I am a sentimental person. I have a personal tradition on the last day of the year that I write in a journal, reviewing the year and things I have done/gone through. This year I wrote my review last night and I compared this year with 10 years ago, 10 years before that and 10 years before that. One of the things I was looking at was how technology had changed - I was sitting on my couch, playing on my laptop while my roommate was able to check news, the weather and even star-gaze with his new android cell phone. In my review I compared my head-space from the last 30 years with this year and one of the things I noticed was that I am so much happier I am this year than I have been in years. And while it's true I have packed on 5 pounds since November - it's all about the sugar and the drinks and the NOT exercising - it is also true that I got myself back onto weightwatchers online. Since their new points changed up I had a hard time adjusting and, did I mention the not exercising? Yeah it's been a wee bit nuts at my work and I have gotten out of the good habit of doing my daily reports both here and on the WW website.
But there's no time like NOW to be back in the habit and I started that now on Sunday. Yes, the day after Christmas. Surprisingly enough I had not overdone it for dinner the day before....that's because of the tequila. See, I have this other tradition - it started when my roommate moved here 5 years ago and we got together for Christmas and drank an entire (small bottle) of 1800. And every year since then it's been our little thing. However, usually it starts like this: get up early, make mimosas (champagne and orangejuice) and open presents, then the roommate makes a big, huge fabulous dinner. And we drink a bottle of tequila and eat ourselves silly. This year we didn't make the dinner. Just drank. And I was asleep by 10pm.
So, I went to the grocery store to stock up on good for me food (because when I don't get groceries I go out to eat and that's hardly ever good) and I found a new thing from Safeway - they are snack packs, find them where the packaged salads are. They have little packets of baby carrots and a tiny dish of ranch. Then there's one that's got grapes, baby carrots, cheddar cheese and crackers (150 cal - 4 points) and one that has baby carrots, pea pods, cheese and ranch (150 cal - 3 points). Having handy snacks is key for my success. That and soup. (fills me up and low cal)
The new points system well....it doesn't make sense to me yet but it bumped my daily points allowance by over 10 points. However, many of the things I was used to eating (bread, cheese, tofurky) went up in points. The main thing I notice is that fruits and veggies are almost all zero points. So, I started back up on Monday and will weigh in on Sunday as usual. Tonight we have friends coming over and we are drinking and who knows what else, but I always look at the start of a new year as the opportunity to clean the slate and start again. This year I'm not exactly starting again because I am still down 25 pounds from where I was in August and no clue how far down from a year ago this time.
I hope that each of you has a good start to the brand new year. Happy New Year!
Remember that if you put your mind to it you can do anything. And just keep taking it
One day, One step, One pound at a time.
~N
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wa-ho-doreeeee
I'm still here. It is indeed the season for.....EATING. So I shall blog soon. And I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Jess - I am sooooooo jealous. Take lots of pictures. I am living vicariously.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thank you. Now stop whining and focus. (the longest day)
The title of this blog is for me. So anyone else (RW) tempted to think it's about you....it's not. ;)
Now then. I had a very, very important and stressful and milestone inducing week. And none of it has to do with the diet. (which reminded me and I just stepped on the scale.....eeek.....2 pounds back on.....FOCUS!!!)
So the reason the week was all of those things is wrapped up in my job. Remember a few blogs back where I said I made a big decision and it was about my job? So I have really not liked my boss and the way the administration/management runs where I work. I do realize that in order to run a company, any company, you must have a vision for the long-term and you have to be willing to make the hard choices. However, the way they choose to communicate with their employees is the most bass-ackward (figure it out) thing I have ever seen. Honestly I believe it has to do with the fact that it is a religious-based organization and they don't know how to say "yes, we believe in a god that is kind and loving to people and we are trying to show that to our customers" and how to manage their employees. The disconnect between the "mission" statement and the actual reality is profound.
In the nearly 10 years I have worked for this company I have seen them (especially in the department I work in) take people that have given years if not decades of their lives - even donating their time (clocking out and still working) and say "thank you for your service" and then either firing or "retiring" them. Over and over. The easiest way to see it coming is if a person has to have any sort of surgery or prolonged illness and absence. As soon as they come back to work they have 2 months or less until they are "let go". About a month ago we were all called into a meeting where our director informed us that the company is not making budget - by about $10 million. (she did not give us the total, she spread it out in a talk but anyone paying attention could add the numbers up.....) The point of this talk was to get us ready for cuts. It was clear that administration was sending the department heads out to warn the staff to get ready for some painful cuts.
This last week the axe fell. And it was one of the most stressful weeks I have experienced maybe ever. It started a couple of weeks ago when one of my friends that had a surgery and extended medical leave this summer (yep) told me she was retiring... OK, so part of this is because she is still not doing well but she is not full retirement age. And then we were told (or found out) that the deadline for making cuts to meet budget was Friday the 3rd. (Also my roomate's birthday.) So we had a retirement party for my friend on Thursday and the most telling and poignant (and chilling) moment came at the end when the director actually choked up when paying tribute to my friend. This is highly unusual for the big boss and was cause for attention.
Then in the afternoon all of us in the office started getting appointments with our direct supervisor. Starting with me at 10am on Friday. And being the CSI person I am I put 2 and 2 together and KNEW that this was where the big life-changing news was going to happen. All afternoon on Thursday I fretted and compared notes with my co-workers. At the very end of the day one of my closest friends who is also a co-worker was called into her supervisor's office (after her counterpart in another area of our department was laid off entirely) and told that she was getting a reduction in salary AND having her hours cut as well as having to absorb the other person's duties... This led to me not sleeping well at ALL on Thursday night. Stomach ache. Crying.
I even cleaned out the majority of any personal effects from my desk before I left on Thursday. See, the last job I had before this was my dream job and I lost it one day without a clue. Without warning. And I told myself NEVER AGAIN would I get caught that unaware. I have and will always have a box under my desk. Just in case.
So, on Friday morning I woke up at 4:50am. Wide awake. Not even my cat believed me when I got up and started paying bills online. The night before I had figured out my budget in case I was cut by 1 day a week (as had already happened to others) and I had bills to pay in case... I got to work on time. Zero appetite for any breakfast so I drank water and tried to concentrate. By this time almost every person in my office had a meeting set up with our boss. Without going into the details of exactly what happened in the meeting I will say this: I am both incredibly lucky and thankful. They did cut my job, the job that I was doing up until Friday, but then they also gave me increased responsibilities for what amounts to the lead position in the office. With no cuts. There were only 2 other people that I know of in the office that did not have their pay or hours cut on Friday.
I am someone that firmly believes in being willing to adjust your plans and what happened to me on Friday adjusted my plans. Yes, I am still working for a boss that I could write books about (she really IS that bad) and yes I still think that management does a piss-poor job of communicating with their staff, not to mention makes crappy decisions in terms of budget. However I am no longer looking for a new job. They have shown that they trust me enough to put me into a key position at a time when they are having to make cuts all over the place. And I am going to honor that by telling myself that I will be thankful that I have a job and I am going to stop whining and work. I am not going to look for a new job. Mind you, if one falls into my lap and it's the right job? I will do that (it would be highly stupid to ignore a good opportunity). But in the meantime I will be thankful and shift my focus to this fitness journey.
Because this week I gained TWO POUNDS. And THAT is not the direction I want to go. So it's back to work. On my job and on my fitness. And focus not only on health but on being thankful. The T in TCN.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Now then. I had a very, very important and stressful and milestone inducing week. And none of it has to do with the diet. (which reminded me and I just stepped on the scale.....eeek.....2 pounds back on.....FOCUS!!!)
So the reason the week was all of those things is wrapped up in my job. Remember a few blogs back where I said I made a big decision and it was about my job? So I have really not liked my boss and the way the administration/management runs where I work. I do realize that in order to run a company, any company, you must have a vision for the long-term and you have to be willing to make the hard choices. However, the way they choose to communicate with their employees is the most bass-ackward (figure it out) thing I have ever seen. Honestly I believe it has to do with the fact that it is a religious-based organization and they don't know how to say "yes, we believe in a god that is kind and loving to people and we are trying to show that to our customers" and how to manage their employees. The disconnect between the "mission" statement and the actual reality is profound.
In the nearly 10 years I have worked for this company I have seen them (especially in the department I work in) take people that have given years if not decades of their lives - even donating their time (clocking out and still working) and say "thank you for your service" and then either firing or "retiring" them. Over and over. The easiest way to see it coming is if a person has to have any sort of surgery or prolonged illness and absence. As soon as they come back to work they have 2 months or less until they are "let go". About a month ago we were all called into a meeting where our director informed us that the company is not making budget - by about $10 million. (she did not give us the total, she spread it out in a talk but anyone paying attention could add the numbers up.....) The point of this talk was to get us ready for cuts. It was clear that administration was sending the department heads out to warn the staff to get ready for some painful cuts.
This last week the axe fell. And it was one of the most stressful weeks I have experienced maybe ever. It started a couple of weeks ago when one of my friends that had a surgery and extended medical leave this summer (yep) told me she was retiring... OK, so part of this is because she is still not doing well but she is not full retirement age. And then we were told (or found out) that the deadline for making cuts to meet budget was Friday the 3rd. (Also my roomate's birthday.) So we had a retirement party for my friend on Thursday and the most telling and poignant (and chilling) moment came at the end when the director actually choked up when paying tribute to my friend. This is highly unusual for the big boss and was cause for attention.
Then in the afternoon all of us in the office started getting appointments with our direct supervisor. Starting with me at 10am on Friday. And being the CSI person I am I put 2 and 2 together and KNEW that this was where the big life-changing news was going to happen. All afternoon on Thursday I fretted and compared notes with my co-workers. At the very end of the day one of my closest friends who is also a co-worker was called into her supervisor's office (after her counterpart in another area of our department was laid off entirely) and told that she was getting a reduction in salary AND having her hours cut as well as having to absorb the other person's duties... This led to me not sleeping well at ALL on Thursday night. Stomach ache. Crying.
I even cleaned out the majority of any personal effects from my desk before I left on Thursday. See, the last job I had before this was my dream job and I lost it one day without a clue. Without warning. And I told myself NEVER AGAIN would I get caught that unaware. I have and will always have a box under my desk. Just in case.
So, on Friday morning I woke up at 4:50am. Wide awake. Not even my cat believed me when I got up and started paying bills online. The night before I had figured out my budget in case I was cut by 1 day a week (as had already happened to others) and I had bills to pay in case... I got to work on time. Zero appetite for any breakfast so I drank water and tried to concentrate. By this time almost every person in my office had a meeting set up with our boss. Without going into the details of exactly what happened in the meeting I will say this: I am both incredibly lucky and thankful. They did cut my job, the job that I was doing up until Friday, but then they also gave me increased responsibilities for what amounts to the lead position in the office. With no cuts. There were only 2 other people that I know of in the office that did not have their pay or hours cut on Friday.
I am someone that firmly believes in being willing to adjust your plans and what happened to me on Friday adjusted my plans. Yes, I am still working for a boss that I could write books about (she really IS that bad) and yes I still think that management does a piss-poor job of communicating with their staff, not to mention makes crappy decisions in terms of budget. However I am no longer looking for a new job. They have shown that they trust me enough to put me into a key position at a time when they are having to make cuts all over the place. And I am going to honor that by telling myself that I will be thankful that I have a job and I am going to stop whining and work. I am not going to look for a new job. Mind you, if one falls into my lap and it's the right job? I will do that (it would be highly stupid to ignore a good opportunity). But in the meantime I will be thankful and shift my focus to this fitness journey.
Because this week I gained TWO POUNDS. And THAT is not the direction I want to go. So it's back to work. On my job and on my fitness. And focus not only on health but on being thankful. The T in TCN.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
static blob
doing better and getting used to the new points system (the points for things I was used to went up....good thing my daily allowance did too...) but not moving yet. I mean ok I cleaned and I brought the garbage and recycling in but not actual, I'm-doing-this-on-purpose moving....
And that is no one's fault but my own.
I just am not motivated to do it. And until I make myself do it I don't think I will get that motivation high that I get when I'm in the groove, moving constantly.
For now I am a blob on my couch. Not gaining but not losing.
Mmmmmph.
(on a completely unrelated note I put my Christmas trees up tonight. Yes trees. And those made me happy.)
One day. One pound. One step (as soon as I make myself take it) at a time.
~N
And that is no one's fault but my own.
I just am not motivated to do it. And until I make myself do it I don't think I will get that motivation high that I get when I'm in the groove, moving constantly.
For now I am a blob on my couch. Not gaining but not losing.
Mmmmmph.
(on a completely unrelated note I put my Christmas trees up tonight. Yes trees. And those made me happy.)
One day. One pound. One step (as soon as I make myself take it) at a time.
~N
Monday, November 29, 2010
OUCH
Wow, so first of all let me tell you WW people out there - they changed their points calculations for the first time in 13 years. It's called the Points Plus program and here's what the Weight Watchers website has to say about it:
There are new calculations - based on fat, carbohydrates, protein and fiber. (They do not count calories on this). And new daily and weekly point totals....HIGHER totals. All fruit and most vegetables are zero points. There is now a section called "Power Foods" which is not the same as filling foods. Basically these help you to feel more satisfied/full (and thus not want to keep eating and eating) and lose weight. (most fruits and vegetables are on a list that they have on the site - if you would like a copy of the Power Foods list just let me know and I'll see about emailing it to you)
This just started this week and so I'm getting used to the new system. It looks like the main focus is to eat lots of foods on the Power Foods list and follow some Good Health Guidelines:
Fruits and Veggies: 5 servings a day
Milk Products: 2 servings a day
Liquids: 6 glasses per day of non-alcoholic beverages (key word is NON) including milk, juice, seltzer, diet sodas, coffee and tea. The best choice is water.
Lean Protein: 1-2 servings per day of cooked meat, fish or poultry, each within 2 to 3 oz. For us veggies the following count as 1oz each: 1 egg, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
Whole grains: "choose whenever possible"
Limit sugar and alcohol: this has been a bad spot for me....and where I will explain the title of today's blog - women should have no more than 1 alcoholic drink per day and 2 per men. - yeah....here is the reason I am still at the 30 pound mark...I have NOT been good with this. On the week days I have been having a drink at night but the last several weekends have been benders for me....and I mean benders as in bending the elbow at bars. This coming weekend is no exception. So I am deciding right now that the nightly drinks must stop if I know I'm going out. Because I have 15 more pounds to lose by the end of the year. And dammit I won't let alcohol stop me.
Healthy Oils: olive, sunflower, flaxseed, safflower, canola. - 2 teaspoons per day. Nursing moms need 3.
Multivitamin: 1 per day
Activity: At least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. Starting with 10 per day if you are sedentary now.
Today I went to a local restaurant that I haven't been to in a long time. And I got a veggie burger. And a salad. And tonight I came home and entered the points values after looking them up online at burgerville.com and OH.MY.GOD. Seriously. EIGHTEEN POINTS for that burger?! I wanted to vomit right then and there......but that's how easy it is, just one sandwich and you're at 18 points. That is how I got where I was. The salad was 7 points. And totally good. 7 points I can live with. 18 I cannot. And will not.
Then I came home and my awesome roommate made me this fantastic dinner of ravioli and garlic bread and my favorite drink - a bourbon furnace. So let's just say that had I not had my lunch today I might not have been where I am with the daily points....which is to say WAAAAAAAAAY over.
Tomorrow I get up out of my chair at work and I walk for 10 min. 5 minutes 1 way and 5 minutes back. And then we'll try for it again the next day. I am not giving up.
It's still one day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
"The story of the new PointsPlus program really begins four years ago. Karen Miller-Kovach and her team were looking at the pool of research on how calories from protein, carbs, fiber, and fat provide satisfaction and are processed by the body. Based on that data, Weight Watchers developed what became the PointsPlus program. The program was thoroughly tested in scientifically supervised trials — at various locations including Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) — starting in 2007."
There are new calculations - based on fat, carbohydrates, protein and fiber. (They do not count calories on this). And new daily and weekly point totals....HIGHER totals. All fruit and most vegetables are zero points. There is now a section called "Power Foods" which is not the same as filling foods. Basically these help you to feel more satisfied/full (and thus not want to keep eating and eating) and lose weight. (most fruits and vegetables are on a list that they have on the site - if you would like a copy of the Power Foods list just let me know and I'll see about emailing it to you)
This just started this week and so I'm getting used to the new system. It looks like the main focus is to eat lots of foods on the Power Foods list and follow some Good Health Guidelines:
Fruits and Veggies: 5 servings a day
Milk Products: 2 servings a day
Liquids: 6 glasses per day of non-alcoholic beverages (key word is NON) including milk, juice, seltzer, diet sodas, coffee and tea. The best choice is water.
Lean Protein: 1-2 servings per day of cooked meat, fish or poultry, each within 2 to 3 oz. For us veggies the following count as 1oz each: 1 egg, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
Whole grains: "choose whenever possible"
Limit sugar and alcohol: this has been a bad spot for me....and where I will explain the title of today's blog - women should have no more than 1 alcoholic drink per day and 2 per men. - yeah....here is the reason I am still at the 30 pound mark...I have NOT been good with this. On the week days I have been having a drink at night but the last several weekends have been benders for me....and I mean benders as in bending the elbow at bars. This coming weekend is no exception. So I am deciding right now that the nightly drinks must stop if I know I'm going out. Because I have 15 more pounds to lose by the end of the year. And dammit I won't let alcohol stop me.
Healthy Oils: olive, sunflower, flaxseed, safflower, canola. - 2 teaspoons per day. Nursing moms need 3.
Multivitamin: 1 per day
Activity: At least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. Starting with 10 per day if you are sedentary now.
Today I went to a local restaurant that I haven't been to in a long time. And I got a veggie burger. And a salad. And tonight I came home and entered the points values after looking them up online at burgerville.com and OH.MY.GOD. Seriously. EIGHTEEN POINTS for that burger?! I wanted to vomit right then and there......but that's how easy it is, just one sandwich and you're at 18 points. That is how I got where I was. The salad was 7 points. And totally good. 7 points I can live with. 18 I cannot. And will not.
Then I came home and my awesome roommate made me this fantastic dinner of ravioli and garlic bread and my favorite drink - a bourbon furnace. So let's just say that had I not had my lunch today I might not have been where I am with the daily points....which is to say WAAAAAAAAAY over.
Tomorrow I get up out of my chair at work and I walk for 10 min. 5 minutes 1 way and 5 minutes back. And then we'll try for it again the next day. I am not giving up.
It's still one day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Holidaze
so wow, I have not been on here in almost 2 weeks!! Not to worry. I haven't gone carb crazy and eaten the fridge. I did have a big Thanksgiving meal, but I also planned it ahead of time and did not go over the points (including weekly that is). Sheesh it's hard to keep up on this blog when it's this time of year.
So, first of all this is the first weekend in almost a month that I haven't had anyone visiting. I LOVE visits. Especially when I get to have them one-on-one and enjoy each person in a more candid situation. And then we've had pre-winter weather here. It even SNOWED here - I LOVE snow. LOVE it so much. It didn't stay but it has been cold enough that I have not been out walking. And therein lies my current hurdle to clambour over.....moving.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I make a really good imitation of a couch potato. Because my couch is comfortable and it's warm inside my house and well, because generally I'd rather be lazy than move. But I also would rather be fit than fat. So, I must put the Wii front and center in my living room and make time for it every day. I've been getting to work earlier than usual (which is easy since the time changed but still it's dark) and my chiropractor appointments have slowed to a more reasonable 1-2 times a week so that I'm not completely exhausted when I get back home. So it's up to me to figure out some movement every day. And do that for 15 minutes. That's not long. It's probably just a tiny bit more than I spend writing this blog and it's significantly less time than I spend on the computer. THAT would be interesting - a computer that is entirely powered by the movement of the operator. Keep moving and you can play on facebook. Stop moving and *poof* no connectivity. Hmmmmm. Must explore that thought more fully.
Meantime I do have a couple of personal victories to recount: 1. I wore a belt to work for the first time in I have NO idea how long. I have a pair of pants that I like and couldn't wear anymore because who wants to be that person at the office who is in danger of walking around in their underwear whenever they stand up??? (and if you answered yes to that question - seek help). So yay me for that. And 2. I am now 3 sizes smaller than I was when I started this journey in August. :) And this means that I have to buy a new dressy dress for my birthday in January and it will be in my new size. (Because the dressy dress that I have now is 2 sizes too big!!!)
So, this week I will focus on just that little move. That choice to move. The one step at a time portion of my mantra on this blog. Because as I have said before - nobody else is going to lose the weight for me. If they were I'd have picked someone like Jerry Rice, 'cause he's fast!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year I am thankful for this blog and for you dear readers. I trust you each had a safe and happy time with people that you love. (We will talk about people that spend holidays with relatives they don't actually like on another blog.)
Remember: it's always One day. One pound. One step at a time.
(but first get off the couch)
~N
So, first of all this is the first weekend in almost a month that I haven't had anyone visiting. I LOVE visits. Especially when I get to have them one-on-one and enjoy each person in a more candid situation. And then we've had pre-winter weather here. It even SNOWED here - I LOVE snow. LOVE it so much. It didn't stay but it has been cold enough that I have not been out walking. And therein lies my current hurdle to clambour over.....moving.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I make a really good imitation of a couch potato. Because my couch is comfortable and it's warm inside my house and well, because generally I'd rather be lazy than move. But I also would rather be fit than fat. So, I must put the Wii front and center in my living room and make time for it every day. I've been getting to work earlier than usual (which is easy since the time changed but still it's dark) and my chiropractor appointments have slowed to a more reasonable 1-2 times a week so that I'm not completely exhausted when I get back home. So it's up to me to figure out some movement every day. And do that for 15 minutes. That's not long. It's probably just a tiny bit more than I spend writing this blog and it's significantly less time than I spend on the computer. THAT would be interesting - a computer that is entirely powered by the movement of the operator. Keep moving and you can play on facebook. Stop moving and *poof* no connectivity. Hmmmmm. Must explore that thought more fully.
Meantime I do have a couple of personal victories to recount: 1. I wore a belt to work for the first time in I have NO idea how long. I have a pair of pants that I like and couldn't wear anymore because who wants to be that person at the office who is in danger of walking around in their underwear whenever they stand up??? (and if you answered yes to that question - seek help). So yay me for that. And 2. I am now 3 sizes smaller than I was when I started this journey in August. :) And this means that I have to buy a new dressy dress for my birthday in January and it will be in my new size. (Because the dressy dress that I have now is 2 sizes too big!!!)
So, this week I will focus on just that little move. That choice to move. The one step at a time portion of my mantra on this blog. Because as I have said before - nobody else is going to lose the weight for me. If they were I'd have picked someone like Jerry Rice, 'cause he's fast!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year I am thankful for this blog and for you dear readers. I trust you each had a safe and happy time with people that you love. (We will talk about people that spend holidays with relatives they don't actually like on another blog.)
Remember: it's always One day. One pound. One step at a time.
(but first get off the couch)
~N
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Week 16 Tuesday - gutting it out
My tummy hurts. Not sure why exactly but I woke up early (before 6) with a stomach ache. Almost felt like I'd had too much of a pain medicine. And I believe I've covered the food as pain control part of my coping mechanism and today was a combo of pain control and anger control...yes, work related anger control.
I will say that I handled my work frustrations better, I did eat a calzone for lunch....whopping 12 points on that baby. And I am out of points now, but I am ok with that. And I was able to deal with the thorny office politics issues (and by deal I mean kick some ass and do it so well that they say thank you when I'm done) and come home and sink into my slippers and fuzzy robe.
Watched Biggest Loser tonight and was once again inspired by the way that extreme exercise can sculpt people. Elizabeth lost 8 pounds in a week....and is below 200 now. She's the one that was asthmatic at the beginning and had to be taken by ambulance when trying to get on the show. And here I sit on my couch.....
The only thing stopping me from getting my ass in gear and LOSING my ass more quickly than I am is me. So, let's see what I choose to do with myself.....
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I will say that I handled my work frustrations better, I did eat a calzone for lunch....whopping 12 points on that baby. And I am out of points now, but I am ok with that. And I was able to deal with the thorny office politics issues (and by deal I mean kick some ass and do it so well that they say thank you when I'm done) and come home and sink into my slippers and fuzzy robe.
Watched Biggest Loser tonight and was once again inspired by the way that extreme exercise can sculpt people. Elizabeth lost 8 pounds in a week....and is below 200 now. She's the one that was asthmatic at the beginning and had to be taken by ambulance when trying to get on the show. And here I sit on my couch.....
The only thing stopping me from getting my ass in gear and LOSING my ass more quickly than I am is me. So, let's see what I choose to do with myself.....
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 16 - Weigh-in day - comfort and joy
Back on track - 31.5 pounds down (meaning I lost 2.5 pounds) and that's after eating pizza last night and making sounds while eating it that should probably not be made in polite company. Papa Murphy's vegetarian pizza has never been so good!
The week went by so fast and the weekend was great and action-packed. This is the 2nd of 3 weekends this month that I am lucky to have one of my very best friends visiting us here and I soaked up the conversation, companionship and fun. Probably a good thing that I was the designated driver, saved me on points and got me back on track.
My work has an incentive for the employees, basically a response to rising health care costs, that has inspired my roommate to focus on getting healthy and is helping me focus on my own journey. Basically what they are doing is doubling the cost of our health care as of the first of the year. But if you choose to get a health screening (they take your blood to test your cholesterol, weigh you and measure you and tell you what your numbers are and try to get you to focus on being healthy) you will not have your costs go up. This year. And so this next week I'm going to have a meeting with someone who will tell me I'm obese and tell me their numbers. And it will be helpful in that it might give me numbers I don't know (I don't know my cholesterol off the top of my head, but I know it's high) the only reason I'm doing it is to save money.
Yes, the information should help people that have not started to be aware of their own health. Absolutely. However, me knowing my numbers isn't going to shame me into being healthier. I am opposed in fact to that way of training. Completely opposed. I know it works for some groups of people, but it does not work for this person. The changes that I want to and will make in my life will be because I WANT to be different. And because I choose to be better. Not because I'm ashamed of my numbers. (ok, maybe shame for how big my ass is might be part of it, but not a major factor)
My roommate took his test last week and came home and decided to focus more on being healthy. This helps my cause because, well because this way there's 2 of us in on the project. Even if we each have a separate end-goal.
Today it's cold and foggy and I had a bowl of warm oatmeal with peaches, apples and banana. This plus coffee is comfort food for me and makes me happy. And after stepping on the scale this morning I am encouraged and even more determined. Just a little over 2 months from now I will be 40. And I would really like to have lost at least 20 more pounds by then. And I know I can.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
The week went by so fast and the weekend was great and action-packed. This is the 2nd of 3 weekends this month that I am lucky to have one of my very best friends visiting us here and I soaked up the conversation, companionship and fun. Probably a good thing that I was the designated driver, saved me on points and got me back on track.
My work has an incentive for the employees, basically a response to rising health care costs, that has inspired my roommate to focus on getting healthy and is helping me focus on my own journey. Basically what they are doing is doubling the cost of our health care as of the first of the year. But if you choose to get a health screening (they take your blood to test your cholesterol, weigh you and measure you and tell you what your numbers are and try to get you to focus on being healthy) you will not have your costs go up. This year. And so this next week I'm going to have a meeting with someone who will tell me I'm obese and tell me their numbers. And it will be helpful in that it might give me numbers I don't know (I don't know my cholesterol off the top of my head, but I know it's high) the only reason I'm doing it is to save money.
Yes, the information should help people that have not started to be aware of their own health. Absolutely. However, me knowing my numbers isn't going to shame me into being healthier. I am opposed in fact to that way of training. Completely opposed. I know it works for some groups of people, but it does not work for this person. The changes that I want to and will make in my life will be because I WANT to be different. And because I choose to be better. Not because I'm ashamed of my numbers. (ok, maybe shame for how big my ass is might be part of it, but not a major factor)
My roommate took his test last week and came home and decided to focus more on being healthy. This helps my cause because, well because this way there's 2 of us in on the project. Even if we each have a separate end-goal.
Today it's cold and foggy and I had a bowl of warm oatmeal with peaches, apples and banana. This plus coffee is comfort food for me and makes me happy. And after stepping on the scale this morning I am encouraged and even more determined. Just a little over 2 months from now I will be 40. And I would really like to have lost at least 20 more pounds by then. And I know I can.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Week 15 - TCN
So, yeah, I've been tracking my foods but NOT blogging. The week has gotten away from me and here I am at Thursday. I have had a great week. I've been helping some friends work through some pretty intense personal stuff, life-changing stuff and it's impossible to not be affected by things like this, even when it's not your life.
About a year ago my roommate and I were having our annual discussion about the holidays. He hates them. He thinks the decorations, the big deal made about them on tv and for promotions and money is disgusting and calls Christmas "forced-giving". I LOVE them. I get caught up in the nostalgia. Decorate. Put on the music that you really can only stand once a year. I sit in the dark with the lights on the tree and listen to music, write out cards. I even bake. And yet I see his point. The reason behind the celebrations is, or was, about something more and it's been buried under the latest half-off sales
And last year we were talking about the reasons these days were set aside (besides the commercialization and money-making). The things we celebrate during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's - at Thanksgiving we give thanks for the things that we have. We're a little less likely to be upset about the things we don't have and a little more grateful for what we actually have. At Christmas we give gifts. Sometimes these are gifts we have made and sometimes we buy them. People are more generous with others at Christmas. On New Year's Day (if they're not hung-over) people re-evaluate and re-set for the new year. Set new goals. Re-commit ourselves to the things that are truly important to us.
So, the question was - why don't we live every day like it's all 3 of these days? Being thankful for what we do have, giving to others and re-committing to our goals. I think it's a really good idea. And I'm writing this post to remind myself of it's value, and to share with you what I think is a good idea.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
About a year ago my roommate and I were having our annual discussion about the holidays. He hates them. He thinks the decorations, the big deal made about them on tv and for promotions and money is disgusting and calls Christmas "forced-giving". I LOVE them. I get caught up in the nostalgia. Decorate. Put on the music that you really can only stand once a year. I sit in the dark with the lights on the tree and listen to music, write out cards. I even bake. And yet I see his point. The reason behind the celebrations is, or was, about something more and it's been buried under the latest half-off sales
And last year we were talking about the reasons these days were set aside (besides the commercialization and money-making). The things we celebrate during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's - at Thanksgiving we give thanks for the things that we have. We're a little less likely to be upset about the things we don't have and a little more grateful for what we actually have. At Christmas we give gifts. Sometimes these are gifts we have made and sometimes we buy them. People are more generous with others at Christmas. On New Year's Day (if they're not hung-over) people re-evaluate and re-set for the new year. Set new goals. Re-commit ourselves to the things that are truly important to us.
So, the question was - why don't we live every day like it's all 3 of these days? Being thankful for what we do have, giving to others and re-committing to our goals. I think it's a really good idea. And I'm writing this post to remind myself of it's value, and to share with you what I think is a good idea.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Monday, November 8, 2010
Week 15 - not the worst Monday ever
Something about this time of year - oh yeah that's it - I got to SLEEP IN and still be early to work today!!! I love the time change. I just work better on this time. Like right now? The daylight savings time would be midnight. But it's 11. :) Yes, this is much more my time.
Had a decent day at work. Busy. Have a semi-big presentation on Wednesday that I'm mostly dreading. (it's the kind of presentation where you tell the people in charge what you actually do - because they have no idea) And I should have worked on it tonight when I got home but I am still working on getting rid of stuff in my room and then I sat on the couch going through old magazines (if you work with me look out for a huge influx of Newsweeks soon) and watching a documentary about death and what happens to the body during the process. Yeah, sounds ghoulish huh? It was fascinating.
Anyway, then instead of working on my presentation I watched some crap tv and texted with one of my best friends. I am really good at procrastination (you do not get to feel guilty about my not working on my presentation by the way, I would much rather text than work so stop it now you know who you are) and yeah so tomorrow I'll be working on it. The big boss said to keep it simple....so I'll do that. Pretty sure what they are going to be looking at is the way my time is divided between the 5 departments and the fact that 1 department hogs all my time. And frankly that 1 department should be paying for 90% of my time and 2 others split the remaining 10. I will have no problem answering that.
Got another job prospect today. Stayed under my daily points goal and am nearly done with the room renovation (for now, still have 1 more book shelf to buy at Ikea). Life feels more in control right now. And it was a change in head-set, a good night's sleep, and good choices in eating.
Speaking of which - 2 of you that read this regularly are going to miss out on our annual work luncheon at the good Mexican restaurant tomorrow. Guess where I'm headed before I go to sleep? That restaurant's menu for some points planning.
Today I drank more water than I have, did not drink caffeine (and still only have a smidge of a headache!) had 2 smart ones - 1 for breakfast (love the english muffins) and 1 for lunch (the rigatoni with vodka cream sauce, cause it's good and I like saying that I had vodka at work, hee hee) some cheezits (because evidently salt is what I want right now), one of those yummy Jello Dulce du Leche cups and then for a snack at home I made some tacos - 1 point per little corn tortilla and added about 1/2 tbsp of veggie burger and a tbsp of shredded cheese. Popped those suckers in the microwave and enjoyed them. Later on the roommate made me some Pho and since that's a known quantity (7.5 points for a HUGE bowl of soup with tofu, sprouts, noodles etc) I was able to stay under points.
Now I gotta go check out that menu for tomorrow....cause this could get interesting....
Stay tuned.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Had a decent day at work. Busy. Have a semi-big presentation on Wednesday that I'm mostly dreading. (it's the kind of presentation where you tell the people in charge what you actually do - because they have no idea) And I should have worked on it tonight when I got home but I am still working on getting rid of stuff in my room and then I sat on the couch going through old magazines (if you work with me look out for a huge influx of Newsweeks soon) and watching a documentary about death and what happens to the body during the process. Yeah, sounds ghoulish huh? It was fascinating.
Anyway, then instead of working on my presentation I watched some crap tv and texted with one of my best friends. I am really good at procrastination (you do not get to feel guilty about my not working on my presentation by the way, I would much rather text than work so stop it now you know who you are) and yeah so tomorrow I'll be working on it. The big boss said to keep it simple....so I'll do that. Pretty sure what they are going to be looking at is the way my time is divided between the 5 departments and the fact that 1 department hogs all my time. And frankly that 1 department should be paying for 90% of my time and 2 others split the remaining 10. I will have no problem answering that.
Got another job prospect today. Stayed under my daily points goal and am nearly done with the room renovation (for now, still have 1 more book shelf to buy at Ikea). Life feels more in control right now. And it was a change in head-set, a good night's sleep, and good choices in eating.
Speaking of which - 2 of you that read this regularly are going to miss out on our annual work luncheon at the good Mexican restaurant tomorrow. Guess where I'm headed before I go to sleep? That restaurant's menu for some points planning.
Today I drank more water than I have, did not drink caffeine (and still only have a smidge of a headache!) had 2 smart ones - 1 for breakfast (love the english muffins) and 1 for lunch (the rigatoni with vodka cream sauce, cause it's good and I like saying that I had vodka at work, hee hee) some cheezits (because evidently salt is what I want right now), one of those yummy Jello Dulce du Leche cups and then for a snack at home I made some tacos - 1 point per little corn tortilla and added about 1/2 tbsp of veggie burger and a tbsp of shredded cheese. Popped those suckers in the microwave and enjoyed them. Later on the roommate made me some Pho and since that's a known quantity (7.5 points for a HUGE bowl of soup with tofu, sprouts, noodles etc) I was able to stay under points.
Now I gotta go check out that menu for tomorrow....cause this could get interesting....
Stay tuned.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Sunday, November 7, 2010
week 15 - weigh-in day and the short view
I got a CT scan this week. Of my head. Well, of my sinuses actually. See, its now been 3 months since I started to think I had allergies, then got sick and finally ended up not being able to sleep lying down. Have had 2 rounds of antibiotics with no change and the doctor said after the first round that if I was not better after the second round I'd get to have the CT. The cool, super-cool thing about my cat scan? I got a dvd of it. For free. And now I have a picture of my actual skull. What I look like underneath all this other stuff. Me. The part of me that'll still be here after I'm dead and gone. Yeah, I know that might be a bit maudlin and strange to you but to me it's super cool. (Plus now I want a copy of my back x-ray cause if you put the 2 together you have almost the entire skeleton of me!)
What I started thinking about while looking at all the different images of my head (no, I don't appear to have any tumors but I'm sure my doc will tell me the results tomorrow) was the basic things that make me ME. When you get down to it you are made of skin and bones and muscle etc. and what goes over that (or in the case of fat, under the skin) is up to me. I did not pick which bones, what type of density, how long etc. But I do get to pick what goes over that.
This leads to this week's confession. I am at minus 29 pounds. Yup. Gained back. And I know why. As my friend Janice pointed out (correctly too I might add) when I don't blog I'm likely to have not been logging my food journal and not have met my goal of losing more pounds. This last week was just like the previous 2 or 3. Busy. And I have noticed another correlation with me - when I feel stressed and overwhelmed I am less likely to be focused and efficient. My room has been in a state of shambles for a bit now and I finally got some new furniture that I'd planned to get that will help with some of the shambles. (I kept saying I would get rid of clothes but never did and was perpetually moving a pile of clothes from the bed to the floor and back again, with no room for them in the closet or in the 1 dresser I had - now I have 3) I have also been planning a big get together in January for my birthday and the finances of that have been weighing heavily on my head.
I don't think I've said this on here but my finances and my food intake are very closely related. When I find that I haven't logged my food intake or blogged on here it's highly likely that I will find I have not been paying close attention to my budget and bills. When I was depressed these were key indicators for me - I'd get a bill in the mail. Feel overwhelmed at the concept of paying it and so just not even open it, rather stack it in the corner somewhere and "deal with it later". I have long since set up a budget and generally do not go over that, in fact put money into savings (a-la Dave Ramsey program to get out of debt). But in the last month I have noticed that along with not logging my food, along with not actually DOING any exercise or real physical activity, I have not been adhering to my budget and found myself at the very last limit of the bank account prior to this last pay check.
I think that this is all probably locked into my concern for the change in jobs, my not feeling well for 3 months and compounded with the pain from the car accident I was just in a pity mode - and what I do when I feel like that is go to a comfort source...usually food, combined with buying something and spending money on something I should not spend money on.
This brings me to today's weigh-in. I am back to being minus 29 pounds and that irritates me because I was so proud of being 31 pounds down. And then I started to look at the mess in my room and the mess in my physical life and mess in my financial life (all of which are seriously not the worst thing ever but if I ignore them they will spiral into a big problem...thus the nip in the bud NOW) and realized that this comes back to me feeling out of control in areas of my life that I really have complete control over. I am 100% in control of what and how much I eat, of how much I move/exercise, of how clean my room is, of how much money I spend and on what. I just need to remind myself that I can get all of these things in line with what it is that I want for me. And that means putting perspective on it.
I have a tendency to forget that there's a short view and a long view.... The short view is this: I weigh more than I want to, but less than I did. I have a messy room, but I'm getting it organized again. I want a new job, but I don't have one yet. I have a big thing I want to do but it will take saving money that I can't spend on other things now to enjoy it later. The long view is: me being 100 pounds less than where I started from, me having a party and a big trip in my future, me getting rid of things I no longer use or wear and having a bedroom that is organized and inviting and peaceful. And me working for myself as a therapist. In order to get to that long view I have to keep the short view in what I have recently described to one of my best friends as "laser focus". I cannot get to that long view any other way than through meeting the goals set in the short view. I totally WANT to push a button and get to the long view. But that is not realistic. So I have to do the work.
That being said, I had the first of what will be a total of 3 peppermint mochas from Starbucks today. 10 points and completely worth it. I LOVE them. And I charted it. And now I'm going to go back into my room and continue to create order from chaos, and at the end of the afternoon I will sit down at the computer in my room (which is completely buried now) and pay bills. This brings me to my mantra.....remembering to take it...
One day. One pound. One step (and one goal) at a time.
~N
What I started thinking about while looking at all the different images of my head (no, I don't appear to have any tumors but I'm sure my doc will tell me the results tomorrow) was the basic things that make me ME. When you get down to it you are made of skin and bones and muscle etc. and what goes over that (or in the case of fat, under the skin) is up to me. I did not pick which bones, what type of density, how long etc. But I do get to pick what goes over that.
This leads to this week's confession. I am at minus 29 pounds. Yup. Gained back. And I know why. As my friend Janice pointed out (correctly too I might add) when I don't blog I'm likely to have not been logging my food journal and not have met my goal of losing more pounds. This last week was just like the previous 2 or 3. Busy. And I have noticed another correlation with me - when I feel stressed and overwhelmed I am less likely to be focused and efficient. My room has been in a state of shambles for a bit now and I finally got some new furniture that I'd planned to get that will help with some of the shambles. (I kept saying I would get rid of clothes but never did and was perpetually moving a pile of clothes from the bed to the floor and back again, with no room for them in the closet or in the 1 dresser I had - now I have 3) I have also been planning a big get together in January for my birthday and the finances of that have been weighing heavily on my head.
I don't think I've said this on here but my finances and my food intake are very closely related. When I find that I haven't logged my food intake or blogged on here it's highly likely that I will find I have not been paying close attention to my budget and bills. When I was depressed these were key indicators for me - I'd get a bill in the mail. Feel overwhelmed at the concept of paying it and so just not even open it, rather stack it in the corner somewhere and "deal with it later". I have long since set up a budget and generally do not go over that, in fact put money into savings (a-la Dave Ramsey program to get out of debt). But in the last month I have noticed that along with not logging my food, along with not actually DOING any exercise or real physical activity, I have not been adhering to my budget and found myself at the very last limit of the bank account prior to this last pay check.
I think that this is all probably locked into my concern for the change in jobs, my not feeling well for 3 months and compounded with the pain from the car accident I was just in a pity mode - and what I do when I feel like that is go to a comfort source...usually food, combined with buying something and spending money on something I should not spend money on.
This brings me to today's weigh-in. I am back to being minus 29 pounds and that irritates me because I was so proud of being 31 pounds down. And then I started to look at the mess in my room and the mess in my physical life and mess in my financial life (all of which are seriously not the worst thing ever but if I ignore them they will spiral into a big problem...thus the nip in the bud NOW) and realized that this comes back to me feeling out of control in areas of my life that I really have complete control over. I am 100% in control of what and how much I eat, of how much I move/exercise, of how clean my room is, of how much money I spend and on what. I just need to remind myself that I can get all of these things in line with what it is that I want for me. And that means putting perspective on it.
I have a tendency to forget that there's a short view and a long view.... The short view is this: I weigh more than I want to, but less than I did. I have a messy room, but I'm getting it organized again. I want a new job, but I don't have one yet. I have a big thing I want to do but it will take saving money that I can't spend on other things now to enjoy it later. The long view is: me being 100 pounds less than where I started from, me having a party and a big trip in my future, me getting rid of things I no longer use or wear and having a bedroom that is organized and inviting and peaceful. And me working for myself as a therapist. In order to get to that long view I have to keep the short view in what I have recently described to one of my best friends as "laser focus". I cannot get to that long view any other way than through meeting the goals set in the short view. I totally WANT to push a button and get to the long view. But that is not realistic. So I have to do the work.
That being said, I had the first of what will be a total of 3 peppermint mochas from Starbucks today. 10 points and completely worth it. I LOVE them. And I charted it. And now I'm going to go back into my room and continue to create order from chaos, and at the end of the afternoon I will sit down at the computer in my room (which is completely buried now) and pay bills. This brings me to my mantra.....remembering to take it...
One day. One pound. One step (and one goal) at a time.
~N
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Week 14 day 2 - the insanity! the madness!
In case you've been lucky enough to live away from the news it can be no guess to you as to what today is in America. Today is the final day of a season of money (outrageous amounts I might add) spent to elect a new congress. Elections in America are always ... special. A slice. I am always glad when they are done.
So today we finally get to have tv without the mud slinging. And soon enough the internet and everyone can go back to getting along and having different opinions. I don't need the angst and craziness. I get enough of that at my work!
There, I feel better. So, I was good today. Except I didnt record my food on the weight watchers website. But I did record it in a file and will put it in probably tomorrow morning. I was good. Back to the same old same old - some smart ones, soup and cheezits, snack pack and soup and sandwich at home. Unfortunately I had a big project at work that got me stressed out and not paying attention to how I was sitting and moving and so by the time I got to the chiropractor I had some sort of pinched nerve in my shoulder. Super painful. The chiropractor helped but it's still not fixed now. Will be headed to bed with some pain killers.
Ahh getting old. It's not as neat as you'd think.
So yeah, that's my random post for today. I hope you all survived the day wherever you are. Jessica, if you're reading this on your trip across and around the world - I ENVY you!!!
One Day. One Pound. One Step at a Time.
~N
So today we finally get to have tv without the mud slinging. And soon enough the internet and everyone can go back to getting along and having different opinions. I don't need the angst and craziness. I get enough of that at my work!
There, I feel better. So, I was good today. Except I didnt record my food on the weight watchers website. But I did record it in a file and will put it in probably tomorrow morning. I was good. Back to the same old same old - some smart ones, soup and cheezits, snack pack and soup and sandwich at home. Unfortunately I had a big project at work that got me stressed out and not paying attention to how I was sitting and moving and so by the time I got to the chiropractor I had some sort of pinched nerve in my shoulder. Super painful. The chiropractor helped but it's still not fixed now. Will be headed to bed with some pain killers.
Ahh getting old. It's not as neat as you'd think.
So yeah, that's my random post for today. I hope you all survived the day wherever you are. Jessica, if you're reading this on your trip across and around the world - I ENVY you!!!
One Day. One Pound. One Step at a Time.
~N
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week 14 - wait, week thirteen ends on Halloween?? Nice
So, I've been busy again. No potlucks or anything. Did have a party on Saturday night. The hostess is renowned for cupcakes. Baking. Decorating. Whatever you want to eat that's sweet and yummy Michele can do it. She's making my cake for my 40th birthday party. LEMON baby. Lemon. :)
Yeah, so we had a party and thankfully most if not all of the food there was small, bite sized and basically good for you. The jello shots and drinks (appletinis and my current favorite - oatmeal cookies) not so much. But boy were they good. And I only had 1 cupcake. :) This made the 2nd or 3rd year my roommate and I have dressed up and gone to parties on Halloween. I love the excuse to dress up. It's super fun.
Now, some out there might be a bit averse to the holiday itself. And I can understand that. I did not really know much about the holiday when I was growing up. Just that it was supposed to be about the devil. Now I've had some time to do some historical research and yes there are for sure people out there that want to make it about that, and yes it does have to do with the concept of being in touch with dead people. BUT that's not the only thing it's about.
It was traditionally called Samhain and was a day to honor the dead. Not unlike our modern day memorial day. Just more....Celtic. It was part of the 4 parts of the year that were closely related to harvest times and was traditionally a time to stock up for the coming winter. It got folded into the Catholic tradition of All Saint's Day and has devolved into a night that makes dentists drool in anticipation. Ok, maybe that part's my imagination but seriously - do you even remember how much candy you ate at Halloween when you were a kid? We didn't have a specific trick or treat outing till I was in 8th grade (and we moved away from a more conservative place to the *gasp* liberal Phoenix, AZ) but we still had what we called Harvest Parties. (Which, looking at the history and tradition are really still directly related to the original "pagan" holidays.) And we still ate a LOT of candy. To this day I cannot eat candy corn because my best friend in the 5th grade, Carla, brought a bag of it to a slumber party and we ate the entire thing. And Reese's Pieces. Can't eat them either.
This year on Halloween I had a bowl of home-made Pho, a caramel apple and 2 peanut butter cups. And they were awesome. :) Tonight the roommate made more harvest stew and I'm tellin you it's so good!!! If you are a weight watchers person you can probably look up the recipe online, I put it on there.
So, I'm getting ready for bed, logged my food for the day and I still have 8 points to go!! That's good because I didn't lose anything last week. I know it's because I didn't exercise. That part is easily identified. What is not as easily done? Either getting up in the morning and doing the Wii or a walk in the dark and rain (or sleeping in......) or doing something after work. I think a 3rd option is probably better...walking once during the day. I'm more likely to actually take a lunch break that way anyway.
OK, well, I'm off to sleep now. Just wanted to check in. I'm still takin' it
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Yeah, so we had a party and thankfully most if not all of the food there was small, bite sized and basically good for you. The jello shots and drinks (appletinis and my current favorite - oatmeal cookies) not so much. But boy were they good. And I only had 1 cupcake. :) This made the 2nd or 3rd year my roommate and I have dressed up and gone to parties on Halloween. I love the excuse to dress up. It's super fun.
Now, some out there might be a bit averse to the holiday itself. And I can understand that. I did not really know much about the holiday when I was growing up. Just that it was supposed to be about the devil. Now I've had some time to do some historical research and yes there are for sure people out there that want to make it about that, and yes it does have to do with the concept of being in touch with dead people. BUT that's not the only thing it's about.
It was traditionally called Samhain and was a day to honor the dead. Not unlike our modern day memorial day. Just more....Celtic. It was part of the 4 parts of the year that were closely related to harvest times and was traditionally a time to stock up for the coming winter. It got folded into the Catholic tradition of All Saint's Day and has devolved into a night that makes dentists drool in anticipation. Ok, maybe that part's my imagination but seriously - do you even remember how much candy you ate at Halloween when you were a kid? We didn't have a specific trick or treat outing till I was in 8th grade (and we moved away from a more conservative place to the *gasp* liberal Phoenix, AZ) but we still had what we called Harvest Parties. (Which, looking at the history and tradition are really still directly related to the original "pagan" holidays.) And we still ate a LOT of candy. To this day I cannot eat candy corn because my best friend in the 5th grade, Carla, brought a bag of it to a slumber party and we ate the entire thing. And Reese's Pieces. Can't eat them either.
This year on Halloween I had a bowl of home-made Pho, a caramel apple and 2 peanut butter cups. And they were awesome. :) Tonight the roommate made more harvest stew and I'm tellin you it's so good!!! If you are a weight watchers person you can probably look up the recipe online, I put it on there.
So, I'm getting ready for bed, logged my food for the day and I still have 8 points to go!! That's good because I didn't lose anything last week. I know it's because I didn't exercise. That part is easily identified. What is not as easily done? Either getting up in the morning and doing the Wii or a walk in the dark and rain (or sleeping in......) or doing something after work. I think a 3rd option is probably better...walking once during the day. I'm more likely to actually take a lunch break that way anyway.
OK, well, I'm off to sleep now. Just wanted to check in. I'm still takin' it
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Week 13, Day 5 - Fall Classic
So, I am sitting on the couch at one of my bestest friend's. Watching and yelling at baseball. I love sports. I mentioned a while ago that I used to play sports. In high school I played basketball, football and sometimes ran around the track. I worked at the gym and every afternoon I would play basketball with my best friend. He won every time but it was fun. And it was exercise. I was busy. And active. I still love sports. But now I sit on my butt and watch them.
In college I went to a small school and we had a hockey team. They played in a tiny rink and we went and yelled and cheered for them. It was so much fun. The players would slam each other against the plexiglass and we would listen to the requisite thumping music and cheer every time they rammed the opponent into the wall.
Of course the whole sports thing got quite a bit of energy out. Still does. It was great to freak the dogs out when the players hit a home run. Now I need to just get off my butt and start exercising. I have some free time tomorrow so that may well be the key - get outside in the wind and rain and go walk in the leaves. (yet another favorite past time)
Yesterday I was good, and then last night I went over the limit with one of the most fantastic burritos I've made in a long time. What can I say? I CRAVED it. And I ate it. So today I only ate when I was hungry and yeah, it's 9pm and I still have 17 points for the day. I had yogurt and popcorn. Yep. That's all. Of course I had 4 of the light and fit yogurts.....but yeah. I'm going to have a burrito on the way home and I have enough points left to not only eat it but enjoy it guilt free!!!
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
In college I went to a small school and we had a hockey team. They played in a tiny rink and we went and yelled and cheered for them. It was so much fun. The players would slam each other against the plexiglass and we would listen to the requisite thumping music and cheer every time they rammed the opponent into the wall.
Of course the whole sports thing got quite a bit of energy out. Still does. It was great to freak the dogs out when the players hit a home run. Now I need to just get off my butt and start exercising. I have some free time tomorrow so that may well be the key - get outside in the wind and rain and go walk in the leaves. (yet another favorite past time)
Yesterday I was good, and then last night I went over the limit with one of the most fantastic burritos I've made in a long time. What can I say? I CRAVED it. And I ate it. So today I only ate when I was hungry and yeah, it's 9pm and I still have 17 points for the day. I had yogurt and popcorn. Yep. That's all. Of course I had 4 of the light and fit yogurts.....but yeah. I'm going to have a burrito on the way home and I have enough points left to not only eat it but enjoy it guilt free!!!
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Week 13, Day 3 - slippers rock
So, it's cold here now. I love this time of year. The leaves are turning colors. It's windy. Rain rushes in and out of the sky every 10 or 15 minutes. And I get to wear sweaters!!! This fall I get to dip into the sweaters that were too snug to wear last year. :)
Today was another good points day. I am seriously a life-long fan of the Smart Ones brand now. Thank you Mel for pointing them out to me!! Had a breakfast sandwich and a yogurt. Then at lunch I had a Campbell's Select soup with Cheezits. Forgot to bring any tomatoes with me and oh man I discovered that some garden fresh tomatoes are NOT as great as others. Someone had brought a bag of tomatoes in and I picked one out to have with a piece of home-made wheat bread......yeah. I'm not going to say it was a rotten tomato. But I am going to tell you it took quite a while to get the taste out. Suffice it to say, the bug I almost ate a couple of months ago now has a close runner-up for nasty taste award. Then I made myself a stir fry with Fry-Chick (Worthington) for dinner and had one of my Jello Dulce du leches for dessert. Met my points exactly.
So I spent most of the evening reading and writing emails and enjoyed being in my robe and slippers. If this is what it's going to be like to get old bring it on. I'll dye my hair purple and wear the robe all the time. :)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Today was another good points day. I am seriously a life-long fan of the Smart Ones brand now. Thank you Mel for pointing them out to me!! Had a breakfast sandwich and a yogurt. Then at lunch I had a Campbell's Select soup with Cheezits. Forgot to bring any tomatoes with me and oh man I discovered that some garden fresh tomatoes are NOT as great as others. Someone had brought a bag of tomatoes in and I picked one out to have with a piece of home-made wheat bread......yeah. I'm not going to say it was a rotten tomato. But I am going to tell you it took quite a while to get the taste out. Suffice it to say, the bug I almost ate a couple of months ago now has a close runner-up for nasty taste award. Then I made myself a stir fry with Fry-Chick (Worthington) for dinner and had one of my Jello Dulce du leches for dessert. Met my points exactly.
So I spent most of the evening reading and writing emails and enjoyed being in my robe and slippers. If this is what it's going to be like to get old bring it on. I'll dye my hair purple and wear the robe all the time. :)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week 13, Day 2 - uhhh.....
Yeah, I have no idea what to write about tonight. It's a cold and rainy night and I spent the evening in my robe and slippers, listening through my music on iTunes trying to make a playlist. Ahhh good times. Dinner was tea and salad, a Smart Ones dinner (Rice & beans) and a gardenburger sandwich (yeah 'cause I'm random like that). OOh! I just realized I did have a small triumph today. They had yet ANOTHER potluck at work today and I portioned out my choices and stayed under 8 points. (probably less but I rounded up on the potatos)
Because I knew we were having that this morning I didn't bring a lot to eat for the rest of the day and had a yogurt and my current favorite snack: Jello Sugar Free Dulce Du Leche cups (1 point). Started adding a little exercise back into things. My friend Laurie stopped by and we went for a short, mini-walk in the wind and rain. And then had chiropractor on the way home. One of the things I do at the chiro is some traction on my neck and for this little magik move I have to kind of reverse wall-sit. Facing the wall and standing with knees bent for a count of 10, times 10. And that's been helping the leg muscles.
So, because I don't really know what to blog about I went to look at the weight watchers website and found an article on cravings and because it's Halloween week and there's candy all over the place....
Decode Your Cravings - Article by Sandra Gordon (summarized by your's truly)
Apparently 97% of women and 68% of men experience cravings, according to a study conducted at Canada's McMaster University in Ontario.
Shockingly (sarcasm alert) there are any number of different opinions on what causes cravings. Some think it's because we crave nutrients. There are psychological components to cravings - for instance if you are too restrictive (i.e. don't think about a giant hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts, cherry and a big old glob of hot fudge on top......try not to think about it.....yeah....) you probably need to start adding little things that you enjoy in your diet. (May I suggest 100 calorie snack packs? You get to eat the WHOLE bag. )
Cravings can be emotional - triggered by stress, anxiety, guilt, anger.... (hello read my blog back a month or so ago...search for the title "anger") Feelings like this can lead to craving foods that cause us pleasure (see the mouth watering I got by just typing that description of the sundae). Cravings can come from positive emotions too: see eating at a party....
So, #1 to curbing the craving is identifying where it's coming from. Then try:
Distracting - go for a walk, read something to take your mind off it.
Fake it - find the lowest calorie version of what you crave...(100 calorie snack packs??)
Feed it - if you can't get away from the craving go out and feed it....just order from the kids' menu
Dig deeper - get to the core of where the craving is coming from. Chances are you won't have gotten rid of it by just pigging out...but if you can figure out what your triggers are you are probably better prepared for the next time there's a big vat of pea salad (or whatever you crave...hey don't judge!).
Yeah, I am a big fan of digging deeper. Eating for pain control or for boredom or "just 'cause" is always a symptom. And until we can get rid of the thing causing it we're just going to have to keep shopping for drawstring pants. (not that there's anything wrong with that)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Because I knew we were having that this morning I didn't bring a lot to eat for the rest of the day and had a yogurt and my current favorite snack: Jello Sugar Free Dulce Du Leche cups (1 point). Started adding a little exercise back into things. My friend Laurie stopped by and we went for a short, mini-walk in the wind and rain. And then had chiropractor on the way home. One of the things I do at the chiro is some traction on my neck and for this little magik move I have to kind of reverse wall-sit. Facing the wall and standing with knees bent for a count of 10, times 10. And that's been helping the leg muscles.
So, because I don't really know what to blog about I went to look at the weight watchers website and found an article on cravings and because it's Halloween week and there's candy all over the place....
Decode Your Cravings - Article by Sandra Gordon (summarized by your's truly)
Apparently 97% of women and 68% of men experience cravings, according to a study conducted at Canada's McMaster University in Ontario.
Shockingly (sarcasm alert) there are any number of different opinions on what causes cravings. Some think it's because we crave nutrients. There are psychological components to cravings - for instance if you are too restrictive (i.e. don't think about a giant hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts, cherry and a big old glob of hot fudge on top......try not to think about it.....yeah....) you probably need to start adding little things that you enjoy in your diet. (May I suggest 100 calorie snack packs? You get to eat the WHOLE bag. )
Cravings can be emotional - triggered by stress, anxiety, guilt, anger.... (hello read my blog back a month or so ago...search for the title "anger") Feelings like this can lead to craving foods that cause us pleasure (see the mouth watering I got by just typing that description of the sundae). Cravings can come from positive emotions too: see eating at a party....
So, #1 to curbing the craving is identifying where it's coming from. Then try:
Distracting - go for a walk, read something to take your mind off it.
Fake it - find the lowest calorie version of what you crave...(100 calorie snack packs??)
Feed it - if you can't get away from the craving go out and feed it....just order from the kids' menu
Dig deeper - get to the core of where the craving is coming from. Chances are you won't have gotten rid of it by just pigging out...but if you can figure out what your triggers are you are probably better prepared for the next time there's a big vat of pea salad (or whatever you crave...hey don't judge!).
Yeah, I am a big fan of digging deeper. Eating for pain control or for boredom or "just 'cause" is always a symptom. And until we can get rid of the thing causing it we're just going to have to keep shopping for drawstring pants. (not that there's anything wrong with that)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Week 13 - Weigh In Day
It's official. 31 pounds down. :) And I went and celebrated by going to one of my favoritest places, an Arabian restaurant. YUMMY. Veggie mezza is: hummus, tabouleh, veggie grape leaves, falafels, fresh bread. I had a mint tea and a glass of red wine too. I had coffee for breakfast. I wasn't hungry for most of the day and then when I did get hungry we were going out to dinner. Lucky for me the veggie mezza is small portions. But it's a lot of portions. So I know I haven't gotten over my points for the day, but I haven't gotten my exercise in.
I need to start figuring exercise into the picture.
But for now I'm gonna be happy cause I'm OVER 30 DOWN!!!!!
One Day. One Pound. One Step at a Time.
~N
I need to start figuring exercise into the picture.
But for now I'm gonna be happy cause I'm OVER 30 DOWN!!!!!
One Day. One Pound. One Step at a Time.
~N
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Week 12, day 6 - FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY!!!!!!
Guess who's over 30 pounds lighter than she was 12 weeks ago??????????
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Week 12 Day 5 -
Dear Diary. Oh wait. Wrong blog. LOL. Kidding. Sometimes I feel like this is my confessional. It is my confessional actually. Last night I was talking about accountability on here and it's true. I think about what I'm going to have to blog about when I make the decision to eat or not to eat something during the day.
Today I did go over on my daily points. By 1 point. But I also had a donut (gasp!) today. And lemme say - a fat person just having ONE donut is a victory indeed. Just ask Homer. (Simpson) So yeah I would have been totally fine but we decided to get Thai food for dinner and I did NOT measure the rice. I know better. And I'm getting better.
So, all the usual suspects today: Dannon Light & Fit, cherry tomatos, Sandwich thins with tofurky and swiss, Campbells Select Light soup (that's a LOT of soup for low points), cheezits (it's a lot easier to just eat 14 now than it was the first time I counted them out), a donut (yeah...7 points.....NOT worth the points, really), Tom Yum Soup, and some sort of other stuff that I can't remember but had tofu, veggies, spices and rice. I think that really I can pretty much do without rice in my diet anymore. I used to eat it all the time. Now? Seems like wasted calories to me. (YAY ME, that's a big change in my thinking)
So, this week has felt better than last. And I'm hoping that since the pain is getting better I will be able to start getting exercise in again. Something small. Maybe that list I put up here a while back...walk 5 minutes and do 2 minutes of something else (probably not jumping jacks with my back... but maybe some Wii)
And drinking more water. I know that for sure because well...cause I have to get off my butt more to go pee! Ok, TMI moment over. Janice, I haven't made those muffins yet....I'm thinking since there's no big crazy parties this weekend I might break out the cooking. (LOOK OUT!) It's ok, I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen just waiting.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Today I did go over on my daily points. By 1 point. But I also had a donut (gasp!) today. And lemme say - a fat person just having ONE donut is a victory indeed. Just ask Homer. (Simpson) So yeah I would have been totally fine but we decided to get Thai food for dinner and I did NOT measure the rice. I know better. And I'm getting better.
So, all the usual suspects today: Dannon Light & Fit, cherry tomatos, Sandwich thins with tofurky and swiss, Campbells Select Light soup (that's a LOT of soup for low points), cheezits (it's a lot easier to just eat 14 now than it was the first time I counted them out), a donut (yeah...7 points.....NOT worth the points, really), Tom Yum Soup, and some sort of other stuff that I can't remember but had tofu, veggies, spices and rice. I think that really I can pretty much do without rice in my diet anymore. I used to eat it all the time. Now? Seems like wasted calories to me. (YAY ME, that's a big change in my thinking)
So, this week has felt better than last. And I'm hoping that since the pain is getting better I will be able to start getting exercise in again. Something small. Maybe that list I put up here a while back...walk 5 minutes and do 2 minutes of something else (probably not jumping jacks with my back... but maybe some Wii)
And drinking more water. I know that for sure because well...cause I have to get off my butt more to go pee! Ok, TMI moment over. Janice, I haven't made those muffins yet....I'm thinking since there's no big crazy parties this weekend I might break out the cooking. (LOOK OUT!) It's ok, I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen just waiting.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Week 12 Day 4 - Cheater Cheater quiche eater (ok, not today)
So, the president's in town today. Lucky for me it's my short day so I was not stuck in the inevitable traffic jam that ensued. Another great thing about today? It was day 2 of being at or under my points AND I got to go to my chiropractor. I don't care what anyone else says - this works for me. Today I had my first massage. Ok, I had a massage one other time, it was my birthday and I think it was in 1998 or 1999. But today I got 50 minutes of fabulous relaxation. I felt so great when she was done. And then the doc did an adjustment, including pulling on my right leg which made me laugh but it made me feel better so hey!
Yep, I was good today. I logged all my food at work, printed it and promptly left it on the printer when I left. But I know what I had. I went back to basics: 2 Light & Fit Yogurts (right now there's a special thing they are doing where they will donate 10cents every time you log in one of the codes from the tops to breast cancer research - very cool), 1 string cheese for breakfast. (Craving dairy this week) Campbells Select Light itialian noodles/vegetables soup, 14 cheezits, a sandwich with tofurky and swiss cheese, 2 string cheeses (light - and yeah that's a lot of dairy but I'm tellin ya I crave dairy this week) for lunch, drank a big glass of water right after coming home from the chiropractor and had home made Pho with tofu and a peanut butter and sugar free apricot jam sandwich (sandwich thins) for dessert. Just before bed I had 2 more of the Light & Fits and more water.
Accountability is key for my success. I know this. And this blog is part of my accountability.
Today's inspirational information is found in the weight watcher website: an article entitled "8 ways Not to Cheat on a Diet." :)
Article by Sally Hammond, from www.weightwatchers.com
1. Plan for treats. It's gonna happen. Plan for it. Savor it.
2. Put your pantry on a diet. If what you have handy to eat is healthy then you're halfway there. You should see my fridge now....Bob from The Biggest Loser said that he never has anything in his fridge that would last longer than 2 weeks. I give myself a bye for alcohol and condiments but the rest? Yeah, you have to eat salad and cucumbers soon...otherwise they get reallllly gross.
3. Choose your friends wisely. Make sure you surround yourself with people that will help support you in your healthy choices. Probably not the ones that want to go eat mexican food every night.
4. Count the cost as well as calories. Now this one's a great idea. They suggest paying yourself whenever you meet a goal or every day you stay in your plan. And then rewarding yourself with something great. I have something great that I'm working towards. It's a big trip. And I think this is the perfect excuse to save up.
5. Picture yourself. Oh man. It says take some not-so-flattering pictures of yourself, or find them, and put them near the snack jar or near the fridge. Wherever you are tempted to cheat. I know just the picture and it's going to have to go somewhere discreet at work.....The goal is to remind yourself of the positive changes you are trying to make in your life.
6. Surround yourself with witnesses. Give your friends the permission they need to remind you of the importance of sticking with the plan. Just so you know - YOU are my witnesses. That's what this blog is all about. So, for god's sakes if you see me walking by with a flat of quiche or a vat of pea salad....trip me! And then go for a walk with me. (and maybe give me some crystal light, that's zero points)
7. Check up on yourself. (I'm just going to copy this one word for word all the others have been summarized) ''Write down every single thing that passes your lips each day. If you often eat when you're upset or stressed, try to record this too. If you gobbled up a candy bar after arguing with your partner, you probably need to find alternative ways of coping with your moods. Next time try phoning a friend or going for a stress-relieving walk." Me? I need to cope with pain. And keep going to the chiropractor and lessening the pain.
8. Keep a sense of porportion. Everybody slips. Everybody cheats. And the only way to stop cheating is to identify what caused it. Take responsibility and don't give up. Because giving up is cheating yourself.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Yep, I was good today. I logged all my food at work, printed it and promptly left it on the printer when I left. But I know what I had. I went back to basics: 2 Light & Fit Yogurts (right now there's a special thing they are doing where they will donate 10cents every time you log in one of the codes from the tops to breast cancer research - very cool), 1 string cheese for breakfast. (Craving dairy this week) Campbells Select Light itialian noodles/vegetables soup, 14 cheezits, a sandwich with tofurky and swiss cheese, 2 string cheeses (light - and yeah that's a lot of dairy but I'm tellin ya I crave dairy this week) for lunch, drank a big glass of water right after coming home from the chiropractor and had home made Pho with tofu and a peanut butter and sugar free apricot jam sandwich (sandwich thins) for dessert. Just before bed I had 2 more of the Light & Fits and more water.
Accountability is key for my success. I know this. And this blog is part of my accountability.
Today's inspirational information is found in the weight watcher website: an article entitled "8 ways Not to Cheat on a Diet." :)
Article by Sally Hammond, from www.weightwatchers.com
1. Plan for treats. It's gonna happen. Plan for it. Savor it.
2. Put your pantry on a diet. If what you have handy to eat is healthy then you're halfway there. You should see my fridge now....Bob from The Biggest Loser said that he never has anything in his fridge that would last longer than 2 weeks. I give myself a bye for alcohol and condiments but the rest? Yeah, you have to eat salad and cucumbers soon...otherwise they get reallllly gross.
3. Choose your friends wisely. Make sure you surround yourself with people that will help support you in your healthy choices. Probably not the ones that want to go eat mexican food every night.
4. Count the cost as well as calories. Now this one's a great idea. They suggest paying yourself whenever you meet a goal or every day you stay in your plan. And then rewarding yourself with something great. I have something great that I'm working towards. It's a big trip. And I think this is the perfect excuse to save up.
5. Picture yourself. Oh man. It says take some not-so-flattering pictures of yourself, or find them, and put them near the snack jar or near the fridge. Wherever you are tempted to cheat. I know just the picture and it's going to have to go somewhere discreet at work.....The goal is to remind yourself of the positive changes you are trying to make in your life.
6. Surround yourself with witnesses. Give your friends the permission they need to remind you of the importance of sticking with the plan. Just so you know - YOU are my witnesses. That's what this blog is all about. So, for god's sakes if you see me walking by with a flat of quiche or a vat of pea salad....trip me! And then go for a walk with me. (and maybe give me some crystal light, that's zero points)
7. Check up on yourself. (I'm just going to copy this one word for word all the others have been summarized) ''Write down every single thing that passes your lips each day. If you often eat when you're upset or stressed, try to record this too. If you gobbled up a candy bar after arguing with your partner, you probably need to find alternative ways of coping with your moods. Next time try phoning a friend or going for a stress-relieving walk." Me? I need to cope with pain. And keep going to the chiropractor and lessening the pain.
8. Keep a sense of porportion. Everybody slips. Everybody cheats. And the only way to stop cheating is to identify what caused it. Take responsibility and don't give up. Because giving up is cheating yourself.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Week 12 Day 3 - Pain relief in a quiche?
This post is for you Janice. It's for me also, but seriously I'm in pain and I would rather be in bed going to sleep but I need to talk about today.
So yet another potluck at work. Ok, so it wasn't a potluck. It was a breakfast celebration for the team. And it was really good. Broccoli quiche is what did it. I had a couple of pieces of fruit, half an english muffin with some home-made sugar free raspberry jam and one and a half pieces of quiche. That all would have been enough. (And I also had orange juice) But all throughout the day I caught myself walking by the table with the (cold) broccoli cheddar quiche. And about 4pm my back was hurting and I gave in. By the time I got home tonight I had zero points left. The only good news is that I had a smart ones dinner and a salad for dinner and still have weekly points left.
But I can identify, EASILY why I ate today. Pain. I realized it and by the time I got home I was telling myself that it's obviously not going to work. Pain is not fixed by food. Never has been. And if I was wearing a black shirt on the biggest loser Jillian would be kicking my (sore) butt.
So, I'm going to bed early. I'm drinking a big glass of water. And tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I get to go to the chiropractor and that will help the pain. And I choose right now to make conscious choices to NOT eat to fix pain. That is an old habit. And I'm killing it right now.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
So yet another potluck at work. Ok, so it wasn't a potluck. It was a breakfast celebration for the team. And it was really good. Broccoli quiche is what did it. I had a couple of pieces of fruit, half an english muffin with some home-made sugar free raspberry jam and one and a half pieces of quiche. That all would have been enough. (And I also had orange juice) But all throughout the day I caught myself walking by the table with the (cold) broccoli cheddar quiche. And about 4pm my back was hurting and I gave in. By the time I got home tonight I had zero points left. The only good news is that I had a smart ones dinner and a salad for dinner and still have weekly points left.
But I can identify, EASILY why I ate today. Pain. I realized it and by the time I got home I was telling myself that it's obviously not going to work. Pain is not fixed by food. Never has been. And if I was wearing a black shirt on the biggest loser Jillian would be kicking my (sore) butt.
So, I'm going to bed early. I'm drinking a big glass of water. And tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I get to go to the chiropractor and that will help the pain. And I choose right now to make conscious choices to NOT eat to fix pain. That is an old habit. And I'm killing it right now.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Monday, October 18, 2010
Week 12 - Day 2 - My x-ray says I'm unbalanced!
So, yesterday was weigh in day. And I am very happy to report that I did not gain anything back this week. Unfortunately I did not lose either. BUT I kinda expected that. I have been so tired and trying to get over this sickness as well as get to chiropractic appointments 3 times a week and get everything else done? Well let's just say that I don't have kids for a lot of reasons but 1 of them is that I am not good at managing my time and not spreading myself too thin, resulting in a crappy job for everything or some things getting completely ignored.
I am back to logging my food entries on the weight watchers website. I really believe (and there is plenty of evidence backing this up) that tracking and recording your food intake is key to success. I'm doing good with the portion control thing also but it helps that my roommate is being supportive. He is the cook, I think I've mentioned that. And he asks me "how many points is this?" when he makes something. Tonight he made Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup. Take a cube of boullion add chopped green onions, white mushrooms (I like baby bellas) and a stalk of lemon grass, cook to a boil and then add a block (7 oz) firm or extra firm tofu, cubed (can substitute chicken breast) and fresh cilantro. Pour into a bowl and add fresh leaf basil and a squeeze of lime. Add to taste Sriracha (hot pepper sauce) and salt to taste, or garlic. Totally great tasting and filling and a big bowl was only 5 points.
I am not exercising enough yet. Got my x-rays back and there are quite a few interesting things. I'm telling you it's a trip to see your own spinal column on film. My middle back actually curves over so my muscles are compensating and that causes a problem. I have a compression fracture in the middle of my back (kinda explains the burning pain that I figured was just due to work) and several bone spurs on my lower spine and degenerative disc disease. Going to the chiropractor has taught me a lot about what I need to do to help prevent major surgery in the future, and losing weight is part of that. OH and get this! Remember Wii telling me I'm "unbalanced"??? Turns out my right leg is shorter than my left leg and I over compensate and that explains why it said I don't stand more evenly balanced. Fascinating.
So, yeah, I'm still on antibiotics. Did well today on the points - still have 4 left actually and they're staying there. Going to bed early. Sleep is part of the plan.
And by the way - new favorite drink (hrrm, need to figure out the points on this one) equal parts Baileys, cinnamon schnapps and butterscotch schnapps. It's called an oatmeal cookie and MAN it's easy to drink!
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I am back to logging my food entries on the weight watchers website. I really believe (and there is plenty of evidence backing this up) that tracking and recording your food intake is key to success. I'm doing good with the portion control thing also but it helps that my roommate is being supportive. He is the cook, I think I've mentioned that. And he asks me "how many points is this?" when he makes something. Tonight he made Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup. Take a cube of boullion add chopped green onions, white mushrooms (I like baby bellas) and a stalk of lemon grass, cook to a boil and then add a block (7 oz) firm or extra firm tofu, cubed (can substitute chicken breast) and fresh cilantro. Pour into a bowl and add fresh leaf basil and a squeeze of lime. Add to taste Sriracha (hot pepper sauce) and salt to taste, or garlic. Totally great tasting and filling and a big bowl was only 5 points.
I am not exercising enough yet. Got my x-rays back and there are quite a few interesting things. I'm telling you it's a trip to see your own spinal column on film. My middle back actually curves over so my muscles are compensating and that causes a problem. I have a compression fracture in the middle of my back (kinda explains the burning pain that I figured was just due to work) and several bone spurs on my lower spine and degenerative disc disease. Going to the chiropractor has taught me a lot about what I need to do to help prevent major surgery in the future, and losing weight is part of that. OH and get this! Remember Wii telling me I'm "unbalanced"??? Turns out my right leg is shorter than my left leg and I over compensate and that explains why it said I don't stand more evenly balanced. Fascinating.
So, yeah, I'm still on antibiotics. Did well today on the points - still have 4 left actually and they're staying there. Going to bed early. Sleep is part of the plan.
And by the way - new favorite drink (hrrm, need to figure out the points on this one) equal parts Baileys, cinnamon schnapps and butterscotch schnapps. It's called an oatmeal cookie and MAN it's easy to drink!
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Week 11 - Saturday
For the record: if you are already sick and you go to bed late and then still have to get up in the morning (vs the afternoon) you are going to still feel like crap the next day. And when the next day includes a party in the evening where you get dressed up (costumes) and stay up late again? Yeah this is not going to be the recouperative weekend.
I have however plotted out just exactly what bed I plan to pass out on at the friends' house tonight. If it's 2:30pm and I not only feel like crap but am still tired....unless I'm smart and willing to skip the party I had better plan a nap. Hmm. Maybe I'll take one right now.
~N
I have however plotted out just exactly what bed I plan to pass out on at the friends' house tonight. If it's 2:30pm and I not only feel like crap but am still tired....unless I'm smart and willing to skip the party I had better plan a nap. Hmm. Maybe I'll take one right now.
~N
Week 11 - *yawn* up too late
Did good today. Felt better. And tonight came home and the roommate made a bowl of Pho soup. Have you ever had this? I love it. It's Vietnamese noodle soup. Basically its chicken stock + tofu (or chicken) + green onions + portabella mushrooms. Bring to boil. Add noodles + cilantro. Turn off heat. Put in bowl and add fresh bean sprouts, basil and a squeeze of lime. I add chili sauce. MMMM Made me feel better.
I know that this weekend will help me get over the hump and next week I'm looking forward to feeling like me and getting active. Pretty sure I'm right about the same weight I was last week but the fact that it hasn't gone up is good. I'm looking at little things here kids.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I know that this weekend will help me get over the hump and next week I'm looking forward to feeling like me and getting active. Pretty sure I'm right about the same weight I was last week but the fact that it hasn't gone up is good. I'm looking at little things here kids.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Week 11 - As the whorles are turned
So, the fingerprint person came to my work and I got to look closely at what each of my individual fingerprints look like. She showed me what's called the delta - pretty much looks like a tiny top of a mountain or the top of a triangle. And we all have them somewhere on our fingertips. Then where all the creases come together in the middle can be one big circle, or more like one of the cause ribbons (you know the pink ribbons you see everywhere for breast cancer awareness or red ribbons for AIDS awareness? yeah take that shape and some of your fingers may have something similar.) I sent the prints off for my official background check with the FBI (had it twice before but not in the state I currently work in). Step 1 down.
I discovered today that antibiotics can mess with hormone pills and I've got a dilly of a headache. But it's a 50/50 trade cause I have been able to breathe through my nose for at least 3 hours now....the test will be when I go to bed.
So, I put my portion control back into play again today. If you shop with portions in mind it's actually not hard to set yourself up for success in this area. I packed my lunch and didn't even eat it all. I bought a box of the 100 calorie Snack Right snacks - basically individually bagged up little cookies. That way people like me who would really rather just open a big box and pour them into our mouths have to actually OPEN the individual bags (2 points per bag). Bought more of the sugar free Jello pudding cups (I really love the Dulce du Leche ones....just sayin' they are only 1 point) and had some cherry tomatos and low fat cottage cheese. If I portion it out ahead of time I know how many points I'm going to eat. Plus I made an effort to drink more today, I love diet Peach Snapple and I found some on sale the last time I shopped so I took a bottle of that and had a vanilla coke zero as well. The big meal was when I got home - more harvest stew. YUM. I load mine up with garlic and cayenne (remembering to shake from the bottle not pour like I accidentally did last time....) and that helps me feel better too.
It was a better day today. I accomplished things I needed to do. Thank you Janice for stopping by and reminding me to smile. Smiling can make you feel better too. But now I need to go to bed....remember yesterday's information about sleep......yeah. G'night kiddos.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I discovered today that antibiotics can mess with hormone pills and I've got a dilly of a headache. But it's a 50/50 trade cause I have been able to breathe through my nose for at least 3 hours now....the test will be when I go to bed.
So, I put my portion control back into play again today. If you shop with portions in mind it's actually not hard to set yourself up for success in this area. I packed my lunch and didn't even eat it all. I bought a box of the 100 calorie Snack Right snacks - basically individually bagged up little cookies. That way people like me who would really rather just open a big box and pour them into our mouths have to actually OPEN the individual bags (2 points per bag). Bought more of the sugar free Jello pudding cups (I really love the Dulce du Leche ones....just sayin' they are only 1 point) and had some cherry tomatos and low fat cottage cheese. If I portion it out ahead of time I know how many points I'm going to eat. Plus I made an effort to drink more today, I love diet Peach Snapple and I found some on sale the last time I shopped so I took a bottle of that and had a vanilla coke zero as well. The big meal was when I got home - more harvest stew. YUM. I load mine up with garlic and cayenne (remembering to shake from the bottle not pour like I accidentally did last time....) and that helps me feel better too.
It was a better day today. I accomplished things I needed to do. Thank you Janice for stopping by and reminding me to smile. Smiling can make you feel better too. But now I need to go to bed....remember yesterday's information about sleep......yeah. G'night kiddos.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Week 11 - On a Stick
So, today’s blog is about how to stay active when you feel like crap….on a stick. I went to my doctor today and she diagnosed me with (not pneumonia, which it started to feel like) sinusitis and gave me a big prescription for antibiotics. Yay for antibiotics. Can you imagine living in the days before such things? Nowadays we use them for so many things that we are developing super bugs that are resistant to them. (Google MRSA – it’s nasty)
So I will pick my my antibiotics at the drive-thru drug store on my way home from the chiropractor after getting fingerprinted for my next job. How’s about THEM apples? Sounds interesting huh.
I was reading (yes, while on the job – I’m that good that I can get my job done, piss off my co-workers that think we’re just “too busy”, go see my doctor and still have time to blog and read and leave early.) K, so only did 5 of those today – you figure out which ones. I found an interesting little blurb in a 2007 Weight Watchers Magazine (March/April version) about fitness that’s “Easy on the joints”. Given my near constant pain over the last 2 weeks now I was drawn to this info:
The National Institute of Arthritis predicts that by 2020, 59.4 million people will have osteoarthritis. My grandfather had severe arthritis, he had what’s called gout which deformed the joints in his fingers to the point that his hands looked like crab claws, curved into themselves. The article gave a couple of ideas for non-impact exercises from Johanna Subotovsky (Equinox Fitness Clubs in NYC):
1. Basic Leg Lifts – sitting on a chair with back tall and arms at sides, lift right leg about 3 inches off floor and straighten it, keeping the left foot flat on floor. Hold for 3 counts. Repeat 10 times; switch legs. Do 2 more sets. NOTE: I did this at work. Very easy. And I could feel it.
2. Hip Kicks – stand behind a chair with feet shoulder-width apart, palms resting on the chair for support. Lift right leg about 3 inches off floor and kick it out behind you. Return to start and kick right leg out to side about hip height. Repeat this sequence 10 times; switch legs. Do 2 more sets. * I did not try this at work…but I could see doing this while waiting for the microwave at lunch…
Another little blurb notes that research linking lack of sleep to weight gain continues to mount. According to the March/April Weight Watchers Magazine (pg. 12) the latest findings show that "women who slept an average of 5 hours per night were one third more likely to have gained at least 33 pounds during the course of the 16-year study than were those who slept an average of 7 hours a night."
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Week 11 - Fear and Spicy Food
So, I started this post at work today. Have been composing it in my head for a couple of days but did not have time to sit and type until *ahem* work. (shhh)
Last week was a big hiccup in my quest for healthy weight and fitness. I didn’t feel good. Generally run down and tired. Back hurt from the accident and this sinus infection that was keeping me from a good night’s sleep was making me crazy. SO, when it came to Tuesday and a dear friend from high school called and wanted to meet me for dinner I jumped at the chance to go for my comfort food – INDIAN. I grew up eating Indian food. My dad was born in India (missionaries) and so we learned the fabulous richness of rice and curry as babies and there is a particularly great restaurant in my area. (There are several Indian restaurants in this general area but only 2 I would say are really good.)
If you know Indian food you know that it is quite customary to have a buffet laid out. You grab a plate, add some rice and then pick from curries, some sort of bread (popodum or poorie) and a yummy little tidbit called a pakora that is basically a small handful of vegetables, covered in a curry batter and deep fried. Yeah. So, while I had every opportunity to control my portions and have a decent meal for low points….I went through line twice. By the time I was done I was FULL. Full, full full. That feeling where you think you should be turned sideways and rolled out the door like Violet in Willy Wonka? Yeah. So I went home and said “oops”, forgot to record my food and went to bed.
2 things (besides my inability to put the fork DOWN) tripped me up last week: 1. I did not record my food on the website. I had been doing it every single night for 10 weeks. But last week I had 3 nights where I didn’t come home until late, came home exhausted and didn’t record anything. and 2. I ate at restaurants. I am not yet willing to put my food in a doggie bag and only eat a little bit. I did not excuse myself from the full plate club.
I slurped and snarfed and gobbled my way through Indian, Chinese and Thai. AND (nope not done) I had a bar burger and drinks and more drinks and then I went to a wedding. Oh and had more Thai food.
So, portion control. I know I read somewhere that said a really good rule of thumb is to ask for lunch portions (instead of dinner portions) and/or to ask for a doggie/to-go bag at the time that the food arrives. That way you get a smaller portion to begin with and if you take at least ½ of the food and put it in the to-go bag before you even eat you’re starting with a smaller portion. Now, buffets don’t allow you to take food home with you. This means that you’ll end up paying a set fee (generally higher) for a dinner and you won’t get much. I think that what I’d have to do in the future is to order a dinner instead (which was an option) and put ½ away for later.
Portion control is certainly not the only problem I had – I just wanted to eat. I’ve taught myself that eating will make me feel better and especially when I’m tired and out of sorts and sore….I’m looking for comfort. Spicy warm foods when I’m cold or sick make me feel better. I have just not learned the second key lesson in this whole thing which is self-control. Eating till you feel better is a BAD idea. BAD. Many of the nights last week when I’d go to bed I felt overly full. That in and of itself is a good thing and should make me feel better about the fact that I have learned where my full switch is. Add into that the fact that it takes 20 minutes for you to register the fact that you're full and yeah....I am glad I only went up 1.5 pounds.
So. That covers the spicy food. Now the fear. I've been working on the changes to my future and asking myself exactly why it is I haven't pursued those changes - mainly getting back into counseling full-time. It's what I'm good at and it's what I love. And the last time I was doing that was a long time ago. And it's been something that I've been afraid to try again. I got comfortable where I am in my job. I'm good at it. I've made this job what it is. But it's not what I trained to do. And I need to just suck it up. Get over the fear of "what if I can't do it" and go and do it. I have been handed opportunities recently, mainly because of the friends that I have, and those opportunities keep putting this job path in my way. As if to remind me "YES. YOU CAN DO THIS." So today I took my first step toward actually leaving and going to do my own stuff.
There are many steps in this process but as I was thinking about this and the stalled weight loss I realized that this is based on flawed thinking. The belief that I'll eventually stumble. The belief that I'll screw something up and not be able to get the job I want. The belief that I won't actually succeed in this weight thing. Oh yeah. There it is. I saw pictures of myself this weekend from a wedding and while I know I weigh less than I did....it was me feeling my pity party all over again. And I know that a big, BIG part of this process is going to have to be ME being honest with ME and following through with the goals that I set. I have a big goal down the road. 100 pounds. But for right now I need to be laser-sight focused on 30 pounds.
So, here's what I learned in the last week.... I have to HAVE to make time to sit down and track what I eat. Every day. No matter what. I can eat out at a restaurant, but in order to do that I need to find out and plan ahead and count the points up. And I have to portion control. And I have to keep myself focused. I did not exercise at all last week. Sure I can blame it on my back pain. But there's always going to be a reason. And I have to want it more than I don't. And I want this. I will do both things I am afraid of failing at. Because the only thing that can make me fail is if I give up.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Week 11 - busy, busy, busy - weigh in day.....
so, I haven't forgotten this blog. I have however been extraordinarily busy. Have a post brewing on restaurants and how we de-rail our progress. (Gained 1.5 pound this week, ate at 4 restaurants and had an all day seminar that was catered....) So, back at it in the morning. Walk. Walk. Walk. Track points. Walk. Wii. Repeat. OH, and a little work and chiropractor (after X-rays) too.
I needed another 2 days before Monday showed back up.
Guess I will have to settle for going to bed before midnight for the first time since Thursday.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I needed another 2 days before Monday showed back up.
Guess I will have to settle for going to bed before midnight for the first time since Thursday.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Week 10 Thursday - Snap, crackle, pop
So, I have been neglecting this blog. I am sore this week. Went to chiropractor yesterday and yeeeeeow did he crack some stuff, the lower back stuff felt fantastic but when he got to my middle/upper back and my neck I was seein' stars. I felt GREAT (and my sinuses actually drained after the neck one...how weird is that?!) but now I'm sore again. The good thing is I go back to the chiro tomorrow. 3 days a week will help me.
And I have gone out to dinner twice this week. The 2nd time we just got food and brought it home but while I was watching the portions I have not gone down...in fact I'm up 1... and my sinuses are killing me and resulting in not sleeping well. I bought a flush system (not the Neti Pot, but related) that is effective. It is not something you'd do in public or you'd do without feeling humiliated. But it works.
So yeah sore and not in the game. Still counting points every day but not feeling close to 30. But absolutely still on my way. Nearly there.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
And I have gone out to dinner twice this week. The 2nd time we just got food and brought it home but while I was watching the portions I have not gone down...in fact I'm up 1... and my sinuses are killing me and resulting in not sleeping well. I bought a flush system (not the Neti Pot, but related) that is effective. It is not something you'd do in public or you'd do without feeling humiliated. But it works.
So yeah sore and not in the game. Still counting points every day but not feeling close to 30. But absolutely still on my way. Nearly there.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Monday, October 4, 2010
Week 10 day 2 - Rainy days and Mondays
So, I love the rain. And today it didn't exactly rain here but that was ok because I didn't have to use my umbrella when I went on my walk. Just misted. And that was perfect. Back is still sore, I made an appointment to see a chiropractor on Wednesday (short day) so trust that will help. As you point out - very lucky that the person that hit us had insurance. My roommate has insurance and so I will have to use his PIP (personal injury protection for those of you that aren't in insurance) but the other insurance will pay out. It'll all be ok.
The day wasn't bad. Mondays usually are full of some sort of poop-scoop project from the weekend. But today wasn't nearly as bad as they can be. And when it came to eating and staying in my points I was right on the money. I have been fighting this cold/flu/sinus infection for what feels like FOREVER now. I think it's 4 weeks now. That drains me. Put together with sitting for a long time and my back was not happy. So I went on a walk, did the mile loop that I used to do. Didn't do it super fast, kinda babying my back, but still did it and got an exercise point out of it.
The food points were easier too because when I don't feel good (and when it's this time of year especially) I like to eat soup. So by the time I got home from work I still had over 17 points left for the day. And I put them to very good use. Shopping on the weekend (post-accident) included picking up another container of fresh veggies for stir fry. I had been buying the frozen bags and those are fine but the fresh stuff is so much better. And since my roommate's fighting a bug and losing weight too, AND a good cook he put that together with a block of tofu, some teriyaki sauce and some of the asparagus that we had for dinner yesterday and MAN was that good. Spicy and tasty and filling. And my evening dessert was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sara Lee 45 cal bread, less than 2 Tbsp (which is 5 points by the way!) of peanut butter and my personal favorite - Smuckers Sugar Free Apricot Preserves. .5 points if you have 2 Tbsp. 0 if you have 1. :)
So I'm going to bed a wee bit earlier, working on reading through Sherlock Holmes and hopefully I will be able to breathe (sniff sniff) so I can get a good night's rest. And thus get up and attack that hill in the morning. No promises. But I'd kinda like to. So that's a good thing. Yes, yes, yes before you start hounding me with comments (and showing up in my office) I WILL go see the doctor if this illness doesn't go away in a couple more weeks. At this point I'm trying some serious sleep and over the counter stuff.
Nighty nite.
One Day. One Pound. One step at a time.
~N
The day wasn't bad. Mondays usually are full of some sort of poop-scoop project from the weekend. But today wasn't nearly as bad as they can be. And when it came to eating and staying in my points I was right on the money. I have been fighting this cold/flu/sinus infection for what feels like FOREVER now. I think it's 4 weeks now. That drains me. Put together with sitting for a long time and my back was not happy. So I went on a walk, did the mile loop that I used to do. Didn't do it super fast, kinda babying my back, but still did it and got an exercise point out of it.
The food points were easier too because when I don't feel good (and when it's this time of year especially) I like to eat soup. So by the time I got home from work I still had over 17 points left for the day. And I put them to very good use. Shopping on the weekend (post-accident) included picking up another container of fresh veggies for stir fry. I had been buying the frozen bags and those are fine but the fresh stuff is so much better. And since my roommate's fighting a bug and losing weight too, AND a good cook he put that together with a block of tofu, some teriyaki sauce and some of the asparagus that we had for dinner yesterday and MAN was that good. Spicy and tasty and filling. And my evening dessert was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sara Lee 45 cal bread, less than 2 Tbsp (which is 5 points by the way!) of peanut butter and my personal favorite - Smuckers Sugar Free Apricot Preserves. .5 points if you have 2 Tbsp. 0 if you have 1. :)
So I'm going to bed a wee bit earlier, working on reading through Sherlock Holmes and hopefully I will be able to breathe (sniff sniff) so I can get a good night's rest. And thus get up and attack that hill in the morning. No promises. But I'd kinda like to. So that's a good thing. Yes, yes, yes before you start hounding me with comments (and showing up in my office) I WILL go see the doctor if this illness doesn't go away in a couple more weeks. At this point I'm trying some serious sleep and over the counter stuff.
Nighty nite.
One Day. One Pound. One step at a time.
~N
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Week 10 - (Weigh In) Change of plans
My roommate is fond of telling me that "life is the weirdest thing ever." And most of the time he's right. If you think about all the stuff that happens to us on a daily basis that we just take in stride, or deal with and keep going....life is indeed weird.
Yesterday I had a plan: get up, get coffee, get my nephew a present, work, come home and relax. Here's how yesterday really went: get up, get in the car and drive to get coffee (because there was too much to do to walk to the coffee place), drive towards home, get hit (on my side of the little Neon) by big F150 Ford driven by an old man leaving a garage sale, spend time calling insurance companies, start feeling pain in lower back and radiating down left leg, buy present for said nephew and drop it off, drive (my car) to the lake that I walked around a month ago and walk 4 miles in an hour, feel better, come home and watch a movie and go to bed.
The crash could have been much worse. Much. We weren't going over 25, having just left a stop sign and turned onto the road. The old man was pulling out from in front of a house when we were right next to him. It was almost like he didn't register "oh there's a car there with a woman next to me yelling and gesturing with her coffee cup" and he pressed on the gas when his BIG truck wasn't going (because WE were there).
This was my roommate's second accident in a Neon this year. The first accident was his fault, totaled the car, and he went to the hospital with a compression fracture in his back. He was already a slow driver but that accident freaked him out (as well it should) and he was very happy to have gotten another car that looked exactly like his old one. I wasn't in the other accident. This one shook me up as it was on my side of things and, as mentioned, made my lower back seize up for a bit. But this time the car is repairable. The truck is probably totaled (axle issues) but the car will be fine and all will be paid for by said old man's insurance.
When my back started to feel painful I was trying to analyze "now, is this related to the accident? or because I slept weird and then had to crawl over to the driver's side to get out of the car?" And I knew that if I spent the day sitting it would only get worse. So when my dear friend Janice mentioned the lake on Facebook I thought "ahha!" Change of plans. Put walking shoes on and go walk. And this time I didn't walk 6 miles but I walked faster than last time. And by the time I was done my back was not hurting, my knee (that usually starts hurting) wasn't hurting.
Just have to learn to go with the flow and adapt. And thankfully the exercise option helped in all ways. Today I am 1.5 pounds away from my next goal. That's a total loss of 28.5 pounds.
I was reading an article on the WW website about the exercise high that people talk about. I can say that I've felt that a few times and I felt it yesterday for sure. The exercise high is an endorphine high, endorphine hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in response to physical stress. During exercise these hormones have the ability to block pain, curb hunger, elevate mood and get rid of stress hormones. Of course everyone has a different threshold where this high kicks in. Some people get it from running for 30 minutes, others from aerobics, others from swimming.
The article, by Vanessa Voltolina, gives ideas for achieving this high: 1. Give it time. In other words, push yourself to work out longer. The longer you work out the more likely you are to reach it. And of course you also get the benefit of exercise, burning those calories. 2. Everyone's high is different. This of course is what I was saying earlier so just because one person tells you they got the hormones after calisthenics for 20 minutes doesn't mean that you will. 3. Stop obsessing. This was very interesting for me to read. Voltolina points out that if you are spending your exercise time paying attention to who's paying attention to you or how you look while you're working out you are losing the synergy needed (mind/body) to get the result you want. Letting your body and brain get into the movement, feeling the air go into your lungs and feeling the way your muscles respond and how it feels once you've walked through any discomfort or pain.
I know exactly how that feels. Yesterday when I started walking I was thinking about the accident and how warm it was and my back hurt and my knee throbbed. By the time I was about halfway into the walk I had forgotten about that and was feeling good.
This week I will reach my goal. I am only 1.5 pounds away and I know I can do it. Of course, that means I'll have to make a new goal but I'm TOTALLY ok with that.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Yesterday I had a plan: get up, get coffee, get my nephew a present, work, come home and relax. Here's how yesterday really went: get up, get in the car and drive to get coffee (because there was too much to do to walk to the coffee place), drive towards home, get hit (on my side of the little Neon) by big F150 Ford driven by an old man leaving a garage sale, spend time calling insurance companies, start feeling pain in lower back and radiating down left leg, buy present for said nephew and drop it off, drive (my car) to the lake that I walked around a month ago and walk 4 miles in an hour, feel better, come home and watch a movie and go to bed.
The crash could have been much worse. Much. We weren't going over 25, having just left a stop sign and turned onto the road. The old man was pulling out from in front of a house when we were right next to him. It was almost like he didn't register "oh there's a car there with a woman next to me yelling and gesturing with her coffee cup" and he pressed on the gas when his BIG truck wasn't going (because WE were there).
This was my roommate's second accident in a Neon this year. The first accident was his fault, totaled the car, and he went to the hospital with a compression fracture in his back. He was already a slow driver but that accident freaked him out (as well it should) and he was very happy to have gotten another car that looked exactly like his old one. I wasn't in the other accident. This one shook me up as it was on my side of things and, as mentioned, made my lower back seize up for a bit. But this time the car is repairable. The truck is probably totaled (axle issues) but the car will be fine and all will be paid for by said old man's insurance.
When my back started to feel painful I was trying to analyze "now, is this related to the accident? or because I slept weird and then had to crawl over to the driver's side to get out of the car?" And I knew that if I spent the day sitting it would only get worse. So when my dear friend Janice mentioned the lake on Facebook I thought "ahha!" Change of plans. Put walking shoes on and go walk. And this time I didn't walk 6 miles but I walked faster than last time. And by the time I was done my back was not hurting, my knee (that usually starts hurting) wasn't hurting.
Just have to learn to go with the flow and adapt. And thankfully the exercise option helped in all ways. Today I am 1.5 pounds away from my next goal. That's a total loss of 28.5 pounds.
I was reading an article on the WW website about the exercise high that people talk about. I can say that I've felt that a few times and I felt it yesterday for sure. The exercise high is an endorphine high, endorphine hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in response to physical stress. During exercise these hormones have the ability to block pain, curb hunger, elevate mood and get rid of stress hormones. Of course everyone has a different threshold where this high kicks in. Some people get it from running for 30 minutes, others from aerobics, others from swimming.
The article, by Vanessa Voltolina, gives ideas for achieving this high: 1. Give it time. In other words, push yourself to work out longer. The longer you work out the more likely you are to reach it. And of course you also get the benefit of exercise, burning those calories. 2. Everyone's high is different. This of course is what I was saying earlier so just because one person tells you they got the hormones after calisthenics for 20 minutes doesn't mean that you will. 3. Stop obsessing. This was very interesting for me to read. Voltolina points out that if you are spending your exercise time paying attention to who's paying attention to you or how you look while you're working out you are losing the synergy needed (mind/body) to get the result you want. Letting your body and brain get into the movement, feeling the air go into your lungs and feeling the way your muscles respond and how it feels once you've walked through any discomfort or pain.
I know exactly how that feels. Yesterday when I started walking I was thinking about the accident and how warm it was and my back hurt and my knee throbbed. By the time I was about halfway into the walk I had forgotten about that and was feeling good.
This week I will reach my goal. I am only 1.5 pounds away and I know I can do it. Of course, that means I'll have to make a new goal but I'm TOTALLY ok with that.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Week 9 Day 5 - and it all started with a Big Bang *bang*
No, no bangs. But I love that show. It makes me laugh so hard. And laughter is good for life. Tonight's episode was about the character Sheldon wanting to live longer and doing what he has to do to make that happen. Of course the outcomes are hilarious. He eats brussel sprouts one night and farts everyone out of the apartment. He tries to go running and falls down the stairs. He eventually decides to make a virtual self and sends this robot around to his work.
I think I'm doing better than eating only brussel sprouts and falling down stairs. Today's menu included some very good spinach rigatoni (Smart ones) and I still have points left for dessert (pudding) and had a strange green drink (looked like mouthwash) that my roommate made with Midori (2 points) and Blue Curacao (1 point) and diet 7up (0 points).
Sorry, I haven't been reading the magazines or the website recently. Should have something by the weekend. Meantime, keep tracking what you eat. Remember to move. And believe in yourself. Laughter helps. Being able to believe in your ability to do anything you put your mind to is priceless.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
I think I'm doing better than eating only brussel sprouts and falling down stairs. Today's menu included some very good spinach rigatoni (Smart ones) and I still have points left for dessert (pudding) and had a strange green drink (looked like mouthwash) that my roommate made with Midori (2 points) and Blue Curacao (1 point) and diet 7up (0 points).
Sorry, I haven't been reading the magazines or the website recently. Should have something by the weekend. Meantime, keep tracking what you eat. Remember to move. And believe in yourself. Laughter helps. Being able to believe in your ability to do anything you put your mind to is priceless.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Week 9 Day 4 - Hump Day
Not much to say about today. Was a busy day. Feeling better. Went to work and still worked 6 hours. Came home and really wanted to curl up next to the cats and sleep in the sun.
But I had stuff to do so I'm settling for going to bed earlier than I have been. Getting enough sleep is important.
Been a while since I shared what I ate and I came in under my points so here's what I had:
4 oz Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, blackberry
4 pieces of light string cheese
1 cup tomato
Diet 7 up
2 cups Progresso Light Italian style vegetable soup
the last pack of Market Pantry (Target brand) cheese crackers
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
4 oz Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, vanilla
1 Jello Dulce Du Leche pudding cup (THIS IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD! and 1 point!)
1 vanilla coke zero
2 pieces Sara Lee bread
2 boca burgers (2 points each)
1 oz brandy (cause a friend came and gave me a GREAT deal on a bunch of booze, so 1.5 points is worth it)
1 cherry coke zero
1 Smart Ones Fiesta Quesadilla (4 points and great!)
one of my salads - 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup cherry tomatos, 2 oz fat free feta, 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (I need to get a new dressing, this is high in points)
And that's a lot of points, but for me? It's 1 less than I get in a day. And I will get less as the journey goes along. But it's fine. And I did some more calisthenics and weights for my arms, must remove the flaps.
Meanwhile, I gotta go to bed. Up to work again. The great thing? Boss is gone for a week. :)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
But I had stuff to do so I'm settling for going to bed earlier than I have been. Getting enough sleep is important.
Been a while since I shared what I ate and I came in under my points so here's what I had:
4 oz Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, blackberry
4 pieces of light string cheese
1 cup tomato
Diet 7 up
2 cups Progresso Light Italian style vegetable soup
the last pack of Market Pantry (Target brand) cheese crackers
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
4 oz Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, vanilla
1 Jello Dulce Du Leche pudding cup (THIS IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD! and 1 point!)
1 vanilla coke zero
2 pieces Sara Lee bread
2 boca burgers (2 points each)
1 oz brandy (cause a friend came and gave me a GREAT deal on a bunch of booze, so 1.5 points is worth it)
1 cherry coke zero
1 Smart Ones Fiesta Quesadilla (4 points and great!)
one of my salads - 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup cherry tomatos, 2 oz fat free feta, 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (I need to get a new dressing, this is high in points)
And that's a lot of points, but for me? It's 1 less than I get in a day. And I will get less as the journey goes along. But it's fine. And I did some more calisthenics and weights for my arms, must remove the flaps.
Meanwhile, I gotta go to bed. Up to work again. The great thing? Boss is gone for a week. :)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 9 Day 3 - Got to keep on movin.
Biggest Loser night tonight. Watching Jilian and Bob (yes even Bob, hilarious to see the gleam in his eye when the guy asked if they were almost done yet) put these people through the work outs on day 1 and 2. Man oh man. Puking and sweating. Looking like total hell. Crying.
I hadn't walked since Saturday so I got my yoga mat out and I started doing push ups, leg lifts, some weights for my arms and spent 10 minutes doing that. 10 minutes is NOTHING compared to what the people were doing on my tv. But when they were sitting in the kitchen talking about the things they used to eat and how much exercise they need to do to really speed up the weight loss I was thinking "that is me, that is something that I need to do. To put myself in that burning mode."
I need to make a yellow line for myself. And the exercise is what needs to happen. I am doing ok with my eating. I even counted out 14 Cheezits today (because I ate all the Target crackers) and instead of thinking that's not enough cracker - it was just right. Wow, the first guy stepped on the scale and lost 41 pounds. In 2 weeks. That's more than me in 9. Exercise. That's the key.
So, the mat will stay out in the living room and I will do this again in the morning. I can use what I'm watching on tv as a momentum, a reminder to keep going. Because I've done this before, lost weight by moving and watching what I ate. And I have to see this, to use this as my LIFE changer. Not just a passing fancy or fad.
Being aware of what I eat and what it does to me. They talked about that tonight, when looking at what the people were used to eating and holding it up and saying "THIS is what is killing you" - that's the stuff I have to look at. I've been eating very healthy stuff for over 2 months now. And it's not been difficult. I found a new favorite - Jello sugar free Dulce Du Leche. YUM. 1 point. Yummy goodness. And I found 100 calorie packs of popcorn. 1 point for the WHOLE BAG!! Way better than 7.5 for a bag. Still loving the progresso light soups. And those sandwich thins are my new pick for bread and bagels. I can't see going back to the other kind of bread. Sara Lee or Sandwich Thins and I found some bagel thins too.
I'm just going to keep doing this thing One day. One pound. One step at a time. (And maybe make a yellow line somewhere on my scale before weigh in day next Sunday...)
~N
I hadn't walked since Saturday so I got my yoga mat out and I started doing push ups, leg lifts, some weights for my arms and spent 10 minutes doing that. 10 minutes is NOTHING compared to what the people were doing on my tv. But when they were sitting in the kitchen talking about the things they used to eat and how much exercise they need to do to really speed up the weight loss I was thinking "that is me, that is something that I need to do. To put myself in that burning mode."
I need to make a yellow line for myself. And the exercise is what needs to happen. I am doing ok with my eating. I even counted out 14 Cheezits today (because I ate all the Target crackers) and instead of thinking that's not enough cracker - it was just right. Wow, the first guy stepped on the scale and lost 41 pounds. In 2 weeks. That's more than me in 9. Exercise. That's the key.
So, the mat will stay out in the living room and I will do this again in the morning. I can use what I'm watching on tv as a momentum, a reminder to keep going. Because I've done this before, lost weight by moving and watching what I ate. And I have to see this, to use this as my LIFE changer. Not just a passing fancy or fad.
Being aware of what I eat and what it does to me. They talked about that tonight, when looking at what the people were used to eating and holding it up and saying "THIS is what is killing you" - that's the stuff I have to look at. I've been eating very healthy stuff for over 2 months now. And it's not been difficult. I found a new favorite - Jello sugar free Dulce Du Leche. YUM. 1 point. Yummy goodness. And I found 100 calorie packs of popcorn. 1 point for the WHOLE BAG!! Way better than 7.5 for a bag. Still loving the progresso light soups. And those sandwich thins are my new pick for bread and bagels. I can't see going back to the other kind of bread. Sara Lee or Sandwich Thins and I found some bagel thins too.
I'm just going to keep doing this thing One day. One pound. One step at a time. (And maybe make a yellow line somewhere on my scale before weigh in day next Sunday...)
~N
Monday, September 27, 2010
Week 9 Day 2 - The Hard Way
Yeah, so losing weight because you feel like crap is quite over-rated. Well, maybe it's not even highly rated but yeah I am so ready to go back to work tomorrow. I know I'm sleeping and getting rest and not eating all my points so I am sure to lose more, but the headache, body ache, generalized crappiness can go away ANY TIME. Actually I do feel better. Just not 100%
So today was a sleep, read, sleep, go to the nearest grocery store and buy basics and return to my divet on the couch day. I got stuff for salad and soup and more of my Light & Fit yogurts and some Diet 7up (yeah, normally I'm not into that, but I was craving cherry 7up and now I just need to find some cherry flavoring to add to it - of I can just drink it and deal with it).
Tonight I will be having some more harvest stew (3 points per BIG bowl) and crackers and be very happy for my fuzzy blue robe and go to bed early.
I would assume I'm losing more pounds this week but I'm not counting on them being the kind of pounds that will stay off. (but they still count!)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
So today was a sleep, read, sleep, go to the nearest grocery store and buy basics and return to my divet on the couch day. I got stuff for salad and soup and more of my Light & Fit yogurts and some Diet 7up (yeah, normally I'm not into that, but I was craving cherry 7up and now I just need to find some cherry flavoring to add to it - of I can just drink it and deal with it).
Tonight I will be having some more harvest stew (3 points per BIG bowl) and crackers and be very happy for my fuzzy blue robe and go to bed early.
I would assume I'm losing more pounds this week but I'm not counting on them being the kind of pounds that will stay off. (but they still count!)
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Week 9 - Weigh-in day
I'm still sick. In fact today there is an element of stomach bug that I'm feeling and oh boy, I really would like to NOT be stuck at home again tomorrow. Yesterday went out for dinner for a friend's birthday and had a half-sandwich and a salad and a diet coke. It was funny to hear the reaction from my friends that are used to my old ways. In the old days I would have had a plate of bread and a pot of fondue at this place, as well as several mojitos. And I might have shared some of the bread (MIGHT). ;) So a half sandwich with a salad and a diet soda was a big change. And I had a bbq chicken breast and some bbq'd asparagus, corn on the cob and a small salad for dinner. The thing I did NOT say no to was the fan-freakin-tastic chocolate cake with Guinnes/Irish Cream Gnosh frosting. OMG. I have no idea how many points but I ate it up.
So, being sick I haven't been very active and add on the chocolate cake I was a bit worried to stand on the scale this morning. But......I am now 4 pounds away from the next goal. T minus 26 pounds and counting!!!
Ok, that's about all the excitement I can stand for now. Going to go make some tea and watch football.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
So, being sick I haven't been very active and add on the chocolate cake I was a bit worried to stand on the scale this morning. But......I am now 4 pounds away from the next goal. T minus 26 pounds and counting!!!
Ok, that's about all the excitement I can stand for now. Going to go make some tea and watch football.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
Friday, September 24, 2010
Week 8 Day 6 - Still sick
Still home with this cold. Sleeping a lot. Definately staying under my points. Soup, yogurt and tea along with lots of cold meds make me happy.
Of course having a laptop with netflix makes me happy too, as do my Sookie Stackhouse novels. This too shall pass and I'm hoping to feel better enough to go outside tomorrow.
Here's to jammies, hot water for showers and tea and soup. As the song says I'm "stayin alive".
One day. One pound. One day at a time.
~N
Of course having a laptop with netflix makes me happy too, as do my Sookie Stackhouse novels. This too shall pass and I'm hoping to feel better enough to go outside tomorrow.
Here's to jammies, hot water for showers and tea and soup. As the song says I'm "stayin alive".
One day. One pound. One day at a time.
~N
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Week 8 Day 5 - Sick and tired
Well, what I thought was allergies for the last 2 or so weeks must not just be allergies cause I spent 80-90% of today asleep. Sneezing, coughing, headache. Yep, good old-fashioned cold. And for this I take the night-time sneezing, coughing, fever, so you can rest medicine - Nyquil. I buy the generic kind (cause if you look at the ingredients it makes zero difference if it is Walgreens or the actual Nyquil or Dayquil brand, just costs more) and I pop them like candy. Totally don't follow the maximun dose. And before you start writing in to tell me that's dangerous. I know. I don't mix them with other stuff and I don't go too far. Just enough to knock me out so I can sleep and get rid of this.
So I did not exercise today, except to walk to the bathroom and kitchen and back to my bed. And I had the soup that my roommate made yesterday. The thing is - I looked up the ingredients on the ww website today and I am afraid that it might be an 8 or 10 point per bowl soup. Yikes. Potato, celery, onion, squash, boullion, garlic, mushrooms and vegetable broth add up. The site has a build your own recipe thing where you enter the ingredients and that's what I came up with. So, I didn't eat much but that soup is costly. The more you know the more you realize you have to watch it. And the more I realize how little I paid attention to what I ate. I have this erroneous thought process that says "if it's soup it must be low calorie" (except for the cheddar broccoli stuff) and now that I'm paying close attention I realize just how easy it is to slip into that pattern that will pack on the pounds. And I'm not doing that.
In one of my brief awake states today I watched an episode of Nip/Tuck on Netflix and there was this lady that was literally fused to her couch. She had back pain and in order to not be in pain she stayed on the couch. Her fear of pain led to her becoming one with her couch. They had to cut the side of her house open to move her out and put her on a back loader and take her to the hospital where she eventually died. That type of life is one that I have a deep, dark fear of ever having. I realize that I am actually not headed anywhere near that direction. And that's great, but I think knowing that that exact scenario could indeed happen to someone is great motivation to get up and do stuff.
So, not working again tomorrow. I need to kick this bug completely and sleep will help. And lots of water, tea and Lifewater. And I think that tomorrow I will do some yoga. Don't really feel like walking is a realistic option but yoga is.
Hope each of you is well. I have a feeling there are a lot of different bugs going around out there so, rest up, get your rest and drink lots of fluids. This too shall pass.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
So I did not exercise today, except to walk to the bathroom and kitchen and back to my bed. And I had the soup that my roommate made yesterday. The thing is - I looked up the ingredients on the ww website today and I am afraid that it might be an 8 or 10 point per bowl soup. Yikes. Potato, celery, onion, squash, boullion, garlic, mushrooms and vegetable broth add up. The site has a build your own recipe thing where you enter the ingredients and that's what I came up with. So, I didn't eat much but that soup is costly. The more you know the more you realize you have to watch it. And the more I realize how little I paid attention to what I ate. I have this erroneous thought process that says "if it's soup it must be low calorie" (except for the cheddar broccoli stuff) and now that I'm paying close attention I realize just how easy it is to slip into that pattern that will pack on the pounds. And I'm not doing that.
In one of my brief awake states today I watched an episode of Nip/Tuck on Netflix and there was this lady that was literally fused to her couch. She had back pain and in order to not be in pain she stayed on the couch. Her fear of pain led to her becoming one with her couch. They had to cut the side of her house open to move her out and put her on a back loader and take her to the hospital where she eventually died. That type of life is one that I have a deep, dark fear of ever having. I realize that I am actually not headed anywhere near that direction. And that's great, but I think knowing that that exact scenario could indeed happen to someone is great motivation to get up and do stuff.
So, not working again tomorrow. I need to kick this bug completely and sleep will help. And lots of water, tea and Lifewater. And I think that tomorrow I will do some yoga. Don't really feel like walking is a realistic option but yoga is.
Hope each of you is well. I have a feeling there are a lot of different bugs going around out there so, rest up, get your rest and drink lots of fluids. This too shall pass.
One day. One pound. One step at a time.
~N
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