If there was a machine in the gym that makes me turn the other way, it would be the Stairmaster. It was the only machine that I never wanted to try out… until yesterday evening.

I decided to finally face my fears and challenge myself to at least work out on the Stairmaster for only five minutes. Instead, what ended up happening was that I actually stayed on it for 20 minutes! AND I actually loved it! It wasn’t easy, and at times I felt like giving up, but I kept on going… and going… and going!

I always thought I didn’t have the endurance needed to ever try that machine, but I proved myself wrong.  It’s not about whether or not I think I can endure a workout, it’s all about believing that I can do anything I set my mind to.

So I haven’t logged on or blogged on to this site for approximately 133 days!!!  It’s been over a year since I started this website. Did I accomplish anything for the past year… well.. I can proudly say I have.

I didn’t reach my “weight” goals but I’ve been working out constantly (almost daily) for the past 2 months! I feel healthier and I try to eat healthier as well.

There’s still so much to improve on, but I’m taking it slow and steady.  My husband reminds me to have patience and to keep doing what I’m doing.  Our conversation in the car after a work out session at the gym usually starts like this, “Dear, when are my fats going to go away?” and he always answers me the same way, “One day. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” I love him for being so supportive.

Special thank you goes to The Running Green Girl who reminded me today that I need to keep this blog going.

Here’s a cereal that I am really enjoying. 

Click here for the nutritional contents.

Recommended by my nutritionist/dietician the cereal is known to have the following benefits:

Helps Reduce Cholesterol—1g soluble fiber from oats

Helps Support Healthy Arteries—6 natural antioxidants, including green tea and grape seed extract; 100% daily value of 3 B vitamins

Helps Promote Healthy Blood Pressure—low sodium

 A small tip from my nutritionist/dietician: Get Kashi products in Target. It’s cheaper there

My endocrinologist went over my results with me last week and I found out that I may have hyperparathyroidism. My body is producing too much calcium. You would think that that’s a good thing, but what is actually happening is my body is taking calcium away from my bones in order to produce calcium… She told me if I don’t get it fixed, it will lead to weaker bones.  Here are some symptoms caused by having hyperparathyroid that I know I have:

• Loss of energy. Don’t feel like doing much. Tired all the time. Chronic fatigue.
• Just don’t feel well; don’t quite feel normal. Hard to explain but just feel kind of bad.
• Feel old. Don’t have the interest in things that you used to.
• Can’t concentrate, or can’t keep your concentration like in the past.
• Don’t sleep like you used to.
• Tired during the day and frequently feel like you want a nap.
• Spouse claims you are more irritable
• Forget simple things that you used to remember very easily (worsening memory).
• Gastric acid reflux; heartburn; GERD.
• Thinning hair
• Recurrent Headaches (usually patients under the age of 40)
• Heart Palpitations (arrhythmias). Typically atrial arrhythmias. 

They’re doing some testing right now, and I will find out the results on Nov 1st whether or not I  have a hyperparathyroid. If I do, then it means surgery to have it taken out. I’m not looking forward to any type of surgery, but if this will make things better, then I gotta do what I gotta do!

I had a task that I needed to work on today for church and found this cool online test:

Franklin Covey : What Matters Most – Urgency Analysis

It looks like I ended up being in the Quadrant II group which says the following:

“This is the “important, but not urgent” quadrant of optimal effectiveness. It is where you want to be Quadrant II is where you plan, prepare, prevent crises, clarify your values, build relationships, renew yourself, empower others, and lead your life in the direction of your choice.

If you focus on Quadrant II activities, your life will be one of vision, perspective, discipline, control and achievement. It will be balanced and fulfilling with fewer crises and less stress.

A suggestion to make a good thing even better:
Unless you have perfected your time management skills, there are still times when you find yourself slipping into quadrants III and IV. By converting those times into Quadrant II activities, you can do the preparation and planning necessary to eliminate many of the stressful urgencies of the Quadrant I activities in your life.”

I’m kinda surprised because I always thought I was more of the crazy-stressed-get-outta-way-lady…. I have no idea why I’m complaining I should be happy with the results!

There was another thing that I realized when I spoke to my nutritionist. I worry too much on what my scale says when I step on it. She told me not to focus on the number on the scale because it doesn’t ALWAYS tell you the whole story. I totally see what she means because I used to go on the scale. Every. Single. Day. So, I’ve decided to just go on the scale at least once a week or even once every 2 weeks and whether I lose a lb or two or NOT, it’s OKAY because being healthy isn’t determined on what the scale says… to me it’s determined on how healthier I am feeling

I have been having a hard time losing weight since I got back from our trip… so to see that I went down 2 lbs this week made my day! I’m especially surprised since I didn’t need to count calories and I’ve been doing this Intuitive Eating Journal and being more aware about food and how much of it I eat! It’s funny cause I literally do have to talk to myself while I’m eating a meal:

‘How am I feeling?, Do I feel full?, Should I take another bite?, Should I save some for later?’ ‘How do I feel now that I finished my meal?’

My husband probably thinks I’m really weird But hey, I guess its working becuase I find myself not overeating ANNNDDD I lost 2 lbs! 

Now the negative part about this week… I only worked out ONCE It’s been so hard for us to get out of bed lately. I think it’s because the weather is changing and it’s starting to get chilly in the morning, so all we want to do is just stay in bed a little longer… But you know what… before this night ends; before this week ends, I’m going to go to the gym TONIGHT!

If anyone is interested in knowing who my nutritionist/dietician is, here is her contact information:

Dariella Gaete, MS, RD
5199 Pacific Coast Highway
Suite 615
Long Beach, CA 90804

Phone: (562) 298-0042
Fax: (562) 498-9174

Email: dgaete@eatfreelynutrition.com
Website: www.eatfreelynutrition.com

For the past few days, I’ve been keeping a food journal that specifically asks me the following questions:

What meal am I eating? (Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Snacks?)
What time did I eat my meal?
What is my hunger level?
What do I want to eat?
Mood/Feeling before I eat?
What foods did I eat?
Where and with whom?
Rate of eating?
Fullness level?
Satisfaction Level (1-10)?
Any comments or thoughts?

As much as the questions seem simple enough.. I realize my problem is tracking… So far, I’ve been able to do my journal and I hope I will be able to keep it up until I see my dietician/nutritionist in about 2 more weeks! It has really helped me a lot to be more aware about my eating habits and my moods while I am eating.

So here’s a recap of the ideas I’ve tried and my reports on them:

DIET:
What hasn’t worked for me:
Counting Calories with Sparkpeople: I stopped using it a long time ago. As much as they have an iPhone app for tracking calories.. I still find myself too lazy to have to log on every calorie I consume and every time I burn calories. Plus! It’s really hard to calculate food without Nutritional Values.. I’m always finding myself approximating… – I’m not saying Sparkpeople does not work… it works for other people, but it’s just not working out for me.

Vegetarian: I decided this is totally not for me. I love my protein in my meals. Again, it works for other people… but it’s not for me.

Low Carb: As much as I love my protein, I also love my carbs. This is not for me.

What I’m currently doing:
Eating Freely: From my previous post, this is currently what I am doing. I find myself more aware about how I eat, what I eat, and how I feel while I’m eating. So far so good and I hope it stays that way because with this program, I really don’t feel deprived…

STAYING ACTIVE
Wii EA Sports Active: I can see myself still doing this activity, however I haven’t touched it for months now.

Fitness Videos: Turbo Jam/P90x: I enjoy it once in awhile.

24 Hour Fitness: It’s only been a few weeks, but there’s just something about going to the gym to work out and seeing other people doing the same thing.

 

It was recommended by my Endocrinologist that I see a Dietician/Nutritionist… I must confess. I didn’t really think there was a need for me to see one, so I held off looking for one until I got back from our 5-week trip but after the first meeting with my Nutritionist, I am glad I listened and made an appointment to see one.

The first thing she asked me was to tell her how my typical day would look like from the time I woke up in the morning to the time I went to sleep and all other details in between such as what time I ate and what I ate.. I thought at first it was a waste of time.. but it really wasn’t because she was able to tell me how I really needed to work in getting a good breakfast in. I always thought that eating fruits in the morning was fine, but she also told me how important it was to incorporate some protein into my breakfast and snacks. I told her how hard it was for me in the morning because I never have enough time, so she gave me a list of foods that I could just grab and go.

By the end of our session, she came up with three goals for me to do by the time I meet with her again in three weeks:

1) Before going to the gym, I need to consume juice OR fruit and then after the gym I should have a balanced mini meal.

2) At work: I should keep snacks available to me such as (cottage cheese and fruit cups).

3) Food Journal: I need to be aware of food behaviors and most importantly not to judge myself.

Lastly, the best part about our meeting yesterday was that she told me I didn’t have to count my calories! Instead, I needed to be more AWARE… Now that’s pretty awesome!!