Burn Calories Grading Research Papers!

My pound of turkey is already history! I honestly felt like I wasn't as good about the diet thing last week as I could have been. Getting off the wagon for a few days made it very difficult for me to find my way back to my normal eating routine, and that especially included writing down my food, which I totally hate with a passion. However, it really makes a difference for me, so I know I have to do it.

My hope was that I just hadn't gained anything that week, so I was thrilled to find out the pound I had gained the week before was gone the following week. Actually, I was more amazed because along with struggling with my routine, I hadn't been able to exercise as much as usual due to the huge load of grading that hits just about every writing teacher around the end of the semester. As I was lugging home moutains of research papers to grade, I was asking myself, "Is there a better way? Why oh why did I have all my classes do this to me now?" But, of course, that's part of the problem with writing classes; students have to build up to writing the "big" research paper. It's not like I could make it their first assignment. Okay, I could, but that would not be a nice thing to do.

Maybe it was the stress of grading while trying to make headway on my two books that burned off some of the calories, but either way, it was a relief and renewed my faith in the whole system.

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Dee Nile, Dee Nile, Dee Nile

C and I have a mutual friend who is dealing with a weight issue - or actually I should say not dealing with it. She was very ill about a year or so ago, got through that, and of course, it really whacked out her body. Now, she's very into all the organic food and health food, but she's also gained a lot of weight, something her doctors have told her now that she really needs to pay attention too or she could become sick again.

When C spoke to her about it, she said, "I know what the problem is. I don't eat enough." Huh?

This all comes from the idea that if you eat less your metabolism slows down and it makes it much harder for you to get the weight off, but that's really when you are dieting, which she isn't. And, because she's eating all organic food, she's under the impression that she's eating healthy. So, it's a whole game of denial (and we aren't talking about the river in Egypt!)

I was heading to Dee Nile myself recently because I've been at a stand still with my weight loss. After 3 weeks, still nothing! I haven't gained (thank God!), but I haven't lost either, and I've been telling myself "but I'm doing everything the same." Then I got real.

Since school started up about 5 weeks ago, I went from exercising 5 days to 4 days a week. Then there are those darn nuts my DH sets out every night. His low-carb diet is fine with a few nuts every night. In fact, he actually eats no dinner and then a cup of nuts at night. Me? Well, I would stop by the nut jar, take out a few, like 3 or 4, and then move on. But, add that over 7 days, and if you know anything about how many calories nuts have (zillions!) you get the picture.

So, I'm on day two of not sticking my hand in the jar, and so far, I added one night, 20 minutes, of exercise. I'm also really making sure I stick to my 20 points so far. As WW likes to say, "If you bite it, you write it."

Close But No Cigar

I was really hoping to be able to say that I've lost 10 lbs this week, but nope! I'm still at 9.5lbs. I know, what's a half a pound, right? Considering it will take me another week now to get rid of it, that little half pound is significant.

I was actually pretty good last week, but I had two issues that probably messed me up. First, now that I've lost weight, I just realized a few days ago that I need to consider recalculating my Weight Watcher's points, and sure enough, after I did that I learned I need to eat 20 not 21 points now. One point? Yes, but really, over a week, that's 7 points.

The other issue was my well-meaning husband who made some low-cal soup. The recipe came from a WW cook book, and he's made it before, but in typical DH fashion, he has to make enough to feed the entire state of Florida. And, I really like this soup. So, it was difficult to figure out portions when he had quadrupled the recipe. Low cal soup or not, if you eat a lot of it (which I did) you'll have more calories than you need.

On the up side, I didn't gain any weight, but I so want to be able to say, "I've lost 10 lbs!"

Hopefully, I can say that next week.

So, So, Slow!

Just a Weight Watcher's update - It's coming off but so slowly it's very hard not to get discouraged. In my previous WW attempts, it came off about 2 lbs a week. That was with following the plan, the occassional spurge but nothing major, and going to Jazzercise 3xs a week. If I didn't exercise, I was down to maybe 1 lbs or 1/2 lb a week. That was when I was in my 30s.

As C. has so kindly pointed out, "You'll never be that 30 year old girl again."

Right now, I'm in week 8 and have lost 8 1/2 lbs. I know it's coming off, but I'm basically doing what I did back then: following the plan, minor splurge but still using my extra points and nothing more, exercising 4-5 times a week a min. of 45 minutes doing low-impact aerobics. I'm lucky to 1/2 lb off each week now.

As the WW instructor said, "If you lost 1/2 lbs every week for a year, you'd lose 26 lbs." Err, yes, but back when I was younger, I'd do that in about 3-4 months!

So for all your 30 year old girls out there, get it off now and keep it off. From what my 50 year old friends say, it only gets worse.

A Little More Progress

After a little over three weeks back at Weight Watchers, I've lost 7 pounds. Of course, I have a long way to go before I see a comfortable size 8 again, but I am starting to notice a difference in my clothes finally.

Another three pounds in the next few weeks will mean 10 gone before school starts, and that means a lot when you have to be in front of people talking. Teaching is really a performance. You need to dress right, feel psyched, and be prepared to engage your audience, who nine times out of ten are not thrilled to be there. The first day, especially, is critical. You want them to leave thinking, "Maybe English sucks, but Dr. P seems okay so maybe I can survie this semester."

If a class doesn't like you, it's just an awful experience for everyone. About six or more years ago, I had the unfortunate duty of taking over a class because another adjunct had left two weeks into the semester. So, I had to go in there and basically tell them she's gone, I don't know why, and now you have me. And, to top it, we had totally different teaching styles. I mean, I couldn't "be" her. Other than a handful of students, the rest hated me and acted like it was my fault she left. 95% of the class were high school students, and they just wouldn't cut me a break. Near the end of the semester a few more warmed up to me, but it was one lonnnggg semester!

Tuesday, Already?

Yup, it's Tuesday already. I'm back to writing in my food diary. I'm still not thrilled about it, but I am better, adding more 'thoughts' and not just, 'crackers, 100 calories." But, nope, didn't lose anything this week. In fact, I'm up 1/2 a lb.

While I was pretty good at staying around 1700 calories, I've been just awful at keeping up with my exercise, and so I know this is the price I'm paying. Past experience has told me that even if I were to starve myself, dieting (for me) doesn't really work unless I workout too. But, I'm not totally discouraged. I did write in my food diary every day, and I did stick to eating prety well 99% of the week. That, at least, I will take as some progress.

Tuesday Weigh-In 05/08/07

I had my official Tuesday weigh-in and considering I've had tummy problems since Saturday, I'm not too upset with gaining 0.2 lbs. Hey, it could have been 2 whole pounds versus tenths!

I'm not sure if I've been fighting off a stomach thing that's been going around at my CLJ or if it's that I've increased my fiber intake and have not been taking in enough liquids.

The latter is C.'s take on it. But, I'm feeling a lot better and hope to actually get a short work out in today. Just in case, I've made myself a huge thing of ice-tea and plan to try to be more conscience about drinking. C. is right to some extent. I have not been very good about drinking as much as I should (at least beverages other than wine :) , and I have been eating at least a salad a day (before my Saturday problems started). Now that things have settled down in tummy-town, hopefully this ice-tea thing will take care of that and I can try to get another pound off this week.

Shocked & Amazed

I came this close to not stepping on the scale today, even though I promised that Tuesdays would be my weigh-in day.

First, there was our anniversary dinner on Saturday night. Though I had plans to try not to leave there totally stuffed, I also knew this was going to be really hard, so I kept my calorie count down to about 500 before going to dinner that evening, living off of a little fruit and vegies most of the day. And, as I had predicted, even with bringing half of my entree home (macadamia nut encrusted snapper with vegies and rosemary infused potatoes), I still managed to feel like I needed someone to carry me out to the car.

So, okay, then back on track on Sunday. I did eat my leftovers, but other than that, I again relied on vegies and fruit to keep everything else low. I even skipped my one real glass of OJ for the week. (heavy sigh)

Monday, again I'm back on track. This day was our actual anniversary - 4/30 - celebrating 19 years - Wow! But I was good and by about 7p.m. had only taken in around 1,000 calories. C. also had suggested upping my water in-take to counter balance my Saturday fling, which I did. Thank goodness, too, because my adorable DH came home with German wine and yummy cheeses to sample.

So, that's why this a.m., as I rolled out of bed, it came to mind that maybe I should skip the weigh-in. I really expected bad news. In fact, as I planted my tootsies on the scale, I was thinking, "Just don't let me have gained anything, and I'll be thrilled."

But, no! I actually lost 2.4 lbs! Yes, I'm still in shock.

I went back to my food journal to see when I seriously started all of this and it dates back to 4/19, so that's 12 days, just shy of two weeks. It is still sinking in. This is actually working, even with my occasional tumbles off the wagon. My goal for the month of May is to get 5lbs off. That's about 1lb a week, so I think I can do it.

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No Hoochie Koochie Today

I'm at about a week now writing down my food and trying to keep the calories down under 1700. I weighed in Tuesday, and I called C. and reported. Granted, I could drive all the way to her house, and she even offered to charge me $10 just like Weight Watchers, but I figured I'd just call and report once a week. I have been fighting (sometimes unsuccessfully) the urge to step on the scale every day. It's just too depressing, but today I noticed that getting my pants zipped did not require me to do a major hoochie koochie dance around my bedroom. So, hopefully I'll see some progress when I weigh-in again on Tuesday.

I already know that my calorie in-take is not significantly low enough for me to see major results, so I'm bracing myself to not see much of a difference on Tuesday. While I may have cut back my calorie in-take by 300 to 500 calories, in the grand scheme of things, that is not a ton. That's why when I used to do WW and cut my calorie in-take from a little over 2,000 down to 1,200 I would see about a five pound loss in the first week. That is tempting...but I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in this for the long haul. I'm looking for long-term, sustainable progress versus short term gains.


On a similar note, when I spoke with C. recently I finally talked her into upping her calories a little, reminding her of the voo-doo she was doing to her metabolism, the very thing she has warned me about over and over again. She admitted that after increasing it by a few hundred calories, she wasn't nearly as hungry and she still managed to get another 1/2 pound off. I felt like the student teaching the teacher, but ha! I was right!
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Anti-Frumping Tips

I had a girlfriend in college many years ago, S., who told me about how she lived with a British dude in the UK for about a year. S. was crazy about him, even though he yelled at her for using too much toilet paper and his friends thought she was a tramp because she ordered a whole pint versus a half pint of beer when they went to the local pub.

With all this, though, she was ga-ga over this guy, so one of the things she used to do was wake up a few minutes before him every morning and apply a little rouge and mascara and slip back into bed beside him, thus giving the impression that she naturally woke up looking gorgeous (and she was...I'm sure still is a very pretty woman) every morning.

Now, I am not ready to go to these lengths, but this story came to mind recently after my epiphany in front of the freezer the other day. Therefore, in my recent efforts to avoid looking like a fat old frump when DH comes home, I've come up with a few tips.

• About an hour or so before he comes home, I take a sort of personal inventory and de-frump as necessary. For example, I dab on a little make-up, add a few pieces of jewelry, change the baggy, stained t-shirt for a shirt that actually hangs in my closet, find anything but my track pants to wear, brush my hair, etc.
• It's too depressing to go shopping, and as it is I have no time and have never been much of a shopper (I want the clothes in my closet; I just don't want to go get them), so I ordered a few shirts and a pair of denim capris from L.L. Bean.
• I hold off on getting the PJs on until closer to bed time. I'm also considering...maybe when next pay day rolls around...of getting some actual nighties that have matching tops and bottoms. I'm not talking Victoria Secret or anything, but something other than the baggy drawstring pants I got form Sam's and the old About.com t-shirts I normally wear.

Generally speaking too, as D. commented recently, I've noticed I feel better during the day when I don't start out so frumpy. It is amazing how your own appearance can affect your attitude. Look like a frump - feel like a frump - look put together - feel put together.

I'd Rather Be the Pope

I'm back, and yes, as I suspected, I was getting sick, have been for a good week now. At this point, I'm at the cough here and there and constant throat clearing stage, but I'm feeling a lot better, almost normal again.

Needless to say, this put a huge dent in my exercise routine. However, tough as nails as I am, I'm proud to say that I still managed to get some exercise, even on days that I was feeling punky. I say "some" as in doing 20 minutes of cardio and 9 minutes of pilates abs, but more than that I just couldn't handle most days.

Today is my first day back to my multiple daily exercise routines. I did 30 minutes of cardio this a.m., and while I wasn't fabulous at it, I did manage the weights a little. I had to hold back a tad, but not that much. Tonight, I'm going for another 30 minutes of cardio and my pilates abs.

Now, for some really "this sucks" news, at least to me. Next week I have my yearly doctor's visit. Ugh! I really don't need to go in for a few more months, but getting into see her is like getting in to see the Pope ("Ya, Ya, You can be the President; I'd rather be the Pope"...Love me some Prince!), so I had to take what I could get because she's booked solid for the next three months. Yes, that means, ugh, I'm going next week! This also means I have to step on the dreaded s-c-a-l-e!

I knew I had to go see her in a few months, but my plan was that by then, even if I hadn't lost that much, I'd be solid as a rock from all my exercising. Now, I've got neither going on - bupkiss. (Is that how you spell bupkiss?) Normally, she's pretty low-key about my weight, but I would be really surprised if she doesn't say something since I'm sure I'm a good 10lbs heavier than I was last time she saw me, and back then I needed to lose 20lbs. I'm already envisioning her eyes bugging out when she sees that 3-digit number on my chart.

To top it off, this woman is a stick. She's a very nice stick, but just the same, he's about 6 feet tall and probably about 120lbs, maybe. So, it's hard for me to really talk with her about weight issues because, obviously, she doesn't have any. The few times I've attempted it, she's pretty much said to eat less and exercise more. Ah, yes, duh. I know she's right, but it's hard to hear that from someone who you could probably kill if not really injure by simpling sitting on her. I'm sure I could at least crack a rib or two.

Getting Sick?

It's amazing how you can feel fine one day and the next feel sick as a dog. That isn't the case, at least not yet, but I woke up around 3am with a killer soar throat. My husband has been sick for days now, first the throat, then the nose running and running and running. I've tried my best to keep away from him. I'm even sleeping in the guest room.

I'm still in the "Dang it! I'm not going to get sick!" stage, but seems like everyone around here has got this thing right now. I'm going to double up on vitamin C and keep at the exercising. What else can you do?

That will really be the worst part of it because I'm so in the workout groove right now.

My latest DVD purchase is Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds - Walk and Kick. It's a 1/2 hour walking slash kickboxing version of her other workouts, and I'm giving it the thumbs up. Actually, I would like to find a longer version of this same workout. For anyone who has ever had a kickboxing class, this may not measure up to what you've done before, but it's got some of the same moves. (I took one years ago and loved it. Unfortunately, the teacher moved to another town to open up a studio, so the class at the local community center ended after that.)

For anyone who uses her other walking DVDs, this is a good change of pace. It still is very much like her other routines, but she adds more kicks (of course) and some arm work including punches. She doesn't use any weights for this one, but if you're really tough, you could probably hold some in your hands while you punch. Me? Not that tough (yet).

Almost on Week 3

This Wednesday will mark three full weeks of my exercise mania, and so far so good. In fact, physically and mentally, I'm feeling really good. I still have about 30 lbs to lose, but my stamina is getting better. I even managed to do my killer fat burner 3mile DVD on Saturday and survived. Sure, I felt like going to bed right after I finished and it was only 8pm, but I made it through the entire routine with the weights. Considering there is no way I could have done that three weeks ago, that is a huge step for me.

I passed on the Pilates machine, but I found a wonderful DVD at my library that I'm hoping will give me some of the same targeting workouts.

After I abuse my employee library privileges and keep this for longer than I'm supposed to, I'll probably end up buying it. The DVD includes 20+ mini routines, anywhere from as short as 8 minutes up to 30 minutes. For example, yesterday, I did a 30 minute walking DVD in the morning before going to work. Then I came home, did the 8 minutes abs/gluts on this DVD, and followed that with a 1 mile DVD. So, it offers some good "squeeze them in" workouts. Plus, I know I need to tone up as I try to lose this weight. My abs are a major problem area for me right now.

I'm off to a full day, gotta blog, then exercise (planning to do another Pilates abs/gluts and then my easier 3mile DVD), and then cracking the books for teaching class tonight. We are doing pronouns! Oh, joy!