Knees

Apparently now my knees are rebelling. The rebelliousness is just moving up my legs, I guess. The next couple times I run, I expect my hips will hurt.

Last night after work I went to the gym, planning to do some strength training and to get going with Week 2 of Couch to 5K.

Of note: my arms are getting stronger. First, I upped the weight on the bicep curls machine and did 3 sets of 10. Which means I actually get to use the pin now! 20 pounds is the default setting, but now I'm up to 35 pounds! (I did mention my arms are weak and piddly, yes?) Second, when I took the big baking sheet with the roasted broccoli and asparagus on it out of the oven and used my left arm to tip the sheet over a mixing bowl to dump the veggies in, there was no struggle. Sometimes I can't hold the sheet up for quite as long as I need to. Last night, no problem.

So I did some arm and leg weights for about 20 minutes and headed over to the treadmill. My legs felt a little sore from our hike/walk in the woods on Saturday, but it wasn't so bad during my 5-minute warm-up walk. The second I started the jogging interval, my knees felt like they were going to fall off. I did 60 seconds of jogging instead of 90 seconds, walked for 90 seconds, and tried another jogging interval. Same thing. I managed to eke out 4 jogging intervals, but finally stopped after 15 minutes.

I was sore all night and the few times I woke up during the night and tried to roll over, it was a struggle because my knees hurt so bad. So no swim this morning. Heck, I couldn't really walk very well. Having to run to catch my bus didn't help things. After walking from the bus to the office (all of like 200 feet) I felt a little nauseated.

They seem to be feeling better now, but I think I'm going to take Jason's advice and stick to swimming for the rest of the week. It's just bizarre.

After the gym, I made a great dinner: Broiled Lemon Caper Mahi Mahi and Roasted Broccoli and Asparagus. Fabulous!

Active Weekend & Low-Carb Pasta

My first bit of news is I did not get up and go to the gym Saturday morning. I was inadvertently* up until 1:30 on Friday night and had to be somewhere at 10 AM on Saturday morning, so a run in between waking up and picking up some people at 9:30 AM was not happening. However, Saturday was GORGEOUS and Jason and I went for a long walk in the woods near Foxboro, Massachusetts. It was lovely. We used a coupon and went out for dinner Saturday night, where I had a steak and veggies and a salad, with two small pieces of bread.

*Seriously lost track of time while watching TV with Jason and knitting a baby sweater.

Yesterday, I went for a swim before church. Generally I don't exercise on Sundays, but I need to get in a bit more time in the pool before the swim-a-thon on Saturday. Besides, swimming for me is relaxing. It's a nice way for me to decompress a bit.

So food and exercise was good this weekend, until the brownies last night. We have a friend who has an MA in Art History and who is also a fabulous cook. She gave a presentation last night on art at our church AND she made brownies for it. I grabbed a small square and took a bite. And my eyes rolled back in my head. And my knees went weak. Seriously, I usually don't get these kinds of reactions from food, but these brownies were probably the most divine things I've tasted.

Dangerous, yes?

I had 3. Well, 2 1/2 since Jason ate a big bite out of my third. Thankfully, she had cut them into smallish squares so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But not ideal. The thing is, looking back, I'm ok with it. Despite my desire to eat healthy, I really don't want to have missed out on the most divine brownies ever.

I'm going to ask her for the recipe and then only cook them once a year when I know that I'll be giving them away to other people, but I can have one after they're done cooking.

Oh, also last night, Jason and I tried Dreamfields low-carb pasta. We were tired and bleh and didn't want to cook so I suggested spaghetti since I knew I had just gotten the Dreamfields. It tasted great! I don't know how they do it, but somehow they have formulated the pasta so only 5 grams of the 41 grams of carbs per serving actually get digested. Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors and not true at all, but I'm going to believe them for now. Jason and I both noticed it was less starchy than regular pasta.

Jason and I also both noticed that neither of us can handle two servings of pasta. My second bowl was actually half a bowl, and I only ate half of that, but even so, we were both uncomfortably stuffed afterward. I definitely should have stopped at one bowl. I'm actually pretty excited that Jason is noticing these things about himself and not liking how he feels when he stuffs himself. He's lost about 10 pounds and is just about to flip from 200 to the 190s. Pretty exciting!

Of course, if he keeps losing this fast and I keep NOT losing, I'm going to be very miffed when he's officially lighter than me.

The Buddy System

Last night I had the thought while I was reading other peoples' health and fitness blogs for inspiration that it would be awesome to have a gym buddy. I really do appreciate all the motivation I get from everyone on here and through reading other blogs, but to know that someone will be waiting for me to show up at the gym at 6 AM is some great motivation because I am very susceptible to guilt.

My last year of college, my friend Nikki and I would meet up at the gym and go together. I knew she would be there so I had better show up. And she knew I would be there. It was such a good way to be accountable.

While I was mulling this over, I remembered my gym had posted signs all over the place a few months ago about gym buddies. You could post your info on a bulletin board to get connected with potential gym buddies. So this morning I checked out the buddy board. There wasn't a single posting on it. So much for that idea. (I kind of hope that this just means that everyone got all matched up with their buddies a couple months ago, not that the Y's buddy plan was a sad failure that just faded away).

Well, until Jason magically stops being nocturnal, I'll just keep posting my gym trips on here and being accountable to you. At least Jason and I go to the gym together on Saturday. Also, he's actually an awesome cheerleader when I tell him what I did to work out on any given day.

Gym Report 3/19 - Swim

40 minute swim. I did 70 lengths, which is ok, but not as fast as I want to be. Next weekend at the swim-a-thon I want to do 120 lengths in 60 minutes. I don't know if I'll be able to, but that's my goal.

Last night I was griping to some friends about how I didn't really feel like swimming. Now that I'm doing the Couch to 5K, I have this concrete goal that I'm working toward and I want to work on that. I know I can't run every day, though, and I do need to get in at least a little preparation for the swim-a-thon.

Then I hit the water and remembered, oh right, I LOVE swimming.

Gym Report 3/18

I did it! I got up and went to the gym! It was hard because, I don't know if you noticed, but since Sunday it's dark in the early morning again. I can't wait until the sun is up when I am.

I did workout 1 for week 2 of the Couch to 5K. Actually, to be honest I'm going to say I did workout .8 for week 2. Workout 1 is a 5 minute warm up, then 6 intervals of 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking. During the 5th interval I got a stitch in my side. I tried to jog through it, but finally stopped running at 75 seconds. I intended to make the 6th interval 105 seconds, but the stitch came back and that one was only 75 seconds as well. So I'm not counting the workout toward the Couch to 5K progress. I still have 3 workouts for week 2 to do. I'm not on any sort of deadline and I'm fine with easing into this and making sure I'm really ready to move forward.

The fabulous news is, my ankles didn't hurt! They were a little sore afterward, but I stretched and hopefully they'll be ready for more running by Saturday morning, when I'm totally going to own workout 1 for real.

I also did a 20 minute weight machine circuit. Does anyone else have aimless gym people you have to navigate around? There was this guy there this morning who was just kind of wandering from weight machine to weight machine. He would sit at one, put the weight really high, then do one really fast set of 10 or so reps, looking like he was going to die the entire time. Then he would get up and aimlessly wander to another machine.

When I do weights I like to bounce between two different machines between sets so that I'm never just sitting there doing nothing. Since there were 3 people in the weight area this morning, I thought there wouldn't be an issue. Only, the aimless wanderer cut me off 3 times. It was no big deal, I just went to a different machine and then came back to the one he used, but the other guy in the weight area saw this happen each time and after the 3rd time, we made eye contact and he smiled and rolled his eyes at the wanderer. I love gym solidarity.

In addition to the gym time, this morning I walked to work. I felt energetic and it's an amazingly beautiful day here. Perfect for a 2 mile walk!

Seriously, I Have Issues

Today I'm wondering what is wrong with me?

Get this. I woke up ON MY OWN at 5:30 this morning. I figured I would lay in bed until 6 or so and then get up and go for a swim. Only, that didn't happen. I cuddled with the kitty (who has determined that the best way to get fed in the morning is to be snuggly and purry. MUCH more effective than standing on the headboard screaming at us, which was his previous m.o.) and kept checking my clock. Then I fell back asleep and woke up at 6:25. Still time to get up and go, right? Yes.

But then I fell back asleep and finally got up too late to go to the gym or to walk to work.

I'm having a major mental block involving rolling out of bed in the mornings. Once I am OUT of the bed, putting in my contacts and getting ready to go, I'm fine. I'm even better than fine because then I go work out and I have endorphins and I feel proud of myself for working out.

This is my pledge to you: THURSDAY! FRIDAY! SATURDAY! I will be out of bed and at the gym in the morning. In fact the first thing I will do when I log on my computer in the morning is come on here and check in and let you know what I did.

Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I should do that every day. If I have to actually tell someone about it (other than Jason and the cat) then that should motivate me to not slack off. Keep me accountable, my friends!

On the up side, eating has been stellar this week. Many people say it's 80% about the food, so at least I'm 80% on target. And that's not bad.

I Was Run-ning

So I kind of like this running thing so far.

I know, I'm shocked too.

Of course, in the first week of Couch to 5K I only run a grand total of 8 minutes per workout, but for those 8 minutes I like it. The only problem is, my ankles are KILLING me. I don't know if it's a joint thing or if it's because I have weak ankles or what. I'm hoping someone else knows what I'm talking about because Jason seems befuddled by my ankle pain. He said when he started running, the muscles attached to his ankles were sore, and mine are too, but this is something different.

I ran Saturday morning and again last night, officially completing week 1 of C25K. I almost quit mid-workout last night. I would feel ok while I was actually running, but when I slowed down for the 90 seconds of walking, my ankles hurt SO. BAD. I had to slow down my walk pace from 3.5 mph to 3.0 mph for about 30 seconds and hold onto the arms of the treadmill for a bit to take some of my weight off my ankles. By about the 4th running interval I was seriously considering stopping, but I talked myself into stopping after the 6th and then at that point I figured I was so close to doing all 8 intervals, I might as well finish.

My theory is that I have insanely weak ankles and until they get stronger, I'll have ankle pain when I run. Thoughts?

In case you're thinking it's my shoes, I actually have been fitted by a running pro who owns a running store for the correct shoes (my sister-in-law's dad. And he gave me a fat discount!). Last year I tried to run in my regular sneakers without seeing a pro and I definitely suffered for it. In a different way than this ankle thing, though.

The bummer part is, I am enjoying this, which is not something I ever thought I would say about a running program. I kind of want to do workout 1 of week 2 tonight after work. Don't worry, I won't. I'll let my sore bones rest. It's just annoying.

What Have I Done Today?

The Biggest Loser theme song sings, "What have I done today to make me feel proud?" The Television Without Pity recapper for The Biggest Loser* always starts her recaps with what she has done that day to make her feel proud, with a healthy dose of snark thrown in for good measure.

*Who also lives in Providence and since everyone here knows everyone else, I'm sure I've met or at least seen her at some point over the past 2 1/2 years and I wish I knew who she was so the next time I see her I could tell her how much I love her recaps. I always think the same thing as her when TBL toys with us. Like this past week with the long drawn-out drama of how Sam forgot his lunch which wound up being a long lead-in to a Subway product placement. Her response: "Those f***ers." Not exactly my words, as the asterisks will tell you, but my sentiment exactly!

So what have I done to make me feel proud?

Wednesday night I drove ALL THE WAY to southeast Rhode Island for a meeting that wound up being canceled. So then I drove ALL THE WAY back and needed to stop at 2 stores before I could go home. I had planned to bake some chicken for dinner, but when Jason and I both got home at about 7:30 I announced that I didn't want to wait an hour and a half for dinner so we were getting take out. Jason suggested we use our 2 for $20 Bugaboo Creek coupon, which got us an appetizer sampler and two entrees for $20.

At the end of the meal, Jason commented on the detritus of carbohydrates left on my plates. First, we had bread, and I LOVE their bread. So I had 2 small pieces, but by no means half of the mini loaf they gave us. Then came the appetizer sampler: buffalo wings, chicken strips and mozzarella sticks. I had one wing and then peeled the breading off one chicken strip and one mozzarella stick and ate those. I ordered an extra side salad for myself and the croutons joined the pile of breading on my plate. I got the rib eye steak with steamed vegetables, which unbeknownst to me came on a bed of fried onions. Ate the steak and veggies, left the onions.

Ta-dah! Next morning, down another pound, so apparently I managed to stay on course.

Last night I went out for Mexican food with a friend (Hi, Annie!) and indulged in tortilla chips, a tamale and half of some enchiladas verdes. I knew we were going out so I had been watching my carbs during the day. I know I went over 100 g, but it wasn't major.

FYI, if you like Mexican food and fear there is none to be had in New England, I recommend El Rancho Grande. Their salsa is actually spicy! Un milagro! Ay dios mio!

This morning, I had a meeting up in Boston then took the train back to Providence. You know what they have at South Station in Boston? An Auntie Anne's. I LOVE Auntie Anne's pretzels! Did I get one today? No, I did not. We're going out to dinner with some friends tonight for Portuguese food and while I know I can order smart, I'm also not quite sure what my options will be. I'd rather indulge in a new Portuguese carby delight than abstain because I already had the pretzel.

So I think I'm doing well. Also, I've determined that living this low-carb lifestyle is totally doable.

Eat On Less Than $35!

This morning I read an article titled "How To Eat On Less Than $35 A Week". I really don't know why I still bother with these articles. I'm hoping, I guess, that there will be some actual, useful tips, but there never are. Like the article about maximizing coupons, which consisted of telling us that if we just used coupons to buy our processed crap, all our money woes would be over. Well, duh. I use coupons. The only problem is, I don't buy a lot of stuff that you can use coupons for. Instead I buy produce and unprepared meat.

These types of articles are always geared toward highly-processed foods. This article is no exception. What it should really be called is "How To Eat On Less Than $35 A Week So Long As You Don't Mind Eating Processed, Non-Nutritional Crap". The shopping list consists of hot dogs, buns, bologna (gag!), chopped ham (gag!), ground beef, egg noodles, ketchup, condensed soup, cereal, spaghetti, etc. The one nod to health is 2 1-lb bags of frozen vegetables. They also suggest, as an afterthought, that you might try substituting a bag of apples for some of those noodles, you know, "if you have a lighter appetite or are health conscious."

Wait, shouldn't we be encouraging everyone to be health conscious? Not just as an afterthought?

Let's look at the menus the author sets forth:

Day One
Breakfast: 2 bowls of milk and cereal
Lunch: 1/2 pound buttered noodles and 2 sandwiches (your choice)
Dinner: 2 hot dogs, 2 potatoes 4 ounces vegetables
Snack: popcorn

Day Two
Breakfast: 2 bowls of milk and cereal
Lunch: 2 sandwiches and soup
Dinner: spaghetti
Snack: popcorn

Day Three
Breakfast: 2 bowls milk and cereal
Lunch: 1/2 pound buttered noodles, 2 sandwiches
Dinner: 2 quarter-pound burgers, potatoes and 4 ounces vegetables
Snack: popcorn

Yummmmm! Carby carb carb! Not to mention all that sodium in your bologna and chopped ham (again, gag!). Plus, the possible carcinogens in your bags of microwave popcorn. It is so cheap and easy to pop some real popcorn in a pan on the stove or a paper bag in the microwave without all the additives. Plus it tastes better. If we're going to have popcorn, let's cook it the good way.

The article is geared toward college kids living on a budget, which I can get behind. However, I think it would be much more useful to teach college kids how to eat healthy on a budget. I know I ate marginally healthy in college, with apples and bananas for snack, and multiple experimentations with ways to cook vegetables. I also ate my fair share of ramen and mac and cheese. Whatever, it was college. It happens.

After reading this article, I feel inspired to write a book to teach college kids how to eat healthy on a budget.

Ankles

It's amazing how jogging can make you keenly aware of your ankles. This morning I got out of bed and my ankles screamed at me to get off them already and who do I think I am?

I had a swim scheduled, but as I hobbled the 5 feet from my bed to the bathroom I made an executive decision to rest my weary bones and muscles. And tendons and ligaments.

Eventually I will be able to work out 4-5 times a week, but I'm trying to listen to my body and ease into it so I don't get injured this time around.

Everyone Else is Doing It...

Peer pressure is making me do the Couch to 5K.

OK, so no one's really pressuring me, it just seems like a lot of people are starting up. The weather has been awesome here the past couple of days so I went for a little walk/jog this morning. I can already tell my legs are going to be SORE. Jason and I have already agreed that if we get to the 5K point, we'll enter an actual 5K race.

Doing the C25K allows me to use my heart rate monitor and foot pod that I got last year and then only used twice before entering the Fall and Winter of Sickness. I realized a couple of weeks ago that it doesn't really work with the elliptical as far as telling me anything about distance or steps, which is kind of a drag. (Though I did discover that the elliptical's heart rate monitor on the machine itself is very accurate. Good to know.) So running/walking is the best way to use my new toy.

Today the first few intervals were fine, but by numbers 7 and 8 I was DONE. I can't imagine running a 5K straight, but I know if I keep on, I'll get there. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

On a good note, I felt fantastic afterward. I am discovering my body adores intervals (and, I'm assuming, the endorphins that come with them). I don't really adore the during part so much, but I always feel great when it's done and really pumped up for the day.

2 other good things:

1) As of this morning I'm 4 pounds lighter. Meaning the 4 pounds I was crying about on Saturday went away. We'll see what this Saturday brings, but I feel better.

2) Awesome smoothie today:

6 frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/2 banana
1 serving chocolate Amazing Grass
1/2 scoop unflavored protein powder
1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened plain Almond Breeze
1/4 packet Stevia

Yum!

Shopping Bag Giveaway

Does anyone find it annoying when people blog about giveaways? I realize it's a plug for the company and all, but I happen to like this company, so here we are.

Mambo Sprouts is pretty cool because they have coupons for organic and other natural foods. I don't use many of their coupons because even though it's healthy food, it's still mainly processed food, and I generally don't use processed foods when I cook. But I support the idea and I diligently go through my Mambo Sprouts mailer to see if there's anything I can use.

(This is the problem with coupons in general. What we need are "Buy 1 apple, get 1 apple free" and similar coupons.)

Anyway, Mambo Sprouts is giving away some cute shopping bags if you pledge to give up plastic shopping bags. I already have a few reusable shopping bags and am trying to obtain a critical mass so that when I go shopping I actually have some of the bags in the car with me. When I bring them into the apartment, they never seem to leave. But there must be a magic number where they start migrating back to the car.

So go enter! Save the planet! Etc!

Positive

I'm trying to stay positive and not let the scale emotionally abuse me. So we'll talk about the good stuff.

This weekend was crazy! Saturday we had a birthday party, dinner with some friends, and a concert up in Somerville, Mass. Sunday we had church and Jason's choral Evensong service up in Cambridge. I meant to cook something in the crock pot, but was running late all morning. So we used the chicken to make a stir fry. Yum!

Overall, I have to say, my eating was pretty good. On Saturday, I did have some ice cream at the birthday party, but that was in lieu of ice cream and cake. (I suppose you could argue that the ice cream was in lieu of nothing, but it was better than it could have been).

Sunday, I made the coconutty pancakes for breakfast. They were okay. I can see the potential and am going to tweak the recipe a bit because it lets me have low-carb pancakes and, truth be told, I love pancakes. Maybe some cinnamon...

I drove up to Cambridge with my friend Rachel, who also sings in the choir, and she had brought lovely peanut butter sandwiches and apples for us to eat on the way. I had brought a peanut butter cookie Larabar and had meant to bring an apple, but forgot, so she wins the being prepared award.

After Evensong they always have a reception with great food, including these fudgey brownie bites that are divine. I skipped the brownie bites. And the cookies. And the pastries. So proud of me.

We had stir fry and salad for dinner, and I ate about 2/3 cup of rice with the chicken and veggies. I am okay with that.

I slept in a bit this morning thinking I would walk to and from work. Then, too late, I remembered I have a meeting later that I need my car for. So I drove in. BUT it is an amazingly gorgeous day so I went for a lunchtime walk next to the river, looping the path and the basin over by the mall twice. Not really a workout, per se, but definitely nice.

Tonight I'll get home a bit late from the meeting, but then it's straight to bed so I can get to the gym tomorrow.

Update from the Drama Queen

So I'm feeling a little better.

Still frustrated.

But I got up off the couch and went to the gym and did a half hour of weights and HIIT elliptical (I got there too late to swim laps. The pool has very specific hours for lap swimming.) Anyway, a good load of endorphins has improved my mood a lot.

I'm off to a day of parties and fun and I will stick to my food goals.

Fail

I am feeling utterly defeated.

I spend a lot of my spare time learning about health and nutrition. I find it fascinating. I think it is so interesting to learn the science and apply it to my life and my way of eating and exercising and living. I look for different and interesting ways to cook vegetables so that we don't get bored with the same old thing and so that I can cook healthy for us. I meticulously watch my carbs and try to eat healthy. I log my food and try to be smart about what I put in my body. I pack in a bag of meals and snacks to work every day. I lift weights and do HIIT.

I have gained 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks.

I've documented my lapses here. Last Sunday with the poor planning and the breakfast and lunch of pumpkin bread. Thursday with the high calories (though, like I said, in low carb calories aren't supposed to matter quite so much. You CAN overeat, of course, but 2100 calories isn't egregious, especially since by BMR is 1600 calories anyway).

Oh, and lest you say, well it's not really the scale that counts, I'm doing all over measurements as well. In the last 2 weeks I have lost half an inch off my bust. That's the only loss, and frankly, I'm none too pleased about it. Everything else is the same.

I had a long discussion with Jason last night, just venting my frustrations. I weighed myself yesterday morning and had a good idea what the news would be for my official weigh-in this morning. I talked about how frustrated I get when I read articles about people who lost weight who say things like, "Well, I realized I needed to stop eating that pint of Ben and Jerry's every night" or "I quit eating a dozen donuts every Saturday".

I find those types of comments so incredibly unhelpful because I DON'T eat like that. Jason even said last night, "No, you eat salmon and broccoli every night." That's an exaggeration, but his point is, I eat some protein and a big pile of vegetables every night. Then I might have a glass of milk or a tablespoon of peanut butter or a small smoothie for a snack. Maybe. Often it's just dinner and then I'm done.

I have 30 pounds to lose and I wonder if people look at me and think, "Pssh, just stop eating that ice cream every night!" People make comments like that on article and blogs about obesity. I can guarantee I'm not the only person with weight to lose who doesn't eat piles of candy and pastries every day.

Jason, however, has lost 10 pounds in the last couple of weeks. I am so pleased for him, of course, and so proud that he is making an effort.

His secret? When he goes to lab functions, he only eats 1 cookie instead of 10. He still eats his footlong from Subway every day. He eats whatever I cook for dinner (some sort of protein and vegetables generally). He went jogging a couple times this week.

In the past, low-carb has been my magic bullet. I lost 5 pounds in one week. This time...

I am at a loss and I am sad and I may have cried a little.

I feel like giving up. I'm supposed to go to the gym this morning and do weights and swim. I don't want to. I want to sit here and be depressed and just think about how futile it all is.

Smoothies!

I have two new blogs I've been enjoying: Pimp My Protein Shake and Smoothie Girl Eats Too. They have lots of protein smoothie recipes and other creative ideas for high-protein foods (Totally trying the coconutty pancakes soon). They have opened my eyes to the wonders of guar gum and/or xantham gum, which are natural products that make your smoothies creamy. In the summer, I usually make a protein smoothie at home and bring it to work for breakfast. One of my biggest complaints is how it separates by the time I get to work. Lo and behold, a little sprinkle of one of those gums equals no separation.

Last night I got home from work and immediately erupted into a cleaning frenzy because I hosted craft night and I haven't had people over for 2 weeks and we have a magical ability to destroy our home in that amount of time.

(And for those of you who were there last night and might read this and are thinking, "Wait, that was AFTER she cleaned...?", I KNOW. It's an effort just to keep the chaos at bay.)

So instead of cooking something time consuming for dinner, I made a protein smoothie (and also a bunless hamburger with muenster cheese). Inspired by my new smoothie friends, I made the following:

Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

1 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened Almond Breeze
1/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
10 frozen strawberries
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 scoop chocolate Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (I found a single serving packet at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try because I've been hearing a lot of buzz about it)
8 ice cubes
1/8 teaspoon xantham gum

Fabulous!

I just figured out my calories in SparkPeople yesterday and I ate a lot, calorie-wise. About 2100 if I'm going to be honest. I was honestly hungry. According to the low-carb people, calories don't matter so much. I guess I'll see. It's hard to feel okay about bucking the Conventional Wisdom I've learned for so long.

Denied

Well, I didn't get to the gym this morning, nor did I walk to work. I woke up this morning feeling a bit like I had been run over by a truck (or so I imagine). Stupid TOM. The first day always knocks me for a loop. My legs cramp up so the idea of hobbling over to the gym to do the elliptical sounded horrible. All I wanted was more sleep. I'm pretty sure I can get in a half hour of either weights or elliptical tomorrow morning, even though my work meeting is kind of early.

I did get the sit-ups and squats done last night while watching TV with Jason. I told him he should come do some squats too, but he said no, so I squatted away with the neighbors probably laughing at me (we have no curtains or blinds in the living room and you can see RIGHT inside. We also have a million windows so spending all the money for window treatments in a rented apartment has been hard to justify).

I'm feeling a little annoyed right now by what the scale is telling me. I'm trying to be philosophical about it due to TOM, as previously mentioned in all its TMI glory, and the fact that I'm really getting going with the working out and sometimes I gain for a bit. However, my eating has been awesome the past few days and generally when I'm sticking to low-carb like a champ, I start losing immediately.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what next week brings.

Giveaway

Andrea at Andrea's Wellness Notes is giving away a box of Amazing Grass protein bars! If I let you all know and then let her know I let you know, I get an additional entry into the contest.

However, but letting you all know, when you go enter, I'll just be canceling out my entries. Hmmm...

Maybe by letting you know, the good karma I am collecting will help me win.

Feeling Fit

Fitness Check-In: swam for 30 minutes this morning. 50 lengths. Out of swimming shape, but still got it done. Will do Day 2 of the sit-up, push-up and squat challenges tonight.

Also, I checked my heart rate earlier today while I was sitting at my desk and after only a couple of weeks of regular work outs, my resting heart rate is down to 54 bpm. It will probably be slower if I check it right when I wake up. Jason said, "I'm surprised you're able to stay alive."

At the beginning of my 8th grade year we had a physical check-up in PE. They weighed and measured us, did some other fitness gauges and finally had us sit still and take our resting heart rates. Mine was very low compared to everyone else - around 60, I think - and my teacher made me take it again. Since I had just weighed in as one of the heavier girls in class (in front of everyone, of course, which was mortifying), I'm sure he thought there was no way my heart rate could be so low. But I had just come off a summer of swim team so the joke was on him. The 2nd time around, it was exactly the same and he had to write it down on his little chart.

While swimming since I was 6 years old has resulted in huge quads that will never go away, it has also given me a very fit heart, which I love. It makes getting back into a workout routine that much easier.

Scheduling Exercise

I forgot to include another goal in my post yesterday. I'm going to schedule my workouts AND follow through, rather than just going back and deleting the scheduled workouts after I don't do them.

Here's what's on tap for this week:
Monday: Walk 4 miles to and from work, Day 1 of sit-ups/push-ups/squats challenges. Done and done. My abs were screaming by the end of the sit-ups. I did the right hand column of Day 1 of Week 3

Day 1 rest 60 seconds between each SET (longer if required)
	21 - 30 sit-ups	31 - 40 sit-ups	> 40 sit-ups
set 1	15	18	21
set 2	18	25	27
set 3	11	19	21
set 4	11	19	21
set 5	max (at least 14)	max (at least 25)	max (at least 30)

Today: 25 minutes HIIT elliptical and 20 minutes strength training (arms). Done AND I did 30 minutes on the elliptical. Ha!

Wednesday: 30 minutes swimming, Day 2 of sit-ups/push-ups/squats challenges. I will probably wind up swimming 40 minutes, but since I'm just getting back into it again, I'm scheduling 30 minutes so that I have an out if I need it.

Thursday: 25 minutes HIIT elliptical and 20 minutes strength training (legs).

Friday: Cardio rest because of AM work meeting, Day 3 of sit-ups/push-ups/squats challenges.

Saturday: 30 minutes swimming, 30 minutes strength training (arms and legs).

All of these workouts are entered into SparkPeople already. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Happy March!

I'm kicking off March with a bang. First, rededicating myself to low carb EVEN on weekends. Let's just say Saturday was fine, but Sunday... On Sunday my diet consisted mainly of pumpkin bread because we had a busy day with a lot of driving. I made pumpkin bread to take to our friends' house who had us over for dinner and ate several pieces beforehand since I didn't really get breakfast or lunch yesterday. Poor planning.

In a silver lining vein, I cut the sugar down by a third and the bread still tasted great. I think I could probably halve the remaining amount and it would still be good. It just makes the pumpkin and spice flavors shine through more. I also used half whole wheat flour.

So far today has been stellar. I have planned my meals on SparkPeople today and if I stick to that, I will have less than 50 net carbs today.

My second March goal is to get my regular gym routine back into gear already. Jason and I went Saturday morning. I didn't wake up in time this morning so I instituted a spur of the moment penalty for not getting to the gym: every day I don't get to the gym in the morning, I have to walk to and from work. Usually I really like my walks to work. But this morning the sky was dark and the wind was blowing hard and the whole way I was pelted with freezing rain. Yeah, dashing over to the warm dry gym an hour earlier would have been a much better option. The rain has now stopped and I'm hoping it stays that way through my walk home this evening.

Tonight after my walk home, I'm going to do day 1 of the squat/sit-up/push-up challenges. I get to start on week 3 of the squats and sit-ups, but I am at square 1 with the push-ups.

On a completely unrelated note, my sister-in-law is in the hospital right now in some stage of giving birth to my first niece! The parents are Jason's brother and his wife and she will be the first grandchild in Jason's family. As an only child, I am thrilled to be an almost aunt!

Favorite Fish?

What kind of fish do you like best? Preferably in the reasonably-priced category.

Usually we eat salmon. However, now that Costco salmon has reached a price level that we're just not comfortable paying, I'm looking for options. (Though I'll still stock up on salmon if it's on sale near me)

I've tried tilapia. Not really a fan. Maybe I'm making it wrong, but it just kind of tastes dirty to me. Our grocery store has things like frozen haddock, mackerel, pollock, etc. What's good?

Of course, I would LOVE to get snapper and tuna and swordfish, but again we get into the price thing. I'm always looking for a way to eat healthy without spending a fortune.

Challenge!

I've decided to take on the 200 sit-ups, 200 squats and 100 push-ups challenges. Last night I did my initial tests to see what my levels are for the actual challenges.

Squats: 60
Rank: Excellent

Sit-Ups: 80
Rank: Excellent

Push-Ups: 7
Rank: Poor

Actually, the push-ups are ranked on a scale of 1 to 7 and I fell in level 2. However, I think that pretty much qualifies as "Poor". So, yeah, I knew my arms were weak piddly things, but this just confirms it.

On the other hand, lets hear it for my thighs and abs! I could have kept going for a bit longer on both the sit-ups and squats, but I knew I had already reached the top levels, so I stopped.

After I did the tests, I also did some arm exercises and tacked on some bicycle crunches and sumo squats for good measure. I have a feeling my thighs and abs will be screaming at me on Friday (it always takes 2 days for me to feel the full brunt of my strength training.)

Food

The last couple of days haven't been stellar as far as low-carb goes, though technically I'm eating healthy. As long as your definition of healthy includes carbs. So I guess I've been healthy according to Conventional Wisdom, as the low-carb folks call it.

Yesterday I met friends for a concert up in Cambridge at a club that is also a vegetarian restaurant. For dinner I had Henry's Dinner: butternut squash, caramelized onions, rosemary, sage, goat cheese and asiago cheese. Over coconut rice. It was DIVINE! Then me and my two friends split a sundae with mint chip ice cream, brownie and whipped cream. I didn't think the brownie was that good, and I can take or leave whipped cream, but I am always a fan of ice cream. Since there were three of us, I think I got 4 or 5 bites and then was done. Satisfying and reasonable. But not low-carb.

Today the weather is rotten and there are 2 IT guys in the office installing our new computers. Our secretary decided we should all get pizza for lunch. Now, granted, when we order pizza, we get it from the fancy schmancy place. Ours had chicken breast, mushrooms and artichoke hearts on multigrain crust with fresh mozzarella. Seriously, it doesn't get much better.

Still, not low-carb.

At least I'm keeping my carbs low for the rest of the day and they're still around 100 grams per day, despite not sticking to my plan exactly. I've got to stop making excuses for myself, though. Hawaii is only 2 months away!

Need Sleep

The Olympics are not conducive to morning workouts. Neither are busy Sundays. Suffice it to say, I did not make it to the gym this morning. Jason asked me about it when I kissed him good-bye before work and I snorted and told him I can't get up for a 6 AM workout when I'm up until 12 or 12:30. Not happening.

Here's to rededicating myself to being a stick-in-the-mud and getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. I will just have to ignore my night-owl husband's ribbing.

Swim-A-Thon

Jason and I went to the Y on Saturday and I discovered that they're doing the Swim-A-Thon again this year. (I also discovered that even with 150 pounds assistance, I SUCK at pull-ups. But that's another story.) It's to raise money for the Y itself, which has a lot of programs for the needy in the area. I had fun swimming it last year and this year with 5 weeks of lead time, I have a little more time to get into swimming shape beforehand.

Last year I swam 55 laps (110 lengths) in an hour. This year, I'm shooting for 60.

I ordered a new swimsuit last night, which is always fun. My old one was extremely faded and so eaten by the chlorine that it was almost transparent. Since I haven't swam in months, it was no biggie, but now I need to get a suit pronto.

I'm not going to stop the weights or the elliptical, but I'm going to swim 1, maybe 2 mornings a week for the next 5 weeks once I get my suit. The Swim-A-Thon is a good motivator.

Podcast Recommendation

I found a new healthy living (with a low-carb angle) podcast that's fun to listen to while I'm lifting weights (like the bad-a** I am. Wait. Can you be a bad-a** if you don't actually type the word "a**"? Food for thought)

Check out Healthy Mind Fit Body. I'm 3 episodes in and so far it's a winner.

Muscle Soreness Weight Gain

Do you gain weight when you push yourself particularly hard? When you're sore and your muscles need to recover?

Based on my stellar eating this week and my adding the regular working out into the mix, I'm going to blame the working out on my 4 pound weight gain. I really don't think I've eaten 14,000 extra calories in the past few days.

However, yesterday my right inner thigh was screaming at me. Apparently a few sets of liffing 75 pounds with the hip abductors is too much for rightie over there. My left thigh was a bit sore too, but the right one was the worst. So much so, that I took some pain relievers and sat on the heating pad for a bit last night, which soothed it a little. Today, it's still kind of sore.

My point is, I've heard that the whole process of muscle repair can make you retain water immediately following workouts. Has anyone read anything official about this effect? Like with citations to studies and such? I've found some anecdotal support, but nothing concrete yet.

HIIT

After explaining to Jason what High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is earlier this week, I decided to try it out again. I haven't done HIIT since summer of 2008, and I didn't stick to it for too long, but I was losing weight at that point. Besides the fat-burning benefits, I noticed 3 distinct pluses to HIIT this morning:

1) The workout is over super fast. I did about 20 minutes of arms on the weight machines and then hopped on the elliptical. I did a 5 minute warm up, then 5 sets of 1 minute sprint, 2 minutes recovery. At that point I was at 20 minutes, but I continued for another 6 minutes for a long cool down. Actually, my heart rate was at a good level for most of that - the cool down was just the last couple of minutes. When you're watching the clock, waiting for that next sprint, the time just FLIES by. Add some good music and it's actually fun.

2) I feel fantastic afterward! I don't know what it is, but getting revved up and pushing myself for those 5 minutes of sprints really clears my head

3) On a cold wintry morning it's a great way to build up a sweat and stay warm. Sure the waking up and changing and walking over to the gym is chilly, but during the walk back and while I'm getting ready for work, I am toasty warm.

Working Out

This week is already off to a better start than previous weeks with the working out. Yesterday I had President's Day off of work, so I slept in and then went to the gym. I have a strength training plan where I alternate legs, arms and abs. This way my muscles will get adequate rest time and hopefully only one portion of my body will hurt per day, rather than the whole thing.

So yesterday I did all the weight machines that work my legs. Today, my inner thighs are killing me. I find it interesting that I can lift 120 pounds with my outer thighs, but only 75 pounds with my inner thighs. And then my inner thighs HURT later. Well, they'll get stronger, right?

I also ellipticaled for 25 minutes. Actually, I had planned to do 35 minutes, but only made it 25. I think I may have eaten too much before I went to the gym and I felt sick to my stomach for half the workout. I woke up and then dawdled for so long that I was starving. My normal 100 calorie or so pre-workout snack wasn't going to cut it. But I guess I should have waited a little longer before heading over to the gym.

Jason came home from work a little early so we went to Lincoln Woods State Park and walked the 2 1/2 miles around the lake. It was sunny and about 40 degrees - positively balmy for here. It was really lovely to have that time to walk and talk with Jason. Our plan is to get out and about even more as the weather gets nicer.

More With the Fat Head

I guess Fat Head really had an impact on Jason. We spent a couple hours this morning looking up carb counts on some of his favorite foods, and also reading about glycemic index and glycemic load.

(Found a good glycemic load chart here, although I wish they would break down more of the foods into cups and ounces and such rather than grams. I can't really visualize 120 grams of apple (and apparently am too lazy to look up conversion charts.))

This all started with Jason wondering how many grams of carbs are in his beloved $5 Footlong from Subway, which he eats almost every day for lunch. I've been telling him for awhile that it's not really as healthy as Jared would have us believe. Turns out there are 96 grams of carbs in that footlong roll. If you're trying to keep your carbs around 100 grams per days (which is what I shoot for), then there's your day. Better eat a bunch of eggs and steaks for all your other meals and snacks.

He grew more and more depressed as I looked up his favorite foods and told him how many grams of carbs are in them (Texas Roadhouse roll: 227 calories, 28 g of carbs). I told him it's ok to have a little treat now and again. He doesn't have to cut things out forever, just most of the time. I feel lucky because even though I do like Bertucci rolls and chocolate cheesecake and such, I really do like eating chicken and salmon and vegetables and cottage cheese and yogurt. I even crave those things, especially when I have too much sugar at once (like at Christmas when I just wanted a big pan of roasted broccoli). I think Jason does like those things, especially when I make it and present him with a plate of good food, it's just more of a shift for him think about eating that way.

Also, I've been gradually getting to this point over the course of several years, while I lost weight and worked on figuring out what foods made my body feel the best. He's just starting. We'll see if it sticks.

Fat Head

Have you seen Fat Head? I first heard about it on a Livin' La Vida Low Carb podcast and immediately put it in my Netflix queue. I finally watched it on Friday while I was waiting for Jason to finish up work.

First off, it's hilarious. The creator used to be a stand-up comedian apparently, and it shows.

Second, it's so interesting. The movie discusses the impetus behind the official US policy promoting low-fat, high-carb diets, starting in the 70s and continuing until today. There is a lot of science in it and I was anxious to see what Jason thought of it, seeing as he's an actual scientist and all.

(For those of you who don't know us in real life, my husband is a really smart geneticist currently researching aging in fruit flies. I have been curious for awhile about what he would think of the science behind low-carb that I've been learning about on all those podcasts I listen to and blogs I read)

Last night we watched Fat Head, and as the science was explained, Jason nodded along. Afterward, I asked him if the science was good and he said it was. He also offered up, "That's the fastest way to fatten up the flies - by feeding them carbs."

And of course, as the movie mentions, that's also the fastest way to fatten up livestock. That's why cows are fed corn, even though it makes them sick. Yet, somehow, the grain-filled diet is supposed to make humans skinny?

I can babble on all I want about how limiting the carbs in my own diet makes me feel better and helps me lose excess poundage, but I think the proof is really in the science. It just makes sense.

Bleh

FYI, when your body isn't used to simple carbs, eating them makes you feel like crap.

Today we had a church activity in Massachusetts and then the bishop took us all out to Bertucci's for late lunch/early dinner. Hello, Bertucci rolls! Also, since he was paying and just ordered a bunch of pizzas, I didn't really feel like I could be all high-maintenance and order a salad.

Then we came home and I baked some heart-shaped sugar cookies for Jason and to hand out to the Young Women tomorrow. And I ate a few.

Now I feel AWFUL. Need to remember next time, one roll and one cookies will satiate me AND keep me from feeling yucky.

At least I worked out this morning. That's something.

Finally

Who went to the gym today? That's right, me. Jason came too. I downloaded some new music last night and was all psyched to work out and listen to it. I realized that the last time I added anything to my workout mix was January 2008 so no wonder I was bored.

What are your favorite workout songs? I am all about the heavy bass and dance beats to keep me pumped.

Oh, Jillian...

Well, Jillian Michaels, who I honestly had a lot of respect for, really sold out and started endorsing diet pills. To her detriment.

The sad thing is, yesterday morning I was listening to one of her radio shows from 2007* and a girl called in asking about B-12 supplements and diet pills, which she had taken before to lose weight. Jillian recommended good old eating less and moving more. She said she's done research and from what she can tell taking B-12 won't hurt you since it doesn't become toxic in high amounts (like Vitamin A, for example). Then she said NO diet pills. No. No. No. Diet pills are a scam at best, and harmful at worst.

Oh well.


*Since she's off the air now, I'm listening to the podcasts from before I even knew she had a radio show.

Goal

As I've mentioned on here many, many, many times, we're going to Hawaii at the end of April. I want to feel more comfortable in my body, I want to be more toned AND I want a new suit. Usually I just swim in whatever Speedo I happen to be wearing at the time for lap swimming, but I want something cute.

Here's what I'm thinking:


In the blue. Or maybe black.

It's an LL Bean suit and lovely LL Bean actually has it in long torso, which means a minimum of wedgies and minimum of feeling hunched over because the straps are tugging my shoulders down in order for my bum to stay covered. Unfortunately the number of long torso suits out there is kind of limited (though there are a lot more available now than several years ago). But I thought this one was pretty cute, especially the little twisty detail on the back.

Personal Timeline

I'm holding steady at 5 pounds down. That's taking into consideration a little pop up at the beginning of the week thanks to my carbtastic weekend. I'm actually pretty impressed that I've lost weight without even working out at all. Not that I advocate this and I know that if I want to keep losing, I need to work out, but it's still nice to feel overall like I am in control of my food and that I'm eating well.

Yesterday we had the Incredible Blizzard That Wasn't! Talk about a letdown. While all my friends in DC, Virginia and Maryland are getting absolutely slammed by the snow, we have yet to see a decent snowfall since January 1. We are in New England, yes?

However, our office was closed (boss is out of town and I got to make the executive decision. Executive decision made: me and the secretary get to stay home!) so I slept in and worked from home and hung out with Jason, who left work at 1ish because it was actually snowing at that point and we thought it was only going to get worse.

This morning I was listening to a Cut the Fat podcast on my way into work about the National Weight Loss Registry and I realized that I could probably be a part of the Registry. You have to have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained the loss for 1 year. Well, I've lost and kept off 40 pounds since 2006. Granted, my timeline has been a little wobbly, but that's a solid fact I can point to. And really, I've been down 30 pounds since about 2004 so I qualify anyway. My timeline is as follows:

2001: highest weight - 235. Eeek! That was a yucky doctor's visit. My doctor was perfectly nice; the yucky part was seeing that number when they weighed me.

2003: Get down to 210ish

2004: start anti-depressants, get my life back, feel like actually doing stuff. In between Spring 2004 and Summer 2005 I get down to 180-185.

Then we start the bouncey years:

2006: Back up to 205 (sucks not having health insurance for over a year)

2007: Start year at 195, get married in October at 185. Then begins the time of being comfortable with my new husband and eating lots of treats.

2008: Start year at 195, down to 178 by Fall.

2009: Start year at 192, down to 188. AKA The Year of No Weight Loss

2010: Start year at 191, currently at 186. This is the year of resetting the set point because I'm sick of bouncing around 190.

It's interesting to take stock of where I've been. It's also nice to see that I have made progress. Maybe I'm not where I want to be right this second, but my physical and emotional health is so incredibly better than it was 8 or 9 years ago, it's ridiculous. I'm grateful for that and grateful that I feel the motivation to keep improving my health.

No Gym

I keep saying, tomorrow morning I'm going to the gym! And then it gets later and later at night and I'm still awake and then it's impossible to wake up and get to the gym in the morning.

It's hard when Jason's normal bedtime is 2 AM. He doesn't even usually get home until 8 or 8:30 and we have a little time to hang out, watch a TV show and then I SHOULD be going to bed. Instead I want to stay up longer and hang out more. I told Jason this morning as I rushed out the door, running late for work because I overslept, that I need his help to get to bed earlier.

I know if I just get up and out the door I will love that I made it to the gym. My excuses are lame and I just need to do it already!

Oh, the Weekend

So the weekend wasn't stellar in the healthy living department, I'll admit. It wasn't absolutely horrible either, but I definitely ate more carbs than I wanted to, beginning with the bread basket at The Cheesecake Factory. Rule number 1, of course, is don't go anywhere starving. Jason and I woke up really late on Saturday and decided to have a late lunch/early dinner out because I had to pick the girls from church up for a youth dance at 6 PM.

By the time we figured out where we wanted to go and got showered and everything, I was famished. I thought about eating something to tide me over, but didn't. So we get there, wait 20 minutes because even though it's 2:30 PM, it's crowded, and then wait another 15 minutes or so while our waitress decides if she's actually going to come over and talk to us (once she did, she was great, but for awhile there I was wondering if we got lost in the shuffle). Then we got the bread, which was hot and warm from the oven. I figured I would have 1, maybe 2 little slices, but I had several more than that.

I had half a big salad and took the other half home and, no, we did not get cheesecake. So there's a small victory.

Also, because we woke up so late, we did not go to the gym. Sigh.

Yesterday was the Super Bowl and we went over to a friend's house to watch the game. Since she is also doing her own healthy living thing, the snacks and dinner she prepared were definitely on the healthy side - but I ate too many corn ships with the guacamole.

Anyway, today I'm back down to business. All in all, my eating wasn't too bad, just not where I wanted it to be. In reality, my overall calories over the weekend were pretty low, so I don't think a few handfuls of corn chips will kill me.

You know what, though? I was CRAVING protein. I think my body just likes running on protein.

Charity

I don't think everyone reads my other blog, so I just wanted to mention that I'm doing some charity knitting to raise money for Doctors Without Borders, who have been doing incredible work in Haiti since the earthquake. Read more about it here.

-5 Pounds

As the subject line indicates, I'm down 5 pounds exactly from Monday morning.

In other good news, Jason went jogging on his own initiative yesterday morning. I need to step it up and get to the gym. We're going to go together tomorrow. I like that we now have a membership at the same gym and can go together. It's nice.

Low Carb

I know I say this every time I cut the carbs out, but it's amazing to me how much my body does not like the refined carbs. In the last 2 days I've lost 3.2 pounds. I know it's all water weight because carbs make me hold onto water (as they do a lot of people). I also know because I feel less bloated and, um, have been making many trips to the restroom throughout the day.

The good news for me is that I haven't even been extreme about it. South Beach Phase 1 knocks out all carbs, including fruit. However, I've had an apple every day for the past two days. Also, I made a pork chop recipe last night that used a little bit of whole wheat flour as a "breading". Also, I put honey in my plain Chobani*. Still fine. I think the lesson for me is, fruit is fine in moderation, even high-glycemic fruit like apples, and a little whole grain here and there is fine, but no refined carbs definitely, and low carb generally.

* Maybe you can eat plain yogurt without anything, but I cannot. I had some yogurts to finish off and honey seemed like a pretty innocuous way to go.

The Biggest Loser is Officially Out of Control

I watched a whole season of The Biggest Loser for the first time last Spring, when I was totally Team Tara because she was awesome and kicked EVERYONE'S butts on a consistent basis. I loved her attitude and her dedication to changing her life. Overall, I thought that season was pretty good and focused on people improving themselves emotionally as well as physically, even if I did have qualms about the brutal workout regimens.

However, I've been watching about 1 episode out of 3 this season and I have to say, I think a line has really been crossed this time. First, the contestants are bigger than ever, which the ads leading up to the season proclaimed with pride. But the brutal workouts have not changed at all. You have Bob and Jillian, tiny little people themselves, bouncing around like crickets, leaping on top of contestants' backs, and making these 400 and 500 pound people run and jump for hours on end starting on Day One.

What?!

When the show started several years ago, the contestants were generally in the 200s and even though such brutal workouts were, well, brutal, the impact on the contestants' bodies was that much less. Now people are passing out and going to the hospital on a regular basis, or dealing with joint issues so severe that the only way they can work out is in the pool.

Last night one of the guys with bad knees was pulled out of the pool and put on the treadmill and made to run with everyone else. He's still upwards of 400 pounds. OK, let's just cripple everyone in the name of television, shall we?

Also last night, one of the contestants got her appendix taken out at the beginning of the week (as well as some sort of cyst and a mass, which they just glossed over. Um, is she dying? Should we be concerned?) Yet ONE DAY after surgery she was out walking. 14 miles. I'm sorry, but I think having surgery should equal immunity for the week. I don't really like this woman (at least as they've portrayed her because I realize editing can make anyone seem evil), but I would argue that she should be given at least a week to recuperate and not have to stress about making sure she didn't fall below the yellow line.

I guess my point is, the show has ceased being an inspiration to me and has devolved into pure exploitation. I realize any sort of reality show is exploitative, but when you are seriously risking the future health of people, all the while claiming that the ultimate goal is to make them healthy, that's the height of hypocrisy.

MYOB

This morning for breakfast I'm having a Greek yogurt and turkey sausage. A co-worker walked into my office to talk about something and said, "That smells good. {pause} {pause} Terribly unhealthy, though."

To which I responded, "It's turkey sausage! Low-fat turkey sausage."

But what I really wanted to say was, "Did I ask you?!"

And a little piece of my brain thought, did he say that because I'm overweight. Like I don't KNOW what's healthy and unhealthy?

Grr.

Finally Feeling Rarin' To Go

Now that I'm all jacked up on ibuprofen, I've had a little time to reflect on how I actually feel today. The truth is, I feel pretty great. Oh sure, my nose is a little runny and every now and then a cough will escape out of my mouth, but I finally FINALLY feel like I want to go to the gym and work out tomorrow morning.

All of my let's get it started fierceness of last week was just me trying to convince myself that I wasn't still incredibly drained and that I wasn't coughing from just walking up the stairs to the apartment. This week I seriously feel like I can start getting it done already.

I had my last Skinny Cow last night and am saying good-bye to refined carbs for the foreseeable future.

So what if my New Years resolutions are starting a month late. At least they're starting.

Why I Didn't Go to the Gym This Morning

TMI



Just warning you.



Cramps.


That is all.

Gah - Sodium!

Could someone please invent a cottage cheese with less sodium? Not no sodium. I've eaten that - well, to be more accurate, I took a bite and then went searching for the salt shaker. It's vile. I LOVE cottage cheese and this morning ate a cup of it with breakfast, which gave me 960 mg of sodium. Could we maybe half that, cottage cheese makers? It's a little ridiculous.

In other news, I'm in the course of ridding my environment of carbs - by eating them. No, seriously, it's not as bad as it sounds. We have some friends who lost a bunch of weight and got more fit last year. I've been talking with Annie about the food plan they followed and it was a modified low-carb, which is basically what I'm shooting for in general.

Monday is the day when I'm getting serious. New month, new week, finally not coughing so much - it seems like a good time. I did not, in fact, get to the gym this week, because my body wanted to sleep and I decided to let it, thus hopefully giving it the strength to fend off the next cold/bronchial plague I come into contact with.

So this week I've been eating my sugar-free pudding and my Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and my melba toast (with Laughing Cow cheese. Yum!) to get them done and out of the house. I've been tracking my calories and am right on track in the 1400-1600 range, but have been eating more carbs that I want to be eating (though fewer than the typical American, which is something like 300 g per day. I'm at about 130).

Looking forward to starting February with a bang!

Which Order?

I read something recently (that I can't find now) about it being better to do cardio before weight training. The idea is that whatever you do second, you're going to be doing when you're more tired, and you want to have the energy to get through your cardio.

Frankly, I've had the opposite experience. I enjoy doing the weight machine circuit and then hopping on the elliptical. The weights wake me up and I'm more raring to go when I get on the elliptical. Also, I feel like doing a half hour of the elliptical gives my muscles a really good stretch and I'm less sore from the weights as a result.

Do you have a preference?

Back to the Gym

Tomorrow, that is.

I was just reading at Endurance Isn't Only Physical about her injury that is going to keep her from running for 6 weeks (and also prevent her from competing in a race she's been training for). Major drag, right? Only she has taken an upbeat attitude and is figuring out ways to move.

Inspiring.

So I'm tired of sickness keeping me down. I'm well enough now to do some strength training at least. I don't think that will result in a major coughing fit. Tomorrow morning I will head to the Y and do every single one of the weight machines. Thursday I may not be able to move, but I am going to get something done, darn it!

Latest

Hi.

Yep, I'm still sick. I am MUCH better, though the cough lingers. I walked to the bank at lunchtime today and very nearly had an embarrassing coughing attack at the teller line. I don't know if you heard, but New England is in the clutches of an insane storm today. It's raining, but the main issue is the wind, which is gusting to 50 MPH, says my secretary.

So what precipitated the almost coughing fit? Battling the wind for the half block between my office building and the bank. Oo wind. Oo walking half a block. Yeah, I don't think the elliptical is in the cards for at least the next couple of days.

I'm losing my motivation. My body is so weary of coughing. I feel like I've been coughing for about 2 months, though I know there were a couple of weeks in there where I wasn't. Last year, I cracked a rib from coughing. I know I haven't done anything that serious this time, but every time I cough, my sides hurt. My muscles are officially sore from coughing. I would like them to be sore from, you know, crunches and weights and things that are useful.

Jason got our plane tickets for Hawaii on Friday night. We leave April 24th. I am sticking to my original goal of losing 19 pounds by then. Think I can still lose 5 pounds this month? Yeah, I don't either. But I'm keeping the goal and as soon as I stop coughing, it is on!

Of note: the two batches of ginger cookies I made this weekend are NOT PRODUCTIVE. Sigh. I had been craving cookies - specifically, cookies dunked in milk - for a couple of weeks and Friday night I gave in and made some. What I SHOULD have done was bake maybe 10 cookies for me and Jason and put the rest of the dough in the freezer. That is not what I did. There are still cookies at home, but I'm not eating anymore of them. Maybe I should just freeze the cookies... Do cookies freeze?

*Cough*

That's right. I'm coughing. Again.

Arrrrghhhh!

I can't even express how completely annoyed I am.

I also can't express how annoying I must be to everyone around me. When I cough it's this wracking, lung-wrenching, soul-crushing cough. My body does not go about things half-a**ed.

At least we have tomorrow off of work so I can drag myself around the house, coughing my brains out, and won't bug my co-workers. Here's hoping it's better by Tuesday. If my doctor's office is open tomorrow, I will be giving them a call.

In other, more interesting and positive news, Jason has said he definitely wants to join the Y with me. Yay! So I'll have a workout buddy on Saturdays. Hopefully we'll motivate each other and won't be a drag on each other, convincing the other one to stay in bed all morning. I was pretty good on Saturday at getting him out the door. The key for me was that I had eaten a little breakfast and didn't want to wait too long before going to the gym because then I would have gotten hungry during the workout and that's no fun. And sometimes results in a migraine. So I had a time limit and I told him I was leaving and he needed to get ready to go.

I had hoped to go over with him tomorrow and get him signed up and work out together again. Well, at least we can get him signed up.

*Cough*

Working Hard

According to the scale, I'm down about 2 pounds this week. However, I'm not going to crow about that until I actually go down some more next week or the next week. I got to the gym 3 times, which is way better than nothing, which is what's been going on for the past several weeks. I was relatively careful about my food choices, and logged everything, but didn't go overboard with any extreme restrictions. If that keeps working, then I'm happy because what I did this week feels liveable. My plan is to steadily increase my gym time to 5 times a week.

Jason came to the gym with me today! We did the weight machines for about 20 minutes and then I hopped on the elliptical and he got on the treadmill. Even though he hasn't run for a few months, he did a half hour on the treadmill, with about 20 of those minutes running. So proud!

I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and was working hard! Dripping sweat working hard. I forgot how good that feels. I need some new music, but was getting pumped up by some of my old, fun music that I haven't listened to in awhile.

Even though I was coughing and feeling kind of bleh this morning, once I got on the elliptical, I was able to push all that aside and work hard. Since then, I've been coughing and my throat is sore and I'm just annoyed about that. But so long as I can still go to the gym and not die with the coughing, I'm ok.

Also, I've decided that if I'm still coughing by Tuesday (after the MLK holiday) I'm going to the doctor and demanding that we figure out why I keep getting sick over and over and over again. Seriously, this is getting very old. Maybe I do have walking pneumonia or something, what with the cough and all.

Are You Kidding Me?

This morning I have a tickle in my throat and am coughing more.

I REFUSE to get sick again! Hear that, body? REFUSE!

Another New Year Thought

I read this post the other day at Endurance Isn't Only Physical and it made me hopeful. The author wrote about how this new year is the first year since she was 12 that she hasn't made a resolution to lose weight because during 2009 she lost 119 pounds.

Here's hoping that next January 1, I won't be resolving to lose weight. Again.

Working Out With the Husband

I planned to go to the gym this morning, but despite stretching after my workouts the last 2 days, my left calf is super sore. So I decided it was best to rest today. I have a doctor's appointment early tomorrow morning, but am going to try to get to the gym anyway.

In other gym-related news, I think I've talked Jason into coming to the gym with me on Saturday. I can add him to my membership for only $15 and the front desk lady said he could come in one day to check things out before he commits to a membership. He started running a bit last year and was getting into a good groove, but then stopped for some reason. I think it may have to do with me getting sick and stopping my own workouts. I think he felt more motivated when I was exercising too.

I'm hoping exercising might improve his mood. He seems to be in a bit of a funk lately. As he said last night, he is full of ennui. Read: he's bored. All of his Providence buddies have moved away, as have most of the Boston ones (and it's kind of an ordeal to make plans with most of the remaining Boston friends). He feels like life has become a cycle of work, TV, sleep, repeat. I have noticed that trend as well, though I am lucky to have a mid-week activity with the Young Women every week to break up some of the monotony, as well as my weekly craft night with some of the ladies from church. We do have a few local friends who would be fun to hang out with more, it's just easier to continue with the routine than do something different. Inertia.

I did mention that maybe one of these nights instead of plunking down in front of the TV, he could start on one of the myriad cleaning projects he's been meaning to work on for the last year and a half or so. He wasn't too keen on that suggestion.

Anyway, I think exercising would at least give him something different to do. Also, he still complains about the advent of his belly, so maybe moving more would actually help in that regard as well. Call me crazy. Plus, if he ever gets to the point where the endorphins start kicking in, it can only improve his outlook in general.

Also, in a selfish vein, it would be fabulous to have a workout buddy once a week. Our schedules are so different that he would never wake up at 6 to go to the gym with me, but on Saturday mornings we can go together a bit later. So this Saturday, I'm planning on going with him. Hopefully he is too.

Bike

Today I did the recumbent bike for 35 minutes. Yeah, it got me a little sweaty, but overall I wasn't feeling it. For one, I think I tweaked something in my thigh yesterday so for the first 10 minutes of the workout I kept leaning my right leg to the right and then to the left while I was pedaling trying to stretch out whatever it was. The ache finally went away, so I kept going.

Two, it's kind of boring.

Three, the recumbent bike hurts my tailbone. I have a bent tailbone from a bike accident when I was 8 or so. I was riding my bike, caught a pedal on the curb, stopped fast and flew forward a bit, then back, which is when the pointy part of the bike seat jabbed right into my tailbone. X-rays revealed that while it's not broken, it bends inward ever so slightly. I still have a hard time sitting for more than a little while on hard surfaces and often my bum will just go numb. The gym has ONE regular stationary bike, and it was being used while I was there today. If it's ever free when I go, I'll give that a try.

Eating has been pretty stellar for the past few days, and also pretty clean. I'm not eating low or high anything right now, but just trying to get in fruits and vegetables and eat balanced meals. My one heavily processed indulgence has been sugar-free pudding (a mix of cheesecake and chocolate fudge) because it's yummy.

Tasty

I love the breakfast I had this morning, so I thought I would share:

1 packet instant Cream of Wheat, mixed with the appropriate amount of hot water
1 T. natural peanut butter
A drizzle (maybe a teaspoon) of maple syrup

You may think peanut butter and maple sounds gross, but I discovered I really like it the last time Jason made crepes and my crepe filled with peanut butter got some syrup on it.

Exercising Again

Who went to the gym this morning?

Me!

Who is amazingly out of shape?

Again, me.

Not so excited about that second one. I did a half hour on the elliptical and my legs are sore and I was TIRED at the end of it. I'm going to ease myself back into this exercise thing so that I don't hurt myself (which has happened before). This week, I'm going to alternate elliptical with the exercycle. I used to use the exercycle a lot when I was younger, but haven't in years. Maybe it will get me psyched up for actually getting my sister-in-law's bike (that she left for me when she moved across the country) out of the basement (where it has been gathering lots of dust) in the Spring.

Next week, I will add strength training to the mix. I know that it's important and I will do it, but if my legs are this sore after just a half hour on the elliptical, I think squats can wait a week.

Starting the Week

My cough is much better, but I was so exhausted that I let myself sleep rather than go to the gym this morning. Tomorrow, though, me and the gym have a date.

After church yesterday we cleaned all afternoon and evening, including taking down our Christmas tree. Christmas decorating/undecorating includes lugging our multiple Christmas bins up from the basement to our second floor apartment and back down. We also wrangled the tree outside and to the curb for the trash people to pick. I also did about 7 loads of laundry (in the basement). So basically, there were a lot of stairs yesterday.

Plus, I deep-cleaned the kitchen and emptied the litter box (which is always a joy). I started feeling sleepy at about 10:30 and slept straight through until 7:30, when I got up in mild protest.

Tonight I plan to put some of the stuff that is being stored in the guest room back in the living room, and also clean the bathroom. And maybe the dining room.

I made a point of cooking some big batch food this weekend so I would have lunches all week and not have to pick from the limited eating out options in downtown Providence. Also, spending $6 a day on soup seems pretty ridiculous. Saturday I made some chili in the crock pot. Note to self: more chili powder. And maybe some cayenne. Yesterday I made black eyed peas, since I didn't get to make them for the new year.

Now I have little containers all prepped for lunches this week (and probably part of next week). Both meals are full of fiber and veggies and made by my own hand so I know they're healthy. I love it when I plan ahead.

Eating the BMR

Since I'm not working out, my plan is to eat at about my BMR - which according to the equation on the Jillian Michaels site (which I'm pretty sure is the same as the one my nutrition specialist friend recommended to me) is 1627. This is with no exercise, since I'm a lazy bum right now, sitting around all day to minimize coughing.

I'm trying to remember that it's important that I eat enough. The last thing I want is to have my body in "starvation mode", holding onto everything I eat. I honestly think that's one problem I had last year. I'm sure I'll have to remind myself of this AGAIN when I start working out.

The one diet thing I would change right now is to lower my sodium. Generally, I eat pretty low-sodium, but since I still haven't made it to the store yet (happening tonight!), I've been indulging in the Au Bon Pain soup buffet for lunch. I love love love soup in the winter! The ABP stuff isn't high calorie, generally, but wow is there a lot of sodium. I'm sure once I stop eating the soup on a regular basis, I'll probably deflate a bit.

Last night at the Young Women's mid-week activity we had a discussion about New Year's Resolutions and talked to the girls about what they want to accomplish. The YW President and her husband dedicated themselves to healthy living last year and they are looking fantastic! I am so impressed by them. I made sure to tell her so last night and told her that as soon as I'm well, it's back to the gym I go. She emphasized to me that it's most important for me to get well, which I thought was sweet.

It's hard to be patient, though. I have a plan and I want to get going with it. Though maybe it's best. Maybe by the time I head back to the gym, the giant resolutioner crowd will have thinned out some.

Cheese Question

Still waiting for the coughing to stop, so no gym yet. Judging by the coughing fits I had last night, it may be optimistic to think I'll be back in the gym next week. Sigh. Since cardio is out, I think I'll try to wake up early tomorrow and see if strength training makes me cough. Fingers crossed.

On the food front, I've been pretty sensible. More carbs than I would like, but I haven't made it to the grocery store yet so I'm dealing with what we have in the house, which is nonperishable and carb-ful. Oatmeal and such. However, I have some ground turkey thawing and some kidney beans hydrating and I plan to make healthy chili in the crock pot either tomorrow or Friday.

I've discovered that I LOVE Laughing Cow cheese wedges. Some friends moved away at the end of November and I inherited their leftover Laughing Cow cheeses. Tasty! So I snapped up a couple packages when I saw them on sale a few weeks later and am now wondering what to do with them if I want to limit carbs. Sure, they're delicious on bread and crackers, but does anyone have any other ideas of how to use them? Other than on celery.

Goal

We're going to Hawaii at the end of April. I love the ocean so much that it's a bit ridiculous actually. I want to be able to enjoy the beach and the water without being completely self conscious about my body in a swimsuit.

My goal is to improve my muscle tone and to lose that first 10% of weight to reset my set point by the time we go. 19 pounds in a smidge less than 4 months. I think that's perfectly reasonable.

We get home tomorrow and on Tuesday after work I'm going to go through our freezer and figure out what we have so I can plan menus. Then I'm going to pick up some fresh produce.

As for the working out... I need to stop coughing first. I'm much, much better, but I'm still having coughing fits if I exert myself too much. This week I'll concentrate on food, next week I'll add in the gym. And as I've discussed before, strength training will play a key part in my workouts. My goal is to feel HOT in Hawaii.

Holiday Food

My in-laws are snackers. Meals aren't really a priority for them, but there are always snacks around. We've been here for a week and a half and I can officially say that I am over sugar for the immediate future.

So. Much. Sugar.

Peanut M&M's, cheesecake, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie, macadamia nut clusters. And on the savory side we've had fondue and raclette and artichoke dip and cheese balls and sandwiches with salami and provolone. It's all tasty but after so many days of eating such rich food, I'm about done. They bought stuff to make chocolate fondue on Christmas Eve and every night it's proposed as a possible dessert and everyone says no thanks because we've all had quite enough sweets during the rest of the day. I have 3 or 4 Lindt balls in my stocking and I can't work up any enthusiasm about eating them. I'll save them for a time when I feel like eating sugar again. Like March.

I am honestly craving the simple, healthy fare that I make at home. Vegetables sound amazing right now.

Goal: Athleticism

A few days ago we saw Avatar. The movie was fun - great effects, predictable story, which is pretty much exactly what I was expecting.

Here was the weird take away I had from it: I'm tired of my fat body keeping me from doing things. I realize I won't be able to leap from treetop to floating mountain anytime soon, but there was just something about the athleticism of the characters that appealed to me. I know that I would enjoy hiking and other activities more if I had less weight on my frame. I've felt better at a lower weight. And really, it's not as much about the weight as it is about the flabbiness. I want to be stronger.

I'm also tired of sickness keeping me from doing things. I'm sick, yet again. We're in Utah visiting the in-laws and when we arrived on the 23rd I was a week into a cold. I figured I had a week, max, left before I felt better. Instead I picked up a new and exciting bug and am now coughing like a fiend and having problems catching my breath if I do something crazy like stand for too long.

I had planned to bring my workout clothes and go to the gym with my mother-in-law while we were here since she goes pretty much every day. But since I've been sick the whole time, that hasn't happened. What a waste of a bunch of vacation days.

This has been the most maddening year for me and sickness, although I'm starting to recognize a pattern, which I don't think is psychosomatic since I JUST realized it. The pattern is, I eat healthy and work out and I'm well. It's when I fall off the healthy living wagon that I get sick soon after. When I think back, it seems like the last 3 times I've been sick fall neatly into this pattern.

So my goal - once the cough goes away and the lung capacity comes back - is to focus yet again on the healthy living. I just hope that I'm better soon.

In Case You Were Wondering, Yes, I Am Certifiable

Here is an example of the insane things you might do if you try too hard to stick strictly to a prescribed diet plan.

As I mentioned, I'm not really doing Phase 1 at this point, but generally I'm eating Phase 1. I say "generally" because I did sample the cookies I made last night. The majority of the cookies will be eaten at either Jason's party for the undergrads he teaches tonight or by my Young Women on Sunday.

In an effort to stick with the Phase 1 idea I bought some plain Greek yogurt last week and some sugar-free jelly to mix in, at the suggestion of some people on the South Beach board at SparkPeople. The jelly is made by Polaner and sweetened with Splenda.

OK, let's take a step back. First of all, I don't eat sugar-sweetened jelly as it is. I eat Polaner All-Fruit or any other completely fruit preserves that I can find. However, on Phase 1, fruit is forbidden. So I bought the stuff sweetened with Splenda because somewhere in my crazy head was the idea that eating the artificial stuff was somehow better than real fruit. Because it was compliant with Phase 1. Because I am insane.

Yesterday I piled a couple of tablespoons of raspberry Splenda-sweetened jelly into my yogurt. The first couple of bites tasted divine. Then the Splenda aftertaste hit me. I soldiered through most of the yogurt, but finally stopped because it was really starting to gross me out.

Today, in a moment of clarity, I realized how insane I was being. Tomorrow I'll be eating my yogurt with jelly made of fruit and only fruit.

Derailed

Despite my best efforts...

Saturday we had an activity up in Boston with the Young Women (read: teenagers) that I work with at church. We left Providence at 12:30 and finished the activity at 4. Then the bishop took everyone to Bertucci's for dinner and just ordered a bunch of pizzas. So I had pizza. And a Bertucci roll because they're one of my favorite things ever.

Sunday we went to a friend's caroling party. She always has a fantastic spread. Crackers and cookies were consumed. And cheese. Lots of cheese.

I came to a decision that I will do the best I can to stay South Beach-friendly, but will recognize that it's the holidays and events like this will come up. Also, these events won't be happening in January so I should be able to be more consistent. I mean, it's the holidays. I'm not going to be a martyr.

(Excuses, excuses)

This morning I packed a nice Phase 1 breakfast, lunch and snacks, then promptly left it all on the kitchen counter. Sigh. Dunkin Donuts turkey sausage egg white flatbread for breakfast (believe me, that's the best option I can find in downtown Providence). My plan is to get a burrito belly (just the fillings) for lunch with chicken, black beans, lettuce and cheese. At least I can cook a good dinner for myself. Anyway, here's hoping tomorrow I actually remember my food.

Knowing My Limits

Last night the Relief Society* had a Christmas cookie baking party. I admit, I ate half a pizelle (homemade! I didn't even know pizelle makers existed. Add that to my Christmas list) and a tiny Christmas tree cookie. So, you know, not so much South Beach Phase 1.

That said, there were also piles of sugar cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and other yummy treats that I didn't have. Also, I realized that if I wasn't focusing on minimizing carbs, I would have probably eaten about 10 cookies. One and a half is better than 10.

Yesterday morning I did a half hour on the elliptical and 20 minutes of strength training. Today my bum is sore from the sumo squats, so that's good. No gym this morning because I am still sore from yesterday and I'm trying to ease into the whole regular workout thing so I don't injure myself and put myself out of capacity like I have so many times before. I'll go tomorrow, then shoot for 4 or 5 days next week.

And, I've already posted this on Facebook, but last night 2 of the Young Women I work with at church told me they thought I was 23! Ha! Granted, they're 12 and 13 so their perspective is not the best, but it still made me feel good.

*Women's group at my church.

Third

Day 3 of South Beach and the headaches are gone. Day 3, you're the best!

Jason's brother is staying with us for the week. They got home from Cambridge last night around 10:30 and rather than toddle off to bed like I should have, I hung out and watched Heroes* with them and got to bed around 1ish. So when the alarm went off at 5:30, I said no to the gym.

I'll be there tomorrow. I'm dedicated, yo.

* Does anyone know why they still watch this show? Because I don't. The first season ROCKED, but ever since then it's been meandering. Now's there's T-Bag from Prison Break with his on-again, off-again Irish accent, and I just can't stop thinking of him as T-Bag and just a yucky human being. Then Hiro is there and the center of the story, then he's gone. I can't really remember what happens from one week to the next. Yet we keep watching.

The Scoop

So I know I said no extremes, but honestly I don't think the South Beach Diet is too extreme. Maybe Phase 1 is, but after that, it's very reasonable.

Anyway, after the Thanksgiving bacchanalia, I decided to just do it already. Today is Day 2 of Phase 1. My hope is maybe by the time we head to Utah for Christmas, I will have dropped a few pounds. I know for a fact my tolerance for sugar will be less by then, so maybe that will help me curb some of my Christmas indulgences

The good news is, my stint into eating less sugar before Thanksgiving made me sensitive to the junk in the food I was eating. For instance, I have always loved pecan pie and made one this year for our holiday dinner. I ate the leftovers, but every time I finished a piece, I felt kind of bleh. Too sweet! Also, we had real whipped cream with the pie. Gah! Too greasy! I didn't finish the whipped cream that I served myself because of the layer of grease it left on the inside of my mouth.

Yesterday, I had a serious migraine. That was either due to Phase 1, or due to working out. Lately I've been getting headachy after a half hour on the elliptical. It happened last Monday too, though not as badly as yesterday. I always have a little snack before I work out because I've learned if I don't I will definitely get a migraine. Maybe it's a hydration issue. I try to drink at least 8 oz of water before the workout, and drink another 16 oz while I'm on the elliptical. Then usually another 8-16 oz while I do my strength training. I'm kind of at a loss as to why I'm getting headaches.

My head is still a bit achey today so no workout this morning. We'll see how I feel after working out tomorrow. I'm hoping it's just a South Beach thing because usually by Day 3 I feel awesome so that gives me hope for tomorrow.

As an aside, I seriously need some new workout music. I'm getting so, SO tired of my current stuff. Any suggestions? I like stuff with a good, driving beat (Fatboy Slim, Black-Eyed Peas, Moby's fast stuff (Lift Me Up), Prodigy, Rihanna (Shut Up and Drive)).