Ketosis - An Experiment (the power of a pound)

I am still loving this experiment, but the honeymoon period is definitely over. The tracking is extremely valuable to me and is showing me all sorts of interesting things. In the last two weeks, I’ve found myself eating more towards the top of my 1900 calorie/day guideline, while previously, the totals were much lower. I also have been bleeding over my 48 total carb gram limit (never more than 75, though). That being said, I do not feel like things are going badly. On the contrary, I am pleased with my progress and totally OK with being flexible about it. Since my last update, I’ve dropped another pound, bringing the total to 3.2 for this experiment (down 49 total). Each one of those suckers is hard won, I tell you. But progress is progress and it is such a thrill to see those darn numbers going down again.


I will be redoubling my efforts to keep the carbs under 48 each day. I think it’s a good discipline and recognize that I need the structure to keep myself in check. Having stable blood sugar (and no dependence on caffeine) is such a gift. It is so wonderful to wake up and not feel like crap until getting a cup of coffee in me. I sometimes miss that jolt of energy I’d get from coffee, but I’d trade that any day for this steady energy level.

The lack of crazy cravings is also a plus. I have continued to play around with different treat recipes and have had success with that. Some of my recent faves are my version of these coconut flour based cinnamon bun muffins, a vanilla version of this coconut milk based frozen custard recipe, and homemade chocolates made with Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Cocoa Butter, sweetened with Stevia. That last one is a bit of an issue, though. I’ve noticed that I get a mild headache after eating the chocolate. Such a bummer. I had noticed it with regular dark chocolate, too, and was in serious denial about it. I won’t say that I’m done eating chocolate – for the love of everything holy – you cannot take my chocolate. First the sugar, then the coffee. Where does it end, people? But I digress. If it’s truly giving me headaches, I’ll just have to keep it to a minimum.

I’ve mostly been eating an incarnation of my Sausage, Egg, and Spinach Bake for breakfast, but did go for a smoothie this morning that I made from unsweetened almond milk, a handful of frozen spinach, and two scoops of Primal Fuel. I’d been off the protein powders for quite some time, preferring to get my nutrients from “real food”. But, I was in a rush this morning and it hit the spot. It was delicious (you can’t taste the spinach) and got me to 20 grams of protein in under a minute. It’s certainly shy of my 30 gram goal, but better than a bagel :)

So all in all, I'm just chugging along. It's become routine to track my food and I'm so surprised that I don't mind it at all. I kind of enjoy it in a weird way and it gives me a sense of control in this ultimately uncontrollable process. Slow and steady wins the race! So that's me, winning, one hard-fought pound at a time.

The Ten Days Towards Health Challenge

Well, FT from Notes from the Frugal Trenches threw down the gauntlet today by starting this challenge. The plan is to document food eaten and exercise accomplished for each of the next ten days. I will try to incorporate some photos, but I’m making no promises! The purpose is to increase mindfulness and help us make the best choices possible.

My goal is to keep my calories between 1500-1650 each day and to have planned meaningful activity on 7/10 days. I don’t have any specific goals of eating fruits and vegetables or protein. I find that when I’m mindful of what I’m eating and trying to stay within my calorie range, I naturally gravitate towards those things. I’m a volume eater – I like to eat. A LOT. As in, I like to eat large amount of food. As a result, fiber is my friend. I like filling up on a big bowl of vegetables or a salad and my go-to snacks are usually fruit. Protein is also good for keeping me full, so I tend to get a decent amount of that, too.

I’m not really changing much about how I’ve been working on losing weight lately, with this challenge. It’s more a way or adding some more accountability. I’ve been having a tough time staying on track the last couple of days and this should help me with that. If anyone else is interested in joining this challenge, just chime in on it in the comments!

I will start my reporting tomorrow, April 25th!

First Quarter Update

As of today, I’ve been tracking my weight, calories, and activity through FitDay for 3 full months! I feel so proud of myself for sticking with it. Although the process is not quick, it has been methodical. My goal is to lose an average of 5 pounds per month and I’m just shy of that average right now with a grand total of (drum roll, please!) 14.3lbs! I am very happy with my progress so far and with the fact that I haven’t given up when it (often) feels like I’m getting nowhere fast. I weigh myself daily but in terms of checking how I’m doing, the monthly number is the most meaningful to me.

The backbone of this whole process is monitoring what I eat. I have come to terms with the fact that I need to track my food meticulously in order to stay on track. I used to fight that truth and resent it to the point where I’d just give up. I’d think, “it’s just too much work! It’s so unfair that I have to do this. It’s not worth it.” I’ve found a way to let that go and just make it a part of my life. Keeping track of the money I spend isn’t necessary fun, either, but it’s key if I don’t want to overdraw my account. Part of being a grownup is doing things that are necessary, whether or not they’re fun.

To get an idea of what this looks like for me, here’s my food entry for today. You can see that I’ve already plotted out what I’m having the rest of the day. That makes things so much easier for me so I do it whenever possible. I also try to work in a treat at the end of the day. Today it’s a piece of chocolate with peanut butter. Yum!


One of the biggest changes I’ve made that has contributed to my success so far is the consistent exercise. The fitness class focused mostly on strength training that I take three times a week is the anchor of my schedule. That combined with yoga and some cardio really has me feeling so much better and much stronger. I did 18 (girl) push ups without stopping last night! My goal is to work up to 20, then start working on doing them with my legs straight. Here is a snapshot of my activity for today:


Although I haven’t changed sizes yet, I definitely feel better within the clothes that I have. Before starting up in January, I must admit that they were starting to show some strain. Now most are loose and comfortable but not sloppy. I did put on a pair of jeans on Saturday that I haven’t been able to wear in quite some time. That felt terrific. Last time I wore them, I was more like 215lbs (as opposed to my 229.4 today) so I know that the strength training is having a bigger effect than just making me stronger. I am toning up and building muscle.

Whoever first said that slow and steady wins the race was not kidding. Being patient is the hardest part of this whole journey. I’m good for one day and then wonder why I’m not down a pound the next. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way so looking at the cumulative effect is the only way to stay sane.

So these are my tricks of the trade. What works for you? What kinds of mental and physical obstacles have you hurdled to wrap you mind around getting healthier. Please share your tips/experience in the comments!

10 Pounds!

To think, tracking and cutting my calories plus exercise = weight loss! It’s revolutionary, my friends. I am on a bit of high right now. I couldn’t believe it when I stepped on the scale this morning. I’ve officially lost 10.7 lbs since I started tracking with FitDay on January 7th. I’ve added in more cardio this week (30 minutes 3 x per week), which seems to be helping. The circuit training and yoga was helping me tone up but it wasn’t burning the calories as much as I wanted.

I’ve spent a lot of time resisting this process in the past. I think I just rebelled against having to do the necessary work. It seemed so unfair that I’d have to work so hard. I’ve finally let go of that and just buckled down. There is no simple “cutting back, moving more” for me. It doesn’t happen without concerted, focused attention. What works: tracking every single bite, exercising a minimum of 5 times/week, and embracing these changes as something positive instead of a punishment.

I think there is a tipping point of inertia – for the first couple of months, the workouts wore me out. I was motivated and consistent, but drained from “having” to do them. But at a certain point, things tipped and now I feel better due to all the activity. I’ve noticed this week in particular, that I’m less tired in the morning and I drink a bit less coffee throughout the day. I need to stay with this flow and keep up the consistency. I know far too well that it takes very little for me to completely derail and wind up on the wrong side of the inertia pull.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me in this. Despite so many past failures, you’ve all pushed me to believe that I can do this, no matter what.

Checking My Progress

I love looking at all the different charts and graphs available on FitDay. It's good to see that I'm on the right track, even though my weigh-ins seem so stagnant on a daily basis. So far, my weight loss is following along with my goal pace, as you can see on the graph above. It’s only been one month but I am feeling really motivated by what I’ve done so far.

This week has been a little harder, though, and my calorie counts have been further up towards 1800 (the top of my range). I continue to be enthusiastic about tracking and I make sure to input everything, no matter what. This is a big step for me because I have tended to stick my head in the sand whenever I didn’t follow my plan exactly. The key right now is to use this data as a learning tool, rather than an instrument with which to judge myself. So far, so good!

Tonight is a bit of a challenge: I’m going to an event at Cute Man’s program. I’m looking forward to hearing his cute middle-schoolers read their literary love poems in honor of Valentine’s Day. But it just so happens to take place during my usual dinner hour. There will be refreshments, but that might be more of a hindrance than a help. I feel a bit anxious whenever I’m out of my normal routine. To counteract this, I’ve brought along a bit more food to eat during the day at work as well as a Luna Bar to have while others indulge in whatever is there at the event. When I get home, I plan to have a small cheese omelet and a salad. Cute Man generally doesn’t like eggs for dinner, so he can have chicken if he feels up to cooking it. In the past, I would have automatically made sure to go along with his preferences so we could have the same meal. But I need to address my own needs first and a lighter, faster meal is what I’m going to need.

Taking the time to not only plan ahead, but to anticipate my needs in various situations is the most important lesson I’ve learned so far. I’ve decided to view my health and fitness goals as a type of hobby. It’s just what I do apart from spending time with Cute Man and work. I don’t see the time/effort of planning meals, shopping, cooking, and exercising to be something annoying I just have to do. These tasks can be fun and are extremely rewarding. Whenever I start to feel frustrated, I focus on that aspect and I bring my attitude around.

The First Five

I am happy to report that I’m officially down 5lbs since I started tracking with FitDay on January 7th. I was actually a pound or so heavier when I started at the New Year but I’ll stick with the “official” results. Reaching this first little milestone looms large in my mind – it gives me a tangible piece of data to cuddle up to. I know in my head that I want to take this slow and steady. I want to make those gradual changes that will bring me closer to a healthier me. But there’s nothing like actual results to fuel the fire of motivation.

The daily weighing can easily skew my perspective but I like looking at the graph’s end points: where I started and where I am now. The jagged ups and downs on the graph don’t matter – only the fact that I’m trending downward. Considering that it hasn’t even been three weeks since my “start” date, being down 5lbs is phenomenal! My goal pace is to lose an average of 1.25 lbs per week. By that measure I’m ahead of the curve.

I’ve had to experiment a LOT to get to the point where I was seeing true movement on the scale. The Beck Diet encouraged me to start out eating 2200 calories per day, which I knew would be too much. From watching my body’s reactions, I’ve come to realize my target should be between 1600-1800 per day. My current activities include 3 one hour-long circuit training sessions and 2 one hour-long yoga classes per week. I obviously seem to lose more at the lower end of the range but having a couple of 1800 calorie days seems to be OK.

This is definitely a learning process and I’m really starting to enjoy it. Seeing the results start to come is an amazing feeling. It just spurs me on to keep going. I know I can do it and finally have some clear data to support that claim. If you’re curious on how I’m doing this, just look for the link to my FitDay account on the right.

So enough about me – anyone else out there starting to see results? If so, how can you tell? If not yet, what are you struggling with? Please share in the comments. Let's motivate each other!

401k Happenings

I found out this week that I have an old 401k account from an old employer that has about $2,200 in it! I totally knew there was an account “out there” but I never seemed to hunker down and find out the details. Well, they tracked ME down via Tranquil Space of all places and now I know, and as a result, have to deal with it. I have the forms and I will take care of it within the week. I will not fear the forms!

This got me thinking about my retirement savings in general. I am very fortunate to have an employer who matches funds. They put 2% in for everyone regardless and then match up to an additional 4%. So, to get the full match, I elected to do 4% for a total of 10%, including the employer contribution. Not bad, especially for someone in debt-repayment mode. But I’m no longer in debt repayment mode so I decided to up my contribution to 9% for a total of 15% with employer match. I feel really good about this and I think I will hardly notice the increase (I hope!) With any luck, I’ll see a raise in December that will completely or at least mostly cover the 5% hike.

I think this is the perfect time to make such a change and get used to it coming out of my check. This type of decision would be much tougher with a mortgage and/or child care costs to consider. So now, it’s done before we need to deal with those concerns and we have plenty of time to get used to it as another non-negotiable.

Week One Update

I’ve been back from VA Beach for almost a week and even though it’s not a full week since I restarted my routine, I am doing a check-in. I like to do that on Mondays – it just makes sense to me for some reason. I did get on the scale and it was down 2.5lbs. Thank goodness. It just reinforces the idea that I know what to do – it’s the “doing it” part that is the kicker. I now just have to keep going. I am motivated! I am sick of feeling crappy.

The new recipes I tried (see last post) so far are great. The Teriyaki Chicken with Sesame Seeds was a yummy high protein snack/lunch yesterday. The Mushroom Barley Risotto was fab (even though Cute Man hated it, it was GOOD, in my opinion). It’s my lunch today. Yum! I didn’t get a chance to make the Balsamic Chicken but I’ll give it a shot this week. I really want to make the Mac and Cheese recipe (I keep thinking about it) but have yet to come across the needed frozen pureed winter squash. Hmmm…

I plan to walk for 45-60 minutes again at lunch today. I’m actually looking forward to it. Go figure… I do like listening to my free books on tape that I download from the DC public library (you have to have a non-i-Pod MP3 player, which Cute Man got me). It’s a little inconvenient in the way it breaks up the book, etc. but free is free! And it makes the time go MUCH faster. There’s only so much doom and gloom on CNN I can take (it plays incessantly in my work’s gym). “The economy is in the toilet!” “Hurricane X has moved 6 centimeters since we talked about it last!” Sheesh… Books on tape win hands down.

So that’s it. Hard work = results. It’s a newsflash worthy of CNN for sure…

The Debt is Dead

It’s official. I am now free of all credit card debt. I got the letter last night from AMEX stating that all the remaining interest on the account (about $4000) has been forgiven and my balance is now zero. I am in shock. Four years of consistent forward movement towards this goal carries a hell of a lot of inertia. Now what? I do not want to lose momentum and fall back into destructive behavior. I am looking to walk the fine line of making sure that I give myself space to enjoy this success without piddling away the gains I’ve made.

The plan: Use a chunk of what I would have paid towards debt next month on my trip to VA Beach for the Half Marathon. Having a buffer for that makes me feel a lot more comfortable. After that, I’m rolling that money into savings in my ING account. I will not fall victim to lifestyle inflation. I hope that I can keep myself in check and save up a substantial amount towards one day buying a house. That is a worthwhile goal I can sink my teeth into.

But for now, for today, I’m content to bask in the glow of this accomplishment and just feel good. I’m entitled!

Will I Jinx It?

I have gone back and forth about even mentioning this, but it’s really on my mind so I just have to let it out. Long story short, American Express MAY be forgiving the interest on my debt to them. In other words, they have a program for people on debt management plans like mine in which they forgive the interest once the total amount of the original debt is paid.

What does that mean for me? Well, by my count, I’ve already paid them over $6500, when the original balance was about $6100. So… if my debt management plan is eligible for this interest forgiveness waiver, it would be amazing. In essence, my debt elimination project would be completed. I am about to pay the last $300+ off my Citibank card with my July disbursement, leaving just the American Express balance of $4000 – not small change. But it turns out that is all interest that may be forgiven.

I am waiting to hear back – I’m told I should receive a response in 7-10 days… I am definitely not one to count my chickens but the mere possibility that I may be DONE with paying all this back is just incredible. I guess I need to start thinking about a plan for when the debt is gone, especially since there’s suddenly the potential for that time to be soon. I do not want to fall into the lifestyle inflation trap…

I guess I’ll keep you posted on this. I will just have to contain myself until such time as there’s something really to celebrate (or not).

Credit Card Payoff Progress Report

I mentioned a couple of posts ago my plan to accelerate my debt reduction. I am happy to report that I did indeed pay off that one card with a check written out for $945. THAT felt fantastic. I also went ahead and paid the remaining $63 on another card so it’s down to just the two, totaling about $5400.

I did not, however, make good on my pledge to replenish my E-fund with some of the stimulus money. I spent quite a bit on food/spa treatments in Vegas and getting my hair done yesterday. I’m fine with these decisions and it felt good just to splurge a little for a change. Although it wasn’t the original plan, I am content knowing I didn’t go into any debt to do it.
So now the E-fund is down to about $350. Not great but not a disaster, either. I’ve decided to up my biweekly ING transfers to $200 (from $100). I will stockpile the money there so it’s accessible in case of an emergency but then drain it down to $500 periodically to make accelerated payments on the cards.

Progress Feels GOOD

I am so incredibly excited about some real tangible progress I’m about to make on my debt reduction. I am paying off one card (balance: $945.00) in one fell swoop. The idea came about with the whole stimulus package dealio. I expect to get that moolah next Friday, but I’m superstitious about counting my chickens and all that. So I just raided the E-fund and wrote out the check! I have not stuck it in the mail yet because it takes a few days for money to come back over from ING (I requested the transfer last Friday). The timing is all so important because the bill is due on the 20th. It should all work out if I mail it tomorrow or Wed. When (or if) the tax money does come through, I’ll transfer some of it back over to the E-fund to bring it back closer to my minimum comfort level of $1000. Then, it can build itself slowly again.

I also will pay off another card (balance $63) when my next paycheck comes. That will leave me with just two cards left. One with about $500 and the other with $5000. Between my regularly scheduled consolidation payments, my extra $100/paycheck payments, and additional snowflaking, my goal is to be debt free by the start of 2009. Wouldn’t THAT be fantastic? Again, not counting those chickens but you gotta dream big, ya know?

Four Miles

Four miles doesn’t sound like much, especially when you know you’ve done more than 20 previously (in another life, it seems). But getting those 4 miles done on Saturday felt like a huge accomplishment to me. Last week I did the 3 miles at a walk due to being the Caboose. That combined with a spotty running schedule made me very wary of those 4 miles.

I decided to take them on at a run 1/walk 1 pace to go along with the comfort level of a few people in my Blue ARRC group. It felt terrific and very comfortable. It took pretty much 1 hour on the nose and I’m happy with that 15 min/mile (4 mile/hour) average. I think I must have been jogging faster than I normally do when I’m trying to get through 3 or 5 minutes at a time. That average was particularly good considering we walked the first 5 minutes out and the last back. I also walked up the huge incline up from K St to M St.

I really liked the variety of it. I didn’t have very long to go before I knew a break was coming. In fact, it was like I was constantly on the verge of a break so I didn’t have much opportunity to get tired. I may stick with this for a bit and see how it goes. I loved feeling good when I was done – I felt like I got a good workout but I wasn’t zapped completely.

Yoga and Enchiladas – Two Good Choices

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a few of the lovely Ducks at a Weight Watchers meeting. Although I’m no longer a meeting-goer, the occasional drop-in is fun. One thing the leader, Kim, gave us was a card with some words on it. I promptly threw it out because I hate extraneous paper. Very nice, I know. But the point of it stuck with me and I picked the word “choose” for my focus today.

Which brings me to the random title of this post: Yoga and Enchiladas. The first opportunity to put this plan into action was whether or not to go to yoga at lunch. I went! I feel great. Good move – score 1 point. The second choice involved whether to give in to my pouty three year old self who was so very hungry after yoga and get Baja Fresh instead of waiting to get back to work and make my TJ Enchiladas. I waited. Score 2 more points (one for making the lower calorie choice, one for making the cheaper one).

I did just suggest that Cute Man and I get takeout, a movie, and some drinks at the carryout on the way home. Hmmm… Well, I’m not much of a drinker, so no big worries there. We wanted to get Juno anyway, so I kind of don’t feel too bad about buying it. It’s the food, as per usual, that is my Achilles heel. I know that I have tons of yummy food in my future (Passover in NJ comes complete with unequaled culinary delights, no doubt) so ordering tofu and mixed veggies doesn’t seem like too bad of a sacrifice. I may whip up some gingery beef or chicken broth to throw them in to. THAT would be good. This would also be a cheaper choice, so if, I mean WHEN I stick with my choice – score 2 more points. That’s 5 for the day and I think that would be a good first attempt.

Penguin Tracks

Last night was the first official Turtle/Penguin training waddle. It was a success! Dina (of Dinatopia and DC Duck Fame) is the Turtle, while I am the Penguin shuffling along side, and she came up with these adorably apt monikers. We met at Union Station and walked 15 minutes over to the National Mall as a warm up. We commenced with the 3/1.5 minute (waddle to walk ratio) intervals for the next 21 minutes. We survived to walk back to the station to grab dinner. The salad and wrap we shared were both really good. I had never tried out the restaurant in the middle (Center Café?) But will do so again, for sure. I am dreaming of peanut sauce salad dressing as we speak…

Hopefully, this will become a routine. The added accountability and camaraderie seemed to help us both get the job done. I, for one, most probably would have bailed if I was on my own. SO glad that didn’t happen. It’s nice to look at my weekly tracker and already see 3 of 4 Activity Day boxes checked. I have until Sunday to get one more.

The Power of Positive Thinking

My truly insightful and supportive friends, the Ducks have me thinking a LOT today. First, I got a wonderful response to my first posts via email. LOVED getting those emails and would adore having a comment or two here! Then today’s thread topic was all about thinking positively, which went right along with one of the responses I got about my first postings. I DO need to focus on all that I have accomplished! I have eradicated $12,500 of my debt in less than 4 years (one year of which I made $13/hour for a time, then it went up to $30,000 annually – NOT good for living in DC while paying off massive debt). I have made some serious sacrifices and trimmed a lot of fat from my spending, including donating my car and continuing to live in a small rented 1BR basement apartment with Cute Man – things that you’d think would be tough but have actually IMPROVED my quality of life. I am much happier walking and taking the metro than I ever was stuck in DC traffic. I am so relieved to be free from all the clutter I used to have before I moved in with Cute Man. I simply cannot accumulate things that I don’t have a place for.

All this reminds me that positive changes have many unintended consequences. When I set out to improve my financial life, I didn’t foresee the other ripple effects that it’s had in other areas. By changing my thinking to be more frugal, I’ve enriched my life in an amazing way. Now, when I’m faced with a choice of what to do, I usually pick the option that doesn’t involve spending money (or spending less). It gets me out DOING things more than out BUYING things. Who would have thought? I know that I will remember all of the experiences I have with people I love way more than any piece of stuff I could buy.

If I translate this over to thinking about my weight/health, I realize that I would like to do the same thing. When I have a choice to do something active versus not, I would like to choose the active choice (just like the frugal one comes naturally to me now). I can’t say this shift has already occurred, but now that I’ve noticed the connection, I plan to let it take hold. The key is that it’s not something I have to do – it’s something I want to do to improve my health and how I feel. Just like when I first stopped using my credit cards, it was an adjustment to wrap my head around NOT just buying whatever I wanted, I need to consciously practice making the healthier choice repeatedly before it becomes second nature. A great quote about this is “We are what we repeatedly do”. I can’t remember who said it, but it’s spot on.