Day 5 - Weigh-in

I weighed in this morning - 78.8 kgs, so just a few days of discipline has paid off.

The big issue remaining is that I don't feel well in myself.

Here I am, feeling pretty sad and tired, but actually looking a bit brighter than I expected.

My nutrition is still not up to scratch and there are symptoms that I know are an indication of my poor health. They are:

- Flaky scalp and dry skin

- Acne and boils

- Feeling lethargic 

- Urine has strong odour

I know I'm not getting enough of what I need. Now that I've curbed the comfort eating, it is my next step to get back to making smoothies and getting up my vege and fruit intake.

The produce department at the supermarket is going to get hit hard on my next shopping trip!

Day 2 Withdrawls

Today I woke up feeling dizzy and light headed. I haven't been under eating, just being more disciplined with snacking. I think this is part of the withdrawl process, which will hopefully pass soon.

I've been directing my thoughts to playing games on my phone. I know it's not necessarily productive, but it's kept my mind off food and wanting to snack.

I need to be vigilant and stay disciplined to avoid slipping back to old habits. In a few days this will be much easier and I'll be out of danger.

Getting Back on the Wagon

Yesterday went well. I managed to control my portion sizes and the urge to comfort eat without too much drama.

I will admit that my mood is affected, but I'm not letting that stop me. I've issued a warning to my husband that for a few days I will be suffering 'food withdrawals' so expect me to have a short fuse.

I'm relieved that day one is over, but it will take a good week before I start to feel a difference. There is hard work ahead, but I'm determined to get back on the wagon.

Damage Report

The past few months since I posted last have been a little chaotic.

I've changed jobs, which hopefully means less stress and anxiety and more chance of consistency in my moods and mental wellness. But, the uncertainty of learning a new job and making the transition has, well, been unsettling.

My coping mechanism has been comfort eating and over indulging. It's hard to believe that I reverted back to my old habits so readily after having such a strong mindset to take care of myself and focus on the nutritional benefit of food and not the feelings and emotions it envokes.

The damage is that, as of this morning I weighed in at 80.4 kgs. That's a gain of around 2 kgs :-(

It is outside of my comfort zone and it will continue to go up if I don't get to grips with my eating habits.

From today I need to do damage control and at the very least get my portions and snacking down. I don't expect to lose weight straight away, but I'm hoping to stop gaining and get back on firmer ground.

Miserable Downtime

I've been battling a virus the last four days. It seems that just as my energy levels and my mood stabilises for a few weeks - something decides it's time to ruin the party.  I think that 'something' is my immune system not able to cope.

I tried to keep up the pace for the first day of my illness, but the constant running nose and eyes and throbbing sinuses made it impossible. Not even the sinus maxi-clear meds have made much difference.

Yesterday I rested in bed most of the day and that seems to have made a good difference.  I woke in the night with stomach cramps and aching bones, but my sinuses seem to be easing and I'm slowly getting back to feeling like tackling my backlog of work and the housework.

I really don't have time to be unwell. I am a Contactor in my work, so I don't get sick days and the workload does not let up. Housework is much the same - it doesn't magically disappear, it just compounds until you are completely overwhelmed.

Getting sick might be the body's way of trying to slow you down, but all it really seems to do is create more stress and pressure.  Being sick plain sucks. It makes me want to work harder to build up my immune system to avoid these illnesses.

I need to look more into what I can do to keep the bugs at bay and avoid days of miserable downtime. I'd like my downtime to be a holiday or time with the family. Life is too short to be sick!

Going to War...

My neck has been under attack the past few weeks. The hot, humid weather has caused an increase in acne and the infection seems to be getting worse by the day.

By 38, you'd think that I'd be well and truly over acne :-(  It is a condition I have struggled with since puberty and have had numerous treatments for- including roacutane in my early 20's, with limited success.  

I am resisting going to see my GP, because I know that they will prescribe antibiotics. As much as I want to shift the infection quickly, I'm very reluctant to take antibiotics for anything less than a serious infection - I like to fight my own  battles!

So how do I shift this problem? Well, experience has taught me I need to make sure I keep the affected areas clean and clear of makeup if possible. I'm using cleansing wipes, tying my hair back from my neck and using a peroxide based cream.  I'm also trying to stay hydrated, eat well and get good sleep to help heal my body.

My morning smoothies have been packed with fresh blueberries and I've started adding in chia seeds for a punch of omega 6. I'm also occasionally enjoying coconut water and avocado for their health benefits as well as taste and texture.

So far the acne infection has stopped spreading, but,  I'm yet to start winning the battle.  It's frustrating and I'm over having to deal with it, but I'm hanging in there and I'm not about to give up without a fight.

Once the temperatures drop and I'm not sweating so much all the time, that will help turn the tables - until then it's a matter of sticking to the plan and hoping for the best.

24 Times Restless

Ever wonder why you wake up feeling more tired than you were before you went to bed?

This is my sleep log for last night. Which is self explanatory. I woke up with two small children in the bed and clearly the impact was a disrupted nights sleep.

The rest of the week has had its ups and downs too. I haven't successfully managed 8 hours sleep yet, but I'm clearly not an insomniac and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Wednesday was my best night, no kids in the bed and I got to sleep at a reasonable hour.  I've also looked at the rest of my data on heart rate / calorie burn for Tuesday (which sets me up for my Wednesday sleep) and there is an indication of some periods of increased activity and calorie burn compared with other days.

It will be interesting to see if there is a pattern after another week of data. There probably isn't quite enough info yet to tell.

I am hoping for a better nights sleep tonight. I may have to tie the kids to their bed or find a way to block off our bedroom door but, it would be nice to have some decent unbroken sleep.