Long weekend here I come!

Can I just tell you how excited I am about the long weekend???? I have some serious plans for organizing my books and getting ready to yard sale a bunch of my medieval garb at an event next weekend! Work has been stressful this week, which is pretty unusual. And I've allowed some things to become stressful which didn't need to be. So another goal for the weekend is to RELAX.

My exercise goal is coming along well. I'm getting an hour or more each day this week, and the extra is enough to allow me to swim for 30 minutes tomorrow and then be at goal! Yay! I might still take a walk sometime, but I don't *have* to in order to hit my goal. This isn't something I intend to do every week, but it has made me both more aware and more mindful about my intentional exercise. It's been an interesting experiment.

On the weight loss front, I am down 1.8 pounds this week - less than 2 pounds away from the 40 pounds gone mark. Can you believe that!?!?!  Me either! By focusing on each day, the time has flown by and the loss has added up. I have so much more energy and I feel so much better - it is really incredible.

I hope you have a terrific weekend!

Taco Thursday

Today's title is in honor of the fish tacos we are having for dinner tonight - yum!

My day is going well - I walked this morning and did 30 minutes on the elliptical before eating lunch. I made an (allegedly) "spicy" Asian chicken soup for dinner last night. It was .. eh. That recipe is getting voted off the island - it wasn't bad but nothing special.

This is me lately:

I accepted a new position within my medieval organization and just lately not only is it eating my life in terms of time, but in aggravation as well. Ugh. We make things difficult. Ugh. Just ugh. Luckily once our big event is over (well, once reservations close) my life will get easier.

Take care.

Mid week

Weirdly enough, yesterday's walking plus 30 minutes on the elliptical came out to 84 minutes (same as Monday). I took my Fitbit off for swimming this morning (so I will back that 30 minutes out of my 360 minute goal), but somewhere I walked quickly enough to pick up 11 minutes of activity on the Fitbit. Since I am doing weights this afternoon, I will end the day right around 3 hours of activity - right on track to hit 6 hours for the week even if I take Sunday off.  Perfect!

Last night T made hamburger stroganoff & mushroom over shredded cabbage - it was yummy! We had a package of lox in the fridge that needed to be used, so I bought a bag of mini bagels and we've had one with lox & cream cheese and eggs for dinner Monday and then breakfast today. I think we'll do that one more time and call it good on bagels. We've eliminated all pasta and limit grains, beans, and bread. When we do bread we try to use stuff like the sprouted grain bread so I'm not too worried since it isn't the norm.

I am working at home today, Wednesday is my preferred day if my schedule permits. It's a lovely mid week break - the lack of commute means I can go to the Y in the morning to swim plus it gives me time to get caught up on stuff around the house. It sets us up nicely for the weekend. And now that T is back at work it is quiet and lovely. It's nice being around him, but when I work at home and he's home he feels free to interrupt to chat, ask questions, etc. Sometimes it's hard to focus.

I hope you have a good day!

Workout goal for this week

One of the key findings from the National Weight Control Registry: Physical activity. The average participant exercises at a moderate intensity 60-90 minutes per day. Walkers average between 11,000 and 12,000 steps per day. I'm do pretty well with my 10,000 step goal and I'm okay with that since walking is only one component of my exercise.

My challenge to myself this week is to engage in 360 minutes of mindful physical activity: walking, swimming, elliptical, kettlebells. That's 6 hours of activity. That sounds like a lot, but I commute 10 hours on an average work week!

Yesterday I accumulated 84 minutes between the elliptical, weights (kettlebells), and walking, and a bit over 12,000 steps. Not too shabby! So I'm curious to see how this week goes.

Food was fine. Thankfully I had some chicken tikka masala in the freezer (about 3.5 servings) plus a bag of cauliflower rice, so I pulled that out & heated it up Sunday and that's lunches until we get some leftovers built up. :-)

Last night while T was at band I watched "Super Troopers 2" because he had zero interest. I laughed so hard I about fell off the sofa. When it comes to my sense of humor, I think I'm a 12 year old boy at heart - Lol

Have a good day!

Nice weekend

I wasn't looking forward to the time in the car, but we had a great time at mom's. I love her new house! We painted the dining room, entryway, and front door. The door is no longer black, it's now  a lovely beach-y aqua! It looks so happy from the front now. :-)

We also made time to eat some seafood and take a nice long walk on the beach - watching to moon come out over the ocean. It was really, really nice.

The drive home felt long, but the dogs were troopers - I think they were worn out from exploring a new yard! Lol We got home and did shopping, laundry, and general getting ready for the work week. Today the kids are back at school and T is a bit nervous about this year. He's in a new role and isn't quite comfortable for a number of reasons. I hope his day goes well. I got up extra early to make sure we had plenty of time to get out the door - I didn't want him to feel rushed.

This weekend we have a couple of projects to work on around our house that are very exciting - like organizing our books! I know, sad! Ha ha. But seriously, we put them up on shelves without a lot of thought and trying to find anything can be very frustrating. In short, a quiet but hopefully productive long weekend at home.

Have a good day!

Crazy day

Today is a day where I have more work than time, but I wanted to at least check in here. 3.2 pounds gone this week.

I worked straight through lunch but I am now going to close my door, crank the tunes, and grab a quick kettlebell workout.

Score for this week: 3 elliptical sessions, 3 kettlebell sessions (after this one!), 1 swim session. Headed to the beach after work to paint mom's new dining room.

Have a great weekend!

Your mileage may vary

I'm as guilty of this as the next person: reading about a new diet and trying to fit my proverbial round peg into that particular square hole, certain that it's going to be the way to lose some weight. It might even work in the short term, but it never lasts because it doesn't fit my lifestyle, preferences, or maybe even what seems to work best for me! Then I end up quitting. For the most part I have given that up. I eat things I like and don't eat things I dislike. The way I eat now is something I can do in the long term. Ditto for my exercise.

In some ways I treat myself like a science experiment: Do I like this? How does it make me feel? Does this fit with my schedule? The end result is a way of eating and exercising that works for me AND helps me achieve my weight loss and fitness goals.  I will certainly make changes and adjustments as I progress, but for right now I'm pretty happy with what I am doing.

Another thing I've given up on are outcome based goals rather than action or input based goals. I set exercise targets for myself daily, weekly, and longer. Food is a bit different - other than adhering to my plan, I loosely track. My goal is to end each day knowing that I made choices that I can look back on and feel good about. Maybe I really got in a good variety of veggies, maybe I thoroughly enjoyed a beer. As long as my choices were mindful rather than eating to deal with emotions, I can end the day satisfied that I made good choices that help move me toward my goals.

What wasn't working for me was to set weight loss goals. I was getting anxious when I was doing all the rights things but the weight was coming off slower than I had counted on. Not only was it creating stress, I was feeling defeated when in fact I was making progress! It's not that weight loss isn't a primary goal - it certainly is! But I am focusing on controlling my actions, believing that over time I will see the desired results on the scale. Again - figuring out what works for my mindset.

I firmly believe we each need to figure out what works for us and then do that, confidently knowing we will reach our goals with our sanity intact.

I've known all of these things and have tried to practice them for years. The critical difference for me now is that I feel safe. I no longer need to use food to cope with uncomfortable emotions. I still have uncomfortable feelings and I have problems. But both are at a level that I can feel them and face them without the protective barrier of food. Had I gone into life without food in the past, it would have been the emotional equivalent of trying to surf in a hurricane. There may be rough waves out there, but nothing I can't safely navigate.

And once I realized that the waters were safe, I was able to let go of those habits. Trying to break a habit (like emotional eating) if you aren't ready and able to deal with the consequences is like tossing a toddler into the deep end without swimming lessons. Sure, I knew the mechanics of changing a habit. But I had nothing to use in place of the food, and I wasn't in a place emotionally to deal with all of it head on, with no protective barrier. Once I realized that there wasn't anything out there on the other side of the food that I couldn't handle on my own without the food, THEN I could break that habit of emotional eating that was no longer serving me.

We are all different - different issues and challenges, strengths and weaknesses, different needs and wants. Figuring it all out is a time consuming task. And the reality is that something drastic could change and I would have to go back to the drawing board and find a new plan. But for right now, I am in a good place.

I hope you too can find your "good place." 

Another day, more workouts

Today has been my work at home day. Before I started work I went to the Y and swam for 30 minutes. Over lunch I knocked out a kettlebell workout.

Mom and her dogs headed to her new house today. It's awfully quiet around here. I can almost hear myself think! Lol

Volume training with the kettlebell

In addition to the elliptical, I also did a kettlebell workout yesterday. I know there have been a handful of workout DVDs that use a kettlebell, and my Y even has a class that uses them, but my workouts are a bit different. The vast majority of my kettlebell workouts are "high volume". My workout yesterday was 25 minutes long and consisted of variations of 1 hand and 2 hand kettlebell swings. I used a 15 pound bell and in 25 minutes I completed 500 swings. That's a lot of swings! I love my kettlebell workouts. I can get in a fantastic workout in a relatively short amount of time, virtually anywhere, and with literally one piece of equipment. That's hard to beat!

Sometime last week I mentioned I was close to hitting another weight loss goal. This morning I did: 35.6 pounds gone this year! I was concerned about getting back in the groove after vacation, but instead I feel like the break has really given me a second wind! I'm ready to go into the second half of the year as strong as I was in the first.

Take care & I hope you make it a great day!

Monday

Back at the office. I'm tired because I stayed up to watch "Sharknado 6" last night. Don't judge me. Packed lunch & breakfast and snacks. Went to the gym. Everything is fine here. Except the part about Monday. Lol

Back on track

Just a quick note - rather than trying to "make up" for Thursday, I simply got back on track yesterday. I was back down on the scale and feeling good about moving on and not beating myself up.

Have a nice weekend!

Never lie to the blog

There is a Dean Koontz novel where one of the main characters (a guy) has a dog. His philosophy is "never lie to the dog." My weight journaling equivalent is "never lie to the blog. Or the weight tracker."

Yesterday was one of those "really bad, no good, utterly rotten" days. Nothing major, just a series of stressors: the meeting went even worse than I expected (and I expect it to go badly), something on the website was broken for a major client so they were upset (we got it fixed quickly, but still), I hit some button on my phone and couldn't figure out how to reset it, I was overwhelmed with PayPal requests from my volunteer role that eat a lot of time, and of course a car accident pushed my evening commute over the 90 minute mark.I had to pee, so I stopped at a convenience store. And bought a beer. And then later sent the hub out for a second one. And got into some crappy frozen egg rolls that Jan left at my house. I was up 1.2 pounds from yesterday. Gah!

Having said that: I am still down 2.8 pounds for the week (YES!!!), I didn't finish the second beer, and I threw those cheap crappy egg rolls in the trash. Today did not start off great, but I fully intend to make it a better day! Go me!

Nothing big planned this weekend other than operation "continue to reclaim my house".

Take care.

Let that mess go

Do you have anyone in your life that continues to make poor, destructive choices? When you say "Here's a better way" they respond "You are so right! Thank you!" and then keep right on doing that self destructive crap? Yeah, that's Jan.  A few months ago I offered to help because she wasn't remembering to pay her bills on time, her brain is so fuzzy she can't read a bank statement, and her way of dealing with it was to pay what they were about to cut off.

Since we use the same credit union, we set down and I set up her online banking. Once a month we get together and she brings her bills and we sit and pay them. Once we got everything stabilized, I suggested to her that she set aside a small amount for unexpected/ irregular expenses, divide the rest into weekly increments, and use cash. Naturally she's done none of that so she is careening from problem to problem, and running out (or nearly running out) of money for food & medicine near the end of the month on a regular basis. She continues to use her debit card, making poor choices until she is out of money. I checked to make sure that her bills had cleared and yep, she's racked up about $300 in debit purchases in the past 10 or so days, leaving her less than $200 for the next 3 weeks. I called and told her and her response was "Thanks." Ugh, I need to let that mess go!!

I find it ironic that after being apart for 3.5 years & divorced for 2, I'm still coming here to complain about my now-ex MIL! Lol (And by ironic I mean frustrating and aggravating as all!)

I am about to head across town for what I lovingly refer to as the "Thursday morning butt hurt meeting." Sans boss, who is out for the day. After that I will go to the gym, then come back for lunch. We tried a new recipe "deconstructed egg rolls" - it was a low carb bowl full of egg roll innards without the wrap. The recipe we used needed a few tweaks, but we loved the concept and it will be added to our rotation!

In case you need it too:

Retirement Party

I have a swimsuit I've been wearing for quite some time - it was my go to when I was doing water aerobics. Time and chlorine have not been kind to it. Tonight I gave it a retirement party before I went to the Y - into the trash! Lol The funny thing is that I have another swimsuit (the same suit!) I bought and have been "saving." Why do we "save" stuff? Anyway, the stretched out suit is gone and the new one is now in circulation. :-) I knew it needed to happen, but my mom remarking on how bad it looked when we were at the pool Saturday night kinda pushed me over the edge.

After work I went to the Y and swam for 30 minutes - I had the pool to myself. I had some yummy leftover general tso's for lunch (from the skinnytaste website), I made my beloved spicy shrimp and avocado salad for dinner (also from skinnytaste), and for breakfasts I made meatballs of my own creation.

Do you ever make sausage balls? Are they a southern thing? You take breakfast sausage, grated cheddar, and bisquick and make balls out of it. Those things rock my world. Last night I took those 3 ingredients (carefully portion controlling the bisquick & cheese), added a pound of ground turkey, added extra spices, and made meatballs. I also used turkey sausage so they were lower in fat. The flavor was milder of course, but they definitely had that same flavor. Anyway, a really yummy breakfast that is also car friendly.

I ended up taking Sunday off from exercise and only doing my morning walk Monday, so today is double workout day: elliptical and kettlebells. While it certainly counts as exercise, I don't really count my morning walk as exercise, even though we try to do a somewhat brisk pace.

That's all I've got - have a good day!

Stuff

Let's see.....

I think the conversation made a difference! Guess who seems to be re-motivated and just broke through and crossed a big milestone? Hub is down to the 250s - I am so proud of him! A new 3 year low! Speaking of milestones, I'm a pound away from one myself. :-)

I am working at home today - work has been busy but not crazy. I ran to the grocery at lunch to pick up stuff to make breakfasts for the remainder of the week. I plan to go the the Y and swim when I get off work.

Mom and T headed for her new house this morning, each driving a car loaded full of stuff! T may or may not spend the night depending on how he feels. I have plans to do some organizing and hair washing - party at my place!! Lol

That darn inner voice tried saying that we could get so much more accomplished if we skipped the gym..... Uh, no! Going to the gym is a higher priority than putting some crap away that can live on the table another day. Shut up inner voice.

I hope you have a good day.

Road trip!

I have always loved a good road trip. I got the travel bug on both sides of my family, but ever since I got my first car at 20, I've always loved jumping in and going.

Having said that, 3 weekends in a row of multi-state trips is a bit much! After driving across the entirety of Georgia on I-85 yesterday morning (roughly 180 miles), my butt was sore and I was DONE. T called and asked what we were doing next weekend and I quipped "Nothing involving shoes or a car!"

Nevertheless, it was a really good weekend. Alma was feeling good and went out with us for a nice lunch. We took over a cake at supper and all the residents thoroughly enjoyed it, plus there was enough for everyone to have it again for dessert the next day. We stopped by for a short visit Sunday morning before heading back home. It was her 99th birthday and I am so grateful we could be there with her.

On a sadder note, my grandpuppy Lucky passed away in the night. He was having good and bad days and not eating too well, but still managed to wag his tail and be himself. He was a sweet boy and will be missed.

Have a good week.

A tough conversation

Do you find it easier to have serious conversations in person or over the phone? Maybe I am weird, but I find it easier to have potentially emotionally charged conversations over the phone rather than in person. In person it is far too easy for me to let my emotions get out of hand.

So I called my husband this morning and I told him "It's okay if you aren't in the same place as me." Because even though he has faithfully attended a bi-weekly appointment with me for weight loss support, he actions have not supported his stated readiness to lose weight. And I don't want to resent him because I feel like I'm wasting money paying for him to go. And I want him to know I love him whether he is committed to losing weight or not. But he has a lot going on mentally and emotionally right now, and I don't want to add to that.

Officially I am up 2 pounds from my pre vacation weigh in, and that's okay. My eating is back on track and my exercise is mostly on track (I took this week off from weights). I continue to feel calm and confident.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Catching back up

Good news: I slept much better!
Bad news: My alarm was set for 6:30 instead of 5:30. Whoops! Lol

Oh well, I *DO* feel much more rested. :-)

Yesterday I took a couple of walks and did a half assed elliptical workout at the gym. Half assed is better than no assed, so no complaints there. This morning I took a good walk and am hitting the gym after my 10:30 meeting.

Food was back to normal yesterday. I'm needing to be a bit more "on the fly" than I typically am. We got back at 6 PM Sunday, and I was at work 7:30 Monday morning. No real meal plan or grocery trip has occurred - each day has contained a bit of winging it. Luckily I had some stuff in the freezer and a couple of simple ideas.

This morning I got on the scale - I was up 1.8 pounds from my weigh in prior to vacation. Not bad and I feel 95% back on track - that's a better, quicker post vacation getting back on track than I typically experience and after a night of enough sleep, I'm feeling much less overwhelmed.

Sunday is my great aunt Alma's 99th birthday! The plan for this weekend is to drive halfway to LaGrange Friday night after work, finish driving down Saturday morning, and then head back home Sunday morning. I admit I was getting a bit concerned - my mom doesn't drive after dark and as sleep deprived as I have been, driving later Friday wasn't going to happen. Hopefully another good night of rest and I will be up to making the drive tomorrow.

T has his summer opus concert in the park Sunday which I will miss, but he totally understands. Mom is doing some organizing, prioritizing, and packing today with the intent to head to Wilmington Tuesday to begin the moving in process.  We'll head down in a couple of weeks to take more stuff and help her with some painting. As weird as it sounds, her move has motivated me to take a look around our house and do some painting & reorganizing as well!

Take care.

A self fulfilling prophecy

Ugh - I am so tired! I've slept crappy 4 out of the last 5 nights. I am so tired, I seriously considered stopping on my way in to work at a convenience store for a Red Bull. No bueno.

I have been anxious about getting back into my routine - I typically struggle when I get back from a long vacation. Anxiety + exhaustion = bad choices. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Last night I made some poor choices - some serious post dinner snacking. :-( 

I refuse to let this become a downward spiral - I am not going to let 3 bad hours undo 5 months of work!!

So off to the gym! Take care.

Crazy busy

My ex MIL went home after supper last night (and took her dog). The kids were here for dinner last night and left after breakfast this morning (with their 3 dogs). So we are down to us, my mom, and her 3 dogs. Only 5 dogs! Lol.

We're trying to get things washed & put away, T is getting errands and things done, and we're generally trying to get things put back in order. I really don't feel like going out of town - I'm tired y'all. Ugh.

Back

Hello!

Just a quick note to let you know I am back from vacation. We had a lovely time - now the unpacking, washing, and getting back to normal begins! I saw this on Sean's blog the other day and it really resonated with me, so I had parked it with a reminder to share it when I got back.

"Not once have I sat down with a calendar to try to figure out when I'll arrive at some predetermined number. I haven't even stated a particular goal weight, opting instead for a "healthy weight." Who knows what that will be? It doesn't matter how long it takes or when I'll get there because my focus is on today. My goal is to make it through this day with the integrity of my food plan intact and if it's an exercise day, that too. Today is the day. I'm not obsessing about how much time it will take. It will take however long it takes. If I focus on how long it will take to "arrive," I'm suggesting that my efforts will end at some point. And making my daily practice a big priority in my life each day is something I do not plan on ending, ever." - Sean Andersen

Today I am jumping back into my routine - prepping food, hitting the gym, all the usual stuff!

Take care.