That 6 week commitment I was blogging about-- that didn't go too well. Choosing to focus on the bright side, I walked away encouraged that I was exercising at least two times per week and drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day. Now, it's like I'm on to the next fad in what I like to think of as my fad-free life.Well, my current spin is definitely not some diet or style people are participating in in masses. Instead, it's a typical allergen elimination diet-- no gluten, dairy, nightshade plants, corn, soy, sugar, MSG,nitrates, etc., and caffeine. My goals are to identify migraine triggers, identify pain triggers, identify triggers for skin burning or other skin sensations, and identify triggers of stomach issues. Also, my wife said we both have to lose weight so I agreed to lose 25 lbs. I've been doing this for about 2.5 weeks and lost 10 lbs. Also, my leg pain has decreased from a 8 to a 6. The progress isn't as great as I'd like but 4 weeks is a pretty typical length of time needed in order to get the junk out of one's body.
Water? I still drink it but have slacked with a faithful count. I'm confident I'm reaching 8 glasses per day but not so sure of reaching 10 glasses, which is my current preference.
Exercise? Not so much but this week I decided to fold it back into my schedule. I exercised at work once this week and have it on my to do list to complete before weekend's end.
A somewhat perk of this diet has been discovering new recipes and new delicious food. My faves have been the flourless almond cookies (I substituted chocolate chips for macadamia because I had that on hand) and turkey burgers with shredded zucchini and carrots. I'm also quite proud of myself for my hamburger steak dish that was extra delicious. If not for time limitations and dirty dishes, I might could enjoy cooking.
Here's to holding the faith. It works if you work it and I'll keep coming back.
Showing posts with label health goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health goals. Show all posts
Friday, July 22, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Moving into Week 5 of 6
I did not do well with my commitments this week. The week began with me just not being into it + learning a bit about how being on the road for work can affect things like water consumption and snacks. Mid-week, I focused. Then, I was bummed and didn't put the energy into the commitments. So,
1. Water consumption-- I consumed at least 6 glasses of water 2 days and made it to 5 one to two additional days. Goal not reached.
2. Exercise-- I just sat down from 18 minutes on the treadmill and exercised 17+ minutes one other day this week. Goal failed.
3. Carbs? I achieved my goal of 135 or less on 3 days. I went over 1 day and didn't track my carbs the other 3 days. Not a good and faithful week.
Despite this week's slacking, I am moving forward into Week 5's goal. Part of the sadness was disappointment in not being able to bring down my elevated blood sugar with one day of good behavior. Hence, this week is my time to focus on consuming 105 carbs or less per day in snacks. It's modified from my original 100 stating to make a smooth 30,30,30,15 snack breakdown. It's not ideal from a doctor's perspective but I think I can manage with it if paired with carb control in meals. It's a step towards focus and intention so we'll see how it goes. Slow and steady. Steady, consistent. Namaste.
1. Water consumption-- I consumed at least 6 glasses of water 2 days and made it to 5 one to two additional days. Goal not reached.
2. Exercise-- I just sat down from 18 minutes on the treadmill and exercised 17+ minutes one other day this week. Goal failed.
3. Carbs? I achieved my goal of 135 or less on 3 days. I went over 1 day and didn't track my carbs the other 3 days. Not a good and faithful week.
Despite this week's slacking, I am moving forward into Week 5's goal. Part of the sadness was disappointment in not being able to bring down my elevated blood sugar with one day of good behavior. Hence, this week is my time to focus on consuming 105 carbs or less per day in snacks. It's modified from my original 100 stating to make a smooth 30,30,30,15 snack breakdown. It's not ideal from a doctor's perspective but I think I can manage with it if paired with carb control in meals. It's a step towards focus and intention so we'll see how it goes. Slow and steady. Steady, consistent. Namaste.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Week 4 of 6 week committment
Tonight, I realized my week count was off. I think that's because I referred to the end of the week as the week # of that previous week? Anyhow, week 1 was count carbohydrates consumed through snacks and limit daily snack carbs to 135 or less
Week 2 was exercise at least 10 minutes per day at least 3 days per week
Week 3 was to drink at least 6 cups of water daily
What about week 4? Well, I told you last week; it's time for me to kick up my exercise routine. I decided to increase the time spent exercising instead of increasing the pace of my walks. A regular exercise routine is important for maintaining good health. Although it would be easy to focus on a 10 or 15 minute increment, I need to learn to incorporate exercise into my weekly schedule. Self-care. Heck, that was even part of the message at church this morning at First Congo. Week 4's commitment is to exercise at least 17 minutes per day at least 3 days per week.
So, how am I doing with the commitments?
1. I tracked my carbs in snacks 6 out of 7 days. Excellent.
2. I stayed within my 135 daily carbs in snacks limit on 5 out of 6 of those days.
3. I averaged 90 carbs in snacks per day and frankly, my overage was "1" carb over when using the diabetic count on the day I went over (i.e., I hit 143 carbs).
I count this as a success for the week. Before the 6 weeks ends, I plan to reduce my carb count to 100 per day. Making that commitment terrifies me. I've been achieving it while my goal is 135, somewhat, so one would think it won't be too hard. But I know me. We'll see.
Exercise was good. I did an official 10 minute routine on three days this week, 2 on treadmill and 1 via youtube. I even got in some lovely child play this weekend. Small as this goal has been, there have been multiple moments when I was aware of the cardiovascular improvement due to these simple walks. Bodies are meant to move. It's been a process of shaking off the cobwebs and telling mine it's okay to move. I've also been pretty faithful to ice my legs after my short workouts. I really, really, really don't want a repeat like before.
The water goal has been great. It took a mental adjustment to get those 6 cups in and sometimes I've definitely skipped something flavored in order to press towards this goal. But it's been met almost daily. My log verifies goal achievement 5 out of 7 days. I logged 4 one day, and 5 another. I sure felt like I smashed this goal but I admit that 5 out 7 ain't bad. Plus, there's no guarantee that I logged everything. I don't log everything but I do try to log the first six cups.
In closing, let me share that my scale believes I dropped 5 lbs this week. I won't argue ;).
Week 2 was exercise at least 10 minutes per day at least 3 days per week
Week 3 was to drink at least 6 cups of water daily
What about week 4? Well, I told you last week; it's time for me to kick up my exercise routine. I decided to increase the time spent exercising instead of increasing the pace of my walks. A regular exercise routine is important for maintaining good health. Although it would be easy to focus on a 10 or 15 minute increment, I need to learn to incorporate exercise into my weekly schedule. Self-care. Heck, that was even part of the message at church this morning at First Congo. Week 4's commitment is to exercise at least 17 minutes per day at least 3 days per week.
So, how am I doing with the commitments?
1. I tracked my carbs in snacks 6 out of 7 days. Excellent.
2. I stayed within my 135 daily carbs in snacks limit on 5 out of 6 of those days.
3. I averaged 90 carbs in snacks per day and frankly, my overage was "1" carb over when using the diabetic count on the day I went over (i.e., I hit 143 carbs).
I count this as a success for the week. Before the 6 weeks ends, I plan to reduce my carb count to 100 per day. Making that commitment terrifies me. I've been achieving it while my goal is 135, somewhat, so one would think it won't be too hard. But I know me. We'll see.
Exercise was good. I did an official 10 minute routine on three days this week, 2 on treadmill and 1 via youtube. I even got in some lovely child play this weekend. Small as this goal has been, there have been multiple moments when I was aware of the cardiovascular improvement due to these simple walks. Bodies are meant to move. It's been a process of shaking off the cobwebs and telling mine it's okay to move. I've also been pretty faithful to ice my legs after my short workouts. I really, really, really don't want a repeat like before.
The water goal has been great. It took a mental adjustment to get those 6 cups in and sometimes I've definitely skipped something flavored in order to press towards this goal. But it's been met almost daily. My log verifies goal achievement 5 out of 7 days. I logged 4 one day, and 5 another. I sure felt like I smashed this goal but I admit that 5 out 7 ain't bad. Plus, there's no guarantee that I logged everything. I don't log everything but I do try to log the first six cups.
In closing, let me share that my scale believes I dropped 5 lbs this week. I won't argue ;).
Monday, May 30, 2016
Week 2 of 6 week Commitment
Last week maybe went a bit better than week 1 of the 6 weeks of commitment. I tracked my carbs consumed in snacks for 5 out of 7 days, I think. It continues to be difficult to know for sure when I've logged everything since myfitnesspal won't allow me to close out the day due to the low number of calories consumed. This week's tracking solidified my belief that I tracked more than 1 day last week. I only went over the 135 once, averaging 95.4 carbs in snacks per day.
This week's goal was to exercise for at least 10 minutes three days per week. I exercised twice. Today was day 1 of exercising for this week. I will do better this week with goal two, much like I did better with goal 1 the week after it debuted,
Week 3's goal is to drink at least 6 glasses of water daily. Thus far (3:30pm), I've consumed 5.5 glasses of water. A few weeks ago, I purchased big bottles of Dasani because they were on sale. They are perfect for now. The 1 bottle is nearly 6 glasses; 2 bottles will easily exceed my 10 cup goal that's to come.
Although I am comfortable with the progress I'm making, the commitment, my scale did not tell me a happy story on Friday. I had gained 1lb for the week but the most alarming thing was to generate the grid to see my weight for the year. It's gone up and up and up, about 12-14 lbs, I believe. Disheartening. Then again, that doesn't sound right. I believe I'm 6 lbs away from my high so I guess the 12-14 is the increase from my recent low. I find the graph to be a bit motivating. It's a fact that weight loss does not tend to motivate my actions, only health. But seeing the increase from my recent natural weight-loss (side effect of going gluten-free) made me want to go back to my previous weight. Truly, my low made me want to lose a few more pounds to cross one those theoretical weight line (increments of 25). I'm not jumping up and down to become a calorie counter with an intense exercise schedule, but I am hopeful that weight-loss will be a byproduct of my simple, gradual, intentional changes. Next week's goal is going to be to exercise 17 minutes a day at least 3 days a week; funny how the goals are coming to me faster than the weeks are passing.
Here's to strength and health....
This week's goal was to exercise for at least 10 minutes three days per week. I exercised twice. Today was day 1 of exercising for this week. I will do better this week with goal two, much like I did better with goal 1 the week after it debuted,
Week 3's goal is to drink at least 6 glasses of water daily. Thus far (3:30pm), I've consumed 5.5 glasses of water. A few weeks ago, I purchased big bottles of Dasani because they were on sale. They are perfect for now. The 1 bottle is nearly 6 glasses; 2 bottles will easily exceed my 10 cup goal that's to come.
Although I am comfortable with the progress I'm making, the commitment, my scale did not tell me a happy story on Friday. I had gained 1lb for the week but the most alarming thing was to generate the grid to see my weight for the year. It's gone up and up and up, about 12-14 lbs, I believe. Disheartening. Then again, that doesn't sound right. I believe I'm 6 lbs away from my high so I guess the 12-14 is the increase from my recent low. I find the graph to be a bit motivating. It's a fact that weight loss does not tend to motivate my actions, only health. But seeing the increase from my recent natural weight-loss (side effect of going gluten-free) made me want to go back to my previous weight. Truly, my low made me want to lose a few more pounds to cross one those theoretical weight line (increments of 25). I'm not jumping up and down to become a calorie counter with an intense exercise schedule, but I am hopeful that weight-loss will be a byproduct of my simple, gradual, intentional changes. Next week's goal is going to be to exercise 17 minutes a day at least 3 days a week; funny how the goals are coming to me faster than the weeks are passing.
Here's to strength and health....
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