Last 20 lbs Series - Notes from Week Two

WEEK TWO 7/4/09 – 7/10/09:

My exercise for the week:
Saturday – walk to my moms
Sunday – walk to my moms
Monday – 3 Zumba classes
Tuesday – free weights class, (stretch yoga class)
Wednesday – 2 Zumba classes, flow yoga class (hard)
Thursday – free weights class, flow yoga class (hard again), 1 Zumba class
Friday – walk to my moms - stretch yoga class (on my own at home – yoga studio is now closed for two full weeks!)

My food for the week:
This week there were three different meal schedules – 3 carb down days, 3 baseline days, 1 carb up day – all in a precise order - the carb up day has a carb down day in front of it and then a baseline after it. Interesting.

Saturday (Day One of Week Two).
First, I cannot tell you how excited I was to get my morning oatmeal back! And then, you know, even with all that I understand about food - this week has been an eye opener. Went to eat the oatmeal (Saturday) morning and already knew that I was not adding raisins (1/8 cup, 65 calories, 0g fat, 15.5g carbs, .5g protein) but then I hesitated over milk. Not agonized over milk – just thought about milk. Skim milk is 90 calories, 0fat, 13g carbs, 8g protein. Rice milk is 120 calories, 2.5g fat, 23g carbs, 1g protein. Those counts are all for a full cup and I used a 1/4 cup (yes, I measure) and went with the skim. But after looking at all that - wasn't sure that the skim actually makes sense. I might be better off with 2% so that I am picking up a little fat. Remember the lady that told me to switch to lowfat cottage cheese and yogurt (here on my blog?) – I DID switch – right then when she told me – but we stuck with skim milk - ??? This week has taught me that even though I thought was being very careful about carbs - I am STILL eating a disproportionate amount of them - each and every day. And THE FIRST WEEK - with dropping the carbs SO low - I realized the importance of adding back fat to compensate. Like the full fat cottage cheese - being very low carb - that was important. It was hard to make myself DO – have not had full fat anything in a very long time – but I did do it – ONLY for the stripped down carb week – NOT on an ongoing basis.


Sunday –tired of (continuous) carb down and ready for Monday!

Monday
Today is a baseline day - which means two carbs (both before 3pm). Two carbs is going to feel like a lot.

ZUMBA- extravaganza: There was someone at the 9:15am Zumba class at the gym (trying a pick up class – in preparation for the yoga studio being closed - like I was) that also goes to 3:45pm Zumba (at the yoga studio) and she said - do you want to try to another zumba (same teacher for all 3) at another facility at 5:30pm?And I said sure - so three classes – at three different facilities. I have never even tried two on the same day. And it wasn’t too long ago that ONE Zumba class kicked my butt.

And it is good that (3 Zumba day) worked out as my first baseline (two carbs before 3pm) day. I need the carbs to make it through multiple hours of cardio. I think it might be good for my body chemistry to have the carbs (be fed) and then also be worked (hard).

ADDED LATER: I was able to do everything in all three Zumba classes –my moves were not as ‘big’ by the third class – but I was still moving! (And the woman that suggested it – pooped out after #2. But I still went to #3.) On the way home I was saying ‘step together step, step together step, one- two-three-four’ it sorts of works its way into your subconscious.

Tuesday - exhausted day – it was a baseline day – I don’t think the exhausted had a thing to do with food and exercise – I think it was mostly staying up too late (kids, movies) and hormones (my face is slightly broken out, which NEVER happens).

Wednesday – two Zumba classes on a carb DOWN day – good thing I did the three classes on a baseline day – so I know I will be able to do two. I do not look at it as deprivation – I look at it as teaching my body to dig into stores. I have no illusions that fat just magically falls off. . .

Thursday – carb UP day – I thought it might freak me out – but it did not. I thought very hard about what I REALLY wanted. And that is what I ate. I did three challenging classes and that helped - in my mind I was feeding - but then working. I don't think I could have a carb UP day without really working. It would be disharmony to me. (I also took a long nap in the afternoon. )

Friday – baseline day – and catch up around the house and stretch/rest my body day. I am tired.