Evil.... toaster ovens...

I'm not sure if I'm just late to the game or what but recently I discovered a marshmallow in the toaster oven for about 2-3 minutes on broil comes out better than over a flame outside... add some chocolate and a graham cracker and I'm sure you can see where I am going with this. I'm suppose to eat an extra 500 calories a day while nursing.. Do s'mores count?

I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello all. Short of starting a blog for those who "fell off the wagon", I will keep it short and say the past few weeks of my life have been full of stress and I think I am now back in charge. Despite the stress, I did not lose 10 pounds. I am one of those who gains instead of losing. Those who lose under stress can not be my friend. I could not help but be brought back to reality when Angi wrote about "Piggy fatty". I think I have laughed again for 2 days. So thanks for the laugh. Iam back to piggy fatty and in desperate need of good friends and guidance. I am starting today with my usual 8 cups of coffee.......no, just kidding, seeing if you are really listening..... to my 3 or 4 cups of coffee and a breakfast bar. I have a meeting tonight at a restuarant and will limit myself to one glass of wine (red, of course) and anything on the menu healthy. I do realize that may mean I come home hungry. So be it. It feels good to be back! Happy Healthy Eating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday....sigh...

I'm really having a hard time with Ed...he wants to eat out, and it throws me off track!  Ok, so it's not really his fault (I am a grown up....), but it IS hard not to go along when he wants to go out to eat. And it's really hard not to order what I want once I'm there..... I can't wait until spring, and we're back to the "swim and grill" plan!

I have had a good eating day so far today though - a whole-wheat cranberry muffin for breakfast and a turkey sub on whole wheat for lunch.  And since it's leftovers for dinner tonight for us, I should fare well tonight too....here's hoping! :-)

Off The Wagon, But Right Back On

So, I didn't make it a full week without eating out. But I'm quite okay with that. I went 6 days, and had my reward tonight in the form of a yummy burger. Simple necessity prompted it, seeing as we were out on errands all afternoon and had essentially no food in the house to go home to. While I enjoyed my meal, I didn't enjoy it as much as I used to. I wasn't able to finish everything (maybe my stomach is actually shrinking like my husband says!) and I certainly didn't feel as healthy tonight as I have this past week. In particular I think the Pepsi did a number on me since I haven't had caffeine in a week. Here it is 11pm and I can't fall asleep!

I was rereading my runner's handbook tonight, and it talked about how cutting yourself off completely from favorite foods will just cause you to fail. I've always believed that which is why I have never dieted in my life. But what was more interesting was the book saying that as you become healthier and more in shape, your body will crave healthier foods. It almost seems to be coming true for me. I doubt a junk food addict like myself would ever stop eating junk completely, but I seem to want it a lot less. Tonight's dinner was good but not great.

My biggest hurdle to cross is finding something I can eat at home that is filling. I have been having a hard time in particular with my lunches and still feeling hungry about 30 minutes after I eat. I'm glad that the snacks I eat to tide myself over to dinner have been healthy (dried apples and yogurt) but I'm just not used to feeling this famished by 1pm and trying to wait until 5:30 or 6 to eat dinner. That has really been tough. Those are the times I get irrational and want nothing more than a big cheeseburger or 3 tacos or something.

I see I am rambling but I guess the point is that I ate out tonight, and I'm not mad at myself but proud that I went from Sunday to Saturday eating at home the entire time. I'm also proud because I have no real plans to eat out again any time next week and feel committed to making a point of eating at home. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. And I think the absolute best thing is the effect it is having on Laura. I want to make these changes not only for myself, but for her as well, in the hopes of creating better habits for her as she gets older.

Peanut Butter Blues....

I'm finally back!  I've stopped the eating frenzy, and have successfully managed to make it through an entire day without eating the silverware and napkins along with my meals.  No hiding in the pantry (how embarrassing that I actually did this....), no staking out the low-fat Pringles, and no eating until I feel like I'm about to pop.  I'm attributing this temporary lapse to hormones....thank goodness I don't go through this every month though - I'd weigh 400 lbs....

Now I'm going to act like this never happened, and move on with my life. Speaking of which, I'm now back to the energy bar plan as a part of a healthy diet. I grabbed one out of the pantry today at lunch, and had it halfway unwrapped before....GASP.....OH NO.....I remembered the peanut butter recall. My favorite bar, a Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bar, has been voluntarily recalled....along with all of the other varieties I happen to own and enjoy. So I'm not sure if a rat "went potty" in my bar, and technically the expiration dates, which by the way are referred to as "best enjoyed by..." or something along those lines as if I'm fooled by this language, are not among those that were recalled....but how can I?  Should I?  Will I?  No....I won't....I must take a break from these bars until further notice. 

So I had cereal for lunch....

Dreaming About Food

The husband and I watched LOST last night and neither of us were appreciating all the commericals for food. Can you tell what is on our minds lately? My eating right and eating at home challenge is tough!

I had a dream last night that I was at the mall and was stuck there all day without food, and my only option was to eat at the food court. Some person (no one I know in real life) was essentially pressuring me to just give in and eat there. It was such an odd dream! As far as I know, I never gave in to the dreamland temptation. At first when I woke up I thought that I had eaten lunch out yesterday and I was furious! I was very relieved when I realized it was all a dream.

I have to go back to the mall today since I forgot my wallet when I went yesterday and couldn't return the thing I had gone there to return. Once again, it would be so easy and so yummy to grab lunch there, but I'm going to have a sandwich here before I go. Not want I want to do, but what I need to do. My scale is still saying what it did yesterday, so I guess I'm on the right track!

No Eating Out, Day 3

Today is my 3rd day of not being allowed to eat out. The past two days were actually pretty easy. My husband was home from work, and Laura had no school, so we didn't really go anywhere. The snow yesterday helped with that of course.

So today was when I faced my first real "challenge". I decided that I must get out of the house today, since Laura's school was cancelled AGAIN. The mall is inside, and warm, and the roads are clear so we'll be heading there in a little bit, hopefully to put my GymBucks to good use at Gymboree. Normally a trip to the mall would include lunch at the food court, but that is out this time. We are saving our trip for after lunch so that Laura and I can eat at home. What a revelation! It's kind of annoying just waiting around to go to the mall, but we're in no big rush today.

I'm happy because obviously this will save me from a greasy meal with a too-large portion, plus some pop. I will be having some leftover chicken pot pie for lunch, which while not too healthy, is filling, has veggies in it, and is very yummy! Plus I'm saving myself about $10 by eating here. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down almost 2 pounds, although I'm not sure if I was just weighing myself at a good time or what. I will be curious if that weight stays the same for the next week. If not I'm okay with that, mostly because I'm so pleased that I'm taking this challenge so seriously.

I think I may try to extend my challenge to include next week as well, with going out to dinner next weekend as a reward. That will be 2 weeks with eating at home the entire time, a huge change for me.

Susan, I must quote you....

I'll never forget the day Susan told me that we needed to work out because she didn't want to become a "piggy fatty..." It made me laugh for about a week.... Well, I think that yesterday I was on the verge of "piggy fatty...." and it wasn't pretty. I ate ALL DAY LONG. A bottomless pit. Me, who typically cares nothing for food...seriously, it was awful. I ate chips, and crackers, and soup, and jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, and a slice of pizza, and a brownie....and hot cocoa...and, I'll stop embarrassing myself now by ending it there.

I'm blaming it on the snow, and the fact that not only was I stuck in the house, but I was stuck in the house with Shelby and Ed. It was not good...not good at all...oh, and I think PMS was also a factor....at least I hope it was...

So today, you'd think I'd try my best to get back on track, right? Well...not really. The lunch with a coworker at Mi Casitas was canceled a week or two ago, and yep...rescheduled for today. 

Signing off now as Piggy Fatty....hopefully will post again soon as my normal self....

No Eating Out Challenge

I am so sick of feeling gross and flabby. I am ready to really make some sacrifices! I decided that for 7 days, I will not eat out. This effects my husband and daughter too, so I know it will be really hard to stick with it. But I'm determined! I will reward myself with something if I can make it. Maybe a new pair of earrings?

I really hope that this time next week I will notice at least a slight drop in my weight and a better overall feeling. If I feel better, it will encourage me to stick with it. If I feel just as crummy this time next week, I think I may give up on eating well forever.

At the same time I hope to do some good running next week. Hopefully today's rain will be over soon and I can get back out there. Not eating out and running at least 4 times next week has to make a difference right? Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Post-swimming pigfest!

Ok, so I know pigfest isn't technically a word, but based on what I just did, it really should be. I was so happy with the swimming (see the other blog...), I let Ed and Shelby talk me into a post-swimming dinner at Waffle House. Yuck....and at the same time...yum.... I ate too much greasy food, but I'm hoping I'll make up for it tomorrow. 

I do have one ongoing problem though. I love salad.  I hate to make salad. I will make salad if I'm inspired. I will never be inspired to make salad when it's cold outside......  I need warm food to get through this weather - too bad this warm food would take the shape of a baked potato with all the stuff on it from Jason's Deli if I had my way. I can't figure out what to make for myself, particularly at lunch time, that's warm and healthy, and can be prepared in less than five minutes. HELP!

Bad Eating

I haven't posted in a while, mostly since I have no good eating to report. I am really having a hard time changing my habits! I haven't had Pepsi at home for a while, which is great, but I still seem to eat out a lot when I'm on errands, etc, so I'm still drinking pop. My water consumption is up, but nowhere near what it should be. I feel like I am doing better on quanity-definitely not pigging out so much, but it's the quality of my food that needs to improve!

At the store today I bought all the fixings (including wheat bread!) for sandwiches so I can have that for lunch or a snack. I just really don't like sandwiches that much so I think it will be hard to convince myself that it qualifies as a good lunch. But it has to be better than eating a cheeseburger while driving, right?

I'm also doing better about eating more fruits and veggies...again, not as much as I'd like, but it's slowly getting better. I hope I can continue to improve!

Let's be honest....

This blog isn't all that fun, but I'm committed to posting nonetheless.....

Anyway......Ed's been gone since Sunday, and although we miss him a ton, my eating has been way, way better!  My cooking has been minimal, and I've not stuffed myself at dinner like I normally do. Why can't I control my portions when he's here?!  Is it because I don't cook big dinners, or what?  Wish I could figure it out so I could "fix" whatever it is!

Also, I've been weighing myself daily since he left, only because I didn't trust my scale on Monday. I swear it said this morning that I weigh 134.2 lbs., but I can't bring myself to believe it. I'll repeat the weigh-ins for the rest of the week and see if it stays the same, and I'll get on the scale at the chiropractor's office on Friday for confirmation. I weighed 137 at the doctor's office on Monday morning, but I was fully dressed, and even had my running shoes on, so maybe 134.2 is right - but I'm not yet convinced....

Day 1

Ed left yesterday morning, and I'm happy to report that all went well on the eating front. Shelby and I made homemade pizza for dinner (well, we didn't actually make the crust, we just sort of rolled it out!). Extra vegetables and reduced fat cheese....and it was GOOD!  And the bonus?  I put pizza in Shelby's lunch, so it saved me from having to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 

Here's to a great week - things have been crazy for all of us, so I feel like we're about due for a "normal" week! :-)  

Better eating on the horizon!

So I know I shouldn't be excited about Ed going out of town for a week - and honestly, I'm not. I hate when he's gone - I don't sleep well, I worry about him, I have to take the trash out myself, and so on. But, there is a good side to his being gone - I don't eat as much! I think it has to do with not cooking "real" dinners? Regardless, I always do better when it's just me and Shelby, so next week should be a good one for me. Will keep you all posted!

Yesterday was a good eating day too - still eating too much at dinner, I think, but I didn't eat anything that was really unhealthy. I need to drink more water though! So, those are my goal for today - portion control and drink more water. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if I ate a few more vegetables today!

Yesterday and today...

Not such a bad eating day yesterday, although I treated my family to dessert last night and probably ate too much right along with them! I did try to make a "healthy" dessert, if there really and truly is such a thing - I made apple turnovers using reduced-fat crecent rolls, apples, sugar and a dash of cinnamon - so maybe it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Anyway, I'm off to a good start today - I had a banana and milk for breakfast (by the way, bananas seem to work well for me in terms of eating them prior to a run - if I eat about 45 minutes or so before I run, I've got lots of energy and don't feel like I have rocks in my stomach!). But, as I mentioned in our other blog...lunch at Mi Casitas today could present a challenge in terms of healthy eating. I've got no idea what, if anything, would be considered "healthy" there, but I'm guessing something with chicken? I think I'll go with chicken enchiladas....and try not to eat so many chips that my stomach hurts?

I hate my scale......

Although I, like you, have spent the past few days on the couch and eating like crap, I did step on the scale today. It is a love-hate relationship that turned into downright disgust. When I put my pants on this morning and they were tight in places they had not been tight in a very long time, I knew I had to see the numbers for real. I was astonished at the damage New Year's and Christmas could do. So, I did the worst thing I could do....I skipped all breakfast and all lunch, crammed in a wrap late afternoon and ate a small supper. Weight watcher points would probably be good but overall, probably not the best diet plan. I did get in 6-8 glasses of water however. So, tomorrow, a new diet plan for the week: try to diet. That will be a great start.

I do at least have a good reason for being on the couch that I just have to share. I injured my neck Saturday. How you ask???? Getting off the couch!!!!! Yes, for real. How sad I am. I was talking to Tyler, turned to get up, and POP. The good news is that it is much better after a few days but just to let you know....the couch CAN be a dangerous place......

Finally...

A much better eating day (and running day too, but we have another blog for that!) - finally! I ate eggs and toast for breakfast (at around noon...), had almonds and then a Kashi bar for a snack, and then pork chops, rice and green beans. Oh, and one teeny, tiny dark chocolate square, for which I refuse to apologize. All in all, a good day!  I'm not hungry, and I'm going to go brush my teeth now....I never, ever let myself eat after I've done that! 

Trying To Get Used To Eating Less

Today was a great eating day for me (although it's not over yet!) Some Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal for breakfast, a semi-healthy lunch of a chicken sandwich, an orange for a snack, and then chicken, rice, and brocolli for dinner. The only problem? I was hungry all day! I'm still hungry but dinner was just a little bit ago so I'm hoping the food will settle in my stomach and make me feel full. What worries me is that in about an hour-or less-I'll break down and eat more.

Tomorrow I think I'll add in another snack, or maybe eat something else with the orange. But tomorrow is my big day of treating myself to lunch, so I'm sure wherever I go will fill me up! Today I drank water and my sugar-free Koolaid. I took a short walk this afternoon on top of my run/walk this morning. I think I'm moving in the right direction.

My big fat Sunday....

So I spent yesterday on the couch...kind of sick, kind of lazy, and more than a little tired. I did nothing beyond going to church....except EAT.  The day started out ok with oatmeal, was kind of shaky in the middle with crackers and then cheese pizza (it had a whole-grain crust and was made with low-fat cheese, so not THAT bad) and some chocolate, but it all finished spectacularly with a phone call from Ed... "So, do you want me to bring dinner home?" he asked..."Well of course I do, since I can't cook from the couch and I refuse to move at the moment," I said. 

As a result of this little exchange, I ate a burger and fries, and a banana milkshake, from Cook-Out....quite possibly the unhealthiest, and most delicious, meal I've had in a long time.  Ed actually bought me TWO burgers (what was he thinking?!) but I refrained. After all, I'd cleaned my plate....and Shelby's plate....one and a half burgers and a double order of fries is quite enough thank you. I wouldn't want to overdo it! 

Seriously, I ate so much my stomach hurt. Now I'm way more motivated to eat right today - and so far so good. But I had to skip the weigh-in and bikini test...I couldn't bring myself to do it. Will think about it for tomorrow....

I'm with you guys...

Seriously...I love my family so much. Really, I do. But I can't WAIT for them to get out of my house! :-) I feel like I've been eating constantly, and eating out way too much. Yesterday was not my best day.  Today, I woke up feeling fat and sluggish. Eating is only half the story, of course....these people are also ruining my workout plans!

Better days ahead for all of us, I'm sure. As in tomorrow....

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Well yesterday was a total fall off the wagon type of day. All the delicious food that I had treated myself to on the 1st was still sitting around in the fridge in the form of leftovers. I wasn't very strong and I ate more potato chips and dip....with lunch and dinner!!!! How embarrassing. And the only physical activity I got was when we went bowling, and that wasn't much work.

My husband and daughter being home are really undoing me. I hope that come Monday when they go back to work/school I'll be back to better eating habits. And maybe the weather will magically warm up and I'll be able to run.

1 Night at New York Prime = 2 Days Damage

The day was a good food day b/c I knew it would be a great food night. We went to New York Prime, only the world's best steak and lobster house to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Day. I ate pretty healthy, just too much of everything. It turned into 2 days damage when I finished off the leftovers today. But I did eat decent prior to going and will eat more decent tomorrow. I did end tonight with a pizza party for the kids. But it was cheese pizza, so that is not that bad. Coupled with not only diet caffeine free Mt. Dew but also with WATER!! Getting in more glasses these days for sure. Weight Watchers says diet caffeine free can substitute for a few glasses of plain water. If it is ok with WW, it's ok with me. Tomorrow, back to the normal routine, but for tonight, my stomach is pleased!!

My Worst Eating Day In A Long Time!!!!!

Today was a ridiculously bad eating day for me, but I knew it would be so I don't mind sharing! We goofed off at home all day and played in the backyard for a while, plus took a short walk with the dog, so I did manage to work up a pretty good appetite. We had pizza (1.5 pieces for me) for dinner while watching the Rose Bowl, plus I drank a whole bottle of Cherry Coke (250 calories!!!!) and had one of my most favorite treats ever-potato chips with onion dip. I can't even imagine the amount of calories, I ate so much of it and it was so good!

It is after 9pm and I am still stuffed. But like I said, I had planned on this day of indulgence and therefore ate pretty well the couple of days before, and even better, felt no guilt at all today. I enjoyed it as a temporary day of fun, eating and otherwise, and I know it will be back to being good tomorrow. Or as good as you can be when you are someone like me!

Coffee...we must discuss....

Ok, Claire, I realize you're not the addict that I am, so this may not be up your alley, but I need to talk about my coffee. I think I might have figured out how to reduce fat and calories, and still make my coffee worth dreaming about at night (yes...I go to bed excited about waking up and drinking coffee, and I do occasionally dream about coffee....can you say "junkie?!"). Anyway, here's my new approach - I bought the fat-free half and half, which is made of skim milk and...gulp...corn syrup. If I think about it too long, I think I'll gag, so I'm not going to think about it at all. This stuff has half the calories of my regular creamers, no fat, and tastes surprisingly good. Not good in the way that real half and half tastes, of course, but good enough for me. I paired it with Dunkin Donuts hazelnut flavored coffee (duh!  the flavor is in the coffee now, not the creamer - why has it taken me so long to figure this out?!).  I'm enjoying right now....

Susan, it may not be sweet enough for you - a packet of splenda might help?  I'm theoretically opposed fake sweeteners, but really in regard to Shelby more than myself. My sister reacts badly to Splenda and Sweet n Low however, so that's got me spooked....but that's a whole other story!

Back to my coffee, before it gets cold.