Decisions

I have been thinking about foood a lot--LOL : )  Tatumsmom (sorry I am not computer savvy enough to put in a link) has inspired me to think ahead about meals and since I am going back to work soon I need to know what to eat for lunch.  Dinners aren't such a problem except for portion control.  For lunches I have decided to bake or grill a bunch of chicken breasts on the weekends and then I can have a sandwich with sides of veggies and fruit plus a yogurt or just a heated up breast with some steamed veggies and fruit. Birds Eye makes Steamfresh single serving veggies which would be perfect to take to work with me.  On the days I don't eat chicken I'll take a salad with all kinds of peppers, onions, pea pods, carrots and other fun and colorful stuff but no cheese!!  True confessions--I LOVE CHEESE!!  And yes I did try the Atkins diet.  I lost 30 lbs. and then my husband died and I gave myself permission to eat anything because we all know when people die EVERYTHING SUCKS!  That was ten years ago and I am very happily remarried and everything is great but I am still eating anything I want. 

Still not doing great on food so I won't start listing on EP what I eat each day but I am going to put a before picture and enter my measurements and use the activity log.  I do write all my food for each day in my food/exercise journal so I am taking responsibility for what I put in my mouth.  I'm just too embarassed for anyone else to see what I eat.

Kitchen Disasters and other ramblings

Okay so I decided to add some protein for breakfast and I really like soft boiled eggs but discovered I can't make soft boiled eggs!  I tried twice this morning but got hard boiled both times!!  UGH!  So I was disgusted and still hungry and reached into the candy dish but TA DA I decided a kitchen failure was not worth blowing my whole day with chocolate!!  It was a break through I tell ya!!  So here I sit with my water bottle waiting for the DISH network guy to come.  Tried to tell DH if we got satellite upstairs where the exercise equipment is I would work out more but he just laughed and laughed and laughed. >SIGH< It was worth a try!  BTW I haven't exercised yet today but I will once DISH has been and gone.

Today was the day I was going to jury duty but when I called they said the jury trial for today had been canceled so I guess the parties reached some sort of settlement or something.  I am in the jury pool until the end of October so I'll probably get called again.  My SIL had to go last week and she said there were 200 people in the room with her, each getting paid $10 and they only used jurors 1-28.  SIL was number 29!  She's a teacher too and has a much more high strung principal than I do so she was relieved!!

DH and I went to a get together at my principals house yesterday.  LOTS OF FOOD!  Appetizers, hamburgers, bratwursts, potato casserole, mac and cheese, cole slaw, cake, cookies, brownies, bowls of M&Ms on every table in the house!  And of course my arch enemy SODA!  But I was good:  I had already drunk my one soda so I drank water but I did have a small piece of cake and a brownie.  The brownie was gross--dry and bitter so not worth it.

Boobs, Belly and Butt

Well it is official, my belly is sticking out farther than my boobs and I am afraid to look at my butt!! LOL  Don't get me wrong I am not laughing at the fact that I have a balloon belly just stating the facts.  My tummy has always stuck out though even when I weighed 125.  Actually it has stuck out my whole life and it used to be I didn't worry about it.  My stomach muscles are non-existant because when I suck in the part of my belly above the belly button looks great!  However when I keep those muscles tensed then my back starts to hurt.  Can anyone say core?!!

Eating has been terrrible.  Had pizza Friday night, had pizza last night, had breakfast out this morning.  No water so far today but I'm not hungry and I haven't been eating out of boredom all day so I'm giving myself a tiny yay for that and for exercising today even though Sunday is my day off--I just felt like doing it.  My DH did the whole "have you seen my wife/were you abducted by aliens?" thing.

Sending skinny vibes to everyone!  Have a great week!

Food Choices

Today was good!  Woke up, grabbed my water bottle, walked thirty minutes on treadmill, five minutes on OrbiTrek (in standing position you pedal while arms do skiing motions) took shower, had breakfast and got a pedicure.  Breakfast was a whole grain english muffin, 2 TBSP natural peanut butter, and a grapefruit cup.  Lunch  was not so good--LARGE portion of chicken noodle casserole and a Coke.  My biggest problem is soda.  I know I should give it up entirely especially since I have begun having lots of acid indigestion due to carbonation but the soda is my comfort plus school will be starting soon and I get really stressed with each new class.  I think I will start cutting back one soda a day. 

One thing I have done is organize my workout schedule.  I have calendars posted on the wall by my treadmill with mph, incline, time etc. so I can make sure I increase all those factors instead of keeping with the same old routine.

BTW I am in the jury pool until the end on October and received a letter stating that I am to appear on August 4th.  I have to call the night before to see if they need me.  I don't mind having jury duty but I really hope I'm done before the beginning of school.  I think I may start working on my room next week just in case!  Of course that depends on whether they have the air conditioning turned on in my classroom or not!

People Can Be Toxic Too

I have lost three pounds in the last five days and I feel pretty good about it especially since I was eating everything I could get my hands on before the arrival of TOM.  Some months I don't have this problem but other times--watch out.  Being mindful of what I am putting in my mouth is helping also because I have been drinking so much water I haven't been drinking soda.  The best part is that I have exercised every day since my last blog!! So that's five more dollars in my iPod fund!!  I moved DH's OrbitTrek from the basement up two flights of stairs to the "workout room" so I have been walking 30 minutes on the treadmill and then doing 5 minutes on the OrbitTrek.  I hope to work up to thirty minutes on the OT and then do an every other day thing with the treadmill and the OT.

I will now explain the title of my blog.  On Friday I had some friends over for lunch.  They are all teachers I worked with before I married and moved to the "farm" as people say.  None of these ladies has ever been to our home before.  Now let me just say that I am very proud of my house and I really love it.  DH grew up here and has never lived anywhere else but we have added on and redecorated and even his family says it isn't  Grandma's house anymore but they also like the changes.  Well ToxicChick says "Why do the two of you need so much room?" and "This green paint in your great room has too much yellow in it"  "Do you think you'll get the money you spent on the addition back when you go to sell?"  and several other comments but here are two of my favorites.  My good friend CIndy said "I love your outfit.  It's really flattering." and TC says "That color is all wrong for you unless you're going to wear makeup."  I was wearing makeup!  The other favorite is "You really need to lose some weight, you're really starting to balloon up"  Meanwhile my other guests are embarassed and I'm trying not to a) lose my temper or b) burst into tears. I managed to make it through lunch which I made and was pretty darn healthy and the rest of the visit and TC did lay off the comments but she won't ever be asked back!  It really upset me because she's always like this with me and I do not know why. I will not let her get the better of me--I will not eat a gallon of ice cream or a can of frosting.  I will not make a gigantic bowl of buttered noodles and eat them with a loaf of garlic bread. 

Here are my positives for today:  there's only one week left in my online class, my mom and I are going shopping tomorrow,  I organized my pantry, all the laundry is done, my house is clean and I lost three pounds.

Wishing all of you a great Sunday!

Promise

Okay so how's this for incentive to lose weight!  My DH has promised me that I can have a horse if I lose forty pounds!  I have wanted a horse for my whole life and never, ever, ever thought I would live anywhere that I could have one.  Well now I live in rural Missouri and DH's cousin actually boards horses just two miles away!!  I should mention that everyone has been trying to talk me out of getting a horse. They keep saying how much work a horse is and how they have to be exercised and blah,blah, blah.  I KNOW!!!! Okay I get it--horses are not like dogs or cats.  They need to be mucked out everyday and fed and groomed and turned out and exercised and the foot care is complicated.  I DO NOT CARE, I WANT A HORSE!! 

The most important part of my weight loss is that I will be healthier because I will be making better food choices, exercising daily and feel better not only physically but mentally.  I'll feel better about my clothes and if I do get a horse hey that's the whip cream on top!  Wish me luck!

??s re: EP

Okay, so I feel kinda silly asking this but what's the protocol for answering comments on your blog?  Do you e-mail the people who've commented or attach it to the last post on their blog?  I feel really dumb asking--everyone now knows I'm a blog newbie! LOL

Anyway today exercise was great, only 32 oz. of water, brownies (yep that's brownies, plural) for breakfast, snack, dessert, quiche with hash brown crust and veggies for dinner.  No fruit, I think I may have had four or five Cokes and I took a three hour nap with my kitty curled up on my chest.  Nothing will put you to sleep faster than a purring cat!

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary!  DH and I have been married for two years. Tonight he suprised me with a gift certificate for a half day at the spa.  It includes a facial, Swedish massage, manicure and pedicure.  He has the day off work tomorrow so we are going to Red Lobster for dinner.  YEA!

WI today was 177.8 and tomorrow will be at least 180 b/c TOM is also on the way besides the yucky food day I ate today.  I am not too proud of myself but will pick myself up and do better tomorrow.

BBC

Lately I've been watching "You Are What You Eat" on BBC America.  On the show people change their diets with the help of a holistic nutritionist as well as exercising.  The nutritionist devises a plan for each individual based on the nutrients they are lacking.  Lots of fresh veggies, fruits, and good fats, nuts and seeds.  On average most of the people lose about two and half stones or 31 pounds in the first eight weeks.  The only thing is the nutritionist, Jillian MacKeefe, is pretty harsh.  She uses some shock tactics like showing people what they actually put in hot dogs.  

Have any of you seen the documentary "Super Size Me"?  I heard about it when it first came out but didn't get a chance to see it.  I met someone at a party who saw it and hasn't gone into any fast food restaurant since.   I'm lucky I live in a rural area and have to drive at least 25 minutes to get fast food. 

So how am I doing?  Well Monday was great, lots of water, exercise and portiion control, Tuesday, exercise, water, not so good on the portions, Wednesday no water, only Coke, no exercise and out of control eating, same for Thursday and today.  If I had stuck to the plan...but let's not dwell on shoulda, coulda but on the here and now.  Tomorrow will be better and next week I hope to post a loss because I notice I have been hovering around 175 almost since I started on EP. 

The Archies

Sugar, sugar! Do any of you remember that song!?!!  I love the song and am addicted to sugar and caffeine but today I only drank one Coke! That is a really big accomplishment for me!  Today I drank at least 64 oz. of water and I got on the treadmill early as I planned so here is my list of positives for today:  drank lots of water, exercised, watered outdoor plants, did 6 loads of laundry and the ironing, and cooked dinner but the most positive thing today is that my DH came home before dark.  I know some of you ladies are golf widows well I am a farm widow.  DH leaves the house at 6:30 am and from late spring to late fall he does not come home until after dark.  I sometimes help in the fields but right now he is cutting and bailing hay so my allergies don't let me be out there.

Muffin Top

Went shopping with my BF Tracey today.  We have been friends since high school and have been through it all together except I have gained weight over the years and Tracey still weighs about 110 (she's 5ft 4in) and has had two children.  So we're shopping and I'm looking for a skirt  and she hands me a really cute one--"Here try this one on?'  and I say "Ummm okay. What size is it?" and she says "It's really nice. Try it on."  and I say "What size is it?" and she says, after looking at the tag "It's an eight." and I laugh because otherwise I will cry.  She couldn't understand why I wouldn't try it on and I told it would give me muffin top and she did not know what that was--SHEESH!  Thankfully her fourteen year old daughter was with us and explained.  BTW I have not worn a size eight since 1998 just before I was widowed.

My positives for yesterday and today:  not eating dessert last night becasue I had already had two sodas and potato salad at dinner, letting my DH have the brownies leftover from dessert, getting on the treadmill two days in a row, completing this week's work for the online course I am taking.  I have not had any water yet today and won't get on the treadmill--the air quality today is red, had an asthma attack, allergies are at their worst and the farmer whose wheat field is across the road is combining and stirring up dust, chaff and pollen!  Tomorrow morning early I will walk though!