Bad Habit Breakup: Week One - No Fast Food

I rejoined Weight Watchers about 4 weeks ago and since that time I've GAINED 1.4lbs.  WTF?  Basically, I have been half-ass doing the program and I've slipped back into some of my worst eating and exercise habits.  I've been eating fast food like it's gone out of style and because of my injury/illness, I haven't exercised consistently since last November.  It's no wonder I have gained since I restarted. 

I don't know quite know how to explain this but usually when I go back to Weight Watchers, I try to use the program to address all of my bad habits simultaneously.  Almost like I think the program will help me deal with emotional eating or lack of exercise because I don't want to embarrass myself on the scale.  But since Weight Watchers doesn't prohibit any food, I have been following the spirit of the plan and that's why I'm struggling with gains instead of loses.  Case in point, I had 8 fast food meals last week and not all of them were grilled chicken sandwiches with no mayo either.  I had Jack in the Box tacos on at least 2 separate occasions and although fried zucchini isn't as bad as French fries, it is still fried food.  Add to the fast food frenzy was the fact that I said birthday calories don't count and had 4 slices of Spiced Bavarian Cream cake in a two-day period.  I like Weight Watchers for it's flexibility but I have to be the one to exercise some self-control.

I've identified my 7 bad dietary habits and for the next 7 weeks or so, I'm going to tackle each one.
Dietary Bad Habits List
1. Eating too much fast food (due to failure to meal plan and prep ahead of time)
2. Excessive snacking after dinner (and away from prying eyes)
3. Not enough fruits and vegetables on a consistent basis.
4. Not recognizing fullness; Eating 'till I'm stuffed
5. Drinking entirely too much diet soda
6. Not consistently tracking/journaling food intake
7. Blowing off too many scheduled workouts
So this week, my goal is to follow the Weight Watchers plan but to do it without any fast food.   This means I need to meal plan, prep food and follow through by eating what I've prepared.  It's not like I don't like cooking but it does mean I need to manage my time better. Mondays are my research days at home so I can use the mornings to plan, prep and store meals.  I have a rough idea of what I'm going to do so I'll be sure to post recipes and pictures tomorrow. 

Why address fast food first?  Well, I believe I've developed a fast food addiction.  I'm addicted to not only the convenience of it but also the layering of fat, salt and sugar.  I read The End of Overeating by David Kessler who was the former head of the USFDA.  Kessler says that when his administration of the FDA required food sold in stores to be labeled with nutrition information, the restaurant industry was left mostly unregulated.  This meant that restaurants could use any means necessary to keep customers filling their seats and their preferred method was to over-stimulate the brain's appetite functions with what he calls "layering food".  Layering, for example, is to "double" the amount of fat, salt and sugar to a food to make a person crave it even when they are full.  A real-world example would be Chili Sante Fe Egg Rolls.  Kessler says that these Egg Rolls come to the restaurant already fried and then frozen.  So they are fatty to begin with but the restaurant re-fries them and the unassuming customer is now eating double the amount of saturated and trans-fat they'd normally consume.  Constantly eating foods like this over-stimulates the brain which sends gherlin, a hormone in the pancreas, to trigger a hunger response.

What does this mean for weight loss?  Eating fast food and trying to simultaneously lose weight is like climbing uphill with roller skates on.  Sure, there are healthier options out there but part of weight loss is managing your environment to ensure your success.  I can't have chips and dips in my house and expect to resist them day after day so why continue eating fast food when it causes a similar uncontrollable urge to over-eat response in me?  So for this week, I'm going cold turkey on fast food and building from there.  This is going to be the hardest challenge yet, methinks. 

Another Year Older

 The Birthday Girl Being Silly at Work (Notice the Hair Decorations From the Cake)

Yesterday (March 11th) was my 37th birthday.  Since my birthday always seems to fall on a weekday, they usually end up being pretty uneventful affairs.  But luckily, I have a great hubby and friends who always make me feel special.  This birthday was difficult because my grandfather Everett was buried in Arlington National Cemetary on March 11th.  But I soldiered on knowing my grandfather is no longer in pain and probably raising hell already up in heaven. 

I woke up to birthday greetings from my husband and then he gave me what I hoping he would get me.  A $100 New Balance Store gift certificate.  Yipee!  Can't I tell you how triflin' I've been about getting new running shoes?  Well, I wore the last pair down so much that after my last run about 2 weeks ago, I could barely walk for three days! $%@#!  After work I went straight to the New Balance Store and got these beauties (and some SuperFeet Inserts for my falling arches).

I understand that most shoe salespeople work on commission but why did the saleswoman offer me some silver shoelaces to go with my shoes?  When I promptly told her I only run on a treadmill, she looked a bit embarrassed for even offering. 

Right before my 10am class, I get a text message from my friend Jen saying there was a surprise for me in the work fridge.  Oh Lord!  Last year, Jen surprised me with a carrot cake that was sinful and divine.  What was she up to this time? :o) 

After class, I literally skipped back to my office to discover that Jen had bought me a Spiced Bavarian Creme Cake that was absolutely delicious.  It was so beautifully decorated though that I was almost (and almost being the operative word here) too afraid to cut it.  I had 2 huge slices at work because birthday calories don't count.

When I got home, my husband asked me if we could postpone my birthday dinner to Sunday.  He just had an oral surgery the day before and could only eat soup so he wouldn't be able to eat anything on the menu and since I wanted to go out and buy the new Sade CD, I was more than happy to postpone it. I went out and bought the long-awaited Soldier of Love CD.  I haven't gotten past the first two songs yet because I keep replaying them over and over again.  Sade's voice is beautiful as ever and I'm mad that she is 52 years old and still looks this damn good:

So although it was a relatively quiet birthday, I'm happy to celebrate another year with close family and friends and though my grandpa EJ is gone, he'll never be forgotten.

"Do Over" March: The Art of Juggling

Not only was February the longest month on record for my finances (which didn't go to plan btw), my illness got worse and my beloved grandfather passed away on February 26th.  

This is what I mean that the 30's is a hellified decade fraught with all kinds of challenges.  My diet and exercise obviously suffered as I ended up in the emergency room for breathing treatments and a severe bout of bronchitis.  I was prescribed 4 different medications and told to rest.  Resting was actually a bit more challenging than I had anticipated because we have a vacation planned for July and I really want to hit 180lbs by then.  But not being able to breath kinda put a cramp in my workout plans.  I did stress eat which just made a bad situation worse.

Right after I started to feel a bit better, I got news that my maternal grandfather Everett had developed an infection which was preventing the doctor's from keeping up with his dialysis treatments.  He was 86 years old and lived a colorful life.  I will miss him dearly. I spent a few days after his passing in a mental fog but I vowed that once March rolled around, I was going to get back on the wagon in terms of my diet, exercise and debt management program.

So March is the "Do Over" Month.  This means I will focus on exercise consistency, tracking my Weight Watchers Points and not losing my mind on my spending.  I'm really trying to focus on developing a consistent routine as far as work, exercise and even debt management is concerned.  I am normally not a good juggler.

I have a million things going on at once, of course.  I began my online teaching side hustle on the 1st and I estimate this will take up 10-15 hours per week of my time.  I also have a book chapter deadline on March 10th.  Fortunately, I have a writing partner who is good at editing while I'm good at analysis and content.  I have tons of grading to finish by the 9th....I might have to push it to the 16th.   I have Sorority Softball League try-outs this weekend but I might have to go to the March 27th tryouts instead because I have so much to do.

In Sickness and In Health - Illness, Marriage and Money

I've been out of commission exercise-wise for about a week now.  I finally did get to the doctor's on Wednesday and was told I had neck spasms (aka torticollis) that would only go away with muscle relaxers, high dosage ibuprofen and ice packs.   Today is Saturday and my neck is still giving me fits.  Wah!

To make things worse, hubby and I are going through a rough patch right now so I believe my stress level is partially to blame for my slow recovery time.  I made a grave error in judgment, have taken full responsibility for the mistake and now it's just a matter of waiting to see if hubby is willing to meet me halfway.  There were some good signs last night so I remain hopeful even while I feel deep hurt and pain caused by my actions.

As for the budget, I decided to pull $50 from my overdraft protection budget.  I have about $300 I can use so I'm hoping this $50.00 will help me get through the month without needing to take any loans. I did spend $20.32 in the last 3 days, primarily on food for DH and I since I haven't really been able to stand up and cook for a long period of time without pain (or dizziness from the drugs).

Amount Spent: 20.32
Total Remaining: 33.11 ($50.00 added from overdraft protection account)

Adventures in Extreme Budgeting - Days Five and Six

Day Five

Tuesdays are my 12 hour teaching days.  I'm on campus from 10am to 10pm and by the end of the day, I'm usually exhausted, feet and head hurt and I'm ravenous.  I had a hard time getting up because of my neck pain so I ended up leaving the house later than usual and I didn't eat breakfast which is a big no-no for me.  I ended up stopping by McDonald's when I got close to my job and spent $3.75 on breakfast.  I did pack lunch which was a Lean Pocket, apple and Fiber One bar.  But I didn't eat the dinner I packed because I teach from 4-10pm straight through.  I wanted to go straight to my car so I left my dinner in the office fridge and went to Jack in the Box for a Jumbo Combo (some of the worst shit you can have if you are supposed to be watching your caloric intake).  Spent $4.01 and ended up with the farts for the entire drive home.

Amount Spent: $7.76
Total Remaining: $31.43

Day Six 
I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor at Urgent Care about my aching neck. That was $15.00 for that visit.  The doctor said I was suffering from torticollis (or twisted neck) which results in severe muscle spasms.  He said there were any number of causes but torquing my neck seems to be the catalyst.  I was given Flexeril (a muscle relaxer), high dosage ibuprofen and told to use ice packs to help reduce the inflammation and swelling.  The medicine co-pays came to $10.00. Oh yeah, I also spent $4.00 on lunch since I started getting hungry in the doctor's office. Damn!  I've got $3.43 of discretionary spending left.  At least, I didn't blow most of it on junk.  Health and medicine are expenses I can justify so if I have to pull a little money from one budget to my discretionary spending (without borrowing from anyone), I'll consider this move within the guidelines of the challenge.  Normally, I blow discretionary income on magazines, food and other crap.

Amount Spent: 29.00
Total  Remaining: $3.43

Adventures in Extreme Budgeting - Day Four

No spending to report for Sunday (Day Three) as I was laid up in bed with a sore and stiff neck and shoulder.  Today, I had to run some errands which included mailing a book.  I am a member of Paperbackswap.com where I trade used books with other people.  I post my books, mail them via media mail and receive credits to order more books.  Today, I needed to mail off "Bootcamp for Brides" but I was short $1.00 on postage so I dipped into my "fun" budget to scrounge up a buck.  I also had to mail a form extending my reduced payment on my student loans but I searched high and low for a stamp and envelope around the house.  This month's budgeting is making me extremely aware of what I'm spending and if I can get away with spending next to nothing each day, so be it.

Day Four
Amount Spent: $1.00
Total Remaining: $39.19 (spent $10 less on my cell phone bill so I'm adding it to the discretionary spending)

Sidelined with Injury

For the past three days, I've been suffering with intense neck and shoulder pain on my right side.  I thought this was a simple strain brought up by sleeping in an awkward position but now that the pain is lingering (and in some cases, getting more intense), I've decided to make a date with the Not-So-Urgent Care clinic on Wednesday to see if I might have Frozen Neck Syndrome.  Pain is radiating from the back of my ear through the middle of my upper back.  I've tried Advil, heating pads, Icy/Hot cream all to no avail.  Unfortunately, tomorrow is my 12-hour teaching day that I cannot miss and I've got a feeling that I'll be popping pills pretty much for the entire day. 

Lingering pain, muscle and joint stiffness and longer general recovery time from the aches and strains of getting older is no joke.  I exercise pretty regularly but if my body decides to lock up, there isn't much I can do to stop it.  This is really one of the aspects of turning 30 (more like 35) that sucks beyond belief.  I am more acutely aware of pain than I've ever been before.  My recovery time  just ain't what it used to be.