Weekly Spark

I don't know what I weigh this week.  Sunday morning I hopped on the scale and saw that I was down two pounds, let out a "Wohoo!" and hopped back off.  Walker heard me screeching and poked his head in the bathroom to inform me that the scale wasn't working.  Not sure how he could determine that, I hopped back on.  Up seven pounds.  Oh - that's how.

I changed the batteries and weighed myself four more times.  I was careful not to move the scale when I got on and off it.  I got four very different readings, from a two pound loss to a whopping nine pound gain.  We went shopping for a new scale that afternoon.  Of course, by then, I'd had a couple glasses of water and a Coke Zero, not to mention breakfast.  I like to weigh myself first thing, so I can get a consistent reading.  So I don't have an official weigh in this week.

Instead, I'm happy to report some measurements.  Spark People recommends taking your measurements once a month.  You don't have to, and it's something I've never done before.  I always just went by my weight.   But this time I thought, what the heck, and took some measurements when I started the plan.  One month later, I've lost one inch in my waist and one inch in my hips.  My upper arm stayed the same.  Spark People doesn't record bust measurements. 

I had a couple really hungry days this week.  I assume they're hormone related.  I used to get really hungry for three or four days before my cycle started, and I would crave salt like crazy.  I had a hysterectomy a couple years ago, but I still have the hungry days and the salt cravings every couple weeks.  I should probably start tracking it, so I can be better prepared.  I ended up going over my calorie limit by a couple hundred calories, but only once.  I figure that will balance with the couple days I was at the low end of the goal. 

Weekly Spark and Then Some

Another Sunday, another Spark People update.  I lost 1.4 pounds this week. That's a total of eight pounds since I started this program at the beginning of January.  Not bad.  Everyone keeps telling me that ten pounds is a size, but not on me.  My pants are a little looser, but nowhere near too loose and I can't even get pants the next smaller size buttoned, no matter how much stretch they have or how much I suck in.  It will be awhile before I drop an actual size.

I got out my very cute "goal pants", denim Capris embroidered with daisies down one leg.  I hope to wear them in Florida in a couple months.  They are one size smaller but when I tried them on they aren't even close to fitting, so I measured them.  The waist is FIVE INCHES smaller than the jeans I'm wearing now.  Sigh.  Why is there such a lack of consistency in sizing?  I've pretty much given up ordering pants online or from a catalog.  Tops aren't so bad, shoes are okay, but pants?  Forget it.  I have spent a small fortune in mailing fees returning things that didn't fit.

I've been doing my walking, one way or the other.  I usually end up going to a grocery store or Walmart after work to finish up my step goal.  We're having great weather here, much warmer than usual, which is great except that we're getting snow melt during the day that refreezes at night, causing icy streets and sidewalks.  I don't let it stop me but it does slow me down.  When I come up short on steps, I find a 24 hour store and walk the aisles.  I thought about walking the mall but I like to go after work, which means middle of the night for me.  I wonder if I could walk the hospital corridors?  Probably not.  That would be awesome, though.  They have some long, long hallways, plus many, many stairs.  I could get a fabulous workout.  Too bad I don't have any connections at the hospital anymore.  The only way to get inside after hours is through the emergency room, and I doubt they would just let me wander.

Speaking of the hospital, I got a letter from the cancer center on Saturday.  I figured it was an appointment card, so I opened it immediately.  Unfortunately, it was not an appointment card.  It was a letter from my oncologist. He's leaving the cancer center as a doctor, becoming a patient.  He has inoperable pancreatic cancer.  I am just so, so sad about this.  The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is very grim. 

This week is shaping up to be as jam-packed as the last couple have been. I have a couple appointments in the afternoons before work, a family birthday, and mandatory overtime at the office.  Walker is still helping his mom.  Some time this week I have to take my car in for service, too.  When I put it in park, it doesn't always engage far enough and I can't remove the key.  Never had that happen before, so I want to get it checked out.  Not sure if it's just annoying or something potentially dangerous.  What I know for sure is, there's always something to contend with.  I don't know what I'd do with myself if I had a whole day free.

Weekly Spark

So this week I lost eight tenths of a pound.  My scale weighs in tenth of a pound increments, which I usually like but in this case, I would have done better if I had a scale that rounded up, LOL.  I don't care that it's under a full pound; at least I'm moving in the right direction.

I got in two of my four scheduled workouts on the elliptical machine.  I think I should have started out a little slower with that, as I got pretty sore after my second workout.  I probably could have done ten or twelve minutes at a crack, instead of fifteen, and maybe gone for three workouts the first couple weeks instead of four.  I'm still planning to do number three tonight, so if I actually do it I'll only have missed one.  I didn't do it earlier, as I would have preferred, because the machine is in our bedroom and Walker was asleep.  I added some light toning exercises with small hand weights this week, too, fifteen minutes at a time.  Bye - bye, flabby arms, LOL! Maybe I can even wear sleeveless on my vacation.  Maybe.

I'm still coming in too low on my daily protein intake.  Spark People offers menu selections but you don't have to use them.  I want to use them, but we had a full pantry along with a full freezer so I thought we should use up as much of that food as possible, restocking with healthy options.  And that's what we've been doing, but it's slow going with just the two of us here.  I should have started the inventory reduction before Bro moved out. 

We got some snow this week, which I shoveled instead of having Walker hit it with the snow blower.  Walker doesn't like me to shovel, but I got it when he wasn't home. That wasn't too hard to do, since instead of coming home after work on Friday Walker went to the tavern with his work buddies.  He didn't come home for fifteen hours.  So I had plenty of time to shovel, and the work helped me burn off some of my anger at him.  Who stays at a bar for 15 hours?  Sigh. To prevent me from shoveling, Walker stashes the shovel in the rafters in the garage where I can't reach it.  I got some additional exercise using the ice chopper to maneuver the shovel down.  In hindsight, I probably should have used something lighter, like a broom, as the shovel knocked into it when it finally fell and I narrowly missed catching it with my face.  A black eye would have created way more drama that I need right now.

So the goals for the upcoming week:  keep working on adding protein to my diet, try to make my exercise goal of four fifteen minute elliptical workouts for the week, and write a honey-do list for Walker that is long enough to keep him out of the dang tavern.

Spark People Update

Today marks the end of week two on my Spark People journey.  I am down two more pounds, for a total of 5.8 since I started on January 2.  I've learned a couple things, and I have more learning to go.  What I found out so far?  Well for one thing, my job is very sedentary.  I wore a pedometer every day but I deliberately didn't try to work in more walking. I wanted to see where I've been so I would know what a reasonable goal is.  Spark People recommends I walk 10,000 steps a day, which is a bit over four miles for me.  In my last job, I had 10,000 steps in before I went to lunch every day. My goal at that time was 25,000 steps.  Now, on the days that I work, I get about 5,000, consistently.  So I guess right now 10,000 is a good goal. 

I also learned that I don't eat enough protein.  Spark People gives me a graph that shows not only calories but also the basic nutrition info for my meals and snacks.   I only hit the mark for protein twice this week.  Last week I didn't hit any goals for protein.  I'm not worried about the two days I went over on calories and fat; the first day I made an egg dish (trying to bump up that protein!) and learned the hard way that I need to adjust the recipe for lower fat ingredients.  The 14th was Squeak's birthday party.  And yes, I ate the cake and ice cream.  I will always eat cake and ice cream with the kids on their birthdays.  I came in low today so that  should balance out.  

The last thing I learned is, I need to make exercise a higher priority. I only did my workout once this week.  On the one hand, I still lost weight.  But I want to tone up, too, and build my endurance, and strengthen my heart. I'm giving myself a break because, one, I was in a blue mood which seems to be lifting a bit now and two, we were exceptionally busy.  I'm not going to beat myself up.   

Weekly Progress

NUTRIENTS:	GOAL	1/9	1/10	1/11	1/12	1/13	1/14	TODAY
Calories:	1,200 - 1,550	1,180	1,189	1,256	1,823	1,328	1,561	923
Fat:	27 - 60	44	41	46	112	52	85	40
Carbohydrates:	135 - 252	114	158	136	123	139	137	93
Protein:	60 - 136	43	57	86	33	79	51	51