Well, I did go out the next day to Rite Aid (which is where I swore I bought it last time)... but when I got there I was shocked (and appalled) by the prices! WOW! Then I remembered that I must have ordered it from Vitacost because that is where I buy all of my vitamins and supplements. I checked that evening and I had ordered it. Just in case anyone else is interested, I ordered Vitacost brand, 100 mg. Their 240 capsule bottle is $21.99. When you order $25.00 worth of Vitacost products your shipping is free - if you order $49.00 of ANY products, your shipping is free. In every instance that I've had to pay shipping, it has been $4.99. The pricing for CoQ10 at Rite Aid and CVS was something like (don't quote me because I'm not looking at the prices right now) $16.00 for 40-50 capsules... and that was for the lowest dose available... and that was the store brand!
So, we all know where my allegiance lies when it comes to vitamins and supplements... and oh so many other products! I open two tabs in my browser and I check the prices between Vitacost and Amazon (I am a Prime member so I get free 2 day shipping) and I usually end up buying from Vitacost unless I absolutely need it fast or Vitacost doesn't sell the item!
Onward to this week's update. I just got the CoQ10 in the mail yesterday so supplementation has not been a factor. I ate pretty much the same food as I regularly do this week. Eggs and avocado and a frozen veggie (usually broccoli or Cali mix) for breakfast, baked chicken thigh or leg with a frozen veggie and cauliflower mashed and then an orange for lunch, and baked chicken thigh or leg or a hamburger with veggies and salad greens for dinner. Of course I've varied it a little... like this week since I bought the fabulous Paderno Spiral Slicer from Amazon I've done a couple of experiments with zucchini and sweet potatoes! With the zucchini I spiraled the whole thing (huge veggie!) and then put it in a drop or two of coconut oil in the frying pan and sautéed it. I then added full fat coconut milk (I use this brand because it has no other ingredients like guar gum or other gums for thickeners, the can lining is BPA-free and the product is Kosher, even though it is not organic. If you'd like to make your own coconut milk, here is an article that will give you some insight on making your own coconut milk), a couple of teaspoons of nutritional yeast, a ton (not really, but quite a lot) of powdered garlic and a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of fresh grated parmesan... tasted so much like alfredo sauce! Yum!
Yesterday I was at a party with some friends and the basic meal was London Broil and crab legs but some other folks brought a sweet Hawaiian bread, a taco salad dip with Tostitos brand tortilla chips (love love love tortilla chips), and beer (three different kinds)! Fortunately I had brought some fresh strawberries and I had put a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator to whip the cream! I had also made this fabulous "cheesecake" for dessert!
I've decided that gluten really is the enemy here after the past two weeks of having an alien take up residence on my groin (right where my undergarments normally lay of course!) and not going away no matter what I applied to it (heat, aloe, cocoa butter). On Friday morning I had decided (since I seem to be mostly a masochist when it comes to my own body) that if it was still in residence after work that I was going to have pizza for dinner. Yup... there are some things that I just still want, even though I can't really call it a craving (not dying for it), just remember the taste and when it's good, it's great! Fortunately I did not do that as I would have just prolonged the stay of execution on this bastard and possibly created a new monster somewhere else! Because I stayed strong (it really wasn't hard) on Friday night I was less tempted yesterday to have the taco salad dip (black beans and cheese and gooey-ness on top of wonderful salted-tortilla chips!) and the Hawaiian bread with my dinner. I'm not much of a beer drinker so that wasn't a temptation anyway.
I find that it is much easier to stay away from foods that are temptations the longer I stay away from them. I've read quite a few testaments to the fact that you just stop craving foods once you stay away from them... this is probably true... but another factor that you also have to weigh is your determination. The longer you stay free of something that you are determined to be free of, the stronger your resolve becomes because you don't want to break your streak of "freedom". You know how hard those first few days or weeks can be and to put yourself back to being a "slave" to that item... nope, it is just not worth it! I am determined that I will be strong with gluten (ah, pizza!). I used to smoke (for 28 years) and now I don't (for 4 years)... this is doable!
This week I was also determined to keep my calorie intake lower than it has been in quite some time. I'm not counting calories, per se, but I do know that cashews and almonds and bananas and nut butters are quite dense calorie-wise and I was over-consuming those items. I was snacking on handsful of almonds... throwing a couple handsful of cashews into the Nutribullet and blending them with raw cacao and honey and shoveling that into my mouth as a snack when I got home from work. I was also buying bananas and eating 4 or 5 of them in one day... too much sugar and calories! I've made a conscious effort to be mindful of my eating. I know that I have an eating disorder (I just eat - usually tied to emotions - and then I get fatter and feel guilty and start getting aggravated at myself and then I lose control of what I'm eating and stop caring about any restrictions, whether tied to weight or skin or health and I go too far and it becomes a monster in and of itself) and the only true way to keep it under control is to not start in on foods that I lose myself into - and sweets are definitely in that category - especially "healthy" sweets!
The alien on my groin area is much smaller than it has been all week (although still there) - it has not drained but it is receding and that is a positive measurement!
This week will be more of the same as this past week, strong step forward, exercise when I can because I never know when an alien will step in the way of "comfortable". The high school just down the street from my house has a fitness center that is available for use to township residents 4 nights a week from 5pm to 8pm. This is free usage! I just realized this and I'm ashamed to say that I could have been taking advantage of this for years now... better late than never! Get out there and see what you might be able to take advantage of to save you money yet get you moving into a healthier you!
What do you do for exercise? and how many days a week do you exercise?
ReplyDeleteJai-Jo,
DeleteI am ashamed to say that right now I am not doing any consistent exercise. It's not that I shouldn't be doing exercise or that I can't do exercise, it's just that I seem to have lost my motivation. Fourteen months ago when menopausal symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks is when I think it happened. Prior to that (for 18 months or so) I had been exercising DAILY. I would follow 45minutes to an hour worth of in home DVDs... usually Leslie Sansone Walking DVDs and/or some Biggest Loser DVDs and/or the 30-day Shred DVD. In the past 14 months I've been struggling with hot flashes that really throw me for a loop and I've let that get in my way and become my excuse. I've taken a spin class one day a week for a couple weeks, I ride my bike when the weather's good, I go on hikes in the woods, I walk the dog, I tried running but I don't love it.
A few months ago I read a book called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and I was very impressed. I've had a friend show me the different machines that I'll need to use and I just found out that I can use the fitness center at the local high school (for free)... but I have't gotten my butt there other than to check it out. I have faith in myself though and I know that lifting is the way to go for me... I need to gain strength. I will be doing it 2-3 times per week.