Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tuesday

155.6 this morning - water.  I'm quite swollen up again, after an evening at the gym.  During which, I must note, I hit my Nike+ FuelBand goal for the first time.  I also "won" 8 hours yesterday.  Easily amused much?  You bet.  Anyway, I'm all stiff and sore this morning - had to get up at 2:30 to get Advil to get back to sleep.

Day 1 of the Whole 30 is over, and went fairly well.  Here's the details:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • chef's salad with ham, chicken, cheese, and blue cheese dressing
  • cheese (prior to workout - I was starving!)
  • Andouille sausage and mustard
  • cole slaw (commercial, so a bit of a deviation)
  • pecans with cheese spread
  • more cheese (starving at bedtime)
  • 1 tsp honey - I'm not giving that up for anything
That said about the honey, it wasn't working all that well last night - or I am having hot flashes again. I woke up at 10:50, 2:30, and just before 5:00 that I know of, and didn't get back to sleep easily any of those times. Feeling a little foggy this morning as a result.  I am getting overheated at night - can't tell if it's too hot in the bedroom or if it's just me, yet.  Probably the latter (heavy sigh). I would so like to be done with this.

At the gym, I did 13 laps, which works out to 1.14 miles - and the last lap was a cooldown. Unfortunately, the FuelBand "session" tracker doesn't track steps, which is a bit odd - I was hoping to work out how long my steps are, for use in figuring distance from the step counter. After the walking workout (I used my lovely progressive racewalk playlist), I did a few weights - inner and outer thighs, arm curls (which were pathetic!), and a back extension machine. I didn't go through all the weights to work out settings and stuff - I need to get some sort of paper set up to record all that on first.  Next trip. 

In the meantime, I will be working on attaining my goal for the "streak" (3 in a row), and winning more hours. Maybe go out and walk outside tomorrow as a New Year's thing. And I need to figure out what I want to achieve with the exercise - leaning out, for sure, but strength or overall endurance? And where?

Monday, December 30, 2013

Monday (after Christmas)

155.0 this morning.  Okay, that's the starting point.  We are beginning a modified Whole 30 this morning - allowing dairy and a little bit of commercially prepared stuff like mayo.  I'm trying to control the whole eating thing for us all by making lunches and so forth - we'll see how that goes.  Today, we're all having chef's salads for lunch - with about the palm-sized portion of meat and cheese.  And Lee and Elizabeth are having baked chicken on top of that. From the deli.  Oh, well.  

Sausages and cole slaw tonight, after a gym trip for Lee and me.  Elizabeth has joined 24-hour fitness with a friend who is getting married in June; they're going 3 or 4 times a week so far, and she's quite stiff and achy.  It's all good, though.

My gym trip is aimed at getting a baseline measure on the weight machines and doing some walking.  I got a Nike+ FuelBand for Christmas, and I haven't hit the default goal of 2500 fuel points yet, although I got close on Friday by spending most of the day walking around Santa Fe.  So tonight's another window of opportunity to get the points racked up.  It's an interesting tool, and I've been wanting a forgettable pedometer-type thing for a while, so I think it will be helpful.

Food yesterday was mostly good, although it did involve eating up some of the last of Christmas leftovers, and I had way too many cashews.  Snacking is one aspect of the Whole 30 I will be working on - not snacking, that is; eating only when hungry. Not going to bother going into details.

I think that's it for now.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Monday

I think I have just laid my big stressor to rest, so I am hoping the remainder of the holiday season won't be just one big carb binge.  Which is to say exactly that it has been so far.  155.0 this morning. Lots of potato chips and tortillas over the weekend. I am, I think, going to propose a modified Whole 30 to the family for right after New Year's. We all rely on cheese and dairy of various sorts to keep us going, so it will be a Whole 30 plus dairy.  I don't know exactly what it might involve - and I'll have to go re-read my Whole 30 guide before I lay it out for us, but I think they'll be on board with it.

That's all for now.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Friday

Useful info for future reference.  Honey, good as it is, does not help one sleep when one's adult daughter is out until 3 am on a work night and not responding to texts or calls. I'm very glad I'm not commuting today; I've had maybe 3 hours of sleep, total. On the other hand, not having human contact today could be a real problem as regards staying awake.

I have not weighed myself today.  Yesterday was much improved for eating; I did have 2 mini candy canes and a handful of chocolate coconut almonds, but that was it for the bad stuff.

I have not eaten yet; think I'll wait until 9ish, so I sleep until around 6 tomorrow - research apparently indicates that waking is timed to 3 hours before the first meal.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Thursday

154.8 again. More crap yesterday.  French fries and potato chips this time. I'm not completely out of control here, but not under much control either. Life craziness is crashing into us repeatedly, and I go for the carbs to help cope. Understandable, but kind of annoying just now.

I have eaten breakfast today, I have disposed of the candy in my desk, and I have walnuts.  Going to try to get this right again today.  Ugh.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wednesday

And more garbage yesterday.  154.8 this morning.  I am fasting today, even if it hurts like hell. Enough said.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tuesday

Ugh. I spent yesterday eating crap. No other way to describe it, really.  152.8 today.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • cheese (a lot throughout the day)
  • Brach's peppermint nougats (5)
  • potato chips
  • multiple almond flour shortbread cookies with chocolate ganache
  • 1 tsp honey
I think that was it; it felt worse than that. I found the candy at the Target near work; the one by our house doesn't carry it any more.  It's my idea of the perfect Christmas candy - peppermint-flavored and chewy, and not too sweet.  Made with corn syrup as the first ingredient, though, so I cannot even pretend it's benign.

No ketosis at bedtime, obviously.  I am armed with cheese and salami and two of the cookies today; will that be enough to keep me eating healthy?  I tend to doubt it. Life has been annoying lately, and I'm struggling to avoid a sugar bender - not very successfully, either.

Sleep's been okay.  Woke last night briefly at about 1 am, then again some time after 4.  Both times I fell asleep again almost immediately after checking the time. Lots of dreams, though I don't remember them.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday

153.0 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs
  • canadian bacon
  • cheese
  • almond flour shortbread cookies with chocolate-amaretto ganache (4 total)
  • a tiny bottle of prosecco
  • boneless short ribs braised in beer and beef stock (a keeper)
  • mashed cheesy cauliflower
  • a lot of cashews
  • 6 chocolate coconut almonds
  • a teaspoon of honey
I was craving salt last night - not entirely sure why, but I ate cashews to help with it.  I wish humans could just do a salt lick, or something. Anyway, I'm still recovering from my massage on Saturday - it was amazing in terms of finding and killing off what was ailing me, but resulted in a lot of reactive inflammation.

I need to get life under control again; with it wonky, eating goes wonky.

For what it's worth, putting ganache on the shortbread was a total success.  It's dark chocolate from a Lindt 85% bar, heavy cream, and amaretto, so it's not very sweet, and just suits the shortbread cookies perfectly. Very rich.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Friday

Slightly less hostile today, but not happy.  A couple of things going on - some stress, to start with, that's fueling things, and hormones are doing something odd, I think. I slept well enough, considering we had dog interruptions all night again.  That's getting old.

I got to bed late due to work last night, but despite that and the stress thing, got to sleep really quickly - probably less than 15 minutes after we put the lights out. And after getting up about an hour later with one of the dogs wanting outside, I got right back to sleep. The honey is good stuff.

However, I'm apparently not eating properly - that, or the hormone/stress stuff is causing some weight storage to occur.  152.6 this morning. And I feel all puffy.  Here's yesterday, as I remember it:
  • tea with cream
  • egg custard
  • 2 sausage patties
  • the usual supplements
  • 2 pieces of chocolate - a Lindor truffle, and a peppermint bark - not low-sugar
  • Beef with broccoli
  • a bottle of hard cider
  • about 6 almond-flour shortbread cookies
  • a coconut flour muffin
  • 1 tsp honey
A little carby, not all that bad compared to a SAD day, but high for me. Need to get back on the wagon, as it were.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thursday

I am in an absolutely horrid mood this morning. Life feels very out of control, so I will need to spend a bit of time figuring out why before I can really get anything accomplished, I suspect.  

151.6 this morning, and I really don't care.  Sleep would have been okay if the dogs hadn't woken us up twice last night - once by making odd noises, and once by jumping on us.  That could certainly be part of the reason why.

I. Hate. Winter.  I'm just done with it. It's too damn dark out, the sun is in my eyes in the morning and slows the commute - already filthily bad - to a dead stop.  And the cold makes me cranky.

I ate stuff yesterday.  Undoubtedly too much of it.  Fine. Whatever. Hope to be better today.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wednesday

Weird sleep - I dreamt that I woke up and checked the time and it was 3:25 am; when I actually woke up at 2:21 am, I was very confused.  My leg was a little less of a problem; the real problem was the cat, who was in a congenial mood all night and kept walking on my hair.  

150.4 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs
  • tea with cream
  • bacon
  • a coconut-flour muffin
  • 6 almond flour shortbread cookies
  • 3 pieces of cheese
  • an entire 10" gluten-free pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers
  • 1 tsp honey
I kept the sugar out of the evening; don't know if that helped or not.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tuesday

Sleep last night was not so great. Hot flashes woke me at 10:30, 1:something, and 3:25. The less-deep sleep meant that my hip started hurting. I think it's possible that some stretches I did on Sunday had the most to do with it not hurting that night, so I will be doing more of those stretches.

All that said, I feel well-rested and alert this morning, and I had vivid, remarkable dreams. And I'm at 150.0 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • a coconut-flour, chocolate, dried-cherry muffin
  • eggnog
  • naked Double Quarter Pounder with cheese
  • Qdoba bowl of shredded beef, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole
  • about 6 dark chocolate coconut almonds
  • a couple of almond-flour shortbread cookies
  • 1 tsp honey
I was expecting to have stalled, or be a bit heavier this morning. Nice surprise to find that wasn't it.

I think I will avoid sweets after dinner tonight, see if only having the honey fixes the issue. But honestly, I don't think there's much I can do regarding the menopause symptoms. Sheer exhaustion might help me sleep through them, but I'm not exhausted. Ugh.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Monday

150.4 this morning, which may be what it was on Saturday morning, if I recall correctly.  It was up a pound yesterday, and now back down.  Whatever.

So, after a third night of bad sleep, I went back to the honey on Saturday night.  Some improvement then, and last night was hugely better.  Both nights, I dropped off so quickly that I hardly recall being awake at all.  Last night, I slept in a state of floppy relaxation until 3:25, when I woke up thinking it must be approaching morning, checked the time, turned on something on my iPod and went right back to sleep.  Woke again at 5:10 after a dream in which I was doing a cattle call audition for a part in Guys and Dolls, for reasons I cannot explain - couldn't in the dream, either.  Anyway, the first night in a long time (even with the honey) that I wasn't awakened with hip pain.

I spent much of yesterday cooking.  Egg custards for breakfasts this week, eggnog (FINALLY NAILED IT!!!), almond flour shortbread (they're frozen in a log at the moment; I'll slice and bake them tonight), and coconut flour muffins.  I think the muffin recipe has hit on the perfect ratio for working with coconut flour - 6 eggs, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup melted butter, and 1/2 cup other liquid. I added amaretto (not enough), dried cherries, and hunks of 70% cacao chocolate), and the results rose perfectly, browned perfectly, and are seriously delicious.  I'm going to use that same ratio for some orange-cranberry bread for Christmas morning.  I also think it could be the perfect batter for making Paleo fruitcake (none of that neon-green citron crap, but with currants, raisins, apricots, dried cherries, and nuts - tell me that doesn't sound amazing).

Here's yesterday, which was busy:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs with cheese
  • bacon
  • ham
  • pork BBQ (shredded and sliced)
  • cole slaw
  • BBQ sauce
  • one dark chocolate coconut almond
  • ham
  • baked sweet potato with butter
  • pumpkin pie innards (no whip cream)
  • 1/3 of a muffin, to see what they tasted like
  • 1 tsp honey
Tasty, if a bit pork-centric.  We have ordered our Turducken for Christmas dinner - with Creole stuffing (the trinity and andouille sausage are involved, I know). I made the pie innards on Saturday, and they are wonderful - I think it's better with Grade B maple syrup than with sugar.  And the eggnog is just sweet enough, and with the addition of Rum flavoring extract (I'd guess actual Rum would work as well), I finally found the missing taste that turns it from custard into nog.

A very good weekend.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Friday

151.2 this morning.  Sleep was decidedly worse last night than the night before or any of the honey nights. A lot of tossing and turning, and I woke up multiple times between 1 and 5. If tonight's similarly bad, the honey will be restarting tomorrow. It's good to do this, though; I was starting to think I was having a bit of confirmation bias.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • salami - 6 slices
  • Caesar salad
  • prime rib with horseradish sauce
  • asparagus
  • fruit - berries and pineapple
  • beef-vegetable soup
  • cheese
  • about 7 dark chocolate coconut almonds
I think that was it.  I saw a stronger "trace" ketosis measurement at bedtime than yesterday. My stomach is unhappy this morning, so I had just a couple pieces of cheese this morning and will be keeping things light.  Not sure what is bugging it; lunch yesterday was pretty clean, unless there was some sort of herb crust on the prime rib.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thursday

151.8 this morning; sleep (without honey) much the same.  I woke up around 3:45, I think, with a hot flash.  These days, I've only been having them at night, and occasionally on the way in to work with the seat heater on. So that was night 1 of the week without honey for sleep.  I don't know if things will degrade as it "wears off" or what.  I did have some sugar after dinner, which, based on Seth Roberts' theory, might work in exactly the same way.  Here's yesterday:
  • egg custard
  • tea with cream
  • two string cheese sticks
  • cheddar cheese
  • cashews (less than a handful, I think)
  • a burger with swiss cheese, guac, and jalapenos
  • cottage cheese
  • two pickle slices
  • 6 dark chocolate coconut almonds
I think that was it.

We are all struggling mightily with being functional right now - dark short days, the cold, job-hatred are all working together to put us into hibernation, basically.  So it probably doesn't help at all that I'd moved mostly out of ketosis.  Trying to get back into a fairly solid measurement on the ketostix, but to no avail so far - just "trace" last night. I had a bunch of salami this morning for breakfast, hoping the fat will help.  We have a lunch for work today, and I think it offers good opportunities to eat well - lots of meat and veg served without bread.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wednesday

152.2, and more shit sleep. I think I'm going to stop the honey for a week and see if that changes anything. The weight - easily explained.  Here's yesterday:
  • egg custard
  • tea with cream
  • two pieces of cheese
  • chips and salsa
  • two cheese enchiladas with green chili
  • one square maltitol-sweetened chocolate
  • walnuts
  • one tsp honey
I'm bloated and feel rather nasty this morning, although the enchiladas were lick-the-plate delicious. I guess I need to learn to make decent green chili again, and start making enchiladas at home. That way, they come without the chips and salsa.

Very late night last night getting home - dinner well after 6:00. And an early day today so far - my commute lasted 2 hours and started at 6 am.  Ugh. "Life" is getting short shrift just now.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tuesday

151.2 and shit sleep last night.  Here's yesterday:
  • egg custard
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • beef jerky
  • peanuts
  • bean-free chili
  • cheese
  • cashews
  • 2 squares maltitol-sweetened dark chocolate
  • 1 tsp honey
Shit sleep, to be sure, but interestingly, I feel refreshed and rested this morning.  So I guess the honey is still working. I had calf cramps overnight, and was in "trace" ketosis at bedtime. The cashews were eaten primarily for the salt; I had a head/neck ache last night and salt seemed to be what was needed.  I think it pays to listen to these things. However, it probably is where the extra pound came from - water retention.

Onward!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Monday

In general, I think we had a good Thanksgiving holiday - a little family time, a little shopping, got the house decorated for Christmas, including outdoor lights, and we ate okay.  Not perfect, but okay. 150.0 this morning, which means, I think, that I lost a pound over the 4 days. Considering I ate carbs to what I think of as excess both Saturday and yesterday, it might even be real.

Sleep was generally good.  I tried eliminating the melatonin and just doing the honey a couple of nights - while the overall quality was still pretty good, it took longer to get to sleep, and I did find myself thrashing a lot more in the early morning hours.  So I went back to the combo, and it is still working great. If only I could find a curative for the hot flashes that worked as well...

Here's yesterday:
  • omelette with ham, cheese, and tomatoes
  • about 1/2 of a portion of hash browns
  • tea with cream
  • a handful of cashews
  • some cheese - I think only 2 pieces
  • 5 dark chocolate coconut almonds
  • 2 squares maltitol-sweetened dark chocolate
  • meatballs with spaghetti sauce and cheese
  • salad with balsamic vinaigrette
  • walnuts
  • 1 tsp of honey
I also made more egg custards yesterday, so that was breakfast today, and I didn't bring anything with me to eat, which might mean I fast to dinner, or it might mean I eat my last package of jerky. Hard to say just yet.

I wasn't in ketosis at bedtime yesterday.  I know I need more fat in the diet, and will be attempting to get some breakfast in each morning this week, since that's a good opportunity to eat fat. Hoping it works!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wednesday

151.0 again today, here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • salami (8 slices, I think)
  • green beans with bacon
  • steak (8-oz sirloin)
  • peanuts - about 10 nuts
  • about 1/2 cup homemade stirred custard, made with honey (shooting for the homemade eggnog recipe again, and falling short)
That was it.  I woke up hungry today but didn't dare eat, because Lee has a physical and can't.  I've had a piece of cheese since arriving at work. Trace ketosis at bedtime again last night.  A couple of things may be at work.  1) I've stopped exercising, since the plank challenge was killing my weak shoulder - probably need to restart something, and 2) we are back to skipping breakfast.  I think the bacon and eggs first thing are useful for weight loss.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tuesday

151.0 this morning.  Any idea why?  Not me.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • pork sausage patties
  • pecans
  • a small bag of beef jerky
  • LCHF crust pizza
  • 5 dark chocolate coconut almonds
  • 1 tsp honey
I guess the fat content is low - still showing only trace ketosis in the evenings.  And I feel a bit inflamed - my nose was stuffed up overnight and my feet feel swollen this morning - which I would attribute to the beans and ice cream on Sunday.  So maybe that's it. I've got salami with me today to eat as needed, and am thinking Taco Salad or similar something for dinner.

Sleep could have been better - I had a hot tsunami hit at 3:30 am - seriously hot and soggy and awful - and couldn't get back to sleep until well after 5:00, which isn't much help given the alarm goes off at 5:30. I will keep plugging.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Monday

Unexpectedly, I weigh 149.4 this morning.  I say that because the pattern of late is for me to weigh less - a lot less - on Saturday morning and to watch the numbers rise until the following Thursday, about.  That wasn't the pattern this week at all, and I weigh less today than all weekend.  I'm also surprised a bit because we ate pretty crappy yesterday.  Just goes to show how nobody really understands human metabolisms.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs
  • pork sausage
  • shredded pork BBQ
  • cole slaw
  • coconut-flour based pumpkin bread with pecans
  • cashews
  • probably cheese
  • chili with beans and chicken
  • peppermint stick ice cream
The beans worried me - no option but to eat them, out of politeness.  My stomach seems to be mostly okay this morning, but not perfect.

Sleep was utter crap last night, but not related to the honey.  Stress, rather.  I won't say more, but I wasn't able to get to sleep until after 11, and the alarm hurt a lot this morning.  For the record, once I got to sleep, I stayed that way.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Friday

I stressed high-fat eating yesterday, and was still at "trace" ketosis last night.  Not sure what to make of that.  150.6 this morning, with slightly swollen ankles, and a full gut.  It's less full now.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • salami
  • cheese
  • cashews (ultimately 2 handfuls)
  • meat loaf
  • mashed cheesy cauliflower
  • walnuts
  • 1 square maltitol-sweetened chocolate
  • 1 tsp honey
I'll stick with my approach again today, and hope that I can get the ketosis back up.

Sleep was good again.  I was up later than usual for work, took the honey on the way to bed, and thought it might take a while to get to sleep.  In the event, less than 15 minutes.  I woke up at 4 and wasn't able to get back to sleep after that, unfortunately; I started thinking about work. I'm still very alert and rested, though, so I can't really complain.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Oh. Duh.

I omitted a key item consumed yesterday; may well have an impact on weight.
  • a bottle of hard cider
Yesterday wasn't so much stressful as infuriating, and Elizabeth got me a hard cider to help me feel better.  Did it?  I don't know.  It tasted pretty good.  Anyway, it probably didn't help with any weight-loss/maintenance.

Thursday

150.8 this morning.  No obvious reason.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • pecans
  • double quarter pounder with cheese, no bun
  • cheese - 1 piece of Gruyere
  • philly cheesesteak stuffed pepper - with roast beef, onions, mozzarella
  • guacamole eaten with pork rinds
  • 3 pieces of maltitol-sweetened chocolate
  • 1 tsp honey
I was in trace ketosis at most yesterday evening.  For what it's worth, I slept like a log, which was awesome.  One waking for a calf-cramp; I got up, put magnesium oil on it, and went back to sleep.

I'm working from home today and am going to take advantage of that to eat heavy fat.  I think that might be the issue.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Wednesday

Slept straight through from 9:30ish to 4:00 am last night - very nice.  I feel quite a bit more alert this morning than I did yesterday, as well.  So that's good.

For some reason, I weigh 150.2 this morning.  I do not get this pattern at all.  Down on and because of weekends, up mid-week.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements, slimmed down
  • cheese
  • beef jerky (1 small bag)
  • coconut - the last of it, about 1/3 cup
  • 6 oz sirloin with blue cheese crumbles
  • a whole lotta southern-style green beans
  • 1 square dark chocolate with maltitol
  • 1 tsp honey
  • a handful of cashews
The order of the honey and cashews as a small experiment to see if eating after honey interfered with it.  Apparently not. 

I don't really see anything that would have caused me to gain a pound yesterday; my fingers are swollen, but my feet don't appear to be.  Same thing last week - weird.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tuesday

I got a pretty good night's sleep last night - weird dreams included - and I should feel rested this morning.  Instead, the alarm jolted me out of sleep, I fell back asleep for part of the time between 5:30 and 6:00, and I'm groggy as hell this morning.  Not sure what to make of that.  I will note that I had more sugar than usual after dinner, above and beyond the honey, so it may be that.  149.2 this morning; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • most of the usual supplements (streamlined a bit)
  • 1 egg-custard with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese
  • pecans throughout the day
  • salad with leftover pot roast, garlic sauce, feta, and hot sauce
  • 1 square Lindt's 85%
  • a serving of pumpkin custard with about 2 TBSP sweetened whipped cream
  • 1 tsp honey
So, not a lot of food - I wasn't much hungry all day and was in small ketosis at bedtime, which matches with that.  We had dessert near 8 pm, so it would not have cleared digestion by the time I took the honey at 9, and that's all I can think that would have done it.  Since we finished the custard, I won't be having late desserts any more, and will be able to tell if things sort themselves out again.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Monday

Stayed on track this weekend, although Friday's sleep was sub-par, to say the least.  I'm not entirely sure why, but since I slept pretty well Saturday night, and really well last night, it's not worrying.  Eating was also good; I think ketosis has settled in for real.  I really don't have much of an appetite and my energy is good.  148.6 this morning - and I saw 147.8 yesterday.  In general, I think the weight loss pattern this go-round is different from 3 years ago - it's more fits and starts.  What's keeping me on track is the other benefits of being in ketosis - the mental clarity and the energy, in particular.

Here's yesterday:
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • anti-inflammatory supplements (I think) - fish oil and magnesium and maybe something else
  • cheese
  • a handful of cashews
  • pot roast with a few carrots, and sauce thickened with potato starch
  • brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon and pecans
  • pumpkin custard and whipped cream (some maple syrup and sugar involved in these)
  • 1 tsp of honey
That was it.  I also restarted the 30-day plank challenge - I got to the 60 second point and started collapsing at 20 seconds, so decided to go at it slower.  2 days on each time, and incrementing only 10 seconds, with a rest every 6th day.  Did 2 days at 20 seconds so far, and will do 30 seconds tonight.  Lee is sticking with the original plan, which puts him at 90 seconds today.  We shall see how that goes.

Not much else going on - a nice, puttery weekend.  Got things done, but nothing huge.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Friday (we hope)

The reason I'm not sure it's really Friday is that the morning host on the show that serves as our morning alarm clock was working today - and he usually takes Fridays off.  So, confusing. In any event, I'm working from home, so if it's the wrong day, people may be frustrated trying to find me.

150.0 today; I guess I can't regard it as a stall any more.  My fingers are a bit swollen, so there's still some inflammation I'm fighting. Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • cheese
  • pecans
  • coconut flakes
  • tomato soup (from Primal Palate)
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • more cheese
  • cashews
  • two dark-chocolate covered chunks of coconut
  • 1 tsp honey
We had breakfast today - scrambled eggs and bacon. I'll be eating high-fat stuff again today, and sneaking a Paleo snack into a movie tonight. Not sure what will be for dinner yet - our meat supply has dwindled mightily.

Sleep continues to be effective, if a bit broken up.  I had calf fasciculation last night before bedtime, so hit them both with Magnesium oil before bedtime, and it mostly worked - I did find myself rolling over oh-so-carefully a couple of times, but didn't have to leap out of bed abruptly. And one of those hot flashes that mimics "time to get up" around midnight again. But for all that, I feel rested this morning. And that is seriously huge.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Thursday

Stalling or something.  150.6 this morning, despite being up peeing 3 times overnight.  I feel thinner, though, based on how my clothes are fitting, so I may be leaning out and seeing the muscle development that appeared to be a side effect of the honey.  Maybe.  Or maybe I'm delusional. 

Sleep continues to be better than expected.  Last night, we had dogs awake at 12:30 am, I woke up for a hot flash at 3:11, and was a little bit restless after that, but slept through the restlessness, if that makes any sense.  I'm getting the benefits of solid sleep, even if it's not as solid as one would hope, or something.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • turkey sausages
  • salami
  • taco salad (lettuce, taco meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, salsa)
  • pot roast
  • green beans with ham and tomatoes
  • butter (2 of those little tubs)
  • 1 square maltitol-flavored chocolate
  • cheese
  • 1 tsp honey
I managed, finally, to get through the 45-second plank after dinner last night - I think I'd had my arms in a bad spot in the morning.  Not that it was easy, mind you.  And today is supposed to be 60 seconds.  I haven't tried it yet. Tonight some time.

For all that I seem to be a bit stalled, I am not feeling like giving up on the stricter low-carb eating at the moment.  I like the mental benefits of ketosis - they're providing some counter to the menopause-driven fog I've been in.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Wednesday

This has been and continues to be a very long week.  I'm not sure why - perhaps the malaise that accompanies the time change got pushed back a week, or something.  In any event, it is quite the slog.

However, I am still sleeping well - I got 6 straight hours last night, and was able to go back to sleep really quickly after that waking.  More dreaming, but no recollection of what I dreamt of.

150.8 this morning.  I will be keeping an eye on things; it occurs to me that the unlimited energy I get when in ketosis has dissipated somewhat, although for sure, I'm in ketosis - Moderate at bedtime last night.  It feels like water, though.  I'm quite achy this morning, and my ankles are a bit swollen.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • turkey sausages
  • pecans
  • chicken soup
  • cheese
  • a handful of cashews
  • one square of maltitol-sweetened chocolate
  • a teaspoon of honey
That was it.  I think I need more variety or something.  I have had a piece of cheese this morning and have some salami with me, and I think we're having chicken for dinner tonight.  I feel like I might need to add guacamole to the chicken or something - I guess that would be okay. I think maybe the fat content this week is lagging a bit.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tuesday

Better sleep last night than the night before - it was interrupted at least twice by hot flashes or hip pain, but I was able to get back to sleep so fast that I can only recall turning on the iPod, but not actually listening to it.  I call that success.  More dreaming as well - the only one I recall, though is a dream that I was Grok-squatting in the kitchen and finding it easy. I cannot actually recall any point in my life when I was able to squat at all, and I sure would like to be able to, but dreaming about it is just weird. I am still waking very refreshed, which is just awesome.

150.6 this morning; it will be obvious why. Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • two pieces of cheese
  • double quarter-pounder with cheese, no bun (no, that's not it)
  • hot and sour soup
  • beef with garlic sauce (ding-ding-ding! we have a winner!)
  • two pieces of cheese
  • a teaspoon of honey
The beef part was fine.  The problem was the garlic sauce, which was glutinous and so sweet as to render dinner into dessert.  I didn't finish it, but the damage was done - and I'm sure it was also salty. Chinese food never helps with weight loss - as I was eating it, I was hoping the worst would be a stall. Oh well. My ankles are a bit thick this morning, and I'm pretty sure it's all water. Turkey sausage for breakfast today, and a bag of pecans to go on with, and soup for dinner, already made.

Lee has joined me on the 30-day plank challenge.  45 seconds this morning, and that hurt!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Monday

Good weekend; I was able to continue the VLCHF eating approach even when faced with a Mexican restaurant dinner last night.  And, even better, I got a full night's sleep Saturday night - no waking episodes that I can recall - and if I can't recall them, even if they occurred, they don't count.  Last night, not so much; I was fighting the hot flashes multiple times, and we had an attack of cat - she'd been unable to be on our bed the previous 2 nights because Elizabeth's dog was there, and spent last night laying where my feet wanted to be, walking up and down the bed, and generally disrupting things. Even so, the quality of sleep I got between waking episodes was good.  Sticking with the honey.

148.8 this morning, which is down from yesterday and up from Saturday (which was 148.6). Encouraging, to say the least.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • ham, cheese, and tomato omelet
  • bacon
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • cup of green chile
  • cheese, I think
  • chicken fajitas with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole, no tortillas
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
I think we're having chicken soup tonight, after a gym trip.  

In addition to all this, I've been doing a 30-day plank challenge, and have completed day 5, which was a plank of 40 seconds.  Today is a rest day, and then we're up to 45 seconds tomorrow.  Not easy, and I've not noticed the strength gains from the honey there, anyway.  Maybe in getting out of chairs; that seems easier to me just now.  

So, things are going well.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Friday

Was sleep good last night?  I think it was better than it could have been, but not objectively good.  I woke up again sometime between 10 and midnight as if it were morning, had a hot flash, and went to the bathroom.  Back to sleep - pretty easily.  Woke up sometime between then and 4 am with a leg cramp (forgot the magnesium oil - won't do that again!), and got back to sleep pretty easily. Woke up at 4:10 after another vivid dream (which have been a bit rare until the past day or two), and was pretty much up from then until the alarm went off at 5:30. I don't know if that last bit is good or bad.   could maybe explain it as time-change related, except before the honey, I think the alarm itself was waking me, and I've been able to sleep in on weekends until it got light (it is definitely NOT light at 4 am). Again, I had the sensation on waking that I'd had good sleep, even with the interruptions. So, the honey is holding on the positive side, I'd say.

150.4 again this morning.  I think I'm not surprised.  Here's my eating for the day:
  • scrambled eggs
  • turkey sausage
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • cheese - 2 pieces throughout the day
  • coconut - boredom eating, I think
  • Qdoba naked burrito - shredded beef, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole
  • salami
  • a handful of cashews
  • honey
The coconut wasn't part of the plans for the day, and I don't think the cashews were either. And the honey might have been more than 1 tsp - I used a normal silverware teaspoon, and it sort of overflowed.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Thursday

Well that was just weird.

I took the honey at 8:21 last night, prior to bedtime, but not immediately before it.  When we shut off the news and I tried to sleep, at first, I couldn't.  I was fidgety and hot and uncomfortable; my pajamas were velcroing themselves to the sheets, and I decided, after about 15 minutes of squirming in hot and sweaty discomfort, that the honey wasn't going to help me.  I put something on the iPod and got to sleep.  I recall waking once, around 2 am, but being able to get to sleep again pretty quickly.  

Around 4:30, I woke up again with this amazing feeling of well-being. I had the sense that the sleep I'd just woken from was different somehow, richer, if that makes any sense.  I'd been dreaming a lot, and vividly, to boot, but felt as thought I'd spent the entire night in delta sleep - is that the one where you're just unconscious?  No aches or pains anywhere.  And I have a lot of energy this morning and don't feel achy or groggy the way I have been for quite a while.

It's only been one night, and could definitely be the placebo effect, but I sure hope it's not. 

150.4 this morning.  I was in Heavy ketosis last night.  Wouldn't dare touch alcohol right now.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs
  • turkey bacon (3 links)
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a small handful of small green olives
  • grassfed beef patty (1/3 pound)
  • zucchini spiral noodles with sour cream, butter, and parmesan
  • two pieces of cheese
  • 1 tsp of raw local honey
Obviously, I'll try the honey again for tonight - and probably nightly for a week. 

I'm doing something else that may prove interesting.  Somebody posted a 30-day plank challenge on Facebook, which I think I'll try.  Started last night at 20 seconds, which turned out to be a pretty darn long time.  I think it adds 5 seconds a day, 6 days a week, until you reach 270 seconds (4-1/2 minutes).  I would like better core strength, so it's worth a shot.  But I did it rather late last night - just prior to having the honey - and I think I will try to do it earlier in the evening, so it doesn't interfere with any sleep benefits.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Interesting updates from today

First, this from Seth Roberts' blog has me all a-flutter, and I mean to have a teaspoon of honey just before bed tonight.  From what he says, the effect is pretty much immediate, and the strength increases in his standing-on-one-leg chart are seriously blowing my mind.  I would love it if this were to work. Just getting off the occasional Advil-PM would be wonderful. Near as I can tell, a single teaspoon would be only 6 grams of carbs, which shouldn't bust my ketosis, and might help with muscle mass.  I'll report out on anything I find.

Second, I did a quick search to see if getting bloody freezing (not directly related to the sweat evaporating after a hot flash) during perimenopause is normal.  Yup, apparently it's not unheard of. And while I was reading about how it was one of the many joys of the Change of Life (tm), I saw a reference to joint pain and weak legs.  I don't think I've made note of it here, but my knees pretty much had given out on me until I started specifically working on strengthening them - a graphic illustration of this is that I had to lower myself onto a toilet with one hand on the seat to control the pace of the drop. Obviously, squats have been completely impossible for me, and that is still driving me mad. I have fixed the basic problem, but never associated the weakness, or the knee pain, or my more recent hip pain (and maybe even my shoulder issue) with menopausal stuff.  Never.  Now, it sounds like the gift that keeps on giving has given even more.  Guess I should be glad that I'm not suffering from random electric shock sensations or tingling in my extremities (other fun possibilities available to the middle-aged woman).  Yikes.  Just effing yikes.

So, honey at bedtime for the next week or so, and I may even assist with the knees and hips by doing it.  That would be awesome.

Wednesday

Sleep last night was strange.  One of the dogs was unwell around 3:30, I think, and I got up to deal with that, but up to that point, I had been asleep but aware that I was freezing.  Huddling into the covers, even burying my head in them, trying to get warm.  Nasty.  I'm still cold, although I had a hot flash in the middle of being cold while on the way to work - and they don't help; I feel cold even as I warm up and break out into a sweat.  Ugh.

150.8 today, so whatever was going on yesterday was a blip, I guess.  I was in Moderate ketosis, approaching Heavy, last night.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream (twice)
  • no supplements
  • two pieces of cheese
  • pecans - about 2/3 cup throughout the day
  • vegetable soup with beef
  • salami
  • two more pieces of cheese
  • one square of maltitol-sweetened chocolate
That was it.  The appetite reduction effect of ketosis has kicked in, I think, and I'm feeling much less inclined to eat at night again.  Very grateful for that.  I'm trying hard not to get wedded to the weight loss, because I think it's possible that it will stop because of hormones, but I'm glad to reclaim the freedom of being able to look at candy and the like as not-food.

We still haven't made it to the gym.  So be it.  Maybe tonight.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tuesday

152.2 this morning.  Do I have any idea why?  Who knows.  Perhaps the scale was propped up on the floor molding yesterday.  Annoying.  Still, much less than I was on Thursday last week, so I shouldn't complain.  And I was in Moderate ketosis last night.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs
  • 3 turkey sausage links
  • the usual supplements
  • 4 pieces of cheese throughout the day
  • Paleo shepherd's pie (cauliflower topping, so low carb)
  • one square of maltitol-sweetened dark chocolate
I can say that toward the end of the workday, my feet were swollen, and I feel like I might have a digestive issue working right now.  Whatever the reason, I am continuing to eat as high-fat, very low carb as I can.  Soup tonight for dinner - leftover roast beef, vegetables, stock.  Probably not a high-fat item, so I will make blue cheese dressing when I get home, and have a salad as well.  

I have noticed a reduction in appetite, which is good.  Planning on continuing a moderate fat fast today; I've had 2 pieces of cheese so far, and have pecans with me, and I turned down lunch for a lunch meeting.

Sleep was not good - lots of hot flashes yesterday and a lot of restlessness overnight that may or may not have been related. My hip was hurting as well.  We didn't make it to the gym last night for various reasons.  I hope we make it tonight.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Monday

Oh, how I do love being in ketosis.  I got so much done over the weekend, it was crazy.  Saturday involved shopping and a high-school football game nearly 90 miles away, and dinner at home (taco salads); yesterday I made a valance for the kitchen window, altered a skirt, fixed the neck of Elizabeth's new dress so it wouldn't gap open when she sits down, washed walls and scrubbed countertops, did a bit of laundry, watered plants, made dinner for last night and another for tonight.  I had that fidgety energy that ketosis gives me, and just went to town with it.

151.0 this morning, thank you very much.  Finally got the water out.  I am going to stick with this very low carb approach for the indefinite future - once I laid out all of the things that had become "okay to eat" in the past 2 years or so, it was obvious that, while hormones might have played a role in a 10-pound gain, they weren't the prime suspects.  

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • bacon
  • cheese
  • salami
  • walnuts (probably 1 handful total)
  • roast beef (pastured rump roast)
  • green beans
  • salad with vinaigrette dressing
  • two squares of maltitol-sweetened dark chocolate (supposedly 2 net carbs for 3 pieces)
  • a handful of cashews
That was it. Lots of individual items, I guess, but in reasonable quantities (e.g., the salami was 4 slices total).  We are having Paleo shepherd's pie for dinner tonight - with the cauliflower topping. And going to the gym, probably first. 

Sleep is still a bit cruddy; even with an Advil-PM last night I woke up a couple of times.  Hot flashes come and go - either I'm getting used to them, or they are becoming less frequent.  Still annoying, though.

And it's return-to-standard-time week.  Usually this about kills me, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. I don't feel draggy so far, which may be a good sign.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Friday

Is it inappropriate to say I spent yesterday peeing?  Because I kind of did.  152.8 today - so 2.2 pounds of water weight lost.  I ate as close to zero-carb as I could.  Survived Halloween without eating any of our Halloween candy.  Here's the breakdown:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • 6 total pieces of cheddar cheese
  • about 1/3 cup of coconut flakes
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • a little cottage cheese
  • roast beef
  • green beans
  • bacon bits
  • butter (2 tiny tubs)
  • 2 squares of 85% Lindt
That was it.  Carbs would have been in the coconut flakes (1-2 grams total there), the salad, the green beans, and the chocolate.  I think I was down in the 20s, and that was the goal.  So a good thing.

Sleep was not so great.  I felt some calf fasciculation in the evening, so hit my calves with Magnesium oil at bedtime.  No calf cramps overnight, but one did hit in the arch of my left foot around 3 am.  A few night sweats on top of that, and I'm pretty achy this morning.  

I did some thinking yesterday about slippage in how I've been eating over the past 2 years or so, and there's enough there to account for 10 or so pounds, I think.  I'm going to work very hard to get back to where I was when losing the weight originally. I know I am fighting some hormone issues, but I think if I ramp up the fat and am really strict on the carbs, things will calm down a good bit.  I want to get back to where I was when commercial ice cream was too sweet - because it hasn't been that way for quite a while.

Fat-fasting today as much as I can, although I don't know what dinner will be yet. I'll come up with something.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Thursday

155.0 still today.  I guess I should be grateful that it's stopped increasing. I am not grateful that it hasn't gone down.  I am not grateful that my knees and ankles are stiff and sore for no reason. Hate this.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • coconut flakes - probably 1/3 cup, which is 1 serving
  • beef jerky - 2 vending-sized bags
  • cheese
  • walnuts
  • a vending-sized bag of potato chips
  • an entire gluten-free Domino's pizza - pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms
That was it; I was thinking that I had something else, but I didn't; I sewed all evening in order to finish a dress for Elizabeth.

I just looked up the pizza - for starters, so amusing, they think 1/6 of a 10" pizza is a serving.  15 g carbs in their serving, so 90g in that part of my day's eating alone.  The potato chips didn't help; I think they weigh in at another 23ish g carbs.  113g at minimum, when I'm trying to eat down near zero.

Brought cheese with me today, and will eat that. And will get back to my very low carb approach starting today.  Amazing how difficult it's been lately - maybe hormones are at work again.  I think, since I don't anticipate any drinking, that it might be time to do another fat fast as a reset. 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wednesday

So.  No gym yesterday; we ended up going out to eat instead.  Everyone had had an abysmally bad day.  155.0 this morning; I guess that's an improvement, albeit a piddly one.  My ankles are very swollen this morning and I am hoping to pee frequently sometime soon.

Here's yesterday:
  • 1-1/2 egg custards
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a salad with blue cheese, avocado, fried prosciutto
  • a vending bag of M&Ms
  • 5 green olives and a pepperoncini
  • salad with Olive Garden dressing
  • steak and chicken chunks
  • roasted bell peppers
  • a few roast potatoes
  • 1-1/2 Ande's mints
  • a glass of white wine
I think that was it.  Barely a trace of ketosis at bedtime, and no surprise.  Trying to get back into the groove again today - no breakfast (finished the egg custards yesterday), and nothing but coconut flakes to eat here, I hope.  No gym tonight; everyone's scattered after work, I think.  I believe I will do some sewing.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesday

Okay, seriously?  155.2?  What the, ... well, you know how that ends.  My ankles are a bit swollen, but am I carrying as much as 4-5 pounds of water right now?  Seems unlikely.  And yes, I know muscle weighs more and all that, but I don't think 3 gym sessions and a 5K are likely to have packed on 5 pounds of muscle.  Of course, I haven't done a lean body mass measurement in a while; maybe I should.

Still, here's yesterday.  Maybe if I see it all:
  • egg custards - 1-1/2 of them with bacon and cheddar
  • coconut flakes - probably 4 Tbsp
  • a vending-sized bag of beef jerky
  • keto crust pizza with pepperoni (crust from cheese, egg, and almond flour)
  • an Almond Joy and M&Ms bag - both fun-sized
  • random leftover tortilla chips
That was it.  The carbs at the end aren't much help, but other than that, a pretty good eating day.  And my sleep has continued to improve - I woke up at 11:30 but was able to go right back to sleep and didn't budge again until well after 4, which is awesome for me.  Hot flashes have been on a downward trend over the past couple of days - subsiding?  I'm not going to predict, but it's been nice so far.

Gym tonight again.  I think I will stick with the weights I did last time - lower back and abs, lat pull down and chest press, and leg press and ab/adductors. And walk a bit.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Monday

I am going to continue to repeat that this is water, but I'm starting to wonder.  154.8 this morning.  I think we ate reasonably well, with a few exceptions, and I am swollen and sore and achy today, but nothing is going away right now.  

We did a 5K on Saturday morning; I think my overall time was under a 15-minute mile on average, and that, after walking the first half pretty slowly.  It felt pretty good, and I'm much less stiff than I would have expected.  So that's a good thing.

Here's yesterday, as I recall it:
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • cheese
  • veggies and dip (sour cream, cream cheese, spice mix)
  • cashews (ultimately, about what I might eat in a sitting, I think)
  • olives
  • two glasses of wine
  • crab dip and nut-thin crackers
  • possibly tortilla chips and salsa (we had a lot of finger-food out)
  • BBQ chicken and pork
  • cole slaw
  • gluten-free red velvet cake with commercial cream cheese frosting
  • vanilla Haagen-Dasz (about 1/2 cup)
I think that was the whole day.  Really, not all that bad, which is what has me baffled regarding the weight.  Recovery from exercise?  Seems likely, but at the moment, not that comforting.  

I did sleep well last night - until the dog started vomiting anyway.  That was around 4, I think, and I believe I got back to sleep afterward pretty quickly. And my hip did not bug me, which is a total first in quite a while.  I'm hoping that the walking we've been doing, either in 5Ks or at the gym, is helping get things properly realigned.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday

152.4 this morning; baffling.  Well, not really; I'm a giant bag-o-water this morning. We went to the gym again last night, and I opted to lift heavy things.  Paid for it, too; I woke up near midnight and struggled mightily to get back to sleep, until I got up and took 3 ibuprofen.  That helped, eventually, but it was rugged. And, of course, I have to work late tonight (late meaning "near midnight", I'd imagine), and we are doing a 5K tomorrow morning. Eventually, I believe that this will help my strength and endurance, and that's all good, but it sure doesn't seem like it just now.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • olives (maybe 5)
  • pepperoncini (from the olive jar)
  • a few coconut flakes - far less than the 1/3 cup serving
  • salami - about 4 thin slices
  • chipotle cheese steak, no bun
  • cottage cheese
  • a pickle
  • a dark chocolate truffle
That was it.  I was at bona-fide "small" on the ketone test stick last night, and I have the lovely surge of energy from being in ketosis.  That's probably what's keeping me upright this morning, truly.

Other updates: I took melatonin well before bedtime last night - apparently that's not what was helping keep me from waking at midnight.  I did the cold shot at the end of the shower as well, and didn't have daytime hot flashes that I can recall; I did have some at bedtime and during the midnight to 3:30 am stretch.  They seem somewhat less intense than a few weeks ago; I really hope that things are starting to subside.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Thursday

I did the cold shower yesterday, but took the melatonin at 9 pm (forgot to do it earlier).  Slept like a bag of rocks until well after 2 am, woke briefly to hit the bathroom, and slept more until the alarm went off.  Did I hot flash?  I don't know.  It's possible I did not, which would be awesome.

151.8 this morning and ketones inching toward "small" from "trace".  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements (cut down on some of the arcane stuff like CoQ10 and Gingko)
  • 4 pieces of cheese
  • about 1 T of coconut flakes
  • 1 more piece of cheese
  • roast chicken
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • about 1T of dried cherries
  • 1 square of dark chocolate
  • 1 salted dark chocolate almond
I think that was it.  I skipped breakfast again this morning, and have olives with me, and may go get lunch as well.  I still feel swollen, so there's more water there to be lost.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wednesday

An interesting  observation this morning (more correctly, 11:38 pm yesterday).  I took melatonin at bedtime last night, and was back to the old pre-midnight waking as if it were morning thing.  Which I don't like, a lot.  When I take melatonin around 8ish, this hasn't been happening.  I think I'll revert to the 8 pm dose.

152.4 this morning; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • double quarter-pounder with cheese, no bun
  • some coconut, not a lot
  • chips and salsa
  • chicken with green chile and avocados on it
  • about a spoon full of refried beans
  • about 2 spoons full of rice
  • a chocolate truffle
That was it.  Slightly higher urine ketones, although still in the trace-small region. I'm feeling motivated to stick with the low-carb eating, for mental serenity and feeling better and not repeating that cold, and it may be that that motivation will work better than weight loss, which seems to be very impossible just now.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Random observations about the whole standing desk thing

One: It's getting easier and easier to go for long periods without needing to sit down.  I'm glad this is the case, because at first, my legs were getting tired pretty quickly.  Last week when I was fighting the cold, I had to sit more, but now that it's gone, I'm feeling pretty much like standing is the default.

Two: I don't seem to have swollen ankles as much as I did when I sat all the time. Honestly, this makes no sense to me (water being subject to gravity and all), but that's what I'm observing.  I'm all good with that, too, since I very much hate swollen ankles.

Three: I'm getting bored more easily.  It used to be that I could slouch at my desk doing not much (because a day is a bit slow, for example) for quite a long time.  I can't do that when I'm standing there.  I've heard folks say they feel more productive at a standing desk, so I'm guessing this is that.

Just wanted to put those out there.

Tuesday

Fasted yesterday, pretty well.  I ate 7 green olives (all fat) and some coconut (maybe 4g carbs) before dinner.  And we went to the gym - I walked a little over a mile and a quarter at increasing speed over the distance, thanks to a paced playlist.  So of course, I weigh more today than yesterday - 152.8.  Probably water.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • olives
  • coconut flakes (probably about 1/3 cup)
  • cheese
  • burger patty with green chile and cheese
  • 3 pieces of cheddar
  • a square of dark chocolate
  • about 1 TBSP of dried cherries
That was it.  I tested for urine ketones at bedtime and came up with a trace.  I think I can do better than that.

Fasting today, more for sleeping in purposes than anything else; we were tired.  I did do Advil-PM last night and got a decent night's sleep with lots of vivid dreaming.  I only recall one semi-waking episode involving temperature fluctuations.  And I meant to do the cold water blast this morning and forgot it.  I'll try again tomorrow, I guess.

I may eat lunch today, schedule permitting (and it appears that it will).  Not sure what yet.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Monday

And it's not starting out well; I can't get to Gmail this morning.  Nonetheless; there are other ways to skin this cat, and (mixing our metaphors even further) we soldier on.  152.2 this morning after a weekend that stuck to very low carb principles pretty well.  Yeah, it's a bit lower than Friday, but not much; on the other hand, I had infinite energy yesterday and got a ton of stuff done.  So there's that.  Here's yesterday:
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • cheese
  • cashews
  • chef's salad with blue cheese dressing
  • 1/2 row of Hershey's Dark Chocolate almond bar
Probably more than that, but I seriously don't recall.  I know I thought about eating chips and salsa but didn't.  No idea what else there might have been.  I'm doing an on-purpose fast this morning, to clear out the remains of the cold - this, after reading all about autophagy in John Durant's new book, The Paleo Manifesto.  He does a good job synthesizing all of the thoughts on Paleo, giving it meaning beyond a good way to eat, and providing me with some food for thought.  I finished it last night, and had a hot bath before bed and a brief bit of cold in the shower this morning - wondering if maybe some thermal adaptation might help with the hot flashes.  I can say that the hot bath was not all that helpful, so far, and that I don't think I've had a flash yet since the cold water in the shower.  I also drove to work with the heat off for most of the hour - and it's 36 outside, so that was meaningful.

Sleep last night was crap again.  Despite another massage, my hips are still killing me.  I think it might be weak abs, so I did about 100 crunches last night and a few leg lifts.  I'm not sore this morning, so either my abs are just fine, or I wasn't doing something right.  I'm leaning toward an Advil-PM night of sleep tonight.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday

Another night of fairly good sleep.  I recall waking at 12:40ish, turning on an old radio show on the iPod, and melting back to sleep.  Again, around 3:40, I think - this time, my hips were hurting again and telling my brain to shut up already didn't really work too well.  Getting a massage this weekend. I was awake-ish for about an hour that time, but asleep again by 5:30 when the alarm went off.  The sleep felt darn good - very deep.  I've needed it.

Eating wasn't so great. 152.6 again this morning.  I need to get out of the snacking habit; that seems to be my big issue right now.  Here's yesterday:
  • an egg custard (mushroom and sausage and Gruyere)
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • coconut - multiple amounts, no idea
  • an apple
  • a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
  • steak with mushrooms sauteed in butter
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • cheese
  • cashews - the other thing, apart from coconut, that I need to stop
Elizabeth, on the other hand, has lost something like 7 pounds this week, and is chuffed no end. She resisted a donut yesterday by saying to herself that it was not food.  I'm so glad this is working for her again.

Ham and homemade green bean casserole for dinner, probably also salad.  I've had a couple of the egg custards for breakfast today, and will try to avoid food until late afternoon - not eating until I am actually hungry.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Thursday

I took melatonin at 8:00 last night, rather than just before bedtime.  I know I was sleepier by bedtime than normally, so I credit it with that.  I also slept fairly well last night - woke once at 2-something, I think, and again around 5:00.  Exhaustion is helpful, I guess.  152.6 this morning, which I do not like and intend to do something about.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • coconut flakes throughout the morning
  • spinach salad with bacon and blue cheese and pine nuts
  • some sort of italian salad dressing
  • 3 pats of butter
  • a 4-oz portion of chicken piccata, probably breaded
  • caesar salad, no croutons
  • redfish with "Pontchartrain sauce" - almost certainly roux-based
  • two grilled shrimp
  • a hunk of Gruyere
  • 1/2 row of Hershey's dark chocolate with almonds
That was it.  Not great, and both meals were from restaurants (Maggiano's at lunch, Joe's Crab Shack at dinner).  When we got home, Elizabeth and I made more egg custards to have at breakfast - sausage and mushroom with Gruyere this time.  I had one this morning - pretty good.

I think we're nearly all healthy enough for the gym again - at least, I am going to propose going there at least once this weekend.  We are planning on doing a 5K on the 26th, and it would be good to get a little ramp-up work in.

My hip is still bugging me a little - did the same stuff last night as the night before and it seemed to go away, mostly.  If it were organic pain owing to something being wrong, I don't think it would do that, so I will continue to work on it as psychosomatic.  I also seem to have got my stiff neck and shoulders to calm down in a similar way.  Interesting, for sure.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wednesday

151.8 today; I pretty much know where that pound went, but it's inappropriate to discuss details. Sleep last night was not good; from about 2-4 I was awake or nearly so, throwing covers around and grabbing them back.  Ugh.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • 1-1/2 egg custards with bacon and cheddar cheese
  • the usual supplements
  • 3 pieces of cheese throughout the day (but no coconut)
  • two Fuzzy's tacos with ground beef
  • more cheese - I think 2 pieces
  • cashews - probably about 2 handfuls
That was it; I was quite hungry after dinner, hence the cheese and cashews.  Stayed away from sweets, though, so that's good.

On Seth Roberts' blog yesterday, he had a link to an article about John Sarno's approach to back pain - that much of it is psychosomatic.  I did a bit of digging to get the gist of his argument and what to do about it, and tried it on my hips last night, since they've been acting like a bad case of sciatica for about 2 months, and massage did nothing to help.  I think they've been some sort of signal that I'm angry or frustrated about something - and I think that something is work.  More on that later, but turning my attention to that possibility at 2 this morning made the hip pain pretty much vanish.  Interesting.  So now I have this shoulder pain...

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tuesday

152.8 this morning, sleep last night was utter crap again; I spent yesterday feeling perfectly awful.  I don't know if it was the cold that I don't really have any more, or menopause, or a combination of both.  Tired, achy, sweaty, weak, hungry; I had it all going for me.  Ugh.  Suffice it to say I didn't eat as well as I could have, although I didn't do all that bad.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • 1-1/2 egg custards from the 30-Day Guide to Paleo cookbook
  • the usual supplements
  • coconut flakes - probably a lot
  • vegetable soup with beef (made Friday - it got very onion-flavored over the weekend in the fridge)
  • M&Ms toward the end of the day when I was still starving and feeling ugh - don't know if they really helped
  • stuffed cabbage casserole (had a bit of rice in it; otherwise, nothing high-carb
  • walnuts
  • two salted chocolate almonds
  • an apple
  • cheese
Longer list than usual, and the apple and M&Ms were carbs that I could have done without.  I have brought cheese with me today, and so far, despite the sleep issues, I feel better today than I did yesterday, so I am hopeful that I won't bonk mid-afternoon.  

I suppose it's possible that yesterday was an incidence of the low-carb flu.  I don't really know, though, and since I ate carbs, it may be a couple of days of clean eating before I have another shot at ketosis.  I will keep trying.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Monday

Where to start?  Well, 151.0 for my weight.  I was able to keep away from the sugar pretty well all weekend, with a few notable exceptions, like ice cream on Friday night.  Still, I feel like I might have a handle on things now.  

Next, Elizabeth is suffering from more metabolic syndrome symptoms, and after a conversation yesterday, seems committed to eating clean.  It may be that in helping her, I help myself and Lee more. As a family, we are all trying to eat at home more anyway, so the combination can only be good.

I'm working on dialing in the sleep right now, and - crossing my fingers - it seems to be improving a bit.  Over the weekend, I started shutting the blinds over our bed, to reduce the light from a streetlight, and Lee and I started using magnesium oil just at bedtime.  Either one or both of those helped - or sheer exhaustion from being sick did the trick.  We slept nearly 10 hours Saturday night, and a solid 8 last night.  I vaguely recall being partly awake at one point, but really wasn't even a little alert until about 4:30, which is huge for me.  

Hot and cold flashes continue unabated - more some days, fewer others.  No obvious trend.

Here's yesterday as I recall it:
  • tea with cream
  • omelet with ham and bell peppers and onions
  • bacon
  • a couple of fried potatoes - not more than 5 pieces, I think
  • cheese, I think
  • pizza tops - pepperoni, green pepper, and mushroom
  • a row of dark chocolate with almonds (Hershey bar)
There may have been more, possibly some cashews, but I don't remember it at all well.

Anyway, new week, new start (yet again).

Friday, October 11, 2013

Friday

I thought I ate better yesterday; apparently not.  Also, hot flashes are firing nearly constantly this morning and sleep was futile overnight.  I am miserable. I'm sure I can keep going, but after a while, if cutting an arm off would make this stop, I would probably give it serious thought.  154.2 again this morning.  Here's yesterday; maybe after looking at the list something will make sense:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • cheese (4 pieces throughout the day, and one after dinner)
  • coconut - probably 6-8 TBSP
  • gyro meat
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
  • a dark chocolate square with raspberry filling
  • walnuts, I think
  • one almond-flour cracker
Nothing obvious - maybe the coconut?  I won't be eating it today - took it to work to replace the craving for vending machine food - and it's working for that.  I think I'm going with olives for snacking today - and we had actual breakfast, which I think we need to restart doing, somehow.  With all of us sick or at least a bit disabled at the moment, it's really hard to get up in the morning.

Ugh.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Thursday

Better eating day yesterday, better sleep, and although I'm quite sleepy this morning, I feel better - less ill, although not fully healthy, if that makes sense.  Interestingly, my cold has never felt like a full-blown cold: I had a mildly sore throat and malaise, then a stuffy nose and malaise, then a hearing loss/swollen ear and malaise, none of them severe and all serially.  At the moment, it's the hearing loss, although even that is ebbing.  And not so much malaise today.  Progress, I'd say.

I ate better yesterday, thanks to the absence of sugar.  153.0 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • cheese (4 pieces throughout the day)
  • coconut flakes (about 5-6 TBSP, at a guess)
  • walnuts
  • grilled chicken strips
  • cole slaw
  • two waffle fries (we had dinner at Chick-Fil-A)
  • pecans with cheese spread
That was it; I'm trying to improve things in general, and it seems to be working a bit.  Nothing abrupt this time, and trying to be fairly forgiving of any lapses as long as I correct them fully.

More cheese and coconut today, and maybe that gyro-meat-and-salad thing for dinner (sometimes we take multiple runs at things before we actually achieve them).

On the menopause front, I am still having flashes, but fewer in general, I think, or they're bothering me a bit less, especially at night.  Or it may be that I'm just effing exhausted right now, and sleeping through some of them.  I would like them to go away; I find it rather stressful to feel like I'm breaking a fever multiple times a day, and obviously something broke through my stress threshold recently.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Wednesday

Okay, they're gone.  The candy corn and mellocreme pumpkins no longer exist in my house. Because I ate the last of them.  

I hereby resolve not to buy any more.  That should help some.  My gut flora are complaining, my weight is complaining, and I'm sure that eating all that sugar did not help my cold get better.  153.8 again this morning; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • cheese
  • candy corn
  • leftover gluten free pizza - most of 1 slice; the crust doesn't hold up well
  • cashews
  • walnuts
  • salad with blue cheese salad dressing and bacon
  • pot roast with potatoes and carrots
  • waldorf salad
  • green beans with bacon
I think that was it; I don't remember.  It was a disorganized day for eating. Tentative plan tonight is gyro meat and a salad.

The cold isn't getting any worse; I sound stuffed up, but feel pretty normal, so I am hopeful that it's on the wane. I want it gone so I can get back to occasional gym visits and working outside and things that will help us all survive the winter with less stress and disease.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Tuesday

Still fighting the cold; last night, it made me cough when I was laying down trying to sleep. So helpful. If I propped my head up, even a little, it stopped. I was still awake at 11:30 after taking an Advil PM around 9, not sleepy at all. Probably a no-brainer to figure out that I'm a bit wiped today. I opted to work from home to see if I can get it to stop doing this to me; don't know if that will work or not.

154.2 this morning. Here's yesterday:

  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • 3 pieces of cheese
  • salami - 6 very thin slices
  • an apple
  • two more pieces of cheese
  • chips and salsa
  • naked chicken fajitas
  • two squares of raspberry-filled dark chocolate
  • about 5 candy corn pieces (I resisted until very late)
I think some of it's water; my ankles were a bit puffy at bedtime. I can't recall if it's starve a cold, feed a fever or vice versa; at the moment, I seem to be opting for the latter.

This whole being sick thing is such a bummer - it's been so nice for the past 3 years not getting any of the stuff Lee and Elizabeth brought home. I chalk this up to stress - a combination of long commutes, that damn remodel, and menopause - and falling off the Paleo wagon rather a lot this past few months. So, something to fix.

Working from home today; I will be eating cheese and butter and bacon and the like today, and planning something very paleo for dinner, although I don't know what.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Monday

Sugar is an addictive substance.

I made the mistake Friday (I think, maybe Saturday) of buying a bag of Brach's "Autumn Mix" - mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corn of two types.  I have always loved candy corn and the pumpkins, and I thought I could have one or two pieces occasionally between now and Halloween.

Yeah - nope.  I have been hoovering this stuff in like the vital substance of life all weekend - I guess that might be a slight overstatement because there is still some left in the bowl, but I'd rather not think about how much of it I did eat.

Very carby weekend; in addition to the sugar binge, I ate a lot of apples (well, maybe 3)... hmmm. Maybe that was it.  It just felt like more.  153.8 this morning, though.  Here's yesterday:
  • omelet with ham cheese and tomato
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • vitamin D3 (I don't think I did any of the other supplements)
  • Autumn Mix - many handfuls
  • almond-flour olive oil crackers
  • an apple
  • cheese (I'm pretty sure)
  • meatballs with spaghetti sauce
  • salad with balsamic vinaigrette
  • more Autumn Mix
I don't know if it was the sugar overload or something else, but Lee and Elizabeth's cold started to attack me on Saturday morning.  I woke up with a slight sore throat and some mild body aches. That was pretty much it for Saturday; I did a bunch of cooking that day and was pretty energetic. But went to bed at 8:00 and was probably asleep before 9:00 (with two Benadryl to try to keep from getting stuffed up).  The Benadryl wore off at about 2 am, I think, and I was uncomfortable the rest of the night (stuffy nose, swollen soft palate and uvula, stuff like that).  Stayed in bed yesterday morning and took more vitamin D3 and some Airborne, and the throat unswelled and I started feeling more normal again.  But we had a very quiet weekend; I don't think I even left the house yesterday (except for an abortive trip out for breakfast; we turned around when Lee couldn't stop coughing). Anyway, I went to bed last night with nothing but melatonin, and slept until 4:30, which is crazy long for me of late.  My nose is a bit stuffy this morning and I have a very slight scratchy throat/tickle that prompts me to cough occasionally, but other than that, I feel okay.  I am hoping that this is it for me; I have enjoyed not getting sick for the past 3 years and would prefer to keep it that way.  

Other things I did to keep it at bay: sinus saline rinses, and put some lavender essential oil on my tonsils yesterday morning.  Oh, and tried to sleep with garlic oil and socks on my feet Saturday night.  Don't know if these steps have helped or if my immune system is doing what it's supposed to, despite my attempts to overdose with sugar.

Anyway, recognizing that I'd really rather not be sick and that the sugar may well be a culprit (and let's face it, I've been noshing on sugar far more than normal this past couple of weeks), I am going to buckle down on refined sugar avoidance again.  I have an apple and cheese and salami with me today to eat when I get hungry or cravy (or before 1 pm when I begin an afternoon meeting marathon), so I am hopeful that I can stay out of the stuff during the workday, at least.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Friday

Yesterday, while doing the standing desk thing, I spent a brief stint standing on one leg - a few seconds, really, on each leg alone.  I also changed up when I took melatonin - at 7 pm, instead of right at bedtime.  I don't think anything else changed significantly.  And I got somewhat better sleep last night.  Not perfect; I know I was up at 1:30, anyway.  But better - maybe the quality of the sleep intervals was better than before or something.  I'll take any help I can get.

In addition, it was raining/snowing (yes, dammit) last night, so it was cooler than normal in the bedroom as well.  That may have helped given my thermal issues.

No idea what I weigh today - Fridays, I leap out of bed to get the animals fed and stuff, and don't have time to step on the scale.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a Jimmy John's unwich (roast beef and turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, I think)
  • a dill pickle
  • 5/6 of a gluten free Domino's pizza, with pepperoni, bell peppers, and mushrooms
  • two squares of raspberry filled dark chocolate
I was able to avoid any other snacks after that, due to feeling full. And I was hungry at 5:00 this morning.

I think I need to get back into ketosis if I can.  I know I'm not there now.  And I don't know if I can, truly; the sugar cravings I've been having lately are pretty darn strong.  Nonetheless, I think I will try again.

Meatloaf and mashed cheesy cauliflower for dinner tonight - see?  Avoiding the starch as much as possible.  Also comfort food.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Head, meet Desk

This ad just showed up on a website I was reading. Comment is pretty much superfluous.

Thursday

I would tend to say that a combination of exhaustion and hormone fluctuations is a very bad thing. Not that I went postal or anything like that, but it triggered another sugar bender.  Skittles again. And chips at dinner.  153.0 this morning, and not surprised.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • 3 pieces of cheese
  • skittles (at least this time, they weren't all smashed together)
  • grilled chicken taco salad with tortilla chips
  • potato soup
  • Ghirardelli chocolate square with raspberry filling
  • cashews
As usual, it seemed worse at the time.  I have managed breakfast today and plan on ordering a Jimmy John's unwich if I get hungry mid-day.  Maybe having a plan will help.  That, and being a bit more alert - I did the Advil PM again last night and woke up around 4 this morning for the first time. I feel pretty good this morning for a change.

I'm starting to wonder if my root cause problem is bad sleep; that if I were more deeply asleep at night, I would be less disturbed by hot flashes.  I may have had some last night, but they didn't wake me.  Not entirely sure what I'm going to do about it, but something to mull over, I guess.  And it would appear that the standing desk is not making much of a change in my sleep patterns after all. Might try standing on one leg again.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Wednesday

151.6; ate lots of chocolate and french fries yesterday.  Need I say more?  Here's the breakdown:
  • tea with cream
  • cheese
  • the usual supplements
  • double quarter pounder with cheese, no bun
  • medium fries
  • iced tea
  • steak
  • green beans
  • wine 
  • chocolate - 1 square Ghirardelli raspberry-filled and an entire bar (3 servings) of milk chocolate with toasted coconut
The thing is, that milk chocolate bar wasn't even that good - the flavor was just sweet, not balanced. I didn't like it all that much, but I still finished it.  I hate that.

Sleep was shit.  I added leg cramps to the other fun.  Life is sucking mightily right now.  Lee and Elizabeth are both sick; he sounds like he has bona-fide pneumonia, and she only has a cold (I hope, anyway) after her trip to Seattle, but is exhausted.  And I'm the healthy one - the sweaty, menopausal, depressed, chocolate-craving, underslept healthy one.  Add to all that an hour and 10 minute commute driving directly into the sun and I just want to curl up in a corner and weep.  I hope things improve soon.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Tuesday

150.6 this morning; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • no supplements
  • nasty banana-chip based trail mix (I was starving, I had no money, it was in a desk drawer)
  • about a fistful of ham
  • 1/2 slice swiss cheese
  • small handful of potato chips
  • pork roast with BBQ sauce
  • rice with butter
  • brussels sprouts roasted with mustard and worcestershire sauce
  • two raspberry filled Ghirardelli squares
That was it.  I've only had cheese today so far - but hope that it will keep me from starving. Slept better last night - had Advil PM and nearly didn't wake at 1 am to let the whining dog outside and back in.  Feel like I could use another week's sleep.  Yikes.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Monday

Wow.  I thought I was tired before.  Not so much.  We have had a 3-day weekend with Jack, and the sleep has become progressively worse each night. Top that off with Lee being sick - he caught a nasty chest cold playing golf in the rain (that's his story and he's sticking to it), so I ended up doing a lot of the wee hours Jack-wrangling. Not fun.  Yesterday, he and I got up at 4:50 am.  Today, I was up throughout the night shutting doors and wrestling him into a sleeping position multiple times, and we all got up at 5:50 am.  Elizabeth comes home this afternoon - and "not a moment too soon" was probably some time yesterday.  I am fried. Lee is still in bed, with the dogs on the back porch as if we had all left the house.  That should give him time to get some rest.

My stomach was all nasty yesterday; not sure what was going on, but I've apparently eaten something I probably shouldn't have.  I'm feeling a bit ugh still, and it was in evidence overnight, as well, which just added to the general merriment.

151.6 this morning. Here's a rough summary of yesterday's eating - I don't think it's everything, but it's what I remember:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • bean-free chili
  • salted chocolate almonds
  • dried cherries
  • chips and salsa
  • enchiladas montada (cheese, stacked with 3 tortillas) with green chile
  • an apple
I think that was it.  It felt far worse than that at the time.

No breakfast today - no time for it.  I will get lunch due to work things, and we are having pork roast and roasted brussels sprouts for dinner. If I'm still awake by than, that is.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday

No idea what I weigh this morning; was up and moving by 5:15 and didn't have time to weigh myself.  Got Elizabeth off to her plane on time.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a bag of Skittles
  • cheese (I think)
  • naked philly cheesesteak burger 
  • fries
  • cashews
That was it - the Skittles were probably as disgusting as it gets - half the bag had been smashed and they were a solid wad, glued to the bag.  Instead of recognizing the serious non-food-ness of the mess, I peeled it all off and ate it.  Cravings much?

I kept count of my hot flashes yesterday; I had 5 during the day and 6 (I think) after the workday up to the alarm going off this morning.  I don't think I've had one yet since then, maybe.  After looking it up online, it appears that 11 in a 24-hour period is not all that horrid.  Does that make me feel better?  Not really.

The standing desk is working out pretty well.  I did a lot of sitting yesterday owing to tiredness and sore feet, but I'm rather liking it.  Now that I have a surface to lean on, to rest my arms on while typing and/or writing, it's easier.  And since that is the ONLY thing even vaguely primal that I've managed so far on the Primal Blueprint challenge, I'm going to stick to it.

Cheese and tea with cream so far this morning.  I would be happy if I can keep things along those lines.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thursday

152.2.  Ate crap yesterday, despite many good reasons not to.  Life could be going a bit better just now.  Here's the breakdown:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • omelet with ham and tomatoes (supposedly cheese also, but didn't see any)
  • bag of peanuts
  • two (yes, two) bags of M&Ms
  • cheese (like 8 pieces)
  • walnuts
  • a small bag of Zapps craw-tator potato chips
I think that was it.  When I resort to craw-tator chips, which are really spicy, because I want potato chips and that's all we have in the house, things are bad.  I'm assuming hormones, since I am in a ferociously bad mood for no reason this morning, and since hormones have been making my life hell all summer.  

I hope things get better soon.