A week and a half????
I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! Ack!
I guess it's because I don't really have much exciting to say: we are getting ready for vacation. I am still swinging my kettlebell at home, still walking in the hood (although not as often as I would like). I had bought some nice sleeveless t-shirts to wear at the gym, and then promptly lost weight so they were too big! This weekend I took them up a bit so they are now wearable!
My weight loss has been stalled, but I haven't gained weight either. I feel like I've been focused on other things and so "holding pattern" is what I have left over. It's really hot right now, so early morning is the only realistic time to work out outdoors. Taking a stroll with the dogs is fine, but pushing it? Not so much.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Signs of the times
You know its summer when the hallways and break areas at work are filled with parents on their cell phones telling their kids to: clean their room, unload the dishes, mow the yard… I prefer a written note myself.
You know it’s been a tiring week when you use your lunch break to take a 20 minute nap in your car. Oh yes I did.
You know it’s been a stressful week when Wednesday night involves tears, beer, and cheese dip from the local Mexican place.
You know it’s time to clean the sewing room when the Chihuahua builds an elaborate nest out of the fabric scraps under the work table.
-----
I am signed up for spin class tonight.
You know its summer when the hallways and break areas at work are filled with parents on their cell phones telling their kids to: clean their room, unload the dishes, mow the yard… I prefer a written note myself.
You know it’s been a tiring week when you use your lunch break to take a 20 minute nap in your car. Oh yes I did.
You know it’s been a stressful week when Wednesday night involves tears, beer, and cheese dip from the local Mexican place.
You know it’s time to clean the sewing room when the Chihuahua builds an elaborate nest out of the fabric scraps under the work table.
-----
I am signed up for spin class tonight.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Progress
This morning I got up and picked up the house in prep for the cleaning ladies to come. Hub helped (hurray!). That gave me time to go and do my kettlebells. It was lovely outside and I really wanted to go for a walk but I needed to get into the office early because I have errands to run this afternoon.
Afternoons have been hot, muggy, and frequently involve thunderstorms. So AM is really the only time a walk is realistic.
Tomorrow is the last day of school and the boy and I are going to the gym on Monday. He wants me to walk through his exercise plan the trainer laid out with him. We are going to Georgia this weekend so I am taking Monday off to shop, cook, and take care of a couple of things I want to.
Now that we've made the decision to do the roof ourselves, I don't feel quite so stressed about it.
My weight remains 2-3 pounds up. Gah!
This morning I got up and picked up the house in prep for the cleaning ladies to come. Hub helped (hurray!). That gave me time to go and do my kettlebells. It was lovely outside and I really wanted to go for a walk but I needed to get into the office early because I have errands to run this afternoon.
Afternoons have been hot, muggy, and frequently involve thunderstorms. So AM is really the only time a walk is realistic.
Tomorrow is the last day of school and the boy and I are going to the gym on Monday. He wants me to walk through his exercise plan the trainer laid out with him. We are going to Georgia this weekend so I am taking Monday off to shop, cook, and take care of a couple of things I want to.
Now that we've made the decision to do the roof ourselves, I don't feel quite so stressed about it.
My weight remains 2-3 pounds up. Gah!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
I feel like a hamster
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit like a hamster stuck on a wheel. I’m running like crazy but not feeling like I’m getting any place. Work is very busy (like I haven’t said that a billion times already), we are busy at home getting ready for vacation (as usual we have left a lot of stuff until the last minute, with “last minute” being defined as 2 months), and I have weekend commitments on top of projects.
Last weekend we stayed home and were able to get a lot accomplished, which went a long way to improving our spirits. But I’m finding myself in that place where I have a hard time with exercise because I am so busy thinking about all the other things I need to be doing. Not good. My weight is fluctuating a bit, but generally I’m holding at “up 3 pounds.” Sigh.
Another big source of frustration is our roof. We need to get a new roof this year. Prices have gone up since we got estimates last year, and hub’s profit sharing check (which is being used to fund the roof) has gone down.
We’ve gotten 2 new estimates this year: guy 1 has been very squirrely with the cost of the shingles – which we need to know if we’re going to file for a tax credit. Guy 2 is a bit more, but we trust him more and feel like he’s promising more in terms of clean-up. However: we would have to come up with $1700 on top of the profit sharing check. Ouch.
(None of this would be quite so hard if we hadn’t just spent $1200 on a car repair.)
We heard from hub’s mom that his brother had had both his hours and pay cut. He used to have his own roofing business but got a job with a company for various reasons. They live up in the DC area and I’m sure having your hours cut in half and your pay cut by a third has to hurt. So we decided: hey, instead of paying a stranger we could get BIL to do the job.
This would be more work for us. For one, buying the shingles (we’ve priced materials at 7 different places) and hub of course would help. So he calls bro who seems genuinely interested and appreciative. And offers to do the job for $1000 more than the roofing companies we called down here. I know cost of living in DC is higher, but we don’t live in DC. We tell him what the estimates were and he said he couldn’t do the job for that money. Oookay – guess you don’t need the money.
Both hub and a good friend of ours have done roofing before. We have several friends that have been impacted and could use some extra cash. So I think we may just do the thing ourselves. One thing about my husband: he isn’t afraid of hard work.
Anyway, my head is filled with many things and I’m having a hard time not treating healthy eating & exercise as afterthoughts.
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit like a hamster stuck on a wheel. I’m running like crazy but not feeling like I’m getting any place. Work is very busy (like I haven’t said that a billion times already), we are busy at home getting ready for vacation (as usual we have left a lot of stuff until the last minute, with “last minute” being defined as 2 months), and I have weekend commitments on top of projects.
Last weekend we stayed home and were able to get a lot accomplished, which went a long way to improving our spirits. But I’m finding myself in that place where I have a hard time with exercise because I am so busy thinking about all the other things I need to be doing. Not good. My weight is fluctuating a bit, but generally I’m holding at “up 3 pounds.” Sigh.
Another big source of frustration is our roof. We need to get a new roof this year. Prices have gone up since we got estimates last year, and hub’s profit sharing check (which is being used to fund the roof) has gone down.
We’ve gotten 2 new estimates this year: guy 1 has been very squirrely with the cost of the shingles – which we need to know if we’re going to file for a tax credit. Guy 2 is a bit more, but we trust him more and feel like he’s promising more in terms of clean-up. However: we would have to come up with $1700 on top of the profit sharing check. Ouch.
(None of this would be quite so hard if we hadn’t just spent $1200 on a car repair.)
We heard from hub’s mom that his brother had had both his hours and pay cut. He used to have his own roofing business but got a job with a company for various reasons. They live up in the DC area and I’m sure having your hours cut in half and your pay cut by a third has to hurt. So we decided: hey, instead of paying a stranger we could get BIL to do the job.
This would be more work for us. For one, buying the shingles (we’ve priced materials at 7 different places) and hub of course would help. So he calls bro who seems genuinely interested and appreciative. And offers to do the job for $1000 more than the roofing companies we called down here. I know cost of living in DC is higher, but we don’t live in DC. We tell him what the estimates were and he said he couldn’t do the job for that money. Oookay – guess you don’t need the money.
Both hub and a good friend of ours have done roofing before. We have several friends that have been impacted and could use some extra cash. So I think we may just do the thing ourselves. One thing about my husband: he isn’t afraid of hard work.
Anyway, my head is filled with many things and I’m having a hard time not treating healthy eating & exercise as afterthoughts.
Friday, June 05, 2009
TGIF
Net, I'm still up 2.4 poounds, but headed in the right direction. Things at work remain busy and there's gobs to do before vacation, and we're seeing about a new roof - pricing shingles etc. since my BIL will most likely be doing it for us.
It's been raining like crazy here so not much outside walking - we got 7-8 inches of rain one night and some major flooding. And tornado warnings/watches. But I can still swing my kettlebell, so no excuses! :-)
Have a great weekend.
Net, I'm still up 2.4 poounds, but headed in the right direction. Things at work remain busy and there's gobs to do before vacation, and we're seeing about a new roof - pricing shingles etc. since my BIL will most likely be doing it for us.
It's been raining like crazy here so not much outside walking - we got 7-8 inches of rain one night and some major flooding. And tornado warnings/watches. But I can still swing my kettlebell, so no excuses! :-)
Have a great weekend.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Work life balance - epic fail
Right now I am balancing the management of a large project and 2 strategic initiatives at work. Home cooking at my house is getting close to Hamburger Helper standards.
I am putting together an event bid and getting the site booked for an event I am doing with a friend.
It appears that not only will we be on staff, but that hub will be the #2 on public safety. One day Pennsic really will be a vacation. (Just kidding – kinda).
We sat down with the calendar. Not only is every weekend between now and vacation booked, I'm afraid we may come up one weekend short. I am desperately hoping we avoid a repeat of last year: things were so hectic that planning went to heck and we ended up with a bed 1) with no pegs and 2) with no mattress. There were about 1000 other things left at home as well.
Must make time for exercise or I will lose my mind.
It’s all good – just too busy.
Right now I am balancing the management of a large project and 2 strategic initiatives at work. Home cooking at my house is getting close to Hamburger Helper standards.
I am putting together an event bid and getting the site booked for an event I am doing with a friend.
It appears that not only will we be on staff, but that hub will be the #2 on public safety. One day Pennsic really will be a vacation. (Just kidding – kinda).
We sat down with the calendar. Not only is every weekend between now and vacation booked, I'm afraid we may come up one weekend short. I am desperately hoping we avoid a repeat of last year: things were so hectic that planning went to heck and we ended up with a bed 1) with no pegs and 2) with no mattress. There were about 1000 other things left at home as well.
Must make time for exercise or I will lose my mind.
It’s all good – just too busy.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Full Plate
Right now life feels like it’s operating at 102% capacity. This is not good.
My work announced lay-offs. While I wasn’t impacted, this is difficult.
Hub’s work has cut back on hours and is bidding for jobs out of state. It could very well be that this fall he could be at home on weekends only – for months. Trying not to worry about that – there’s not anything we can do in any case.
Work has been very crazy, busy, stressful. Mostly good, but some headaches that just aren’t necessary. Some people don’t need t-shirts that say “doesn’t play well with others” cause we already know.
Weather has been hot, muggy, and rainy. Exercise outdoors is a crap shoot.
Having said all that:
I had a nice weekend in the mountains with the family and a lovely anniversary cookout yesterday. Focus has been challenging, but that’s just how it is sometimes.
Right now life feels like it’s operating at 102% capacity. This is not good.
My work announced lay-offs. While I wasn’t impacted, this is difficult.
Hub’s work has cut back on hours and is bidding for jobs out of state. It could very well be that this fall he could be at home on weekends only – for months. Trying not to worry about that – there’s not anything we can do in any case.
Work has been very crazy, busy, stressful. Mostly good, but some headaches that just aren’t necessary. Some people don’t need t-shirts that say “doesn’t play well with others” cause we already know.
Weather has been hot, muggy, and rainy. Exercise outdoors is a crap shoot.
Having said all that:
I had a nice weekend in the mountains with the family and a lovely anniversary cookout yesterday. Focus has been challenging, but that’s just how it is sometimes.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What I’ve been focused on
It’s easy for me to write here when my focus is exercise and nutrition. While I’m still pretty much on track (food planned & cooked, kettlebells swung this morning), I’ve been putting a lot of mental energy into 1) my dollhouse and 2) making some changes in my house.
We decided to do the roof this year instead of floor (sigh, being practical stinks) but I am doing new curtains and painting.
Oh yeah, I also bought a 23 piece set of china (service for 6 less one coffee cup) off e-bay for $15.50. Why? Because it is the same pattern as my great grandmother's, which I always loved. Which was probably given to Goodwill, along with all her terrific furniture. They fought over Pop's artwork, but I'm sure no one gave a hoot about a bunch of modern furniture from the 1950s. Le sigh.
Weather has been a bit cooler, but we’ve been getting a lot of rain, which has made walking a bit dodgy (grump).
Anyway, I’m doing alright – staying on track in spite of some stress. I’ll try to post more regularly.
It’s easy for me to write here when my focus is exercise and nutrition. While I’m still pretty much on track (food planned & cooked, kettlebells swung this morning), I’ve been putting a lot of mental energy into 1) my dollhouse and 2) making some changes in my house.
We decided to do the roof this year instead of floor (sigh, being practical stinks) but I am doing new curtains and painting.
Oh yeah, I also bought a 23 piece set of china (service for 6 less one coffee cup) off e-bay for $15.50. Why? Because it is the same pattern as my great grandmother's, which I always loved. Which was probably given to Goodwill, along with all her terrific furniture. They fought over Pop's artwork, but I'm sure no one gave a hoot about a bunch of modern furniture from the 1950s. Le sigh.
Weather has been a bit cooler, but we’ve been getting a lot of rain, which has made walking a bit dodgy (grump).
Anyway, I’m doing alright – staying on track in spite of some stress. I’ll try to post more regularly.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lack of enthusiasm
While I’ve been feeling kinda lackluster lately, things did pick up this weekend. I’m feeling a little more energetic and focused, so that’s good. Sometimes I’m just not, and I guess I’ve just gotten used to that fact.
Hub’s car overheated – it’s the water pump and they have to replace the timing belt - $1100. Ouch. That’s a bummer.
Anyway, sorry for the hiatus – I just haven’t had a lot left over for blogging. But I’m okay and once things settle down at work (hopefully after this week – at least a little), I hope to blog more regularly.
I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day – mine was very good – hub helped clean out the guest room! Woo hoo!
Take care.
While I’ve been feeling kinda lackluster lately, things did pick up this weekend. I’m feeling a little more energetic and focused, so that’s good. Sometimes I’m just not, and I guess I’ve just gotten used to that fact.
Hub’s car overheated – it’s the water pump and they have to replace the timing belt - $1100. Ouch. That’s a bummer.
Anyway, sorry for the hiatus – I just haven’t had a lot left over for blogging. But I’m okay and once things settle down at work (hopefully after this week – at least a little), I hope to blog more regularly.
I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day – mine was very good – hub helped clean out the guest room! Woo hoo!
Take care.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
What would you choose?
Some background: 15 or 16 years ago I got a mastercard from MBNA. I got it as one of their affiliated cards - it has my school logo, photo, and gives a 1% annual rebate to the Hawaii Pacific University alumni assocition. When MBNA sold their credit card portfolio, my card became Bank of America.
Now, my Hilton is my card of choice - I rack up some serious Hilton points on that baby and we easily get 6 free stays per year, which is awesome. However, there are places (like my dentist) who don't take Amex (sigh). In that event, I use my HPU mastercard. I've had it forever so I want to keep it on my credit report, and it has a large line of credit.
At least it did until I got a letter saying they were cutting my LOC by $12,000. Gee, whadaya think THAT did to my credit score??? Personally, I don't think alienating your best customers is a very successful business model - what bit of my loyality they had is gone.
Which brings me to my question: I am going to start using my Cap1 card and it has the "design your own card" feature - for free! So, if you could put an image on your credit card, what would it be? Hobby related? A pretty scene? Your pet? I can't choose ....
If I put an image on my BofA card it would be "Angry Mr. T". "Don't mess with me, fool!"
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The beat goes on
I'm still a bit on the run down side. That plus the rainy weather has me in a very laid back, couch potato kind of mood. That's not necessarily a bad thing - my batteries still need a bit of re-charging, but I haven't abandoned healthy eating or exercise.
The capris I bought 2 weeks ago are too big. Luckily I kept the receipt and they are hanging in the closet, waiting to be returned. The capris I bought 3 years ago are 1) worn out and 2) too big. Luckily I bought duplicates of all 3 pairs one size smaller - which is what I'm wearing now.
I don't have any jeans right now - I've "undergrown" 2 pair now, but the next pair is still about 4 pounds too tight. Soon. :-)
I've been researching mid century interior design and doll house stuff. I am setting my doll house up in the guest room this weekend. The outside needs some repair - once that's done I will begin the decorating i.e. the fun part! I'm very excited!
My husband has also agreed to help me do some painting in our house this fall. Yay!
I'm still a bit on the run down side. That plus the rainy weather has me in a very laid back, couch potato kind of mood. That's not necessarily a bad thing - my batteries still need a bit of re-charging, but I haven't abandoned healthy eating or exercise.
The capris I bought 2 weeks ago are too big. Luckily I kept the receipt and they are hanging in the closet, waiting to be returned. The capris I bought 3 years ago are 1) worn out and 2) too big. Luckily I bought duplicates of all 3 pairs one size smaller - which is what I'm wearing now.
I don't have any jeans right now - I've "undergrown" 2 pair now, but the next pair is still about 4 pounds too tight. Soon. :-)
I've been researching mid century interior design and doll house stuff. I am setting my doll house up in the guest room this weekend. The outside needs some repair - once that's done I will begin the decorating i.e. the fun part! I'm very excited!
My husband has also agreed to help me do some painting in our house this fall. Yay!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Good things:
The weather: It was lovely coming in to work this morning. And the next few days it isn’t supposed to be the surface temperature of the sun, so that’s nice. A few thunderstorms are okay by me. Also, it beats down the pollen!
10 minute hair color: If you don’t typically color your hair, you many not understand. But 20 minutes is too much time to waste in the morning before work. But 10 minutes? Put it on your roots, brush teeth, put on rest of hair, wash face, then rinse! Barely adds any time onto your morning routine! And who has time to do that sort of thing in the evening? Not me!
The scale: Last week was one of those weird scale weeks. Friday saw me up 0.8 pounds from the prior Friday. This morning I weigh 2 pounds less than I did on Friday. See? Weird.
Rest: Too many weekends of too much to do lest me so ragged by Friday it was pathetic. Loads of sleep, not doing much of anything beyond the basics (I didn’t even have the energy to sew or do anything fun like that!), and I’m beginning to feel like myself again.
Here’s to having a sane week!
The weather: It was lovely coming in to work this morning. And the next few days it isn’t supposed to be the surface temperature of the sun, so that’s nice. A few thunderstorms are okay by me. Also, it beats down the pollen!
10 minute hair color: If you don’t typically color your hair, you many not understand. But 20 minutes is too much time to waste in the morning before work. But 10 minutes? Put it on your roots, brush teeth, put on rest of hair, wash face, then rinse! Barely adds any time onto your morning routine! And who has time to do that sort of thing in the evening? Not me!
The scale: Last week was one of those weird scale weeks. Friday saw me up 0.8 pounds from the prior Friday. This morning I weigh 2 pounds less than I did on Friday. See? Weird.
Rest: Too many weekends of too much to do lest me so ragged by Friday it was pathetic. Loads of sleep, not doing much of anything beyond the basics (I didn’t even have the energy to sew or do anything fun like that!), and I’m beginning to feel like myself again.
Here’s to having a sane week!
Friday, May 01, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
In NC, March showers bring April flowers
April is my favorite time of year (not because of my birthday). The weather is fabulous if unpredictable – 2 weeks ago we had a couple of nights near freezing, tomorrow is supposed to be ninety.
As good as the weather is how everything looks. When I was in the Army I dated a boy from Michigan. He came home with me one spring and spent the week with his mouth hanging open – he couldn’t get over how green everything was. Not to mention that every yard turns into a riot of color – filled with dogwoods and azaleas. It’s beautiful.
Work is very crazy right now – I’m working on this high profile project and it’s been gobs of work with lots of quick turnaround times, so I go home fried. Hub is no better – actually I think he’s more tired!
Last night for the first time in a long while I just felt … defeated. I wanted to throw up my hands at everything – work, losing weight, cooking dinner, this wedding I have to go to tomorrow….. everything.
Can I digress a moment and talk about this wedding? I’m gonna be outside in a field – her wedding is taking place at a “primitive” site we use for s.c.a. events – no AC anywhere – just a field basically, with an old farmhouse so we do have some access to water and electric (but not much access). And it’s going to be 90. And at 5 PM I have to put on a long sleeved long dress. (see picture to get an idea) A velvet dress. With an underdress. Yesterday I asked my boss to please push me down some stairs so I’d have an excuse not to go. I know it’s partly because I am tired but I am dreading it. I hate to admit that, but it’s true.
Last night I forgot to take my melatonin – I was up in the middle of the night, reading a book at 3 AM. Gah. That made getting up this morning difficult.
I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Clearly I’m not giving up or anything – I just need some down time. I’m taking Monday off work – I’ll need it to get caught up on my trifecta of shopping/ cooking/ cleaning. Next weekend I am doing nothing!
Have a good one!
April is my favorite time of year (not because of my birthday). The weather is fabulous if unpredictable – 2 weeks ago we had a couple of nights near freezing, tomorrow is supposed to be ninety.
As good as the weather is how everything looks. When I was in the Army I dated a boy from Michigan. He came home with me one spring and spent the week with his mouth hanging open – he couldn’t get over how green everything was. Not to mention that every yard turns into a riot of color – filled with dogwoods and azaleas. It’s beautiful.
Work is very crazy right now – I’m working on this high profile project and it’s been gobs of work with lots of quick turnaround times, so I go home fried. Hub is no better – actually I think he’s more tired!
Last night for the first time in a long while I just felt … defeated. I wanted to throw up my hands at everything – work, losing weight, cooking dinner, this wedding I have to go to tomorrow….. everything.
Can I digress a moment and talk about this wedding? I’m gonna be outside in a field – her wedding is taking place at a “primitive” site we use for s.c.a. events – no AC anywhere – just a field basically, with an old farmhouse so we do have some access to water and electric (but not much access). And it’s going to be 90. And at 5 PM I have to put on a long sleeved long dress. (see picture to get an idea) A velvet dress. With an underdress. Yesterday I asked my boss to please push me down some stairs so I’d have an excuse not to go. I know it’s partly because I am tired but I am dreading it. I hate to admit that, but it’s true.
Last night I forgot to take my melatonin – I was up in the middle of the night, reading a book at 3 AM. Gah. That made getting up this morning difficult.
I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Clearly I’m not giving up or anything – I just need some down time. I’m taking Monday off work – I’ll need it to get caught up on my trifecta of shopping/ cooking/ cleaning. Next weekend I am doing nothing!
Have a good one!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Grrrr.
For the first week in a very long time I am feeling frustrated with the darn scale. I was up 0.6 pounds from the weekend - I was careful but we went out Sunday so I wasn't surprised. When it hung around I wasn't worried - I know it takes a day or two for it to drift down - that's just how my body works. When it was still there Wednesday.... This morning the scale was down 0.8 pounds. That's a loss of 0.2 pounds from last week. Given how diligent I've been with the diet and exercise that's a bit frustrating. I don't usually see 2 consecutive days of downward movement - I hope that changes this week. I'm not freaking out - I know I'm doing the right things and will continue to do so.
I'm tired. I'm working on a HUGE presentation at work - VERY high profile, plus hub is workign 60 hours per week so I have a lot of extra responsibility at home these days. I'm just feeling frazzled. And I'm helping with my friend's wedding this Saturday. I'm toast. I've am taking next Monday off - I'll need it to get caught up on my stuff at home.
For the first week in a very long time I am feeling frustrated with the darn scale. I was up 0.6 pounds from the weekend - I was careful but we went out Sunday so I wasn't surprised. When it hung around I wasn't worried - I know it takes a day or two for it to drift down - that's just how my body works. When it was still there Wednesday.... This morning the scale was down 0.8 pounds. That's a loss of 0.2 pounds from last week. Given how diligent I've been with the diet and exercise that's a bit frustrating. I don't usually see 2 consecutive days of downward movement - I hope that changes this week. I'm not freaking out - I know I'm doing the right things and will continue to do so.
I'm tired. I'm working on a HUGE presentation at work - VERY high profile, plus hub is workign 60 hours per week so I have a lot of extra responsibility at home these days. I'm just feeling frazzled. And I'm helping with my friend's wedding this Saturday. I'm toast. I've am taking next Monday off - I'll need it to get caught up on my stuff at home.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Musings on food and exercise
In my “real life” I don’t discuss diet and exercise in any detail except for a couple of close friends. While I find what people eat really interesting (to me it’s a little window into who a person is), that’s why I don’t discuss it much. It’s a personal thing, and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m judging them by what they eat or how they exercise. Conversely, I am very well-read on the subjects of nutrition and exercise – probably more so than most of the people I know. I have strongly held, informed opinions, so going on and on about what I’m doing “wrong” is just going to tick me off and waste your breath.
But, I’ve set this place up precisely to discuss those things, and I enjoy talking about it and reading about other people’s experiences.
My diet (at least on weekdays) is predominantly vegan. It’s easy for me since I prep my food on the weekend and eat the same things Monday through Friday up until dinner time. Even our dinners aren’t “meat-centric” often. Last night we made our own pizzas – the only animal product was the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese we all shared. I bought vegan “pepperoni” – and no one noticed. Tonight’s dinner has 2 ounces of locally raised, grass fed, free range been and 1/8 cup of sour cream per serving.
Other reasons it’s easy for me to eat this way: I fee like it’s better for the environment, both inside and outside of my body. I have a lot more energy when I eat vegan. I think it boosts my weight loss. I feel better.
Exercise has been great – I’m still swinging my kettlebell – I could work harder, but I try to push myself at least a little. I am loving walking outside – one day this weekend I walked 5 miles in the neighborhood. I feel like I’m really making improvements, despite the stress & angst associated with a shopping trip for pants yesterday. Sigh.
I stack my jeans by size, with what I’m wearing now on top. Number 1 pair has been retired because they were too big. Number 2 pair is also too big, but number 3 pair is about 4 pounds snug. Progress is occurring.
In my “real life” I don’t discuss diet and exercise in any detail except for a couple of close friends. While I find what people eat really interesting (to me it’s a little window into who a person is), that’s why I don’t discuss it much. It’s a personal thing, and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m judging them by what they eat or how they exercise. Conversely, I am very well-read on the subjects of nutrition and exercise – probably more so than most of the people I know. I have strongly held, informed opinions, so going on and on about what I’m doing “wrong” is just going to tick me off and waste your breath.
But, I’ve set this place up precisely to discuss those things, and I enjoy talking about it and reading about other people’s experiences.
My diet (at least on weekdays) is predominantly vegan. It’s easy for me since I prep my food on the weekend and eat the same things Monday through Friday up until dinner time. Even our dinners aren’t “meat-centric” often. Last night we made our own pizzas – the only animal product was the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese we all shared. I bought vegan “pepperoni” – and no one noticed. Tonight’s dinner has 2 ounces of locally raised, grass fed, free range been and 1/8 cup of sour cream per serving.
Other reasons it’s easy for me to eat this way: I fee like it’s better for the environment, both inside and outside of my body. I have a lot more energy when I eat vegan. I think it boosts my weight loss. I feel better.
Exercise has been great – I’m still swinging my kettlebell – I could work harder, but I try to push myself at least a little. I am loving walking outside – one day this weekend I walked 5 miles in the neighborhood. I feel like I’m really making improvements, despite the stress & angst associated with a shopping trip for pants yesterday. Sigh.
I stack my jeans by size, with what I’m wearing now on top. Number 1 pair has been retired because they were too big. Number 2 pair is also too big, but number 3 pair is about 4 pounds snug. Progress is occurring.
Catching up
Sunday was my birthday, so I took yesterday off work! It was a nice weekend – the weather was good so I walked a lot, I did a lot of chores, I went out for a very nice dinner at “The Melting Pot” for my birthday, and yesterday I did some errands and shopping.
I made very good choices over the weekend and Monday AM the scale was 0.6 pounds higher than Friday – not too shabby at all considering the meal I’d eaten the night before! I was MUCH happier with my food choices, and felt better physically to boot.
Today I am feeling refreshed. I have a post formulating in my head – about what I eat, how that’s evolved, and what the results have been: not just weight, but also how I feel. But I’m in a bit of a rush today – so let me leave you with “have a nice day!”
Sunday was my birthday, so I took yesterday off work! It was a nice weekend – the weather was good so I walked a lot, I did a lot of chores, I went out for a very nice dinner at “The Melting Pot” for my birthday, and yesterday I did some errands and shopping.
I made very good choices over the weekend and Monday AM the scale was 0.6 pounds higher than Friday – not too shabby at all considering the meal I’d eaten the night before! I was MUCH happier with my food choices, and felt better physically to boot.
Today I am feeling refreshed. I have a post formulating in my head – about what I eat, how that’s evolved, and what the results have been: not just weight, but also how I feel. But I’m in a bit of a rush today – so let me leave you with “have a nice day!”
Friday, April 17, 2009
Unstick-ified
As I suspected, the scale showed a large 1.6 pound overnight drop. Week over week I lost 1 pound - since Monday I've lost 2.8 pounds. Curiously enough, I lost 2.8 pounds last week. For someone my size I don't think that sort of weekly weight loss is realistic - I spent a good chunk of the week tired and hungry, and that's not good.
I'm still searching for the happy medium between losing weight and weekend eating, but at least the scale is moving downward. And a pound a week (which is what my weight loss for the year averages out to be) isn't shabby at all.
I've been tired in the afternoons - when I got home yesterday I made myself a green drink for a snack and that helped a lot. I've missed my green drink, but it's just not something I want when it's cold.
Have a great weekend!
As I suspected, the scale showed a large 1.6 pound overnight drop. Week over week I lost 1 pound - since Monday I've lost 2.8 pounds. Curiously enough, I lost 2.8 pounds last week. For someone my size I don't think that sort of weekly weight loss is realistic - I spent a good chunk of the week tired and hungry, and that's not good.
I'm still searching for the happy medium between losing weight and weekend eating, but at least the scale is moving downward. And a pound a week (which is what my weight loss for the year averages out to be) isn't shabby at all.
I've been tired in the afternoons - when I got home yesterday I made myself a green drink for a snack and that helped a lot. I've missed my green drink, but it's just not something I want when it's cold.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sticky Numbers
Economists talk about some prices being “sticky.” That is, when the costs of inputs go up, the price goes up. When costs go down, the price follows much more slowly, and may not go all the way back down at all (even if costs do).
I mention this because my weight behaves in the same way. I may stay a weight 2 or 3 days, then suddenly see a drop of 1.5 pounds or so seemingly overnight. That’s the hard thing about seeing the scale pop up 1.8 pounds by the end of the weekend – it takes days to see that number go down. This morning I was STILL 0.6 higher than I was last Friday. This could be the first week since the first of the year I’ve posted a gain. Yikes!
I didn’t think I was doing too badly over the weekend. Apparently I thought wrong. Le sigh. Lesson reinforced.
Economists talk about some prices being “sticky.” That is, when the costs of inputs go up, the price goes up. When costs go down, the price follows much more slowly, and may not go all the way back down at all (even if costs do).
I mention this because my weight behaves in the same way. I may stay a weight 2 or 3 days, then suddenly see a drop of 1.5 pounds or so seemingly overnight. That’s the hard thing about seeing the scale pop up 1.8 pounds by the end of the weekend – it takes days to see that number go down. This morning I was STILL 0.6 higher than I was last Friday. This could be the first week since the first of the year I’ve posted a gain. Yikes!
I didn’t think I was doing too badly over the weekend. Apparently I thought wrong. Le sigh. Lesson reinforced.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Update
How's that for a catchy title? :-)
Weekend was too busy. Saturday we wnt to our friend's house to paint and replace the subflooring in their hall bathroom. Luckily, hub only had to work a half day on Saturday and the boy had a friend over for most of the weekend (cheap labor!). It was a long day, but we got it done. Sunday we were both fried. My cooking didn't get done. Oh well. I've been making do and I'll get it finished up this afternoon.
The kettlebell continues to go well - I'm having a lot of fun with it and I'm consistently getting in 2-3 sessions per week. The 2 mile loop in the 'hood has become my normal route these days. I remember when the half mile had gotten to be a challenge! It's wonderful to see my fitness returning!
Post-weekend weight was up 1.8 pounds - gah! Oh well, move on. :-)
Weather here is crummy today - I'd love a nap.
How's that for a catchy title? :-)
Weekend was too busy. Saturday we wnt to our friend's house to paint and replace the subflooring in their hall bathroom. Luckily, hub only had to work a half day on Saturday and the boy had a friend over for most of the weekend (cheap labor!). It was a long day, but we got it done. Sunday we were both fried. My cooking didn't get done. Oh well. I've been making do and I'll get it finished up this afternoon.
The kettlebell continues to go well - I'm having a lot of fun with it and I'm consistently getting in 2-3 sessions per week. The 2 mile loop in the 'hood has become my normal route these days. I remember when the half mile had gotten to be a challenge! It's wonderful to see my fitness returning!
Post-weekend weight was up 1.8 pounds - gah! Oh well, move on. :-)
Weather here is crummy today - I'd love a nap.
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