Jain26: Reset required...

[Jain26]

I've been absent from this site for a while.  In that time my fitness has really fallen by the wayside.  I still work full-time, but am now also a part-time masters student in a sit-down major (Finance) and just spent months packing and moving.  I'm mentally and physically exhausted and can't seem to recoup.  

 

I feel a good part of my problem is that I've abandoned my discipline in these areas:

 

Sleep - if I'm lucky I allow myself five hours on a weeknight

Diet - I'm eating double what I need due to stress, and have fallen off my paleo wagon

Schedule - My days are over committed and extremely hectic

 

If I can start reigning in these three areas I'll be on my way back to more optimal health.  I'll address the exercise (or lack thereof) in the next challenge...

 

Thanks for giving me a forum for accountability, and where I can take a good, honest look at my bad habits.

 

[Sunmage]

Welcome to the druids!

 

You should get more sleep, but I'm sure you know that, too!

 

What will you do to stay calm during your hectic schedule and get your life into the right direction?

 

Noticing the problem is the first step, so you are already on a good way!

 

Good luck!

[Jain26]

Thanks for the welcome, Apprentice.  I'm great at noticing problems, but not at fixing them - at least long term.  More sleep is going to be the most difficult  I have to get up for work at 4:00 AM.  I've tried getting up later, but just can't get there on time.  Most nights I don't get back home until 6:00, then study from 7 - 9:00.  I prep meals and do a little tidying until 10:00 or so.  A lot of the time I'm so tired I fall asleep on the sofa instead of studying, then have to wake up to do my prep before I can sleep again.  I try never to do that, since it's so disruptive to good sleep.  I'm getting better at it now that I have a couple months off school for summer, but I still find myself staying up until 10:00 or 11:00 because I feel like I get no "me" time after work.  I need to do my next day prep while I make dinner instead of late, so I'm more free to go to sleep when I feel like it.  I've been trying to cook so I can eat healthier food, but that seems to use up a lot of after-work time as well.  We have a nurse help line through my work benefits.  In order to get wellness points I had to make two calls to them last year.  The nurse's response to this situations was that it's only a couple more years, and that she'd seen a lot of fat, unhealthy grad students...  

 

Staying calm and organized is, to me, about being mindful.  At this point, I know my stress triggers and symptoms, and rather than falling into old behavior I should ask myself if I really want whatever long term effect my reactionary bad behavior is going to deliver.  I have to practice self care to limit my commitments, stop running around at like Chicken Little when sometimes I really don't need to, and have some good old self control.  When I'm moving more slowly I do a much better job at all of these things.

 

Long term, many of my issues will resolve, or at least change.  Once I graduate i can have more time for life.  I can also get a job closer to home, or more specific to my interests.  Until then, it's going to be more of a challenge.

[Jain26]

I decided to start this challenge on Dr. Oz Two Week Rapid Weight Loss Plan.  I'm not a huge Oz fan as he is too mainstream at this point.  I'm more of the Mercola-type.  However, the plan seem pretty consistent with my paleo diet, except it says you can have 1/2 cup of brown rice and some rice protein in your morning smoothie, as well as some plain greek yogurt daily.  I don't eat dairy at all.  I might have the brown rice since it's only a 1/2 cup, and far less cheating than I've been doing on my supposed paleo way of living.  I made the vegetable broth.  I have to say, it tastes pretty good and is filling.  You're supposed to have 3-4 cups of that a day, along with water and green tea.  The instructions said to throw out the cooked vegetables afterward.  Well, I spent $118 on most of the food for this plan, so those vegetables are in my refrigerator now to save as a snack, even if most of the nutrients are cooked out. I bought all organic produce.  On a side note: I have the same beef with my juicer.  It leaves a ton of edible pulp that is supposed to be trash.  I've tried putting it in chestnut and almond flour muffins and breads, not so good.  So, now when I do use my juicer I sadly throw away the refuse.  I'm open to any other ideas on how to use it.  

 

So far today I had a cup of warm water with lemon.  I also had a smoothie with 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and a packet of Nutribiotic Raw Rice Protein (vanilla).   I also had a cup of vegetable broth, and a 16 oz. bottle of water.  Getting enough hydration is an issue for me since I moved.  Not only do I live in a low humidity state, but my new house is in a water district with water hardness upwards of 600-800 ppm.  That's not a typo.  The carbon filter in the refrigerator takes out about 15% of that.  I bought a Zerowater filter pitcher, only to find the filter only lasts a week or two, then produced this caustic, acid tasting poison water I have to ditch.  So, until I have the $2400 to spend on a home water softener, I'm buying bottled.  Too bad my favorite is Fiji. $$$.  We do have Eldorado Springs here, which is very good, and about pH neutral.  Some bottled waters, like Dasani are very acid.

 

I'm very bad at policing myself when life is stressful, so noting what I do here may help a lot.  I'm planning to have a garden salad with 3oz chicken for lunch, and then maybe a chicken/apple sausage, rice and half an avocado for dinner.  This is easy at home.  I have to wrap my brain around how I have time on a work-day morning to sip lemon water and make/drink a smoothie that leaves my teeth stained and full of berry skins... 

[Sunmage]

Hi,

 

looks like you are getting along!

Whats wrong with your water?

 

 

Here is an article from steve about nutrition for people who work weird and long hours =)

[Jain26]

Thanks Sunmage.  Yes, the solution is "no excuses."  I've been trying to make solutions instead of excuses.  I've been drinking bottled water all week, and have a whole house water softener and kitchen RO filter being installed Monday.  I couldn't bear to weigh myself at the start, but today I believe I am 4-5 pounds down from last weekend (assuming my weight hasn't changed much in the last month.  It's been a rough week stress-wise, and somehow I did manage to stick to the plan.  It's getting a little boring, so I guess my next hurdle is to branch out a little in the recipe area. A few times I had weak moments with macadamias and roasted almonds.  So, I'm now stocking walnuts and raw almonds, which I could take or leave, instead. My current thought: if I wanted baby kale in my spring mix I would buy baby kale instead... 

[Sunmage]

It is always good to have a good or at least not too bad snack around for emergencies =)

 

When I am really hungry the cookie will be gone before my conscious brain even said "Oh a cookie."

[Jain26]

Finishing up six week challenge.  I think I did okay with this challenge.  I'll weigh in this coming weekend.  I definitely was able to change my eating habits back to paleo (with the exception of a few bad days every couple weeks.  What I did notice was how much better I feel when I stay on my paleo plan, vs. eating grains and sweets.  When I did slip up, my punishment was at the very least, a night of intense reflux and heartburn, with maybe a headache and water retention/inflammation thrown in.  I do think I accomplished something good.  I have hope I can at a least feel better than I've been feeling.  

 

Sleep has been the hardest of my three goals to attain.  Aside from the week I took off work, I'm only getting about 5-6 hours/night on weekdays.  

Diet has been better, even if I ate the same calories half the time, and cut back the other half.

Schedule has also been quieter.  I've been more aware of how many commitment I make, and allowing myself to have recoup time.

 

I'm excited to start the next challenge, refine my diet and maybe add in some exercise.