Allergies kept me up all night, so I'm exhausted today. With the exception of Saturday just before I made the decision, I'm still chip-free. I already gave up cookies and soda for Lent, so I'm counting on a lot of will-power to get me through the next couple weeks.
Got my laps in yesterday, and plan to today, but I didn't get in my strength training. Mood swings are killing me lately. I have a feeling it's seasonal affective, but if it doesn't get better in the next couple weeks, I'm going to ask the doctor about it.
***
Joy-- Sounds like you did pretty good so far. Imagine how rich the person would be who invents the perfect low-cal alfredo sauce...
Elisha-- Congrats on the loss! I haven't weighed in in a couple months. I'm afraid to!
Afternoon, chickies! Well, back at my regular office, with a lot of work piled up, but having computer & internet access makes it all worthwhile!
Breakfast today was 2 strawberry poptarts, because I was starving, thanks to the time change. This is going to drag my butt down for the rest of the week until I can start to adapt. Ugh. Give me "fall back" any time- then I feel like I'm getting up earlier & getting more accomplished
Lunch was a turkey breast & swiss chesse sammitch on rye, with a little bit of potato salad, and a big pickle! Dinner- no idea, but tonight will be night 1 of the great laundering event of 2006. If it's on a hanger in one of the 2 walk in closets, it is going to be washed, dried, and hung, and taken to the new house one night this week. Especially after the hurricane, with windows open for 2 weeks with no power, and all that humidity, and then no air conditioning for months...not bringing stale, musty stuff into the new house. Although I'll have more dryer lint than I could ever dream of! Any ideas on what I can use it for, besides stuffing for throw pillows?
Ok, time to get back to working- would you believe the "replacement" refurbished laptop they sent me has a bad fan in it & won't boot up?
After work yesterday, I went shopping for Mom's birthday present.....found her a darling outfit (on sale). Feeling lucky, I decided to try on a few things for me.....yeah.....it wasn't pretty. I don't know why I thought 4 pounds was going to make that much difference in clothes, but, after a brief struggle in a too small dressing room, I finally gave up.....sheesh! (And I remember when clothes shopping used to be fun......course, I was a size 9 at the time..."sigh")
Elisha.....You got that scale going down! All right! I know what you mean about being excited when the significant other helps around the house......DH actually vacuumed the family room yesterday! What joy!
Kristen......So sorry you are sick, chickie. Drink lots of water, get some extra rest.....you know the drill
Betani.....Allergies! Yes......'tis the season. HOpe you can get some relief, and a little more sleep too. Doesn't getting out in the sunshine help the seasonal disorder?
I didn't count calories yesterday.....seems like I just ate my way thru the day. Had a little better control today....1350.....quite acceptable. I did get my 30 min WATP both days though, so perhaps that will redeem me!
Jennifer.....You will be named laundry queen, if you get that chore done this week! As for dryer lint.....hmmm, I wonder if you could spin it into yarn and knit something?
Joy.....Lounging in the hot springs! Now you really know how to relax! You are doing great with your program......those 5 pounds will be gone in no time!
Things are going ok here. Still getting what should be enough sleep (7.5 hours last night), but also still tired. This is getting old.
Rundown of my day yesterday:
Calories—1732
Water—112 oz
Exercise—60 minutes on the bike, upper body weights
Veggies—4
Fruits—2
Weigh-in this morning—215.6 (I knew it wouldn’t last, but I’m still down overall, so it’s all good. My goal is still to get to 215.0 by Monday.)
I had the munchies last night, but I really didn’t want to give in. I compromised and ate a bunch of broccoli and cauliflower. The few extra calories I had came from some light ranch dressing. But I really wanted some Chex mix or chips or something crunchy and salty like that, so I thought the veggies were a good alternative.
Steve bought me flowers yesterday, brightly dyed daisys. They’re fun. He’s being so sweet to me lately.
Oh, before I forget to tell you, I’ll be in Baltimore for our company meeting tomorrow and Friday, so I won’t be around to post. I’m a little nervous (well, ok, a LOT nervous) about the food selection I’ll have available. At the last company meeting there wasn’t anything healthy at all. I’m going to take some healthy snacks with me and do the best that I can. At least I will have access to water!
Steve is going with me. It should be a nice trip. I’m excited just to get out of the office for a while.
But today I have so much to do—cleaning, packing, etc. It’ll be ok though.
Something just clicked in my brain. I know I do badly on the weekends, when I just want to relax because I’ve been running myself into the ground all week. I wonder if it has any relation to how tired I am. Monday I always seem to do fine on my diet, and even Tuesday. By Wednesday I’m starting to slack a little bit, and it just goes downhill from there. I wonder if that is because I get progressively more tired as the week goes on. I realized that thinking about my menu for the day.
Breakfast:
2 c. coffee w/FF vanilla creamer, 1 w/1 teas. caramel syrup
1 hash brown (the frozen kind, cooked with just a little oil, and napkined)
1 fried egg (also napkined)
1 sl. whole grain toast
½ T Brummel and Brown
Dinner:
I dunno. More leftovers. Whatever I’m in the mood for.
See? My menu is going downhill. And the next two days promise to be not so good.
Interesting.
On a completely different note, I was reading someone else’s journal this morning (forgive me for not remembering whose) and she mentioned going to Disneyland and not fitting into the rides and wearing a bathing suit to the water park. And it struck me: I’m going to Disneyworld in October for my honeymoon. I’ve been worried about what I’m going to look like in my wedding dress, and I hadn’t even considered what comes after. Now I’m all worried about how I look on the honeymoon. If I want to look decent in a bathing suit, I’m going to have to make it a lot lower than the 200 I was aiming for. I mean, I’m still going to work as hard as I can, but I feel more pressured now all of a sudden. Eesh.
OK, I’ll stop whining now. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha
Afternoon, chickies. It's a gorgeous day here, and I managed to take a full hour lunch and go out over to the park to sit & enjoy the warm sun, and the breeze. Can you believe that it is 84 degrees here? Summer is already in full swing, and it is barely spring. This'll be another bad hurricane season, based on all the signs so far. Poop!
Last night I didn't get any laundry done- we went to Jennifer Leather/Convertibles looking at family room furniture. I found the most comfortable chair! Of course, the 2 sets we liked best are in the most expensive category, and will take 6-8 weeks to be made & delivered, if we choose them. Hubby was looking for more instant gratification, since sitting on the tile is getting old I missed idol- we were in the store from 7:30 to 9pm! That chair must have been really comfy for us to spend that kind of time just chilling out & testing it.
Dinner was chicken tenderloins, mashed potatoes, and a little rice with corn & pimientos & onions in it. Yeah, need more veggies, but need to shop and move more. Food will improve, eventually. This morning, breakfast was 1 plain bagel with a hint of veggie cream cheese spread. Lunch was McD double cheeseburger and a small fry. Had to grab on the run. Dinner- TBD.
MsRD- LOL @ spinning lint into yarn. Everyone want multicolored hand-knit hats & scarves for Christmas? Taking orders now!
Elisha- have fun in Baltimore! And even more fun, since Steve will be able to join you.
Ok, I'm in little kid distracted mode now, being outside in the nice weather was so nice I didn't want to come back in. Just 2 hours until it is quitting time, and then the laundry brigade begins. Oh, and I have to buy new black heels for work- these have finally bit the dust, and need to be retired. Maybe I'll stop at Payless on the way home. Don't want to invest too much in shoes that I'll beat the heck out of.
Have a wonderful hump day, chickies. Julie? Lisa? You chicas around? Who else is missing in action?
Somewhere on the West Coast...sometime in the morning!
Phew! This vacation has been a whirlwind. We are finally at my sister's house and she is cooking us breakfast as we speak. I have not been exercising, although there has been a good deal of walking and beach combing, which has been fun! The food on the coast is awesome and I've been trying to eat some fruits and veggies each day. I indulged in some "sweet treats" yesterday, but other than that, have been really avoiding them! There was this cool candy store with candy from my childhood and I was a kid again...
Anyway...I just skimmed some of the posts. Nice to see some new faces and still the "older" ones! I'm hoping when I'm back from vacation that I will settle back into a workout routine and menu planning! but for now...know that I am here in spirit!
Hugs to all of you!
Here's a couple of pictures (if I can attach them) Can't, so you will have to wait til nex time! Sorry...
Just weighed in......and the scale stayed the same. That was ok, as I know I indulged a bit too much this week....sometimes the exercise just doesn't compensate for all my sins.
Jennifer......Your weather sounds beautiful.... ..we are hoping for temps in the 40s here, though they are making wonderful promises of 60s next week. Get that laundry done, chickie, and let's get back on the 'moving' track!
Julie...sounds like you are having a wonderful vacation. It is soooo hard to stay OP on vacation... ...I will be leaving next Friday for vacation and am concerned about food choices and lack of exercise opportunities.
Elisha....Hope your Baltimore meetings went well and, as for the food choices, you can only do the best you can. Good job on not giving into the munchies too......that can be so hard!
Joy.....You lurking out there? I miss your daily posts!
Betani......HOpe you have those allergies under control! Did you get your laps in today?
TBJ.....How is your 'calorie limit' challenge coming? I have been doing just so-so......and the weekend is here and that makes it doubly hard!
Kristen....Hope your day is sunny!
This is the last weekend before vacation, so I have to get clothes ready, clean out the car (road trip), and get the house in order. And kids are coming tomorrow for our week early Easter dinner... ...I will be 'flying' today!
We got home around 1am this morning. It was a long day yesterday in an airplane or car! I'm always glad to be home and even slept in today (first time the whole vacation!)
This morning I feel bloated and just plain yucky! TOM decided to arrive yesterday morning...early, so that doesn't help!
My goals are the same as always. Try to stay on the straight and narrow...get back on that bike, eat and cook healthy meals. Starting today!
I hope to check back in a little later today with some pictures, but right now DH wants to use the office and computer!
Keep up the good work everyone and I will check in later!
I have not been doing well since the week or so before the bar exam. I am scared to weigh myself! Yesterday, I came up with some new motivation. I discussed my plan with my hubby. And then... heh heh, you're all going to think I'm OCD in addition to bipolar... I made a spreadsheet. And posted it on the refrigerator for my hubby to see! Now my goals, AND how well I did on them, are visible. I have to be accountable to my hubby.
Have been missing jujitsu terribly since I hurt my wrist. I'm still wearing my wrist brace. Thankfully, there are no fractures. And I'm having surgery on my knee this coming Saturday. Time to get the darn thing fixed.
***
Kathy and Kristen -- Welcome!
MsRD -- You're on a roll. You're really keeping your calories in check!
Elisha -- My calorie limit de jeur is 1500. I've had a hard time sticking to a limt since the bar exam, though. How sweet of Steve to do those dishes. Maybe you could do something like the lady in the yogurt commercial does -- do you know the one I'm talking about? Where she hangs her bikini on the wall as inspiration?
Joy -- Heh heh, dull roar. That's a good way of describing eating sometimes. Thanks for asking about my goal... the problem with one goal is that if I mess up, I feel like I've failed for the month.
Kristen -- Hope you are feeling better.
Betani -- Yeah, mood swings can be bad this time of year. Hang in there.
Jennifer -- Are you doing any better with the time change?
Julie -- Yay for vacation! Glad you had fun.
***
Yesterday went well, because there was that darn spreadsheet on the fridge!
Baltimore was good. Too much food, but I didn’t do too badly. I couldn’t really measure anything, and it was hard to keep track of everything, but I tried to focus on fruits, veggies, and drinking a lot of water. As a result, the scale was the same Sunday morning as it was on Wednesday—215.6. And then this morning the scale says 217.8, which I refuse to believe, as yesterday was a decent food and water day.
Exercise, however, is another story. Wednesday evening I twisted my ankle, and it’s still a little swollen and hurts to move or touch. Nothing’s broken, it’s just an over-stretched tendon/muscle, but it put me out of commission for a few days. I’m resting it and keeping it wrapped up whenever I can.
I’m doing well with my No Fast Food rule though. Haven’t had any since March 31, and I’ve been sorely tempted. Tonight will be another temptation. I’ve got to go get some groceries after work and won’t get home until late this evening. I put some ribs in the crockpot so I don’t have to cook when I get home, but I’m sure I will be hungry before that. Perhaps I will have some fruit or something to tide me over.
Today I need to make a menu for Easter dinner and a grocery list. Also, I’m going to plan meals for the week so I know what I need to get.
I really want to get an aerobic step at Walmart tonight. I had set that as my reward for doing well this past week and exercise. I didn’t meet my exercise goal due to my stupid ankle. I won’t be able to use the step right now anyway. I think I just want to know that when I am able to use it, it will be there. I want to start doing my Yourself!Fitness again, and I would really like to incorporate the step. We’ll see.
Today is payday for me. I’m sending in extra payments on my credit cards. I’m all caught up now, and I’m actually getting things paid off. It’s the most amazing feeling. I’m actually making some progress and sending them more than the minimum payment this month because I comfortably have room in my budget to do so. Two years ago it felt like I would never get to this point. It’s like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but I finally feel like I can make it out. I can breathe again.
That said, I need to buy some new clothes. All of my pants are too short, and it’s driving me crazy. That’s the down side of being tall. But really, I just need some new clothes. Of course, I am too cheap to just go out, find what I want, and buy it. I have to shop around and look for something that is “sufficient” and cheap. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I just end up dissatisfied with my wardrobe all over again. Maybe I will invest in one or two pairs of reasonably-priced pants that fit well and look good. Ha… I have to find them first. But I think the shopping will wait a few more days so it doesn’t kill me to walk around that long. Then again, I’d prefer to get all my shopping done at one time so I don’t have to make separate trips. Eh… we’ll see.
I also need to get my hair cut. I’m getting shaggy. I may do that at lunch time. More likely I’ll do it after work though. Or tomorrow.
So much to do, so little time.
Today’s menu:
Breakfast:
2 c. coffee w/vanilla nut creamer (yummy!)
1 c. frosted mini-wheats
1 c. skim milk
Snack:
Granola bar
Lunch:
Apple
Chicken breast, mozzarella, tomatoes, and a smidge of pesto on rosemary ciabatta bread
Fun-size 3 Musketeers
Snack:
Cheese-on-cheese crackers
Dinner:
Barbeque pork ribs
Either broccoli or green beans
Baked polenta rounds, probably sprinkled with cheese
OK, time to get to work. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha
Morning, chickies! Well, it's been a heck of a week already! I'm walking around like a zombie, but my newest nephew came into the world last night. 7 pounds, 21 inches... and a week earlier than his C-section date.
Working on stuff at the house this past weekend, I got bit by red ants when we were in the yard, talking to the neighbor. Bites all over my left foot. Owwies! Got a lot of wash done to bring up, and either tonight or tomorrow night I'll take a ride up to the house & get it all settled into the closets. One of these days, we'll be moved, if I have to do drive things to the house piece by piece!
Sorry I have so little to contribute today- I need a nap, big time! Happy Tuesday, chickies.
Yesterday was both good and bad for me. Eating was so-so, water was not enough, and there was no exercise. I ended up going clothes shopping rather than grocery shopping (which I will do tonight), but I didn’t find anything that looked good. Imagine that. So I was in a crappy mood for a little while. I ended up buying Bob Greene’s Total Body Makeover and spent a while on the couch reading.
There’s one point where he’s asking questions about why we overeat, etc. He’s talking about emotional eating and he asks the question, “Why is food your drug of choice?” That question struck a chord with me.
I am very anti-drug, or at least anti-mind-altering-substances. I don’t really mind if other people do it, it’s just not for me. I don’t drink alcohol to the point of intoxication, I have never and will never smoke pot, etc. Most people that I know who use these substances do so as a way to escape reality or to avoid something in their lives (I’m not saying that is true for everyone, that is just my experience). I’ve always felt that you shouldn’t run away, that it would be easier and more productive to face whatever it is you have to face.
The other part of it is that I’m a bit of a control freak. For most of my life I have not felt like I’m in control of much of anything. I certainly don’t want to give up control over my own brain by giving it over to drugs. I can’t stand to feel like I’m losing control of my consciousness. When I do drink alcohol I stop immediately if I start to feel even warm, let alone buzzed, if not before, because I hate the sensation of being intoxicated. The very idea of doing that to myself disgusts me.
So how does food fit into this? It’s something I can control (at least theoretically), and it does not alter my state of consciousness in any immediate or easily noticeable way. It is one thing that is always readily available to me. It’s not illegal. I have free reign over what I eat. I control my intake utterly and completely. Oddly enough, since I do have that feeling of control, I let myself get out of control. It’s the one area where I can let myself go. And I certainly do. Food is my outlet, because I have forbidden myself other outlets.
So the question is, what other outlet can I use to replace food? Writing, reading, cooking (which could be bad, given my fondness for eating), shopping, decorating, designing, planning. Those are all things I like to do. I wish I could add exercising to that list. I can’t say that I like to exercise, but it is something I could do instead of eat. I’ve got to find another outlet.
Anyway…
Today is off to a decent start, and I actually feel somewhat rested. We’re having a catered lunch here at the office today, and there probably won’t be much healthy food available. I will try to do the best that I can though. And I *will* drink plenty of water today.
Menu for today:
Breakfast:
2 c. coffee w/vanilla nut creamer
1 c. Kashi Go Lean cereal
1 c. skim milk
Snack:
Dried apricots
Lunch:
Whatever they bring us
Snack:
Fruit and nut granola bar
Dinner:
Leftovers. Don’t know which kind. We’ve got a lot to choose from. But I’m not cooking.
OK, I have a bunch of random stuff to do at work today, so I need to get cracking! Oh yeah, and I have to travel tomorrow, so I won’t be around. *sigh* What am I going to do?
Food has been going well. I have discovered the joys of microwave popcorn. Today, I was really craving some mozzerella sticks. I had formed the bad habit of buying frozen mozz sticks at the store, heating them in the oven, and then eating all of them. That's like... a 1000 calorie snack. Sometimes I'd tell myself it wasn't so bad, because that could just be my dinner.
Enough fond reminiscing. :/ I'm doing better now. Yes, the fridge spreadsheet is helping. Hubby looks at it every day.
Sorry I have been absent......we are leaving for vacation Friday afternoon, so am trying to get everything caught up at work and around the house. I made a week-long planner of things that have to be done, trying to spread them out, so I am not trying to do everything the last night. So far, so good.....which just leaves me to believe that I have forgotten something!
Elisha.....How is the ankle? A little rest and a hot compress ( or is it supposed to be cold?) and you are on the road again! Hmmmmm......food as our drug of choice. They are right, of course.....in moments of stress, instead of reaching for something more exotic, I reach for a cookie. As if that is going to relieve any stress! It sounds silly just to say it! But that is what I do! But finding a substitute habit is difficult......something more to ponder.
TBJ......I think you may have hit on something with your food spreadsheet! I love microwave popcorn.....and there are some really good low fat ones out there.
Well, my list says that tonight I have to clean out the refrigerator (sigh).....and probably should give some thought as to where this road trip is taking us. So far, all I have is 'Go to end of driveway and turn left......"
..we are hoping for temps in the 40s here, though they are making wonderful promises of 60s next week. Get that laundry done, chickie, and let's get back on the 'moving' track!
...I will be leaving next Friday for vacation and am concerned about food choices and lack of exercise opportunities.
...I will be 'flying' today!
Yesterday, I came up with some new motivation. I discussed my plan with my hubby. And then... heh heh, you're all going to think I'm OCD in addition to bipolar... I made a spreadsheet. And posted it on the refrigerator for my hubby to see! Now my goals, AND how well I did on them, are visible. I have to be accountable to my hubby. 
Peggy! You're doing a great job so far! 
