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It’s Me Again

c1f542d98d3b38311fbcc741357644d3I’m generally not a quitter, but this diet thing seems to be too much for me. It used to be so easy, but now I can’t seem to keep it up. That said, I’m going to try the keto diet. Yeah. I know I’m bouncing around from one thing to another. That’s not like me either.

I’ve stopped drinking any kind of alcohol, so that should make it easier. I enjoy a glass of wine or beer, but oddly enough alcohol causes me anxiety. I’ve never been a heavy drinker. It seems even a glass or two causes anxiety. I hate the way that feels. I can’t say I’ll never have another glass of wine again, but I can say that is a possibility. It has been a few weeks since I’ve had any alcohol, and I feel great. I’ve had no anxiety whatsoever.

My son hooked me up with a virtual reality gaming system. Beat Saber and Box VR are excellent exercise options. They’re great for upper body strength and muscle building, and there is no knee jolting from jumping or running.

I’ve been depressed about turning 60. Maybe it is just a number, but it’s a high number. For the first time in my life I feel old. I went for a facial and microderm abrasion Saturday and scheduled another appointment for next month. That actually made me feel better.

Part of the funk I’m in is that I finished all my doctoral coursework and have a hole where homework has been for 10 years. I’m still completing my dissertation and hope to do my oral defense in December.

On the upside, I got a promotion at work. My new team is amazing. I’m really loving the new position. I feel blessed to have found these wonderful people to work with.

So…day one of keto…

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I Give Up

scale-toss.largeThat’s right. I’ve tried just about everything, and I’m still fat. I’ve decided to just be fat. Whatever. And old. I just had my 60th birthday. Sixty is old. Old and fat. Fat and old.

On the upside, I’ve completed all my classes and am now officially all but dissertation (ABD). I hope to complete my oral defense by December. My goal has always been to be a doctor the year I turn 60. I’m still on track.

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Excellent First Day of Intermittent Fasting

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My first day of intermittent fasting was phenomenal. I decided ahead of time that I would eat at 11:00, 3:00, and between 6:00 and 7:00 when my daughter got home from work.

At 11:00, I had breaded fish that I heated up in the air fryer with no oil and cauliflower rice medley. I think it was Green Giant. I just stuck it in the microwave. At 3:00, I had the same thing. At 4:00, I was a little hungry, so I had a biscuit. I wasn’t hungry at all at dinner time, so I had two glasses of wine.

All in all, I think I had in the ballpark of 1500 calories. I walked 3010 steps, 500 of those carrying a 5-lb weight in each hand.

This morning, I woke up 1.8 pounds lighter and not hungry at all. I’m surprised at the lack of hunger. We’ll see how today goes.

Oh…the Sweet 16 reference is because I’m fasting 16 hours and eating for 8 hours.

 

 

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Noom Plus Intermittent Fasting

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I’ve been doing Noom for six weeks and haven’t lost any weight, but I’ll admit that it’s my fault. They give me all the tools, but I haven’t used them. I decided to take a new approach in an attempt to increase my success.

One of my friends posted an article on Facebook about intermittent fasting. I’ve fasted before, so this caught my attention. I always feel better when fasting. I did a bit of research and decided the best approach for me is the 16:8 approach where you fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window.

This morning, I skipped breakfast. I’m not big on breakfast anyway. At 11:00 a.m., I had two pieces of breaded cod that I put in the air fryer with no oil, since it may already have oil. I bought the cod from Omaha Steaks. I also had two services of cauliflower rice medley. This came in under 300 calories.

My plan is to eat again at 3:00 p.m. and between 6:00 and 7:00pm, and then to fast until 11:00am tomorrow. I’m still using Noom to do this. I’m using their tools and the app to log my calories.

My doctor told me to walk briskly with a light weight in each hand. I started this initially with 2-1/2 lb weights and have switched to 5-lb weights. I feel stronger not only in my arms, but also in my back, shoulders, and chest. My neck is slimmer.

Noom is a really good tool, and I like the coaches, groups, app, and reminders. I’m going to stick with it. I’m sure the weight will start coming off as I do my part.

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Giving Noom A Try

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For a long time, I’ve thought Weight Watchers was the only diet plan worth trying…until now. I’ve been seeing the Noom ads on my Facebook page, so I decided sign up for the 14-day free trial. Today is day 7, and I’m really loving it.

I’m a rule follower, so I enjoy the structure of Noom. I’m also a stress eater, and that’s where my diet attempts always fail. Noom has psychologists on staff to help with that.

I feel a little freer with Noom because I always know how many calories I’m eating and whether the foods I’m eating are “green,” “yellow,” or “red.” With just a glance at the Noom app, I can tell how healthy I’m eating.

The app also connects with my Fitbit and monitors my steps. As I exercise, it adds more calories to my daily intake level. For my age, height, and weight, it starts with 1200 calories per day, but as I exercise that number goes up.

I feel like I can be successful with Noom.

 

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Boston Market Turkey Breast Dinner

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The new Weight Watchers Freestyle program allows a lot more freedom than prior programs. Sometimes I want to eat out, as most of us do. Boston Market is the first restaurant I’ve tried since starting Weight Watchers Freestyle. I was pleasantly surprised by the turkey breast dinner. It was delicious, and these were the points:

  • Turkey breast – small or large     1
  • Poultry gravy                                  1
  • Rotisserie potatoes                        4
  • Steamed veggies                             1
  • Cornbread                                       7

Sure, that’s 14 points, but it was worth every wonderful bite. I still had 9 points left, and 4 rolled over to the next day.

I can’t wait to find other places to eat out. Oprah says you can eat anywhere. We’ll see!

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Holding Your Body Weight

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My daughter is a petite young woman. She can put one hand on each of the Body Rock Challenger Bars, bring both legs up to a mid-air squatting position, hold it, and then lower both legs. I tried that…and…um…well…let’s say my feet left the floor about an inch for a sliver of a second. I decided to work on that. Of course, I weigh significantly more than my daughter, so I’m lifting a lot more body weight. I’ve been attempting this exercise five times each day. Today, I actually lifted both legs and held them up for about two seconds. Progress. Whatever, I’m getting a little muscle definition in my upper arms.

The problem here is that my core is not strong enough to lift my legs. With the exercises I’m doing with the Body Rock Challenger Bars, my core is getting stronger. I’m just going to keep on keeping on.

The Weight Watchers Freestyle plan is going well. I haven’t had a single craving or been hungry since I started on December 31st. Yep, I started on New Year’s Eve instead of New Year’s Day. I couldn’t wait to start moving forward with my healthier plan.

I’ve been trying to get more steps in. I track them with my FitBit. I’m trying to make 10,000 steps more days each week. So far, so good. I’m seeing improvement. My clothes are starting to fit better.

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Yes, It Is Right

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The other day, I questioned in my blog post “Is This Right?” whether I could really eat bacon, eggs, toast, and butter for breakfast on the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program and still lose weight. Well, yes I can. On week one, I had this breakfast two days in a row and still lost 5.4 pounds.

This is the first time I’ve been on a diet and have not been hungry or had any cravings whatsoever. My daughter weighs 115 pounds, but she’s eating the same meals I’m eating – plus other things as well. She’s thoroughly enjoying the plan. We are eating great! There will be more recipes coming.

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Zero-Point Instant Pot Chili

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Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey, 99% lean

1 14-oz can pinto beans

1 14-oz can kidney beans

1 onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1-1/2 cups chicken broth (I use Kitchen Basics unsalted)

1 6-oz can tomato sauce

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 small can green chilis

1 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Spray Instant Pot with Pam spray. Brown ground turkey. Add all other ingredients. Cook 35 minutes on manual setting.

My whole family loves this, and it’s zero points on Weight Watchers Freestyle.

 

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I’m So Out Of Shape

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Since starting my doctorate in 2015, I’ve become quite sedentary. I’m no spring chicken either. Today, I started the 30-day free trial of BodyRock.TV. I attempted the beginner day 1 boot camp video. It said it’s for people who have never exercised, the elderly, after surgery, that type of thing. I’m both proud and disgusted to say I finished the first 100 seconds of the video. That’s like 1 minute 40 seconds.

I have visions dancing in my head of perky elderly people finishing the warm-up and the day 1 boot camp. Pft. It’s okay. I’m going to finish the whole video today…in 100 second sessions. I can do this. Oh yes I can! Just because the name of the video has day 1 boot camp in the title doesn’t mean I can’t just stay on day 1 until I ace it because I know I’m not going to work up to day 30 in 30 days.

To give myself a little credit, I’ve been trying to walk or cycle 10,000 steps per day and do a few body weight exercises on the Challenger Bars. It’s just that hopping around is a little out of my league right now.

Tonight, I’m making zero-point chili for dinner. It’s my own special concoction. I’ll post the recipe this evening or tomorrow. It’s a good dinner for these below-freezing temperatures we’re having.