I’ve been meaning to post this for a few days now, but I had that attack of the monthly munchies I talked about in my last post.  Lately I’ve been just giving in, not counting the points, and just starting fresh the next day - or at least trying to.  This time I counted my points, and only let myself pig out on low point foods - weight watchers ice cream sandwiches, etc.  When all was said and done, I hadn’t used up my flex allowance for the week, and I didn’t feel like I was in a sugar coma the next day.  In fact, the next 2 days I only used about half a flex point each day.

Maybe by giving in to full fat ice cream and potato chips I made myself crave those things for the next couple of days - ’cause eating crap tends to make me want more crap.  By pigging out on the not so bad stuff, the munchies didn’t hang around and ruin a whole week for me this time.  I only have one more day to get through before I start a new week, and I still have 5 flex points for tomorrow.  That feels really great!

Just a quickie tonight.  I swam today and yesterday.  Yesterday in the middle of one of my turns in the pool I felt something weird in my shoulder - like it almost dislocated or something.  I continued to swim and it didn’t really bother me too much.  Today I felt like there was pinching pain in my shoulder when I swam.  I only did 15 minutes today because we had a really bad storm with lots of lightning (and hail, too) and the lifeguard said they had to close the pool for an hour.  I didn’t know indoor pools had to close for lightning.

I’m also in the middle of the monthly munchies.  Why does it feel like they hit every other week?  I figured I’d document them here so I’ll know for sure how often they’re occurring.

 That’s it.  Back to work tomorrow.  Have a great week!

I had such a great day today!  I had a good swim this morning (my usual 35 minutes).  I watched all the American Idol performances I missed on YouTube, went to the bank, and got another Southwest salad from Chick-fil-A.  Those salads are so yummy I eat them without dressing!  It comes with some corn and black bean salsa, and the chicken is seasoned, so as long as I get some chicken or salsa in each bite I’m fine with no dressing.  And only 4.5 pts!  I think it’s the 4th one I’ve had in the past 10 days.

Then I did major grocery shopping.  I made up a menu for the week before I went - have you ever come home with $150 worth of groceries and still not know what to make for dinner?  I’ve done that lots of times, but not today.  And I found these great low-carb tortillas that are HUGE and they’re only 1 point!  I cooked lots of chicken on the grill tonight so we can have leftovers for a few days.  I cut my chicken breast into strips and put it on one of those tortillas with some lettuce and a little bbq sauce for a tasty, filling meal.

I did something to my shoulder at the store today when I was getting bottles of soda from the top shelf.  Now I’ve got that something-pressing-on-a-nerve ache again.  :~(  My doctors apptmt is in 2 weeks.

I also did some baking for my kids today, and cleaned out my fridge and freezer.  After dinner I still had a couple of errands to run.  Now I’m ready to put my feet up for the night.

Today, instead of hanging out in the kitchen and snacking while I watch “Ellen”, I fixed myself a cup of decaf coffee and headed upstairs to the office to read blogs and type this post.  I need to get back on track.  I haven’t completely fallen off the wagon, but I haven’t been as diligent lately as I should be. 

I’m down to 147, which is 20 lbs below my highest weight last summer when I first started swimming (I’ve definitely been diligent about my swimming!).  I’ve lost an average of about 1 lb/week, but it’s taken me about 6 weeks to lose the last 3 lbs. 

I’ve been trying to get in more activity in addition to my swimming.  I’ve started walking with a friend at work - just a mile, but it gets me moving and allows me less time in the lunch room where the chocolate covered walnuts are.  And it’s a nice break.  I took my puppy to my son’s baseball practice last night.  If I had left her home I would have sat bundled in a blanket the whole time.  But she can’t sit still for that long, so I had to walk her around the school a few times - more activity! 

I’ve also been trying to be more organized and make better use of my time.  I can’t remember where I came across a reference to this book, but “eating my frog” first has really increased my productivity at work and at home.  When I feel like things are piling up I get stressed, and when I get stressed I snack.  So I’m making an effort to be more in control.

 This is long, but I’ve been having problems with my shoulder lately and I figure this is a good place to document how it’s feeling from day to day until my doctor’s appointment later this month.

 I have an old shoulder injury from when I was 15, and I was in my room one night trying to see how high I could kick.  Kind of silly, I know, but I lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere and I was bored.  Anyway, I kicked so hard with my left leg that I pulled my right leg out from under me and landed on my back.  My right shoulder must have hit the floor first, because that’s where all of my problems have been over the years.

At first my parents took me to a chiropractor.  After his very unpleasant treatment, he said my shoulder would improve if I came back regularly, but it would never be completely normal again.  I hated it so much I told my parents I’d rather just live with it.  And I have for 27 years now.

For the most part, this injury doesn’t stop me from doing what I like to do.  But occasionally I aggravate it and have pain for a few days, weeks, or months.  Then it goes away.  It happenned when I was 22.  It just started hurting all the time for maybe 2 months, then suddenly stopped.  I went to a doctor who took x-rays and did some nerve testing, but didn’t find anything.  He had me scheduled for another test where he would inject dye and x-ray it again, but that’s when it stopped hurting so I cancelled.  I was just out of college and poor, and it didn’t make sense to me to spend all that money on something that wasn’t hurting anymore.

Then about 8 years ago, I had a few months of pain  in my hand, and had to see a physical therapist.  After weeks of trying different things and asking lots of questions, he determined that something was pressing on a nerve that runs from the top of my spine, through my shoulder, down my arm to my hand, then splits and goes down my middle finger and my ring finger (most of my pain was in those 2 fingers).  One day while examining my back, he noticed I had a vertebrae rotated out of place -if I’m remembering that correctly.  Whatever was out of place, he whacked back into place, and I’ve been pain-free ever since.  Until about a month ago.

 My 13yo son ws in the kitchen with me.  He was showing me how he could put his hands on the counter and lift himself off the floor.  Big deal.  I could do that, too.  I shouldn’t do it, but like a ding dong, I did.  I felt something crackle in my bad shoulder and thought to myself, “I’m gonna pay for that.” 

For about 3 weeks I had pain either in my neck, shoulder, back, arm (upper, elbow, lower), or hand.  And I could tell it was that “pressing on a nerve” type of pain that I had in my hand 8 years ago.  When I swam on Saturday morning, I was trying to decide if the swimming was aggravating the injury.  I decided that while swimming I was no more uncomfortable than I was while doing anything else (including sitting still), but I did seem to have more discomfort later in the day after swimming.  Maybe I should stop swimming?  Yeah, like that’ll happen.

I did call my doctor on friday and left a message that I need to make an appointment about my injury.  It’s now thursday and she hasn’t called back, so that makes her my ex-doctor  (this has been an ongoing problem with her office).  I have an appointment with my new doctor at the end of this month for a complete physical.  I made that appointment on Monday, when my pain had temporarily stopped, and I figured if it came back I’d discuss it with her at my physical. 

I swam yesterday morning (4/2) which may have tired my shoulder out some, then at home I reached behind my back in an awkward position to turn off a light switch (why do I do these things?) and it’s been uncomfortable since.  It’s not the same nerve pain, but something isn’t right.  

I have this nagging feeling that if I keep putting off seeking treatment each time the pain stops, that one day I’ll regret it.  Maybe a more serious condition is developing that I’m unaware of.  Then again, maybe it’s no big deal.  Hopefully my new doctor can get to the bottom of things, and offer a solution - preferably something that doesn’t involve surgery! 

Dr. Oz saved me tonight. He was saying at the end of Oprah today that he wants everyone to eat a slice of 100% whole grain bread with a little extra virgin olive oil every night before dinner for the next 2 weeks. 2 weeks ago he asked everyone to give up sugary sodas for 2 weeks, and this is the second thing he wants all of America to do (I don’t drink sugary drinks, so that one didn’t apply to me).

When I heard this I was about to make a serious dent in a bag of potato chips, but his suggestion sounded tasty, and I had some on hand, so I did it. I used just a teaspoon of evoo which is about 1.5 pts, plus 1 pt for the bread, and I sprinkled in just a little grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and oregano. It was a tasty, satisfying treat! And I didn’t feel like devouring a bunch of chips after that.

Also, the article in Roni’s latest post is so awesome, I wanted to post the full text here in my blog so I can refer back to it when I’m having a tough time: 

Fitness Guru: Setbacks Are Par for the Weight-Loss Course

By Eugenie Jones
Saturday, March 15, 2008

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/mar/15/fitness-guru-setbacks-are-par-for-the-weight/

Subway’s Jared is celebrating 10 years of keeping his weight off. Jenny Craig’s Kirstie Alley is rumored as putting weight back on, and as we approach month three of the New Year, many weight-loss resolutions are succeeding, but many more have fallen by the wayside.

Some win, but many others lose in this idea of permanent weight loss. It makes you wonder if it is really possible to lose weight and keep it off.

The topic of a CNN news special suggests the answer to that question is “yes.” The report discussed a study, conducted by Drs. James Hill and Rena Wing, of 3,000 members of their National Weight Control Registry.

The study found that people who lost an average of 60 pounds and kept it off for an average of five years hold seven things in common.

They believe failure is to be expected, but that when you keep trying, ultimately you will be successful. They’ve tried and failed and tried and tried again, until they got it right. They know firsthand that setbacks are par for the course.

Weight loss is not an exercise in denial, but rather a lifestyle built on moderation and the inclusion of a wide variety of foods. Those who kept their weight off realize that deprivation leads to binging and binging leads to setbacks. They’ve learned to eat a wide variety of foods — even an occasional treat.

They closely monitor their weight, daily and/or weekly tracking loss or gains. There’s no way ten pounds will sneak up on these weight loss success stories because they check their weight often and modify their eating and activity levels according to what their morning encounter with the bathroom scale reveals.

They plan for and exercise moderately for an hour each day. While many of those successful in their weight loss exercise for one hour, it’s OK to do less. Thirty minutes of daily walking, for instance, can bring tremendous benefit.

Just kept in mind that it’s not exercising for 30 minutes instead of an hour that has made near 50 percent of the U.S. population overweight or obese — it’s the fact that we do not exercise at all that has led to that national trend.

Beyond planned exercise, they add in activity wherever they can. That means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to work, parking in the farthest parking space from the store when shopping, and any other thing you can to do to make your day more active.

They eat a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates. That translates to shopping, cooking and eating low-fat and high-carb food choices. As a permanent way of life, these weight-loss successes choose plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat and diary products and occasional allowances of sugar and fat.

They eat small frequent meals — often five — spread out over the day. Daily calorie needs are spread out over breakfast, lunch, dinner and a couple of snacks throughout the day. This “grazing” method of eating is believed to more effectively stave off hunger and lessen the chances of overeating and also keep the metabolism more active throughout the day.

As you choose your path to permanent weight loss, consider how your plan aligns to the key principles.

When they do, you’ll know you’re on the start to safe, permanent weight loss and a healthier new lifestyle.