Food

I don't really want to talk about food. I suppose that means it's time to acknowledge I love over eating and hate watching what I eat. I've read enough times that eating properly and exercise will reduce my weight. But I don't like to watch what I eat (unless you count watching it go down and into my waiting belly). But my new personal training regime includes nutrition. The cross fit team seem to be zone diet proponents and from what I've read it looks like something that will work for me. I think it helps get portion control in place which is my definite downfall. Oh well... Maybe if I try both (exercise and diet) at the same time the results will show quicker which will motivate me more.... I still want that pepsi...

Do I Even Dare?

So I've been running since October. I gave up drinking Pepsi at home at the end of December. I stopped eating out so much in January. I gave up pop completely for Lent (starting today!) I started doing crunches and girly pushups after I run. And I may finally, finally be seeing some results.

The scale has been going down in the last few weeks, and I when I first started seeing the numbers fall, I thought it was a fluke. I've found if I weigh myself in the morning, while naked, right after I run, I weigh a lot less that I do at other times! So of course those weights don't count. But I've weighed myself at other times and the numbers are still lower.

Back at the beginning of December my husband started a spreadsheet he called the "Fattie Tracker". Nice, huh? I was weighing in at about 140 back then. Shocking! I have actually weighed that much for a while and never thought I would see the numbers drop. Usually I can manage to hover at 137 or 138, but that's it. But by mid-January I was seeing 136 all the time. Then came the beginning of February-my first 135. I was making progress.

So now, if you can believe it, I have seen a few 133s sprinkled in with the more usual 134.4 (which seems to be my magic number now!) I cannot even believe that and I feel I'm jinxing myself by typing it. I hope that I will keep dropping the weight. Sadly I STILL do not feel like I can see any difference. I feel as flabby and jiggly as ever. I think I am doomed to have muffin top forever. Sigh.

But I got my first compliment today-one of the Moms at Laura's school (who knows I've been running) said I was looking skinny. I think she is deluded since she is pregnant and I guess most women look skinny when you're pregnant (that's how I felt at least!) but still, it was a good ego boost. I just don't want to horrify her when the warm weather comes and all my sweaters are gone and she realizes, nope, she's not skinny at all!

And I just don't have the frame to really ever be classified as skinny anyway. Back when I was 18, yes. I was totally skinny. But not anymore. I have skinny arms so I think that is what tricks people. The rest of me is more solid than I would like, but I suppose I should stop blabbering and just say that I'm happy I'm dropping some pounds, but don't expect me to be all tiny the next time any of you see me. Because I look exactly the same.

Forecast: Summer coming, healthing eating along with it!

Summer will eventually come....and with it, more healthy eating. For today though, I just had to post the fact that I'm dreaming (yes, dreaming) about strawberries and grilled chicken. I'm not sure why, but it might be because I've recently made plans to plant strawberries in one of my garden boxes. Anyway, I can't wait for warmer weather and all of the good eating that goes along with it!

I'm on the Kashi Go Lean Crunch plan as of this morning (why can't I stop eating this stuff? It's a good thing it's good for me!). It was a three-day weekend for Ed (read: bad eating for me), so now that we're back to a regular schedule, I'm eating normally again today. Feels good!

No Pepsi=Weight Loss

I was looking back at my old posts and I saw that the end of December was when I started not drinking Pepsi at home. What a difference in my life! It was so, so tough at first, but I really am over it now. Of course I drink pop if I go out to eat, but I don't even miss it at home anymore. I wouldn't say the weight is melting off, but a few pounds have left me, which is awesome. I was hovering around 138/139 at the end of December, and I weighed exactly 135 this morning when I weighed myself. I haven't seen those numbers in a long time!

Now I'm being greedy though, because I want more weight loss! I feel like I can't feel or see a difference from those few pounds, and I'm ready to feel the change! I hope that with continued running and continued good eating, I'll be seeing the change by the summer. This week is going to be another week of no eating out. Laura and I are grabbing some yummy lunch while out today before we head to the grocery store, and that will be it until next weekend. Maybe 130 pounds by my 30th birthday in December is feasible after all!!!!!

well....

Well....I hate this blog. Anyway....

Mi Casitas is so good - as  a result of the chicken enchiladas (I'm hungry again just thinking about them!), I woke up feeling 100 lbs heavier than normal, which is why I got on the treadmill this morning. So maybe pigging out on Mexican food is good for me in the long run since it guilts me into working out?  If so, I'm going to have to force myself to do it more often! :-)

A Continuation of the Same...

Just a quick post to say this week has been mostly a success - and I even persuaded Ed and Shelby that eating in would be better than going out to eat tonight, as is our "tradition!" Of course, if I hadn't had time to fill up the crock pot this morning, I would have voted "eat out" tonight too - it's been a long week, and I'm usually ready for a cooking break on Friday nights!  

My birthday party streak continues....tomorrow is the fourth Saturday in a row that I've attended a birthday party for someone under age 5....good thing cake isn't really my thing. Tomorrow we're partying at 1PM, so I plan to eat lunch first, so I should be ok. 

BTW, I've skipped out on my Monday morning weigh-ins and bikini testing recently (can you blame me?! :-), but I finally stepped on the scale yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that I'd actually lost a bit, rather than gained. 133.6 lbs....I think it's the Kashi Go Lean Crunch with Almonds and Flaxseed that's helping (seriously!!) - extra protein, and other good stuff, so it fills me up and I don't get so hungry during the day that I pig out. And for some reason, I just love this stuff. Weird, I know, but true.... Oh and one more thing that might be contributing....Ed had his cholesterol tested and it's borderline high, so we've instituted some changes around here, one of which is a nightly glass of red wine per a recommendation from his physician. Well, I'm drinking it, but he's not (he doesn't like red wine and acts like I'm being mean by asking him to drink it)....some plan for HIS cholesterol, right?!  But the result is, I'm waking up feeling a little slimmer - dehydration from one small glass?  That probably isn't right, so maybe it's just a coincidence...

My goal for this weekend is simple: no eating at Mac's Breakfast Anytime....easy to say, but we'll see...the hashbrowns are so good...especially with cheese on them....

Preemptive Strikes!

So I think I've figured out a strategy to handle the "let's eat out" syndrome - the preemptive strike!  It goes something like this.....

7:15 am - Wake up, make coffee 

7:30 am - Tell Ed and Shelby, "Hey you two - how about I make OATMEAL this morning!!!! Won't that be great?  We'll put blueberries and almonds on it!  Doesn't that sound GOOD?!"

7:31 am - They say...."That sounds fabulous. You're the best mother, and cook, on the planet. We're so grateful that you care about us enough to cook us good food that's GOOD FOR US TOO! What would we ever do without you?!"

Ok....so this isn't exactly how it goes, but you get the point. I get them excited about what I'm going to cook before they have a chance to throw the "let's eat out" bomb and ruin my healthy eating plans. 

Just so you all know - the "oatmeal scenario," while somewhat embellished (ok, a lot embellished...and I'm guessing you know which part I'm referring to.... ;-), actually did occur and we all ate oatmeal at the kitchen table this morning.  I pulled the same trick at lunch by suggesting we take sandwiches, grapes and oatmeal cookies to the park so we could have a picnic after I ran. Worked again....check....double-check....

And about the oatmeal cookies ---- I used a combination of white and whole wheat flour, reduced the sugar ever so slightly, and used that new stuff that's 1/2 butter, 1/2 new balance heart healthy spread. Add dried fruit and oatmeal, and I don't feel even the tiniest bit guilty about serving these to my family. Next time though?  I'm sneaking in some wheat germ, and they'll never suspect a thing....

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! :-)