Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sir Pappy the II

Bizarre blog entry name eh?  Jon had his sleep study and got a C-PAP machine to wear at night to help with quality sleep.   It needed a name...a regal name.  I'm glad he had it done and I'm considering a sleep study too.  My primary physician hasn't mentioned the need for one but my dentist did last year.   The need for quality sleep has become more common and apparent in research related to weight loss.   Not sleeping well creates a wicked issue with weight status.  If you don't get quality (REM) sleep each night it can alter metabolism and make weight gain more likely.  If you are heavy though, it can be difficult to correct sleep since excess weight disrupts sleep patterns (sleep apnea).  I can actually tell I'm sleeping better now that I've started losing weight.   I don't need to nap during the day either.  I actually have tried to nap periodically and I couldn't fall asleep during the day.  

I had a good weigh-in this week and lost another 1.6 lbs.  I'm so happy that I've been able to lose and still eat out.   It pays to avoid appetizers and make better food choices.   Jon, Gavin, and I went to Dublin Bay last week and had a dandy dinner before a basketball game.   I got a blackened ceasar wrap with mashed potatoes.   I didn't eat the entire plate (the tortilla and chicken were quite filling).  LeAnn and I visited Perkins and I tried to make a good choice there too.   I love omelets so got one with veggies, cheddar cheese, and asparagus.   I did get hash browns because hash browns are the bomb.  I've avoided getting them with cheese on top though.  

Now that was all good and well for last week....this week has been different.   I've not been counting my points and I've been more indulgent.  It's happening primarily at night and I'm going into graze-mode again.  I ate some of Gavin's ice cream treats when I should be focusing on my Weight Watchers goodies.   I've been eating my Cliff Bar Fruit Ropes too often.   I made pasta last night after DMACC and didn't follow portion sizes.  The cool thing is that today is a new day  (I just reminded myself to track the points I've eaten today).  I've been in control so far today and the afternoon will be busy at work so mindless snacking isn't possible.  I'm worried about my eating patterns at home though.   Hopefully my household tasks and fatigue will help keep me out of the kitchen. 

I finally measured out my stride length and am wearing a pedometer.   I'm interested to see how inactive I am especially on days that require lots of grading and computer time.  I'm constantly telling my students the importance of 10,000 steps a day and I don't even measure my output.  Sad. 

Goals for this week (and probably next week):

I will keep track of my points every day for Weight Watchers.  

I will wear a pedometer every day and take a good look at my data each day.




2 comments:

Nicole said...

Sleep studies are becoming very popular. I think it's really good because there are a lot of underlying issues that can be discovered during a sleep study. I've often thought of having one.

Again, I am so happy for you and your loss on Monday. I'm glad that you can still eat out and lose. It's hard to convice yourself to stick to something when you feel deprived all of the time. Keep up the good choices.

Good luck with the snacking. I've been losing for over a year now and I still have a hard time with that. My best advice is to just keep things out of the house (which I know is harder for you with Gavin around). Stay strong!

Good luck with the pedometer study. I'm interested to see the results.

LeAnn said...

Sir Pappy the II - really? I used to have super good nights of sleep. I haven't had those in awhile. I always assume I sleep decently; I hope I'm right. I have dreams every night.
Congrats on the continued weight-loss. I need to be better. I've been lazy lately, so I eat what is quick or easy, which is rarely healthy. I think I need to do more cooking ahead, so that it's ready and it won't take long to heat up. It had been forever since I had been to a Perkins. I actually kind've missed it.
I would imagine it's hard to keep track of points, but that's what your nifty phone app is for. I wish I would follow through with a food journal. I'm with you on the snacking. I think Nicole is right. It's best if you can keep it out of the house. That would help me. Maybe buy Gavin's snack stuff only when he needs/wants it, so that he eats it right away rather than tempting you in the cupboard. Might not work, but that's my suggestion.