Small Victories

Friday was my first truly difficult day, diet-wise. I honestly could not decide if I'd rather lose weight or eat a doughnut. I was good, but the urge to throw in the towel was unexpectedly strong.

Yesterday my husband and I went out to eat. He was craving meat - specifically burgers - so we decided to see what we could get at Red Robin, intending to order a burger and replace the fries with a salad. It turns out they have on their menu something called a "Lettuce-Wrap Your Burger." Here's the description from the site:

A juicy beef burger topped with red onions, fresh tomatoes and Cheddar cheese all nestled between cool lettuce. Served with a side salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

So we ordered that. And you know what? It was delicious. It satisfied our burger craving without too much guilt and we still got plenty of vegetables with our lunch.

I don't like special ordering at restaurants. I don't mind replacing the occasional side dish but asking for "no bun" or "no mayonnaise" and then having to check when the food arrives to see if they actually did it - well, that's not just my bag. I was so pleased to see they had something already on the menu for folks who didn't want the temptation of fries and a big old bun. Sure, this was clearly geared toward folks on Atkins or South Beach, but I'll take it.

Wow.

I made the Power of One leaderboard one last time. I didn't expect to, but I guess Nutrisystem gave me that extra boost there at the end.

I wonder what the next challenge will be. It's supposed to start up next Wednesday again, and probably won't be a solo challenge this time around. I guess I'll decide if I'm going to participate when they announce it.

Checking in

First, the weigh in, after 9 days on Nutrisystem:

Weight change this week: -4
Weight change so far in 2011: -13

Glad to see all this hunger and frustration hasn't been all for naught. :) (Actually, my husband and I were just talking about how we have more energy and have been sleeping better, so I'm not complaining.)

Gym recap: First Day to 5k, week 1, day 2
Distance 2.08 mi
Duration 30:00
Pace 14.4 min/mi
Speed 4.2 mi/h
Calories 187

First Day to 5k: week 1, day 1

I ran and it didn't suck! :D

Distance 2.25 mi
Duration 30:00
Pace 13.3 min/mi
Speed 4.5 mi/h
Burned 216 kCal

Hungry McGrumplesaur Awakes

I am so starving. I could barely wait until 11am to eat lunch. I would switch my afternoon snack to morning except that I need to eat something right before going to the gym after work. So I just suffer. Hmmph.

Of course, I'm probably a special case, because I'm one of those people who can eat pretty much nonstop between breakfast and lunch, but then am almost never tempted to snack in the afternoon or evening, both of which are written into this program.

This past weekend was somewhat momentous, so I thought I'd share.

Saturday

• My husband and I went out to eat for the first time since starting Nutrisystem. We had Mexican food (Guadalajara in Charlottesville, VA), where we both ordered the chicken fajitas. They came with Spanish rice and refried beans, and of course there were chips and salsa on the table. I ate zero chips (!!) and only ate half my meal (and only one of the two tortillas). I did have all of my refried beans, because those are a special favorite of mine, but while I felt fuller than I have since starting Nutrisystem, I ate considerably less than usual and was not hungry.
  
• That evening was tough, though, because it was a party where people brought goodies. I purposely brought a veggie tray with no dip, so I had something to mindlessly munch on while chatting with people. I tried a little of most of the dishes, eating more than I should've, but far less than I normally would've. I also skipped all the crackers and chips (a special victory because Doritos and Tostitos are my favorites!).
  
• Near the end of the evening I was going to try a death bar (this amazing-looking/smelling dessert bar that appeared to be made from chocolate chip cookies, peanuts, and joy). My husband said I shouldn't, and I resentfully threw it in the trash. I was not happy, but at least I didn't succumb out of spite. :)

Sunday

• I had to spend most of the day out on the town. I packed one of my ready-to-eat Nutrisystem lunches (a chocolate peanut butter bar) and figured since one of my errands was right near a Whole Foods, I'd try out their salad bar. Despite being sorely tempted by loads of delicious-looking dishes, I stuck to the veggies and a light balsamic dressing. And I was full enough after that I didn't bust out the bar until about an hour later (though I was definitely hungry by that point).
  
• Later that afternoon, after tromping around DC for 3 nonstop hours, we stopped at a Starbucks to hit the bathroom. They had the most amazing-looking apple fritters, and I was hungry. But I didn't have one.

Today

• I was exhausted when I woke up this morning and was tempted to run through the McDonald's drive-thru just to get a large soda, but knew I'd be too tempted by my beloved sausage burritos, so I skipped it.
  
• In the office kitchen were all kinds of goodies: cucumber sandwiches, chocolate cake, scones, chocolate-pumpkin Bundt cake, and chocolate covered strawberries. I sat and stared at them on multiple occasions but managed not to actually put anything into my mouth.

Tonight I start the First Day to 5k program (again). Here's hoping my knees cooperate.

More Food Babble

Yesterday was difficult on the diet front. I woke up absolutely ravenous, and breakfast barely quieted my stomach. Work was the same as ever, but about two hours after dinner I was so freaking starving that I picked my dessert based entirely on its size (yay pound cake) and then practically inhaled it.

Today has gone much better.

I don't know how much weight one needs to lose before clothing starts to fit differently. I do know I shouldn't expect to lose more rapidly than a pound or two a week, meaning I'll hit my goal weight anywhere between this coming October and May of next year.

Talking to my sister helps, since she shares my genes and went through this process several years ago. I suspect she didn't lose nearly as much weight as I need to (I have roughly 70 pounds to go) but she understands the struggle.

So far the main lesson I am learning from Nutrisystem is to make the vegetable the largest part of the meal. For most meals we start with a biggish salad (with no cheese - a major change for me) and treat the Nutrisystem entree more or less as a side dish. It's a good thing we like salad, but I'd die if I hadn't found a dressing I like (Newman's Own light raspberry walnut vinaigrette).

The categorization of foods surprised me: carrots count as vegetables, while peas and garbanzo beans are carbs.

I've been crap when it comes to exercising this week. Mainly I worry that increasing the number of calories I burn each day will make it just that much harder to adjust to this dramatic decrease in calories consumed. (Okay, that's a lie: mainly I only want to deal with one thing at a time, and this diet is a hell of a one thing.) I do, however, plan to start running again on Monday.

Upcoming challenges:

• Doughnut Day. Every Friday morning my office provides free doughnuts, bagels, and muffins. I am weak in the face of pastry. However, I have a plan: one of my breakfasts on the plan is a chocolate muffin, so I'll bring that to work and eat it when everybody else is eating their Friday morning goodies. Luckily, the baked goods are one floor down, so I won't even see them unless I make a special trip.
  
• Saturday: going out to lunch with a friend. This will be our first meal out since starting the program. Not sure how I'll handle this one yet; it'll really depend on where we go. Luckily, the friend we're seeing is a Weight Watchers alumnus, so I have high hopes that he won't derail us by insisting we go out for pizza. :)

Weekly Weigh-in

Weight change this week: -1
Weight change so far in 2011: -9

This actually might be just a touch high, as I forgot to weigh myself before dinner like I usually do.

Evidently there's only one more weigh-in for this "Power of One" project. Huh. I doubt I'll keep up the Wednesday Weigh-in schedule, but I'll pop in now and again.

Today is day 3 of Nutrisystem and I think my body will have completely adjusted by the end of the week. My stomach feels vaguely unhappy most of the time, which may be hunger or might just be a reaction to my drastically increased fiber intake, but it gets better each day. And I've found it's pretty easy to not cheat because I know exactly what and when I'm eating next. Sure, I've been more or less measuring my day by how far away my next meal is, but I think that will go away once I get completely used to the reduced portions.

Further Adventures with Nutrisystem

Shortly after lunch yesterday I started having tummy unhappiness, which later evolved into severe abdominal pain and nausea. The mere idea of food did not appeal to me in the slightest, so I only ate my Nutrisystem entree for dinner, and later my dessert, skipping the extra stuff (veggies, fruits, and fats). It felt like someone had set fire to my stomach lining, but I am disinclined to blame this on the Nutrisystem food. I don't have what you might call a sensitive digestive system. Considering I've felt like I'm fighting off something for the last couple weeks, I think this stomach bug is just coincidence. After all, the stomachache came with a headache, and last night I slept for nearly 11 hours - and could have slept longer had my alarm not gone off.

The nausea and headache linger on today, but at least the stomach pain is gone for the time being. Breakfast (Nutrisystem breakfast burrito, blueberries, and light vanilla soymilk) does not seem to have affected my condition, so I am feeling optimistic.

Nutrisystem, Day 1

Today is my first day on Nutrisystem. (No, I'm not going to post every day, but this is kind of a momentous occasion, you know?) I had cereal with banana slices on top for breakfast (and discovered I actually shorted myself half a serving of protein, but that's okay), then for lunch I had a chicken quesadilla, yogurt, and more vegetables than I'd expected. I'm supposed to have two servings of veggies, but I didn't realize a serving of grape tomatoes was a full cup! Likewise with the green pepper. Dinner calls for two veggies and a fruit, and though I had enough peppers and tomatoes to make a single serving between them, I'll have to stop by the grocery store after work to pick up something else.

While my stomach is rather unhappy at the moment (probably because of the abnormally large amount of fresh vegetables I had with lunch), I haven't felt unusually hungry. I'm trying to figure out how to work my afternoon snack, since I'm really not hungry right now and I'll probably be eating dinner in the office around 5:00 since I want to be in Alexandria (about 30 miles from here, fighting DC afternoon rush) well before 7:00.

All in all, I think this is a totally doable meal plan, as I don't feel like I'm really denying myself anything. By the way, I'd also like to mention that we had a Valentine's Day party at work, with tons of delicious-looking homemade cupcakes and cookies and stuff, and I didn't eat any. Go me! :D

Pre-Nutrisystem Thoughts

So last night we ordered our first month of Nutrisystem. It was my husband's idea, actually: between his recent 37th birthday and friends losing weight and both of us struggling for so many years, he realized that we clearly can't do it on our own. We've tried a lot of approaches, from South Beach to food diaries to just making healthy changes to our meals. And still we stay fat, because while we know in our heads what portions we're supposed to be eating, it's hard to translate that to the plate, both realistically (understanding exactly what an ounce looks like) and personally (that is, having the willpower to limit our own portions). The idea behind Nutrisystem is that they do the calorie-counting and portion-control for you. Our plan is to do this for a few months (or however long it takes), get our weights down, and most importantly, pay attention to what and how much we're eating.

When we go off the plan, which we inevitably will (though who knows how long it'll be), we'll have a better visual understanding of portions and our stomachs will have shrunk so it takes less food to fill us up. Let's face it: it's really difficult to stop eating before you're full (or the plate is clean, whichever comes first). Since we'll be full faster (and presumably happy enough with our bodies that we're more careful about what we eat - it's easy to binge when you're already fat anyway), we should naturally eat less. It's all about creating habits.

The biggest change for my husband will be not eating the same thing every day (he has OCD, so routine is very important to him), while for me it will be not going out to eat for a while. Yes, the program comes with a dining guide, but it'll be easier to just stay in. I also anticipate being sad on Fridays for a while, when my office provides free doughnuts and bagels.

Despite all this, I am confident. The food is provided, so I don't have to just rely on my own (very limited) willpower. Maybe I won't drop 30 pounds in the first two months like my husband's friend, but I hope to see some sort of improvement. I'll still go to the gym, of course - that's my precious me-time - but diet is like 80% of the equation.

Our first shipment is supposed to arrive in about three days. I think I'll go eat one last Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell.

Wednesday Weigh-in

My weight did not change; I neither lost nor gained.

For which I am grateful, actually, because I haven't been feeling well, or eating well, or exercising much.

In other news, it looks like my husband and I are going to give Nutrisystem a try. Stay tuned.

Gym Recap 2/4/11

Format: exercise - reps x sets - weight - notes (if applicable)

• pull-ups - 7x3 - 112lb counterweight - arms out, more reps than ever!
  
• dips - 10x3 - 112lb counterweight
  
• abdominal crunch machine - 50x2 - 35lbs
  
• reverse crunch machine - 50x2 - 35lbs
  
• hip adduction - 15x3 - 90lbs
  
• hip abduction - 15x3 - 90lbs
  
• chest press machine - 12x3 - 40lbs
  
• bicep curls - 15x3 - 10lbs - per arm, free weights
  
• lawn mowers - 12x3 - 15lbs - per arm, free weights
  
• tricep kickbacks - 12x3 - 10lbs - per arm, free weights
  
• squat machine - 12x3 - 90lbs - really felt it in my behind
  
• plank position - held for roughly 30 seconds twice (didn't have a watch on me, so it was probably less)

Hump Day Happies

Weight change this week: -1
Weight change so far in 2011: -8

I attended the goodbye luncheon for my former supervisor today. It was at T.G.I. Friday's. I thought long and hard about what to eat, and ended up with a half sandwich/half wedge salad, with water to drink. It was really tasty, and at the end of it I felt like I could have eaten more, but didn't need to. So that felt good. You can't imagine how hard it is for me to resist french fries!

I wasn't really in the mood to go to the gym tonight. I didn't feel like lifting weights and most of the cardio was off-limits while I recover from yesterday's fall on the ice. So I went up to the indoor track, loaded up one of the Podrunner mixes, and told myself that I didn't have to do anything in particular, but I wasn't allowed to leave that track for the entirety of the hour-long mix.

And you know what? I mostly walked, but I ran quite a bit too. I took it easy, careful to put most of the impact on my toes, not worrying about speed. And I kept moving for that entire hour.

And most importantly, my knee didn't hurt at all. Score! :D

Getting back up to speed

Last December I started the First Day to 5k program through Podrunner Intervals. I'd completed it once before, in 2007, but due to weather and asthma I didn't keep up with it after that. This past time I got halfway through week 3 and decided that since my knee pain had me about in tears by the end of the run, it was time to quit. Considering I'd been running on an indoor track (and was on concrete sidewalks in 2007), this sudden problem was unexpected, to say the least.

I have several theories as to what happened. The first may be that my form was off during the first week, causing minor injury that never healed properly, worsening every time I ran. The second is that I've exceeded the weight limit for my joints, and I need to just lose weight before I can run again.

I've always wanted to be a runner, not just for the fitness benefits but because I like the freedom of it. You can do it just about anywhere, no special equipment required. The best part of the Podrunner Intervals podcasts is that you don't have to constantly check your watch or your distance: the speed of the music changes when you need to change your pace, with a little chime in between so you know it's coming. And you know, a lot of the time running really sucks, but when it doesn't, it's awesome. And either way, at the end of each run I feel like I really accomplished something.

So I've decided to try again. I have an appointment to pick up new custom orthotics this coming Tuesday. After giving myself a couple weeks to fully break them in, I will begin the First Day to 5k program again, on February 21.

I told my coworker this, who then wrote it on his calendar. I'm not sure how I feel about such accountability, but I guess I'm in it for real now. Here's hoping my knee doesn't fail me again. I'll take it super slow, which isn't saying much considering I was never what you might call fast, but one thing I've learned about going to the gym: nobody's looking at you.

Victories 2/1/11

When I left my house this morning, I immediately slipped on the completely invisible ice and landed hard on my tailbone. It hurt. Kind of a lot. But though I was tempted to treat myself to something yummy to help me feel better, I resisted, and went straight to work.

However, because of my injury, I decided to take the day off from the gym. I'll go tomorrow - but I'll have to be gentle.