Thursday, October 21, 2004

Monthly Photo Update

Radio @ AOL : Awesome80s

First an update on our poor wounded boy Jeremiah.  It's official, he has a fracture.  It isn't displaced because apparently the facial muscles pushed the bone into place, but the nosebleed was just the blood that had collected in his sinus cavity that was draining.  Nothing to freak out about, like I did last night.  He's back in school even though I'm going to do my best to keep him out of PE or at least the weight room.  Not one person has taken responsibility for this incident.  The coach says in one breath that the boys were horsing around the equipment, and in another breath he was there and supervising them.  Can't have it both ways, it's just a typical case of CYA.  I get enough of that from the government, I seriously don't appreciate it at the expense of my kid.

The good news is it wasn't as serious as it could have been.  I shudder to even think of how badly it could have turned out.  Hence stuffing down emotion with tons of food.  I cannot bear the thought.  I don't even want to work through it.  Honest to God.

But God was looking after my son, and prevented the injury from being so much worse.  Not only that but we were insured, barely by about two weeks.  We found out the school does not cover any injuries that happen on the grounds no matter what - so we would have been out for the emergency room visit, the emergency clinic visits, the CAT scans, the XRays, etc so forth and so on.  When I think about how many unsuspecting parents send their kids to school and not know that if anything happens they're just SOL if they don't have insurance, it makes me want to run right out and cast my vote now.

Despite all the stress, trauma and anxiety, God has been good to us.

I wanted to clarify my last entry a bit.  It does sound like I'm about to go off the wagon, doesn't it?  I might have even danced around going off the wagon subconsciously.  Don't worry - I'm going to continue to make good choices.  But like I said, thisis going to be a lifelong change, not just a diet.  And I have made great strides toward making my life so much healthier.  It starts with accountability and being a conscious, deliberate eater.  I will never return to the way I used to eat, in total denial about what I was putting into my body. 

I've spent a lot of time in the last couple of days examining my journey since the beginning of the journal.  I looked at how I did things differently, what has worked, what has stalled and basically I'm going to create an eating plan that works best for me.  The no sugar thing wasn't it.  This doesn't mean I'm going to go hog wild with sugar, I don't want to do that for a variety of reasons but the main one is that I've found a better way. 

And, to be quite honest, sugar has lost a lot of its appeal to me.  Those candy corn pumpkins?  They leave a bitter taste in my mouth.  I'd much rather have my sugar free candy or my Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Ice Cream (Tin Roof, Turtle Sundae and Bunny Tracks among my faves).  That's just nummy stuff, and it is low fat with no sugar.  I'm a fan of the Bunny.  I'd rather have that than Ben & Jerry's.  I used to be passionate about Chunky Monkey, then I realized, you really are what you eat.

I've decided the problem isn't so much what I'm eating but the exercise.  I read in an article about Why Diets Fail - Men's Health, and it said regarding the plateau:

The 2nd crisis: You reach a plateau.

Before: You figure, Well, that's it. I've come far enough.

Now: Diet less, exercise more. It's probably going to be easier to exercise more frequently than to further restrict a diet that's become an ingrained habit. Throw in a few high-intensity days--an extralong run or bike ride--to boost the calorie deficit. If your exercise is mostly cardiovascular, devote more time to weight lifting.

The science: "Because your caloric needs have lessened, you need to burn off more in order to continue to see results," Dr. Pera says. "If you don't increase your amountof exercise or continue to cut calories, you plateau." The muscle from weight lifting, Dr. Katz says, will "increase resting energy expenditure. Then, when you return to more aerobics, you're taking more calorie-burning muscle with you, and you'll be bumped off the plateau."

****

This is where my problem lies and I know it.  I have to get into the groove again.  Period.  I'm even considering joining a gym with Steven to work on weight equipment.  And I'll be especially careful of 45 pound weight bars.  The trick is to find something I will enjoy doing. 

It's a work in progress.  Which is fortunate because so am I.

I hit my teens in the 1980s, and the music has a special place in my heart.  It's peppy and nostalgic and I just feel good when I hear it. 

These are the songs I rocked out to yesterday when I rode the bike for 30 whole minutes straight. 

Better Be Good to Me - Tina Turner
We Got the Beat - The Go Gos
Cars - Gary Numan
Istanbul - They Might Be Giants
Iko Iko - The Belle Stars
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo

Tip of the Day: FIBER IS YOUR FRIEND! This is where a lot of low carb diets miss the mark IMO.  Fiber has many good qualities, aside from doing a clean sweep of your insides.  It also helps you feel fuller for less calories.  I've been overloading on fiber lately, several slices of 40 calorie double fiber bread and good ol fashioned raisin bran.  Oprah had a nutrition expert on her show that said to make sure your cereals have 5 grams of fiber or more per serving.  The best thing about fiber for me is that I never feel bloated.  I'm running like a well oiled machine.

TMI I know.

Here are the stats.  I didn't get any exercise in - I have found that if I don't do it first thing it just doesn't get done.  Hopefully my routine will settle back into its very safe and predictable rut as of tomorrow. 

Calories: 2024
Fat: 25%
Sat. Fat: 9%
Water: 60oz
Exercise: Nada

DAILY AFFIRMATION: I continue to be a success not because I'm doing everything perfectly - but because I do not let my imperfection stop me from doing everything.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ginger, 80's Songs but but but ... "You forgot "Be Good To Yourself"!  Steve Perry wanted me to remind you of that>>> hehehehe

Anonymous said...

You would think that someone at the school should take responsibility for what happened to your son...he got hurt on school property during school hours...I can't believe they aren't doing anything about this...

http://journals.aol.com/derasta/ADayInTheLife

Anonymous said...

The pics look great!!!  You have come a long way!  Keep it up!

Tracy

Anonymous said...

First about Jeremiah:  What an awful thing that as you say could have been so much worse.  Praise the Lord!  I hope it all clears up well.  The school not having insurance is bizarre; I know kids are injured all the time in school.  I was, but it was somehow my fault, I was playing soccer and broke my leg by kicking into my own leg.  I was sent home from the hospital being told nothing was wrong after they took X-rays, but my let was not hanging right.  My mother later told me she was going to tease me and twist it--but I told her not to.  Luckily she did not do it, they called us back and said it was indeed quite broken.  

Second:  Ginger.  Ginger, look how this has manifested a change in your behavior.  You have been doing something before the diet wars...and that was using food to medicate your pain/anguish/fear...or whatever else.  This is a case in point.  You are presently angry that you also have "suffered" so much to drop the 10 dress sizes (which, again, is nothing short of PHENOMENAL).  What WILL you suffer if you allow the unhealthy weight to stay on your body?  The old enemy YOU is being crafty again, remember you told us how sneaky your archenemy can be?  However... I was thinking right before this whole thing happened with  Jeremiah that maybe you need a break.  I know everyone will not like to hear this.  But maybe you should just take a break.  A planned break.  One week, two weeks--making sure you do not gain during that time.  Regroup.  You need to assess your anger.  You won.  10 sizes.  How about a break--x amount of indulgences, no special foods.  Plan that.  And then plan a way that works for you. ...CONTINUED ABOVE

Anonymous said...

The break would show that you are in control.  But on the other hand, like an alcoholic you could lose it and binge away and become one of these journal entities that suddenly no longer exists on people's favorite list of "journals"-- but in reality are now defunct.  You read their last entry if there isn't already just a blank screen for the address--their last entry may be months and months old...and little did they suspect when they typed it that it would be their last...these broken dreams show these people have been silenced in their journeys.  It is sad but it is life. ***...Just brainstorming here with you.  I will say this:  The food is never under control.  It is very similar to alcoholism.  Once we weed the sugary stuff out of our bodies' systems the desire for it is always there, as I have said before very similar chemically/behaviorally to alcohol--controlling our thoughts, our desires, our emotions. With the onslaught of the use of corn-syrup & friends, our nation was doomed to the "crack" of the pantry cupboard and the weight/behavior that accompanies the addiction.  The children, the adults, and particularly the women are all suffering addicts.  It is placed in food everywhere--would that we were like France and it was literally outlawed.  The producers line their pockets with the cash of our addictions.  Certain sugars give a bigger "hit-like" effect.  E.g., the sugar used in gumballs, and... certain other candies, seasonal.  So my point is:  do not become overconfident.  Ever.  But DO find a way to BE in control of the food you enjoy, not it being in control of you.  A nation of the obese and the diabetic.  The two go hand in hand.  Won't find obesity, sugar diabetes in certain countries that do not use lots of sugar, corn & related products, white, refined-flour products.  When I say sugar, I mean the lot of them, not just granulated.  A

Anonymous said...

Looking Good Girlie! :)
Just a 'journey to me' fan,
Lindsay