On Saturday, son#3 and I went down to the Eastern Market in Detroit. It's a bit past the harvest season so it's not quite as huge and colorful as it would be in late August. A square mile's worth of stalls and shops participate and the fresh produce available is great! There were loads of peppers (who could resist), potatoes, winter squashes, cabbages, brussels sprouts, etc. Of course, the first thing I bought was a cabbage for a buck that must have weighed more than my daughter. Luckily #3 carried it around for me. We bought so much produce we had to make a trip back to the car in the middle of our excursion. It was great. I got home and made roasted green salsa with the tomatillos I had purchased, a huge pot full of 'fried' peppers & garlic, trimmed and cleaned the whole enormous stalk of brussels sprouts (if you've never seen how they grow, google an image of them just for fun) and put them in the fridge, made a batch of cooked salsa, and cut up raspberries and strawberries for whoever was interested. It was a fun time and I got a ton of good produce and other staples for so much less than I would have paid at the store. My son was going primarily to make sure I brought home a ton of fruit but brought all his camera equipment in hopes of getting some good shots for his photography class. That part of it was a wash. It was drizzly the whole time and very overcast. We left the house at 6:45 and got there around 7:30 so it was still fairly dark when we arrived.
Having all these great, fresh foods in the house has helped to make the weight-loss journey a little more palatable. It has made it much more work to keep the kitchen clean as I am forever chopping or peeling or cooking something. It's worth it.
The sink is not all the way there yet this morning. My bed is made. Laundry is put away. I will probably get a little off course this week as Son#1 is home for a couple weeks without his car so I'm spending a little more time playing chauffer. It's great to have him home.
I best get started. Too much to do. I doubt I will post much this week. I'm under the gun on a few projects.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Day to Pray....oh wait.....They All Are!
As you know, today is my 'Pray with the Gals' day as well as my afternoon off from homeschooling! It always so happens that if there is a big decision to be made, it usually ends up that it comes to a make or break moment on Thursdays, right before we pray. This week it's career decisions for my dh. I won't go into detail until after the decision process but let's just say that once again, the decisions are coming down to the wire on a Thursday!
The diet is going well. Jim had a long, grueling day and we felt like going out. We ended up at the Mongolian Barbecue. I don't know if these are all over the country these days but if you've never been to one, they're pretty good when you're dieting, and when you're not because you always get exactly what you want! Here's how it works.....There's a huge long table of raw foods, steak, shrimp, scallops, squid, pork, sausage, chicken, and an enormous amount of vegetable choices. Then there are dry seasonings and many containers of premixed sauces like 'mongolian ginger', 'kung pao', or 'chili garlic'. A few other additions like sesame seeds or an egg are also there. You pile your bowl full of whatever you want and get a little bowl of seasoning. You walk over to the 'grill', which is a LARGE, round, flat cooking surface. A 'griller' takes your bowl and dumps it on the grill and tosses it around with these 3-foot-long stick-like utensils. At the end, he dumps your sauce or seasoning over it, slides it into your bowl with the sticks and your return to your table where the rice and tortillas are waiting for you. It's fun and you can go to their website and build a cyber-bowl of food so you can get the nutritional information from what you just ate. This certainly makes it easier for those of us counting WW points or calories. Oh, was it ever good!
Seeing that it was close to Borders, we spent an hour there as well. We are bookstore addicts. The coffee shop in there has something to do with it but all those books! How wonderful! Enough about my evening out.
So...............
I'm on target with my eating. My bed is made. My laundry done and put away and new load started. My kitchen is in order. The trash has all been emptied and I will put it on the curb when I leave for prayer. Aaahhhh.........peace!
Have a great day everyone!
Karen
The diet is going well. Jim had a long, grueling day and we felt like going out. We ended up at the Mongolian Barbecue. I don't know if these are all over the country these days but if you've never been to one, they're pretty good when you're dieting, and when you're not because you always get exactly what you want! Here's how it works.....There's a huge long table of raw foods, steak, shrimp, scallops, squid, pork, sausage, chicken, and an enormous amount of vegetable choices. Then there are dry seasonings and many containers of premixed sauces like 'mongolian ginger', 'kung pao', or 'chili garlic'. A few other additions like sesame seeds or an egg are also there. You pile your bowl full of whatever you want and get a little bowl of seasoning. You walk over to the 'grill', which is a LARGE, round, flat cooking surface. A 'griller' takes your bowl and dumps it on the grill and tosses it around with these 3-foot-long stick-like utensils. At the end, he dumps your sauce or seasoning over it, slides it into your bowl with the sticks and your return to your table where the rice and tortillas are waiting for you. It's fun and you can go to their website and build a cyber-bowl of food so you can get the nutritional information from what you just ate. This certainly makes it easier for those of us counting WW points or calories. Oh, was it ever good!
Seeing that it was close to Borders, we spent an hour there as well. We are bookstore addicts. The coffee shop in there has something to do with it but all those books! How wonderful! Enough about my evening out.
So...............
I'm on target with my eating. My bed is made. My laundry done and put away and new load started. My kitchen is in order. The trash has all been emptied and I will put it on the curb when I leave for prayer. Aaahhhh.........peace!
Have a great day everyone!
Karen
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Dreaded Plateau
The invisible wall. The frustrating threshold. The dreaded weight-loss plateau. I've hit it. Full force! I only lost a half pound last week, none the week before, and not an ounce this week. I would not being singing the blues about it except that I have been 100% faithful to plan! I do realize that these things are very typical when you've been dieting for a while. I need to push through this, stay with the program, and keep my chin up. Thanks to the accountability I've established with you, my blogging buddies, I am not throwing in the towel. Normally at this point I'd say, "it doesn't matter what I eat, I can't lose weight!" and then I'd go back to eating the same stuff that got me tubby in the first place. Now I can't! You're watching me!
I guess what I want to say is a big THANK YOU for checking in from time to time!
As far as my other stuff goes.......My completed laundry is put away, my sink is shining, my dishwasher is running, sheets are in the washer, and I shopped for groceries this morning and had it all put away before 9:30! Do miracles ever cease?
Have a good day everyone!
I guess what I want to say is a big THANK YOU for checking in from time to time!
As far as my other stuff goes.......My completed laundry is put away, my sink is shining, my dishwasher is running, sheets are in the washer, and I shopped for groceries this morning and had it all put away before 9:30! Do miracles ever cease?
Have a good day everyone!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A Long Walk in the Same Direction
It's been said that discipleship is a long walk in the same direction. I would have to say that weight loss is the same thing. It's not a sprint or a jog. It's more like a meandering! Progress is slow, but it's still progress. While God is pleased with us steadfastly following Him even if we falter in our ignorance sometimes, I need to be happy that I have been steadfast in my commitment to eat a healthy diet, regardless of the scale. That being said, I did lose poundage this week! Yeah!
My sink is clean, the dishwasher has been divested of its clean contents, this morning's laundry has been washed, dried, folded, and--more importantly-- PUT AWAY! Load #2 will be popped into the dryer soon. I hereby promise that it will be folded and returned to its proper places while it still retains some of the warmth from the dryer!
After Load#2 goes into said dryer, dinner will get started. Wednesday is generally 'crockpot night' because I take Carrie to gymnastics and then soccer, usually arriving at the homestead about the time when Jim is getting home from work. Having a hot dinner waiting makes us all happy!
I need to get back to my other blog soon. Homeschooling has kept me very busy. I forgot how teacher-intensive those primary years are.....especially when it involves more than just my own daughter. I'm getting into the pattern and rhythm of it once again.
My sink is clean, the dishwasher has been divested of its clean contents, this morning's laundry has been washed, dried, folded, and--more importantly-- PUT AWAY! Load #2 will be popped into the dryer soon. I hereby promise that it will be folded and returned to its proper places while it still retains some of the warmth from the dryer!
After Load#2 goes into said dryer, dinner will get started. Wednesday is generally 'crockpot night' because I take Carrie to gymnastics and then soccer, usually arriving at the homestead about the time when Jim is getting home from work. Having a hot dinner waiting makes us all happy!
I need to get back to my other blog soon. Homeschooling has kept me very busy. I forgot how teacher-intensive those primary years are.....especially when it involves more than just my own daughter. I'm getting into the pattern and rhythm of it once again.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Progress
I'm looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow. I'm acting like I go somewhere to weigh in, but I just weigh myself at home like I do 10 times a day, it's just 'official' on Wednesday....the one I record at the Weight Watchers site. I seem to be going in the right direction. This week is particularly exciting because I will hit a weight I haven't seen in a good long time. Wahooooooo!
My sink is spotless. My bed is made. I already did two loads of laundry and put them away this morning. Life is good.
Right now I'm paying attention to the last three minutes of an ebay auction because I bid on an old copy of a book that I quoted in a post for my other blog, http://allthingsnerak.blogspot.com/search/label/family%20history . I have a recent reprint under another title, but this is the real deal from 1914. Hey, I just won the auction! It's coming from England. My dad was offered an original copy of the book by my great uncle but refused it because he wanted him to give it to his own son. My dad found out after he died that he REALLY had wanted him to have it and that his son wasn't all that interested. The book just got passed off to someone else. Could THIS be THAT copy? Ah, the mystery. In the description on EBAY it says there is a light signature on the first page. Wouldn't that be awesome if it was my great-grandfather's? Oh, I'm getting all carried away here. I'm just so excited that it will be on it's way to me. What a treasure.
I've STUNK at getting all my exercise in, but I have been pretty good at getting the house under increasingly more control. I probably should have made those two consecutive challenges rather than concurrent ones but I'm not going to give up. I have been active, just not as much as I'd like.
I need to get over and post on my other blog. I haven't wanted to take the time to sit down and post when I've had a lot to do around here. I'll probably get to it later today or tomorrow.
Off to do the last-minute preparations for another day of schooling.
My sink is spotless. My bed is made. I already did two loads of laundry and put them away this morning. Life is good.
Right now I'm paying attention to the last three minutes of an ebay auction because I bid on an old copy of a book that I quoted in a post for my other blog, http://allthingsnerak.blogspot.com/search/label/family%20history . I have a recent reprint under another title, but this is the real deal from 1914. Hey, I just won the auction! It's coming from England. My dad was offered an original copy of the book by my great uncle but refused it because he wanted him to give it to his own son. My dad found out after he died that he REALLY had wanted him to have it and that his son wasn't all that interested. The book just got passed off to someone else. Could THIS be THAT copy? Ah, the mystery. In the description on EBAY it says there is a light signature on the first page. Wouldn't that be awesome if it was my great-grandfather's? Oh, I'm getting all carried away here. I'm just so excited that it will be on it's way to me. What a treasure.
I've STUNK at getting all my exercise in, but I have been pretty good at getting the house under increasingly more control. I probably should have made those two consecutive challenges rather than concurrent ones but I'm not going to give up. I have been active, just not as much as I'd like.
I need to get over and post on my other blog. I haven't wanted to take the time to sit down and post when I've had a lot to do around here. I'll probably get to it later today or tomorrow.
Off to do the last-minute preparations for another day of schooling.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Excuses
I want to talk about the reasons why we (myself included, obviously) neglect trying to lose our excess weight. I've used all of them at one time or another! Here are some of those excuses and the way I view them now.
1) I'm too busy to diet. I guess my answer to that one is, "Who isn't?" Honestly....we're all busy and at times I think being occupied with other things can be a blessing as far as keeping us from thinking about food 24/7. It DOES, however, take a little extra time to be prepared so you don't get in a food jam. In the morning, you need to have a convenient healthy breakfast on hand that you can just grab. (a few options: boiled eggs, a handful of roasted almonds, a whole wheat mini bagel-Pepperidge Farms makes good ones, a banana with some real peanut butter. a bowl of healthy cereal with skim or soy milk) While you're grabbing that healthy breakfast, pack yourself both a lunch AND a snack( baked chips, cut up veggies, fruit, mini bagel with some peanut butter). This will avoid the dreaded 'Drive Thru Syndrome' that results when you haven't planned ahead. If you will be out all day, throw something in the crockpot that will be ready when you get home. Be like the Boy Scouts....always prepared!
2) I hate diet food. My answer to that one is that you're dieting instead of changing your eating habits permanently. If what you eat is not the type of diet you can sustain for a lifetime, try being a little more well-rounded in your food choices. I don't like to dismiss whatever is working for someone else but I can tell you my personal experiences. I dropped a lot of weight in a hurry back in New York, using the Atkins diet. While I love meat and cheese, sometimes you need a little something else in your diet. I know that it's not ALL beef ALL of the time, but the minute I backed off the strict part of the Atkins diet, the old pounds piled back on with all of their new flabby little friends.
Take a look at what you like to eat. What do you have to eliminate? Start with sugar. Lose it except for special celebrations or treats once in a while. Eliminate empty calories. Chips are a great example of this. If you feel you need to keep chips around in some form, go ahead but always count out a portion ahead of time and eat them with some salsa to get some extra veggies in you. If you love italian food, don't give it up! Just eat less of it and modify it. Use half the amount of meat you used to in your sauce. Lighten up on the cheese. Use Healthy Harvest Blend Pasta. Just revamp some of your recipes and control your portions. If you start eating foods that you've never liked just to lose weight, your efforts will be short-lived.
3) I can't give up fat. Good! You shouldn't. Fat is necessary for proper brain function. Just don't be so mindless about how much you eat. Use fat sparingly and use good fats. Get rid of margarine, shortening, or other hydrogenated fats. Use healthy oils. You can even use a tiny bit of butter for flavor. Fats in fish are tremendous for you.
4) I can't give up carbs! Just give up white bread. Ditto for what they label as "wheat bread", which is usually just white bread with a tiny bit of whole wheat and a whole lot of carmel coloring. Look for 100% whole wheat on the label. Brownberry makes a great one and it's also available in a double fiber variety. There are whole wheat /low-fat tortillas made by The Tortilla Factory. Switch out your white rice for brown. Go grab a loaf of delicious whole grain bread from Great Harvest for a treat!
5) I'll start watching my weight after *insert event here*. Oh yeah! That is my very favorite excuse! I lost all that weight about three years ago and was going to get all the way to goal once my son's baseball season was over with. Didn't happen. Then it was going to be after the holidays. Again it didn't happen. Then it was going to be after things settled down in my husband's work situation. Ha! Then baseball again, or company coming, or an upcoming dinner at someone's house, an anniversary, etc. Guess what? It's NEVER the right time to get started so we just have to get Nike-fied and Just Do It! Now almost three years have passed and I never got near my goal. The time has passed anyway. I'm no less busy now than I was then. How I wish I had just DONE it. The fat seems to get more stubborn the longer it stays. I'm glad I started back in August. Now the time has been passing and so have the pounds. At the risk of sounding cliche, there truly is no time like the present.
6) I'm way too fat, it's too overwhelming. One pound is like a drop in the bucket and it won't make a difference. That was probably the biggest one for me.....especially when you're losing weight sensibly. Sensible dieting takes the weight off s-l-o-w-l-y and it's easy to get discouraged. I always have to remember, like in the last point, that the time is going to pass anyway. It will pass much more pleasantly with one pound coming off at a time than it will with a 5 pound gain every year. Imagine what will happen in one year's time if you even lose just five pounds per month (which is extremely do-able for pretty much everyone). That is SIXTY pounds GONE in one year. A year is nothing. Really. In the grand scheme of things, what is a lousy twelve months.
7) I like to go out to eat! First of all, you shouldn't be going out to eat if you can't afford it. Eating out is usually a huge hole in most people's wallets. Unless you don't owe any money on cars or credit cards, you'd be wise to save the money and eat at home anyway. (time to get off my no-debt soapbox) If you can well afford it, there are many ways to eat healthy at a restaurant. I've probably covered all this before, but here are some things we do when we go out. Applebees! Everything on their Weight Watchers menu is delicious. REALLY! If we're being 'el cheapo' we go to Wendy's and I have a side salad with either no dressing or fat-free french and a small chili. A plain baked potato with the chili dumped over it works, too. Subway. Jared was right. It's good. Lots of choices and a good way to load on some veggies. Don't forget to use the fat free dressing or just mustard. (lose the cheese)
8) Emotional baggage. Yep, that keeps our faces in the feed bags, doesn't it? Losing the excess weight, however, will lighten up some of that emotional baggage instead of increasing it....at least it has for me. It's not the end-all. Only the Lord truly heals our emotions but I think being a healthy size can help.
I can't think of anything else, but don't delay due to excuses. We need to be healthy. I realize that thin does not always equal healthy but having a lot of excess weight on is bad for our hearts, makes it hard for us to get exercise, increases our chances of getting certain types of cancer or diabetes. We have families that love us. I can't think of an excuse that would be legitimate enough to risk hurting our families by a premature death. That might sound dramatic but I think that is how we have to look at it.
1) I'm too busy to diet. I guess my answer to that one is, "Who isn't?" Honestly....we're all busy and at times I think being occupied with other things can be a blessing as far as keeping us from thinking about food 24/7. It DOES, however, take a little extra time to be prepared so you don't get in a food jam. In the morning, you need to have a convenient healthy breakfast on hand that you can just grab. (a few options: boiled eggs, a handful of roasted almonds, a whole wheat mini bagel-Pepperidge Farms makes good ones, a banana with some real peanut butter. a bowl of healthy cereal with skim or soy milk) While you're grabbing that healthy breakfast, pack yourself both a lunch AND a snack( baked chips, cut up veggies, fruit, mini bagel with some peanut butter). This will avoid the dreaded 'Drive Thru Syndrome' that results when you haven't planned ahead. If you will be out all day, throw something in the crockpot that will be ready when you get home. Be like the Boy Scouts....always prepared!
2) I hate diet food. My answer to that one is that you're dieting instead of changing your eating habits permanently. If what you eat is not the type of diet you can sustain for a lifetime, try being a little more well-rounded in your food choices. I don't like to dismiss whatever is working for someone else but I can tell you my personal experiences. I dropped a lot of weight in a hurry back in New York, using the Atkins diet. While I love meat and cheese, sometimes you need a little something else in your diet. I know that it's not ALL beef ALL of the time, but the minute I backed off the strict part of the Atkins diet, the old pounds piled back on with all of their new flabby little friends.
Take a look at what you like to eat. What do you have to eliminate? Start with sugar. Lose it except for special celebrations or treats once in a while. Eliminate empty calories. Chips are a great example of this. If you feel you need to keep chips around in some form, go ahead but always count out a portion ahead of time and eat them with some salsa to get some extra veggies in you. If you love italian food, don't give it up! Just eat less of it and modify it. Use half the amount of meat you used to in your sauce. Lighten up on the cheese. Use Healthy Harvest Blend Pasta. Just revamp some of your recipes and control your portions. If you start eating foods that you've never liked just to lose weight, your efforts will be short-lived.
3) I can't give up fat. Good! You shouldn't. Fat is necessary for proper brain function. Just don't be so mindless about how much you eat. Use fat sparingly and use good fats. Get rid of margarine, shortening, or other hydrogenated fats. Use healthy oils. You can even use a tiny bit of butter for flavor. Fats in fish are tremendous for you.
4) I can't give up carbs! Just give up white bread. Ditto for what they label as "wheat bread", which is usually just white bread with a tiny bit of whole wheat and a whole lot of carmel coloring. Look for 100% whole wheat on the label. Brownberry makes a great one and it's also available in a double fiber variety. There are whole wheat /low-fat tortillas made by The Tortilla Factory. Switch out your white rice for brown. Go grab a loaf of delicious whole grain bread from Great Harvest for a treat!
5) I'll start watching my weight after *insert event here*. Oh yeah! That is my very favorite excuse! I lost all that weight about three years ago and was going to get all the way to goal once my son's baseball season was over with. Didn't happen. Then it was going to be after the holidays. Again it didn't happen. Then it was going to be after things settled down in my husband's work situation. Ha! Then baseball again, or company coming, or an upcoming dinner at someone's house, an anniversary, etc. Guess what? It's NEVER the right time to get started so we just have to get Nike-fied and Just Do It! Now almost three years have passed and I never got near my goal. The time has passed anyway. I'm no less busy now than I was then. How I wish I had just DONE it. The fat seems to get more stubborn the longer it stays. I'm glad I started back in August. Now the time has been passing and so have the pounds. At the risk of sounding cliche, there truly is no time like the present.
6) I'm way too fat, it's too overwhelming. One pound is like a drop in the bucket and it won't make a difference. That was probably the biggest one for me.....especially when you're losing weight sensibly. Sensible dieting takes the weight off s-l-o-w-l-y and it's easy to get discouraged. I always have to remember, like in the last point, that the time is going to pass anyway. It will pass much more pleasantly with one pound coming off at a time than it will with a 5 pound gain every year. Imagine what will happen in one year's time if you even lose just five pounds per month (which is extremely do-able for pretty much everyone). That is SIXTY pounds GONE in one year. A year is nothing. Really. In the grand scheme of things, what is a lousy twelve months.
7) I like to go out to eat! First of all, you shouldn't be going out to eat if you can't afford it. Eating out is usually a huge hole in most people's wallets. Unless you don't owe any money on cars or credit cards, you'd be wise to save the money and eat at home anyway. (time to get off my no-debt soapbox) If you can well afford it, there are many ways to eat healthy at a restaurant. I've probably covered all this before, but here are some things we do when we go out. Applebees! Everything on their Weight Watchers menu is delicious. REALLY! If we're being 'el cheapo' we go to Wendy's and I have a side salad with either no dressing or fat-free french and a small chili. A plain baked potato with the chili dumped over it works, too. Subway. Jared was right. It's good. Lots of choices and a good way to load on some veggies. Don't forget to use the fat free dressing or just mustard. (lose the cheese)
8) Emotional baggage. Yep, that keeps our faces in the feed bags, doesn't it? Losing the excess weight, however, will lighten up some of that emotional baggage instead of increasing it....at least it has for me. It's not the end-all. Only the Lord truly heals our emotions but I think being a healthy size can help.
I can't think of anything else, but don't delay due to excuses. We need to be healthy. I realize that thin does not always equal healthy but having a lot of excess weight on is bad for our hearts, makes it hard for us to get exercise, increases our chances of getting certain types of cancer or diabetes. We have families that love us. I can't think of an excuse that would be legitimate enough to risk hurting our families by a premature death. That might sound dramatic but I think that is how we have to look at it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Hormones, Shmormones
It just so happens that the beginning of "that time" of the month was yesterday. All I wanted to eat was chocolate. I didn't give in to that temptation even one bit. I didn't even have anything sweet. Even though I have been diet faithful, I am completely bloated (gross, sorry!) I had homemade soup for dinner that was way too salty (kill the cook! .... Oh wait, that's me!?!) I need to drink gallons of water today to get it out of my system. I will weigh in tomorrow morning instead of today. Don't worry, I'm not cheating the plan.....next week I will only have 6 days between weigh-ins to make up for it.
My sink is clean & shiny. My sheets are getting washed. I'm going to do my ab exercises while the girls are having their physical activity for the day.
Yesterday was a fairly awful day as days go. My across-the-street neighbor passed away. She just didn't wake up in the morning. She was less than 10 years older than me, a nice lady who was the backbone of her family. I didn't know her very well, we were at different stages of our lives. I don't know what her relationship with the Lord was. The neighborhood is just floored.
Her death also served as a reminder to do the best for my health. She was, unfortunately, overweight, had heart problems and diabetes. I think a lot of her health problems had much to do with her genes. My genes are pretty good......I shouldn't squander what I've been given healthwise. I need to be around to see Carrie well into adulthood. She doesn't need a couch potato mom. I have choices. I CAN exercise, I CAN eat healthy foods, I CAN watch my portions. I CAN still celebrate, live life, and enjoy food without it controlling me.
Have a great day! I'm off to take care of some laundry and some learning.
P.S. Anyone out there from the Raleigh, NC area? My husband is going down there in November for some training and Carrie and I will be tagging along. I'm looking for some fun stuff to do in the area, cheap or particularly good restaurants (Jim's meals will be paid for, ours will not), or fun parks. There is an awesome looking park near the airport so if you know anything about it, please speak up!
My sink is clean & shiny. My sheets are getting washed. I'm going to do my ab exercises while the girls are having their physical activity for the day.
Yesterday was a fairly awful day as days go. My across-the-street neighbor passed away. She just didn't wake up in the morning. She was less than 10 years older than me, a nice lady who was the backbone of her family. I didn't know her very well, we were at different stages of our lives. I don't know what her relationship with the Lord was. The neighborhood is just floored.
Her death also served as a reminder to do the best for my health. She was, unfortunately, overweight, had heart problems and diabetes. I think a lot of her health problems had much to do with her genes. My genes are pretty good......I shouldn't squander what I've been given healthwise. I need to be around to see Carrie well into adulthood. She doesn't need a couch potato mom. I have choices. I CAN exercise, I CAN eat healthy foods, I CAN watch my portions. I CAN still celebrate, live life, and enjoy food without it controlling me.
Have a great day! I'm off to take care of some laundry and some learning.
P.S. Anyone out there from the Raleigh, NC area? My husband is going down there in November for some training and Carrie and I will be tagging along. I'm looking for some fun stuff to do in the area, cheap or particularly good restaurants (Jim's meals will be paid for, ours will not), or fun parks. There is an awesome looking park near the airport so if you know anything about it, please speak up!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
The Best Laid Plans
The sink is clear. My bed is made. No laundry left to put away. I was going to get my walk in about 10 minutes ago but my second student's mom just called and said she'd be over early today which will preclude my walk. Any other time, I would just say, 'sorry, I've got to walk' but she has to drop someone off at the airport. If I want said student in class today, I will have her early rather than not at all.
I think I'll get them started on their journaling project and then have #3 watch them while I do a 30 minute walk and stop at the grocery store to get something we need for an art activity today.
Have a great day!
Karen
I think I'll get them started on their journaling project and then have #3 watch them while I do a 30 minute walk and stop at the grocery store to get something we need for an art activity today.
Have a great day!
Karen
Monday, October 8, 2007
It's a Process, Isn't It?
I'm here to report that I have been completely faithful to the eating plan now for 68 days! It feels great. I am also here to report that I still haven't gotten this exercise thing worked into my routine. I haven't been a couch potato and son#4 has been good with challenging me to do a few ab exercises here and there but it is still not a regular part of my routine......I cannot lie to my blog friends. As I become more organized, I am reworking my schedule to accomodate that measly 30 active minutes. Jim and I were going to walk last night but he had a very stressful week last week and ended up sound asleep by around 9:00. He needed it and I don't begrudge it, but I need to somehow get that stuff in earlier so I'm not dependent on someone else. I have plans with one of my friends to start walking in the morning but she has obligations early for the next few days. I'll get there. I promise. I guess I should tell you how I plan to get my exercise today....then you can hold me accountable tomorrow! I will get my 30 minutes in today right at 5:00. The Y is nearly empty then and Carrie can actually come for 30 minutes of Kid's Club for free. I know the people there and it's fun for her. The Y is usually a great option because I tend to end up doing 45 minutes to an hour. I also usually push myself to run nearly half of it. You would laugh if you saw me. I am the lamest runner EVER! I can't go more than a tenth of a mile before I'm ready to pass out, so I alternate walking and running every tenth mile.
Just so you know that I haven't been a complete couch slouch, Carrie implored me to go outside and rake leaves yesterday. Somehow that activity loses some ambience and romanticism when it's 84degrees out. No nip in the air here. It did make it more of a workout and Carrie was thrilled that we did that together. We then made chalk drawings of fall leaves all over the driveway!
My laundry is done and put away although I still don't have a good answer with what to do with all those 'single' socks that inevitably show up at the bottom of the basket. How DOES that happen? My sink is clean and bleached! The dishwasher is running. My bed is made. I will start another load of wash in a minute. Then school will start.
Thanks to my formerly unfit blogging buddies who are now keeping me 'honest' in my quest for fat loss and fitness and encouraging me by example. Hopefully I can encourage some that are struggling as well. This weekend I wanted nothing more than to stuff my face with a greasy grilled cheese sandwich and a brownie sundae but I knew I'd have to answer to this blog and I'd have to tell the truth. Thanks! I survived unscathed. A few months ago, I would have said, "Nuts to it, I'll start the diet again tomorrow, bring on the fatty foods." Now those temptations are fleeting thoughts and I'm able to stick with it so much better.
Have a great day. Stick to your goals. Someone is depending on you!
Just so you know that I haven't been a complete couch slouch, Carrie implored me to go outside and rake leaves yesterday. Somehow that activity loses some ambience and romanticism when it's 84degrees out. No nip in the air here. It did make it more of a workout and Carrie was thrilled that we did that together. We then made chalk drawings of fall leaves all over the driveway!
My laundry is done and put away although I still don't have a good answer with what to do with all those 'single' socks that inevitably show up at the bottom of the basket. How DOES that happen? My sink is clean and bleached! The dishwasher is running. My bed is made. I will start another load of wash in a minute. Then school will start.
Thanks to my formerly unfit blogging buddies who are now keeping me 'honest' in my quest for fat loss and fitness and encouraging me by example. Hopefully I can encourage some that are struggling as well. This weekend I wanted nothing more than to stuff my face with a greasy grilled cheese sandwich and a brownie sundae but I knew I'd have to answer to this blog and I'd have to tell the truth. Thanks! I survived unscathed. A few months ago, I would have said, "Nuts to it, I'll start the diet again tomorrow, bring on the fatty foods." Now those temptations are fleeting thoughts and I'm able to stick with it so much better.
Have a great day. Stick to your goals. Someone is depending on you!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Things are going well! I did ALL of my 30 minutes of exercise yesterday (I walked briskly around the schoolyard where Carrie is having soccer practice as well as walking/running TO the practice). My dishes are all done and put away. The countertops and table are clean and decluttered. My laundry is all put away except for the load that is in the washing process right now. Today I should be able to get to the Y for a good, long workout.
It's been a very productive morning and I think I'm going to go have a bowl of Bran Buds and soy milk. (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!!!)
It's been a very productive morning and I think I'm going to go have a bowl of Bran Buds and soy milk. (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!!!)
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Wahoo Weighdown!
The hard work is paying off. I'm down two pounds from last week! I've lost the equivalent of 5 cans of Crisco! That's less fat dragging me down, making me tired, discouraging me, staring at me in the mirror, and keeping me from being an energetic mom for my kids. I'm not all about the scale, but it does motivate me to see some concrete 'pounds lost' results....the visual results aren't always apparent to us women since we tend to criticize what we see in the mirror so much.
My sink is clean, my laundry put away, and my bed is made. I have already started my exercises this morning. I've decided I need to get a good chunk of that out of the way in the morning since I end up very reluctantly squeezing it in at the end of the day when I'm zonked.
Off to eat my oat bran!
My sink is clean, my laundry put away, and my bed is made. I have already started my exercises this morning. I've decided I need to get a good chunk of that out of the way in the morning since I end up very reluctantly squeezing it in at the end of the day when I'm zonked.
Off to eat my oat bran!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Fiber, Fiber, Fiber!
I found an another great fiber-rich food that I can use instead of bread. They're whole grain, high fiber, low carb tortillas made by The Tortilla Factory. I got them at the grocery store on a shelf in a part of the store that had nothing to do with bread or mexican food.....so you can ask at the desk, I guess. One tortilla is ZERO Weight Watchers points so I can wrap it around an egg & salsa, tuna and fresh jalapenos, peanut butter and jelly, etc. They come in a few flavors. I suppose how good they are is somewhat dependant on how long you've been eating rabbit food. I love these things but my dearly beloved hates them. I think in another week or two he'll be wanting me to share mine with him :-)
The other higher fiber things that are great for you are all the peas and beans! They are so good for you and as the weather gets colder they make a wonderful addition to soups of all kind. Bran Buds are another great source, as well as Pepperidge Farm mini whole wheat bagels (it helps if you have a Pepperidge Farms outlet near you)
My bed is made, the sink is clean, pots are scrubbed, laundry is started, and I did manage to squeeze about 25 minutes worth of intense exercise in last night. It was pouring out so Jim and I couldn't walk. I knew I had to answer to my blogging friends so I pried my behind off the couch about 30 minutes before the Y closed. The good news is that I was able to RUN for almost half the time I was on the treadmill. I then spent my last few minutes on the circuit machines doing glute and leg exercises. This morning I'll use my medicine ball for my abs. The scale is looking promising this week. We shall see tomorrow morning. I'm at the place on the scale where I usually stall a little bit so I will keep exercising to make sure that doesn't happen.
Sorry for the long-windedness! Off to FINISH the laundry ---- that's what usually gets lost in translation.
Reforming slowly but surely,
Karen
The other higher fiber things that are great for you are all the peas and beans! They are so good for you and as the weather gets colder they make a wonderful addition to soups of all kind. Bran Buds are another great source, as well as Pepperidge Farm mini whole wheat bagels (it helps if you have a Pepperidge Farms outlet near you)
My bed is made, the sink is clean, pots are scrubbed, laundry is started, and I did manage to squeeze about 25 minutes worth of intense exercise in last night. It was pouring out so Jim and I couldn't walk. I knew I had to answer to my blogging friends so I pried my behind off the couch about 30 minutes before the Y closed. The good news is that I was able to RUN for almost half the time I was on the treadmill. I then spent my last few minutes on the circuit machines doing glute and leg exercises. This morning I'll use my medicine ball for my abs. The scale is looking promising this week. We shall see tomorrow morning. I'm at the place on the scale where I usually stall a little bit so I will keep exercising to make sure that doesn't happen.
Sorry for the long-windedness! Off to FINISH the laundry ---- that's what usually gets lost in translation.
Reforming slowly but surely,
Karen
Monday, October 1, 2007
Monday, Monday
The antique market was fun. We didn't get anything but enjoyed the day out. I stuck to my points like glue. It was gorgeous out. Carrie had a party to go to in the afternoon so David (#4)took her.
Speaking of David. What a trip! He's a piece of work. This week is what they call school spirit week at his high school.....the week before homecoming. Each day has a different theme. Today's is "get up and go" day. You can show up with your hair a mess, wear your slippers, etc. Now my son is a Junior and although he isn't really tall, he works out so he is BIG! He got some big, glow-in-the-dark fuzzy footie pajamas with dinosaurs all over them and he wore them to school today. I just sat there shaking my head. I must post pictures.
I know that had nothing to do with weight loss but it was my laugh of the day.
Speaking of David. What a trip! He's a piece of work. This week is what they call school spirit week at his high school.....the week before homecoming. Each day has a different theme. Today's is "get up and go" day. You can show up with your hair a mess, wear your slippers, etc. Now my son is a Junior and although he isn't really tall, he works out so he is BIG! He got some big, glow-in-the-dark fuzzy footie pajamas with dinosaurs all over them and he wore them to school today. I just sat there shaking my head. I must post pictures.
I know that had nothing to do with weight loss but it was my laugh of the day.
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