Saturday, December 27, 2008

New Blog

www.jenmcd13.vox.com

Any updates will be posted there. I'm not just going to focus on my (unsuccessful) weight loss efforts, but on whatever enters my pretty little head!

See you there, and Happy New Year!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

11.22.08

Except for yesterday, my eating this week has been pretty good. Yesterday was a mini-binge kind of day.

Strangely, Wednesday and Thursday I wasn't all that hungry, so I didn't eat that much.

Thursday night, I noticed I wanted to eat, even though I wasn't hungry, just because I knew food was in the fridge. But I waited it out, and didn't eat anymore, and eventually I just went to bed. I think I was able to do that because I didn't resist the urge to eat just because it was there Wednesday night. I was comfortably full, but Sean had ordered pizza. So I ate one piece. Not much, but I was physically miserable, and disappointed in myself as well. So I think I was able to apply that on Thursday night.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

11.16.08

My daytime eating has been pretty good. My evening eating has not been. Usually by the time I get home I'm stressed out, tired, and don't want to think. But that is when I'm going to have to think the most.

I've been in a pretty pissy mood all week and haven't worked out because I haven't wanted to. I blame it on PMS, the full moon, and whatever else I can think of.

I have eaten pretty well today. And I did something really good and un-Jenny like this evening. I was actually hungry and wanted a snack. I had set out the port wine cheese spread earlier in the evening to come to room temp. I got out four Aldi's brand Club type crackers and spread cheese on them. I didn't bring the whole tub to my computer and eat mindlessly. Progress.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

11.12.08

My eating has been up and down the last few days. Typical for me.

I didn't exercise on Monday; I was coming down with a cold and was tired and whiny and didn't feel like it. Tuesday, I did my 4 flights of stairs. Today I was off work, but I went to visit a friend at ISU and had to park 4 blocks away to get free parking, so I did get some walking in. In the rain. That must burn off extra calories, right?

I tested my blood sugar on Monday morning, it was 117. Moving in the right direction.

Friday, November 07, 2008

11.7.08

Just got done doing my 4 flights of stairs and 20 wall push-ups. I think I'll try to find something else to do next week. Have I mentioned that I really hate climbing stairs?

Took the day off yesterday. On Wednesday, I did my stairs, but no weights when I got home. I did some stretching, however.

Eating Wednesday night was terrible. Better by a little yesterday. Today, not too bad. However, it has been a HORRENDOUS day at work, and I really want to medicate with food tonight. Not sure if I want to try to fight it off or not, to be honest.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

11.05.08

I didn't want to do stairs today. I'm tired; I stayed up too late watching election results and speeches. But, I bucked up and did them anyway. One flight when I got to work this morning, and 3 more flights just now. UGH. I really hate climbing stairs. But it's done, and I feel virtuous because of it.

My blood sugar was 123 this morning. I've decided to reduce the amount of bread I eat. I eat WAY too much bread. I'm going to eat my normal amount at breakfast, which is either 2 slices or a whole bagel, but eat half as much any other time. Which means open face sandwiches or sandwiches on 1 slice folded over, or 1 slice of bread and butter or garlic bread. This should help both my blood sugar and my weight.

Like I said, I'm tired. I may or may not do any weights tonight. We'll see what the evening brings.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

11.4.08

My goals were the same today as yesterday; 4 flights of stairs and 20 wall push-ups half way there. And I achieved my goal again today! My triceps are really sore today, so tomorrow I will so something else with weights; probably biceps curls and overhead press. And my 4 flights of stairs. Ugh. I really hate climbing stairs. But it is free, and I can do it at lunch, which is when I'm most likely to work out. So for now, it's my exercise of choice. Again, Ugh.

Eating was not so great. Evening, as always, is my hardest time. I have been taking my metformin consistently the last week, though. I'll test my blood sugar again tomorrow morning and see if the trend is coming down. Fasting last week was 121, down from 126 the week before.

Monday, November 03, 2008

11.3.08

I haven't posted in a while, so you know how things have been going.

I'm setting 2 goals today; one for today, and one for the month. I want to lose 4 lbs this month. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is at the end of the month, but that is 3 weeks away. I think I can do it. The goal for today is to climb 4 flights of stairs, and when I stop half way to do 20 wall push-ups. I usually start with 2 flights of stairs when I start this again, but that is the norm for me. Four will push me. I need to push.

Check in with you later.

******************************************************************

It's later.

357.2

I did my stairs and push ups. And had reasonable portions most of the day. Overall, a successful day.

Friday, October 17, 2008

10.16.08

Going to bed a little hungry tonight, and my rings feel loose and spin easily on my finger. Good signs both, I think.

I weighed on Wednesday, but didn't like what I saw, so I didn't post it. My blog, my rules!

Went to a family run Italian joint for dinner tonight. We split an antipasto platter, of which we brought about half home, both had salads and crunchy bread sticks, and split an entree. Brought a little of the pasta home, too. Felt pretty good about supper both price-wise and eating-wise.

Monday, October 06, 2008

10.6.08

357.7

Down 3.4 lbs in a 5 days. Pretty happy with that.

I didn't do stairs on Friday. I had a bad charlie horse situation in my left calf, and it was so sore Friday I was limping every time I got up from my desk.

Saturday, I walked the 1 mile celebration/fun walk for the Komen Race for the Cure. I didn't drink much water before, and walked at a little faster pace than usual, and got a little sick afterward. Felt woozy, and had some dry heaves. One of my endo nurses was there and got me a cold water bottle for my neck, and I rested and felt better. Sean was great, too. He was proud of me for not panicking.

Sunday, we walked for about 20 minutes. I drank lots of water before we went. I felt fine.

Portions went pretty well except for last night. I did have fruit Saturday and today.

I'm still working on my issue of wanting to lose weight but not wanting to work for it. There's some spiritual stuff tied up in that as well. I'll get there, I just don't know when.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

10.2.08

Well, portions were better at breakfast and lunch, but dinner was still too big. And too much frustration snacking on Hersey Nuggets. And no fruit, unless you count the cherries in a small slice of cherry pie. ;)

The successes, though, are that I did get my 2 flights of stairs in, and my portions were better on 2 out of 3 meals.

Tomorrow: 2 flights of stairs, actual fruit, reasonable portions.

BTW, I was hoping the vice-presidential debate would be a huge train wreck. I thought there was great comic potential with these 2 candidates. But alas, they both seem to have prepared pretty well.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

10.01.08 x 2

So here is one of my problems. Just before I typed my last post, I was hungry, so I had a snack. No problem. But now I'm not hungry anymore, but I want to keep eating. I enjoy the sensation; I enjoy the activity. But I'm not hungry anymore. So I'm going to stay on the computer a while longer in effort not to eat anything else.
10.1.08

361.1

I'm starting again today. I did better with my portions, and only ate when hungry. I actually ate a piece of fruit, too!

Rough plan for tomorrow: Another serving of fruit. Moderate portions. At least 2 flights of stairs.

I go to the doctor for my work-mandated physical, which my annual apparently did not count for, on the 22nd, and I want to see how much I can lose by then. And I was going to type that I'm only gonna weigh once a week, but we all know better than that.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

9/14/08

354.6

First time I've seen a number below 355 for awhile, and I'm happy about that.

I did not lose enough weight to fit into the Colts shirt. However, I decided I didn't want to give it away, so I had it altered. It looks pretty good, too. I'll take a pic and get it posted soon.

I've actually gone on a couple of walks in the last 2 weeks. Doesn't sound like much, but considering I've been pretty much sedentary the entire summer, it is progress. Next week-end, with my Fit Chix group at church, I'll be going to Zumba. I'll keep you posted about that.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

8.6.08

360

Bummer. It's only 1.4 lb up over last week, but still... I've got to start going in the right direction.

I bailed on Shauna for Zumba. Sorry Shauna :( I stayed up too late last night, again, and am too tired. Of course, if I got more sleep, I would have more energy to exercise, and would probably not eat as much, because I'd have more energy. It's a vicious, stupid cycle. I'll try to get to Zumba next week and report back.

I did get my stairs in at lunch.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

8.5.08

I'm listening to an 80's CD my friend Jeff made for me. The 80's rawk!

Eating has been better most of yesterday, and definitely today.

One of my goals this week is to climb at least 2 flights of stairs each day. So far, I have. And I plan to go to Zumba w/Shauna tomorrow after work. I'll probably get my butt kicked, but in a fun way!

Weigh in is tomorrow; I'll post it and about Zumba.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

7.27.08

It's been a pretty undisciplined couple of weeks, although I have eaten better the last 2 days. I spoke with Rebecca, my health educator from my insurance, and I ran into Jean, the doctor who is running the study I participated in at ISU, and both occasions have kind of embarassed me into working harder. Not thru any fault of theirs; I just feel like I have let them down. But that's all about me, not anything they've done. Maybe I can use my neurosis to work for good!

I bought some individual packs of cottage cheese, and some cheese curd. It was cheaper than string cheese at the store I was at, and I can make my own packages up. I boiled some eggs, too. All of these things will be handy snacks at work. Easy to eat, and not carby.

Got a lot of exercise Saturday toting stuff out to the car and into Hulman center. At least it felt like a lot; I am so out of shape. I meant to do something today, but I was really enjoying a lazy day; it was a really busy week last week. I want to go to Zumba with my friend Shauna sometime soon. She really enjoys it, and it sounds like fun.

I'm switching my anti-depressant med, that I take for generalized anxiety disorder, from Zoloft to Pristiq. It works on both serotonin and norepinephrine, the latter of which is supposed to give you more energy. I could use that. Maybe it will help motivate me to exercise. The info says that one of the side effects is loss of appetite. That would rock!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

7.20.08

353.3 as of 7.17

Should have posted this a few days ago, but I've been busy cross stitching a bib for my niece's baby shower.

Eating has been pretty carby the last few days. Not sure if it's because it's TOM, or just that I've been lazy.

Gotta go pay bills...

Monday, July 14, 2008

7.14.08

Eating was a bit better today. Proper portions for breakfast, lunch, and morning snack. For an afternoon snack, I had a chicken salad sandwich leftover from lunch. I would have been satisfied with half of it, but of course, I ate all of it. But here's the good part. I usually would go home and eat (another) dinner with Sean. But he was hungry right after work, and I wasn't, so he went to Subway. I waited awhile after we got home, and at about 1/2 a cucumber with some french onion dip. So it ended up being kinda balanced.

I had a meeting for church over desert at Cracker Barrel tonight. I had a root beer float made with diet Stewart's root beer and no sugar added ice cream. The ice cream pretty much cancelled out the diet taste of the root beer, and it was a guilt free treat! Then when I got home, I was hungry, so I had 2 slices of cheese and 5 slices of pre-cooked bacon. A good, high protein snack.

So I feel like things evened out today. I'm happy that I didn't use one bad choice as an excuse to blow the rest of the evening.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

7.13.08

Happy Birthday to Me!

I have indulged some in the last few days, but it hasn't been an entire day-long indulgence any day. Thursday was a carb-o-lishous lunch, and Friday night was bunco, which is always an eating-fest. Yesterday, my only splurge was a thin-mint blizzard, which was TOTALLY worth it! And tonight I had a double cheeseburger fixed by my DH for my birthday dinner, and a brownie w/mini Reese's cups and ice cream for my birthday desert. So I have indulged, but I haven't felt out of control. I think it has helped that I've not used it as an excuse to eat lousy all day, just part of the day. I'll weigh again on Wednesday and see how I've done.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

7.09.08

354

Down 1.5 lbs since Monday. WooHoo!

I'm not in a very good mood, and I'm obsessive, and I want to go eat. But I had dinner, probably too much. I am not at all hungry. DH & I split an order of mushrooms and hot wings at Moggers. Yeah, I know batter dipped and deep fried mushrooms aren't exactly low carb, but my portion was appropriate. And the wings were not breaded. I was really jonesing for some ice cream, but all we have is regular at home, and I wanted sugar-free. So I had 2 chocolate coins. Yes, sugar, but again in appropriate amounts. It could have been a lot worse. So I called my friend Shauna to discuss my obsessing, and I feel better. And I know the other things bothering me from work are more about my perspective than reality. And I know it will all pass. So I'm blogging to avoid eating. And I have a really good book to read when I'm done, I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Plus, Baby Borrowers is on tonight, and She's Got the Look, and I have an ep of Whose Wedding Is It Anyway DVR'd, so I have plenty to distract me.

Monday, July 07, 2008

7.7.08

355.5

Well, I know it's only one day, but so far so good. 2.6 lbs down from my last recorded weigh-in. And it got higher than that in the week before vacay. I hit an all-time high, and I don't really want to tell you what that was. It was just very nice to weigh less after vacay than before.

Maybe it's all the sleep I got last week, or maybe fewer carbs, but I wasn't as sluggish today. I had my usual 1 can of diet pop (diet Code Red rawks!), but no Vitalert.

The lack of discipline seems to be the root of most of my problems in life. So for this week I have set 3 goals:

1) Devotions every evening before I get too sleepy.
2) Getting ready for work on time.
3) Eating proper portions.

I'm not a morning person. Morning devotions do not work for me. I'm not giving God or anyone else my best in the morning. And if I do my devotions in the evening, then it prepares me for the next day.

I frustrate my DH constantly with my dilly-dallying around in the morning. I'm always running late. So I need to change this for both me and him.

That's how today went. We'll take it one day at a time, and see how tomorrow goes.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

7.6.2008

Hope you all had a great Independence Day! We had a cook-out with a few friends, and ate way too much.

I've been on vacay the past week, and my eating has alternated between bad and good. Inspired by my friend Shauna, I'm going to try fewer carbs, more protein. I'm not eliminating carbs all together, or even doing Atkins, just trying to limit my consumption. My fasting blood sugar from my blood work last month is evidence that it is not a bad idea. All my other blood work was good, though.

I'm going to try to eat most of my carbs early in the day, to get the kindling effect. I've prepared some snacks to keep in the fridge so I don't immediately go to the easy, carby pre-packaged snacks. That being said, there is still ice cream in the house. So if I have any of that, I need to control my portion. Two months left to get into that pink jersey...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

6.18.2008


Nearly 2 weeks since I last posted; since I determined to lose weight to fit in to the pink Colts shirt. Since I haven't been posting, you can probably guess how I've been doing. Why is it so easy to set a goal, but so difficult to achieve one?


Ten weeks to go. I can still do this.


Ten weeks till football season? ALRIGHT!!!! Even if I don't make my goal, football will soon be back. WooHoo!


Ate way too much today during the day. Did pretty well for dinner, though. We went to a local restaurant, the Saratoga, tonight for "Tapas at the Toga." So I ate small portions at a very leisurely pace. Good company, too, as our friends Chuck and MaryAnn joined us.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

6.5.08

WARNING!!! THE PICTURES BELOW ARE NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!!!






I've been wanting a pink Colts jersey for awhile now. They had them at K-mart tonight, in a ladies 2x. Problem is, a 2x is not big enough for me. I bought it anyway. I'm going to use it for inspiration. My goal is to wear it for the Colts first regular season game, September 7. Which is a Sunday, so I plan to wear it to church that night, too. BTW, although I love Peyton, it is a Bob Sanders jersey. Gotta spread the love around. I'd really love to have a Jeff Saturday or Freddy Keiaho jersey. Maybe after I meet this goal.



3 months. Will I be committed enough to make the change? Will I wait till the last minute and try to do it all at once, like I usually do? That won't work. I'm going to have to make consistent changes to reach this goal. The first thing I'm going to do; tomorrow at work, I will climb at least 3 flights of stairs. I did remember to do a mini-meditation today before I had my morning snack. I slowed down, focused on my breath for several breaths, and assessed how hungry I was, how full I felt, and how satisfied I felt. I need to remember to do that before I eat meals, too.



So anyhow, here are the scary pictures. And yes, I am embarrassed to post them. But I say that this is a place to get real. It doesn't get much more real than this, bay-bee! I figure that most of you reading this love me, and will be kind. (please, at least, fake it.) And if there are any haters lurking out there, well, I don't have time for you. I only have 3 months to reach this goal.



Again, these pics are not for the squeamish. You were warned...





Wednesday, June 04, 2008

6.4.08

358.1

Down 1 lb, without even trying much! If I put some effort into it this week, it could be more next week!

Goals for this week: at least 64 oz water a day, smaller portions, and eating more slowly and mindfully. I am going to try to do my meditations from the ISU study at least twice this week.

Monday, June 02, 2008

6.2.08

So what am I doing up at almost 1 am, writing on my blog? Well, I went to bed around 11. I've been staying up too late recently and wanted to go to bed earlier. So I turned in w/the DH. Went to sleep pretty easily. And just woke up a few minutes ago with the leg on the side I was sleeping on asleep. No big deal, right? Just turn over, you'll be fine. Ahh, but not so simple for my addled brain. For some reason, this throws me into a mild panic attack. Not full on, but I can feel the fear washing over me. I won't go into the specifics, because they're not the least bit rational, but I decided lying there in the dark wasn't the best thing to do, so I got up. I'll get on the computer awhile, and maybe watch some tv if I need too. I am really sleepy, though, so I hope I can go back to bed soon. This is the second attack I've had in the last month or so. Neither major, and in each I've been aware of what was going on. But I don't know why they've resurfaced. My fears all involve medical stuff. I know, I'm in the wrong profession. I've been pretty caffeinated this week-end. This whole week, actually. And recently one of my good friends lost her mother. And today, I met a woman much younger than me who is living through the end of a fatal disease. So maybe those things have triggered my obsessions. Whatever it is, I didn't want to lie there in the dark and ruminate. And I WILL NOT go get on WebMD. Sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

So anyway, I did pretty well with my eating today. Great breakfast, big lunch, too many cocktail weenies wrapped in croissants in green room, but veggies and lots of fruit. Two pieces of pizza and more fruit for dinner after church, and one bite of Sean's cake. Not great, but not too bad. Heavy on the salt, though. Need to be more careful of that, and drink more water.

I'm finally going to community band rehearsal tonight. I practiced some Saturday. I used a different mouth piece with a slightly wider lip; we'll see how that does with stamina. I may switch back to the other. And this will be the first time since college that I've used a double horn. Weighs more. Weight was an issue last year, just because I hadn't played in so long. And that was with a single. So we'll see how it goes. I won't be surprised if I'm sore on Tuesday.

I'm getting pretty sleepy, so we'll try this bed thing again. Wish me luck.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

5.29.08

Tired and hungry. Not a good combination.

I ate well yesterday, until I got home from rehearsal. I had to go to Wal-Mart afterwards to pick up a b-day present for my father-in-law, and was hungry, because we had supper early. Rehearsal got over at 9:30. I bought a bag of cheesy pop-corn puffs, and ate a little more than half the bag while reading. I should have just poured out the 2 cup serving, and I'm sure I would have been plenty happy.

Today, did well with eating until supper. We went to Olive Garden. I did eat too much, but not as much as I would have in the past. Three breadsticks, half of the smoked mozzerella fonduta, salad, and I actually brought half of my chicken Milanese home! So a little progress, a little area for further improvement.

BTW, the limoncello lemonade at Olive Garden is DIVINE!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

5.27.08

359.1. Honestly, not my highest weight recently. But here is where I begin again.

It was raining after work, so no walk or yard work, except trimming a few branches from our tree-bush out front. However, my portions today were much better, and I had fruit with lunch and as a snack! I bought a couple of bananas to eat over the next couple of days.

Monday, May 26, 2008

5.26.2008

I've been eating like a pig this week-end, knowing that I've decided to start tomorrow working on eating right again. My main concentrations for this week will be portion sizes and more fruits and vegetables. And more water.

Right now, although I'm not the least bit hungry, I want something to eat. So, sugar free popsicles to the rescue. 15 calories each. And for some reason, I always have to eat 2. So 30 calories, and my mouth is occupied and my urge to eat is satisfied.

Exercise hasn't been happening lately, except for working in the butterfly garden one night. Still brake problems with the new bike. It's been rainy, too, and the DH has been wonderful and not making fun of me! Tomorrow night, we hope to take a walk and mulch my other, smaller flower bed.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

5.15.2008

I commented to a friend over dinner tonight that I only blog when things are going well, eating wise, and realized that this might be more useful to me if I blog when things aren't going at all, too.

I'm hovering around the same weight, I think. I haven't weighed in a couple of weeks. I'll have a few good eating days, followed by several bad. Work has calmed down, so I can't blame it on stress. Just don't feel like being disciplined right now.

We have walked more this spring than last, but I need to do more. I'm buying a bicycle this week. And to keep the DH from ridiculing me for my latest unused fitness purchase (DDR, stability ball...) I need to make a plan for riding and stick to it. Plus I think exercising again will get me wanting to eat right.

So I'll try to check in here more often, good or bad. And maybe not even eating related. Maybe we'll just chat. After all, I am about more than just my weight, and so is my journey.

Monday, April 21, 2008

4.21.2008

Eating went well this week-end. I got inspired Saturday by a cooking show, and made brown rice w/roasted veggies (zucchini, red and yellow pepper, and onion, and a lot of spices, and olive oil) and baked chicken. Sunday, fixed some pasta w/turkey ham, peas, olive oil and parm. Even did okay today, and got in a walk this afternoon. Had a subway foot long for dinner (roast beast, one of 6 under 6, so even at a foot long, not too bad. and loaded it up w/veggies) Then what do I go and do? Eat a half a box of cheese-its. GAAAA!!!

But let's focus on the good. One slip, lots of good. And I will get right back on the good wagon.

And I think I know what knocked me off the wagon...sugar. After lunch, I had a small snack-size bag of skittles to get rid of the Chinese food breath. Then I had some peanut brittle. So, let's be honest...3 bad things to all the good. Still, I will get right back on the good wagon. All is not lost. My health educator from my insurance company called last week, and she reminded me not to beat myself up. (that doesn't count as exercise; right Shauna?!?!) When I slip, and I will, (or maybe even jump feet first!) I need to get over that, and be more careful for a few days to compensate for the infraction. I can do that. I can be positive and supportive of myself. I didn't blow everything with one (or 3) slips. I am still learning to eat in a more healthy and appropriate manner.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

4.13.2008

Went to a new Chinese buffet in town tonight. Grand opening special, 50% off coupon. They had a large, varied selection, including sushi. I put into practice the concept we learned in my mindful eating training of gourmet, not glutton. I had a little of many different things. I left food on my plate if I didn't like it, and didn't feel guilty about it. I ate a little too much, but left feeling a little past full, not stuffed, miserable and bloated like I would have in the past.

I was talking to Sean afterwards about how I feel a buffet is kind of a waste of money if you're not going to put on the feed bag, unless you have the 50% off coupons like we did. He suggested I see it as a way to try a lot of different things, not to eat too much. I think that was mentioned in the mindful eating training, too. So that's how I'm going to look at a buffet now. Not that I still want to go very often. Still feels pretty tempting.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

4.6.2008

Spring is finally here. We have taken 2 walks in 2 days. We walked around our neighborhood for 20 minutes yesterday, and at Fairbanks Park for about 15 minutes after breakfast today.

We went to Cracker Barrel this morning, and our meal sharing has continued. I got an omelet, and Sean got pancakes, and we split them, so we both got some carbs and some protein. We did this a couple of nights ago at La Familia de Jeshua, too. We both got spinach salads, and split a calzone. Sharing meals seems to be a way for us to indulge a bit and control portions.

Had my last session for the study at ISU yesterday. We were to take 2 foods for a meal; 1 healthy and 1 not so healthy. I took cottage cheese as my not so healthy, and explained my experiment to them. I took my homemade salsa and baked scoops for the healthy. You get about 15 scoops for 120 calories, and my salsa is just tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and salt and pepper; very low in calories and chock full of good nutrients. And if you have your own bowl of salsa, you can double dip those 15 scoops as often as you want!

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

4.1.2008

350.5

Well, the changes I'm making must be having a good effect. I'm down 1 lb officially. 4.5 lbs from Saturday, to be painfully honest.

When the weather finally clears, we are going to start walking again. Tonight after work was cold and windy. Rain is predicted the rest of the week, but the week-end should be nice.

My cottage cheese experiment is going well. It took me 4 days to go through a 24 oz carton, and Sean even got a serving!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

3.29.08

It's been a murderous 3 weeks at work. New computer system, lots of O.T., lots of stress. I have been exhausted, and haven't wanted to think about what I've been eating. So I haven't been. I've been using food as solace. The good thing is, I've been hovering around the same weight, so I haven't done too much damage.

I started back with mindful eating today. And I'm doing an experiment with my beloved cottage cheese. Maybe if I make it more common, I won't feel the need to gobble it all down so quickly. So I bought 2 cartons yesterday. I can have a little every day. It's going to be there, so I can always have more. One of the girls in the ISU study suggested cottage cheese on an english muffin with jam. I don't like sweet so much with my cottage cheese, so this morning I had a lightly butter sourdough english muffin with 2/3 cup cottage cheese. A little bland. Tomorrow, I will add something else. Maybe some bacon, or perhaps some pasta sauce. I know, sounds weird, but I like weird.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

3.13.08

We went for another walk today. This time around the outside of Collett Park, which is about a mile. I really enjoyed it. It has been SOOOOOOOOO stressful at work, and it was good to get outside and walk it off. Shake off all the work ickies. Plus a nice time to reconnect w/Sean.

And it was a beautiful day today, although it had started clouding up by the time I got off work. It was starting to rain at the end of our walk.

I think we will continue to walk at Collett Park this spring. It's just a few blocks from work, and once we get home, we tend not to walk. As it gets warmer, I can take shorts to change into.

We saw 20 squirrels today! The squirrels at this park are pretty used to people, and don't get too excited.

Eating has been better today. Not so much last night, though. Still feeding the stress.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

3.11.08

Well, my husband yelled at me recently for not updating my blog, so here I am.

Nothing much (good) to report. Although we did take a nice walk at Collett Park tonight. It was the first nice day in a long time. Today wasn't so much about distance as it was just getting out and getting started.

Eating was HORRIBLE last week. I've been stressed out at work, tired, and was PMSing. Bad combo. Haven't even cracked open my mindful eating stuff. I've just been medicating with food.

Haven't been doing many stairs, either. They are hard! But I need to get more in.

That's pretty much it for my excuses.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

2.26.08

WooHoo! I have reached the peak of Mt.Marcy! Yay me!

I actually thought I had hit it at work today, but it turns out that I was 10 steps short; I didn't write down how many steps I needed to complete it. So I just went and climbed up and down the basement stairs.

Tomorrow, I will climb up the stairs to get to the 2nd floor, but I'm not dragging my fat a** up 6 flights. It's hard!!! Some little skinny thing said she did the Mini last year, and the stairs are harder. I don't doubt it!

I also got to move my weight loss ticker. I had been above my "official" start weight for a few weeks. But I finally seem to be getting somewhat of a handle on portion size, and I have managed to lose. Now, as my friend Shauna says, "onward and downward."

Friday, February 22, 2008

2.22.08

I'm almost at the peak of Mt.Marcy! 458 steps. 2-3 days worth of climbing, depending on how I feel. WooHoo!

We had the first of the sessions for the ISU weight loss study I was in the wait group for last Saturday. It is mindfulness based eating. I think I'm doing pretty good so far. Not perfect, by any means, but I am being much more careful about the portions I eat. Most of the time. Tuesday, I made a very conscious choice to eat for comfort. But it was my choice; it was not an accident, I wasn't out of control; I made the choice. Dinner is still my hardest time not to eat too much. But I'm making progress. We meet again next Saturday.

Weight is still hovering around the same area. I'll be glad when I have a downward change to report. But for now, getting in my stairs and working on portion control is a great start.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

2.14.08

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wasn't going to post, but since I posted triumphs yesterday, I suppose I should be honest and post not-so-triumphant stuff today. Not completely bad, mind you, but I could have stopped before I did. The basic problem is that I'm up way too late. I'm a late night girl forced into an early morning world. So I'm up watching a couple of hours of tv after choir rehearsal (although not Survivor, because for some reason my DVR didn't record it), and I go to put up the leftovers from dinner. Had to pick the rest of the chicken off the bone. It's after 11, and I'm actually hungry, and there was a biscuit left (I had 3 at dinner!), so I ate it with some butter. If I had stopped there, it would have been fine. But there were some veggies left, too. Veggies, you say, that's not so bad. But I pitched the carrots and celery, and just ate the potatoes with a LOT of butter and salt. So there, if confession is good for the soul, maybe it will be good for the hips, too!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

2.13.08

I was right. The weight gain was just a bump from a glutoneous week-end. Back to where I was before.

I made some good and bad eating choices today. I had a donut this morning. One of the girls at work also works at a convenience store and makes the donuts, and she brought in heart shaped donuts today. It was yummy! But, I have steadfastly ignored the M&M's another girl put out. I did have 2 Oreos after dinner tonight, but only 2, and I made each one last 6 or 8 bites, and really enjoyed them.

Then, after supper while watching last night's Biggest Loser, I wanted bologna and cheese, just because it was there. I wasn't hungry. So instead, I drank a lot of water and got out my stability ball. I did 70 crunches, and 3 sets of 15 each of biceps curls, skull crushers, chest presses and butterflies on the ball. Then I called a girlfriend (Hi Shauna!) to get some strokes for making good choices. (Thanks, Shauna!) When we got done talking, I was actually hungry, so I headed for the kitchen. But instead of the bologna and cheese, I had a Dannon Frusion Smoothie. Strawberry blend. In the past, I have found bottled yogurt smoothies too thick, and a little gross. But these were on sale last week 10 for $10, so I bought a couple. I hope they're still on sale, because they are a good snack option to have around. 260 calories, 3.5g fat.

Monday, February 11, 2008

2.11.07

My eating has gone much better today. In part, due to the number I saw on the scale today. UGH!!!! I will not post that number, as I hope it doesn't stay around. I hope to be back to the similarly ugly, yet slightly better number I posted as my new starting weight soon.

Gotta go watch the puppies now!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

2.9.08

As you can see, I'm over half way to Mt.Marcy. I'm pretty excited. And I think I'm about ready to change my eating. I'm really unhappy with myself, and I think I'm ready to do something about it. I bought some fruit, and some yogurt, as an excuse to have healthy snackage around. I'm I'm starting back with the no second helpings. Not so much last night, though. I subbed at bunco, and ate like a pig. But that was yesterday, and today is today. I've done a bit better today.

BTW, the knee was fine the next day. Just something weird, I guess. I need to start adding in some other exercise, too.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

2.6.08

Tonight, for the first time in a long time, I didn't eat after dinner, when I wasn't really hungry, just because it was there. It feels good to exercise a little bit of control. I did want to eat, but since I'm not hungry, I talked myself out of it. Pats on the back for me!

I only did 150 stairs today. I did those before work. Sometime mid-morning, my right knee had some sharp pains when getting up and down out of my chair. I took some ibuprofen, and it felt better, but still slightly wonky, so I didn't do any stairs at lunch. I'll start back in tomorrow morning, and see how it feels. I'm really surprised I don't have constant knee pain, considering the weight I'm making them lug around.

Friday, February 01, 2008

2.1.08

The stair climbing is going really well. My beginning goal was 200 steps daily. Next week, when I go back to work on Tuesday, I'm going to increase that to 300 steps daily, which is the entire building twice. I'll give that a little while, and then may increase it again. My recovery time is getting better, and I am going a bit faster. I'm still stopping every other flight. I hope to increase that to 3 flights before I stop by the end of the 6 weeks.

My eating is not going so well. I have faced the fact that I don't really want to change my eating right now. I think as I continue the stair climbing and get back into exercising that my attitude will change. But that's just where I am right now.

Monday, January 21, 2008

1.21.08

Well, I started my ascent on Mt. Marcy today. The fitness center in the building I work at is sponsoring a Climb to Fitness contest. Details are below.

The P.O.B. has 150 steps or “feet” and the Hospital has 128 steps or “feet” in the main stairwell. Participants are to count their steps throughout the day and turn in a weekly log by email or at the front desk of the Fitness Center. The daily log should be in “feet” or steps taken. During this six week program, for every peak you conquer, you will receive a t-shirt with that peak’s name.

Three mountain peaks will represent each level.

Mount Marcy – elevation 5,344 feet
(178 steps daily, 5 days/week for 6 weeks)

Mount Marcy, at 5,344 ft (1,629 m), is the highest mountain in the
Adirondack Mountain Range and the highest point in New York State. It is a popular destination for hikers due to its stature and great views, and the peak can get very crowded in the summer months. The mountain is located in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region in the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

Mount St. Elias – elevation 18,008 feet
(600 steps daily, 5 days/week for 6 weeks)

Mount Saint Elias is the second highest
mountain in both the United States and Canada, being situated on the Alaska and Yukon border. The U.S. side of the mountain is located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, while the Canadian side is part of Kluane National Park. It lies about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada.

Mount Everest – elevation 29,028 feet
(1040 steps daily, 5 days/week for 6 weeks)

Mount Everest, also called Chomolungma or Qomolangma (
Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ) or Sagarmatha (Nepali: सगरमाथा) is the highest mountain on Earth, as measured by the height of its summit above sea level. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. By the end of the 2006 climbing season there had been 3,050 ascents to the summit by 2,062 individuals, and at least 630 more ascents in 2007. There have been more than 200 deaths on the mountain, where conditions are so difficult that most corpses have been left where they fell; some are visible from standard climbing routes.
I may climb more that the 5344 feet, but I don't think I'll make it to Mt. St. Elias. Still, I figure this will get me off of my butt and back into exercising. Today went pretty well, with 202 steps. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow. I plan to do about 200 steps/day, breaking it up into 2 sessions.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

1.9.08

Well, in a day where I have eaten a bit too much, but not as much as this week-end, I have made a few good choices. Right now, as I type, I am sitting on my stability ball. More on that later. Earlier today, I was feeling stressed at work. As usual. But I reminded myself that eating a donut would do nothing to relieve my stress, and would probably just add to it. After lunch, I wanted something sweet. But I just sat there a while, and then I didn't want it anymore. And after dinner tonight, I wanted something sweet. But instead of the chocolate donettes I wanted, I opted for a grape water flavor thingie. I thought about having a skinny cow ice cream sandwich, but I had the grape instead.

I did weigh today. I'm not going to post it. I ate a lot of salty stuff in the last 2 days, and I hope that is some explanation. Technically, Friday is the day I posted my weight, so maybe I'll weigh again then.

So, about this stability ball. I got the Gold's Gym Stayball at WalMart. Nineteen bucks, and I've always wanted one. I looked EVERYWHERE on the box to see if there was a weight restriction. It said for this through that height, but no mention of weight. It also says it is burst resistant. So I'm thinking I'm okay. I get it home and inflate it last night. When I open up the instructions to inflate, found deep within the box in a little bitty bag, it says "not for use by persons over 250 lbs." WHAT!!! Bite my big white a**!!!! If there is a weight restriction, it should be on the OUTSIDE of the box. I decided, what the heck, if it bursts I'm only out $19, so I gave it a shot. And since none of you heard a sonic boom, you can assume it has so far remained intact. I am going to send Gold's Gym an e-mail, though. I'm trying to get fit; make it easier for me, not harder.

So I did 55 crunches on the ball; 25 straight on and 10 toward each side. 15 hamstring curls, where you start with the ball under your calves and roll it up toward your butt, and 5 ball transfers, where you pass the ball from your legs to your arms and over your head and back. It's harder than it sounds, especially after the crunches. I just stretched some, too. My upper abs started getting sore this afternoon, so I must have done something right!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

1.8.08

The devotional I read today addresses depression, but it applies to my eating, too. And is pretty much what we studied in Scale Down. As a man thinks, so he is. (Prov. 23:7). I think that I will never lose the weight. I think that I cannot eat proper, healthy portions of healthy food, so I don’t. Can I really change my thinking?

Lord, help. I want to be healthy and thinner, but I don’t want to do the work. Can you change my attitude, so that I will do the work?

“We allow our minds to drift. We do not take charge of our thinking processes. We are undisciplined mentally. Undisciplined thinking will always flows to our greatest weaknesses. The human mind will always set itself on something! We just have to decide what the setting will be. A mind filled with wrong thinking becomes fertile soil for temptations of all kind.”

My greatest weakness: food. Or really, comfort. The temporary, fleeting comfort that food brings. Why do I trade that for the disappointment that lingers much longer? The dissatisfaction that is pretty much always there? What should I do, where should I turn for that comfort instead? Yes, I know, Jesus. But you can’t usually touch and feel and see and smell him. I need something immediate. Can he be that immediate comfort if I let him? I hope so.

Monday, January 07, 2008

1.7.08

Over-ate from Saturday night all through Sunday. Did better today, though, except for a too-large snack before I left work.

I bought an exercise ball tonight. It looks like a large part of the exercise will be inflating the thing by hand! Since tomorrow is Biggest Loser, I'll inflate/use it then.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

1.4.08

351.3

Yes, I am weighing too often. But I really wanted to see that number go down. I will not weigh again until next Wednesday, which is my next official weigh-in day.

Still no exercise, but doing well with no second helpings. And my devotional time, which is really the foundation for everything.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

1.3.08

353.1

I did weigh in yesterday, and I was right; it wasn't pretty. I weighed again this morning, and it was no better, so I'm posting it. And I've adjusted my ticker for a new start weight.

I did well in eating yesterday, until I got home. That is my hardest time. I was thinking about it last night, and I don't know if it is that it is so hard not to eat, but that it is so easy to eat. I HAVE to change that. I need to keep myself busy. Yesterday, it was a comfort thing, because I wasn't feeling well. So I should go snuggle w/Sean to get that comfort fix!

I didn't exercise yesterday since I didn't feel well. Still not feeling so well tonight; felt kinda feverish after work, so no exercise. I know, it's just an excuse. But I didn't overeat today, so that is a victory!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

1.1.08

Happy New Year!

I have started off the new year trying to do some things right. I did overeat breakfast and lunch, but did really well for dinner. I have drank almost 3 liters of water today, too.

I watched Biggest Loser tonight. I'm rooting for Betty Sue & Ali. And this season, instead of eating (!!!!!) while watching, I am going to work out. I did 3 sets 15 each of bicep curls, overhead triceps extensions, butterflies and overhead shoulder presses, with 10 lb weights. I also did some stretching and 70 crunches.

So, working on the whole small changes add up to big differences principle, my small changes for this week are:

1) no second helpings (sound familiar?)
2) exercise at least 3 times, for at least 20 minutes

I'm trying to be realistic and set achievable goals.

I am going to weigh in tomorrow. It will not be pretty.

I took some Biggest Loser style pictures tonight. They ARE NOT for public consumption. Maybe someday. But for now, they're just for my comparison. I will do measurements, too.