Badminton, Baby!

This past week has been really good, including the weekend. I have been sticking to my points allowance for the most part. (On Sunday evening I indulged a little. We had been walking around an amusement park with the kids all day and I was famished.) Keeping up the exercise hasn't been as difficult as I had expected; my energy levels are surprisingly high. I guess I owe that to cutting out the crap: I don't have the usual sugar highs-and-lows anymore. I am getting plenty of fiber, enough protein and almost all the sugars I am taking in are coming from fruit.

But (why must there always be a but?) I am hungry. There's no denying it. I am not hungry all day every day, but it does happen. It has been that way with any diet that was successful for me. I can deal with it just fine; I usually have a glass of water, a coffee (black) or one of my fruity snacks. It does make me wonder though if it's a necessary evil we have to go through?

On the exercise front I am reacquainting myself with an old favorite: Badminton. After I graduated back in 2005, I started playing badminton on Thursday evening with some friends. After a while the friends quit, but then Engineer Daddy joined. I love this sport so much, mostly because it feeds the - usually dormant - competitive side in me. I can work up a serious sweat and not even notice it because I'm having so much fun.

I stopped playing when I was 5 months pregnant with MiniMe. After she was born, during the breastfeeding period I preferred staying home with her in the evening. When she was weaned I still stayed home because one of us had to keep an eye on her. And then a few months later the cycle of pregnancy and breastfeeding started again. Engineer Daddy and I decided this was something we needed to do together again. For the first time ever we're hiring a babysitter (that is not family). I am so happy we made this decision.

Tomorrow is going to be hell with sore muscles. Oh well.

Evening run

I love running in the evening. Tonight we were having a beautiful summer evening with a colorful sunset. I ran past a meadow with a few horses. It was all so romantic.

Another reason is that on evenings when I go running I am so good about my eating. I am careful not to eat too much at dinner before the run, and afterwards I don't eat any crap either because I don't want to undo the good work I did. Love it!

To be honest I don't really like running as a sport. But I do like the many advantages it brings:

• You can do it anytime, even in the middle of the night if you'd like.
• You can do it anywhere.
• You don't need much: The only big investment is the shoes. And even they're not that expensive.
• You don't need any specific training to be able to do it. Just put one foot in front of the other.
• I can listen to the radio or my favorite music.
• Fresh air.
• If you choose your route carefully, it can be beautiful and extra relaxing (see my comment above).

I'm sure there are more advantages, just can't think of them right now. But the ones listed should be enough to get my ass moving.

Check out my running gear. Not only are my running shoes perfect for my running style, they are also pretty, don't you agree? And they match my mp3 player. I am such a fashionable runner *ahem*.

Stats Update

Soooo happy to finally be updating my stats. No, we didn't get a new scale, sadly, but I visited my parents two days ago and hopped on their scale. And it showed... *drumroll*... a 1kg loss! I am so excited right now. So here are the new stats:

Height 165cm (5'5")
Starting weight 76.5kg (168.6lbs)
Starting BMI 28.1
Current weight 75.5kg (166.4lbs)
Current BMI 27.7
Lost weight 1kg (2.2lbs)
Goal weight 64kg (141lbs)
Goal BMI 23.5

I updated my ticker.

Now, 1kg might not seem like so much in 6 weeks time, but I have to keep in mind that in those 6 weeks, we went on vacation where there was wine, seafood and croissants. We also had a wedding where I enjoyed the buffet and the open bar without thinking, and in general the other weekends were not so good either. So in that respect a 1kg loss, or any loss at all, is wonderful. I have been sticking to healthy eating in the week and all the exercise I've been doing is rewarding me with an overall weight loss anyway.

This shows that if I stick with my diet during the weekends as well, I can really shed the pounds fast enough. But if I do cheat in the weekends, it'll be OK too. That last part is really important to me, because I want to be able to cheat now and then. As long as the number on the scale goes down, it's all good. That being said, I hope I'll be able to stick to healthier eating in the weekend as well, just for my general well being. A cheat day once every two weeks sounds good to me.

Favourite low points food

I know I posted that I wouldn't share too much about how many WW points I am eating, but I feel like I should be able to talk a little bit about some diet foods that I enjoy eating. Therefore here is a post about my favorite low WW points food.

Oatmeal
I ate it a few times as a kid and really enjoyed it back then. Somehow I forgot about it during my adult years. Then after MiniMe's birth I read something about oatmeal boosting breastmilk supply, so I went ahead and reacquainted myself. I make it really easy for myself: I put about 30g in a bowl, pour over 150ml milk (semi skimmed), heat it in the microwave and as the finishing touch I add a tablespoon of honey. It tastes quite nice and gives a full feeling for a few hours until I have my mid morning snack. I'm also giving it to MiniMe every morning and she's loving it. In the past few years I've read a lot of good things about oatmeal: lowers bad cholesterol, high in fiber, good for blood pressure. Superfood all the way

Cottage Cheese
A lot of people hate this stuff, but I strongly disagree. Cheese is a great source of calcium, something us ladies need to make sure we get enough of. But most cheeses are also very fatty. Cottage cheese is a great way of getting that calcium in and enjoying the cheese flavor without the fat content. I can have a 200g portion of cottage cheese for lunch and be satisfied. It's perfect! To top it off the flavor is enhanced when cucumber and cherry tomatoes are added. Win - win - win!! I don't eat it daily though because it is pretty expensive, or at least the brand I like is. I'd say I have one every weekend and enjoy every mouthful.

Fruit
This speaks for itself. Apples, pears, peaches, bananas, mango, pineapple, strawberries keep 'em coming! They are my standard snack foods. I eat at least three pieces of fruit each day, that's a habit I started during my first pregnancy and I have been able to keep it up afterwards. Both my children are also fruit lovers so after grocery shopping our refrigerator is always stuffed. It's sometimes a bit tedious to prepare them in the morning (some fruit like mango or pineapple must be sliced up beforehand), but all that effort is well worth it.

Soup
I know a lot of people who only eat soup during winter when it's cold out. But I can have it all year long. It's such an easy and efficient way to get your veggie intake. Plus children love soup, that way everyone's happy.

Coca Cola Zero
Before there was Zero, I used to drink Diet Coke, which was OK but not great. When Coke Zero became popular it was like a whole new world opened up to me. This shit tastes amazing! I don't have one each day, as fizzy caffeinated beverages have their disadvantages. On average I think I have one every other day. Certainly my favorite non alcoholic drink.

Secret Eaters

I love love looove weight loss reality TV. It's a guilty pleasure of mine I very rarely admit to. The reasons for this are varied. Firstly I identify with those fatties on TV; I can empathize greatly with them. Like them, I love relaxing on the sofa and stuffing my face with everything that's bad for me. I am not quite as heavy as most of them, but with a BMI of 28 I feel like I am slowly but surely getting there. Secondly these shows motivate me. I don't want to let my weight get as far out of hand as they did. And if they can successfully lose weight, then surely I can too! Thirdly, I enjoy the fat shaming. I know that does not make me come off as a nice person, but I do. I wonder why that is, because I could certainly use a good kick in the backside as well.

Anyway, I'll talk about my favorite one so far: Secret Eaters, a British Channel 4 show. So far there are two seasons, with 6 and 8 episodes respectively. It's a series that follows people who don't understand why they are fat. Cameras are installed in their house and a few detectives follow them during 5 days to log exactly what they eat. Then off course they are presented with the results. I have not seen this show on TV myself, but all episodes are on YouTube.

I'm sure there's a lot of good TV editing and some acting going on, but that makes it entertaining TV! These people did not realize what they were eating. That these little bits and pieces (a sandwich, potato chips, one cookie here and there) actually add up to an impressive amount of calories.

The fat shaming in this show is also quite entertaining. The calorie consumption is revealed in this lab-like environment where they showcase some of the food that was eaten during the 5 days of "investigation". They inform the participants of their maximum and average daily calorie intake (staggering numbers sometimes), and they pick apart a few meals to show exactly where the calories come from. The shock on the participants' faces is priceless. They are incredulous and ashamed, sometimes to the point of tears. I know others will not like that part of the show and call it degrading and condescending. While that is certainly true, it doesn't bother me really.

I think the main reasons I love this shows is because it hits so close to home. The difference between me and these people is that I am fully aware of why I am fat. I know exactly what I eat and how much. But it's the way they eat the bad foods that is recognizable: The bag of potato chips while watching TV, the over-consumption of alcohol at a friend's house, using too much butter in food preparation etc etc. I guess I should be even more ashamed than these people because while they had no idea, I totally do! I know what I have to do to lose weight, now I just have to commit to it, dammit. That's motivation for sure.

One episode that really stuck with me is episode 4 of season 2. It's about two sisters who are not obese, but overweight. One of them is really fit, training for a marathon even! But doesn't shed the pounds because she still takes in too much calories. Off course I am nowhere near running a freakin' marathon, but I do see myself as a relatively fit person. (I commute by bicycle every day, I do Zumba once a week, badminton once a week, I run 3.3 miles 3 times a week.) But I still overeat, so no wonder the pounds don't shift.

Maybe I should volunteer for the next season? I don't think so. I'm waaaay to much of a private person for something like this. But I could use the kick up the ass, oh yes I could.

(picture: courtesy of Channel4)

Runner's high

I got it, my first runner's high! I know about the swimmer's high; experienced it back in the day when I went swimming regularly. Usually when I had done 1km, it felt like I could go on for hours. I figured it would take some more time for it to happen with running, but fortunately it came pretty soon.

It was one week ago. The weekend had been pretty crazy (with the wedding and all) and Monday evening I set out to go for a leisurely run. The temperature was perfect, it had already started to cool down a bit. The sun had started to descend but it was not dark yet. After the weekend-long orgy, I had eaten a light dinner. As a result of all these factors, the run was just perfect. I wasn't breathless at any point, didn't get those fracking side-stings and 30 minutes in, I got my awesome runner's high. "King of the world, baby!!!" The thought of extending my run crossed my mind, but as a beginner I decided against it. In hindsight definitely the right decision.

It's every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be. I can't wait for the next one.

Starting once again

ZwitsalBaby is better, thankfully. He has still got a little wheezing in his breath and coughs from time to time, but we're keeping an eye on that. Since his recovery I have been on vacation and having too much distraction to really focus on this weight loss thing. But here I am again. Back at work since a few weeks and ready to rock.

I'm doing great with the running. The shoes are awesome; they feel like I am running on clouds. Since coming back from vacation I have been out jogging 2-3 times a week for 30-40 minutes. While running, I pace myself and take regular walking breaks. At the moment I can do 5.3km in 40 minutes. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. One thing I have to watch out for is my ankle: I twisted it a few years ago while playing badminton and it still bothers me from time to time. Yesterday evening I went running and today during lunch break I did Zumba. At the moment it's feeling a little sore, so I better let it rest for a few days. The last thing I want right now is an injury.

The eating has not been perfect. I am not counting points at all; my excuse is I am too busy, but that's all it is, an excuse. During the week it's not too bad: I pack my lunch and my fruity snacks and I am not really tempted by the cookies or other stuff at work. But in the weekend it's booze and pastries and potato chips galore. And then shame. Two weekends ago we had a wedding and I totally let myself go. It was glorious, but too much. I have to start back up again with the points counting. It's on my to-do list, I swear.

I am also on a mission to get a new scale. I have no idea what my weight is at the moment. I think I am still at my starting weight, but I just want to make sure. I need some motivation and accountability. And then I can finally update my ticker (hopefully with a lower weight, fingers crossed).