Reflections on my Life

Hiccups and Derailments

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 21:32:00 +0000

You might think that everything is easy for me. I mean, this whole weight loss adventure is just all peaches and cherry blossoms. Nothing ever gets derailed or goes wrong. I never get off track.

You would be incorrect in that assessment.

It’s never easy.

Some days are more challenging than other days. I might be in a solid groove for a few days but then BAM – something unexpected happens. Or things don’t happen as you thought they might.

That trip to Hampton Beach with friends. That was awesome, but I ate SO BADLY. I didn’t plan on having a sugary smoothie and ice cream. But then I did because – I didn’t plan and I actually didn’t know what to expect. I still regret nothing. It was an awesome day trip to the ocean. Let’s be serious. Any day I can wave jump is a good day.

Me at Hampton Beach 2018

I did plan on that Family Reunion. In fact, I don’t think I did as badly as I was anticipating. There were lots of green salads and fruit. Also, whipped cream type salads that I only get at .. family reunions. Also, there was cake. And brownies. I had some, but I didn’t have a TON. Which for me – solid score.

The Gooey Salted Caramel Chip bars I made for the reunion.

What I didn’t plan on that five-year-old being I took for a few days to be so.. time consuming! Adorable, but time consuming. Apparently, they don’t watch themselves? So confused.

So – maybe there were a few extra snacks, because at the end of the day – a long day because I’m not organized and how did it get to be 8:30 already and this five-year old is still awake? – I needed… something to dull the pain and leftover brownies from the reunion seemed smarter than vodka.

Beach Days. Reunions. Family. Kids. Unexpected breaks in routines (like rain – why is it raining again? And yes, my lawn needs the rain but it does make it gloomy.)

All these things happen.

It’s not about the things that happen. It’s the part after that matters.

You know, the day after beach day.

The day after the reunion (which for me went straight into having the five-year-old).

The day after the five-year-old leaves.

What do you do THAT day?

There are two options.

You look at yourself and say.. well, it’s Wednesday, so I’ll start tracking again on Monday.

Yeah, that’s it. Really. Gonna psych myself back up for that day. Monday….

You look at yourself and say.. okay, back to business. Right now. Today.

Because today is staring you in the face saying – what are you going to accomplish today?

So I nailed it. I tracked. I did a workout and mowed the lawn. I stopped at Starbucks and got the Cold Foam Cascara Cold Brew instead of the Ultra Caramel Frappuccino, because as much as I like the Frappuccino better – 80 calories vs. 400 calories.

Kinda obvious winner right there.

And who knows – Monday might have some hiccup that you didn’t plan on. So you might as well take today by the boot straps and see what you can make of it.

Go on. Try it out.

And if today doesn’t work out, at least you tried. Maybe it will help you figure out how to do better tomorrow.

You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to win.

Hitting Goals

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 19:50:00 +0000

Making goals is great, but only if you eventually hit that goal.

I’ve been smashing some of my own goals, and it makes me feel really proud!

I mean, yeah.. I’ve hit some weight loss goals, but those are honestly less important than some of the other goals I’ve hit.

Look! Janelle and I at Starbucks!

For instance, one of my goals was to be able to wear fun clothes.

I wanted to make my wardrobe great again!!!

Too soon? Too late?

Anyway, I’ve totally done that. I’ve had to get rid of countless clothes that simply would not stay on me. My friend Janelle (er… was I supposed to change your name to protect your innocence?) took my clothes shopping a month ago so I could have appropriate summer clothes.

I literally had nothing that fit that was going to take m

That’s a serious YAY and I feel like I got so

me fun purchases.

Also some sensible things.

I even made myself a fun Marvel tunic with SHIRRING.

I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DO THAT! #NewSkills

I also had a running goal.

Let me preface this by saying that I have never, ever been a runner. You know in PE class (that’s Physical Education) when they make you run around the field. I was at a pretty solid walk.

Also, that was really ages ago – like over 20 years.

ANYWAY.

Since then, I have occasionally had this thought that maybe I would like to run.

BUT… I mean, I never really got much farther than thinking – huh. How would that feel?

I even did the Run/Walks sponsored by the Biggest Loser in Killington, VT.

Now, for people who have never been to Vermont, let me explain, that Killington is a ski mountain. So the trail was going down a nice hill, but then some up hills and downhills. Oh, with a ride on the chair lift mixed in there. Pretty brutal.

I thought I could run for a good chunk of this event. I had been using a treadmill. I could run… a bit.. like maybe for 1 minute. But I was solid. I was gonna….. the reality was I walked most of it and was pretty much dead last both time I competed.

They stopped doing the races and honestly, I was pretty much over doing a Run/Walk at Killington.

That was a few years ago and I had kinda taken a break from trying to run.


This was me???

With my renewed interest in bettering myself this past year, I started using the treadmill at work again.

I gave myself a goal I thought I could work toward. I wanted to complete 2 miles in 30 minutes.

I didn’t use the treadmill every day (have you met me?! I don’t have that kind of time), but when I went I would track how well I did.

I was able to work with a student athlete who helped me with strength training and I used my treadmill goal as something I wanted to work on.

I also posted to social media every time I felt I got closer to my goal.

I know some people are all --- social media is evil. People are horrible. Why do you want to share your stuff with the world?

EEEESH. Tone it down.

If you don’t want to read my health posts, you don’t have to follow me.

It actually feels really good to have people encourage you and be excited about your progress. Give you advice. Share their own story.

Most importantly, I MADE IT!

Yeah, that’s right. I hit that goal and I smashed it.

My best time was 2 minutes in 27:45. That was also with my student athlete friend pushing me along.

Who runs at a 5.0??

Me for like maybe 3 minutes.

Now that I’ve hit that goal, I’ve had to set new ones.

Yeah--- you heard me. I SET.A.NEW.GOAL.

I didn’t just let it slide. To be honest, I’ve been working on other things, so I haven’t hit the treadmill as much recently (I’ve got other things I’m working on), but I do have new treadmill goals.

One is just to have the endurance to run the two miles at a consistent pace because while I can run that 2 miles, it’s lots of slowing down and then running fast. I would like to find that steady pace.

But I’d also like to do it better and eventually do another 5k.

Maybe still not at Killington.

#NotThatCrazy

Numbers and Data

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 15:44:00 +0000

I enjoy numbers.

Growing up, I never really thought I liked numbers. Definitely in middle school – numbers and I did not get along.

It wasn’t until High School and three years of Ms. Buttolph that I realized that I wasn’t so bad at numbers.

Thanks Ms. Buttolph!

Ha. But this post is really not about math class or about if I’m good with numbers.

But it is about numbers and data and weight loss because I love seeing the numbers of things.

How many calories did I eat today? How many steps did I take? Did I take more steps today than yesterday? How many days did I workout? How many days did I hit my fitness goals? How do my overall steps this week compare to last week?

Sometimes tracking numbers can be helpful because you see patterns and you can make changes.

Sometimes, knowing the numbers can be --- less than helpful. For instance, how much do I weight today? How much did I weigh yesterday? What did I lose this week?

In the past, I’ve done the “weight myself every day” gig.

You know what happens?

OBSESSION!

OMG! I GAINED A POUND! END OF THE WORLD! NOTHING IS WORKING! Let me go be depressed all day about this.

I knew this time around that I wasn’t going to weigh myself every day. In fact, I don’t even own a scale.

I do own a Wii Fit that I um.. liberated… from my mom because she wasn’t using it.

SHE WASN’T USING IT YO!

Even using that can be a bit depressing when you do something like hit a plateau. Or, OMG – I am one pound more than I was last week.

So, I try to stick to things that are more positive about what I’ve accomplished and not what I did poorly. Like that week I stepped 97,000 steps. That’s a lot of steps. I haven’t been able to achieve that goal again – yet. But now that I know it exists, I’m positive I can SMASH IT!

I also like checking out medical numbers. What is my Cholesterol. Is it in the good range? Is it better than it was last time? How can I make it lower (or higher)?

Also, those fancy bariatric scales tell you things like – how much muscle you have. Did I lose muscle? How much did I lose from my midsection?

And, OMG I moved from Morbidly obese to some category that says obese but not morbid.

So MANY CHANGES!

Everytime I reach a goal, I set a new one. It might be more steps or a better balance of foods. A faster run time. It’s about keeping myself motivated to catching that new thing, hitting a new goal.

Can I do it better than I did before?

I won't know until I try!

She's Back... with Priorities!

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 19:59:00 +0000

Ermehgerd!

Yes, I know. You’re thinking… what, you’re back? Like a fair weather friend? Where were you when I needed you?

Where is your devotion to this blog?!

Well, this is maybe a great time to talk about priorities.

Setting priorities.

This is very akin to setting goals. I’ve been setting goals every week which helps me focus on what I need to get done and when.

But I also have to set priorities.

What are the things that I need to get done? I do those first. That includes shoveling snow in the winter and mowing the lawn in the summer. It also includes sleep.

Yes, I said sleep.

I’m a really big fan of sleep.

I know some people are the type of people who get 6 or 5 or 4 hours of sleep a night and they’re solid for the day. Me, I need at LEAST 7.

8 would be better, but I also don’t want to go to bed at 8:30 every night.

#Tradeoffs

My priorities and my goals need to balance.

For instance, I probably should be working on more strength training. That’s definitely part of my fitness goals.

However, the lawn needs mowing and it’s pretty big and especially growy this time of year.

Yeah, I just made up that word.. growy. Meaning, it grows really fast.

I also want to get some gardening done. Maybe grow some flowers, some herbs, and definitely some vegetables.

I still also have to work.

I checked.

I also know that pushing the lawn mower, digging up gardens, and doing all the stuff I do outside is good exercise. In fact, gardening could be included as part of my strength training.

Anyway, these are all timely. I need to plant the garden now because, oddly enough, the plants don’t grow so well in those little containers. Apparently they need to be in the ground and stuff in order to grow.

WHO KNEW?

So, while part of me wants to be in the pool or running on the treadmill – at least mixing up what I’m doing, I’ve been focused on the outside tasks.

Because I have priorities.

And while I love this blog, sometimes I have to give up something to gain something (think blog or sleep. I choose sleep every time. Blog or sun. I choose sun. Choices like that.)

Hopefully I can shift some priorities around so I have more time to write because I do think it’s an important outlet for me. I still have things to say.

But if I go dark, it’s not because I’ve forgotten you.

It’s probably that I’ve just had to shift priorities and I needed sleep.

Or sun.

Maybe even both, but not without a lot of sunscreen.

Safety, and sanity, first kids.

Pour Some Fake Sugar on Me!

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 15:03:00 +0000

I have a problem, or perhaps a challenge for myself.

I mean, this isn’t a huge, end of the world, problem that I can’t solve. It’s more of a – something I strive to change.

My challenge is Fake Sugar. I’m trying to eliminate fake sugar from my diet.

Okay, maybe let’s answer this first. Why am I cutting out fake sugar? This whole time you’ve been talking about losing weight and healthy lifestyles and shouldn’t that mean you would use those low calorie sweeteners?

Haven’t you been to the Doctor’s office lately and seen that chart that tells you how much sugar is in popular drinks? (Wait.. lemme just slap it right here for you. In case maybe you’ve been avoiding the Doctor’s office…)

Okay, back to avoiding fake sugar. I’m trying to avoid it because,… well,… because fake sugar is fake.

Our bodies don’t quite know what to do with it. It’s like – WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING YOU JUST FED ME? But then it adjusts. It elevates blood glucose levels and messes with your digestive health. It can also make foods with natural sugars (think fruit) taste not as flavorful because the fake sugar overloads your body with this unnaturally sweet – sweetness. On top of being chemically created, there is some evidence that fake sugar can lead you to gain weight.

So yeah… maybe not the greatest overall life choice. BUT – in the words of my Nutritionist. You have to look at this with the lens of Good. Better. Best. Best would obviously drinking plain water. Good and Better are all on a weird scale kinda based on what you were doing before. Er, lemme try to explain.

So, if I was drinking regular Coke (or Pepsi, whatever) every day, and I switched to fake sugar to help reduce my overall sugar intake - that’s Good. I’m drinking less calories from sugar.

Somewhere in the fuzzy middle is better – I mean, going from 10 bottles of Coke to 2 would be better technically. But so would switching to 8 bottles of diet Coke. So might also drinking 1 bottle of regular Coke and 5 bottles of diet. Anything that moves you in the right direction of changing a bad habit or pattern.

I already conquered a big chunk of my addiction. I was using flavored water packets in my water to make it taste better. I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed most of the flavors I was using and I hated giving it up. But, the frozen berries I put in my water taste just as good as the fake stuff.

Most days.

That cut out a majority of my chemically laden sweeteners in my life. I don’t drink diet soda (because if you take the t out of the word diet it spells DIE) so I didn’t have to work hard cutting that out. Heck, I cut out regular soda awhile back, so that isn’t even an issue overall.

However, there are still a few drinks I DO like to consume that are sweetened artificially.

I like the Bai drinks, which are sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol (made from fermenting wheat-free grain - according to the Google). It has a little flavor, it’s water-ish, and it only has 5 calories. I also drink the Sparkling Ice drinks, sweetened with Sucralose (Splenda). Let’s be honest. It’s fizzy and flavored. Sometimes a girl wants something fizzy in her life.

Both the Bai and Sparkling Ice drinks are treats. I don’t have them every day so I don’t feel too badly about them.

Nope, my biggest issue is coffee.

Who knew, when I was like 20, that when I turned older than 20 I would like coffee? 20-year-old me certainly didn’t. It’s just a hot bitter drink that has no purpose in my life.

And then I learned about iced coffee. Yeah. #ThanksDunkin

Also, I started getting up at 5 something in the morning.

Coffee has become essential.

But a little iced coffee needs some milk type product (Almond milk for me, k thnx) and some sugar. Oddly enough, regular sugar doesn’t dissolve or sweeten quite as fast as Splenda does. So, I could use 20 tsp of white sugar or two Splenda packets. What this actually means is that I’ve been working on drinking iced coffee that is less sweet than I would ideally prefer (with regular sugar, but in smaller amounts).

DAMN YOU SPLENDA for your sweetness!

It’s like that song by Gnash. I love you. I hate you. I hate that I love you.

How I Spent My Snow Day

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:35:00 +0000

When you’re young, snow days are a gift from the snow gods. You get to stay home, play in the snow, maybe drink some hot cocoa. You definitely don’t have to go to school. Now that I’m an adult, snow days are still nice to have, but not always as exciting when I was a kid. There is snow to shovel and roofs to clean. House chores need to get done. Snow days can be work!

Yesterday was snow day for me. It was going to be a snow day regardless because of my hour long commute and the really horrible forecast. Thankfully, it was a workplace wide closing. Regardless, I got to stay home where it’s warm and comfy.

It’s also where my bird is.

Oh,.. right. And also my husband.

Him too.

Anyway, this is the story of my snow day.

I woke up. This is essential to any snow day. You must, at some point in time, wake up. I even checked my email, which is when I learned that it wasn’t just ME having a snow day, but the whole University.

GREAT!

I did regular wake up stuff. Got out of bed. Made breakfast. Got dressed.

Once the waking up was settled, I did a workout. This was total strategy. I wanted a workout done and in the books early so I could continue on my day. I tried a new one – LesMills Grit. It was really hard.

Also, fun fact. On Wednesdays we wear pink.

WRONG FACT! Also, not true either.

On Wednesdays I have an online commitment where I answer Moodle questions for people in the college/University system I work for. Even though my University was closed, other sites were open. So I still served my two hours.

It’s usually really quiet and no one logs on to ask questions. Of course, on a snow day people came on. Right in the middle of my workout!

I wish I looked like Stephen Amell while working out...

I stopped, answered the question, went back to the workout. Finished it.

GREAT. Workout done.

I cleaned the pellet stove because it was pellet stove cleaning day. Also, laundry.

After I finished my Moodle shift – there was even ANOTHER person who logged on! Who knew that a snow day would be so popular?!?!

Righto—moving on.. finished my shift. I did the thing I’ve been putting off.

Technically, that’s lots of things, come to think of it. But this was important.

I went through my clothes.

All of the clothes that don’t fit anymore because they are really too big, they went into a bin. I tried some other clothes on. I dredged up enough pants that fit that I don’t have to feel like I’m wearing the same clothes every day.

Although there are a lot of black pants in there, so --- that’s a thing.

It was kind of liberating to get rid of clothes that are really too big.

And I was really grateful that I kept so many clothes that were, at the time, too small.

I just have to find a place for my old pants to go.

I finished that and when outside to play in the snow. I shoveled for absolutely no reason. There’s not that much snow yet. I just wanted to get in some steps.

I also shoveled a path to the compost pile. Something has definitely been exploring it, but I’m not sure what. The tracks were pretty big.

ANYWAY—have at it wild animals!

I also made a really horrible snow angel.

I spent a considerable chunk of my afternoon finishing a puzzle and listening to Critical Role. I was actually able to catch up to the new season, which was really awesome for me.

Also, throw in a few more times shoveling, just for steps. I made it easy to get around my car.

Made some dinner and had a little TV time. That's just about my day.

And, if you made it this far through my day, you might be wondering why.

You came here for my food and diet facts. What is this day of nonsense post?

There is actually a lot of sense in my nonsense.

Normally my days are planned out. I know what I’m doing and about when. Everything follows a specific rhythm which makes it easy to follow. On the flip side, it gets really tedious and when tedious happens, we tend to get bored. Snow days are a nice time to break up that pattern and see what happens.

Can I hit my fitness goals while I’m at home? Is there a new food combination I can try?

I learned that eating oatmeal for breakfast throws off my protein intake for the whole day because it doesn’t pack as big a punch as my banana breakfast smoothie.

I tried a new workout. I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others but I didn’t die doing it. I also hit my goals by making a lot of active choices like shoveling and working out. I don’t ALWAYS need to plan out my workouts and I'm really good at being active. That’s good to know.

I was able to add variety into what is normally a really routine schedule. It's also nice to have some downtime where I can do things like puzzles and cleaning my wardrobe. Downtime lets my brain relax and cleaning my wardrobe helps me be better prepared for workdays when I need to throw on some clothes. Clothes that fit being preferable.

Snow days are a nice way for me to relax, explore, and re-energize for the rest of the week.

Or just to get in a lot of shoveling.

Let Them Eat Fat

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 19:49:00 +0000

Do you remember the Eighties? or maybe it was the Nineties? Er... or the Two Thousands?

Let's just agree on this arbitrary time in the past, which maybe wasn't as long ago as I think it was.

Anyway, remember that big craze we had? The Fat is bad for you craze? Don't eat fats. Buy fat-free foods! Let's wage a war on fat!

Listen friends, war is bad.

Fat is not that bad, especially if it's a healthy fat that gives us stuff like Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 1,942,230.

I MAY have made up that last Omega.

There are different kinds of fat, and you want to make sure you DO eat the ones that help you out. They can help you burn fat and make you feel full.

I want you to go look in your cupboard and find all of the things that say Fat-Free.
Yeah, I mean you. Go look. Right now.
Get rid of them.

Companies take out the fat, but then they add chemicals and sugar to the product. So unless you're really excited about putting chemicals in your body, and you want to be unhealthy, maybe avoid the fat-free junk.
Also, keep in mind that our bodies know what to do with fat - it knows how to process it. Chemicals.. less so.

Yes, I know, someone is saying.. what do you know?!
You're just some person writing a blog.
FYI - Sometimes my entries are me regurgitating what the Nutritionist tells me, so I remember better.
This happens to be one of those times.

In fact, foods like avocado, nuts, and some oils (olive oil) can help lower your bad cholesterol.

And yeah, Avocado and I are not BFFs, but we're working on our relationship.
I still appreciate the good things it does for me even if I don't find it as tasty as peanut butter.

Fat is so important that you want to include it in at least 15%, but up to 40%, of your diet.
This is where a Nutritionist comes in -- I don't make food plans. I can't tell you the exact percentage of fat to eat.

I just want you to stop eating that fat-free crap I find in your cupboard.

Seriously friends. The war on fat has been cancelled.

Balancing Your Plate - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 16:35:00 +0000

I am also not a dietician or food-a-tician or any kind of expert. I feel like, at this point in time, it’s important to say that.

Also, this is maybe just two big pointers. I might give you more later.

1) Work Within Your Means.

Am I buying the organic apple or the regular apple? Well, how much money do I have for food? Is the organic apple what I want to spend extra money on? Do they have organic apples in the apple type I like? I’m an apple snob in that I prefer Pink Lady apples, sooooo, it probably won’t be organic.

I’m also not dead yet, so I don’t think the non-organic apple is going to kill me.

The same applies to buying local and fresh. Yes, totally buy local and fresh if you can afford to. Otherwise, you buy what you can to survive and not starve. I do prefer fresh and frozen over canned because #Sodium.

I’ve also been in the position where my last $20 has to feed me for the rest of the week. In that case, it’s totally a big pot of canned beans and saffron rice with some protein (cheese and salsa if I have the money). It’s fairly cheap and lasts for days. Not the most healthy, but filling. Thankfully, I haven’t been in that position in awhile, but I can empathize with people who are. You do what you have to survive.

2) Keep It Simple.

Eat some fruits (fresh or frozen) or some veggies (fresh or frozen).
Eat a protein. Can be meat, but could also be protein powder, lentils, tofu, or edamame (to name a few).
Eat some form of fat. Peanut butter is my favorite, but I’ll eat avocado (sometimes). Nuts like almonds also work as a fat.

The picture, for reference, is Fage Greek Yogurt, frozen fruit with kale (I'm not sure I am excited about kale in my yogurt, but I'm working with it), almonds, and chia seeds.

Eat these every freakin’ meal.

I didn’t include carbs specifically because lots of food already have carbs. Fruit – carb. Vegetables – carb. Yogurt – Protein and carbs.

Once a day I have pasta, rice, quiona, couscous or some other similar more of a carb type substance. I eat mine at dinner, but you could eat it at lunch or breakfast.

I’M NOT TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO! You can eat carbs every meal if you want!

Okay, the other morning I did put 2 TBSP of rolled oats in my breakfast smoothie.

CAUGHT ME RED HANDED!

If you try to incorporate fruit and/or veggies, protein, and a (healthy) fat into every meal you’re pretty close to being balanced and you won’t have to worry so much about are you eating enough.. blah blah blah…

My goal is to eat 45% carbs, 30% fat, and 25% protein. Remember this is healthy fats friends. I am usually pretty close and -- seriously--- I just make sure I have some of the three groups each meal. I don't get too nitty gritty.

This is especially true the simpler your foods are. I don’t have to worry about added sugar because they don’t add sugar to fresh fruit. I buy frozen fruit that is just frozen fruit (no added sugars). Same with vegetables. Yogurt – plain. If I need sugar (because honestly, that Fage Greek Yogurt that has tons of protein is not the yummiest stuff around), I add some of my own – usually maple syrup or honey. Because YUM.

I season all of my plain stuff on my own. That helps cut down on sodium and it’s not really hard. I just pick a few spices.

YOU! Rosemary. Get in my food. Dill. You too! Maybe some lemon. I just find combinations that work for me.

I try to use less oils for cooking. I don’t use cooking spray – I go for Olive Oil and Coconut oil. I switch it up. But if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil to cook the meat, I might just think… I’m pretty sure I can cook this with 1. Oddly enough, it comes out just fine.

As a parting thought – if you like the butter, eat the butter. Just like the cake. Sometimes you get butter. But when do I REALLY REALLY want butter? I want butter on bread or English muffins. And on that really nice spicy pasta I sometimes get that doesn’t go with red sauce. So I eat it those times.

Just not every day.

Balancing Your Plate - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 15:59:00 +0000

You know what I have a hard time doing?

Yeah, well yes, I’m going to tell you. Obvs.

I have a hard time balancing all of the things I’m supposed to be eating.

Like.. whoa, make sure you eat enough protein. Don’t eat too many fats, but make sure they are good fats. Drink lots of water. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Eat food rich in fiber. Nuts are good fats. Eat an apple a day. But only an organic apple. Also, stand on your head for 16 hours a day to release your chi.

That last one I made up.

Don’t forget getting your steps in. Working out. Fit in time for you.

Look! I’m lucky I arrived at work today. Let’s take these success where I get them!!

But still, some days I feel like there aren’t enough calories in the day to fit all these foods in. Not to mention pairing foods with the right other foods to reap the largest benefit. There are apparently rules to this!

I don’t follow them.

Some days, I just eat pizza. Like this past weekend when I had to load a ton of pellets (that’s 50 40 pound bags, FYI) and I decided – pizza. That’s what’s for dinner.

But back to food.

Fish. Eat that twice a week. But don’t eat the bad fish. Eat Salmon. Don’t eat farm raised salmon.

Eat shrimp – it’s good brain food. But don’t eat shrimp because neither fishing nor farming shrimp is sustainable. Shrimp trawling, when they scrape the bottom of the ocean floor to grab shrimp, also grabs other animals who are left to die on the deck of the boat. Also, something to do with a slave trade in Asia over shrimp. Also, don’t eat it from the Gulf because of the oil spill. But definitely eat shrimp.

I didn’t realize this was going to go so much into shrimp.

Should I eat oatmeal? It has a lot of fiber and can help drop your bad LDL cholesterol. But it has a lot of calories and doesn’t have any protein. I’d have to eat something else rich in protein to go with that carbolicious meal. I don’t have that many calories to work with, so maybe I should eat oatmeal?

Quinoa. Eat it because it’s a whole grain that has lots of fiber and protein. Don’t eat it because the people from Peru can’t afford to eat it anymore because it’s become so popular.

Let’s not even go into eggs. I think this week they’re on the good list, but next week – WHO KNOWS?

Do I eat butter still or should I give that up?

Soda. Soda is bad, but diet soda is worse than regular soda, so if you’re going to drink it, go for the real sugar soda.

Definitely don’t eat regular sugar. Eat honey. Or maple syrup. Or no sugar. Also, the fake sugar, bad.

Eat Kefir, Lentils, Chia seeds, Coconut oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes, Kale, Red Meat.

Or is that no red meat?

GLUTEN!

I bet you were looking for the answer to all this.

Joke’s on you.

I don’t have it. I struggle with it as much as you probably are.

I will give you some strategies I use. As much as one can call them strategies. Perhaps my sage advice?

Which is probably neither sage nor advice.

But I'll save that for next time. I need to go drink some soda and eat some processed food.

Meal Planning - To Plan or Not to Plan, That is the Question!

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 19:32:00 +0000

UGH. Meal planning.

Who has time to plan anything? I barely have time to plan what I wear every day. I just pull some clothes off the rack and hope they don’t clash.

Who am I kidding, even if they do clash, I’d still probably wear them.

But seriously. Planning meals. Who does that?

Not me.

I appreciate that planning out meals can be really helpful. In fact, at one point I did plan dinners a little in advance, but that was before I started this journey. I’m still working on how many calories to eat in a day and how to get in enough protein.

Well, I guess you CAN probably get in enough protein if you only eat meat, but you NEED to eat protein. Among other things, it gives your body an energy source so it doesn’t steal it from your muscles.

\YOU NEED YOUR MUSCLES!

Also, focus up there Billy. This is a post about Meal Planning.

Which I don’t do.

At least, not in the traditional sense.

Instead, I have routines that help me be consistent. For starters, breakfast and lunch, especially during the work week, is not very creative.

Breakfast – Banana Smoothie with Cabot Whey Protein Powder. (I’m thinking of getting a better blender so I can try some smoothies with maybe,.. vegetables in them? I know, crazy talk).

Lunch – Right now it’s Greek Yogurt (plain but with lots of protein), Maple Syrup (because plain yogurt), frozen berries (no, they didn’t quite work to cut out the plain from the plain yogurt), almonds and chia seeds (as a bonus item). Also, a whole or half RX bar, depending on my mood. I also have some other items I COULD flex in there, but I’ll probably stick with this for a bit.

So, breakfast and lunch set. That leaves dinner. For dinner I pick a protein. Chicken. Pork. Steak. Fish. I figure out how many calories I have left (#MyFitnessPal) and then I backwards plan. First the protein – 4oz of whatever I choose. Then vegetables – is it a salad night? Or frozen veggies? Or do I have some other vegetables to use? I just pick one depending on my mood (or my husband’s), what I have on hand, and what I think will fit best with the calories I have left. Then I pick a carb (or not). Maybe it’s just a really big salad with extra toppings, like cheese.

Who doesn’t like cheese?

I figure it all out before I make my plate. I get this much protein. I get a serving of rice, which is a quarter of the pot (why is a serving of rice always ¼ cup, but the instructions are for a full cup of rice – four servings?). I get this much veggies. Maybe I get a little cheese.

Yes, I mentioned cheese again!

The next day I do it again. I always make sure to hit my goal and not go over too much. Or be under.

This also makes grocery shopping, which my husband does, pretty easy. Get some salad stuff. Get some frozen veggies. Check the rice and pasta supply. Check and check. Meal is done.

On weekends we switch it up a bit. I make a killer egg scramble with vegetables and some leftover protein. That’s definitely legit. I might… and I don’t want you to get too excited about this, but I might splurge and have an English muffin.

RIGHT?!

Shut the front door!

I also have some benchmarks. I know that I want to spend about a third of my calories on each meal which gives me some idea of where I am.

And I thought I’d never use math after high school!!!

So, even though I don’t officially meal plan, I do plan meals.

Just not in the traditional sense.

And more importantly, that works for me. If you find success planning out meals weeks in advance, you should totally do that. Part of me wishes I would do that because meals might be more exciting.

But I'll take the baby steps where I get them.

And more importantly, you do you boo-boo.

Getting Back on Track

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 20:53:00 +0000

Christmas Break was a killer for me. I feel like I ate more than my fair share of sugar cookies.

Also, I discovered Maple Cream Liqueur. It tastes great in coffee. I didn’t even realize that it was from Boyden Valley. I thought they only did wine but apparently they’ve branched out into Spirits. I don’t feel bad at all supporting a local Vermont business. I should probably drink more of it, now that I’ve made this connection,…..

Also, it must be liqueur doesn’t have to post calories on the bottle. I haven’t seen any. That means it’s calorie free, right?

Point being, I kinda went off track over the last week or two.

Not too badly though, and I think that’s important. I tracked MOST meals… I maybe just topped it off with some sugar cookies.

LISTEN! THEY ARE MY FAVORITE!

And I totally ate whatever at family Christmas, because that’s what’s family Christmas is about, right? FFF (Forced Family Fun) and food.

Then there was New Year’s with some other family. Although there weren’t cookies there, so #Winning.

But now it’s a new year and I need to buckle down again. I have goals to crush and it won’t happen if I keep eating cookies every day.

Thankfully, it's back to work and a regular routine for me. Being consistent with what I'm doing helps me establish routines.

I'm re-starting with food.

Back to smoothies for breakfast.

Only bringing the food I need to eat for the day to work. If I don’t have snacks with me, I can’t eat them.

I’m also trying to stay on task with workouts, but that’s super hard because it’s SO COLD outside.

No one wants to go for a walk at -10 degrees F. That could be it's own blog post.

I do have workout videos I like to do (and I pay for) - Daily Burn and Les Mills on Demand. Between the two, there’s something to do every day. Les Mills is doing a 31 day challenge, and --- let’s be honest, I just did one in November, so I’m not killing myself over this one – but I can check in and participate the best I am able.

I’m also participating more in my social media groups. That helps me stay honest and focused. Being part of something helps me stay connected and motivated in my journey.

I accept that there might be a bit of a transition in order for me to be back to being fully on track. I'm not looking for a miracle. I'm just looking for that sense of normalcy that helps me focus on my goals.

Surviving December - Dealing with "Things"

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 16:20:00 +0000

Going into December, I knew it was going to be a struggle to stay consistent. The Holiday season brings not only festive cheer but added ‘things’ going on.

It’s not that I don’t love all of you, but I have a hard time balancing ‘things’.

There are gatherings galore. Everyone wants to get together and spread holiday happiness. It’s not that I don’t want to see people, but I’m struggling with putting out my decorations. Which I did.

Score one for me.

I end up baking and cooking more for these events. At work I’m known for maybe two things. Other than my winning personality.

Artichoke dip and Sugar Cookies.

The artichoke dip is pure cholesterol. On top of cholesterol. With some artichokes for good measure. Thankfully, it’s also really easy to throw together.

The Sugar Cookies, I admit, are pretty solid. They also take more planning as I have to mix the dough, let it chill, and then find time to cut and bake them.

On top of that, December is the end of the semester. Students are feeling stressed and need help with projects that they may have neglected to do earlier.

No judgements.

Add in dropping temperatures and snow. I like snow, it’s pretty. Everything inside is toasty and warm while outside is another story. I’m less inclined to go for a walk which, truthfully, is my go-to, oh snap I don’t feel like working out in the gym today, exercise.

Lots of ‘things’.

I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad or lament about my life.

I’m telling you because I’m pretty sure we all have times when life is full of added ‘things’ and we have to figure out how to keep going regardless of those ‘things.’

And if you’re someone who never has outside ‘things’ going on, um… can I have your life?

My strategy for dealing with December is adjusting my expectations. I tried to be realistic with what I could and could not accomplish.

Last month was the 30-day challenge, and while someone suggested participating in another 30-day challenge this month, I decided that was a bad idea. This is not the time to load on added stress to do another thing.

I set my goals – remember how I set weekly goals? – to what I’ll call my default. Activity for 30 minutes 5 times a week. Trying to hit my step goal. Sticking to my calorie limit.

I’m also aware of the ‘things’ going on that impact me. I have less time. I get more stressed. I might not be able to hit my goals. This month, I’m okay with that. I accept that outside forces can impact my life and this month especially, I give myself leeway.

I’m going to hang out with my friends and family. Some days I might not track what I eat. But not MOST days. Most days, I will stick to the plan.

And if I don't make it to the gym or the pool (which I hear is kinda cold right now), it's okay. I can still walk. One year (or two?) I walked a mile to work every day and I decided that it was only when it got to single digits outside that it was truly too cold to walk.

Basically, when ice crystals form on your eyelashes, its too cold.

I’m also choosing my treats (see Cake and Choices). That artichoke dip, yeah it’s good. But it’s not calling to me. I haven’t made the sugar cookies yet, but I’m positive I will eat one, or two, of those.

Maybe THREE.

Listen, I can eat all the cookies I want!

If I deny myself EVERYTHING I’ll be unhappy. That’s kind of unrealistic. But I also can’t eat all of the goodies that spring up. I have to choose.

So out of all the things before me, which thing do I want the most?

Sugar Cookies. Hands down.

In fact, this reminds me of something a wise man once told me. I’m going to leave you with his sage advice.

“You can have anything you want, you just can’t have everything you want.”

#LevelUp – What I Learned from the 30 Day Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 22:38:00 +0000

I recently completed a 30 Day Challenge with my online Facebook group Coaching for Geeks.

If you don’t know what Coaching for Geeks is, go back and read last week’s entry. I’ll wait here.

Did you finish?

Good.

Anyway, the group hosted a 30 Day #LevelUp Challenge, with the goal of leveling up, or advancing, a stat of your choice. And, for those non-geeks out there, a stat is defined as a skill of our choice. Some people chose to practice a language or promote a business. There was lot of choice.

There was even a prize – a SNES Mini (among other things).

I didn’t start what I’ll call my Wellness Adventure to win prizes. But I mean, if I can get prizes, I’m not going to complain.

Okay. Truthfully. I actually have a perfectly good, functional SNES from you know.. back in the day, that I barely use. So I’m not sure what I would do with a SNES Mini…. But I digress.

Moving On.

I choose working out or activity as my stat. I had to do some form of exercise for 30 minutes every day. This could be walking (which is my go-to if all else fails), swimming (30 minutes of laps), workout videos (I subscribe to Daily Burn and Les Mills), or using the Treadmill at work. Oh, and let’s not forget Wii Fit for 30 minutes, which is always good in a pinch.

I posted evidence to the group every day. Usually a screen shot from my FitBit app or a photo from the activity I did (picture of the treadmill display, for example). I also posted (almost) daily selfies to my Instagram and Facebook page.

In the end, I was one of 16 people (out of 37) who completed the event every single day. That’s actually a pretty impressive stat of 43% who completed the challenge. Not to mention those who completed at least half of the challenge – 81% according to my math.

I mean, I’m not big on math, so there’s that.

I think the real question though is, what did I learn?

For starters, I learned that I CAN, if I choose, fit some kind of exercise into my day, every day. 30 minutes isn’t that much and if I plan for it, I can accomplish it. It was even kinda fun sometimes trying to switch around what I was going to do (which video would I do today? Is today a walk day or a swim day?). I even had some challenging days, like Thanksgiving, in the middle of that madness. Even when faced with turkey and family, I managed to walk around the field near my mom’s for 30 minutes to stay active in the challenge.

I also learned that, as annoying as it might be for some, I liked posting the daily Instagram and Facebook posts. They gave me an opportunity to reflect on the day and how I accomplished my goals. It also was a great way for me to gauge how I was feeling, because a few days I was “not quite right.”

The challenge also motivated me to stay active and I felt a bit of a letdown the week after the challenge as I set my weekly goals. I don’t have to push myself to be active every day – there’s no incentive. As much as I didn’t need the incentive when I started my wellness journey, it was a bit like throwing a proverbial carrot in the mix all the sudden. Now I have to readjust to no carrot again.

I DON’T LIKE CHANGE AND READJUSTMENT.

But I can do it.

As for changes - when you’ve been losing weight for a few months, it’s hard to identify what was special about one month specifically. I did, however, notice that I could go faster for longer on the treadmill. My goal will be to workup to walking two miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill. I’m really close – last time was 1.8 miles.

And if I lose much more weight I’m going to be out of clothes to wear, so that’s a thing.

Finally, I think the biggest question is, would I do it again?

My answer is yes, but not if it was an every month event. Because the #LevelUp Challenge was for a limited time and had a pre-determined ending, I felt motivated to complete it. If this became a monthly challenge – or I went out and found a new challenge every month to complete – I’d eventually get bored and stop participating. There’s something nice and manageable about this event being just one month.

One and done.

For now.

Unless the next 30 day challenge.

Someday in the future.

Perhaps Nega Robin will make his return!

Finding Support with Coaching For Geeks

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 19:19:00 +0000

I knew earlier this year that I wanted to do something about my diet, so that I could lose weight and maybe be healthier (or some such nonsense). I also knew that I wouldn’t be successful if I just relied on me.

I get super sidetracked sometimes.

Also, I thought it would be clever to work with actual doctors or something. People who specialize in Weight loss and nutrition. So I totally linked up with some people who do that professionally. It was a pretty smart move, actually.

But that’s not actually what I want to talk about.

So, in the midst of connecting with the professionals, I stumbled upon a Facebook group.

Truthfully, it started as a thing on Twitter. Some group liked me, so then I liked them and then this guy Robin sent me a message on Twitter about his Facebook group. This “Robin guy” said they helped with “confidence, dating, health, careers, fitness, and image.” I figured it was worth a shot. What could I lose? The worst thing that would happen is I like.. unjoined the group if I hated it.

I KNOW! I’m not supposed to talk to strangers! But that’s PRETTY MUCH what Twitter is.

So yeah, I joined this Facebook group called Coaching for Geeks.

It was a good choice for me because I mean, I’m pretty geeky. I like geeky things like video games, comic books, and D&D. I have a few fandoms that I follow (Doctor Who, Shadowhunters, Marvel movies and TV shows).

My Office is a TARDIS for cripes sake!

Yeah, I said cripes sake.

It also has become a great source of support for me. I post my weekly goals to the site every Monday. In fact, one time Robin didn’t post the thread for the Monday goals, so I just posted mine anyway.

Oh yeah, and Robin is the one who forced my hand into making better goals.

If I need help or support, I can ask the group for advice. Or maybe just ask people to post a bunch of memes or gifs to make me happy.

Yeah, I know. It’s not obvious that I pretty much love memes and gifs.

I’ve been able to network with a number of other people who have similar interests as I do, which is nice. I found some fun eye shadow and made a came up with a sweet sweet Halloween costume because of people I met via Coaching for Geeks.

The 30 Day #LevelUp Challenge was also a Coaching for Geeks activity. There are even prizes!

Who doesn’t like prizes?

The thing I like most about this groups is that unlike other groups – even this real life wellness group I’m in – this group has the potential to grow with me. Once I am in a place where I don’t have to be hyper-vigilant about fitness, I’ll find a new thing to develop about myself. My Coaching for Geeks friends will still be there.

Unless Robin shuts us down.

I mean, right now that’s pretty possible because he just got like… sucked into the mainframe or something and evil Nega-Robin has taken over.

LOOK! Stop trying to understand Geek stuff.

Okay, so I have a real point.

The thing is, you might think – Coaching for Geeks sounds silly. That doesn’t suit me at all. Why do I care?

You don’t have to like my geeky group.

The take away is -- Go find your own group!

Find that group of people who support you for who and what you are.

Who have similar interests and can relate to the struggles you are having.

And I mean, hey – if you are kind geeky, you could join Coaching for Geeks.

But make sure to say Sarah sent you, because I don’t know if we still do, but we used to get stickers on a sticker chart for stuff like that.

Setting and Keeping Goals

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Monday morning, or at some point during the day, I figure out what my goals for the week are.

What…. Goals?

Right.

I set myself up for the week by determining what I’m going to accomplish and when. It usually includes when I’m going to work out, that’s the highest on my priority list. I do a variety of exercises, so I like to strategize. Which day is the best for just walking? What is my work schedule like and can I fit the exercise I want to do in when it’s available?

If I’m going to swim, I need to be sure I have my suit packed and ready so I can bring it to work. I also have to be free during lap swim, which is a pretty short window.

Treadmill day means I need spare workout clothes for work. And my sneakers.

Now that it’s getting colder, walking around campus might mean I need to bring a heavy coat, hat, and mittens.

If I think about it in advance, I’m much more likely to do the activity.

I also tend not to skip because I’ve planned it.

I also schedule in other activities I’m going to do. On Saturday I sometimes, usually, often play Dungeons and Dragons. Unless we cancel. Sometimes that happens. One week I cancelled because when I looked at my week I realized I wasn’t going to have time to buy and load pellets for our pellet stove.

Calcifer, the pellet stove, loves pellets.

He also keeps me warm in the winter, so I tend to like to please him with pellets.

More importantly, when I looked at what I needed to do, and what I wanted to do, adulting trumped game.

I didn’t start out making such intricate goals.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to make goals.

DON’T PRESSURE ME!

Simple goals are things like. I want to hit my step goal 5 times a week. Or I will exercise this week. I want to save money this week.

Specific goals are “I will use the treadmill at work during my lunch (1-2) on Tuesday. I will hit my step goal on <insert days here>.” “I will save $30 this week by not eating at the cafeteria. Instead I will put the money into my saving money bank.”

"They" tend to call these SMART goals. You're supposed to make them specific and blah blah.

I mean, I get it.

I just,....

I mean, let’s be honest. I would rather make the vague goals. I don’t know what my life is like. What if something happens at 1 pm and I can’t make it to the treadmill?

Now don’t you fret.
Now don’t you frown.
I’ll go for a walk
Around the town.
Now don’t you fret and don’t you frown. I’ll go for a walk around the town.

Yeah, if you weren’t singing along right there, you obviously never went to summer camp.

I have backup plans. Walking is always a backup plan because I can do it anytime and it doesn’t have a schedule to adhere to.

I worked in to making more specific goals. I had a lot of help. Or pressure.

Help pressure?

Pressure help?

Something like that.

Anyway, I did have assistance in moving my goals from very simple goals to more specific ones. Even though I very highly resisted the specific thing.

I’ll also say that not all of my goals are specific. Work out goals, however, are fairly specific because they are a priority for me that often gets left out. I honestly can’t be specific with everything and function in my adult life.

But I do like making them, now that I've started. Once I've written them I post them in a Facebook group I belong to. This is also the group that helped me learn how to make goals.

It was actually fortuitous that I found this particular group because it's been very helpful to me. Having a group of like-minded people who are working on not necessarily the same thing but similar things is nice.

It was also pretty fortuitous that I started setting goals with my Facebook group because I'm also participating in an IRL group that focuses on making healthier life choices. One of their activities was making goals, and I was way ahead on that one.

Like, #SorryNotSorry but I already have the goals thing set.

Honestly though, having a support group of some kind is important and there is no "one size fits all" deal. The Facebook group works for me. Something else might work for you.

Or maybe a different Facebook group. Mine is super specific.

Also, do you like how I've been dancing around this whole Facebook group thing?

That's for the dramatic build up so you come back next time....

#SorryNotSorry

Motivation, Inspiration, and Commitment

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

One thing people frequently comment on is my motivation. How do you stay focused, even when it becomes challenging?

I’ve been trying to find the right word to describe it because I truly don’t believe this is a case of being motivated. Motivated implies there is some force that is compelling me to do something. Like I’m pushing myself to do this thing I don’t really want to do or an external condition (like diabetes) is forcing me to change my behavior. That is not the case.

I haven’t been struggling with food as much as a thought. I feel like I have plenty of food to eat and I have a load of options. The reason I drink a banana breakfast smoothie every morning isn’t because I make myself. It’s because I actually love those damn things.

Banana Smoothie:
1 cup frozen banana
1 cup milk of your choice. I use almond milk.
1 TBSP Peanut Butter (use the Teddy brand because once you have the good stuff, you realize everything else is crap)
2 TBSP protein powder of choice (you can also not do the protein powder, but I kinda wanted the extra protein)

Put in blender. Blend. Drink.

Same with exercise. I don’t struggle with dragging myself to do activities. I give myself lots of choices – I can swim, I can use the treadmill, I have some workout videos, I have that Wii I liberated from my mom (she wasn’t using it!). I can always walk if I’m not feeling any of those options. I have plenty of choices, so I don’t have any excuses.

Truthfully, sometimes when I don’t feel like doing exercise, and I do it anyway, I realize that it kinda feels good.

So if I don’t feel like it’s motivation, what is it?

I thought maybe it was Inspiration. I’m inspired to make better health choices. That sorta fits. Inspiration is something that uplifts us and gives us hope and a sense of possibility. This is definitely more of an intrinsic feeling, so the word fits.

Inspiration still doesn’t feel like a perfect match to me. I can inspire someone, but it feels weird to say that I’ve inspired myself.

If that works for you, take it. Everything I’ve read says that it doesn’t matter what makes you do a thing. Inspiration. Motivation. Whatever pushes you – you use that. It’s different for everybody.

So, motivation. Inspiration. Not quite there. I looked for a hot minute at Influence (a directive force that provokes change), but no. Not it.

Then I found it.

Commitment.

I committed myself to change.

Because I committed myself, I am determined to follow through.

You might say, …. Wait for it…. That because I have committed, I am channeling my indomitable spirit.

Yeah, I stole that from Tae Kwon Do.

It’s not that every week or day is perfect either. Sometimes I eat the cake. Sometimes I skip the exercise.

But it doesn’t happen often because I want the results.

Also, fun fact, if you cut out lots of sugar from your diet, cake is too sweet.

But I digress.

Commitment works because it is intrinsic. It comes from me. No doctor said I had to. I choose. It’s also a bit sneaky because if you commit to a goal, what happens when you hit the goal?

You have to make a new goal.

Oooh.. did I say goals?

Yes I did.

That’s a whole different post...

App It Up, I'll Take it! - MyFitnessPal

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:36:00 +0000

I’m not going to lie.

I was excited to see how many people read my impromptu blog post. It’s inspired me to write more. Apparently people are more into what I’m doing than Shadowhunters.

Although,.. Shadowhunters. Still a thing.

Shadowhunters

I’m still fleshing out what I’ll post on exactly. If you have a topic you would really like me to cover (I mean, not just ANYTHING, but related to the overall wellness journey) feel free to drop a comment. I would love to know what you think would be interesting for me to share.

One of the things that has been super successful for me is Food Tracking. I use an app called MyFitnessPal. I don’t do the paid version because I am way too cheap for that. (I’d rather spend my subscriptions on streaming programs like Alpha.)

MyFitnessPal talks to my Fitbit app, which is super sweet. They both gather different information that processed together gives me useful stats.

As much as I hated math as a child, I like tracking numbers.

Shhhh! Tell NO ONE.

This image is for Mr. Bill.

MyFitnessPal helps me log calories. I worked with a Nutritionist who helped me set a calorie limit,… goal. (Whatever you wanna call that to make yourself feel good about it.)

I log what I eat throughout the day. Honestly, on any given work day, I tend to eat the same foods.

You know what I don’t have time for at 6:30 in the morning? Creativity around lunch and breakfast.

It’s just easier when to know which things to grab from the fridge for lunch instead of standing there with the food tracker going,… “if I eat this tuna fish, and then that leftover jelly roll, will that be enough calories for lunch?”

Yeah, I said jelly roll. I wanted to make sure you were paying attention.

For dinner, I backwards count how much food I can eat and then I only give myself that much.

I also don’t ask myself if I am still hungry.

I also like MyFitnessPal because it can import recipes from the Internet and determine the calorie count.

Yeah, like that time I checked out a Facebook recipe and it was like 1,000 calories for one serving.

Nope.

It also means I can adjust recipes quickly.

Recipes!

Oh, I see you want three tablespoons of olive oil. How about we just use one.
M'kay, thanks.

I can save recipes I really like in the app so I can easily use them again. It also knows which foods I frequently eat, which saves me having to input salad and peppers again.

Frequent Foods

At the end of the day, it talks with my Fitbit and gives me a ball park guesstimate of what I will weigh in 5 weeks based on how many calories I ate and how many I burned that day.

Okay, yeah, I probably shouldn't look at that but it helps me stay focused. Like hey, see - this works! Just keep doing today and you'll be great.

Finally, you can have friends on MyFitnessPal. I have a few although I don't interact through that app very often. Sometimes I go around and tell people good job for working out or something.

Hey, you! Good job.

If you like my blog and you maybe aren't on Facebook or Insta or Twitter, feel free to subscribe. I'll uh.. figure out how to make that work..

I put like, a whole bunch of links on that page for subscribing. Click one.

Cake and Choices

noreply@blogger.com (nyssasarah) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 20:26:00 +0000

I’ve started a health adventure because I really wanted to lose weight.

Yeah, I know, people have been trying to say that losing weight isn’t really a good goal. I should say I’m trying to make better health choices or live a healthier life style.

I say, “Let’s not argue Sematics. I like to play with language and meaning.”

Anyway, the reason I’m writing this isn’t because I want to debate words and meanings.

I wanted to talk about Cake and Choices.

You see, I like cake. I really like cake. Also baked goods. I mean, sugar mixed with flour (and other ingredients) placed in an oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees usually results in something sweet and tasty. It’s really hard to say no to cake.

But I had to learn to say no to cake. That was first. I had to learn that sometimes, I have to tell myself No, not today.

That was a hard first lesson.

I had to avoid places I knew there was cake. That meant not attending staff birthday parties because the temptation would be too great. That also meant not stopping at the Depot in town to get one of their super sugary, but very tasty cupcakes. I mean, while we’re mentioning things I gave up, I gave up getting medium Dunkin Donuts Mocha ice coffee. There, you’ve heard my whole confessional.

At a certain point I realized that I had to stop telling myself No all the time. No cake. No creemees (soft serve for some of you). No ice cream. No nothing? This does not seem sustainable in the long run. I’m going to eventually cheat on myself.

So I finally told myself yes. Let’s have a creemee. My husband and I were celebrating our Anniversary (five years). I tried really hard at dinner to be good, but we tried a new restaurant and it wasn’t what I would call an ideal dining situation. I needed something to top off the day, and my husband suggested the creemee.

It was an especially tasty creemee from a place called Jonathan’s. Pomegranate flavored. There was a lot going right with this situation. It definitely made up for dinner. Actually, at the time, I remember that it seemed like almost too much. I didn’t need this whole creemee (but I mean, I ATE it.)

I didn’t even count that creemee in my food tracker.

I week or so later I bought some other creemee based dessert. It took me three days to eat it because I portioned it out. I learned that I could have treats. I could sometimes say yes.

But more importantly, I learned that saying Yes or saying No to treats is a Choice. It’s my choice.

That’s kind of empowering because it’s no longer about the things I can’t have.

Yeah, that piece of cake looks good, but do I really want cake right now? Is it worth going off plan? Does that cake fit into my day? I mean, I can say yes but I can also say no. Either choice is okay, as long as I think about it first.

Most days I pass up the cake. I do sometimes splurge and eat Gelato. Don't hate on me. It takes me a month to eat a pint of Talenti Gelato.

Today, I went to the staff birthday party. The cake looked good, but not so good that I felt like I needed to say yes. So I didn’t. I still got to socialize, and there was maybe a little twinge of an awkward feeling because I was the only one not eating cake.

It also felt good to know that it was my choice, I could have eaten it. I just didn’t choose to.