Originally Posted by
Sparked
Hey Greg!
I haven't gotten to post on your diary recently but I have been reading it! I too have succumbed to the dreaded Chinese Buffet, downtown there's one that for $10.99 you can get bucket-loads of some of the best Chinese food I've ever had, and I'm a sucker for a deal! I've only been once though because, well, bad things happened, but I still remember pretty vividly all the honey walnut prawn goodness. Sooo I have lots to say to you, so here we go!
First of all, I know you keep struggling with that water weight so I was reading through your diary to see if I could give you any tips and I came across your menu:
Breakfast: Cereal
2 hours: Nature valley bar
2 hours: Lean Cuisine/Burger
2 hours: Nature valley bar
2 hours: Lean Cuisine/Burger
Is this all you're eating? Are you eating fruits and veggies but not listing them? If you're not getting those in I think there's a good chance that you've got a little bit of a potassium deficiency going on and that could be what is causing all that retention. Not to go too much into detail, but our bodies use potassium (K) and sodium (Na) to keep the right amount of fluid inside and out of the cell, the K is on the inside and Na is on the outside and they pass back and forth to keep the right concentration, but your body requires about 3X the amount of K on the inside as it does Na on the outside, so when you don't have enough K, your body starts to increase your fluid levels, thus you get water retention that hydration alone can't cure. And intense exercise only makes it worse because you sweat out what potassium you do have, so your body is getting even more depleted! This could be why you're not experiencing the weight loss that you did with those foods before, because I imagine you weren't working out nearly as hard? So, maybe try throwing a banana into the mix, or broccoli, or spinach, or even chocolate, all great sources of potassium-- might help.
Also, have you thought about trying calorie cycling at all? It's supposed to confuse your body to break plateaus, but you're still eating the same amount of calories. This website I use suggests the following for someone with your stats who works out every day:
Maintenance
Fat Loss
Extreme Fat Loss
Monday
2987
2390
1793
Tuesday
2390
1912
1520
Wednesday
3585
2868
2151
Thursday
2987
2390
1793
Friday
2689
2151
1613
Saturday
3286
2629
1972
Sunday
2987
2390
1793
And this if you're working out twice a day:
Maintenance
Fat Loss
Extreme Fat Loss
Monday
3147
2518
1888
Tuesday
2518
2014
1520
Wednesday
3776
3021
2266
Thursday
3147
2518
1888
Friday
2832
2266
1700
Saturday
3462
2769
2077
Sunday
3147
2518
1888
Once again, just an idea since I know those plateaus are freakin infuriating!!
Nice job talking to the girl at the party! I'm sure any goofiness you're worried about just came off as endearing
And it's true that if she just went through some hard times that it might not be the right time to start a relationship, but since you aren't feeling super gung-ho on a relationship right now either, it might be the perfect time to start a friendship that could develop into something more when you guys are ready. Or maybe even just something more casual that will help you dip your toe into that whole dating/physical relationship pool.
As for holding out for a possible relationship in the far-future as opposed to one that could be in your life a little sooner? Hmm, well I guess that is a tough one if you think there's something really special with your long distance friend, but still, I'm not one to believe in soulmates, I think that there are lots of great people out there that are equally suited for one another, so when you get the opportunity to share something with them, then you seize it.
Also, I know you're self conscious about your body but, Greg, everyone is! I can not think of one single person in my life right now, male or female, that doesn't have something they dislike about their body. Hell, my bf has a BMI of 22 and refuses to take his shirt off in front of anyone because he's convinced he has moobs. I have no idea what he's talking about. I can guarantee that you are being way too critical and that someone else would probably just shrug off the flaws you see. I guess what I'm getting at is that having something you'll feel awkward about when it comes to your body might just be part of life, so I'd hate to see you delay happiness for something that I'm pretty sure is just something we cope with in this society -- hence why you have heard tons of times that it will be ok when you find the right person, because we all have body issues and we all find that the people we are with just don't care. And of course, you can always just keep your shirt on and turn out the lights!
I mean, you do look pretty darn good in a t-shirt after all.
I'm sorry to hear that things are so hectic right now, I'm sure that's not helping your current outlook. I hope things start looking up soon, you deserve it
Bananas! Rosie, thank you!
Ok, yeah, my diet was pretty awful for a couple months. Not in terms of too many calories, but not enough of the right ones. I haven't been taking my Boost (which has good potassium) and I used to eat bananas a lot around the beginning and middle of my weight loss. Potassium issues could definitely be a factor! I read my diary real quick this morning before going to work, so on the way home, I went by the grocery store and got some bananas
Although I do eat broccoli semi-frequently (mostly in lean cuisines). I looooove broccoli! My mom used to hate it, so I guess I inherited the love of broccoli from my biological father's side, hah. I get broccoli steamers from the store sometimes, although it has high sodium thanks to the cheese :\
I also love that cell info you posted, Rosie! No doubt I was hurting myself by exercising without the proper nutrients in my system, and then sweating out the little that I did have :\ I really have to watch that.
If I didn't have the 'liquid courage' in me, I doubt I would've said hello to this girl and shook her hand at the party. She lost her husband in January of this year. He took his own life
He was suffering from a condition called 'Cluster Headaches/Migraines'. He was on Ambien and something else that has suicidal side effects
I read a little about it and it apparently affects about 0.1% of the population, but the pain involved is so intense that women who have the condition described it as even exceeding the pain from childbirth! It sounds so terrible. Here's a wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headaches
People with this condition are so desperate for relief that they'll ask for just about any kind of surgery that may help. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it doesn't, and suicide results a lot for these individuals because it's just so excruciating
I felt so bad while reading this.
So yeah, I can only imagine the kind of anguish she's going through
She said that party was the first time she mustered the strength to go out since his passing. The majority of our correspondence has just been me trying to make her smile and maybe take her mind off things. I've told her about my mother and some of the things that have helped me cope just recently. She believes that everything happens for a reason. I like to think the same, even though I didn't used to.
The issues I have with my body image will just be something I'll deal with when I get to my goal weight of 165 - which will be sometime this year
Those numbers are something I try to stay around (Extreme Fat Loss). I usually consume about ~2200-2400 calories, then my treadmill runs (2x 30min each for roughly ~300 calories), brings my total for the day to about 1700-1800
Well, regarding your boyfriend, from the pics I've seen, he looks in pretty good shape! 'Moobs' are something I was really worried about, especially in high school. We wore these polo shirts that were not very form-fitting, and the top area just felt a little more constricted than the bottom. So I always felt like my chest was sticking out more than my belly :\ Oh, and they were white shirts and the desks we sat in were these disgusting, 50's era things with this brownish border around the edge of the desk. Well, when it would get really hot during the summer (no AC because the school was older than dirt), the edge area would sometimes rub off on my shirt because my belly was always resting against it in class. It looked like I had skidmarks on the front of my shirt! lol.. ugh. High school. I don't miss it at all.
You're an awesome, beautiful, and non-judgmental person though, Rosie!
Your boyfriend is very lucky to have found you! If only all of us were so fortunate to find someone so great
Thanks also about the nice words about me in a T :} However, I still think the lights will at least have to be dimmed a bit whenever the deed occurs for me
lol
Originally Posted by
tetemcg
that is wonderful advice the whole way around... food and dating...smart cookie up there
Just checking in...its been so so long....hope my favorite forum son is doing great and not letting the small things like a Chinese buffet fiasco mess up his awesomeness!!
We all have our days...just remember that's what they are...one singular day in the long run to our super greatness
Hello, tete! My fabulous forum mother!
Thanks for stopping by! The Chinese Buffet was more like a catastrophe rather than a fiasco
Not only did I have a plate full of nastiness, but I went up for a second helping! Augh!
That was some day
But I'm managing it, as always. It's just that before, when I first started losing weight, whenever this kind of thing happened, I didn't have the stress of maintaining a house and providing for a roommate that doesn't really help me too much with finances (I'm not gonna get started on that right now).
It's a rather tough juggling act sometimes, and even though I drop a few eggs, I'm still going to complete this act successfully! =)
Hope you, and everyone else, are doing well
. Thanks, Greg 
