Hungry or Not Full

These are two totally different things to me.  How 'bout you?  If you're sane and normal, probably not.  If you're a nut-job like me...then you get it.

Cutting back on calories has left me feeling hungry at times during the day.  Appropriate times...like 15 to 20 minutes before meal time.  I bite the bullet...cowboy up...all that good stuff and hold back until it's time to eat. 

I'm hungry, what time is it? 

I'm hungry...how many more minutes?

I'm hungry...I think I'll make it.  Distractions, someone give me a distraction!

When I'm not restricting calories, I suffer the "Not Full" sensation.

I'm not full, so I better eat.

I'm not full...how did THAT happen?

I'm not full...don't want my blood sugar to drop.  Eat.

A day in the life of...

My diet that I do best with is a 1200 calorie per day, low fat/high protein diet.  It doesn't seem like much, but honestly, I do better with this than I do a 2000 calorie diet.  Something wicked happens and I can't seem to stop eating after I cross over a certain amount.  I'm thinking it's a chemical thing...internally.  I'm weird.  Anyone out there have any cold hard facts about this?

A friend asked that I post what my menu looked like, so in order to keep her happy, I'm obliging.  :) 

Yesterday went like this:
4:30am:  vitamins/supplements/water
4:32am:  coffee...2 cups with Splenda and half 'n half.  Two tablespoons of the creamy stuff, total
6:00am:  probiotic pill (not quite sure why I take this, but it seems to be the right thing to do) and my breakfast shake...1 T psyllium husks, 1 C Unsweetened Almond Breeze (I love this stuff), 1 scoop of the Muscle Milk chocolate protein powder that comes from Costco, 1 T sugar free coffee flavored DiVinci syrup.  Blended with ice cubes...mochalicious.
9:30am:  half of an Atkin's Advantage Peanut Butter bar
12:00pm:  My most favorite lunch.  A low carb/high fiber wrap filled with baby spinach, mushrooms, 3 oz low sodium turkey breast, mustard.  Side of cherry tomatoes.
(mid-day, I take oodles of calcium and B-complex...plus I drink lots of water)
3:00pm:  Diet A&W rootbeer with a 100 calorie pack of popcorn.  Orville's Smart Pop. 
6:30pm:  Dinner is FAGE 0% yogurt with Splenda, 1/2 ounce chopped raw almonds, 3/4 C Uncle Sam Cereal and some cinnamon.
7:30pm:  4oz of red wine with one Ghiradelli Twilight 72% square of chocolate

That totals out to 1203.5 calories, 37g fat, 124g carb, 18g sugar, 35g fiber and 100g protein.

I've got to tell ya, I feel like a brand new person already.  This is diet that I followed two years ago when I was at my best weight.  The only thing that I'm going to change is the afternoon snack.  I'll be having a protein shake RTD instead of the popcorn. 

That's it.  Nothing special.  Just works for me.  What works for you?

Getting Ready

My friends and I have registered as a "Pack" for a little fundraising walk on May 2nd.  It's for Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation and thanks to all of our friends, we raised well over $1000 (the required amount to be called a "Pack") for the animals. 

Why I became so obsessed with being called "Pack", I have no idea.  These things happen to me and I simply can't control my actions. 

My next obsession then became getting Rosie conditioned to walk the mile.  Poor old girl hasn't done more than about a third for the past year.  Yesterday, we did it.  It was very slow and her back legs gave out four times...but she finished it. 

When we got home, she plopped herself on her bed and wouldn't look at me.

This obsession will likely give way.  Rosie is my heart...my soul...my bestest friend in the whole wide world.  I don't want for her to be ticked at me for forcing her to walk, even though I know that she'd love being there with everyone. 

Pack minus Rosie just doesn't seem right.  An unhappy Rosie is absolutely wrong.

Rosie wins.

Poor Puppy

On Saturday, Ellie and I went to Nordstrom with my mom to look for a pair of shoes.  For those of you that don't know Ellie, well, she is my evil...yet oh so sweet 8 year old Golden.  There was a big cosmetic event going on and we had to dodge people left and right...and left...then right.  It was sheer chaos, not to mention, there was major construction going on. 

We took the escalator up.  Ellie's first time on moving stairs.  She pretty much flattened out like a pancake as we went up to the first level.  Lots of "oh, look at how cute she is!" and of course, I was telling her that she was being very brave.  One more level to go.  We stepped on and she was a pro.  She started climbing up these moving stairs and then felt so sassy, that she turned around to look at me.  Now she was backwards and couldn't figure out how to turn around.  We got to the top and as I pulled her the right direction, her toenail got caught in the escalator...and...then...gulp...it ripped out.

ACCCKKKK!  Blood everywhere.  In Norstrom.

I asked the shoe clerk for something to stop the bleeding.  Kleenex...paper towel...giant beach towel...  She gives me two sheets of tissue paper.  The type that you use to wrap purchases with.  This was not helping, but a wonderful clerk saw us struggling and went to get towels from the bathroom.  The next thing I knew, we had another clerk with a giant first aid kit, the store manager and two other clerks there to assist.  Just to give you the complete visual...we're in the shoe department on a Saturday.  Crowds of people walking by.  Me there with my bleeding dog laying on the, now bloodied, carpet.  My mom?  Looking for the shoes that we were there for.  The gal with the first aid kit, which by the way could probably help the entire population of Haiti, pulled out a big white gauzy thing with straps and was attempting to wrap Ellie's foot.  Ellie was entertained by this.  The store manager told me that she'd need to see the vet to get stitches.  Really?  Um...okay.  I ended up taking the stuff from the Nurse and doing my own thing.  Surprised?  The best part was a comment from a customer.  "This is why dogs don't belong on escalators."  I looked up at her, while applying pressure to Ellie's foot, and said with a smile, "Thank you.  That was really helpful."  Grr.

We hightailed it outta there, taking the elevator thank you very much, and leaving a trail of blood behind us.  I called the vet, and was told that there was no need for stitches and got my dog home safe and sound.

Oh, and the shoes?  Well, they were made in China and my mom wouldn't buy them.  ARGH!

Daily Totals

Cals 1628 Fat 89 g Cholesterol 110 mg Sodium 3635 mg Carbs 100 g Sugars 11 g Fiber 36 g Protein 120 g

I use the food journaling system that is on the LiveStrong site.  Long ago, it was simply The Daily Plate.  Then Lance and his friends came along and grabbed it up, adding it to a bunch of other healthy minded stuff...which I never look at. 

So I've been an on-again-off-again tracker and find that, though it is a pain in the arse, it is a great tool for me.  A bite of this and a bite of that adds up fast, especially when you're like me and you tend to do a lot of nibbling.  Or grazing.  Moo.

I tried the Belly Fat Cure diet by Jorge Cruise and I liked it.  I liked it so much, I didn't lose any weight.  Seems that you can't eat cheese until you're full and still lose weight.  It has worked wonders for my boyfriend and for that, I'm happy.  Happy for him.  I liked his body the way it was before, I like it now...I just like him.  This is where I'd insert a little heart smiley if I were energetic enough to cut and paste one in.  Anyhow, back to my diet.  I'm back at where I used to be.  Trying for under 15g of sugar, 100g to 120g of carbs, 110g protein and 1600 to 2000 calories.  With that plan, I lose slow and steady.

If you look at my numbers for today, I scored!  I'm having nothing but artichokes for dinner, but hey, that's okay.  My choices were made and now I'm sucking on prickly leaves for my final meal of the day.  I'll eat again tomorrow.

Is it tomorrow yet?

This is my "before picture".  Taken 3/27...

Happy Dance...mixed emotions

I started my day the same as I do every other day. 

Go potty.

Move gate outta the way to the exercise room (gate keeps dogs out, not me...but sometimes I forget and I run into it...I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack).

Kick the "on" button to the scale.

Step on the cold metal beast, arms folded.  Wait for number to register.

What?  Wait.  Really?  I'm at my lowest weight for 2010!  I step off and do the happy dance.  A big smile on my face...YES!!!

Then it hits me that I'm letting the scale regulate my mood.  I hate this, but have lived it every day of my life.  When there is a loss, I'm happy.  When there is a gain, I get pissed.  When I'm the same, I'm confused.  "But why aren't you budging?  What am I doing wrong?"

A love/hate relationship that exists with a cold piece of metal.  You too?

Oh...ick

Only Natural Pet Store

I came home tonight from work all ready to enjoy a bit of exercise with the dogs.  I changed out of my work clothes and leashed up the dogs...off we went!

After getting about halfway up the hill, I felt warm and decided to take my fleece off.  Upon doing this, I realized that I had put on an old Golden Rescue tshirt.  Gross.  It's like driving a BMW while wearing a shirt with their logo...ya know what I mean?  Onward and upward.  As I turned the corner, the sun got into my eyes, so I pulled my baseball cap down a bit.  Um...wait.  No.  Oh gosh no.  I was wearing my Golden hat.  I was wearing as many Goldens as I was walking. 

If you see me in Glamour with a black bar over my eyes, know that it was not my intent to go out looking like a dork.

Okay, and if that wasn't bad enough.

Yes, it gets worse.

Ellie found a dead hummingbird.  I screamed "NO!!!", which for whatever reason, seems to make her move faster. 

Ick. 

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I just placed an order through Vitamin Aisle (see above link).  You see, this morning was rough going for me.  I was still a little sleepy, not to mention...I'm somewhat clumsy...and I dropped my bottle of Iron juuuuust right, causing the bottle to shatter on my tile counter.  Shards of glass everywhere, mixed in with my iron capsules. 

*blink-blink-blink*

My eyes were still trying to focus (LASIK is awesome, but first thing in the morning is always a bit of a blur) and I had to deal with this mess, not to mention the dogs were all around waiting for me to do something that would interest them.  Like putting food in a bowl.  I did my best with the mess and avoided cutting up my hand in the process.  HOWEVER, I am now out of iron.  I wasn't willing to risk using what didn't spill into the sink, for fear of glass going down my throat, causing internal bleeding...trauma to my esophogus...ripping my gut into a bloody mess.  Okay.  A little over dramatic, but it was early and I had to make a decision.  Tossed it all.

On the same topic of iron, I've noticed that my lips have been unbearably chapped as of late.  When I went to my trusty Google, I discovered that an iron deficiency can cause chapping.  Well great.  I'm deficiant and I'm out of my supplement.  My lips are sure to fall off.

So let's just see how fast this shipment gets here to me.  While I was there, I ordered some vitamin C, to help absorb the iron...and some xylitol sweetener for baking.  The boyfriend has been eating packaged sugar-free cookies.  Ack.  Not ack to the sugar-free part, but ack to the packaged cookie part.  That will be a later post...trying to bake a sugar-free tasty cookie. 

Cals 1323 Fat 58 g Cholesterol 62 mg Sodium 2579 mg Carbs 111 g Sugars 9 g Fiber 39 g Protein 119 g

See that up there?  Yeah...I rock.

Plain and simple, it was a great day for me with my numbers.  Look at that fiber!  Can you say, "Thank you low carb tortilla...thank you psyllium...thank you Atkins bar."  I'm taking in fiber left and right. 

I was thinking about how today could have been easier, because it was a struggle at times.  We'll see how tomorrow plays out. 

On my way to being down FIVE Baby!

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I watched Julie & Julia this past weekend and felt an intense connection with Julia.  I have finally found my soul sister, or at the very least, as Meryl Streep portrayed her to be my soul sister.  I shop the same way that she did...smelling everything and falling head over heals with the aroma of something that is done right.  Be it an herb or bread, I'm in love with food.  The creation of and the consumption of...food.  I also got terriby inspired by Julie's blogging.  It made me want to start a project like hers.  Perhaps I could do every recipe in the last edition of Cooking Light.  No?  Yes? 

I also have to remember that Julie gained weight in the movie and Julia was portly too.  Me no wanna be that way!  It's hard to love food and not be a chunky monkey.  Mmm...Chunky Monkey.  A good ice cream.  I hate that I had to end my relationship with Ben & Jerry. 

Last weekend was good for my Belly Fat Cure diet.  Sugars low and carbs under my limit.  Now that I'm back at work, I'm focusing on eliminating the grazing.  Grazing on peanuts.  Grazing on sunflower seeds.  Grazing...moo...must think of being cow-like the next time the thought enters my head.  The plan is to stick to my guns and drop 5 pounds this week. 

Hear me?  FIVE!  Yep.  Gonna do it. 

Your Best Priced Diet and Weight Loss Source - www.DietDirect.com

Okay...so here's the deal.  This site carries some great products, and if you're interested in what they have, I encourage you to place your order through my blog site.  Give me your input and I'll give you mine.  I love the Celebrate chewable Iron vitamins, as well as the Celebrate chewable Calcium Plus.  Us gals all need our calcium and iron...and these are like getting a treat.  There are some cleansing products that I want to try too.

How about you!?

Carbs, carbs...everywhere...hidden...sneaky...little...carbs.

I am so disappointed in myself.  I ate something ASSuming that it was a low carb food.  Mental note to self:  don't assume things are carb-free unless it is in the form of a stick of pure butter.

The food item was...brace yourself...Alpine Lace 25% Reduced Fat Cheese.  The slices were very thin.  I pulled off four to have with some sliced turkey.  It turned out that each slice of cheese had 1 gram of sugar and 1 gram of carb...so my simple snack turned into a FOUR carb/FOUR sugar meal.  Holy heck.  And I don't know about you, but I sort of pride myself in guessing calorie counts based on mouth feel and flavor.  Surely, this slice of cheese was less than 50 calories.  No.  70 per slice. 

So lesson learned.  Look before you eat.

Product Review:

Today, I tried having a frozen entree for lunch.  It was a new brand that I found at Raley's called "Organic Bistro".  On the Belly Fat Cure diet, it was a 4/2.  For those of you that aren't on this diet, it's low in sugar and is a 2 carb serving.  Savory Turkey...and it is organic...and it looked like REAL food.  Plus it was expensive, so it was sure to be tasty, right?

See this meal?  This is NOT what came out of the microwave.  I'm a forgiving person, so I went into the meal with the thought that the flavor would more than make up for the visual aspect of the meal. 

Um.

No.

So what happened?  I tossed it and was then "in search of".  Don't you hate that mode?  I had a bite of this and a bite of that...in search of...the perfect flavor.  Don't worry, I logged it all into my journal.  I'm still on plan, but am still missing that yummerific lunch that I was looking forward to. 

There's always tomorrow.  Dare I even try the Organic Bistro Salmon Cake that I bought?  Or do I just toss it now?  Feed it to Rosie?

Well darn it to heck.  I'm having some issues with the vitamin link, so for now, you'll have to live without it!
Okay...this is for the Shareasale people (hoping that it will make my link work):  Confirmation Code: GHDDFDB3422120
I'm digging my heels back into Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure diet.  Easter candy has always been a downfall for me and this year was no different.  Odd that I can easily pass on a piece of crappy Hershey chocolate, but if it is in the shape of an egg, I've got to pop it into my mouth.  This holiday slip up caused a weight gain of a couple of pounds and some serious tummy bloat.  No doubt about it, the Belly Fat Cure diet is effective in getting a flat stomach.

Sunday is my weigh in.  Let's see what I can accomplish this week!  I'm posting my daily numbers to my FaceBook account just to keep myself accountable.  Once I've established this blog a little more, I'll post it as well.

My first post to my new blog.  I tried to bring the old blog over to this one, but have not had any success.  Dagnabit!  If you have any tips on how I might do this, please feel free to lend a helping hand to this techidiot.
My Old Blog

See that up there?  It's the link to my old blog.  See, I'm enough of a smarty pants to know how to do that, but not so smart to know how to move the whole kit-n-kaboodle.

So what is this blog about?  My never ending search to hit "goal weight", my life with three senior Golden Retrievers and how I can make this world a better place.  Recycle?  You betchya!  Organic?  Right on!  Compost?  Um...not yet.  I put lots of dog poop in a can.  Does that count?

I've also set up a sort of a store front for a vitamin supplier.  If you're a vitamin/supplement junkie like I am, please have a look at this site and if you place any orders, do it through this space.