Angie Windheim

Following the trend of so many women my age (mid-thirties and up), I signed up for the IgG food intolerance test. I’m hoping to find a reason behind my very, very dry/itchy scalp and face and dry eyes. My report came back with a few moderate/high reactions: whey/milk and yeast. Eggs were considered low, but my doctor still believes I should avoid them as well. Oh, and oysters. I’ve never had one, and I guess now I have a legitimate excuse not to try them. 🙂

So these “intolerances” are a little tricky. Whey is in a lot of packaged goods (even Chips Ahoy).  Yeast is in bread obviously, but also beer, wine, vinegar, etc. Some evidence shows that people with yeast issues should also avoid sugars and molds and mushrooms and canned goods and dried fruit.  But then, other reports don’t agree with that at all.  I’m sure I’ll make mistakes, but I’m hoping to tackle eliminating milk/whey for sure. I’ve bought the soy milk which is pretty good. I will miss yogurt though. I will also tackle yeast in the forms of bread and beer/wine. Only vodka drinks for me. And, boy will I miss my sourdough.

The goal is to try this for 8 weeks and then return to the doctor. She’ll be re-checking my thyroid (slightly low and I’m on a daily low-dose supplement now) and cholestrol (slightly high, but I didn’t fast before the test).

Wish me luck!

Monday: 9,087

Tuesday: 11,122

Wednesday: 12,423

Thursday: 8,965

Friday: 8,837

Saturday: 4,958

Sunday: 8,114

Total for Week: 63,506

Daily Average: 9,072

Lost a little momentum on the steps this week, but was much better about watching calories. I dropped one pound which is a great “step” in the right direction. This week’s goal is an average of 9,500 steps per day and 2 pounds. Can she do it? Yes, she can!

Monday: 7,108

Tuesday: 10,438

Wednesday: 13,843

Thursday: 9,988

Friday: 9,190

Saturday: 5,511

Sunday: 11,183

Total for Week: 67,261

Daily Average: 9,608

I’m pretty satisfied with the step count this week. I’d like to average above 10,000 steps per day, so I’ll have a little more work to do this week.  Unfortunately, this uptake in my exercise did not result in any weight loss. I actually gained a pound. But, I’m not really surprised since I was pretty free with my eating this week. I purposely took a break from calorie counting to focus on the steps. This week, I’ll count calories with my iPhone and steps with my pedometer and hope for a better report next Monday.

Walk on!

Anybody interested in being a virtual walking partner?  Hook on a pedometer and start tracking  your steps (I have an Omron “walking style”).  The goal is roughly 10,000 steps a day or let’s say 60,000 steps per week (we need to allow for one day of slacking). It may take us a few weeks to reach that goal. You may be surprised at how many steps that really is.  But it’s also fun to try to meet that challenge everyday. You may find yourself creating excuses to go the long way or even doing laps around the kitchen. I plan to report my steps on Monday mornings.

Went in for my annual check up with Dr. Yu (who I think is fabulous and I have switched my whole family to her care).  I always go in with my fairly minor list of issues/questions and brace myself for a weight conversation. Well, she never picks on my weight, but never likes my moles or my allergies 🙂

Just one mole has to go this time around. I’m guessing I’ve had 7 or 8 removed over the years. It’s never the mole I think she’ll be after. I always suspect the bumpy ones that itch or get raised. Clearly, I don’t know what to look for cause she’s removing one that I don’t think I’ve ever really looked at before. Of course, now I’ll be staring at it every day!

And, my dry scalp, crazily dry eyes and red throat and nose are getting a double punch.  An allergy nasal spray and the ever-so-popular food intolerance blood test. Time to stop treating the symptoms and actually figure out what is at the root of the problem. I figured out myself that coffee is a problem for me, but eliminating coffee didn’t eliminate the symptoms…just made them more manageable.

Guess it’s up to me to tackle the weight issue. I always secretly hope that she’ll freak out on me and that’ll be the motivation I need.  But, she doesn’t.  I know what to do. But, it’s so hard to truly make it a lifestyle. I’m a yo-yo girl, for sure. The plan? Well, the pedometer is back on my waistband and I’m tracking the calories on my iPhone’s Lose It! app. I know how to cook healthy and exercise. It’s not magic. It’s eat less and exercise more. Stay tuned. I feel a big health shift coming for me…some Spring Cleaning for my body 🙂

I’m am cracking up! I suggested, half joking, that the boys try my Jillian Michael’s DVD to help build some muscles. Well, they are now on Day 4 of the 30-Day Shred. After their workout last night, we arm wrestled. It’s getting tougher (especially with my left arm), but I can still beat all of them. I should probably record it, ’cause you know it ain’t going to last for long!

My reward for the weekly trip to Winco has always been a trip to Taco Bell. I get the Steak Fiesta Burrito which is a reasonable amount of calories and I’m generally satisfied.  Today, I decided to go for a couple of the modest bean burritos (two is a little much, but I earned it pushing that cart :-).  Ah, but then I see they have a rice and bean burrito and decide to try that. Well, that was one of the best Taco Bell creations I’ve tried. So yummy. Unfortunately, it was so tasty because it’s smothered in Nacho cheese sauce! Diet disaster bells went off and so I left the second burrito in the bag.  Thank goodness, too. I checked the calories when I got home and it weighed in at 500.  If I’d been a little hungrier and dove into the second burrito, I’d have scarfed down 1000 calories. When dieting, I find it pays to stick to what you know. Decide ahead of time what you want to get and go online to check the calories.

Thanksgiving started out with a very fun run/walk at the annual Give N’ Gobble. There were easily twice as many participants as last year which was great to see.  We all beat our times from last year and are already talking about goals for next year.  I’m definitely going to find myself a goofy turkey hat for the occasion.

I haven’t hosted the Thanksgiving meal in quite some time. I’ll have to say, now don’t groan, that I loved doing it. I actually had fun. The stuffing, the turkey, the pecan crusted sweet potatoes and the gravy all turned out super yummy. Oh, and I must not forget the fondue. Jennifer’s easy and so delicious cheese fondue was an amazing starter (2 bricks of cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, 3/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp garlic, 3/4 cup milk). I’m still not a big fan of the green bean bake though, so I’m changing that up next year for sure.

Nothing says “thanks” like “giving” to those less fortunate.  The Sherwood Give N’ Gobble Run/Walk and food drive is still taking online registrations for its annual event.  All proceeds benefit the local food banks.  I just finished signing up the whole family, and I’ve bid on a few items in their eBay auction.  The Give N’ Gobble is a “healthy” way to celebrate Thanksgiving in more ways than one.

Time to rev up my engines and get back on the road to weight loss. I took a pretty long break after losing 20 pounds. I’m going for another 10 pounds now. My key tools are the Lose It! application for my iPhone and Netflix DVDs. I did a Jillian Michaels DVD this morning. That is a butt-kicking 45 minutes. Ouch!  I wrote an article recently about using technology to help with weight loss and I’m following my own advice 🙂