Tomorrow is weigh in day - can't wait to let you know what happens! :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Dinner Tonight
Pete grilled some salmon and at the last minute he basted it with teriyaki. Oh man, I usually don't like salmon but now I am in love. I could eat this once a week. We had it with a side of baked sweet potato, pears, and spinach salad. Speaking of salad - I have now cut out adding olive oil to my salad. Now I just have a splash of balsamic and it's perfect. I can't even tell the difference actually.
Tomorrow is weigh in day - can't wait to let you know what happens! :)
Tomorrow is weigh in day - can't wait to let you know what happens! :)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Validation
Well, life has been pretty stressful lately so earlier in the week I booked myself a massage for today. I figured that since my insurance covers it - I might as well. I walked in today to meet Teresa, my massage therapist. She was so awesome. She used a technique on me that I've never experienced before called "cupping". She puts these glass cups on your skin and they have a little bulb on the end that she squeezes to create suction. Then, she moves them around all over the back, arms, legs, etc. It's a really strange yet relaxing sensation. At the end of the massage we were talking about it and she told me that she thought that I ate really healthy and asked if that was the case. I said yes and asked what made her think that. She went on to explain that during cupping she can tell a lot about a person's health and such things as how they eat, if they smoke or drink, and if they have cancer. Apparently the way the skin looks while being suctioned in the cup is an indication of these things. The skin could turn yellow, purple, deep red, or black. I am not sure how mine looked (it must've been good) but she said that my skin looks great and I have a very healthy complexion. SCORE!!!! Must be all the clean foods and large amounts of water I have been taking in. What a nice validation that she told me that she can tell I eat healthy and I've never talked to her about my lifestyle before.
I can tell Pete is a little bitter that I ate pizza and he didn't because he said "guess she didn't see the pizza". hahaha! His time will come where he eats something bad, too. It's just funny how when you go on this journey together, one person feels slighted if the other veers off course. I know I'd be jealous if I knew he had eaten some cake or chocolate!
I can tell Pete is a little bitter that I ate pizza and he didn't because he said "guess she didn't see the pizza". hahaha! His time will come where he eats something bad, too. It's just funny how when you go on this journey together, one person feels slighted if the other veers off course. I know I'd be jealous if I knew he had eaten some cake or chocolate!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Struggling
AGGGHHH! I am so mad at myself right now. I packed my lunch full of healthy foods today and I ate a healthy breakfast and a healthy snack – both on schedule. I’ve been drinking all my water. Lunch time rolls around and we have a big multi-departmental meeting and they’ve ordered pizza. Oh no! Well, I thought about taking my lunch in there but who wants to be the schmuck eating their own little meal out of a plastic container when everyone else is eating the lunch that was graciously provided by the company. I thought about waiting to eat after the meeting – but I was starving and the smell overcame me. Guess who just ate not one, but TWO slices of pizza. They were thin crust with pepperoni and sausage. UGH!!!
I am not happy about this and I knew I’d feel this way (although it WAS incredibly yummy going down). Pete’s gonna be pissed and the last thing I want to do is be responsible for him getting weak too, I feel like little by little, my willpower is slipping and I am injecting bad meals into my diet more frequently (Olive Garden – now pizza). I need to get a handle on this. I also need to get my butt to the gym tonight and work off some of the extra calories. Man, letting yourself down (and your readers) is not a good feeling. Better luck with better choices beginning now……. I think I will also re-read parts of “Never Say Diet Again” to give myself some encouragement.
p.s. I did have one victory in all this - I wanted so badly to keep this little "secret" to myself but instead - I let you all know right away. Afterall, the whole purpose of this blog is to keep it "real"......
I am not happy about this and I knew I’d feel this way (although it WAS incredibly yummy going down). Pete’s gonna be pissed and the last thing I want to do is be responsible for him getting weak too, I feel like little by little, my willpower is slipping and I am injecting bad meals into my diet more frequently (Olive Garden – now pizza). I need to get a handle on this. I also need to get my butt to the gym tonight and work off some of the extra calories. Man, letting yourself down (and your readers) is not a good feeling. Better luck with better choices beginning now……. I think I will also re-read parts of “Never Say Diet Again” to give myself some encouragement.
p.s. I did have one victory in all this - I wanted so badly to keep this little "secret" to myself but instead - I let you all know right away. Afterall, the whole purpose of this blog is to keep it "real"......
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Trials
It has been a hard past few days. On top of me and the family being sick and work being stressful, I found out that someone I've known since high school shot and killed himself on Monday. I wasn't close to him in recent times but I am close to his cousins and aunt. I've never personally known anyone who has taken their own life, especially in such a dramatic an painful way. I have always felt that one of my spiritual "gifts" was the way that I love people and provide caring and non-judgmental support. I have been put to the test with the use of this gift the past days. I've had countless calls from my long time friend who is like a brother to the person that did this. I am honored to be one of the special people he is confiding in to help bear the weight of this huge and heavy burden, but it is taking its toll on me, too. Night before last I don't think I even slept an hour. My mind races constantly with non stop visions and instant replays in my mind. My heart aches and aches for the wonderful family he left behind to clean up this mess (lliterally and philosophically) and as they struggle to make it through each day that passes. The big question - WHY - WHY - WHY. No one will ever know WHY exactly and sometimes the not knowing is as painfull as the loss itself. So, I will continue to be the support my friend needs and happily help in any way I can. This is also the first test of many in seeing how I handle major hurdles in life as I try to ensure it doesn't negatively affect my new healthy lifestyle.
So, I told you before that I eat to feed my emotions sometimes. Yesterday was particularly painful and hard for me. I felt like I floated through the day in a complete brain fog. I was emotionally drained. Well, what do you think happened at dinner time? I ate at Olive Garden. The scene was a little different than it had been in the past. Water with lemon instead of diet coke, only one serving of salad, only a breadstick and a half versus 4, and a shared main entree instead of the whole thing - and NO tiramisu. I wasn't completely happy about it once I looked at the nutritional info (note: probably 1000 calories all together) but I could at least still see the changes I've made linger throughout the meal. At any rate, by the time we got to church 45 minutes later - my belly was in immense pain. I still have some leftover heart burn this morning.
Before we had gone to dinner Pete and I had a discussion about this being a "test" for us. Normally at this point in our eating changes - we'd decide to go out to dinner and end up eating bad. Next thing you know, we're doing it 2 times a week, then 3, then 5. Well, we made a verbal commitment that we would NOT be doing that this time. It's okay to splurge every now and then. Eat one bad meal, enjoy it, but MOVE ON! So, that's what we're doing. Back to clean eating on a schedule with tons of water. I will tell you this though - we pulled into the driveway and I said to Pete "listen, if I ever tell you I miss Olive Garden and just HAVE to have it - please remind me of this conversation and of how bad it made me feel. I hate it when I have a moment where my stoomach feels like it is ripping itself out of my body. Not to mention that I could've made a clean pasta dish and my own salad that would've tasted just as good and didn't hurt at all." He just laughed and said "okay - but remember you told me to remind you - don't get mad at me when I do it". Trust me, I will remember this. And I will remember how much better and satisfying it is to eat healthy foods.
One last thing - I know I have harped on the fact that I was never a water drinker. Well, now that it's been almost a full month of clean eating and huge water intake, my body is actually craving it. For the first time ever, I actually reach for water first without even thinking about it. That's a small miracle for me!
In closing, I just want everyone to think about the story I opened this post with. It truly is a stark reminder of how short and precious this life we've been given really is. Now is a great time to tell each and every person that's close to you how important they are to you and that their life does matter. You never know, it may just be the very thing they need to hear at that very moment.
So, I told you before that I eat to feed my emotions sometimes. Yesterday was particularly painful and hard for me. I felt like I floated through the day in a complete brain fog. I was emotionally drained. Well, what do you think happened at dinner time? I ate at Olive Garden. The scene was a little different than it had been in the past. Water with lemon instead of diet coke, only one serving of salad, only a breadstick and a half versus 4, and a shared main entree instead of the whole thing - and NO tiramisu. I wasn't completely happy about it once I looked at the nutritional info (note: probably 1000 calories all together) but I could at least still see the changes I've made linger throughout the meal. At any rate, by the time we got to church 45 minutes later - my belly was in immense pain. I still have some leftover heart burn this morning.
Before we had gone to dinner Pete and I had a discussion about this being a "test" for us. Normally at this point in our eating changes - we'd decide to go out to dinner and end up eating bad. Next thing you know, we're doing it 2 times a week, then 3, then 5. Well, we made a verbal commitment that we would NOT be doing that this time. It's okay to splurge every now and then. Eat one bad meal, enjoy it, but MOVE ON! So, that's what we're doing. Back to clean eating on a schedule with tons of water. I will tell you this though - we pulled into the driveway and I said to Pete "listen, if I ever tell you I miss Olive Garden and just HAVE to have it - please remind me of this conversation and of how bad it made me feel. I hate it when I have a moment where my stoomach feels like it is ripping itself out of my body. Not to mention that I could've made a clean pasta dish and my own salad that would've tasted just as good and didn't hurt at all." He just laughed and said "okay - but remember you told me to remind you - don't get mad at me when I do it". Trust me, I will remember this. And I will remember how much better and satisfying it is to eat healthy foods.
One last thing - I know I have harped on the fact that I was never a water drinker. Well, now that it's been almost a full month of clean eating and huge water intake, my body is actually craving it. For the first time ever, I actually reach for water first without even thinking about it. That's a small miracle for me!
In closing, I just want everyone to think about the story I opened this post with. It truly is a stark reminder of how short and precious this life we've been given really is. Now is a great time to tell each and every person that's close to you how important they are to you and that their life does matter. You never know, it may just be the very thing they need to hear at that very moment.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Dry Salad?
Well, I hate dry salad. In the “olden days” (pre eating clean lifestyle change) I’d have smothered my salad in some fat laden creamy dressing like ranch or caesar. Not anymore. Now days it is a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a splash of vinegar – mostly balsamic.
Normally, with great focus on the details, I pack my lunch each night for the following day. I organize and pack for each meal taking great care to watch portion size and ensure I accurately pair a protein with a complex carb while getting in enough fruits and veggies. Most of the time I have some sort of spinach salad for lunch. I ALWAYS – I repeat – ALWAYS pack a small amount of oil and vinegar. Last night must’ve been the exception to the rule. I did manage to pack 2 cutie oranges instead of the usual one, though (brain was still in a flu like haze). So, needless to say, I start to unpack my lunch and it dawns on me that I will be eating a DRY salad. Dang it. My heart sunk to the floor and it felt like someone killed my cat. Oh, did I forget to tell you how utterly dramatic I can be at times??! Maybe it wasn’t that bad – but for a split second it made me think – who needs a salad anyways – maybe I can run to Burger King. EEEK! (that’s the sound of tires squealing as I slam on the brakes). For goodness sakes. How long is it going to be before I stop using every let down as an excuse to taint my body with terrible foods??? I Can say this – in the “olden days” I would’ve not thought twice and acted on every not-so-clever idea my brain threw my way. Not these days – I tossed the bad thought into the trash can and put on my MacGyver hat. Yep, little miss resourceful decided that she didn’t need to eat that extra cutie orange so she squeezed it all over that poor, helpless, dry salad and ate it all up. YUM! Improvised salad dressing really can be quite tasty and healthy if you just give it a chance.
Normally, with great focus on the details, I pack my lunch each night for the following day. I organize and pack for each meal taking great care to watch portion size and ensure I accurately pair a protein with a complex carb while getting in enough fruits and veggies. Most of the time I have some sort of spinach salad for lunch. I ALWAYS – I repeat – ALWAYS pack a small amount of oil and vinegar. Last night must’ve been the exception to the rule. I did manage to pack 2 cutie oranges instead of the usual one, though (brain was still in a flu like haze). So, needless to say, I start to unpack my lunch and it dawns on me that I will be eating a DRY salad. Dang it. My heart sunk to the floor and it felt like someone killed my cat. Oh, did I forget to tell you how utterly dramatic I can be at times??! Maybe it wasn’t that bad – but for a split second it made me think – who needs a salad anyways – maybe I can run to Burger King. EEEK! (that’s the sound of tires squealing as I slam on the brakes). For goodness sakes. How long is it going to be before I stop using every let down as an excuse to taint my body with terrible foods??? I Can say this – in the “olden days” I would’ve not thought twice and acted on every not-so-clever idea my brain threw my way. Not these days – I tossed the bad thought into the trash can and put on my MacGyver hat. Yep, little miss resourceful decided that she didn’t need to eat that extra cutie orange so she squeezed it all over that poor, helpless, dry salad and ate it all up. YUM! Improvised salad dressing really can be quite tasty and healthy if you just give it a chance.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Weekly Weigh In and Weekend Re-cap
Hey there,
Well, this morning is quite challenging for me. Late yesterday afternoon I came down with some sort of bug. Sore throat, fever, chills, aches and pains, etc. I slept under a blazing hot electric blanket all night and still couldn't get warm. Pete says it felt like he was sleeping in fire all night.
As for the weekend, we found ourselves very busy around the house and I realized that I did not eat every 2 - 3 hours nor did I take in enough water. On Saturday, I looked at the clock only to find that it was 4pm and I had only eaten an egg white breakfast burrito earlier that day. I was completely starving and ready to eat ANYTHING that came my way. I even purposed going to Olive Garden. I tried justifying it by saying that I would get whole wheat pasta and the dish I like had lots of veggies in it - WHAT?!!! Thank goodness Pete stood his ground and said no way. We ended up going to Outback where I had the tiniest and leanest steak and a dry baked sweet potato. Turns out that was really satisfying and I left happy again.
So I am sure you're thinking "get to the weight loss already!" Well, it's not as great as I had hoped but a loss is a loss is a loss so I will take it. This also makes me want get back on track this week and really stick to the plan as tightly as possible. I did work out this weekend and I was set to go again tonight but if I continue to feel terrible, I will wait another day.
Anywho - my weight loss was a half of a pound and Pete's was 2 pounds! Way to go guy!
I also promised a few people that I would not weigh every day so my goal this week is to not weigh again until next Monday...
I'll keep you posted.....
Well, this morning is quite challenging for me. Late yesterday afternoon I came down with some sort of bug. Sore throat, fever, chills, aches and pains, etc. I slept under a blazing hot electric blanket all night and still couldn't get warm. Pete says it felt like he was sleeping in fire all night.
As for the weekend, we found ourselves very busy around the house and I realized that I did not eat every 2 - 3 hours nor did I take in enough water. On Saturday, I looked at the clock only to find that it was 4pm and I had only eaten an egg white breakfast burrito earlier that day. I was completely starving and ready to eat ANYTHING that came my way. I even purposed going to Olive Garden. I tried justifying it by saying that I would get whole wheat pasta and the dish I like had lots of veggies in it - WHAT?!!! Thank goodness Pete stood his ground and said no way. We ended up going to Outback where I had the tiniest and leanest steak and a dry baked sweet potato. Turns out that was really satisfying and I left happy again.
So I am sure you're thinking "get to the weight loss already!" Well, it's not as great as I had hoped but a loss is a loss is a loss so I will take it. This also makes me want get back on track this week and really stick to the plan as tightly as possible. I did work out this weekend and I was set to go again tonight but if I continue to feel terrible, I will wait another day.
Anywho - my weight loss was a half of a pound and Pete's was 2 pounds! Way to go guy!
I also promised a few people that I would not weigh every day so my goal this week is to not weigh again until next Monday...
I'll keep you posted.....
Friday, January 22, 2010
Weighing Daily
I’ve heard varying theories about weighing yourself every day. Most people say only to weigh once a week and others say weighing daily will help you stay on track even better. I’d like to weigh once a week but honestly, I’ve gotten quite addicted to weighing myself every day. Here’s the routine: wake up, run to the downstairs bathroom (where the scale lives), go to the restroom, strip off all my clothes (clothes can weigh up to 3 pounds) and jump on the scale. My mind set is pretty good about it and I am well aware of how much your weight can fluctuate based on what you eat, your sleep, what you did the day before, etc. I never place to much emphasis on the daily weight – it is more of just something to do and look forward to, regardless of the outcome. All of my emphasis goes into the Monday weight where I track week over week progress. I will say though, that if the number went up – it encourages me to eat extra smart that day.
This past Monday I had lost 2 pounds from the previous week. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, my weight stayed exactly the same as did my eating habits. In all honesty – I did start to wonder “uh oh, is this not going to work anymore”? I also took a hard look at EVERYTHING I had been putting in my mouth which was actually encouraging. I knew with 110% certainty that I had done everything right – I’ve even began exercise which is key for me and a big accomplishment since I had convinced myself I hated it. So, I decided not to worry and just stay the course and see what happens. Low and behold, the scale was down 2 pounds this morning. HALLELUJAH! Just proof that staying the course works. I am close to meeting my goal of another 5 pounds down which, if I succeed by the end of January, I will have lost 10 pounds in the first month of 2010! Woo Hoo!
Oh yeah, and as for me hating water and exercise, that was just the negativity and lazy person in my mind talking. I am finding that I am loving both and have actually been thinking to myself that I can’t wait to work out again. It’s weird but it is like I am enjoying challenging myself and putting my body to the test to see exactly what it’s capable of.
This past Monday I had lost 2 pounds from the previous week. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, my weight stayed exactly the same as did my eating habits. In all honesty – I did start to wonder “uh oh, is this not going to work anymore”? I also took a hard look at EVERYTHING I had been putting in my mouth which was actually encouraging. I knew with 110% certainty that I had done everything right – I’ve even began exercise which is key for me and a big accomplishment since I had convinced myself I hated it. So, I decided not to worry and just stay the course and see what happens. Low and behold, the scale was down 2 pounds this morning. HALLELUJAH! Just proof that staying the course works. I am close to meeting my goal of another 5 pounds down which, if I succeed by the end of January, I will have lost 10 pounds in the first month of 2010! Woo Hoo!
Oh yeah, and as for me hating water and exercise, that was just the negativity and lazy person in my mind talking. I am finding that I am loving both and have actually been thinking to myself that I can’t wait to work out again. It’s weird but it is like I am enjoying challenging myself and putting my body to the test to see exactly what it’s capable of.
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