Back to the Rain!

Well, Tuesday I returned to cool and rainy Massachusetts from hot and sunny Florida.

It was tough to leave Fl -- not because of the weather -- I don't like it over 85 degrees, but because I miss my daughter. I hate the fact that I have to travel 1200 miles to see her.

It was also tough to only see my son and his wife for 2 days and know that I will have to travel to California to see them.

Now that I am old and decrepit traveling by plane isn't fun. I have too much stuff to carry and although the security checks are pretty quick now, it is still a pain. In fact, one security person chided me because I didn't realize that I hadn't pushed my bag fully on to the conveyor belt. Gimme a break!

I also got a little confused when I picked up my rental car. I had to stop and talk to an attendant after getting in the car and I couldn't find the button to open the window. I looked at the door and everywhere on the dash -- but no button. Then I saw this funny looking black curvy handle on the door. Oooh!! Manual windows!! Who has seen those for 20 years??? I finally was able to open the window. I also had to figure out the manual door locks. Every time Sharon got out of the car her door locked, but mine didn't. (I finally figured out that she was actually pushing the door lock button down when she got out of the car. duh! My brain was also on vacation.)

I had a very lazy time in Port Orange -- I never even walked the beach this year, but I did at least look at it!

We mostly sat around and went out to eat. Amazingly I did not gain any weight. I did manage to walk 2 miles on three of the days and 1 mile on the other days -- still somewhat short of my 3 mile a day goal.

I also tortured my grand-dog just by being there. Luckily my grand-cats remembered me and I was able to keep them amused with cat-toys.

Now back to reality and trying to figure out how to get rid of the unnecessary stuff in our house. Ugh!

How to maintain a weight loss...

From my experience:

1. Don't take prednisone.
2. Don't take hormones.
3. Do make sure that your thyroid levels are normal.
4. Don't sit for 8-12 hours per day.
5. Don't eat most of your meals at restaurants.
6. If you are taking glyburide, ask your doctor for an alternative that doesn't cause weight gain.
7. Don't use artificial sweeteners.
8. Don't eat when bored, tired, lonely or angry and not even if you are hungry if it is not a scheduled meal or snack.
9. Do weigh and measure the food you eat on a daily basis.
10. Do eliminate or limit refined flour and sugar.
11. Do drink water.
12. Do exercise every day. Build up to an hour - walk, bike, swim,take an exercise class, etc.
13. Do some meditation, or take some quiet time every day.
14. Do stretching exercises and/or yoga.
15. Join a support group -- Overeaters Anonymous is my favorite.

One more week of school!

I definitely am excited about summer vacation. Today I start giving exams, so teaching is officially over! I also feel good about my weight loss. I seem to be down another pound, so I have lost about 77 lbs from my highest weight. I walked 3 miles yesterday, but it is raining today so I probably will only walk about 2 miles.

This morning when I put cinnamon in my oatmeal, I dumped about 1/2 the bottle of cinnamon into the oatmeal. So my new breakfast is oatmeal flavored cinnamon -- I hope I like it!

Every so often I re-read The Rice Diet Solution. This is really one of my favorite diet books. I found that doing a very low sodium diet does help with the weight-loss. So what if it is water weight-- it certainly is weight!

I got up really early today, like a kid excited for Christmas, so I need to get to work.

So, what is my food plan like -- you might ask?

Although I've talked about calories, I don't recall that I've mentioned the specifics of what I eat. A typical day starts out with 2 eggs or 4 egg whites, 1 oz of oatmeal (measured dry and cooked according to directions) and 6 oz of fruit(orange or banana or 1/2 cup of applesauce). (315 calories)

For lunch I have 3 oz of lean protein usually chicken or turkey, 8 oz of raw veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumber , radishes and lettuce, and another 6 oz of fruit. Usually an apple. (280 calories)

Midafternoon I also have 8 oz of non-fat milk. (80 cal)

For supper I eat 3 oz of lean protein, (occasionally I have 1 oz of nuts), 6 oz of a cooked vegetable such as broccoli, green beans or carrots, and a 6 oz salad with a tablespoon of dressing that doesn't exceed 14 grams of fat. (300 calories)

The only times I deviate from these measurements and probably fat content is when I eat at a restaurant. I try to eat out rarely, and usually eat half of the portions. Also, I occasionally eat protein that is more than 40 calories per oz, but I try to limit that also.

I enjoy my meals because I eat healthy whole foods that are very satisfying. Between meals I drink black tea and coffee (mostly decaffinated) and water. I also like fresh lemon in my water and tea. I use stevia extract when I want a little sweetener, although I must confess that I still grab a sweet'n' low packet once in a while. I know - I know it is bad for me!!!

May 9, 2009

I started a post the other day but never finished. So I'm here again. My weight is back down again. I think that the new dose of Byetta is actually having an effect. Because I have diabetes, weight loss is very difficult. When I was at my high weight of 276 lbs, I chose not to look into gastric bypass surgery, but instead started increasing my exercise and reducing my food intake.

I was successful for several years. From 1998 to 2007 I lost 70 lbs and have been maintaining that weight loss for the past two years. I have been unable to lose significantly more weight on 1200 calories. Since I have been on the 10 mcg of Byetta, I have been able to stay close to 1000 calories per day and am down two more lbs. I am really hopeful, that now I will continue to lose more weight.

I average walking two miles a day, and should increase it back up to 3 to 4 miles a day. This year the snow and ice combined with my klutzyness caused me to fall a couple of times and really hamper my exercise routine. However, I seem to be back on track again.

I could say that life sucks being on the obese side of fat, but I actually am much healthier now than I was a few years ago. My blood sugar is almost normal,my cholesterol and related numbers are great,my blood pressure is good and I am working at a fairly active job so I really can't complain although I still like to!

So if you are old and still kinda fat like I am and struggle, I would love to hear from you!

February Vacation Done!

As usual the vacation has flown by. I spent all week working with my husband on our
bookmarkitunes site. It was fun.

However, I didn't exercise much. So my weight is still the same. I am hoping for a
change next week.

Waiting for warmer weather to be able to get out and walk more. I think I walked twice last week. When I am at work I walk about 2 miles without trying.

December 2008 Update

I never seem to know where the time goes. Being a teacher, my work is never done. But between the bad weather - ice storms, snow storms and holidays I have finally gotten a break.

But the first week of my vacation, I slipped in the driveway and got a big goose egg on my head! OUCH!!!! I spent the past week recovering from all my bruises. Sunday was the first day it was dry enough that I dared to walk outside.

In November I also got a Wii fit and have been having a ball with it!

My doctor also put me on Byetta to help me lose some weight, but it is still slow going.

In November I also entered a walking contest at work and won a prize for being in the top ten. That was fun.

My husband bought me an iPod Touch for Christmas, so we have been busy programming an application to help organize the itunes applications on the iPod. It was supposed to take a day, but 5 days later we are still working on it. The functionality is there, but we want to add some polish.

Today I downloaded an app to track my calories, weight goals, etc. So that is my new toy to help with weight loss. If I like Count It Off, I will post more info.

I lost interest in the last book I reviewed. It wasn't that helpful.