Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Day 9 Phase 4: "Status: Sore" is my new daily normal , some plan stuff from a Metabolic Syndrome perspective, pics of the traditional family tasty I did NOT eat NYE, and Yesterday's Particulars...

I exercised for an hour and twenty minutes yesterday. I'm sore today. No kidding. :)

I've been used to being sore about half or more of the week due to Pilates on Mon and Thurs. But now, with the added stuff, I'm just sore 24/7. Seriously. Every day. :D

I did a hard Pilates workout (my "lunge alternates" included). Then I came home and did a 25 minute walk (the 5 minute warm-up, 15 minutes "brisker", and 5 minute cool-down). The weather was amazing and just perfect for being outside. An osprey glided overhead and kept me company. No doggies barked this time. Last time, I got lots of barks, even though I'd coo, "nice doggy, I'm a nice person, don't hate me". Maybe the weather mellowed them out.

Today, I aim to get done the non-lunge strength training as per the packet. I am worried about the push-ups. :-/

I notice on Allan's blog today he is still doing his low/lower carb thing (ie, not the packet plan). I liked doing lower carb. After doing this high carb /low fat packet thing for a spell, if it's not my thing, I will go back to the lower carb. It makes eating out way easier, too. It's always easy to get a protein and salad or protein and veggies and just hand the starch to my hubby, who adores his taters and rice. I can live without taters and rice. Pasta I do like. A lot. But since I'm sensitive to concentrated tomato (paste, sauce, marinara, etc), when I have it, my eczema blooms, so I don't have it 2 or 3x a week like I used to since my skinny days. The only option other than my beloved marinara are the Alfredo (no way), Pesto (love, but can only use sparingly, lotsa oil), Aglio Olio (more oil), or just have it, as I sometimes have, with just veggies and some parmesan sprinkled and only enough EVOO to moisten the pasta (no more than a couple teaspoons).

But really, pasta with a good marinara and some Italian cheese is my idea of a heavenly entree.

My first visit to a dietitian in 1989--I was under 200 back then, but still fat--I was put on a low fat, high carb diet, lots and lots of pasta. Like 2 cups pasta for dinner several times a week. I lost weight. Hell, I was in my 20's and didn't have a dead thyroid and didn't have Metabolic Syndrome.

The diet recommended for folks with Insulin Resistance/Metabolic Syndrome is not like the packet one, I'll add. It's lower carb to low carb (since starches stimulate more insulin production). But since both my DNA results and the packet are high carb, I figured, ok, good time to test that. :)

Perhaps part of my not dropping is that the higher starch aspect is making me pump out insulin like nobody's business. It is a possibility.

Anyway, plenty of folks in the challenge are doing their own meal configurations (ie, not doing the 3 meals, 2 snacks, low fat, high carb), including our Fearless Leader. If it's the starches/high carbs and my insulin response, well, that's easily tweaked. May not be Challenge Packet adherent to do lower carb, but if it's better for me, that will be the way to go.

Oh, and speaking of FOOD, here's a couple pics of my brother making the family-tradition "empanadillas", of which I had...none. And these babies, when fried up, are da bombalicious!

First the grinding of the grainy/starchy outer goodness (the filling is spiced beef):

And behold the assembled from scratch yumminess before frying:


When I was a kid, I'd ask my mom to make scalloped edges for me, cause I liked it to look sorta like a picture-book rising sun--yellow and cute, half-emerged behind the horizon, with soft, friendly "rays"....

My brother has an electric grinder. And I'm pretty sure he buys ground beef. Back in the 60's and 70's etc, when mom made it, this was LABOR INTENSIVE. The men and mom would take turns grinding, cause it was an old-fashioned, heavy, metal grinder that you cranked by hand (it attached via vise grippy thing to the edge of the counter or table). Grinding YUCA is tough. It takes muscle. Corn got ground. Meat got ground. I remember trying to grind when I was around 11 or so, and it was HAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD. I gave up and left it to dad and bro. Yeah, you try grinding yuca (cassava) with a hand grinder. Whoa.

Mom's was da best. For sure. (Miss you, Mami and Papi!)

Next year, I'm gonna have one. I don't know how much longer my siblings will be alive, and by next year, my weight should be at or near goal and my fitness level much improved, too. It's worth budgeting for this tradition. This year, cause of the challenge and all, I decided to say no. Next year: yes.

Yesterday's Particulars:

Calories yesterday: 1246
water/fluid goal: met
exercise: Pilates, lunge-equivalent, walking
Sleep: 7 hours
Hunger: minimal at dinnertime

Okay, on to another day. I am feeling calm and ready to continue the fat fight. To be honest, I am amazed every day that I wake up and don't want to stuff my face...so these months of not having food be my God have been lovely.

Hope everyone else has a wonderful day moving more and eating less.

7 comments:

Karen Butler Ogle said...

Hey, Princess. I'm doing lower carb too. I have to to for practical reasons. As a gastric bypass patient, too many carbs, too much sugar or refined flour can cause dumping syndrome. I'm on of the 20% who does dump since surgery. It is not fun and is a lot like a stomach virus combined with a blood sugar low. Only after surgery it is called reactive hypoglycemia. It is NOT fun and I am not going to risk setting it off with too many carbs. Most people who are diabetic or prediabetic like Allan are better off doing the lower carb plan. Just thought I would throw that out there. Hugs!

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

Thanks, Karen. Metabolic Syndrome folks' bodies react like prediabetics, though losing weight increases insulin sensitivity (as does exercise), so it ALL helps. :)

Definintely worth considering, K. And I'm sorry you're one of the ones who got the dumping/RH. One of the weight loss bloggers I follow just developed th RH. Sounds AWFUL! Really AWFUL!

Karen Butler Ogle said...

It isn't fun to dump Princess but it is also an advantage to have the negative feedback. Knowing something is likely to make me dump makes me think twice about whether or not I really want to go there. That is helpful at times with making better choices.

Kelly the Happy Texan said...

Severe insulin resistance here so I gotta watch them carbs. And I am the carb queen! Better to live a long healthy life than indulge in "bad" foods.

Congrats in getting in all of that workout time! I'm about to do the strength and also worry about those pushups. Just do the best you can. :)

Bethan said...

After reading your post I have decided that I WILL go on the run i was planning tonight, but so painfully avoiding. So thankyou for the inspiration!

Good Luck!

B
X
http://newyearjourney.blogspot.com/

Kimberly said...

I have added carbs back in the form of bagel thins and english muffins, but I skip the rice and the pasta and the potatoes (sob). The lower carb I eat the better. I just function better on a higher protein diet. My hunger is abated and I feel far more energetic.

Beth said...

Wow, those look amazing. There is a new crisp (chip) on sale here that is low calorie and is made of cassava - I didn't realise it was a south American carb! I love the texture and the taste, it's almost silky and at 77 calories for a bagful, they are sometimes my 100 calorie snack with a little hoummous. I wonder if that pastry has that silky texture, it looks amazing.

My grandma had one of those hand grindy things that attach to the edge of the counter. She used to grind her own beef and make potted meats. I always found it so exciting when she was doing all that work in the kitchen. Ahhh, memories.

What a great goal to be able to make them and participate in the tradition.

Interesting thoughts about the insulin pumping out with the higher carb foods...so many of us feel better with high protein. It wasn't always the case with me but it is right now.