The Diary of a Fatty

Dear January... my body doesn't like you.

2012-01-24T21:02:00.000-06:00

I don't know what it is about January, but my body does not like it. For the third year in a row I am currently experiencing a kidney infection... one that landed me in the hospital yesterday. W.T.F. January. Seriously.

Last week I went to the doctor because I was feeling the symptoms and I didn't want to take the chance. Went in, gave cultures and sure enough... high white blood cell count. Doctor put me on antibiotics for seven days and told me to come back a week later. In the following days I was feeling relatively okay but the kidney was still acting weird... it felt like someone was squeezing the life out of it, it was uncomfortable and I still experienced pain from time to time. I woke up yesterday morning with all intention to go to work so I made breakfast (toast, feeling very nauseated) and while I sat on the sofa I became sicker and sicker and sicker. I put in a call to work telling my supervisor something was definitely wrong and I had to see someone about it. Called my doctor and he wasn't in until 9 (this was at 8am)... so I high-tailed it to the hospital.

When I arrived it was quiet. Only two people ahead of me and while triage took forever (the hospital had a new computer/triage system and there were still kinks) I was able to get in to see a doctor right away. He came in, asked a few questions and ordered lab work ASAP - another round of vitals (a slight fever, but nothing major), blood pressure slightly high but still "normal" considering I was sick and stressed out from not knowing what was going on; blood work soon followed. The blood work is what took forever.... nearly three hours waiting (and since when can you have your phones on in the hospital? I had no clue! I could have been on Twitter and Facebook!). The good news is the infection was still contained to the kidney and did not go systemic (if it did, this post wouldn't be possible... I'd be admitted and sitting alone in a hospital room undergoing antibiotic treatment eating hospital food. So thankful I am not), but the medication I was prescribed last week was not working. Was told that 20% of the population prescribed to this medication doesn't work. I was one of that lucky 20%.

Xrays followed to see if I had kidney stones because the cultures showed minute evidence. Xrays showed nothing but he still wasn't ruling it out. Sometimes kidney stones are so small that even Xrays cannot show them. After the Xray results he prescribed me new medication and said he was going to discharge me with some instructions about the meds and what I should be doing - drinking cranberry juice and resting. Work and then straight home to rest.

He also thinks that Raynaud's has something to do with the kidney infections and the occurrences of infections, especially the same month every year. There is a small percentage of patients with Raynaud's who experience issues with their kidneys during cold months. I have to follow up with my doctor.

So now I'm at home after a long day at work, relaxing and letting the medication do its work. I'm tired, wiped out and trying to let my body recuperate after taking a beating.

I'm just glad I did something before it became worse. My dad suffered severe illness after a kidney infection went systemic (he was more scared for me than I was) and I didn't want to take that chance. Something didn't feel right and so I made a move. A smart one.

Workout Plan

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

In just a couple of weeks I will be the proud owner of a gym membership. I'm really looking forward to getting my too large bottom back in to the gym and pounding the treadmill. I'm still not cleared for jogging or lifting weights because of my neck but that is not going to stop me from getting back to the gym.

Instead of just walking on the treadmill I decided that once I covet the membership I will pay the extra fee in order to attend drop-in classes. The more exercise one can add, the better. I'm not going to over-do it, rather challenge my body in new ways to help aide the weight-loss process!

The schedule for the drop-in classes will look like this:

Mondays 7-8pm: Yoga
Tuesdays 7-8: Shallow Aqua Fit
Thursdays 7-8: Shallow Zumba Fit

I enjoy yoga. In the last three years yoga has helped my back in tremendous ways to aid the healing process. The poses I have learned help elongate the spine to take the pressure off the lower spinal disks and when I hear the cracking sounds... it feels so good.

I also love being in the water. If our skin didn't wrinkle and get sore from being too wet I would definitely live in the water. I might have been a fish in a previous life. I love swimming. Swimming is also a great form of exercise especially when you have a lower body injury. Working out in water in concert with physiotherapy, I believe, helped speed up the recovery process. You're working twice as hard in the water versus being on ground. It's great and I feel so incredible afterward! I highly recommend it. Just check with your doctor before you start working out when you experience any type of injury.

FYI... Tuesday after work I walked three blocks after taking the bus home from work.... and I really enjoyed it. Plus the temperature was -38C with the windchill. Great exercise!

Do you do one thing to work out or do you add more?

Who are you and what have you done with Fatty?

2012-01-18T12:45:00.000-06:00

For the last little while I have been sharing with my readers how I have started a new lifestyle of eating better and while it's been a challenge it's been going pretty well. For the first time in my life I'm seeing how easy it is and how enjoyable it has been to make good healthy food choices. When my dad wants to go to McDonald's I tell him I don't want to. We instead opt to share a sub at Subway that we pack full of veggies. Our freezer is full of frozen veggies and lean protein such as chicken breast and fish. Our refrigerator is full of veggies, Greek yogurt and fruit. We use less pre-packaged stuff and instead, make our own meals. I've also been downing more water than soda and other sugar-filled drinks. I did allow myself a cheat day on Sunday, but I didn't feel great about it.

I bought a bag of baked ketchup chips and a bottle of soda. I was ready for the Green Bay game but then something happened (besides their loss)... I became less interested in potato chips.

GASP! SHOCK AND AWE!

Potato chips have always been my weakness. I love ketchup potato chips, salt and vinegar, etc. I'm pretty sure I'm not fat, just filled with potato chips after all those years of eating them. I didn't enjoy eating the chips! I also did the same thing with chocolate.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH FATTY?

No chips, no chocolate?! I'm ashamed. Well, not really. I'm glad that I don't find satisfaction in these items anymore and that I can find the satisfaction in eating an apple or celery sticks with a side of hummus.

It's hard to believe that it took me all these years to figure it out. It's almost like I'm starting a new book, rather than a new chapter. I'll be 30 at the end of the year and what a great way to say good bye to the last 20 some years of eating poorly and hello to 20 plus years of eating better.

Is there a food that you used to devour and enjoy and no longer do?

Shedding the vices

2012-01-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

Over the Christmas holiday I did some serious thinking and doing. As you all know I finally gave up on eating bad things and making poor food choices and decided it was now or never to get my shit in order. I've been doing pretty good... Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and NYE were the only times I had cheat days (aside from the last three days... I've had the flu and didn't eat great things), and everything I ate consisted of fruit, veggies and things I prepared myself... no prepared packaged stuff.

Here's what I've learned... salt, sugar, caffeine and preservatives are not my fat. I cut all that out and I started slimming down. Now I didn't lose a huge amount of fat, but the bloat went away. I actually look much better now since I've managed to cut out/down on those items. Water had replaced soda (including diet) and juice.

It has been exactly one month since I decided to eat better and I am extremely happy with myself and the results I'm seeing. I need to get some exercise in to this game plan too and I'm hoping a gym membership will be in the foreseeable future. I've been told I can't do weight training (or running/jogging) until my physio sessions are done (still having neck/shoulder issues) but that's okay.

I'm no longer doing Weight Watchers. I've noticed more of a difference by eating cleaner than the four months I was participating in WW. It just wasn't working and that's okay. It might not work for everyone. Now that I know the things that are making me this way are simple things I can cut out, I've been making the steps to keep them out of my diet or limit how much I ingest.

Here's some fun facts:

1 month since starting to eat better and sticking to it

1 month since I've eaten pizza

2 months since I've been at McDonald's last (only plan on going back for the iced coffees)

pants now need a belt because they fall off (no longer a size 22)

I'm going to keep this train going.

Christmas Eating

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

No, that's not what we served. That's what I ate Christmas Day evening, after dinner of course. Aside from that, I think I did pretty well. It doesn't looked like I gained any extra weight and I feel pretty darn good. Of course Christmas dinner made it difficult to walk, but it was Christmas after all, and the dinner was fantastic.

Today is back to eating properly... I had an asparagus omelet for breakfast (sans cheese, I need to lay of cheese for a bit), 1/3 cup hash browns and coffee. Lunch was a vegan burger on top of one slice of a whole grain thin bun with avocado, tomato, spinach and Dijon mustard. For a snack I had half of a natural licorice stick and a banana.

While I could have gone mad crazy and eat too much, I didn't. Pretty darn proud of myself.

Day 7: I made it!

2011-12-23T23:00:00.000-06:00

Day 7 is finally complete and I can honestly say that I did pretty darn good. I had one or two pieces of chocolate at work (and a cookie I made, for a treat) but I've been eating very well and I've avoided sugary drinks completely.

I've noticed a change. My skin looks marvelous, my tummy is slimmer and I overall feel very good. I thought temptation would be harder than I thought and that by day three I'd be shoveling candy in to my mouth, but I have done so well... I am so proud of myself. I'm just finally sick of eating so terribly that when it finally got to me I was able to do so well with out falling off track AND I was able to use will power to prevent me from eating an entire box of Christmas chocolates.

I battled the sugar craving by eating fruit (and not going overboard). Soda was replaced by tea or water. I've also kinda kicked my coffee "habit". When I use quotes around the habit I mean I don't drink coffee everyday (or a lot of it), but I noticed that when I drink coffee I become really bloated around the waist. I look horrible. I broke that rule by going to Starbucks earlier this week, but is it really broken if the coffee is decaf? I always order decaf because their regular espresso is way to strong for my stomach.

I haven't had fast food in a week which is a world record. While I've been busy working this week and running errands... I would typically get something to eat while out running said errands. Everything I have eaten this week has been homemade and nothing processed.

This time around it has been much, much easier. I think it all boils down to finally being in the right mindset. I'm glad that I finally see the light.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Day 4 Check-in

2011-12-20T10:58:00.002-06:00

It's day four and I'm considerably doing well. I've been eating very well over the last four days and I've managed to ignore those temptations. I haven't had soda in four days; drinking water or tea instead. I did have two chocolate pieces yesterday - one at work and one at home. The chocolate at work was very tempting but I was able to corral those temptations and only have one.

My meals have included protein and fibre, whole grains instead of wheat. I haven't had coffee or any type of caffeine in four days and I already look better.

I thought getting back in to a good eating habit would be hard after weeks of eating poorly. Not so much. I'm very proud of myself. Tomorrow comes the real challenge when I'm out on a field trip with a group of kids... pizza is on the menu for dinner and I'm not going to be eating any. Let's see how hard I fight that temptation. Especially if it's cheese pizza.

I'm finally done with you...

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not done with this blog... I'm done with bad food. Friday night was the final straw and I nearly broke down crying because I was so tired of it. That night we ate pizza... we were tired, lazy and wanted something fast and easy. I was doing really well with eating clean, but earlier this month I let the arrival of chips, chocolate, candy and cookies envelop me and I ate the shit out of it. I felt very disgusted and make a decision then on there... no more crap. I'm going to finally do this right.

Saturday morning I woke up with a clear head and straight thinking. For breakfast I had a cup of tea and oatmeal for breakfast. I went out for coffee with a friend, but instead, I opted for tea.

I didn't eat lunch (as I was running errands and refused to stop for something), so lunch and dinner were combined - baby spinach and arugula salad with avocado, fat free cottage cheese, black beans, and hummus; extra lean (range free) pork tacos on whole grain tortillas, with salsa, avocado, cottage cheese, black beans with a side of homemade Spanish rice. Cranberry juice to drink. For snack I enjoyed sliced apples and peanut butter.

I also limited my sugar intake and my body isn't happy about it. The only sugar I've eaten was whatever is in my food - such as fruit, and what was in the cranberry juice. I've done a limit the sugar thing before and my body got used to it, it will have to do it again.

There will be no more eating like a pig, no more binging out on bad food. I'm just sick of it... I've finally hit that level where I want nothing to do with it and I'm glad. I wish I would have become sick of it earlier.

Living with Reynaud's: One year later

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

While I wasn't officially diagnosed until earlier this year, it was this time last year when I first noticed the symptoms.

When your fingers and toes suddenly start to become weak, stiff and very painful, it is quite scary when you're uncertain as to what is going on. Thankfully I was able to find a clear answer as to what was happening, but didn't realize the big picture.

For those who don't know what Raynaud's Disease/Phenomenon, it is a disorder that when exposed to cold conditions will discolor your fingers and toes, and sometimes, your nose. Raynaud's Phenomenon (primary) is idiopathic while Raynaud's Disease is caused by a secondary factor. Mine is secondary - the spine injury two years ago caused my Raynaud's Disease. I'm not the only one in my family who now has Raynaud's... my sister was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago.

I first noticed last year, while in the basement studying, my toenails turning purple. I figured it wasn't a big deal as when cold, the beds of your toenails will turn purple because of the cold. A few weeks later I noticed the color spreading to halfway down my feet followed by extreme pain. That same week I noticed my fingers were turning white and I would experience extreme pain in my fingers as well. After discussing the symptoms, I was diagnosed with Raynaud's.

Having Raynaud's means I have to bundle up during cold months and I cannot have the air conditioner blasted to extreme cold either (learned that this past summer). In the winter I have to wear either two pairs of socks or a pair of thick socks (which I have); wear thick insulated gloves (which I have), wear layers and limit time spend outdoors.

This winter I prepared myself for the cold months and so far so good, but there are days when my fingers and toes really, really hurt. And now... I've developed another problem... ulcers on my leg.

At first I thought they were shingles. I freaked out at the thought of having shingles again. The bumps on my legs were blisters that would turn in to blood filled dried out blisters once they popped. So I went to the doctor and he examined my legs... it turns out that it's due to the cold air, a combination of my dry skin, eczema and Raynaud's. The lack of blood flow to your lower extremities (which Raynaud's can cause) can cause ulcers. So I have to have tepid showers, apply a thick moisturizer followed by a topical ointment. The skin on my legs is softer than ever (used to be severely scaly) and it is clearing up, but once I step outside the blisters start again and it's pretty painful. I think I'll have to purchase legwarmers to wear over my pants to keep my legs warm. I think this winter I'll be looking fashionably cute.... well, I sure hope so.

But I do have some good news coming from this winter. Thanks to Vaseline and their Dry Skin Conditioning Lotion (no they didn't pay me to say this), I have avoided (so far) eczema on my hands. Typically my hands are dry, scaly, red, bleed and are painful during the winter months. I tried this product beginning in October and BAM... I have healthy looking hands and I am really impressed.

In other news... I'm battling that cold that is going around slowing everyone down. I've been doing well in that area, the only major illnesses I've had was a sinus infection in the Spring and then Hay Fever in September. No, I caught the cold... and I've been down from the count since Friday. I am getting better. I've been putting Vick's on the bottom of my feet and I woke up this morning feeling human. Anyone else heard of this? My grandma did this to me since I was a kid. Plus I've been taking cold medication at night to help me sleep and breathe. Eating has been a pain and takes forever since I can't breathe and eat at the same time.

Anyone out there suffering from Reynaud's as well? What do you do to keep yourself protected during the winter?

Discharged

2011-11-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

No, I did not break my wrist again (and no, not my xray). Today I went to see the doctor about my shoulder, for a follow-up. I showed him that physiotherapy has been working and he is very impressed with my progress. I can now lift my left arm above my head and move it behind my back and other positions that were difficult before this. He wants me to continue with physiotherapy and he's glad to hear that we're starting strengthening soon.

I also had to talk to him about my wrist. When I was shoveling snow last week my wrist began to hurt a lot... like someone was stabbing me in my wrist. I told him I used my right hand to push the snow and then both hands to lift. He agreed to an XRay. Good news! It's not broken; however, the bone chip is still there but not as big as it was when it first broke. What the thinks happened is it finally attached to another bone in the wrist and then the unnatural movements when shoveling caused a tiny piece to break off, or that the bone was starting to disintegrate on its own. There's no need for a cast or surgery and he agreed with me that a brace would be a good idea for shoveling. I now have a spiffy new wrist brace to make shoveling more comfortable.

I am now "discharged" from the doctor. I use quotes around discharge because even though I don't need to see him about my shoulder or arm anymore, I can still come back if something happens to either or I have a new muscle or bone issue. He's a really nice guy, one of the best doctors I've ever had. It's nice to have a doctor that is very sympathetic and understanding and doesn't shrug off your pain as it being in your head. This guy found my broken wrist/finger bones when my own GP refused to do an Xray.

Don't forget that you have a right to receive a second opinion. We have to listen to our bodies when it's telling us something and don't give up when one doctor says something but your body is telling you another thing. If I listened to my doctor I could have been walking around with a broken arm forever and then loose use of my right hand (this coming from the second opinion). I've done the same for my back and a broken foot. It's always good to do. Don't be afraid to ask another doctor. Sometimes you have to look for a third time. It's okay. I'm thankful that we have the ability in this country to have medical access like we do. Is it perfect? No, but at least it doesn't cost me hundreds of dollars to access second opinions... or even a medical device such as a wrist brace (province covered 90%!).

Amen to physiotherapy and hard work!

Stronger

2011-11-18T10:44:00.001-06:00

I have some pretty good news about my bum arm. It's not so bum! Yay!

I had my second physiotherapy session today and the physiotherapist is pretty darn pleased with the progress. I can now lift my arm above my head; about halfway there it gets kinda iffy, but I'm able to push through it and hold it for a couple a seconds above my head. I still can't move it back, but that will get better in time. I have two new stretches added on to the three I already have and in two weeks were going to start strengthening!

I still have my good and bad days, but more good than bad lately. Sleeping has been much better since I've been taking medication to help me sleep. It's not sleep medication, just prescription muscle relaxers to make everything nice and cozy for me to sleep.

The right side of the neck is still a little tense and we're still working on that one. She's been doing manual stretches (traction) to help the spine stop pinching the nerves.

We're getting there folks! Remember that injuries always take time and sometimes it can take a long time (my back took a year to get back to where it used to be), but there will be positive changes!

No jog for you!

2011-11-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

In my quest to be healthy I am starting to incorporate, once again, exercise. Exercise and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate it but once I get in to it, I love it. I love how it makes me feel and look. I'm a walker... I can out walk anybody. When I window shop I don't stroll, I power walk. I've always been a fast walker and I can't really help it. On the treadmill I can get close to the jogging pace with speed walking.

I just want to run. I could never do it when I was a kid because of my bad knees and horrible asthma. Gym teachers tried to get me to run for 15 minutes with the other kids, but I couldn't... after 2 minutes I would be gasping for air. I had really bad asthma. In high school my gym teachers were fine with me speed walking because it was getting the heart going, the muscles warmed up and my body ready for physical activity. Elementary and middle school teachers... not so much. They thought they were my saviors and tried to convert me.

Last month I did a brisk jog and did alright. Saturday I wanted to do more moderate jogging. My asthma has improved and I knew I could handle it. Turns out my knees, not so much. I was able to complete one full lap and then I was donezo. I have no fluid sacs in my knees so it's bone on bone and sometimes it's painful to walk. Sometimes the nerves get pinched in between the joints more so than others and today was no exception. After completing the first lap it was becoming more difficult to do the second one and I had to stop. It was either stop or fall flat on my face. No bueno.

So for now... I am going to continue speed walking. If I never run, I'm fine with that. I'm getting my exercise and that is what is important.

Clean eating update

2011-11-04T17:17:00.001-05:00

The past couple of days I have been eating clean. All my meals have been prepared, no pre-packed items. I am drinking more water than diet soda and I've even cut down on bad snacking or eating treats (although I did have two or three mini PB cups. Eep!). In the last four days of clean eating I have already started to feel amazing, I am not bloated and I swear I've lost a few inches in the last four days. I HAVE HIPS! Sculpted hips!

My friend L.L. told me a while ago about Tosca Reno. If you don't know who Tosca is, she is a fellow Canadian and she lost weight all by eating clean and exercising. All that unwanted preservatives and additives are just down right no good for us. I've been reading up on her (still waiting for books from the library) and her eating clean movement and it's a thing that she's doing. Just thinking about all the horrible stuff we have digested over the years makes me sick. I treated my body poorly over the years and now I'm trying to reverse the damage.

There is nothing wrong with eating clean. If you think about it... our ancestors did it. There was no manufactured preservatives or chemically processed foods. All they had was clean good stuff!

Now I even have my parents in to it. I recently made a delicious qunioa dish and THEY LOVED IT! I also have them in the habit of buying veggies, apples, lean protein meats and less pre-packaged foods. Our meals have been delicious, very delicious: homemade shake and bake chicken with quinoa and veggies, baked chicken breast, whole grain pasta with sausage and veggies.This weekend we're going to have beef rouladen (Saturday) and roasted chicken thighs with veggies (Sunday). My snacks have been apples with natural peanut butter or Greek yogurt topped with blackberries. Tonight I'm making kale chips and this weekend I'm making our own potato chips.

It's not hard to eat clean and it's not rocket science. Like Tosca says, if you can't pronounce what is on the label... don't eat it! It's simple as that!

Tosca is in town this weekend for a clean eating seminar. I would love to go but can't, because I'm broke. I hope those who attend have fun and learn some fabulous things about clean eating!

What's for Dinner Tonight: Healthy Chicken Shake & Bake

2011-11-02T17:25:00.001-05:00

Do you remember the dinners when your mom made Shake & Bake and she let you help? It was a pretty simple dinner that did not require much preparation. Just pour spices in to bag along with the chicken and shake then bake! No-brainer here folks... it's simple.

But have you looked at a box lately? We have one in our pantry and I decided to take a look at the sodium content - 560mg of sodium!! Yikes. No thank you. So I decided to make my own version and share it with you.

What you'll need:

1 large food storage bag

4 cups of bran flakes

2 tbsp Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 tsp granulated garlic (granulated, not garlic salt!!)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp crushed parsley flakes (I previously dehydrated parsley and made my own!)

Chicken (any kind - breast, legs, thighs, wings... whatever you prefer!)

Pre-heat your oven to 300F. This is going to bake low and slow.

Step 1: Add 4 cups of bran flakes to the large storage bag. Seal, let some air out, reseal and start smashing away! This is my favorite part. You can take your days worth of frustration out on bran flakes. It's okay, they don't mind.

Step 2: Add your spices. You don't have to use the ones I added in. I can't really add in "spices" because my sister can't eat them, so I add in seasoning.

Step 3: Add in chicken. I did two at a time so the pieces can be evenly coated. Seal bag and shake a way! You can turn on the music and boogie on down while you shake. Let the days cares melt away! Make it fun. This is where you can get the kids involved. They love helping out in the kitchen and they love shaking things... ahem, Christmas presents.

Step 4: Place on baking sheet. I like to line the sheet and then place a cookie sheet on top, then place chicken on the cooking sheet. This allows the grease and fat drip to the bottom, the chicken isn't sitting in it.

Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. The chicken will come out crispy on the outside and very juicy and tender on the inside. It's delicious!

I love this recipe because there is no salt added whatsoever. Not even in Mrs. Dash. It's just various herbs and seasoning. Love it. This brings me back to being a kid and devouring mom's Shake & Bake chicken! Enjoy folks!

Sorry ET, fat people don't look like this

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Recently Entertainment Tonight thought it would be fabulous to do another "Fat Discrimination" segment, to show the world how fat people are discriminated against.

In their brilliant idea, they took "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" housewife, Melissa Gorga, put her in a "300lb" fat suit stuck that in a jogging suit.

Ugh.What a desperate cry for TV ratings. Seriously ET. Seriously.

I seriously don't get your point. Are you trying to show shallow skinny people what it's like to be fat or are you trying to show the rest of America what it's like to be fat?

Fat people don't look like that. My friend Stephen was 600lbs and he didn't look like that. I don't know where you get the idea that fat people look like that? A poster on the blog "Oh No They Didn't" put it very well - "She looks like a melted Stretch Armstrong." Word.

Is there "Fat Discrimination"? Mmm, maybe. But seriously? What a friggen joke your segment is.

I didn't watch the segment because, well, it's an insult first of all and second.. it's a JOKE! Of course her daughter is going to cry, because her mom looks completely different!

ET, I don't know what your deal is but this needs to stop. I really don't know what point your trying to get across, and if any, it's coming across as stupid. Do I feel discriminated against? No. Does my parents? No. And I'm sure my fat friends don't feel discriminated against. I think the only message you're getting across is that you're making fat people, who are already feeling horrible for fat AND those who are trying to do something about, feel even MORE horrible about themselves. What a joke. I guess when celebrity news is slow you've gotta come up with something to bolster ratings. But now that Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce you'll hold off on humiliating fat people for a while.

If you want to watch Melissa revealing her new look to her family, you can check it out here.

"Real" food is affordable

2011-11-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

My friend L.L. wrote a really great post about how some people feel "real" food is expensive and that is why some people choose to eat junk/fast food. Sure, it's quick, easy and very convenient. Plus those McNuggets can hook you pretty fast. The point of her post is that "real" food is affordable.

For example. The average cost for a family of four to dine out is around $50. At least that is what it typically cost for my family when we would eat out. More and more families are willing to spend this at least five times a week, costing a whopping $250 a week. $250 can be spent on the "real" food that people lament is expensive.

L.L. has been an inspiration when it comes to eating clean and working out. I'm trying my hardest with working out and while I have injuries that prevent me from really going at it, I still get out and walk... be it at the mall or pushing my dad around in a wheelchair. I still get a form of exercise in. And her clean eating.. well, I'm starting to do that too. Have you looked at a packaged food label lately? There are some words I can't even say... and if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't be eating it. I recently read a label of seasoning I like to use for steak - it had the dreaded MSG in it. Bleh. MSG is a food preservative and it's not good for you. And while the Weight Watchers thing is struggling, I'm still trying my best to eat well.

Today I ventured out to the grocery store to buy some veggies, fruit and lean meats. I had a goal of $45 and an idea of what I wanted. I spent $55 and while it was $10 over my budget, that $55 was spent all on food and none of it went towards taxes. That's right... NO TAXES! Vegetables, fruits and meat are non-taxable... some table food items as well - canned veggies, beans, peanut butter. This is what is called "On the Table" foods and I learned this from a pretty funny source - the Canada Border Services. There are times when I travel to Grand Forks for a day or two (I'm pretty lucky to have family living there) and even if it's for a day, I bring back groceries. It's waaay cheaper than some stuff up here and groceries are duty free when crossing back. Don't want to pay GST/PST? Buy items that are "On the Table" - veggies, fruit, canned goods such as veggies, beans; peanut butter. Watch out for cereal. While you might think it's "On the Table" it's not.. some cereals are taxable. Here is a great document that separates the taxable items to the non-taxable. And while it's from Texas, it's pretty much the same for Canada.

This is my amazing grocery haul for this week. What did I buy?

Frozen Asparagus
Spinach to cook
Kale
Parsley
Organic Salad Mix
Organic Chives (Mmnmm, I love chives)
Natural Peanut Butter
Blackberries
Spaghetti Squash
Baby carrots
Bag of apples
Bag of pears
Greek Yogurt
Black Beans
Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 pkgs. chicken breast
1 pkg. Sausage
1 pkg. Chicken thighs
Bag of mini mixed sweet peppers

I really hit the jackpot with the meat. While I was scouring the meat aisle employees were about to mark down the meat that is set to "expire" on the 3rd. Now here's the thing... just because the best before date says "November 3", doesn't mean it's going to go bad on that date. It's generally a guideline for grocery stores, but it is still okay for us to eat. Some items such as milk can go bad before that date if you're not using it every day. A package of three large chicken breast priced just over $6, I snagged for 30% off! What a deal! I took two! The chicken thighs are already specially priced at $5 and the sausage was marked down 30% to $2.45! When my dad was working he would scour the stores for these deals too. I remember once he came home with a lot of chicken and beef. We had chicken coming out of our ears. It is important to remember to use your senses when buying meat that is about to be removed from shelves.. look at it, does it look bad? When you buy it does it smell bad, does the texture feel gross? Another great tip... once you get it home - FREEZE IT! Cut the chicken up in to strips and freeze it, mince it in the food processor and freeze it! It's limitless as to what you can do!

Tonight I'm going to sit down and make a food plan for this week with the amazing items I purchased. Tonight I'm cooking the chicken breast and with it I will have asparagus, roasted chickpeas and quinoa. Quinoa is also a great staple to have in your pantry. I buy mine from the farmer's market when they're open and then from a bulk food store.

I'm also going to be adventurous and make some kale chips. I'm always up to trying new things and the talk of kale chips is all over the place. The parsley will be dried to have in my pantry... and it's super easy to dry out herbs! Turn your oven to 250F for 20 minutes and then turn the oven off. Place the herbs on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper); place the sheet in the oven for 15 minutes and once that's done you'll have dehydrated herbs for your spice cabinet!

People just need to shop smart and learn how they can save at the grocery store. My first lesson was the "On the Table" items. The second was reading the labels... if there's something listed on the label that you cannot pronounce.. don't buy it. It's not good for you. The third was cooking healthy meals loaded with protein and veggies.

If you don't have the time to shop smart, make the time! Plan out your meals for the week (or two weeks) and buy your food from that list. Make cooking time for everyone and include the kids! Make meal time fun for everyone.

Eating real food IS affordable. Instead of spending your money on fast food, spend it on the good stuff! Good stuff can be quite delicious! Plus the internet has amazing recipes to make your dinner MORE delicious!

Suffering Succotash!

2011-10-24T13:05:00.000-05:00

If you can remember back, I broke my wrist earlier this year. I was in a cast for two months, on narcotics to kill the searing pain and then did physiotherapy at home after the cast finally came off in April. Since then the wrist has been doing fantastic. I still know my limits and even though it's healed, it will still scream at me if I use that wrist too much (typically holding heavy things or twisting it too much).

The muscle that is connected from the shoulder all the way to the wrist has been giving me some issues since then. It wasn't used for a whole two months so I knew it would be weak... it has turned out to be a bigger issue.

In July I noticed that the at home physiotherapy plateaued. I knew which ways I couldn't move my shoulder (couldn't move it back or shoot my arm straight up too fast) and made sure I didn't move it in those ways. Before I went on summer vacation at the end of July it started to get worse. The muscle became more weak and more painful. Because it's the muscle attached to the thumb, I was constantly dropping things. I even went as far as using plastic cups and paper plates just so I wouldn't break our dinnerware. I still had narcotics left from when I originally broke it, so that helped with the pain. I went on vacation and my arm felt better since I wasn't using it for anything.... then when I came back that is when it went completely south. I put up with it for two months and continued with the physio at home. I even added strength training to the regimen - using a tension cord (made of rubber can be purchased at any physiotherapy supply store or at any fitness store) I would do bicep and tricep curls and various stretches to help make that muscle stronger.

Then earlier this month I kinked my right shoulder/side of neck because it became difficult to sleep on my left side. Lovely. I called the doctor who treated the break and went back last week. What wonderful news I received.

The muscle is indeed week and needs major physiotherapy and strength training. The rotator cuff is also damaged because of the weak muscle - the weak muscle has allowed my shoulder to slip in and out making the smooth bones/joint rough and rugged. The doctor even thinks I had a slight dislocation because of all this. I also have bursitis. Fun. It's been easier to sleep since two weeks ago when my GP put me on muscle relaxers for my neck issue. And when I take those, the left side is much better.

So this week I start physiotherapy. On both shoulders. Plus I have at home physio to do. I'm looking forward to when I have full use of my arm back.

Allergy season from hell

2011-10-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

I've had one hell of a year with my allergies. Because of an odd Spring my allergies came two months earlier instead of popping up in May. The snow hadn't even much as melted from the ground and my allergies began to flare up something terrible. I wasn't the only one... I have friends who have been going through the same thing.

In early June I thought my face was swollen due to a nasty sunburn. It was slightly swollen from the burn but three days later my entire face was so swollen I looked like that green ogre that every kid loves, Shrek. The right side of my face took the brunt of it, right eye swollen near shut and it took three hours before it opened again. Turns out I had a sinus infection and that was the cause. Or so my doctor thought.

I went through the summer sneezing, dabbing my watery eyes, icing my swollen face and popping antihistamines every single night all while sleeping with the windows shut and air conditioner on. It made sleeping slightly comfortable. Not to mention a nose twice its normal size... it was horrible. I was becoming slightly self-conscious because of my large nose.

What was funny was that I could travel south to North Dakota and spend a couple of days there with no allergy issues at all. No swollen face, no swollen nose (except for one day when it was really hot) and no sneezing. It was like an allergy miracle. I cross back in to Manitoba and it starts all over again.

After having quite enough I saw my doctor once more to see if there was anything that could help. Over-the-counter didn't provide much help, it was only temporary, and when I say temporary... I mean four to five hours tops. Reactine was a joke, Benedryl worked at night and Nasonex drained my sinuses as soon as I used it but nothing for the rest of the day.

September was starting to become unbearable. I was miserable and a snotty mess. I traveled to North Dakota for one last time and while I was there I developed a nasty, nasty case of hay fever. I haven't had it that bad since I was six (when we learned I had allergies). I was congested, my head was stuffed, sinuses packed and I was miserable. I came back home and started a week-long regimen of Reactine which actually worked. My allergist later told me that Reactine doesn't work for allergies if you have stuffy nose. It only takes away skin itch and watery eyes. However it does work on hay fever symptoms... which is odd. My the seventh day I was starting to feel much better.

That's when I decide I had the last straw and made an appointment to see my allergist. I needed something to be done before I dug out my own sinuses and bought new ones on the black market.

This is what I learned....

The swollen face and nose is due to an allergic reaction to a mold spore only indigenous to Manitoba. The mold spores are sticking to the soft tissue in my nose causing it to swell up every single day. Because of this allergy I have to wash my face each day, have a shower if I'm outside for a long period of time and wash my bedsheets every week.
I'm now on a new allergy regime. I'm taking Singulair every single day in combination with Nasonex. It takes one month for Singular to start working so I can take Benedryl in concert with Singulair until then. If the Nasonex doesn't work with in a couple of weeks I have a prescription for a powerful nasal decongestant - Nasocourt mixed with Otrivan.
This year has been one of the worst allergy seasons on record, according to my allergist. Manitoba experienced a weird Spring and then a hot summer with very little rain. Due to the lack of rain this mold spore became a problem and will stick around until it starts snowing.
Not only am I experiencing issues with my sinuses, I now have eczema in my ears. Not the outside of the ear or at the entrance of the ear. I have eczema in the middle ear area. I used to have it as a kid on the back of the ears and on the entrance, but now it's in the middle ear. My allergist said this is due to the unseasonably dry weather combining with the moist environment of the middle ear area and why the eczema on my hands have flared up two months earlier (they're so damn dry and itchy).

This year has just been pure hell on my allergies. And to boot farmer's have been burning fields and grass fires are popping up that my asthma is starting to bother me and it hasn't been an issue in two years. My asthma was dormant for two whole years, not even having to take inhalers for exercising. Now.. I have to take my asthma inhalers this week because of the grass fires and the subsequent smoke blowing in to the city.

All while this is happening I am still not wishing for winter. I hate winter, I hate snow (hate it even more since I broke my arm). No I'm not going to move... I just might take note of the seniors and flock to Florida for six months.

Sabotage

2011-10-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Some people blame others for sabotaging their healthy eating habits. I think that we are our own worst saboteur. If you're out to lunch with a friend and you're eating a salad and she a bacon double-cheeseburger, you choose take it the hard way or continue right on with your proper eating. Agree?

Monday is typically when I post my Weight Watchers point tracker but I haven't counted since last Friday. No, not this past Friday... last Friday, as in September 23. I was on vacation visiting family and I chose not to count. Although, I didn't eat horribly. We ate out at a buffet and I chose healthy foods - salad with veggies and light dressing, beans, mashed potatoes (I don't think I had gravy), grilled barbecue chicken (took the skin off), two spring rolls, a few popcorn shrimp and for dessert I had 1/2 cup cottage cheese with fruit - watermelon and pineapple, completely skipping the massive dessert buffet I would typically tackle. If I ate out, we went to Subway and I split a turkey breast and ham sub.

Then I came home. I was sick while on vacation (really bad case of the hay fever) and I ate horribly once I came home. The first few days I barely ate - just chicken soup and a sandwich. When I'm sick I tend to eat a lot and that's not good. The medication I was on was also playing part in my hunger. I know, my choice. I made it.

Starting today it's back to lean protein and eating better. Back to water and not soda. I also need to get walking back in to my routine. When I go for a walk or a little jog, I feel really good about myself and I feel better.

The sabotaging is now over and it's time to get back on the path. Take your downfall as an experience and move on.

Fighting a battle...

2011-09-06T10:30:00.025-05:00

I have to be quite honest with you guys. For the past few weeks I've been fighting with myself... my fat self. Let me explain.

What some people tend to not realize that those who are struggling with their weight, are fighting with an inner demon to which I have alluded to before. I know I am fat on the outside, but my brain is also fat on the inside and since I have started Weight Watchers I have been trying hard to change what is on the outside. However, the inside is taking a little longer and is putting up more of a struggle than I thought it would.

I want this. I want to loose 100lbs, I don't want to be fat anymore, I don't want to be a miserable person anymore. When it comes time to have children, I don't want to be the mother who can run around the front yard with her kids because her weight is impeding her. I want to be healthy, I want to be fit. But that inner insecure fat girl is trying to sabotage me. I hate her.

It's not easy trying to change that. It's not like it is a switch that can be easily turned off and it is almost like it's always in the on position. That little voice is always trying to bring me down, trying to tell me that no matter what I do I'm still going to be fat, I'm going to always be fat and I just need to deal with it instead of changing it. And at times, I get really bummed. I get really down in the pits where I feel depressed. It's like that fat girl is standing on the outside and screaming in my face... the person who never wants you to succeed and tries their hardest to make sure you fail. She's such a bitch. She's the proverbial gun to my head and I am so desperately trying to coax her from pulling the trigger.

I am trying my hardest to ignore her. When she tells me to eat bad, I eat something good. When she tells me to sit on the couch, I go outside for a walk. When she tries to bring me down with horrible names, I do something fun to make myself happy.

Losing the weight is not going to make her disappear. She is always going to be there, I just have to learn how to deal with her once I've reach my goal. She is always going to try and get me down, always try to sabotage me... but I have to tell her that I'm in control and she is no longer. I'm the pilot of the airplane and if she doesn't like the flight path, she can pull the ejection cord at anytime.

Inner fat girl need not apply. You're not longer welcome on this trip. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. My mama taught me that and you have to learn how to get a long. I'm tired of feeling depressed... I need you out of my life. Please, no more bringing me down.

Quick notes...

2011-09-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

Apologies for very few posts. I've been busy working and haven't had the time to sit down and write a blog post. Hopefully since this is a long weekend I can finally sit down and write something. But for now, here's just a few quick notes to catch everyone up.

+ Last week I didn't write down anything I ate, including points. I don't know why, but it happened. I know I didn't go over my points because I ate all healthy things... with exception to...

+ My cousin was married last Saturday and I decided not to include that day in counting, even though I didn't count that week at all. I had four slices of cake from the dessert table... they were all thin tiny slices. But the good thing is, I really enjoyed myself that night and had a fun time. It was a buffet dinner and I was able to still pick things that were healthy and all my portions were really small. Food + Cake + Alcohol= WW nightmare but I had so much fun.

+ I know I've lost weight. I don't care what the stupid scale says. I fit a dress that I haven't worn since 2007 really well. It falls nicely and is super comfy. I felt great in it!

+ I'm trying to eat new things that are good for me. For example, I love tacos. Instead of beef I made shrimp tacos. Added some spices, cubed up avocados, had corn and black beans, made my own version of pico de gallo. It was so tasty and so good. I was full after two small tacos. My family said it smelled so good that they're looking forward to trying it.

+ Running fail. I tried to go back to running but last week it was too muggy to run (one day last week I nearly passed out while walking) and I was sick. I need to get back to running this week. I hate running outside. I would rather run on a treadmill.

+ Anyone else having a crazy time with allergies? Holy, heck. I just want cool fall weather to get here already. My head can't stand this craziness!

Run away as fast as you can

2011-08-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

Forest Gump ain't got nothing on me. I've decided to start running. I started last night. Legs felt like rubber, ankles and feet hurt, but I did not care.

I'm now dedicated to fight this weight battle and I'm going to win it.

Baby, I was born to run.

Weigh-in results

2011-08-22T15:06:00.002-05:00

One. Freaking. Pound.

Ugh. Time to step it up 1000 notches. Going for a walk tonight to start the exercise portion of this weight loss progress.

Guess who is getting their gym membership back? This chick. It's not effective until October 1, but in the meantime I have the glorious outdoors as my workout facility!

Access Denied

2011-08-22T10:30:00.002-05:00

In the last three weeks of eating better, my body has become accustom to conditioning my body on what to like and what not to like. It is really loving that I am eating more fruit and veggies, lean meats and less of the crap I was putting in to it before.

Now, my body is revolting against the ingestion of carbs. What?! How can this be... but, I love carbs! My body, not so much. For the first time in a very long time my body is now rejecting the carbs by making itself all bloated and disgusting. I feel twice the size I am and I am not liking it. It's okay with bread, but after eating pasta and french fries (even baked!) it gets pretty upset and makes me look horrible.

I don't like feeling like this, so I'm making a change. No more carbs for a while. Just like I've cut out drinking coffee. Coffee is making my face bloated, so I had to stop that.

Le sigh. There goes another favorite out the window, but in the end... I'm okay with it. I'm tired of eating things that make me feel horrible and look horrible. I don't care about my looks, but I really don't care for how bloated I am looking. It's disgusting.

Weight Watchers Recap: Week 2

2011-08-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

So there is week two. Still some getting used to, adjusting to eating better, adjusting to what foods are high in points. A lot of trial and error. I'm still getting used to the idea of having to consume all of my points, not having any left over. I'm doing good at not going over. I went over on Sunday because of breakfast: half a homemade Belgian waffle, 1 cup scrambled eggs, 3 sausage links and orange juice. I will say, it was quite tasty for 16 points. Don't think I'll do that again. Lunch on Saturday was a lot because we went out to eat and I really enjoyed myself, enjoyed lunch and where we were. It was great. I'm also happy to say that I still have extra points to borrow from, if I need it - 39pts. Started out with 49; over the last two weeks I only consumed 10.

My cousin is also experiencing the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations that come with this. However, she lost 10 lbs in the first two weeks! That is super! She was over for a visit yesterday and you can totally see the 10lb weight loss! She looks fantastic!

I'm so glad I have someone going through the same program with me, it's just great support. I also want to thank all you of who have been sending along wonderful messages of support. Like I mentioned in my previous post, weight loss is very difficult especially if you've been battling some personal inner demons. I really appreciate your support. I truly do!

I finally get it....

2011-08-15T09:00:00.004-05:00

Weight loss shouldn't be hard, but it is. I think it's because we make it hard. It's easy to put it on so shouldn't it be easy to take it off?

Yes and No.

What most people don't seem to understand that for us that are overweight, there's a lot of emotions that come with it. People can tell us to stop shoving food in our mouths and eat a salad instead, but they just don't get it... we're damaged inside and we're dealing with a lot of heavy emotions. Whether most of us can admit to it or not. Something heavy (besides our weight) got us here and some of us will need a lot of work to fix it.

We make weight loss so difficult for ourselves. Whether it's promising ourselves we'll start eating better tomorrow along with running a few miles or trying every diet/weight loss fad under the sun and it seems that nothing works. You name it, I've probably tried it... Slim Fast at fourteen, bulimic in junior high and the beginning of high school (anorexia didn't work because I loved food too much and bulimia.... well, I was putting more food in that taking out); Five Factor Diet (was working for a bit then my body plateaued and no matter how much harder I worked, it didn't) and now Weight Watchers.

I'm so glad I found it because Weight Watchers has made it simple for me and I finally get it. I finally get that the whole point is eating foods that have no point values (such as fruits and veggies), with low point values (lean proteins), eating the power foods and saving your points for when you want to eat something good like going out for dinner, a family gathering or something yummy like cake. Last week it slapped me in the face like a wet soggy towel. I wasn't doing it right, until now. I'm eating more protein, more veggies, more fruit and more fiber.

It's also being accountable to what you're putting in your mouth. I write down everything I eat now, right down to the condiments I use such as margarine, mayonnaise or ketchup. I make sure that if I want something to drink it's either diet or water. Until you actually start keeping a food diary, you have no idea how much and what you've been shoving in to it.

My official weigh in is August 22. I'm a little scared but excited at the same time. Will I finally be out of the 260's while only being on this regime for three weeks? I'm also starting to see visible results. My waist line is shrinking, I feel lighter, I feel better and the one thing I couldn't do I now can do - bend down and almost touch my toes without bending my knees. I can tell I'm losing weight because I can see it in my face... my face has always been an indicator of my weight. When I lose it, my face looks thinner... and that is what is starting to look - thinner.

What I want people to understand is this.... I will always struggle with being a fat girl. Even if I don't look it, that fat girl will still be in my brain. It's a day to day constant struggle.... that fat girl wants to sabotage my good eating habits, it wants to make me feel horrible about myself. She will always be there but now I have the tools to make her quiet and realize that being the fat girl is not the girl I want to be. I will still struggle with those demons for years to come. It's going to be a fight to the finish and one I plan on winning.

Will you be behind me while I take this weight loss journey?

Weight Watchers Recap: Week 1

2011-08-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

There you have it. The results for week one. I did pretty good, there were some bumps along the road but I think I did pretty well. Monday is missing because I wrote it down on paper, but misplaced it. I did consume 32 points that day. I'm not doing a weigh in until week three as, for me, it is typical for my weight to fluctuate in the first two weeks. However, I am noticing that inches are coming off the waist and my stomach is starting to look weird. I'm starting to look pregnant and less fat. I ensure you, I'm not pregnant... just the way the fat is coming off my waistline.

Exercise will also start this week. I always liked to start the eating healthy part first and then incorporate exercise afterward. It's always worked. When I was on the Five Factor Diet, I lost 11 pounds in the first week just by eating better and then starting the exercising the week after.

I'm also drinking more water. Well trying to. I hate water... hate it, hate it, hate it. But I'm trying to force myself to drink water.

Sunday I had the worst sugar withdrawal I have ever experienced. So bad, I had to have a little bit of sugar just to take the edge off.

I'm still craving junk food and sugar and if I give in, I make sure to write it down and include it in my points. I was having a horrible day yesterday... it was raining, I had a headache and I felt bleah. I wrote everything down and managed to make my 40 points. It was all healthy food I was eating, though.

I'm still excited to see the results in a year. I'm still very proud of myself for keeping up with this and being accountable for everything I put in my mouth. Proud of taking the time to look up everything I eat in the book and make sure I measure my food. Weight Watchers was the program I've been looking for and it is something that finally works for me!

A new plan, a new me.

2011-08-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've got a secret. It's a good one. Are you ready?

Since Monday I've been doing the Weight Watchers Points Plus program.... and I love it. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time and I finally broke down and did it. While I was on vacation this past weekend my cousin joined; I decided that it was time for me do finally give and do it.

I've been inspired by Sheryl and her success with the program. I know it's not the same for everyone, but her success inspires me to get up and do this. I chatted with her this weekend and she's been really helpful clearing up the confusion. It's a little overwhelming at first, but it's been a bit easier as the days go on by. I'm finding this easier and a little less disappointing than counting calories. I was failing with calories, finding that I was being limited to what I could and could not eat. I'm finding with WW, I can still eat what I like as long as I'm within the means of the guidelines set up in the book. I'm also thrilled that there's a dining out companion.

So here's my deets. I'm pretty proud that I've been following my daily allotted points and being accountable for what I eat.

Daily points for weight loss: 40

Daily points for maintenance: 46

Extra points allowed each week: 49

Now with the extra points, the way it was described to me (and how I understood it), is that I can take from that 49 if I say, dine out, or if I've come close to my points by dinner and would like dessert or a beer afterwards. I also understand that as time goes on, the extra points will dwindle.

I've got a goal. 100lbs to lose by this time next year. My cousin has the same goal. So 200lbs in total for us to lose!

I can do it. I know I can. I finally found a program that I know will work. I'm happy and I KNOW I can follow through!

Let yo backbone slide....

2011-06-30T13:08:00.001-05:00

If you've been keeping up with my blog you are aware of the various medical issues I have been going through, most recently a spine injury. I went through intense chiropractic, physiotherapy and pool therapy to help ease my back pain/issues.

Over the last couple of months I have noticed that I plateaued; it hasn't become any better, and it hasn't become any worse. Although I haven't had any medical treatment since March, I've been doing okay. (Treatment costs money and money is tight right now) Now that I am back to lifting my dad's wheelchair in and out of my car and pushing him around, my back has become extremely angry and from time to time, it will act out of anger and cause a lot of pain.

I've really had enough. I need to become more proactive.

Last week my dad was surfing TeamBuy.ca when a coupon for our city came up to a Spine Pain Clinic. Intrigued about their services, I visited the website and then booked a free consultation.

I think I have found that silver lining.

Today was my free consult and assessment. The doctor found that the L4 and L5 disks are protruding just a little, but enough to give me that pain from time to time and cause the sciatic nerve to flare up. I've been using various yoga positions to help ease it, but with the wheelchair stuff... it's been flaring up. He diagnosed me with a condition that is super long and hard to pronounce. But basically it has to do with the L4/L5.

I am going to start a new treatment - spinal decompression - on the 11th. Spinal decompression works with a machine where you are strapped to a table (your feet), and a computer is programed specifically to your treatment and will gently pull your spine during random intervals to relieve pressure off the disks and allow oxygen and blood flow to get to the disks. I was basically going through the same treatment at physiotherapy but the PT was doing it herself and only for a short time span. This treatment is for 30 minutes.

The doctor is very, very hopeful for this treatment. He said that since I've plateaued, and it's getting better... my spine just needs another kick start to healing and fixing itself. He said I should need about 5-10 treatments (maybe just five), but because of my age and the fact that I am doing stretches at home, I won't need the typical treatment say someone 10 years older than me.

I am also very hopeful. I am all about having your body heal yourself naturally, versus using pain pills to rid the pain. Your body is in pain for a reason and is trying to tell you what is wrong so a doctor can properly diagnose you. This doctor is also very happy to hear that because he refuses to treat his patients with pain medication. I am looking forward to finally solving this huge problem and looking forward being able to move on pain and problem free!

Practice what I preach

2011-06-06T11:59:00.001-05:00

That's me today. Well really, it was taken last night. I am the most careful person when it comes to staying out of the sun. I haven't had a sunburn in 11 years and since my dad had skin cancer two years ago, I've been extra careful and been slathering on sunscreen.

Well, not yesterday. My sister and me headed downtown to support the Pride Festival and when we left it was super cloudy with some spotty showers. The clouds looked like they were going to unleash a storm, but when we got downtown about an hour later.... the clouds disappeared and the sun was out. It was a tad chilly so for a good chunk of the afternoon I was covered up in a hoodie. Then it got really hot and I had to take it off.

Needless to say I am disappointed in myself. The one day I do not put sunscreen on, I burn to a crisp. My face, my chest, and my arms. I've been draped in cold face cloth's, taking Advil, slathering on aloe vera and staying out of the sun.

The only thing that hurts this morning is my chest and my arms. My face feels like how Donatella Versace looks - tight and leathery.

Stay out of the sun folks... or this is what happens.

Sunburn care tip: Place your aloe gel in the refrigerator. Aloe already cools the burn, but the extra chill from the fridge makes it feel even better.

nothing but good...

2011-05-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you're a reader of Iowa Girl Eats, then you know that Kristin LOVES Chobani Greek yogurt. So while I was in the U.S. this past weekend, I had to find out what all the fuss was about.

I AM NOW IN LOVE WITH CHOBANI YOGURT!

It is so creamy, so delicious and the fruit makes it even more delicious. I've tried a few Greek yogurts before and this doesn't compare... it's better!

Pineapple is my favorite. It reminds me of a pineapple dessert an aunt always made for family dinners (almost like fluff...). The best thing about this yogurt is that it has twice the amount of protein than other yogurt; the more the protein, the less hungry you are in between meals. I recommend eating Chobani between meals so you're not snacking incessantly. I ate it as a snack between breakfast and lunch on Friday and didn't feel like eating anything else until lunch... In fact, I even ate lunch late.

Kristin suggested that I try the mango... and I love that one too! I also have dark cherry as well! I brought back four, now I only have two left. The great thing about this yogurt (besides the protein) is there is no preservatives or additives in it! It's all good ingredients, natural sugars from the fruit and cane juice instead of high fructose corn syrup that can be found in other yogurt.

Here's even more great news.... Chobani is coming to Canada! I'm not sure when, but Chobani tweeted me about it today. I sure hope a store here carries it... I love this stuff and I need more. Like their slogan says, Chobani is nothing but good!

Fatty is away....

2011-05-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Back next week!

Getting better day by day....

2011-05-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

I am not going to lie... the one pound loss still stings. It has this lingering effect and I wonder when it will ever go away. But it's okay because I'm starting to feel and notice a difference already. I started eating better the last week of April and now that May is coming to a close, it's becoming easier to make better food choices.

Take today for example. For breakfast I had one cup of Honey & Oat Special K and a 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk with it. Lunch was a salad with chicken breast, various veggies, dried cranberries and a new Kraft Dressing - mango & chipotle. Tasty! I originally planned on having a side of pasta that my sister cooked up for last night's dinner, but after plugging that in to my Calorie Count database it would be too close to my total calorie intake for the day... and it's not even dinner! I decided against it. The salad was delicious on its own.

I also wanted to have an apple and a few strawberries for dessert, but I decided to move that to a 3pm snack since I was full after eating that delicious salad. Here are more examples of what I'm eating:

Four chicken fingers broken in to smaller pieces, french fries and homemade dill dipping sauce with low-fat mayo.

Scrambled egg burrito on a whole grain wrap with mushrooms, cheese, crab meat, honey ham slice; side of strawberries and Canadian bacon.

I eat breakfast everyday and that is the most IMPORTANT thing to do when trying to eat weight loss. Eating breakfast will kick start your metabolism. I'm also drinking more water, even if I don't like water. It's becoming increasingly warm outside (with the exception to today... brrr) and my body is craving water instead of soda or sugary beverages.

Daily walks are also becoming a staple in my routine. Even the dog is getting in on the action!

I try to walk for twenty minutes every day, depending on the weather. Lately it's been warm so the duration has been limited.

I am happy that I am finally seeing visible results. I also feel it. I feel a little lighter, a little thinner and a whole whack better. I can stick both hands down my jeans... that is progress!

Let's get real for a second....

2011-05-19T12:30:00.003-05:00

Can we talk? I am seriously frustrated, I've finally reached that point where I'm ready to give up and throw in that proverbial towel.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday to see if a cut on my foot is infected (it is, just a tad) and while there I asked to be weighed. I lost a 1.5 pound since last month.

THAT'S IT? WHAT. THE. HELL.

I'm also tired of people telling me, "Oh, but a pound is something to celebrate!" I'm really tired of that. I am tired of seeing just a pound here and a pound there. I once lost 11 pounds in one week. Now it's down to a pound a month.

I walk twice a week (I really need to increase that to everyday, I have to be very careful of my knee joints), I'm still eating really well. One freaking pound. I am loosing more inches of my waist than fat. CAN I PLEASE LOSE FAT AND STOP WITH THE INCHES? FAT. NOT INCHES!

What I've done with my diet so far:

Cut refined sugar and I eat fruit and veggies with natural sugar
Cut processed foods
Cut coffee (haven't had a cup in two weeks)
Cut soda (went a little crazy last week with iced tea at dinner with a friend)
More protein (my veggie intake is the same as I loooove veggies)
Cut dairy
Reeeallly cut fat intake
Ensure that I eat a nutritious breakfast every morning

It's all frustration that I'm feeling. I've been battling with my weight since I was a kid and I feel like I'm not going anywhere. I am going to keep going with it, but damnit... I can has a fricken bone? (Love those LOLcats)

I am by no means giving up, I just wanted to vent my frustration. It is indeed very, very frustrating.

A little break

2011-05-05T11:05:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a little blogging break as my dad is currently in the hospital. I shall return!

Sweet treat that is just enough....

2011-04-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was at the grocery store looking for something to make for lunch. I was really craving meatless tacos so I picked up another package of Yves Ground Mexican, tortillas, and iced tea and lemonade (I wanted to make my own iced tea lemonade instead of buying one from Starbucks). I also wanted something sweet, a sweet treat for after lunch. I headed to the frozen food section and scanned the ice cream cases. I didn't want a whole container of ice cream because I am starting to watch what I eat and a whole carton of ice cream sitting in the freezer would seriously taunt me. Then I found this....

Mini Skinny Cow ice cream tub in Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It is equivalent to one scoop and it's AMAZING! Just this little amount of ice cream satisfied my sweet tooth and I was done with wanting sweets for the rest of the day. 136 calories and low in fat. That's definitely a plus in my books!

I'm also back using calorie counter and I it is now on my iPod. The iPod app has the same features that is on the website, but it also grades your entire day. For the last two days I have scored a B+ and A, respectively. I've been well within my daily caloric intake for the day (with exception to yesterday, as over by 200 calories) and I just love how it grades you.

Last night we had a very yummy dinner consisting of barbecue steak, Caesar salad, green beans and baked potato with light sour cream and margarine. It was very tasty.

I love spring/summer. I can turn the barbecue on and enjoy grilling. The oven and stove aren't on as often as they are in the winter and the taste of barbecue is heavenly.

Do you like barbecue? What is your favorite thing to grill?

Gonna make you sweat till you bleed....

2011-04-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

This morning I went for a twenty-minute walk around the neighborhood with my sister and our dog. Thanks Nike+ for dumping my results. It was a lovely walk, even the dog enjoyed it, and I've decided to do it every day for the next month. When I was walking three times a week on campus, I was noticing results. My waistline was shrinking and I actually had curves and not blobs. My butt was also starting to look pretty rad.

When we came back I was all sweaty and dirty. My face felt especially dirty since I had sunscreen on, but I forgot how awesome I felt after a workout and was sweating. It made me feel... alive. It also helps me eat better. After showering I made breakfast - three egg white scramble with sauteed green peppers and mushrooms with garlic, slice of whole grain toast and tomato, with a 1/2 cup yogurt. When I work out, I always eat better and I think I need to start this again.

Now I need to figure out what to eat for lunch (probably a cucumber sandwich) and for dinner. I think dinner might be fish and veggies with brown rice (that 10 minute brown rice from Uncle Ben's is really good). Later tonight I am going to make overnight oats (rolled oats + soy milk + vanilla extract + chia seeds + mashed banana = sooooo good) to eat for breakfast tomorrow. The forecast calls for rain so when I go to the mall tomorrow I'm going to have that as my walk.

My spring/summer plan is in action! Going to keep to it and be accountable!

P.S. It's that time of the year again when you should be wearing sunscreen all the time. Especially on your face. You should be wearing at least a 30SPF moisturizer. This is my favorite brand and it doesn't aggravate my dry sensitive skin. Plus I find it's not oily or greasy as some can be.

Wrist update

2011-04-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

The wrist has been doing pretty good since my last follow-up. It hurts from time to time but that's probably because I smacked it against something or forget that I can't use that hand to open doors. Today I learned that I still cannot hold something heavy in it; trying to carry a reusable bag with bottles of soda proved, well, trying. Sore and achy.

Surprisingly typing is helping the process of rehabilitation. The athletic therapist said that typing will help strengthen the muscles and take that elastic band feeling out of my hand. Daily exercises are going well, my hand at times doesn't want to complete any of it but I keep on pressing on. I want full dexterity back in that hand.

Besides the lifting and turning motions, it still doesn't like certain positions and tells me quickly when the hand becomes aggravated. All in all everything is going well. Although, I wish the random twitching of fingers would stop. It's getting a tad annoying when you're typing and suddenly one of the finger spasms and instead of a single letter it streams a line of that letter. AAAAAAAAAAAAnnoying. ;)

A little housekeeping & an update...

2011-04-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

What do you think of the new blog design? I've always wanted something that mirrored a diary (hello!), after all this blog is called Diary of a Fatty.

I've added an "About Me" section and soon I will have an area for recipes that I make and want to share with you.

Saturday my sister and me headed just a tad south of the city to check out our floodway. Our river is high because of flood waters heading north due to the flooding in Fargo, ND. The floodway was built in the 60's, diverts water around the city via the "floodway" and has saved us from numerous flood disasters (1997 being the biggest and 2009, the flood now is close to 09 levels). When the floodway is operational vehicles are prohibited over the bridge that controls the flood gates. I parked the car along the side of the road and walked a half mile. Walking back was another half mile, so I walked in total of one mile. I haven't done that in two years (not completely my fault - injured spine). I decided that since accomplishing the mile walk, and not being sore afterward, I'm going to start walking again. Sans gym membership. I'll walk around the block a couple of times. It's spring! The snow is gone and the weather is beautiful. Saturday was also our cheat day. We had ice cream for lunch, followed by candy. We're suckers (pardon the pun) for candy. It's our kryptonite.

I hope you had a splendid weekend. We sure did!

Converted part two

2011-03-29T09:54:00.000-05:00

I've now sworn off ground beef for tacos. Yesterday I went to the store to buy meatless taco meat and let me tell you... it is so much better than beef meat! It has the taste and texture of beef meat; the spices are already added and the flavor is amazing. I love how it tricks your brain in to thinking it's actually beef!

I found it a little too spicy, but I added hummus to replace sour cream and that cooled in down. I also made a side of Mexican rice and last night's dinner was perfect. My parents even loved it and said they would like to have a taco night with this alternative.

I just want to make it clear that I am not becoming a vegan, I am simply cutting down my red meat consumption (I was eating a lot) and trying new alternatives. I will still have steak once and a while, I will still eat chicken and fish.

Call me converted!

2011-03-25T20:37:00.001-05:00

Farewell meat burgers, but you're no longer welcome in my home. I am now a fully converted veggie burger eater and the above pictured burger is now my favorite. The taste and texture is very similar to a beef burger, but it has more flavor that I expected. I now plan on buying mushrooms and making my own mushroom burgers at home.

I'm also on a healthy eating kick, still. Over the last few weeks I've tried my best at eating well (ignore the bag of Cheetos and Dr. Pepper the other day... I was a little emotional. Don't judge me, it still happens but not all the time).

These are the groceries I bought today:

Balkan Yogurt
Light cream cheese
2 cans chickpeas
2 tangerines
Multigrain thin burger buns
Multigrain bagels
Mushroom & Rice veggie burgers
Vanilla soy milk

I had a great idea to make my own hummus but when I came home, I found that I didn't have olive oil. Bummer. Will have to buy. A show on Food Network said that yogurt can replace the tahini that is typically found in store bought hummus. Can you believe that I've never had a tangerine before in my life?! Yeah. Scandalous. They sure are tasty and are now my favorite snack. I like them better than a typical orange, probably because they're so close to the mandarin oranges you get around Christmas. Soy milk is absolutely my favorite in Cheerios. I like it better than cow milk. I need to make a smoothie. Mmm, smoothie.

Look ma, no cast!

2011-03-17T19:39:00.000-05:00

Look peoples, it's off! Well, kind of. I can keep the cast off while I'm at home. I have a list of exercises that I am required to do to keep jump start the muscles and tendons working again. When I go outside, shopping, or ride the bus, I have to put it on to avoid falling and re-breaking it or have someone smack in to it. I also have to wear it to bed because I move a lot in my sleep and they don't want me rolling it and having it break under my weight.

It's getting better, but it's a slow process. The range of motion is improving but not by much. The doctor brought in a specialist to examine my arm and the specialist said that the cartilage was also damaged - it's really rough and bumpy (where as it should be smooth) and the muscles, tendons and bones cannot glide over it well. This is also causing the pain.

I'm thrilled to have it off. It was getting tedious when doing daily tasks, I was slow at school getting things out of my backpack or notebook, and I couldn't grab things with that hand when I needed it. It feels great. Plus I can get rid of that nasty cast smell.

I go back in two weeks for another follow-up. If it is still taking time to heal, the doctor is going to see if surgery will be needed to mend the tendons, cartilage and bone chip.

I love freedom!

Picture speaks for itself

2011-03-07T09:33:00.000-06:00

- Post From My iPhone

Where I be...

2011-03-01T17:27:00.000-06:00

It's been pretty quiet around here... I've got a good reason for it too. Remember my wrist/hand issues? Well it finally became a huge problem that I went to a clinic that specializes in bone/muscular injuries.

This is how I spent the last two weeks....

In a cast. Nice.

The wrist was fractured after all and the third and fourth metacarpal bone was fractured as well. The cast has a tensor because it wasn't a complete cast - my forearm is too big for a complete cast and a complete one would fall right off. The put a half cast on and tightened it with a tensor. I also missed school for the first week (week two was spring break) due to the pain (I was on percoset).

I went back today for a follow up hoping it would come off... nope. It's still broken (but healing) and a new X-ray revealed a bone chip lying between the wrist and fourth metacarpal... it also punctured a tendon. I've got a new cast and go back in two weeks for another follow-up. If it's still damaged and the chip hasn't healed, I have to have surgery to fix it all.

Blogging has been put on hold. It's hard to churn a post with just one hand.

A broken arm is easier at 8 than 28. Your mom doesn't do everything for you like she used too, except my mom (and sister) is still cutting my food (and PBJ sandwiches) for me. Hah!

Boourns!

2011-02-09T20:45:00.000-06:00

I finally went to the doctor to see what was up with this bum hand. The pain was getting worse and worse as the days went on and I swore that it was broken. Or at least fractured. I couldn't hold anything glass in the left hand for fear of dropping it; already dropping items, I stopped holding things in that hand all together.

The good news is that the wrist is not broken. The bad news is I have a severe case of tendinitis. Sucks. I'm supposed to go for physiotherapy; however, I cannot afford it. I have to pay for it first and then submit my insurance claim, but I don't have the $50. And I'm supposed to go every week. I did, however, get a splint. That I didn't have to pay for. I saved $36 because the provincial health department will pay for a medical device, such as the splint, if I have a prescription for it. It has to stay on all day. Not only do I have a brace, I have a topical cream I have to apply three times a week to relieve the pain.

Oi.

I'm not a happy camper. I've had the splint for four hours already and it feels like I am so feeble. We had steak for dinner and my sister had to cut it for me. I remember when I was 8 and broke my right arm, life was so easy then! My mom helped me get dressed, brushed my hair, tied my shoes, cut my food.... yeah, it was great. Now I'm 28 and have to try to fend for myself. Tendinitis can suck it.

Definitely not a thumbs up!

So sexy.

Dear....

2011-02-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

University students, the citizens whom take public transit, people in doctor's offices, and employees....

Keep your germs to yourself. Do not cough and not cover your mouth, sneeze in to your hands and then touch things, sneeze and not cover your mouth, cough or sneeze at me.

I like going to school and I like learning. I've already missed classes due to being sick. I would like to go back and living in a bubble is not going to be my only option.

If you're sick, stay home and don't bring your germy-germs with you. Sick days are there for you to use them, properly. Students... it's okay to miss a few class. Find a classmate to buddy with and ask for notes.

I'm turning in to a pile of goo hanging on the couch for too long.

Trying something new

2011-02-03T18:16:00.000-06:00

As a family we are starting to eat healthier. As kids, my sister and I didn't eat very well - I favored candy from the corner store, massive amounts of potato chips and in high school I was always at the McDonald's across the street. My weight problems have always been medical, eating too much and as I got older, not exercising enough. As a kid I was always outside playing and in school I was always involved in some type of sport - floor hockey, softball (I was on a school team from the fourth grade until the ninth), and volley ball.

As a family unit, we ate poorly. We favored the twenty-five cent hamburgers from McDonald's, greasy fried food and while we always had veggies and fruit in the house, it was out numbered by the bags of potato chips. After my dad's heart surgery was when I tried to eat well, not only for his sake, our sake, but my sake. After years of eating poorly, it was difficult to get it in my head to eat better. Now it's time to make up for all the bad I've done and start to eat better - all of us.

My sister and I cook the majority of the meals, this way we know we're eating healthy food and it's cooked healthy. We're buying more vegetables and fruit, leaner meats, trying different recipes, eating organic foods (mostly thin skinned fruit) and also trying different food. Today I bought vegan burgers. I've had a few over the years and they ranked from horrible to pretty darn tasty. While grocery shopping I came across the tiny organic/vegan section of the grocery store and found some pretty great things that I am excited to try. I purchased a box of veggie burgers and a Larabar for a snack at school tomorrow. Iowa Girl Eats is always posting about them, so I thought I would give them a try. For me, it's difficult. Most of the Larabars have almonds in it and I can't eat almonds (although I had chocolate covered almonds the other day without knowing and nothing happened). I found one with cashews. Looking forward to trying it!

I prepared a veggie burger for lunch this afternoon and it was DELICIOUS! Instead of mayo I put tzatziki sauce and guacamole, with ketchup and mustard. I will definitely be buying these more often.

By no means am I turning in to a vegan, I'm just trying new things. I will still continue to eat meat, but a little more leaner. I would also like to eat more organic meat. I'm a little disturbed by the amounts of antibiotics that are being fed to cattle. I know I don't have to eat exclusively organic meat, as there are meat producers that ban the use of antibiotics being fed to their cattle. I also can no longer drink milk and I have to visit my allergist to see why. I'm not allergic to milk, but for some reason my kidneys cannot filter milk through them without spasming. It's quite painful. Instead of cow milk we now have soy milk in the house. I can still eat cheese, for now.

Tonight my sister is whipping up a fantastic meal - Linguine Alfredo with sauteed peppers, garlic toast (home made and not store bought) and a tossed salad. Tomorrow we might have fish and rice. I love meal planning now. We're back at it and we're happy we're continuing with it.

C is for cookies and F is for fat!

2011-01-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I met a great group of people and we exchanged cookies. That's my haul. My old self would have devoured the whole thing in one sitting; the new self limited herself to five. That's a change... right?! Right!?

Healthy Eating: Mexican Rice

2011-01-24T12:00:00.006-06:00

(feeds four)

What you need

2 cups of white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 medium Spanish onion halved, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil

What to do

(Typically when I made the rice I use the pot that I cooked the tomato sauce for the enchiladas, the left over remnants of the sauce gives the rice extra flavor.)

On medium-high heat to the add the olive oil and rice, mix the rice and oil until all its coated. Add diced onions, garlic, cumin and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook on medium-high for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. At the last two-minute mark add paprika, blend. After the rice is done cooking, turn off heat and stir rice. Let sit for five minutes.

This rice is really, really good. I've had different types of Mexican rice - authentic Mexican restaurant rice in the U.S., Taco Bell, Rice-A-Roni, Uncle Ben's. All that rice is really salty and this recipe, there is NO extra salt added only except for what is in the chicken broth (I use the reduced sodium broth). If you like the rice spicy you can add chili powder and add as much as you like. This recipe also called for diced red bell peppers, but at the time I first made it I didn't have bell peppers so I just cooked the recipe as above.

I'm not religious, but I subscribe to the Church of the Green Bay Packers

2011-01-23T15:13:00.001-06:00

GOOOO PACKERS!

Yes, I'm from Canada. No I don't like the CFL. Watching the CFL is like watching ballet on a football field. The Packers have always been my team since I was in junior high and they always will be. Sure I've watched a couple of Vikings games, but can you blame me when the NFL hardly airs Packer games?

So that shirt.... I've had since the 12th grade. As you can see, it has seen much better days. I joke that it's full of holes because the team is Holy. That shirt used to be tight on me, now it's swimming and I even have a long-sleeved shirt underneath it. Whatever I'm doing, I must be doing something right!

Healthy Eating: Chicken pasta bake

2011-01-20T17:14:00.002-06:00

(Feeds four)

Ingredients

1 package rigatoni pasta

3 boneless chicken breast

half Spanish onion

3 gloves garlic

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1 bottle pasta sauce (might not need it all, eyeball)

Baking dish (all I know mine is rectangular, could be 9x13)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

In a large pot add water (1/2 pot), 2 garlic cloves halved, oregano, basil, mustard power, onions (sliced), and paprika. Bring water to a boil and add chicken breast - boil for eight minutes. Remove from water and let sit for two minutes. Shred chicken and set aside. Remove onions from water and set aside as you will add this to your pasta mix.

In a large pot, bring slightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for six minutes. You want the pasta el dente, the pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and put pasta back in pot.

Take the remainder glove and slice, rub clove inside the baking dish. Spray with cooking spray.

In the pot you cooked the pasta in add the shredded chicken, onions and pasta sauce. Mix well and transfer to baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

I served this with a side of home made garlic toast and added a tablespoon of light sour cream on top of my pasta. It was tasty and pretty filling.

Updates, updates.....

2011-01-18T20:39:00.000-06:00

I went to the doctor's today to see if the kidney infection is going away, it is... The bacterial count from two weeks ago was 725 and today was 52. My doctor is sending away the cultures to be further examined to see if I should be on another week of antibiotics or not, he's also getting the cultures checked for evidence of kidney stones. I am 100% positive I passed on Sunday night. I was in pain (not too much, but enough to stop moving for two minutes), and I felt something sharp move along my left side. It felt exactly like 10 years ago when I was passing gallstones. My doctor said that this could be why I had a kidney infection and even if the culture doesn't show stones, I'm going for an ultrasound.

The quest to eat well is still going strong. I am so proud of myself. Tonight I made baked beer battered (more like crusted) fish with a side of baked sweet potato fries. It was so good and I couldn't finish all the fries. I miss fish and chips. When I was little my parents and I went out for traditional fish and chips all the time, I miss that. I suggested to my parents that we should have a fish and chip night some time soon.... they agreed. If you're wondering what I used for the crust it was 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp cayenne pepper (this was a little spicy, so next time I'm using 1/2 tsp); the batter consisted of 4 eggs and 1/2 cup of beer. I coated the fish twice... it was soooo good and so melt in the mouth. I baked the fish for 15 minutes and let it rest for five. I served it with a side of tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

I've noticed that in eating right, I have been losing inches off my weight. I'm on the third notch in the belt and closing in to the fourth. I have to throw my jeans in to the dryer to shrink them because they're becoming super loose. So happy.

Rubbish....

2011-01-18T19:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry National Post, but people make people fat. Not Wal-Mart.

Walmart makes communities fat: data
Shannon Proudfoot, Postmedia News · Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011
Walmart supercentres offer expanding waistlines and strained buttons along with inexpensive housewares, clothing and electronics, new research suggests.

Two economists tracked extensive health and population data between 1996 and 2005, a period in which 1,569 supercentres — which sell groceries along with household products — opened across the U.S.
Of Walmart’s 323 stores in Canada, 119 are supercentres.

One new Walmart supercentre per 100,000 residents meant an average weight gain of 1.5 pounds per person, they found. It also boosted the obesity rate by 2.3 percentage points, meaning that for every 100 people, two who weren’t obese ended up in that category after a superstore opened.

“I think the most obvious story is that Walmart lowers the price of foods and a lot of the foods it has big price advantages on are the processed, inner-aisle types of food that aren’t that good for you,” said Charles Courtemanche, an assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“It’s not just about Walmart underselling the competitor. It’s about the competitors cutting their prices in response to competition from Walmart. Someone might never step foot in a Walmart but they still might pay less for their food.”

Women, low-income families and people living in less densely populated areas are those most likely to put on weight after the arrival of a supercentre, according to Courtemanche and his co-author, Art Carden at Rhodes College.

The researchers incorporated a variety of controls and tests in their study to ensure that other characteristics of the communities studied could have explained the weight gain.

While the most obvious explanation is that cheaper food leads to more eating, Courtemanche said further research is needed to tease out the exact connection between Walmart supercentres and obesity. It could be a combination of diet and exercise, he said, noting that their previous research has shown Walmart’s product offerings influence leisure activities — with people buying and watching more DVDs, for instance, after a Walmart moves into town and offers them cheaply.

It’s also possible that prices drop more steeply on processed foods than they do on fresh fruit and vegetables after Walmart’s arrival, he suggested. Previous research has estimated that Walmart causes prices to drop by between eight and 27 per cent across the board, he said.

“We don’t want people to look at this and immediately say Walmart is evil. We want people to realize this is one of many things that are going on, and maybe some are good and some are bad,”he said. “Certainly our results should not be taken as, ‘Ban all Walmarts.’ It’s part of a very broad debate.”

Courtemanche said he believes Walmart supercentres in Canada would follow similar trends, and it’s possible the effects would be heightened because Canada has a lower population density: the study found that people in more sparsely populated places are more likely to gain weight when a supercentre arrives.

“These weight gains seem to be concentrated among people at the highest risk of being obese, so you’re kind of maximizing the impact on obesity you could get from such modest increases in weight,” he said. “It might be only one out of five people who is gaining any weight, but that one person is gaining 10 pounds.”

The research will be published in the March issue of the Journal of Urban Economics. Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/Walmart+makes+communities+data/4128695/story.html#ixzz1BRKP9KTE

An update...

2011-01-07T20:53:00.000-06:00

I was at the doctor's office today because I was pretty sure I had a kidney or UTI infection. It felt like someone was squeezing the life out of my kidney and I had the urge to go to the bathroom all the time, but 99% of the time I didn't have to go.

After I did a urine test, preliminary results showed that I have an infection.... ON TOP of having the flu. Lovely. No wonder I was so wiped the last couple of days. I'm on antibiotics for the next seven days.

I also talked to him about my hands and told him they turn white. When I got in to the office I was seen right away as no one was there; I just came out of the cold so my hands were bright red. He is 99.9% positive I have Raynaud's. I didn't mention it to him, he said it first. I was sent for bloodwork to test for it and arthritis.

I've also lost four pounds since August. I now weigh 264. Sure some might say, "Well it probably fluctuated since then." True, but for me it's FOUR FREAKING POUNDS! I'm also happy that when I was stressed out I didn't emotionally eat and that over the holidays I did very well! I've been eating very, very well over the last week and while I haven't done any exercising due to being sick, I've done great. Lunges that I have done are starting to make my butt look and feel smaller (I need new jeans because the ones I have the butt part makes it look worse than it is), my legs and thighs are getting toned.

Have an enjoyable weekend everyone!

Tis the season, to be sick

2011-01-04T20:55:00.000-06:00

Hello loves! I thought I would pop in to let everyone know what I've been up to lately and catch everyone up to speed.

Christmas was nice and quiet. This year it was just myself, mom, dad, sister and we can't forget out dog! Since I was born we were always at Christmas gatherings at family member's houses, and while I had the best memories from them, we just decided it was going to be the five of us and that was it. It was absolutely simple and so relaxing. This year for me it finally felt like Christmas since the death of my grandparents. Both died weeks before Christmas (grandpa in 2002, grandma in 2008) and it was really hard, especially after grandma died. They always came over for Christmas and without them, it was so empty. I put on my brave face the first Christmas without them both, but I was empty. I just didn't feel like celebrating. I found pictures from that day and the expressions on our faces were sadness and emptiness. This year dad agreed to buy a real tree (we had a fake one for four years) and it sat so pretty in our living room this year, despite it dying shortly after Christmas.

New Year's was the same. Just the five of us and the ball dropping in Times Square.

New Year's Day was when it all changed. That evening I felt really really sick. I went to bed and couldn't sleep.I've got the flu. Needless to say, I've been sick since then and haven't really gone anywhere. Tomorrow is the first day back to school (don't get me started on that topic, there's been issues) and I'm not well enough to go. I woke up this morning with a weird feeling in my throat and now it feels sandy and gloopy. It's just gross. The flu shot I got in November is keeping the fever very low and preventing me from hurling, but I am very nauseated. I've been able to eat solid foods, but I'm keeping that ratio to more liquid than solid. My coffee table is full of ginger-ale bottles and tissue, typical of someone being sick. A lot of people I know are sick too, so I'm glad it's just not me!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.005-06:00

May 2011 be filled with happiness, joy, love, fun, excitement, good friends and good times!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T07:00:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas to my readers! I hope that your day turns out to be a good one! Today is okay to stuff your face... it's Christmas!

Dear Hands: I finally figured out what's wrong with you!

2010-12-22T22:15:00.003-06:00

Remember this post I wrote about the troubles I've been having with my hands lately? Well, I have finally come up with an answer. This morning before I went out to run errands I was watching The Today Show; shortly after 8, they mentioned that they would talk about a syndrome that affects your hands and feet during the cold months. I couldn't stick around to watch it, so I went online and watched it tonight.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Raynaud's Phenomenon is more prevalent in women more than men; there are two causes - one is just the phenomenon itself, the second is from a secondary cause - arthritis, medication, carpal tunnel. The symptoms as outlined in the video above, are as follows:

Fingers and toes will turn white or blue when exposed to the cold, then will turn red when they start to warm up
Numbness
Pain
When warmed, fingers/toes will become swollen and tingly

Raynaud's is divided in to two categories - disease or syndrome. It is labeled as a disease when it has no secondary cause attached to it (carpal tunnel, arthritis, scleroderma, etc); syndrome is labeled when a secondary cause is present.

How can it be prevented? In the winter, bundle up! Mittens and hand warmers are excellent (my thick insulated mittens and thermal socks have been helping a lot!). Raynaud's is also linked to stress. Find ways to reduce stress. Stay out of the cold when possible. Caffeine is also another link, avoid caffeine or excessive amounts.

I am going to make an appointment with my doctor next week to discuss this. No wonder he was asking me about color changes in my hand! I couldn't figure that one out... Today when I was out, even though the weather was slightly mild, my fingers were pale.

I knew I wasn't crazy. Just gotta keep those mittens on!

Crap comes my way, I handle it well.

2010-12-20T15:35:00.000-06:00

I have had crap thrown at me lately and I'm handling it pretty well. Sure I break down and cry a monsoon, but I have not, not even once, done any emotional eating.

THIS is a huge accomplishment. I've come a long way, baby!

Hypoglycemia: Getting through the winter months

2010-12-12T08:00:00.042-06:00

I've got hypoglycemia. What is that, you might ask? Hypoglycemia is typically connected with people who have diabetes, but you can have hypoglycemia and not have diabetes. Hypoglycemia is lower than usual blood glucose levels and can be caused by types of medication you might be taking, too much alcohol, stomach surgery, diseases that affect the liver and pancreas, and thyroid issues just to name a few. Both my parents are diabetics; dad was diagnosed in the early 90's, whereas my mom was diagnosed in the last two years. Because diabetes runs in the family (both grandmother's had it and my brother has type 1 juvenile diabetes), my sister and I have to get tested every year and we have to be mindful of the symptoms - frequent urination, dizziness, constantly thirsty, weight change, blurred vision and extreme fatigue. When I went in for the annual testing a few years ago the blood results came back not with diabetes, but with hypoglycemia.

I had to make sure that I kept my glucose levels in check and made sure they didn't drop below 4.0 mmol (normal is between 4.5-6.5; with 4.0 being the "iffy" stage). I had to eat breakfast all the time and not skip it, oatmeal has always been the trick for me. I also had to make sure that I didn't exercise on an empty or near-empty stomach; most importantly I had to watch my sugar in take. If you ingest too much sugar and not a proper balance of sugar and carbs, that can make your blood glucose sky rocket then crash. Proper exercise is also key.

I discovered that hypoglycemia, for myself, shows its ugly face in winter. In winter we typically eat too much or not the right foods and exercising is infrequent. We just want to stay inside and hibernate all winter-long until the snow melts in the spring. I hate the cold, so I don't venture out as much when it's nice and warm in the summer. I need to start working on improving that. I need to eat a well balanced meal - fiber, protein and a healthy amount of carbs. I also need to limit my sugar in take (especially bad around Christmastime); getting back to the gym is also something I need to work on. I'm hoping I can get back to swimming/aquacise next month.

Not only do I have to eat right and exercise regularly, I also have to monitor my glucose levels through out the day. It's a pain in the rear to keep poking your finger (you can now test on the palms of your hand, but I cannot milk blood from that area), but I need to make sure the levels are where my doctor tells me they should be. Earlier this year, my glucose monitor conked out... it was a few years old. Last week I purchased a new one (monitor is free with the purchase of glucose testing strips), including lancets and the testing strips. I also have to carry the monitor with me at all times, most importantly, when I venture outside my home.

Lately I am finding my blood glucose levels drop over night; I wake up in the middle of the night hungry and sometimes jittery - case in point, last night. I went to bed at 1am and tested my blood levels, they read 3.8. I didn't do much because I had a snack around 10pm (late I know, but I forgot to eat a snack around 8). A small snack typically helps with the low glucose levels over night. Doing nothing, I went to bed. Well at least tried to. I woke up an hour later jittery with my heart beating fast; it freaked me right out. With something not feeling right, I tested my blood - it was 6.5. My blood glucose levels shot up too fast in a short time span, my pancreas freaked out. I got out of bed and retrieved a glass of water; my doctor said that when you're hypoglycemic (works with diabetes too, case by case only), a glass of water will help bring down the glucose levels. It always works for me when the levels are too high. I felt much better a half hour after I had a half cup of water.

I need to start having a snack two hours before bed, a snack that contains proper carbs - a piece of bread with some peanut butter on it, a few crackers, or an apple sliced with peanut butter on the side. I can't keep waking up in the middle of the night jittery, hungry and feeling like crap. Winter sucks.

Crickity crack.... Part Two

2010-12-08T20:40:00.000-06:00

Remember my previous post about the cold and my joints? Well, it's back. It has been quite cold the last few days and my hands and feet have been suffering, now my back is joining the lineup. Today was quite bad... and I mean really bad. I had to wear my insulated mittens when I was outside on campus - from my car to each building. When I got home this evening I had to bring back the recycling bins back inside; I didn't wear my gloves and suffered. My hands were ice cold and so sore that I could not lock the garage door.

The other day I was at the doctor with my dad (we have the same physician) and discussed the issues I've been having lately. He doesn't suspect arthritis, but he thinks for my hands it is the carpal tunnel acting up; for my feet is the previously broken ankle and foot bones, and the same for my back. He wants me to keep an eye on it and if my hand changes color (apparently with arthritis in the hands, they change color?!), I need to come back in for bloodwork. For now he suggested Tylenol Arthritis or Advil. I don't like taking Tylenol, so Advil it is. I am also taking glucosamine. He said it has worked for a lot of his patients and to give it a try.

My last resort is medication. I don't want to go there. If there are any vitamins or natural remedies, I am willing to try it. We're so willing to medicate, medicate, medicate and not even allow our bodies to try healing itself. I know there are some instances when you need medication, but we are an over medicated nation. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes with the glucosamine. I'm hoping it works, at this point... I really need it to work.

Blog Break

2010-12-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a blog break. It's finals time and I need to focus. Writing two blogs is difficult, but writing two blogs AND studying is more difficult. If you want to know what's going on during this time, head on over to my other blog: Northern Belle.

Bed time Yoga

2010-11-24T19:04:00.000-06:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;U&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

The last couple of nights before bed, I've engaged in bed time yoga. The video above illustrates some yoga poses that you can do in your bed, before you head off to sleepy land.

I did have one problem. I was so relaxed that last night I woke up two hours later feeling great and feeling like it was 7am! Body hasn't become accustom to it just yet.

Here is some yoga you can do in the morning as well!

Crickity crack....

2010-11-18T21:32:00.000-06:00

As I get older I am finding that the cold winter air does not agree with my joints. No, I'm pretty sure it's not arthritis, but rather all the bones/joints I have injured protesting in haste. Or maybe it is early signs of arthritis. At any rate, I'm getting that checked out.

Today was the first day of snowfall that is actually sticking, and pretty much staying. Both the ankle and foot I broke, is stiff and hurts. The carpal tunnel is rebelling at rapid rates making the hands stiff and sore. Same goes for my knees and lower back. I somehow extended my elbow and now that hurts. I was all nice and toasty warm at work until I headed outside in the cold. I spent a half hour in the car cold because my vent knob broke and couldn't let the air circulate properly. It took an hour after I returned home for my feet to warm up, and I have been under a blanket since then.

I used to like winter. Now I do not. My dog would argue that it is the best season of the year, if he could.

Perhaps it's time I pack up and flock to Florida with the rest of the seniors. At this rate, I feel like I'm 82 and not 28.

A need to get back to the gym

2010-11-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

I haven't been to the gym since the first week of September. The membership expired and I didn't have the money to renew it.

I miss it. My immune system is taking a hit now that I am not regularly working out. I've had two colds, a sinus infection and now a viral throat infection since I've stopped going to the gym. It's not just the season for getting colds, last year when I was in the gym at this time... I had ZERO illnesses. Not even a single cold or flu. When I would regularly visit the gym, I ate better. Last week I had a bad eating week, you can say it was emotional eating - I failed two midterms and I was having issues with student aid and personal fiances.

I miss swimming. While I'm starting to incorporate weights, the swimming is my main source of physical activity. Walking around campus three times a week has been helping too... I desperately need money to buy new pants. My size 20 jeans are starting to fall off my hips and my t shirts are starting to make me look boxy. I'm swimming in them.

I hope that my finances in the next couple of weeks can at least give me three months worth of gym time. That would bring me in to February where I would get more money and could renew for another three months.

I never thought I would say that I miss going to the gym. I was the kid who hated gym class. Here's the funny thing though, I was always in lunch time intermurals and after school sport programs - I played softball from the fourth to the eighth grade. In high school we were only required to have gym class in the tenth grade (now they must take it from the tenth through twelfth grade), but I did participate in some intermurals - volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and floor hockey just to name a few. I couldn't run - my asthma was horrible and my knees were pretty bad. I was tormented by my gym teachers (with the exception to the ones in high school, they were phenomenal. I think I talked about this in a previous post) and it made me feel horrible and didn't want to participate.

Now I love it. I don't look at myself the way I once did, but I still have days where I am self-conscience. I love how swimming and spending a half hour in the gym makes me feel afterward. I love how it sets me on a path to eat better and to keep going at it, making healthy food decisions. This past weekend while my dad and I were grocery shopping, we stocked the fridge with fruits and vegetables. We bought turnips and I am looking forward to eating them tomorrow. I'm eating brussel sprouts again (I ate them as a kid, but refused to eat them as a teen and much of my early 20's), and now I'm incorporating new types of veggies in to my diet.

Now I got to get back to the gym. I need to get back in to that water!

Just another notch on the belt

2010-10-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm losing weight and I can tell - more notches on my belt are being used and I've said goodbye to using the very last one at the end.

Walking around campus three days of the week is helping. I've calculated that I walk for thirty minutes every three days for a total of 130 minutes every week. I want to hop on a scale to see how much weight I've lost.

I'm still eating better, still making sure that I have a cheat day every week preventing myself from eating horrible every day. I'm drinking more water, less soda. I take healthy lunches and snacks to school and I've avoided the snack machines. My knees no longer hurt from walking, and my back is getting used to it (I am having issues lately with standing for long periods of time).

It's going good.

Gobble Gobble Weekend in pictures

2010-10-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Fat Pants: A little funny

2010-10-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

Since Monday is "Fat Pants Monday", this is probably going to happen on Tuesday.

Why hello, it's been a while.

2010-10-08T18:20:00.001-05:00

Hello my lovely readers, I am back and the break was wonderful. I've kept myself busy this past month, and I have also faced some challenging times.

My gym membership expired. I don't have the money to renew it, but now that I'm back on campus I don't need the gym. I am walking all over campus and its replaced the treadmill. It feels great and now my back and the rest of my body had quickly adapted to it. I was only sore for the first couple of weeks.
I am still eating better and I'm doing a pretty good job. I still have my cheat days and that I think is what is saving me. Eating well combined with the walking on campus that I do, my size 22 pants no longer fit and I require a belt. Size 20 is starting to become big on me. It's exciting. There are some items I can't eat anymore - namely McDonald's. I can't eat Big Mac's anymore and now my body is revolting Cola. As Martha says, it's a good thing.
The first month of school was an adjustment. While I was excited to get back to school and finish my final year, I wasn't quite feeling it - I didn't feel like going to school, or even cracking the books. Now a month later, I'm back in the groove and loving it.
Speaking of school, I'm in a battle with student aid. I was all set up to receive the aid, and then they wrote me a nice little letter saying I went over the allotted number of years you can receive aid, and will not be receiving it. I was devastated. I broke down and couldn't stop crying. I've been unemployed for nearly the entire year, and even casual work doesn't allow one to save up enough money to cover tuition, books and supplies. I was also being penalized for a year they said (and even have a letter from them) they wouldn't penalize me for. I didn't think their reasoning was fair, so I appealed it. I'll let you all know what the outcome will be.
I was back at work this past week and I had a great time. I'll find out Tuesday if they require me back on Thursday. I love being there, I work with a great group of people.
My car broke down on Monday on the way home from school. I stopped off at Quizno's for lunch, came out when I was done and it made this horrible ear piercing noise. I knew it was the starter. My dad worked for the automotive part supply industry for over 30 years and taught me all I know about cars, car parts, and the noises they make. When I turned the car off, it tried to start in the OFF position WITH the key out of the ignition. Look ma, it's magic. Or possessed. Got it to the mechanic's, they checked it out while I was there... this time when they tried turning the car off, it didn't want to turn off. They had to disconnect the battery. I got my car back today with a new starter.
I had a sinus infection last month, then it turned in to a nasty cold. It's going around and being back in school, I knew I'd get it. Now it's gone but it brought on bad allergies. Ugh. My sinuses need a break.
I got to do some really great things while on break: over the Labour Day weekend my cousin from North Dakota came in to town to visit with family. My sister, her and I went out really late at night for coffee and stayed out until midnight in downtown Winnipeg (something I don't do) talking about a lot of things. We had such a great time that we all woke up in the morning with really sore tummies from all that laughing we did. My sister and me went to a dog show, I visited a farmer's market and purchased some great local veggies; celebrated my neighborhood and met new neighbors, celebrated my mom's 55th birthday with a really great dinner (minus the horrible mojito); I basically just spent time relaxing.

It's our long weekend - Thanksgiving on Monday, and this weekend I am going to enjoy. Tomorrow I am going to meet "Rescue Ink". I love that show and what they do, it truly is wonderful. I've spent this last week studying for a test I wrote today, so the next three days I am going to enjoy! I need to start studying midway next week for another text the following week after that, so yeah... no school books at all this weekend! We're having our Thanksgiving dinner on Monday and I've declared Monday "Fat Pants Monday". Turkey, ham, meatballs, scalloped potatoes, mixed veggies, and of course... pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is the only time I eat it and I don't even like the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks (I've had one already, but meh... not a huge pumpkin fan).

Have a great weekend!

Taking a Break

2010-08-31T17:27:00.000-05:00

Not from the gym, but from blogging.

Starting Tuesday I will be taking a break until September 30th, allowing me to re-introduce myself with being a full-time university student once again. Sure my break from academia has been only a year, but I need to shut down digitally and focus on getting back in to the swing of things - studying, writing papers, exams.... the life of a student.

This break means no blogging (writing or reading, if you follow my other blog I will have pre-scheduled posts for every Monday in September), Facebook, Twitter, and checking emails less frequently.

During this break I also want to spend more time in the gym/pool. I want to be a smoking hot babe by the time I come back in October. Okay, I won't be a smoking hot babe. ;)

Progress

2010-08-28T21:46:00.001-05:00

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wanted to cry? Not because you look horrible, but because you think you look amazing? I felt that way today and it felt pretty amazing. I've been going to the gym twice a week and really working on my cardio and weight training, and today I finally noticed the payoff - I'm starting to look good in my jeans and t-shirts. I'm no longer feeling like a hot mess and I am liking what I am seeing; I'm starting to feel better about myself and most important, more healthier - I kicked a cold in two days, when it typically takes a week. I took the past week off because I wasn't feeling well and my knee buggered up some how - this up coming week I am back in the gym and I am so happy that I'm finally sticking with something.

I'm still following the 5-Factor Diet/Fitness created by trainer-to-the-stars, Harley Pasternak. Working with stars such as Hilary Duff, Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, and Halle Berry (just to name a few), he created a plan where you workout intensively for twenty-five minutes, five days a week (includes one rest day and one cheat day), and focus on eating five healthy meals that contain the following: protein, a healthy fat (such as fish), low (or moderate) carbohydrate, fibre, and a sugar-free beverage. Workouts comprise of five minute sets (including three sets of 25 reps) of strength training, and five minutes of intense cardio.

Hilary Duff leaving a workout session with Harley Pasternak.

It looks something like this -

5 minute cardio warm up
10 minute strength training (two, five minute sets)
5 minute core exercises (crunches, lunges, etc.)
5 minute cool down

With this program I have noticed my arms are shrinking (the fat wings I like to call them), my waist is slowly getting smaller, my legs are starting to look better (I need to get back to working out in the water too), and I'm slowly getting stronger.

I would love to do at least one personal workout with Harley. That has been my dream since starting this program three years ago. I know I haven't been keeping up with it, I've had some personal issues in between, but it really did work the first time and I am for sure going to work like hell to make it work a second time.

It's going to take some time, but it's going to be done.

Get up and finish what you started.

Yum dessert: Sorbet and stewed microwaved apples

2010-08-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

Stewed apples:

One large apple quartered, then cubed (you can peel or keep the skins on)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

5 tbsp water

1 tsp cinnamon

Microwave for 1.5 minutes. Yum!

Meal Plan: August 23 - 29, 2010

2010-08-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

Huzzah! We're back on the meal plan and it feels great to get back on it. Knowing what you're going to eat, and knowing that you can control what you're going to eat is amazing. Creating meal plans not only control what you eat, but also control how you spend on your weekly groceries;cutting the costs to $90 a week to feed my family of four.

I found a great meal planner in a PDF file thanks to Kate, who got it from The Project Girl (click the link to download it!). It's a neat little meal planner and grocery list in one!

Here is the meals for this week, it's going to be so delicious!

Monday: Make what you want (I'm having meatloaf and mashed baby potatoes)

Tuesday: stir-fry w/ crab

Wednesday: Minneapolis chicken (it's a chicken dish my mom's friend from Minneapolis makes, so we call it Minneapolis chicken), steamed veggies

Thursday: Lasagna and garlic bread (both made in advanced and frozen)

Friday: Seafood night - shrimp, crab legs, corn on the cob, cheese cornbread

Saturday: Pizza night - veggie pizza, meat pizza

Sunday: Roast stuffed with garlic; baby potatoes, steamed veggies, rice or pasta for mom (she has a potato allergy)

Looking forward to seafood and pizza night! Yum!

Easy homemade spaghetti sauce

2010-08-18T18:42:00.008-05:00

Over the last few months my parents have been watching the sugar and sodium intake with what they eat because their diabetic, and my dad cannot ingest too much sodium because of his heart. I think watching your sugar and sodium intake (along with watching the fats, carbs, etc) is a good thing, too much of what you eat is loaded with tons of sodium - both listed and hidden. The hidden is what you have to be leery of, but at least you can control the items that are listed.

We no longer buy canned spaghetti sauce, we make our own with crushed canned tomatoes. Extra sodium is added in many food products to preserve the shelf life, and the same goes for spaghetti sauce. Your average can of spaghetti sauce (Ragu Traditional Old Style) contains 770mg of sodium in just one serving (1/2 cup), that's a lot! Our homemade sauce - 220mg of sodium! That's a difference of 550mg!

Want the recipe? Well, you're just in luck! Grab a pen and paper and take notes!

1 large can crushed tomatoes (we use WalMart's Good Value brand as we find it has less sodium than the others)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 tbsp Italian spices
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp ground pepper

Add all to a pot, blend with a whisk (it will take a while before the oil and sauce bind). Boil for five minutes while making sure the sauce doesn't burn - stir often. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir well.

Nutrition Information for 1/2 cup (125ml):

Calories 50
Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g
Sodium 220mg
Carbohydrate 10g
Fibre 3g
Sugars 6g
Protein 3g

This sauce can also be frozen and saved for another time. This sauce is just too good to make and toss out if there's leftovers!

Annoyance

2010-08-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Why is that that every time before I go to the gym, my knee starts acting up? It's like it is a five year old kid that doesn't want to go to the dentist.

Knock it off, because we're going to the gym today.

I'm not Fergie, but I'm back in the gym working on my fitness

2010-08-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

After a long overdue break (even from swimming), I am back in the gym and ready to get back to working on my fitness. [Darn you Fergie and the Peas]

I am no longer just walking for thirty minutes on the treadmill, I have created a fitness plan that is already starting to kick my butt and it's because of the time away from the gym.

Five minute walk to warm up
5 minutes on weights (going to increase to ten)
10 minutes of cardio (yesterday was the bike, I'm going to try to jog)
5 minute walk to cook down.

Thirty minutes of physical exercise, and it is not just walking on the treadmill. I will still keep up with swimming while I do the gym; as in previous posts, swimming helps me a lot.

The scale at the gym also said I've lost ten pounds, but please keep in mind this is the same scale that said I once weighed 300 pounds. Yeah, I need my own scale.

I've also developed a pet-peeve - when you're trying to use the weight equipment, why do people sit there endlessly and not move so you can use it? I must have not received the memo in where you can "reserve" machines just by sitting on them. I'm afraid to say anything because they look mean, and it looks like everyone wants to hurt me (bonus points if you know what movie I just quoted). If you need a couple of minutes to rest, the gym has conveniently placed some very comfortable benches close to the large windows overlooking the street. Why don'tcha check those out? Also, why do men feel it's necessary to check you out? I don't like the glaring stares coming from the male population who eye you up and down, it's creepy and I hate it. Can I just workout in peace without you ogling at me whether you are genuinely checking me out or just looking at me because I'm fat in which that is why I am at the gym.

I must say, I'm looking forward to getting back to working out. The bike is kicking my rear though, I can't climb stairs and my thighs are burning. I better have mountainous Schwarzenegger thighs after this. I want them to be big enough to crack nuts, I want to be a hit at the staff Christmas party.

Minneapolis Vacation: The meal edition

2010-08-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

Dinner @ Red Lobster. Fargo, ND

Breakfast at the hotel: Fargo, ND

One drink, two drink - Iced Tea, and a Cosmo @ our hotel: Bloomington, MN

Barbecue fare at a family barbecue: Minneapolis, MN

You can never have too much shrimp! 1 1/2 lb (couldn't finish it all!) Shrimper's Net Catch @ Bubba Gump Shrimp Co: Bloomington, MN (Mall of America)

My go to drink anywhere I go - Blue Curaçao, Malibu Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice, Sierra Mist (In Canada I use 7Up).

Lunch at P.F. Chang's. I will never eat Chinese food from our neighborhood Chinese food restaurant. P.F. Chang's is AWESOME!: Edina, MN

Culver's in Grand Forks, ND. My go to fast-food place... better than McDonald's. Winnipeg doesn't have one, so I go here whenever I am in the city.

(Missing shots: Dinner at the hotel our first night in Minneapolis, TGI Fridays [went to the one in Edina... best dinner while there!], steak dinner at Twin City Grill, and lunch at Fuddruckers.)

A much needed break

2010-07-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posts. Wait, I am not going to apologize for that.

I was on a week long vacation (got back yesterday), a needed and well over due vacation, and loved every minute. Last year was pure hell, and finally mellowed out earlier this year. My parents and I really had a great time while on this vacation, and for me, I did a lot of thinking and it was really what I needed.

Things that make you go "hmmmm"

2010-07-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

I gained four pounds since I was last weighed by my doctor in February. My weight has always fluctuated, and now that I'm swimming more I have been losing weight and gaining muscle mass. My doctor said not to freak out over a four pound weight gain as there could be many answers - retaining water because of the heat outside, not eating right (I've been eating better since the meal plans), or that I am now building muscle.

Even the four pounds makes me fret. I'm trying to lose weight, and I gain four pounds. Yeah, I know and I hear what you're saying... "it's just four pounds". It's a little upsetting, especially since I've been trying for so long. I know it will eventually work out for the best.

Canada Day: Cheat Day!

2010-07-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Good eats!: Steak (almost medium rare), oven baked potatoes and carrot medley, sauteed mushrooms, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, and jumbo shrimp. Yum!

Should have brought the fat pants: Bosnian cake, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, black forest cake, nanaimo bar (only ate a bite... I like my mom's better)

You know you're losing weight when....

2010-07-01T13:57:00.003-05:00

Strong gusts of wind push you halfway down the parking lot, and when you were fat this did not happen at all.

It's exciting and scary at the same time. I don't want to be blown away! ;)

How the pool saved my life

2010-06-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I hate the gym with a passion, it is not for me. Running on the treadmill, lifting weights seems so mundane, and you're doing the same thing all the time. I have always loved swimming, and if you think of it... we spent the first nine months of our "lives" encased in water. While we might have not been "swimming", my love of being in water started early. My parents enrolled me in swimming lessons at the age of five right up until I was twelve. I didn't finish the entire lesson program (never made it to the dark blue level, or even life saving), but I do know how to swim to save my life - or somebody else if it ever came down to it. My stroke and back crawl suck, and I wouldn't bet money on winning a lane race. I'll leave that to the Olympians.

I found something that I love doing, and that is the key. The gym is not for everybody, and neither is running on the street like I see a lot of people doing now that it is summer. You need to find something that you're good at (and love), in order to keep going at it.

When I found out the extent of my back injury, I seriously thought my life was over. My mobility sucked, I couldn't lift anything, and I felt completely useless. For a while I was a tad depressed, as I contemplated what my life would be like from that point on.

It wasn't until my physiotherapist said that there is something, besides physiotherapy and chiropractic work, that could and would help me out... and have me back to where I was prior to the injury.

The spine is like a delicate flower. It has to be one of the most vulnerable items in your body, and any type of injury can change your life in an instant.

My physiotherapist gave me a booklet on aquatic exercises for the different types of injuries to your body, and the best types suited for those injuries. Along with using a balance ball and the swimming exercises, and nearly a year after the injury occurred.... I am 98% back to where I was prior to this whole kerfuffle.

Now I can stay in the pool for 40 minutes, and the reps and sets are becoming longer and better. I am becoming stronger - I can now lift my dad's wheelchair in and out of the car with no problem (there are days where I can't, and I don't), I can take the recycling bins out (it might seem menial, but it was a huge problem), and I can grocery shop and walk a mall with ease. I still cannot take the trash out to the bins (you have to heave the bag up and over the bin to get it in), and I'm okay with that.

I am also noticing the positive side effects from working in the pool - I'm losing weight, my waistline is shrinking, and my thighs/legs are becoming more defined. I'm no longer afraid of wearing a bathing suit in public, and my body no longer frightens me (although, I won't prance around naked in the shower area of the pool... yuck). It's taken years to finally get to that spot, and man... has it been a long fight. I love the feeling of my clothes no longer fitting me properly, it also means I can go shopping for new ones!

Swimming has made me stronger - both physically, and mentally. Swimming has helped me regain my mobility, and the ability to do things from day to day.

Swimming has saved my life.

Meal of the Day: Lunch with the parental units

2010-06-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

Grilled chicken chipotle sandwich with Canadian bacon and swiss cheese, coleslaw, sweet potato fries. (Could not eat the bun of the first half of the sandwich)

Not pictured: Starter Caesar salad, grilled lobster in garlic sauce.

Fatty Find: Soy "yogurt"

2010-06-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

Can't really call it yogurt, because it's not. It is called "cultured" soy.

I don't like it.

I thought I would give it a try, because an aunt said it was pretty tasty. It tastes like rice, and water. It's an acquired taste, and a taste that I don't like.

I'll stick to my yogurt.

A few plans to put in to motion

2010-06-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Today I went out for lunch and ate the last fast food burger I am going to have for a while - well, at least until July 15th. Starting tomorrow and until my trip, there will be no fast food. I've actually been doing pretty well with not eating out all the time. I make dinner and since I've been back working for a couple of days, I've been making lunches and taking them with me.

I also think it's time to eliminate milk out of my diet, forever. I've been drinking soy milk, but since it's a couple of days until payday I have been drinking cow milk. I look like a fat cow. I've been bloated, and I don't like it. I also have had soda this weekend too which is also going to stop. My body is much more in sync when I don't have cow milk circulating, and I don't look bloated. I still include some type of dairy which is typically yogurt (I'm still trying to find Greek yogurt, can't find it anywhere!), and surprisingly I haven't had cheese in a long long time (except for Parmesan regianno sprinkled on my pasta).

I also need to get back in to the pool. After work on Tuesday, I am heading there to get some laps and workout in the bag. I think my joints will enjoy that, the rainy weather has been killing them over the past few weeks.

Eating out accomplishment

2010-06-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday L.L and me went to Fargo for the day to do some shopping, and afterward we headed to Grand Forks for dinner. We ate at Golden Corral - one of my favorite places to eat. Now, they have everything and I mean everything - American fare, Chinese, Salad bar, steak bar, dessert bar, and much more.

For dinner I had:

Steak, baked potato (with margarine and 1 tbsp sour cream), some kind of sweet and sour meat dish from the Chinese section, salad (although I barely touched it, not sure why), and steamed green beans. The dinner came with a dinner roll (and the most delicious honey spread), and I had a glass of Sierra Mist. For the first time, in forever, I only had one drink with my meal; usually, by the time I am done the meal I have three or four.

I went back for shrimp, but I could not finish it all. A few minutes after that, I had one slice of red velvet cake (I really controlled myself at the dessert bar) and that was it. The cake was meh, I've had better.

Now I know I can control my eating while on my trip next month. I think the meal planning has really helped with portions and what I am ultimately going to eat and put in my body.

A fatty update

2010-06-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

Things have been going well, and I'm pretty proud of myself. I've reached some milestones, and it has taken me a long time to get there.

My size 20 jeans are a tad loose, and the size 2x dress I bought last week is one size two big. I should have tried on the 1x, but the fatty in me is still very leery about trying on something smaller only have it not fit. I need to get rid of that thought and start trying on smaller clothing. I also can fit in to a M/L sweater in "normal" sized clothing. I seriously shouted out, in the middle of ladies wear, "I CAN FIT IN TO SKINNY CLOTHING!" Okay it might just be a sweater, but I am still pretty darn proud of myself.
All the swimming/working out in the water I am doing, I am starting to notice visible results. My legs look so much better in a dress/skirt, and I don't feel self conscious anymore. I hated wearing dresses/skirts that were above the knee; my legs were chubby, and I would instantly hate myself for looking that way. Now, that is no more. I can confidently wear a dress without self-hate... but I still don't like wearing dresses - their uncomfortable, and the legs still rub together like cricket legs. I need leggings until they stop rubbing together.
I've been able to lift my dad's wheelchair in and our of the trunk and push him in it. I only do this when my back feels at its best, and refuse when it feels slightly sore or off.
The meal plans are still going great, and I am proud to say my dad has been cutting down his portions and upping the veggies! He is starting to feel full with the portions given to him, and rarely goes back for seconds or even an after meal snack. He does need some bread and peanut butter before bed to make sure his sugars are normal when he wakes up, but other than that... he's been doing great. We all have, and we're all eating healthy. We're coming up with great things to make/eat, and it's getting better. Next payday I am going to crack in to my Rachael Ray cookbooks and start to make something from her books. I may even take her "shopping list" from the newsletter that I get each week, for the meals she makes on the show. I'm always wanting to make something from her show. I think I need to make her chili soon.
Tuesday I am taking a break from swimming, as L.L. and I are heading to Fargo for the day. There will be plenty of walking, so I am sure I will burn as much calories as I do swimming. Although, I might consume more since we're going to my favorite place to eat. I can get lost in that place.

It's all been challenging, but I'm now all about challenges. I'm going to finish, what I've started.

Fatty Find: Sweets from the Earth

2010-06-09T16:50:00.000-05:00

My dad and I hit the health food store today, as he needed a few items. I went browsing through the store to see what new products they have, and came across this cookie - Chocolate Chip cookies made by Sweets from the Earth.

The cookies are made from all natural products, and for a cookie to contain tofu... let me tell you, it was pretty scrumptious. The spelt flour made the cookie taste like bran flakes, and that is pretty darn good. I've found some dairy free products at the store that I can take with me, while on vacation next month. When I'm on a road trip I like to take dairy free products with me, due to being lactose intolerant; dairy free means no upset stomach and looking for a rest area.

I enjoyed the cookie with a cold glass of vanilla soy milk... a perfect combination.

Meal Plan: Week 2 so far, in photos

2010-06-02T20:16:00.002-05:00

Monday: Meatloaf with celery, red bell pepper, dill; potato salad

Tuesday: Kebabs, and lemon and dill rice.

Wednesday: Fish baked with a mustard sauce, penne pasta in alfredo sauce, and baked veggies of asparagus, orange bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Wednesday dessert - s'mores

Wednesday mid-day snack - cherries (not all of those!)

Krispy Kreme: A fatty's haven

2010-05-30T15:25:00.000-05:00

I've been told they're delicious, and sadly... I have never had one. Always wanted to try one, until I found out the only location in Minnesota is now GONE! *cue the soap opera tears*

If memory serves me correct, the only location was in Rogers. When I passed it last year, it was no longer there. Damn. Why? I was told it had to do with the economy. Damn. I wanted some!

So please... where in Minneapolis can I get a box of Krispy Kreme's? I've see them at Wal-Mart in Grand Forks (in a blue moon) for fundraiser aspects, but I would like to know where I can find a store that sells them and not only for fundraisers.

Anyone? Someone? Help a fatty out!

Sunny with a chance of pneumonia

2010-05-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

WARNING: Some symptomatic descriptions may be bleh. Don't read if you're eating.

I swear, I've got it. Now, I know some of you might be thinking - "she's a damn hypochondriac"; before you start ranting, please let me explain.

I've been sick every single year of my life since I was 3 months old; at that age, I developed a bad case of RSV (like pneumonia, but a different strain) and was super close to dying. The hospital staff (and the man upstairs) saved my life, but they heeded a warning to my parents - be prepared for her to have a lung ailment every single year of her life. I developed asthma because of it, I get bronchitis easily, and I've had pneumonia twice (once at 3 months, and then two years ago). I get colds easily, the flu, and hay fever. I know when I'm getting sick, and I know what I have. I listen to my body, and 98% of the time I am right... scratch that - 100% of the time I am right (I self-diagnosed shingles, doctor said no, went back three days later because it got worse - "oh, you really do have shingles).

My dad happens to have pneumonia too. He went to the ER on Saturday thinking he had a bladder infection (he had one that went systemic and nearly killed him in 2002); those tests came back negative, but the blood test said there was an infection somewhere in the body. ER doc requested a chest x-ray, and what do you know... he has pneumonia in the right lung.

Yesterday I had some symptoms that I'd rather not talk about. This morning I woke up nauseated (and have been all day, I thought it was because I didn't eat breakfast but I ate lunch and still felt horrible), and I've been shaky all day long. Around noon I was sitting on the sofa when a large gust of wind came through the window, and it took my breath away (same thing happened when I had pneumonia last time). Now I can't talk and breathe without some form of difficulty. I'm on my asthma inhalers to keep the lungs open; I've been coughing all damn day, my throat hurts. When I eventually cough up something it tastes horrible (I warned you!), almost burnt. I feel like I have some fluid beginning in the lungs. Now I'm starting to feel like I have a fever. Yeah, great.

So to be precautionary, I've called the doctor and I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully he'll put me on antibiotics as a prevention (he will probably ask for the X-rays asap), but when my dad was there last week to check for a bladder infection, our doctor didn't put my dad on antibiotics until he wanted the tests back (my dad had to argue the point that he didn't want to take a chance and end up nearly dying like last time... ER doc said good thing because now he got an early jump on fighting the pneumonia).

This bites.

Workout centers in hotels

2010-05-22T13:22:00.001-05:00

So the hotel in Minneapolis where we are staying, has a "gym". I say gym lightly because from the picture it has one treadmill, one stationary bike, and one elliptical; free-weights, and a weight bench.

Has any of my readers ever used the "workout center" (that's the description on the photo) in a hotel you stayed at? Is it any good, or are the machines pretty sub-par? The gym at the hotel our friends are staying at looks better than ours... might have to workout with our friend when she does her 6am workout (two top line treadmills, elliptical, and universal weight center).

Plateau

2010-05-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

I think I have finally reached that plateau I've been waiting for - I can now burn an excessive amount of fat every time I do some type of exercise. I look in the mirror and notice a definite change (still need to work on arms); legs look pretty damn awesome in bike shorts now.

I honestly didn't think that I would reach this plateau. I thought that it would take longer, or it would just never happen. This makes me feel like I can keep on going, and it makes me feel like I can seriously reach my goal of dropping 100 pounds by next February.

Get up and finish what you started.

Chugging along

2010-05-22T10:12:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the lack of update folks, I've been doing pretty well and keeping up with some sort of physical activity and eating better. I've noticed huge results - I look smaller; size 20 jeans are baggy. I haven't been swimming since last week; the dog park walk made me feel really good, and I did a lot of walking there. We hope to go sometime this long weekend, but out plans to go today were upset as it's raining outside (thunderstorm pending).

I've found a new drink. Well not really found it, but found a more affordable and healthier way to consume it. I've been making iced coffees - sugar free vanilla syrup from Starbucks, coffee, and soy milk. They're addicting.

The kick off to summer has officially begun - this is our long weekend that kicks it all off (Victoria Day). While we no longer celebrate the late queen's birthday, we do take advantage of the Monday off and do it up hard core on the weekend - drinks on the patio, barbecues, fireworks, cottage season begins, more liquor. Since it's raining we won't be doing much today, but hopefully we can fire up the barbecue tomorrow. I need to search the freezer for steak - steak and potatoes with macaroni salad or even potato (my sister makes an awesome potato salad).

What are you doing this weekend? What are my fellow Canadians doing this weekend?

Goal #2 achieved: Walking more than 30 minutes!

2010-05-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

My sister and I took our dog to a dog park to get him ready for an upcoming dog walk/charity event, and to get him ready to walk with a LOT of dogs (he's not completely dog social).

To complete a walk at this part is 45 minutes, around the entire thing. I DID IT! I did need to stop and rest for a while, and I couldn't walk on the small hills (the angles tweaked my back and it wasn't not happy).

Afterward I felt so rested, relaxed, and just so good! We're going next week for another walk. I look forward to it!

Feet Up Weekend: Frankie said Relax!

2010-05-14T16:40:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of REX

I will be spending most of my weekend with my feet up and relaxing; managed to aggravate the sciatic nerve and now it's pinched between the vertebrae and hip joint, yesterday. Last night I had the hardest time trying to fall asleep. Each angle was uncomfortable, even trying to put a pillow between my knees to make it more tolerable. Nothing worked.

I some how managed to fall asleep and not wake up in the middle of the night with pain; this morning, it felt much better, but while I was out grocery shopping, it became more inflamed and aggravated. Nice.

So for tonight and most of the weekend I need to put my feet up and ice the area. I really could use the pool this weekend!

Doing what works for you

2010-05-12T19:23:00.001-05:00

I've been in big deliberation as to what works best for me - swimming/water exercises, or walking on the treadmill.

When I was pounding it out on the treadmill a couple of years ago with L.L., I lost eleven pounds in one month; however, I didn't see any visual results. Typically with eleven pounds you can see something, and I didn't.

Now as I start swimming and doing exercises in the water, I am noticing results two weeks into it - my thighs are becoming more toned, and the fat is going away. My hip bones are more prominent, and the waist line is shrinking (in March I went down two pant sizes, and I think I went down even one more... size 20 is starting to get loose).

Then it hit me - when you're working out in the water, you're using more energy there than you are on the treadmill. It's hard work, and this is the kind of hard work that I love - jogging on land is easy, jogging in water is another story.

In the end I don't think I really care if I don't see another treadmill again. I mean, I love the water so why not just stick with swimming especially when I am seeing results faster than I would with just the treadmill.

If you want to know the type of exercises I do in the water, you can check out this great website with instructions: Water Exercise for Your Back.

Switching it up: What do you think?

2010-05-11T22:08:00.000-05:00

I've got a plan, and I think it might work.

I think I am going to alternate between swimming and the gym, and not just in the same week. One week I will dedicate to the pool, and the next I will dedicate to the gym. I think the nice mix is something that I need and will work.

I'm also going to keep my gym membership, and renew it next month. I love the pool too much to give it up.

My lovely lady lumps...

2010-05-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

Nope, this blog is not about my bubbies (as the Jersey Housewives say)... I have that song stuck in my head.

I'm back at the pool and this time just sticking to working out; I was actually in the pool longer than I usually am on the treadmill. I seriously love swimming, if I had a pool in my yard I'd be in it all day long; however, I don't like the smell of chlorine. Once I get out and shower, the smell makes me nauseated each time.

I also must say that my thighs are looking pretty darn rad. In a previous post I discussed how ugly they looked, and all cottage cheesy. Now the fat is burning away (stomach, take note please!) and becoming more shapelier, and toned! My legs are actually starting to look decent in shorts! Every woman has a feature they don't like about themselves, if they tell you they like everything... they're lying. I have never met one woman who said they liked everything. I don't like my thighs or my arms - I ~~have~~ had thunder thighs, and wings for arms. I really need to get my resistance band out and start working my arms.

That's also another fear of mine. When all this weight is gone, I'm afraid I'm going to have massive amounts of skin hanging and no way to get rid of it - meaning, money. That would be the only cosmetic surgery I would get in my lifetime - removal of excess skin. I think this is also another factor that has been holding me back, and I need to get over it. Do you think Donald Trump could spot me the money?

Can I also say that my biceps are becoming more bicepy.... if that's even a word. You can see it when I flex and it's not fat... the fat is on the triceps. It's sad.

I am now jogging in place in the pool, and eventually I want to run in the water - I need water shoes so I can grip the floor. Can I get those at sporting good stores?

I love when I go to the pool because it's usually myself, the lifeguards, and two elderly Italian men in the pool working out. It's nice, because I have the shallow end to myself and I can walk laps, lunges, squats, etc without being bothered by snotty kids (weekends suck!) who goof around and splash water on everyone (I'm going to drown you next time...not really, but I've got my eye on you!).

I've always been self-conscious about my thighs but now that is starting to fade away! They need to start looking decent, and I need to put away the cottage cheese!

You're getting on my nerves!

2010-05-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

While I'm working on bringing my back to where it was before this all happened, I am pretty sure that the damage to the sciatic nerve is done and can't be repaired. For one month it was pinched, and it caused me great pain - couldn't move, couldn't walk, couldn't sit. I was on morphine for nearly the entire month of August, and completely out of it. I seriously don't remember anything after the fourteenth; a huge blur, I really cannot remember a thing. I just remember sleeping a lot, and that I slept during the day and was awake late at night.

Whatever happened that night seriously screwed up my spine, and threw my hip out of place; this cause the sciatic nerve to become placed between two discs and pinched at the hip bone. Despite the fact that my spine is back to normal alignment, the hip is not - it's slightly askew and from time to time, the nerve gets pinched.

Like now... and its driving me insane. There's no pain, but my leg is numb. I have to do this weird movement (almost like lifting my leg out from the hip and up) to get the nerve unpinched and my leg to stop being so damn numb. When this happens, I have to lie down a lot and ice it. I really need a TENS machine. This machine helps soothe the nerve and put it back into place with key massage points on your butt, your hip, and your back. I think I'm going to make a physio appointment this upcoming week, just to get the nerve to calm down.

It's frustrating. I know the doctors said the nerve can take years to self-repair, but when you leg keeps losing feeling, it gets quite annoying and very frustrating.