Weight Loss Journey with Noom

It's no secret that a lot of people have been trying to lose weight since gaining the 'covid 15,' only to give up when it's hard. I was very proud of myself because I actually lost 15 pounds on weight watchers at the start of covid. However, I didn't keep it off for long and actually gained an additional 5 pounds on top of the 15. I hated the way I looked, but with the recent addition of a pain medication to help my fibromyalgia. While the medication has been helpful and I can actually get a decent night's sleep, I feel like the weight gain has increased my pain.  

Alex texted me the other day saying that we should sign up for Noom, a weight loss program based in psychology. I had heard of it before but was still paying for weight watchers each month, thinking if I kept paying for it I would eventually go back to it. I remembered hearing all the ads for Noom on various podcasts I listen to and decided to give it a try. 

Today is day 8 I believe and I am down just about 3 pounds. So far I have learned about scale anxiety (which I definitely suffer from), caloric density and how the same amount of calories in different foods fills you up differently, how to believe in myself, and so much more. I can't believe how much of weight loss is just about believing! Not only is Noom helping me with my weight, it's actually helping me a lot with my anxiety too. So much of my weight gain is tied to how stressed I was, well, am, and learning new ways to help me destress is so helpful. 

There are days I wish I was just healthy and slimmer now, but I know it's about the journey. I know it's all about learning healthy habits. I think that's why I like Noom so much, I feel like it's okay to slip up because you're always learning new things. I think my biggest challenge is my love of carbs and sweets, but I know now that those are learned cravings and what can be learned can be unlearned. I'm starting to eat things that used to give me such pleasure and just finding them not worth the calories. I think I felt like eating was the way I could find instant joy in a sometimes stressful day. When you work with people, there can be a lot of stressful or frustrating days. 

I feel hopeful about losing weight and feeling better about myself for the first time this year. I know it's important to instill healthy habits in myself now while I'm still young, and finding new ways to relieve my stress other than eating. I've taken up reading again which has been such a huge help. Having Alex do this with me makes it easier as well.

~MG

Weight Watchers and Health Update

Hello everyone!

I wanted to give you all an update on how weight watchers is going and some other health news. I am officially down 12 pounds!! It feels so nice to continue seeing the scale go down and just feeling better about myself. While eating better has been hard, especially since I moved to an apartment June 1st and trying to cook while unpacking is so difficult when you are down the street from fast food! There are days, or sometimes a stretch of days, where eating is more of a battle. For example, we had a coffee truck today at my work and I got an iced mocha and it was so good! Also a resident brought in chocolate for us and it's just sitting there behind me... 

Anyways, I have another health update that has been a long time coming. The 2 years I was off at college I gained over 60 pounds. I knew something wasn't right, I just didn't know what. I was so tired I could take a 4 hour nap and sleep all night and still be exhausted. People would tell me I was just sleeping too much so I would stay up late and watch Netflix or try not to nap and be just as exhausted, if not more so. It got to the point where I was falling asleep in classes. I couldn't do any clubs or activities since I was already having a hard enough time just trying to stay up for classes. I constantly slept through meals and had little to no appetite. I struggled with pain on top of this, not extreme pain but enough that it bothered me. Anywhere on my upper body that I pressed on felt like I had a bruise. So much so that I was convinced on my 19th birthday when I pressed on my back that I had another kidney infection I went to urgent care (happy birthday to me). 

Exhaustion ruled my life and I was tired of it. At the end of my first year of college I started being tested for hormone issues. I thought I had cushing's disease, something that made you gain weight from too much cortisone. After months of tests nothing came of it, and the doctor told me to repeat the expensive tests in 6 months if I still had the same symptoms. I came home for the summer feeling defeated. I had tried to get an ESA but Central told me that the dog would not be allowed in classes, where I needed the support. I was lonely, tired, and just plain miserable. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or if I would even be able to do anything. Sure I was a good student, but what if that was all I was good at? Studying for tests and writing essays, that was what I knew I was good at. 

Starting my last year of college I continued to gain weight and sleep all day. I ended up dropping out of a class my last quarter because I simply lacked the energy it required to do the leadership class, something I have enjoyed and participated in since elementary school in student government. I thought that since I didn't have a job that was why I was so tired, not having a purpose and just sleeping because it was something to do. However, after graduating and starting my job leasing apartments, my energy has continued to decline. I have continued to get tested for all sorts of things, most recently hemochromatosis (too much iron) and thyroid issues again. As of yesterday, I think I finally have an answer, though it was not the answer I was hoping for. After seeing a naturopath starting a few months ago, a doctor who finally took me seriously, I am starting treatment for fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that causes exhaustion and pain. 

I wanted to share my story because it took years for me to get some sort of diagnosis, lots of anxiety and for a doctor to take me seriously and not just run tests and then give up on me. I have struggled, and will likely continue to struggle with energy and mild pain that has limited my life and am so happy I was persistent and didn't take no for an answer. I am hoping that my energy improves in the next few months and I am able to stay longer at the dog park on Sundays and just enjoy life more. 

~MG

Weight Watchers Day 1

I have always battled with self esteem and loving my body. This has only become harder as when I went off to college the stress, a foot problem, and overall lack of good food (partially my own fault), caused me to gain a lot of weight. Not just the freshman 15, honestly it's hard for me to admit how much I gained. However, if you have seen me in person it is pretty obvious I'm not even close to the size I was in high school. Having battled anxiety and won for the most part, I wanted to move on to my next challenge, my weight and diet. 

I thought getting Luna would help me a lot. While it has helped since I am going on more walks, she is reactive so we cannot be out too long before both of us just break down. This is getting better, but just throwing the ball in the meantime isn't getting me much exercise. 

Energy has always been a huge issue for me. Once I got into college it became easy to take multiple naps a day, which of course did not help with .y anxiety and depression. However, with no energy it seemed like my only option. While I continue to struggle with lack of energy, I am seeing a naturopath at the moment and am on a few supplements that should hopefully help some pathways in my brain work better and be less stressed and exhausted from that stress. 

Yesterday evening my parents and I signed up for weight watchers. I was on a similar program through United Healthcare but found the video meetings just weren't doing it for me and I was hoping having my parents do this with me would make it easier. After entering most of my food from yesterday I was already well over my allotted points (in weight watchers each food is worth so many points and you only have so many points in a day) and made me feel very discouraged. Yes, I had a bag of popcorn for lunch and an entire Costco poppyseed muffin for breakfast, but dang those were we're all worth a lot of points! 

So this morning I woke up and had half a muffin. No apple juice since that was quite a few points as well. This was at 6:30 AM when I wake up to feed Luna and let her out. By 10:30 AM I was already hungry. I decided to have a small bowl of Chex mix. By 12:30 PM I was hungry again and had 5 chicken nuggets and a small amount of ketchup. This left me very few points for the rest of the day. By 3:00 PM I was hungry again and had no points left if I also wanted dinner. I figured it was day 1 and if I went a little over then it was fine. So I had a cheese stick. Obviously that didn't help much so I asked my mom to teach me how to make scrambled eggs since those are no points. Not my favorite, but better then nothing. Right now it's almost 5 and it will be interesting to see how dinner goes. 

As someone who is a very picky eater and has failed to lose weight eating what I like, I thought I would try to document my journey. I'm hoping day 2 goes better. For now, I am just hoping that I can resist snacking! 

Check out my Pinterest for weight watchers recipes I hope to try! I plan to post if I do try them and if they are any good. 

~MG

Finishing my Freshman/Junior Year of College

Wow, I'm almost done with my first year away at school! (Context, I did Running Start in High School so my first 2 years were done when I enrolled here at 18). After lots of computer troubles (thanks windows 10), plenty of homework, some amazing new friends, and too many naps to count,  I am coming up on my last few weeks here at Central for a while. Well, until the workshop I have here in July and having to sign my lease in August. It has been a year of growth and a few setbacks, but overall I came out the other side a better person and I am happy with the person I am becoming. We introduced a wonderful new family member after losing Sierra, June 24th is the first anniversary of her death. I know it will be a hard one, but AJ (and managing his Instagram, see link at end of post) has been a huge help. I get to work/intern at my high school job this summer and I can't wait to get back to my second family, both human and canine.

I have learned so many new things, and even have my own website that I post samples of my PR work to! I learned how to use this awesome website called Canva to create posters and social media posts which has been a huge help in the mock PR firm class I am in. Basically, we are a PR firm we just don't charge. I got into a workshop this summer on learning the ins and outs of the radio industry. It's strange that I'm starting to feel like an adult now, but at halfway through 19, that's a good thing.

Yes, there are lots of things I wish could've gone differently. Though there is a lot in my past that I wish could've gone differently too, most out of my control.  Everything I've gone through has made me a stronger and more compassionate person. Some of it sucked, but overall I'm grateful for them since they made me the strong woman I am today.

Being back in my hometown is going to be strange, but a good kind of strange. I'll have to get used to traffic again! Also, not using Fred Meyer as the mall will be a bit strange as well. The one around here has everything though! Perks of being in a college town I suppose. Not being just a dorm away from my friends will be strange too, but I will finally get a chance to catch up with my friends from home and not just on a weekend while trying to spend time with my family.

It's actually true though

Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect from this year but I came out the other side more like the person I want to be, and that's what really counts. Also, no parties, drugs, or alcohol for me. Just lots of naps, like seriously this bed is so cozy I kinda don't want to go back to my one at home. Plus, why go party when you can spend time with your best friend talking about books and dogs and school until your throat hurts because you have been talking for so long. Going back to school isn't something I'm dreading, but something I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to see what my senior year has in store for me.

~MG


AJ's Instagram is his racing name: springwateraj 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches.” 
― Lemony Snicket


Lately, I have been catching up on the second season of A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix. I never read the books as a kid, nor do I remember any of my friends reading them. Even when the movie came out quite a few years back now the series did not come to my attention. I think as a kid I wanted to read a book with a happy ending, as most books have.  As I watch the series I keep thinking about what parent would let their kid read such a depressing story, or even why I continue watching it. 

This thought has nagged at me the past few days and I think I have finally come up with an answer. The adults in this series, at least most of them, are quite ignorant and oblivious and it is up to the children to face their situation and figure out a way to find out more about their parent's death and bring Count Olaf, a murderous yet musical villain, to justice. This series not only teaches children to rely on themselves but also helps them realize that just because they are young does not mean they are incapable of making a change. 

Perhaps it is series like this that help encourage my fellow students to march on Washington when the adults, at least it feels like, would rather turn a blind eye than listen to our accusations about a murderer hiding among us. Sometimes this is a person, like when people tried to warn the authorities about the Parkland shooter well-before the shooting took place, or the guns themselves. I'm not going to go into some long spiel on gun-control and my thoughts on it because I do not feel like I have my ideas sorted yet, but I will say that something needs to change. If it is us students that have to do the dirty work for someone to listen then so be it. 

“At times the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.” 
― Lemony Snicket

Personally, I want my (future) children to stand up for what they believe in, know they can make a difference, and remember that the most important things can be learned from books and from your own imagination. I look forward to reading this book series with my children and showing them that books can do more than just provide an escape for a little while, they can also enlighten you and help equip you to take on the world. 

~MG

Introducing AJ

AJ's adoption photo we fell in love with

  This beautiful boy is the newest member of my family! We adopted AJ over winter break and I just went back and saw him for the first time last weekend since leaving for winter quarter and he has really blossomed into a goofball and fits right in with our family. He is a lover of naps, which also fits right into our family, but has grown fond of mirrors and the television. He is a former racing dog from Florida and we have access to his family tree which I love to look through! He won only one race under the name 'Springwater AJ' on the 21st of April, 2017 (video replay), and retired in June, around the same time we lost Sierra. I am going to have to record that video replay as they don't stay on the website forever and I love how he came from behind and how excited the announcer gets!
  AJ is obsessed with JA, which is what we call his reflection that he loves to look at/tries to interact with. I can't wait for him to meet other dogs and learn that not all dogs are greyhounds! I am still looking into getting an emotional support animal and it will be very important that the two of them will get along as he will be their uncle and a very important role model in their lives, even if they are older than AJ...
  Anyways AJ loves his football toy, mostly because it has treats in it! He is very content to lay on his bed with his football, a blanket draped over him, and TV on to whatever morning television show is on at the time. He is a very big fan of Good Morning America but I have a feeling he would like late night TV as well. I think he likes the applause because obviously, they are applauding for him.
  It is still strange to think Sierra is gone, and I find myself constantly comparing AJ to her, but in a good way. He knows how to get what he wants just like she did, but he seems to have a more compassionate approach while Sierra would just glare at you until someone did what she wanted. AJ is also more playful than I remember her being, but I was in elementary school when she was AJ's age so maybe I just remember her as an elderly dog. He loves the ear scratches I give, rubbing my knuckle on the inside of their ear, just like Sierra did. They can't share collars as greyhounds need a special kind but I am hoping he can wear some of her holiday bandannas as we come up to some this Spring. Even though I was very excited about getting a new dog I secretly worried that it wouldn't feel right having another dog be the fifth member of our household but AJ fits right in. We had never lost a dog before and as hard as it was, getting another dog was the right decision for us. AJ helps us reflect on the happy times with Sierra and makes remembering her just that much easier. 
  I would like to thank Greyhound Pets Inc.  where we got AJ for being so wonderful to AJ and his brothers that have stayed there before. I love seeing the pictures of the greyhounds and hope to bring AJ to some events at their kennel so he can reconnect with his friends. I am head-over-heels in love with this boy and cannot wait to get to know him more!

~MG

My First College 'Party'

Have I mastered clickbait? I was pretty proud when I came up with that title :)

So the other night I went to a rootbeer kegger thrown by a Christian organization on campus. I was really pleased that some of the dorms have a bible study group and that there are plenty of choices so if one doesn't seem like a good fit I can try another one.

For those of you who went to church with me, you might have noticed that I left SPC after 11th grade. I was very displeased with the leadership and the way the student leadership was run and decided to leave leading and the church in general since I didn't feel like I really belonged. I worshiped on my own but wasn't getting as much out of it as I wanted to. I was really looking forward to getting into a group when I went off to school.

I think what I am most looking forward to is exploring the various denominations of Christianity. I was a Presbyterian for a long time, mostly because that was just the kind of church I went to. I really liked that they approved of gay marriage since that is not often a belief many Christian churches I have been exposed to endorse, granted it has been a very long time since I went to a different church so maybe things have changed. I also liked that women were welcome to be pastors, but that might be common in other Christian denominations too.

I am looking forward to growing my faith this year and having God by my side as I start life on my own and learn how to be my own person.

 ~MG