Hurts So Good!

Day 71,

There is barely a single part of my body that doesn't hurt tonight. I am proud to report that I have exercised 5 of the last six days and I've had no HFCS. My sugar consumption today is in the 17 gram range again. Success on all fronts.

Today, for no other reason than it sounded like a good idea, we decided to take a stroll on the Hendersonville Greenway after lunch. We'd never walked the trail before and we thought that, at best, it was a one mile loop. Four miles later... we finished.

I was not hydrated enough for four miles and I discovered during that four miles that it was definitely time for a new pair of sneakers. Next time, I will definitely be more prepared. Tonight my legs and feet are killing me. I have blisters on both my big toes. OOUUUCCCHHEEEE!

Let's not forget yesterday's body combat class. My glutes hurt from that and my shoulders and biceps hurt too. I'm afraid of what tomorrow may bring in terms of soreness. I know that it will definitely be a day of rest for me.

Cheers!
Margaret

Combat Whale

Day 70,

Holy Cellulite Batman Body Combat class is NOT for sissies. If you want a good lesson in just how unfit you are take this class. It will humble you. I am in awe of the gal that taught the class. She had also taught a spin class earlier in the day. It may be a week before I can walk right again. She probably rode her bicycle 10 miles to her house after class. I'm in awe of her level of fitness.

BUT, I'm hooked. I loved it. I did not love my reflection in the mirror. I most certainly did not love the fact that I almost tossed my cookies twice. And, I guarantee you that I will never work shoulders and biceps the night before this class again.

So, what did I love? The challenge. I can lift weights like nobody's business. I'm actually quite strong. But, I'm about as cardiovascularly unfit as a person can get. I had to face a lot of fears in this class. I was by far the fattest person in there. I felt like a whale dancing with goldfish. My fat rolls jiggled. I huffed and puffed. I couldn't do all of the moves perfectly. But, all of this just fueled that fire inside of me that will not be beaten. I consider it a huge victory that I made it out of that class alive. Now, tomorrow when I can barely walk, I may be singing a different tune. But, I'm a fighter. I'm a survivor. And, I will not fail.

The hubs took the class with me. I'm pretty sure that he's plotting some kind of large scale payback for this one. He made it through the class too. But, I don't think he is nearly as motivated to return as I am. The class is rated for people of "moderate" fitness. If that's what "moderate" fitness looks like, I am at the slothy snail stage. But, that's ok. I'll get there.

Sugar intake today was the best so far 17 grams total!

Cheers!
Margaret

Rollin... Rollin... Rollin.

Day 69,

I don't know if it's pure motivation driving this train or what. But, I'm on a roll and I feel great. Well... except for the neck and shoulder pain and the headache. I think the headache is related to the neck and shoulder pain not the lack of sugar.

Aside from this pain, things are going great. I've worked out all of my muscle groups this week and tomorrow night I'm testing out a Body Combat class at the YMCA. I've been trying to get to the Kickboxing class all week. Unfortunately, the class doesn't start until 6:45 pm. This means that I won't get home until 8:30 pm. Solution.. The Body Combat Class is new and starts at 5:30 on Tuesdays and Fridays. Problem solved! I'll be qualified to crack some skulls in no time.

Yesterday's sugar intake was 20.45 grams and today's was 19.76. The recommended daily allowance is 40. I'm landing nicely at half the daily allowance and ZERO High Fructose Corn Syrup. Hopefully there's not some horrible crushing withdrawl symptoms headed my way...

Cheers!

Margaret

Hidden Sugar

Day 68,

Day one of my quest to break my addiction to sugar is in full swing. So far so good. Sugar is so pervasive. It's in almost everything that's processed. Ugh! This is not going to be easy. I stated that I'm only giving up High Fructose Corn Syrup. My secondary challenge is to try and limit any processed foods I eat to no more than 4 grams of refined sugar per serving. (Note: Fruit contains natural sugar and I'm not giving up fruit. It's good for you!)

I decided to solicit the help of Dr. Mamet Oz in this endeavor. I thought it would help keep me honest. Well... honest isn't the right word. Sugar is so pervasive it's more like helping me be less ignorant. :)

Dr. Oz  encourages us to hunt down hidden sugars hiding in our cabinets and pantry. Throw away foods containing high amounts of added sugars, everything from tomato sauces to ketchup to peanut butter. He says to be especially wary of low-fat items as they often contain more sugar to make them taste better.

When purging your kitchen, be on the look out for these names:

• Fructose
• Maltose
• Sorbitol
• Evaporated cane juice
• Syrups
• Xylotol
• Sugars ending in "ol" or "ose"

There's no way I'm going to purge my kitchen of this stuff as my poor husband did not give up High Fructose Corn Syrup for lent. I'm reading labels like a mad woman and I've already told him that I'm going to have to buy high end chili beans and tomato sauce for my chili at the races next weekend. 

Eating healthy is expensive. It's true. But, the doctor bills that come with obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer don't really make the extra money on quality food seem like such a high price to pay. I'm just sayin...

Dr. Oz suggests finding alternative healthier sweeteners. Instead of sugar, try using the following alternative sweeteners: (note: I purchased Agave Nectar. But, I haven't tried it yet.)

Stevia

• Non-caloric herb from Paraguay
• Very sweet with slight licorice taste.

Agave Nectar

• Made from blue agave cactus grown in Mexico
• High in calories, but you only need a very small amount

The recommended daily amount of added sugar in a 2,000 calorie diet is 40grams. I've plotted my entire day and feel fairly confident that I will come in under 30 grams of total sugar. PERIOD! That's pretty damn good.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Cheers!

Margaret

I've got the Tiger Blood

Day 67,

Sorry, I couldn't resist with the title of tonight's post. I'm ju'st a bit giddy and proud of today's exercise achievement. I bench pressed 105 lbs! That's darn close to my all time high of 115 lbs, which was about 5-6 years ago. Not just 1 rep. But, I managed 3 sets of 10 at 95lbs and then 1 set of 6 reps at 105lbs. Yahoo!!!

I know that tonight's workout is going to leave the "proverbial" mark tomorrow. I was already pretty sore from yesterday's workout. Plus, my neck and right shoulder have been bothering me for days. But, I powered through! Yay me.

It's Fat Tuesday and I had big plans for my last hurrah before lent. But, I went out with a whimper by eating a few Hershey's kisses. I'm thinking I might finish my night with a bit of hot cocoa since it's cold and rainy outside.

Cheers!
Margaret

Step by Step...

Day 66,

Today was a lesson in flexibility. All the right things happened although not to the letter of the plan I presented yesterday. I had a bit of insomnia last night. It happens from time to time especially on Sundays. I go to bed and start thinking about the week ahead and just find it hard to turn off my brain.

Despite my rough night, I managed to eat well today and exercise. No excuses. This is a big victory if you take into account my excuses of the past several months. I'm satisfied with my performance today.

Tomorrow's Plan:

Meal 1: Protein Shake

Meal 2: Fruit and almonds

Meal 3: Chicken and Veggies ( I didn't eat this today)

Meal 4: Yogurt and almonds 

Meal 5: Salmon, 1/2 Sweet Potato and Asparagus (I made spaghetti tonight)

Meal 6: English Muffin with Almond Butter and sliced strawberries (If I'm hungry)

While I did eat well today, I don't think I ate enough. I didn't eat all of my mid meals. I just wasn't hungry.

Tonight we worked: Back and Triceps. We opted out of the kickboxing class. There's another one on Wednesday. I'm glad we skipped it. We worked out hard tonight. Throwing kickboxing on top of it would have been too much too soon for me.

Tomorrow is Biceps and Shoulders (and the elliptical for me).

Cheers!

Margaret

Preparing for Success

Day 65,

A trip to the grocery store and $186.00 later, I'm all stocked up on healthy High Fructose Corn Syrup Free foods. I got a few grumbles from the hubs when I chose a $5.49 jar of Pasta sauce with all natural ingredients that could be identified and less than 1g of sugar per serving over the jar of Barilla sauce at $2.89 with 4g of sugar per serving and several ingredients I couldn't pronounce.

In the oven roasting as I type is a chicken with potatoes and carrots. The smell of garlic, thyme and rosemary is wafting through the house and it smells delicious. Tomorrow, I plan to try out a kickboxing class at the Y. Tony wants to get in a weight workout before hand. We'll see how that works out. I fear that I won't be able to move on Tuesday, but I'll give it a shot.

Here's the meal plan for tomorrow:

Meal 1: Oatmeal made with skim milk, 1 tsp agave nectar, handful of blueberries, 1 sliced strawberry, 4 crushed walnuts.

Meal 2: Greek Yogurt with a cup of Pineapple and grapes

Meal 3: Leftover Roast Chicken with carrots and potatoes

Meal 4: Protein Shake (pre-workout) or Be Kind Protein Bar

Meal 5: Oven Roasted Salmon, 1/2 Sweet Potato, and Asparagus

Meal 6: English Muffin, 1 TBLS Almond Butter and 2 sliced strawberries

Cheers!

Margaret

Thanks for the Vote of Support

Day 64,

Thanks peeps for the support. My quest to eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup is a personal one. I've been reading a lot lately about it and its link to conditions like Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance. I have both. One begets the other. Unfortunately, when a person has these conditions, weight loss is difficult.

My struggle is no secret. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a quick fix. I'm looking for something to help me break this addiction to junk. Getting rid of the HFCS is my first step in that direction. I didn't realize that it's in so many everyday food items. One expects these things to be in candy and I knew it was in a variety of crackers, cakes and snack foods. But, you may not know (as I didn't) that many salad dressings, yogurts, breads, and fruit juices. etc.contain this additive. It is not in potato chips. I checked....

As my friend Clara suggested, "Pick ONE thing". It's a good suggestion because I frequently get bogged down in the all or nothing approach.

Grocery Shopping tomorrow should be fun. :) 40 Days of no HFCS starts Wednesday.

Cheers!
Margaret

Failing in Public

Day 63,

Failing in public hurts. It doesn't matter if you lose a race, trip over a shoelace or pledge to lose a hundred pounds in a year and then don't. As much as we love a good success story, we like to see people fail even more.

Think about it. How many success stories did you see in the news this week?
Remember any of them? No?

I bet significant number of us has been wired in to see Charlie Sheen publicly unraveling this week. (me included). Ever wonder what is going on inside the brain of the person who's just failed publicly? Do you think Britney Spears woke up the day after she shaved her head and said "Hell Yeah! That was awesome!" Do you think Ryan Benson (the guy that won the biggest loser only to gain the weight back) wants to even walk outside his door? Do you think that your friend who quit smoking only to sneak a few drags after a stressful day wants to admit it?

Failing is hard enough in silence. But, when you do it in front of other people it's excruciating. It doesn't make me feel good at all to sit here and blog about how much weight I haven't lost. It doesn't blow wind up my skirt to make and break promises to myself over and over. I don't even want to announce a goal anymore because I feel like people are sitting there thinking "yeah right! Sure you will." Truthfully, I say those same things to myself and I need to stop. But, that's another blog post.

And God help me if I go out there and say something radical like I'm giving up High Fructose Corn Syrup for lent. That little jewel gave my husband a big laugh. He encouraged me to set might sights a little lower and give up Diet Coke. Now, before you guys go all "what was he thinking when he said that.", I know that he didn't mean to hurt my feelings. The reality is that there is some truth in his statement. I don't blame him for thinking I can't do it. He has the data to back up the odds that I won't.

But, I want to try. And, that is the key.

Sure, there's the voice inside my head that says he's right, "I can't do it." But, then there's that stubborn mule inside that wants to prove him wrong. Then, there's the little girl who will be ashamed and won't want to leave the house for weeks if I can't do it. It sounds ridiculous. But, many of you know what I mean.

So, here I am.... again... pledging to do the right thing. I just hope I don't pull a Robert Downey Jr. and wind up in a neighbors bed mainlining Pringles, Oreos and Ice Cream.

I'm weaning myself over the weekend. Beginning Ash Wednesday (this wednesday) I'm giving up the junk for 40 days. No chips, no cookies, no cakes. Sugar be gone. You have my word that I'll keep the Diet Cokes to 1 or less per day. That's all I can manage at this time.

Cheers!
Margaret