Health and feeling down

Confession time - I feel like I have failed in the 12WBT already, and it's only Week 4. 

Why?  Well, let's be honest, I've put on weight.  Not much, about 500g and I have no one to blame but myself.  My nutrition hasn't been terrible, but I haven't been keeping enough track of it.  In terms of exercise, injuring my ribs really through a spanner in that.  After two weeks, I'm only just now feeling like exercise is possible, sit-ups still being out of the question.  Then, in another 2 weeks I have my tonsillectomy, and have been told by the surgeon to not exercise for two weeks afterwards.  I'm getting back in that "all or nothing" mindset.  As in - I won't be able to exercise after my surgery, so why bother exercising for the next two weeks? 

In other health news, I've started seeing a chiropractor. (She is actually my old chiropractor - I used to see in her as a child in the mid 90s).  I've been meaning on seeing one for a while, and, (I feel embarrassed writing this), the reason I hurt my ribs was because I had a friend walk on my back in an attempt to get it back in alignment.  My back actually felt better, but ended up with a cracked rib in the process!  Not the outcome I was hoping for. 

I've also been officially diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnalence.  I am going to write a much longer post about this, but essentially this means I always feel tired, no matter how much sleep I get.  And I've basically felt this way for 10 years. There is no cure, just medication, but I need to wait a month to get the medication as special approval is needed for the specialist to write a prescription.  (Not sure how I feel about taking medication that is so strong that it can't be prescribed without approval, but hopefully it will work)!

 

Australian Tax Forum - Why a fat tax isn't the answer to obesity

Denmark has become the first country to introduce a "fat tax" - an extra tax on food with a saturated fat content above 2.3%.  You can read more about it in The Washington Post, and there are plenty of other newspaper articles about it at the moment.  This comes at a time when Australia is having a national Tax Forum, following on from the tax review ("Australia's Future Tax System" - aka The Henry Review) that was released last year.  Personally, I think it is another case of more talk no action, but we'll see.

My PhD is in tax, so I could write a lot about the Forum, but this isn't a tax blog.  However, since my blog is about trying to lose weight/getting healthier, the "fat tax" is something I did want to talk about.

With the tax being introduced in Denmark, and the current Tax Forum underway, there have been some calls to introduce such a tax in Australia, in order to combat our obesity rates.  Personally, I don't think such a tax should be introduced - there are a number of reasons, but just a quick disclaimer - these are just 'thoughts' I have had, obviously they would be researched a lot further if I was writing an academic paper rather than a blog post!

• It's another tax: Okay, so this is an obvious point, but the Henry Review identified 125 taxes that currently exist in Australia.  The last thing we need is another one.  Also, we already have a tax on "processed food" in the form of the GST.  I have previously written an academic paper looking at whether the GST should be on ALL food rather than processed food (my argument being that having exemptions makes the tax system more complicated).  Similar complications would arise if we introduced a fat tax.  What food do we put it on.  Denmark has used saturated fat content, but why is is 2.3% the magic number?
• Is saturated fat making us fat?  Obviously, it isn't healthy to eat a diet high in saturated fat.  But you could eat a diet low in saturated fat and still be overweight/obese.  Some people argue that sugar is the enemy.  Should the tax be on high sugared food?  You put on weight when your calories are too high, regardless of how you get them. 
• Exercise: There is no way for the tax to account for the fact that some people may eat these foods and then burn off the calories by exercising or highly physical jobs. 
• Won't change behaviour: There has been research (some of it is mentioned in the Washington Post article I linked), that a fat tax would have to be much higher than the Denmark tax to change behaviour.  In Denmark, a price of a hamburger will rise $0.40.  That's not much.  I know in the US there are arguments that low-socio-economic groups eat high fat foods (in the form of fast food)because they are cheaper, but this isn't the case in Australia.  Fast food isn't cheap. Yes, it's cheaper to go to McDonalds than a 5-star restaurant, but it is still cheaper to cook for yourself.    
• Use of funds: If a fat tax was introduced, where will the funds go?  Into general revenue.  It wouldn't be set aside for weight loss programs, to encourage people to exercise, the health system, etc.   At the end of the day, it really is a penalty tax, with no clear evidence to show that such a penalty will change behaviour.

US Trip Part 4 - Star Trek Convention

Yes, it's been over a month since I got back and I'm still posting about my trip.  I think one of my goals next trip will be to post everyday!

One of the main reasons I went to the US was to go to Creation Entertainment's Las Vegas Star Trek Convention.  There are Star Trek Conventions all over the US (and the world) each year, but the one in Vegas is by far the biggest.

I am a Trekkie, but had never been to a convention before (in Australia or overseas) so I didn't know quite what to expect.  Star Trek fans can have a reputation for being ... obsessive?  eccentric?  just plain weird?  But in reality, we are just normal people who enjoy the show.  Yes, a lot of people (including myself) were in costume, but it isn't like we wear them on a day to day basis.

In my Star Trek uniform

Being the biggest convention, (and also the 45th) anniversary of Star Trek, there were a done of guests.  I'm so glad I attended this year because it was Leonard Nimoy's last Vegas convention (and his last convention ever was the one scheduled two weeks later in Chicago). 

With Leonard Nimoy



With William Shatner & Patrick Stewart



With the actors that played Klingons - in full costume & makeup

All the guests were fabulous and really do seem to appreciate the fans. Apart from getting to see the various actors / have photos / autographs etc, the highlight for me was definitely the costume competition - the effort some people put into their costumes (and their sewing skills) are incredible.

Winner of the costume competition



Good news ... (sort of).

In good news, I got my x-rays back today and no cracked ribs.  Hurray!  I added the "sort of" to my post title because despite this, I'm still in pain.  Sit-ups are a good way to torture me at the moment!  Even sitting up from lying in bed causes agony.  Feeling slightly better today and hopefully this will continue!

Could my mind and body please join forces?

It seems an appropriate time to make this post, since a few days ago I made a post about what is health, and my collage combined elements of physical and mental health. 

It seems I can never get the two (body and mind) healthy at the same time.  When this 12WBT started, my mind wasn't in the right place, even though my body was fine (for the most part - I have some ongoing health issues).  Now, I'm in the right mindset, and I'm injured. 

The Friday night before my birthday (23rd) I had a bit of an accident and hurt my ribs.  I thought they were just bruised, although I joked at the time "I feel like I have a cracked rib".... well turns out it wasn't a joke.  They felt ok for a few days, a bit tender, but they have since been getting progressively worse.  I had actually been keeping up with the exercise this week, so it's possible that made things worse.  Anyway, I went to my doctor Saturday morning (I didn't think it was severe enough to warrant a trip to hospital), and she wants me to get an x-ray tomorrow morning (today is a public holiday) or go to the hospital if the pain gets worse.  The problem is, whether they are cracked or bruised, the treatment is the same - rest, painkillers, and icing the area. 

So I left with a prescription for painkillers and feeling frustrated and impatient - I only have three weeks until my tonsillectomy and I know I want be able to exercise for a little while after that, so I wanted to make the most of the time up until then.

I know the main part of losing weight is nutrition, but when I can't exercise, rather than being extra diligent on my nutrition, I tend to slip a bit, thinking "well, I can't exericse, I won't be losing the weight I want anyway".

Hopefully the x-ray tomorrow will be all clear, and my ribs will start to feel better sooner rather than later! 

Quick random post

Just a quick post:

Went to boxing class last night with a fellow 12WBTer.  I thought for sure my arms would be in agony today, but it is mainly my abs that are feeling it - but in a good way!  The "I'm sore because I worked hard".  My back has been playing up but I'm seeing a "new" chiropractor (I say "new" in inverted commas because I actually used to see her back in the 1990s when I was a child) so hoping that will sort it out. 

A friend sent me a message before "nothing tastes as good as thin feels".  Sorry, but there are times when chocolate tastes better than thin feels! (No, I haven't pigged out on chocolate today, but it is something I will never completely give up).

12WBT Bloggers Challenge 2: Health

For more information on the blogging challenge see: http://courage2start.blogspot.com/p/round-three-2011-blogging-challenges.html

What is (to you) a picture of health?  What is health?

This topic is important to me because I don't consider myself healthy.  Over the last few years in particular, I've had quite a few health problems.  My birthday was on Saturday and, the phrase "you are only as old as you feel" would mean I probably should be on an old-age pension! 

I'm slowly sorting out my health issues but it is involving a lot of tests and a lot of various doctors appointments.

To me, health means waking up feeling refreshed, ready to face the day and free of pain. 

I've done up a collage (which was fun even though I don't consider myself arty). 

The background is a picture of vegetables, because obviously a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables is important for health.

The pictures, going clockwise from top right are:
1. Running on the beach.  I loved the background, and one of my goals is to be able to run.
2. An apple. An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
3. Girl in green dress.  To me this represented feeling free, happy, and relaxed. 
4. Woman with a hand weight. Part of being healthy is being strong.
5. Apple, weight and tape measure.  Represents some of the core aspects of 12WBT and health.  Weights = strength, apple = healthy food, and a tape measure = progress.
6. Happy feet.  Partly because I'm a sucker for anything cute, but a big part of being healthy is being happy.

12WBT Week 3 Wednesday

Net calorie intake (calories in less calories burnt less BMR):  922

Exercise: Body Jam class

12WBT update

I'm going to be completely honest here, and admit I have completely "stuffed up" Week 1 and 2 of the 12WBT. 

My nutrition was ok until the past weekend when it was my birthday and stayed in the city with a friend for 3 days.  Exercise was practically non-existant.

End result: I put on a kilo in the past 2 weeks. 

I have no one to blame but myself for this, and as part of my reason for blogging is to keep myself more accountable, I'm going to start posting my stats each day (calories in and out).
 

12WBT: Week 1 Super Saturday Session - Coogee to Bondi walk

The one thing I was proud about in Week 1 was getting up before 5 (on a Saturday!) and meeting other 12WBTers for the Coogee to Bondi walk (Coogee to Bondi walk brochure). 

I didn't turn my Nike sensor on to check the distance, but have been told it's about a 12KM round trip to South Bondi, and 14KM to North Bondi.  In the end it took about 2 hours 20 minutes as I walked the entire way, but still hit the 1,000 calorie mark which is the aim for the Super Saturday Session.  I ended up burning 1084 calories. 

The views on the walk are wonderful, and ridiculous that I've lived in Sydney for over 2 and a half years and this is the first time I've done the walk.

Sun rising over Coogee

Looking over to Clovelly

Bondi Beach

12WBT Week 1 recap

Well, I will be completely honest and say I had a pretty pathetic start to Round 3. 
I didn't do any exercise until Saturday, when I met some other Sydney 12WBTers for the Coogee to Bondi coastal walk.  A great start to the weekend, but then I completely blew out my calories on Sunday. 

When I weighed myself last Wednesday, I had lost 300g, which I was happy with considering that was only in the first few days, and a result of keeping my nutrition on track even though the exercise wasn't happening.  But I weighed myself this morning, and I was back up to 49.5kg (my start weight)  Not happy! So hopefully I will at least re-lose that 300g by Wednesday. 

Tomorrow night I have a "red flag" - a tax discussion group (yes, I do such exciting things at night!) but there is always a lot of deep fried food.  Thursday night and Friday I have a 24 hour sleep test (I'll be doing another post on that), and then one of my best friends is coming down from Brisbane on Friday night and we are staying in the city for my birthday through to Monday, so a lot of eating out!

So, my plan for the week will be to switch up my exercise on Tuesday and Thursday to the morning since I won't be able to do it at night.  Nutrition wise I will need to accept that I will be eating out more this coming weekend, but not let it be an excuse to go crazy.  Healthy breakfasts and lunches and resisting the bread and desert at dinner times!

Round 3 Bloggers Challenge: Introduce Yourself!

One of the regular 12WBT bloggers has started up a new blog challenge for Round 3.  Find out more info here Each week, there will be a new topic, and the first one is Introduce Yourself. 

So... here we go .... all about me!

1. Describe yourself in 25 words or less. You can get straight to the point - or bring your creativity into play.

A bit of a geek, a big kid at heart, I’ve spent most of my life focusing on improving my mind and not my body.

2. What brings you to 12wbt? Getting fitter? Losing weight? (Gaining weight??) Are you first timer, a repeat offender??

After being a yo-yo dieter for most of my teenager years, I gained a significant amount of weight in 2007/08 due to medication.  I lost a lot of weight in 2009 but have never reached my final goal.  And, despite the loss of weight, I’m still incredibly unfit!

I was a Round 2 member, but due to a lot of factors, (travel, illness, injury), I didn’t meet my goals.

I still have a bit of weight to lose this round, but also want to get fitter and learn to run!

3. Why do you blog??

Lots of reasons.  In terms of the 12WBT, it will help hold me more accountable.  But I also post about my travels and other random bits and pieces.  I always kept diaries when I was younger so I feel that this is a continuation of this.

4. Who is your biggest inspiration in life and why (doesn't have to be weight loss)

One of my best friends, C.  She has 3 children and still managed to finish law school while working. 

5. What things in life bring you the most joy?

Laughing with friends, travelling, and hugs :)

6.What do you think your greatest challenge is going to be this round?

I’m having a tonsillectomy in week 7 of this Round.  In a way this is good, because part of the reason I didn’t achieve my goals in Round 2 was that I was sick for about 5 weeks (2 different occurrences) of tonsillitis.  However, I have been told by my surgeon to not to exercise for 2 weeks after the surgery.  In this case a short-term setback will be worth it for my long term well-being. 

7. What are you most excited about 12wbt?

Trying new things – whether it be new recipes, new forms of exercise, and meeting other 12WBTers.

8. And what scares the pants off you?

Actually reaching my goal.  I’m worried it will be a case of “now what?”

9. Tell me - right now - today - how do you feel about exercise in no more than 10 words

A necessary evil.  I’m hoping by the end of this round I’m actually ENJOYING exercise!

10. Complete this sentence - in 12 weeks time - on the last day of 12wbt I am going to be feeling ____________________

Tired but satisfied

Fitness test!

The fitness test really showed to me how easy it is to lose your fitness.  I hurt my back in about Week 5 of Round 2, and after that, I really didn't do much at the gym.  When I was overseas, I mainly just relied on doing a lot of walking. 

So unfortunately, my fitness test results for the start of Round 3 are around the same as my results at the start of Round 2.

I'm basically in the intermediate range, except for my time trial, which is "advanced".  I've commented on this before - I can run quickly, just not for very long, and even in the 1KM time trial I had spurts of walking, so I really need to work on endurance.

My results:
Push-ups in 1 minute: 29 (knees)
Wall-sit: 1:16
Ab stage: 2 (barely!)
Sit and reach: +1cm

Time-trial (1KM): 4:58

12WBT Pre-season task 8: Measure Up

Measure up time!  (Actually it was a few days ago).  This is all about having a starting point so you can see how much you have lost as you work through the program.

My Stats

Weight: 49.5kg (I'm under 5 feet tall so this is actually around the middle of my healthy weight range). 
Chest: 85cm
Waist: 68cm
Widest part (basically around your hips/bottom): 89cm
Right thigh: 49.5cm
Left thigh: 48.5cm

12WBT Pre-season task 7: Organise and diarise

How many times have we all said: I don't have time for exercise?

Michelle uses the example of the former Prime Minister John Howard, who, despite his busy schedule, still power walked for an hour every day.  Then yesterday, I saw this comic, which really hit home:

We all have busy lives, and yes, at times, there are going to be things we can't control that interrupt our schedules.  But you are much more likely to stick to an exercise plan if you have a schedule and book it in your diary as appointments.

My ideal training schedule

My "ideal schedule" is as follows.  I am not a morning person, so I have left the mornings free.  BUT: the reality is that I do sometimes have work things on at night which means I can't exercise (and let's be honest, there will be times I have fun things to do on a Friday night) so when that happens, I will really have to push myself to train in the mornings. 

Mondays:

Body Combat and Step class with a fellow 12WBT.

Tuesdays:

Cardio

Wednesdays:

Cardio

Body Pump with a fellow 12WBT.

Yoga

Thursdays:

Irish Dancing (I consider this my "light" fitness.  You do burn calories, but it varies a lot)

Fridays:

Cardio with a fellow 12WBT.

Zumba (not a great calorie burner but fun!)

Body Pump

Saturdays:

My one early morning training! 

Either a Sydney 12WBT organised walk (Coogee to Bondi 12km round trip; or Hornsby 10km), or Fitness First classes with other 12WBT members. 

Sundays:

Yoga

Body Pump and Body Attack with a fellow 12WBT.

Mini milestones

The program is 12 weeks long, and there are 3 milestones, in Week 4, Week 8 and Week 12.

Mine are as follows:

Week 4

Fitness: Be able to jog 1.5km without stopping. This may not sound like much, but at the moment I can only run about 300metres before stopping, I need to start working on endurance rather than speed.

Fitness event: Outdoor fitness fun with Michelle Bridges: http://www.australiasbiggesthealthcheck.com.au/
Weight: Have lost 4 kilos

Week 8

No fitness milestone as will be recuperating from surgery.

Weight: Have lost 8 kilos

Week 12

Fitness: Be able to run at least 5km without stopping

Fitness event: Mud run: http://www.maxadventure.com.au/mudrun/index.html

Weight: Have maintained 8 kilo weight loss.  Have lost 5% body fat.

And a week later, the big workout with Michelle Bridges.

Red flag days

Michelle also talks about Red Flag days, times we know we won't be able to exercise, or where there will be lots of food.

I have two "red flag" events this Round.  One is my birthday, but I will be starting that day with a 10km Hornsby walk!  The other is more serious, I'm having a tonsillectomy at the start of week 7 of the 12WBT and have been told not to exercise for 2 weeks.  I'm hoping in the second week I'll at least be able to do some light exercise.  On the plus side, I gather most people lose weight from having their tonsils out because you really can't each much for a week or so!

12WBT Pre-season task 6: Kitchen Makeover

Considering the 12WBT has already started, I'm a bit late in posting these, but better late than never!

Pre-season task 6 was the kitchen makeover.  I never really have much junk food in the house, but the problem is that isn't because I don't buy it, it's just it gets eaten far too quickly! 

The "bad" things I did have, and am not throwing out, are as follows:

• Icing sugar and various other baking ingredients: we are having a morning tea at work this week for everyone that has birthdays in September (which includes me).  I am making a cake, because I love to bake, and at least then I know what has gone into it. I will just be ensuring I have a VERY small slice and count the calories.
• Diet Coke / Pepsi Max: I love diet coke.  There, I said it. In fact, in my Year 12 year book, we all had a bit of a bio about us, listing likes/dislikes/goals and a quote.  My quote was "I need a Diet Coke".  I had as a goal for Round 2 to give it up, and to be honest, I never even attempted it.  GOAL FAIL.  I was going to make it as a goal this time, and then I thought to myself - is it realistic for me?  The reality is, I like drinking diet coke.  I don't drink alcohol, do drugs, or smoke, my one vice has always been diet coke (ok, that and chocolate, but I will be eating a lot less of that during the 12WBT).  In order for me to focus more on the diet and exercise, and not feel like I'm depriving myself of everything I like, I'm not planning on giving up diet coke.  Having said that, I do plan on increasing my water intake, which should result in a reduction of the amount of diet coke I drink.

US Trip - Part 3: LA, San Diego, Mexico

After Disneyland, the next part of my trip was to LA.  I was staying at UCLA as I was spending a few days doing some PhD research.  The campus is really nice and the houses in the surrounding streets were gorgeous (I don't think I want to know the prices!). 

I had decided just before I left Anaheim to book an overnight trip to San Diego, as lot and lots of people were telling me to go.

I arrived in LA on Thursday, and went to Santa Monica that night.

Friday late afternoon (after spending a day in a library - I sure know how to enjoy my vacations!) I took the Amtrak to San Diego.  It was actually a really nice trip down as you got to see a lot of Coastline.  I stayed at the US Grant in San Diego, more extravagant than where I would usually stay (as I take the attitude that why pay for a 5-star hotel unless you are going to be spending your holiday at the hotel!) but as it was only for one night decided to treat myself.  (It was also close enough to the train station to walk).  It was VERY nice, but realistically, all I did was sleep there!   

On the Saturday I had booked on a day trip where you spent the morning see highlights of San Diego (including a harbour cruise) and the afternoon in Tijuana, Mexico.  I'm glad I went to Mexico, partly for the novelty of "we are driving into a different country" which obviously you don't get to do in Australia, but honestly, I'm glad I only had a few hours there.  Keep in mind my observations are only based on a couple of streets in Tijuana, and I've heard that some other parts of Mexico are beautiful.  But honestly, in Tijuana you just have blocks and blocks of store owners harassing you to buy things, sometimes children, and it can get quite disheartening.   I really enjoyed San Diego though and wish I had had some more time there.  But Saturday night it was back to LA. The trip back (on the Amtrak) was not as pleasant as the trip down.  It was night so you don't see much, and there were quite a few rather loud tipsy passengers on board.  I was glad to finally get back to UCLA. 

 

USS Midway

Sea Lions seen from San Diego Harbour Cruise

The rest of my time in LA was spent between UCLA and seeing some of the "must-see" sights.  I visited Griffith Observatory where you get a great view of the Hollywood sign (and you can weigh yourself on different planets - on Mercury I'm less than 50 pounds - how is that for instant weight loss!), as well at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Graumann's Chinese Theatre, and Rodeo Drive.

You can't really see it - but the Hollywood sign is in the background somewhere!

My brother met me in LA as we were going to Vegas together.

I'm a Star Trek fan (as you will see shortly from my posts about Vegas!)

I did also go Universal Studios, where I had planned to spend a full day, but honestly, I just wasn't enjoying it as much as I thought (I'll explain why in a second) so I left in the afternoon.

It was still fun, and the Studio Tour was very interesting.

Houses from Desperate Housewives - seen on Studio Tour

Part of set from War of the Worlds

Bates Motel from Psycho

JAWS!

I also really enjoyed the Water World show.

The main problem for me was that a lot of the rides have the potential to cause motion sickness, which (although a lot better than I was a child), I still suffer from.  (E.G. The Simpsons Ride caused me to feel a bit green!)  I did enjoy the Jurassic Park ride (similar concept to Splash Mountain) but YOU WILL GET WET! 

And of course, I couldn't go without getting my photo taken with quite a few characters. 

Overall thoughts / tips for LA:

• Traffic is awful, no matter what time of day.  If you are getting taxis they won't be cheap because of this. Generally, you will also need to call for one.   
• Buses aren't as bad as people make them out to be.  Most times I caught them, just make use of the trip planner online (http://www.metro.net/).  However, just like Sydney, they aren't always reliable.  I was pleasantly surprised most of the time, but my first night when I was trying to get back from Santa Monica, I did wait over 45 minutes for a bus that was meant to come every 15 minutes. 
• Food is generally cheap, but prices do not include sales tax or tips.  (And on the topic of non-restaurant food - It was a joy to eat bananas every day - $0.69 a pound from the grocery store).
• CVS is a huge pharmacy and a lot of them have quite a large grocery selection as well.  There is one near the Chinese Theatre.
• If you want to avoid queues at Universal, buy a Front of Line Pass.  Even though I didn't spend a full day there, I'm glad I had one - otherwise, particularly in summer, it is VERY doubtful you will be able to see everything in one day.

US Trip Part 2 - Disneyland

(I apologise in advance for this being an Image heavy post!)

Continuing on from my post about California Adventure Land, the next part of my trip was the "real" Disneyland. What can you say apart from "magic"?

I met all the characters I wanted to (and yes, I did queue up for photos will all of them!)  

 

My favourite ride was probably Splash Mountain - usually long queues (although Fast Passes are available - meaning you get a ticket to come back at a later time but avoid the queue).  However, it has a Single Rider line which means if you are on your own (or your group is willing to split up) you will probably only be waiting a few minutes (because there is often 1 sit left in the little boat you are in).  

The current parade is "Soundsational" - each day at 4:00pm and 6:30pm, and it was really enjoyable.

I didn't stay at a Disneyland hotel, but most of the hotels in Anaheim are directly across the road so an easy walk.  I stayed at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.  Much nicer than I was expecting and I would definitely consider staying their again.  And if you are there like I was, to see Disneyland, you won't be spending much time in your room!  It may have been because it was summer, but California Adventure Park was open from 10am - 10pm and Disneyland was open from 8am - midnight.  (The benefit of staying in a nearby hotel is that you can take a break during the day to have a nap or freshen up).

Overall, I loved loved loved Disneyland as I knew I would.  My next Disney adventure might be to Disneyworld which is much bigger, as one of my long-term goals being to run the Disney marathon (which happens in January each year at Disneyworld).  So it probably won't be for a couple of years, but loving Disney so much will certainly give me some extra motivation!