The Fat Files: The Case of the Incredible Shrinking Neck

Today, I weighed myself, and surprise, I am down to 196 pounds on the button.  That's 35 official pounds down since I started LCHF/primal last year...  Yikes.  So I did some measurements and discovered that my neck has shrunk down to less than 14.5". 

 

<--- Check me out.

 

Maybe I'm finally over my weight loss plateau.  

 

I also noticed that I have not updated my Numbers Do Not Lie page in, oh, 17 weeks.  Striking.  That's embarassment at plateau-ing, for ya. 

 

Here's what I am up to these days.  The theme is "back on track".

 

Fitness: I am back at the gym, trying to get some challenging workouts in.  I have contacted a local health and fitness coach, who I am going to meet up with on March 10th, to see about getting some training.  The good things are (1) he was recommended to me by someone I know who is in the business (but who is not local and thus cannot train me himself); and (2) he advocates primal nutrition for optimal health, and seems to be into the "lift heavy things" and "chronic cardio is bad" school of thought.  So, that meshes with what I've learned, in theory, about primal nutrition and fitness from Mark Sisson.  I say "in theory" because I am not doing so hot with the primal fitness aspect of this lifestyle.  I am still a little intimidated by the fitness world, and I loathe trying new things in front of a gym full of strangers.  That's why I sought out this trainer.  I am hoping that this will change some things for me and get me back on track with my weight loss.

 

Diet: I hate to admit it, but I have been slackin'.  I'm not completely non-compliant, but I am being a little too lenient with my food choices.  I have been eating out quite a bit, which is a no-no due to the presence of hidden carbs and quality questions regarding the source of the food that comes out on the plate.  I do better (we all do better) when we eat at home.  This is easier said than done when you are a busy mamasita.  Like me.  Also, I have to admit that I have been nibbling on forbidden things.  A bit of rice here, a little spoonful of pasta there, and just a dollop of "do you mind if I have a bite of that" all adds up to a slippery slope back to fat.  I don't want to go there.

 

Let's do this!!

A Success Story in the Making!

My favorite paleo/primal website, Mark's Daily Apple, has added a new page, called "Success Stories in the Making".  Check it out!

You can participate too, along with hundreds of other people who are setting goals and working to achieve them. 

Just submit a dated "before" picture of yourself, together with your name, your age, and the health goals that you wish to achieve through your paleo/primal way of life.  Instructions are on Mark's website. 

I am submitting my information this evening.  Once it is up, I will post a link on this blog so that you can see for yourself.

Best of health!

Fitness for Dummies - Holiday Edition

Would you rather start the New Year off with regret over your December glut, or begin 2012 admiring the work you did in December to help trim your big ol' November butt? 

Everyone always talks about New Year's resolutions, and starting afresh in the New Year.  You can see evidence of this everywhere you look, but especially at your local gym.  In December, the place is dead. 

Come January 2nd or 3rd, however, and you can't get a parking space outside, you have to wait 15 minutes to get on an elliptical machine, and the dumbbells are being occupied by, well, dumbbells who don't know how valuable your time is!  It is ridiculously frustrating, and, if you're like me, it gives you just one more excuse to slack off and stay at home, munching and watching the tube like a zombie. 

Here are some thoughts. 

First, you can do what I did, and hit the gym hard THIS month.  That's right.  Live in the present, and kick some tush NOW, not later.  While everyone else is out at Christmas parties, drinking and noshing their waistlines away, or vying for a parking space at the local shops, you can do the smart thing and hit that deserted wasteland that is your gym in December.  (Not that you can't go to Christmas parties or shop... just don't forget fitness while you gleefully prepare for your favorite holiday). 

There are a lot of benefits to hitting the gym right now.  Because it is not crowded, you don't have to wait in line for machines or weights, you can feel comfortable trying out a new routine or technique because you won't have an audience to observe if you mess up/fall off, and the likelihood is that you may actually get to have some quality time with knowledgeable gym staff who can teach you some cool tricks, or show you how to use a particularly daunting weight machine. 

As well, because you are being mindful of your fitness, you are less likely to treat yourself with the carby delights and alcohol abondanza that are pressed upon you this season.  So, the likelihood is that you will maintain your weight or even lose weight during the holiday season, instead of digging yourself into a nutritional and fitness hole that will be hard to climb out of next month. 

Second, you can start learning fitness techniques that you can do outside of the gym NOW, so that when the inevitable January gym rush hits, you can supplement your gym routine with activities that you can do in and around your home.  

Here's my recommendation: Check out these videos on body weight exercises by Mark Sisson of marksdailyapple.com and the Primal Blueprint fame, and give them a try.  In my life, I've never been able to do a single pullup.  Mark Sisson's videos show techniques that fitness neophytes like me (and maybe you) can use to work our way up to doing pullups, increasing the intensity of the exercise as we develop in upper body strength.  There are also videos for doing squats, pushups and the plank.  Best of all, these are exercises that you can do in the privacy of your own home, whenever the feeling strikes you.  To my family's amusement, I've popped a couple of wall squats (they look a little bizarre) while watching cartoons with my kid, and done some pushups off the kitchen counter while waiting for water to boil. 

Making the commitment to fitness, whether at home or at the gym, is something that you can absolutely do.  In my experience, taking control of my diet and my activity level has been an empowering experience.  

My LCHF 1 year anniversary arrives on January 24, 2011.  I have come a long way since then.  Today, I weighed in at 197 pounds.  I started this way of life at 231.5 pounds.  That's is a total loss of 34.5 pounds to date. 

Thanks to the changes I've made in my diet and fitness over the past year, I've said goodbye to heartburn, IBS, recurrent back pain, feeling dizzy when I bend over to tie my shoes, and wearing size 20W clothing.  I have said hello to being healthy, being able to run around with my kid, looking better (in clothes which are a size 14 regular now), and feeling more confident and accomplished.  Most of all, I have a hope for the future that I will never be fat and sick again, and I can see myself trim and healthy.

My interim personal goal is to hit my 40 pound weightloss milestone by January 24, 2012. 

What's your goal?   

Before and After Pics: 38 Lbs Lighter Than Last Year

Before:

One year ago (I am second from left).               

After:

Last weekend (I am on the right).   

Numbers Don't Lie!

I updated my weight and measurements today. 

Forgive me for skipping that lovely task last week, as measuring oneself when it is that time of the month is an exercise that no self-loving woman should do more than once in her life.  (There is a reason your clothes feel tight during that time: you can put on 5 pounds of water in your midsection alone - increasing your girth, temporarily, by inches). 

I am back down to 201.5.  I am driven to get under 200 pounds this week.  Come on, 199.5!!  (That's my new lucky number).

Get thee to the doctor!

I've been doing a lot of research on PCOS and "estrogen dominance" and "progesterone deficiency".  Turns out having PCOS causes you to have a lot of estrogen running around in your body.  Too much estrogen and not enough progesterone tends to make you fat around the midsection, hairy, moody, headachey, etc.  As if these symptoms weren't bad enough, having such an estrogen imbalance can apparently increase your likelihood of heart disease and breast cancer.  (And, let me be the first to tell you, having PCOS can make you infertile).  If these symptoms sound familiar, consider getting yourself to your MD for a check up, and have them run some blood tests on you. 

Hey - I'm not a doctor, but I believe that if you feel like crap you should get yourself to the MD and find out what's going on. 

I know a lot of people who prefer to stick their heads in the sand and just live with their symptoms.  An example: I have an Aunt Pam.  She is one of my mother's sisters.  After my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (for the second time) in 2008, she had genetic testing performed to determine whether she had a gene abnormality on BRCA1 or BRCA2 (these are human tumor suppressor genes - women and MEN who have an abnormality in these genes are much more likely to get breast, ovarian, and other types of cancer than the general population).  Mom had a deletion on her BRCA 2 gene - she had hereditary breast cancer.  With the exception of my Aunt Pam, my mom's children and her brothers and sisters all were tested.  We were all negative, thank God.  My Aunt Pam didn't show up for her appointment, she didn't reschedule, and she has never been tested, to this day.  Aunt Pam has two biological children, each of whom would also have benefitted from knowing whether their mom carried such a gene abnormality (because that would mean they have a 50% chance of having the same gene abnormality...the same elevated risks). 

My mom died last August, at age 54.  If she had had the benefit of a "heads up" ten years earlier, maybe she would still be alive today.  (Case in point: Christina Applegate).  To squander the opportunity to learn more about your own health, when it could provoke action that could save, extend and/or improve your life (and the lives of your loved ones), is tragic!

We only have this one life and this one body.  We should take care of them the best we can.  You're never too old to start taking care of yourself for the first time in your life.  Hey, I'm 31.  I'm obese and not that healthy at the moment.  But, I'm working on it, and my life is improving as a result.  There is no shame in being a work in progress.  There is no shame in investing in YOU!

Life Choices, Establishing Priorities, Acting Like an Adult, Headaches, Test Results

I just don't feel like myself this week.  I had Monday Misery, which is not my usual deal.  I have been grumpy, tired, and short-tempered.  Today, I have a headache, which I never get.  It is right in the dead center of my forehead and face, and completely encompasses both eyes.  The pressure is very uncomfortable.  I haven't been able to get my butt out the door to exercise this week.  I have been creaky and achy in my back and knees and neck.  I have had such high energy since starting low carb ten weeks ago.  In contrast, this week just feels so strange.  I am uncharacteristically low energy and just plain, old miserable.  Sigh.  I don't think it's the diet.  I am wondering if I'm sick, hormonal (see also, my birthday post and evil kate post), or starting up with my seasonal allergies. 

I just had a comprehensive blood screen at the doctor's and looked at my results.  Mostly everything is good and normal.  My glucose, after eating lunch, tested at 96 (which is normal for fasting blood sugar, so pretty good for midday after lunch).  My blood pressure has been consistently low.  My cholesterol is pretty good: its a little high, but the ratio is really good, and my HDL level is high. 

My estrogen count is way way up.  My new doctor confirmed my PCOS diagnosis yesterday after an ultrasound.  She said that my estrogen is elevated because I haven't ovulated in months.  So, I have started taking progesterone to induce a period, then I'll take clomid to induce ovulation.  Hopefully, this will start the old ball rolling.  Can extra estrogen make you beastly?  I am wondering.

So, the whole point of figuring out this PCOS thing, and getting my body in gear, is because I am, at least now, not ovulating and therefore infertile.  Hubby and I have been thinking about having another child. 

After going to the doctor yesterday, and talking about conception and stuff, stewing for a while, then getting Satan's own headache and being short with the wonderful daughter I already have, I began to feel that I am not ready to have another child at this moment.  I love kids.  I love my own kid to the moon and back and I am so proud of her that it makes my teeth hurt.  Part of me really would love to have more children.  The other part of me, which has been silent for a while, thinks that I should get my shit together, lose my weight, enjoy being thin and healthy, and revisit pregnancy when I am healthier overall and will have a safer pregnancy.  I also want to be able to hang out and do adult things that I have only recently been able to do… like join my friends for a movie or happy hour.  That same part has also suggested that I should think about focusing on my career.  Career and new baby don't necessarily jibe, you know.  (Not unless your significant other is willing to be a Mr. or Mrs. Mom… and mine isn't).  Both parts of me have been positively screaming "PRIORITIES, ESTABLISH YOUR FREAKING PRIORITIES", although they clearly disagree on what those priorities should be.  Is it just panic?

Let's make a list of priorities:

1. Keep a close eye on the health of my dad and grandma, and be the health bouncer in my family.
2. Spend time with my family.
3. Get healthy.
4. Get my billable hours on track at work.
5. Get City and related stuff in order.
6. Enjoy being an adult.
7. Take on a hobby.
8. Think about having another baby.
9. Think about running for office again (I really want to take a term off).

That feels right to me.  I have to sit with it for a while, but for now, this feels like what I have to do.  I feel this need to take care of and preserve what we already have, before we add anyone or anything else in to the mix.  

Why do I feel selfish and kind of sad?  Am I depressed?  I just don't feel like myself!  I am going to go back through my old blog posts, and remind myself that I am usually a happy person who feels well!!!

Ow.  The headache has moved on to the top of my head, my temples, and behind my ears, despite the acetominophen I just took.  Maybe I should wait until I feel better before I make any Life Choices.

Musings, hormones, and self appearance (Not Quasimodo)

Yesterday, I kicked a little ass on the elliptical machine.  Oh yes, I did.  I always thought it was way harder to do than the treadmill.  However, now that I’m old, I realize something.  It can be distinctly uncomfortable to run on a treadmill due to the concussion that running causes to my prematurely-aged feet, ankles and knees.  Ouch.  The elliptical eliminates that concussion.  Also, I realized that the action of picking up and putting down your feet makes you breathe harder.  Oof.  So, the elliptical is actually easier to do than the treadmill.  That makes me wary of whether I will be able to run the 5K in May.  I mean, if the treadmill hurts that bad, the pavement is going to have to be even worse!  I don’t want to really mess up my joints, but I do want to run.  The elliptical gets my heart racing, but it doesn’t simulate running.  What to do, what to do.  I am going to have to make an appointment with my MD anyway, so this is just one more issue that I’m going to bring up.

I had some ridiculously good corned beef and cabbage in the office cafeteria today.  I am still starving, though!  It is nearly impossible to low carb snack at the office, as I left my new bag of almonds at home, and I have no other noshes here.

I am wearing a new outfit that I just received for my birthday yesterday.  It is a dress and sweater, size XL, and both fit comfortably, I am happy to say.  I can really tell a difference in my body as a result of my weight and measurements loss to date.  I appear a lot narrower in my profile view, and the top of my butt does not look like a shelf you could rest small photographs on.  (I am slightly exaggerating).  Clothes just look better on.  When I try to squeeze in to pants that are still a little too tight, I don’t have a muffin top thing happening.  Its good.

I am not excited about my vitamins.  Part of me really wants to blow them off.  I hate taking them – ick.  They are too big, and there are too many.  But I know that I do feel better on them, and my hair and skin looks better.

I think that I am hormonal, which is surprising, and surprisingly, a good thing.  I was looking back at my personality-related posts of last week, and man, was I a hardcore, beastly, bitch of a woman.  Also, I am all broken out on my chin.  These are, traditionally, signs that I am getting my period.  However, I haven’t gotten one in a while, because I haven’t been ovulating. 

My doctor suggested, years ago, that I may have PCOS, or poly cystic ovarian syndrome, because of some of the symptoms I was having (irregular periods, facial hair, overweight despite diet changes).  She sent me to a nutritionist, who put me on a low carb diet (which I never followed).  I never followed up on it. 

Now, I’m starting to think about having another child, so I’m consulting with this new MD, who has one all of this testing on me and is taking another look at my old medical records from my last OB and primary care MD.  I stopped taking the pill back in December, and I haven’t had a period since.  The new MD says I’m not ovulating, and we’re trying to figure out why.  Since I’ve had these PCOS symptoms forever, the MD said that it was practically a miracle that I got pregnant the first time. 

Now, I feel distinctly like I’m about to get my period, which only happens if you’ve ovulated.  So, if I got my period without medical intervention, that would be a good thing. 

I’d like to believe that as I get healthier, my body is getting back on track and will be operating normally.  Boy, I’d like for it to operate normally.  I would really like to not have scalp psoriasis (I’m flared up and hating it right now), and I would like to have the ability to get pregnant (even if I don’t actually try to get pregnant right away).  I would also like to get off of these high blood pressure meds, get my cholesterol well under the recommended max for normal, not have joint pain when I run, and never have my freaking back go out again! 

I know that all of these are good goals.  The true, overarching goal, though, is to feel like a normal 31 year old, and not like someone who periodically feels like she’s 80.  I’m tired of feeling like a scaly, hairy, mean, old geezer.  (Jesus, I just make myself sound like Quasimodo sans hump!!)

Looking better in my clothes, while satisfying, is just NOT ENOUGH.  Come on, old body, get with the flipping picture!

Race in the Park!

Okay, I have created my Race team for the upcoming CTBHI Race in the Park.  I am very excited.  I want to complete the CoolRunning couch to 5K program by that date, May 7^th, so that I can run the 5K if I want to, in lieu of (or, I suppose, in addition to, doing the 4K walk).  This is my goal.  Let’s do it!

Goals and looking back - oh God.

One thing that I really liked about the Atkins Bulletin Board, is that the people frequently post their goals and "mini-goals", and celebrate for every 10 pounds lost to keep up the excitement and interest.  I think that is a great idea, so I have added a "Goals" section to my home page, to keep track of my goals.  I am only .5 pounds away from 220, so I am really excited to make that goal.  It means a lot to me.

Prior to this making this lifestyle change, I'd been stuck between 225-236 for a long time. 

I took some time to look back at my history of being overweight:

• I don't think that I got chubby until I was in the 2nd grade, because that is when the teasing started. 
• I remember weighing 130 pounds in the 3rd grade, and being 5'2". 
• After that, its a blur until I get to freshman year of high school in 1994, and I'm just under 200 pounds. 
• In the Summer of 1995, I joined Weight Watchers and lost about 25 pounds, and had a weight of about 175 or so and looked really good.  I went back to school in the fall, and remember that this jerk from French class, who had teased me mercilessly the year before, was suddenly nice to me and told me how "fantastic" I looked. 
• Then, a romantic relationship ended badly, and I gained that lost weight back in a heart beat.  I maintained at 190-195 from my sophomore year of high school in 1995 through October 2001, the beginning of my senior year of college.
• In October 2001, I was sick and lost a ton of weight in about 3 weeks.  I weighed 175 and was a size 10-12 and thought I looked pretty phenomenal.  That came back by the following summer (2002).
• I  started law school in 2002 at about 195 or so. 
• I ended law school in 2005 at 236.
• I weighed 236 when I got married in 2005.
• I weighed 236 when I got pregnant in 2006, was up to 240-something during my pregnancy, and after I had my daughter in 2007, I weighed 224. 
• I ballooned back up to 236 by Summer 2008, then managed, during that summer, by way of diet (frozen diet lunches and yogurt every day), to get down to 217 at my lowest in August 2008. 
• That didn't last for very long, and I slowly (over the course of a year) gained it back. 
• My weight, since about August 2009, has fluctuated within the range of 225-236 pounds.  When I started this diet in January 2011, I weighed 231.5. 
• I am currently at 220.5,  as of 2/28/11, which is as thin as I've been in a while. 

It is a little shocking to realize that I can never remember having weighed my goal weight of 150.  Going back, I can calculate that I was probably at 150 or so in the 5th grade, but I have no real recollection.  I was a size 14 in middle school, so I was probably at 180+ by the 7th grade. 

So, when I reach my goal weight of 150 pounds, I will probably be the thinnest I have been since I was 10 or 11 years old, and I'll be about 4" taller. 

Isn't that shocking?  Isn't it sad? 

I hated being the fat girl.  It really has been my "label" since I was a young girl.  It doesn't matter that I have always had positive characteristics that I (or others) could use to describe myself, too - like smart, funny, beautiful, kind or successful.  I never used them until adulthood.  I just listened to my mom tell me these things over and over, and I never really believed her.  Thank God I had her to keep up that refrain when I was at my most vulnerable and self-loathing - during my adolescent years - because it somehow, eventually got through, and I am a healthy-minded adult.  Just makes me realize one more thing that mom did for me that I never got a chance to thank her for.  I hope that she knew, before she died, that all of the laudatory things anyone can say about me are nearly 100% attributable to her hard work and excellent example.  I wouldn't have been the person I am today if it hadn't been for her.

Sad.  Now I miss her, and have cried my eye makeup off while at work.  Fantastic.  No more blogging about this stuff during lunch.