The ELFF Diet

I'm Struggling

And I don't mind sharing it.

Not being able to take my Muy Thai class or complete a work out with my trainer is really getting me down.  I can't take it due to the Melanoma - yes, I've capitalized it in my mind.  I can't do any arm work.  No push ups, no working towards pull ups, no bicep curls or tricep kickbacks.  No right cross, left hook - nothing of any of the activities that have become a HUGE part of my life in the past year.

And, ok.  I get it.  I'm not CRIPPLED, I'm not dead, I am not an amputee.  But, damnit.  I really miss working out.  And I may have eaten a bit too much in the past week, trying to drown my sorrows in things like frosting and M&M's, and I've done lots of longingly watching the classes that I'm missing. 

So that's why I've been silent here lately.  What's new with you?  How do you handle set backs?

Had a Bad Day

Did you ever have a day so rotten that you just wanted to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over your heard, and scream into your pillow?  A day where you are annoyed with each and every person you encounter, a day when you canNOT say one thing right, and every email you send out is misinterpreted?  Your children annoy you, your husband is on your last nerve, and pity the poor salesperson who cold calls you.

I don't know what got into me today, but it wouldn't leave.  I tried to exercise - a known problem solver for me - my knee hurt too badly from weight training the day before. Every once in a while, the teardrop shaped tendon on the inside of my knee just gives me a fit, usually when I've done too heavy of a weight on the leg curl machine.  Or too much running.  Either of those is a distinct possibility.

Three times I found myself in the kitchen, rattling through the cupboards and the pantry, looking for I don't know what and what would I do with it when I found it?  The third time, I forced myself out of the kitchen, repeating over and over, "I no longer eat when I'm bored.  Or cranky.  Or depressed." 

I was all three today. So, the only thing I could do?  Push ups.  I did week 2, day 1.  And I hope tomorrow will be better.  If not, I'm fully prepared to tattoo "You no longer eat when bored/cranky/depressed" right across my forehead BACKWARDS, so I can see it in the mirror.

True Confessions, once again

Gah, could I have picked more depressing categories in that little drop down menu? 

I'd like to thank you for all of your advice with regards to my last entry.  Part of my trouble has to do with what happened last week.  I didn't share it with you, because I'm still processing it and I'm not certain how I feel.  But I'm going to give it a whirl here.  Advice and input is always welcome - assvice is not. 

I haven't been sleeping well for a long time.  I've been taking melatonin, which helps, but I don't like to take it until I can get at good nights sleep, because I'm afraid to be unable to function the next day.  So I've been working on a sleep deficit.  Part of THAT stems from the fact that I wait to write until the kids are in bed and I get all my work done, which means I don't sit down until after 9 or in some cases 10.  Which means bed has been 11 or 12, and I'm up at 5:15.  Pair that with uneven sleep patterns and you can see where the trouble started.  That's the background.

Monday I got up and went to the gym,where I did some really heavy weight work.  I had capoeira at night and got to bed around midnight. Tuesday after work I went running, but I felt punky.  I wasn't able to run the entire way, but I compensated by walking longer than I'd planned - I went six miles instead of 4.  When I got home, I was wiped out, but in a good way.  When I woke Wednesday, I was exhausted. I wasn't able to pop up and felt wiped out - my legs felt like lead.  I usually feel tired, but by the time I'm halfway through the weight work, I am awake and peppy.

Not so Wednesday.  I was barely able to complete the reps and wondered, briefly, if I was coming down with something. Mostly, I felt a disconnect.  I was slow and just out of it all day.  When I got off work, I went home and slept for 30 minutes. After I picked up the kids, I slept for another hour. When I woke up, I felt like crap and just sat on the sofa. 

Setting another goal - too much?

It's a new week. 

Last week was pretty good for me.  I was able to make all three of my capoeira classes and all three sessions with the personal trainer.  I ran twice, once in the freezing cold and rain, which was one of the best runs I've had in a long while.  I took my vitamins every day - really, if you struggle with that, put the bottle next to your toothbrush and take them at night before you go to bed.  Since I started doing that, I don't miss a night and I don't feel nauseous.  Win win. 

Last week we set exercise goals.  This week, I want us to set a healthy food goal.  Will you eat breakfast every day?  Will you avoid chips/brownies/mixed drinks/white bread?  Drink more water/less soda?  My goal will be to go meatless three days this week.  I already try to do so once a week, so I'm adding two more.

I read an interesting article this past weekend about Kaizen - making small, incremental changes, almost too small to see, but over time they add up.  That's what we are up to here - one little thing each week, added up, over the course of time, makes for some pretty substantial changes. 

Last week was exercise, this week food.  Tomorrow, the world.  One teeny tiny baby step at a time.

Please forgive me, Oh Internets

For I have been shamefully absent.  I seem to have fallen into a time space continuum, where I am spinning around in a whirlwind, chased by copybooks and contact paper and new lunch boxes.  I'm supposed to be talking lunch boxes here - specifically, what goes in them.

I promise to do it this weekend.  First, help me out here, so I know how to slant the info.  Are there any special challenges that you face, with regards to packing a successful lunch for either yourself or your child/children?  Any dietary restrictions, likes or dislikes strong enough to register on the Richter Scale, or time crunches that will require you to be in three places at once with no access to a microwave and a deep seated hatred of sandwiches? 

What is stopping you from packing that healthy brown bag and sending you to the vending machine?

I'm soooo h-u-n-g-r-y!!!!!!

What about if you are trying and trying to lose weight, and the hunger stops you DEAD every single time?

You can do it.  You can get past it.  Don't let the food win.

Be sure you are eating enough of two things - no, not chocolate and butter - fiber and protein.  But how much protein do you need?  Use this formula: 

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm. 

Alternatively, you can use this formula, which I found on About.com:

Another way to calculate how much protein you need is by using daily calorie intake and the percentage of calories that will come from protein. To do this, you'll need to know how many calories your body needs each day. First, find out what your Basal Metabolic Rate is by using this BMR calculator. Using the activity calculator located on the same page, you can then calculate the number of calories you need each day to maintain where you are.

After you've figured out your maintenance calories, next figure out what percentage of your diet will come from protein. The percentage you choose will be based on your goals, fitness level, age, body type and metabolic rate. Most experts recommend that your protein intake be somewhere between 15 and 30%. When you've determined your desired percentage of protein, multiply that percentage by the total number of calories for the day. My only trouble with this direction is that it can be hard for each of us to determine the percentage that we choose, which is where the first formula comes in so handy. 

Make sure you are eating enough fiber as well.  Fiber filled foods take a long time to go through your body and help to make you feel more full longer.  Foods high in fiber include whole grains, veggies and some fruits.  Baked potatoes are a great choice, as are baked sweet potatoes.  If all else fails, add some mix in fiber to your beverages.  I use Fibersure.

The third leg of this triangle is water.  Drink, and drink and drink some more.

You will be hungry, though, until your body adjusts to the fact that you don't need to feed your family off the fat stores in your thighs.  Hunger in and of itself is not a bad thing.  We've become so accustomed to the thought that "I'm hungry, therefore I need to eat something", and it's not true.  Being hungry isn't bad.  If it keeps up, though, it'll drive you back to the kitchen for a bowl of ice cream - which by the way, shouldn't be in the freezer! 

Add some protein, add some fiber, drink more water, and see if that doesn't work.  And I'll be emailing you with your workout buddies by the end of the week.  If you want in, please leave a comment on the post below.

The cure for what ails you

I have had a rough couple of days here.  Bad attitudes, too much to do, parent homework (I mean, some of the stuff we have to do is incredible!), high expectations and low delivery - you name it, I've had it. I've been the soul parent for far too long and it's really wearing on me.  I've had a low grade headache for two days now - I'm no longer drinking diet soda on a regular basis - I think I need more water, and the diet Mt. Dew was keeping me from it.   Tonight I was just in a foul, foul mood.  I mean, a literal black mood.  I couldn't WAIT for everyone to get in bed and just leave me alone.  And then the dots were connected in my mind, the lights came on and I realized something - I haven't been getting in enough exercise.  I've been squeezing in ab work or a 30 minute sculpting dvd before work, but the long, drawn out sweat soaking walks and runs have been few and far between.  I really miss them.

Isn't that funny?  Two years ago I couldn't care less about exercising.

I got the littles to sleep and it was still light outside,  and so I grabbed my sneakers, mace, iPod and Garmin and went out.  Walking down the drive, my oldest son asked in disbelief, "You're going out now?", pointing at the sky.  It was cloudy and a storm was coming, but I was pretty certain I could get some exercise in.  I really needed it.

I walked 4.5 miles, did two sets of 71 stairs at the walking park - man, those steps will kick your butt, I don't see HOW some people run all the way up!  - and went back down and up the hills repeatedly, in a zig zag pattern, trying to burn off some steam.  The wind picked up, the clouds rolled in, and about 3 blocks from home I began to see lightning.  I'm so glad that I went.  When I returned home, I was calmer and more in control.

A year ago, I never would have believed it, but exercise will improve your mood.  When my kids are frustrating me, they aren't the only ones who benefit from a run through the park.

A year ago, a bad day would have seen me on the sofa, dipping into a bowl of ice cream covered in hot fudge sauce.  Exercise is better than ice cream.  Not as tasty, but much better for you!  Try it.  Just a few times, and you'll be hooked.