No, there's more of a tendency to talk about what we are doing and worrying about (that's more what I consider "chat"), rather than how we feel about it (that's not quite "chat"). Yet how we feel about it is far more likely to affect how we take care of ourselves.
I don't think that JZJ talking about her perceptions of burn-out was chat, nor were others offering solutions.
Last edited by saef; 02-16-2015 at 09:24 AM.
Reason: Still trying to clarify what I mean
I went out shopping with a friend today. She's always seemed tiny to me, including now, but she said she was very upset at having gained almost 15 pounds in the last 18 months or so. Since I see her at least every other week, you'd think I would have noticed, but she definitely doesn't seem any different, shape-wise (she says she's had to put away all her size 2's). It really makes me realize how disproportionate some of our stressing is, about 5-10 pounds (or even 15) making us look "huge" or not being able to wear our skinny jeans, or (in my case) feeling like all my shirts are pulling across the chest and straining at the seams.
JZJ, your posts definitely talk about your feelings, not just events. I agree with Saef that your concerns are not idle chat, and don't have easy solutions. I have some of the same job-stresses you do, and often wonder whether some time-management seminars would help me. But then, I have no time to take them :>) And at the end of the day, what I need are fewer tasks, not more efficiency at doing them.
Weigh-in, after breakfast: 143.8, marking the end of a constipated weekend.
This is more information than I need to record publicly, but honestly, it does affect the weigh-in, and the weigh-in messes with my self-perception.
Today's meals:
Breakfast: Egg bake with ham, spinach and mushrooms; pumpkin steel-cut oats; yogurt and strawberries
Lunch: Mixed spinach and baby kale, roasted vegetables, walnuts, goat cheese, half an avocado and Craisins
Dinner: Ham, cannellini and collard green soup
Dessert: Bag of Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips
Today's exercise:
Front leg raise 3x20, Lateral leg raise 3x20, Lateral w/ toes up 3x20, Lateral opposite 3x20, Bicycle 3x20, Kickback 3x20 and High knee 3x20 (both these just left leg)
Physical therapy: 12-minute warmup on bike, 2.5 miles; hamstring curl and quad curl; abductor and adductor; 12 minutes on arm bike for 2 miles
No weigh-in as I scrambled to adhere to my newly created workday morning routine.
Breakfast: Egg bake with ham, spinach and mushrooms; pumpkin steel-cut oats; yogurt and strawberries
Lunch: Spinach and baby kale, roasted vegetables, almonds, goat cheese, half an avocado, hard-boiled egg
Snack: Small, cold apple and one stick of string cheese
Dinner: Pork loin, roasted carrots and celery, steamed broccoli
Dessert: Frozen Jell-O pudding cup
Today's exercise:
Front leg raise 3x20, Lateral leg raise 3x20, Lateral w/ toes up 3x20, Lateral opposite 3x20, Bicycle 3x20, Kickback 3x20 and High knee 3x20 (both these just left leg)
Went to gym!: 12-minute warmup on recumbent bike, then
Superset x 3 (12.5-lb dumbbells)
Bench press x 12
Bent over row x 12
Superset x 3
Dumbell flyes x 12 (12.5)
Lat pulldowns x 12 (56 lbs)
Then a circuit of shoulder, bicep and tricep:
Twice through: (All 12.5 lbs but one)
Alternating shoulder press x 12
Bicep curl x 12
Tricep extension x 12 (second time with 30-lb barbell)
Lat raises x 12 (First 5 lbs, then 7.5 lbs)
Hammer curl x 12
Dips x 12
Weigh-in, after breakfast: 145.5. I had a good workout yesterday, woke hungry at 2 AM, and so of course, I've gained weight.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Egg bake with ham, spinach and mushrooms; pumpkin steel-cut oats; yogurt and mixed blueberries & strawberries
Lunch: Kale and spinach salad with roasted vegetables, half an avocado, lots of pecans and a few tablespoons of hummus
Dinner: Salmon, steamed asparagus and steamed broccoli
Dessert: Frozen Jell-O pudding cup (Probably I should mention these are ALWAYS the sugarfree pudding)
Exercise:
Front leg raise 3x20, Lateral leg raise 3x20, Lateral w/ toes up 3x20, Lateral opposite 3x20, Bicycle 3x20, Kickback 3x20 and High knee 3x20 (both these just left leg)
Physical therapy, which is like going to the gym: 13 minutes on recumbent bike, with the resistance upped; hamstring curls and weighted leg raises; abductor/adductor machine, 13 minutes on arm bike for just over 2 miles
Michele, it was good to be back, but oh, boy, I am so sore today in my triceps and across my chest muscles. I dropped the weights considerably, at about 50% of what I'd been doing, and still, it beat me up. I am tired tonight and ready for bed early.
After consideration, I have concluded that my eating-as-coping mechanism centers entirely around sweets, and that a moderation approach to sugar isn't working. I think I need to try at least a brief vacation from sugar, period.
I realized today is the start of Lent in an embarrassing way: my tech came in this morning and I said "oh, you have a smudge on your forehead" and she said "it's ashes". Cue atheist facepalm. But then it occurred to me that although I'm not a religious person, I could use the Lent period for sugar abstinence. Any form of self-sacrifice is probably soul enriching, right? So this is day 1.
Funny side note: my tech said there were priests at the Caltrain stations administering ashes-on-the-go to commuters.
JZJ, I'm a lapsed Catholic, but yesterday, I wanted ashes in the worst way, though I didn't ask my mother to take me to church for them. I don't know why I wanted them. It's a shame that I couldn't get a priest on WebEx (or Skype) to administer them, though there's no technology yet for reaching through the screen. (Once there is, I expect the porn industry to latch onto it well before the mainstream does.)
No weigh-in today.
Meals for Today:
Breakfast: Egg bake with ham, spinach and mushrooms; pumpkin steel-cut oats; yogurt and blueberries with cinnamon
Lunch: Baby arugula salad with roasted vegetables, pecans, half an avocado, several tablespoons of hummus
Dinner: Ham, collard green and cannellini bean soup
Dessert: Frozen Jell-O pudding cup
Today's exercise:
Front leg raise 3x20, Lateral leg raise 3x20, Lateral w/ toes up 3x20, Lateral opposite 3x20, Bicycle 3x20, Kickback 3x20 and High knee 3x20 (both these just left leg)
Back to gym, same weights routine as before, same 12.5-lb dumbbells, except for the lat pulldowns, which I did with 62 lbs.
15-minute on recumbent bike beforehand and 15 minutes afterward, both with pretty light resistance
Weight remains the same for the third week in a row. That's not to be unexpected, though, since I'm still not getting up to get in a workout.
I will get a little bit of a workout this afternoon with my golf lesson. But not what I need to lose weight.
Diet is good although I'm not counting calories or anything. I continue to plan ahead for healthy, low calorie dinners. We have had a couple new recipes this week that DH really liked. Tonight is a sweet potato burrito bowl. Spiralized sweet potatoes, salsa, avocado and poached egg. Sounds interesting at least.
If I had seen anyone with ashes yesterday, I wouldn't have had a clue either. And my dh is Catholic but he's never done the ashes to my knowledge. It's funny, Saef, about lapsed religiousness and when we want to pursue religion again. I'm Jewish and we raised our girls Jewish, though I've never been particularly religious. They both ended up more religious-- had their Bat Mitzvahs, taught or assisted in religious school, choir, etc. Five years after her Bat Mitzvah, younger dd converts to Mormonism (this was a little over 2 years ago). Older dd graduated college, moved to Houston and hasn't done anything religious. Neither have dh or I-- now that we're empty nesters, we haven't felt like we needed to impart religion on anyone, though I do feel like it's missing. Just not enough to do anything about it. Older dd, on the other hand, sought out a temple a couple of weeks ago, and has been twice. I'm glad. I hope they are a nice community as she does very little socially.
My weight is still slowing moving downward but I doubt tomorrow's weigh in will be so friendly. Dh's parents are leaving Napa and staying in our area tonight before flying back to Houston. I let dh choose the restaurant and it is one I LOVE but we never go to. Food is AMAZING. I've already decided I will forgo the incredible homemade desserts and the bread, but I will probably succumb to my other favorites. I did mention sharing a meal to dh, so I hope that happens. I want to get my weight back down before next weekend when dh and I go back to Napa overnight by ourselves! I already have a wonderful dinner booked there, and a wine country tour with picnic lunch, etc.
I am glad that we booked dinner late though as I will (hopefully) still squeeze in yoga before. That will offset at least some of the potential damage.
Allison-- your dinner sounds good sans the egg (to me anyway).
Michele, I second Allison's vote to bring home half of your dinner. We sometimes get our dessert to go (we order something portable) when we go out. That way we go home, make a cup of tea and eat a bit of dessert before bed. My husband eats most of it, but I enjoy the relaxation of being home in my pjs, having a few bites of awesome dessert.
After consideration, I have concluded that my eating-as-coping mechanism centers entirely around sweets, and that a moderation approach to sugar isn't working. I think I need to try at least a brief vacation from sugar, period.
I can so relate to this. I've been reading a lot about sugar "addiction" and strategies to cope. The best one is, of course, not to eat sugar. When I think about not eating sugar permanently, however, I actually get feelings of panic and loss. Not have birthday cake? Not have Christmas cookies? Not celebrate every holiday with a sugary treat? Frankly, the almost panicky feeling I get when I think about abstaining from sugar sounds a bit like addict behavior to me. Before the holidays, I managed to stay away from sugar for two months, but after that time was over, I started eating sugary things with utter abandon.
When we were in Portland (OR) a week ago, we ate dim sum, which I love. I looked up the calories on myfitnesspal a couple of days ago. If the sesame balls were 47 grams each, the 4 I ate came in at almost 1200 calories. That doesn't count the shu mai, char siu bao and many other items I ate. Yikes! No wonder my pants are tight.
I know I can (and should) bring half home, but here is my dilemma-- I may be alone in this-- if I eat "off-plan", I like to cut it off after the meal and get right back on plan. Therefore, my 2nd half of meal probably wouldn't fit into my plan the next day. I know-- very OCD of me.... The meal I'm planning is high carb, and tomorrow is my low carb day-- we'll see. I think dh will split with me which would be best. It's the french onion soup I can't resist as an appetizer which will put me over the top in the sodium department!
So this is day 1. 
