southern_midwife's Journal

Slipping a little...

Jun 18 2009 11:07

It happens way too easily. It's been a days (make that weeks?) since I logged and I've gained back 2 lbs. I know it isn't much but I also know it's a real gain and why it happened.

It started with just not counting. Then a little extra here, a little extra there. And skipping the exercise. First just justifying missing because I worked extra long at work and because I was tired but then I just skip.

I can't let this happen! I know where it leads. I must stay on track or I will end up back where I started and I never want to be there again. Heck, I don't even want to gain 5 lbs, never mind 50!

So, today I log. And tomorrow I will too. It's about discipline and it's a small price to pay for my health.

I'm still doing okay...

May 15 2009 17:08

I've been away for a while but I haven't fallen off the wagon. I'm maintaining around 148 to 150.

I've been extremely busy with work and family life but I'm still managing to get exercise at least 3 times a week. I get to the Y for my body pump and aerobics classes as much as possible. Sometimes I miss because of a birth but when I do, so far, I've been able to at least jog to make up for it when I do miss.

I wish I could do more but time just won't allow it right now. Building muscle takes hard work and time. I wish it could come easier but even thought its slow, I am noticing real progress. My arms are much more defined now. I'm sure if I was younger this would go quicker but I'm still determined that I can improve my body even though I'm 54 years old.

I'm still logging most of what I eat on NutriMirror. Their data base isn't as complete as CC but I still like the format much better. When they don't have something I need, I just look it up on CC and copy it to NM. Then I have it the next time I need it, too. (Sorry about that CC).

I miss chatting on the CC forums. Maybe I can get back to it if and when things slow down some. I think of you all often and hope you are doing well.

~ Beth

WOW! B/P changes

Apr 30 2009 11:20

I haven't taken my blood pressure in a while. Wow, I was a bit surprised at the results. And I took it several times over 3 days just to be sure. All readings were about the same. This morning's reading 92/56 and my resting HR is 54.

Exercise and good nutrition DOES pay off! Not bad for a 54 year old gal who landed in the ER just two years ago with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart palpitations. BTW, my last cholesterol check was in February and it was good, too.

And I've done this with absolutely NO pharmaceuticals what so ever. I do use some vitamin suppliments when I remember them.

Frustration!

Apr 29 2009 10:11

I got up this morning and the scale said 151. It must be the fact that I still haven't gotten my sodium under control. But then to add insult to injury, I went for a jog and suddenly I couldn't do more than a few minutes at a time. I had been consistently jogging 25 minutes without a break. But for some reason this morning, the most I could do was about 5 minutes at a time. It was windy and I started out going into the wind. I was hoping it was just the wind. But even with the wind to my back it didn't matter.

So what's up with that? I didn't do any exercise yesterday because I worked all day. So it can't be fatigue. The day before I had a great workout. So it isnt' that I haven't worked out in a while. I don't feel sick either. I just didn't have the energy I needed. And before you ask, I'm eating PLENTY. Yesterday in fact I ate 300 calories OVER my burn meter and got 115 gm of protein.

I know, "some days are just like that" but it's still frustrating.

Body Fat, Protien and Strength Training

Apr 27 2009 15:13

Well, I'm trying to learn more about my body fat. That sounds lovely, doesn't it?

I don't have calipers nor am I able to use the water displace method. So I thought I would try some of the online calculators that I found. I used two of them. I know they aren't as accurate but it's better than nothing.

One here

And One here.

The first one gave the following results:

Using your measurements of a 28 inches waist and weight of 149 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be 24.40 % using the U.S. Navy body fat formula, or 32.20 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Neither method is as accurate as a water displacement test, but is usually within 1-3% for most people. If you have a very small waist, it will show a low value. On the other hand, if you carry all your extra weight around your middle, you may have an elevated percentage. Please note that having this extra weight in the middle is a high risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The waist to hip ratio calculator can give you more information.

The average body fat percentage for U.S. females is around 32%, with the ideal at 22%. Athletic females should be around 15-20%. You could have an eating disorder if you are below 10%. Remember these are guidelines; your physician should help you determine the ideal weight and body fat for you.

I've always been small in the waist. I've always carried my fat in my hips and thighs. So for this reason, I think the 32.2% is probably more accurate for me.

And the second calculator seems to agree. It came up with 32.56%.

At any rate, I know by just looking that I'm carrying too much fat in my legs. can feel it and see it. It's not muscle and it's not just loose skin.

But I've also been reading about what to do about it and I'm already doing it. I've got to build muscle! That means working out with weights. So that's where I'm going to focus my attention for a while. That and running.

I also need to eat more protien and keep my calories up. If I go too low, it will be counter productive. So I'm going to stay at or maybe only slightly below my burn meter. And I'm going to try and get 30% protien while working as hard as I am because protien feeds the muscles.

I'm going to be keeping up with my measurments for a while to watch for improvement because I don't think I'm going to see the results in the scale as much as I do on the tape measure.

Wish me luck! I know I can do this. It's just going to be work.

Beth

Surprise!

Apr 25 2009 08:02

Weight this morning 147.8! BMI 20

Wow! I didn't expect to see that! I had a birth yesterday. It went very well. I do tend to eat less when I'm at a birth but when I got back and logged it all, I was still only a little below my burn meter but still too high on sodium and fat! The reason for the sodium and fat was because I snacked on deli ham while at the birth. That surprised me too because I didn't have a lot. I also had cheese and fruit. I ate salads for lunch and dinner.

BTW, can anyone give me a good definition of "skinny fat"? I think that's what I'm battling. The last time I weighted this little there was very little fat on my body. But I still have fat in my tummy and my thighs. The muscle is SLOWLY taking over but it's taking a lot of work.

I would like to see 145 on the scale. It would be nice to see 145 during the day with my clothes on. But I don't want to see much lower than 145 in the morning. So I'm not sure if I can do both.

I weighed 135 when I met my husband in high school. But I was only 17. By 18 I was up to 145 and that's where I stayed until I got pregnant for the first time. After the first baby, I lost back to 145 by 6 weeks postpartum and stayed there until I got pregnant the second time. I don't think I ever saw 145 after my second baby. After him, I think the lowest (until recently) that I ever got was 150. So it really does make me feel young to see 147.8 on the scale this morning. I just wish I already had the muscle to go with it. But I'm working on it!

Beth

You might be a midwife if............

Apr 23 2009 08:02

You might be a midwife if............

If you use more super glue on women's bottoms than your broken china..

If you've ever crocheted with an amni hook...

If you carry more tanks in your car than Jacque Cousteau...

If you hear "doppler" radar on the Weather Channel and your ears perk up....

If you've recommended Castor Oil more times than the local Quick Lube...

If your idea of "seeing the head coming" doesn't refer to your beer...

If it takes a hour to get dressed to go out yet 45 seconds to get dressed in the middle of the night...

If you talk about seeing the "crown" and you weren't at Buckingham Palace....

If you've had your picture taken so many times with babies you should be running for office....

If there are more ways to reach you than the local fire department...

If you know that "post partum" doesn't mean your fence is coming apart...

If you've ever been called by a neighbor with an animal in labor....

If the color of your car is unrecognizable because of all the bumperstickers...

If you refuse to sell your junky run down car because you'll lose your bumperstickers...

If you think c-section should only be the cheap seats at a ballgame....

If you know that a fetoscope does not measure shoe size....

If the 36,000 mile/3 year warranty on your brand new car actually means less than one year....

If your tires are going bald faster than your husband....

If you think the only use for forceps is as salad tongs....

If you've made more great catches than Chipper Jones...

If you know that a lie is not where your golf ball lands....

If you think that a "tail back" is a new kind of birthing position...

If you know a cesarean is not a salad....

If your idea of a vacation is taking a car ride outside your beeper range or cell phone carrier.....

If you know that a pinard horn is not a musical instrument....

If you think the only way to measure centimeters is by spreading your fingers....

If you get more calls from ladies with broken water than the local plumber....

If you've ever ran out of gas and used a breast pump and catheter as a siphon....

If you've ever used cord clamps as hair curlers...

If you've ever used a speculum to put on a tight pair of shoes...

If you can eat cherry jello while watching a birth film....

If you talk about yeast infections like they're dairy products....

If you've ever put on a latex glove to remove the stuffing from a turkey...

If you have more hemostats in your glove box than a Grateful Dead fan...

If you think Deliverance is a childbirth movie....

If you refer to your cell phone as "my home phone".....

If you discuss adhesions with your family at the dinner table....

If you know that perineal support is not a kind of stocking...

If you consider a pair of black Birkenstocks "formal wear"....

If your realize that "breeches" are not a southern man's trousers...

If you know that ultrasound is not a fancy stereo...

If you've ever stopped on your way to a birth and someone has looked in your car and asked "Are you Moving?"...

If you've ever gotten out of a speeding ticket by actually showing the state trooper a placenta...

If you thought the movie "Catch-22" was a story about a month in a very busy midwife's life...

If your idea of a color coordinated birthing outfit is matching the blood stains on your sweat shirt with the blood stains on your sweat pants.....

....you might be a midwife

Boy did I eat too much!

Apr 22 2009 22:25

Larry and I went out to celebrate our anniversary tonight and I really over did it! Best I can guess on the calories puts me 1150 OVER my burn meter for the day! OUCH! That makes my average for the whole week only at the break even point! DARN!

It was all the cheese and bread that did me in. I had picked out a fairly reasonable entree but then Larry wanted an appetizer and choose my favorite which is ... Formaggio in Carrozza -- Melted mozzarella & gorgonzola cheese mixed with almonds and served with bread - lots of bread.

I shouldn't have eaten so much but it was all SO good. Now I'm going to have to work really extra hard to undo all those extra calories I ate tonight. Plus I feel miserable. I wish the miserable feeling would start sooner because then maybe I would have stopped eating sooner. But it just doesn't work that way. The food always seems to wait to expand about 30 minutes after its eaten. By then it's too late!

Oh well, I know 1150 calories isn't even one pound but still it is a LOT. And it's so much harder for me to get a deficit than it used to be. So it will take me a while to make up for this one splurge.

I'm setting my alarm early to go jogging.

~ Beth

Yahoo! Trendline under 150!

Apr 22 2009 07:39

I've kept my weight under 150 all week and this morning the trend line finally dropped below 150, too!

This morning's weight was 149.2. My lowest weight this week was 148.2 but I only saw 148 once. I'm getting a deficit every day but only a small one. In fact yesterday I had to count my walking around at work just to make the numbers add up to a deficit. So I'm not sure that really counts. I usually don't count activities that don't get my heart rate up.I just hated seeing those calories go over my burn meter.

Tonight Larry and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary. I'm going to go running in minute to try and burn as many calories as I can. But I suspect that today won't end up being a deficit day for me because of our date tonight. So I'll try to keep it from doing too much damage. Normally I would attend my class on Wednesdays but not today. The class is late in the day. So I'm not going since we are planning to go out instead.

I'm not going to worry about it. But hopefully the scale won't jump up too much tomorrow.

~ Beth

Tips on Logging

Apr 21 2009 11:03

I am learning that it really helps me to log my meals one meal at a time and BEFORE I eat. I'm using NurtiMirror.com to log what I eat and I love the little colored bars that tell me how I'm doing in each category. By logging this way, I can adjust what I plan to eat for each meal according to it's nutritional content. It isn't as hard as it sounds. For example today I know I'm going to Whataburger for lunch. I decided to see what would happen if I got a small burger and fries (my usual and not that bad in calories). Well, it really added way too much fat and sodium to my day. So I tried entering the grilled chicken salad with low fat dressing and 2 crackers. That balanced out perfectly and also gave me a lot more calories to "spend" for dinner later. I then tried adding in just a small order of fries because I know I will be tempted. Again, too much salt and fat. So I took them off. I think this little exercise will make it much easier for me to say "no" to the fries at lunch today.

Another feature I like on NM is the fact that you can search for foods by nutrient or search for foods "low" in something. That way I can find things that I need to help me achieve the balance for the day. I'm learning a lot and it's kind of fun.