So, my lab results came in today. Thyroid is normal (among the ten million other things I was tested for...). Apparently I am not immune to chicken pox and have somehow expertly avoided it for nineteen years. Huh. I did, however, have an above average but not high ANA count. This is concerning as lupus runs in the family, and I am not really energetic. However, since I have symptoms pointing toward Raynaud's disease (constriction of blood vessels making me hyper-sensitive to the cold), I'm betting it's that. ... But I won't find out for two or three months. Considering the very many dangerous diseases ANA counts are associated with, I'm viciously hoping I either received a false positive or am just a freak of nature who seriously needs to move someplace warmer.
BUT since my thyroid is normal, and most of those serious ANA related diseases include debilitating to mild symptoms like WEIGHT LOSS, it's fair to guess that I'm an adequate, mostly healthy human being who enjoys cheesecake, perhaps, just a little too much. At $20 a platter, it's obvious I take advantage of the holidays just a littttle too much.
So, now weighing in at 142.2 pounds, I realize it's very necessary that I completely alter my diet. As of recently, I have lowered the amount of calories I eat. However, it just isn't working and exercise is not helping. So, looking to the past, I'm going to re-do the raw diet - only this time, further allowing myself to be exposed to the wide variety of healthy, overpriced, non-raw organic foods that exist. And yeah, the reward system will still be in place - that's what will determine whether or not I can have junk food.
The only problem I have with this diet is that it's never over. In order to maintain the weight loss, I'm going to need to stay on the diet. Hopefully it will become a way of life. And maybe I'll actually see some results this time.
Starting Thanksgiving weekend, this is gonna get tough.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Twenty for 2011 Week 3
Stats:
Weight: 138.6
Measurements
Calf: 14.5"
Thigh: 21.5"
Waist: 28"
Hip: 36"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 2.75 inches
(one half inch since last week)
GAINED: ~ .4 pounds
Funny thing I noticed: My calves got bigger. One of my thighs is bigger than the other. o.0
Weight: 138.6
Measurements
Calf: 14.5"
Thigh: 21.5"
Waist: 28"
Hip: 36"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 2.75 inches
(one half inch since last week)
GAINED: ~ .4 pounds
Funny thing I noticed: My calves got bigger. One of my thighs is bigger than the other. o.0
Friday, November 19, 2010
Pre-Update to the Twenty for 2011 Update
Fact: I'm more muscular.
Fact: I have actually gained weight, according to my new doctor who weighed me in at 140.8. ... She did not yell at me.
Fact: My measurements have continued to shrink, despite my still not being able to fit into tight jeans. Honestly, I think some of the strength training is just making my butt bigger.
While I am enjoying some of the results, there are still many changes to my diet that need to be made.
Initially, I thought that I could just eat anything I wanted in the name of holiday spirit as long as I worked out a lot. ... And trust me, I work out all the time. I don't doubt that I'm losing fat (it takes up more volume than muscle, explaining the weight gain and inch loss - however, it doesn't yet have so much mercy for my size 5's as it does for my bedazzled measuring tape), but it's kind of hit me that college is in very little over a month. The results are not coming quickly enough and the more I work out, the more the sciatica in my leg acts up. I'm turning into an old lady.
Instead of having a bowl of ice cream, I'm going to have to settle for a spoonful. Instead of having a soda once a week when I want something fizzy, I'm going to have to work for it. I have a lot of stuff I want to do - make videos, read books, watch some movies and DVD sets, college papers - before school. Perhaps this will be the catalyst to get me off the web and doing the things I've been putting off for months. Already in a week I've read three books. I feel kind of like a titan, but it isn't the best I can do. Reducing my calorie intake by incorporating "rules" into my diet might be the best way.
... taking effect.. tomorrow.
On Wednesday I had five vials of blood removed from me by a very kind lab tech. He was so gentle I actually found the guts to look at the tubes as he drew my blood - big mistake. I'm not queasy, but the way in which he drained me so quickly and the oceanic motion of the blood in the vials was.. grim. I got light-headed for the first time having blood drawn, but I couldn't back down. It was for important reasons that my blood was drawn and rushed to a hospital.
I was tested for electrolytes, hypothyroidism (which will make me gain weight easily), and a rare autoimmune blood disorder that makes me swell in response to cold, among other things. I'll be anxiously awaiting the results until next week. Wish me luck, I suppose?
Fact: I have actually gained weight, according to my new doctor who weighed me in at 140.8. ... She did not yell at me.
Fact: My measurements have continued to shrink, despite my still not being able to fit into tight jeans. Honestly, I think some of the strength training is just making my butt bigger.
While I am enjoying some of the results, there are still many changes to my diet that need to be made.
Initially, I thought that I could just eat anything I wanted in the name of holiday spirit as long as I worked out a lot. ... And trust me, I work out all the time. I don't doubt that I'm losing fat (it takes up more volume than muscle, explaining the weight gain and inch loss - however, it doesn't yet have so much mercy for my size 5's as it does for my bedazzled measuring tape), but it's kind of hit me that college is in very little over a month. The results are not coming quickly enough and the more I work out, the more the sciatica in my leg acts up. I'm turning into an old lady.
Instead of having a bowl of ice cream, I'm going to have to settle for a spoonful. Instead of having a soda once a week when I want something fizzy, I'm going to have to work for it. I have a lot of stuff I want to do - make videos, read books, watch some movies and DVD sets, college papers - before school. Perhaps this will be the catalyst to get me off the web and doing the things I've been putting off for months. Already in a week I've read three books. I feel kind of like a titan, but it isn't the best I can do. Reducing my calorie intake by incorporating "rules" into my diet might be the best way.
... taking effect.. tomorrow.
On Wednesday I had five vials of blood removed from me by a very kind lab tech. He was so gentle I actually found the guts to look at the tubes as he drew my blood - big mistake. I'm not queasy, but the way in which he drained me so quickly and the oceanic motion of the blood in the vials was.. grim. I got light-headed for the first time having blood drawn, but I couldn't back down. It was for important reasons that my blood was drawn and rushed to a hospital.
I was tested for electrolytes, hypothyroidism (which will make me gain weight easily), and a rare autoimmune blood disorder that makes me swell in response to cold, among other things. I'll be anxiously awaiting the results until next week. Wish me luck, I suppose?
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Twenty for 2011: Week Two
Stats:
Weight: 138.2
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22"
Waist: 28.5"
Hip: 36"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 2.25 inches
(one inch since last week)
LOST: 2 pounds
Am I celebrating progress? Nope. The average person's weight fluctuates 2 pounds each day. However, I weighed myself as this the other night, so it's promising. However, judging from where I lost my weight, I'm not doubting that it could be water weight that will just come back.
What I've been doing - strength workouts on the wii fit. They seem to exacerbate the slight sciatica I've been having in my leg, but according to the internet, core strength will help it go away. Can't win, I guess. I've been eating less and did one hardcore cardio session this week - running 5-7 mph for about an hour, going slower when I needed air. I find it helps to work out to a beat and focus on exhaling more than inhaling.
To be continued!
Weight: 138.2
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22"
Waist: 28.5"
Hip: 36"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 2.25 inches
(one inch since last week)
LOST: 2 pounds
Am I celebrating progress? Nope. The average person's weight fluctuates 2 pounds each day. However, I weighed myself as this the other night, so it's promising. However, judging from where I lost my weight, I'm not doubting that it could be water weight that will just come back.
What I've been doing - strength workouts on the wii fit. They seem to exacerbate the slight sciatica I've been having in my leg, but according to the internet, core strength will help it go away. Can't win, I guess. I've been eating less and did one hardcore cardio session this week - running 5-7 mph for about an hour, going slower when I needed air. I find it helps to work out to a beat and focus on exhaling more than inhaling.
To be continued!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Twenty for 2011 - Week One
Stats:
Weight: 140.2
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22"
Waist: 29"
Hip: 36.5"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 1.25 inches
What I attribute this to:
1.) Errors in previous measurements. Afterall, I doubt my wrist actually got smaller - although to be fair, I have naturally tiny hands and so I do expect to see a difference at some point.
2.) Initial measurements were taken during PMS (meaning I was bloated - now that I am menstruating, I still am bloated to a certain extent and I intend to use Jillian Michael's water weight trick to shed some of that weight). While I may have lost some water weight already, resulting in my losing inches around my body, I have done some strength training, potentially resulting in more muscle mass... Canceling out that weight loss.
3.) Drinking water with lemon in it (lemon is said to increase metabolism), strength training on the Wii Fit, yoga, and jogging indoors. The fact that I lost inches without losing weight may also be explained by losing fat and gaining muscle.
As the water weight issue will still be an issue next week, real results will not show until Week 3.
Also, ladies, remember: unless you want gravity to help your muscles to over-stretch while exercising, always wear a sports bra.
Weight: 140.2
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22"
Waist: 29"
Hip: 36.5"
Wrist: 5.75"
Total: 107.25"
LOST: 1.25 inches
What I attribute this to:
1.) Errors in previous measurements. Afterall, I doubt my wrist actually got smaller - although to be fair, I have naturally tiny hands and so I do expect to see a difference at some point.
2.) Initial measurements were taken during PMS (meaning I was bloated - now that I am menstruating, I still am bloated to a certain extent and I intend to use Jillian Michael's water weight trick to shed some of that weight). While I may have lost some water weight already, resulting in my losing inches around my body, I have done some strength training, potentially resulting in more muscle mass... Canceling out that weight loss.
3.) Drinking water with lemon in it (lemon is said to increase metabolism), strength training on the Wii Fit, yoga, and jogging indoors. The fact that I lost inches without losing weight may also be explained by losing fat and gaining muscle.
As the water weight issue will still be an issue next week, real results will not show until Week 3.
Also, ladies, remember: unless you want gravity to help your muscles to over-stretch while exercising, always wear a sports bra.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Twenty for 2011
Mmm, the holiday season. Just after you finish off the Halloween candy, it's time for pies and Christmas cookies. If you've got a sweet tooth like me, it's a death sentence in the doctor's office. January of last year, I promised myself I'd be at my ideal weight by the time I graduated. .. Didn't happen. .. And that's even without temptation. College for me will arrive shortly. Classes start January 10th (and I don't even know when I'm moving in) and having a sweet tooth as I do (and a dislike of eating in front of others), I'm not too sure how the Freshman Fifteen is going to pan out for me.
Sweets are my reason to keep the extra blubber. Besides, it's friggin' cold out! Who cares if I bought that electric toothbrush and whitening paste, floss not once, but TWICE a day, have sensitive teeth, and owe all four or five of my cavities to sweets? Some lying part of me says it's worth it. But even so, my clothes aren't going to survive being dried at school and that brings me to this moment.
All I know is, I'm going to be grouchy if I don't have my sugar fix. Maybe my mellow attitude is accredited to years of overtolerance to sugar - I don't get hyper.
So after the YouTube Food Experiment fiasco that led to nearly a YEAR of digestion and intestinal issues (yum), no damn vegan, vegetarian, or raw SUPERHUMAN diet is going to keep me down. It's time for a new diet - one that includes sweets.
Few people know or accept that a balanced diet includes fats. It also includes not overdosing on fiber, which is exactly what I did. The detox on my body was so bad that although my mind felt clearer than it has in years and although I felt energetic, my body was crushed. My acne flared up horribly and I couldn't move. I never went to a doctor with my concerns (actually, I brought them up at a physical - they were ignored), but later read that crash cold-turkey detox diets often take a toll on the liver, heart, and kidneys and can result in death if continued. And although I suspect I have thyroid issues that are slowing my metabolism, I also doubt that I consumed enough calories to maintain such organs properly. So these sweets might be doing me a favor in this case.
Diet take 2.
- Will consist of smaller, more frequent portions. I will drink before I eat in case my body is confused about what it really needs. Snacks will include something with protein, fiber, or a low amount of calories if it's deemed filling enough. ... 100 calorie packs aren't cutting it.
During the YouTube Food Experiment I lost about 8 pounds in a week and a half. I did not exercise, unless shopping counts. 90% of my physical exertion included typing at my laptop while I laid in bed all day. However, now that I've brushed up on health information, I know that the more muscle a person has, the more calories they can burn as their metabolism improves. Not to mention the fact that I am a pitiful weakling who constantly needs help from men who make me feel, ironically, much smaller than I really am. To combat that, I intend to do a lot of strength training. .. And, you know. Cardio so I don't end up looking like a linebacker.
Current stats:
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 140.2
BMI: ~ 24.8
BMI at which I would be overweight: 25
I don't appreciate BMI scales since they tend to be inaccurate, but it's what my doctor will probably use to determine how many papers about proper diet she should print out for me. I'm saving trees, here.
This is what really matters to me...
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22.5"
Waist: 29"
Hip: 37"
Wrist: 6"
Total: 108.5"
Goal Total: ~ 100
Goal weight: 120
Losing 1-2 pounds a week as recommended, I can effectively lose 8-16 pounds by New Years Day. Double resolution:
I want to lose twenty pounds by February of 2011.
My question is, is it possible to do this without Yo-Yo dieting?
And to anyone who questions me revealing such personal information, I'm pretty accepting of myself. The only time I've ever been sincerely called fat was when I was very overweight for my age at 8 years old. It stunted my growth - I should be taller. I weigh less now than I did then. By dedicating this information, I'm forcing myself to go through with this. As much as I want to do this, it's going to suck and I encourage anyone doing the same to tell someone about it - every extra push can make a person go miles farther.
Sweets are my reason to keep the extra blubber. Besides, it's friggin' cold out! Who cares if I bought that electric toothbrush and whitening paste, floss not once, but TWICE a day, have sensitive teeth, and owe all four or five of my cavities to sweets? Some lying part of me says it's worth it. But even so, my clothes aren't going to survive being dried at school and that brings me to this moment.
All I know is, I'm going to be grouchy if I don't have my sugar fix. Maybe my mellow attitude is accredited to years of overtolerance to sugar - I don't get hyper.
So after the YouTube Food Experiment fiasco that led to nearly a YEAR of digestion and intestinal issues (yum), no damn vegan, vegetarian, or raw SUPERHUMAN diet is going to keep me down. It's time for a new diet - one that includes sweets.
Few people know or accept that a balanced diet includes fats. It also includes not overdosing on fiber, which is exactly what I did. The detox on my body was so bad that although my mind felt clearer than it has in years and although I felt energetic, my body was crushed. My acne flared up horribly and I couldn't move. I never went to a doctor with my concerns (actually, I brought them up at a physical - they were ignored), but later read that crash cold-turkey detox diets often take a toll on the liver, heart, and kidneys and can result in death if continued. And although I suspect I have thyroid issues that are slowing my metabolism, I also doubt that I consumed enough calories to maintain such organs properly. So these sweets might be doing me a favor in this case.
Diet take 2.
- Will consist of smaller, more frequent portions. I will drink before I eat in case my body is confused about what it really needs. Snacks will include something with protein, fiber, or a low amount of calories if it's deemed filling enough. ... 100 calorie packs aren't cutting it.
During the YouTube Food Experiment I lost about 8 pounds in a week and a half. I did not exercise, unless shopping counts. 90% of my physical exertion included typing at my laptop while I laid in bed all day. However, now that I've brushed up on health information, I know that the more muscle a person has, the more calories they can burn as their metabolism improves. Not to mention the fact that I am a pitiful weakling who constantly needs help from men who make me feel, ironically, much smaller than I really am. To combat that, I intend to do a lot of strength training. .. And, you know. Cardio so I don't end up looking like a linebacker.
Current stats:
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 140.2
BMI: ~ 24.8
BMI at which I would be overweight: 25
I don't appreciate BMI scales since they tend to be inaccurate, but it's what my doctor will probably use to determine how many papers about proper diet she should print out for me. I'm saving trees, here.
This is what really matters to me...
Measurements
Calf: 14"
Thigh: 22.5"
Waist: 29"
Hip: 37"
Wrist: 6"
Total: 108.5"
Goal Total: ~ 100
Goal weight: 120
Losing 1-2 pounds a week as recommended, I can effectively lose 8-16 pounds by New Years Day. Double resolution:
I want to lose twenty pounds by February of 2011.
My question is, is it possible to do this without Yo-Yo dieting?
And to anyone who questions me revealing such personal information, I'm pretty accepting of myself. The only time I've ever been sincerely called fat was when I was very overweight for my age at 8 years old. It stunted my growth - I should be taller. I weigh less now than I did then. By dedicating this information, I'm forcing myself to go through with this. As much as I want to do this, it's going to suck and I encourage anyone doing the same to tell someone about it - every extra push can make a person go miles farther.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Samsung Rogue
While I would love to switch over to AT % T to use the iPhone, I am unfortunately still broke and on my parent's contract on Verizon. Because of this, last year I chose a new phone for my eighteenth birthday - a Samsung Rogue.
While newer versions have been released since I purchased the phone (just my luck - this always happens to me), it really seems to me like the old version is much the same. This cell phone is based solely upon touch-screen technology and thankfully is very durable. If you are one of those types that loves technology but uh, tends to break things easily, this bulky phone just might be for you.
Then again, it probably won't fit well in your pocket and seriously, it's not that great of a phone.
Clarity of other line: horrific. At some point it gets tiring to constantly blame the other person for having a crappy phone and you will wind up saying, "just call me on my house phone."
Texting: excellent. Messages send back and forth in a flash. but... how do you cancel a text? For a year I've just hit every key and have gotten lucky only once or twice.
Camera: Lukewarm. It takes decent photos, but there is often a blur or glare and even when your arm is perfectly still, there is a good chance your picture will appear warped.
Clarity of your own voice: Good. While this depends on the other person's phone, the Rogue is great at picking up sound.
Touch-screen technology: annoying. see below.
Malfunctions: Too frequently. When you receive a text while deleting texts (even if you're just on a screen with the option to do so), the phone will go blank and not turn back on. In order to fix this texting crisis, you must remove the battery and turn your phone back on, waiting for the three hour logo screen to pass. Note: you're probably never going to fit the cover back on correctly.
Secondly, often times it sends texts out to people you clearly did not want it to. Sure, this means you can't trash-talk people (a phone encouraging moral values... huh), but it gets pretty embarrassing when your girlie insights to your best friend are sent out to your powder-keg ex-boyfriend.
Additionally, after just one year my touch-screen has begun to fail. So far holding down certain options or positions on the screen and/or dragging icons seems to fix the issue, but overall, I'd say do your research and find a better phone.
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