Genotype Questionnaire

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this last night, but here it is!  If you mark three or more in one category, then more than  likely that's your genotype. 

Genotype: Carb-sensitive

•   If you start your day with toast, cereal or other high-carb foods, you tend to feel hungry within two hours- and you're prone to overeat throughout the rest of the day
• You feel irritable, anxious, light-headed or shaky if you miss a meal
• You get a burst of energy from soda, cookies and other sweets, but experience an energy crash within 30 minutes of consumption
• your skin tends to look doughy or puffy after eating a lot of carbs
• You have a history of pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome or type two diabetes.

Genotype: Fat-sensitive

• You often suffer from low energy, lack of motivation and/or blue moods
• You tend to overeat when you feel sad, bored or stressed - regardless of whether you are actually hungry
• Eating fried or fatty foods makes you feel queasy, yet intense cravings drive you to eat more
• You are often truck by digestive upset like bloat, heartburn or indigestion
• You struggle with frequent aches and pains

**If you checked only one or two in each category, you may be among the 15% of women who don't have the markers for carb sensitivity or slow fat metabolism.  For these women, any weight loss programs that fits easily into their lifestyle should work.**

Sensitive Much?

So, I can officially say that I've had 1.5 fantastic(!) eating days in a row!  Yesterday and so far today (hence the 0.5 of a day) I've kept my eating to the absolute best!  I'm actually pretty impressed with myself!  Yesterday I had a bowl of cereal and skim milk with an apple for breakfast, a turkey and cheese sandwich (on whole wheat), a chocolate pudding and grapes for lunch, then I had a normal serving of pasta for supper.  I didn't snack at all last night and I drank a ton of water!  For breakfast I did the same thing today, and I had a ham and cheese sandwich with a vanilla pudding and grapes for lunch.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about supper though.

I went to see my doctor last week thinking he may have a few tips to help me lose weight (with no surgery, prescriptions or pills).  I was actually really surprised with what he told me.  He mentioned that it's been a theory for a while that people may be genetically programmed to lose/gain weight a specific way.  The studies are currently being verified, but he gave me the main points.

• Two genetic profiles- Carbohydrate Sensitive and Fat Sensitive.
• Fat Sensitive people are more likely to gain or lose weight based on the amount of fat grams they consume daily.
• Carbohydrate Sensitive people are more likely to gain or lose weight based on the amount of carbohydrate grams they consume daily.
• A fat sensitive person should limit their fat intake to about 30-35g a day (about 15% of your daily calorie intake, on a 2000 cal/day lifestyle), while eating about 300g (or 60% of your daily calorie intake) in healthy (whole wheat and complex) carbohydrates and the last 25% in healthy, low fat proteins such as turkey, chicken and fish.
• A carb sensitive person should limit their carb intake to about 150-180g of carbs a day (about 30% of your daily calorie intake, on a 2000 cal/day lifestyle), while eating about 35-40g of fat (or 20% of your daily calorie intake) and eating about 50% in lean protein.
• Note that no matter which genetic type you fall into, that 10% or less of your fat calories should come from saturated fat.
• Fat Sensitive people who restrict their calorie intake to under 200g/day can feel tired, nauseous, light headed and will feel hungry all the time.
• Carbohydrate Sensitive people who eat too many carbohydrates will feel sluggish, full to the point of being sick, tired, no energy and light headed.

There is a genetic test you can do that can tell you for sure which type you fall into, but it costs $160.  There is a questionnaire that you can do that will give you a better idea though, I'm going to attach it tonight, because I don't have it with me. 

I am Fat Sensitive

My doctor mentioned that this may be why I didn't succeed at losing weight while I was on Dr. Bernstein or Dr. Atkins.  Since both those diets restrict carbohydrates it may have actually hindered my weight loss ability because I was so hungry all the time.  I was constantly tired and always head achy.  For the last two days I've done what my doctor suggested, I've limited my fat intake to about 25-30g a day (about 15% in a 1600 cal/day lifestyle) and I've been eating about 250g complex carbs a day.  It seems to be working really well so far.  I feel full after eating my meals, I haven't been snacking and I have a lot more energy than I have had in awhile.  I'm excited to see if this helps me have more control over my weight loss.

I'll post the questionnaire later tonight!

xoxo

Mossy Protection

What a weekend!  We started it off  by deciding to clean out our backyard...Yay.  Fun.  We literally (no joke) had weeds that were four feet tall in our backyard.  I'm not talking about 2-5 weeds that may be overgrown, I'm talking about my entire backyard.  Covered. In. Giant. Weeds.  People may think I'm exaggerating (I don't know why though...I never do that...) but I'm not, seriously.  It took us two hours to trim them down.  Our next job; finding a weed killer that a) works and b) is somewhat environmentally friendly.  It's actually quite hard to find a weed killer that does both!  After finishing our backyard Laura came over with the kiddies for a bit and we headed to Walmart to get Lilly a birthday gift.  Saturday night we decided to go to the Port Elmsley Drive-In theatre.  They were playing Despicable Me and The Last Airbender.  Before the movie started we noticed that there were a bunch of people duck taping (literally) mosquito nets over their car windows.  Lacey and I spend a great deal of time making fun of them.  Like really, how bad could the mossy's (see how I threw a little bit of Aussy in there?) get?  Answer: B-A-D.  Like, really bad.  Like, Alexis was crying bad.  Like, we decided we'd rather sit in the sweaty car with the windows rolled up, rather than outside bad.  Like, well...you get it.  We ended up only staying for the first movie, then ripped out of there with our windows open and air conditioning on, as soon as it was over!  We've all decided that the investment of mosquito nets is well worth the money.

Sunday we woke up nice and early (mainly due to the itching of 900 combined mosquito bites on us.  We headed to Lilly's party at 11.  I had a great time with my favourite neighbourhood ladies.  After the party Lacey and Adam came over and we went to Ikea with Laura.  I got a cheese grater.  Lacey cut Jeff's hair last night.  Thank.  The.  Lord.  My God, it was worse than our backyard! :)  We finished yesterday off with a bit of Operation Repo and Last Holiday, then hit the sack!

I ate pretty well this weekend!  I didn't even eat that badly at the movies on Saturday!  I think the worst I ate was last night, when I decided to eat 4 (count 'em F-O-U-R) chocolate chip cookies.  My reasoning; I have none! :(  I was eating them and thinking...I'm not hungry, I'm not angry/sad, I'm not craving them, I don't even really like them... By the time I finished my thought process, I had eaten four.  Hey!  At least I stopped, right?

P.S.  I started a new blog (because I'm not busy enough) about travelling!  Check it out if you get the chance!  http://vermettesaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/ (you could also probably follow me... ;) lol)

xoxo

Friday Weigh-In and Life Tips

Starting Weight: 280lbs
Today's Weight: 276lbs
Weight Lost: 4lbs

**Warning: Bad words used ahead**
Life Tips
Don't - Go out to dinner with your sister and mother while they are in the midst of bitching arguing with each other. For some reason the food doesn't settle well.
Don't - Ever tell your sister that you ate a BLT on a bagel for lunch with cheddar cheese (oh, can you still read that?) because she will have a ton to say about it - none of it good.
Don't - Say your going to walk every night that week, then don't because 'it's too hot' or 'it looks like it might rain'.
Don't - Eat greasy pub food before going out for a forty-five minute walk with your dog...because you will have to run home in the middle of it to use the washroom.
Don't - Ever try to stop a fight between two bitchy women. They'll just turn on you.

So I didn't quite reach my goal of 5lbs, but I'm pretty happy with what I did accomplish this week. My goal for next week is to lose 5lbs. Hopefully I can do it, if not a bit more, to make up for the 1lb I was short this week. We'll see though. 6lbs in a weeks will be tough for sure, and I don't want to pressure myself to the point where I'm just gonna say 'eff it' and quit again. I'll keep you posted!

**As a side note, I would like to mention that I found Alexis under my bed yesterday morning. When I asked her why, on earth, was she under our bed at 6:30 in the morning, she very seriously replied "I was awake, and I was bored. I also have no money mom, so I thought I would look for pennies."**

Bathing Suits and Water Slides

Happy Birthday to Nat!! Sis=21!

What a weekend! Friday night Lacey and Adam came over for a BBQ dinner. They made homemade hamburgers (regular and mini) and brought the buns. Jeff and I provided the Caesar salad, curly fries and banana cream pie. It was so delicious! We were all stuffed afterward so we just relaxed on the couch watched a bit of TV. Saturday morning we took off to Mont Cascade. We met a bunch of friends down there and had a great day in the water. We got home around 7:30, and I fell asleep on the couch until about 9, when I crawled upstairs to bed. Yesterday we did a bit of grocery shopping and present buying (for an unnamed sister), then had an early dinner of sausages on the BBQ and scalped potato's.

I weighed myself this morning and it turns out I've lost 2lbs this weekend! Woot! So, my plan is to lose another 3lbs during this week to make it 5lbs by Friday. I'm hoping I didn't make this months goal too big. When I look at it now, 5lbs a week for the next three weeks seems like a lot. I'm not giving up yet though! I really would like to lose at least 35lbs before we head to St. Lucia in October. If I can lose the 15lbs this month, then another 10 each in August and September, then I will have accomplished my goal!

Last Thursday we went to my aunt's for a swim and dinner, and I had to wear my bathing suit. :S Totally re-affirmed my goal to lose this weight! At Mont Cascades on Saturday I was super uncomfortable in my bathing suit. I wore my black one piece because I figured I'd be more comfortable going down the slides and walking around without have to keep pulling down my top or pulling up my bottoms. I was still really uncomfortable just walking around in my bathing suit (I have never, in my life, walked around without a cover up on), but I tried really hard to pretend it didn't bother me. First of all, if I acted like I cared what I looked like in a bathing suit Tracy (one of the friends we went with) would have bitten my head off! She's one of those people who is totally confident in how she looks and forces everyone else to be as well. She is also one of those amazing people who truly love you for who you are.

To reach my 3lb goal by Friday, I plan on walking every night this week for at least half an hour. It'll do us all good to get the family out and about. I also plan on not eating anything past 7pm. I need to make sure I drink a full 8 glasses of water each day. I've slowed down on my water drinking lately for some reason, but that will have to change. There will be no eating out this week at work! I definitely need to remember to bring my lunch everyday. I also need to start eating breakfast again. I've got some whole grain bread here that I'm planning on eating with some peanut butter and jam, along with a banana or orange and a glass of milk for breakfast. I also need to make sure I eat dinner at the proper time to guarantee that I won't be starving at 7:30pm.

So, that's my plan for the week!

I would also like to send a HUGE shout out to my cousin Melissa who had the guts to post a picture of herself in a bathing suit on her blog! She looks A-frigging-mazing! Congrats to her on her weight loss!

xoxo

Friday Weigh-In

Weigh In: 280lbs.

I haven't lost anything since Tuesday. I didn't really expect to though. It's going to be a busy weekend!

Have a great one!

Southern Comfort

I am getting so excited about going to St. Lucia in October!! For those of you who don't know me well, I'm a planner. Unlike my sister Nat, who can jet off to Africa for four months with next to no plans, I need to be an expert on where I'm going. I haven't even been to St. Lucia and I'm already answering other peoples questions on the St. Lucia forum on Trip Advisor. We've still got three months before we go, but I've already picked out which restaurants we should eat at, which day trips we should go on, who the good cab drivers are and where the best snorkeling is.
I'm pretty sure this need to make sure everything goes perfect comes from my OCD, but it doesn't really bother me when it comes to planning trips. We went to Disney last October and pretty much had the best vacation ever. Why? Because I spent 6 months reading The Unofficial Guide to Disney 3 times. I spent at least an hour a day researching the best hotels, restaurants, parks, shopping malls etc. I spent hours talking on forums and getting all the info I needed for Orlando. In return for all the hard work I did, we never waited in a single line at Disney, never ate at a bad restaurant, never spent an exorbitant amount of money on something I could get for half price somewhere else and we kept a journal to make sure we remembered the whole trip!
The advice you can get from others is invaluable. These people aren't paid to write reviews for books or magazines or Disney; and therefore aren't biased on what they say.
From the great advice I got on the St. Lucia forum on Trip Advisor Jeff and I have decided on the following day trips while in St. Lucia.

Serenity Tours: Helicopter Flight from airport to Marigot Bay (where our bed and breakfast is located)
Serenity Tours: Land and Sea Tour St. Lucia (We get to visit the banana plantations, the Governor's house, Castries (capital city), Sourfrieres and the volcano's, lounge in the mud baths, swim in the healing sulphur springs, swim at Diamond waterfall, snorkel at the base of the Pitons and catamaran back to Marigot Bay, while drinking rum punch and Piton beer!)
Serenity Tours: The Magic of the Grenadines (we fly from St. Lucia (in an eight seat airplane), over St. Vincent and to the Grenadines Islands. We take a catamaran and visit Union Island, Palm Island, Mayreau Island and Tobago Cays. We swim, snorkel and relax at each island, then fly back to St. Lucia at sunset)
Scuba Steve: 5 hour snorkeling trip in the south end of St. Lucia. We visit Anse Chastanet, Piton Wall, Superman's Flight, Devil's Hole, Turtle Reef and Coral Garden's.
Serenity Tours: Kayaking tour from Rodney Bay to Pigeon Island. Snorkel at Pigeon Island for two hours, then Kayak back to Rodney Bay.

All these tours come highly recommended by everyone on Trip Advisor. I'm definitely most excited about the Grenadines trip! How cool is it that they fly you from Island to Island then take you on an all inclusive boat trip for the day? Pretty cool!

Anyhow, I thought I'd write something a little lighter today! My next post is going to be a breakdown on how I'm going to reach my new goal! Friday will be my weigh-in day again!