tracking

Another roller coaster day

No, not the blood-sugar roller coaster. Low-carb food choices are still the norm in my world. But having my blood sugar on an even keel didn’t stop my Wednesday from being jam-packed with highs and lows.

I rode this coaster a couple of times in high school: The Corkscrew at Cedar Point. Nowadays, just looking at it makes me dizzy. I can't even ride the Tilt-a-whirl without getting nauseous.

I woke up feeling kind of low — probably because I only got five hours of sleep. I didn’t got to bed until after 4 a.m. and the alarm went off at 9:30. I ignored my alarm for a minute or two — and when I opened my eyes, the first thought in my brain was “I don’t want to work out.”

This despite the excitement I expressed the night before to try out the new sports bra. Guess that’s what staying up an hour past my usual bedtime does to me.

Don’t worry. I made myself get up and put on my workout clothes, ready to (as the Boyfriend said) release those endorphins.

And that led me to my first high point of the day: I completed three circuits of Best Body Bootcamp’s Workout B. Granted, the third circuit had just half the number of reps Tina laid out — but considering I’ve been pooped after two circuits, I’ll count it as a win.

After going through the exercises a second time, I wasn’t completely fatigued … so I decided to attempt a shortened third set of reps. When I did, I was tired, but euphoric. I did it!

The euphoria continued through a nice, hot shower — mainly because when I got out, I realized the towel wrapped completely around my body with no gap. I won’t be wearing it out in public anytime soon, but it was nice to see that towel close. I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Writing time was like a plateau before the plunge, which happened when I picked up a late lunch. I stopped at Chipotle and got what I thought was a low-carb choice: The pork carnitas with fajita veggies, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, guacamole and tomato salsa.

I’m glad I took the time to look up the nutrition stats, because it turns out tomato salsa was on the higher-carb end of the spectrum. The Chipotle Nutrition calculator I consulted counted 19 total carbs and 7 grams of fiber for 12 Net Carbs.

Had I gotten the barbacoa beef and green salsa instead, it would have had 19 total carbs and 8 fiber for 11 Net Carbs. Knocking out the guac I adore would subtract 8 carbs and 6 fiber, leaving a Net Carb count of 9. It’s hard to say if I’d ever be able to skip the guacamole, though. I think it’s worth the extra price and 2 carbs.

But because I assumed lunch would be lower-carb than it turned out to be, I ended up eating 34 carbs total for today (four more than I’ve been allowing myself).

With my Romance Biggest Winner weigh-in set for Thursday morning, the carb overflow started to make me nervous. Who does that the day before weigh-in?

I do, apparently. The realization made me feel less-than-great about myself (another low) — until I marched in place at the foot of my bed to reach at least 6,000 steps on the pedometer.

Slowly but surely, I’m reincorporating activity into my day. Maybe I’ll aim for at least 7,000 steps a day for the second half of March.

No matter what the scale says today, I plan to take advantage of the 60-degree weather (while it lasts. They’re still predicting a huge storm this weekend.).

I think I’ll also take some key measurements. Don’t know if I’ll post them on the blog or keep them to myself … Either way, they’ll provide another way to gauge my progress.

Secrets of the successful loser

Weight-loss know-how is like this cactus: Somewhat painful to crash into.

With Round Two of Romance Biggest Winner about to start, I thought it’d be a good idea to outline a few of my favorite proven ways to lose weight.

There’s no better way to get ready for a weight-loss competition, right? And it’s a timely reminder for me, especially after logging no progress in February.

Like Jen over at Prior Fat Girl, I know what to do to lose weight. It’s not exactly rocket science. The problem lies in applying that knowledge day in and day out … making not-so-fun choices more often than not.

Take Tuesday, for example. When I hit Starbucks to write before work, I chose not to indulge my Faux Frappuccino habit. Instead, I ordered a venti chai tea — just hot water with two tea bags, to which I added a packet of Splenda.

Was it fun? Not so much. I discovered I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of chai tea. But as a result of my choice, I had carbs left for a healthy, veggie-filled snack after work: A cup of grilled zucchini slices … followed by the small indulgence of an Atkins nutty fudge brownie. That brownie weighed in at 2 Net Carbs; I estimate the Faux Frappuccino at 5 (and that may be on the low side).

Ahem. Forgive that tiny tangent and let’s move on to the tried-and-true secrets to weight loss as I know them.

1. Find the plan that works for you. That means one you can stick to. For me, that plan is low-carb. I can follow Atkins without cravings and without constantly thinking about my next meal. I stick to it without starving myself or feeling deprived. It doesn’t work for everyone — no single diet does. Find the diet you’re most comfortable with, whether it’s Weight Watchers, NutriSystem or Intuitive Eating, and follow it.
2. Track every bite. As much as I wish it weren’t true, tracking (or food journaling) is a key to weight loss. Sure, it can be a pain to write down everything you eat. But every time I ditch the habit, I have little success losing. Tracking A) helps you get a handle on exactly how much — or how little — you’re actually consuming and B) makes you think twice about what you put into your mouth. (Do you really want to have to note that you just scarfed a package of Twinkies?)
3. Move more. Yeah, my couch potato self is even less thrilled by this one than No. 2. Unfortunately, exercise is another nonnegotiable part of the weight-loss equation. Calories in > calories out = loss of pounds. That is why I will most likely sign up for Tina’s Best Body Boot Camp on payday. I need motivation to move, beyond the knowledge that exercise leads to weight loss.

That’s all I have: Just three keys to successful weight loss. Like I said, none of them are rocket science.

It’s as simple as finding the diet that works for you, tracking what you eat and working out. Yes, as simple — and as difficult — as that.

Change happens one choice — one step — at a time.

Up a bit

It was no scale surprise: I’m up 0.8 from last Wednesday’s WI.

Time to get back to serious tracking (instead of keeping a running total in my head) and doing a bit more meal planning (instead of flying by the seat of my pants). And, of course, downing copious amounts of water.

At least it’s not a huge gain — and I’m not going to let it bring me down. I’m gonna put on my fantastic new “skinnier” jeans and rock today like I did Thursday.

Yes, I am! The big, bad scale isn’t going to make me feel bad about myself today.