Morning ladies!
It's almost 10 a.m. here on the west coast. I slept until almost 9:30 this morning. Yikes! I think yesterday was very draining for me.
The interview process yesterday: Yes, the three members of the interview panel had to score the applicants in about 8 different catagories and write notes about each one, and then give them an overall score. If we had more candidates, it would have been even more crucial, because they only grant a second interview to the top three. Since there were only three, the department managers will consider their overall rank when they interview the candidates. So, yeah, I did have some power which made it a bit more difficult. Luckily the three of us were pretty well agreed on the ranking, so I felt pretty confident I did the right thing.
Ang, about your boyfriend, I only commented because I hope you're able to see how he is affecting you and take the steps you need to to resolve the situation. Please keep us up to date, and if it helps to talk about it and give feedback, nothing is off limits to post! I agree with mette that the process we're going through is to grow, in more areas in our lives than just weight loss, and it's important to discuss and analyze these things. My parents, your bf, mettes school and career, etc. are all inter-related to our ultimate goals of being healthy and fit. So, I'm not irritated that you post about him, I just don't think he is helping your journey at all.
Oooh... I'm so excited that you've asked for meal ideas!!
ha ha ha... Of course, you need quick and simple, especially for breakfast and lunch. Here are a few suggestions:
Breakfast:
toasted ww english muffin w/ butter and hardboiled eggs (I either mash the eggs in a seperate container, peel them and eat whole, or mash and make a sandwich w/ the english muffin)
Oatmeal (whole oats) w/ soy milk, toasted wheat germ and natural peanut butter (this is a new concoction of mine and keeps me really full)
Shredded wheat (or any kind of low sugar, high fiber cereal), with milk and splenda (add the fruit and nuts too, if you wish; that sounds really good)
Fruit and cheese
Lite fruit flavored yogurt and cottage cheese blended, or yogurt and protein powder (so you get some a.m. protein too)
Lunch:
Cobb salad is my favorite salad right now, with mixed greens, bacon bits, chopped egg, sliced turkey, veggies, low fat low sugar dressing on the side, or just some oil and vinegar w/ salt, pepper and some Splenda mixed together
sandwich w/ ww bread, lean turkey, chicken, roast beef, 1 slice of cheese, veggies, etc.
ww pitas or ww tortillas filled with a serving of protein like chicken, dressed up w/ low fat dressing, mayo, mustard, etc. and veggies
Low fat, low sugar prepared or hommade soup w/ noodles or rice, beans, meat, etc. and a green salad
Snacks:
fruit and cheese
ww or rye crackers w/ cheese and deli meat
nutrition bars or shakes (just read the labels closely)
nuts and fruit
apple and peanut butter
veggie sticks or cucumber slices and hummus
Does that give you any ideas? I think in your case, if you eat like this during the day, there's no reason you can't have a "Lean Cuisine" or "Weight Watchers" frozen dinner w/ a big salad or big serving of steamed veggies on the side. That should fit into your schedule and you won't be frustrated because you have to cook. You might also want to give yourself one day a week as a "free day" where you can eat whatever you want, like I was telling you the BFL plan includes. That way you're not feeling deprived on a weekly basis. And on your question about the amount of protein to eat, BFL gives a good guide, and you don't have to use a scale: protein should be roughly the size of the palm of your hand, and carbs about the size of your clenched fist. That makes it pretty easy to determine how much you should eat per meal.
I'm glad you have some things to do this weekend! I'm the same when it comes to shopping for clothes. I pretty much have a 1 hour max when I shop, and really HATE trying things on, although I'm getting better about this. I think it's funny that all of us tend to wear black, blue, gray and white exclusively. I have a couple of red tops that I wear to work and always get compliments on how good I look when I wear them. Yet I'm almost always in black, gray or blue. Do you think it has something to do with not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, and to be kind of muted? Hm.
Mette: I know what you're saying about getting nice gym clothes. I tend to lean toward exercise pants, like yoga pants, and a t-shirt. I guess my hangup is trying to look decent without looking like I'm trying too hard to look good. The funniest is when you see girls all made up with make-up, big hair, jewlery, trying to look "hot" and they never break a sweat. Sheesh. By the way, can you tell me the make on your sports bra and where you got it? When I go to places like Sportmart the largest they have is usually a 36-C, so I'm stuck squeezing into something that's too small, and it's uncomfortable. I'm so excited you found one you like. Please tell me all about it!
I'm thinking about getting a bike too, so I can ride it to work a few days a week. That really would be the best compromise and would save some wear and tear on my car. It should only take me about 5 minutes to get to my office on a bike. My only dillema would be where to keep it, since my place is so small and I don't have a lot of storage options.
Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope you two are having a great day!!