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Apr 5, 2011

My Week of Suck

April 5, 2011 By

Coming off of last week’s high of seeing myself creep ever so slowly to my lowest adult weight ever, I still expected to see some results at my weigh in on Saturday. What I didn’t expect was to see a number one and a half pounds higher than the week before: 172.8. What happened?

I reviewed my calories for the week and everything seemed to add up to loss. On Friday I did go out, but limited myself to two small glasses of sparkling wine and a very modest dinner. I tried to not feel down about the gain, and tried to convince myself it was just water weight from the alcohol.

Saturday was also the day when I had my strength training boot camp class. I had the alternate trainer again – the tough one – and she put me through a very difficult routine that felt like punishment for my weight gain.

When I woke up on Sunday afternoon, I could barely get out of bed. The only movement that didn’t hurt was my eyes. Still, I know the best way to cure sore muscles is to move them, so I attempted to go for a run in the early evening. Yet another fail – I did Couch to 5K, Week 3, thinking it would be an “easy” run, only to find it was terribly difficult. That’s what I get for not running all winter.

I focused Saturday and Sunday on drinking plenty of water and eating right in the hopes that my weight gain was just water weight. But when I stepped on the scale again on Monday morning, I was greeted with a weight that was half a pound higher than the previous one!

It’s just a number. I know it’s just a number. But I hate seeing it go up when I was so close to reaching my lowest adult weight. I’ve been to this point before a number of times, and this always seems to be the time when my body gives up and tries to correct itself back to heavy. I’ve already said goodbye to heavy, though, so I feel like I’m at war with myself to keep going.

I have another boot camp class tonight. No idea how I’m going to get through it when I’m still really sore. But I’m going to do it.

I’m also waiting on a delivery from Amazon with my Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30 DVD. I’m joining the Shredheads in trying out this DVD in April. I can’t do it every day, since I still have my boot camp classes, but I plan to use the DVD on as many off days as possible. I remember the success I had with Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, and I’m hoping this might be the jump start I need to get the scale moving downwards again.

Filed Under: ow Tagged With: ,


Mar 31, 2011

Poisoning Kids With Bright & Colorful Foods

March 31, 2011 By
When Cordy was first diagnosed with autism, we looked into everything we could to help her. Therapy was expensive and involved long waiting lists, but in the meantime there were several doctors promoting supplements, medications, and diets that promised anything from a little help to a complete miracle.
I tried to be skeptical, or as skeptical as one can be when first finding out your child has a lifelong neurological condition that you would pay nearly anything to see disappear. I dismissed the big promises as junk science, but one topic kept coming up over and over: food additives.
Eliminating artificial food additives from my daughter’s diet was a simple enough solution to try, I thought. After all, it required buying no supplements or paying for some guide to the secret foods she must eat to behave properly. I just needed to read labels a little more closely, right?

Ha.

I don’t know if you’ve been reading labels lately, but just about EVERYTHING has artificial food dyes in it. Candy, mac and cheese, juices, fruit snacks, crackers, grape jam, cereal, baked goods, applesauce, chips – the list goes on and on. If it’s designed for kids, it’s even more likely to have artificial dyes in it. When I first tried to swap out her regular favorite foods for dye-free foods, it was nearly impossible. Everything had dye in it, even when it didn’t need to. (Why would something WHITE like white cheddar mac and cheese need dye in it?)

Now the FDA is turning its attention to food additives this week – specifically food dyes – and I’m carefully following the news to see what conclusions they draw. Since Cordy’s diagnosis, I am now convinced that food dyes play a role in her behavior, and when she avoids them her behavior is much better. She’s like a Jekyll & Hyde depending on if she’s ingested artificial food dyes or not.
Research shows that many children exhibit signs of hyperactivity when they consume artificial food dyes, and limiting the diet to remove these dyes often results in a dramatic improvement in behavior. The proof is enough for the European Union to require warning labels on foods containing artificial food dyes, resulting in fewer foods containing the dyes in European countries.
I’ve done my own experiment. It went something like this: Detox Cordy from all dyes for 5 days. Then give her a candy that has nothing artificial in it. (Plain rock candy sticks are great for this test.) Wait for any behavior change. In this case, no behavior change.
Then the next day, give her candy with food dye in it. (Blue lollipops are her favorite, and also her downfall.) Wait for any behavior change. After eating it, 30-45 minutes later she was a monster: unfocused, quick to tantrum, hyperactive, irritable, unsettled and sometimes feeling tired and ill. These changes can sometimes last 3-5 days from one exposure.
Suddenly it all made sense. I now know why holidays and birthdays were so traumatic in the past (colored icing on cakes and cookies!), why she always acted up more after a lollipop, and why cupcakes made her sick to her stomach.
Artificial colors are poison to my daughter. They alter her behavior, cloud her mind, and leave her unable to cope.
The worst part? They’re in most kid foods, and there’s no need for these dyes. Their only purpose is to make junk food look pretty and colorful so you’ll want to eat more of it. And there are plenty of perfectly good natural dyes that can be used in their place. Just look at the Annie’s brand of fruit snacks – all natural colors, but still bright, and my kids still beg for them.
It is maddening to find dye-free foods for my family. We often have to shop in the organic section of the grocery store to find safe foods, and because they’re in the organic section they cost more.
Teaching Cordy about what she can and can’t eat has been difficult, too. She is old enough now to understand that dyes make her sick. She’s even admitted to us that she feels “bad” (as in sick or unwell) when she eats something full of dyes. She can’t read labels yet, however, so she has to rely on adults to tell her what’s safe and what’s not. (Although she’s getting good at seeing most brightly colored candy and saying, “That will make me sick.”)
But we still have to take away 80% of her Halloween candy and trade it for safe snacks. And it’s hard when even the schools encourage her to eat Skittles as rewards in the classroom, or popsicles on the playground because all of the kids are getting them. They think they’re being fair to her, but they’re only hurting her. Fair is actually NOT giving her the popsicles the other kids are eating, so that she’ll be able to function in the classroom after recess.
I’m tired of food manufacturers saying that artificial food dyes are safe. They’re not. Most are made from coal tar or petroleum. Some have been labeled carcinogens. I don’t need Red #40 in my ice cream to know it’s strawberry – that’s why I have taste buds.
I e-mailed Kraft Foods over a year ago and asked why they needed to add yellow food dye to their famous blue box of mac and cheese when there are safer natural yellow dyes that could be used instead. The response was that the FDA had declared it safe to use, and they have no plans to change their ingredients. It was a beautifully written pat on the head with an underlying tone of, “Well, bless your heart, you poor crunchy nut. We don’t care what you think because kids like neon glow in the dark mac and cheese.”
I hope the FDA won’t bow to the lobbying from the food industry this time and will, at the minimum, require warning labels on any foods containing artificial food dyes. And then maybe Cordy’s favorite mac and cheese will decide it’s time to change their ingredients so she can eat it safely.
Filed Under: Autism, big issues, Cordy, daily life, healthy living


Mar 28, 2011

A Great Getaway, Thanks To A Little Planning

March 28, 2011 By
This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Slim·Fast.

March eighth was my wedding anniversary – my eighth, to be exact. Because our anniversary is in March, we often do very little for Valentine’s Day and instead go all out for our anniversary. This year we visited Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark resort, for a pseudo-tropical vacation close to home. We’ve gone there a few times, and while it’s fun with kids, it’s also just as fun for two adults looking to get away and relax together.

And this year, I decided I wasn’t wearing a bathing suit with a skirt. Ever since I became a mom, my hips and thighs have been given as much coverage as possible under loose fabric during any bathing suit occasion. Let’s be honest, though: skirted suits are a pain. I mean, it’s OK if you’re just planning to sit in a lounge chair and read a book, but they’re completely uncomfortable if you have any plans of stepping foot in the water. The wet fabric clings and bunches when you get out of the water, generally destroying any chance at looking good as you continuously peel the cold, damp fabric from your legs. The minute you take a step, the we fabric latches on to your thighs again, and the peel and stick cycle continues for every step.

To prepare for our anniversary, I stepped up my plan to shape up, lose weight, and improve my health. In January, I left behind the sweets and baked goods of the holiday season and once again embraced healthy eating: tracking my calories each day, eating regular meals and small snacks between meals, and focusing on the nutritional value of what I eat. I journal everything I eat each day using an iPhone app, finding it makes me more honest with myself and less likely to overeat.

I’ve also starting exercising more regularly, including signing up for a series of group “bootcamp” classes in February. Group exercise generally makes me sweat without even working out, as I often compare myself to others around me and worry that I’m the weakest link in the class. But I also know that in a group setting I’m more likely to give 100% because of that same worry, so I’m stepping out of my comfort zone to make sure I get the most from my exercise.

I wanted to feel good about my body when I put on a bathing suit in the store, and even better when I wore it on our anniversary. I’ve lost ten pounds since January, and I’m starting to see muscle tone developing beneath the fat. I like what I’m seeing. When I bought my bathing suit, I declared my anniversary-prep a success, and I couldn’t wait for my husband to see me in that suit.

To be clear: I did this both for me and as a gift for him, but my husband certainly isn’t expecting me to be a certain size. Many years ago, when we first met, he saw me at my highest weight ever. More than when I was 9 months pregnant, even. He loved me at my highest weight, and he loves me now, when I’m nearing my lowest weight. Do I want him to be proud of the woman in the bathing suit next to him? Absolutely. But feeling proud of myself is just as important to me.

The results? Well, check out the photo to the left. Never before now would I even think of posting a photo of myself in a bathing suit on the internet, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’m at the same weight I was when we married. I’m three pounds away from the lowest weight in my adult life. Making the commitment to change the way you eat and exercise is hard, but the payoff of looking better, feeling better, and knowing that I’m improving my health is worth the hard work. I’m worth the hard work.

We had a fantastic time on our anniversary, and all of the preparation and work was worth it. Setting goals for myself helped me get even more excited about our trip, and meeting those goals made me feel fantastic. Having confidence in that bathing suit was my greatest reward as we walked around the waterpark for our anniversary, and that confidence hid any flaws far better than a little skirt would.

Best anniversary yet!

What event are you preparing for?

Now it’s your turn – tell me what big event in your life you’re preparing for, and what you’re doing to prepare for it. It can be anything: wedding, birthday party, moving to a new city, a vacation, etc. Are you shopping for new clothing? Scouting for the best coffee in a new city?

Leave me a comment below sharing how you’re preparing for the next big event in your life (and what that event is!), and you can be entered to win a Slim-Fast gift pack worth $100! Sweepstakes dates are 3/28-4/20.

Visit the BlogHer Promotions & Prizes section for more chances to win as well! And don’t forget to visit the official Slim-Fast site for more information on their products.
Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from two of the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a separate comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a separate comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Full disclosure: I did receive compensation in exchange for writing this post and hosting this giveaway for BlogHer and Slim-Fast. 

Filed Under: success Tagged With: ,


Mar 28, 2011

Bad Car-ma

March 28, 2011 By

Our family doesn’t have good luck with cars. It seems as soon as we fix one thing, something else goes wrong.

Aaron took our little sedan to NYC a couple of years ago. I expressed worry that something bad would happen to it, parked in the big city. Sure enough, it came home with a big dent in the side from being parked on the street.

Whenever we take a car in for maintenance, they always find something major costly wrong with it. And then a month after all of the expensive work is performed, the check engine light nearly always comes on.

Our SUV got a chip in the windshield last year. We had the auto glass folks come out and patch it. Then a few months ago, the patch gave out and the windshield cracked all the way across. Hello, new windshield!

Late last year, we had a nail in a tire on the SUV. We took it in to get the nail removed and patched, only to find it was in the sidewall and couldn’t be patched. And oh yeah, two other tires have nails in the sidewall. And the fourth tire had a broken stem valve. So one nail somehow turned into four new tires.

Last week, I tried to drive to work in the sedan, only to hear something thumping. Stopped at a gas station and found one tire flat. I tried to put air in it, but could hear the air hissing back out. I filled it up enough to drive home and switch cars, cursing our continuing bad luck with cars.

This poor little car has 188K miles on it. It’s running on a frayed rubber band at this point. It officially has a Do Not Recesuitate order on it – comfort care only. But I need it to last a little longer until we can save up for a down payment on a new car, so I had to buy two new tires for it.

As I drove the car home after getting two new tires, I pulled into the driveway to see the SUV had a low tire. With a nail in it. Seriously?

And then the same day, while driving on the highway, a small rock jumped from a semi-truck, over the car in front of us, and chipped the new windshield of our SUV.

Maybe we need to move to a city with better public transportation? Because we clearly aren’t meant to have cars.

—-
Hey, have you been over to my weight loss blog lately? I recently shared a story about planning to wear a bathing suit for our anniversary trip this year. Come read, share what event you’re planning for at the moment, and enter to win a fabulous gift pack!

Filed Under: daily life, fate laughing at me, money, random


Mar 28, 2011

As Good As It Can Get?

March 28, 2011 By

Saturday at my boot camp class I stepped on the scale expecting to see no change again. After all, this past week hadn’t been the best: I’d had deep dish pizza one night, ate several small bites of sweets, and other than my Tuesday and Saturday boot camp classes, my butt had been firmly parked in a chair. Even on weeks when I’ve put in extra effort for the gold star, the scale has rarely given me more than a quarter or half pound loss.

So I was a little surprised when the scale showed I had lost three pounds in a week.

My current weight is 171 pounds. That means in the last seven weeks I’ve lost ten pounds. I’m so very, very close to the magical 160’s. Why magical? Because I’ve only seen the 160’s once in my adult life, and it was for a very brief moment in 2002, when the scale went no lower than 168 in my quest to look good for my early 2003 wedding. Back then, I considered that just about as good as it could get.

But that’s not as good as it can get. I’m going to reach 168 soon, and then I’m going to pass it. The BMI charts recommend a weight of no more than 158 pounds for someone my height, and I’m not stopping until I’m no longer considered “overweight” by the medical community. I’ve gone from obese to overweight, so I know I can do this as well.

Let’s review for some motivation, shall we?

Highest weight post-kids, BlogHer06:

(On the left, obviously. Note: NOT my highest weight ever!)

How I looked when I first made the decision to turn this ship around, March 2009:

And now me in a bathing suit, March 2011:

(And I’m surprised I’m not bursting into flames from embarrassment right now!)
I’d call that progress. I still won’t be winning any awards in a bathing suit at the moment, but I’ve graduated away from the bathing suit dress at least. I can look at that photo and see a lot of hard work accomplished, while also still seeing a lot of potential for the future.
I’m starting to feel semi-comfortable in my own body, and it’s a nice feeling. Too bad it took me 34 years to get there.  
Filed Under: success, weigh-in Tagged With: