the point.

Ok, now I have never been one to talk about myself either but here it seems my fingers are just going and going. I hope to do this anonymously but if you comment or email me call me.......hang on I'm thinking.....Call me Kate. Yes I think Kate will be just fine.

The other problem I have is that I don't sleep much or well. Why? I don't know really, my mother used to ask me that same question and I would tell her what I will tell you. If I knew what the problem was, I would be sleeping better. Ok sorry to get snippy but when you don't get a good night’s sleep for years you might get snippy too.

So now I have decided to tackle this weight lost goal. It's big but I can do it. I have a positive outlook and I have actually already lost 3 lbs so actually 97 to go ;-)

I have done the gym thing and I have talked to trainers and nutritionists yet every time someone tried to explain to me about macronutrients I evidentially zoned out because it all sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher talking and if I have a PhD maybe I could have followed along with them.

I finally found someone who wrote a book where it all makes sense! Yippee, people writing in a way that us everyday folk can understand it. Amazing isn't it?

So I learned about macronutrients (that's carbs, fats, proteins, etc folks) and understand now about what falls into what category. I'm no expert.....yet.... but I have enough knowledge to wade into the water.

Goal 1: Find out the RMR (resting metabolism rate) for my goal weight.....done
Calculate that by my activity level of 1.55 (I don't know who comes up with the standard charts that show this magic number but there it is) and with the help of the magic number box I found out I needed to eat (are you ready for this?) 2150 calories per day in order to meet my goal.

Now I also learned that of this 2150 I should be eating 240grams (pesky metric system) of protein. Huh? What does that mean? Well kids, there are 4 calories per gram of protein. Moving to the magic number box and we find out that 240 grams of protein = 960 calories per day of protein.

Goal 2: Glycemic index. What is that? I have heard the name but never understood what it was. Ok this is the tricky part that if it was explained this way to everyone we would get it and understand why we shouldn't eat certain things.

First of all understand that the lower the number on the glycemic index the longer it takes your body to break the food down to glucose (aka sugar) in your body. The longer it takes the more likely you are to burn it off.

If you eat foods from the high end of the glycemic index that food is whisked away to the glucose factory that much faster and then you end up with a spike in your blood sugar (not a huge issue if you aren't diabetic) and when you get that spike, then the insulin fairies come to town to deal with all this glucose. Once the insulin fairies have rid your blood of the glucose and that leaves you tired and carving more glucose to replace the glucose that was just wiped out of your blood. Note the vicious cycle here?

Ok so carbs are ok as long as they are closest to their natural form (such as whole fruit, raw or steamed veggies and oats) and of course make sure the carbs are from the low end of the glycemic index.

Now we are on the right track. We have a food journal, we are ready to drink water, water and more water, and those pesky 2150 calories/day can't be a problem as long as I remember to eat. Right?

Wrong. I made it through day one and ate 5 meals today (I missed breakfast because of sleeping issues). I had a snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and a final snack. Wow, that was tough. I managed to have 18 calories left over at the end of the day.
Also I didn't eat my goal of protein but I did try.

This is all going to be more challenging than I thought.

Measuring, noting calories, fat grams, carb grams, and protein grams. I'm exhausted from just one day. It has to get easier as I get used to
A: eating regularly
B: eating healthy
C: knowing what food belongs to what group
D: measuring or knowing how many of what is in that
E: eat slowly. It takes our stomach about 1/2 hr to realize it is full.

It takes me longer to calculate it and write it all down in the journal than it does to make the meal. But I know it has to start somewhere right?

And amazingly enough when I made my dinner tonight (grilled chicken, roasted baby red potato, cottage cheese, baked beans and 2 apple rings) there was quite a bit of food on my plate even though it was just one serving of each type of food.

Ok enough for today. I'm actually tired tonight (could be all the yard work that did me in). Hopefully I will sleep before the sun comes up.

For me it's always a happy day when I realize I slept during the dark time ;-)

Later.

Totals for today

Calories 2132
Fat 99
Carbs 181
Protein 124
8oz. glasses of water 5