Brave Enough to Burn

So, yeah, I know I missed checking in last week. It was a bit of a crazy week. But last week I weighed in at 235.2, which was another slight gain. Again, I'm not worried about those because I'll just lose it again in a week or so. After all, I really doubt it's hard weight gain; just water.

This week, as expected, I've dropped most of it, and am back down to 233.6. Not quite where I was two weeks ago, but I'm within a few tenths of a pound. I'll be back much closer to my normal routine this week, so I'm expecting another drop when I weigh in next weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for at least a two pound loss, because that will put me at fifteen pounds lost. Which means I can get a mani and pedi and be pampered. :) I've only ever had a manicure once in my life, and never had a pedicure, so I'm really looking forward to this reward.

I also have my exporting issue fixed, so you get treated to the minutia of my food intake again. You'll notice that Friday is incomplete, and that there is no food or exercise actually tracked for Saturday and Sunday. This is because I was out in the woods at Daughters of the Moon, and the last thing I was going to worry about in the middle of a spiritual retreat was trying to write down what I ate.

It was also sort of an experimental week for me. I know that realistically, I am not going to be tracking my food for the rest of my life, or will be able to exercise almost every day, and I have a few road trips coming up. I needed to see how I could handle flying by the seat of my pants, so to speak. It wasn't too bad. The biggest issue is that when I don't plan it out, I am much more likely to revert to processed foods. Calorie-wise, I don't do much worse. But nutrition-wise- yeah, kinda fail there. So I need to work on that.

I'm toying with the idea of banning processed foods from my diet for a week, just to see how it goes. It will require a lot of planning, and I'd have decide what constitutes "processed" for me; the bottled orange juice I prefer, for example, could be considered processed by some, but since it has no added sugar and is just orange juice, I'd still drink it. Stuff like that.

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It has been horribly, horribly cold down here, and for the past two days, I've pretty much been trapped in the house. We got caught up in the nasty winter storm that slid across the Midsouth the last half of the week, but we were just south enough to get more sleet and freezing rain than snow. Admittedly the four to six inches of pretty solid ice covered in powder likely wouldn't phase some of you reading this, but Memphis (and Memphians) has no idea how to react to that kind of weather. There are not enough plows and sand trucks, and instead of pre-salting the major roads when ice is an almost certainty, they wait until the weather actually hits and people have trouble driving. People zip along the icy roads (those with heavy enough vehicles, anyway), not thinking that they need to allot extra distance for turns and stops than normal. I don't live in Memphis proper; I live in a small military town north of Memphis, which means only the two or three main roads get plowed out. So, since my work closed down Friday and Saturday, I decided there was nothing I needed outside of the house that couldn't wait 'til today.

I have been wonderfully unproductive these past days, spending my time huddled under a blanket and goofing off on Facebook games or chatting. I did go out yesterday and spend about twenty minutes chipping my car out of the ice, and I did make myself exercise.

This week, I've had a 3.6lb loss, putting my new weight at 239.2lbs Now, before anyone jumps me for it being too much, let me remind that I had less than 1lb losses the past two weeks. I have not starved myself, as you'll see from the food list under the cut. In fact, I went over calories a few days, and the past couple I have indulged in some comfort foods, including homemade brownies. Which, I must add, I am currently enjoying with a glass of milk for breakfast; they are most delicious. There are a variety of factors which likely contribute to such a large loss, including the following: I changed up my exercise routine, paid more attention to my water consumption, and am back to more normal bowel function. Sorry if that last is TMI, but it means my body has adjusted to my increased fiber intake and is processing food properly again.

In regard to exercise, you'll see that instead of biking some days, I've got "Dancing-general" listed. My thighs really were starting to bother me and needed a break, but I didn't want to skip a workout day. My workouts aren't quite true habit yet, and skipping one day would let me justify skipping another, and another. So Tues, I snagged a couple of 2lb hand weights at the Mart of Walls, came home, and cranked up Lady Gaga's The Fame. I danced around for pretty much the whole CD, alternating between higher aerobic dance and upper body weight work. I pick a different CD each time, and I really enjoy the workout. Just holding the weights while I dance helps give me a core workout, I've found, and that in addition to the moves I use to work upper arms, chest, and back. I'm pretty sure I'm actually burning more calories than I'm speccing because of using the weights, but that's all right. I'd rather underestimate than overestimate. I also like having this option because I really don't like to do my bike when people are home, because it's in the common area. I dislike being talked to when trying to work out.

Some random things that I haven't mentioned before, but some of you might be interested in:

*The reason you will see very little drinks listed in the meal rundown is that I drink almost exclusively water. I aim for 32oz a day, and often get closer to 48oz a day. I indulge in coffee when it's bitter cold (like recently) or sweet tea when I eat out. Every once in awhile, I'll have a root beer or fountain soda, like a limeade, but honestly, most of those drinks are simply too sweet for me now. I adore hot teas, but haven't been indulging that fetish lately. Not sure why, exactly- just haven't been in a tea mood, I guess.

*I use a OMRON full body sensor scale when I weigh in. I love it, for it appeals to my geekiness. Snagged it a while back from woot.com when they had it on deal.

*I weigh in the buff, before eating.

*I know that just looking at my diet, it is high in cholesterol. However, high cholesterol has never been an issue for me, nor is it a family issue. While my total cholesterol levels usually sit between the 190 and 200 mark, my HDL is usually higher than my LDL by a large margin. I'm more worried about my blood sugars and my blood pressure than my cholesterol, due to family history.


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First week back tracking my food through Livestrong and getting back to doing regular exercising. I have my caloric intake set for a 2lb per week loss, not taking into account my exercise. This means that when i burn say 400 calories on the bike, I get to eat those extra 400 calories and still have net calories that fall within my calorie goals.

This method is working out well. It keeps me from being hungry- well for the most part. I have got to figure out ways better work lunches. I'm starving by the time I get home in the evenings. I'm not making the best food choices, but right now, I'm trying to re-learn portion size and control, not totally rehab my eating. I'll be making changes gradually as I progress.

Starting weight was 246.8. I lost 2.8 pounds this week, and I call that staying on target.

Below is the food, exercise, and calories I tracked this past week. Livestrong actually breaks down all the nutritional info, too (fats, sugars, carbs, etc), but I don't have teh space to put the whole file here.


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First, the food porn!

Last night was our coven's Lughnasadh feast/rite. Since this festival is centered around the harvest, we went with a veggie and grain theme for our feast, centered around a Vegetable Curry. Which meant that I, as the resident Curry Goddess, got to make the main course.

I tried out a new yellow curry recipe, and it was wonderful! Easy to prep, and only about 10-15 minutes of cook time. The heat in the sauce can be very easily controlled, and the sauce is actually very refreshing to the palate. What's more, you can use any vegetables you'd like, really. So, for the interested, I'm linking the recipe.

Thai Yellow Vegetable Curry

I highly, highly suggest that if you want to use eggplant, you don't use American eggplant. Search out Chinese or Japanese eggplants instead. They're denser, crisper, and hold their shape. American eggplant tends to be too watery for these types of dishes. Plus, the Asian variety's skins aren't as bitter or chewy as "regular" eggplant. Also, this is not a thick, cooked down curry sauce like many Indian curries; it is a thinner curry and you will want plenty of rice to soak up the yummy goodness. I personally prefer Thai curries over Indian if going veggie.

( Cutting the rest, so as not to clutter your f-list )