Details

I received my official heart risk report in the mail just now.  It really isn't pretty.


                                   My Numbers          Desirable Number
Total Cholesterol               244                          < 200
Triglycerides                     133                          < 150
HDL                                   31                           > 40
LDL                                  187                          < 130
TC/HDL Ratio                   8.0                           < 4.5

So today I started my day with two packs of heart healthy Quaker apples and cinnamon oatmeal.  If one is heart healthy, two has to be double as good.  Right?  I picked up some baby spinach to add an extra olive oil vinaigrette salad to my daily routine, some Smart Balance butter substitute, and some supplements.

Details include:

"Trust your heart health with Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg, Burp-Less. Every 2 softgels deliver 720 mg of Omega-3s. Burp-Less Fish Oil has all the heart healthy benefits of regular fish oil and is specially coated (enteric coated) to help control fish burps, fishy odor and aftertaste. The Omega-3s in Burp-Less Fish Oil protect the heart by keeping cell membranes flexible and healthy.

• Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.  (See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol content.)
• EPA and DHA are the two key Omega-3s for heart health 
• Every 2 softgels deliver 720 mg of Omega-3s, including 600 mg of EPA & DHA (360 mg EPA/240 mg DHA); more than the 500 mg of EPA and DHA recommended by some experts for heart health.
• Specially coated to help control fish burps"

I'm not even going to lie.  I totally giggled at all the fish burp references.  Maybe I'll be able to compete with my husband now.

Broken Hearted

You know how sometimes it seems like everything is going well and you just sit waiting for something to go wrong?

That was me.

I've been doing pretty well overall in my efforts to get healthy physically by slimming down and getting stronger, and mentally by kicking that fat chick in the mirror in the butt in an effort to actually like myself.  I've been watching everything I eat.  Sure, on high-stress days i probably don't eat enough to keep up the weight loss but that's not often and I'm not slipping back into my old ways of not eating enough to survive.  Well, enough to survive but not enough to really live.  I've hit roadblocks and overcome them. 

Then today I got news that has shaken me.  My cholesterol screening came back and it appears I have the cholesterol levels of a fifty year old, male, pound of bacon a day, never exercising, two pack a day smoking, couch potato.  I have no family history of anything  heart related.  I'm rattled.  I've made SO many changes to get healthy.  I researched healthy options to loved foods so my husband wouldn't have to suffer during my weight loss.  I exercise and had even started training for a 5k.  I can run a 5k but I want to do it well.  I want to really race.  Completing a race is amazing!  BUT  I wanna beat people.  Anyway...  so I'm at a point where I really don't have that many things I can do in an effort to fix this cholesterol problem myself.  After an informal consultation with my favorite nutrition guru and some independent research talking to friends and using Google, here is my gameplan:

• oatmeal, fruit, egg whites, or a combination of the three for breakfast
• add Benefiber to everything I can
• take fish oil and niacin capsules daily
• switch to all low or no-fat dairy  (goodbye 2 year old, black label cheddar in my soup)
• eat more quinoa and brown rice for the whole grain
• no butter, just SmartBalance plus Calcium
• eat beans at least twice a week
• eat wild-caught fish at least twice a week
• avoid juices with added fructose
• only lean meats (goodbye favorite cut of meat: ribeye)
• use sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil
• add an extra 15 minutes of aerobic exercise per day

You know what sucks about that gameplan?  Can you see it?

It cramps my holiday style!  I rarely see anything that at holiday buffets that look like they are heart healthy.  "Heart Healthy".   I never figured I would be overly concerned with that sorta thing for at least another decade or so.  My doctor would prefer medical intervention and drug therapy immediately but dang it!  I'm not seventy!  I insist on trying to manage this all myself for a little bit first.  If no change in three months, I'll accept the doctor's opinion.  I'm too young for heart meds.

A Giveaway and a Holiday Struggle

First things first.  I wanted to totally keep it to myself to up my chances but over at Prior Fat Girl they're doing a few fabulous giveaways that include a Polar heart rate monitor (hurry ends tonight), Some Billy Blanks programs, and a Shape magazine wellness pack that looks totally awesome.  Click here to enter:

http://www.priorfatgirl.com/category/giveaways

In other news, it's just over 50 days until Christmas and tomorrow marks the start of my holiday struggle.  My church does a huge bazaar every year with tons of handcrafts, linens, books, furniture, and most importantly... food.  Not just any food.  Traditional Norwegian fare that defies you to try to put a caloric amount on it.  I'm sure you can do it, but the numbers would probably shock you into death.

Speaking of numbers:

BAM!  One more pound to the half way goal!

So it's totally important that I don't completely sabotage my progress with a gorge-fest.  And it totally could be.  Lefse, Swedish meatballs, pie, more lefse, shrimpy sandwiches, Rømmegrøt, sweet coffee, rosettes, and I have to admit that they may very well be more lefse.  What to do?  It's totally a once a year event but my weight is my life.  I know just one day isn't going to completely erase what I already have achieved, but then again, is one day of food pleasure worth setting back something that's for my life?

I mean c'mon!  It's kicking off Christmas!

But I might have to kick my own butt afterwards.

Day Zero ~ 101 Things in 1001 Days

If you haven't heard of the Day Zero Project, you should definitely check it out.  I'm excited for it.

http://dayzeroproject.com/

Almost as excited as I am about Christmas.  Almost. Speaking of Christmas, my husband saw my eyes light up at Lowe's this weekend when I caught sight of a pretty, white, metal, tree with lights for outside.  I have one that's done it's duty for almost ten years and needs to retire due to rust.  My cat approves of the colored lights. (we had to try it out) Heck, I approve of the colored lights.  Those led ones are pretty nifty.

ANYWAY.  Day Zero Project.  I'm doing it.

Here is my list:

1    Run a 5k race for time

2    Identify 100 things that make me happy

3    Learn a poem by heart

4    Make a custom recipe book

5    Get to my goal weight and maintain

6    Go on a picnic

7    Learn to say "I love you" in 10 languages

8    Learn to write with my left hand

9    Keep the kitchen spotless for 30 days

10  Be proficient in conversational French

11  Take a photo of the same place every month for year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year

12  Build a piece of furniture I'll want to pass on to my children

13  Be able to play a full Christmas song, by heart, on the piano

14  Make a pie on Pi day

15  Make soap

16  Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"

17  Make a list of the top 5 people who have positively influenced me and write them letters

18  Keep my room tidy for a month

19  Create a painting worthy of hanging in my house

20  Have a new list of 101 Things written before my 1001 days are done

21  Have a monthly game night for a whole year

22  Make a quilt

23  Serve dinner by candlelight every Friday during the dark of winter

24  Read 10 books by local authors

25  Learn to juggle 3 balls

26  Build a gingerbread house

27  Do at least 1 project a month off of Pinterest

28  For one year, pick one person a day and honestly compliment them

29  Do a charity bicycle ride

30  Make a souffle that my husband likes

31  Make a simple household chores chart and stick with it

32  Send 101 postcards via postcrossing.com

33  Draw at least once a week for a year

34  Make a pillow for the bed

35  Go ice skating

36  Read the bible and make a list of bible verses that touch me

37  Sew an apron

38  Take time for a coffee break once a week

39  Do all basic maintenance on my truck for 6 months

40  Lay in the grass and just watch the clouds go by

41  Make homemade pickles

42  Make a last name photo collage from my own pictures

43  Host a non-holiday party

44  Develop a daily stretching routine

45  Do 1 random act of anonymous kindness a week

46  Make mozzarella in my own kitchen

47  Grow my own mushrooms and cook with them

48  Make 10 random babies smile

49  Say "I love you" to my husband. Every day

50  Take 10 minutes a day to just sit and think about non-pressing things

51  Change someone's life for the better

52  Take a day trip to a state park

53  Wear nail polish and keep it looking nice for a month

54  Play a round of golf with my husband

55  Re-learn to cross-stitch and make something useful

56  Make my own candles

57  Study 6 different cultures per year; have a themed weekend for each with food, music, culture and geographical info for the family

58  Wear a sexy halloween costume

59  Make a family tree

60  Learn how to take a compliment

61  Have my make-up done at a make-up counter

62  Learn how to play the harmonica

63  Find a four leaf clover

64  Climb a tree and take a photo of the view

65  Have a Halloween party

66  Decorate my bedroom

67  Find a hat I don't look silly in

68  Write a poem

69  Go to a drive-in movie

70  Make a list of things I'd like to see before I die

71  Develop a signature entree that will one day be what grandchildren compare all other foods to

72  Design and build a vertical garden

73  Learn to love myself even just a little bit

74  Make a pretty calendar of some sort to keep track of birthdays and other special events

75  Decorate the family room properly

76  Teach 6 people to appreciate Christmas

77  Get rid of all clothes in my closet that do not and never will fit

78  Enter something for competition at the Sioux Empire Fair

79  Detail my truck's interior and keep it that way with weekly maintenance

80  Bring back kissing under the mistletoe

81  Get recertified at CPR

82  Make a time capsule to be opened on our 20th anniversary

83  Hit 50 lbs weight loss goal

84  Learn to be comfortable naked

85  Write a list of songs that I want played at my funeral

86  Watch the sunrise and sunset on the same day

87  Knit a blanket

88  Spend a weekend living like it's the 1800's. No electricity, no internet, just old fashioned entertainment

89  Spend an evening watching a meteor shower

90  Develop 5 new soup variations

91  Pick 3 things that are stereotypically "man activities", and learn to do them well

92  Get confident enough to once again sing in the presence of someone else

93  Scan old family pictures and make a book or books of them with proper labels

94  Make 5 new family traditions

95  Sew a week's worth of outfits

96  Learn to do a fancy braid to my own hair

97  Complete the P90X workout system

98  Go on 6 day trips to places I've never gone in my area

99  Sew a patchwork tablecloth that's pretty for any season

100 Combat my negative self talk with positive self talk. Daily

101 Teach my niece something that only I can do 

 

It's a handful but I think if I challenge myself I can do it.  If you'd like to follow me on the Challenge site:

http://dayzeroproject.com/user/KickMeImAnna

I'm a Sinner

Life has been crazy.  I've been sick since last Thursday, demolishing my homework to-do list, cleaning my house, I sold my soul, and made the most delightful pumpkin-carrot cake with cream cheese icing.  Seriously.  If I gain a pound from eating it, I'm fine with it. No really!  SO worth it.

I used this SparkPeople recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=157762

But I altered it a touch.  I definitely didn't use light butter. Paula Deen would approve. I used 3 whole eggs instead of using the egg whites. For the topping, I didn't bake it.  Instead I whipped together 3 C of icing sugar, a brick of cream cheese (not light), a splash of vanilla, a stick of butter, and a big splash of heavy cream.

SO worth it.  Because:

Look at my numbers!  They're almost even!

ALSO:  I'm totally doing the 101 things in 1001 days challenge.  I'm still thinking of my last 10 items but i start November 1st.  If you'd like to get on board here's the link: http://dayzeroproject.com/

I'll post my list and updates here on the blog as I complete.

My Mind is Blown!

I've working out, nothing big, just walking and running mostly.

I've been so busy with school and other stuff that no, I have not been counting my calories on SparkPeople this last week at all.  I eat healthy food to begin with and think I've been snacking enough to keep my calories in an acceptable burn instead of starvation zone.

I stepped on the scale this morning and cringed as I waited for the digital readout to tell me I screwed up and that the Coke I drank on Tuesday, coupled with the 3 chocolate dipped cocoa rice krispie bars in the last three days (but they were good!) has resulted in a big weight loss dud.  NOPE.  I'm officially on the rice krispie treat and Coke diet because dang it works!

In other news:  I found a happy-place today.  I started piano lessons after nearly two decades without touching a piano.  It all came flooding back.  I'm weak and obviously don't have the comfort level I did years ago but it felt so natural and perfect!  It's something I can be a success at no matter what else happens in life.  We don't have a piano at home and I can't afford a snazzy sixty-plus key Yamaha or whatever keyboard, so for the time being I'm going to practice by plugging away on the only thing I could afford.  This:

It's cheesy, cheap, and meant as a kid's toy..  Oh well.  Music is still music.  I'll make do like I always will.  Maybe I'll luck out and Santa will have a spare big-girl keyboard lying around by Christmas  ;)

Weight Loss Goal Met.

Hi.  I'm officially less fat today than I was yesterday.

But you know what?  I can't really see it.  It's 20 pounds!  That's like 3 small newborn babies.  You would think that it would be evident I had lost that much. It's not.  I still feel fat as ever.  SO..  I think it really must be all in my head this time.  That whole "the first step is admitting you have a problem" saying is right.  I'm there.  I know that my perception of myself is skewed.   I'm working on it but I really don't have a clue what I am doing.  No clue other than that I've begun to tell myself to shut up if that little voice in my ear gets loud and negative.