Tuesday = more ick

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I’m tired. Really tired. Whatever this is is wearing me down, and not sleeping well does not help matters.

It was a good food day, but it almost wasn’t. I had a late snack (around 5 pm) and worked on assignments before realizing I hadn’t had dinner – at 11 pm. I wasn’t in the mood to cook (and had a lovely clogged kitchen sink to contend with) , so hubster offered to go grab something. I’ve been craving Taco Bell lately so I wrote down my nummies of choice and off her went. The store’s computer was down, so no TB. I told him to skip it and I’d grab something, and was resigned to whipping something up after all, when he called back. Burger King was open. Visions of onion rings and the veggie burger danced through my head. Luckily for me, they closed early. At the time I was bummed, but today I’m glad. I snagged a PB&J and some pineapple juice instead (yum)!

B: green smoothie (strawberries, cucumbers, romaine, lemon juice, & splash agave nectar); water; supplements
L: chickpea ‘tuna’ salad, reduced fat Wheat Thins; green tea
S: blueberry Nutri-grain bar (2), lemon water
D/late snack: PB&J on Pepperidge Farms Honey Flax bread (too heavy for me)

Exercise: 45 minutes walking, stretching

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!

Friday wasn’t a bad day after all

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I thought that after my dogs slammed into my right knee at full speed that I’d end up sitting most of the weekend. After a little while on my butt (and a little ice) it was okay. They were as apologetic as ever, tiptoeing around me, kissing my feet until I pet them. I’m so whipped – but don’t ever tell them that.

Last night we split into 2 teams and the boys did their thing while DD and I did ours. She and I had take out for dinner – Taco Bell – chatted, and caught up on Blue Dragon and Code Geass. If I hadn’t mentioned it before, she’s awesome!

B: Lightlife baked ham (70 calories & 0 fat for 4 slices!!!!) on rye w/Nasoya & a pickle; supplements, water, & coffee

L: massive bowl o’ fruit – berries, pineapple, & kiwi; Crystal Light

S: 2 slices Ezekiel toast w/jelly; tea

D: Taco Bell – 2 fresco style bean burritos (beans & onions thanks to the salmonella in tomatoes), side beans & rice, chips, empanada; Crystal light

Exercise: 40 minute walk, 2 yoga sessions

Wednesday, my third favorite day of the week!

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Hump day rocks! It’s a sign that it’s almost over. And this has been one of those weeks that I’m ready to end. It’s been stressful, and stress makes me want to eat. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that much today because my tummy is doing flip-flops. No, make that an entire Olympic-caliber routine.

I’m feeling every bit of the ick that follows a fatty & dairy-heavy day. I can handle a little cheese and maybe a dollop of cream, but a monster scoop of ice cream on top of full fat mayo on egg salad is too much. and let’s not forget the friend stuff.

A detox may be in order. But not today. I’m going for healthy comfort food and bunch o’ veggies.

B: PB&J on Ezekiel bread; coffee & water; supplements

L: McDougall Vegan Chinese chicken Noodle low sodium soup, bunch o’ steamed broccoli & cauli (w/ginger dressing for dipping), Crystal Light tangerine strawberry [2 g fat! Yay!]

S: chickpea ‘tuna’ salad, crackers, & coffee

D: tasted cookie dough; Veggie sub from Subway. I so needed the veggies & kitchen break!

And the cookie dough tasting was it. I burned the cookies while playing with the kids. Totally forgot they were in the oven. D’oh!

Totally vegan! Yay!

Ex: 20 minute walk, yoga

Tuesday temptations, oy!

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Tuesday started really well, although it was hot again! I got in a lot of walking and some yoga, lots of water, only 2 cups of coffee, and ate really well until dinner time rolled around. I got in plenty of fruit and veggies (more than 6 servings today) and thought a little splurge wouldn’t hurt. Oh man. I had root beer (not diet, full sugar) for the first time in ages, and lots of fried and fatty stuff. I won’t lie, it was fabulous all around, but more fat and sugar than I’ve had in months.

B: 2 cups strawberries, kiwi, 1/2 c Silk vanilla yogurt, tsp ground flax; water; supplements

L: chickpea ‘tuna’ salad (mashesd chckpeas, Nasoya mayo, celery, kelp, & Crazy Mixed-Up salt), crakers, cukes & carrots; coffee & water

D: egg salad on rye with lettuce and locally grown tomatoes; 1/3 basket onion rings + sauce (a spicy, mayo based concoction), 1/4 basket fries; root beer; scoop mocha ice cream with hot fudge sauce & dollop whipped cream

Lots of water today

Ex: 20 minute walk (x 2), 10 minutes strength training; 15 mins. yoga

I’m not sure how much exercise I’ll get tomorrow since my back and hip are going haywire. In a big way. Yoga will be a big part of it regardless. And I think I’ll pull out the physical therapy routine. Along with the joint and muscle cream, ginger tea, pineapple juice as a smoothie base, and ice pack. Ouch.

Monday wasn’t a bad day.

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It was crazy hot yesterday and nearly as hot today. My poor dogs are miserable because they loved their afternoon walks before these temperatures. They’ll adapt; eventually.

On the exercise front, I got in over 60 minutes yesterday between the walks, my group’s challenge exercise, and my usual. And I’m sore today. I’m heading into my monthly flareup and it won’t be pretty. I had to crawl out of bed this morning and that’s a sign that I overdid it on top of the flare up.

On the food front, yum! I had berries, kiwi, and Silk soy yogurt from breakfast, a McDougall soup cup for lunch (black bean & couscous low sodium), and a spinach, tomato (sadly canned), and fat free feta fritatta with vegan sausage for dinner. For an afternoon snack I had a smoothie (banana, strawberries, double portion Shaklee soy protein, & agave nectar) and my late night snack was a leftover slice of veggie pizza with extra banana peppers & chipotle sauce. Yeah, a naughty late snack, but it’s now outta here and cannot tempt me. I’m working on an assignment today (its due tonight; I’m such a slacker sometimes) and am making sure I don’t let the stress get to me. I have plenty of healthy sweetness and quick dinner fixings on hand.

I got pretty good sleep on Monday, but some was due to the crap night of sleep on Sunday and Monday’s heat. Tonight should be better. Hopefully.

So. how is everyone else doing?

Public weight loss? Yep, it’s gonna help keep me honest

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I restarted my journey on March 9, 2008at 238 pounds and 40% body fat. As of today I am down to 224, 35% body fat, and have lost 7″ overall, 4 of them off my waist.

I’ve struggled with my weight for many years, and all of the issues that came with the gain. At my heaviest I was over 250 (I’m not sure how much over because I stopped using the scale at 250) and wore a 26 bottom and 26-28 top. I developed high blood pressure (the family curse) and the migraines that started in my tween years became progressively worse. Changes in my routine and eating plan have led to a normal bp, awesome cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, and more energy. I still get migraines, but they have become less frequent and less severe.

Exercise is a mixed bag. I’m a video addict, but am somewhat limited on how I move thanks to an accident a few years back and my arthritic left side (hip, knee, ankle an back). I have a couple Beach Body workouts and love them, but can’t follow the suggested schedules or I end up in bed for a day or two. I do a lot of walking, have a love/hate relationship with my elliptical, and love my resistance bands. I get in at least 40 minutes of activity daily thanks to the dogs, kids, and whatever workout calls to me.

And food. Oh, food is life. I love cooking , cookbooks, and food blogs. Food Network is set as one of my favorites in my remote, and my extended family has come to expect a Paula Deen-inspired dessert at family gatherings. I’m a vegetarian, but my family isn’t, and I do most of the cooking. Hubby isn’t exactly a lower fat kind of guy and believes there are two food groups – meat and other. When it comes to our ways of eating, I see how I eat as my choice, and make sure there are choices for all of us on the table. While DD is likely to go meatless for most meals, DS is just like dad and wants meat. Fun, eh?

I’m a rambling this this morning, lol. I’m making this public because I can’t ignore the off-track days when they’re out there for the world to see. It’s easy to ‘forget’ to journal when I stick with paper & pen. Besides, I know I’m not the only one out there, struggling to find time to take care of my needs when I have a family, work, school, and other things filling my schedule. I’ve learned that I am not good to them or anyone else when I’m flat on my back. They respect and encourage my workout and meditation time because if mama’s not happy, no one’s happy.

I’ll ramble, confess, celebrate, and generally log my progress, setbacks, whatever here. For now, it’s time for a cup of tea and some breakfast.

Later all.