So I joined up with Crowdtap forever ago, when Old Navy had a "Style Council" on about their jeans. As I live and die by my Old Navy Sweetheart jeans, I wanted in on that, big time. Sadly, I was denied on that one. But, I hung around Crowdtap anyhow, it was neat enough to hold my interest, and maybe there'd be more chances later. I think the next one was tank tops, and I missed out on that one too. Just as I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get to try out products I was interested in... Out came the Old Navy Style Council for their line of compression activewear. I submitted, I got a spot in the council. I was thrilled. Still am, actually.
Up-front disclosure here - I was given a pair of compression pants and a compression jacket, with the understanding that I'd talk about them.
On to "the good stuff." The first thing I noticed was that putting those bad boys on? I felt like I'd shrunk about four sizes. And not in the "OMG, my pants are cutting off circulation to my feet!" sort of way, but the "Woah, I look good..." one. I was really rather impressed, as usually I only look lumpy in workout gear of any size. Next, I noticed the sole downside I came across - the jacket compressed my tummy, sure, but it also compressed the heck out of my chest. I wasn't too keen on that, as boobs are about the only thing that keeps me feeling like I'm not actually 100% round.
The pants have a zip pocket in the back at the waist - which is incredibly handy. Granted, it's for bus passes, ID cards and the occasional bit of cash for me, as my MomWallet and MomKeys are uncomfortable in any pocket attached to my person, but it's still handy as heck, especially when I'm trying to keep tabs on my bus ticket while wrangling a preschooler. The advert for the pants says "sits low on waist" which made me anxious. I hate low riding pants. I always feel like they're falling off me. These actually fit comfortably. Not at the waist, but not so low they were twitch-making either. Hooray!
The jacket has thumbholes in the sleeves. This, as a general trend, has always made me make the face that goes o.O;; What's the point, right? Well. I love them. I love the thumb holes, and I didn't think I would. They keep the sleeves in place under a jacket, they keep my wrists warm outside, it's great. GREAT, I tell you.
Now, I'm not sure how well the ensemble will fare in outside weather once it gets really cold out, but I suppose we'll see. For now, though, I can take them out on a walk and not come back feeling sloppy and sweaty, and the pants are hugely comfortable - both for working out (in my case, walking) and for just lounging.
While I still love my Old Navy jeans, I have to say that the compression pants are giving them a run for their money!
~~~~~~
Also, I plan to have another post up around Thanksgiving (in time for holiday shopping and Black Friday sales!) to go over this stuff again, and to mention how well the workout gear holds up in the chilly weather. I figure once my knees are back in the clear, I'll also make a point of reviewing one more time on grounds of a real, high-intensity workout and the moisture-wicking capabilities of the attire.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dear Aggressive Unschoolers
(Yes, I have come back with a rant. Sorry about that.)
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Sigh.
Monday will be 150 days. I have spent the entire month bouncing around the same pound. Sometimes, it went up, sometimes down, but my weigh in today is exactly the same as it was a month ago. I'm on Day 13 of the 30 Day Shred, and I've been busting my ass trying to break out of what seems to be a huge stall in my getalong. To say I'm disappointed would be a massive understatement. I'm losing inches, that's for sure. But apparently, that's not enough to budge the scale. According to that damnable thing, I've lost 17" overall, but built muscle at exactly the same rate as I've lost fat - if not faster. As it's pretty unlikely for that to happen, I'm about six kinds of confused, and I'm hating every minute of it. I know that not everything will be perfect every time. I know that it's more important that the inches come off than that the scale say something lower. All the same, I'm unimpressed. I'm not willing to give up, but there are days that sure sounds like a good idea.
I talked to TrainerBrother Uncle Fritz last night. He took one look at what I've been up to and told me the KNOCK IT OFF. I'mtrying to do doing entirely too much. In addition to my 30DS workout, I've been doing 60+ minutes of cardio (walking with LP in the bike trailer) alternating with a lifting program. Apparently, I need to eliminate the lifting entirely (the 30DS covers that), and knock the cardio back significantly. We'll see if that helps. I also need to sort out why I'm not losing the water weight I'm carrying from cycle past. All in all, it's not a fun time in my head, but at least there's progress of some sort.
I talked to TrainerBrother Uncle Fritz last night. He took one look at what I've been up to and told me the KNOCK IT OFF. I'm
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Today is 120 Days!
Okay, so aside from the part where I think my brother is trying to kill me (especially at night while my sore body is trying to rest), I can be nothing but pleasantly surprised.
Today is my 120th day watching my intakes. It's been 120 days of struggling to eat more, keeping track of what I can, approximating what I can't, and making a point of getting good exercise in. I've been having more and more trouble with that this past week, as I've been sick, which drives my appetite to nil. However, I'm still trying all the same. This past week has also seen the introduction of weights into my grand scheme of things. Here's where I think my brother is trying to kill me. ^_~ Anyhow, I'm now doing some lifting 3 days a week, some cardio the opposing 3 days, and one day off. Once we get to June, I'll put in some 30Day Shred again - I have a wedding in July and I have a specific dress I want to wear.
Today, Skeeve will take my monthly progress photo. I'm hopeful that it will show as much of a difference as it feels like it should. Today is 120 days, and I've dropped 16 pounds. What's more is that... it's been easy.
Today is my 120th day watching my intakes. It's been 120 days of struggling to eat more, keeping track of what I can, approximating what I can't, and making a point of getting good exercise in. I've been having more and more trouble with that this past week, as I've been sick, which drives my appetite to nil. However, I'm still trying all the same. This past week has also seen the introduction of weights into my grand scheme of things. Here's where I think my brother is trying to kill me. ^_~ Anyhow, I'm now doing some lifting 3 days a week, some cardio the opposing 3 days, and one day off. Once we get to June, I'll put in some 30Day Shred again - I have a wedding in July and I have a specific dress I want to wear.
Today, Skeeve will take my monthly progress photo. I'm hopeful that it will show as much of a difference as it feels like it should. Today is 120 days, and I've dropped 16 pounds. What's more is that... it's been easy.
Monday, May 2, 2011
AUGH!
This day is full of head-spinning. Yes, we finally got a dead bolt put on the front door (and a knob on the shower diverter in the bathroom!), but I had to put a note on the door to keep the guy away because I had to take LP to his doctor's walk-in hours. Now that LP is done with his eye drops (today is the last day), we have to start up ear drops. He has a double ear not-quite-infection. @_@;;
I love this deadbolt thing. I do. I just don't like OURS. I'm not sure what to make of it. The slot on the wall-side for the bolt to slide home isn't deep enough (there's a nail in the way), and the seal for the door pushes against it so hard that it takes two hands to lock the door. If it takes two hands to lock the door, I wonder, what hand will I use to keep my toddler from running off into traffic? Sheesh. I expect I'll be pulling that seal out sometime soon. I'd rather deal with a draft than having to chase LP all over the complex.
Also, now it turns out that the Shower/Deadbolt guy is NOT the ant guy, as I had thought he would be. The Ant Guy will get in touch with us sometime soon (I HOPE!) to do something non-spray-ing about the ants that have decided my front door is home - and that they LIKE cayenne pepper. -_-;;;
Now, we're finally done with the eye drops. There's just one more set, at bedtime tonight. However, we now have to do ear drops. Four drops in each ear, and THEN we have to hold him still long enough to let the drops work - they say three minutes. Sounds like no big deal... until you factor in a 32# wiggle-britches. GAH! When we took him to the ped today, the ped told us that LP's ears are "a little pink." Both of them. LP has only been complaining about the right ear. So now, we have ear drops. The ped could prescribe them now, or wait until we were back in for a rampaging ear infection in a few days. So... we do four drops in each ear whenever he complains of a problem. Fun.
Now, just to add to this crazy day, it is Election Day here in Canada. I've gotten three political calls already, and they started at 9:30 this morning. As there are three major parties, I'm hopeful we're done with the calls. After we pick Skeeve up from work tonight, we go to take him to vote. After that is done, we'll wander the mall for a while, because now that we have a new dead bolt, we don't have the locking door handle. This means Skeeve needs a new key before tomorrow morning so he can lock the door to go to work. @_@;;
Now, we figure that's enough, right? Oh, no. Never. XD Today is also CD 1, and I'm still sick, though getting better. Therefore I am happy that a) I'm getting better (I have most of my voice back, and my throat doesn't hurt anymore!), and b) my new 2 sizes smaller jeans STILL FIT! Even on CD1!!! WOO-HOO!
I love this deadbolt thing. I do. I just don't like OURS. I'm not sure what to make of it. The slot on the wall-side for the bolt to slide home isn't deep enough (there's a nail in the way), and the seal for the door pushes against it so hard that it takes two hands to lock the door. If it takes two hands to lock the door, I wonder, what hand will I use to keep my toddler from running off into traffic? Sheesh. I expect I'll be pulling that seal out sometime soon. I'd rather deal with a draft than having to chase LP all over the complex.
Also, now it turns out that the Shower/Deadbolt guy is NOT the ant guy, as I had thought he would be. The Ant Guy will get in touch with us sometime soon (I HOPE!) to do something non-spray-ing about the ants that have decided my front door is home - and that they LIKE cayenne pepper. -_-;;;
Now, we're finally done with the eye drops. There's just one more set, at bedtime tonight. However, we now have to do ear drops. Four drops in each ear, and THEN we have to hold him still long enough to let the drops work - they say three minutes. Sounds like no big deal... until you factor in a 32# wiggle-britches. GAH! When we took him to the ped today, the ped told us that LP's ears are "a little pink." Both of them. LP has only been complaining about the right ear. So now, we have ear drops. The ped could prescribe them now, or wait until we were back in for a rampaging ear infection in a few days. So... we do four drops in each ear whenever he complains of a problem. Fun.
Now, just to add to this crazy day, it is Election Day here in Canada. I've gotten three political calls already, and they started at 9:30 this morning. As there are three major parties, I'm hopeful we're done with the calls. After we pick Skeeve up from work tonight, we go to take him to vote. After that is done, we'll wander the mall for a while, because now that we have a new dead bolt, we don't have the locking door handle. This means Skeeve needs a new key before tomorrow morning so he can lock the door to go to work. @_@;;
Now, we figure that's enough, right? Oh, no. Never. XD Today is also CD 1, and I'm still sick, though getting better. Therefore I am happy that a) I'm getting better (I have most of my voice back, and my throat doesn't hurt anymore!), and b) my new 2 sizes smaller jeans STILL FIT! Even on CD1!!! WOO-HOO!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Major Non-Scale Victories!
For starters, we left Canada! And we were readmitted! This means that I have legal status again! Hooray! Having legal status means that I can come and go again! With any luck I'll also soon have a work permit and be able to use that in crossing (which makes things just a little easier) as well. HOORAY!
Now, we're not sure when we're heading back to Chi-land next. We might be heading in for a little while in early June. We might put it all off until July. It's hard to say, especially with gas prices and my steadfastly NOT flying and all. I'm not sure what the plan is at this point, but we WILL be heading back in July, which is a victory in and of itself.
My next victory? I am slowly kicking the ass of a head cold that has knocked me over. Maybe another day or two and I'll be feeling back to myself. As far as my voice... Who knows. Right now the cold has most of it, leaving me a croaky mess. I'm planning to get that back in my next offensive, though I might shoot for my hearing instead. XD
Next up, this afternoon I'm getting an exercise plan! Uncle Fritz is being a fabulous sport and getting me all set up around my irritable knee. I'm very excited, and I'm hopeful that soon I'll be back to 100% in the knee department, too. ^_^
Finally, the victory that the title implies: Old Navy was having a BOGO "Event." Apparently, when you use "event" instead of "sale" this means you can advertise BOGO event on your signs, but have your sale actually be Buy One, Get One 50% off. When I got in and saw the signs saying so, I was tempted to walk right out. But... My pants are huge on me. As in, the belt digs into my back because there is too much pants-fabric bunched up under it. So I figured while I was there, I'd try on a couple sizes and see where I am. The pants on my ass at the time were a lamentable size 18. I figured I'd be fine in a 16, and be heading for a 14. Imagine my surprise when I put the 14s on... buttoned them... and zipped them up. O.O;; They were just a touch too tight for my taste, but they fit my hips and legs how I wanted, so... I walked out with the two pairs. Had I been in the 16s, I'd have left empty handed, no issue. But having dropped TWO SIZES?!?! I couldn't let that pass by without some kind of celebration! So, two pairs of jeans (one half price!) left the store with me. With any amount of luck, these will last me another six months or so (though I may need to bust out the belt again!), and then I'll be able to worry about my final and goal weights.
At the rate I'm going? I may make my goal by this time next year. I'm not planning for anything radical. I'm planning for slightly over one pound per week, for ten pounds every two months. By this time next year, if I can keep it all together, I'll be within five pounds of my goal. I haven't seen my goal weight since I was about 15. I'm not sure where I'll actually end up, pounds-wise, but I do know what I want to look like, and we'll see what the numbers say when I get there. In the meantime, though, a pair of size 14 pants is INCREDIBLE! I'm so excited!
Now, we're not sure when we're heading back to Chi-land next. We might be heading in for a little while in early June. We might put it all off until July. It's hard to say, especially with gas prices and my steadfastly NOT flying and all. I'm not sure what the plan is at this point, but we WILL be heading back in July, which is a victory in and of itself.
My next victory? I am slowly kicking the ass of a head cold that has knocked me over. Maybe another day or two and I'll be feeling back to myself. As far as my voice... Who knows. Right now the cold has most of it, leaving me a croaky mess. I'm planning to get that back in my next offensive, though I might shoot for my hearing instead. XD
Next up, this afternoon I'm getting an exercise plan! Uncle Fritz is being a fabulous sport and getting me all set up around my irritable knee. I'm very excited, and I'm hopeful that soon I'll be back to 100% in the knee department, too. ^_^
Finally, the victory that the title implies: Old Navy was having a BOGO "Event." Apparently, when you use "event" instead of "sale" this means you can advertise BOGO event on your signs, but have your sale actually be Buy One, Get One 50% off. When I got in and saw the signs saying so, I was tempted to walk right out. But... My pants are huge on me. As in, the belt digs into my back because there is too much pants-fabric bunched up under it. So I figured while I was there, I'd try on a couple sizes and see where I am. The pants on my ass at the time were a lamentable size 18. I figured I'd be fine in a 16, and be heading for a 14. Imagine my surprise when I put the 14s on... buttoned them... and zipped them up. O.O;; They were just a touch too tight for my taste, but they fit my hips and legs how I wanted, so... I walked out with the two pairs. Had I been in the 16s, I'd have left empty handed, no issue. But having dropped TWO SIZES?!?! I couldn't let that pass by without some kind of celebration! So, two pairs of jeans (one half price!) left the store with me. With any amount of luck, these will last me another six months or so (though I may need to bust out the belt again!), and then I'll be able to worry about my final and goal weights.
At the rate I'm going? I may make my goal by this time next year. I'm not planning for anything radical. I'm planning for slightly over one pound per week, for ten pounds every two months. By this time next year, if I can keep it all together, I'll be within five pounds of my goal. I haven't seen my goal weight since I was about 15. I'm not sure where I'll actually end up, pounds-wise, but I do know what I want to look like, and we'll see what the numbers say when I get there. In the meantime, though, a pair of size 14 pants is INCREDIBLE! I'm so excited!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The blog in which I am boring.
Okay, so we all know I'm doing this losing weight thing.
I like to think it's not a diet, particularly since I'm now eating more than I have in years (though my grocery bill does not care for that at all). But, the weight is coming off all the same. I have, however, found a nemesis in this weight loss game. It's not even a "real" nemesis, but a temporary irritant in my way, but I suspect that if I'm EVER going to get down to the weight I like, it will be a perpetual thorn in my side, and I'll have to deal with it. This stupid little thing makes the scale lie. There is a certain amount of it that's acceptable, of course, but any much more than that and the scale reacts like you're ballooning. It's crazymaking. And it's not like you can avoid it. It's everywhere. Oddly, this thorn? Not fat. I don't have too much trouble with fat. It's sodium. Let me illustrate for you two things. 1) how overweight I am, and 2) how much of an impact sodium has on the scale.
I weigh in daily. My "real" weight, which is to say, the weight I am if I'm within my sodium goals, will become fairly apparent in the next moment. I use the measurement of a daily weigh in to get a trend, so I know roughly whether I'm losing or gaining over time (instead of the daily/weekly fluctuations that are pretty normal).
Anyhow.
In this example, I had my sodium (versus RDA) look like this:
Sunday: over by 200
Monday: over by 1900
Tuesday: under by 130
Wednesday: over by 2100
Thursday: over by 770
Correspondingly, my weight did this:
Monday: 209.8
Tuesday: 211.0
Wednesday: 209.4
Thursday: 210.6
Friday: 208.6
Apparently, there is a set threshold for how "over" in sodium I can be before I start massively retaining water. I'm not sure how to combat that retention save for cutting sodium, but that's not a simple proposition. In theory, it is - just don't put so much salt on things, right? I haven't used my salt shaker (in cooking OR in serving myself) in very nearly a month. And I'm STILL battling sodium intake. I found out yesterday, while trying to plan a snack that would be filling, keep my calories up, AND keep me low in sodium that CELERY is chock full of it. One stalk of celery has eight calories. But it also has FIFTY mg of sodium in it. How is this POSSIBLE? How can what is effectively solid, greenish water have THAT MUCH sodium in it?!? I mean, really! This is insanity! Today, I'm through my first two (really, likely three) meals of the day, and I'm already well ahead of what my sodium intake should be. But, I didn't count on the tortilla my taco went in having more sodium than the SPICY MEAT did. And not by a small margin, either. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS?!?! I will, eventually, find a way to make the foods I like at home so that I won't have to worry about this, but even still. THE CELERY! This is craziness, and it just keeps getting more and more insane the more I look at it.
Even more, I wonder about the low income folks. People are all about cutting assistance benefits left, right and center. If there's a problem, social assistance is usually one of the first things on the table to cut. It costs a fair bit of money to make bread in the house, not to mention time. I'd imagine that other things are pretty much the same. Anything truly healthy in the store costs a pretty penny, and making it at home, while cheaper, is not so significantly cheaper as to make it worthwhile if you're on a very limited budget. However, if you go to the store, what IS cheap? Macaroni and cheese. Ramen noodles. Billions of things that are high fat, low nutrient, and chock full of sodium. The people who're living this diet gain weight. How can you not when you're eating like this? But then people look at it and think, 'obviously they're not starving, look how fat they are! They obviously have too much in benefits if they're eating that much.' And so the benefits get cut again. And the problem gets worse. And then we add in the fat shaming, and the direction that society is taking for charging the overweight for double simply because of their weight (see airline seats), and... The poor get poorer, and the less they have, the more they have to make do with the very foods making them fat, which makes society in general convinced they're getting HUGE benefits, which are summarily cut again, and... It's a horrifying proposition. I knew there was a big connection. I didn't realize that my own nemesis in all this played such a large part.
And bringing sodium down to 2500mg/day? Not as easy as it sounds. Nothing ever is, is it?
I like to think it's not a diet, particularly since I'm now eating more than I have in years (though my grocery bill does not care for that at all). But, the weight is coming off all the same. I have, however, found a nemesis in this weight loss game. It's not even a "real" nemesis, but a temporary irritant in my way, but I suspect that if I'm EVER going to get down to the weight I like, it will be a perpetual thorn in my side, and I'll have to deal with it. This stupid little thing makes the scale lie. There is a certain amount of it that's acceptable, of course, but any much more than that and the scale reacts like you're ballooning. It's crazymaking. And it's not like you can avoid it. It's everywhere. Oddly, this thorn? Not fat. I don't have too much trouble with fat. It's sodium. Let me illustrate for you two things. 1) how overweight I am, and 2) how much of an impact sodium has on the scale.
I weigh in daily. My "real" weight, which is to say, the weight I am if I'm within my sodium goals, will become fairly apparent in the next moment. I use the measurement of a daily weigh in to get a trend, so I know roughly whether I'm losing or gaining over time (instead of the daily/weekly fluctuations that are pretty normal).
Anyhow.
In this example, I had my sodium (versus RDA) look like this:
Sunday: over by 200
Monday: over by 1900
Tuesday: under by 130
Wednesday: over by 2100
Thursday: over by 770
Correspondingly, my weight did this:
Monday: 209.8
Tuesday: 211.0
Wednesday: 209.4
Thursday: 210.6
Friday: 208.6
Apparently, there is a set threshold for how "over" in sodium I can be before I start massively retaining water. I'm not sure how to combat that retention save for cutting sodium, but that's not a simple proposition. In theory, it is - just don't put so much salt on things, right? I haven't used my salt shaker (in cooking OR in serving myself) in very nearly a month. And I'm STILL battling sodium intake. I found out yesterday, while trying to plan a snack that would be filling, keep my calories up, AND keep me low in sodium that CELERY is chock full of it. One stalk of celery has eight calories. But it also has FIFTY mg of sodium in it. How is this POSSIBLE? How can what is effectively solid, greenish water have THAT MUCH sodium in it?!? I mean, really! This is insanity! Today, I'm through my first two (really, likely three) meals of the day, and I'm already well ahead of what my sodium intake should be. But, I didn't count on the tortilla my taco went in having more sodium than the SPICY MEAT did. And not by a small margin, either. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS?!?! I will, eventually, find a way to make the foods I like at home so that I won't have to worry about this, but even still. THE CELERY! This is craziness, and it just keeps getting more and more insane the more I look at it.
Even more, I wonder about the low income folks. People are all about cutting assistance benefits left, right and center. If there's a problem, social assistance is usually one of the first things on the table to cut. It costs a fair bit of money to make bread in the house, not to mention time. I'd imagine that other things are pretty much the same. Anything truly healthy in the store costs a pretty penny, and making it at home, while cheaper, is not so significantly cheaper as to make it worthwhile if you're on a very limited budget. However, if you go to the store, what IS cheap? Macaroni and cheese. Ramen noodles. Billions of things that are high fat, low nutrient, and chock full of sodium. The people who're living this diet gain weight. How can you not when you're eating like this? But then people look at it and think, 'obviously they're not starving, look how fat they are! They obviously have too much in benefits if they're eating that much.' And so the benefits get cut again. And the problem gets worse. And then we add in the fat shaming, and the direction that society is taking for charging the overweight for double simply because of their weight (see airline seats), and... The poor get poorer, and the less they have, the more they have to make do with the very foods making them fat, which makes society in general convinced they're getting HUGE benefits, which are summarily cut again, and... It's a horrifying proposition. I knew there was a big connection. I didn't realize that my own nemesis in all this played such a large part.
And bringing sodium down to 2500mg/day? Not as easy as it sounds. Nothing ever is, is it?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Ups and Downs
The good news is, I'm now down 11 pounds - which means I made my first mini-goal of a 10 pound loss by 3/31. Since I had my period at the time (and still do, but I'm losing the water weight by the second), and was .2 pounds from goal when silly ol' AF decided to drop in with three pounds of water baggage... I'm counting it. HOORAY!! The 'reward' for my mini-goal? I'm going to dye my hair. BLUE. Because I can, and before I hit the age bracket where it's constant blue-haired-old-lady jokes. It's going to wait until I can find a decent kool-aid dyeing tutorial, though. I don't want to permanently dye it, as that would require bleaching the hell out of my hair, and I do what I can to keep my hair chemical-free. I use a henna dye, I don't bleach.. I want my hair to be strong and healthy. Of course, it's also gray and horrifyingly end-split, but hey. Only so much that can be handled at a time.
The bad news is that we're eating for crap today. Probably tomorrow too. Possibly longer than that. Why? I don't have the energy to get up and cook, or to put together healthy snacks every two hours. Obviously, the frequent eating thing is working for me, but today... I am SICK. I have a stuffed head, sore throat, the aches, the pains, the dizziness... Today is sucking hard core. Yesterday, I had the energy to vacuum under the furniture in preparation for a visit from some foreign folks. Today, I'm going to be lucky to get off the couch more often than to pee. I'm trying to hold it together, as Skeeve is... unfocused... at best, and LP does need someone to pay attention to him and play with him, but... It's not exactly pretty.
The wonderful news? My first-stage approval has come through, so we're going to visit home for Easter! We're very excited! A little nervous about getting home, but we're going. And we're very excited about it. It's just LP and I, so it's a little nervous-making, but... We're really looking forward to it. So many plans and people we want to see... and while a week and a half is a long time, it sure doesn't seem like it while we're planning. o.o;;
So many things going on, I'm hoping we'll make the best of it. ^_^
The bad news is that we're eating for crap today. Probably tomorrow too. Possibly longer than that. Why? I don't have the energy to get up and cook, or to put together healthy snacks every two hours. Obviously, the frequent eating thing is working for me, but today... I am SICK. I have a stuffed head, sore throat, the aches, the pains, the dizziness... Today is sucking hard core. Yesterday, I had the energy to vacuum under the furniture in preparation for a visit from some foreign folks. Today, I'm going to be lucky to get off the couch more often than to pee. I'm trying to hold it together, as Skeeve is... unfocused... at best, and LP does need someone to pay attention to him and play with him, but... It's not exactly pretty.
The wonderful news? My first-stage approval has come through, so we're going to visit home for Easter! We're very excited! A little nervous about getting home, but we're going. And we're very excited about it. It's just LP and I, so it's a little nervous-making, but... We're really looking forward to it. So many plans and people we want to see... and while a week and a half is a long time, it sure doesn't seem like it while we're planning. o.o;;
So many things going on, I'm hoping we'll make the best of it. ^_^
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Getting back into the swing.
And so, here I am. Trying to get back into the swing of updating again.
I've gotten a LOT accomplished in the last two days, which is wonderful. Thank GOODNESS. I've needed some productive days. Now that I've been able to accomplish filing our taxes, I know what we're looking at for a return.
We're getting a goodly amount back. This means that we will have money to save, money to catch up on things we've let ride, money to put aside for the inevitable growth spurt for LP, money to put aside for traveling to Chicago for a work-week for a wedding, and... just a little bit to spend. What are we looking to spend ON?
Fun kitchen things. We're likely going to take advantage of our garden this year, and also of our tendency to have leftovers. We're looking into purchasing a food dehydrator to make our own soups, fruit leathers, simple dried fruit... Things we would ordinarily pay a fortune for at the store. We're also looking into a Food Saver thing. One of those sucks-the-air-out-and-seals-it jobs. We had one, but it worked all of twice before it died. So we're thinking a better one at a better brand, and maybe it'll help. ^_^ The other thing we're investing in takes advantage of my craftsy tendencies - bento boxes. Skeeve has a hard case lunchbox already, so he'll just get the containers, but LP and I... well, we're heading into Traveling Season, and I do NOT like the idea of taking my toddler to visit my mother and pumping him full of fast food for the entire drive. And so... Bentos. We can take them on the road, eat as we go, and not come out with tummy aches, or horrifying grease-in-hair debacles (yes, LP still has a tendency to eat with his hands and then put them directly into his hair). I'm SO EXCITED.
And so, the browsing has begun. I've just finished our bento shopping and saved our cart. When the return comes in, I'll be ready to go. I'm pleased - we've even gotten a lot of good recommendations, and our bento kits come with a book of fun bento-able recipes. So Excited. So VERY Excited.
Next up, shopping for a food dehydrator. Then the food-saver-thingie. I don't want to spend a fortune on it all, but I don't want it to die on me either. I'm always so thrilled when we can find new ways to do better for ourselves, you know?
I've gotten a LOT accomplished in the last two days, which is wonderful. Thank GOODNESS. I've needed some productive days. Now that I've been able to accomplish filing our taxes, I know what we're looking at for a return.
We're getting a goodly amount back. This means that we will have money to save, money to catch up on things we've let ride, money to put aside for the inevitable growth spurt for LP, money to put aside for traveling to Chicago for a work-week for a wedding, and... just a little bit to spend. What are we looking to spend ON?
Fun kitchen things. We're likely going to take advantage of our garden this year, and also of our tendency to have leftovers. We're looking into purchasing a food dehydrator to make our own soups, fruit leathers, simple dried fruit... Things we would ordinarily pay a fortune for at the store. We're also looking into a Food Saver thing. One of those sucks-the-air-out-and-seals-it jobs. We had one, but it worked all of twice before it died. So we're thinking a better one at a better brand, and maybe it'll help. ^_^ The other thing we're investing in takes advantage of my craftsy tendencies - bento boxes. Skeeve has a hard case lunchbox already, so he'll just get the containers, but LP and I... well, we're heading into Traveling Season, and I do NOT like the idea of taking my toddler to visit my mother and pumping him full of fast food for the entire drive. And so... Bentos. We can take them on the road, eat as we go, and not come out with tummy aches, or horrifying grease-in-hair debacles (yes, LP still has a tendency to eat with his hands and then put them directly into his hair). I'm SO EXCITED.
And so, the browsing has begun. I've just finished our bento shopping and saved our cart. When the return comes in, I'll be ready to go. I'm pleased - we've even gotten a lot of good recommendations, and our bento kits come with a book of fun bento-able recipes. So Excited. So VERY Excited.
Next up, shopping for a food dehydrator. Then the food-saver-thingie. I don't want to spend a fortune on it all, but I don't want it to die on me either. I'm always so thrilled when we can find new ways to do better for ourselves, you know?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Well. Oops.
It has been entirely too long since I've posted. I didn't mean for it to be this long. Oops.
Since the last time I updated, things have gone pretty well. LP has gotten bigger. He has gotten very good at very many things. I'm surprised at how many things he can do now.
Also since the last update, I've made the conscious decision to try to get my weight under control. It's going well for the most part, I'm just coming up on having lost my first ten pounds. I'm pretty proud of that one.
However, rather than using a silly little blog on a weight loss site, I figure I'll use my own dang blog, thank you very much. ^_^ Today, I ran into a post on the community pages from a woman who has made one of the more infuriating comments I've seen. The gist of her long-winded commentary? Fat = Unhealthy. No caveats, nothing. Thing is, she's dead wrong. In many ways. She's gone on about how it's totally cool to eat less than 1000 calories every day, and how it's risking DEATH every day you're overweight.
I got to the weight I am by eating less than 1000 calories daily. I did this for years, and I gained sixty pounds. Even more interesting, my blood tests, blood sugar tests, every test they've run... all come back perfectly. No high cholesterol. No imbalances (save low iron reserves, which is part and parcel with bearing and nursing children), no problems, healthy as a horse. Just... 80 pounds overweight.
One would think that on a site full of people who are all unhappy with how they look and/or feel (with very few exceptions), there would be a few people who are seriously less delusional. I understand that my anecdata does not an argument make. However, there is an entire community of people who have come to the same conclusions, so it's not just me, and it's not just a handful of people. However, the fact is, regardless of actual fact, the fat bashing continues. I am personally choosing to lose weight not because I'm unhealthy as I am, but because I do not like the way I look and want to change it.
One would think that in a grouping of people who are all working toward a common goal - fitness - there would be less "ZOMG, FAT=DED!!!!" hysteria. But no. Apparently, we have to perpetuate the myth that being heavy is ALWAYS deadly, and that obese is always unhealthy. We have to continue to rag on each other, denigrate their efforts, and pretend that unsafe means to lose weight are perfectly fine if you have enough weight to lose. Also, apparently, if you have enough weight to lose, it's perfectly safe to lose 20+ pounds per week. Not in a month, not in two, but in seven days. This is a huge problem. HUGE. And then advocating that? Not because it's safe but because you totally can 'cause you have enough to lose? Because you don't have the patience to lose weight the safe way? Because if you had the patience to lose weight the safe way you wouldn't be overweight? BULLSHIT. Great Big Bullshit. You do whatever you like with your own body, but don't be advocating seriously unhealthy options to others based on your misconceptions and your self-centered determination that everyone overweight got that way by eating Twinkies for every meal and snack.
It just drives me up the wall. Maybe I'm just oversensitive to this whole thing after learning that the reason I wasn't losing weight no matter what I did... was because I wasn't eating enough. I got no end of grief as the doctors continually treated me like I had a bag of chips in my purse, cupcakes stashed in the car, and candy everywhere in between, when really, the problem was that I was holding on to every single pound I could get to because I wasn't eating enough. It just drives me crazy when people propose horribly unhealthy solutions to nowhere near as deathly as claimed problems, basing their theories on all kinds of one-size-fits-all conclusions about how people gain weight in the first place. UGH.
Since the last time I updated, things have gone pretty well. LP has gotten bigger. He has gotten very good at very many things. I'm surprised at how many things he can do now.
Also since the last update, I've made the conscious decision to try to get my weight under control. It's going well for the most part, I'm just coming up on having lost my first ten pounds. I'm pretty proud of that one.
However, rather than using a silly little blog on a weight loss site, I figure I'll use my own dang blog, thank you very much. ^_^ Today, I ran into a post on the community pages from a woman who has made one of the more infuriating comments I've seen. The gist of her long-winded commentary? Fat = Unhealthy. No caveats, nothing. Thing is, she's dead wrong. In many ways. She's gone on about how it's totally cool to eat less than 1000 calories every day, and how it's risking DEATH every day you're overweight.
I got to the weight I am by eating less than 1000 calories daily. I did this for years, and I gained sixty pounds. Even more interesting, my blood tests, blood sugar tests, every test they've run... all come back perfectly. No high cholesterol. No imbalances (save low iron reserves, which is part and parcel with bearing and nursing children), no problems, healthy as a horse. Just... 80 pounds overweight.
One would think that on a site full of people who are all unhappy with how they look and/or feel (with very few exceptions), there would be a few people who are seriously less delusional. I understand that my anecdata does not an argument make. However, there is an entire community of people who have come to the same conclusions, so it's not just me, and it's not just a handful of people. However, the fact is, regardless of actual fact, the fat bashing continues. I am personally choosing to lose weight not because I'm unhealthy as I am, but because I do not like the way I look and want to change it.
One would think that in a grouping of people who are all working toward a common goal - fitness - there would be less "ZOMG, FAT=DED!!!!" hysteria. But no. Apparently, we have to perpetuate the myth that being heavy is ALWAYS deadly, and that obese is always unhealthy. We have to continue to rag on each other, denigrate their efforts, and pretend that unsafe means to lose weight are perfectly fine if you have enough weight to lose. Also, apparently, if you have enough weight to lose, it's perfectly safe to lose 20+ pounds per week. Not in a month, not in two, but in seven days. This is a huge problem. HUGE. And then advocating that? Not because it's safe but because you totally can 'cause you have enough to lose? Because you don't have the patience to lose weight the safe way? Because if you had the patience to lose weight the safe way you wouldn't be overweight? BULLSHIT. Great Big Bullshit. You do whatever you like with your own body, but don't be advocating seriously unhealthy options to others based on your misconceptions and your self-centered determination that everyone overweight got that way by eating Twinkies for every meal and snack.
It just drives me up the wall. Maybe I'm just oversensitive to this whole thing after learning that the reason I wasn't losing weight no matter what I did... was because I wasn't eating enough. I got no end of grief as the doctors continually treated me like I had a bag of chips in my purse, cupcakes stashed in the car, and candy everywhere in between, when really, the problem was that I was holding on to every single pound I could get to because I wasn't eating enough. It just drives me crazy when people propose horribly unhealthy solutions to nowhere near as deathly as claimed problems, basing their theories on all kinds of one-size-fits-all conclusions about how people gain weight in the first place. UGH.
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