Monday:
I've had a few false starts with getting back into healthy eating, but I'm feeling strong and confident today. Starting weight 82.1 kg (basically the same as I've been the past four weeks). I'm tracking food using MyFitnessPal which syncs with Fitbit, I'm wearing the tracker and my walking goal is 5,000 steps at the moment.
The kids have started their two weeks of winter holidays, Tim will be taking the second of those weeks off work. Today we just did the grocery shopping (all healthy food!) and recovered from the weekend.
I am conscious of often wanting to eat when I am not hungry.
I discovered a new taste sensation this morning. I had cut up an orange and put some cheese (sharp cheddar) on the same plate, a bit of the cheese fell in the juice which had seeped over. I ate it dubiously, and it was delicious! I ended rolling all the cheese in the bit of juice on the plate.
B: cheese, orange, tea.
L: chicken and salad, tea.
S: banana, vegetable broth.
D: bolognaise with zoodles (zucchini spirals).
Currently 24 steps and one glass of water away from goals, so pretty confident.
Showing posts with label Fitbit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitbit. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
KFC
Wednesday:
It turns out people who want to track macros with a Fitbit use the MyFitnessPal app and it syncs. Lots of complaints about it on the Fitbit forums! You'd think it would be a relatively easy thing to add. Anyway. I haven't put mine back on, not sure what I'm going to do there.
I was really struggling again today and the only reason I ate well for most of the day was that I wasn't sure what time the TV man was coming back so I couldn't leave the house to go out and buy junk! (He came around 2:00, TV is fixed now.) But in the evening I couldn't face cooking - especially a healthy portion of healthy food - so I took the kids out to get KFC. I keep imagining it will be somehow better than it is. Greasy and yuck. But I ate a lot of it. And I actually feel better, so go figure. And the kids were happy. Tim will not be pleased with his oily chicken and limp chips when he gets home.
It turns out people who want to track macros with a Fitbit use the MyFitnessPal app and it syncs. Lots of complaints about it on the Fitbit forums! You'd think it would be a relatively easy thing to add. Anyway. I haven't put mine back on, not sure what I'm going to do there.
I was really struggling again today and the only reason I ate well for most of the day was that I wasn't sure what time the TV man was coming back so I couldn't leave the house to go out and buy junk! (He came around 2:00, TV is fixed now.) But in the evening I couldn't face cooking - especially a healthy portion of healthy food - so I took the kids out to get KFC. I keep imagining it will be somehow better than it is. Greasy and yuck. But I ate a lot of it. And I actually feel better, so go figure. And the kids were happy. Tim will not be pleased with his oily chicken and limp chips when he gets home.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Macros
Tuesday:
I think night sweats are worse in winter. At least in summer you dry out quickly. In winter you either get up and change your pyjamas or you get all cold and clammy. I wasn't keen on having a shower at 2am, but I probably would have been more comfortable for the rest of the night if I had.
The TV man came today. He got it going temporarily but has to bring a new part tomorrow.
I just coded my dinner in the Fitbit tracker and realised that it doesn't show any macros! How many carbs etc. Only calories in (and calories burned). Bummer. Since I don't find it comfortable and I'm not trying to beat my own walking record or anything, I might stop using it again. I prefer the food tracker I was using before, CalorieKing, which breaks everything down into protein, carbs etc. It's a Fitbit Charge HR, so if anyone knows something I've missed about how to see more info, please let me know.
Oh well, second healthy eating day in a row.
B: leftover broccoli cheese, tea.
L: satay chicken and vegetables with quinoa, tea.
S: apple.
D: beef fajitas (one mini tortilla, the rest in lettuce leaves).
S: vegetable soup.
... that Fitbit thing put me in a bit of a snit, I took it off (decided to charge it instead of tossing it in a drawer, but still) and went into a sulk and spent the rest of the evening wrestling with food. In my defence it is that time of the month (and with uterine fibroids, that time of the month is supercharged). So I ate some dark chocolate. Still within my calories, so tried to convince myself that I was still on my diet. Cashews. More chocolate. Cheese and crackers. Fail.
I think night sweats are worse in winter. At least in summer you dry out quickly. In winter you either get up and change your pyjamas or you get all cold and clammy. I wasn't keen on having a shower at 2am, but I probably would have been more comfortable for the rest of the night if I had.
The TV man came today. He got it going temporarily but has to bring a new part tomorrow.
I just coded my dinner in the Fitbit tracker and realised that it doesn't show any macros! How many carbs etc. Only calories in (and calories burned). Bummer. Since I don't find it comfortable and I'm not trying to beat my own walking record or anything, I might stop using it again. I prefer the food tracker I was using before, CalorieKing, which breaks everything down into protein, carbs etc. It's a Fitbit Charge HR, so if anyone knows something I've missed about how to see more info, please let me know.
Oh well, second healthy eating day in a row.
B: leftover broccoli cheese, tea.
L: satay chicken and vegetables with quinoa, tea.
S: apple.
D: beef fajitas (one mini tortilla, the rest in lettuce leaves).
S: vegetable soup.
... that Fitbit thing put me in a bit of a snit, I took it off (decided to charge it instead of tossing it in a drawer, but still) and went into a sulk and spent the rest of the evening wrestling with food. In my defence it is that time of the month (and with uterine fibroids, that time of the month is supercharged). So I ate some dark chocolate. Still within my calories, so tried to convince myself that I was still on my diet. Cashews. More chocolate. Cheese and crackers. Fail.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Six years
Monday:
Six years ago today I started this blog with "12 days of hell" as I went to the gym every morning leading up to my 40th birthday. I did stick to healthy living for those 12 days, but obviously it didn't last for the following six years.
This morning I weighed 81.8 kg, down from 82.2 last week. (six years ago I started at 83.1, so not much difference really).
Twelve days to my 46th birthday, twelve days of healthy living (then a couple of days off)! I'll be doing something similar to the eight week BSD that I was on before, but a few more carbs so I don't get miserable. I've been wearing my Fitbit for a few days now but haven't been tracking food - started that today. I've had some problems with the band rubbing my wrist, in the past, so I'm trialling wearing it on my other wrist at night and swapping back in the morning.
I've set it for 5000 steps which is all I can manage at the moment.
I did the shopping this morning, no nasties in my trolley today. I zoomed around because I had to rush home to see Game of Thrones, which airs here simultaneously with the US so that is 11am Monday here. Gruesome episode.
I've finished that book "Big Brother", it is about obesity but also about relationships and self image and lots of other things. Really good. I keep seeing paragraphs I want to quote at you! Like how she feels really virtuous when she is on a diet, how she knows that weight doesn't define self worth but she kind-of believes it does anyway, how she's realised that weight loss isn't magic and even if she can get her brother thin again his life will still suck if he doesn't change other things (instead of sitting at home, unemployed, watching TV).
B: yoghurt and passionfruit, tea.
L: chicken and salad, tea.
S: vegetable soup.
D: chicken and vegetable satay with quinoa.
S: banana.
Six years ago today I started this blog with "12 days of hell" as I went to the gym every morning leading up to my 40th birthday. I did stick to healthy living for those 12 days, but obviously it didn't last for the following six years.
This morning I weighed 81.8 kg, down from 82.2 last week. (six years ago I started at 83.1, so not much difference really).
Twelve days to my 46th birthday, twelve days of healthy living (then a couple of days off)! I'll be doing something similar to the eight week BSD that I was on before, but a few more carbs so I don't get miserable. I've been wearing my Fitbit for a few days now but haven't been tracking food - started that today. I've had some problems with the band rubbing my wrist, in the past, so I'm trialling wearing it on my other wrist at night and swapping back in the morning.
I've set it for 5000 steps which is all I can manage at the moment.
I did the shopping this morning, no nasties in my trolley today. I zoomed around because I had to rush home to see Game of Thrones, which airs here simultaneously with the US so that is 11am Monday here. Gruesome episode.
I've finished that book "Big Brother", it is about obesity but also about relationships and self image and lots of other things. Really good. I keep seeing paragraphs I want to quote at you! Like how she feels really virtuous when she is on a diet, how she knows that weight doesn't define self worth but she kind-of believes it does anyway, how she's realised that weight loss isn't magic and even if she can get her brother thin again his life will still suck if he doesn't change other things (instead of sitting at home, unemployed, watching TV).
B: yoghurt and passionfruit, tea.
L: chicken and salad, tea.
S: vegetable soup.
D: chicken and vegetable satay with quinoa.
S: banana.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Winter sunshine
Tuesday:
Yesterday my weight was 82.2 kg, still heading upwards (I'm not surprised). But I am feeling very optimistic and cheerful today.
Tim wanted to go into the city yesterday (public holiday) but I wasn't at all confident about so much walking and we stayed home. But today I went to the doctor for some cryo treatment on my foot and I'm hopeful. It feels much better and I went for a walk this afternoon. Lovely winter sunshine. I'm enjoying it while I can.
I lost the dongle for my Fitbit in our move - the thing that makes the wristband sync with my computer - so I ordered a new one last week and it came today. I've had problems with the wristband rubbing in the past but I'm hoping that it being winter will help.
Caught up with the latest Game of Thrones. My goodness that show is violent! I love the story though. Can't wait for the next book to come out.
Yesterday my weight was 82.2 kg, still heading upwards (I'm not surprised). But I am feeling very optimistic and cheerful today.
Tim wanted to go into the city yesterday (public holiday) but I wasn't at all confident about so much walking and we stayed home. But today I went to the doctor for some cryo treatment on my foot and I'm hopeful. It feels much better and I went for a walk this afternoon. Lovely winter sunshine. I'm enjoying it while I can.
I lost the dongle for my Fitbit in our move - the thing that makes the wristband sync with my computer - so I ordered a new one last week and it came today. I've had problems with the wristband rubbing in the past but I'm hoping that it being winter will help.
Caught up with the latest Game of Thrones. My goodness that show is violent! I love the story though. Can't wait for the next book to come out.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Exercise is tiring
Monday:
I weighed in to my Dietbet this morning, 84.5 kg (186 pounds). I need to lose 3.4 kg in four weeks, bringing me down to just over 81. I would love to be under 80.
Last time I measured my waist, a year or two or three ago, it was 101 cm. Today it was 106 cm. This confirms my belief that although I am not getting heavier, I am changing shape. My stomach is getting much bigger, and sagging down like it never has before. Well, not for much longer!
Becoming healthy in all aspects of my life didn't begin auspiciously. I tried to use my CPAP last night but it was awful. I'd always thought it was rather quiet, although Tim disagreed, but last night it sounded like an industrial air conditioner. Maybe because it was beside my ear instead of further away as I was used to. Whether from that or just the weirdness and restriction of having something strapped to my face, I couldn't get to sleep. This thing is supposed to help me get a good night's sleep - not keep me awake! I tossed and turned. After a couple of hours I drifted off - into a nightmare. Woke soon after all sweaty and yuck even though it was a cool night. Gave up on the CPAP and turned it off. Which makes the screen light up as it goes into its 5 minute cool-down mode. It's like being in a disco, the whole room was glowing. In Canberra I used to switch it off at the wall to bypass the bright screen, but here I can't reach the wall switch without moving the whole bedside table. I put a box of tissues over the top of the screen which helped. All in all it gives me no motivation to go back to using it. Maybe if I lose weight quickly I won't need it anyway?
And in the morning as I was making myself a cup of tea I dropped the lid of the sugar bowl and it smashed on the floor. I really liked that bowl.
And I can't find the dongle for my Fitbit which means I can't sync it with my computer to get all the stats stored, I can just see todays stats on the device itself. Also I can't work out how to see the nutritional information of the food I put in the tracker, only the calories. And it's rubbing my wrist already. I'm just not going well with devices at the moment! So I've gone back to tracking on my old app and not using the Fitbit.
Oh well, after the rocky start things got better. I made myself a vegetable omelette for breakfast which was both healthy and filling, and lasted me through the whole morning.
(This is the only food I remembered to photograph.)
Did the shopping, a trolley full of fresh fruit and vegetables and meat. Had lunch of a leftover lamb chop and a salad, and added a bit of cheese when I was still unsatisfied. Afternoon snack was a nectarine and a few almonds. Dinner was bolognaise with zoodles (zucchini noodles) instead of spaghetti. I was looking forward to that all afternoon, I certainly haven't stopped thinking about food all the time!
Aiden gave me a new dancing game for Christmas and I tried it this afternoon. It was exhausting! I wanted to quit after one song but I pushed on and did one more and one more until I got to half an hour. It was kind of embarrassing how little I was able to do, how unfit I am. Hard exercise tends to make me feel depressed afterward, I wanted to give up on the whole thing. But I had a shower and made dinner and got through it, and feel ok now.
I did really well on food and water and exercise so I guess I can work on the sleep and mental health aspects later.
I weighed in to my Dietbet this morning, 84.5 kg (186 pounds). I need to lose 3.4 kg in four weeks, bringing me down to just over 81. I would love to be under 80.
Last time I measured my waist, a year or two or three ago, it was 101 cm. Today it was 106 cm. This confirms my belief that although I am not getting heavier, I am changing shape. My stomach is getting much bigger, and sagging down like it never has before. Well, not for much longer!
Becoming healthy in all aspects of my life didn't begin auspiciously. I tried to use my CPAP last night but it was awful. I'd always thought it was rather quiet, although Tim disagreed, but last night it sounded like an industrial air conditioner. Maybe because it was beside my ear instead of further away as I was used to. Whether from that or just the weirdness and restriction of having something strapped to my face, I couldn't get to sleep. This thing is supposed to help me get a good night's sleep - not keep me awake! I tossed and turned. After a couple of hours I drifted off - into a nightmare. Woke soon after all sweaty and yuck even though it was a cool night. Gave up on the CPAP and turned it off. Which makes the screen light up as it goes into its 5 minute cool-down mode. It's like being in a disco, the whole room was glowing. In Canberra I used to switch it off at the wall to bypass the bright screen, but here I can't reach the wall switch without moving the whole bedside table. I put a box of tissues over the top of the screen which helped. All in all it gives me no motivation to go back to using it. Maybe if I lose weight quickly I won't need it anyway?
And in the morning as I was making myself a cup of tea I dropped the lid of the sugar bowl and it smashed on the floor. I really liked that bowl.
And I can't find the dongle for my Fitbit which means I can't sync it with my computer to get all the stats stored, I can just see todays stats on the device itself. Also I can't work out how to see the nutritional information of the food I put in the tracker, only the calories. And it's rubbing my wrist already. I'm just not going well with devices at the moment! So I've gone back to tracking on my old app and not using the Fitbit.
Oh well, after the rocky start things got better. I made myself a vegetable omelette for breakfast which was both healthy and filling, and lasted me through the whole morning.
Did the shopping, a trolley full of fresh fruit and vegetables and meat. Had lunch of a leftover lamb chop and a salad, and added a bit of cheese when I was still unsatisfied. Afternoon snack was a nectarine and a few almonds. Dinner was bolognaise with zoodles (zucchini noodles) instead of spaghetti. I was looking forward to that all afternoon, I certainly haven't stopped thinking about food all the time!
Aiden gave me a new dancing game for Christmas and I tried it this afternoon. It was exhausting! I wanted to quit after one song but I pushed on and did one more and one more until I got to half an hour. It was kind of embarrassing how little I was able to do, how unfit I am. Hard exercise tends to make me feel depressed afterward, I wanted to give up on the whole thing. But I had a shower and made dinner and got through it, and feel ok now.
I did really well on food and water and exercise so I guess I can work on the sleep and mental health aspects later.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Ready
Sunday:
Today has flown by so fast! Every time I looked up, another few hours had gone by. I had a lazy day at home. Aiden tried out his new bike. He had completely outgrown his old one, this one fits him just right.
I had allowed myself today to eat a few treats left over from Christmas but really didn't have much. A bit of chocolate in the afternoon and dessert (Toblerone cheesecake, worth the calories!) after dinner. I felt no urge to binge on anything. I was tired, but not in a bad way. A natural consequence of a busy few days.
I spent some time preparing for my return to healthy living tomorrow. I'm feeling quietly confident. I've made a shopping list for tomorrow, packed with healthy food. My Fitbit is charged - it tends to rub on my wrist but I'm going to try alternating arms. My CPAP is washed and ready on my bedside table. I was given a new Dance game for the Xbox for Christmas, I'll try that out tomorrow. I've joined a 4-week DietBet that starts tomorrow so I'll weigh-in in the morning; I'll need to lose about 3.5 kg. I'm as ready as I can be!
I'll be following something similar to a Mediterranean diet, what I consider a sensible diet; low in processed food and high in fresh fruit and vegetables, moderate protein and fat, fairly low carb (at least low in processed carbs). I will be counting calories and tracking with the Fitbit app that syncs with my Charge HR. And drinking lots of water. I'm ready!
Today has flown by so fast! Every time I looked up, another few hours had gone by. I had a lazy day at home. Aiden tried out his new bike. He had completely outgrown his old one, this one fits him just right.
I spent some time preparing for my return to healthy living tomorrow. I'm feeling quietly confident. I've made a shopping list for tomorrow, packed with healthy food. My Fitbit is charged - it tends to rub on my wrist but I'm going to try alternating arms. My CPAP is washed and ready on my bedside table. I was given a new Dance game for the Xbox for Christmas, I'll try that out tomorrow. I've joined a 4-week DietBet that starts tomorrow so I'll weigh-in in the morning; I'll need to lose about 3.5 kg. I'm as ready as I can be!
I'll be following something similar to a Mediterranean diet, what I consider a sensible diet; low in processed food and high in fresh fruit and vegetables, moderate protein and fat, fairly low carb (at least low in processed carbs). I will be counting calories and tracking with the Fitbit app that syncs with my Charge HR. And drinking lots of water. I'm ready!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Fridge, roof and fitbit
Monday:
I guess it wasn't dream stomach crunches after all. Last night and today included nausea, dizziness and fatigue. However I feel a lot better this evening, on the mend now I'm sure.
Our fridge was delivered this morning. We have a fairly small space allocated in the kitchen for a fridge, when we moved here we bought the biggest we could find that fit the space. This time Tim managed to find one that was the same width but a bit taller. I have a working fridge with all its shelves! Amazing.
Since I was feeling unwell all day, I didn't get out to the shops so the new fridge is still pretty empty. I had instant noodles for lunch then ordered home-delivered Chinese for dinner. That is about three billion mgs of sodium! I'd better not weigh myself tomorrow. And I should be able to get out to the shops and stock up on real food tomorrow, at the moment the lovely big vegetable drawer has half a lettuce and two lonely mushrooms.
I stopped wearing my fitbit a few days ago because it was starting to make a mark on my wrist. I still have a discoloured dent there, days later, and a bit of skin rubbed off. I was wearing it 24/7 except in the shower, I guess that is too much for my girly Princess skin. I tried putting it on my other wrist but that just felt wrong! I'll give my left arm a longer break then try it again.
While I was sitting slumped in front of the TV I saw a vaguely familiar tradesman wandering up and down our driveway (the room they've been working on is separate from the house and I've been leaving it unlocked because it is empty). He knocked on the door eventually and told me he'd finished sanding down the new plaster ceiling. And a while later the painters called and told me they're coming on Wednesday. Are we really on the home stretch? Now don't get your hopes up, Natalie, you've been fooled before! But the great thing is it rained a lot on the weekend and the repaired roof didn't leak! Or if it did, not enough to seep through the ceiling (yet). I'm glad the interior work was covered by insurance, otherwise these weeks and weeks of on again off again work would no doubt cost a fortune.
Report card:
Diet: Poor.
Exercise: Poor (sick).
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Absolutely terrible.
Mental health: Good this evening.
It was an uninspired past three days but I am feeling much more perky now.
I guess it wasn't dream stomach crunches after all. Last night and today included nausea, dizziness and fatigue. However I feel a lot better this evening, on the mend now I'm sure.
Our fridge was delivered this morning. We have a fairly small space allocated in the kitchen for a fridge, when we moved here we bought the biggest we could find that fit the space. This time Tim managed to find one that was the same width but a bit taller. I have a working fridge with all its shelves! Amazing.
Since I was feeling unwell all day, I didn't get out to the shops so the new fridge is still pretty empty. I had instant noodles for lunch then ordered home-delivered Chinese for dinner. That is about three billion mgs of sodium! I'd better not weigh myself tomorrow. And I should be able to get out to the shops and stock up on real food tomorrow, at the moment the lovely big vegetable drawer has half a lettuce and two lonely mushrooms.
I stopped wearing my fitbit a few days ago because it was starting to make a mark on my wrist. I still have a discoloured dent there, days later, and a bit of skin rubbed off. I was wearing it 24/7 except in the shower, I guess that is too much for my girly Princess skin. I tried putting it on my other wrist but that just felt wrong! I'll give my left arm a longer break then try it again.
While I was sitting slumped in front of the TV I saw a vaguely familiar tradesman wandering up and down our driveway (the room they've been working on is separate from the house and I've been leaving it unlocked because it is empty). He knocked on the door eventually and told me he'd finished sanding down the new plaster ceiling. And a while later the painters called and told me they're coming on Wednesday. Are we really on the home stretch? Now don't get your hopes up, Natalie, you've been fooled before! But the great thing is it rained a lot on the weekend and the repaired roof didn't leak! Or if it did, not enough to seep through the ceiling (yet). I'm glad the interior work was covered by insurance, otherwise these weeks and weeks of on again off again work would no doubt cost a fortune.
Report card:
Diet: Poor.
Exercise: Poor (sick).
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Absolutely terrible.
Mental health: Good this evening.
It was an uninspired past three days but I am feeling much more perky now.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Running up stairs
Wednesday:
Dad called last night and he is back home with new medication to add to his pill box, and keeping some food down. But he doesn't have results of the tests yet so we don't actually know what is wrong.
I got to the gym this morning and did 45 minutes at medium intensity on the elliptical then walked down/ran up the stairs five times for a total of 100 stairs. I made it to 10,000 steps by the end of the day. Three days in a row!
Tim was home sick today. He played computer games while I did my work. It was nice for Aiden that daddy was home, it meant he didn't have to accompany me to Jasmine's dance lesson and sit bored for an hour (he gets to play my iPhone). The studio is just far enough away that it's not worth driving home so we always stay. It's too cold to walk outside now at that time of the evening. I loved having pulled pork to come home to - and it's high carb day so I got to have a tortilla! Yummy.
Report card:
Diet: Good.
Exercise: Great.
Water: Good.
Sleep: Good with compliance, but restless.
Mental health: Good.
Dad called last night and he is back home with new medication to add to his pill box, and keeping some food down. But he doesn't have results of the tests yet so we don't actually know what is wrong.
I got to the gym this morning and did 45 minutes at medium intensity on the elliptical then walked down/ran up the stairs five times for a total of 100 stairs. I made it to 10,000 steps by the end of the day. Three days in a row!
Tim was home sick today. He played computer games while I did my work. It was nice for Aiden that daddy was home, it meant he didn't have to accompany me to Jasmine's dance lesson and sit bored for an hour (he gets to play my iPhone). The studio is just far enough away that it's not worth driving home so we always stay. It's too cold to walk outside now at that time of the evening. I loved having pulled pork to come home to - and it's high carb day so I got to have a tortilla! Yummy.
Report card:
Diet: Good.
Exercise: Great.
Water: Good.
Sleep: Good with compliance, but restless.
Mental health: Good.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Taking those extra steps
Wednesday:
I felt so much better today, even though according to my Fitbit I slept less than 4 hours out of all the time I was in bed. Still, that is nearly 4 hours, right? Regardless, I had more energy and alertness, at least until evening, which is all I ask for.
So I did an hour of Fantasia and then a half hour walk, and this evening did a few laps of the lounge room to get me over the line of 10,000 steps. And I learned how to take a screenshot of my iPhone.
I made a couple of phone calls I wasn't looking forward to. One to the crematorium about picking up mum's ashes (after finding out how many thousands it was to have them put in the crematorium's rose garden - too many), and then one to a hotel about changing my reservation because my brother rang last night to ask me to change which weekend we visit to help go through mum's stuff. The hotel receptionist was a bit dubious at first, it was supposed to be non-refundable, but then I played the "my mum just died" card (she did ask why I needed to change) and she was very nice and changed my reservation straight away which was lovely. I felt really weird and uncomfortable about it, even though I was just being totally honest, because I am not good at any sort of confrontation. But got that done and out of the way when I'd been dreading it.
Tim has been working ridiculous hours these past couple of weeks, we are hoping tomorrow is the last day but who knows? Then he goes back to his usual office (he is a lawyer) with only semi-ridiculous hours. He had the car today so we couldn't get to Jasmine's dance class but it was nice to have an afternoon at home. We usually do fine with one car because Tim rides his bike to work but he's needed it a bit more often with this location and hours. One day we may get a second car, especially if we move to Sydney eventually, they don't have the extensive bike path network we have in Canberra and there is a lot more traffic and it's a much bigger city.
Report card:
Diet: Good. I'm trying to reduce my carbs a bit, the starchy ones at least. Still eating plenty of fruit. Especially grapes, which are amazing right now.
Exercise: Great. An hour and a half, and extra walking to finish my steps.
Water: Poor. Managed 7. My problem is that I know I don't have to force down 12 glasses so I assume the 8 will just happen easily by itself - in actual fact my natural inclination is about 4 glasses a day. Including tea. So I still need to make an effort to drink the 8. Work on that tomorrow.
Sleep: Better. Well, I felt better.
Mental health: Good. Thinking about my mum a lot, but doing ok.
I felt so much better today, even though according to my Fitbit I slept less than 4 hours out of all the time I was in bed. Still, that is nearly 4 hours, right? Regardless, I had more energy and alertness, at least until evening, which is all I ask for.
So I did an hour of Fantasia and then a half hour walk, and this evening did a few laps of the lounge room to get me over the line of 10,000 steps. And I learned how to take a screenshot of my iPhone.
I made a couple of phone calls I wasn't looking forward to. One to the crematorium about picking up mum's ashes (after finding out how many thousands it was to have them put in the crematorium's rose garden - too many), and then one to a hotel about changing my reservation because my brother rang last night to ask me to change which weekend we visit to help go through mum's stuff. The hotel receptionist was a bit dubious at first, it was supposed to be non-refundable, but then I played the "my mum just died" card (she did ask why I needed to change) and she was very nice and changed my reservation straight away which was lovely. I felt really weird and uncomfortable about it, even though I was just being totally honest, because I am not good at any sort of confrontation. But got that done and out of the way when I'd been dreading it.
Tim has been working ridiculous hours these past couple of weeks, we are hoping tomorrow is the last day but who knows? Then he goes back to his usual office (he is a lawyer) with only semi-ridiculous hours. He had the car today so we couldn't get to Jasmine's dance class but it was nice to have an afternoon at home. We usually do fine with one car because Tim rides his bike to work but he's needed it a bit more often with this location and hours. One day we may get a second car, especially if we move to Sydney eventually, they don't have the extensive bike path network we have in Canberra and there is a lot more traffic and it's a much bigger city.
Report card:
Diet: Good. I'm trying to reduce my carbs a bit, the starchy ones at least. Still eating plenty of fruit. Especially grapes, which are amazing right now.
Exercise: Great. An hour and a half, and extra walking to finish my steps.
Water: Poor. Managed 7. My problem is that I know I don't have to force down 12 glasses so I assume the 8 will just happen easily by itself - in actual fact my natural inclination is about 4 glasses a day. Including tea. So I still need to make an effort to drink the 8. Work on that tomorrow.
Sleep: Better. Well, I felt better.
Mental health: Good. Thinking about my mum a lot, but doing ok.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Five stars and choices
Sunday:
I played some World of Warcraft with my husband this morning, and then did an hour of Fantasia. I was fine, back to 100%. And for the first time ever I got 5 stars in a song! Yay me. That was right at the end of the hour. In the afternoon I listened to my meditation app and had a nap.
I have chosen and paid for my meditation apps after giving them a good trial. I think they are both by someone called Surf City. One is for sleeping; the daytime one I use has a weight-loss element. There is all the relaxing bit then a visualisation of standing in front of a mirror and seeing the person you want to be. No idea if it has any effect, but I like listening to it. And if it helps me slide into a nap, I really don't mind!
I slept very badly last night, tossing and turning. Too hot and the sheets got all rucked up and I don't know what else. My Fitbit says I was fully awake 5 times and restless 20 times. Felt pretty tired and headachy but refused to let it stop me exercising. Did well today in spite of it.
After some deliberation, and a period of not really tracking at all, I've made the commitment to change over fully to Fitbit with my food tracking. It means starting over with programming in favourite meals and finding substitutions for foods it doesn't list, but I'll have everything in one place.
I'm also rethinking my Plant Nanny app, cute though it is. It requires me to drink 12 glasses of water a day, which is the current fashion. Eight glasses is more traditional, and some nutritionists even say that includes liquid from foods. I'm usually quite dehydrated so I did need to increase my water intake, but I've decided 12 is too much. I hardly dare leave the house as I have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, it makes going for a walk or even doing the shopping problematic, and no jumping during exercise! And I'm up too many times at night, which is the wrong choice for me given my sleep issues. It's bad enough if I stop drinking early, but usually I'm having my last glass or two too close to bedtime and I have to get up over and over. So, back to 8 glasses and goodbye Plant Nanny (the plants wilt and die if you don't drink to water them and I can't change the 12 glass requirement unless I tell it I weigh 2/3 of my actual bodyweight. Which I considered).
Speaking of sleep, I've decided to put away my CPAP for the time being, since I haven't used it for weeks. Our bedroom has several built in wardrobes and no space for a bedside table, so I keep it on a stool beside the bed, blocking access to the wardrobe. Every time we want to open the door we have to move it, careful not to spill the water in the humidifier. It is a real pain. I can't bear to use it in this heat (that's my excuse anyway) so it is going inside the cupboard instead of blocking the door to it. I can always revisit this decision later.
Now I need to think about how to increase my exercise intensity. Maybe another three month gym membership.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Right amount of calories, could have had some more vegetables.
Exercise: Great. An hour today.
Water: Great. Eight glasses.
Sleep: Poor. But I did get a nap this afternoon.
Mental health: Good.
I have 11 days left in the first month of this dietbet. I can do it!
I played some World of Warcraft with my husband this morning, and then did an hour of Fantasia. I was fine, back to 100%. And for the first time ever I got 5 stars in a song! Yay me. That was right at the end of the hour. In the afternoon I listened to my meditation app and had a nap.
I have chosen and paid for my meditation apps after giving them a good trial. I think they are both by someone called Surf City. One is for sleeping; the daytime one I use has a weight-loss element. There is all the relaxing bit then a visualisation of standing in front of a mirror and seeing the person you want to be. No idea if it has any effect, but I like listening to it. And if it helps me slide into a nap, I really don't mind!
I slept very badly last night, tossing and turning. Too hot and the sheets got all rucked up and I don't know what else. My Fitbit says I was fully awake 5 times and restless 20 times. Felt pretty tired and headachy but refused to let it stop me exercising. Did well today in spite of it.
After some deliberation, and a period of not really tracking at all, I've made the commitment to change over fully to Fitbit with my food tracking. It means starting over with programming in favourite meals and finding substitutions for foods it doesn't list, but I'll have everything in one place.
I'm also rethinking my Plant Nanny app, cute though it is. It requires me to drink 12 glasses of water a day, which is the current fashion. Eight glasses is more traditional, and some nutritionists even say that includes liquid from foods. I'm usually quite dehydrated so I did need to increase my water intake, but I've decided 12 is too much. I hardly dare leave the house as I have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, it makes going for a walk or even doing the shopping problematic, and no jumping during exercise! And I'm up too many times at night, which is the wrong choice for me given my sleep issues. It's bad enough if I stop drinking early, but usually I'm having my last glass or two too close to bedtime and I have to get up over and over. So, back to 8 glasses and goodbye Plant Nanny (the plants wilt and die if you don't drink to water them and I can't change the 12 glass requirement unless I tell it I weigh 2/3 of my actual bodyweight. Which I considered).
Speaking of sleep, I've decided to put away my CPAP for the time being, since I haven't used it for weeks. Our bedroom has several built in wardrobes and no space for a bedside table, so I keep it on a stool beside the bed, blocking access to the wardrobe. Every time we want to open the door we have to move it, careful not to spill the water in the humidifier. It is a real pain. I can't bear to use it in this heat (that's my excuse anyway) so it is going inside the cupboard instead of blocking the door to it. I can always revisit this decision later.
Now I need to think about how to increase my exercise intensity. Maybe another three month gym membership.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Right amount of calories, could have had some more vegetables.
Exercise: Great. An hour today.
Water: Great. Eight glasses.
Sleep: Poor. But I did get a nap this afternoon.
Mental health: Good.
I have 11 days left in the first month of this dietbet. I can do it!
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Progress
Tuesday:
I left my fitbit on last night and listened to my sleep meditation. I had read something that argued that wearable sleep trackers were not very accurate because they only went by movement - if you lay still it would assume you are asleep (I don't know if that is really how they do it, I was wondering if they take your very relaxed heart rate into account). So I wasn't that surprised when in the morning the fitbit informed me I had slept very well, going to sleep in 11 minutes and then resting peacefully through the night except for getting up twice to go to the bathroom. Ha! Not true, I thought, because my sleep meditation goes for about 25 minutes (not 11) and I am sure I heard the whole thing. I distinctly remember all the muscle clenching and relaxing exercises and then visualizing being in a gently swaying hammock and then ... and then ... I did not hear the rest. I had been so sure I took a long time to get to sleep. But I definitely didn't hear the last half of the meditation. I did hear it all through the first night so I know what is said. I felt really alert today so maybe I did get a good night's sleep! As I have said before, I am just a terrible judge of how well I slept, if I compare my memory of it to how I feel the next day.
I did a whole hour of exercise this morning, Fantasia again. My arm was only a tiny bit sore, it was fine. I did a classical track (Dvorak) for a change, then Bohemian Rhapsody a few times (still only four stars) then I earned the song Radioactive so I tried that out a couple of times. I am really enjoying it at the moment. I have lost my resistance to exercise, for the moment anyway, I am not getting complacent about it. In fact the only thing I don't like is that, alone in the house, after my shower I can't put on a normal bra by myself due to my shoulder injuries. And an overweight middle-aged (in the prime of life!) woman needs a proper bra! Those pretend-bra crop-top things just aren't the same. But, here is the great news, today I found that I can almost reach high enough behind my back! My left shoulder has been very slow to return to normal (three years? More?) after healing after a tear, no doubt because I don't do any physio for it, but finally it is almost there. I wonder if all this waving my arms around for Fantasia is helping loosen it up?
I had a healthy lunch and then got a very good session of editing in. I am down to the little details that suddenly occur to me during the day, like my main character compares something to a castle rampart and then I realised she's never seen a castle so maybe it would be better for her to compare it to something else. Or adding in a few lines for a minor character to show her character more fully.
Later in the afternoon I did my other meditation app which was very restful. I am feeling calm and happy. Well, most of the time. Everything is going pretty well at the moment. Of course it is very hard to judge how much of this calm comes from semi- regular meditation. I also have a little distance now from my mother's death, and I have time to myself during the day while the kids are at school. It all contributes, I imagine, to peace of mind.
I had plenty of calories left at the end of the day so I got to have a bit more of that fabulous raspberry chocolate! Yummy.
My Fitbit says I did 4850 steps today, not bad considering I didn't leave the house! I assume it counted my conducting Fantasia as steps, but I also moved around the house a fair bit during the day. Tomorrow I'll get a walk in and try to get to 10000.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Within my limits and mostly healthy, depending on how you rate dark chocolate.
Exercise: Great. I'm gradually increasing time and intensity.
Water: Good. It's getting late with still two glasses to go, but I've had ten glasses.
Sleep: Improving.
Mental health: Great.
I've been reading the autobiography of John Cleese (British comedian of Monty Python fame, weird sketch comedy) and he talks about how on the rare occasion he did a "perfect" live performance he felt really depressed for the next few days because he knew he would never/hardly ever achieve that level again. Perfection leaves you nowhere to go. So let's be happy with progress.
I left my fitbit on last night and listened to my sleep meditation. I had read something that argued that wearable sleep trackers were not very accurate because they only went by movement - if you lay still it would assume you are asleep (I don't know if that is really how they do it, I was wondering if they take your very relaxed heart rate into account). So I wasn't that surprised when in the morning the fitbit informed me I had slept very well, going to sleep in 11 minutes and then resting peacefully through the night except for getting up twice to go to the bathroom. Ha! Not true, I thought, because my sleep meditation goes for about 25 minutes (not 11) and I am sure I heard the whole thing. I distinctly remember all the muscle clenching and relaxing exercises and then visualizing being in a gently swaying hammock and then ... and then ... I did not hear the rest. I had been so sure I took a long time to get to sleep. But I definitely didn't hear the last half of the meditation. I did hear it all through the first night so I know what is said. I felt really alert today so maybe I did get a good night's sleep! As I have said before, I am just a terrible judge of how well I slept, if I compare my memory of it to how I feel the next day.
I did a whole hour of exercise this morning, Fantasia again. My arm was only a tiny bit sore, it was fine. I did a classical track (Dvorak) for a change, then Bohemian Rhapsody a few times (still only four stars) then I earned the song Radioactive so I tried that out a couple of times. I am really enjoying it at the moment. I have lost my resistance to exercise, for the moment anyway, I am not getting complacent about it. In fact the only thing I don't like is that, alone in the house, after my shower I can't put on a normal bra by myself due to my shoulder injuries. And an overweight middle-aged (in the prime of life!) woman needs a proper bra! Those pretend-bra crop-top things just aren't the same. But, here is the great news, today I found that I can almost reach high enough behind my back! My left shoulder has been very slow to return to normal (three years? More?) after healing after a tear, no doubt because I don't do any physio for it, but finally it is almost there. I wonder if all this waving my arms around for Fantasia is helping loosen it up?
I had a healthy lunch and then got a very good session of editing in. I am down to the little details that suddenly occur to me during the day, like my main character compares something to a castle rampart and then I realised she's never seen a castle so maybe it would be better for her to compare it to something else. Or adding in a few lines for a minor character to show her character more fully.
Later in the afternoon I did my other meditation app which was very restful. I am feeling calm and happy. Well, most of the time. Everything is going pretty well at the moment. Of course it is very hard to judge how much of this calm comes from semi- regular meditation. I also have a little distance now from my mother's death, and I have time to myself during the day while the kids are at school. It all contributes, I imagine, to peace of mind.
I had plenty of calories left at the end of the day so I got to have a bit more of that fabulous raspberry chocolate! Yummy.
My Fitbit says I did 4850 steps today, not bad considering I didn't leave the house! I assume it counted my conducting Fantasia as steps, but I also moved around the house a fair bit during the day. Tomorrow I'll get a walk in and try to get to 10000.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Within my limits and mostly healthy, depending on how you rate dark chocolate.
Exercise: Great. I'm gradually increasing time and intensity.
Water: Good. It's getting late with still two glasses to go, but I've had ten glasses.
Sleep: Improving.
Mental health: Great.
I've been reading the autobiography of John Cleese (British comedian of Monty Python fame, weird sketch comedy) and he talks about how on the rare occasion he did a "perfect" live performance he felt really depressed for the next few days because he knew he would never/hardly ever achieve that level again. Perfection leaves you nowhere to go. So let's be happy with progress.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Fitbit Charge HR
Monday:
My exciting news for today is that I bought a Fitbit Charge HR. Wristband that tracks heart rate, steps, activity level and sleep. I had to charge it when I got home so I've only been wearing it during my sedentary evening so far. I've spent a bit of time looking at the website and the app that syncs to it - getting to know it. A fun extra app is FitRPG where you do quests (like walking 1000 steps in the next hour) to go up levels.
I listened to meditation at bedtime last night, a different one by the same people that is specifically designed to put you to sleep and give you a restful night. I listened to it all. Then lay awake another half hour. Then I slept for about five hours before waking early. but maybe I did sleep well, because at least I didn't feel sleepy today.
In the morning I did my exercise, half an hour of Fantasia. Again, I just did Bohemian Rhapsody over and over trying to get five stars. Didn't make it, but at least I can get four stars consistently now. This game is hard! Toning up those flabby arms. It stays interesting (so far) because you get to choose which instruments to add in, so it sounds a bit different each time. Bigger drum kit for Roger, violin for the slow bits. Can't really beat the original Queen though.
Then I did the shopping. And got my Fitbit. And a new frying pan. The handle came off ours last night. Shame, it was the best one I've ever owned. My dad got me a set for my engagement. I bought a scanpan this time. Not non-stick, you need the non-non-stick to get a good crust on a steak. We need a new front door too, or at least a new handle. It sticks so bad we can hardly open it.
It's been an expensive couple of months. Christmas, mum's funeral, all the kids' activities starting up again.
We were away a lot over the holidays and we missed a couple of garbage collections. We caught up on the normal one ok, but recycling is only collected once a fortnight and the bin always fills up anyway, let alone with all the extra boxes from Christmas. So beside our back door are stacks of cardboard and bottles and plastics. I can hardly get to the washing machine.
I had hoped for a lot of writing time today but I didn't get as much as I wanted.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Lindt came out with a new flavoured dark chocolate - raspberry. It is fabulous. And I only had two squares, staying within my calorie limit for the day.
Exercise: Great. Pushed myself even when my left arm got pretty sore (not "I am doing permanent damage" sore).
Water: Excellent.
Sleep: I'm really not sure. I thought I had a short sleep but I feel fine today. Much better than the last couple. Yes I know I should be using my CPAP. But if wearing it stops me going to sleep in the first place its not much use, is it? It will be interesting to see what my Fitbit records tonight.
Mental Health: Good. Keeping busy.
My exciting news for today is that I bought a Fitbit Charge HR. Wristband that tracks heart rate, steps, activity level and sleep. I had to charge it when I got home so I've only been wearing it during my sedentary evening so far. I've spent a bit of time looking at the website and the app that syncs to it - getting to know it. A fun extra app is FitRPG where you do quests (like walking 1000 steps in the next hour) to go up levels.
I listened to meditation at bedtime last night, a different one by the same people that is specifically designed to put you to sleep and give you a restful night. I listened to it all. Then lay awake another half hour. Then I slept for about five hours before waking early. but maybe I did sleep well, because at least I didn't feel sleepy today.
In the morning I did my exercise, half an hour of Fantasia. Again, I just did Bohemian Rhapsody over and over trying to get five stars. Didn't make it, but at least I can get four stars consistently now. This game is hard! Toning up those flabby arms. It stays interesting (so far) because you get to choose which instruments to add in, so it sounds a bit different each time. Bigger drum kit for Roger, violin for the slow bits. Can't really beat the original Queen though.
Then I did the shopping. And got my Fitbit. And a new frying pan. The handle came off ours last night. Shame, it was the best one I've ever owned. My dad got me a set for my engagement. I bought a scanpan this time. Not non-stick, you need the non-non-stick to get a good crust on a steak. We need a new front door too, or at least a new handle. It sticks so bad we can hardly open it.
It's been an expensive couple of months. Christmas, mum's funeral, all the kids' activities starting up again.
We were away a lot over the holidays and we missed a couple of garbage collections. We caught up on the normal one ok, but recycling is only collected once a fortnight and the bin always fills up anyway, let alone with all the extra boxes from Christmas. So beside our back door are stacks of cardboard and bottles and plastics. I can hardly get to the washing machine.
I had hoped for a lot of writing time today but I didn't get as much as I wanted.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Lindt came out with a new flavoured dark chocolate - raspberry. It is fabulous. And I only had two squares, staying within my calorie limit for the day.
Exercise: Great. Pushed myself even when my left arm got pretty sore (not "I am doing permanent damage" sore).
Water: Excellent.
Sleep: I'm really not sure. I thought I had a short sleep but I feel fine today. Much better than the last couple. Yes I know I should be using my CPAP. But if wearing it stops me going to sleep in the first place its not much use, is it? It will be interesting to see what my Fitbit records tonight.
Mental Health: Good. Keeping busy.
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