What happened to yesterday?

Sorry about skipping yesterday - work was super busy!

I'm doing fine - a loss of 2.2 pounds this week. So I am holding pretty consistent with 2 pounds per week - that's perfectly fine with me. Could I maybe lose a bit more than that per week at my current weight? Maybe. But I am comfortable with my eating - long term I want to continue to strive for a higher vegetable intake, but I'm doing well with balancing my protein (not too much red meat) and limiting my carbs. What I am doing right now feels very doable for the long haul.

I was able to recover from that one bad evening and move on.

Even though it was a holiday week, I got in 2 kettlebell workouts and 2 elliptical workouts, plus several walks. So my exercise is coming along well.

I have 2 out of town trips this month - this weekend to my son's house at Carolina Beach and T's birthday trip to the Florida Keys. My plan is pretty straightforward - eat basically the same thing, limit portions, don't go nuts. Pretty easy this weekend - the Keys will be tougher because I know we are going to 2 restaurants that are special treats - food I can't get up here. My plan is to order a meal, eat half, and save half for lunch the next day. We are taking a cooler, our hotels all have fridge & microwave, and I have tupperware on my packing list, :-) So I've planned and tried to make success easy.

Have a great weekend!

You know what poor planning gets you?

Today is one of those days where your first mistake is getting out of bed, and then it all goes downhill from there!! Lol Ugh!

Last night I came home to a very stressed out husband (it was weird, I don't even know why he was stressed and I don't think he did either). I caved and did some emotional eating (ugh). This morning I forgot my breakfast - I was able to stop and get a pretty decent choice on the way in. Then my lunch plans fell through - I ended up going to the grocery store for a tv dinner. A bit high on carbs but okay on calories.

I did do a good kettlebell workout this morning.

So overall, not a great day. Oh well. It happens. Not quitting, giving up, or going nuts because I made a mistake.

Some days.....

Take care.

A bit of a disappointment

At 23 pounds lost, my husband took another set of pictures of me. I could barely see a difference. I can feel a difference in my clothes (although I am still wearing the same clothes) and the scale is lower, but so far those are the only real changes I am noticing.  It's frustrating to have come what feels like so far, but looks like barely a step one of a thousand mile journey.

Having said that, what can I do but continue the course and know that the difference will become noticeable at some point in the next 23 pounds? Le sigh.

Having worked like house elves over at mom's for 2 days, yesterday we worked like house elves around our house. It's looking much more organized. We also made time to go see "Deadpool 2', which we both really enjoyed.

Take care.

The (former?) food pusher

Home from my mom's, The master bath still needs a second coat of paint - it was too wet to do when we left. So that's for Friday. We are wrapping up the painting, we moved a couple of pieces of furniture exMIL wants over to her place, and emptied out our storage unit. (Yay saving money!). Tomorrow we get to work around our house! :-O

Friday at work was interesting. I have a co-worker who has always been a big food pusher. He organizes the potlucks, decides the themes, etc. He's had some MAJOR health issues and ended up having most of his colon removed, which has radically changed the way he can eat. It was interesting that when we had a big going away thing for our intern on Friday, A only had a small plate which had mostly healthy stuff. Not his usual M.O. OTOH, a week or so ago he brought in store bought muffins and walked them from office to office offering folks one. Thankfully he didn't make an issue of it when I refused.

Friday I had 3 crackers, 5 cheese cubes, and 2 strawberries over the course of the day. I skipped the cake and chips and all that junk. It wasn't too obvious since everyone was grazing. Luckily no one pushes the food too hard, but I'll be interested to see whether A starts back up the monthly potlucks - which usually feature the kind of food normally seen at a 5 year old's birthday party. My plan is usually to pack a healthy salad which I can supplement based on what people bring - and I try to bring a healthy option.

OK, enjoy your weekend!

Two milestones and one broken streak

As I thought I might, I crossed 2 milestones today: I've now lost just over 10% of my body weight - a number doctors say is significant, and I weighed less than 200 pounds for the first time since June of 2015.

That is hard to write. I'm a person who maintained a healthy weight all the way up to pregnancy, gained more than I should have, but turned around and took it off - and kept it off for several years. It wasn't until I started dating my ex husband that I really ballooned up. And yet I lost all but 10 pounds of it - and kept it off for quite some time! But of course work & relationship stress took their toll, and I ended up gaining.... 70 pounds. God that's hard to admit.

Today I've lost just over 22 of that 70, so I still have a long weigh to go. But I am trying hard to address emotional issues and stress without food and use less harmful coping mechanisms.

The streak we broke was that we caved and bought take out from Boston Market. By the time we left mom's from painting we were exhausted and neither of us were up to cooking. Calories and salt were higher than if we'd eaten at home, but we both ate on plan.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.

Take care.

A little more

In October 2001, I started an Excel spreadsheet to track my weight. I weighed every Friday. I still have that same spreadsheet. There are weeks (and months) with no data, but it's a pretty good picture of my weight over the past 17 years (good gravy!). There are times that spreadsheet has left me down - realizing I'd regained a lot of weight.

Today I looked back - I weigh less than I have in over three years and it was 2013 when I went on our annual vacation to Pennsylvania weighing less than I do now. I find that encouraging. Going primitive camping overweight and out of shape is HARD. I am confident this year is going to be so much better than the recent past!

I was down 2.4 pounds this week. I have two significant milestones I may very well hit over the weekend.

T has a sleep study Monday night - he met with a sleep specialist and she is pretty sure he has sleep apnea. He was really nervous about that and didn't want to have to use a C-Pap, but I told him about Sean being able to quit using the machine (as have others we know) once they've lost weight - and the doctor said the same thing. So now instead of discouraged, he is hopeful that he can start getting the rest he needs so much and that better rest will translate to a better performing body, which will translate to more energy and weight loss. Sleep affects SO MANY aspects of our life - it's amazing.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday morning I had a dental appointment. Since the office is near my mom's, I packed up and worked from her home yesterday. I used my lunch break to roll all of her interior doors - and we got them done!

Saturday we have to paint her bedroom and the 2 bathrooms, and a bit more more in the utility room. She needs to finish up the trim - and the painting will be done! Sunday is moving some stuff and beginning to get things prepped for the realtor to take photos. I am thinking the end is nearly in sight for her. Yes, she is selling my childhood home. But overall I am so excited for her to be finally making her dream of living near the beach a reality.

Work is uber busy today, so no lunch time gym today. Food remains good and the scale is moving in the right direction. Like I told my husband last night in the car "I'm not always motivated, but I remain determined."

Why is this time different (mentally)? I wish I could answer for sure. I just know that I feel ready to be done with this. It's been an albatross around my neck too long. I think for me many things have come together which add up to that readiness, but I think it boils down to two main things: 1) I no longer feel the need to use food to escape from the issues of my marriage and job and 2) I have a spouse who supports, rather than undermines, my efforts.

Those are changes that a part of me wishes I'd made years ago. OTOH, maybe I wasn't ready to learn those lessons then. I can't change the past, but I'm thankful I found the courage to make the changes I needed to in order for me to be where I am now.

Have a good day.

Weight is weird

Saturday I saw a new low. That evening I had a larger than normal snack (but nothing remotely like a binge - I'm talking 500 calories). I was up 0.6 pounds the next morning and didn't think too much of it - hey I ate a large, salty snack. No worries. Except it hung around - it even picked up 0.2 pounds .. even though I was eating on plan. This morning half that 0.8 was gone - leaving me still up 0.4 over Saturday even though my eating this week has been really good.

Sometimes the vagaries of the scale are a mystery to me.

In any case, I continue to eat on plan, knowing that I will see the results. My morning snack has been 12 raw, unsalted almonds. I'm getting tired of them, so I plan to change that up next week. My afternoon snack has been a string cheese. Lunches have been dinner leftovers. Today's was wonton meatballs (from the author of the Nom Nom Paleo website) and stir fry veg. Tonight's dinner is Mediterranean chicken and sauteed green beans courtesy of the crock pot.

The month of no dining out continues to go well, but my husband is tired of dirty dishes. As am I. :-) But I am certainly seeing the payoff on the scale.

Take care!

Reflections

Today was my 12th and final class of my 16 week "Move It!" class at the VA. (Class is 3 weeks on, 1 week off). I've lost just over 20 pounds, starting slowly and picking up speed. Looking back over the time, I've spent some time this morning trying to pinpoint what has changed and how I can continue to be successful.

• I don't feel like "I've got this." I hope I never feel that way. I've learned I can maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle for years, and still regain all the weight and more. I will need to be vigilant always. In some ways that sounds a tad depressing, but it also means always searching for new things and new ways to challenge myself - which doesn't sound depressing.

• I have finally been able to change my evening snacking habit. I have tried various strategies over the years, but I have always felt like I "deserved" something special in the evening. 

• I've tried to stop using food as a reward.
• I've noticed the correlation between the snack and the scale results, and I don't like it.
• I'm trying to pay attention to my "belly hunger" cues, and differentiating between belly hunger and head hunger. Allowing myself to be physically hungry is new to me.
• I'm okay with my snacking level for now, but if I feel I want to cut back more, I will use the "extinguish" behavioral change method.
• My spouse doesn't try to sabotage my weight loss efforts.

• I'm going to the gym regularly.

• I'm walking more at work.

• We are eating out less.

I will miss the class, but not the chunk of time out of my day or the drive - especially with gas prices going up!

Take care!

Milestone

This weekend I crossed over 20 pounds lost. I am still wearing the same clothes, but they are fitting MUCH better - even a little loose. And I am wearing a few more tops I hadn't been able to wear in a while.

Painting went well, T's concert went well, and we finally went to see the new Avengers movie. So it was a busy but good weekend!

No news on the Lucky front - I'm not sure if they are going to have a biopsy done to better know what type of cancer and how long he might have, or just make him comfortable.

Take care.

What an end to the week

My son's girlfriend's dog has cancer. :-( It's extra sad because he was her granddad's dog, so it's like losing a part of him all over again. And he reminds me & mom of my (deceased) uncle's dog Jojo (Both Jojo and my uncle Jerry are gone - Jerry passed away far too young). And Lucky is a great little dog.

I went to the gym yesterday but this morning it is POURING. Yuck.

I'm down 2 pounds this week.

Feeling down, so that's it for today.

Take care.

Weather and plans

It looks like the rain has settled in for next several days. :-( It was pouring at lunch, so I opted to postpone the gym until tomorrow. We did get a break in the weather and my colleague and I went out for a quick walk.

Our road trip this past weekend has given me some much needed confidence in the "travel and stay on my diet plan" goal. T and I have a fair bit of travel planned in the upcoming months:

• A weekend getaway to Carolina Beach to visit my son
• A surprise long weekend birthday adventure for T's 50th. He doesn't know it but we're going to the Keys for snorkeling and other adventures!
• A trip up to the mountains (Boone) for his band camp reunion.
• Our big annual trip up to PA for Pennsic. 

All of these things will need to be accomplished to maximize fun but stay within budget and dietary constraints. After this past weekend, I think I have come up with a formula for success.

Strategies include:

• We are staying in Hilton properties (when in a hotel). They have a free breakfast which is good (but not amazing) and has plenty of protein options.
• Cooking (at my son's, while camping) our own food.
• Packing a cooler/ lunchbox.
• In general, keeping the dining out to a minimum. And when we do (like a trip to Sunrise Pita Grill), it will be planned and enjoyed!
• And of course - staying active!

I'm still on a "high" from our class yesterday. Overall, I am feeling like this is something I can navigate and that I can successfully lose weight. For the first time in a LONG time, I believe I can control my weight. That feels terrific.

Have a great day!

Really good class today!

So, today was #11 (of 12) of my MoveIt! classes at the VA. There are 3 types of classes (so 4 each): physical activity, nutrition, psychology of weight gain & loss. Today was led by a behavioral psychologist and was "Cues and Triggers".

He discussed the importance of identifying what foods, situations, etc. are behavioral cues for you to overeat and ways to overcome them. Some are easy: if you can't stop with the Pringles, don't bring them in the house. Duh, right? But then he talked about the "extinction" method of changing bad habits. An example would be eating on the sofa. If you eat meals at the table but snack on the sofa, then when you have that urge you could: stop, drink a glass of water. Do a check- are you head or stomach hungry? If you are genuinely hungry, pause your show (or wait until it's over) and then get a healthy snack, but eat it at the table and NOT the sofa. I'd never thought of it that way!

I've been doing better by choosing better snacks, but the reality is that the act of sitting on the sofa is a trigger! Why settle of reducing the snack when I can eliminate the habit unless I'm truly hungry? It was a real light bulb moment for me!

Anyway, this guy was probably the best speaker we've had - he did a terrific job! That's one cool thing - these training/discussions are led by experts.  Anyway, it's been a busy but good day so far. I went to class, went home and waited for the cable guy to come & figure out why the internet keeps crapping out, then came over to mom's so she could run some errands in my car (hers is in the shop).

Last night the internet was down AND the cable kept dropping channels - I've been hating on Spectrum for a while - we'll see if replacing hardware today fixes the issues.

Take care!

Busy weekend

Welcome back to the work week! Lol

I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was fine - mom and I drove down to Georgia to visit my great aunt. This time she was feeling pretty good and felt like going out to lunch with us. We went to the country buffet she really likes and she thoroughly enjoyed her food and ate every bite! Her energy isn't really good any more, so after that we took her back to the assisted living place to rest, but we keep popping back in for visits throughout the weekend.

We hit multiple stores to pick up several items she needed (shampoo, soap, lotion, etc.) and to look for some comfortable footie socks for her to wear around - she has a problem now with her feet swelling, so finding something comfortable can be tough.

I bought myself a makeup mirror and mom bought a summer purse - our Mother's day gifts to ourselves I guess! :-)

My plan of taking food to supplement and pairing that with good choices paid off - despite being on the road all weekend, I was down 0.8 pounds this morning from Friday, that feels like a huge victory.

I got my mom a really cool gift:

It's a guided journal that you use to record stuff about your life! T liked the idea so much he had me order one for him to give to his mom as well (which she loved). I wish I'd had these to give to my grandmothers.

Mother's Day was .. okay. I didn't get to see my son and we spent the day in the car headed back home. By the time I got home I was tired and grubby and a little sad. It's hard to see someone you love when their body continues after their spirit is done. But she still has moments of pleasure and joy - although they are few and far between. We do what we can.

In any case, it was a fine day and a fine weekend, and as always, I am so glad we went.

I hope you have a terrific week. Take care!

Determination, not motivation

Good morning and happy Friday!

First of all, thanks Laura and Nixie for the comments. No matter the age, you always want the best for your kids!!

I'm down 2 pounds this week. I had an evening where I really oversnacked (Sunday or Monday) and I bounced up 0.6 pounds, but overall still a decent loss.

I'm leaving straight from work to mom's to pick her up, then we are headed to Georgia to visit with my great aunt for the weekend. I made some chicken salad and packed that, some wraps, apples, tomatoes, and some raw almonds so hopefully I can use that to fill out good choices and won't see a gain from the dining out. And a couple of protein shakes. When I'm trying to lose weight, travel can create a lot of anxiety with food for me, so I'd rather be over prepared.

I am not always motivated, but I remain determined to make the the LAST time I lose a significant amount of weight. Third time's a charm! Lol

I hope you have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Deep thoughts

I'm fine. T seems committed to losing weight, so I am glad. We're doing fine. I'm feeling bummed today - my son had a big fight with his girlfriend and I know how much that sucks. I feel badly for him. I just love him and want him to be happy. Relationships are hard, I think things do get easier with age though. He's heading into his final year of college, so he's an adult but not completely independent, but I think she expects him to be, which isn't really fair because she wasn't when she was in college. Whatever.

Anyway, blah.

Here's a picture in case you need any encouragement today.

Take care.

The first step is the hardest

I find that getting started is always the hardest part of anything, and I can be an expert procrastinator! I have a presentation due at the end of the day, and I can't get a handle on how to start! Ugh! When I get this way, I find the easiest thing is to just jump in somewhere, swim around, and then the task will begin to flow.

I decided I was determined to lose weight this time, even if I wasn't always motivated! Instead of doing everything perfectly, I decided to focus on the one most important thing: my food. The gym is still hit or miss, but I'm doing a good job of getting in my steps and sticking to the food plan. Making the decision to not dine out this month has made for some meals that were scrounging in the fridge, but were healthier (and cheaper!) than anything I would have gotten in a restaurant.

One thing I didn't consider was our trip to Georgia to see my great aunt. We will be eating on the road. My plan is to make the smartest choices I can and call it good. I'll keep you posted.

Okay, I better get back to work! Take care!

Tuesday

So my son (who is a mechanic) thinks it may be the computer on mom's car - which is pricey. :-( They haven't called her to tell her anything yet. Luckily she was able to borrow a car from a friend. Fingers crossed!

I had a class at the VA this morning - "Finesse your Food". We talked about building a healthy plate and snacking. It was pretty good. Only 2 more classes! I have enjoyed doing this, but I'm looking forward to moving on as well.

My project at home is finishing the curtains for our bedroom. This has been on the back burner forever! Yesterday I hemmed a pair of pants to take to my great aunt when we go to Georgia this weekend, and since I had the sewing stuff out I decided to tackle the thing I wanted done the most! Behind this I have a couple of minor mending projects, and then I can start on some medieval costume projects for this summer. This is going to take some time - there are curtains (like where the sheers would be) and then there are decorative curtains that flank the window, but don't cover it completely. One window is now totally done. The other one I need to hem the flanking curtains and finish making the regular ones. It felt good to make progress on that.

Take care!

Monday not so funday

No sooner than my mom got her car back from having a new starter put in at her regular place, than she ran an errand and not only would it not start, but the horn wouldn't stop going off! So it looks like they did a repair she didn't need and they told her she needed to take it to the dealer. :-( I picked her up - how frustrating!!

What else? Painting went fine this weekend - faster than I thought it would but also oh so much harder!! We were bone tired Saturday night and came hoe and took a nap Sunday!  But we got the 2 bedrooms and hallway done that I was hoping, so at least we're on track.

I hope you have a terrific week!

Another milestone

Today I hit 15 pounds gone.My clothes feel better, I feel less bloated, but honestly I can't tell a huge difference yet. In 5 more pounds I am going to have T take another set of photos - maybe I can see the difference in the photos even if I can't see it in the mirror.

Last night I helped my ex MIL get her bills all set up online and paid for the month. Except cable - she is going to call them today and see if they will negotiate if she threatens to cancel. Mom and T went and bought paint.  Tomorrow we are headed to her place to get started. Wish us luck!

I don't have too much to say. I can't see the changes yet (although I definitely feel better), so I am using the scale. I wish I'd taken measurements. Maybe we will do that this weekend.

I hope your weekend is a good one!

Change of plans

T told me he wanted to take a break from the gym. In addition to cutting his carbs, he has virtually eliminated sodas and caffeine. He's tired and feeling sluggish - add to that the hectic schedule with painting my mom's house this month and we agreed it was better to wait and start lifting weights next month.

Having said that, I am ready! So I plan to set up a dumbbell routine for myself to use until he is ready. That way I will still be lifting weights, but I need a spotter for the barbell routine. I will most likely start doing a short weight training routine prior to cardio when I go at lunchtime Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Last night I was feeling very restless. I think part of it is that we are watching "Lawrence of Arabia" - it's one of T's favorite movies and I've never seen it, so we rented it from Netflix. It's not bad, but it won't be a favorite and it's not really drawing me in. I wanted to eat (although I wasn't hungry). I limited myself to half an ounce of pork rinds. It's funny - when I was a kid we thought of those as a kind of "trashy", unhealthy snack!! Now they are commonly listed on low carb diets as a replacement for chips! LOL. Times have changed!

Anyway, things are going fine.

Take care.

Better

Yesterday went better. Breakfast worked fine, we ate our lunch and snacks (T actually brought home his Babybel cheeses), followed the diet, and ended the day by each having a half a gin and (diet) tonic! Lol. Yes, one shot of gin or vodka or one ultra light beer is permitted.

At lunch I went with my MIL to set her up for online banking, so I can help her pay her bills. She's been paying them by the "what are they threatening to turn off this month?" method. No bueno. So we got that taken care of.

We did round 1 of Lowe's with my mom, but are going back tomorrow. Tonight and Friday are weight training in the evening and cardio at lunch. We both have been pretty sore - we've made some significant increases on the weights we are lifting, so we are adding a few minutes in the hot tub, sauna, or steam room onto the end of our weight workout.

The teacher T works with is retiring at the end of the year - it was a surprise. So he's not sure if he wants to stay on there or look for another position somewhere else. Oh, and his job for the summer may have fallen through. :-(  Life!

In any case, things are going pretty well in our little corner of the world.

Take care.

Lessons learned

Here's a good one for today:

So yesterday.....  First off, on the list of foods (and let me tell you, this isn't the easiest to understand format she has) there is a category that says "extras (You may choose one of these foods with 2 meals).  That category contains the complex carbs (black beans, brown rice, whole grain wrap). Okay, this is a low carb diet - makes sense! And this isn't wacky or outrageous or anything.

So for breakfast T has a protein shake with yogurt and some fruit. not bad. I had a yogurt bowl with a VERY little bit of fruit (my frozen fruit was freezer burned and full of ice - yuck!). His breakfast was a little small but OK, mine was small. Then I only packed him 1 protein snack instead of 2. The upshot was we were both pretty miserable all day and hangry by dinner.  He stopped for a rotisserie chicken - we were so tired that's all we ate. So day 1 wasn't exactly a success.

Today I followed the guidelines of 2 protein servings (which meant 2 eggs, 1 slice of bacon, 1 ounce of cheese) in a low carb whole grain wrap. I'm working at home today, but I made sure to  pack a good lunch and 2 protein snacks plus a fruit in T's lunchbox.

Today is a rest day from the gym because we are going to mom's to help her buy the painting supplies for painting her house, so hopefully today will be a better day. We're still figuring this thing out, I figure we'll get into a groove and it'll be a lot easier.

Have a great day!

Time flies when the weather is great!

I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was really, really awesome! It was a good mix of accomplishing a lot around the house, and spending time with the family. T and I even took a nap together for half an hour yesterday!! It was lovely.

The weather was fantastic so we opened up the house to air it out. Unfortunately, T's allergies are in full swing so he is kinda miserable right now. :-( 

Dinner with his family was really nice - I made good choices (salmon, salad, spinach) and we had a great time. It's prom season so it was fun to see the outfits!

Yesterday we went to the gym and lifted weights - I gotta tell you, we're getting to the point that it is getting challenging for sure! I only lifted weights once last week, but I did HIIT 3 times - so a definite improvement!

I lost weight over the weekend - a nice reward for staying mindful.

Take care!

Creating inefficiencies

Happy Friday!!

Down 1.6 pounds from last week, now back to moving solidly in the right direction!

T and I had already committed to really tightening back down on our food, this morning we set a goal for May: no eating out. Yes, that's a challenge!! But not only will it save us calories and help us stay on track, it will also help us save money for our vacation at the end of summer.

Why the title? Now that I have a Fitbit, I try to be inefficient as I move around, creating more steps for myself rather than fewer!

I wanted to share this post on emotional eating as it really resonated with me: Cravings and Deprivation

We are getting together (and going out to eat) with my in-laws Saturday to celebrate my MIL's birthday. I have some mending to do, T may do some yard work, but I am hoping for a quiet weekend at home with my love and my fur babies.

Have a great weekend!

What happened to yesterday???

Yesterday was a busy day at work. I lost track of time and realized this morning that I never posted! Things are/were fine. I think spring may actually be here and I am so grateful. I am looking forward to evening walks with my husband and dogs.

We've been doing ... okay ... with our eating. My loss has slowed and T's has stalled. We aren't satisfied with that so we are sitting down this weekend and creating an even lower carb meal plan. They've been creeping back in, like weeds in a garden.

Other than dinner with his family Saturday night to celebrate my MIL's birthday, our plan for the weekend is to run the last of the guest room stuff to Goodwill. I have some mending to do, and T may do some yard work. May is dedicated to getting mom's house painted to get it on the market, so it's going to be busy!

Take care!

Interesting POV

I had another class at the VA today - this one was "Fitness for Life". He talked about 3 aspects of physical activity: cardio, resistance training, and lifestyle. I hadn't thought of it that way! Anyway, the instructor talked about the importance of creating a physically active lifestyle and that, even without "exercise", an active lifestyle will carry you a long way toward weight loss and being healthy.

I do things like walk with a colleague, or walk the dogs - I don't count those as "intentional exercise", but today was a good reminder that those habits contribute to our overall health!

Even though the loss feels SO SLOW, it's still happening!

Take care.

Home again, home again

I had a nice weekend. Uneventful trip home, although Mother Nature did gift me with my period and a fever blister (gee, thanks! NOT).

I am home, we celebrated my birthday. T gave me a FitBit, so that's cool! I lost a pound in Vegas and didn't gain over the weekend, so that's pretty good.

Onward and downward!

"I needed a reminder from a friend not too long ago that whenever I think I'm not good enough, I need to tell that voice to shut up and keep moving forward. Whatever it is that is holding you back from greatness- anxiety, depression, self doubt, jealousy, laziness, etc....make it your goal to work to overcome them. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Find the right people to support you, and you can do great things. ~Tony"

Take care.

Not a bad day

This morning after breakfast I figured out the car (with my son's help) - you had to have your foot on the brake to start the car. I drove up the strip, found the car rental return, gassed up car (it held $3) and got a diet pepsi for the morning. I hung out & read by the pool, managed a short nap, and we headed out at 11 for out meeting.

So our meeting (3 hours) went well. I was back in the hotel by 2:30. Right now I'm watching "Swamp People" and trying to decide whether I a calling room service or going down to eat. I plan to take a bath, pack, and go to bed early.

Once I figured out the car I was feeling better - honestly I was feeling sorry for myself, and feeling dumb (which I hate). This trip hasn't been great - it certainly would have been a lot more fun with company, but it hasn't been and and going to the meeting was very useful for me, and I think I was able to make some good contributions. I was the only person from the IT department there, and there were certain items they really needed someone with some knowledge to address.

Have a good evening.

Early morning pity party

I'm in Vegas, on my birthday, on business.

• Dinner was mediocre - I didn't even finish it.
• I can't figure out how to start my rental car. Seriously - they gave it to me running. I read the owners manual. Mystery.
• Missed getting to the Neon Museum (see points 1 and 2).
• Shower was tepid.
• A hot shower is especially nice when you wake up at 3 AM.

Meeting is today at 11:30 - lunch and then meet for ???? an unknown period of time. My plan is to order room service and go to bed early!

Thanks for letting me grump. I love to travel - I just prefer it be for vacation and not business! Luckily I don't travel much for business.

Let's make it a good day!

So far so good

Great idea on the oatmeal Beth! I had breakfast at home, a snack in the car, bought a salad & water to carry on the plane for lunch, and had nuts for afternoon snack. Now my problem is we have 6:45 dinner reservations - which is 9:45 EST and I am really really hungry. I think I need to grab a snack.

Take care.

You can have it all, just not all the time!

Hey there!  I am nervous about my trip. I feel ridiculous even saying that, but I am nervous about food. 

There are 2 issues:

• Airport food. I am arriving at the airport tomorrow around 9:30 and my flight leaves at 11:30. My best bet is to buy something to carry onto the plane - I don't want to depend on airline food! I am hopeful that I can buy a salad and a bottle of water - otherwise a sandwich and remove half the bread. I bought some 100 calorie packs on raw nuts and I plan to have a couple in my purse.

• Vegas food. Is the company team eating together Wednesday? Lunch Thursday is a business deal. My flight leaves at 6:30 AM Friday - I'll need a eat a little something before I leave the hotel and then hope I can find something.

There is plenty of food available - my concerns are around limited choices/ an overabundance and making poor choices. I need to remind myself that no one controls what I put in my mouth ... except ME!

Coffee????

I am feeling a little blurry this morning.

I woke up at 4:30, and caved and got up at 5. I went to bed early so I think I had had enough sleep! I am a little groggy though - getting off to a slow start today.

It was a nice weekend, but too busy! (Don't I always say that????).

Have a good day!

Done, for now. And the not so feral kitty!

I am proclaiming the guest room "done" - for now. There are still a few things that need to be gone through, but the progress is HUGE!

I don't think that cat was ever feral. She seems to be healing well, has discovered how to go out the dog door, and seems to have come to an accord with the dogs. She isn't so hissy and they aren't running, so I think a meeting of the minds happened while we were out & about yesterday.

Have a good rest of the weekend!

Quiet evening

So this happened last night. Susie was all happy, and the cat jumped up and tried to thug her into getting off the sofa. I swear that cat could get a job as a mob enforcer.

T went to Toastmasters, so I made supper, cleaned the kitchen, and hung out with the animals. Other than having too many baked chicken nuggets for my after dinner snack (apparently I am five years old), it was an uneventful evening. I was a bit on the tired side so skipped any effort to do more organizing in the guest room. Sometimes you just need an evening to veg.

My son is in town to help my mom move some of her stuff, so we are headed to her place tonight for supper. Today has been a good day.

Take care.

Can you relate? And - our triumphant return!! :-)

I was reading an article on MSN and at the bottom they had one of their slideshows - this one about some of the gals in the upcoming People magazine "half their size" edition. Here's a brief quote about one lady (Megan): "she was drinking five or more cans of soda a day, eating large quantities of food, and stopping at the drive-thru daily."

I can't even relate to that. I mean, being overweight yes, but those habits? I'm not judging this person or their lifestyle. AT ALL. And I know a lot of people find these stories inspirational - in a way I do too. Obviously I eat too much or I wouldn't be overweight, but I've never been a soda addict or eaten fast food on even a regular basis. I view these stories the way I see the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" - extreme examples. And good on them for losing the weight, but I think it also feeds into a false narrative that somehow this is what all or most overweight people are doing, when I think that's not true. I think a lot of us make a handful of poor choices consistently, and that's enough to add up. But I could be totally off base!

Last night we lifted weights for the first time in FOREVER. The good news is that neither of us decreased on any of our weights for the exercises, and we were able to complete the scheduled workout! My back was stiff at the end and T was sore this morning, but we did it! And at lunch today I went to Anytime for a cardio workout (I went Monday as well).

One thing I've been slacking on is my veggie consumption. I knew I wanted to do something about that so I bought several cans of these:

I chose low cal varieties (squash, okra and tomatoes (no corn) etc). I'm adding a half can into my lunch box. Yes they have salt added, but they are an easy way to get back into the habit of eating vegetables. I've been in a rut and this is giving me a break while I look for new vegetable ideas. I haven't met many vegetables I don't like (except fennel. And arugula.), so I have a good variety to choose from, I'd just gotten in the habit of buying the same ones and preparing them in the same old way. So I have some homework.

Also, I hate to jinx it, but spring may actually be here! (shhh).

Take care.

Back in the saddle (gym) again

Back from vacation, back to routine. This week is what we call a transition week: we are getting back to our gym routine. And while our eating isn't bad, it's a little bit hodge podge in that we are using up leftovers and stuff from the freezer since our planning, shopping, and prepping last week weren't extensive.

For a number of reasons I'm not prepared to open up about here, we both have been stressed and unfocused. But we have a course of action for dealing with what we can and letting the rest roll off our backs. We're ok, our pets are ok, our families are ok.

After being off last week, I was also back at my class at the VA. This week was about eating out. Nothing earth shattering - just some good reminders. Given that next week I have 2 days of flying and a day and a half in Las Vegas it was certainly a timely class!

Take care.

embrace the grind

It's been a tough week or so, not gonna lie. Leaving these things here to help keep me focused.

"What I'm getting is more valuable than what I'm giving up."

Off to the beach

Catch you on the flip side!

Quick update

Made some progress in the guest room today - still stuff to sort through, put away, and donate, but SO much better you guys!

Have a nice Easter if that is a holiday you celebrate!

Kitty update

Our county has no services for catching/ fixing feral cats. The waiting list if Guilford county is 2 months long. I called "Planned Pethood". We got her fixed, rabies shot, pain meds for $100. So not as cheap as the low cost places, but cheaper than the vet.

She is out of surgery and on her way home now. She seems to be doing fine.

I've been here before

Down 10 pounds. Life is getting busy. My anxiety level is increasing. This has been a formula for diving back into the food in the past. I am not motivated, but I am determined.

I am going to do some self care, set some small but manageable goals for the evening, and not let my mind talk myself out of continued success.

Sometimes I seem to sabotage myself for no reason - not today, brain, not today.

Take care.

Back in the gym again

I went to the gym yesterday for a HIIT session.

Today was my 6th class (of 12) at the VA. I appreciate the support. Our new mattress was delivered today - yay! We now have a bed in our guest room!!

The roofer is coming tonight - wish us luck.

Take care.

Ka-ching kind of weekend

Got home Friday, Susie had destroyed the dog door. Not just the flap, but the frame as well. Since it was supposed to SNOW Friday night, we opted to close the storm door so air wouldn't come in the gaping hole in the door. Apparently in the middle of the night Susie needing to go out but could not, and instead left a crop circle of diarrhea on the den rug.

So,

• New dog door plus fill dirt for the holes in the yard she regularly creates - $100
• Steam cleaner rental plus dog enzyme de-stank solution $60
• Dog medicine from vet $100
• Lunch at Costco food court because I was starving and exhausted - $3
• Going to see "Black Panther" because I deserved it, plus 2 sodas and a small popcorn - $18

Do you see the theme here? Pets are expensive, especially when they misbehave! Lol

It was not a great weekend. I put too much on myself, creating a lot of (self created) anxiety, which led to poor choices. Thankfully my poor choices these days are not nearly as bad as my poor choices of yesteryear. Up a half pound and the end of the weekend from Friday's weigh in.

I think it was the leaky porch roof that pushed me over the edge. I know it pushed T over the edge. Le sigh.

• New porch roof - $???

Glacial pace, but in the right direction

Well, I lost a little over a pound this week! I'm not winning any speed records, OTOH I don't feel deprived or anxious about what I am eating.

Another busy weekend getting the guest room up to snuff. I will be so glad to have that room looking nice and organized!

So, there is this feral cat in our neighborhood.

(So wild.)

My husband is crazy about her and she is a real sweetie. We want to get her fixed, but there is a pretty long waiting list. Our vet will do it but of course she'll need vaccinations etc., so it'll be like $350. Not sure what to do - there are some clinics around but since the wait is long we're afraid she will end up pregnant. :-( Not sure what to do.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Take care.

An actual recap

Yes, we had snow yesterday. We took advantage of being home to go to the Industries for the Blind (IFB) mattress store and order a new mattress & box springs.

Progress in the guest room continues. I have 2 rubbermaids of clothes to be donated as well as a few things simply pitched. We are setting up the bed frame this weekend, so it is beginning to look like a real room and not just a storage facility! Lol

I am going to be out of town on a business trip for my birthday, so we are definitely planning to head to the beach during T's spring break for a long weekend to celebrate early. Not optimal, but it's pretty important that I go along to visit this client.

Our weather is crazy.

Take care.

A milestone crossed

10.4 pounds gone.

First 10 pound mark hit!

I don't know if it's visible, but I can definitely feel it!

Woo hoo!

What happened to yesterday?

Well hello there.

Work was bananas yesterday and I just never posted. Things are fine.

We made this for dinner Saturday: Lime Shrimp Avocado Salad. It is amazing!! Aldi had avocados for 38 cents so I stocked up - I love avocado. It's the first time I've ever seen T go back for seconds on salad! Lol.

Today I had the 5th "Move It!" class at the VA - this one identifying barriers to weight loss and problem solving.  It wasn't stuff I hadn't heard before - but having it reinforced was very valuable. And we had some really good interaction today.

Part of the reason I am enjoying these classes is because I feel more comfortable (for whatever reason) at the VA than I have with other groups in the past. And it is teaching me something that I probably knew, but hadn't really ever thought about: it NEVER gets easier to lose weight! Sure you may say "when work is less hectic" or "when the kids are older" but then something else comes up (doesn't it always?)! Not to mention the simple fact that the older you are, the more challenging it may become or you may have to contend with medical conditions you don't have now.

I see vets younger than me, and a lot older than me. One gal has 3 joint replacements! Most have some sort of limiting health condition, but there they are: trying to improve their health. And I admire their tenacity so much - it is inspiring. It helps me put a stop to the BS excuses and whining.

Can't remember if I shared this. Here's what I have on my kitchen board right now to help keep me mindful every day:

Take care!

Crazy Friday

We both had that look on our face this morning when we realized the alarm hadn't gone off! D'OH!!!

I had a class this morning and T had work. We planned to get up at 5:45 - I looked at the clock at 7:12 and launched myself out of bed. Then it was run around like mad for 15 minutes and hit the road. He was half an hour late - I squeaked into my class.

Class this morning was "Go good fat" - the importance of eating healthy fat but limiting bad fats. The Friday group is very chatty - we did not get through the material. But I got up and went, and that helped reinforce my decision to simply move on from yesterday's Mexican food incident.

I grabbed something on the way out the door, along with a protein shake and a bottle of water.

This weekend is operation "spare room rescue." It is a disaster in there right now. Yeah, really bad - we keep the door closed.

I am grateful that I am not the only one trying to lose weight - thanks for reading and sharing!

What the heck????

Every once in a while, you are going along, and all of a sudden you realize you just fell flat on your face.

Today I went out for lunch. (Why? I had a good lunch packed.) I made a poor choice. (Why? It's a menu I have successfully navigated in the past.) And you look back and wonder why a pod person took over for that 1 hour span of time. I don't know why and I still don't know why.

So I logged it into Spark People and let it go. I have to move on from here, having something like 300 calories left for the day. I will do the best I can, but I won't "punish" myself - I'll eat a normal, healthy dinner and just go on. Will the scale be up tomorrow? Probably.

I can't dwell on it or I will end up pouring out the rest of the proverbial gallon on top of the spilled milk. :-(

About that office....

I finally made it into work today! I've worked at home the last 2 days, and while I am grateful for the flexibility, I really enjoy being in the office with my colleagues.

The snow is gone and hopefully we are back to early spring temperatures. T has a meeting this evening and then a school concert tomorrow (the elementary school where he works is having a choral show and he is playing music to go along.) So busy evenings this week. This weekend we are going to dig in and start cleaning/ purging/ organizing the guest room. And actually buy a bed! Yay! A long overdue upgrade. I can't wait to see the final result.

Food & exercise seem to be on course.

Oh, and to add to what I said yesterday, if you have time pop over and read this great post on emotional eating: https://fitbottomedeats.com/2018/03/the-9-most-common-reasons-we-emotionally-eat/

Good stuff.

Take care.

Tuesday

No gym yesterday - the roads were pretty dodgy and it snowed most of the day. Luckily things are much better today. I am still at home though since Spectrum is supposed to come out and take a look at our internet - it keeps dropping in and out. Last time they came, they said it was squirrels chewing on the line. So not sure what (if anything) will be done. One of the down sides of living in a small town - virtually 0 internet provider choice.

This is the book I got the beef bourguignon recipe out of. I like this book because it is the convenience of the crock pot but the recipes are a little more sophisticated than your typical "Better Homes and Garden" variety crock pot recipes. I have a love/ hate relationship with cooking blogs. I get tired of scrolling through all the pictures and the cutesy story just to find a coleslaw recipe. If I see a link that sounds good I will check it out, but I don't follow any cooking blogs.

I'd like to piggyback on a thought in one of Karen's most recent posts:

Having a relationship with food. Food is an inanimate object. I think the problem is that for many of us that are overweight, we've used food in ways that aren't healthy. Food has "been there" for me when people who loved me (like my spouse) were emotionally unavailable. Food filled a void for me. That's not the fault of food (how can an inanimate object be at fault??) - I used it in an inappropriate way. Eating can (and I think should) be an enjoyable process. It can be a wonderful time to come together and enjoy companionship and nourishment. But at the end of the day, food is simply a tool to care for my body. It's up to me to choose the best tools!

Tonight's dinner is in the crockpot (again) - a pork tamale casserole. After this we will have lunch leftovers, leftovers to put in the freezer for when we need a quick meal, and a day or two to cruise on leftovers. We both enjoy cooking, but time is limited during the week!

Take care!

Snowy Monday

Good morning!  All the schools around here are closed. I work up in the foothills near the VA line, so it was snowing up there about an hour before it started here. School is out so we are both home today, although I am working. The up side of this is we can get some chores done! (Well, I can supervise! lol) :-)

I got on the scale this morning and was down 2.4 pounds from Friday, which tells me 1) Friday's weigh in was inflated for some reason and 2) my eating was on track this weekend. The nice thing about weighing daily is that the bump ups aren't bothering me like they would if I only checked in once a week. I think it's very helpful.

Yesterday I got a lot of food prep accomplished. T is having crustless mini quiches for breakfast and I am having guacamole egg salad. (It is yummy!).  Tonight's dinner is beef bourguignon in the crock pot and sauteed green beans.

Weather permitting we are going to head to the gym at lunchtime - it's coming down pretty hard so it depends on how the roads are. I can always bundle up and take the dogs for a walk.

Have a good day!

Thoughts for Saturday

Still coughing

Our office sounds a bit like a TB ward. No one is sick any more, but we all seem to have nagging coughs.

I'm up a pound this week - given that I haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks but haven't really scaled back my eating, I'm okay. I just need to keep tracking and keep doing what has been working and not let this derail me.

Nothing big planned for the weekend. T is playing a concert tomorrow night (he is in a Pops concert band). Other than that just the usual plus this is the month we are doing some spring cleaning and organizing around the house. The weather is supposed to be kind of blah so that's a good thing I guess.

Take care.

Birthday fun

We had a lovely visit with the family last night. My son requested a German meal, and I of course complied (birthday person picks the meal!). We had a lovely visit and an all around nice meal. Guess what my mom found in her attic?

Proof that I was always a geek! LOL

Not sure where they will reside permanently. Maybe my office? China hutch? TBD. Anyway, I thought that was a pretty cute find.

Today is back to normal - normal food, normal routine. I am hoping for a return to the gym this weekend. I want to be sure this flu is long gone before I start back.

Take care.

Slowly on the mend

Hopefully this blog will soon return to it's regular format. For now I am still not 100%, but I tried Mucinex last night and that seemed to help a lot - I slept through the night with virtually no coughing.

My son and his girlfriend are up from Wilmington for his spring break. They are helping my mom do a bunch of stuff around her house to get it ready to go on the market. She has lived there since 1971, so there is a LOT of stuff tucked away in the attic and barn. She rented a dumpster. :-O  Anyway, the family is coming over tonight - they both have February birthdays so we are doing a joint celebration this evening.

I am working at home today, thankfully it's a slow day. I have a few things to do to pick up the house and prep for the meal, but it should be an easy day.

Take care.

Groundhog day

Still sick, still at work, still not back to the gym.

I have woken up the past 2 mornings with my eyes stuck shut from gloop. My cough is terrible - last night I slept upright on the sofa. And my ear hurts - all of which points to a bunch of sinus congestion. I think I'm going to go back to the doctor tomorrow - I'm done with the Tamiflu and I want to see if they can give me/ recommend a good decongestant so I can get this stuff to pack its bags and move along.

Ugh.  Take care of yourselves, there's a lot of yuck going around.

Back at work, still not at the gym

Hello there. I am on the mend, but I am still feeling run down, so I opted to not return to the gym today. But as I am no longer contagious, I am back at the office.

I need a nap.

Take care.

Make mine a virgin

Just quickly checking in. I am on the mend and will be back at work tomorrow, but I am still coughing. I plan to go to the gym tomorrow, but it really depends on how I feel.

My weight has bounced just a tiny bit since Friday (up 0.2 pounds), so if I don't get back to the gym then my plan is to make my evening cocktail a virgin one until I am back at the gym. That's an easy way to cut some non nutritive calories, and as weird as it sounds, with a good lime diet tonic water is yummy.

Taking a break from food prep, but I need to get back in the kitchen!

Take care.

An update and a few stats

First off, I have the flu. I had no symptoms, but the PA decided to do the test anyway and yep, it came back positive for type A flu. Luckily I went ahead and went to the doctor, and luckily she tested me without symptoms - I got the tamiflu, cough syrup, and orders to stay home. So if you aren't feeling well, please go to the doctor and please get tested for the flu! Apparently a LOT of people are showing up asymptomatic, which is one reason this is spreading so badly.

I climbed on the scale this morning - I lost 2.8 pounds this week, for a total of 8.4 pounds since I seriously started back 7 weeks ago. Yay! One thing I'm doing differently this time is keeping my evening snacks low carb - nuts, cheese, a protein shake if I want something sweet.

Unfortunately I have not gone back to the gym this week, that just hasn't been possible with the way I am feeling. Hopefully next week.

We had big plans to get some stuff done around the house this weekend, but T has a sinus infection (he went to the doctor yesterday as well), so we'll see. I'm still hopeful that if we take it easy today we can get some things done.

Take care and have an awesome weekend!

Sick day

Well, I am working from home. I woke up feeling like I'd gargled glass all night and that someone had stuck an ice pick in my right ear. Chances are good it's just a cold and it's because my sinuses are chock full of yuck, but since strep is one of the many things going around and my husband works in a petri dish elementary school, I decided going to the doctor would be prudent. I have an appointment at the local urgent care this afternoon.

I have been on conference calls all morning, I sound like Barry White. Actually, T said I sounded like a 1940s lounge singer. LOL

Needless to say, gym isn't happening until I am on the mend. I am hoping this is the low point.

Be well!

All the excitement of drying paint

Today is my son's birthday. I am so proud of him - he's doing well in school, figuring out his own course in life. If you give kids the freedom to find their own way, it's so fun to watch how they grow and develop into their own unique selves.There have been some tough stages, but I've always loved him and liked him nearly all the time too! :-)

Not really anything to report here. We are both sick - I think with colds. Sore throat, coughing, drippy nose. Yuck.

The roofer is at the house now, hopefully fixing the gutter on the shed so we can spend this weekend spring cleaning and reorganizing our storage shed. Lifestyles of the rich and famous around here, I tell you.

I went out for Mexican for lunch today - 3 crunchy chicken tacos and a few chips. It was yummy.

We haven't gone to see "Black Panther" yet - hopefully this weekend. I discovered today that I have overpaid on health insurance the last 2 paychecks - they didn't take T off my insurance. I am getting a refund of $625 next paycheck - about enough to pay the taxes. Woot!

It's a rainy, yucky day here. Luckily the weekend weather should be good for our shed project.

Take care.

My slip didn't slide

One thing I didn't mention in my last post was that last Thursday when we discovered the leak, T got VERY upset - just feeling like so many things have gone wrong in this house. His stress + my stress = an overeating episode. The good thing was that I had a slip, but I didn't continue to slide. I got back up and got right back on plan.

Today was my third class at the VA - this one was a fitness class and he talked about the importance of core strength, and gave us exercises (and showed video how to guides). I can easily add a couple of things onto my weight training - win!

Food this week includes 3 ingredient protein pancakes for breakfast (cottage cheese, egg whites, oats), plus chickpea salad for lunch, and dinner vary as usual.

Take care.

More rested

Good morning!

Despite a busy weekend I am feeling more rested today. The scale continues to move slowly but steadily downward, so that is encouraging. I'm not doing anything I can't do for the rest of my life, so that's encouraging as well.

We have a leak in our storage shed - we think it's from the gutter system being damaged. No idea when/ how that happened. Maybe when they installed the new roof? In any case, I've called the roofer and asked if they can come and take a look. In the interim a bunch of stuff is in the carport side (visible from the street), so mom is going to bring my son's car to park there so the stuff is blocked. So I can't park there. It's always something!

The breakfast Saturday was a big success, unfortunately T was feeling lousy. We headed out early, went home, and he slept for 4 hours. Then went to bed at 8 and slept another 12. Not sure what he's trying to fight off, but there's a lot of nasty bugs going around. We are both back in the office and back to reality today!

It's supposed to be a kinda rainy, yucky week here. I hope they can get the roof fixed when they come out Wednesday. I'm going to look for some of that foam that expands to seal gaps as well, hopefully that will help!

Last week I made soup and the weather was gorgeous so I didn't want to eat it, but this week is perfect soup weather. Funnily enough I made lentil soup for dinner tonight. LOL

Take care.

Crazy Week

This is a crazy week.

1) My boss is out unexpectedly this week and most of next. I feel a bit like the deer in the headlights, but I'm trying my best to get it done.

2) I am doing Saturday breakfast at an event this weekend, so I'm shopping, prepping, planning, & packing to go out of town. I am tired.

I am feeling run down.

Take care.

Sloooooooooow Motion

Hello. Scale crept down another 0.4 pounds today. I feel like the tortoise, it's frustrating. OTOH, I am trying to make gradual, sustainable changes. All or nothing, cold turkey, etc. are not effective methods for me. I will get there, I just need to make changes over a period of time rather than all at once.

The weekend was nice. I had yesterday off so I went into the den and knocked out a project I've been wanting to do forever - moving the DVDs off a bookshelf and into a case. We can move/ eliminate that shelf - freeing up space. Yay! I am trying to focus on organizing and downsizing. While I was at it, I got rid of a box of DVDs that we either had duplicates or I didn't feel the need to keep them. So that's a win as well!

Today's class was about turning negative self talk into positive, identifying, addressing, and avoiding negative thought patterns (all or nothing thinking, rationalizing poor choices, etc.). It was a pretty good class.

It's Tuesday and I'm down nearly a pound from Friday - stay the course, it's slow, but steady.

Take care.

This may be a first

I have today off, so it's been a hectic, but fun (and somewhat productive day!) Guess who ended the weekend at a lower weight, as opposed to having to spend half the work week trying to get off the weekend weight? I was down 0.4 pounds this morning.

Maybe there is something to this weighing every day thing!

Take care.

Danger Zone

We have a new interim GM and she is hosting a pizza lunch meet and greet. Going is sorta mandatory, but I really don't want to eat the pizza.  (I love pizza, but due to the amount of calorie and carb potential, I prefer to make it at home). I brought my soup, so I plan to go across town and then have my lunch I packed.

I ended the week down a pound. I feel like I'm on a slow and steady track, and what I am doing is something I can do for always. The hard part is that I feel anxiety sometimes in the evening - it's like that feeling you have when you are waiting by the phone for some piece of news. Anxious is the best way to describe it. It's very frustrating and I'm not sure why I feel that way. I'm hoping that as I see that 1) what I'm doing is working and that 2) I have created a doable plan that the feeling will gradually diminish.

I am hoping this weekend is less busy than the last one.

Take care!

National half price candy day

I ran by the grocery at lunch for a couple of items - the Valentine's candy was in the marked down bin and the Easter candy was up on the shelves. It's amazing the difference the color of the bag makes in the price! LOL

Busy day at work today, but I headed out for lunch. I went to the gym for HIIT since I didn't come in to the office yesterday, and we are lifting tonight. Doubling up isn't optimal, but it's better than skipping IMO.

I've enjoyed the buffalo chicken soup this week. I bought a couple of bags of the pre shredded slaw mix, so I added a couple of cups of that to the Pyrex bowl so it had vegetables. I'm thinking of doing the lasagna soup next week.  Soup is great for easy, filling, and can be made low cal.

Not too much, busy today.

Take care.

Persistence and planning pay

Good morning and happy Valentine's day! Do you have anything special planned? We are having dinner at home - steak, potatoes, roasted asparagus, sauteed mushrooms. T makes an awesome steak - who needs to go out? And they are from our Omaha Steak Christmas gift, so I'm sure they will be excellent. Plus I used to wait tables in college and V day is MISERABLE in food service. Too many crowds. Ugh.

I have to say I was feeling a bit sorry for myself last night. I had a somewhat larger than normal snack Friday (but not egregious) and I was up nearly 2 pounds. It was gone by Monday, then no change yesterday. Last night I walked in and said "this is what 6 tortilla chips with half a single serve guacamole pouch looks like." I had that and 1 beer for my after dinner treat. It was delicious and I wasn't hungry, but I could have eaten that 4 times over (and in the past I probably have).

So I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I was down 1.4 pounds - I'll take it! So it seems like watching your portions, carbs, and tracking your intake works! Who knew??? LOL So it does seem like for now what I'm doing is working. I am going to continue to drift down on my carbs. We are eating what what is in the house (in moderation) and not rebuying. Last night we had "noodle bowls" for dinner - T did use rice noodles, but I spiralized a daikon radish and used that instead. But I am having at least part of an Omaha steak twice baked potato tonight. The potato is worth it - the noodles were not.

We also lifted last night. Squats are at 80 pounds, bench press 60 (less than half of what I once did), dead lifts at 125. I am making gains and getting to a good place. T didn't seem to have fun last night - I;m not sure if he is getting tired of this workout, it isn't what he expected, or he was just tired. I told him we really need to stick with a program for 12 weeks before changing it up. We'll see how he feels tomorrow.

I think that's all I've got for now. Have a good day!

Class 1 Review

Hello there!

I had my first "Move It!" class at the VA this morning. A brief overview: this is the weight management program the VA has put together. There are 3 options: physical class, one on one phone calls, or an automated phone service. I opted to do the in person option. You may use various options, and you may continue as long as you want. You may not use multiple options at once.

The in person option is 12 classes, 4 each on nutrition, exercise, and the psychological competent of weight management. You do one of each class and then have a week off.

Today was my first class (nutrition) called "Eat wisely to tip the balance". We discussed the basics of weight control (calories in v out), serving sizes, the government "healthy plate".

I walked away not impressed. It felt like and 8th grade health class. I did weigh in, and I didn't count it a waste since I had some follow up blood work done while I was there. I walked over to schedule my next appointments. While I was waiting, another gentleman from the class walked up. He said he hadn't enjoyed some of the classes (and specifically mentioned he didn't find the exercise classes helpful), but that he really enjoyed the one this morning.

That made me remember: we're all in a different place. It seemed very basic and overly simplistic to me, but he clearly took some good stuff away. Another gentleman was having an issue with the app, and one of the guys recommended my fitness pal. So people helped people. If nothing else, knowing I was going helped me stay the course since I weighed in. They show me down 4.4 pounds over the 2 weeks since the orientation. (My home scale has me down 4 pounds.)

I went into this with the mindset that if all I got was some extra accountability, then it was worth the effort. I feel like I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition, and have worked with a nutritionist in the past. I didn't learn anything new, OTOH I have been tracking my food and workouts in sparkpeople pretty consistently and I've been eating more mindfully in the evening. So that alone has been very helpful.

Take care.

Weekend Update

Good morning and happy Monday! 

This weekend was very busy (as so many of them are).  I'd say we got done what needed to be done, but (as usual) not everything on the list.

I tried a new recipe - a low carb buffalo chicken soup for lunches this week. It's excellent! We lifted weights last night, even though we were both tired and neither wanted to, and I'm so glad we did. I did 3 weight sessions and 3 HIIT sessions in the gym last week. That rocks!

We were both a little tired and cranky Saturday, but we ran about a million errands. I got on the scale this morning and was the same as Friday - given my history of going off the rails on the weekend, I count that as a win.

We are really enjoying the Olympics.

I've begun (re) reading the book my doctor recommended on eating low carb. I'm not 100% there yet, but I've begun cutting back/cutting out the carbs. I'm hoping that I will begin seeing more movement on the scale soon. I know I feel less bloated and I can tell my fitness level is improving, so I do feel like it's making a difference.

Take care.

Note to self: Stay the course

Last weekend I was out of town, and tried to make good choices. This week I've been pretty careful and have tracked my food, gone to the gym, and was rewarded by a half pound gain. Ugh. We've all been there, right?

My plan is to double down, keep doing the right things, track over the weekend, and generally stay the course.

I'm still down 4 pounds from Disney.

Have a good weekend!

Messing with my head

You know I'm talking about the scale!!!

Yesterday the scale was up 2 pounds from last Friday. What!?!?!  (It was down a pound this morning, no I couldn't stay off.) So frustrating! So it looks like my goal for this week is to maintain. Grr. Oh well. I told T last night on the way into the gym, I feel like we are really really close. There are a few things we need to dial in, but I feel like we are falling into a good routine.

A big contributor to that is that we are both working, and we are both happy with our jobs. That makes everything so much better. It's incredible.

Things that have changed:

• T is finally adjusting to eating out as infrequently as I was used to doing. When he was unemployed, eating out was a big part of his "social time", which made it a hard habit to break. Now that he is teaching, he doesn't have the luxury of time to go out for breakfast or lunch, and we have gotten to a comfortable place with dinner. We use a good mix of stuff we prepare in advance or take out of the freezer, easy meals, or crock pot meals. We are coming up with the ideas together, so we are both pretty satisfied with what we are eating.

• Evening routine. On nights we are both home, I come home, we eat, and then we head for the gym if it's a lifting night. Afterward I may take a shower while he works on lesson plans, then we sit down on the sofa for an hour or so of tv time before bed. T comes to bed with me if possible (sometimes he has some desk work). We usually have an evening snack, but I try to have my eating done by 8 so I have a couple of hours before I fall asleep with no food and minimal liquid. 

• Gym. The last 2 weeks we lifted weights twice, this week we are on track to hit our goal of 3 times. We are using the YMCA in our town. We are both enjoying the Stronglifts routine - it's a great one if you are just starting or starting back at the gym. It's simple, and starts pretty easy - but doesn't stay that way! T is beginning to fall in love with the free weights the day I am. :-) I am going to the Anytime Fitness near the office for HIIT training at lunch, with a target of going 3 times per week. I am getting into a comfortable groove with that as well. T is talking about adding yoga to our routine. I am VERY pleased with the way this habit is shaping up!

• Calories. I have been tracking my calories the last couple of weeks, with a goal of finishing supper in the 1200-1300 calorie range. This leaves me roughly 300 calories for the evening. Since stopping evening snacking has never worked for me, I decided it was imperative that I plan for that snack. I've been using protein shakes and bars to help me stay on track. I'm not going to stop that entirely - I think the low carb high protein has definitely helped with my hunger and cravings, but next week I'm looking to pack a "real food" lunch. This week has been veggies and a protein shake. I think next week I will prep some chicken breasts to replace the shake. I will likely keep the shakes for my snacks. I have been shooting for a target of 1600 calories, which feels doable for now. My doctor recommended a good book to help with the low carb (which I bought), so I will review those guidelines. Let me add that my doctor has lost and kept off over 80 pounds doing low carb, so she has her own personal experience to draw from.

So that's where things are now. I hope that we are setting ourselves up for success!

Take care.

Clean bill of health and how often do you weigh?

I had my annual physical this morning. Other than my cholesterol ratio being borderline (my good guy is always near the bottom of okay), all my stats were good. I talked with my doctor about losing weight - she's lost 80 pounds using low carb, and she was helpful.

I weighed myself this morning and ugh - I get so frustrated with weighing. Do I weigh once a week? Every day? How do I take away the power I give the scale?

It's a rainy, yucky day here. I'm working at home and the dog won't stop barking at me.  Calgon, take me away! Lol

Take care.

What I'm eating now

I've tried many times over the past few months to plan and pack my food. And I have, but I've struggled with both tracking and with over snacking in the evenings. So I decided to add additional structure to my food. Breakfasts are consistent and I've been using bars and shakes to get low carb protein, adding roasted vegetables or a salad at lunch. I'm finding using a bit of carb in the morning (half of a Joseph's low carb wrap), then low carb for the day has translated to less snacking in the evening. Part of it may be that lower carb = fewer cravings, and part may be psychological: after staying on plan all day I don't want to "blow it!" come evening. In any case it seems to be working for now. The screen shot below is yesterday's food:

I guess you can click on it to enlarge. Anyway, you can see I did have something after dinner (a bloody mary and a slice of cheese), but that's a vast improvement from what it has been.

We didn't get in our weight lifting this weekend, so we only did 2 days last week. We are going this evening after dinner. Right now I want to do more, but am restraining myself because I don't want to overdo it in the weight room. Yesterday I did HIIT at the gym at lunch.

I'm glad to be home, glad that I will be home the next couple of weekends. I feel like we are beginning to get organized, and that feels good. A sense of normalcy has been missing from my life for the past ... oh ... 4 years??? I feel like I am finally breathing easier.

Take care.

An epic road trip

I am so tired of being in the car!!!!!  Friday was a 7 hour drive to Lagrange. Saturday was 4 hours (round trip) to Midway and back for the funeral, and yesterday was 8.5 hours, which included a side trip to Athens for the furniture and dog and some horrendous weather. I can't remember is I mentioned it, but mom took her best friend's dog. We also picked up some pieces that had been my grandparents' that we'd given to Ann, but since her son was going to donate them to GoodWill we took them back.

My great aunt's mind is really going downhill fast. Overall, it was a pretty depressing trip. But it's done, and we feel better for having gone.

Today I am back at work. Breakfast is eaten and tracked, lunch and snacks are packed. It feels good to be back home.

Take care.

Just a quick update

First, thanks fatfreefloozy!

I am packing now, having gotten T out the door and headed for school. I lost 3.4 pounds this week! I am very proud of myself!

We went to the gym last night. One thing I really like about this program is that the guy has a terrific (free) app for android or iphone, so we each have it loaded on our phone and use it to track how much we need to lift/ have lifted. Makes it easy to track, and if you have your phone you don't need a notebook.

Take care.

Heading out tomorrow

Mom and I are leaving tomorrow at 8 AM for Georgia. The funeral is at 2 PM EST Saturday and is 1.5 hours away from where my aunt Alma lives, so we have just enough time for a quick, early lunch with her before we heave to head out. So this trip is going to be weird and the schedule is going to be whacked. I am planning to take a couple of protein shakes/bars just in case. And a couple bottles of water.

Tonight is a load of wash and packing, a trip to the gym, and maybe watch a little tv with my sweetie.