Betty Lou Returns

I'm still here. And I'm still fat. I haven't given up yet. I wake every morning with the need/urge to get it together. I have a million and one reasons why it's so hard for me to stick with a plan. I'm busy. I'm broke. I'm overwhelmed. I'm lame. I'm sad. I'm happy. I'm fed up. I'm distracted. I'm unorganized. I'm hopeless. I'm home. I'm working. I'm traveling. It's too hot. It's too windy. Someone needs something. Nobody cares. I'm tired. I'm bored. I'm disgusted. I need help. I need coffee.

What's wrong with me? Why is this so hard. If I think about it as much --if not not more-- than anything else on a daily basis, then WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

If you know, could you let me in on the secret? In the meantime, I'm doing the best I can.

Updates

Not a good week for Peggy Sue. So busy. And it's extremely difficult to stick to a diet when you are making a massive baby shower cake for someone. There are way too many scraps to eat, plus I was so busy that I ate poorly in between working sessions. So I gained a tad this week.

But I took a bike ride today, and I've updated my mileage on the map for the week. Things have calmed down a bit for me so I'm back on track.

My 2nd Nutrisystem Weigh In

Well, only .8 pounds this week. Sort of. Maybe. My scales broke 1 day before my weigh in, so we had to buy a new one. It's the same brand but surely they are all going to weigh differently. I really need to average 2 pounds a week to meet my Thanksgiving goal, so maybe this week will be better. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but I also want to make that goal dangit!

Reliving the Past

I give up. Let me explain. I give up on trying to do this all on my own. I have a very understanding husband who recently promised me, after an intense and emotional and long talk, that he would do whatever it takes to help me lose the weight that has been an albatross around my neck for almost a lifetime. So after a few weeks of giving the "lose weight from scratch" plan a final try, I decided to go back to what has worked in the past. Nutrisystem.

The first time I tried Nutrisystem I was successful, and actually that's how Betty Lou and I found each other. We were at almost identical starting weights and had similar goals and feelings and felt an instant connection with each other. We even lost weight at about the same rates, and had plateaus at about the same time. That's why we call ourselves twins so much. Anyway, I thought my success was due only to the fact that the majority of the food I ate was prepackaged and convenient.

What I didn't know at the time was that because Nutrisystem is glycemically balanced, it was having a very positive effect on my weight loss due to my hyperinsulinimia (which I had yet to be diagnosed with). No other diet plan, and I have tried MANY, had ever been as easy or as successful. And so, here I am on Nutrisystem again, hoping that this baby weight (and then some) will be obliterated by these little colorful boxes of reheatable/rehydratable foods.

I've been on it for almost 2 weeks. The first week I lost 2.2 pounds (Betty Lou, this is a correction from the 1.6 I told you about). I've had a few trying days, but on the whole have been doing well on it. I have high hopes for my official weigh in on Friday morning, even though stepping on the scales today was no fun. Fluctuation, let's call it.

Anyway, with a trip to see my inlaws coming up at Thanksgiving I am anxious and eager to see some results. Because as I've said before, if I can see I'm making progress, I can be patient.

Go Nutrisystem!

Love,
Peggy Sue (my usual signature is hiding in my old computer!)

Daily Report: Day 188

Breakfast

• peach
• 2 morningstar farms soy sausage patties

Snack

• peach
  

Lunch

• pita chips
• carrots
• humus

Snack

• watermelon

Dinner

• 1/2 cup brown rice pasta w/marainara
• spinach

Dessert

• 100 cal dark choc bar melted over raw almonds and raisins

Water

• 60+ oz

Exercise

• Week one, day one C25K (3o mins, walk/jog

Observations: Snacky day. Need better meal planning on my work at home days. Too easy to grab whatever and not include protein.

Daily Report: Day, um what day is this?

Something happened this weekend. It's almost as if Peggy Sue turned on the radio and a very danceable song came on and she starting tapping her foot, and then I starting starting tapping my fingers, and then she started nodding her head, and then I then I started, well I don't know exactly how it happened! All I know is suddenly we were dancing around our respective houses, excited and motivated again.

Breakfast

• Peach
• 1 piece sprouted bread toast w/pnut butter

Lunch

• 2 scrabbled eggs
• salsa (spiked with zucchini)
• 2 corn tortillas

Snack

• sesame thins
• nf iced latte

Dinner

• veggie burger w/lf laughing cow wedge, tomato, on 1/2 ww english muffin
• cucumber salad
• grilled zucchini

Dessert

• 1 scoop homemade ice cream (not diet-y at all, but super delicious)
  

Water
60+ oz

Exercise
2 mile walk

Observation: Hey, it's a start.

Betty Lou Checks Out of Detox: (Nearly) Caffeine and Sugar Free

It's Monday, June 22nd. What have I been doing all month? Why, a 21-Day Cleanse that's what. That's right. Since June 1st I've avoided:

• Sugar
• Caffeine
• All animal products
• Gluten
• Alcohol

It all started when I got back from a trip to New York. As I was looking at my receipts for my expense report, I realized that I had more than my share of pretty much everything on the list above and I didn't feel that great. I was tired and puffy. I felt like crap. Which is not to say I felt great when I left on the trip in the first place.

I happened to pick up an advanced copy of a book on that trip that outlined a 21 Day cleanse and I read the first part of it at the airport while waiting for my delayed flight... and eating dinner at Panda Express (in my defense, choices are very limited in the Virgin America terminal at JFK).

I started the plan on June 1st, a Monday. As always, I was excited to start something new and, although this plan isn't really about weight loss as much as it is about cleaning the body of toxins and cravings, of course I hoped for the best. I figured a 21-Day anything is good for a 10 pound loss, right? Note: the only exception to this plan: I gave myself permission to have greek yogurt. It's just one of those things that I love and, let's face it, nonfat greek yogurt is not my biggest issue. What else did I eat? Lot's of stuff. And I found some really good recipes and ingredients that I wouldn't have use otherwise, but I'll post about those at another time.

Day 1 was fine. I'd stocked up on all kinds of fruits and veggies and gluten free things and I was fine.
Day 2 was ok if you don't count the dull headache at the end of the day.
Day 3 was not so great. I felt tired and I didn't like the black bean soup I took to work for lunch. But I stuck with all day. My headache was seriously setting in by the time I left the office. Byt the time I got home that night, it was debilitating. I couldn't see straight. I was nauseous. I drank extra water (my cure-all) and went to bed early. I slept from 7:30-6:45. When I woke up, I felt much better.
Day 4-6 So far, so good. Cravings gone for the most part. Not even really missing coffee that much.
Day 7 My son's bday party. Started out great. Made vegan cupcakes and they were disgusting. Jut horrible. I'm not saying all vegan cupcakes are bad, but these we're inedible. I regrouped and made the most wholesome cupcakes I could muster at the last minute. I made the conscience decision to have a single cupcake that day. It was not sugar or gluten or dairy free, but it scrumptious. Later that evening, I also had a beer. It had been a long, hot day. It was not an alcohol free beer ;-).
Day 8-13 Totally on plan.
Day 14 Sunday morning. Really wanted a cup of coffee. Didn't give in to that, but did have a bagel. It was good but I didn't let it derail me completely. Went to the farmer's market and stocked up on fresh veggies and fruits for the week.
Day 15 Stayed strong but some it was a struggle
Day 16 One word: cappuccino. It was delicious.
Day 17 Another cappuccino, but not as delicious this time. Realized that I can do coffee occasionally without it ruling my life. Bonus points for me: cappuccino has far less milk and calories in it that my usual latte, so cutting back on two things with one smallish change.
Day 18-20 In the home stretch and realizing that I really can make most of these changes and stick with them. Had spicy tuna roll for lunch. Not feeling guilty about a little raw tuna. At least it was brown rice.
Day 21, Father's Day. Didn't completely stick to plan (made savory crepes for breakfast=eggs, gluten) and posole for dinner (chicken stock).

All in all, I did great. I've been calling this an experiment because I wanted to see how I felt physically, but it was just as much a mental experiment for me. My craving are pretty much gone. Is that a physical thing or a mental thing? I'm not sure, but it's a good thing. It's Day 22 at 2:30pm and I'm not hungry at all. I'm not dying to have... anything. Maybe some water... I'm kinda thirsty. This morning I had a gluten free waffle with strawberries. For lunch I had leftover squash tacos in corn tortillas. No coffee. No sugar. I'm fine.

What I don't think I can continue with is the no animal products. I wish I could go vegan but for several reasons (sushi anyone?), it's just not realistic for me right now. Maybe I'll post about that some other time, too.

So, now for the big weight loss reveal... ready... 6.2 pounds. Not bad. But not 10. On June 1, I was 221.0--I'd gained everything back and then some. This morning I was 214.8. I don't think you need me to point out that my net loss of the year to date is not stellar. What to do, what to do?

Two things:

1. Stick with some of the new habits I've formed: avoid sugar, gluten, and alcohol; limit animal products and caffeine; maintain increased amount of veegies and fresh fruits; drink more water.
2. Get a move on! I've made no progress at all in getting more exercise. I'm so all or nothing when it comes to exercise. Here's my latest: I've downloaded the C25K app to my iPhone. Today is Day 1. It's a 9 week plan to get me running 5k (3.1 miles) nonstop. I've scoped out a 5k the first weekend in Sept. I'll run 3-4 times a week with pushups, crunches, tricep dips, pullups on the in-between days.

Happy now? I am.