Friday, October 27, 2006

No Weigh In

I didn't weigh in this week because I didn't have time. I've been cleaning and painting my new room at my brother's place and trying to pack my apt. up. It's been more difficult and time consuming than I originally thought. Mostly because I'm having to divide stuff up among three different places - there isn't enough room at my brother's for all my stuff and there is hardly any room at my parent's house to store anything (they haven't totally unpacked yet), so that leaves my grandma's basement. So I've been trying to decide what furniture and stuff I want/need at my brothers (that will fit) and what furniture and stuff needs to go to my grandmother's and the leftover will go to my parents. It's complicated. Basically, I have too much stuff.

It's amazing how much stuff I have accumulated over the past 3 years. Most of it large furniture. When I moved in, I had my bed, dresser, desk, bookcase, futon, 2 living room chairs, 3 side tables, 4 lamps and a kitchen table w/4 chairs. Since moving in, I have acquired another desk, a wing back chair, 6 side tables, 2 dressers, a desk chair, 4 lamps, 1 sewing machine with cabinet, another sewing machine cabinet (without the sewing machine in it), 1 wicker setee, a large tv cabinet and a rocking chair. (Note: This list isn't totals; it's additional furniture that I've either bought or was given). Not too mention all the kitchen stuff and decorations I have acquired. I think that's all. I'm not entirely sure where my roommate's or my dad's stuff fit when they each lived here. All in all, I have a lot of crap.

On a completely different note, I followed up with my doctor about my cholestorol today. I am now the proud owner of a prescription for Zocor. Apparently, that's the medication for people who have a family history of high cholestorol. The whole medication discussion was remarkably awkward because I wasn't expecting to be questioned about my sex life or pregnancy plans in order to get a prescription for cholestorol meds. But Zocor and pregnancy don't mix. Definitely, not an issue currently, but something to keep in mind in the future according to my doctor. Awesome.

Friday, October 20, 2006

I HATE CHOLESTEROL!!!!

I am 26 years old and I have high cholesterol (225). Your cholesterol level is supposed to be less than 200. This whole situation really pisses me off. Last fall, I had my cholesterol checked as part of my annual physical and it was high at 211, but my doctor wasn't too concerned. He just wanted me to watch my diet and recheck it in 3 months. Well, I didn't get rechecked in 3 months; I got it rechecked last week. AND IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE!!!

But, since I had my cholesterol checked the first time, I have made some major (and good) changes in my diet, mostly because I switched to the Core plan. I only whole grain products; I have oatmeal almost every day for breakfast; I don't eat a lot of eggs; I only use skim milk; and I don't eat many processed foods that have cholesterol in them (only Totino's Lean Pizza Rolls and Trader Joe's Mini Beef Tacos, but they don't have a lot of cholesterol and I don't eat them very often). Also, on average, I exercise 3-4 times per week and I have lost at least 15 lbs. All of these things are supposed to make my cholesterol go DOWN, not up! But no, my cholesterol has gotten worse, particularly my LDLs - the bad kind of cholesterol.

I guess on the upside, my doctor circled my triglyceride level (72) and wrote that my "diet is actually very good!" Your triglyceride level is supposed to be less than 150 mg/dl and mine has gone down 34 mg/dl (it was originally 106). But I still have high cholesterol and it has gotten worse....grrrrr!

Apparently, genetics plays a bigger role in this whole thing than I imagined. High cholesterol does run in the family on my dad's side. Both his dad's and his mom's families have a history of high cholesterol, so I've gotten screwed. I guess this means I'm going to be taking yet another medication. As if four medications a day for my allergies and asthma weren't enough. In the grand scheme of things, taking another medication doesn't really bother me (as long as it's a pill and not a shot or nasal spray, both of which I hate, but must get/take for my allergies); it's the principle of the matter. I have made a lot of lifestyle changes that are supposed to lower my cholesterol, but they didn't and that's not fair!

Okay, that's the end of my diatribe against cholesterol. The lesson is everyone should get their cholesterol checked every once in a while because high cholesterol isn't an old person thing. Sustained high cholesterol can lead to all sorts of bad things - heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, coronary artery disease and a host of other bad things. It's best to catch it early.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

YAY for the gym!

The gym is the only explanation I can come up with for losing 4.5 lbs. this week. Yay! Well, and I pretty much stayed on program this past week. I've been to the gym 5 times since I weighed in last. I think it's a record. I've made myself up this working out schedule which requires me to exercise 5 times per week. Three days of jogging and two days of crosstraining. So far so good, aside from the incredible soreness of the past couple of days from lifting weights on my crosstraining day. I guess I'm going to have to continue going to the gym a lot if I want to continue losing weight (and if I expect to jog 13.1 miles next May). In any case, I'm only 3.5 lbs. from my 50 lbs. star (again). I'm back on track.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Oh Dear God...

I can't even explain how incredibly sore I am. It hurts to move - mostly standing up and sitting down, like on/off the futon or in/out of my car. I lifted weights for the first in 5 months on Mon. Those squats always get the best of me. It made it very difficult to jog on the treadmill. I hope it all gets better tomorrow...please.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Wow...

The Men's and Women's winners for the Columbus Marathon finished in 2 hrs. 18 mins. and 2 hrs. 45 mins., respectively. That is a lot less time than I am planning on taking for the Indy Mini Marathon (3 hrs.; 13 min. mile pace) and they ran twice the distance. I wasn't bred for speed.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Bangs

I cut my bangs last night in a fit of frustration. They were getting in my eyes and not looking nice when I did my hair, etc. After I cut them, I decided haircutting really should be left to professionals. Thank god my hair grows quickly because my bangs are much too short. It's amazing how a haircut can change the shape of your face too - mine is looking very round today. Yesterday, prior to the shearing, my face didn't look this round. Oh well, like I said, the bangs will grow.

New Goals

I was up 0.8 lbs. this week. I'm not too worried considering it's TOM. I usually maintain or gain up to 1 lb. That puts me 7.2 lbs. from my 50 lbs. star. It's amazing how I keep going the wrong way in this whole weight loss process. After 5 years, you would think I could get a handle on it. Apparently not. But moving on, without further ado, I present my new goals:

1. November 9, 2006: 50 lbs. star!
Reward: Have an awesome time in the Hockings Hills.

1A. November 30, 2006: Mini goal of 55 lbs. lost.
Reward: New CD.

2. December 21, 2006: 60 lbs. star!
Reward: New jeans or other article of clothing in a smaller size than I currently wear.

2A. January 11, 2007: Mini goal of 65 lbs. lost.
Reward: New book.

3. February 1, 2007: 70 lbs. star!
Reward: Manicure & pedicure.

4. March 15, 2007: 80 lbs. star!
Reward: New purse - a really nice one, maybe Coach. (mental note to self - must be employed for this reward)

5. June 5, 2007: 90 lbs. star!
Reward: Being unrecognizable at my 5 yr. college reunion because I will have lost 90 lbs. since my senior year of college.

Alright, I'm going to stop here. I'll reevaluate as things go along. By the way, it's really difficult picking out rewards. I had no idea what I really wanted; they also may change depending on what's going on in my life, but for right now, I think I'm good to go.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

It's Official...

I have registered for the Indy 500 Mini Marathon. In 204 days and 19 hours (May 5, 2007), I will be jogging 13.1 miles. I guess I should start training to train for the 1/2 Marathon since I've never jogged more than 3 miles total.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Back in Business...

Hi Everybody! Sorry, I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks. It's been kind of crazy for me. First, I was in Syracuse for a week working my arse off repainting my little brother's room from gold (walls & ceiling) with black trim. It took 4 coats of paint! Two coats of paint killer and two coats of white paint. We also did a bunch of other stuff, like lawn work, taking out window screens, etc. Second, right when I got back, my uncle, aunt and their 2 small spawns came into town from Hawaii. I have felt honorbound to spend time with them, since I generally only see them once or twice a year. Since I have been busy the past couple of weeks, I didn't weigh in last week.

Not to mention, life has been pretty crappy lately. I got 2 more job rejections in the past 2 weeks. You would think after as many rejections as I have received, I would be used to it. I am unemployable....after 7 years of higher education and $91,000 in educational debt. Fantastic. Since I don't have a full-time job, I can't afford my apt. and I'm moving out at the end of the month. I'm very sad because I heart my apt. I'm moving in with my older brother, who lives almost in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, it's only almost the middle of nowhere, not totally the middle of nowhere. On the upside, I'm closer to my parents' house and free meals and laundry.

I have pretty much been eating my feeling the past couple of weeks. No holds barred. Candy, cupcakes, and chips have been a mainstay of my diet. Therefore, instead of getting my 50 lbs. star this week, I am up 2.8 lbs. and 6.4 lbs. from my star. I definitely need to revise my mini goals and maybe I'll add rewards too. I'll update my blog as soon as I figure them out.