Annie: When you just can't believe it

I took Child to Kelsey's for supper tonight - we had to be out and about running errands.

Kelsey's, while not fancy, serves good food, is very friendly to children, and provides nutritional info on its website for all its menu items: so was exactly what I needed on this Friday evening.

I have been there once before since starting this project with Mae, and decided on the "sizzling chicken fajitas." According to my PointsPlus counter and the nutritional information I found on Kelsey's website, it came out to 16 PP including both the fajita skillet and the "fajita setup" with sour cream and salsa. (The "setup" plate also includes some shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sliced jalapenos.)

The nutritional info chart did say "see below for rice and tortillas" right below the fajitas entry, but since the "fajita setup" entry was immediately below the fajitas entry, I assumed the tortillas and rice were included in the setup.

What's that they say about "assume"?  Yeah yeah.

Fast forward to tonight, as I look critically at the fabulous sizzling fajita dinner before me... and realize there's no way on Earth all this is only 16PP.  I mean, there must be 2 breasts' worth of chicken, oil in the onion/pepper skillet, there's the cheese, there's about 1/4 cup sour cream (which I don't use, but which they would have had to count), and there's at least a cup of southwestern rice (looked more like two). PLUS the four tortillas.

So on arriving home, I head back to the nutritional info guide, and sure enough, way down at the bottom with the side dishes like french fries (even though you can't order tortillas as a side dish), are additional counts for the tortillas and the rice.

The tortillas alone are 6 -- I didn't bother to count the rice because I don't eat it, but I figure it would be in the neighbourhood of 12.

As it turns out I had enough PP today to be able to "afford" everything I'd eaten, but that could have been a heartbreaker!

Lesson learned for next time. Read the whole nutritional info document, just in case!

Mae: Week 16 weigh-in & away for a while . . .

I am down ever so slightly this week, but I'll take it. It's actually been a pretty hectic and stress-filled week because I leave for vacation in two days. Vacation = stress? Wait a minute . . .

In my case, yes, and for two main reasons. The first in the hustle and bustle associated with pre-vacation planning and organizing (not to mention all of the deadlines at work). My vacation will be in a place far from the arctic hell in which I currently find myself, so I'm having to find or buy things that are completely out of season. And things that do not cover as much as winter clothing does. Ugh.

Second, I'm not just going on any old vacation: I'm going on a cruise. Cruise = heaps and heaps and heaps of nonstop delicious food. There is a freaking CUPCAKE BAR for god's sake! There really could not be a more deadly form of vacation for a dieter/food addict. I have been fretting and worrying about this since before christmas, and it's now to the point where it's in danger of ruining my holiday. I've actually had dreams about coming back and having put on the same amount of weight that I've lost to date.

But I think that this stems from a greater mental block that has grown over the last couple of weeks. If I'm really honest, I guess I would have to admit that I don't currently picture myself ever being much smaller. The goal is scary, and this is absolutely fuelled by my own intense fear of failure, and the current (extremely slow) pace of loss. I don't have the confidence to talk about 'when' I'll be this size or that, because I don't think I really believe it is possible myself. I'll have to reconsider all of this when I get back.

On a positive note, I just got an IM from the Mister. He weighed this morning and is down 24 pounds! He hasn't been counting strictly like I have, but has been insisting that he's keeping track. And it's working!

Weigh-in: -0.8

Loss to date: 19.8

Activity Points: 4

Pounds to go: 62.2

Annie: Weigh-in week 16

It was a good week - motivation very likely spurred by last week's nonsense gain.

I have news to report on the sports injury front which I'll get into later this week (how sad is it that I'm a tiny bit proud of having a minor sports injury? ha!), but my great news of the week is that my doctor was able to cut my blood pressure meds almost in half - and despite that, my blood pressure was still 118/81 yesterday!

I go back in a couple of weeks for her to check on it, and given yesterday's reading I suspect she'll make another cut, leaving me at one pill per day as opposed to the three I was taking when this project began.

I am SO happy!

For now, here are the stats.

Loss this week: 4.2 
Lost so far: 45.5
Still remaining: 54.5
Activity points earned this week: 15
Weeks to go: 36

The Faithful Mo's guest post: "Carbs aren't the devil"

Annie asked me if I was interested in writing a guest post about how nutritional needs for athletes are different than for others.  I thought this was a good idea, especially in this age of Atkins and similar “carbs are the devil” diets, to explain how carbohydrates can really be your friend if you’re active and to give some guidance to those reading who exercise for longer periods of time.  Honestly, this post is a little hypocritical of me to write considering I had gastro-intestinal (GI) issues during my first marathon from unwise fuelling the days before my race but all I can say is - do as I say, not as I do!  And as a firm believer in “you learn a lot more from your mistakes than you do from your successes”, I will certainly not be making that mistake again.

Talk to anyone who does any type of sport at any competitive level and they will tell you that they rely on carbs to keep their energy up.  This is not an excuse to pig out on pasta the days before a big race or big game.  This is simple science.

The simple fact is, your body can only store enough energy (glycogen) to sustain about 90 minutes of exercise.  After this point, without extra fuelling, you’re in danger of running out of energy and doing as they say in running circles “hitting the wall”.  Poorly fuelled muscles are associated with needless fatigue so the more glycogen stores you have, the more endurance you will have.  This fatigue is not only represented by tired body parts, it also seriously affects your mind and how mentally strong (or weak) you are.  It’s amazing, really.

How carbs can help

You can extend your endurance either by storing up glycogen before your event, replenishing glycogen during your event, or both, using carbs. 

Replenishing glycogen involves consuming carbs during the event.  Thanks to sports drinks and gels, this is becoming easier and easier to do while “on the run”.  For athletes in sports that are given breaks and a convenient place to store their gear, like tennis players on changeovers for example, they have the luxury of being able to use much more cumbersome forms of carbs, like bananas.  Runners unfortunately have limited space to store their carbs and therefore usually rely on sports drinks and gels.  I don’t think you’ll ever see a runner go by with a bunch of bananas strapped to their fuel belt!

Popular during event carbs – Gatorade, trail mix, sports gel:

Increasing your glycogen stores involves “carb loading” the days leading up to your event.  This is generally only required when your event is longer than 90 minutes but even if your event is shorter, you will reach the starting line with maximum energy already in your system to perform at your best.   Most people associate carb-loading with plates upon plates of pasta, but there are many other forms of great carbs if you’re not a pasta person (but really, who isn’t a pasta person?!).

The trick to both storing and replenishment is knowing how much to do and when to do it.  Not enough or not often enough and you’ll run out of gas.  Too much or too often and you’ll likely wind up with GI problems.  Just like training for your sport, this too has to be practiced so you can figure out what routine is good for you on your big day.

Carbs’ best friend: protein

To make the effect of your carbs last even longer, pair them with protein.  Protein slows the digestion of carbs, which encourages the body to release energy slowly and steadily, rather than a quick hit – something that is crucial for endurance events.   Have pasta with chicken or a poached egg on toast.

Carb-loading doesn’t mean fat-loading

Be careful as fat often comes together with carbs.  Instead of eating a roll slathered with butter, eat 2 rolls.  Instead of cream sauce on your pasta, have tomato sauce or primavera.  Some fat is needed of course but don’t stray from your normal fat intake. In fact, you shouldn’t even increase your daily caloric intake, just increase the proportion of your calories that comes from carbs. 

Yes you will gain weight - temporarily

Your body will automatically store an additional few grams of water for every gram of glycogen so during the days leading up to your event it is common to gain a bit of weight.  This extra weight is primarily made up of the carbs you’ll need to get through your event so don’t worry, you will use it all up!

Not all carbs are created equal

There are good carbs and bad carbs.  This is pretty simple but it should be mentioned.  While beer is a source of carbs, not a good pre-event choice.  Post-event, for sure!

There are so many factors in play on your big day, whatever competition it may be.  Things like the weather and your opponent are totally out of your control but if you have worked really hard, the last thing you want is for something like an upset stomach or heavy legs to keep you from performing at your best.  Ask me on June 1^st how my marathon went and I can assure you, I will not be telling you I had 3 porta-potty stops!

Taken during my 1^st marathon, at about km 18:

Good training and good eating!

Mae: Week 15 weigh-in

So yeah . . . about last week. I apologize, gentle (two) readers for my pitiful and pissy attitude.  It wasn't one of my proudest moments. And I have a confession.

My pity party continued throughout the day last Tuesday, and on my way home from work, I stopped at Laura Secord and got a double scoop ice cream cone. It was ok, but not as spectacular as the amount of Points I blew on it. Then, I bought a bag of kettle chips (NOT baked, but the super fatty bad-for-you ones) and brought those home to share with The Mister. Needless to say, it was a disaster. I considered 'writing it off' and not journaling it. But I reconsidered and entered everything that I shoved down my gullet. It was frightening.

EIGHTY-SIX POINTS.

I ate 86 points in one day. Panic ensued. I'd blown all of my precious bonus points in one bingey hour, and had a whole week to look forward to of no extras or treats. But I did it! And it may not have been a half-bad lesson to learn, because what I ended up doing is what the program is designed for: I ate tons of fruit and vegetables because I had no other choice if I didn't want to starve. Lesson learned, and I am now snacking on cherries, apples, carrots (with my very delish Cook's Illustrated Light Blue Cheese Dip) and peppers. I don't know why, but I didn't fully embrace this at the start, but now I get it.

So I have a much better result this week, but I know that there will be more week 14's to come. Hopefully, I'll be better equipped : )

Weigh-in: -3.8
Loss to date: 19
Activity Points: 4
Pounds to go: 63

Annie: weigh-in week 15

This is a week for me to take my own advice and put my GAIN behind me.

I followed the program like a good little disciple, I had 43 bonus points left on the table at the end of the week (in ADDITION to the 25 activity points I earned and didn't use), and I gained 0.2 pounds. It's proof positive that the scale isn't the be-all-and-end-all; I'm not going to get uptight about it.

Though it does piss me off.

Good news from this week: on my last three treadmill sessions, I actually felt like my body was finding a rhythm on my running minutes. Not that it was easy or that I felt like I could run a 5K tomorrow (not entirely sure I'll ever feel that way!), but it seemed like somehow my body figured out when and how each part was supposed to move to make running work efficiently. I increased my speed a tiny bit, to 4.5 mph, and am not sure whether that had anything to do with it -- it might have.  But whatever it is, I'll take it.  It felt good.

I've discovered two additional advantages of my double-accountability program these days (in which I have to report in to this blog on Mondays but then weigh in again at a meeting on Wednesdays):

1 - I don't feel like all is lost with a nonsensical gain on Monday - I have a second chance for a result I'll like on Wednesday.  And if I don't get a loss on Wednesday, I'll only have 5 more days to go until I weigh on Monday.

2 - It keeps me a little more honest. I'm less apt to give myself more rope on Monday because my next weigh-in is so far away - because it isn't anymore. Ditto on Wednesday; I could give myself some slack on Thursday, but then it's the weekend and I don't dare use any unnecessary points that I might need if something fun comes up (which I never allow it to, because I weigh again on Monday!).

Ain't that grand?

You're up, Mae - I hope you got the loss you deserved this week!

Change this week: UP 0.2
Lost so far: 41.3
Still remaining: 58.7
Activity points earned this week: 25
Weeks to go: 37

Annie: iWatchr has caught up

Just a quick post to let you know that the iWatchr app ($0.99 in the iTunes app store), which was our fave before the Weight Watchers app was available in Canada, issued an update this past week to make it work easily with the new PointsPlus program.

Before now, as Mae discovered using her sleuthing skills, you could enter new formulae into the "custom" tab to calculate points on the new program, but now you don't even have to do that: clicking on the "US" tab now gives you the choice of old program (cals/fat/fibre) or new program (fat/carbs/fibre/protein).

While the Weight Watchers app is excellent for anyone using the online tools (i.e. paying the monthly fee for eTools), iWatchr is a great alternative for those who aren't (that is, as long as you don't mind using a non-Weight Watchers sanctioned product).

I first started using the iWatchr app before there was a WW app in Canada - I was paying full freight for the eTools, but they didn't include an app at the time. Now that I have the WW app, which incorporates both the calculator and real-time journaling, I don't often use the iWatchr anymore -- but I'm still glad to have it because I know someday the WW app will be down, or I'll give up my eTools, and I'll still have an option.

New program requires calculator; new program doesn't (always) provide calculator

As far as I know, every iteration of the Points-based program until now has included a cardboard "Points slider" that allowed the member to calculate the exact Points value of every food she consumed. Now, though, since the calculation involves four variables, that format can't work -- so WW has gone to a "you-must-buy-our-Points-calculator-if-you-want-to-calculate-PointsPlus" model. Which is fine, I guess -- as long as they have the calculators available for sale.

At the meetings I've been attending for the last few weeks, there's been a shortage of the calculators, which means some new members who've joined up have had to pay for the meeting fees and been given all the materials except the PointsPlus calculator -- which means they can only follow the program to a certain point, then they're in the dark.

The materials WW gives you when you join provide average PointsPlus values for a number of foods -- but as the organization has always pointed out, you can never be sure you've got an accurate Points value unless you calculate it yourself using the nutritional information on the label of your food.

So new members who haven't been lucky enough to get one of the new calculators are without that advantage - and are limited to eating the foods listed in the handbook if they want to be able to count.

That's pretty rotten, I think. So I say to new members: if you have smartphones (or an iPod touch), get the iWatchr! At less than a buck, it might make the $16/week you're spending on meetings a whole lot more valuable to you.