Day 12 and weigh in

I lost 1 pound this week.  This doesn't sound that great, but after losing 6 last week that sounds pretty darn good to me!

Day 10, nothing says summer like a new swimsuit

For T that is!  I have plenty of swimsuits to last me the next 40 pounds or so lost! :-)  One of the things about having a pool in your backyard - you end up with a lot of swimsuits since you are in and out of the pool so often.  T's swimsuit was too small, so we picked him one up yesterday.  Why are guy's suits so much less expensive that women's?  We got him an OP for like $14, and a nice Catalina for me would have cost $30.  What?????

Food was good:

B: 2 eggs, 3 slices bacon
L: ham and cheese with lettuce and horsey sauce on half a low carb wrap
D: Indian butter chicken over riced cauliflower with sauteed zucchini
S: golden drink, 3 slices salami, 2 slices cheese

One night I woke up in the night hearing this very quiet beeping.  It was so weird!  It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen but we couldn't find it.  Then I went out of town but when I got back it was still going on.  Again, couldn't find it.  Finally the next day after looking everywhere (I was beginning to think there was a fire alarm with a low battery covered by a cabinet or something) we found it: a fire alarm someone had taken off the wall and stuck in the cabinet under the kitchen sink!  What!??!  So glad we found it - I seriously thought we were going to be driven nuts by that beeping!

Okay, hope you have a good day.  T is cleaning the kitchen and then we are off to water aerobics!

Take care. 

Day 9, on plan - and weight lifting

Hello there.

So, day 9 and this is feeling very doable.  I avoid carb foods except low carb bread, wraps, shakes, etc.  I can have 5 net carbs from that group no more than every 5 hours. So carbs with breakfast means none with morning snack, but yes at lunch.  That's the only counting!  We do that for 8 weeks.  So far so good!

Yesterday:
B: protein shake
S: piece of laughing cow cheese
L: burger on half a low carb pita
S: half a fast food salad from Subway
D: taco salad at home
S: slice of cheese and golden drink

We have started lifting weights.  T always needs a program, and I admit that's a really good idea!  So I went through some of my books and selected "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women".  Don't let the title fool you - this is a good program for anyone.  It has an intro level workout, followed by 3 phases. We will probably do this initial phase for 4 weeks.

T was impressed by how good of a workout it was for just doing 2 sets of 8 exercises.  This program definitely gives you a lot of bang for your time!

Tomorrow he is going to try water aerobics with me.

Take care. 

Day 8

This weekend was a quick out of town trip.  We had a lovely time visiting with friends, but it's nice to be back home again.

My doctor recommended I start a low dose of hzct (a diuretic) to help with my blood pressure in the short term.  I'm not happy about it, but am proud that we are doing the things we need to get ourselves healthier.

Anyway, not too much to report.  I still owe you guys dining room pictures.

Take care!

Day 5 and weigh in

Got home a few minutes ago. I had to take a class today at the VA on getting my colonoscopy. Only the military could turn basic instructions into a 1 hour class, complete with slides and handouts. LOL

I know my weight had popped up over the weekend due to TOM, nevertheless I saw a 6 pound loss over the week!  Woot!  This diet feels very doable for 8 weeks (excepting the days of my colonoscopy prep) and seeing such a great result is encouraging me to stick with it.

Last night I found myself with a very high level of anxiety - I am still having periods of extreme anxiety despite my stress management class.  But they do seem to be less frequent and overall I am feeling more positive about most things in my life.  Employment & finances continue to be major areas of stress, but other things are feeling better.  My sleeping has improved on this new diet and exercise plan, which I think has served to make everything else feel more manageable.  

We have gone to the gym the past 3 evenings.  We're leaving town right after an early supper so today will be counted as a rest day.

Food yesterday:
B: 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon
L: leftover roasted chicken and a salad
S: a slice of cheese
D: 6 oz sirloin, cauliflower au gratin, grilled zucchini and a beer 
S: 3 slices salami, 2 slices cheese

Yesterday was better! day 4

Good morning.

Yesterday was better.  I was in a better mood, things seemed to go easier, it was just a better day.  I made another good dinner and went to water aerobics.

I used to go to water aerobics before I moved and I really enjoyed it - it was a great group of gals and a fun class.  I went last night and my experience was very different.  Not a single person (including the teacher) said hello.  I don't think I looked mean or threatening, so what gives?  I tend to be shy in that kind of situation, so I'm not going to go up and start chattering away.  Oh well, as I told T in the car on the way home "I don't need them to be friendly!"  He asked if I wanted to switch back to the old Y (over 30 minutes away v. less than 10).  Uh, no.  This Y is smaller but perfectly serviceable!  And the class itself was a decent workout.  I will probably continue to go on Wednesday nights.

Food:
B: protein shake
S: none
L: salad and leftover meatballs and cauliflower rice pilaf in a low carb wrap.
S: almonds
D: asian roasted chicken and spicy zoodles.
S: lunch meat and cheese

Last night T was really jonesing for something sweet after the gym.  We came home and I used a vanilla protein shake, added 2 tablespoons of PBFit and ice, and turned it into a peanut butter shake.  He really enjoyed it!  I was glad I was able to satisfy his sweet tooth.

Day 3, and my really horrible, not good, lousy day

So, yesterday.  I don't know if it's the "carb flu" or what, but yesterday was a bear.  I was tired, I was cranky, my stomach felt 'off.'  I was in an overall crap mood and I struggled mightily trying to get stuff accomplished on an internet that wanted to nap instead of work.

I finally gave up on the d^%# internet.  I continued on with laundry, picking up the house, etc.  You would think we live like slobs - we don't, it was just to finish up unpacking.  A dear friend that was my lunch walking buddy for years came over and we went to lunch, so that was nice.  I took a nap.  T tried to cheer me up and I got very frustrated.  I appreciated that he didn't want to see me unhappy, but sometimes you don't need someone to 'fix' it, you know?  Anyway, we went to the gym last night and I did 25 minutes on the elliptical - 5 more than the minimum I set for myself and 5 less than I hoped to do.  But I did it!

Food yesterday was labor intensive (well, dinner anyway), but really good!

B: omelet with lots of veg, some country ham, and cheese.
S: a slice of cheese, and a couple of slices of lunch meat
L: huge gyro salad at the diner.
S: none - lunch was big!
D: spicy turkey meatballs, rice pilaf made with riced cauliflower (this was really yummy!), and sauteed green beans
S: golden drink and lunch meat & cheese

I like to buy the uncured deli meats - they sell them pre packaged at my W-M grocery.  They make a good quick snack and I think they are better since they have less preservatives.  I buy the ultra thin sliced cheese - I could eat my body weight in cheese, so I try to portion control and those super thin slices help.

The golden drink was better!  Maybe the flavors mellowed in the fridge?

Hope I will be less cranky today.

Take care!

Day 2

Good morning.

Well yesterday wasn't too bad!  I did a few things around the house, but kind of ended up taking the day off from mail, dealing with job hunting etc.  I was feeling mentally tired after being out of town for a week, but I planned our meals, did the grocery shopping, did some laundry, and did some cooking. So for a "day off" I got a lot accomplished! 

As I mentioned, my doctor recommended the book "The Metabolism Miracle" which is basically 8 weeks of low carb with a slow carb introduction after that.  You aren't counting all your carbs, really just the carbs in processed foods (stuff like corn, potatoes, etc is not on the initial plan). 

Anyway it wasn't too hard to get the hang of.  I will say we ate a lot more vegetables than normal and that's a good thing! 

Breakfast: protein shake (3 net carbs)
Snack: lunch meat
Lunch: tuna salad on half a Joseph's lavash wrap (4 net carbs) and a cup of loaded baked potato soup made with cauliflower (the recipe was in the book and this was tasty!)
Snack: almonds
Dinner: cube steak sauteed with mushrooms, steamed broccoli, and a salad made with homemade creamy Parmesan garlic dressing.
Snack: golden milk

I think I mentioned we were going to try this whole "golden paste" thing as it's really supposed to help with inflammation.  You make up a tumeric paste, which will keep in the fridge.  Then add some to a cup of almond milk to drink.

I made up the paste, then added some to the milk and warmed.  I sweetened with stevia and added a tablespoon of cocoa powder to each cup.  It ended up tasty like a spicy, not very sweet hot chocolate.  T loved it, I thought it was drinkable.  Since it's supposed to be so great, we will use what I made and see if it makes any difference. I will keep you posted.

If you are curious, this is the recipe I was given:

1 C water; 1/2 C organic ground turmeric; 1/2 C organic ground ginger. Boil until like a paste. Stir in 5 tbs organic coconut oil, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup raw honey. (Pepper is necessary to activate turmeric benefits.). Let cool, store in fridge for up to a month. This is called Golden Paste. To make the Golden Milk, add one tsp of paste to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and microwave for 2 minutes.

I left out the honey and used stevia.  I used 1 tablespoon of the paste for 2 cups, which I heated on the stove.

Take care!

Monday - Day 1

Good morning.  After spending a couple of days at the beach with the kids and going down to visit my great aunt, I am back home.  I missed by bf and my dogs.

I didn't get the job I was really hoping for.  I have to say my initial reaction was "devastated."  I wonder if my age is a factor (I'm over 50), my mom wonders if my weight is a factor (there's a lovely thought!), I dunno.  And in a way it doesn't matter. 

I am dealing with a lot of feelings.  For one I was hoping for this job because it's a good company and I was excited about that.  I really need a steady job since T is very unhappy in his job and his industry is not in a good place right now.  And I really wanted to get something with good insurance, which contract jobs don't offer.  Right now I'm getting my son's insurance through the ACA and I'm depending on the VA, and T's work insurance isn't that great.

So there's the stress of money, insurance (which the current political climate is NOT helping), dealing with the disappointment of not getting something I was really excited about, and the growing frustration that perhaps I'm not ever going to go back to a regular job in corporate America - so what do I do and how do I support myself?

There just aren't a lot of jobs out there, it's very discouraging.  

So there is a lot around work and income that I will probably be writing about here just to get it off my chest - it helps. 

Today we are starting our diet and I am going to get out and go for a walk later - I hope T will join me.  He has band practice tonight.  I could go to the gym, but I'd like to help him get out of the house and moving.

Anyway, I'm home so hopefully I will get to posting more regularly.

Take care!

Time change fail

Yesterday we woke up to beautiful big, fluffy snow falling down.  It was lovely.  We got half an inch which was completely gone by lunch.  Oh well, it was pretty while it lasted and no mess on the streets!

Last night T wanted to watch "Dune" - the mini-series remake by the SciFi channel.  We watched the first disc as I sat and half read half watched.  When the disc was over we realized it was midnight!!  We managed to wake up on time this morning despite our best efforts! LOL

I have been sleeping better!  I have started taking 1 g of Melatonin at bedtime.  It seems to be helping, so I am very glad of that.

T is very much an "all or nothing" person and craves structure.  Setting a calorie goal doesn't feel like enough of a "diet" for him.  So he doesn't stick with it, and then we both end up off plan.  That isn't working.  I'm willing to try a "diet" if some initial structure will help us get started down the path.  Hopefully we will be able to gradually remove the training wheels. 

Since my doctor recommended the book, we've agreed to give it a try when I get back (The Metabolism Miracle).  Tomorrow I am leaving for the beach and even though it's going to be on the cool side I am very much looking forward to it!  It's still the time of year when dogs can be on the beach, so I expect we will both enjoy long walks on the beach every day!  I can't even begin to say how much I love the beach.  I wish I could wake up every day next to the ocean.

Okay, busy day - lots to do before I leave town.  Have a great day!

Take care.

Golden paste and "Metabolism Miracle"

Well hello, look at me, checking in on a weekend!

Just got home after running errands in the nearby city for several hours.  Got a lot of stuff done.

One thing I did was buy some organic tumeric powder to try something called "golden paste".  Basically it's a paste made with tumeric and other spices, which you add to hot almond milk and drink at bedtime. It's supposed to help with inflammation.  A new health craze?  Yeah, probably.  A friend has said it's made a big difference for her energy level, so I'm willing to experiment.  I will keep you posted!

My doctor recommended the book "The Metabolism Miracle" and said it helped her lose 80 pounds.  It's an 8 week low card diet followed by a gradual re-introduction.  1) Unlike Atkins you aren't encouraged to eat butter sticks as a snack (okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration!) and 2) it seems easier to figure that Atkins.  So we are going to try it when I get back.

Next week I am going to the beach to stay with the boy and his gf Tuesday-Thursday, then Friday-Sunday mom and I are going to Georgia to visit my great aunt.  In the interim I am trying to watch what I eat and move more.

I am taking an online class through the VA called "Moving Forward: Overcoming Life's Challenges".  It's supposed to help you cultivate tools to deal with stress when you have those times of multiple, large stressers.  I'm just getting started, but I figured it's worth a shot.

Anyhow, hope you have a lovely weekend!

Still waiting

Still haven't heard from the last interview.  Not insane yet, but getting close.

House sale seems to be progressing - the attorney emailed asking for a bunch of crap, so it seems like they are on the ball.

No word from my tenant, no February rent. :-(

Checked by bp this morning - high. :-(

Annual check up results

T and I went for our annual check ups.  The results weren't terrible, but our cholesterol is high and his blood pressure remains high - further incentive to stick to our eating and exercise plan. 

The dining room is painted!  I was going to hang the curtains last night but the drill died. :-(  We are going to pick up mom's this evening (T ordered a new charging cord for ours).  Once they are hung I will post pictures.  So happy to have that finished!

We were seriously considering having our bedroom professionally done - the wallpaper needs to be removed and the walls will need to be mudded.  Even though the estimate we received was $1100, we were about convinced that it would be worth it.  Then we had to have the plumber out.  We HAVE to replace the line down to the street asap, and we really need to replace the pipes under the house as well.  Total cost including snaking Monday: $9900.  Ouch!  The new sewer line is $2900, which we are getting done now.  The pipes will have to wait a while.  So we may not be able to justify dropping money on painting when we could do it ourselves.  But it won't look nearly as nice, so I don't know.....  The joys of an older home I guess.

I love that T and I can talk about our feelings - something that was seriously lacking in my marriage.  I can talk about the emotional struggle with food and he not only understands, but he asks really insightful questions which help me face those issues.  I am blessed.

House appraisal is today, hopefully things will continue to move along on that front.  I sent my tenant the official "you have 30 days to move" letter via return receipt mail.  I feel sad for her, but glad to be moving on.  This house has been an albatross for too long.

My son's spring break is this week - he and his girlfriend are coming up.  I'm so excited! 

Take care.

Pooped

It was a good but busy weekend.  We were gone all day Saturday.  Sunday we painted the dining room (yes, the painting is DONE!).  Today we got up and T was taking a shower and it was gurgling in the other bathroom, so now we are waiting for the plumber.  We know we need a bunch of pipes replaced (including the one from the house to the street), but we are hoping snaking will buy us some time until the Florida house sells.

Speaking of which, it's under contract, we're done with inspection, and hopefully everything has been submitted to the lender - I asked my realtor to confirm.

Since I'm waiting for the plumber, I've scrubbed the bathrooms.  My son and his gf are coming for spring break Saturday, so the house needs a good cleaning & picking up before then.

Still waiting to hear about the interview last Thursday.  I REALLY want this particular job, fingers crossed!

Take care.

A week of being nibbled to death by cats

Gah.

This has been a busy week, and frustrating week, a week where I don't feel I have accomplished much, but hopefully a positive week!

The dining room is stalled out.  Walls are prepped and primed, but no paint has been slapped on them.  Motivation level for this is not there, although I really want it done. 

I did go to the VA for my annual check-up Tuesday.  In a not surprising move, the doctor told me to get off my duff and lose some damn weight.

Garb for this weekend is stalled out.  I'm midway through making T a viking coat, hood, and leg wraps, but since it's supposed to be 70 degrees Saturday where is the motivation for that!?!? I have gotten the breakfast stuff bought for the event and I'm taking it up to site tomorrow. 

Supposedly we agreed on a repair credit for the house sale after the Monday inspection.  I'm just waiting for the buyer's agent to send the amended contract (ugh, why so slow? Let's get this moving people!).  I had a guy come out to give us an estimate on the crap ton of plumbing work we need to get done on this house the second the Florida house sells.  Hopefully I will be getting that tomorrow, but I am scared.  Basically we need to replace everything under the house, have clean outs added, and replace the line to the street.

Job interview yesterday went well.  I haven't heard anything back from my interview with (insert mega bank here), and I would REALLY like to work at this place (it's the credit union where I've banked since I was 17) and I really, really liked the hiring manager and we seemed to click.  So fingers crossed for that!

Progress at a snails' pace

Okay, T had redone 4 more seams in the dining room.  That room is moving at a snail's pace, but I think we are (finally) ready to paint!

House is under contract, we are negotiating credit after inspection (which came back really good), so I'm positive that we will work that out, but really hope we can move up closing date from April 15th.

More progress

On the dining room front:  we are done sanding and priming.  The walls aren't perfect, but they are good enough.  Moving on to paint.....

Weight: T and I bought a white board, sat down, and wrote out short, medium, and long term goals.  These were mainly focused on our health (exercise, vitamins, water, diet), but we also included financial and other goals.  We are maybe going to sign up for a 5K for the weekend after my birthday.  It's down at the beach and that's a bit over 60 days for now.  Doable and motivational?  I think yes.

Pictures to follow!

Progress

The Florida house is back under contract and the home inspection is scheduled for Monday.  Yay!  That's the point where I can breathe a bit easier knowing we are for sure moving forward. 

We got the first coat of primer on the dining room by the end of day yesterday.  We mudded the seams and are painting over the wallpaper - I think it will look fine when it's done, but I did need to do some touch up mudding today.  The low cut in work is done, so tonight I'd do another coat rolled on and T will do the cut in around the ceiling and we can start painting tomorrow!  Woo hoo!

Next week is shaping up to be super busy, so my plan is to take Sunday to work on the sewing I want to have done for the event the following Saturday (the 25th).

Anyway, things here are going petty well.  Our water heater died, but thankfully T had purchased water heater insurance through Duke Power, and they came out and replaced it yesterday.  Total cost out of our pocket was $240 for a gas water heater that has a 15 year life expectancy, so I think that was pretty good!  And same day! 

Even though I am kinda tired of dealing with ancient wallpaper, I am so glad to see the improvements in the house.  It really is coming together. :-)

Take care!

Good bye wallpaper

Monday so soon?

Well hello there.  I hope you had a nice weekend.

T and I went to the Lutheran church here in town (very similar to Episcopal, but there isn't one of those and T's Lutheran, so there ya go). We really liked the pastor, but he is moving to Wilmington in 2 weeks! :-O

After that, mom and Jan (my ex MIL) came over and we went out to lunch and swapped Valentine's. That was nice. Then T mudded the seams in the dining room - finally going to get it painted this week! So SCA projects take a bit of a back seat as we work on the house.

Speaking of house, got a decent offer on the Florida house, fingers crossed please! They scheduled the close later than I would have liked, but at least it's a decent offer!

We are considering doing Atkins.  This week we are eating up some of foods that would not be allowed (yogurt, 15 bean soup), so we will gradually slide into it.  We'll see how that goes. 

Today is shopping, laundry, and paying bills.  It's sunny but cooler here today.  We are planning to go to water aerobics tonight.

Take care.