New Blog - "My Big Fat Breakup"

I've started a new blog to address my big breakup and the weight issue as well.
Check it out at:
bigfatbreakup.blogspot.com

I love the smell of grease in the morning

On Fridays, the cafeteria at my place of work serves some pretty unhealthy food. I came fully prepared today, armed with low fat yogurt, fruit and Weight Watchers lunch. Late in the morning, though, the smell of "Friday Lunch" began to waft through the halls and pretty much taking over the entire building.
Today's menu was:
- Fish and Chips
- Pizza (beef or vegetarian)
- Steak sandwich with fries
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Beef and rice stuffed peppers

The last two items, deemed the "healthier" items, disappeared off the menu before I went down at 1 o'clock to grab a bottle of water. When you have not only one, but two options that come with fries the smell of the deep fryers are pretty hard to avoid. At around 12:30, right around when I start thinking about going for lunch, there is nowhere to escape the smell of greasy food.
Greasy food isn't even my biggest weakness 'cause I am a sugar girl through and through... but that smell really does go right to the part of your brain that starts telling you how good everything that's bad for you tastes.
Did I give in and eat fries or other greasy food at work? No, I did not. I ate my SmartOnes and a cookie to get over my sugar cravings in the late afternoon.
On top of that, I had a really awful day work-wise and twinged something in my back when I was moving heavy boxes around. When the day finally ended and it was time to go home, I left with a sense of pride that I had made it through a shite day at work without eating the crap I normally might have...
...
...
...
Then I went to my sister's to babysit and ate two slices of pizza, a piece of cheese bread and a pepsi.
Fuck.

Multivitamin Update

Wow, that looks like the title to the most boring blog posting in history. Multivitamin update. I really do live on the edge.
In case anyone WAS wondering... or in future wonders about taking a multivitamin, I did do some research and this is what I came up with.

I did some research on what the best multivitamin to take is for women, for weight loss, for women in my age group, etc. I did find a couple of suggestions that you just as you cannot possibly get all the ideal amounts of vitamins and minerals from your diet every day, you can't cram them all into a single daily capsule either. Considering that I don't want to carry (more of) a pharmacy around in my purse, though, I am going to stick to a single vitamin right now and will consider adding in things I might still be lacking in another form later.
A lot of the articles said much the same thing, but one (which of course I can't find right now) laid it out in pretty simple terms. It recommended two name brand daily multivitamins: One A Day Women's and GNC Women's Ultra Mega; These were the best multivitamins they found in a study for women who haven't hit menopause and aren't currently pregnant or trying to conceive.
Further than that, it said that the things you want to look for are:
- 18 mg of Iron
- 600 IU of Vitamin D
- At least 400 mcg of folic acid

These were for women in general, not specifically women that are wanting a supplement that will help them with weight loss. When I looked on the 'One A Day' website, I found that they have a couple of more specific vitamins for weight loss and energy.
I took my newfound knowledge with me to the drugstore and spent some quality time in the vitamin section. I ended up picking out a generic store brand women's multivitamin that is called "Weight Conscious" which, by looking at the ingredients, means it has all the same things of the other daily women's plus green tea extract. I don't know if that will impact on my weight loss either way, but I need the vitamins anyway so we'll see what happens.

After two days of taking the multivitamin, I did notice something... I couldn't sleep in. I have been taking the pill after dinner (so I have a full stomach and won't have to face a whole day with an upset stomach in case my body doesn't like the new pill) and haven't noticed any problems. I did have a day off work, though, and noticed that even though I really WANTED to sleep in, I couldn't - I was up and at 'em. Then the same thing this morning... I woke up half an hour before my alarm went off and was wide awake. I'm not complaining, I usually have to drag my ass out of bed in the morning... and it hasn't interrupted my sleep during the night at all.
It could be a total coincidence, but I am going to see if it keeps happening. If it is giving me a little more "get up and go"ness, maybe it will be easier to get my ass to the gym.

Ad for Colonic - Ew

So I was just previewing my blog and my attention was drawn to a huge add on the side of the page for Colonics for weight loss.
Ew.
Seriously.

I'm hungry

So I have been fairly "back on track" for the last two days. I did a big grocery shop and I am always, always more successful in eating well when I have a kitchen full of good food... I guess that goes without saying.
I got some Weight Watchers food (Smart Ones frozen entrees). They aren't my favourite thing, especially considering I really want to do a lot more "Clean Eating", but they are handy and convenient and that's what I need right now. My plan is to eat them for lunches and things when I am off work on weekends (when I would normally skip meals or just snack on crap) and take them to work with me sometimes for lunches. The rest of the time, I will try to eat as "clean" as I can.
Normally, being hungry is not a big issue for me at all. I can go a really long time without eating and not feel hungry at all - which is one of my problems 'cause then I don't eat for stupidly long stretches of time and I'm sure my metabolism is effed.
Today, though, I feel hungry.
I had a normal breakfast, missed a snack and then had a normal lunch. Tonight I am making thin crust pizza with veggies and salad, but that's not for another few hours. My instinct and cravings are for something sugary and sweet. I bought some of that V8 fusion juice that has a serving of vegetables and of fruit in one cup, so I am going to try a glass of that and see 1) if it satisfies the hunger and 2) if it tastes alright.
While I was folding laundry this afternoon, I watched two episodes of an A&E show called "Kirstie Alley's Big Life" where she and her "chubby buddy" and trying to lose weight. I guess she is also flogging some kind of weight loss program/products... but they didn't come up in the first two episodes I watched.
What struck me about it was that when I look at Kirstie Alley now, I think of her as being really overweight. Not morbidly obese or anything, but definitely "a whole lotta woman". When she weighed in, though, she was 4 pounds LESS than I was when I started Weight Watchers last year. So someone who weighs pretty much the same as me looks so much bigger than me on TV... which makes me think I am in more denial than I thought about how big I actually am!
I also watched her interview trainers to help her and her friend exercise... even watching them doing stuff made me feel tired. Oh, exercise... why can't you and I just get along?

Looking for a good multivitamin

The tables are about to change, my blogosphere friends. I know that normally you tune in to my blog to hear what I have to say, what little droplets of wisdom I bring to not only Weight Loss but life in general... Today, however, I am asking for your help. Today, I--... wait, what? What do you mean you can't find a single droplet of wisdom... I'm sure I sprinkled a few around somewhere... Regardless, I think we can all agree that this sporatically updated blog is, if nothing else, a public service... No? Well. Damnit.

What was I saying?

Right. Vitamins. Despite my best efforts to eat a well balanced diet, I know that because of the difficulty I have with some harder to digest vegetables and fruits (AKA: The ones that are really good for you) I am probably not getting enough vitamins and minerals. Here's the real kicker, though: When I have taken multi-vitamins in the past, they have always upset my stomach. Eventually, I switched over to kids vitamins and that seemed to help. You can only eat Flintstone shaped vitamins for so long, though, before you realise that A) You look like an idiot and B)Your vitamin needs may not be the same as a pre-teen.
I haven't tried one for a while, though, and want to give it another shot. My stomach does seem more tolerant to this sort of thing these days, but I don't know where to start.
Does anyone have any recommendations of a good multi-vitamin either for everyone or for women specifically?

Double the Fun: Week 8 & 9 Updates

Week 8 Weigh In:

Weigh In: +1 lb
Overall Progress: LOSS – 6
Goal at this point: 8 (which means I am behind by 2 pounds, boo)

Week 9 Weigh In:

Weigh In: No change
Overall Progress: LOSS -6
Goal at this point: -9 (which means I am behind by 3 pounds, boo)

Nothing has changed, really. Not on the Weight Loss side of things, I mean. Sometimes I think, "I wish I knew how to just stick to a plan!" but if I had the secret to that, I could make millions from people everywhere. Thank Oprah I never started smoking, can you imagine the helluva time I'd have quitting?

Back in early 2009, my sister and I joined Weight Watchers and I was not very successful.
"Well, are you sticking to the plan?" my sister oh-so-cleverly asked.
"No."
And there goes the big secret behind why WW wasn't successful for me... I do, however, still have all the little guides and some cookbooks and tracking books so I am thinking about starting again. I came across all of it while I was cleaning on the weekend and thought I should either use it or lose it: What's the point of having it taking up room in my house to just gather dust and make me feel guilty whenever I see it?
At first I was thinking about just going back to the "Week 1" guide and starting over on my own, but not going to the meetings (in other words, doing it for free). They always tell you, though, that people are way more successful when they do go to meetings and I think that's probably true. The weekly Weigh In is at least another motivation.
I did mention it to my sis and she sort of reluctantly agreed that we could maybe go back. She did really well when we did it last year, though, and may not be all that eager to lose more weight.