small changes and vitamin D

A few months ago I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency. I follow a vegetarian diet and don't drink milk, so my doctor prescribed a supplement. After doing a little bit of research (thanks internet!), I discovered that Vitamin D comes from the sun, something my doctor failed to mention. He made it sound like it was because of my diet. Since I'm otherwise healthy, I just needed to add a little sunlight to my day. I was pretty embarrassed when I realized this. How awful is it that I don't get enough sunlight? So I stopped the supplements, and decided to spend at least 15 minutes outside a day. Sometimes I read, sometimes I eat dinner on my back porch, sometimes I exercise, and sometimes I just take a walk outside on a break at work.

Now that it's summer (I was diagnosed in winter), I'm dedicating my weekends to getting as much sunlight as possible. Which has led to some great weekends of kayaking, swimming, and tennis playing.

At my last blood check said my Vitamin D levels were normal.

I'm noticing some small changes that I'm very satisfied with. I attribute it to these lifestyle changes I've made:

In addition to the added sunlight, I've been trying to eat a healthy diet. It's so hard, but I can say for the first time in years (uh, ever?), I'm probably getting my five servings of fruits and veggies a day, every day. Sure, it is embarrassing to admit my past dietary habits. But I've come strides from my eating out every day, three meals a day behavior. Yes, I still eat out. But not nearly as much. Also, I've lost my taste for soda, which was a gift from God, because I wasn't sure how I'd ever stop drinking soda. I'm also exercising more than I've ever exercised in my life. Yes, last week I only worked out twice, which I wasn't happy about, but I'm blaming it on PMS. But most weeks, I'm doing at least 3 sessions at the gym, a yoga session or two, and then some other outdoorsy and active activity.

I'm not seeing the weight loss I'd like. Probably because I'm still addicted to cookies and cheese. But I am seeing some really nice changes that are making a difference in how I feel about myself and my body.

#1 - My hair has stopped falling out. Yes, this is a gross thing to share. I talked to my doctor about it and she said it was caused by stress. For the past four years, my hair has been falling out nonstop. Luckily, I have a lot of it. A few weeks ago I was trying to do my hair and it felt really thick. Then today in the shower, I realized I wasn't losing any hair. How long has it been since I last noticed a lot of hair falling out? I'd guess a few months.

#2 - My skin looks radiant. I'm almost offended no one has said anything. But I looked at myself in the mirror today and I actually smiled at myself. Hey, look at that girl with glowing skin. My pimples have cleared up and I just have a nice glow, which may be because of #3.

#3 - I'm happier. I got off of my anti-depressants a few months ago. I was worried it was going to be a rough transition, but it hasn't been so bad. My doctor was in a little disbelief when I told her I'm happier now than I have been the past year on medication. Not much else has changed except my diet, exercise, and sunlight.

Those are a few of the small changes I've seen in my health journey. In case you're wondering, I've lost weight the past two weeks in a row, but not much. The past two weeks I've been involved in the 52 Days till Summer Challenge.
5/9 Weigh-In: - .8 lbs
5/16 Weigh-In: - .4 lbs

I've lost a total of 4.2 lbs. I really hope something changes in my metabolism soon. I'd like to lose around a pound each week.

just a small update

I always feel so inspired to write in this blog after I workout. I went to the gym on my lunch break, which I try to make happen every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I didn't do as well as I'd have liked to do. Since my one-mile run, it's been an embarrassing week. I still haven't been able to run a mile since. Has this every happened to you? You've hit a milestone and you have trouble making it to that milestone again? I wonder what causes this. Regardless, I did work out really hard, and I'm proud of myself for that.

I have a weight watchers meeting today, and I'm confident I've lost at least a pound. But I'm cheating, sort of, I haven't been to a meeting in two weeks.

My boyfriend bought a grill, and we basically consumed only grilled vegetables all weekend, and this will probably continue for the rest of the summer.

I've had some more time through my weight loss plan of action. And here are some goals I'm going to shoot for:

1. I created my first menu for the week and plan on sticking to it [sans weekends, see below.]

2. Go to yoga more than once a week. I just feel like once a week isn't helping me improve my flexibility. So this week I will go twice. I love yoga, but have no motivation to leave the house after I get home from work.

3. Work out at least one day on the weekend. Seriously, I have issues when it comes to the weekend. I eat and eat and drink and lose track of my goals. It's usually an all-out lush fest. I hope to tackle this problem sometime very soon.

Also, are you drinking your water? Because you should be. That stuff is delicious.

holiday sabatoge and this week's meeting topic

I weighted-in on Monday and I was up .2 pounds. I guess this isn't a huge failure, since the week before I gained two pounds. But it would have been nice to lose a pound or two.

This is me at 206 lbs. Three pounds lighter than the heaviest I've ever been. I took this in the locker room right before my workout. The mirror was dirty. Gross.

After the meeting, I felt inspired to lose at least a pound the next week. This week's meeting was on tracking. I only track half of the time. That should improve. I talked with a WW representative at the meeting, and she we talked about the .2 gain mostly happened on the weekend. This is no surprise to me, seeing as the weekend is 30% of the whole week and I know the realities and lack of control of weekend eating. I was confident I was going to lose some weight this week, but on Sunday night I had a few beers and that turned into a few slices of pizza.

Regardless, I'm glad I went to the meeting and left with the inspiration to do better this week. However, that was quickly thwarted by a looming holiday. Easter is this weekend, and I'm breaking my schedule, which terrifies me. I'm leaving town Wednesday night to visit my family - a term synonymous with lots of food. I'm also scared because that turns Thursday and Friday into an extended weekend. Monday through Friday I'm great at tracking. Now I'll be in a foreign kitchen, stuck with foreign meals. Since I'm a vegetarian, the only thing my family can think to feed me is pasta and potato salad. Also, my boyfriend's mom makes the best quiche and German Chocolate Cake.

Already discouraged by this thought, I sabotaged myself with a brownie - well two brownies. And while I don't even know how to track them, because they were huge, I'm determined to be prepared for this weekend.

extended holiday weekend survival plan:

Workout every day this week, even while vacationing. Taking a run at my parent's place is nice, because of residential sidewalk (something Tallahassee seriously lacks).

No eating in the car during the five-hour trip.

Eat light (and track!) on the days I'm still in town and able to stick to a routine.

Go shopping while on vacation and stock my parent's fridge with fruits and vegetables and make sure I have a say in the Easter dinner menu.

Wish me luck. Do you have any suggestions for surviving the Easter weekend?

weekly meeting topic: making "you time"

Image from wholeliving.com

I hauled my butt to a meeting, where I gained 2.6 pounds. This is really no surprise, considering I was off the program for two weeks. Still, it's a little disappointing that I could lose sight of my goal.

This week's meeting was about finding time for yourself, so you don't go nuts. This is important. If you are struggling to find calm in your life, chances are you're going to lose sight of your goals. 

make time for yourself

Figure out how much you'll need. Thirty minutes? An hour? A day? A week? 

do something you'll enjoy

A lot of the talk at the meeting had a "make time for exercise" spin. Well, yes. Try to make time for exercise. But make sure that this "me time" is gratifying and leaves you feeling satisfied and accomplished. It doesn't necessarily have to be relaxing, like yoga. It can be strenuous or rigorous. I think the end result you're going to want is a feeling of calm and satisfaction. So if exercising will leave you stressed and annoyed (as is often the case when I realize I can't run a mile straight), maybe skip it. Your sanity might make you more likely to skip on a stress binge. At our meeting we also discussed reading, napping, and cooking as options.

do it by yourself

You're surrounded by people practically every second of every day. Take this time for solo action.

my favorite "me time" activities

Since I'm broke I like to:

hot tub (illegally sneaking into apartment hot tubs)

read

nap!

write

cook a decadent meal

get a manicure

stretch

walk in a park

self indulgence time

I'm rather self indulgent when it comes to taking time to relax. I've been able to manipulate time to work in a lot of these activities. How do I do this? Well, it's a priority. When you're reading a book instead of doing the dishes in your sink, don't sweat. They'll get done (eventually, right?). Don't feel guilty for taking time to take care of yourself.

how I make time

- reading is very important to me. I make sure I skip the Netflix in the evening, go to bed early, and read a chapter or two in bed.

- walking/stretching/exercising - skip that lunch break. I get the majority of my workouts done at lunch, and I love it. It makes the day go by much faster. Eat lunch at your desk afterward (a lot of weight loss supporters think desk eating is a terrible idea).

- Skip the TV. Seriously. I don't have cable, and it makes the greatest difference.

- cook for the week: cut down on cooking time by working a lot of meals around one menu item like potatoes or brown rice. Cook that menu item in bulk at the beginning of the week. Put it in the fridge for use in the next couple of dinners. This works great with things that take a while to cook, like rice.

-use that slow cooker: food in in the morning, dinner done in the evening. brilliant.

What about you? What are some of your indulgences and how do you make time for them?

about my health holiday

So, I've spent all week practically binging on whatever I could get my hands on. It's been two weeks since I've been to a Weight Watchers meeting and I'm terrified to go back tomorrow.

Hi. My name is Heidi. I've started this blog because I'm sick of just reading weight loss blogs. I want to be part of the dialogue. I want to track my progress, my set backs, and my success. I hope to share my experiences with others and learn from their advice. Hopefully, this blog will hold me accountable. A lot of the time, I feel like I cannot share my food and body image issues with the people who are closest to me. Does anyone else feel this way?

Here is some information about me:

 I recently started Weight Watchers for the third time in my life. I successfully lost 40 pounds on my first attempt. I eventually gained it all back and about a year after being off of the program, I returned for a brief re-try, but I quit in about a month. It's been more than three years since I've been in weight watchers. This time I hope to lose the weight and keep it off.

I am 24 years old. 5 feet 2 inches tall. I'm also 70 pounds over my recommended healthy weight. I don't believe I have ever weighted 135 pounds, or ever will, but it's a nice thought. I'd be very happy to weight 145 pounds.

I like exercising. It's never a chore for me. But I often have a hard time finding the motivation to go.

I have a severe binge eating problem usually brought on by the slightest level of stress.

I am a vegetarian. You'll only find vegetarian recipes on this blog.

For now, I will be focusing my weight loss on Weight Watcher's program. However, I hope to figure out how to eat mindfully without the help of a program or diet. Regardless, I'm done sitting around reading about other people's weight loss success. I'm ready to engage in my own.