Today is going to be a lighter exercise day, so I decided to work harder on the food front. My goal today is to journal everything I eat so I'm not doing mindless eating. I was having a blast baking yesterday, but I realized at the end of the evening that I felt stuffed because I had stuffed. Somehow I managed to eat three pieces of sourdough cornbread and a slice of the sourdough banana bread I had made. Yes, that was on top of having dinner. The sad thing is that I didn't realize it had happened until I was putting away the cornbread. I couldn't account for all the missing pieces at first, then I realized, to my chagrin, that those pieces were in my belly. *sigh* I had done so well all the rest of the day. I had a solid workout, and we got a lot done around the house that afternoon. It was sad and frustrating to feel like I had lost the entire day by not paying attention. Ah well. Today is fresh and new. And I will be taking notes.

For dinner tonight we are having a healthified hamburger and hot dogs meal. I found a recipe for sourdough hamburger and hot dog buns, and I just had to find an excuse to bake them (yes, I am on more than just a mild sourdough kick). The buns should be a perfect compliment to the chipotle black bean burgers I bought at Costco. I also picked up some 97% fat free beef franks from Hebrew National. 14 grams of fat reduced down to 1.5 grams per serving. Wow! The calories also dropped accordingly, something like 140 down to 45. Hopefully they don't taste like sawdust. I'll let you know. A salad and some baked beans on the side should round out the meal nicely, as well as sneaking in ever more fiber. Should be good, and I doubt I'll be hearing complaints from the peanut gallery.

wsw, sounds like you had a great evening! I need to follow your lead on keeping to plan through dinner. Congratulations on the decluttering as well. Isn't it amazing the amount of stuff we can surround ourselves with? We've only been in this house a year, and I'm already decluttering corners.

anagram, you are probably already off to the races, but I wanted to wish you a great time! And we will not be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow back to us--it will be rose petals, as befitting a . Besides, rose petals have far fewer calories, and I doubt you have to worry about their carbs.

It is surprisingly quiet in the palace the last couple of days. Hope everyone is well and just too plain old busy enjoying summer to make it here.

I'm off to start the day. Not sure why I'm looking at it with such trepidation, except I know there is plenty to tempt me down in the kitchen, and I'm not feeling so strong. Maybe I'll put on my walking shoes instead and get out for a few quick steps before the day warms. That actually does sound like a good idea... Ok, I'm off!

Andria

Good morning

I was just checking emails, and I received an update from a new site I found the other day, eatbetteramerica.com. They have an area where they have taken old recipes and "healthified" them up, and the list is full of fun 4th of July foods. It was fun to look at, plus it refreshed my mind on other ways to lighten up my own cooking while adding in some extra nutrition.
Also, on that note, an old favorite site of mine, DietPower, has a special offer for anyone with heart disease. They are offering their program for $1 in memory of Tim Russert, the recently deceased host of "Meet the Press". If you know anyone who has heart disease and needs to lose weight or keep track of nutrition and exercise, you might want to point them this way. I'm nervous about raving over their program because I know we aren't supposed to promote stuff here, but at $1, it isn't like they are making money on it.

The gym doesn't open until 8 this morning, so I'm trying to decide what to do with myself until then. Part of me is wondering how a full walk would go over on workout day. Maybe a short one instead? Or, I could cuddle up with a book for a little while and treat myself to a snuggle-in morning under the covers. Ugh. Why do the blankets have such a siren call this time of day? Oh yeah, that's because most reasonable people don't wake up at 4:30! Two days left of super early mornings. I can hardly wait.

wsw, the sourdough buns really worked out well for the bean burgers--a nice compliment of flavors. They were ok with the hot dogs, but then, the hot dogs were just ok. By the way, I took a cue from you and anagram and started to attack some stacked up paperwork areas. The straightened area did amazing things to lighten my mood! Thanks for the reminder.

Time to get out of here and decide what to do with myself until 8 arrives. Take care, and have great weekends!

Andria

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

My problem right now appears to be the exact opposite of this quote. I changed up what was working, and I'm angry with myself because I'm not getting the same results I was before. I want results without putting in full, truthful effort. Maybe the problem is that I don't actually want to face the truth.
The truth is that I was so heavy that my body was in constant pain. The truth is that I am slipping back slowly to that weight, and my body is returning to a state of pain. And the truth beyond this point is that this small level of pain is nothing to what is waiting for me if I do not change my behavior right now.

The scale this morning shows that I'm up another 3.5 pounds. I'm scared.

A queen doesn't run from her fears, though. She faces them bravely, head on, and she does what is necessary. The right thing isn't always the easy thing, but this morning it feels as if I'll be doing what is necessary to save my life. Heh, maybe that could be kind of a theme for our next challenge--A Royal Run for the Roses. It doesn't quite have Arabella's flair. Sure could use some of that about now... *hint*hint*hint* In fact, it would be lovely to hear from some of the other missing royals. The palace lights dim without your presence.

Andria