End of month two...

Yup, it is the end of another month, which means it’s time for another month-end check-in!

 

How you doing, Grace?
I feel good. Very good, actually.

So, do you think you need/want to change anything?
Surprisingly, no. I feel like I am in a good place both in my exercise routine and in my eating routine. My nutritionist and I are working on me choosing healthy recipes on my own, and I am more confident in my ‘snack’ choices. I do some sort of fitness five days a week: Mondays and Wednesdays I head over to the Stratford Oval for my ‘3 & 3’s, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays I have a fitness class that I attend, AND if there isn’t anything else going on, I take Ivan swimming after my fitness class on Sunday. I don’t really feel the need for anything to change right now…

Speaking of fitness class, what ever happened to awkwardly-uncoordinated guy?
I don’t know! I saw him once at the Stratford oval and asked him if he wasn’t coming to fitness class again and he said he was taking a week or two off—but I haven’t seen him in class for a few weeks.

What about the changes to your eating?
I feel like I have turned a corner, just today. Today was a ‘snow day’ and I didn’t have anything to do out of the house… and even less to do in the house… two or three months ago I would have been in the kitchen every hour or two snacking on something simply because I was bored. But this evening, just a couple of hours ago, I realized that I didn’t have a single desire to graze all day! Amazing. I still had my ‘scheduled’ snacks and meals, loads of water, but not once was I tempted to head into the kitchen and grab anything extra.

My break-up with peanut butter isn’t so much of a struggle for me anymore. I see the jar in the cupboard (my roommate’s), and no longer do I feel like I’m missing out on something amazing by not taking a taste. 

Food is still the biggest struggle for me though. If anything happens that is ‘out of the ordinary’ (such as going out with friends or dinner at my parents), I feel a little out of my element. I know for sure that I make healthier choices than I did a couple of months ago, but I’m not sure of how much healthier they actually are. I’m still in the learning process…

You’re still feeling on track with your lifestyle change though?
I do. I wasn’t expecting the changes in my eating to be as difficult as it has been; nor was I expecting the changes to my fitness level to be as easy as it has been… I don’t know what I was expecting, exactly, but probably more of the opposite. Thankfully, again, I have a nutritionist (who is also a personal trainer) that I see once a week and she's great at putting things into perspective for me.

Can we expect anything different this month?
Nope. I’m just going to keep on keeping on!

Okay then… any final thoughts?
Of course!

I am amazed at the amount of time I spend actually thinking about food and in the kitchen. I go to the grocery store more often than I did (at least once a week now, when I used to go once every two weeks), I have a meal plan that I (mostly) stick to which means that I have to prepare my meals… including my snacks and lunches for when I am at work. Then there’s dishes too… I spend so much more time in the kitchen now than I ever have! Ironic. This isn’t a complaint, merely an observation.

I haven’t lost a load of weight to-date (about 11 pounds). That doesn’t bother me because I know I’m trading in my fat for muscle. I have lost inches—I can tell in how my clothes are fitting. You know how pants are snugger right out of the drier than they are the second time you wear them? Well, my freshly-washed pants feel like ‘day-two’ pants! Such a nice feeling! And I can actually see the difference when I look at myself in the mirror.

More than that though, I FEEL so much better—physically and emotionally. My food choices are definitely better, my activity level is higher, I sleep much better than I did, and Ivan and I are spending more active time together. So, so, so worth it!

And so the journey continues…

Also getting taller...

…my tights. I decided to wear my denim skirt today, so I pulled on a pair of tights to help keep my legs warm. Wow, they are tall! So tall, in fact, that I had to tuck them in up under my bra… in the mirror this morning it looked like I was wearing some sort of semi-opaque sleeveless unitard. Thankfully my clothes can hide what’s underneath because the combination of my tall underwear with my even taller tucked-in tights is sooo unsexy... I would be single for life if anyone could see them!

My underwear is getting... ummm... well, 'taller'

Yup. As my belly/waist/butt areas shrink, they aren't filling-out my undies the way they once did. I can now pull my underwear up much higher than before
--too high.

High underwear=Not at all sexy. Comical, yes. Sexy, no.

I had been thinking of holding off on buying any new clothes for a while, but after catching a glance of myself in my higher-than-granny-panties underwear this afternoon I quickly changed my mind. I definitely need to invest in some ‘shorter’ underwear.

A lesson on Carbohydrates

Well, well, well… I lost another 4 pounds this week! That brings my total to 10 pounds thus far. So, in the 5 weeks that I have been with my nutritionist, I have managed to lose 2 pounds per week… right on target for my weight loss goals! Yay me!

Speaking of goals, my nutritionist gives me challenges each week, and one of my tasks was to learn at least 10 things about ‘carbohydrates’. I did a mini-presentation during our meeting yesterday and I managed to do a good job (which means I didn’t have to do 10 push-ups for every point I was less than the 10 required). I asked my nutritionist if I could put the information I gathered on my blog (I wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to misinform anyone), and she said I could. So, this is what I have learned, for anyone else who is interested in knowing more about carbohydrates: 

What are Carbohydrates?

• Carbohydrates are in everything we eat, and they give us essential energy-providing nutrients we need.
• Carbohydrates are made up of chains of sugar molecules; some of the chains have only a few molecules, whereas others may contain hundreds of molecules.
• They are often categorized into two main types: simple carbohydrates (sugars), and complex carbohydrates (fibers and starches).

How do we use Carbohydrates?

• Many of the carbohydrates we eat are broken down into their single molecule form, which are then able to cross into the body’s blood stream. The body’s cells use them as an energy source.
• As our blood sugar levels rise, our bodies produce insulin which moves the glucose from the blood into our muscles and fat cells for storage. Yes, FAT cells for storage.
• Insulin, too much or not enough, can lead to diabetes, which can then lead to a number of other health issues in the future. Editor's Note: She is watching me like a hawk! My nutritionist emailed me about this point, and I wanted to post it here so to clarify it for everyone: "I just wanted to clarify that the issue is actually not too much insulin but insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can be seen as too much insulin in the blood but what it actually is, is the cells inability to react to the insulin in the blood and therefore not allowing the cells to take up the glucose, which will in turn make the body less effective in reducing blood sugar. The other component that can cause diabetes is the body's inability to produce enough insulin was an accurate statement."

Simple Carbohydrates

• Also known as 'simple sugars' are made up of one or two sugar molecules. These are very easy for our body to process, thus making our blood sugars spike quickly (producing more insulin, which will store the glucose in FAT cells).
• Much of the ‘sweet’ that we taste in many of our foods are due to simple carbohydrates.
• Simple carbohydrates are often the refined sugars that are present in processed foods.
• Some of the most common foods which contain 'simple carbohydrates' are: soft drinks, fruit juices, products made with white flour (breads, pastas, etc.), candies and sweets.

Complex Carbohydrates: Starch and Fiber

• Starch must be broken down through digestion before the body can use it as a glucose source. This is a good thing, because our sugar levels gradually rise and spike later than with simple carbohydrates. Thus, we can burn off this energy before it gets stored in our FAT cells.
• Fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, instead it passes through the body undigested. Although not nourishing the body, it does help: soluble fibers bind to fatty substances in the intestines and carries them out as waste; insoluble fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation.
• Some of the most common foods which contain 'complex carbohydrates' are: fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and dairy products.

What else have I learned?

I need to have a love/hate relationship with carbohydrates:

• I need to learn how to love complex carbohydrates because they require my body to do a little extra work for them to be processed.
• I need to NOT love simple carbohydrates so much because they tend to be stick around a long time … around my belly, butt, and thighs!

It's been a week!?

So, some people asked if I have abandoned my blog because I didn’t post over the weekend! NO WAY! That’s not the case… I had a very busy weekend visiting with family home from Ontario, shovelling mounds of snow, organizing thoughts. I didn't realize that I hadn't posted since last Monday though... that's just neglectful now, isnt' it?

Went to my nutritionist on Friday, lost three pounds! I had actually gained a pound the week before, so in total over the month I’ve been with my nutritionist I’ve lost 6 pounds.

When I was speaking with my nutritionist on Friday, I said that I’m feeling somewhat discouraged with the lack of weight that I am losing. She said that I shouldn’t be… I am losing the right amount of weight at the right pace—1-2 pounds a week is a healthy weight loss. She also explained that because I am exercising 4-5 times a week I am building muscle mass… so, I’m basically trading a pound of flabby fat for a pound of lean muscle (which is true, I am noticing a difference in how my clothes are fitting). She also reminded me that the weight didn’t go on overnight, so it’s not going to come off overnight either… and as long as the numbers are getting lower, then I’m heading in the right direction.

So I asked my nutritionist about those people who lose 10-20 pounds in their first month of ‘dieting’. She said that those numbers aren’t realistic for me: first, if I weren’t exercising and had just changed my eating habits, I may have bigger weight-loss numbers. However, again, I am trading fat for muscle. Second, I want to lose weight at a reasonable pace so that my skin can adjust to the change in shape—too fast of a weight loss can result in flappy skin, something I don’t want. Third, I am not on a diet, I am learning a new lifestyle with healthier eating habits and exercise habits… many people who lose large numbers quickly aren’t learning new habits and are at a higher risk of ‘yo-yo’ dieting.

So, yes, on occasion I feel discouraged, but thankfully my nutritionist is able to put things into perspective for me! She’s so logical and to-the-point, exactly what I need.

This week’s challenges:

#1: Complete seven sets of 3 laps and 3 stairs in 50 minutes or less (time myself).

#2: Continue working on my nails.

#3: Create a presentation on carbohydrates that contains at least 10 significant points about them. Why? This is part of the learning process… if my nutritionist thinks I’ve done a good job, I’ll post it here on my blog (maybe over the weekend!).

3 & 3

...so she says, "Three laps around the oval and then three sets of stairs, oval, stairs, oval, stairs... oh, and up and down is only one set, right? It will be a challenge for you to make it through thirty minutes of them."

HA! Take that 3 & 3! Yes, thirty minutes was a challenge, but I managed to keep it up for FIFTY minutes! I totally feel it in my legs and butt, but it's the right kind of pain. Phew.

Now... I wonder how I'll feel tomorrow?! :D

Me and my big mouth…

I have nothing to hide. My life is an open book (obviously, I have a blog dedicated to my lifestyle journey). I think this blog is a great way to express how I’m feeling, it’s a great way to keep track of my progress, and it is a motivator for me (and, apparently others too). All good stuff. 

Unfortunately, my nutritionist reads it too… (not that I keep anything from her anyway). We met on Thursday evening to discuss my week and we talked about the struggles that evenings (especially weekends) are for me. I asked her if there was any way that my snacks could be something that would take more time to eat (like a bowl of dry Cheerios, for example), and you know what she said?! NO! Why? Because she wants me to break my old habits of munching for extended periods of time… even if Cheerios are a healthier choice than chips, they would ‘feed’ my bad eating habits that I’m trying to change. She’s smart, eh? Man I love her.

Then she asked if I bite my nails and I said that on occasion I do. SO…

Challenge #1: Learn how to give myself a manicure.
It’s an activity that will keep me from biting my nails and it will also occupy my mind and my hands. I’m not really a nail polish-wearing kind of girl, but I do understand the reasons why she wants me to try it. I’ll be working on my nails this evening. 

We then had a conversation about my exercise regime, mentioning that I am going to switch up my Monday/Wednesday walks a little because I don’t think my thighs are getting enough of a workout? Know what she said?

Challenge #2: Walk three laps around the oval, then run three sets of stairs (my walking partner can stay on the track and I can meet up with him when I'm done). 

“WHAT?! You’re kidding, right?” I say.
“No, I’m quite serious. You do know I’m a personal trainer as well, this will be good for you,” she says.
“But I HATE stairs!” I cry.
“I’m sure you do. Oh and up and down is only one set, right? You need to do that three times,” she says with a smile.
“NOOOOOOO! I HATE stairs,” I argue.
“Well, that’s my challenge for you this week… along with doing your nails, you also have to run three sets of stairs after walking three laps… continue doing three and three which will be tough, to do but try to keep it up for at least half an hour,” she says.
“A challenge?” I say, “F*uck. F*uck. I f*ucking hate stairs,” I argue. It was then that I realized I was throwing a temper-tantrum, “ Ohhhkay. I’ll do it.”
“Promise?” she asks.
“I promise,” I reply, crying a little on the inside. 

Stupid blog. Stupid ‘my life is an open-book’ attitude. Stupid stairs. I’m allowed to be sulky… I’ll get over it. The stairs will hurt, much like drinking sulfuric acid does, but ‘no pain, no gain’ right? I’ll be happy when I feel and see the results.

Challenge #3: Start compiling my own healthy recipes.
For this first month that I’ve been with my nutritionist, she and I have been discussing food choices and she has given me a meal plan (including snacks and recipes). But ultimately the goal is for me to learn about food and how to make healthy meal plans on my own. This is 'phase two' of that process. This week I’ll be collecting some of my favouite recipes and on Friday my nutritionist and I will discuss if/how they can fit into my weight-loss goals.

So much happening this week! It’s all good though (even those stupid stairs)… just keep pushing Grace. You can do it!

I'm just sayin'

To anyone who—despite my ability to experience bliss, goofy sense of humour, and passion for life—looks at me and doesn’t ask me out on a date because I’m ‘too fat’: Be prepared for rejection next year because you’re ‘too asshole’.

Just saying.