Very vegiliscious!
Very nice weekend. I was 300-500 calories over my target – not bad! And exercise was right on.
This week I made a concerted effort to include more unprocessed foods, in particular vegetables. Here’s what this week’s food looks like:
B: vegetable soup with deer
S: “pancakes”, made with oats, cottage cheese, and egg whites (these are yummy!)
L: “naked” salad with tuna, avocado, herbs, and lime juice
S: cottage cheese and berries
S: carrot muffins before martial arts, a glass of chocolate milk after
D: varied, but lean meat & veggies – foregoing potatoes, rice, bread, etc.
The muffins are made with a mix of whole wheat flour and oats. They are a recipe from my “Eating for Life” cookbook. A little dry, but I needed something light to eat before martial arts. They have protein powder in them, so I’m getting some protein in.
Well, have a great day!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Hub came through in the clutch
The hub arrived home last night with a beautiful flower arrangement, complete with a “happy anniversary” balloon that plays “You’re still the one” and a card. He is taking me out for sushi tonight. :-)
Weight is unchanged from last week. I hate the scale. I hate trying to lose weight. Suck suck suck suck suck!!!!!!
Hub is going out of town to play D&D, returning sometime Sunday. Boy will be up at grandpa’s, the martial arts studio is closed. I will be lifting weights tonight, running both days this weekend, and trying to avoid the kitchen. I will either do some sewing, or clean out closets – whatever strikes my fancy.
Boy, I live an exciting life!
The hub arrived home last night with a beautiful flower arrangement, complete with a “happy anniversary” balloon that plays “You’re still the one” and a card. He is taking me out for sushi tonight. :-)
Weight is unchanged from last week. I hate the scale. I hate trying to lose weight. Suck suck suck suck suck!!!!!!
Hub is going out of town to play D&D, returning sometime Sunday. Boy will be up at grandpa’s, the martial arts studio is closed. I will be lifting weights tonight, running both days this weekend, and trying to avoid the kitchen. I will either do some sewing, or clean out closets – whatever strikes my fancy.
Boy, I live an exciting life!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
A review, a rant, and my attempts at creating an untenable scenario
At 9 am this morning I was starving. I had my usual breakfast at 7, but there was no way I could wait until 10 for my snack. I popped off to the caf for a little something, where I bought a slice of light whole wheat bread with a bit of pb and a Coke Blak. For those of you that haven’t seen it, this is Coke’s new “fusion beverage” – a coffee & Coke combo. One serving is 8 oz. and contains 45 calories. While that’s not a lot of calories, I wouldn’t make this a daily occurrence. But I’d wanted to try it for a while, so I did. If you’re thinking what I was thinking when I first heard of it “That sounds weird!”, you’d be correct. On first taste, I thought it was weird. It tastes more like Coke than coffee, although the flavors are fairly balanced. For some reason, the coffee made me think of chocolate flavored Coke. It reminded me of going to the soda fountain and ordering a flavored Coke. I enjoyed it, and I will have it again, but I won’t be having it on a regular basis – I prefer not to drink my calories, beer excepted!
Hub and I had a fight yesterday morning. While it wasn’t over anything huge, it left me feeling very very shaken. I managed to make it through the day, but I was just trying to keep it together until I could leave. I asked my mom to take the boy over to her house for the night because I didn’t want him to see me in the state I was in. I was not in a good place. I left work as soon as I could (3 pm), and went to K0hl’s to go shopping. I was hoping to avert a binge. I just desperately wanted my raw emotions numbed until I was ready to deal with them. I had a store credit and wanted a bathing suit top to wear with shorts while walking around down in Fla. I found a load of stuff on clearance – the bathing suit top, 2 purses, a great hat for the beach (which matches my swim suit tops), a small wallet to carry when I travel (it’s pink!), and 2 pair of flip-flops. The wallet and flip-flops were on sale, but not clearance. The flip-flops are the kind with the wedge heel and they have sequins – one pair is brown and the other is pink. The swim suit top (and hat) have aqua blues and browns in them. I wound up spending $25 dollars.
I was feeling better by the time I left the store, but when I called my mom they were still at my house, so I had a little time to kill. If the boy had known I wasn’t going to martial arts, he would have wanted to stay home so I was trying not to bump into them. So I drove to the Mexican place for cheese dip, chips, and jalepenos, and then stopped by the convenience store for beer. Sigh. It was all gone by the time hub got home. Not so good. We didn’t talk about it – it was still too raw for me and I wasn’t ready. Tonight he has the boy while I go to martial arts. I hope I can talk myself into going tonight. As horrid as I was feeling yesterday I’m not going to beat myself up over what happened – that was the worst fight we’ve had since around Thanksgiving. Sure we quibble about this & that, but we don’t argue at that level often, so when it happens it really affects me.
It’s pretty ironic – today is our wedding anniversary. I had bought a really cute card with 2 doggies on the front that says “communication is everything” on the inside. I gave it to him this morning. As I left he wished me a happy anniversary and I just sobbed as I walked out the door.
Have you ever read fitness/weight loss advice that read something like “Live like a fit person and your body will follow.”? That’s what I’m trying to do: eat healthy foods in appropriate portions and keep very very active. If I live like an athlete, perhaps my body will give up the fat. I have a pretty ambitious schedule for hitting the martial arts, on top of morning walk/runs, and of course lifting at least twice a week. If I can keep that up I’ll be in really good shape come the end of summer. I just have to stay on track while we’re in Fla. for the week. I have to say, I wish I were just staying home. I know we’ll have fun, I’m just tired. And I’m scared I’ll eat the world and get no exercise. I hope I can get to a place where I can trust myself to make healthy choices no matter where I am. Vacation shouldn’t mean eat every high calorie food you can dredge up.
Okay, time to put a gag on the negative voice. And have my real morning snack.
At 9 am this morning I was starving. I had my usual breakfast at 7, but there was no way I could wait until 10 for my snack. I popped off to the caf for a little something, where I bought a slice of light whole wheat bread with a bit of pb and a Coke Blak. For those of you that haven’t seen it, this is Coke’s new “fusion beverage” – a coffee & Coke combo. One serving is 8 oz. and contains 45 calories. While that’s not a lot of calories, I wouldn’t make this a daily occurrence. But I’d wanted to try it for a while, so I did. If you’re thinking what I was thinking when I first heard of it “That sounds weird!”, you’d be correct. On first taste, I thought it was weird. It tastes more like Coke than coffee, although the flavors are fairly balanced. For some reason, the coffee made me think of chocolate flavored Coke. It reminded me of going to the soda fountain and ordering a flavored Coke. I enjoyed it, and I will have it again, but I won’t be having it on a regular basis – I prefer not to drink my calories, beer excepted!
Hub and I had a fight yesterday morning. While it wasn’t over anything huge, it left me feeling very very shaken. I managed to make it through the day, but I was just trying to keep it together until I could leave. I asked my mom to take the boy over to her house for the night because I didn’t want him to see me in the state I was in. I was not in a good place. I left work as soon as I could (3 pm), and went to K0hl’s to go shopping. I was hoping to avert a binge. I just desperately wanted my raw emotions numbed until I was ready to deal with them. I had a store credit and wanted a bathing suit top to wear with shorts while walking around down in Fla. I found a load of stuff on clearance – the bathing suit top, 2 purses, a great hat for the beach (which matches my swim suit tops), a small wallet to carry when I travel (it’s pink!), and 2 pair of flip-flops. The wallet and flip-flops were on sale, but not clearance. The flip-flops are the kind with the wedge heel and they have sequins – one pair is brown and the other is pink. The swim suit top (and hat) have aqua blues and browns in them. I wound up spending $25 dollars.
I was feeling better by the time I left the store, but when I called my mom they were still at my house, so I had a little time to kill. If the boy had known I wasn’t going to martial arts, he would have wanted to stay home so I was trying not to bump into them. So I drove to the Mexican place for cheese dip, chips, and jalepenos, and then stopped by the convenience store for beer. Sigh. It was all gone by the time hub got home. Not so good. We didn’t talk about it – it was still too raw for me and I wasn’t ready. Tonight he has the boy while I go to martial arts. I hope I can talk myself into going tonight. As horrid as I was feeling yesterday I’m not going to beat myself up over what happened – that was the worst fight we’ve had since around Thanksgiving. Sure we quibble about this & that, but we don’t argue at that level often, so when it happens it really affects me.
It’s pretty ironic – today is our wedding anniversary. I had bought a really cute card with 2 doggies on the front that says “communication is everything” on the inside. I gave it to him this morning. As I left he wished me a happy anniversary and I just sobbed as I walked out the door.
Have you ever read fitness/weight loss advice that read something like “Live like a fit person and your body will follow.”? That’s what I’m trying to do: eat healthy foods in appropriate portions and keep very very active. If I live like an athlete, perhaps my body will give up the fat. I have a pretty ambitious schedule for hitting the martial arts, on top of morning walk/runs, and of course lifting at least twice a week. If I can keep that up I’ll be in really good shape come the end of summer. I just have to stay on track while we’re in Fla. for the week. I have to say, I wish I were just staying home. I know we’ll have fun, I’m just tired. And I’m scared I’ll eat the world and get no exercise. I hope I can get to a place where I can trust myself to make healthy choices no matter where I am. Vacation shouldn’t mean eat every high calorie food you can dredge up.
Okay, time to put a gag on the negative voice. And have my real morning snack.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Is it Friday yet?
I am tired. I am sore. I slept 8.5 hours last night, and could have easily used another hour!
Needless to say, I did not get up and run this morning. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon, and weight lifting was mediocre at best – I was just so darn tired. Friday I am taking a 20 minute nap before I lift weights.
Food however is on target. Just to give you an idea, here’s what I had yesterday:
B: ground elk stir fry – lots of veggies and a bit of brown rice
S: French toast made with egg whites & protein powder
L: tamale casserole and a side salad
S: cottage cheese and mixed berries with walnuts
S: cup of lowfat chocolate milk after gym
D: broiled salmon, zucchini, and corn on the cob - fudgecicle
S: fake beer and a low carb tortilla with some lowfat shredded cheese (I was starving!)
The stir fry and tamale casseroles recipes are both properly balanced and portioned. The stir fry came from the BFL cookbook, and the tamale casserole I adapted to fit my needs. It’s made with polenta for the carb – yum!
I have a feeling of overall achiness (just a bit) and tiredness. Tonight is jiu-jitsu and muay thai. I’m loving this stuff, even if its wearing me out!
I am tired. I am sore. I slept 8.5 hours last night, and could have easily used another hour!
Needless to say, I did not get up and run this morning. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon, and weight lifting was mediocre at best – I was just so darn tired. Friday I am taking a 20 minute nap before I lift weights.
Food however is on target. Just to give you an idea, here’s what I had yesterday:
B: ground elk stir fry – lots of veggies and a bit of brown rice
S: French toast made with egg whites & protein powder
L: tamale casserole and a side salad
S: cottage cheese and mixed berries with walnuts
S: cup of lowfat chocolate milk after gym
D: broiled salmon, zucchini, and corn on the cob - fudgecicle
S: fake beer and a low carb tortilla with some lowfat shredded cheese (I was starving!)
The stir fry and tamale casseroles recipes are both properly balanced and portioned. The stir fry came from the BFL cookbook, and the tamale casserole I adapted to fit my needs. It’s made with polenta for the carb – yum!
I have a feeling of overall achiness (just a bit) and tiredness. Tonight is jiu-jitsu and muay thai. I’m loving this stuff, even if its wearing me out!
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Decisions, decisions
Things are going well. My meals this week are balanced and properly portioned, but a little light on the fruits & veggies. I’ve been adding a side salad to lunch & plan to check that a bit more closely when I plan for next week!
I went to 2 jiu-jitsu classes last night. A bit of soreness, but nothing major. Thanks to Ben Gay, my lower back is feeling much better today (it was feeling a little better before the BG).
Hub is going out of town this weekend to play D&D. While I will enjoy the solitude, I am a bit peeved for 2 reasons: 1) I was hoping we could go out for our anniversary dinner Saturday and 2) I wanted to go to Hooter’s to watch the Gracie/Hughes fight. I don’t want to pay $40 to watch it on PPV. And yeah, I’d spend that at Hooter’s, but I wouldn’t feel ripped off. Our anniversary is Thursday, but going out during the week doesn’t work.
Today I plan to lift weights. I got up and ran 2 miles this morning – the weather was wonderful! I also walked 30 minutes at lunch. There has got to be some lard busting going on around here!
Things are going well. My meals this week are balanced and properly portioned, but a little light on the fruits & veggies. I’ve been adding a side salad to lunch & plan to check that a bit more closely when I plan for next week!
I went to 2 jiu-jitsu classes last night. A bit of soreness, but nothing major. Thanks to Ben Gay, my lower back is feeling much better today (it was feeling a little better before the BG).
Hub is going out of town this weekend to play D&D. While I will enjoy the solitude, I am a bit peeved for 2 reasons: 1) I was hoping we could go out for our anniversary dinner Saturday and 2) I wanted to go to Hooter’s to watch the Gracie/Hughes fight. I don’t want to pay $40 to watch it on PPV. And yeah, I’d spend that at Hooter’s, but I wouldn’t feel ripped off. Our anniversary is Thursday, but going out during the week doesn’t work.
Today I plan to lift weights. I got up and ran 2 miles this morning – the weather was wonderful! I also walked 30 minutes at lunch. There has got to be some lard busting going on around here!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Ah, the joys of getting older
You know what really irks me about getting older? The terrible tricks your body plays! How can this body roll around in jiu-jitsu, do 2 solid hours of kickboxing, cover miles and miles with no complaints, but god forbid I stand on a ladder to paint! My back feels like I’m 85, and all I did was stand on a freaking ladder painting on the wall! Geesh, for this much discomfort I should’ve at least gone skydiving or something fun and dangerous like that! I wish I had some Ben-gay.
It was a wonderful weekend. Productive, relaxing, just really nice. The boys had a good time too. There was an unfortunate incident last night involving beer & tamales that did mar it just a bit. Why does ML always have that effect on me???? Sigh.
You know what really irks me about getting older? The terrible tricks your body plays! How can this body roll around in jiu-jitsu, do 2 solid hours of kickboxing, cover miles and miles with no complaints, but god forbid I stand on a ladder to paint! My back feels like I’m 85, and all I did was stand on a freaking ladder painting on the wall! Geesh, for this much discomfort I should’ve at least gone skydiving or something fun and dangerous like that! I wish I had some Ben-gay.
It was a wonderful weekend. Productive, relaxing, just really nice. The boys had a good time too. There was an unfortunate incident last night involving beer & tamales that did mar it just a bit. Why does ML always have that effect on me???? Sigh.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Eat, leave, come home, eat, and on and on
Today I am in and out a lot - went to 2 hours of kickboxing this morning (loved it!!), came home for food, then out to the Farmer's Market and CostCo, now I'm back home for food, then back out for grocery shopping. Whew!
My goal is to get errands run, laundry & house clean, so tomorrow is all about doing the celtic knotwork and chilling out.
I am having a wonderful weekend. Lordie I needed this.
Did I mention I loved kickboxing? :-)
Friday, May 19, 2006
Well hello there
It's Friday afternoon. I walked an hour, got cleaned up, ran some errands, and now I am taking a break from housework. Scrubbing floors on my knees isn't the thrill of my life, but having a clean house is! (Yes, I know I am pathetic).
The boys got off this morning around 8, and I am slowly but surely making progress around here. The place was waaaaay overdue for a really deep cleaning.
I really enjoyed jiu-jitsu! I was a little nervous driving there, but the instructor really put me at ease. I think I'm gonna learn some good stuff. He warned me I might be sore today, but I'm fine.
I've got food planned out for most of the weekend - I think I'll be okay. I am going to kickboxing tomorrow, running a couple more errands, and then I want to work on the celtic knotwork in the kitchen. I may get that done by the time I retire!
Anyway, doing a couple of small projects, but focusing on a good cleaning, then more projects next weekend. No classes at the jiu-jitsu studio next weekend. :-( Darn national holidays!
Have a good one!
It's Friday afternoon. I walked an hour, got cleaned up, ran some errands, and now I am taking a break from housework. Scrubbing floors on my knees isn't the thrill of my life, but having a clean house is! (Yes, I know I am pathetic).
The boys got off this morning around 8, and I am slowly but surely making progress around here. The place was waaaaay overdue for a really deep cleaning.
I really enjoyed jiu-jitsu! I was a little nervous driving there, but the instructor really put me at ease. I think I'm gonna learn some good stuff. He warned me I might be sore today, but I'm fine.
I've got food planned out for most of the weekend - I think I'll be okay. I am going to kickboxing tomorrow, running a couple more errands, and then I want to work on the celtic knotwork in the kitchen. I may get that done by the time I retire!
Anyway, doing a couple of small projects, but focusing on a good cleaning, then more projects next weekend. No classes at the jiu-jitsu studio next weekend. :-( Darn national holidays!
Have a good one!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
New reads and the week in review
Well, given that this is the week I typically retain some extra water, being up half a pound doesn't seem too bad.
A loss would have been nice, but not realistic:
- I let my "2 free meals" spill over into, 2 meals and 1 day.
- Exercise? Puhleeze! Not so much.
On the plus side:
- Monday when I had a couple of beers while watching a movie, I ate popcorn. In the bad old days that would have been an order of cheese dip!
- I did stop the "spill over" at 2 meals plus one day, instead of deciding I'd blown the week and staging a pig-out day after day.
Because I weighed a day early, I have an extra day in next week. I intend to use that day well! Instead of being discouraged, I know I’m basically doing the right things – I just need to do them a bit more often next week! :-O
-----------
One thing I’d like to do this weekend is move some of my regular reads into an “old” folder. While occasionally a blogger will take a hiatus of months and come back (Amy), all too frequently they just fall off the earth. Lee is posting more and more infrequently, Lexy abandoned her blog due to a “friend” who kept reading after being asked not to…. I check back, and I don’t want to delete the links, but some of my regular and favorite reads have gone away I'm afraid.
I think that’s normal, especially for a weight loss blog. Once you’ve either reached goal or quit trying to lose (for whatever reason), you may find your blog has either morphed into something entirely different, or that you no longer have anything to say.
My list of regular reads has grown a little thin. So…. Those of you reading this, who do you read? What are your favorite blogs to read and why? Feel free to send me the addy of your own blog! There are so many fantastic blogs out there – and I bet you folks know about some I don’t, so give em up!
Have a great weekend!
Well, given that this is the week I typically retain some extra water, being up half a pound doesn't seem too bad.
A loss would have been nice, but not realistic:
- I let my "2 free meals" spill over into, 2 meals and 1 day.
- Exercise? Puhleeze! Not so much.
On the plus side:
- Monday when I had a couple of beers while watching a movie, I ate popcorn. In the bad old days that would have been an order of cheese dip!
- I did stop the "spill over" at 2 meals plus one day, instead of deciding I'd blown the week and staging a pig-out day after day.
Because I weighed a day early, I have an extra day in next week. I intend to use that day well! Instead of being discouraged, I know I’m basically doing the right things – I just need to do them a bit more often next week! :-O
-----------
One thing I’d like to do this weekend is move some of my regular reads into an “old” folder. While occasionally a blogger will take a hiatus of months and come back (Amy), all too frequently they just fall off the earth. Lee is posting more and more infrequently, Lexy abandoned her blog due to a “friend” who kept reading after being asked not to…. I check back, and I don’t want to delete the links, but some of my regular and favorite reads have gone away I'm afraid.
I think that’s normal, especially for a weight loss blog. Once you’ve either reached goal or quit trying to lose (for whatever reason), you may find your blog has either morphed into something entirely different, or that you no longer have anything to say.
My list of regular reads has grown a little thin. So…. Those of you reading this, who do you read? What are your favorite blogs to read and why? Feel free to send me the addy of your own blog! There are so many fantastic blogs out there – and I bet you folks know about some I don’t, so give em up!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The weekend cometh!
Good morning!
I'm taking Friday off. I decided not to go to Pa. - I am sending the boys without me. I plan to stay home and get some stuff accomplished, and just have some quiet time to myself. I didn't get my relaxing weekend this past weekend, and I am overdue!
My only exercise the past couple of days has been walking at lunch - I planned to hit the gym yesterday but we ended up going to look at a trailer (which we bought). We needed a small one to haul our camping stuff to Pennsic in August, and this trailer is perfect. The price was perfect too - $200!
I am going to the gym this afternoon. Food is on track - now I need to give the old exercise a boost. Hey - when I fall off the wagon these days at leadt its only for 1 or 2 days!
Have a great day!
Good morning!
I'm taking Friday off. I decided not to go to Pa. - I am sending the boys without me. I plan to stay home and get some stuff accomplished, and just have some quiet time to myself. I didn't get my relaxing weekend this past weekend, and I am overdue!
My only exercise the past couple of days has been walking at lunch - I planned to hit the gym yesterday but we ended up going to look at a trailer (which we bought). We needed a small one to haul our camping stuff to Pennsic in August, and this trailer is perfect. The price was perfect too - $200!
I am going to the gym this afternoon. Food is on track - now I need to give the old exercise a boost. Hey - when I fall off the wagon these days at leadt its only for 1 or 2 days!
Have a great day!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Pity party cancelled
Well, I have to say it was the most craptacular Mother's day ever! And one of the lousiest weekends ever that didn't involve death, wrecked cars, or hospitals!
Friday evening was nice, Saturday I got up and went to kickboxing class (which I really enjoyed). After that I picked up my mom and I went to CostCo to pick up the seafood for our big seafood feast we had planned.
It all went to hell in a handbasket after that.
We planned to go out in the boat Saturday afternoon and meet the boy up at the lake (he was with his grandpa). My mom shows up at 3 - minus the MIL. She never got out of bed Saturday. Now, we had this big talk with her last weekend and she agreed to start getting on a schedule etc and blah blah, but you know what she followed through on this week? Squat. The whole not bothering to get up, sleeping all day at least once a week - no change.
So, we were all a little frustrated when we arrived at the lake. Hubs backs us down the ramp, and guess what??? The boat won't start!!! Woo hoo! A super fun half hour ensues where we are trying to contact Randy (who sold us the boat) who is out on THE SAME LAKE so we can figure out why our brand new boat isn't working. Hub is pretty much on the verge of an aneurism. Me, I just wanted a beer.
It turns out (although we didn't know this at the time), but the stereo isn't correctly wired, it was wired directly to the battery. So it was draining the battery constantly. We could have jumped started the boat, and the engine would have charged the battery and we would have been fine. But we didn't know that. So we went home.
So, mom, hub and I go home, drop boat, and go to get something to eat. I sure as heck wasn't cooking, and mom had to hang around to pick up the boy from the lake when he was done skiing with Grandpa. We use the time to have a serious talk about MIL. She is driving my mom insane. It's the little things, and the big things. Like my mom had bought 3 bags of expensive dried fruit (on sale) and when she went to get a couple of pieces the other day they were gone. She asked MIL if she knew where the dried fruit was, and MIL just smiled and rubbed her belly. Or the fact that she can get up if she has a doctor appt, but doesn't bother any other day. Or that she keeps asking to borrow $$ for her prescriptions from my mom, but spends 10 bucks a week on creamer for her coffee. Or that when her dog wants breakfast she opens her bedroom door and just lets him out, closing the door behind him. If mom isn't up, then MIL's dog Winnie wakes mom up so SHE can feed him. You see how this could get old.
The woman has been living with my mom 4 months. She got back over $500 from income taxes, which she spent on clothes and unnecessary crap, while she lives in my mom's house free of charge. None of us ever dreamed at the beginning she'd still be with my mom after 4 months. My mom has put up with stuff that would have driven me over the edge. So, over dinner the 3 of us decided that MIL had to be given a deadline to move out of my mom's out. We decided to give her a month's notice.
But hub's out of town next weekend, and then mom & I are taking the boy to Key West and will be gone the following 2 weekends. So we got to tell her this on Mother's Day.
Sunday morning I got up early, fed all the animals, and went to do the grocery shopping. It was beautiful, and I asked my husband if we could go out on the boat. At that point, we knew we could jumpstart it and be okay, and we had to take it to the marina anyway to get fixed, and we can't use it the next 3 weekends. So off we went for a very pleasant 2 hours at the lake. But of course it couldn't last. The boy proceeds to act like a total horses ass as we are getting the boat out of the water. He heads home with my mom, & hub and I head home.
At this point, we have 8 loads of laundry, the house is trashed (he was sick last weekend so it got a light surface cleaning only) and none of my cooking is done. Oh yeah, and I haven't gotten a bath since kickboxing the prior morning! After we got home, I got the lentil soup in the crockpot for my breakfasts and went to get cleaned up. Hub works on laundry & the house. By the time I'm out of the tub and had a bite to eat the moms are there!
So, its 4 pm, no cooking is done, half the laundry is done, and the only housework done is vacuuming. Oh, and the sink is full of dirty dishes.
I start on supper while mom loads the dishwasher and peels the shrimp. Hub goes out & talks to MIL. MIL is totally distraught and won't look at us, speak to us, and just sits outside crying. Mom and I bust our butts to prep food. Hub grills shrimp and scallops. We cook crab cakes, steam crab legs and a lobster tail, make a salad, and make alfredo noodles. Dinner is a lovely affair, with MIL barely touching her food while everyone makes awkward conversation. After dinner, she asks hub to drive her home, because she doesn't want to ride with my mom.
Turns out hub has stated things in such a way that MIL thinks mom wants her out. Which is true, but this wasn't my mom’s idea or solely her decision. So after dinner we have a lovely 2 hour conversation, the gist of which is that we've helped s much as we can for as long as we can. Now she has to start helping herself and/or enlist other family members to help her. She has chosen not to tell her sister or other son anything about what has been going on down here.
They finally leave at 8, boy goes to his room with phone glued to ear, wife (aka me) heads to store for 6 pack. Luckily I was too tired to stay up long enough to do much damage.
Instead of 2 "free" meals, it was more like 1 meal and 1 day, and you can imagine my mental state when I went to bed last night.
I woke up bright and early this morning (3:45), bolted upright, and realized I'd never put my soup in the fridge and it’s been out on the counter all night!!!! Needless to say, I'm way too upset to even dream of going back to sleep. I get up, sit in the living room, and cry for 15 minutes. Then I made the decision that I wasn't going to let my eating be ruined all day Monday because I don't have anything prepared. I'd already "wasted" a day on poor food choices, and I didn't want to waste another.
At 4 am I headed to the kitchen and started cooking. At 5:30 I'd done quite a bit, but needed a couple of things from the store, I got dressed and went to the grocery at 6. I bought myself a basket of geraniums while I was there. I got home, finished my cooking, packed lunches, and sat down for breakfast with my family. The boy and I headed out the door at 7:05, headed for school.
It was a beautiful morning, a hint of fog that hadn't finished burning off, clear air, and birds chirping. At one point I caught a whiff of diesel exhaust, which always reminds me of going to the field in the Army. It was like morning in Hawaii, the cool air and beautiful sky. The day seemed poised on the edge of something happening. I've been smiling ever since.
Well, I have to say it was the most craptacular Mother's day ever! And one of the lousiest weekends ever that didn't involve death, wrecked cars, or hospitals!
Friday evening was nice, Saturday I got up and went to kickboxing class (which I really enjoyed). After that I picked up my mom and I went to CostCo to pick up the seafood for our big seafood feast we had planned.
It all went to hell in a handbasket after that.
We planned to go out in the boat Saturday afternoon and meet the boy up at the lake (he was with his grandpa). My mom shows up at 3 - minus the MIL. She never got out of bed Saturday. Now, we had this big talk with her last weekend and she agreed to start getting on a schedule etc and blah blah, but you know what she followed through on this week? Squat. The whole not bothering to get up, sleeping all day at least once a week - no change.
So, we were all a little frustrated when we arrived at the lake. Hubs backs us down the ramp, and guess what??? The boat won't start!!! Woo hoo! A super fun half hour ensues where we are trying to contact Randy (who sold us the boat) who is out on THE SAME LAKE so we can figure out why our brand new boat isn't working. Hub is pretty much on the verge of an aneurism. Me, I just wanted a beer.
It turns out (although we didn't know this at the time), but the stereo isn't correctly wired, it was wired directly to the battery. So it was draining the battery constantly. We could have jumped started the boat, and the engine would have charged the battery and we would have been fine. But we didn't know that. So we went home.
So, mom, hub and I go home, drop boat, and go to get something to eat. I sure as heck wasn't cooking, and mom had to hang around to pick up the boy from the lake when he was done skiing with Grandpa. We use the time to have a serious talk about MIL. She is driving my mom insane. It's the little things, and the big things. Like my mom had bought 3 bags of expensive dried fruit (on sale) and when she went to get a couple of pieces the other day they were gone. She asked MIL if she knew where the dried fruit was, and MIL just smiled and rubbed her belly. Or the fact that she can get up if she has a doctor appt, but doesn't bother any other day. Or that she keeps asking to borrow $$ for her prescriptions from my mom, but spends 10 bucks a week on creamer for her coffee. Or that when her dog wants breakfast she opens her bedroom door and just lets him out, closing the door behind him. If mom isn't up, then MIL's dog Winnie wakes mom up so SHE can feed him. You see how this could get old.
The woman has been living with my mom 4 months. She got back over $500 from income taxes, which she spent on clothes and unnecessary crap, while she lives in my mom's house free of charge. None of us ever dreamed at the beginning she'd still be with my mom after 4 months. My mom has put up with stuff that would have driven me over the edge. So, over dinner the 3 of us decided that MIL had to be given a deadline to move out of my mom's out. We decided to give her a month's notice.
But hub's out of town next weekend, and then mom & I are taking the boy to Key West and will be gone the following 2 weekends. So we got to tell her this on Mother's Day.
Sunday morning I got up early, fed all the animals, and went to do the grocery shopping. It was beautiful, and I asked my husband if we could go out on the boat. At that point, we knew we could jumpstart it and be okay, and we had to take it to the marina anyway to get fixed, and we can't use it the next 3 weekends. So off we went for a very pleasant 2 hours at the lake. But of course it couldn't last. The boy proceeds to act like a total horses ass as we are getting the boat out of the water. He heads home with my mom, & hub and I head home.
At this point, we have 8 loads of laundry, the house is trashed (he was sick last weekend so it got a light surface cleaning only) and none of my cooking is done. Oh yeah, and I haven't gotten a bath since kickboxing the prior morning! After we got home, I got the lentil soup in the crockpot for my breakfasts and went to get cleaned up. Hub works on laundry & the house. By the time I'm out of the tub and had a bite to eat the moms are there!
So, its 4 pm, no cooking is done, half the laundry is done, and the only housework done is vacuuming. Oh, and the sink is full of dirty dishes.
I start on supper while mom loads the dishwasher and peels the shrimp. Hub goes out & talks to MIL. MIL is totally distraught and won't look at us, speak to us, and just sits outside crying. Mom and I bust our butts to prep food. Hub grills shrimp and scallops. We cook crab cakes, steam crab legs and a lobster tail, make a salad, and make alfredo noodles. Dinner is a lovely affair, with MIL barely touching her food while everyone makes awkward conversation. After dinner, she asks hub to drive her home, because she doesn't want to ride with my mom.
Turns out hub has stated things in such a way that MIL thinks mom wants her out. Which is true, but this wasn't my mom’s idea or solely her decision. So after dinner we have a lovely 2 hour conversation, the gist of which is that we've helped s much as we can for as long as we can. Now she has to start helping herself and/or enlist other family members to help her. She has chosen not to tell her sister or other son anything about what has been going on down here.
They finally leave at 8, boy goes to his room with phone glued to ear, wife (aka me) heads to store for 6 pack. Luckily I was too tired to stay up long enough to do much damage.
Instead of 2 "free" meals, it was more like 1 meal and 1 day, and you can imagine my mental state when I went to bed last night.
I woke up bright and early this morning (3:45), bolted upright, and realized I'd never put my soup in the fridge and it’s been out on the counter all night!!!! Needless to say, I'm way too upset to even dream of going back to sleep. I get up, sit in the living room, and cry for 15 minutes. Then I made the decision that I wasn't going to let my eating be ruined all day Monday because I don't have anything prepared. I'd already "wasted" a day on poor food choices, and I didn't want to waste another.
At 4 am I headed to the kitchen and started cooking. At 5:30 I'd done quite a bit, but needed a couple of things from the store, I got dressed and went to the grocery at 6. I bought myself a basket of geraniums while I was there. I got home, finished my cooking, packed lunches, and sat down for breakfast with my family. The boy and I headed out the door at 7:05, headed for school.
It was a beautiful morning, a hint of fog that hadn't finished burning off, clear air, and birds chirping. At one point I caught a whiff of diesel exhaust, which always reminds me of going to the field in the Army. It was like morning in Hawaii, the cool air and beautiful sky. The day seemed poised on the edge of something happening. I've been smiling ever since.
Friday, May 12, 2006
It's like flossing your teeth
Yesterday afternoon I truly, really, passionately didn't want to work out. Driving to the gym (rain meant riding inside rather than out) I told myself 'It's like flossing your teeth. You may not always love it, but it's a necessary thing you must do to care for your health.' I acknowledged the feeling, but reminded myself that exercise isn't always about fun. It can be great fun, and a lot of other positive, wonderful things. And some days it's like flossing - a necessary chore.
Yesterday afternoon I truly, really, passionately didn't want to work out. Driving to the gym (rain meant riding inside rather than out) I told myself 'It's like flossing your teeth. You may not always love it, but it's a necessary thing you must do to care for your health.' I acknowledged the feeling, but reminded myself that exercise isn't always about fun. It can be great fun, and a lot of other positive, wonderful things. And some days it's like flossing - a necessary chore.
Week in Review:
Miles run or walked: 18
Lift weights: 2
Food: A couple of bumps in the road, but 95% on track
Weight: 1.5 pounds lost
Some thoughts:
I generally buy breakfast at work on Friday because I come in to the office, use the scale, and then eat. I need to bring my breakfast in. That café food gives me a stomachache!
I really liked what I saw at the dojo last night. The manager sat with me and gave me a ton of info, and answered questions. The cost is $60 per month, which isn’t bad at all for martial arts training. I can take as many classes per week as I want. As a beginner, I can go to jiu-jitsu (they have beginner and regular classes, and he said I could go to either type), muay thai kickboxing, and something called LA kickboxing. LAKB is taught by “real” kickboxers (as opposed to aerobic instructors), but with an emphasis on cardio endurance and also good form. They also offer mixed martial arts classes and grappling classes for more advanced students. I didn’t get a chance to talk with hub about it last night after I got home, but I think I may go for it!
I’ve come up with a food plan for next week that looks like it will be a good change. After next week I’ll need to ditch cottage cheese and berries as a snack – cottage cheese is starting to look about as good as eggs! Blech!
I’m happy with the loss I posted this week. A pound and a half per week is a good rate, and I didn’t feel miserable, starved, or deprived this past week.
I may have a beer or 2 tomorrow night, but I’m thinking none tonight. I am going to LAKB in the morning! Monday I’m doing jiu-jitsu, and after that I’ll decide if I want to sign up or not. I am doing legs this afternoon, so I’ll be tired enough without adding alcohol to the mix! :-O
Have a great weekend!
Miles run or walked: 18
Lift weights: 2
Food: A couple of bumps in the road, but 95% on track
Weight: 1.5 pounds lost
Some thoughts:
I generally buy breakfast at work on Friday because I come in to the office, use the scale, and then eat. I need to bring my breakfast in. That café food gives me a stomachache!
I really liked what I saw at the dojo last night. The manager sat with me and gave me a ton of info, and answered questions. The cost is $60 per month, which isn’t bad at all for martial arts training. I can take as many classes per week as I want. As a beginner, I can go to jiu-jitsu (they have beginner and regular classes, and he said I could go to either type), muay thai kickboxing, and something called LA kickboxing. LAKB is taught by “real” kickboxers (as opposed to aerobic instructors), but with an emphasis on cardio endurance and also good form. They also offer mixed martial arts classes and grappling classes for more advanced students. I didn’t get a chance to talk with hub about it last night after I got home, but I think I may go for it!
I’ve come up with a food plan for next week that looks like it will be a good change. After next week I’ll need to ditch cottage cheese and berries as a snack – cottage cheese is starting to look about as good as eggs! Blech!
I’m happy with the loss I posted this week. A pound and a half per week is a good rate, and I didn’t feel miserable, starved, or deprived this past week.
I may have a beer or 2 tomorrow night, but I’m thinking none tonight. I am going to LAKB in the morning! Monday I’m doing jiu-jitsu, and after that I’ll decide if I want to sign up or not. I am doing legs this afternoon, so I’ll be tired enough without adding alcohol to the mix! :-O
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Sometimes, the old ways are the best
1. For this morning’s run the air was heavy with the scent of honeysuckle… and with humidity. While we haven’t achieved “sponge” status, the humidity (and wearing my long running pants instead of shorts) definitely impacted the quality of running this morning. Ugh.
2. I am sleeping much better lately. Relaxation CD, taking medicine at different time, voodoo sacrifice… something worked.
3. We have a whole bunch of elk and deer in our freezer, but none of it is ground. I told my mom last week I was thinking of getting a meat grinder, and she told me she had my grandparents’. Last night I needed some ground meat for soup I’m making in the crockpot for dinner today, so I set it up and in about 5 minutes had a pound of gorgeous course ground deer. It’s the old fashioned kind that mounts onto the edge of the counter & has a hand crank. I’m never buying ground anything again!
4. I am so sick of eggs! I’ve nearly gagged on them the past couple of mornings. I don’t like to do protein shakes, so I’ve felt limited in my breakfast choices. But no one ever said I had to eat breakfast for breakfast! I mean, all 3 of us eat a healthy breakfast at home, but we all eat something different. Next week I’m having lentil soup with shredded chicken. Of course the dogs will hate me because they get all the yolks I don’t eat. (I usually make 1 egg + 3 whites).
5. Tonight I am going to check out the jiu-jitsu class. I’m excited! I hope its something I would like doing.
6. Since the boy had tae kwon do yesterday, my time at the gym was limited. I managed to sneak in a quick upper body. I did the workout with all free weights on a single bench, working circuit style with little or no rest between exercises. Then I finished with a set of push-ups. Not the very best, but I’m a touch sore today, so that’s a good thing.
7. It has rained every Sunday we’ve been home since the week we got the boat. How’s that for bad luck? I’m taking that sucker out this weekend!
8. We had company over for supper last night. I managed to do a good job with my food choices. I’ve been tired of my food this week, so I know I need some changes next week. Yeah, it’s a pain to check recipes etc, but it’s a lot better than not enjoying my food. Plain and simple is fine, as long as it’s different. And I’m in a food rut this week for sure!
9. I have a notebook – small enough to fit in my purse but big enough to write in. I’m keeping track of things I want/need to do, and my exercise. I’ve just started this this week, but so far I like it. I don’t journal my food because I eat the same thing every day for a week, and the week before its been pre-measured & packaged. As long as I don’t snack at night I’m golden. Last night I did have a sugar-free ice cream and a faux beer, but that kind of “cheat” I can live with a couple times a week.
10. I plan to have the world’s quietest, most restful day Saturday. Because I need it!
1. For this morning’s run the air was heavy with the scent of honeysuckle… and with humidity. While we haven’t achieved “sponge” status, the humidity (and wearing my long running pants instead of shorts) definitely impacted the quality of running this morning. Ugh.
2. I am sleeping much better lately. Relaxation CD, taking medicine at different time, voodoo sacrifice… something worked.
3. We have a whole bunch of elk and deer in our freezer, but none of it is ground. I told my mom last week I was thinking of getting a meat grinder, and she told me she had my grandparents’. Last night I needed some ground meat for soup I’m making in the crockpot for dinner today, so I set it up and in about 5 minutes had a pound of gorgeous course ground deer. It’s the old fashioned kind that mounts onto the edge of the counter & has a hand crank. I’m never buying ground anything again!
4. I am so sick of eggs! I’ve nearly gagged on them the past couple of mornings. I don’t like to do protein shakes, so I’ve felt limited in my breakfast choices. But no one ever said I had to eat breakfast for breakfast! I mean, all 3 of us eat a healthy breakfast at home, but we all eat something different. Next week I’m having lentil soup with shredded chicken. Of course the dogs will hate me because they get all the yolks I don’t eat. (I usually make 1 egg + 3 whites).
5. Tonight I am going to check out the jiu-jitsu class. I’m excited! I hope its something I would like doing.
6. Since the boy had tae kwon do yesterday, my time at the gym was limited. I managed to sneak in a quick upper body. I did the workout with all free weights on a single bench, working circuit style with little or no rest between exercises. Then I finished with a set of push-ups. Not the very best, but I’m a touch sore today, so that’s a good thing.
7. It has rained every Sunday we’ve been home since the week we got the boat. How’s that for bad luck? I’m taking that sucker out this weekend!
8. We had company over for supper last night. I managed to do a good job with my food choices. I’ve been tired of my food this week, so I know I need some changes next week. Yeah, it’s a pain to check recipes etc, but it’s a lot better than not enjoying my food. Plain and simple is fine, as long as it’s different. And I’m in a food rut this week for sure!
9. I have a notebook – small enough to fit in my purse but big enough to write in. I’m keeping track of things I want/need to do, and my exercise. I’ve just started this this week, but so far I like it. I don’t journal my food because I eat the same thing every day for a week, and the week before its been pre-measured & packaged. As long as I don’t snack at night I’m golden. Last night I did have a sugar-free ice cream and a faux beer, but that kind of “cheat” I can live with a couple times a week.
10. I plan to have the world’s quietest, most restful day Saturday. Because I need it!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Mid week reality check
Exercise has been great this week – 5.5 miles Monday and 6.5 yesterday! Now, that is 2 or 3 outings per day, but it’s getting done. Today I am walking 1.5 at lunch and going to the gym after work.
Food’s fine. After finishing Tom Venuto’s book, I realized my estimated requirement of 1500 calories per day was a good place to start. I did tweak my nutrient ratio a bit, and that seems to have helped my cravings a bit. Huh! In an ideal world, my calories would be more heavily weighted toward the beginning of the day, but I have my meals so that calories are an even 300 per meal. So at least I’m not weighting my calories to the end of the day.
Running yesterday afternoon, I re-realized that when I am very active, it is easier for me to stay on track with my food. When I’m out there panting, it’s easy to say “It’s easier to just not eat X than to burn it off out here!” I had planned a bike ride, but hub wasn’t home and the boy didn’t feel like it, so it was easier to just stay closer to home. It was great outside – I love getting outside after work this time of year.
We are having a cookout with friends this afternoon, so dinner isn’t the healthiest, but it meets my guidelines (turkey dogs and vegetarian baked beans and salad). That will keep me busy tonight, then tomorrow I am going to watch that class. Friday I may ride my bike after work. Or I may go and get my fingernails & toes painted!
I am spending a lot of time using Venuto’s suggestions around goals, affirmations, and visualization. I see myself doing athletic stuff, with a trim body. I see the muscles, and see myself in the gym lifting the weights. It sounds hokey, but I swear keeping my short term goals in my pocket is motivational, and these techniques do seem to help!
I also ordered a set of calipers so I can measure my body fat. God help me.
Exercise has been great this week – 5.5 miles Monday and 6.5 yesterday! Now, that is 2 or 3 outings per day, but it’s getting done. Today I am walking 1.5 at lunch and going to the gym after work.
Food’s fine. After finishing Tom Venuto’s book, I realized my estimated requirement of 1500 calories per day was a good place to start. I did tweak my nutrient ratio a bit, and that seems to have helped my cravings a bit. Huh! In an ideal world, my calories would be more heavily weighted toward the beginning of the day, but I have my meals so that calories are an even 300 per meal. So at least I’m not weighting my calories to the end of the day.
Running yesterday afternoon, I re-realized that when I am very active, it is easier for me to stay on track with my food. When I’m out there panting, it’s easy to say “It’s easier to just not eat X than to burn it off out here!” I had planned a bike ride, but hub wasn’t home and the boy didn’t feel like it, so it was easier to just stay closer to home. It was great outside – I love getting outside after work this time of year.
We are having a cookout with friends this afternoon, so dinner isn’t the healthiest, but it meets my guidelines (turkey dogs and vegetarian baked beans and salad). That will keep me busy tonight, then tomorrow I am going to watch that class. Friday I may ride my bike after work. Or I may go and get my fingernails & toes painted!
I am spending a lot of time using Venuto’s suggestions around goals, affirmations, and visualization. I see myself doing athletic stuff, with a trim body. I see the muscles, and see myself in the gym lifting the weights. It sounds hokey, but I swear keeping my short term goals in my pocket is motivational, and these techniques do seem to help!
I also ordered a set of calipers so I can measure my body fat. God help me.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The meaning of yesterday’s post – or, Jack’s dropping a hobby and I might pick one up
Losing weight (for me), is sort of like trying to pick up a handful of live goldfish – grab too hard and watch them slip through your fingers. I’ve been so focused on losing weight, like that’s the end all be all, I find I’m looking so hard at the outcome that I’m not watching the process. I think I need a fitness goal to keep my exercise on track, and also a weight goal to help keep the food part of the equation on track.
After the post vacation derailment, I’ve developed a pretty good plan for eating that I believe will get me where I want to be. I’m riding my bike some, running (well, walking with running breaks!), and lifting weights. But my only fitness goal right now is “lose weight”. To that end, I am considering adding martial arts into the mix. This will compliment cardio and strength training, as well as provide some flexibility training into the mix. It will also give me a focus other than the scale.
This isn’t a “sure thing”, but I plan to go & watch a class Thursday to see if this is something I think I might enjoy. If I had the answers, I’d be at goal by now. I should at least get some credit for persistence! :-)
Losing weight (for me), is sort of like trying to pick up a handful of live goldfish – grab too hard and watch them slip through your fingers. I’ve been so focused on losing weight, like that’s the end all be all, I find I’m looking so hard at the outcome that I’m not watching the process. I think I need a fitness goal to keep my exercise on track, and also a weight goal to help keep the food part of the equation on track.
After the post vacation derailment, I’ve developed a pretty good plan for eating that I believe will get me where I want to be. I’m riding my bike some, running (well, walking with running breaks!), and lifting weights. But my only fitness goal right now is “lose weight”. To that end, I am considering adding martial arts into the mix. This will compliment cardio and strength training, as well as provide some flexibility training into the mix. It will also give me a focus other than the scale.
This isn’t a “sure thing”, but I plan to go & watch a class Thursday to see if this is something I think I might enjoy. If I had the answers, I’d be at goal by now. I should at least get some credit for persistence! :-)
Monday, May 08, 2006
Laser-like focus needs a target
Lifting weights is important, cardio is critical, and eating is key. In my never-ending quest to turn myself from slug to athlete, I am going Thursday night to watch a class. If I like it I’ll be signing up. I’m not giving up the iron, the bike, or the road, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing sound fun, functional, and like an awesome workout! Gotta keep it fun, right?
Lifting weights is important, cardio is critical, and eating is key. In my never-ending quest to turn myself from slug to athlete, I am going Thursday night to watch a class. If I like it I’ll be signing up. I’m not giving up the iron, the bike, or the road, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing sound fun, functional, and like an awesome workout! Gotta keep it fun, right?
The morning report
Weekend was good. Despite the “sticker shock” on the scale Friday, I didn’t let that send me careening into a vat of cheese dip. I ate pretty well over the weekend, especially in light of the fact that we were traveling.
The boy did well at his tournament and had a good time. The trip was uneventful and we were home around supper time Saturday.
I didn’t get in as much exercise as I would have liked – I used the treadmill at the hotel, but yesterday hub was sick so I had to pick up his duties, which meant I spent the day cooking, cleaning, etc, and still didn’t get finished. But I took it slow and tried not to get overwhelmed. As a result, I am starting out the week feeling fairly refreshed.
Nothing special going on this week – a full week at the office, and a weekend at home next weekend. Here’s to a little quiet!
Weekend was good. Despite the “sticker shock” on the scale Friday, I didn’t let that send me careening into a vat of cheese dip. I ate pretty well over the weekend, especially in light of the fact that we were traveling.
The boy did well at his tournament and had a good time. The trip was uneventful and we were home around supper time Saturday.
I didn’t get in as much exercise as I would have liked – I used the treadmill at the hotel, but yesterday hub was sick so I had to pick up his duties, which meant I spent the day cooking, cleaning, etc, and still didn’t get finished. But I took it slow and tried not to get overwhelmed. As a result, I am starting out the week feeling fairly refreshed.
Nothing special going on this week – a full week at the office, and a weekend at home next weekend. Here’s to a little quiet!
Friday, May 05, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Tao of the Machine
I’ve always been a Walkman user. I was forever being told by the MPs not to run on the streets of post with my Walkman. Up until last winter, I used a Sony Walkman which played tapes! I’m not generally an “early adopter”, preferring to wait until technology has gotten better (and cheaper).
If you’ll recall, earlier this month the MP3 hub bought me for my birthday last year died. Luckily, it was under warranty, and I now have a Samsung MP3 player. It took me a couple of weeks to get around to it, but a couple of weeks ago we finally set up the playlist on the computer and loaded it onto the little bugger. Can I say I love it? I do!
4:45 came awful early this morning. It took a while, but I was out the door at 5:15, Bugger strapped to my arm. We started out with a little “Omnibus” by Laut Sprecher, to get the blood going. Go listen to that song on Amazon or something and try to keep your feet still. That got me through the first stretch of running. I was walking up the first hill, thinking maybe I’d skip the second running stretch, when Bugger responded by playing the theme from Rocky. Why do high school bands love that song so much? Anyway, it did its magic, and I was running along, feeling like a champ. Then something off the South Park soundtrack to give me a laugh. Not sure what came next. Darude? For the last running stretch, I got to enjoy “Tao of the Machine” off the Blade 2 soundtrack. I ran up the final hill like I’d stolen something, and then cooled down to Kylie Minogue. Tao of the machine indeed. That little thing knows how to get me moving in the morning. 30 minutes of pure pleasure.
I finished reading “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” by Tom Venuto last week. It’s an e-book, available on his site. I have to say it was very excellent. There wasn’t a whole lot that was brand new to me, but he did explain some of the “whys”. And he assembled and organized a lot of info, much of which I had only gleaned by churning through a lot of articles on bodybuilding.com. I’ve long said if you want to learn how to lose fat while maintaining your muscle, go talk to a body builder. Even if you don’t want to look like that, those folks know how to do it. He also spent a lot of time on the mental aspects of weight loss, the power of visualization etc.
I took time this weekend to review my menu, checking the nutrient balance in each of my meals. As I suspected, I’d drifted off course a bit. So I took the time to re-balance my meals. I ate like crap this past weekend, and I feel so much better after one day of clean eating. I swear, when will I learn? For exercise, I decided to get outside for a walk since the weather was so terrific. I walked an hour yesterday. I’ll hit the gym for weights this afternoon (its supposed to be hot). I am in an all day class tomorrow and Friday, so I won’t be able to get to the gym either day. And Friday we’re leaving for my son’s tae kwon do tourney up in Richmond.
This morning I drove the least trafficked route from home to work. I’ll have to re-check the final odometer reading, but it came in right around 13.5 miles. I may experiment with riding the route on the weekend with the hub in a couple of weeks, to see if I’m comfortable enough to ride my bike to work some this summer. In the meantime, the boy has agreed to ride with me a couple of evenings a week. I hate that we are going out of town and I’m still in the middle of getting back on track. Gosh darn those pesky family commitments! Hee hee hee.
Have a great day.
I’ve always been a Walkman user. I was forever being told by the MPs not to run on the streets of post with my Walkman. Up until last winter, I used a Sony Walkman which played tapes! I’m not generally an “early adopter”, preferring to wait until technology has gotten better (and cheaper).
If you’ll recall, earlier this month the MP3 hub bought me for my birthday last year died. Luckily, it was under warranty, and I now have a Samsung MP3 player. It took me a couple of weeks to get around to it, but a couple of weeks ago we finally set up the playlist on the computer and loaded it onto the little bugger. Can I say I love it? I do!
4:45 came awful early this morning. It took a while, but I was out the door at 5:15, Bugger strapped to my arm. We started out with a little “Omnibus” by Laut Sprecher, to get the blood going. Go listen to that song on Amazon or something and try to keep your feet still. That got me through the first stretch of running. I was walking up the first hill, thinking maybe I’d skip the second running stretch, when Bugger responded by playing the theme from Rocky. Why do high school bands love that song so much? Anyway, it did its magic, and I was running along, feeling like a champ. Then something off the South Park soundtrack to give me a laugh. Not sure what came next. Darude? For the last running stretch, I got to enjoy “Tao of the Machine” off the Blade 2 soundtrack. I ran up the final hill like I’d stolen something, and then cooled down to Kylie Minogue. Tao of the machine indeed. That little thing knows how to get me moving in the morning. 30 minutes of pure pleasure.
I finished reading “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” by Tom Venuto last week. It’s an e-book, available on his site. I have to say it was very excellent. There wasn’t a whole lot that was brand new to me, but he did explain some of the “whys”. And he assembled and organized a lot of info, much of which I had only gleaned by churning through a lot of articles on bodybuilding.com. I’ve long said if you want to learn how to lose fat while maintaining your muscle, go talk to a body builder. Even if you don’t want to look like that, those folks know how to do it. He also spent a lot of time on the mental aspects of weight loss, the power of visualization etc.
I took time this weekend to review my menu, checking the nutrient balance in each of my meals. As I suspected, I’d drifted off course a bit. So I took the time to re-balance my meals. I ate like crap this past weekend, and I feel so much better after one day of clean eating. I swear, when will I learn? For exercise, I decided to get outside for a walk since the weather was so terrific. I walked an hour yesterday. I’ll hit the gym for weights this afternoon (its supposed to be hot). I am in an all day class tomorrow and Friday, so I won’t be able to get to the gym either day. And Friday we’re leaving for my son’s tae kwon do tourney up in Richmond.
This morning I drove the least trafficked route from home to work. I’ll have to re-check the final odometer reading, but it came in right around 13.5 miles. I may experiment with riding the route on the weekend with the hub in a couple of weeks, to see if I’m comfortable enough to ride my bike to work some this summer. In the meantime, the boy has agreed to ride with me a couple of evenings a week. I hate that we are going out of town and I’m still in the middle of getting back on track. Gosh darn those pesky family commitments! Hee hee hee.
Have a great day.
A bit more about beef
First off, I want to thank Linda for her great comment regarding yesterday’s post (go read it – I’ll wait!). Sometimes in a short blog, we don’t always do a great job of explaining ourselves. So I’d like to expand on my comment from yesterday.
Growing up, we raised chickens and goats. My uncle Marvin raised cattle. It never would have occurred to me not to eat those things. I guess that’s why I’ll never be a vegetarian. My issue is NOT with the folks who are growing our food – it’s with the companies that handle the products once they’ve left the farm.
One of the congressman who has voted to reduce the authority of OSHA and the USDA over the meatpacking industry is from eastern NC. A few years back 40 workers were killed in a poultry plant fire in his district. The plant had been cited several times for safety violations. The people weren’t able to get out of the burning building because the emergency exits were chained shut. And no one is really overseeing these companies except themselves.
Salmonella and E. Coli have been virtually eliminated from the food supply in several European countries. Why can’t we do that here? Why do we feed chicken poop to cows? I honestly don't worry much about Mad Cow, but I certainly do worry about E. Coli, antibiotics, and anabolic steroids.
But most of all, why do we allow these large companies to treat their employees so badly? NC is a leading producer of turkey for the US. The mistreatment of workers isn’t just in beef meatpacking – it’s in poultry as well. Let’s face it, in our quest for cheaper foods, we’ve said with our pocket books that we’d rather have low prices over high quality. We rally against Nike over the treatment of workers in their Asia plants – what about workers right here?
Would I eat organic beef? Absolutely! It’s just that I can get elk & deer cheaper. Ostrich is raised around here a lot. I can get reasonably priced organic poultry and ostrich, but there just isn’t a lot of beef raised around here. If it were, I’d happily eat it. And I will probably go to the local Whole Foods to pick up a couple of organic steaks for a special occasion, but its not going to be the staple of our diet.
I’ve been moving away from processed foods for quite a while now – I make my own bread, I buy vegetables from the farmer’s market rather than the grocery. Getting away from mass produced beef is one more step in that direction. Very likely the next thing to go out of my diet will be boneless skinless chicken breasts that aren’t organic. My dream is that someday, growers of food and shoppers unite, growing and buying the highest quality food possible. Food is just another symptom of our “quantity over quality” mentality.
Wow. I am now going to put the soapbox away!
First off, I want to thank Linda for her great comment regarding yesterday’s post (go read it – I’ll wait!). Sometimes in a short blog, we don’t always do a great job of explaining ourselves. So I’d like to expand on my comment from yesterday.
Growing up, we raised chickens and goats. My uncle Marvin raised cattle. It never would have occurred to me not to eat those things. I guess that’s why I’ll never be a vegetarian. My issue is NOT with the folks who are growing our food – it’s with the companies that handle the products once they’ve left the farm.
One of the congressman who has voted to reduce the authority of OSHA and the USDA over the meatpacking industry is from eastern NC. A few years back 40 workers were killed in a poultry plant fire in his district. The plant had been cited several times for safety violations. The people weren’t able to get out of the burning building because the emergency exits were chained shut. And no one is really overseeing these companies except themselves.
Salmonella and E. Coli have been virtually eliminated from the food supply in several European countries. Why can’t we do that here? Why do we feed chicken poop to cows? I honestly don't worry much about Mad Cow, but I certainly do worry about E. Coli, antibiotics, and anabolic steroids.
But most of all, why do we allow these large companies to treat their employees so badly? NC is a leading producer of turkey for the US. The mistreatment of workers isn’t just in beef meatpacking – it’s in poultry as well. Let’s face it, in our quest for cheaper foods, we’ve said with our pocket books that we’d rather have low prices over high quality. We rally against Nike over the treatment of workers in their Asia plants – what about workers right here?
Would I eat organic beef? Absolutely! It’s just that I can get elk & deer cheaper. Ostrich is raised around here a lot. I can get reasonably priced organic poultry and ostrich, but there just isn’t a lot of beef raised around here. If it were, I’d happily eat it. And I will probably go to the local Whole Foods to pick up a couple of organic steaks for a special occasion, but its not going to be the staple of our diet.
I’ve been moving away from processed foods for quite a while now – I make my own bread, I buy vegetables from the farmer’s market rather than the grocery. Getting away from mass produced beef is one more step in that direction. Very likely the next thing to go out of my diet will be boneless skinless chicken breasts that aren’t organic. My dream is that someday, growers of food and shoppers unite, growing and buying the highest quality food possible. Food is just another symptom of our “quantity over quality” mentality.
Wow. I am now going to put the soapbox away!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Good-bye, Beef
Quite the weekend. I was feeling yucko Friday, so I stayed home. We left for Pa. that afternoon, arriving about 1:30 am. Then we worked at our friend's house all day Saturday, getting back to the hotel a bit after midnight. Then up at 7 to drive home. Ugh. The boy wasn't feeling great yesterday, so I stayed home with him. I'm beat!
Glad it's a new month, although April is my favorite, just because it feels like a fresh start. My eating was lousy over the weekend. No excuses, and nothing I can do about it now, except live with the consequences. When I got home, I checked all my meals to make sure they were balanced & properly portioned, then I bagged it all up for the week. That should make it easy to stay on track this week. Since I wasn't here last Friday, I didn't weigh. I'll let you know how it goes this Friday.
We haven't eaten much beef in quite a while. For one, the amount of antibiotics and steroids in commercial meats has long bothered me. Two, I seriously doubt we are doing a good job of keeping mad cow out of our food. And three, we have a lot of deer, which is better and cheaper in any case. This weekend I got a 4 and a 5: I read "Fast Food Nation" - while I knew meat packing plants were dirty, I had no idea how absolutely inhuman the treatment of the workers is throughout the industry and 5) I now have a great source for natural elk at $3 per pound. We were down to eating beef maybe once a month. No more. If I lived in a country where the industry was actually overseen by an agency outside of the companies, yeah, maybe. But here? No way.
This afternoon, Neca go to gym to move grey pieces of iron around room. I think I'll be working upper body. Bring on the fun!
Quite the weekend. I was feeling yucko Friday, so I stayed home. We left for Pa. that afternoon, arriving about 1:30 am. Then we worked at our friend's house all day Saturday, getting back to the hotel a bit after midnight. Then up at 7 to drive home. Ugh. The boy wasn't feeling great yesterday, so I stayed home with him. I'm beat!
Glad it's a new month, although April is my favorite, just because it feels like a fresh start. My eating was lousy over the weekend. No excuses, and nothing I can do about it now, except live with the consequences. When I got home, I checked all my meals to make sure they were balanced & properly portioned, then I bagged it all up for the week. That should make it easy to stay on track this week. Since I wasn't here last Friday, I didn't weigh. I'll let you know how it goes this Friday.
We haven't eaten much beef in quite a while. For one, the amount of antibiotics and steroids in commercial meats has long bothered me. Two, I seriously doubt we are doing a good job of keeping mad cow out of our food. And three, we have a lot of deer, which is better and cheaper in any case. This weekend I got a 4 and a 5: I read "Fast Food Nation" - while I knew meat packing plants were dirty, I had no idea how absolutely inhuman the treatment of the workers is throughout the industry and 5) I now have a great source for natural elk at $3 per pound. We were down to eating beef maybe once a month. No more. If I lived in a country where the industry was actually overseen by an agency outside of the companies, yeah, maybe. But here? No way.
This afternoon, Neca go to gym to move grey pieces of iron around room. I think I'll be working upper body. Bring on the fun!
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