health

The next 4 weeks

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…will consist of final exams, a huge IT Networking project, new house stuff (cleaning, painting, ripping up carpet & finishing hardwood floors, reglazing bathroom tiles, work, school stuff for the kiddos, snuggling with hubster, being knocked over by dogs (as usual), and following the routine that helped me when I started on a weigh loss journey a few years back. This will be my typical weekday routine:

  • Get hubster off to work
  • 15-20 minute walk with the dogs (well, hobble for me until my knee is back to 100%)
  • 8 Minutes in the Morning
  • Breakfast and supplements (multi+iron, GLA, CoQ10, joint formula, flaxseed oil, magnesium + calcium, something for pain if needed)
  • School & work
  • Family stuff – lunch with the kids, torturing them with my ‘uncoolness,’ dinner with my three favorite people
  • Afternoon or evening walk or yoga; meditation

On weekends I’ll get to skip the am dog walking cause hubster & the kids take over, and I may not have work, but everything else stays the same.

Program and personal goals

  • Start 7/14
  • 6-8 pounds down by 8/10 (218-220 the goal weight)
  • 190 by 12/31

Overall goals

  • 150 pounds
  • 45 minute to 1 hour karate or kickboxing class (or video) at least twice a week

I will look at myself the way hubby sees me.

When this 4 weeks is over, I’ll start a new cycle. I can eat what I want; nothing’s forbidden. I will play with my food as always, but will try new things more often. I’ll weigh in weekly, but will stay away from the tape measure for at least 2 weeks.

Change of plans, sigh

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Turbo Jam will have to sit a little longer because my knee and hip are not having it. It doesn’t usually cause problems with my hip, but since me knee is swollen, screaming, and kind of crooked (damn dogs), I have to go low impact.

A buddy of mine is also on a journey toward better health and recently discovered 8 Minutes in the Morning. I have the book and followed the routine while walking up to an hour a day or popping in an exercise video. I was losing inches, gaining strength, and looking hot. I was following a low fat eating plan (not the one in the book but similar) and was feeling great. I only stopped following that routine because of my accident. I dropped EVERYTHING after the accident.

Hubby pulled out the book and restarted a couple of months ago and supplemented the routine with time on the elliptical. Lucky thing hasn’t changed his eating habits and is losing weight and inches. (Sometimes men just SUCK!) It’s hard to be completely supportive when his progress makes me a little jealous. I love that man and am proud of him, no questions, no doubts. But damn! There are weeks that I’m on target 110% and lose a pound while he loses 3. Grrrr!

Speaking of, have you seen those Slimquick commercials? The woman struggles with her loss while her guy loses effortlessly. They’re cute ads but hit too close to home for me to laugh at. Smile, yes, but not laugh out loud.

Speaking of laughing out loud, it’s really late and I’m going to get a fix of my new guilty pleasure, dumb criminal shows. Most Shocking is on and this episode covers stupid naked criminals. Then I’m going to fall asleep (hopefully) and have a good Friday.

Hope you have a good one, too.

Here’s how my week went

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It’s been stressful, but not bad overall. I exercised, ate ok, and made it through two potential binges. I won’t bore you with too many details.

I bought a pedometer and logged my walks and elliptical strides.:
Monday – 8,000 steps
Tuesday – 3500 so far (stupid pedometer reset during my morning walk)
Wednesday – 3672 steps
Thursday – 2200 steps (not a good day at all)
Friday – 4200 so far

21,572 for the week! Not too shabby!

I also made it through the week without Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb knocking me off my feet during their morning walk/run. They did, however, destroy dog bed #4, a pair of sunglasses, and a battery for one of s-son’s RC cars. Lovely, eh?

I’ve been a slacker about getting in a sweat-inducing workout lately. I have Turbo Jam just sitting here, so I’ve decided that I’ll follow the schedule for a month to see how what progress I make. I really liked the workout. I just feel strange about working out with an audience. Silly, isn‘t it? I like how it feels, but blow it off in case I hear giggles or a snide comment. It’s all in my head. My kids like when I exercise and have joined me. The last ones to giggle were hubby and my brother when I pulled out one Richard Simmons’ Broadway videos. And they quickly shut up once they saw that it was work – I challenged the slackers and they left me alone after 5 minutes, lol. I need to shut those bad inner voices out and get back to work. Feel free to give me a shove if I slack off.

Have a wonderful weekend! Get your grill on – lots of healthy alternatives out there that taste just as good!

Monday and Tuesday so far

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Monday June 30 –
I’m at 226 – gained back two that I lost at the beginning of June. Ick. I feel fat and bloated. I need to get back on track and stay there!

I hurt today. I didn’t sleep well over the weekend and am having a little flare-up. Woohoo! Fatigue + pain always makes me want to eat for comfort, meaning starchier stuff. And I fed that craving but kept the fat content down. A little victory is better than none.

8000 steps (I forgot to put it on while running errands)
30 minute walk

Tuesday July 1 –
Summer is already half over. Wow.
My stupid pedometer reset during my morning walk! Grrr!

B: 3 cups fruit salad (strawberries, blueberries, & pineapple), coffee, water, & supplements

L: Homemade vegan sausage on bun w/jalapeno hot sauce, pickle, cucumbers; water

Snack: coffee, water, & Oreo cookies

D (planned): big ol’ salad – romaine, cukes, grape tomatoes, celery, onions, & Morningstar Farms chik’n strips (vegan) w/Annie’s Goddess dressing or Green Goddess dressing; lemonade or iced tea

3500 steps
45 minutes walking
15 minutes elliptical

I’ve been quiet, but busy

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We’re house hunting. Well, we’ve put in a bid that was accepted and are now in the appraisal and inspections stage. Everything else is in line, so much so that we could close within 2 weeks of the appraisal. It’s terrifying and incredibly exciting at the same time. I’ll give a heads up if I have to disappear for a day or two to move.

On the food front, I’m doing better. I’m getting 6-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day and 100 oz. or more of water daily. I’ve also gotten a new pedometer and have been walking myself stupid. We even made a family day an active one – we took a tour of Ft. Sumter and walked on the beach afterward. Saturday I helped my brother and sister in law with their yard sale and got in some heavy lifting. I also got a reminder to get enough water on a hot day. I felt quite ill by the time the sale ended and it took many ounces of water, a cool shower, and a night’s sleep to feel better.

It’ s almost July, so I’ll have new stats to share on the first. So far it looks like June was a good month for me. But July will be even better!

BTW, June 30 is Please Take My Children to Work Day, a plea for a day off for SAHMs. It’s a great idea, and MommaSaid.net is the brainchild. So, give a SAHM, WAHM, SAHD, or WAHD the day off. A few hours off would be nice, too. It would be appreciated!

Wonderful Wednesday

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Why is it wonderful? Because my stepson hits the big 10 today! I met him when he was 9 months old, about a month after hubby and I met. He was so quiet and serious. And gorgeous. Man, was he a cutie with his big brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and mop of curly hair. He’s still a cutie, but then again I’m biased.

He’s an amazing kid and I feel so blessed to have him in my life. He’s funny, brilliant, talented, and obsessed with all wheeled things. He’s been lobbying for both a dirt bike and gasoline RC car, but apartment living and anything that requires gasoline and needs to be brought inside do not mix. Once we’re in a house, maybe. I love that little boy! Sorry, big boy. Young man. Tween, complete with angst, fuzzy pits, and a few pimples.

He’s requested an ice cream cake (gulp) and pizza at one of the family favs for dinner (double gulp). Today is one of the days that I enjoy food without guilt, but mindfully. The pizza place is a buffet – nope,not CiCi’s, so I’ll go nuts on the salad bar – tons of veggies with fat free Italian dressing and a little fruit. Since they take requests, I’ll order a thin crust veggie special and have two. If I need something else, I’ll get more fruit or salad. And get in a little extra sweat time.

Tuesday night was well, interesting. It was a starch and protein fest! I had a grilled teese (soy cheese) on Ezekiel sprouted bread, then a cold cheese sandwich, pickles, and could not bring myself to have salad. I did grab some pineapple, but that was it as far as getting my five a day. Today has to be better, period. I need to snap out of this funky eating pattern before I regain any weight.

Happy birthday, R!

Aaaah, detox!

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I feel 75% better already! Give me a few more days and I’ll be back up to speed!

I’m not following a specific detox regimen, just getting in my green smoothies (cucumbers, strawberries, lemon juice, and romaine or cucumbers, celery, kale or spinach, lemon juice, and pineapple), lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Very little fat, little caffeine, dandelion and green teas, and tons of water.

If only I could sleep. But if we could find THE house, I would sleep better.

Monday = ick

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I still feel like crap and am not sure how long this will last. I hate it, that’s for sure.

Food was ok today – kept it simple and on the bland side. No coffee. Lots of water. Portions in check. I forgot to have dandelion tea, so I think I’ll brew a cup while I take the dogs on their last walk.

The kids have been good with me, but snarky with each other. How uncomfortable would I be if I slept in the car tonight? Is it wrong to wish that school was in session for them year round?

Exercise was non-existent, but then again I haven’t been taking days off or burning the calories like I should. It’s been so very hot, busy, crazy. I get at least 40 minutes each day with the dogs, walking about 2 1/2 MPH for most of it. I need to jump on the elliptical for at least 10 minutes each in the am and afternoon to help shake thing up a bit.

But for now, I’m going to get that tea on, get the dogs out, kiss the snarky ones goodnight, & make the sleeping hubby give up my side of the bed.

Father’s Day ’08 – good times with good people, but crap food at lunch

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It started like a typical Sunday – I took the dogs out around 7-7:30 then grabbed a few more z’s like the rest of the family. Around 2 pm or so we decided to take a short road trip to visit sis-in-law, niece, & nephews. Eldest nephew graduates from high school tomorrow, so we figured it was worth it. The weather, however, decided we were stupid.

It poured! Rained, thunder booming, lightening crashing, idiots speeding through it and a few slamming into the median. Gah! Visibility was low – no more than 1 1/2car lengths – but we kept going. It was one of those ‘we’re already halfway there’ situations.

Fast forward to lunch. I wasn’t really hungry, so McD’s was selected. I decided to have some fries (shared fryer = bad idea) and the family all had their usual. It was at a truck stop, and Subway was right there, but there were no seats for Subway and I’d already had my share of subs this month. Around 8pm we all began to feel kind of off. My stomach is currently jumping and rolling about. Hubby felt the same way before he fell asleep. The kids and their cast iron bellies are fine. I know better than to let them grab that stuff, but I decided that I would not be the food police 24/7. When we go out, we vote on where to go and they won. We all lost, though.

Dinner was much, much better. We went to an old fav, Waffle House! I had a double order of hash browns with peppers & onions (then splashed on some picante sauce – yum), coffee, water, & a bottle of hot & spicy V-8. Yes, I go spicy when I have an upset stomach and it works well for me.

We finally rolled back in at 1:23 am and the family is asleep – everyone but me and the dogs. Hubby loved his Daddy’s Day. He scored The Boondocks season 2, the traditional t-shirt, and a funky card. We also let him sleep until 11, which he apparently needed because he was feeling great when he finally got to moving.

Sigh, Monday….

Ah, Saturday!

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It was a semi-crappy day. I didn’t sleep well Friday night and am not sure why. Could it have been the assignments looming that I hadn’t quite finished? Maybe, but I finished everything and turned them in on time. Sort of. I had a laptop malfunction and Ms. Brainiac here did not back up anything. Why? Because I took it for granted that everything would be ok. I’m usually paranoid about my work, but for some reason today I was blase’. Won’t make that mistake again this session.

Food wise it was good. I started with a smoothie made with particularly juicy pineapple slices, frozen strawberries, and Shaklee soy protein powder. I skipped the agave nectar this time and it was perfect. I’d walked the dogs for over 40 minutes this morning and started laundry before grabbing anything, and the last thing I wanted was anything heavy. We had dinner out again, and hit Fazoli’s. My choices include cheese pizza, fettuccine Alfredo, and a tomato and cheese panini. I chose the panini because I relished the thought of ‘maters, even with the scare. And I’d seen another diner’s pizza go out and it was crazy oily. I was not expecting the breadsticks, but ate mine, both of DD’s, and one of hubby’s. My sandwich was bland. Even after I salted and hit it with red pepper flakes, it was still blah. Sigh. I will never suggest it again.

My detox experiment will begin soon. I’ve been reading more raw blogs lately. I started looking at first to find soup and smoothie recipes, but became entranced by the stories of weight loss and improved health. Every raw experiment I’ve tried beyond breakfast has failed so far. Either I realize that an ingredient wasn’t raw or just caved and ate something cooked. I know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, but I have a problem with moderation. And being the main cook in my home doesn’t help me avoid temptation. I hit the library and borrowed the Raw Foods Detox Diet. I took the quiz and am a level 3 according to the results, and should go for a raw until dinner sort of plan. I can do that, but have to remember to ignore my Annie’s Goddess dressing at lunch. I’m going to finish reading while continuing on my current plan, then jump on in. I so should wait until school starts in fall before starting so that I’m not as tempted by the kids’ lunches (their evil I tell ya, EEEVILLLE), but feel like I need something. My fruit and veggie consumption has slipped since summer started and I’m not really sure why.

But, it’s really late (or early depending on your time zone) and I should be trying to sleep instead of typing. Besides, I need to finalize the plans for hubby’s day.

Happy Father’s Day, dads, granddads, stepdads, and father figures! And to the moms who fill both roles.
Be well and be blessed!