Booth or Table?

Weight Watchers Points Plus Program

2011-08-16T21:18:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll. Long time no writeroonie.

I'm happy to say that I joined Weight Watchers almost 2 weeks ago, and have already lost 7 pounds! I don't know why ... maybe it's all the summer produce .... big fat tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob, crisp green beans, plump cherries and juicy peaches ... but it seems a lot easier this time.

Another thing in my favor? Everyone I know is trying to lose weight too! All my co-workers are trying hard to eat healthier ... all my friends are on Weight Watchers with me ... and my hubbers is trying hard right along with me. Christina and Dylan and Madison joined a family gym and are getting healthy too. Heath and Annie practice healthy eating, and Eddie plugs along at going to the gym and maintaining his wonderful weight loss success from several years ago.

So I tell ya ... how can I not succeed now!

I have to admit the first few days of portion control were hard. But now that Weight Watchers doesn't assign points to fruits and vegetables, it made it much easier to get over that hump.

I'm looking forward to being in control and posting some real progress!

5 Months!

2011-06-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

Wowzee, I just checked my blog and realized it's been 5 months since I've written.

Some good things have been happening, though. The art class is going great. I entered my second painting into a show and it got accepted. Didn't sell, but it got on the wall, and alot of people came on opening night. it was a lot of fun. The show was called, "Feast for the eyes" and my painting was of Madimoo looking through a cake dish at some cupcakes. See below:

I just finished another painting of Madimoo that I am going to enter into the "Liberty" show and I'm going to entitle the picture "Freedom of Expression." The show begins July 1 and runs through the 31st. Say a prayer that it will be accepted into the show!

We went on a great vacation to Newport, Rhode Island; Cape Cod, Massachussetts; and Old Saybrook, Connecticut. I'll post about that with some pictures next.

I also started a new job! Loving it so far.

I've also been living a little more simply (cooking more, painted my front door instead of buying a new one, put my own new mailbox up instead of paying someone to do it, etc.), and giving more to charity.

So those were all things on my to do list in January.

Now .... I know what you thinking ......the other thing on the list .... weight loss.

Oh man. What can I say? The scale needed dusting this morning. Need I say more?

Update

2011-01-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

It hasn't been a week yet, and I've lost 5 pounds. I'm pretty psyched. The 400 calorie meals are working out pretty good. This morning I had a very satisfying breakfast of:
1 fried egg (70)
one slice of double fiber wheat toast (100)
2 pieces of low sodium bacon (70)
1 cup of blackberries (70)
light butter (50)
hot tea

If it stops friggin snowing, I want to get 1/2 tuna salad on multi-grain (240); 1 cup of chicken nooodle soup (100) and 1/2 cafe classic salad (80) at Paneras for lunch.

Dinner will be a Healthy Choice frozen entree, salad, and an orange.

We were supposed to get snow showers. Looks like a friggin blizzard to me.

Update on Hubs

2011-01-25T07:25:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

My sweetie pie went to the doctor yesterday. He lost 5 pounds and his blood pressure was down to 110/70! We were both ecstatic. He wasn't counting calories. I made meals for him at home, without added salt and used ingredients that had no added salt and low-sodium products (i.e., no salt added tomatoes, low-sodium chili seasoning, etc.). He ate healthy stuff, yogurt, fruit, salad, baked chicken, low-salt chili, sandwiches on whole grain bread, steamed vegetables without added salt, and steamed rice. We did go out to dinner over the weekend, and he did get what he wanted, but it was pretty darn healthy -- grilled mahi mahi, mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables, and half a dinner roll. And Sunday he ate more grilled fish, mashed potatoes, salad, and broccoli.

I'm finally getting into mental readiness for healthier living as well. I've shared with you all before that I am definitely a stress eater. While I was preparing all kinds of healthy things for Hubs, I was sneaking a doughnut here and there. But his good results, and being scared by recent events, I'm back on plan with the 400 calorie meals.

I've started the painting classes on Sundays, and they are really helping me with stress. When I walked into that art class for the first time, I felt I had come home. The smell of oil paints, paint thinner, and clay from the pottery class..... HEAVEN! I completed a small, and simple, still life with a bowl of fruit, and will be working on a new project this week. I definitely am feeling happier, and more balanced.

This morning I started out with my two of my old friends ... skinny cinnamon dolce latte and an apple bran muffin. I bought Healthy Choice entrees and fruit for lunches.

I'll keep you posted.

Hello Again

2011-01-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. We had a bit of a scare in our family. Everything is okay, but because of it, we are making some lifestyle changes. It seems life in your 50's is all about coming to grips with the fact that our bodies are betraying us, little by litte. If we are to soldier on to a good, and healthy, old age, we can't continue in our old habits. No more workaholic hours, cokes, coffee, french fries, and doughnuts. No more evenings just watching TV.

Things we all hear everyday, but it hits a little closer when someone you love ends up in a hospital with scary symptoms.

Part of our lifestyle change is a low sodium diet. This is harder than it sounds. Sodium is EVERYWHERE. I planned out our meals for the week, and I basically bought natural foods -- unprocessed frozen vegetables and fresh vegetables, lots of fruit, oatmeal, low-fat cheese, lite yogurt, fat-free milk, whole grain bread, chicken, hamburger, and fish. I found myself spending an hour in the store just looking at the sodium content on labels. The vending machine is a definite no-no because the sodium in that stuff is outrageous.

A plus about eating a low-sodium diet is that it pretty much ensures that you are eating healthy stuff.

I made some low-sodium chili with the low-sodium McCormick chili seasoning (I only used half a packet to cut down even more, and used no salt added tomatoes, corn, and beans -- it wasn't bad ya'll. I also brought out some diet cookbooks and found a Weight Watcher's recipe for chicken pot pie, which we'll be having tonight. I'll let you know how that turns out.

3 pouds for the week

2011-01-10T07:43:00.000-05:00

Not the best, but I'll take it. Pretty good for not a whole lot of effort on my part.

Gonna Try Harder Today

2011-01-09T08:37:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday, and I've lost 3 pounds this week. I'm going to try to be extra good today and make that a 4 by tomorrow so that I can that total for the week.

Yesterday I had a sausage mcmuffin and and o.j. for breakfast.
Lunch was a very unhealthy bag of frito chips and hostess chocolate cupcakes. (I know! I know!) But ... I was at work and I wasn't able to get to the microwaves -- they were blocked off.
Dinner was grilled chicken and steak strips with red, green, and yellow peppers, and onions. (my low carb meal for the day).

Today I've started out better with oatmeal, yogurt and fruit.
I have to go to work today, so I'm taking a peanut butter on rye, some fruit, and pretzels.
Dinner will be a salad.

I'll let you know what the scale reveals tomorrow!

Lost 2 pounds

2011-01-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

I think the one good meal thing is working. I woke up 2 pounds lighter this morning. My menu changed last night from grilled cheese and soup to cheese ravioli with marina and 3 cocktail-size meatballs with unsweetened ice tea. I think the grilled chicken ceasar salad at lunch did the trick! We'll see how it works today.

I'm planning on having my low carb meal at dinner -- cobb salad at Mimi's. Breakfast was sausage mcmuffin and o.j. Lunch will be a healthy choice entree.

One Meal at a Time

2011-01-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

I am having a rough time getting in the wagon this time. I think the wagon is just going to have to slow down and I'm going to have to climb in slowly ..... like starting with one meal a day being the right kind of meal. And then working myself up to two good meals a day, and then eventually three. Of course I'll aim for more than one right one, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't make it.

Today I met that goal at lunch. Met the girls for a birthday celebration today. Had a grilled chicken ceasar salad and unsweetened tea. I managed to leave the bread alone.

I had a sausage mcmuffin, no egg, for breakfast and some o.j.

Dinner will be chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwich and some cut up oranges.

It's really cold out there ya'll. Brrrrrr!

Mac 'n' Cheese

2011-01-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

We had a farewell luncheon for one of our co-workers today. Here's what we ate:

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese
chicken and gravy
greens
potato salad
salad
rolls
sweet potato pie

You think the scale is going to go down tomorrow morning?

Me neither.

Lost a Pound

2011-01-06T07:45:00.000-05:00

Lost a pound.

Hopefully I'll never find it.

Getting it Right, or Not

2011-01-04T10:19:00.002-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

I definitely did not get it right yesterday. I didn't bring enough for lunch -- two lettuce wraps just didn't cut it. And I forgot my snack. I was starving when I got home. Tried to tamp it immediately with some hummus and pea pods. Yummeeeo. (Not!)

So I had every good intention of eating my chicken, broccoli, and brown rice for dinner, but then I got a call and joined my family at Steak 'n Shake.

If you're wondering if there's anything good at Steak 'n Shake ..... well, yeah. Just not good for you. A steak hotdog, fries, and double chocolate shake later, I wallowed on out to the car and rushed home to watch "The Bachelor." By the way, is the guy creepy or what? This is the dude that left two girls at the altar on a previous season. He's back after three years of getting to know himself and getting some therapy. He's a changed man.

The first girl out of the limo tells him she has a message from America, and slaps his face. And he says, "Thanks, I needed that. I like you even more because of that. I like your spice." He then goes on to give her a rose later that evening. What the !#$%&!

But I digress.

Today I'm doing alot of the 'heel of the hand to forehead" motions, and trying to get rid of the nightmarish visions of the scale this morning when it boinged a little higher than yesterday.

But I will prevail. I will conquer. I will not give up. Onward!

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Peapods -- Oh My!

2011-01-02T19:03:00.001-05:00

Image by toastforbrekkie via Flickr

In looking back at past blog posts it came to my attention that I am not a big fan of NO CARBS. So I'm modifying my eating plan to reflect Phase 2 of the South Beach diet, whereby you can add some fruit and a couple of servings of wholegrains.

In preparation of eating healthier this week, I went to the grocery store and spent $67.00 for the week. Not bad, huh?  Here's the menu plan for tomorrow:

Brkfst: Oatmeal, hardboiled egg, orange
Snack: peapods and red pepper strips with hummus
Lunch: 2 wraps: (rotisserie chicken, roasted red pepper, and feta cheese wrapped in romain lettuce leaves)
             grape tomatoes
Snack: 1oz cheddar cheese
             apple
Dinner: more rotisserie chicken, brown rice, steamed broccoli and two cups salad
Snack: sugar-free pudding

I'm ready for this.

Really I am!

I swear.

Oh you just wait.

You'll see.

In Preparation Of

2010-12-31T10:59:00.000-05:00

In about 14 hours, it will be 2011. I've been doing some reflecting the past few days of things I want to accomplish this coming year. I think I touched on this in a previous blog, but here is my final list:

1. Lose weight.

It's at the top of my list every year. Well, this past year I did manage to lose 15 pounds, and I kept off 10. That's not fantastic, nor mind-blowing. But it's a start. I seriously began my journey in late June, so I stilll have a few months to make up for lost time.

I spent some time these past few days going through all of my diet books and there is one that dominated the pile. South Beach. I have the original South Beach book, two South Beach cookbooks, South Beach SuperCharged, and numerous magazines that feature the plan. So maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. So I sat down and went through the cookbooks and the Phase 1 plan and wrote down my list of ingredients for the first week. I'll let you know how much this sets me back at the end of the week and I will do a daily rundown of how it's working.

2. Live More Simply

By this I mean spend less. I will live by the mantra "do I really NEED this?" I have enough clothes so that I do not have to buy anything for the next year. I don't need any furniture, or things for my house.

I will not be eating out much, because this wastes alot of money, and truthfully, I don't know what the heck they put in the food. It's definitely NOT doing me any favors. I have steadily gained over the years and it is largely due to the fact that I eat out almost all my meals and I have overburdened my body with fat, salt, and sugar.

I will worry less. This is living more simply, believe it or not. Do you know how much time and energy I waste on worrying? That also causes weight gain. Food has become my way of coping with stress. Sugar seems to be the drug of choice for tamping it down. I figure if I worry less, I might get less cravings. Bottom line .... I can't control anyone but myself.

3. Give More/Save More

The money I save on not eating out and by not buying so much stuff, I want to divide between giving more to charity, and saving more towards retirement.

4. Nurture my talents

I am starting an art class on January 9th . I want to be able to produce a painting worthy of selling by the end of 2011.

I have already begun working on a novel. My goal is to have something ready by December 1, 2011 to present to a publisher.

5. Refresh my Soul

I am not a big believer in organized religion. However, I do believe they serve a purpose. Like schools, I believe churches are integral in teaching people about love and forgiveness. How to distinguish from right and wrong. Now if they would just leave out the guilt and threats of hell, they would be perfect. Love and forgiveness. That's what makes the world a healthy place.

I believe our relationship with our Creator is just as individual and unique as our fingerprints. If a person becomes very quiet, and goes to a place where God is evident, they will begin that dialogue that brings them closer to Him. That place could be as dramatic as a mountain, an ocean, or a powerful storm where lightening strikes a little too close for comfort. Or it could be in their own backyard under a tree while birds are singing, or something as simple as seeing their baby in the morning light peacefully sleeping. We have all felt God on a deeper level. There's something in everyone's life that has taken their breath away, that made them want to say thank you to the person who made it possible.

This coming year, I want to love more perfectly. I want to forgive more readily. I want to commune more with my Creator. And finally, I want to continue being grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Christmas

2010-12-27T08:07:00.000-05:00

Image by Zanastardust via Flickr

On Christmas Eve, I donned my festive top, sparkly earrings and sparkly glasses, and Kevin wore his red plaid shirt, and we drove over to the Duckett's for dinner and a visit from Santa. Madison (aka Madimoo) is 3 and 1/2 years old, and boy was she lovin' Santa. She heard him knock on the door and ran to greet him and jumped up and down screaming, "It's Santa, It's Santa!"

Santa was perfection with his genuine white beard, but apparently took Michele Obama's weight loss campaign to heart, and lost some weight. The kids didn't mind. His red suit, merry smile and boisterous Ho! Ho! Ho! got them in the spirit real quick. While Santa read the "Night Before Christmas," Madimoo was in charge of the bell ringing, and her cousin, Haley, was in charge of turning the pages. Santa left out the part about the "The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth" and one of the kids noticed. So Santa mentioned how he had given up smoking the pipe a few years ago on account of how bad it is for ya. I thought that was pretty clever.

Now if you don't like Christmas, I suggest you go over to the Duckett's house. Every nook and cranny of their three story home is dressed up for Christmas. I counted seven trees, but there could have been more. My favorite is the upside down tree with presents on top, and the star on the floor, and grinch-themed ornaments hanging from the branches. A big old Grinch sits in a chair and guards the tree.

The dinner menu was full of home-made goodies that included two kinds of turkey, ham, meatballs, sausage balls, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn pudding casserole (Christina made it and it's my favorite!), coleslaw, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, and I don't know what else ya'll. It was all fabulous.

After Rudolph picked up Santa, we enjoyed homemade chocolate covered cherries, homemade mounds, red velvet cupcakes, pecan pie, other kinds of pies, cakes, and cookies.

Then while the children opened gifts, the adults drank some wine, and played a money game, where I won the pot! Beginner's luck!

Christmas day I was able to sleep in and enjoyed a leisurely day of watching some old movies and getting ready for Christina, Dylan, Madison and Eddie to join us for Christmas dinner. Heath and Annie are in Canada spending the holidays with her family this year.

Madison was very happy that Santa came to our house too, and she eagerly ripped open packages. One of her presents was a princess dress and necklace which she immediately put on and modeled for us.

Dinner was apple and raisin stuffed pork loins, twice baked potatoes, green bean almandine, spring green salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and rolls with butter. Dessert was coconut cake and cheesecake.

Dylan and Christina gave us a Magellan GPS device, which we will LOVE LOVE LOVE! We used theirs for a trip this past year and fell in love with it. Now to planning our trip across country!

Kevin gave me a book I wanted, a Wolf Kahn calendar (one of my favorite artists), a COACH purse (yeah, that's right!), and a Le Vian ring that will stop traffic. His Mama taught him well. He sure does know how to treat a lady right!

Heath called us from Canada, and I got so tickled when he told me what he got for Christmas. A juicer. I don't know, ya'll. Something about that cracked me up. I asked him .... "Did that thing, by chance, come with some doughnuts?" Hee hee. A juicer. Now if that ain't telling somebody something. That just might have put me in a bad mood.

Well, January 1st is coming here shortly. I guess that juicer will come in handy to get rid of all the excesses of the season. But until then, I'm going to enjoy these last few days of the year, and dig into my secret stash of homemade mounds bars!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

As I get older, I reflect more and more on Christmases past. I don't know if it is just pure nostalsia, but it seems things were Merrier when I was a kid. People greeted one another with "Merry Christmas!" every where. Christmas music played at all the stores. Santas were jollier, and the Salvation Army ringers were friendlier, and everyone put money in the bucket. People sang carols in neighborhoods. Me and my fellow youth choir members caroled through the cold and windy streets of Old Town Alexandria and then met back at the church hall for hot dogs, cookies, and hot chocolate.

The window displays in the stores in downtown DC were spectacular, and we would get dressed up and go downtown to see them. Of course we also stopped to see the National tree and the trees of the states. We went ice skating.

Everyone I knew had real Christmas trees. Getting the tree was a big deal. We would go to several lots to pick out the perfect one. Dad would take them out and spin them around and then stomp it to see how many needles would fall off. He would pull off a few needles and rub them between his fingers and smell them. He knew which one would last until the middle of January, and which would fall before Christmas. Decorating was a family event with Chrtistmas music playing followed by milk and cookies.

There were more parties. Every school had Christmas parties. Remember the Life Savers box of all the different flavors that a lot of kids bought as presents. We made snowflakes out of white paper and hung them on the windows. We would be sick at the end of the day from all the cookies and candy and soda.

Then there was the church youth group party, the neighborhood party, and then all the parties that my parents went to -- the minsister's party, the youth minister's party, their friends the Fittons had a huge party and they had the biggest house with the tallest tree flocked with fake snow. We would go to other parties too, my Dad's office party, my Mom's office party that was held at a hotel, and a few other parties that various people at church would host.

Every year we got together with two of their friends and we made candy the entire afternoon -- bark, divinity, and the candy that looked like stained glass and had a spicy taste. Then Mom would make peanut butter blossom cookies, and grandmother would make sugar cookies with green and red sprinkles.

Everybody in my neighborod believed in Santa. My Dad and I always left out two cookies and a glass of milk for him, and then in the morning, like magic, all the presents would be under the tree, and my handmade knit stocking would be stretched to the limit with all kinds of stuff.

Then Christmas morning, we would eat Christmas casserole (eggs, sausage and cheese) with crescent rolls, sliced oranges, and hot chocolate that I poured out of my miniature teapot.

It was grand.

I love Christmas.

Fruit and Oatmeal

2010-12-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

Started off today with some oatmeal, fruit and milk.

No promises here. Just trying to get by minute by minute, hour by hour, and see if I can get through the entire day eating healthier.

Lost 4 pounds --- And a Great Article

2010-12-18T11:27:00.000-05:00

Because of the fierce winter weather, I have not eaten out this past week, and lost 4 pounds without trying. I think it's the sodium (or lack of)! Found this great article, which I will try doing as well:

By Linda Rao

We came up with 25 ridiculously easy healthy eating tips — total no-brainers — that make impressive nutrition happen even on days when you're on autopilot. Do the Big Easies, and you'll automatically get seven servings of fruits and veggies, all the calcium you need, plenty of fiber and omega-3 fats, tons of healing antioxidants, and more.

And the payoffs? You improve your chances of fending off cancer, stroke, heart attack, and diabetes; have more energy; stay slimmer; keep your mind sharp; and sidestep urinary-tract infections.

Imagine it's a typical weekday, and you're busier than ever. Now, do the healthy eating Big Easies!

Healthy eating tips: 6 a.m – Rise and shine

You hit the snooze button for the last time and fumble your way into the kitchen. Now try these healthy eating tips:

1. Drink orange juice with added calcium. If you start the day with orange juice, don't miss the chance to get calcium, too. This superstar mineral fends off PMS, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. And the latest? It might even help you lose weight! Most calcium-fortified orange and grapefruit juices have as much calcium as milk — or more!
2. Take a multi. One little pill, such big benefits! People who take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement have dramatic reductions in the risk of colon cancer and heart disease, studies show. Another benefit: The folic acid in your multi is almost two times more absorbable than the form of this vitamin found in food.
3. Have "seven-gram" cereal. That means cereal with at least 7 grams of fiber per serving, because eating cereal is your easiest chance to get lots of fiber in a small package. Not only is fiber a cancer fighter, but it actually cancels out some of the calories you eat! For example, if you eat 30 grams of fiber a day — slightly more than double what most of us get — your body will absorb 120 fewer calories a day. That adds up to a 13-pound loss in a year!
4. Toss some blueberries on that cereal. Blueberries are youth berries. Even frozen blueberries are so packed with antioxidants that just a 1/2 cup can double the antioxidant power of most people's diets — something that experts suspect will slow down your aging clock. Blueberries actually reversed memory loss in one animal study!
5. Make your coffee with milk. If you make instant coffee with hot water, all you're getting is a wake-up call. Use milk, and you've got cafe au lait — along with insurance against osteoporosis from the calcium and vitamin D in the milk.
6. Drink a glass of water when you brush your teeth. You've got the water and the glass right there. So drink! Only one-third of all Americans get the recommended eight glasses daily. Think a little shortfall doesn't matter? Signs of mild dehydration include fatigue upon awakening, fatigue at midday, lack of concentration, and headaches.
Healthy eating tips: 8 a.m. – On the Job
With these healthy eating tips, snacks at work can make you healthier:
7. Take an apple to work. Put one on your desk in the morning, and an apple becomes see-food — the handiest snack to grab when the munchies hit. If it's not there, you'll be hunting for sticky buns or whatever else is around. In addition to apples being a low-cal snack, a recent study revealed that the lungs of apple-a-day eaters may have better protection against air pollution.
8. Stash nuts in your desk. Probably because nuts are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, magnesium, and phytochemicals, folks who snack on a small handful of them four or five times a week tend to live longer, several studies suggest. Just don't overdo it: One ounce of peanuts (approximately 1/8 cup) contains about 170 calories and 14 grams of fat.
Healthy eating tips: 11:30 a.m. – Grocery shopping
You dash out for groceries over your lunch hour. Here's how to be a healthy shopper even when you're on autopilot:
9. Buy better bread. If you eat white bread, you're eating vitamin-fortified starch. Whole-wheat bread has fiber, important nutrients such as selenium and copper, and a treasury of other healthy ingredients. Maybe that's why whole-grain eaters seem to have less diabetes, breast cancer, and heart disease. Just don't be fooled by a dark color: Unless the first ingredient includes the word "whole," it isn't whole-wheat bread.
10. Choose canola salad dressing. Are you a salad eater? Terrific! Now look for a dressing made with canola oil, rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). One study found that nurses who got more than 1 gram of ALA per day had half the number of fatal heart attacks.
11. Be picky about decaf tea. Regular tea delivers a rich stew of healing antioxidants — but some decaf teas don't. If the decaf method isn't listed on the package, assume they used ethyl acetate, which dramatically lowers antioxidant levels. Look for tea that says it's been decaffeinated with water and carbon dioxide (sometimes called "natural" or "effervescence") — which preserves antioxidants.
12. Pick up whole-wheat pasta. Do you need more help getting to your 30 or so grams of daily fiber? Try doing this: Substitute 1 cup of whole-wheat pasta (6.3 grams of fiber) for the same amount of regular (2.4 grams). This one easy switch pushes you 4 grams closer to your total daily fiber goal.
13. Find ice cream that builds bones. You know you want some. So find a brand with 15 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium in a 1/2-cup serving. That means when you eat a cup of ice cream, you'll get 30 percent of the DV for calcium — as much as a glass of milk. Same tip applies to frozen yogurt.
Healthy Eating Tips: 12:30 PM: Takeout Pizza
Buying pizza to eat lunch at your desk? Give it this instant healthy makeover:
14. Order Pizza the "Double-Half" Way. When you order, ask for double tomato sauce and half cheese. Double sauce? Many studies link higher consumption of cooked tomato products with reduced risk of prostate and other cancers. Half cheese? You'll cut down on artery-clogging saturated fat. Trust us, after just one "double-half" pizza, you'll never go back!
Healthy eating tips: 4 p.m. – Party time
Your division boss is retiring, and there's a goodbye reception. These tricks build automatic nutrition into calorie-laden buffet tables:
15. Sidle up to the shrimp. These denizens of the deep are ultralow in fat and calories, but they taste so rich that you can really satisfy yourself — without gaining weight! (Twelve large nonbreaded shrimp contain just 65 calories and less than 1 grams of fat!)
Healthy eating tips: 8 p.m. – In a restaurant
The choices! The sauces! Here's how to automatically make your restaurant meal healthier than ever:
16. Order dessert first. Ask your waiter if they have berries for dessert, then order them as an appetizer. Low-cal raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and ellagic acid, a compound that's being studied as a colon cancer fighter. Since restaurants get the very best berries, don't pass up this heavenly superfood!
17. Order half your entrée as take-out. One restaurant portion could feed an entire fraternity house — who needs all those calories? So when you order an entree, ask them to automatically put half of it directly into a take-home box. That way, it'll never show up on your plate! Staying slim helps lower your risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke, and many other illnesses. And you'll have a ready-made meal for tomorrow!
18. Reach for the sparkling water. Few things are more chic — or better for your health! So whatever else you drink at the party, make sure you also sip on a glass of club soda or seltzer. Staying well hydrated helps fight urinary-tract infections by keeping your urine diluted.
19. Dip your carrots. Are you snacking only on carrot sticks? Make sure you eat them with some fat — a dab of dip or a cube of cheese. Without any fat, you absorb very little of carrot's cancer-fighting carotenoids.
20. Say, "salmon!" Don't miss this boat! Salmon is one of the richest — and possibly most delicious — sources of omega-3 fats. By boosting your intake of omega-3s, you may help ward off depression, severe menstrual cramps, macular degeneration (a cause of blindness), fatal heart attacks, and possibly even breast cancer. (A 3-ounce serving of cooked salmon has 1.9 grams of omega-3s; in comparison, 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast has a mere 0.05 grams.)
21. Side with the veggies. It's easy to leave a restaurant without touching any vegetables except french fries — unless you routinely order a side dish of broccoli, spinach, or whatever they've got that sounds good. The antioxidants in veggies — including vitamins E and C — prevent the free radical damage that promotes cancer, cataracts, and memory loss. Antioxidants can also bolster immunity, fending off things such as the flu. Not a veggie lover? Make them taste better by adding a little pat of butter — but remember that a little goes a long way.
22. Finish with tea. Don't miss this chance for a tidal wave of antioxidants — tea has more than most veggies. People who drink 4 cups of green tea a day seem to get less cancer, perhaps due to a powerful antioxidant called EGCG. Black tea contains quercetin, a compound that helps prevent blood clots — the immediate triggers of most heart attacks.
Healthy eating tips: 11:00 p.m. – Bedtime
Congratulations! The day is over … at last. Now finish up your healthy eating day with a few more Big Easies:
23. Have a cup of hot cocoa. Love chocolate, but still want to be healthy? Good news! Cocoa (chocolate with much of the fat removed) actually has even more antioxidant power than tea!
The flavonoids in cocoa can keep blood platelets from clotting, which may prevent heart attacks. Plus, the milk in hot cocoa loves your bones! (Note: An average cup of cocoa has less than one-tenth the caffeine of instant coffee. But if you're very caffeine sensitive, bedtime isn't the best time for any caffeine.)
24. Not drinking cocoa? Pop a calcium supplement. Most women get less than one half of the calcium they need for strong bones, so if you're not drinking cocoa, bedtime is a great time to take a calcium supplement. (If your tummy is empty, calcium citrate supplements are absorbed best.)
25. Drink another big glass of water after you brush your teeth. Yup, more water. And another solid reason why: In a study last year, people who drank lots of water had less colon cancer. Down the hatch

Linda Rao is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to "Prevention Magazine."

Self-Control

2010-12-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

Everything is true that is in this article:

http://fitbie.msn.com/node/1308

In case you can't access the link, here's the article with my comments in parentheticals:

Ever heard a doughnut cry out your name? (UM, YEAH!) It happens to me every time I pass my neighborhood bakery and inhale that intoxicating, sugary smell. Most days, I'm able to resist. But sometimes, before I know it, I've broken one of my primary New Year's resolutions and stuffed two into my mouth. What happened to my willpower?

Many of us struggle with that vexing challenge—whether it's sticking to a new diet or resisting a shopping spree. Why is our self-control so strong on some days and so weak on others? *(HAVEN'T I ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE?!) Contrary to popular belief, willpower is not dependent on psychological strength alone. (GOOD TO KNOW!) Physiological factors, such as blood sugar, brain chemistry, and hormones, also influence—and can undermine—our powers of self-restraint. (I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE -- BECAUSE REALLY NOW, WHO WANTS TO BE FAT?)The good news: "Once you understand the forces that weaken your self-control, you can do a lot to strengthen it," says Kathleen D. Vohs, PhD, associate professor of consumer psychology at the Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis. Here's how to reinforce your willpower so it's ready when you need it.

Budget your resolve: Each of us has a limited supply of self-control, which means if you try to exert it in too many areas at once, you'll rapidly deplete your reserve. A study from Case Western Reserve University illustrates the point. Researchers placed freshly baked chocolate chip cookies before two groups of participants, instructing one group to eat two or three and the other to eat radishes (while watching the others partake). Then everyone was asked to try to solve an impossible puzzle. Participants who had to resist the treats gave up on the problem twice as fast as those who were allowed to indulge. "Willpower is like gas in your car," says Vohs. "When you resist something tempting, you use some up. The more you resist, the emptier your tank gets, until you run out of gas." (ISN'T THIS AN ARGUMENT FOR EATING FRESHLY BAKED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!)

Tip: Concentrate your willpower where you need it most. Don't try to cut down on your computer chat time and lose weight at the same time. If you've spent the whole day fighting the urge to tell off a difficult colleague, don't go shopping after work. Vohs found that people were willing to purchase more when their willpower had been drained by a previous unrelated exercise in self-control. (THIS EXPLAINS IT -- LIGHTBULB MOMENT -- I'M TRYING TO DO TOO MANY THINGS AT ONCE! HMMM, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN?)
Keep blood sugar steady: Even a small blood-sugar dip, which occurs after you've skipped a meal, can impair the areas that oversee planning and self-restraint. Ironically, research shows that exerting your willpower decreases glucose even more. So if you skip lunch and spend the afternoon fighting the desire to dip into a coworker's candy jar, you could set yourself up for an evening binge. (KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE!)

Tip: Eat small meals that contain both complex carbohydrates and protein throughout the day (including breakfast). Keep protein-packed energy bars—with at least 5 g of protein—in your bag so you never have to skip a meal. By stabilizing blood sugar, you'll be better able to resist overeating—and other impulsive activities—later.

Don't overdiet: Eating too little not only depletes glucose, it also curtails the production of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells that helps regulate appetite. "Within a few days of starting to diet, your leptin levels can drop by half," explains Neal Barnard, MD, author of Breaking the Food Seduction. "Plummeting levels can increase appetite and bring on a binge." (YEP!)

Tip: Follow "the rule of 10": Multiply your target weight by 10, and never eat fewer calories than that daily total. And be sure to exercise 30 to 40 minutes each day. (A walk is fine.) Daily activity also maintains healthy levels of leptin, research shows. OKAY, THAT'S 1500 CALORIES A DAY AND SOME WALKIN'.

Don't skimp on sleep: Research shows that getting less than 6 hours of snooze time decreases decision-making abilities and leads to what Vohs calls "failures of self-control" as the day wears on. One mechanism in play: ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger. One study of healthy adults found that after they got 4 hours of sleep just 2 nights in a row, their levels of ghrelin increased by 28% and their appetites by a whopping 23%, especially for salty snacks and sweets. (THIS IS A DEFINITE ISSUE FOR ME -- I'M LUCKY IF I GET 6 HOURS EVERY DAY)
Tip: Sleep between 7 and 8 hours each night. To get that amount, keep your room dark, quiet, and cool and develop a presleep ritual, such as a 10-minute meditation, to banish the day's stresses.

Failing Miserably

2010-12-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't written because how interesting is it to hear this:

Up a pound. Up a pound. Up a pound. No gain. No gain. Up 1/2 a pound. Up 1/2 a pound.

Oh yeah, I've taken residence at the "Doughnuts" farm. It's a real nice place to visit. I became great friends with Doughnut's cousins .... hamburgers, fries, cokes, pizza, and cookies.

I'm trying real hard to get on the wagon and get the heck outta here, but I may be stuck for a while -- like until after the cookie party.

So when you see me, just look at my face, and don't let your gaze wander down to say belt level.

I have met some challenges, however. I finished my Christmas shopping, and the wrapping. Got up the tree and have almost completed decorating the house. Tonight I aim to decorate the exterior of the house.

I completed four chapters of a book I'm working on. I painted a picture for my son, Eddie, for Christmas, and I have another work in progress.

Some fellow blogmates are already talking about New Year's resolutions. Here's mine:

1. Lose 30 pounds and keep it off.
2. Finish my book and submit it for publishing by Dec. 01, 2011.
3. Complete the art class that I am starting on January 9, and complete one piece of art that is good enough to sell.
4. Pay off all my credit cards.
5. Save more.
6. Give more to charity.
7. Live more simply (i.e., # 8 below; don't buy anything unless I really need it).
8. Limit eating out to once a week.
9. Read a spiritually uplifting book and practice what I learn from it.
10.Buy a house in Florida with a pool (kinda goes against #7, but hey, it's an investment, right?!).

Today's eating:

Breakfast: 4 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast with butter and 8 oz milk
Lunch: 1/2 buttermilk fried chicken breast; grilled zuchinni, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, and a biscuit with butter and honey
Dinner: spaghetti, green beans, italian bread and butter

I could do some damage control and just have cereal for dinner, but it aint gonna happen.

Hernia Diet

2010-11-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

I'm losing weight folks, but it hasn't been fun. I have been forced to eat small meals for the past couple of days due to my hernia acting up (it's above my belly button). Went a little overboard on house-cleaning the other day, and moved a certain way, and wham! I am trying to wait this thing out and hope it will get better. Good news: weight loss, and more money in my wallet because I haven't been out shopping!

Anyone who happens to read this: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! May you have a wonderful day with your families!

Online Again

2010-11-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. My computer went on the fritz -- the graphics card died and they told me I might as well get a new one. So that's what I did. Got myself a new Toshiba that is pretty awesome.

Today is Eddie's birthday, so we had a birthday breakfast followed by some shopping. He'll be going out with some friends tonight to see the new Harry Potter movie and then do some go-karting at an indoor rink.

Gorgeous day today. Scale is still not making me happy, but to be honest I haven't been really trying. It hasn't gone up anymore, but it sure needs to go down. I'm off next week. We plan on doing some work in the yard and some painting and wallpaper removing, so maybe that will help nudge some off. I'm also going to be cooking every day and include lots of healthy stuff.

Going to the grocery store. Gonna make some chicken divan and salad for dinner.

Junk Food Diet

2010-11-11T10:20:00.002-05:00

Maybe I should try this:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/112156/twinkie_diet_vs_vegetarian_which

Turdimonious Thursday

2010-11-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

"Turdimonious." That's a word I just made up -- a fancy word for "crap." That's what I felt like when I stepped on the scale this morning and it showed 2 pounds up. What the ????? I don't even know what to say about it. I even lifted one leg, leaned a little onto the wall, and shifted where my feet normally rest -- and it still didn't budge.

This is what I have learned: unless you do something radical, you are not going to lose weight. Screw the "baby steps," and the "just deduct 100 calories per day," or even "500 calories per day." Unless I cut down to 1200 or less, I won't lose weight. And at 1200, I will eventually plateau at about 3 weeks. That's just a fact of life for me.

Reality sucks.

Monday Report

2010-11-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

I've lost five of the seven pounds gained. I pretty much ate what I wanted for breakfast last week, and then had some kind of grilled protein, vegetables and small sweet potato for lunch, and then cereal and a bagel at night. I also started taking Vitamin D supplements along with my regular vitamin. A couple of years ago some blood work revealed that I had basically no Vitamin D. I was put in a 10-day regimine of a huge dose of Vitamin D and I remember feeling miracuously healthy after about 3 days -- no aches and pains. I was reading in a magazine over the weekend about the benefits of taking Vitamin D -- that it can actually promote weight loss (especially belly fat), and relieve arthritis, along with other aches and pains.

Talked to Eddie alot over the weekend about Woodrow Wilson. He was not happy there. He told me some things that were going on that are quite disturbing actually, and I feel really bad about pushing him to stay there. He wants to go to Germanna Community College, so we went there Friday and made an appointment to see a counselor next Friday. He also went to the new hospital across the street from the campus and filled out an application for a volunteer position. The plan is by Spring to get him a small apartment near campus. He may have a roommate as he has a couple of friends in the area who are looking to do the same thing.

One thing he learned at Woodrow was cooking. He seems to have a bit of a natural talent for it. He made lasagna yesterday. But he's still a scientist at heart and wants to pursue that at Germanna, and then transfer to a four-year college.

Gonna stick to ceral at night, and see what I can lose this week.

Thunderous Thursday

2010-11-04T12:56:00.000-04:00

What a day! Almost 3 hours in traffic this morning. If people would just frickin pay attention! Another truck and a few cars, and only one lane opened. And if that wasn't enough, what dreary weather we're having. There is nothing pretty about the rain today.

Madimoo isn't feeling well, and that makes me feel bad too. I trekked the mountains to pick up Eddie last night and it started raining on the way back. Not fun. 4 hours sleep. Need I say more?

I really won't mind going to sleep tonight and waking up to a new day. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow, and things will be a bit brighter.

But there is some awesome news!! JUDY IS A GRANDMA AGAIN! Congratulations, Julie, Carlos, and Owen! Can hardly wait to see Elijah! (Thanks for blogging about it Jean!) I knew Julie was in labor yesterday, and Judy left me a message early this morning that she had the baby at 1:00 am. Whew!

I've been in control of my eating today which is a HUGE surprise. Bagel and oj for breakfast. Grilled salmon, grilled zuchinni and small baked sweet potato for lunch. Some kind of salad for dinner.

Jury Duty

2010-11-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

Cover via Amazon

I was on call today for jury today, but it was cancelled. I am one of those people who do not like jury duty. I served on a jury once before, and I was uncomfortable with the entire process. I do not like being responsible for a person's fate. Unless there is video coverage and the image is very clear, or there are at least some witnesses, it is hard for me to watch someone break down after hearing that they are going to prison.

I'm also one of those who unrealistically believe love can cure all. I think most of the people on the stand are victims of their circumstance -- how they were raised -- the abuse they may have suffered, the poverty they may have struggled with. I think of the movie "Trading Places," and realize most folks turn out completely different if they're given different circumstances. I do realize there are some criminally insane people out there, and I agree they need to be off the street. But I'm not talking about those people.

So, now you understand why I was pretty glad when I called the court number and heard the message that the case was cancelled.

Now, on to food.

Hanging in there. No weight loss this morning. But I'm plugging on. Two pancakes and water for breakfast. Chicken, vegetables, and sweet potato for lunch. Cereal and bagel for dinner.

Ran some errands last night, did some laundry and kept moving until 7:30 pm. That's pretty good for me considering bedtime is at 9:30.

One meal at a time

2010-11-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

I'm heeding some lessons learned from my fellow blogger Christina. I'm going to blog more and just maybe, I'll lose more!

This morning I ate a bagel with butter and jelly and a cup of coffee.

Lunch was a very small (about 3 oz) steak, baked sweet potato, cranberry juice, and a small salad with light vinaigrette.

Still planning on cereal, fruit and a bagel for dinner.

Christina and Jean .... I miss you guys. Start blogging already! I have nuttin' to read at lunch time!

One Pound Down

2010-11-02T06:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ended up having a small grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and a small baked sweet potato for lunch. For dinner I had a bowl of raisin nut bran cereal and a bagel.

Ditto for today.

I'm trying to force myself to get some exercise so I cleaned all three bathrooms last night.

Tonight I plan on vaccuuming and dusting the downstairs, and doing some laundry.

I started a novel yesterday for the November Novel Writing Challenge -- 50,000 pages by the end of the month. Yes. 50,000 pages. My computer at home is on the blitz -- need to replace the backlight, so I will stop by BestBuy tonight and see if I can get it fixed.

I am very limited in using the computer for personal use here at work, so I have to get my laptop fixed -- I'm lost without it!

November 1st

2010-11-01T07:04:00.001-04:00

It's been a week since I posted. Been crazy busy lately!

Some good news: Heath's current firm surpassed the L.A. offer, and promised additional staff so he's staying in Philly! Woo hoo!

Eddie came home for the weekend, and he and Dylan went to the Colbert/Stewart rally in DC. Besides some sore feet (they walked and stood on their feet for about 6 hours), they had a really good time. I was here at work Saturday, so I was a witness to the HUGE crowd that came. It was something else. Here were some signs that people were carrying:

SENIORS FOR LEGALIZATION OF POT

THE CIVIL WAR WAS AN INSIDE JOB

I STAND FOR GOOD POSTURE

I HATE SIGNS

HAVE YOU SEEN MY KEYS?

I also posted some pictures for you to enjoy!

We enjoyed some shopping over the weekend, ate at Mimi's, and dropped Eddie back off at school yesterday afternoon.

Last night we had chili, mummy dogs, and witch hat cookies, over at Christina and Dylan's and went trick-or-treating with Madimoo, who was dressed as a pink "SUPER GIRL!" She blinged herself out with an awesome pink bead necklace, and a "special powers" ring. With her pony tail swinging, and pink cape flying, she led the way around the neighborhood singing, "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!"

And now that November 1st has officially arrived, I am ready to get rid of the 7 pounds that I gained back.

Here's today's plan:

Breakfast: cereal, bananna and milk

Lunch: 1/2 egg salad sandwich on wheat, cup of soup, apple

Dinner: Cobb salad

Isn't it the most gorgeous day?!

2010-10-24T13:24:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I woke up early this morning, and had breakfast outside with Kevin, enjoying the morning breeze and hearing the twittering of birds. Kevin raked and swept, and I did some cleaning, and then we went together to the store.

We had the house power-washed this week and the carpet downstairs cleaned. I've cleaned the whole house and dressed it for fall. I strung some mini white lights on a tree inside the house and strung fall leave garlands around the windows, placed some pumpkins and fall flowers around, and it looks pretty cozy, if I say so myself.

I've taken a few minutes to blog, catch up on my emails, and now I'm going to read a chapter of "Little Miss Shopaholic."

Wish I had bought a hammock while I was at the store.

Food, you say?

Don't ask.

I'm still in vacation mode.

FOOD, FOOD, EVERYWHERE!

2010-10-21T12:39:00.000-04:00

I just can't get back into the swing of things. I don't know what my problem is. I'm not stressed out. I'm not worried. Life is good. So why can't I get back to 1600 calories a day? I am craving everything that is wrong for me. And I'm gaining. Oh this is MADNESS!

Feeling the Side Effects

2010-10-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I'm feeling achy, tired, and all around lousy, and I know it's due to my poor eating habits the past week and a half. It's difficult trying to get back into the groove of healthy eating. I'm craving pancakes, and doughnuts, and pasta, and jumbo shrimp and risotto.

I didn't do too bad during the day yesterday, but I had to work late last night and grabbed a happy meal from McDonald's for dinner, with 3 chocolate chip cookies. And if that wasn't bad enough, I got a child's size chocolate milk shake.

While I was eating that, I started catching up on emails and read one that Ellie sent me about what's in McDonald's hamburgers. YUCK! No wonder I'm feeling lousy.

Wish I could say I did better this morning, but sweet cravings got the best of me, and I ate a double chocolate chip muffin (not the Weight Watchers kind), and a cup of milk.

The good thing is that I have the rest of the day to make good, so I will heat up a Healthy Choice entree that I brought with me for lunch, with some brussel sprouts. Ditto for dinner.

Grandbaby #2 In the Oven

2010-10-18T19:48:00.000-04:00

Sometime in the latter half of June, Christina and Dylan will bring another child into this world!

YIPPEEEE!

I'd write more, but I've got some shopping to do, ya'll!

Vacation

2010-10-18T09:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've visited Bloggerville, so here's a little diddy about what we've been up to.

We went to Cape May, New Jersey, and stayed in a beautiful Victorian home one block from the beach. We were able to see the ocean from the front porch. We stayed in the Parlor Suite, which is on the first floor, and included a master suite, private bathroom, kitchen, dining area and living area. The top of the windows were stained glass, and windows abounded in every room. The dining area was in a turret-like area with windows all around. They had a miniature replica of an antique stove, but it had a flat top! Very cute! The kitchen also had a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and all the fancy little dishes, teacups, silverware, pots and pans that you would need. The living area had an adorable fireplace beautiful Victorian furniture, and a flatscreen tv.

The bedroom was luxurious with a king bed dressed in soft egyptian cotton and elegant bedcoverings with lots of comfy pillows. There was a huge armoire, gorgeous dresser and a pair of chairs. A victorian sink was in the bedroom area, and the shower and toilet were in their own room. The shower was dressed with elegant curtains and soft rugs were pleasant to the feet once you stepped out of the shower. We had our own private porch off the kitchen with rocking chairs, and private, free parking on the premises.

The town is flat and everything is in walking distance. We walked along the beach on the cement promenade that runs the length of the town, and had breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House. Delicious pancakes made better with a view of the ocean while we ate and drank our coffee. We went shopping at the outside mall just a block and a half away from where we stayed, and found lots of cute things that we couldn't leave without.

We took a trolley tour of the city and saw all the beautiful Victorian painted ladies (that's what they call the houses), and heard some interesting stories about the residents, past and present.

Also took a drive to the Cape May light house and then out to Sunset Beach, where you can dip your toes in the water about 10 steps from where you park your car. There is a little gift shop, putt-putt golf, and a ice cream joint that was unfortunately closed due to the season.

We had perfect, breezy, sunny weather and enjoyed some marvelous food. If you ever go to Cape May, you must check out Tisha's. They serve lunch and dinner, and it's a bring-your-own-bottle kinda place. We will remember the next time and bring a bottle of wine with us. They sell bottles, but they start at about $28 a bottle. We had the seafood risotto with jumbo shrimp and scallops with mushrooms and spinach over risotto with a delicious sauce. The meal started with a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette that was out of this world, along with crusty hot rolls fresh from the oven and creamy butter. We simply did not have room for dessert, but will make sure we save room next time! Tisha's has to be the #1 restaurant in all of Cape May.

Another great place to eat is Alethea's. It's a huge inn across the street from the ocean, and wherever you sit inside, you will have a nice view. We enjoyed a fantastic hamburger and chips with sweet tea for lunch. They have an antique shop on the premises and a huge porch with big rocking chairs where we sat and enjoyed the sea breeze and absorbed some Vitamin D from the sun.

Cape May was wonderful. We went off-season, so it was almost like we had the town to ourselves. Just enough people to keep it interesting, but not too much where you had to wait in line or need reservations anywhere. The beach is clean and beautiful. One thing we will do next time is rent a two-seater bike (they kind of look like paddle boats), but they're bikes, and they have a little canopy to cover your head. Very cute! We saw lots of bikers on the beach promenade. It's a perfect place to bike.

As soon as we left Cape May, a little raindrop fell on our windshield. The weather matched my mood. I didn't want to leave and wanted to shed a few raindrops of my own! So we decided to extend our vacation and head on over to Dover Delaware, where we played the slots, and Kevin won $68.00 at the penny slots! We enjoyed a great late afternoon buffet lunch at Dover Downs, and ended up spending the night in Dover.

The next morning we had breakfast at Bob Evans and then headed to Wilmington to visit Alfred DuPont's beloved Nemours. What a place! The grounds were stunning with pools, fountains, flower beds, statutes. And the house! Oh my gosh! You all should take the time to go visit this place. Expect to be there about 3 hours (more if you want to walk the grounds on your own). Start at the Visitors center and take your time visiting the timeline that is the hallway. Enjoy a 15 minute movie giving you some background about the DuPonts, and in particular, Alfred and his wives. Then a bus takes you up the winding lane to the house. They break you up into groups of 6 and give you a personalized 1 hour and 15 minute tour. Be prepared for steps and lots of standing -- but it is worth it! After the tour you can walk the grounds and meet the bus a little later, or get on the bus right away and take a narrated tour of the grounds (you get the narrated tour even if you meet up with the bus later). They will take you down to the garage where you will see some beautiful cars -- the Rolls Royces were my favorite.

I left Nemours with a great respect for Alfred Dupont, a great philanthropist, and all the wonderful gifts that he left behind, most notably to the Children's Hospital which sits on part of the original 3,000 acres that used to be part of his estate. His estate continues to provide for the sickest of our children.

The Brandywine area, where Nemours is located, is gorgeous. We had been to the area before when we visited Winterthur and Longwood Gardens -- something everyone should see before they leave this earth as well.

We ended our visit in Wilmington with dinner at Red Lobster and then headed on home. One of our more delightful vacations. Can hardly wait until the next one!

Now, about food. What can I say? I enjoyed myself. Immensely.

Let's just say I gotta do alotta damage control! Day One. Week One. Again.

More good news

2010-10-05T18:37:00.000-04:00

Got the results from my mammogram. The girls are just fine! I'd take them out for a spin and celebrate, but they aint what they used to be, if you know what I mean. No flashy convertible for them. Supportive and sturdy humvee, maybe.

Now if I could just join Dr. Oz and his two VERY devoted fans, Judy and Ellie (because really now, Dr. Gloom and Doom couldn't have any more fans), and get the other end checked out. But I just don't know ya'll. There's just something very invasive about it. Yee gads.

The cold is getting a little better. Kevin got me some chili, and I could actually taste it.

I had oatmeal and oj for breakfast, chicken noodle soup, rye toast, and prunes for lunch; and chili, a small burger, peaches, and a bananna for dinner.

We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. Back to cereal, milk and fruit. Yum-yum.

Day Two

2010-10-05T08:58:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I lost 1.4 pounds on the first day. I am home today with a cold. I had oatmeal with apple and raisins, and some oj for breakfast. Because of the cold, will probably have some chicken noodle soup, toast, and o.j. for lunch. Dinner will be another Healthy Choice entree of lemon pepper fish, brocoli, rice medly and apple crisp for 300 calories. I will add 50 cal. brussel sprouts and a side salad.

How I wish this cold would go away!

Day One of Challenge

2010-10-04T17:15:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it -- it actually was pretty easy to do, although it's only 5:00 and I just finished my dinner. But I feel stuffed, and I can still have a snack if I get hungry later.

Breakfast and lunch (cereal, milk, bananna) worked fine with about 370 calories each.
Dinner was healthy choice salisbury steak with green beans, red skin potatoes, and caramel apple multigrain crisp (310 calories for the whole meal). I added 50 calories of steamed baby brussel sprouts, and an apple. Pretty yummy.

I woke up with a cold today, and so I'm going to take a hot shower, and snuggie in my blankie and read until I fall asleep.

A Very Good Weekend

2010-10-04T06:55:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was one of those that go on the keeper shelf. Dylan, Christina, Madimoo and I went to see Eddie at Woodrow Wilson on Friday. It was a gorgeous day and a lovely ride through horse and farm country. Eddie was doing great, and looked good. He lost a little weight, but he said the food pretty much "sucks." But then again, he's pretty spoiled as we went out to dinner every night because I just don't cook much anymore. So bland cafeteria food is hard for him to get used to.

We went on a shopping excursion to Walmart and all had dinner at a steak joint. Took some pictures of his dorm and realized the room needs some serious decorating.

He will be coming home for a visit this coming weekend as he has an orthodonist appt, and we plan to get some posters and a floor lamp, and maybe some curtains too. The blinds in the dorm have seen better days.

I also accomplished alot over the weekend, purging the house of things I don't use, and taking it to Goodwill. Still have alot of Christmas stuff to go through and donate, which I plan on doing this coming week. I'm also making good headway in my fall cleaning, and made a grocery store run to stock up on my week of turbo cereal dieting.

Heath is in gorgeous San Francisco on a job interview with a law firm. They flew him out last night and he's staying in a beautiful hotel with a room that overlooks a part of the Golden Gate Bridge. He says the city is beautiful at night.  The law office has two offices in California -- San Fran, and Los Angeles. The San Fran people will meet him for breakfast at the hotel, and then he will fly to Los Angeles for a round of afternoon interviews.

I'm so excited for him. He's so young and has already done a lot in his life. He sang opera in the Young Artists program in Santa Barbara for two summers, studied opera in Italy for a summer while at college and met the love of his life, a fellow opera soprano. After graduating college, followed her to Chicago and married her. Honeymooned in Italy.  Got a job with a law firm in Chicago and transferred to their Philadelphia office, and now he's interviewing for a dream job in sunny California.

It's so far away. But I'm happy for him. If he accepts the job, we Virginia hillbillies just might have to crank up the jallopy and  join him and Annie. And of course Dylan, Christina and Madimoo will have to come too.

And you want to hear some more wonderful news? Christina and Dylan will find out very soon if they're going to be parents again. Life is sweet.

New Challenge

2010-10-03T08:36:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Judy and I are going to try out something different this week, starting tomorrow. We are going to to the Turbocharge Special K Diet for one week -- compliments of Women's World, Jan. 19, 2009. Supposedly, the skinny-minis that tried it out for Women's World each lost 8 pounds in one week, so I'm thinking I should be able to do it too.

If anyone wants to join in, let me know, and we'll post our results next Monday.

This is the diet:

Breakfast: 1 bowl of cereal, up to 170 calories
                  1 small piece of fruit or 2/3 cup berries
                  1 cup fat-free or 1% milk

Lunch:        Same as breakfast

                  or

                  1 1/2 cups mixed greens, 2/3 cups chopped veggies
                  3 oz lean beef turkey, or chicken or fish
                  1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese
                  2 tbsp lite dressing
                  2 small whole-grain crackers
                  1 small apple or pear

Dinner:       1 frozen entree up to 280 calories
                  1/2 cup steamed vegetables
                  1/2 cup fresh fruit

                  or sample cooked meal:

                 4 oz fish, baked or sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
                 1/4 cup mushrooms and 2 tbs ripe olives
                 1 cup steamed veggies
                  1 small whole-grain roll (less than 100 calories)

Snack: choose one daily: 1 small pear or apple and 2 tsp peaut buter
                                         1 cup lite yogurt; 1 tbs nuts
                                         100 calorie pack almonds
                                         1 small fruit or 2/3 cup berries

I've already bought my stuff for the week. I plan on doing cereal for breakfast and lunch, and doing a McDonald's chicken ceasar salad, and their bag of apple slices, sans the dipping sauce, if for some reason I'm out and about and cereal is not readily available. For dinner I will be eating Healthy Choice entrees, the Green Giant microwavable single serving vegetables, and a piece of fruit.

The cereals I chose were Multigrain Cheerios (110 calories for 1 cup -- so I can have 1 1/2 cups and it will look like ALOT!) I also got a box of Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch (170 calories for 1 cup).

WHY THIS DIET IS GREAT:

Don't really have to think about food much, it's a very simple plan with limited selections.
Budget friendly.
Easy portion control.
Cereal increases your vitamin intake.
Excellent weight loss results.

I'm R-E-A-D-Y!

THE BEAST

2010-09-30T12:28:00.000-04:00

It took me FOUR friggin hours to get to work this morning. There is nothing worse than driving in rain with a full bladder. I had even contemplated turning around at one point and going home. I should have. What a friggin night mare. 50 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the beast.

I got in at 9:00 am and was starving. Ate 2 waffle sticks, 1 and 1/2 pieces of bacon, and a cup of grits with butter. I could have done worse ya'll. There were some muffins and pastries whistling at me, but I walked on by.

Gonna have some soup for lunch, and another salad for dinner.

One Minute at a Time

2010-09-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all of the wonderful support, lovely comments, phone calls, and e-mails. You all definitely made me feel much, much better!

Today is much better. I even lost 1.2 pounds! Hmmm. Doughnuts for dinner? Yes! Okay, I know, I know. NO! I was just dang lucky!

I think what happened is that I had a very reasonable breakfast yesterday and only three bites of lunch because the bad news came at lunch time. So in all I think I had about 1,300 calories yesterday, even with the doughnuts.

The bad news I spoke of yesterday has been resolved to a degree. It's a wait-and-see for right now. Hopefully things will completely turn around and I won't have to revisit that problem again. Keeping my fingers, eyes, and toes crossed.

Some days, you just got to take things one minute at a time, and that's what I'm doing today. Had a reasonable breakfast of about 500 calories, a reasonable lunch of about 400 calories, and plan on having a cobb salad for dinner.

I just gotta get a grip on this!

FEELING LIKE A TODDLER

2010-09-28T18:03:00.000-04:00

I got some bad news earlier today, and I just wanted to throw myself on the floor and have at it. When I get really bad news, I lose my appetite. For a while. And then once things settle down, the appetite comes back stronger than ever. And as usual, when I'm feeling overwhelmed and angry, or scared, I want nothing but doughnuts. And so that's what I had for dinner. Two of 'em. Chocolate cake doughnuts with chocolate icing. (800 fun lovin' calories) I knew as I ate each and every bite, that it wasn't doing a dang thing for me but adding to the two lumps that already make up my ass.

But I swear those doughnuts saved me, and probably some other people, as I didn't engage in road rage, or pull my hair out, or cuss, or any number of things. So for tonight, and only for tonight, doughnuts were my friend. Tomorrow I'll give them the cold shoulder and tell them to get the heck out of Dodge.

Starting Over

2010-09-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ate too much. And now I have 2.5 pounds to lose to get back where I was two weeks ago. Errgh!

Went to a baby shower for Judy's daughter, Julie. Had a great time, and enjoyed seeing all the new babies. Jean, honey: Lilly is soooo ADORABLE! You do good work! And Christina, I swear you need to get a portfolio of Charlie. Ya'll could quit your day jobs.

There was fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, subway sandwiches, shrimp, biscuits, cookies, cake, and soda. Had it all, ya'll. I was so full, that I didn't eat until waaaay later that evening, and then had a small BLT and 1 cup of vegetable soup. Breakfast had been a sausage mcmuffin, hashbrown, and o.j.

So I started all over today with 1 egg, 1 piece of bacon, 1 piece of toast, and some grits for breakfast. Just had a ham and cheese on pretzel roll and bananna for lunch. Gonna have a fugi apple and chicken salad from Panera's for dinner.

House cleaning for some exercise tonight.

I WILL BE IN CONTROL THIS WEEK!

Carbs Before Noon

2010-09-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

I'm still in recovery mode from last week. Almost back to where I was, but still need to lose 2 pounds to get there. So today I'm eating my carbs before noon, and then eating low carb tonight. I'm going to Mimi's for dinner and getting the petite sirloin, salad, and asparagus.

I decided not to blog about my past. I deleted the two posts that started delving into the dark regions of my memories. It didn't do anything for me but get me down. I'm bigger and better than my past.

I don't think there is a one person in this life who hasn't had something horrible happen to them. Or maybe lots of horrible things happen to them. That's why I think there also isn't a person in this life who doesn't have some kind of vice. Whether it's food, or drink, or drugs, or excessive shopping, or gambling, or sex, or whatever. My vice just happens to show itself to everyone I meet. And maybe that's not a bad thing. It's forcing me to do something about it, and try to live a healthier life. After all, I have everything to be happy about -- a loving and uber supportive husband, great kids, fantastic, loving, friends, and an all around satisfying life.

I know I'm an emotional eater. That's just a fact of life. I'm an emotional person. That's another fact of life. I just need to replace eating during stress, with something else, and I think I may have found it.

I used to write stories and poems all the time, and won a few awards. And then jobs, and sometimes two jobs, and kids, and marriage, and divorce, and failed relationships, and well, life, got in the way. When Eddie went to Woodrow Wilson the first time, these two stories started budding in my mind, and then he came home for a while and I had to put them on the back burner. But since he's been gone this second time, I've been writing up a storm, and I have two projects going on. They are both romantic comedies.

It's really helping me at night, when Kevin is at work, and I'm home alone. It keeps my mind off of food.
I think I've found my passion.

Fun Friday

2010-09-24T08:05:00.000-04:00

It's my day off, my fabulous Friday, to do with whatever I want. Yooo Hoo! Confirmed my reservation for the Columbia House in Cape May for our vacation. Check out this link to the parlor suite:

http://www.thecolumbiahouse.com/parlorsuite.html

Is that gorgeous or what? I can hardly wait!

I just got off the phone with Eddie. He's doing great. He says that he figured it all out: that if he compliments the teachers in each of his classes, that things go alot better for him! I think that's a most excellent observation on his part! I told him that's an important lesson in life, because it will work for bosses too someday. And a wife!

Well, this morning I'm meeting my buds, Ellie and Judy, for some shopping and lunch. Hubbie is putting gas in my car as I'm writing this and getting us some breakfast.

Now, if summer would just get the hint that's he's an unwelcome guest, and get the heck outta here already! Upper 90s today - geesh!

Taking a Break

2010-09-23T16:35:00.000-04:00

Enough of memory lane for a while.

Just to give an update on the eating situation this week: I've been much better at controlling my eating. Losing the weight I gained from last week and almost back to to where I was. Missing Eddie, but glad he's at Woodrow Wilson. Saw my Madimoo last night. She sure does talk up a storm, and I swear she gets cuter by the day!

Looking forward to taking a vacation in a few weeks. Kevin and I decided to stay a little closer to home and go to Cape May, New Jersey. We'll take the ferry from Lewes, Delaware, and stay in a Victorian inn for 3 days. For the rest of my days off that week, I'm going to attempt taking down the wall paper in the hallway bathroom and then paint. I like the cottage look and would like to add some white beaded board, and a white pedastal sink with new vanity mirror cabinet and lights. I would also love a white claw tub, but don't know if that is doable -- I think it would require retiling the entire bathroom floor!

Well anyway, hope you all are having a marvelous day.

Sunday, Woodrow Wilson, and oh yeah, Food

2010-09-19T22:10:00.001-04:00

Got Eddie safely to school, and helped him set up and unload all his stuff. We left him feeling good about things. Really couldn't have asked for a better day ... nice and sunny, no humidity. Although warm, there were signs of fall all along the way (some color in the leaves on the mountains, and yellow fields). Eddie took his tv, computer, game system and DVD player with him, so he'll have all his creature comforts with him. We met one of his dorm mates, who was a heck of a nice kid. I just got off the phone with Eddie, and he said the other guy arrived just a little bit ago, but that he was really nice, and they were having a lot of fun. Sounds good. Keeping my fingers, eyes, and toes crossed!

Okay. Now, to what you really want to hear about. Food. (I'm squirming here). Got some time? Here goes:

Breakfast was oatmeal and o.j. Not too bad. But stopped in Charlottesville at Michie's Tavern and had two fried chicken wings, some mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, stewed tomatoes, black eyed peas, a biscuit with honey and butter, and a few bites of peach cobbler. On the way back from his school, stopped at a Burger King to use the bathroom. On the way out, grabbed a small fry. At 9:00 pm, was feeling hungry. Can you friggin believe it? Ate two cheeseburger sliders and some more fries.

If there was a rehab joint for fat people, I'd sign myself up. Geesh.

But all is not lost. Before we left today, I did manage to go to Walmart and load up on healthy stuff for the entire week. I got cereal, fruit, healthy choice entrees and yogurt for my breakfasts and lunches. Dinner will be a stop at Applebees each night for one of their less than 550 calorie meal dinners.

I feel absolutely miserable. Bloated, and very, very round. I am so ready for a healthier week.

Busy Friday

2010-09-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

It's 9:30 pm and today has been one of those non-stop days. It began with a quick McDonald's breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (I'm not making any apologies today. It is what it is, Bill Clinton.)

Next was a 2.5 hour eye appointment for Eddie. Why 2.5 hours? I still haven't figured it out. Then it was to the orthodonist for quick nip of a stray wire, CVS to pick up prescriptions, lunch in Culpeper, a trip to Walmart, a visit to the HGG for a new computer for Eddie, and then dinner with Dylan and Madison.

When I look at what I've eaten this week, it really hasn't been that horrible. An extra biscuit here and breadstick there. Yes, I'll admit, too many desserts. But it could have been alot worse.

I'm going to plan out my week on Monday and get back to 1600 calories a day. That's reasonable. Slow maybe? Yes. But it worked.

Now off to nighty-night land!

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

2010-09-16T07:39:00.001-04:00

My fellow blogger, Christina, articulated very well last night, the utter frustration of the weight loss journey. Like her, I have been struggling with motivation for the past week. It's like my fat cells have memories or something ... like they can overthrow my brain. They are used to a certain way of eating and they are going to get what they want by God come hell or high water. Like Christina said, it just doesn't make sense at all. I definitely want to be thin and healthy. So why do the cravings overcome me? Yesterday I started out great, but I lost control again last night.

I told you about what I ate Sunday and Monday, and I gained a couple of pounds back because of it. So I started over on Tuesday, but ended up at Olive Garden since Kevin was off from work that night. I had salad, 1 and 1/2 breadsticks, pasta with meat sauce, and a chocolate mousse pie. Then I met Christina and Dylan at Logans and had some sweet tea and 1 loaded potato skin. Holy crap.

Yesterday I told myself I was definitely going to be on track. Made it through the day just fine, but then last night went to Red Lobster and had two biscuits, salad with red wine viniagrette, wood grilled talapia, broccoli, and baked potato with butter and sour cream. Then went to Wegmans and got two doughnuts and ate them both.

What the hell?

And now I just feel miserable. I'm no better than a drunk or a junkie. Food is my fix, and I definitely fell off the wagon.

Now how do I get back on, and stay on. I'm beginning to believe that weight is all in the mind. Why can some people be so disciplined? And why am I not? If I discover the answer to that, then I think I can lick the weight problem. I have to be honest with myself. It is more than just liking food and eating too much.

Why two doughnuts instead of one? Why two biscuits? Why is half of a dinner satisfying one day, and not another. Why can fruit and fresh water feel wonderful sometimes, and at other times I feel I need comfort food? Where did that all begin?

That's what I'm going to be working on these next few weeks. I'm going to discover where the overeating all began and maybe through sharing it on this blog, I can finally let it go, and get on with a healthy new life.

Madison's First Haircut

2010-09-15T08:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Madimoo went for a shampoo, cut, and blowdry. Her very first. And received a certificate, a picture, and a lock of her hair tied with a ribbon for her scrap book. Her Mom and Dad created a video of the event.

She is a girly girl. Loves dresses, and shoes, manicures and pedicures, and all things bright and shiny, just like her Gammie. And so last night as I watched her eat popcorn shrimp and drink sweet tea, I thought of all the wonderful "firsts" that come and go in our lives, and what a lifetime of adventures lie ahead for little Miss Madison. That is the special part of being a grandma, witnessing all the firsts again, through older, and wiser, eyes.

I remember all my sons' first haircuts. Unfortunately, I did not bring a camera, nor did I keep a lock of their hair. Wish I had though.

I waited until they turned two, when their hair brushed their shoulders. Dylan had wavy, brown hair, that curled up softly in the back. His first haircut was at the Hair Cuttery, just like Madison. Only Dylan had his cut at the very first Haircuttery that opened in West Springfield, Virginia when I was a teenager, before I was thinking about boys and babies and things like that.

Heath had straight hair, with lots of natural and varied highlights -- lighter brown, with red and gold highlights. His grandmother got a hold of him before I could take him myself. He got his first hair cut while he was sitting in his favorite red and yellow Big Wheels on the carport on a nice sunny day.

Eddie had dark brown hair and looked like Mowgli from Jungle Book and got his first hair cut at Springfield Mall at Kids Cuts, while he watched cartoons and sucked on a lollipop. But then when the lady turned on the electric clippers, he screamed and ran out of the chair and through the mall with the plastic cape flying and the sticky lollipop landing on a passerby's pant leg. Embarassing much?

Seeing Maddimoo with her new haircut brought back memories that are kept in that precious part of my heart. It was nice to bring them out and cherish them for a bit.

Catching Up

2010-09-14T07:49:00.001-04:00

Sunday found us at a cute little house where fairies and gnomes live together harmoniously and sweet welcomes whispered in the breeze. Wanda's World. Think of gentler times when ladies twirled parasols, wore lacy gloves and drank tea in genteel parlors. Combine this with happy squawks from a brightly colored bird, the sweet aroma of ginger, and lively, warm people, and you are bound to have a most perfect evening. We enjoyed delicious asian-inspired marinated chicken, rice, green beans, corn, salad, bread and butter, cake and cookies, and a hearty game of Buzz Word. My team won. But then I have the good fortune of having extremely intelligent and witty friends. Great evening!

Yesterday Kevin and I had the pleasure of seeing his darling sister from Florida for the first time in seven years. She came into town for business so we picked her up in Crystal City and went to Chart House in Old Town for dinner. Chart House sits at the river's edge, and again we were blessed with fall-kissed breezes and the sight of sailboats bobbing at the pier. I enjoyed huge coconut shrimp with rice pilaf and ice tea. Dessert was an apple/berry crisp with vanilla ice cream, and decaf coffee. We shared stories about our children, work lives, and family vacations. It was fun catching up, and our evening ended way too soon. But it left us with a desire to head on down to the Sunshine State, walk across shell studded beaches and dip our toes into the prettier part of the Atlantic.

It is now Tuesday morning, and the scale gave off some warning signals. Did you by chance hear them going off? It sure was nice visiting the land of "let me eat anything I want." But it's back to the business of losing some weight. Sigh. Cobb Salad -- hello old friend.

Weigh-in # 10 -- 268.6

2010-09-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

I should have written about my weight yesterday morning, because the low-carb-after-Noon thing was working -- I had lost 2.5 pounds. But feeling a bit too confident, I kinda blew it and had carbs all day yesterday (two doughnuts for breakfast; jimmy dean delight sandwich for a late lunch, chicken & rice, lima beans, corn, biscuit with jelly and butter, and three mini chocolate chip cookies for dinner) so this morning only registered a .4 loss. The dinner was salty and I ate late at night, so there could be the water retention thing going on.

Well, I learned a lesson. Maybe I should move my weigh-in day to Friday?

Good News and a Low Carb Dinner = Energy

2010-09-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

The good news about Eddie definitely put a spring in my step this morning. And, I'm also trying to follow the advice of a magazine article that claims you can lose 500% more weight by eating your carbs before Noon, and eating only protein, vegetables and fruit after Noon. I did that yesterday, and I must say, it wasn't too bad.

If I've learned anything about weight loss, it is this: You need to shake things up every once in a while. I'm not saying I'm going to be able to do this forever, but it may help keep away a plateau.

I had a grilled chicken ceasar salad for dinner yesterday. Woke up at 7:30 this morning and started cleaning the house. By 9:15, I had cleaned my bedroom, two bathrooms, the kitchen, and straightened up the living room and took down the laundry.

Kevin and I are going to go out for a late breakfast. I'm going to take advantage of the "carbs before noon" thing and order some pancakes, but maybe not quite as much as in the picure! By the time we eat, it should be close to noon, so that should hold me until dinner. I'm thinking Mimi's Cobb Salad and a fruit plate will do the trick for dinner.

Eddie has an orthodonist appt today. Need to run some errands and then stop by to see my litlte Madimoo. She hasn't been feeling well this week, and maybe a new toy will help her feel better.

Thats it for now. Happy Friday ya'll!

GOOD NEWS!

2010-09-09T17:08:00.000-04:00

Just heard from DRS. Eddie will go to Woodrow Wilson on the 19th -- next Sunday. YAHOO!!!!!!

I'm a happy camper now!

BTW, mammogram was a smash!

Starbucks ham, egg white, and cheese sandwich for breakfast
egg salad sandwich, apple for lunch
cheddar cheese for snack
Cobb Salad for dinner

Boob Smoosh

2010-09-09T07:27:00.000-04:00

This morning I will get a mammogram in the roving mammovan that will be parked outside our office. Not looking forward to it, but it has been a few years since I've given the girls over to the Boob Press.

I wasn't very good with food yesterday. Had McDonald's sausage mcmuffin (no egg), hashbrown and o.j. for breakfast. Lunch was a BLT and apple. Had a Jimmy Dean DeLight breakfast sandwich (260 calories) and a Pillsbury toaster breakfast pastry thing (210 calories) when I got home. If I had stopped there, it wouldn't have been too terrible, but then I went to Christina and Dylan's for dinner. Had spaghetti with meat sauce, three pieces of Italian bread with real butter (I know, I know -- THREE!), and chocolate peanut butter cake (just shoot me, okay?). After that I just tucked in my head and rolled on home!

Now I know this is no excuse, but yesterday was a VERY stressful day. Got caught in horrible traffic on 95 so I was a half hour late getting to work. Kevin had to work late and when he went to his car, he had a flat tire. Poor guy worked late all night and into the morning and was very tired. The garage here is always about 92 degrees. He couldn't get the tire rim off to put on the spare. Got a guy to help him, but he couldn't get it off either. Luckily they were able to put some air in the tire and then I followed Kevin to Merchant Tire in Springfield. That put us in Springfield at 9:00 a.m. It took us 1 and 1/2 hours, in bumper to bumper traffic, to get from Springfield back to work (normally a 15 minute drive). Then yesterday the worst kind of work kept coming in -- tedious stuff, with lots of problems, and just tons of work.

On top of that, there was no message from the DRS lady about when Eddie is going back to Woodrow Wilson. CRAP! So I started chewing my nails and feeling nervous, and that's what started the food binge.

No talking it out would have helped. No blogging would have helped. I'm just on pins and needles about the Woodrow Wilson thing. And now, I won't feel happy until after the Boob Smoosh is done. I just hate the whole process. Slapping my boob on a glass plate like a piece of meat and squeezing the sucker is just no fun. You'd think they could have thought up something better now -- like an x-ray bra or something like that.

500 Before and After Pictures

2010-09-07T11:07:00.002-04:00

Check out this video of 500 inspiring before and after pics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDpEI9FpZ0

1.8 LOST!! -- Just .2 short of 15 POUNDS!!!

2010-09-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

269.2 -- I was pretty pleased with the scale this morning. To lose 1.8 pounds this far along in the game is pretty fabulous. I'm going to celebrate by treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow and a new haircut.

Last night had a Cobb Salad with fat-free balsimic viniagrette and a mini chocolate mousse for dinner.

Today:

breakfast: sausage mcmuffin (no egg, no cheese), hashbrowns, 1/2 o.j. (550 calories)

lunch: Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Parmesan (290 calories) NASTY!

Snackwells cookies (210 calories)

dinner: Panera's 1/2 turkey on multigrain, cup of chicken noodle soup, 1/2 cafe classic salad, fruit cup,
ice cream cone from McDonald's (620 calories)

Yummy Snacks Under 200 Calories

2010-09-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

I just had a Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Chocolate Chip Chewy Bar. YUM YUM! Tasted wonderful with some hot green tea. Only 120 calories, and it tastes like a really good candy bar.

Some other snacks under 200 calories that make me happy are:

1 slice toasted low calorie wheat bread (45 calories) with 1 tbsp peanut butter (90 calories) with 1/2 small bannana sliced (45 calories) and a tiny drizzle of honey (20 calories)

1 sugar free chocolate pudding (60 calories) mixed with 1/2 small bananna sliced (45 calories) and tiny squirt of whipped cream (15 calories); 1 oreo cookie (53 calories)

1/2 whole wheat pita pocket (80 calories); 1 packet of water-pack tuna (60 calories) mixed with 1 celery stick minced fine, and 1 tablespoon low-fat mayo (50 calories), lettuce and tomato

1 lite smoked white meat turkey hot dog (45 calories) on a toasted low calorie bun (100 calories) with saurkraut and mustard

1/2 whole wheat pita pocket (80 calories) with 1 finely chopped boiled egg (70) mixed with 1 tbsp light mayo (50 calories) (stuff with lettuce and tomato)

A while ago there was a diet in a magazine about eating 100 calorie snacks every hour during the day. I tried it for a couple of days, and I really did lose weight. Why it works -- even if you eat every hour all day, you're basically up 16 hours a day, so at the most you would be eating 1600 calories.

Why couldn't I stick with it? It takes a lot of work planning and packing up a whole day's worth of 100 calorie foods to bring to work -- basically 12 hours worth because of my commute, and then reminding myself to eat every hour. Although I didn't get hungry on the diet, I didn't feel satisifed -- I wanted a complete meal. As much as I eat out with friends and family, it just wasn't a good match for me.

But, it really did work. So any of you reading this who wants to try it, go ahead. I think it would work just as well with 200 calorie snacks throughout the day every two hours.

Today's Grubs

2010-09-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

This morning: multigrain cheerios, fat free milk
lunch: hamburger, french fries, regular coke
snack: 5 triscuits and 5 small pieces of cheese, two pieces of dark chocolate
dinner: 2 soft fresco beef tacos, pepsi and a small ice cream cone from McDonald's

Today was my free day. Tried to get in the foods I love, without going overboard. I actually like the taste of the fresco tacos much better than the regular ones now.

Off to do some more laundry and watch some TV.

Fabulous Friday

2010-09-03T09:27:00.000-04:00

Today is my regular day off from work. I'm going to miss going out with my bud, Judy, but I'm staying close to the 'burg because I'm sure 95 is going to be a beast today with the holiday weekend.

Woke up at 7:30 (that's sleeping in for me), and immediately started tackling cleaning my bedroom and bathroom. I cleaned from ceiling to floor with the extension swiffer duster. We have a ceiling fan in the bedroom and it generates a ton of dust. I'm now taking a break, eating a bowl of multigrain cheerios and fat-free milk.

Gonna dust and vacuum the rest of the upstairs real quick and cleanup the foyer. A trip to Walmart for some laundry supplies and then I'm going to try to tackle the rest of the downstairs today. My entire downstairs has become a dumping ground for anything and everything, and it's driving me nuts.

I'm feeling inspired today by an article a fellow blogger shared with me yesterday about a young girl that conquered her weight problem. The girl talked about the prejudices against fat people in day to day life. It is so true. I am constantly discriminated against, but bury it down deep. But the article kind of woke me up. I deserve to be thin, and I deserve to be treated right. I'm not going to let some narrow-minded people keep me from being the best that I can be.

But like the girl in the article, I want to change my outside, but I don't want to change the fat girl inside -- the nice, compassionate part of me.

Feeding the Hungries

2010-09-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been doing pretty good, watching your calories, and eating healthier, and then you get the REAL kind of hungries more than usual during the day? Yesterday, for instance, I was just hungry all day, but it wasn't the stress-induced kind that makes you want to chow down on a steak & cheese and some doughnuts. It was the real, stomach growling, kind of hungry.

I think this is your body telling you to eat something. Not crazy eating -- but something healthy. I did that yesterday. Was crazy starving when I got home, so I had 1 slice of whole wheat bread with 1 tsp peanut butter. Went to dinner and had grilled fish, broccoli, salad and baked potato, and two pieces of dark chocolate. I felt very satisfied after dinner, but a few hours later I had the rumbles again, so I had a vitamuffin top and some milk. Weighed myself this morning and I had lost half a pound!

So, what I'm getting at is this: I think when you get those serious, growling tummy hungries, you better feed the little monster. It might just help keep away a plateau, and stoke your metabolism.

Wunerful Wednesday

2010-09-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

Didn't go to Red Lobster last night. Went out with Eddie, Christina, Dylan and Madimoo to Mimi's, which was probably a better choice because this is what I ate: 1/2 small piece of bread with tiny bit of butter (60 calories) 1 cup of vegetable soup (60 calories); the petite sirloin with asparagus and salad greens with citrus viniagrette (255 + 30 (for dressing) = 285 calories); and one mini chocolate mousse (130 calories). A grand total of 535 calories. That was a lot of food, and I was full and felt good about my choices.

Oh, it's been a couple of days since I bragged about my kids. Do you know how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Wish Kevin, Heath and Annie could have been there, then my world would have been complete. But soon .... Thanksgiving will hopefully put us all at the same table!

I really need to kick it up a notch with the exercising. Although my intentions were good about the Leslie Sansone tape, I just haven't done it. And really, there are no excuses. I have to make time for this. Gonna take a couple of hikes up the stairs here in the office and get up every hour to take a walk around the hallways. Tonight, while Kevin is taking his shower and getting ready for work, I'm gonna do my walking video.

Had a skinny latte this morning and apple bran muffin. Gonna have a BLT on wheat with mustard and an apple for lunch. 6 inch subway club for dinner and some fruit.

268 here I come!

Fighting Temptation

2010-08-31T09:23:00.000-04:00

Waffles, syrup, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, coffee with cream and sugar. These are all the smells that have attacked my senses this morning. While I sit here and eat my 2 vitatop muffins, bannana and hot tea. No worries, though, I WILL NOT GIVE IN!

Brought another Healthy Choice meal and an orange for lunch today. It's pay-day, so I'm going to Red Lobster for dinner and having the wood-grilled talapia, baked potato, broccoli and salad with red wine vinaigrette.

I sure wish I would hear something about when Eddie is going back to Woodrow Wilson. We were told on the 18th that it should be just a couple of weeks, but haven't heard a definite date yet. That's stressing me out too. I'm going to give them until Friday, and then call. I have a hard time being patient sometimes. We're not the only ones waiting to hear, I'm sure!

Things are Lookin' Up

2010-08-30T17:22:00.001-04:00

Hungries are easier to manage today.

Stuck to my breakfast and lunch. Now on my way to dinner. Maybe if I blog before I nosh, I'll be more cognizant and stay true to the plan by gosh!

My darling sister-in-law is coming to town September 13th. I haven't seen her since about 30 pounds ago. I better get a move on!

Sunday, A Visit With the Scale, and Monday Morning Bliss

2010-08-30T07:07:00.001-04:00

Yesterday didn't start out too well. McDonald's sausage biscuit, 1 hashbrown and 1/2 o.j. for breakfast (630 calories). A whole Totino's pizza for lunch (720 calories). Then feeling like crap about that, I did some major cleaning around the house to try to do some damage control. Sat down and planned out my meals for the week, and went to the store and loaded up on healthy stuff for the week.

Then Judy called and said "what's goin' on?" And talked me out of a frozen diet entree for dinner, and told me to instead, treat myself to something healthy like Panera's or some other place. So I went to Mimi's and had 4 oz. grilled salmon, brown rice, and side salad with low-fat citrus viniagrette. I ate 1 tiny piece of key lime pie for dessert. Judy was right. If I had just had the frozen diet entree, I would have felt deprived, and would have probably eaten much less healthier stuff later when I was starving, and right before bed time.

I'm ready for a new week and better results so I decided to get on the scale this morning and face the bugger. I was absolutely shocked that I had not gained weight. Didn't lose. But still ... I thought for sure I would have gained.
Started my week off right with 2 cups of water, 2 vitatop muffins, yogurt, grapes, and hot green tea (330 calories). Lunch will be 2 glasses of water, healthy choice entree and an orange (450 calories). Dinner will be a half of a subway club sandwich with a side salad and a peach. (about 420 calories).

Leslie Sansone walking video tonight for exercise.

No Scale Today

2010-08-29T07:42:00.001-04:00

Not going to weigh myself. Nope. Not gonna happen. Didn't go to Mimi's last night -- went to Cracker Barrell. Had 1 biscuit with jelly and butter and 3/4 of a corn muffin. Then chowed down on some chicken and rice, lima beans and corn. Didn't end there. Had a skinny latte and 2 mini cookies. I know the sodium was really high in the food I ate.
I will work on some damage control though, go to the store, and load up on healthy stuff. That was part of the problem last week. I didn't plan things out properly, just kind of went by the seat of my pants.

Friday & Saturday

2010-08-28T15:11:00.003-04:00

Having a real hard time these past couple of days. Just want to eat everything that is not good for me.

I know it has alot to do with stress.

This is a list of what I ate Friday and today, but because I've been dealing with some stress, maybe I should get some kudos for not going whole hog for some pizza, big macs and cinnabons!

I started Friday morning off with a McDonald's egg, bacon and cheese biscuit, 1 hashbrown, and 1/2 o.j. (630 calories)
Went shopping with Judy and did some considerable walking, and had lunch at Paneras that consisted of: 1/2 turkey on multigrain, no mayo; and 1/2 classic cafe salad and fruit cup (390 calories).

Starving around 4:00 pm -- had 1/2 sleeve of Townhouse Crackers (about 300 calories)

Dinner was a pork bbq sandwich, 1/2 a small order of fries and a kiddie sundae with a dinosaur cookie. (No idea how much -- 1,000 calories?)

Not good!

Today was a cup of skim milk, bananna, and an apple bran muffin from Starbucks - about 530 calories.

Lunch was a Stouffer's entree of 360 calories.

Dinner will be at Mimi's -- petite sirloin, asparagus and salad.

A Blip

2010-08-26T07:28:00.000-04:00

Last night I got a last minute invitation to dinner at the new Hibachi buffet in Central Park.

Now the universe was trying to tell me something. Eddie had an appt at 6:00. It is always an hour long, and normally he's out right on time. However, the appointment ran late, and I called telling the others to go ahead without me because I wasn't sure when he was getting out. But they waited, and we ended up meeting them at about 7:30 pm.

It was a huge buffet, and I took my time, like the skinny people supposedly do, and looked at everything they had before making my choices. I settled on grilled or steamed stuff, with the exception of 3 small shrimp tempura looking things. I was feeling pretty good about myself, but then some little round things with powdered sugar caught my eye. Little doughnuts.

Oh God.

3 little doughnuts, and a miniature sized square of a tiramisu later, I got up from the table.

Feeling the sodium creeping into my veins and my body swelling with immediate water gain, I managed to waddle to the car without orbiting into space like Harry Potter's unfortunate helium-filled aunt.

Doin' the Water

2010-08-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

Well I started doing the 2 glasses of water before each meal thing yesterday and I'm continuing to do it today. It seems to make me a little hungrier actually, but I'll keep doing it and see what happens.

Had my healthy dinner yesterday, and an apple bran muffin and skinny latte for breakfast.

I think I'm going to lay off the skinny lattes though, they seem to make me a little jittery. I'll switch it out with some non-fat milk.

Gonna have a BLT on wheat with mustard and an apple for lunch.

Panera's 1/2 turkey on multigrain with mustard only, 1/2 classic cafe salad and 1 cup of soup for dinner.

Still 271. Would love to see 269 on Sunday.

THIS JUST IN ......

2010-08-24T13:58:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

"Drinking 2 cups of water before meals when on a diet leads to 40% more weight loss! After decades of anecdotal evidence that drinking water helps with weight loss, scientific evidence has finally been gathered that proves the rumors to be true. For the first time, a randomized controlled trial was done dealing with water consumption during dieting and the results were startling. Over a 12 week period, those who drank two cups of water before each meal lost 40% more weight than those who did not."
"The study was headed up by Dr. Brenda Davy of Virginia Tech University. Results of the study were released in Boston at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The study was a follow up to another study which found that people tend to consume around 90 fewer calories per meal if they drink two cups of water before meals. Some details of the study were provided by Medical News Today." By Mark Rubi, Extreme Weight Loss Examiner

Sounds easy. Will definitely do this!

What I ate Yesterday ... and another pound lost!

2010-08-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

13 pounds. Woo hoo! Now this is usually my very difficult time in weight loss. 13 is that unlucky number for me. I usually hit a plateau about now and struggle for a few weeks with no gain, and then a gain, and ultimately give up.

But I'm going to fight through this and not give up this time.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: apple bran muffin and green tea

Lunch: ham and cheese on a pretzel roll with honey mustard and an apple

Dinner: multigrain cheerios, blueberries, and milk

Snack: 5 Townhouse crackers and 1 tbsp peanut butter

This morning: apple bran muffin and green tea
Lunch: egg salad sandwich on wheat and an apple
Dinner: corn on the cob, roasted vegetables (squash, broccoli, yellow and red peppers) and stuffed tomatoes
Snack: mixed fruit cut up with splenda

How to Lose 3.2 pounds in 24 hours

2010-08-23T07:30:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Thanks to Mom H, Judy, and Christina Smith, I was able to get through yesterday. Mom H said to drink water. So short of hooking myself up to an I-V, I stayed nice and close to the faucet and almost got carpal tunnel with my hand to mouth hydration routine. Judy said eat asparagus ... and so I did. It was so woody and gross, it had to soak up at least two pounds of water. I added 3 cups of green tea to my arsenal, and lots of fruits and veggies. I didn't salt anything, and ended with a low carb dinner. Christina, my fellow blogger, said it would go away, and it did.

So, I'm back to my 12 pounds lost, and am aiming to beat Judy this week. She lost 6 friggin pounds last week. Arrgggh! (Although of course I'm thrilled for her!)

But competition is a good thing. So fat cells, get ready. I'm gonna be hard on your asses this week.

Scales SUCK

2010-08-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

I'm glad I weighed myself yesterday and officially logged in my pound loss, because HOLY CRAP, that Mexican dinner from last night made my fat cells sing and dance.

I just don't get it. I really don't. I even ordered the grilled chicken. GRILLED CHICKEN. I ate maybe a quarter of a cup of rice and a half cup of beans, some grilled vegetables, and one, small, paper-thin tortilla, and some unsweetened tea. No dessert even.

Now tell me, DID THAT DESERVE A THREE -- YES -- THREE -- POUND GAIN!!!!!!

I am just devastated at how this is all working out. For Crimey Sakes, even with the Mexican dinner, which couldn't have been more than 700 calories for real, I should not have gained THREE FRIGGIN POUNDS.

I'm seriously MAD. I swear to God if I were in front of a Hostess display case right now, I would buy a box of Ho-Hos and eat em all.

Made a New Plan, Stan -- and 12 pounds total gone now

2010-08-21T10:42:00.000-04:00

You know how I was going to make all those vegetables for dinner? I was excited about taking pictures of it all and letting you know how the tomatoes turned out. Well, sometimes your plans change ....

I had a couple of special visitors last night -- Madimoo and her Daddy! Christina was with her girlfriend picking out dresses for her friend's upcoming wedding. We missed you Christina!

After some story-book reading, paper-dolling, bowling and golfing (the kid's plastic sets!), we headed over to Logan's for dinner. I had the grilled chicken ceasar salad, half a honey buttered roll, and some mini peanut butter/chocolate dessert thingy. Very scrumptious, but I could have done without the roll and the dessert thingy.

Madimoo sat next to me at dinner, and we colored in a color by number book -- she knows her numbers! And her colors!

It was nice to have a night out with my oldest and dearest son and talk about things going on in his life. It is true that our children are raised by a village ... because I know I wasn't any where near completely responsible for the wonderful young man he has turned out to be. I'm just so proud. I know it's not nice to boast, but I just can't help it. God really worked overtime when he made my kids, but I know He realizes how grateful I am because I thank Him every day.

After dinner, Madimoo showed us her super-duper balance beam techniques on the curb, gave me a big hug and said, "I love you grandma!" and wanted to know when she could come over to spend the whole day -- just us. How sweet is that?!! I guess she's growing up -- no more "Gammie." I'm "Grandma" now. Oh, she can call me whatever she wants to, but boy "Grandma" makes me feel old.

Well tomorrow is weigh-in day, so I'm going to try to be extra good, only I don't know how that is going to be possible because Kevin and I are going to celebrate our anniversary tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. But just in case, I want it on the record that I lost the pound I gained, and lost another one on top of that, so I'm 12 pounds down now!

11th Anniversary

2010-08-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

Eleven years ago today, I married the most wonderful man on earth, my sweetie pie, Kevin. I still get butterflies on Saturdays when I close down my computer at work, knowing we'll have a date and spend some time together.

Thank you my honeybunch, for filling up my life with love, honesty, and fun. Thank you for always filling up my gas tank, doing the laundry, making the Starbucks run on Sunday mornings. For loving the bunch of us, the whole package. And all the countless other things you do everyday for all of us. But most importantly, for the snuggles and huggles, the wiggles and giggles.

With all my love to my Prince Huggle-Bear from his Princess Plumcake!

What I've Eaten Today

2010-08-20T13:11:00.000-04:00

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Today I had two appointments. So breakfast was a quick 300 calorie egg
McMuffin and a few sips of o.j.

Lunch was a happy meal.

Dinner will be a vegetable plate that I will cook myself. I hope I remember how to work a stove. The menu: corn on the cob, green beans cooked with pearl onions and fat-free chicken broth; broiled stuffed tomatoes, and a salad with red, green, and yellow bell peppers. For dessert: cut up fruit with a squirt of fat-free whipped topping. (I'll get those nine in someway folks!)

Here's the recipe for the stuffed tomatoes at 60 calories a serving:

Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes Healthy Recipe

Ingredients:

Two medium ripe tomatoes (12 to 14 ounces total)
One clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, or 1-teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh soft bread crumbs, or one slice bread, crumbled
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Gently squeeze out and discard the seeds. Place the tomatoes cut side up on a broiler pan prepared with nonstick spray. Combine the garlic, oil, basil, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush evenly over the cut surfaces of the tomatoes. Broil 6-inches from the heat source until hot, about five minutes. While the tomatoes are broiling, combine the crumbs and cheese in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the tops of the hot tomatoes. Return to the broiler until the crumbs are browned, about two minutes. Serve immediately. Recipe makes four servings.

BellyBytes.com Good Eats: Tomatoes

Craving Responsibly

2010-08-19T18:25:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I was good for breakfast and for lunch. But the spaghetti and meatballs were calling my name. I mean how could I resist, really, when today's special in the cafeteria was chicken parmesan with a side of spaghetti and garlic bread? Not to mention that someone brought in a plate into our office and starts chowing down. Oh the aroma!
So I decided I would give into my craving, but try to be smart about it. I remembered I had eaten spaghetti at Olive Garden before, but ate half and filled up on double the salad, no croutons, lite dressing. So that's what I did tonight, with only one addition -- one meatball. I know it was extra calories, but it's better than eating two, right??!!! And I got the craving taken care of.

Now hopefully I won't have to do damage control tomorrow. Oh, how I HATE damage control!

CRAVINGS ARE A BEEEEAAAACH!

2010-08-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

I'm VERY hungry and I am craving the worst things right now. Like steak and cheese with fries and a coke; or a burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, mayo and pickle relish, some crinkle-cut fries, and a homemade chocolate milkshake; or a big heaping plate of spaghetti with meatballs, garlic toast, and sweetened iced tea; or my very own 9 inch (oooh, you have a dirty mind) chocolate cream pie with whipped topping.

Thank God I didn't bring any money with me and all I can eat is a Healthy Choice entree and some fruit.

But I gotta be positive. Right????!!! Hamburgers and french fires - YUCK!!! Pies and cakes -- DOUBLE YUCK!!! Mixed vegetables and chewy chicken tenders -- YUM YUM!!!!

Vitamuffins and 9 equal a noisy behind

2010-08-18T19:07:00.001-04:00

WARNING!!!! This is a test of the American Farting Institution:

Don't mix the Vitamuffins with fruit and vegetables!

Try Some "Doughnut Peaches"

2010-08-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

I just had a snack of a doughnut peach and some more green tea. The doughnut peaches are cute little things, and they are sweeter and juicier than regular peaches. (Had to get out some moist towelettes.) They taste like juicy honey. Yummy yummy! Not quite as good as a cream filled chocolate iced doughnut, but pretty darn good for a fruit shaped like one.

I ate the peach now so that I would be sure and get the fruit in, because sometimes I'll eat my lunch and won't be in the mood for fruit after I've eaten my meal.

I am very happy with how well the two VitaTop muffins held me. I'll definitely be ready for lunch, but I'm not crazy starving.

Turns out Nine is Kind

2010-08-18T07:59:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I ate nine servings of fruits and vegetables yesterday, and was up several times during the night to pee.

If you wake up alot to pee, chances are you're going to see good results on the scale, because that is what happened to me. I lost the 1.2 pounds and then some!

After dinner yesterday, I went to Wegman's and bought some "VitaTops" muffins. You'll find them in the freezer breakfast foods section. They are 100 calories and have 8 grams of fiber, and 15 vitamins. I tried two of the Banana Nut ones this morning, and they were delicious! I also had some hot green tea, a bananna, and a cup of cherries.

Lunch is another Healthy Choice entree (that has one serving of vegetables) and a box of steamed broccoli that contains 3 servings of vegetables, along with a peach. With the cherries and bannana from breakfast, that's 7 of my 9 so far.

Dinner will be Panera's 1/2 turkey sandwich, 1/2 cafe classic salad, a cup of chicken noodle soup, and an apple, bringing my vegetable/fruit count to 9.

Here's the calorie breakdown:

Breakfast: approx. 400
Lunch: approx. 500
Dinner: approx. 500

Last night and today

2010-08-17T07:33:00.000-04:00

Last night I was in traffic for three friggin hours!!!! I was so hungry I could have eaten the car in front of me and some truck tires for dessert!

At about 7:00 pm, Eddie and I finally pulled into Vinny's, and even though I really wanted a large frosted strawberry margarita (to calm my nerves), bruschetta for an appetizer, lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and tiramisu for dessert, I chose a healthier grilled chicken ceasar salad and a breadstick for dinner. But that didn't hold me for too long, and at 9:30 I was hungry again, so I had one cup of multigrain cheerios and half a cup of fat-free milk.

Woke up at 4:30 am to get ready for work, and got on the scale. Still hasn't budged. But I'm hoping that's just because it was 4:30 am! I usually weigh myself around 9:00 am on Sunday's. The ceasar salad was also salty, so I don't know if I'm retaining some water.

Had my usual Starbucks breakfast this morning (440 calories).

Brought a Healthy Choice entree and some vegetables for lunch, as well as a peach (450 calories).

Heading to Mimi's for dinner for the petite sirloin, asparagus, salad, a cup of vegetable soup, some fruit, and a mini chocolate mousse. Now, Mimi's menu says the petite sirloin dinner is only 255 calories. The soup is 60 calories, and the fruit is about 60, and the chocolate mouse is 131. That's a total of 506 calories, and I will be stuffed.

So today's calorie total will be 1,396. That scale better budge tomorrow darnit!

What I Ate Yesterday and Today

2010-08-16T12:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Kevin and I spent the day with some friends at Ellie and Dave's house. It was our first time at their vacation home, an adorable waterfront house in Maryland.

Passing some corn fields and gently rolling land, a barn or two, and some cute country cape cods, we ventured down a street, whereupon Ellie jauntily greeted us with a big smile and and an even bigger umbrella and led us into her dry, and oh-so-cute-and-cozy home.

It rained, but it did not keep us from oooing and ahhhing over the view from the floor to ceiling windows in their living room. After visiting for a while, the rain let up to just a barely discernible drizzle, so we ventured outside, past their deck, some cute adirondack chairs, charming wooden swing, and a hammock swaying in the breeze, and took a walk on their very own pier down to their boat. Were it not for the rain, we would have taken a ride.

Despite the weather, it was still gorgeous, quiet, and serene. An osprey nest was nearby and seagulls called to one another. The sound of the water slapping beneath the pier, and gently knocking against the stone enbankment was soothing and calming. The views were incredible from the pier. To the left, sailboats moored in the near distance; to the right, more gorgeous homes and sailboats braving the weather on the water. The sky, though grey, was lovely to look at -- clouds were misty, in layers, and moving. A hint that the sun would appear soon.

Dave grilled some delicious chicken and hamburgers, and we traipsed back inside to enjoy our meal and good conversation.

So here's what I ate yesterday ya'll:

Breakfast: McDonald's bacon and cheese bagel (no egg, no sauce), 1/2 small o.j.

Lunch: one grilled chicken leg, 1 hamburger on a wheat bun w/ lettuce and tomato, about 3 tablespoons each of coleslaw, potato salad and bbq beans. Deeeelish! I had one piece of angel food cake and some cut up fruit sprinkled with splenda, and a dash of whipped topping.

Dinner: 3 grilled chicken tenderloins; green beans; 1 biscuit with jelly and butter

And here's what I've eaten today so far:

Breakfast: 2 french toast sticks, 2 pieces of bacon, bananna, o.j.

Lunch: BLT on wheat with mustard, 100 calorie cookies; peach; 1/2 apple

Dinner: I'll let you know later. I have to pick up Eddie form his Dad's, and depending on traffic, and what time we get home, depends on where and what we eat. But I plan on eating salad and/or vegetables as I'm aiming to be kind to my behind and eat 9!

Weigh-In # 7

2010-08-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

I gained 1.2 pounds. BOO HOO!!!!

But I know what I did wrong. I had too many 1800 + calorie days this past week. Maybe it doesn't make sense, but it seems to me your body gets used to 1600 or less, and even if you still have a pile of weight to lose, as soon as you go over that 1600 it gets all happy again and makes some fat.

Well, I'm not going to let it get me down. This is a new week, and I will be in CONTROL!!!

LUNCH TIME! WHEEEE!!! I LOVE CARBS!!!!!

2010-08-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

I feel sooooooo much better. Me, my tummy, and my brain are happy now. Carbs, carbs, carbs!!! Yay!

Apple bran muffin and skinny latte for breakfast:

I just had the Healthy Choice Country Breaded Chicken entree that has chicken breast strips in country gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and caramel apple multigrain crisp. YUMMY! The dinner has only 340 calories and 560 mg sodium.

Low Carb Sucks!

2010-08-14T07:04:00.000-04:00

I positively cannot do low carb. It makes me physically sick. Eggs and bacon -- NO TOAST!

My body completely revolted. I felt just plain awful all day.

I stuck with the breakfast and the lunch of grilled chicken ceasar salad.

By 3:00 o'clock I was manic for some carbs.

Dinner was a bbq sandwich and fries.

No surprise that the scale didn't budge.

Granted, I could have done MUCH beter than a bbq sandwich and fries.

Back to sane eating today.

Muffin and skinny latte for breakfast.

Healthy Choice entree and veggies for lunch.

Mimi's Asian chopped salad and fruit for dinner.

Overindulging

2010-08-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

Had my usual for breakfast yesterday at 5:30 am. By 9:30 I was starving, so I went upstairs and got two french toast sticks and two pieces of bacon. I was crazy busy at work, and at 1:30 was hungry again. Got an egg salad on wheat and 1/2 apple.

Then on the way home I encountered a three hour commute with every possible weather situation imaginable -- rain, hail, wind, and even a tornado. The radio blasted three emergency notifications to get off the road and into somewhere safe, so I stopped by Cracker Barrel in Dumfries and bought and ate a moon pie.

Later went out to dinner with Christina, Dylan and Madimoo to Firebirds, and had half of an awesome french dip, steak fries (I ate all of them), and a few bites of coleslaw. But that wasn't it, folks.

Went back to Christina's for some homemade german chocolate cake with ice cream and a game of scrabble.

Dylan won Scrabble, and I lost the battle with food.

Sneaked a peak at the scale, and I gained! Like I should be surprised, right?!

So today I'm in recovery mode. Gonna try and eat low carb for the next two days so that I can at least maintain, and if I'm really lucky, maybe lose a pound.

So this is what I am eating today:

eggs and bacon for breakfast

chicken ceasar salad for lunch

cobb salad for dinner

Gonna do the walking video for some exercise, and some more power cleaning downstairs.

Are you ready? I'm about to reveal ........ drum roll......

2010-08-12T18:15:00.000-04:00

how much I weigh.

A fellow adorable blogger, Christina, had the guts to do it. So I will too.

Oh God.

Here it goes.

I'm sweating here.

I hope your computers don't self destruct.

273.

Yeah, you read that right.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

When I started this blog, I weighed 284.

HOLY FAT BLOB!!!!

Thunderous Thursday

2010-08-12T08:52:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Woowee, what a storm at 8:00 in the morning! Kinda looks like the end of the world out there!

I was pontificating this morning on all the diets I've been on over the years, and all the diet books I've read. And in every single one of them it really boils down to these things: eat less, move more, increase your vegetable and fruit intake, substitute the white stuff (potatoes, rice, white bread) with whole grains, thereby increasing your fiber intake, eat lean protein -- preferably fish; stay away from processed foods; eat good fats (olive oil, nuts, avacados); and eat 2 to 3 low-fat dairy products daily.

I've also read about the advantages of calorie switching. For example, in a seven day week, have two 1,800 calorie days, three 1,600 calorie days, and two 1,200 calorie days. It also helps to have a couple of low carb days thrown in there to mix it all up and keep the dreaded plateau away.

I have done some of these things. I have eaten less, and moved a little bit more. I have switched up my calories from day to day. But I could definitely work on eating more fruits and vegetables, fish, and dairy. So that's what I'm going to work on this following week.

And now I'll end with some new slogans I thought up:

Be kind to your behind, and eat nine! (Nine fruits and vegetables, that is.)

Dairy makes you light as a fairy!

Roses are red, kilts are plaid, no more Ho Hos, boy I'm mad!

Okay, so here's what I ate yesterday and what's on for today

2010-08-11T10:52:00.000-04:00

Breakfast:  Two 100-calorie Thomas English Muffins
                 1 Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef
TOTAL:   480 calories

Lunch:      Peanut Butter sandwich with bannana and honey
                Peach
                100 calorie cookies
TOTAL: 600 calories

Dinner:     Spaghetti with meat sauce
                salad
                700 calories

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 1,780 calories

TODAY:

Breakfast: 1 cup of grits w/ butter
                  2 pieces of bacon
                  2 slices wheat toast w/ /butter
TOTAL: 450 calories

Lunch:       BLT
                 peach
                 100 calorie cookies
TOTAL:   550 calories

Dinner:     Applebee's steak dinner with potatoes and vegetables
TOTAL: 500 calories

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 1,500 calories

An Observation on Females of the Perfect Persuasion

2010-08-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

On Monday night, I watched "Bachelor Pad," which features the rejects of 14 seasons of "The Bachelor" and six seasons of "The Bachelorette," all competing for $250,000. It proves to be an excellent study of human behavior, much like a Discovery Channel feature about piranhas.

In case you didn't know, there are 20 different species of piranhas, of which only four species are actually blood thirsty and mentally unbalanced, hanging in packs, or shoals, of 20 or more, waiting to rip something to shreds in a bloody frenzy. I read somewhere that piranhas represent a part of the "checks and balances" part of nature, so to speak. Something like "survival of the fittest." The piranhas are nature's way of getting rid of the weak.

On Bachelor Pad, I watched with utter fascination the backstabbing, emotionally unstable, yet body perfect females, pick their packs, and with military-like precision, and razor-sharp teeth, establish their targets, and attack.

It made me feel just a little okay about myself. I've always lamented my size. And even though I am working to change my appearance, I am grateful for the lessons I've learned as a larger person. The best lessons being compassion, sensitivity, and tolerance.

Free Day

2010-08-09T07:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my eat-what-I-want day. I had my usual Starbucks breakfast, and a happy meal for lunch. We had dinner with friends, and lucky for me they cooked health-friendly stuff: grilled honeymustard chicken, boiled potatoes, corn, broccoli, and salad. There were cupcakes and angel food cake with strawberries/lite whipped cream for dessert. I would like to say I stuck to the angel food cake and strawberries, but I had a cupcake ... or two. Or was it three?

But I hear laughing burns up some calories, and we sure did a lot of that while playing the game "Buzz Word."

Today I'm back on track. Aiming for another two pounds this week.

In just a few minutes I'm going to the upstairs cafeteria and order two eggs, 1 piece of wheat toast, a 1/2 cup of grits, and some fruit. That will be about 400 calories, and the protein will help keep away hunger.

Lunch will be a chicken cobb salad and a peach. Dinner will probably be cereal, milk, bananna, and a toasted English muffin. Too darn hot to go out, and too darn hot to cook. It's a code orange day and my lungs already feel it.

Weigh-in #6

2010-08-08T08:32:00.000-04:00

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2 more pounds. 11 pounds total.

WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!

Sodium

2010-08-07T14:11:00.000-04:00

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Yesterday was a good day. Cereal, bananna, and skim milk in the morning. Burger, coke and a salad for lunch. Triscuits, cheese, and peach for snack. Tuna sandwich and cherries for dinner.

This morning: Skinny vanilla latte and apple bran muffin.

Lunch was Stouffer's frozen green pepper steak entree (240 calories) and Green Giant steamed Immunity Boost brocoli/pepper mix (100 calories) and Snackwell's cookies (210 calories).

I just looked at the Stouffer's box and realized there are 910 mg of sodium. 230 mg sodium in the vegetables. Looked up Starbucks: 520 mg sodium in the muffin; 170 mg in the latte. Already had my day's worth.

I really need to start looking at the sodium. They say it has a real impact on how much weight you can lose. I will be more diligent from now on.

Tonight Kevin and I are going to Mimi's. I'm getting the 355 calorie dinner of petite sirloin, greens with fat-free balsamic vinegar, and asaparagus.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day.

Calories Required to Lose Weight Calculator

2010-08-05T19:59:00.000-04:00

I found a wonderful website that lets you enter your age, height and weight and your weight loss goal (how many pounds in how many months). It then gives you a list week-by-week of the calories you need to eat to lose that amount of weight. Supposedly you don't stall and plateau if you follow the guidelines, as you gradually decrease your calories each week.

http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/

Hungry Night

2010-08-05T09:58:00.000-04:00

I was hungry all afternoon and all night. I think it was the grilled chicken pita. I had it plain, with just one small grilled chicken breast chopped up on it with some lettuce and tomato. I should have added some fruit or a small salad or something, because on the drive home I was really hungry, so much so that I stopped at Taco bell at 3:30 pm and got a fresco taco for 180 calories.

I had to wait for dinner last night because Eddie had plans, and I was starving at about 6:00. So I had a 100 calorie pack of cookies. The sugar just made me hungrier, so I thought I would balance it out and have a handful of nuts (protein ya know). Then I was craving something sweet again, so I had another 100 calorie pack of cookies. By then I was all messed up ... still hungry, and feeling like I needed something nutritious. So when Eddie got home we went to Cracker Barrel, and I had a cup of vegetable soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Not great.

I think I ended up having close to 2,000 calories. Lesson learned? Have a more substantial lunch, and don't buy any more 100 calorie cookies!

I'm back on track today. To save some money, I had a free capuccino coffee here at work, and a bagel from the upstairs cafeteria for 90 cents, and 450 calories total. Lunch will be my normal sandwich and apple for $2.50 and 430 calories. Dinner is going to be Panera's 1/2 turkey on multigrain, 1/2 classic cafe salad, 1 cup of chicken noodle soup, and an apple for about $8.00, and 430 calories.

Wilting Wednesday

2010-08-04T12:13:00.000-04:00

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Still hanging in there. Had my usual breakfast. Just finished a grilled chicken on pita sandwich for 360 calories. Think I'll do another Wendy's Baja salad for dinner. It comes with a small chili. I skip the dressing and the tortilla chips, so it comes in at 550 calories. But it sure does fill you up ... and clean you out ... if you know what I mean. It's the beans, you know ... good for your heart and all.

It's hot as hades out there today. Humidity decided to drop on by and stay for a few days. I never cared for the fellow myself. I much prefer Ms. Cold-Front, but she's been mighty scarce this summer. Tomorrow is supposed to feel like 105 - 110 with the heat index.

I just might have to climb somebody's fence and take a dip!

Mom H

2010-08-03T19:35:00.000-04:00

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I have two jewelry boxes. One is tangible, and holds all the shiny and colorful things my sweetie pie has bought for me over the years.

The other jewelry box is invisible, and in my heart. I know it sounds corny. But the one in my heart is the one I treasure most, because it contains the lovely things that make up my life. My sweetie pie, my kids, Madimoo, my friends, and another very special person, Mom H.

Mom H is Kevin's mother, and he was lucky enough to be born in a Brady Bunch kind of family, with parents that loved him, and his brother, and two sisters -- all of whom are happy, well adjusted, hard-working, honest, caring, family-oriented people.

When Kevin tells me stories about what it was like growing up, I can't help but get a little misty-eyed sometimes, and of course, I always get a great big grin on my face. He grew up in sunny Florida, which right there, will make a happy kid. I mean who couldn't be happy with Micky Mouse nearby, and the ocean just a few minutes away. But I know what really helped mold him into the wonderful man he is today, is the love and care he received from his mother.

I knew right away that I had a keeper in Kevin when he told me about his Mom. I could tell how much he respected her, and loved her. You know what they say ... a guy who loves his mother, will be a wonderful husband, and that has proved very true.

I consider myself a pretty happy person. And part of what makes me happy, is being thankful for all the blessings in my life. I can live without new cars, fancy houses, and expensive clothes. But I can't live without the love that people in my life have so generously given.

So this is my shout out of appreciation to you, Mom H. Thank you so much for reading my blog, and rooting for me, and picking up the baton of health and fitness and running along side me in this journey. I can't express how much it means to me, and how very, very, lucky I am to have a mom-in-law like you.

Smooch. Smooch.

Italian Night

2010-08-03T12:41:00.000-04:00

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I've been taking one day a week to eat what I want. It helps me stay on track, and I find that I have something to look forward to all week. When I really crave something, I just tell myself that it will be only a few more days and then I can have it.

Last night Eddie and I went to Olive Garden. I figured it was better to fill up on salad, and ask for a box to immediately put away 1/2 of my spaghetti before it could even tempt me. It worked! I had two helpings of salad, minus the croutons, with light Italian dressing (90 calories?); 1/2 order of spaghetti w/ meat sauce (350 calories); one breadstick (150 calories); and one child's size gelato (250 calories). Yum-yum. My total for yesterday, including breakfast and lunch, was about 1,820 calories.

However, it's true what they say about the bad kind of carbs stimulating your hungries. I was starving this morning and wanted to dive into some pancakes and sausage. But I refrained, and ate my ususal Starbucks breakfast. Lunch was my usual BLT with mustard on wheat, apple and 100 calorie cookies. Dinner will be one of Wendy's new salads and a small chili.

For exercise today I will complete the Leslie Sansone one mile walk video, and do some more work in the laundry room -- trying to get it spic and span and organized.

Unfortunately, I'm getting paid to work, and my lunch hour is over.

Arrivederci!

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