Hunger, Hunger (CCS Week 3 Days 3,4, &5)

Work has kept me busy this week.

I am still keeping my Calorie Counting Streak for Week 3.

Here are the numbers for the last three days

Wednesday: 1717 calories total and walking as exercise

Thursday: 1757 calories total and easy hiking as exercise

Friday: 1806 calories total and vigorous elliptical as exercise

It's becoming harder and harder to stay under 1500 calories. I know a lot of it is the snacks I eat rather than the meals themselves. However I am so hungry at the end of the day I eat dinner and go over because I already ate too much in the afternoon.

I haven't been able to go to the gym as much and it took me days to recover from my crazy hike. My calves have been sore ever since Tuesday.

I'm happy that I at least I'm consistent with the amount I've been eating. Hopefully by the end of the week I can get the numbers down.

That's all for now.

Happy counting!

-w0rld

Getting lost on a hike.. kinda sorta (CCS Week 3 Day 2)

I woke up this morning feeling ok but with a huge sense of guilt that I over ate yesterday and didn't work out. So I told myself I would go on a hike today. A good one.

My co-workers suggested a while ago that I should go to Gem lake. A 6.2 mile round trip hike, pretty strenuous they said. I had all day. I finally decided to go. It started out great.

It was a beautiful day. I started a little after 11:30 am. I'd had a good breakfast of fruit with yogurt and trail mix. It was 3 miles and a total of 1,800 ft elevation gain. No biggie right?

The trail ran a long Silver Lake first. A gorgeous lake.

Here's where the trail turned and I got a good look at Horsetail Falls and an old train track I knew I'd catch up to soon.

The trail crossed the tracks twice and then the trail was the tracks.

By the time the trail turned in to the tracks I was still feeling well but hoping I'd make it to the first lake already. I definitely had to push it to make it up this hill. But I wasn't done. Oh no. lol.

This is where things went wrong. I made it to the top of that hill and saw that there was an old power plant. I thought it'd be deserted but there were people working a long the tracks. I saw this trail to the left of this building and took it. It must be the right trail if the tracks were a work site, right?

I crossed this dam and kept going. I'd made it over 2 miles at this point and stopped to take a break. I had one of those electrolyte gels athletes use during marathons. I'd never had one before so I figured I'd try it. It didn't taste bad, but it was literally sugar and carbs; exactly what I shouldn't be eating. I knew I had another uphill mile to go though so I figured I'd burn those 150 calories quickly.

The trail was rocky and kept going up and up and up. I was so high I could see a lake I knew was 15 miles away. 

I got so high that I finally saw the lake I was supposed to be at by now. I was much higher and far away from it. Damn. I kept hoping the trail I was on would eventually lead me there so I kept going up.

4.5 miles in to my hike I finally gave up and turned around. I admit I would have kept going just to see where my trail led but I realized that my water would run low and I didn't have any more food. I turned back hoping I could get back to the power plant. However, this rocky trail took time to cross. I kept reminding myself that my phone was dying and that I wasn't allowed to die, because I wouldn't be able to call anyone if I did hurt myself. 

At some point my head started hurting and I got dizzy. I needed to drink more water and have something to eat. I usually keep a piece of fruit in my bag and hoped I'd still have an orange. I drank and nearly finished my water bottle. I knew I still had half of another and 2.5 miles to go. I found a bag of nuts (thank god!) and gobbled it up. 

All I wanted to do at this point is make it back to my car and go home. The hike was beautiful but I was bummed I took the wrong course and I also ended up going 800 ft higher in elevation. I was tired and hungry and feeling the starts of blisters. It's not that I hadn't hiked this much before. I just didn't prepare for this detour.

My phone had been tracking my miles and died 30 minutes and one mile before I made it back to my car. But I made it back. I drank the rest of my water. I drove home and immediately took a shower. Dinner was the same as last night; soup and chicken.I had cottage cheese, grapes and honey as dessert.

I was dehydrated so I currently have a headache that I'm trying to drown with water. The reason I did this hike was in part to make up for my lack of exercise from yesterday and part of it was to remind myself that I can do strenuous hikes again. I was happy I did so well despite not having enough food. My feet are ok. The warm spots on the balls of my feet are already feeling better and I'm not that tired. Just disappointed that I didn't make it to my destination. I guess I'm going to have to try again.

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Now the numbers.

Breakfast: 598 calories

Lunch: 250 calories (the gel and 100 calorie bag of nuts)

Dinner: 766 calories (chicken and soup mainly. delicious)

TOTAL: 1614 calories

5 hours of hiking: 1800 calories burned

No wonder I got dizzy. I used up so many calories going up over 2,000 ft in elevation and sweat off so much of the water I drank I never peed.

LOL. Now it's time for me to lie down, drink a bunch of water and watch a movie. Believe it or not it was a good day.

-w0rld

Why you shouldn't wait so long to eat (CCS Week 3 Day 1)

Monday is my day off this week.

I got up late, had bean soup for breakfast and went in to town. There I had a latte and started writing my initial brainstorm on how to improve the outdoor education program I'm currently hired to coordinate. 

I was hungry and for the life of me I was craving roasted chicken and a creamy tomato soup. That's all I wanted. I went in to the grocery deli and they didn't have the soup I wanted! I was saddened and decided to go to the library to send emails and try not to think of creamy tomato soup.

Well I worked for hours, wrote my last entry about coconut oil moisturizer, and started starving. Finally by 5:30pm I went back to the grocery store. Bought fruit, yogurt, trail mix, a roasted chicken, and found two different kinds of creamy tomato soup on sale!! Woo! I just had to drive home, heat up the soup and eat!

However, the drive home takes 30 minutes. The smell of roasted chicken filled the car. I had half a mind to stop in the middle of the road and grab a drumstick.

But I made it. I heated up a cup of soup. I ate almost half the chicken in one go. It was AMAZING. I wasn't done though. I then grabbed some fruit, some trail mix and a lot of greek yogurt and had a huge fruit parfait as dessert. 

By the time I was done I was.so.full.

Here's the run down on calories:

Breakfast: 480 calories

Afternoon snack: 255 calories (the latte at 1pm)

Dinner: 1,163 calories (at 6:20pm)

TOTAL: 1898 calories

Exercise was simple calisthenics: push ups, inner thigh work outs, leg stretches and supermans

Burned: 125 calories

Lessons of the day: 

1.Getting the food you really crave is amazing. 

2. DO NOT wait so long to eat or else you go insane and eat too much!

That is all.

love

-w0rld

How to Make Your Own Coconut Oil Moisturizer Bar! (Weekly weigh in)

Happy Monday all!

I have been keeping my calorie counting streak for two weeks now and still going strong. It's amazing how logging everything you eat helps you lose weight.

Current weight: 206.0 lbs (-1 lb from last week and -4 lbs from last month)

Not bad, not bad. The more exciting news is that I've lost 0.5 inch from my waist. That's a HUGE deal for a woman dealing with PCOS and that dreaded apple shaped figure.
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Enough of that though because what I wanted to focus on in this post is how I've come up with making my own moisturizer using coconut oil. This moisturizer doesn't make you smell like last nights dinner and best of all, it's NOT MESSY! yay!

Background info:
When I developed eczema last year I broke down. The only thing I've been consistent about is taking care of my already sensitive skin. Suddenly getting a splotchy, itchy, burning and red face and arms was killing me.

I was already reading about the importance of taking harmful chemicals away from toiletry items and learned how coconut oil can be used as a moisturizer. Now I had already converted to using coconut oil for my food so when I tried to put the oil on my hair as a conditioner, or on my skin as a moisturizer, it was messy and I could not take going to bed smelling like the dinner I had just eaten a few hours ago.

I looked up different ways of making your own moisturizer and learned how using essential oils can help. I also learned the hard way that you can't use tea tree oil by itself. It irritated my skin soo much when I tried that. I read that you're supposed to diffuse it using another oil, like olive oil etc.
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For a while last year I converted to jojoba oil. It was awesome but really expensive. When I finally talked to a nutritionist about it they convinced me to use coconut oil again. More nutrients apparently. This time I had a plan though.

Fiddling with it I finally created a great coconut oil bar, that smells amazing, slides through my skin without making a mess or uses too much oil. In the end my skin is silky smooth. Mmmmm...

Here's how I do it:

First off I bought these great little round containers from REI. The plastic top pops off so the plastic is flexible. I'll explain how that's useful later.

First, fill the container with coconut oil.

I bought this huge thing of coconut oil from Costco. It's lasted me over a year for cooking and moisturizing.

Second, I put the container with coconut oil in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make the oil in to a liquid. If the thought of microwaving plastic freaks you out you can heat the oil in a pan just long enough to melt it, and then pour it in to your container. 

Third, I add essential oils to nourish the moisturizer and make it smell amazing. I learned that you need to have a base (coconut oil) and then use essential oils to add to it. One essential oil will be the main ingredient and any others are add ons. You don't need to add much. I added 

15 drops of lavender, (I LOVE lavender.)

5 drops of tea tree oil,

 and 3 drops of rosemary oil.

 Do not underestimate the power of these oils. It ended up smelling a lot more like tea tree than one would expect. Because you don't need much of these oils those little expensive bottles can actually go a long way. I bought these bottles slowly and they've lasted me for almost a year, still relatively full.

Fourth, pop the top on the container and stick it in the fridge! Yup, you heard that right. In order to make the coconut oil in to a bar it needs to be cold. 

Fifth, wait until the oil cools long enough to turn completely solid again. I usually wait over night. 

Sixth, pop your new moisturizer bar out of it's container (this is why having flexible plastic is so useful) and you can slide the bar a long your body. The oil melts with your body heat and doesn't use too much of the bar at once. I usually just swipe it a long my arms, legs, neck and middle. I put the bar down and then rub in the oil with my hands. 

Stick the bar back in the container, the container back in the fridge and there you go! I usually use it right after I shower. It makes my skin feel soooo smooth. :) The bar usually lasts me quite a while. It just depends how often you use it. I use it a few times a week. I learned that I don't have to use it daily. The moisturizing power lasts a couple of days for me.

PRO'S:

It doesn't irritate your skin. 

It smells great because you used your favorite essential oil smells. 

You don't use up too much of the oil at once.

It's not messy because the cold keeps the bar compacted together. 

You can use any kind of container because the melted coconut oil can be molded. Just make sure you can take it out of the container so you can actually use the bar!

CON'S:

You have to keep it refrigerated so it's cold when you put it on your skin. Brrr!

It's hard to travel with it because you have to keep it cool most of the time. However if it melts you can just stick it back in the fridge, later and wait until it hardens again.

So there you go. How to make a coconut oil bar. It's not hard and it's fun to make your own smell.

I admit I've gotten some good feedback on how smooth my skin feels. Try it. 

love,

-E. 

Calorie Counting Streak Week 2 Day 7: I made it for two weeks!

It's the last day of Week 2's calorie counting streak. You best believe I'm going to keep going to Week 3.

Today was a bit better. I didn't feel too stressed out, probably because I volunteered for the annual race. Races always bring out the best in people; supportive, active, excited, determined. I love races. I tried my hardest to keep my calories down. I did really well up until a half hour ago when I suddenly got really hungry and decided to eat a spoonful of peanut butter.

Here's how the cookie crumbled:

Breakfast: 537 calories

Lunch: 720 calories (fish tacos!)

Dinner: 55 calories (salad)

Snacks: 311 calories (again, my 'snacks' should be my actual meals)

TOTAL: 1623 calories

Calories burned: 566 calories (hiking!)

Tomorrow is weigh in and waist measurement day. May the weight-loss fairies decide to be in my favor.

-w0rld

How calorie counting helped me realize my emotions (CCS Week 2 day 6)

Today was another over eating day.

The total calories for today: 1982 calories

I got a chance to go to town and ended up eating almost the same thing I did a few days ago:

I got another sugary latte, ordered sweet potato fries with a side of chipotle mayo as a dip. Those three things ended up being over 1,000 calories!

I realized that my over eating was all emotionally triggered. I've been tired and stressed and worried for the last two weeks due to work transitions and loved ones. Today I spent 3 hours applying to a job and almost 2 hours on the phone trying (and failing) to convince a loved one that they are worth it and not to give up on themselves. I was so drained and have been this whole week that I ate my feelings.

Will this horrible pattern ever end? I didn't get a chance to work out either. Five hours of emotionally draining activities literally took all the free time I had before I had to go back to work... and work with troubled youth going through drug rehab.

Tough week. I hope this mini binge won't keep me from my weight loss goals. I have one day left of week 2's calorie counting streak and I will make it!!

-w0rld

CCS Week 2 Days 4 & 5

Summing up two days of calorie counting. First off yes I'm still at it and I'm very happy to say that it's getting easier to do. I hope I can finish the week and move on to week 3!

Yesterdays calories ended up being a bit of a disaster. I had my food prepared but ended up eating from the group so I ate double at most meals.

Day 4 calories:

Breakfast: 699 calories (breakfast sausage can do that)

Lunch: 548 calories (who knew drinking a gatorade with lunch would add so many calories?)

Dinner: 528 calories (it was hamburger day. I ate two patties.)

Snacks: 232 calories (banana, peanut butter and honey, my "dessert" and a price to pay)

TOTAL: 2007 calories!

What a mess.

The good news is that yesterday I also got a chance to swim again! I waited a while to swim again because I had this nasty burn/scab that was healing around my ankle. It hurt to kick while I swam so I stopped. It's almost completely healed so I finally decided to go back to the pool!
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Day 5 calories:

Breakfast: 467 calories

snack: 200 calories (granola bars that had some not-so-great ingredients in it)

Lunch: 408 calories

snack: 343 calories (I guess all this grazing could be considered dinner but it just wasn't)

Dinner: 171 calories

I had a break this evening and I admit instead of going to the gym I ended up watching 2 hours of Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I love this show mainly because the main character is a strong female lead. I also love fairy tales and am intrigued in how this shows mixes them together without making it seem too silly.

A part of me kept reminding me to get up and go to the gym but I kept convincing myself that I would just work out at home. I had dumbbells and a bike. I didn't need to go to the gym, right?

After I finished the last episoe I got up and looked at my profile in the mirror. It was a good day for self image and I felt like I LOOKED better. I even grabbed the measuring tape and measured my middle quickly. It showed a smaller waist. I checked the time and saw it was 7:30pm. I quickly decided that I would go to the gym anyway.

By 8pm. I was at the gym one hour before closing, and immediately jumped on the elliptical and did 35 hard minutes on it. It felt great. I realized that although I didn't NEED to go to the gym the routine of going was more of the point. That getting off my ass and driving 10 miles to the gym and jumping on a machine, diving in to a pool or snatching a couple of dumbbells there felt more like a sense of commitment and accomplishment than just doing simple stretches at home. I had to keep it up in order to tell myself that I'm doing something for my health. It was the act of getting my gym bag and deciding health over laziness. It felt great.

Sense of dedication and accomplishment

So I'm really hoping that despite my pig out on Thursday I can continue to lose some pounds this weekend and get closer to 205 lbs by Monday.

I'm so happy this calorie count streak is still going strong.

love

-w0rld