Changing my nutrition plans

I have spoken with quite a few people this weekend about my nutrition plan and how unhappy I am with it, and my concerns about the amount of protein I am consuming.  I have decided to change a few things about my nutrition plan without my doctor’s advice. One thing that was brought to my attention was that the plan I am on is geared towards getting those who are wanting a weight loss surgery prepped for that surgery. Because I have opted out of the surgery, this is no longer a necessary move. My appointment with him was pushed out to April as he had to cancel my appointment. I am bummed but I refuse to see the bariatric nurse there. When I see him next, I will be discussing a new plan of attack and making it 100% clear that I am not going to see his nurse anymore and I did not agree with her methods at all.

What I have been concerned about is my risk for problems stemming from needing to consume over 135 grams of protein a day. I felt this was excessive and unnecessary. I spoke with a friend who studied and is registered in fitness nutrition and she thought it was excessive as well. She was concerned because I had a total hysterectomy four years ago and was concerned about the repercussions of that. She recommended no more than 100 grams a day. I am going to be switching to that. As for carbs, she said that the emphasis on carbs in total is ridiculous and I need to find a balance between good and bad carbs. I am aware of the difference. My goal now will be no more than 80 grams a day, but to stick to high-fibrous and “good” carbs. I’ve been so restrictive in my attempts that I think that this is why I am failing at staying on task. Let’s be honest here, if you feel you are stifled to the point where you cannot stick to it, you’re going to be bound for failure. I’m not good with this low-carb crap. I hate it. That being said, this is a necessary evil. There are reasons why you should watch your carb intake, but it is equally important to make sure you are consuming more good and whole carbs and not processed carbs (which is what we do). There is a lot to be said for the low-carb frenzy, but the thing I have learned about it is that it really is vital to make sure you are completely aware of what you are putting in your body. The more awareness I have, the smarter choices I make.

Since I started my journey last late October, I have eliminated the following carbs: any type of pasta at all (with the exception of a VERY rare outing to an Italian restaurant), no more brown potatoes, no more processed foods, no more breads at all, if I am going to have bread, it will be something like an Ezekiel bread, a nutty bread. If I really want a roll, it will be sourdough, but we haven’t gotten to that point yet. I don’t miss bread. I don’t even miss brown potatoes or pasta. It’s that strange. But there are things I am finding to replace those with that work well for me.

Yesterday was a very busy day for me, I managed to meet up with a couple of friends, run some errands, and hit the gym. I am still only able to get 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, but I think that is fantastic. With time it will become easier. I really love the gym. I know so many people who loathe it, but I do love it. I find it to be an adrenaline rush. I promise I won’t go trying to lift anything anymore, though. Ha ha. Speaking of, I have my physical therapy assessment tomorrow. Hopefully all will go well.

I think besides the good comraderie and the great advice given by my friend, it was nice to hear from her and a couple of other people how they actually SEE the progress I have made. This leads me to believe that this isn’t solely weight. I know that inches tend to go fast on me more than weight, but yes, I have dropped about 4 pant sizes and 4 top sizes. Yesterday I put on a pair of one of my brand new pants that were washed and accidentally dried (which is not good, because our dryer shrinks EVERYTHING). I amazingly got into these pants fine and they fit perfectly. There is progress! This is a great sign! It gives me hope. I know we tend to take too much stock on what our scales say, but inch loss is good as well. However, that being said, I NEED these pounds to go. I need to get it together. I keep saying it.

Hell Hath No Fury like a Pissed off Consumer

This is going to be a random post and I will do my update on the holidays and how I fared with that.

First off, let me just start this post with a warning: I tend to have absolutely ZERO filter. My opinions are my own. If you think it’s too foul, then don’t read it. I won’t apologize for who I am or what I believe in.

About two weeks ago I had issues with my cable modem through Comcast, I couldn’t stay connected and do my work, so like anyone else, I called Comcast to find out what was going on. I was told that my modem was no longer compatible with their Internet services. Mind you, I RENT my modem out, because Comcast won’t allow you to buy it outright. I assume this is because they constantly change their damn modems. Well, I never received a head’s up or a warning that I was going to need to take my modem in to swap it for a newer, updated modem. I was livid about that. It was only 7 am and the Comcast customer service center in town did not open until 10 am. I lost 3 hours of work that day due to Comcast’s incompetence. So I go pick up my modem, hook it up, activate it, and the damn thing stops working. I call them back, livid, furious, and while dealing with this, I realize that the person I am speaking with has an accent. So I ask, “Are you in America?” And the rep says, “No, we are in India”. Pissed off, I said, “Yeah, that figures.” I demanded to speak with a supervisor and the supervisor was also in India and hard to understand. After explaining my story for the fourth time, she offered to send a technician out to see what the problem was, and offered to credit me for that day since I lost many hours of work. The tech came out and fixed the problem.

Fast forward to today, I go to check my bill online and it states I have a $50 service call fee and no credit for that day I lost service (and work hours). So, once again, I call Comcast, because 1, I never ordered or asked for this, 2, it was ordered by a “supervisor”, and 3, I refuse to pay for something that is not my fault. So again, I speak with someone in India, who advises me there are no supervisors to speak with. So I ask him what he can do for me and why is this on my bill. I get the same scripted bullshit: “Unfortunately because you had a technician come out, we have to charge for the service”. For the 10th time I tell him, “I NEVER ordered this – a ‘supervisor’ did. I WILL not pay for this”. Shouting match ensues and I have gotten so damn riled up that I start cussing this guy out and threatening to contact the Better Business Bureau to lodge a complaint. In the end I now have to wait for a “supervisor” to contact me back tomorrow. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off consumer!

I have worked in two call centers before, and do I feel bad for cussing and shouting at the guy? No. He was shouting at me and was completely incompetent. Not to mention the thought of outsourcing American jobs to India is something that truly crawls under my skin and pisses me off more than I can say. I have seen colleagues laid off because our company decided to outsource. Is it other country’s faults? No. But when it boils down to it, my anger is directed at them, because my job could be next. And if you can’t do your job correctly, then you don’t deserve to have a job that someone like me could do a HELL of a lot better!

Alright…breathing now…

I did well on Thanksgiving. I managed my carb intake by watching what I ate. However, I did not measure my food out. Instead, I trusted myself and put less on my plate. I also did NOT overindulge and that is something I am very proud of.

That being said…

This past weekend I was horrible. I didn’t log in MFP at all. Not once. I knew my carbs were off the chart. I got it together on Monday, but yesterday I blew it big time, consuming 88 grams of carbs in one day. Today I am at about 50 grams for the day. The fact that I am yo-yoing is concerning, but I am dealing with some nasty carb cravings, yet again. I’m trying to be mindful, but it just isn’t enough. It doesn’t help that I have weigh-in on Friday. I would NOT be surprised if I show a weight gain. If I do, I just hope like hell that it is no more than 3 pounds.

Something that did perk me up was when I rode vanpool on Monday, I noticed that my belt in the front was no longer snug and cutting off my circulation. Instead, it was loose and had slack to it. I hope this means it is working!

Today is a success diet-wise

I feel more confident today. I have held my own on my “cheat” day. If I hold strong to what I have said I will be eating, I will have 77 grams of carbs for the day, with 168 grams of protein. With the exception of the fact that I did NOT eat breakfast, I am doing well.  We went to Red Robin for lunch and I was able to substitute my hamburger bun for lettuce instead and instead of fries, chili, which per my MFP was perfect. I had about 1/8th of fries from my daughter’s bottomless fries for the carbs I desired. I am very pleased with this progress, considering that today is my “cheat” day and is my temptation day.

I also had some leg muscle cramps that almost stopped me in the middle of trying to return to the car after a Costco run. The cramps were like a “Charlie Horse” and as we were walking back to our car, I was walking gingerly but trying to hustle at the same time. It was quite painful. When I got back to the car, I stretched out and my boyfriend gave me some of the Magnesium pills I just bought. I picked up Magnesium for the cramping per my physician’s suggestion, and hope that they help with this cramping. It feels funny, and it’s not just in my calves. At times it is also in my groin area and THAT hurts worse than my calves. It’s not like I’m working out, either, so I find it strange. Are our bodies so sensitive to lack of carbs that it takes away from muscle? I thought it was taking away from fat, not muscle?

I rescheduled my Exercise Assessment for the 6th as things will be tight until then. Between the holidays, rent and bills to be paid, it is hard to keep up with everything I need to have done. I am really going to have to put my foot down about seeing my physician only once a month next year because that is going to be all out of pocket as my insurance will not cover the office visits next year. At $100 an office visit, it will be tight. With a car payment things will be tight, so I can’t let them force me into seeing them. If they have to wait a couple of months, so be it.

I just wish I were able to get my stomach issues under control. It’s sensitive to anything and everything I eat.

No motivation to write

I have been dealing with writer’s block for the past few day and I am still stumbling on some issues with it. Mostly it is due to extenuating circumstances that are keeping me from having the time to blog, but here I am today, what a day it has been. If you know me, it is no secret that Sundays are dedicated to watching American football. I am a Green Bay Packers fan (bandwagon, won’t lie) and New Orleans Saints fan (by birth, my mother). Right now the Packers are struggling with not only winning, but keeping their players healthy. Today’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles just proved how vulnerable the team was and is to injuries. Several key players were injured and unable to return, including the second string QB, Aaron Rodger’s back up. Aaron Rodgers is out with a broken collarbone for 4-6 weeks…not the best news in the world and everyone in Packerland is reeling from it but still holding strong for the team to pull through. So Seneca Wallace, the back up, was injured today, something about his groin…and the THIRD string QB, a guy I have never heard of before, Scott Tolzien, had to come in. Tolzien came in off of the practice squad, and despite an interception (or two?), he did the best he could and gave it all he had. I wish Packer fans who are being relentless and merciless on him could understand that this kid is from the practice squad. He isn’t Seneca Wallace and is no Matt Flynn (who the Packers SHOULD bring back, just saying..). Give the kid a break. So who is Tolzien’s backup if HE gets hurt (GOD FORBID)? John Kuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnn. No kidding. Still rooting for and holding for the Pack to get stronger and work on that defense, because they need help. I know they can do it. Next up: The Saints and Cowboys. WHO DAT?

Onto my diet, the Keto Flu seems to have disappeared from my life, with the exception of some bowel issues, which I think we could attribute more to something I ate rather than the low carb/high protein ratio. Friday night we decided to go out to dinner as it was a rare early night off for my boyfriend, and we found ourselves at a local restaurant. I scanned the menu for what I thought would be appropriate enough, and went with a savory chicken breast burger on a ciabiatta bun and a house salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was a smart choice, however, the carbs in the bun alone was sky-high and put me at 105 grams for the day. It happens. My nurse upped me to 80 grams a day, so I feel more confident in what I am doing now. Yesterday was my “Cheat Day”, and while I didn’t mean to go overboard, when all was said and done, my carb intake was absolutely horrible. 255 grams of carbs! I started off with a Tall Chai Egg Nog Latte and a Chocolate Meringue Cookie from Starbucks, and dinner ended up at Denny’s, where I had a double cheeseburger (trying to sneak in fat and protein the unhealthy way!), but I ate the bun too. I had maybe 1/8th of my fries and gave the rest to my boyfriend. I should have asked for the burger without the bun, but I really wanted the bun, so I gave up my fries for the bun. Smart…not. Oh well. Live and learn.

Today my carbs will be around 65-70 grams, and on target, if I can manage to get the rest of the food down that I have planned. I haven’t been hungry and have been dealing with stomach problems (likely due to the Denny’s food, no doubt) all day. I had a protein shake with Almond Breeze Almond Milk and a scoop of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder. Dinner tonight will be some farm fresh eggs a colleague brought me from the chickens she is raising, some sausage, and not sure about the carb yet…might do an English Muffin. I am also going to try my hand at making Lemon Blondies using Almond Meal and Truvia in place of white flour and sugar.

I am going to do some shopping at Costco next Saturday as we are running out of what we need, so it will be time to stock up on some food to boost my protein. Tuna, string cheese, frozen turkey burgers for my lunches, etc. I am going to also see if they have Almond Meal or Flour in bulk, because I just spent $13 on a small bag that I think equals to 3-4 pounds but I doubt it. Maybe 2 pounds if I am lucky. Bobs Mills Almond Meal. Expensive. I can actually make goodies with this and keep the carbs down. A lot of my friends doing the Paleo diet are obsessed with Almond Meal/Flour and Coconut Oil (another thing I need to buy). Hopefully my next blog will be a post stating that I was successful at making the Lemon Blondies with the almond meal and Truvia!