One Hundred Days with No Sugar

I don't want to write today, but I don't want to drop this project, either, so I'll pull up my big girl panties and do it. I am still plagued by knots in my shoulders and back, even though I took a muscle relaxer yesterday and have been living from massage to massage (not professional ones).   I had to bake a cake for a funeral this morning.  So that was the first order of the day after I woke back up from getting Mark off to work.  I tried to get the cake mixed before the oven heated up, but, right in the middle, I realized I didn't have eggs.  I'd used the last two for Mark's breakfast.   I looked frightful, but I pulled on some clothes, wet down my hair, and hurried to the store for eggs, then finished the cake.  By the time I got to the gym, I did not have much time.  I did 23 minutes on the elliptical, and just abs, but I did five sets of six kinds of crunches.  I usually do three sets.  I just didn't have time to do a wh...

I had the day off, yes, but I was up in the night with a horrific headache.  I sat on the couch with a massage tool working on my upper back and neck for two hours until it went away.  When Mark got up for work, I helped him prepare food but then went back to bed.   I took the kids to school, then went back to bed.  Of course, this never works, because other people are up, and they feel compelled to text me. "I think I forgot my meds."  Et cetera.   I napped a little, then went to the gym.  I didn't have much time left to exercise, though, so I just did four rounds of elliptical and three of abs and weight-lifting.  I finished the weight-lifting routine I had started a few days ago.  All the songs randomly lined up on my iPod were under three minutes for the first three rounds, as if they knew there wasn't much time.  All in all, I burned about 258 calories. I spent the rest of the day finishing up my two sons' Eagle Sc...

I made myself do a plank before bed last night.  I picked the next longest song on my iPod, which was 3 minutes 7 seconds long, and I made it most of the way, but it has been so long since I did a plank that I did rest my knees, twice, briefly, before it was over.  I'll do the same song again next time and work up from there.  Before I started doing this planking thing before my sealing, I could barely do one minute, so I did improve. I slept pretty well, I thought, except that I woke up with a tension headache in the night.  I took ibuprofen, but still woke up with a bad tension headache when my husband got up for work.  He sets his alarm early enough that he could give me a massage for a few minutes, which helped.  It was after five when I finished making his eggs and pudding, and I should have gone to the gym then, but I felt really tired, and the loss of my headache was still new and flimsy, so I went back to bed. Well, you guessed it.  I didn'...

Here's what happened.  I had so much to say about Halloween and no time to say it in, and then the following days were the same.  I was very serious about counting calories and losing weight before my sealing, and I did lose seven pounds in the nine days.  I counted calories, I did planks in increasing lengths, and I did two workouts most days.  This left me little personal time, and I'm still a full-time working mom and the cook in the family.  Also the laundress, but I digress. Anyway, I did really well, and I kept track in my notebook--just didn't blog, until about day twenty-three, and then I went sort of off the rails.  I just didn't keep track for a few days.  When I started keeping track again, I saw that some bad habits had crept in.  I decided to start the hundred days afresh, and I did, but I wasn't blogging, see, and so my accountability was too low.  It was easy to say, "This will be day one," "No, THIS will be day one," until I...

So, I know I dropped the blog.  And I'm sorry.  Some of you were reading it. What happened was that I went out of town, and I didn't want to post about being out of town until I was back in town, because I am a little paranoid about telling people in an online forum that I am out of town.  Just in case they know where I live.  And are burglars.  And, no, I have not been out of town this whole time.  I was out of town for four days.  It was a trip with my five younger children and my husband--a family trip.  It was really good for us as a family, and we were pretty busy.  In addition to two days of driving, four plays we were scheduled to see, and a dinner another hour away with some of my husband's family, we had an unscheduled car breakdown and a fruitless visit to a mechanic. When we got back, there were mountains of laundry to wash and, you know, real life.  I meant to blog about those four days, very soon.  And I ke...

My workout today was sixty-five minutes long, with forty-five minutes on the elliptical. I did abs, extra abs, and weight-lifting, too. I was delighted to see that, even though I have been feeling heavy--and ate a small dessert late last night, my weight was at the **8, the full twelve pounds off.  I had to work upfront when I got to work this morning, which I dislike. I sneaked some of my eggs (early) on the few occasions when I had to go back to my desk. Lunch was leftover sweet and sour chicken with non-sugar sweeteners. I had an apple and peanuts for snacks.  I made split pea soup for dinner, but it took a while to cook. We did most of our Saturday shopping early while we waited. I had a little over half of my raspberry orange from Easter while I waited for dinner. I probably should have had less of it, but I didn't want to finish it, so that's progress.  My feet and back were tired by the time I finally went to bed.  It's going to be a big weekend. ...

When I woke up, I had about thirty minutes before I had to get in the shower.  I had to be ready early to register my youngest child in school.  If I'd gone to the gym, I would have spent most of that time driving.  So I ran in place for nine minutes, looking at the clock, did a plank, and went for a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood. It wasn't enough, and I continued to feel very full all day.  I'm not sure I overate in any way, but I think maybe I just don't need as much food as I used to need. I saved my "one sugar thing" for book club tonight.  Right before book club, though, I remembered that it was at the house of a woman who always eats healthy, and I started to think that maybe what she would be serving wouldn't have any sugar in it, and so I would end up with no sugar again late at night. I didn't want to repeat last night's disgraceful performance, so I came up with a whole different disgraceful performance for tonight.  I stu...

I went to the gym. I did my weight-lifting and abs, and sixteen minutes on the elliptical.  I felt full all day. I don't know that I really ate that much, but I felt gross.  I had leftovers for lunch and thought maybe I wouldn't have dinner, but I did have a little bit. I had my cocoa soon after, and it wasn't until late at night that I realized--I didn't have any sugar today! Obviously, I should have just kept going to sleep. It was way after the point where I should have stopped eating, but I do not always make the correct decision. For some reason, I couldn't stand it. I got up and popped one small Easter candy in my mouth. When I woke up in the night, I brushed my teeth. 

I really needed that sleep, I guess.  I didn't wake up until 6:40.  I went to the gym but only had time to do one set of weight-lifting, full abs, and a total of twenty-two minutes on the elliptical.  I was not feeling my normal self and could not go as fast as I usually do.  My weight when I got home was solid on the **9.   I feel like I ate a lot today.  And that's weirdly a trigger to eat more, I've discovered.  I had the funeral of my friend today, and it started at ten, which is when I was supposed to eat.  I didn't know when I would be able to eat if I didn't eat then, so I put a piece of whole wheat bread and butter in my purse and ate it in private right before the funeral started.  I ate my eggs in the car on the way to work, because I had two meetings back to back as soon as I got there. Staff meeting treats were phenomenal--croissants with lunch meat and vegetables.  I had a croissant with a slice of turkey and a slic...

You would think that going all weekend without really eating, and doing a big workout too, would result in some weight loss, right?  Well, I'm just barely at the **9, which means it did not.  Oh, well.  I am down from the **2, which is good.   I had my third night in a row of barely any sleep, even with an extra half-dose of sleeping pill, and I finally gave up and went out on the couch to listen to the newest crime episode, which I thought would put me to sleep, as I had it turned down low.  It didn't, so I got up to go to the gym. The thing is, I had to be at work very early today, so I realized when I got to the gym that I did not have much time at all.  I did what I could, but barely broke a sweat.  I think I had thirteen total minutes on the elliptical and my abs, and that's it.  But it was something. My stomach had kind of hurt all night--I am probably really hungry even though I cannot feel it.  I gave up and at at 9:40 inst...

I fasted again today, of course. I did feel weak, but also fine. I am so mentally stressed that I'm not paying much attention to my physical body. Even the several mosquito bites I got at my cousin's last night aren't bothering me.  The first two songs that had been chosen for church were difficult to play and unfamiliar. I practiced them yesterday, but I really couldn't do them well, so I decided to just not even attempt to play the pedals with them, and that got me through them.  After church, I just chilled out at home. Mark was at work and my kids were with their dad, so I was alone. I just stayed in bed, reading and playing games, until four o'clock. At four, I got up to get something to eat, but I decided it was a little early for dinner and I could wait until five. At five, I heated some leftover potato soup and had a slice of wheat bread with it. I had one hollow chocolate egg from my Easter candy. I wanted another one, but didn't give in.  I had my ...

I am stressed today, and facing a potentially huge problem, so I actually decided to fast today. I ate and drank nothing until dinner.  I did go to the gym in the morning and did have a great workout--ninety-two minutes in all. I did sixty-one minutes on the elliptical, full abs, and three or even four sets of all the things in my weight-lifting routine.  Dinner was at the cousins party that I have been looking forward to. I had made a big potato salad (without tasting it).  I had a barbecued pork sandwich, potato salad, a green salad, a small cob of corn, and another salad. I skipped the Jell-O salad. For dessert, there were three options: cheesecake from Costco with probably sugared strawberries, tiny storebought chocolate chip cookies, and tiny Costco cinnamon rolls. I walked away at first, unable to choose from among these things. After my dinner, I went back. The cheesecake is good--I've had it before and I love it--but it was plain, and the cinnamon rolls are on...

I lost a lot of sleep in the night.  Some of it had to do with being awakened into a bad mood, and some of it had to do with killing a bug in the night.  For some reason, that really disturbed me.  By the time I woke up in the morning, I did not have a lot of time for my workout. So, I coped by doing a short run--something I had not done yet this week.  I walked on the treadmill for six minutes, gradually building up speed, then jogged for eight minutes, then slowed down to walk one more minute.  I then got on the elliptical and did twelve minutes there.  Not the greatest workout in the world, but certainly better for me than nothing. When I got home, Mark was still asleep, so I did my abs on the couch, even though I hate to.  I had only done two of the nine things last night, so I completed it.   I wasn't supposed to eat until ten-thirty today, which would normally be great (better than eleven), but I remembered about nine-thirty that ...

I got a good workout this morning: 45 total minutes on the elliptical interspersed with abs and weight-lifting.  My weight was back down to the **0.  Even though I had my bunny last night, and a candy bar the day before. But I want to talk about that.  The first day, the little vanilla cookie thing, that did not seem like a lot of sugar to eat.  That's part of why it tormented me in the last weeks of no sugar--it was not a big deal.  The candy bar felt like a bigger deal.  And that's the mentality I honestly want to have--that a candy bar is more sugar than I really ought to eat.  The bunny felt like too much, too.  And today, someone brought several kinds of pie.  I had a half-piece of chocolate and a half-piece of cherry.  I am keeping my rule of one or none. But I think I should not necessarily have one thing of sugar every day.  I like the feeling of going to bed knowing I have not had anything that would make me fatter....

Today, these things happened: I ate my chocolate Easter bunny.  (It was small.  Ish.) I did twenty-three minutes on the elliptical, and morning abs.  I did not have time for much weight-lifting, so I will do it tomorrow. I saw my primary care doctor, who said that losing ten to twelve pounds in a hundred days WAS good, WAS working, and to just keep limiting my carbs and eating healthy foods.  She thought this was good, not a disappointment.

I think fasting in the morning is every bit as hard as not eating sugar.  Particularly when it takes ten minutes for my computer at work to come up.  I have nothing to do. I tried to go to sleep very early last night, and, in fact, did, but was awakened a few times by the people I live with.  My daughter took an hour and a half to get home, and, knowing she was about to arrive, I couldn't doze back off. So, when I opened my eyes for the last time, it was quite light outside, and I knew that, dang it, I was late.  I hurried to the gym, and I did do twenty-two minutes on the elliptical AND weight-lift one double set of each thing AND do my morning abs.  Yesterday, with only twenty minutes total at the gym, I just stayed on the elliptical the whole time.  My weight was back down to the **1.  Hopefully, it will keep going down. I thought about waiting through the day to see if anything sugary was offered at work, but succumbed to the candy bar that I...

In a perfect world, I would have had ninety minutes at the gym this morning and weighed in nice and low.  That did not happen.  I only had twenty minutes.  I was short on time partly because I had to (surprise!) get my youngest son to a scout camp at eight o'clock, and my daughter to a driving lesson, also at eight o'clock.   My weight was **2, up four pounds from where it has been recently, and down eight from where it was one hundred days ago.  But I am sure it will go back down quickly. I stayed full until about nine-thirty, and then I counted down the minutes until noon.  It seemed it would never come, but I held firm.  I have to make an impact on my weight.  I have to keep trying.  At three minutes to twelve, I took my eggs upstairs to reheat them.  When I finished eating them, I got out my vanilla cookie-cake, and I opened it. Should i really eat it?  It was like finally getting married after a long engagement, or l...

You guys, I made it. And, I didn't. Even after yesterday's amazing workout, my weight was up a bit today.  Fluctuation happens.  It's going to be up tomorrow, too.   I went one hundred days without eating sugar. I did not lose that much weight.  Not nearly what I had hoped to lose.  My friend, Mike, predicted that.  How he knows about old ladies and weight, I am not sure, but he nailed it. Did I need to make this sacrifice?  Yes.  My weight was increasing and out of my control.  I got it down a little bit when I got married, but I got married right before the holidays, and it came right back up again.  It's been increasing for almost five years.  I do not want to be this fat. I needed to do something to get control of my weight.  I needed to do something drastic, something that would really get my attention and force me to make changes.  I already eat pretty healthy food, and I already go to a gym almost d...

I didn't mean to, but I was up for hours in the night.  By morning, I needed to sleep in.  I know, I know--is there ever a day that doesn't start out this way?  I used to honestly go to bed at seven, get up at three, do two hours at the gym, and get to work by six-thirty.  Those were the days.  (I was slim, too.)  (And young.) Nevertheless, I did the elliptical and abs and weight-lifting to a very good degree.  It was the routine with the free weights, where someone usually puts them away between sets.  No one put them away.  I had forgotten to bring my iPod, so I couldn't listen to music.  All I had was my phone, and I only have one song on it.  So, what do you think I did? I listened to true crime.  Instead of changing my routine song by song, I did three minutes on the elliptical in narrow mode, then raced the fourth minute, then switched to medium mode for three more minutes, racing the fourth minute.  Then I would...

The best thing about today was that it was my last day at work before my hundred days is up.  I left there with my little vanilla cookie intact and no birthday cake eaten.   It is interesting, though, how funny my brain is.  Even though I had felt like I had just about made it and gotten out of there free, the second I opened the front door to my home--where I feel I am usually safer, my eye fell immediately on the vanilla sandwich cookies I had bought for the parade.  This rebel in my brain called out that now that I had made it home and the hundredth day was close at hand, I could go ahead and eat a vanilla cookie. I am going to have to seriously deal with this guy.  I don't know who he is, but he is merciless. I thought I would have a better workout today, and I guess it was better in that I accomplished a longer weight-lifting routine, but I still only did twenty-eight minutes on the elliptical.  Not bad, but not my best work, either.  I...