The Blues...

Let me start by saying that I am NOT one to play the victim, or attempt to make people feel bad for me. I think it's inefficient and overall ineffective. When people feel bad for me I use that as an excuse to feel bad for myself. Lame. 

On that note-I've been pretty blue over the last month.

As you may remember, I recently had a discussion with my physician about starting me on some blood pressure medication after I had several high readings. Also, she ordered an ultrasound of my kidneys in order to determine if that was possibly causing the issue. 

I was exercising regularly and losing weight, but my blood pressure continued to rise.

I've now had my meds changed three times, and have finally found a combination that seems to be working to control my pressure (for the most part). However, my kidney ultrasound came back as "possibly an issue".  Also, the guy I was seeing and I split largely because I didn't want his medical advice (he's a physician) because he's not MY doctor. He did not take that well. I wish him the best of luck but I'd rather be his lady friend than his patient, and I don't like blending those two roles. And to put the cherry on top, I had finals.

ANYWHO-It's been a long month. I didn't think it was appropriate for me to drag you guys along in my self-depricating, whiny little tirade. So, I want to apologize for my absence. Also, I want you to know that it's OK to feel a little "off" sometimes. It doesn't make you weak. I am feeling better, largely because of the support of my friends, family, and coworkers (one of them even got me a SUPER cute little med case of all of my drugs). Also, this guy is a big helper:

Another thing that helped to pull me out of my funk? 

Setting some new goals (because I'm a weirdo like that). Check out my next post about my new challenge: Triathlon Intro!

Snack Attack!

I thought I would start with what I've found to be very helpful in fighting off the "I think I'm going to run to the gift shop to get a little something"...which turns into..."yep, got a soda, a candy bar, and a bag of Gardettos".
Pack your snacks.
This seems pretty straight-forward, I know. So, here is the real trick: Pack your snacks for all of your cravings!
It never failed, if I packed veggies and hummus, I would want something sweet or vice versa.
To resolve this: let me introduce you to my Snack Stash:

In this lovely assortment I have: veggies, hummus, pita, chocolate almonds, grapes, and cuties.

That way, when I crave something sweet, I grab the grapes or a cutie. If I need chocolate NOW I grab a bag of chocolate almonds. FYI-those things are delicious. I highly recommend you put them into snack-sized bags so you don't find yourself eating 1,000 calories worth. Seems hard to do...it's not!
On that note-portion sizing your snacks in advance really helps with two things:
#1-you can make a pre-set snack in whatever calorie tracker you have (aka: MyFitnessPal)
#2-you don't end up going way past your level of food needed to satisfy you, and save yourself feeling terrible about it later.
My snack sized portions are as follows:
1c grapes=100 calories
30 almonds=200 calories (far more filling than a candy bar too!)
veggies=minimal...I don't even usually count them against my calorie count
2 Tbsp hummus= 80 calories (this is usually enough for either one pack of pita, or to dip with my veggies)
1/2 Pita, cut into strips= 85 calories

Moral of the story: delicious, nutritious, and guilt-free.

Happy Saturday!

"The unhealthiest healthy person"

Let me start with-This is NOT what you want to hear from your doctor.

As I'd described in my last post about starting my weight loss journey, I have been working for the last few months to make some positive changes in terms of my weight (and health in general). I don't have the best genes, but I also don't make the best decisions in terms of what I put into my body. I've been doing well tracking my total calories and exercising at least twice a week, but haven't really done much to make sure what I'm eating isn't just low calorie, but high awesomeness.

Luckily, I work for a fantastic employer that runs a program to try to educate their employees about their health risks. One of the ways they do this is by offering a basic health assessment (blood pressure check, free lab draw, etc). So me, the girl who has been working for a bit to improve my health, thought it would be a good idea to get some "baseline" values.

This is what I found:
My average blood pressure over the last month (I've been checking it once or twice a week) is 150/101 ("normal" is 120/80). EEK!
My Cholesterol is 269. It is considered "high risk for heart disease" at over 200.
Moral of the story....Crappers.

 google.com

Now, as many of you know, I am a nurse. Not only am I a nurse, I am a cardiac nurse. There is nothing more disturbing than seeing a young person (someone in their 20s, 30s, or 40s) have a stroke or a significant heart issue. Unfortunately, with those labs and vital signs, I am significantly more likely to be one of those cases.

So...what am I going to do?

After a LONG conversation with my PCP (Primary Care Provider-aka: my regular doctor), we have decided to focus on lifestyle changes and also start me on medication. Now, before you begin a medication (especially young ladies), it is VERY IMPORTANT you have a good conversation with your doc about it. Blood pressure med and cholesterol meds have slews of side effects, and can be very expensive. They also can be unsafe if you plan to get pregnant (which is part of the reason the doctor and I chose the meds for me we did). The decision for us was based on the fact that I have both issues occurring, and that my BP change was pretty sudden (a few months ago I was only slightly above the normal range). In addition to the meds and lifestyle changes, I will be having blood work done and an ultrasound done on my kidneys to see if that is the cause of my BP spike.

For me, I think the meds are a necessary evil at this time. However, I do not like the fact that I currently require not one, but TWO med boxes. So for me, I am going to really, REALLY focus on lifestyle changes. I am going to be a good girl. Well, I've been a good girl, but I am going to be the BEST girl (and still have a life). You guys are going to help hold me to it. Deal? Deal! I am going to track my intake on this blog, and I hope, hope, HOPE that at least one of you can learn something from this journey I will be taking.

So from here on out-this blog will primarily serve as/house:
example recipes/menus (particularly for those who live alone...it is tricky to cook for one!)
sample exercise routines
a place for me to track what I'm doing, and hold myself accountable
...other awesomeness (stress management, home organization, etc)

For those of you who are like me, fairly healthy but apparently NOT healthy, or for those of you who are healthy and want to stay that way: stick with me. Talk with me. Let me know how I can help you and tell me when I'm full of crap.

Anywho-now I am off to the store to get the beginnings of the first few days of food-get excited! I am!

...my fight with weight (and my fun new bracelet)

I have been so fortunate throughout my life to be an athlete. I was the girl who played all the sports in high school, and was even the Health and Fitness Chair for my scholarship hall in college. However, over the last few years, my exercise habits have gradually deteriorated. Working nights made it very hard for me to hit a gym, and I was always exhausted.
I hopped on the scale a couple of months ago, and saw a scary thing: 210 pounds. What?!? Now, I have never been skinny, but I'm comfortable at about 170-180 (I had abs at 160). I decided to pull myself together.
Being single makes cooking difficult...but that is for another post.
Today I shall talk about: My Jawbone UP.

find one here

Now I used to have a FitBit, and I loved that little guy, but he had a terrible habit of falling off of my scrubs pocket, and I just couldn't get the clip to latch to my bra comfortably. The UP has a few advantages (for me, at least). Definitely do some research about what fitness tracker would work best for you, but this is what I've found:

• It's water resistant (I'm a nurse, and I wash my hands ALL the time)
• It is comfortable to wear, and won't fall off without me noticing.
• The user interface is amazing
• I have a HTC One, and this is the only fitness band I've found that will sync well with it (it uses the audio jack instead of the bluetooth, which isn't as cool...but the things with bluetooth don't actually sync with my phone)
• The app syncs with all sorts of other fun apps...like MapMyFitness and MyFitnessPal. 

So, I've had this little guy for a couple of months now, and using all of the resources (and NOT by starving myself) I'm down 12 pounds so far. Woot!

One quick rant...

I apologize to everyone. I haven't been very active lately, but it's for good (?) reason. My little world of dating has successfully imploded. My boyfriend of several months has been unfaithful with other women. Yes, women. That was plural intentionally. This is sadly, expected, as he has been distancing himself for the last month or so. Still, no bueno. 

I just wanted to take a brief moment to share a story from earlier today.

After some moonshine and ihop last night, I woke this morning (OK, afternoon), and reactivated my online dating profile. 

I got a message almost instantly! Woot! Good sign!

The conversation started like this:
(usernames not displayed for privacy, and * placed by me)

Him: hey. You are really sexy. I'd love to chat with you and get to know you better. Do you like getting your face f**ked?
me: Seriously? Crude

and ended like this....

Me: Alright, as you are clearly not getting the picture let me clarify: I am not interested. Please do not message me again or I will be blocking/reporting you.
Him:Whatever. Stuck up c*nt. Hope you die in a fire.

I didn't even share the worst part. You're welcome :-)

Yep. Welcome back to the dating world. ugh.  

Busy week!

Hey Guys!
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! I had several nights of work in a row, and then I've spent the last few days trying to wrap up a study I've been working on. And, my AWESOME mom came into town for the last couple of days. Woot! Thanks mom!

Plus, we had some awesome finds-
1) Salvation Army Chairs-$100 for the set!

I'm likely going to re-do them, but I'll save that for another post!

2)My Dry Bar (OK so a really nice bookcase, but still, look at all of the cute little accessories we got on clearance from Target)! This bad boy also gave me something awesome-some cleared out cabinet space in my kitchen! Hooray!

This little bowl is going to be great for peanuts/"bar snacks"

But today was a big day! I started my new job! YAY!
My new coworkers are awesome, and I think the job will be a great fit for me!
Unfortunately, it's only 530pm and I'm pretty confident I'll be going to bed in just a few hours. Very different schedule for me!

So. For now, goodnight!

Living sustainably-Gardening

So I've become more focused on what I'm wanting to achieve in life. One thing I'm wanting to do? Learn to live more sustainably. To start this, I'm going to plant a garden. I've done some research and found out about the square foot garden concept. Look at this infographic (from the frugal dad)!

Original Link

Another awesome site? The Gardeners Supply Company. They have a series of sample gardens, and you can design your own. They tell you when to start your seeds, how to harvest, all kinds of good stuff!

I think I'll go with the Cook's Choice Layout (smaller though)

Gardeners

One thing I think I'll also start doing? Composting. The disadvantage of cooking for one is that I use a little bit of several ingredients. What should I do with that half bell pepper, zucchini, and egg shells? Use them to help my awesome new garden!

This little composter can be found at the Home Depot for 20 bucks!

Now I'm just waiting for February to come so I can start some seeds!