Taking the plunge!

Ok! I’ve done it!  I’ve made the commitment!

No…. I’m not getting married!  I’ve committed to the Nerd Fitness 6 Week Challenge!

What this means is for the next six weeks – starting September 24th – I’ll be working towards four specific fitness and life related goals.  Three will be fitness or health related, and the fourth is a “life goal”.

For example, here’s what I wrote down for my goals (copied from my thread on Nerd Fitness):

Goal 1 – NF’s Beginner Workout x3 a week - Right now I’m sedentary, and really need to get my ass in gear. The beginner workout is probably as good a place to start as any. Hopefully I’ll be able to work myself past it? [ +3 STR, +2 STA ]

Goal 2 – Yoga x2 a week. I was doing Yoga steadily for a while, but fell out of the habit months ago. I felt really good while I was doing it, so I think it’s a practice I need to get back into. [ +2 STA, +1 CON ]

Goal 3 – Learn to eat Paleo up to 80% - That’s really what brought me here. I’m excited to change my eating habits to something that, to me, just the thought of it feels healthier. With a small vacation coming up at the end of September, this will be a difficult starting point, but I’m up for the challenge. [ +3 CON ]

Goal 4 – Life Goal - Start steps towards getting into grad school. First steps would be getting tour of the University, meet with the Advisors about my undergraduate grades (which weren’t so great :/ ) and getting my Transcripts sent. [ +2 WIS, +2 CHA ]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention – NF treats fitness goals like a role playing game, with stats for your Strength, Charisma, Constitution, Wisdom, Stamina and Dexterity.  You can increase your stats by achieving your goals.  It sounds kinda fun, so why not try it out, right?  Anything that can make fitness that little bit more fun is all good to me.

The first steps on this Challenge are going to be hard, as I’ll be out of state next weekend, so it will be harder to control when I get to work out, or where I get to eat.  I’ll do my best to keep up with things though!  I’m an Advenurer!  GRRR!!

Sugar, part deux

It’s been a while since I posted, most likely because I haven’t had much to post about.  My diet has shrunk some.  Medication that I’ve recently been switched to gives me nausea and thus reduces my appetite.  I eat about half as much as I used to.  Because of this, I lost ten pounds.

However, I have been continuing with my low sugar diet.  I take truvia in my tea, and still drink artificial sweeteners in my Crystal Light.  I’ve discovered, that because of this, my body is developing some manner of intolerance for real sugar.

Full sugar sodas, sweet candies, desserts – things that have a high sugar content – are making me feel ill.  For example, I may drink an energy drink twice a month (when my gaming group meets).  As of late, I’ve been drinking the Rockstar Recovery, which is their low-calorie lemonade sweetened with sucralose.

Last night, for a change, I decided to get the fruit punch flavour, which is one of their regular, full sugar varieties.  I drank it, and shortly after, I felt ill.  Nausea, fuzziness, I thought I was going to throw up.

I feel the same way if I drink too much soda, or combine soda and a candy bar.  I recognise this feeling, and know that I shouldn’t have sugar if I feel this way.  Too much sugar, with me not having had a lot of sugar, just has a negative effect.

While this is most likely a good thing, in order to cut down on processed sweets, I do sometimes forget that it’s just a bad idea, and swamp myself with chocolate goodies and cola.  I regret it later.  My body gets it’s revenge on me.

I think, yet again, I need to be more aware of what I’m consuming, not just for my weight, but for how my body feels in general.  You need to listen to the cues that your body gives, sometimes, it knows more than you do.

New Toys And A New Grocery Trip!

This week I got a surprise.  In an effort to help me meet my diet goals, Baron picked up a new toy.  He bought a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express!  Now we can buy fruits and vegetables and make fresh juice – yummy!  Also, we replaced our blender, which was leaky and dying, so yay for more smoothies!

While driving home tonight, we decided to stop by a store we’d never gone into before – The Fresh Market.  It reminds me of a Whole Foods, but a little smaller.  They had an excellent supply of produce, lots of natural fruits, nuts and candies, coffee beans, hard to find oils and vinegars, tons of cheese – it was a really nice little place!  It said on the sign out front that they sell Sushi too, but we didn’t see the sign until we were on our way out.

We picked up some great looking produce – Honeycrisp apples that are freaking HUGE, a bag of seedless red grapes and a bundle of kale.  I’ve really been wanting to try kale.  We also finally – FINALLY – found a jar of tahini!  It only took forever.  Also, we found some really tasty sodas, with sugar instead of HFCS in them.  One of them was Zevia, a soda that contains stevia instead of sugar, which I’ve been dying to try.  I picked the Ginger Root Beer flavour.  Baron picked out some of the coffee beans for himself.

I like the fact that The Fresh Market is a lot closer to my apartment than Whole Foods – a twenty minute ride instead of a forty five minute drive.  It’s smaller, with less of a selection, but I’m hoping to at least make a monthly trip out there for some staple items.  Like most specialty stores of it’s kind, the prices are higher than your average supermarket, but you can find a lot of stuff there that you can’t find anywhere else.  Looking forward to my next trip out there!

Accursed Sweet Tooth!

This week’s most-likely-far-too-long post is about Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners.  I have a bit of a sweet tooth.  I’m not usually very big into cakes and candy, but sugary drinks are pretty much my downfall.  I love sodas and juices.  I’ve been thinking a bit on this lately.

I’ve read quite a bit on ye olde innerwebs about sugar and why we consume so much of it.  A lot of it has to do with how readily available it is.  I mean, look on the label of nearly anything and you’ll find it’s probably loaded with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  You might be lucky enough to find something with Sugar or Cane Sugar in it, but that’s fast becoming a rarity.

It makes me think, though, are our diets training us to crave sweets?  Is it just because of the availability?  Does it have to do with our insulin production?  Are people turning to Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine) in an effort to shake the habit, but only making themselves worse off in the long run?

There’s a lot of research out there about the negative impact of Artificial Sweeteners on our bodies.  Drinking and eating a science experiment can’t be good for us.  Some studies claim they cause cancer.  Another claims they contribute to obesity and overeating.  All in all, if you’re eating clean, it’s definitely something you want to avoid.  For a sucker with a sweet tooth, however, it usually ends up being the lesser of two evils.  I am one of those suckers.

I started label watching a little over a year ago, after seeing all the negative press regarding HFCS.  I try my best to avoid it in food and drinks.  This week, I went to buy some 100% Whole Wheat Bread, and looking at labels, kept finding ones with HFCS in it.  In the end, the loaf I went with had plain Sugar in it instead.  Again, the lesser of two evils I suppose.  I’ve cut nearly all of the soda out of my diet, but replaced it with flavoured carbonated water or the occasional diet soda.  It’s not just the sweetness I want, but the carbonation.  I really love those bubbles!  I also make a pitcher of Crystal Light to keep in my fridge for the times where bubbles aren’t a high priority.

Here’s the breakdown of Artificial Sweeteners in my diet.  Consider it a confession at the alter of the Internets.  I’m not condoning the comsumption of Artificial Sweeteners.  I’m just saying they’re out there, and sugar junkies like me are still addicted to them.

Aspartame

I consume this more often than any other sweetener.  Crystal Light, Walmart’s Great Value Flavoured Water, Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry – all zero calorie and sweetened with Aspartame.  It took me a while to get accustomed to the aftertaste, and anyone who tells you there isn’t an aftertaste is a liar.  This one seems to be the most common Artificial Sweetener, but I think it’s fast being overtaken by other forms of sweeteners.  Not my favourite.

Sucralose

Another one popular with flavoured waters, like Fruit2O and Sparkling Ice.  At least Sparkling Ice also sweetens with fruit juice, other fruit flavours and green tea.  I prefer this to Aspartame, as it doesn’t have the nasty aftertaste.  It’s a little harder to find though.

Truvia

Not as much of an Artificial Sweetener, as a product of the Stevia plant.  It’s not pure Stevia, it’s mixed with a few other things.  I only use this in my tea.  You only need half as much Truvia as you need regular granulated Sugar.  It’s got a sweet flavour, but in my experience it has what I can only describe as a “cold” taste to it.  It’s something I got used to.

Alternative Natural Sweeteners

Most of these are non-sugarcane sweeteners.  I’ve been dying to try them, but don’t have ready access to them.  Things like Agave Syrup, Pure Maple Syrup (not the pancake kind!), and Brown Rice Sugar.  Sugars like Agave are known to have a lower glycemic index, which means they don’t cause your blood sugar to spike when you eat them.

Well, those are my experiences with Sugar and Artificial sweeteners.  I know my Sugar Tooth battle is far from over, and to reach my fitness and diet goals I’m going to eventually have to beat back this demon.  Mixing juice with water to cut the water’s blandness was one option I’ve considered.  I can’t stand water plain, so some creativity will be in order.  Crossing my fingers that I can come up with something palatable!

Bloodwork Results – Where Do I Go From Here?

So yesterday was a rather annoying day of ups and downs regarding getting my bloodwork results.  I thought that being scheduled on a Saturday morning (10:30am) would make things simpler, considering that the one other time I was there on a Saturday they were fairly empty.  I left with plenty of time, stopped off at Dunkin’ Donuts for a bagel and some orange juice, and drove to the appointment.  Upon checking in, I was informed that no, my appointment was not at this particular clinic.  It was at a different clinic twenty minutes away – one that I had only the vaguest notion of how to get to (“Funny, you’re the second person this has happened to today”).  Growing increasingly pissed off, I asked the receptionist if she could call over there to let them know I was on my way, so that they wouldn’t cancel my appointment.  She said sure, and gave me a little brochure with a map of how to get there.  I set out on my journey, bagel in hand.

With a little finagling – and one road detour I hadn’t planned on – I found the place.  The place was nearly entirely empty.  When I approached the receptionist and explained what had happened, she told me she had already marked me as a “no-show”.

“But… the receptionist at the other clinic said she was going to call you.”

“No, nobody called.”

Grrrrr….!!!!

She changed my no-show to show that I was indeed there, and I waited about ten minutes to be seen.  Weight was the same as my last appointment at 202lbs.  Blood pressure was a little high – 120/90 – but pulse and temperature were normal.

The doctor came in, sat down, and started going over my blood test results.  My fasting blood sugar was fine, so no Diabetes.  Very good, since it runs rampant through my family.  My cholesterols were ok – my “good” cholesterol was fine.  My “bad” cholesterol was slightly elevated.  My triglycerides?  That’s where things get a little sticky.  The way she explained it, your triglycerides should be under 150.  Mine were over 300.  The “high” range is 200-499.  Ick.

The second problem we ran into was the thyroid tests she ran.  Thyroid problems run in my family.  A few years ago, I had some bloodwork done and it showed that I tested positive for thyroid antibodies – that means my immune system would eventually identify my thyroid as something foreign, attack it, and stop production of the right kind of thyroid hormones.  At the time, we had no idea when it would happen, just that it would happen eventually.  Apparently “eventually” has arrived.

My thyroid test, which she said should have been under a 4, was an 8, making me test positive for hypothyroidism.  She prescribed me levothyroxine, a replacement thyroid hormone, and I have to take it every morning 1/2 an hour to an hour before breakfast with a full glass of water.  I’ve been told I’ll have to take it for the rest of my life.

Because of everything that turned up, I’ve been running my little fingers mad on the internets, researching what I can about fixing my triglycerides and taking care of my thyroid problem.  It would seem they could be related.  Hypothyroidism can cause elevated triglycerides.  The doctor, however, still wants me to change my diet to reduce my triglycerides.  That means cutting out a lot of sugars and carbs from my diet.  I don’t really consume a lot of sugar as it is, at least, I try not to.  Carbs however are kind of a staple of our diet in the house, and really hard to get around.  It’s frustrating enough trying to find a dietary solution that meets both my needs as someone who wants to go plant-based and Baron’s needs as a more meat-friendly omnivore, now to have to wrestle with this, it’s making it all seem very futile.

At this point I’m hoping that the new medication will help my energy levels, giving me the strength to get out and exercise more and hopefully lose the weight that I’ve put on the past few years.  Our current plan is for me to be on the meds for eight weeks.  I go back for bloodwork in six weeks and get seen in eight in order to check the thyroid levels.  I don’t know if they’re going to make me see an Endocrinologist, specifically, or just keep going to the Clinic.  I guess we’ll see when the time comes.  Wish me luck.