I had such high expectations today, but found I met none of them... aside from keeping my two tiny morsels from running amok. Most of the day, I felt lethargic and the pain in my head did nothing to lift that... plus, I had a firm desire to eat EVERYTHING in the house, especially nummy treats.
What is it with feeling depressed and eating carbohydrates anyway?!
I did a little reading and thinking on that subject and found that the desire for carbs in the late afternoon is a very normal part of being human. Okay. The human body needs carbs around that time to day to raise blood sugar levels and give a boost in energy to help us make it until dinner.
The problem is that many people either overdo their carb fix or use unhealthy carbs to get an energy boost. The danger lies in using carbs to constantly pick you up. Feeling low? Grab a Snickers. Feel great almost instantly. Enjoy a time of better mood and higher energy. Feeling low again? Go for a brownie and Starbucks frappuccino. Feel on top of the world once again. But for how long?
Carbs plus lack of self-discipline plus sedentary lifestyle equal extra weight and a dependency on carbs for improved mood and energy levels.
Did you know doing any activity vigorously for as little as thirty seconds can improve your metabolism and enhance your body's ability to process sugars? Not to mention, a brief burst of energy can really wake you up. Try it. I'm going to.
Next time I feel sluggish and strongly desire to turn to the chocolate or beloved Starbucks frappuccino for energy, I purpose to engage in thirty seconds of vigorous activity... and let you know how that works.
Got home in the afternoon on Monday, thereby pushing this status report to today. Come to think of it, it may be better to make my status reports on Tuesday anyway... leaving my Monday open to my weekly article.
I keep having a dread of having to figure out each post what day it is and how many are left, so I downloaded this awesome little piece of software called TimeLeft to give me instant numbers. The blogging shall not be impeded! :D
Today, I took measurements and compared with last week's data
Days remaining: 207
Pounds remaining: 145
Inches lost/gained: -1.50 inches
Pounds lost/gained: -1.00 pounds
In working on this project, I managed to lose a whole pound and one-and-a-half inches during a week wherein I was probably the most out of control with eating than I've been for a while. This culminated by a two day baking spree which necessitated me to make sure all the baked goods created were safe for the people who were about to receive them!
Oh, did I mention there was no exercise involved... unless you count standing for hours mixing and cooking cookies. :P
So far, this week (Week 3) is better. I went to the gym yesterday and hope to go again tomorrow (shooting for three times per week at this point). My eating was considerably more controlled today, assisted in part, I am sure, by the nasty, randomly-flaring face/jaw/ear/tooth/sinus pain which has been a nagging companion for the past two or so months.
Thank you all so much for your comments and encouragement... it really does make a difference and the very thought that I have to post my actual, physical progress each week does check my proclivities toward "hunting the muffins" (slang for anything delicious).
On the positive side, I decided to start drinking more water today and ended up downing 3.5 liters in about five hours. Scary part... none of that liquid registered for hours!! Must have been more dehydrated than I had suspected.
