Becoming the True Me

Last week I watched the scale drop after the crazy 3 lb gain I was seeing last Tuesday morning.  I wrapped up the first week of the DietBet with a 1.6 lb loss.  It looks like Sunday's my lowest weight day so I'll still weigh myself everyday (but not Tuesday LOL) but only record Saturday or Sunday's weight.

I was inspired by this DietBet to start one of my own...now I just have to get people to join!  It starts August 11 so weigh in is August 9/10 and weigh out is September 8/9.  Since the first weigh out day is my birthday I'm going to give something away to someone who weighs out at goal.  I don't yet know what I'll give away or how to determine who'll receive the items.  What would you suggest?  You can sign up for my Becoming the True You DietBet at any time between now and then.  For a reminder of the rules and guidelines please feel free to revisit My First DietBet post.

Last night I weighed in down 2.8 lbs so I easily wiped out last week's gain.  I'm really enjoying Les Mills Combat program but kind of tired of the Combat 30 Kickstart workout.  I'm not sure what it is about that workout that's bothering me besides it being scheduled more than once a week LOL.  Last week's rest days were with Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown.  I wasn't too thrilled with those either...the meltdown was a let down to me.  Yesterday was with Mari Windsor Cardio Pilates and that didn't do anything for me either.

Saturday is the first 60 minute workout and I have another scheduled for Sunday.  If I decide not to do the back to back workouts I'm not sure what I'll do instead.  Maybe take an actual rest day and not have any yoga or Pilates next week so that I have the time in on the program.  Flexibility....one of the benefits of working out at home instead of in a class!

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Weighing in and Up

I just about freaked out when I weighed myself yesterday to see how I was doing on the DietBet.  The scale showed I was up 3 lbs from Sunday!  I've never seen a gain like that since starting to weigh myself.  I figured a gain because of TOM and starting a new workout but not THAT much!  The scale at Weight Watchers showed only a 1.8 lb gain so that was more in line.  Perhaps Sundays are my lowest weight day.  (BTW the pot's up to $1200!)

Saturday I started the Les Mills Combat program.  I've been trying to figure out how to adjust the schedule since it's so hard to get 60 minutes in during the week so I want to do those workouts on the weekend.  But I'm not sure if I'd survive back to back 60 minute workouts like that.  One person has said just play it by ear.  Another said don't do it.  I'd like to see what the general consensus is on this.  Have you done 60 minutes two days in a row? Please comment about your experience.

Here's the initial schedule I've come up with

I tried a second zucchini recipe this weekend.  These Zucchini Tots from Skinnytaste tasted just like tater tots!  I was shocked at the flavor and wanted to gobble them all up myself.  Benny also said they had a potato taste; Austin refused to even try them (not even the zucchini bread either).

On today's walk I picked up some green bell peppers, lettuce, and kale.  It's not very hot out but I sure came back sweaty! LOL

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My First DietBet

To help get me to the 100 lbs lost goal by Labor Day I've signed up for my first DietBet.  I'm joining Diatta over at Femme Fitale Fit Club for this challenge.  I'll be using my home scale for this so it'll be interesting to see the differences each week between Weight Watchers and home.

1. Challenge:  Lose 4% of your starting weight in 28 days.
2. Registration & Official Rules here:  http://diet.bt/jFavQZ
3. Bet Amount:  $25 added to the challenge pot
4. Official Start Date:  July 14 (MONDAY!)
5. Official End Date:  August 10
6. Weigh in:  July 12/13
7. Weigh out:  No more than 2 days after the end date
8. Open to men and women 18+

1. On July 12th DietBet will prompt you to weigh in.  You'll be given a secret word to use during the challenge.
2. In addition to recording your starting weight you'll need to take two before pictures - one of you standing and the other of your scale with your feet showing.  You'll need to be barefooted (socks are OK) and not be wearing a belt or anything extra for this.  These pictures will be uploaded to the challenge.
3. Exercise and eat healthy throughout the challenge to play along.
4. Take your after pictures the same way as the before ones.  These will also need to be uploaded to the challenge with your weigh out.
5. The winner will be paid 48 hours after the challenge ends.

Diatta held a Hangout on G+ with some tips on how to lose weight the healthy way as an aid to challenge participants.  Check it out here.


How have you done on a DietBet?

Bye Bye 160's!

I knew I lost this week but not how much.  Last night I weighed in down another 4.4 lbs!  May 13th was the last time I had that much of a loss.

Since the beginning of May I've lost

.25 in off my thighs

.38 in off my arms

.5 in off my chest

1.25 in off my hips

Yesterday Benny said that I didn't need to get back down to my high school weight.  It's not a NEED; that weight just happens to be in the ideal range.  So I looked online last night to bring up ideal weight calculators.  Calculator.net had the most variety out of what I saw.

 

There were some other interesting things calculated on other sites.  Take Halls.md...

 

 

I discovered afterwards that according to my wrist circumference my frame is large not medium.

There were other sites but I didn't capture the URLs such as these two.

Everything says my goal weight of 130 lbs is spot on!

Monday I followed up with my Dr.  He said the ER diagnosed me with pleurisy but that didn't make sense based on my symptoms.  He's just as much at a loss as I am!  If it happens again we'll look at other tests like the stress test to see what all is going on.  I said that I don't know how I'd do that since I don't run LOL.  As far as the exercise induced neurocardiogenic syncope symptoms (nurse never actually showed him my message but he skimmed it there in the room) he gave a couple of ideas.  Add some salt to my water that I'm drinking with my workouts so that I'm replenishing salt while losing it with the sweat.  Also, get another fan to keep me cooler.  I told him that I might knock it over with all my bouncing around during the workouts LOL.

My primary workout program this week was the 21 Day Fix.  The GPS wasn't working on my phone so the mileage wasn't recorded during my walk Wednesday.  Saturday morning I did Jillian Michaels Cardio Kickboxing to try and combat whatever I was going to eat at the neighbor's.

The cookout at the neighbor's went well.  I was chilly the whole night for some reason; everyone else was at least comfortable.  Several of us were devoured by insects; my legs almost look like I have a rash with so many bites.  Hydrocortisone doesn't stop the itching for me anymore so I had to find something else.  I discovered this Calagel® Medicated Anti-itch Gel at Dollar General and it appears to be working.  I put it on Monday night and I was able to sleep without itching.  I reapplied it during my lunch yesterday then forgot it on my desk so I was itchy all night LOL.

What do you use to treat insect bites?

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Zucchini Carrot Bread

I picked up a zucchini at the farmer's market but had no clue what I'd make with it. I don't remember ever making anything with zucchini before.  We were invited to a cookout at our neighbor's house on Saturday so I was on the hunt for a good starter recipe to make.  I didn't want anything that had an overpowering zucchini taste. I'd found a few zucchini casserole recipes that didn't look too bad. There was also some zucchini tots that looked worthwhile. I settled on zucchini bread since everyone loves my banana bread. It took a little searching to find a recipe that didn't use whole wheat flour (never used it and had no intention to buy it to use this one time).

I found this carrot zucchini bread recipe on SparkRecipes and used it with my own tweaks. The recipe calls for cloves and cardamom,  neither of which I'd used before let alone had in the house. So I looked up what I could use as a substitute. Cloves can be swapped with allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg; I have all three so I was good. Cardamom can be swapped with the same spices or even ginger.  I guess it all depends upon your personal preference.

Ingredients

1 Zucchini

2-3 Carrots, depending on size

1 cup Vegetable Oil

2 cups Sugar

3 cups Flour

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

3 Eggs

3 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Allspice

3 tsp Cinnamon

1. Wash & shred the zucchini, squeezing out some of the moisture with a paper towel.
2. Peel, wash, & shred the carrots.
3. Preheat the oven to 350.
4. Prep two 8x8 pans.
5. With the blender going the whole time, add the wet ingredients.
6. Add in the dry ingredients one at a time,  pausing to mix after each one (after every cup with the sugar and flour).

7. Pour into prepared pans and bake 45-60 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes.
9. Slice up into desired serving size. (I went down the middle of each pan and then cut across in approximately 1/2 inch slices. This resulted in 40 servings instead of the 12 as noted in the recipe.)
10. Serve alone or with fruit.

I honestly thought that since this recipe was on SparkRecipes it'd be healthier.  Zucchini carrot bread has a great taste either way and there are many things you can do to lighten it up such as using unsweetened applesauce instead of the oil.  How would you change the recipe?

Weight Watchers: 4 PP

A Trip to the ER

Well, I didn't reach the 90 lb loss this week; I actually went in the opposite direction with a 1.4 lb gain.  With how exhausted I felt this past week I wasn't surprised with or concerned about the gain.

Monday morning I woke up with a stomach ache.  I've had these before (many times after eating too much cheese) so I just went to the bathroom to take care of it.  While in there I started having stabbing pain in my chest on the right side through my back; it felt like how I'd imagine a sword through the chest would feel.  Pain was worsening not improving when I went back to bed.  I tried different positions and nothing was helping.  I tried calling out to Benny but come to find out he was in the garage so he couldn't hear me.  We got dressed and he took me to the ER.  (Turns out it was the last day University Hospital's ER would be open.)

Benny was thinking it was my liver or lung that was the problem.  He also kept saying it was because I ate spinach almost every day LOL

We got to the ER and were checked in.  I was hooked up to the EKG machine and they started drawing blood.  I've never had so many pokes before!  One of the vials clotted so they had to have an extra draw; I thought that was odd because my blood doesn't clot like that.  At some point they said my O2 level was too low so they hooked me up to the oxygen.  After all the blood was taken and IV inserted I went down for a chest x-ray after peeing in a cup.

 

Where they drew blood from the back of my left hand was swollen most of the day.  It stuck out about 1/2 inch I think and gradually decreased but the bruising spread.  The ER nurses had difficulty getting the needle through my vein; it kept rolling on them.  I didn't even realize they had a double stick on my wrist until I removed the bandage.  My hand remains tender to the touch.

I've never had blood drawn from my forearm before.

The site of the IV irritated my wrist a little bit while it was in.  I never knew they removed the needle with an IV; the nurse said it was more of a catheter.  I think it's weird that the IV site has the smallest bruising.

I had no idea what all they were testing besides the one for blood clots in the lungs (not sure how that's determined with blood work).  Between the urine and blood they tested almost 50 things, most of which I've had tested before.  There were tests for kidneys, the pancreas, and the liver mixed in the bunch.  All the labs came back negative for anything they were looking for...everything was in the normal range or at least my normal range.

Image Courtesy of Boians Cho Joo Young | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Based on your exam today, the exact cause of your chest pain is not certain. Your condition does not seem serious at this time, and your pain does not appear to be coming from your heart. However, sometimes the signs of a serious problem take more time to appear. Therefore, watch for the warning signs listed below.
 
HOME CARE:

1. Rest today and avoid strenuous activity.
2. Take any prescribed medicine as directed. (800 mg ibuprofen)

FOLLOW UP with your doctor or this facility as instructed or if you do not start to feel better within 24 hours. [NOTE: If an X-ray or EKG (cardiogram) was made, it will be reviewed by another specialist. You will be notified of any new findings that may affect your care.]
 
GET PROMPT MEDICAL ATTENTION if any of the following occur:

• A change in the type of pain: if it feels different, becomes more severe, lasts longer, or begins to spread into your shoulder, arm, neck, jaw or back
• Shortness of breath or increased pain with breathing
• Weakness, dizziness, or fainting
• Cough with dark colored sputum (phlegm) or blood
• Fever over 100.0º F (37.8º C)
• Swelling, pain or redness in one leg

Have you ever experienced pain like I had and were given a diagnosis?

I've just sent a message to my doctor as the follow up so we'll see what he has to say.  Yesterday I had asked Benny if he wanted to come with me to the doctor and he said as long as it wasn't on Friday.  I scratched my head and told him it's the holiday so they wouldn't be open anyway.  Benny wasn't thinking about the 4th...he was thinking about Germany's next World Cup match LOL.  (I couldn't find any other way for him to watch Monday's match than downloading the Univision app on my phone.  German watching game in Spanish was funny looking.)

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I Can See 90 lbs

Image Courtesy of Idea go | Freedigitalphotos.net

Weighed in last night down another .8 lbs....puts a 90 lb total loss just over the horizon!

I've still been sticking to Jillian Michaels workouts.  This morning I did the 30 Day Shred Level 1 workout.  I could still feel it in my shoulders when I left for my walk!  I've tried others at the library but just can't get into them like I can with Jillian.  Have you tried any new workouts?

You've probably heard that Beachbody released a new program last week from Chalene Johnson - PiYo.  I wanted to get it right away but with our medical expenses up in the air Benny said it wasn't a good time.  Maybe with my birthday money or Christmas at the latest I'll be able to pick up one for myself.  In the mean time I'm running a challenge group starting next month...on Facebook or G+ depending on participants' preferences.  Here's the link for the event page on G+ https://plus.google.com/events/c4iel1889j03r2h8c26685lrmg4.  If you're on Facebook look for the event "PiYo Challenge" with this cover image

It's been too crazy at work so I haven't had a chance to schedule an appointment to see the doctor about the exercise induced neurocardiogenic syncope.  Kind of want Benny to come with me in case there are warning signs to look out for (and I might not necessarily notice) so he can hear it straight from the doctor.

We received the EOB from Benny's salivary endoscopy already....well at least some of them.  Our responsibility of the doctor's portion is $928, the surgery center's portion is $1182, and the pathology lab's portion is $23.  Not sure if we'll have a separate bill from the anesthesiologist or if that was included in the surgery center's costs.  Either way it didn't cost us nearly as much as we thought; we didn't max out his deductible.  The next challenge will be figuring out how we'll pay for it all.

As of Saturday my garden still looks critter free.  With this changing weather I haven't had to water much.  Looking out the window every day it appears the tomatoes are growing more but I can't tell much else from that distance.  How is your garden doing?

Last week I only walked to the farmer's market.  I picked up more broccoli and some Kickapoo cheese (inspired by the German Butterkäse Benny likes) from the Ludwig Farmstead Creamery.  Benny hasn't tried it though so I'm unsure if he likes this one.  On the way back I stopped at the tea shop that's closing and picked up a strainer to go with the loose leaf teas I purchased last time.  This afternoon I picked up some bell peppers and two different varieties of lettuce.

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