If It's Not One Thing...

Last week Boyfriend and I were going somewhere and we drove by the Curves that I usually work out at (when I actually go). The sign was gone. Curves was gone. I had no idea, since they keep taking money out of my checking account. So yesterday I called and found out that that particular location did close, but my membership would be transferred.

Today I go to the new-to-me club, which is actually a lot closer to my house than the old one. Turns out that about a month ago, the old Curves just shut down without telling anyone. That was sooooo nice of them. The new-to-me one is being very accommodating and will transfer my membership, so I'll have no problems working out there, which I did today. Yay me for actually going!

Now that things seem to have settled down personally, I should be able to keep up a more regular schedule so long as I get enough sleep and/or caffeine. This 7am work stuff is killing me!

Baby Steps

Baby steps seems to be the way to go. My willpower has been zapped, and a major issue facing me right now is not helping. The last thing I want to do is think about food. I don't want to plan my meals and I don't want to think about how the food feels in my stomach. I don't want to feel hungry, I don't want to feel full, and I don't want to be burping it up later (I have GERD, so this is far to common for me). I just want to eat so my life is sustained so I can have the energy to deal with other things.

So, with that said, a huge change in diet is just not going to happen right now. South Beach is just that - a huge change, for me at least. Not that I'm knocking it. It's a great diet and a very healthy lifestyle of eating. I just can't commit to it or stick to it right now. Besides, being the kind of person who always feels queasy eating eggs unless I can chase them with toast, I just don't see how I'm gonna be able to get through Phase 1 without going crazy or getting really sick. So I'll just wash it down with high fiber toast instead - like Oroweat's new Double Fiber Bread. I've always liked the Oroweat breads, and this new one has 6 grams of fiber per slice. That's freaking awesome, and I'll eat it, which is even better.

So, my focus right now is making small changes I can live with. Swap white bread for a yummy high fiber bread. I swapped out my morning granola bar too, to one that has more fiber and less sugar and still tastes good. Instead of heavy sugary snacks, I bought some Hershey's Special Dark Sticks - only 60 calories. For a confirmed chocoholic with no intentions of ever giving it up, this is just enough to keep me sane and keep the rest of the population alive. Sometimes I dip them in peanut butter. I also bought some Triscuits, which have a really decent amount of fiber in them. I'm trying to keep my carb choices to things that have more fiber than sugar, and things that have at least 2g of fiber per 100 calories. (I'm not advertising here, I just want to give a clear picture of what I'm eating and how I'm coming to choose these things.)

I'm horrible at preparing foods to take to work every day, so I need to make choices that fit in with that grab-n-go desire. I figure if I work with what works for me, I'll be more apt to stick with it. I've been eating the Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, and Smart Ones meals for my lunch at work for years. They aren't the best choices, but considering my lifestyle they work for me. I see no need to change that. The rest of my meals and snacks really need to revolve around pantry foods, because I'm horrible at fresh foods. If I don't eat them on the spot, they end up spoiling. I've just always been that way, so I need to go with the flow to make this work.

My biggest single stumbling block in my quest to lose weight is exercise. I've never been athletic, never wanted to play sports, and never had a taste for physical activity. So getting motivated to go is hard. So is having enough energy at the end of my workday. I know they say that working out in the morning is better, but I'm at work at 7am, and I am so NOT a morning person, so let's not go there. Lunch isn't a good time to go either since I hate the thought of rushing to Curves and rushing back to the office. No, after work is best, especially since it's on the way home. I just got to go. I mentioned in a previous post that when I first moved to Vegas I lost weight by going to Curves and actually eating out more than usual, so I know that 90% of my success is tied to the workouts. I just gotta go.

Give Me the Bread and No One Gets Hurt

Ok, so this no-carb thing is sooooo not working for me. The first day of the diet I was starving all day, and panicky because of it. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough food to last me the day, and since I tend to be a bit hypoglycemic, not having enough to eat makes me panic. Then Thursday I had the migraine and slept all day so I didn't really have a lot to eat. Friday I thought ahead and brought way more food to work than I thought I would eat. Turns out I didn't eat some of it (I came home with 2 hard boiled eggs and a cheese stick), but I also was lightheaded for most of the day. All I could think about was having a piece of bread. My stomach felt a bit queasy because of all the protein, which seriously does not agree with me. So then I got to thinking that I should not do low-carb. Boyfriend would be happy eating all meat, all the time. That's fine for him. Personally, it would make me sick. I need carbs. They settle my stomach, and I never feel satisfied until I've had some starchy stuff with my meal. So, I'll be skipping to Phase 2. I won't lose that big hunk of weight that you're supposed to on Phase 1, but I'll be much happier, and that will make everyone around me much happier. Tomorrow we go shopping for whole grain bread and crackers and other healthier stuff for my lunchbox. As long as I bring enough stuff I want to eat, I'll eat it and stay away from the vending machines.

Since I moved in with Boyfriend, he's gained, um, more than a couple of pounds. My weight has stayed the same. We eat out a lot more than both of us care to do, but I really don't enjoy cooking all that much and since he really won't do pasta, which is the easiest thing in the world to cook, I really don't look forward to cooking dinner. We still need to figure out how to eat in more so that we don't eat out as often and we're both happy with it, and I still really need to get my ass back to Curves. That's all, at least for me. I said before that I did really well when I went to Curves regularly without making any changes to my diet, so there's no reason to believe that it won't work again.

And We're Off!

First day today on South Beach - again. I tried this diet a few years ago and had some success with it, and it really is a very healthy way of eating. Once you get past Phase 1, which is basically a huge attitude adjustment for your cravings, then it gets much easier. But day One? Ugh.

I thought I had packed a lot of food so that I wouldn't be hungry. You're not supposed to be hungry on this diet. But I found myself at work and starting to panic because I didn't think I'd have enough food to last the day. I'll have to pack more healthy stuff so that I can get through the day. I know that caffeinated drinks are discouraged, but at 3pm I finally caved and had a Diet Coke. It really took the edge off my cravings, and helped me keep my eyes open since I went to bed a bit too late last night.

One of the complaints I had the first time around was that this diet doesn't make it easy for people who live a grab-and-go lifestyle as far as their food is concerned. I countered that this time by making all my salad ahead of time, so that I only need to throw a few handfuls into a ziploc baggie (quart size). I cut up and divided all my celery sticks into grab and go packs. I got string cheese, which is already grab and go. Cooking a few nights worth of meat helps keep from having to cook every single freaking night, which is a main reason a lot of people eat out - they just don't want to cook. It will take a bit of planning and doing larger quantities of cooking, and having to get used to leftovers, but it can be done. I'm determined to see that it gets done.

Starting Over, Take Two

Ok, going to Curves on a more regular basis didn't work too well. But I'm gonna try that yet again. Also, Boyfriend and I have decided that after losing all ambition to cook and eating out way too much as a result, we need to do something drastic. I am a big fan of the South Beach Diet because of its sensibility, and once we get past the first 2 weeks we should be well on our way to a much healthier lifestyle. I've done SB before and had some success on it, but faltered without any moral support. Since we are both going to be doing this together, we'll be able to help each other stick to it.

My personal challenges are:

• I need to work out on a regular basis. This is the single biggest thing.


• I need to curb my vicious sweet tooth so that I don't hit the vending machine


• I need to plan my meals better

Planning and the vending machine go hand in hand, though sometimes I don't want to eat what I've brought to work with me. But if I know that we are both trying, I'll suck it up until the lo-fat cheese stick and celery looks a lot more appealing than the candy bar. Doing this together, though, I think will be the best way.