Weigh-In 02/19/13

Previous: 171.0
Current:   170.8
Loss:           -0.2

Woah there! Let's not get too crazy with the 0.2 pound loss! Haha.. Oh well. At least it's going down, right?

So yesterday I'm in traffic, and I catch out of the corner of my eye a car that keeps edging up and stopping, edging up and stopping...so I look over.

It's our local animal control guy, and he gives me the nod and smile.

I have no idea what to do with a nod and smile, people. I've never had to deal with people hitting on me in traffic.

If I respond with a nod and smile, does that indicate my interest? If I ignore it, then I totally look like a snob. I decided on the smile with no nod. Luckily, he didn't follow me to pursue our traffic relationship.

#skinnygirlproblems, right? I am amazed I have them!

Scary Truth about Calories

Oh, the things you learn on the interwebs.

Before I had you wonderful people, I had no idea that the FDA regulations allow companies to be off 20% either way on calories.
I also had no idea no one regulates these listings; meaning calories posted are certified only by the company.

This is a great article proving that you could be eating the equivalent of a Big Mac a day and not even know it.

Food for thought!

Weigh-In 02/12/13

Previous: 172.0
Current:   171.0
Loss:           -1.0

I swear, my body refuses to let go of the 170's. And boy is it slow going this year. I need to switch some exercise up or something, I guess. Onward & downward!

World's Fattest Man Loses 630 pounds!

The world's fattest man lost 630 pounds!

If you have 7 caregivers a day, and you can not take care of yourself, isn't it gross negligence for those caregivers to feed you 20,000 calories per day?

Second Thoughts - The Plan by Lyn-Genet Recitas

Jesus to Betsy, did my first post get some attention!

I do have to clarify, my first post was just a brief overview of what I've read. When I said sodium was the devil, I meant anything over the recommended 1500 mg per day. I actually happen to agree that sodium bloats me up a couple pounds if I overdo it. I'm still a little iffy on the water intake after 7:30, although like I said before, it keeps me from getting up in the night and peeing.

And I do see benefits to someone who is just starting a health journey, or weight loss journey, to starting this program. You are trying to learn about your own body. However, with that said - I've been learning now for 2 years, and I actually think I know my body pretty well. I agree with her idea about certain foods reacting to your own body chemistry - pinto beans, fried foods, and cabbage are big no-nos for me.

Not to toot my own horn, but I don't have any ailments to be honest. Since I've cut out processed foods, high salt, most sugar, and started drinking water, I've been pretty healthy - not even a cold (knock on wood.) So even if I did commit to the program, I don't know that I'd see any benefits. I might lose weight, but to be honest I'm losing weight now. I sleep fine, I take no medication, and I have decent skin.

This particular diet takes a lot of prep time (I know she doesn't consider it a diet, but anything I stick 20 days to an exact menu is a diet to me). It takes a lot of ingredients that aren't all that easily available in my part of Kentucky (we don't even have a Whole Foods, gasp!). If you buy the book as an e-book, it's a lot of flipping pages, haha.

However! I have adopted some of her suggestions, and I think they are good for combating inflammation in the body. I drink lemon water in the morning, I drink dandelion tea during the day, I stop drinking at 7:30, and I weigh every morning and really learn to listen to my own body. I am a huge advocate that inflammation causes chronic illness in the body.

So while following the plan exactly isn't for me, I do see where it would be extremely helpful to someone starting out. It doesn't require membership, or buying processed foods, it just requires time and energy. That's a nice change.

Weigh-In 2/04/2013

Previous: 172.0
Current:   172.0
Loss:           -0.0

Considering I just weighed in Thursday, I'm pretty happy with today's weight. Especially since I indulged in a store-bought (What?!) cupcake last night.

So I'm reading The Plan, as I said earlier. And although I'm not finished, and I will go into her theory about inflammation (which is pretty interesting), I've already determined I won't be starting The Plan.

You guys were right - I've done this long enough to know what doesn't work for my body. Pinto beans - yeah they are not so kind to my body. I see a weight gain after I eat pinto beans, no matter if 1/2 cup or 3 cups.

I have adopted some of her suggestions though - so far the following:

• I drink one cup of dandelion tea (liver detox) along with one cup of green tea daily
• I drink 16 ounces of water (with lemon) after I pee & weigh in the morning
•  I stop drinking at 7:30 (mostly because Norma is right, I tried it and I haven't gotten up once in the middle of the night to pee, haha.)
• I add chia seeds to my oatmeal & salads.
• I try to eat a handful of mixed nuts - including pumpkins seeds.  This does not include peanut butter, which I have given up and switched to almond butter.

First Impressions - The Plan by Lyn-Genet Recitas

My January was spent losing weight I’d already lost at the end of last year. Depressing! Oh well, onto February.

In other news, I’m working my way through this book, The Plan, by Lyn-Genet Recitas. I’m going to start outlining some interesting things from the book that I have read, in hopes to not only arrange my thoughts in order but also share with you guys.

So far, here are the interesting points I’ve read:

·         Drink your water! (Duh.) – However, she says that you need to drink ½ your body weight in water, no less or more. Deviating either way can show a gain on the scale the next day.

·         Stop drinking your water by 7:30! – This was interesting. She claims that any beverage consumed after 7:30 will also show up on the scale the next day.

·         There is no real need for snacking.- The body does not need 6+ meals a day. If you eat that many meals, your body will spend its energy on digestion all day instead of focusing on repair and restore. She advocates 3 meals a day with 1 snack. (However she also says eat an ounce of dark chocolate after dinner, which I count as a “snack.” So there is room for argument in her logic here.)

·         Sodium is the devil. (Duh.)- Most of us get a lot of our salt from breads.

·         Do not exercise more than 4 times a week, and only for 30 minutes a day. – This is quite controversial. Per the book, exercise doesn’t burn most of our calories – it is when we are sleeping or sitting around that our body expends most of its calories repairing. Excess exercise puts strain and stress on the body, which will likely lead to inflammation.

I’ll admit – I’m a little interested in this book. It has a STRICT 20 day plan that you have to follow to discover your “reactive” foods. I am still on the fence about starting it – it takes a lot of prep, a lot of time, and a lot of patience. All of which I am slim on these days.

I'll go into her lengthy theory about inflammation (all kinds) and weight gain later. Happy Weekend!