11 posts tagged “diet”

Today I Like:

 

     Charter will soon be gone from my life!

     Caribou Coffee

     Cool-looking, long painted fingernails of uniform length, despite the fact that they interfere with almost everything I do.

     Cherries….dark red, sweet, & juicy.  And on special at the grocery store.  Yum!

     Cottage cheese & red peppers

     Copious amounts of Diet Pepsi

     Cleaning supplies – from my Norwex party I got a free mop, cleaning cloth, body cloth, laundry detergent, and most of a jar of cleaning paste (as in I only had to pay for a bit of it…I am getting a full jar J).  I also bought some dryer balls so I don’t have to use fabric softener on my towels yet hopefully they won’t be scratchy.

     Cake…as in my birthday is tomorrow!  Not like I’ll do anything but it’s fun just the same.  I might buy myself this for a present.

     “C”-ing (OK, that was a stretch) a new number on the scale this week.  I’ve now officially hit the twenty-pounds-lost mark.

 

Today I Don’t Like:

 

     Logging on to my school email this morning and realizing that I have to take a final tomorrow!  It was on the schedule I got at the beginning of the semester but still it sneaked up on me.

     Lake cabin party for work that I’ll be missing tonight due to the aforementioned lack of planning on my part.  L

     Losing my Charter email address after tomorrow.  It’s hard to try to notify everyone when I get a new one.

     Labor – as in work, as in sitting at my desk today when I’d rather be at home studying or sitting out in the sun (or both)!

I haven't done this in a while.

Today, I really don't loathe anything!  For real!  Today was a great day.

Today, I love:

• Pistachios
• My Yahoo Music playlist with hard rock songs from my high school/college days.  Think Kiss, G'n'R, Def Leppard, 80's/90s Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Poison, Loverboy, Mr. Big, & Journey, as well as some various one-or-two-hit wonders like Warrant, Great White, Nelson, Extreme, etc.  And a few oldies thrown in for good measure, like BTO, Boston, and 70s Aerosmith.  I'm not kidding when I say it rocks!
• I'm getting a sense of direction as to where I want my career to go.  I'm not ready to make a move yet, but at least I know - or at least I think I know - which way I'm facing.
• As of this morning's weigh-in, I've lost 18 pounds!  Most of my clothes are too big for me!  This is kind of a double-edged sword.  Anyone want to donate to Mello's Hot New Wardrobe Fund?  I take checks.  I even take credit cards if you use PayPal.  I promise I'll post pictures.  No?  Oh well, at least my shoes still fit.
• Oh yeah, new shoes make me happy too.  I found a couple pair while out shopping last week.
• That people are actually starting to notice that I'm losing weight.
• Coffee
• Watching my husband have a grand old time with his new logsplitter.  Not your traditional Father's Day gift, but it sure makes him happy.  (I have to admit, it is rather mesmerizing to watch it split those logs.  I don't know why; it just is.)
• Feeling happy.  Those days off work really did wonders for my disposition.  :)  I feel like myself again.  I think I need to do this every few months.

Well, not really, but I am feeling really great about my weight loss lately and for once, it's nice to feel good about my physical self.  I know, I'm not supposed to be concerned about what I look like, but I can't help it.  I've always been overweight and have always been self-conscious about it.  Because overweight + tall = cow = not attractive.

So I've been doing this South Beach Diet.  The first two weeks (Phase 1) are very restrictive and you're basically not allowed to eat any carbs.  The idea is that you break your addiction to simple carbohydrates like those found in sweets and white flour - the things that cause your blood sugar to spike and then subsequently plummet, leaving you hungry even though you just ate.  Those two weeks were hard, but the trade-off for it is that Phase 1 really jump starts your weight loss.  I lost 11 pounds those first two weeks.

That was...I don't even know when.  Mid-March?  I think so, because I know when my parents were up here for Easter I felt like a jerk because I couldn't fix them a decent meal.  (Well, I could've, but then I'd be preparing meals in duplicate, and spending all my time in the kitchen defeats the purpose of having anyone come and visit, let alone my parents who rarely come to my house.)

Anyway, after Phase 1 you begin Phase 2 (duh), in which you're gradually able to start phasing carbs back into your diet, in the form of (most) fruits and whole grains.  Your diet is still vegetable-heavy, but that's ok because you don't really crave other stuff.  OK, that's a lie.  I still crave junk food but I'm usually able to resist.  And for me, that's saying something because I have no willpower whatsoever.  In Phase 2, the weight loss slows way down because now it's happening in a way that's more healthy and more likely to be permanent.  The expected loss is about a pound a week.

Well, I'd been stuck at 1_1.5 or 1_2* for weeks.  Literally.  And I was definitely losing my motivation.  To have lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks and only 3 more in the following 6 weeks was getting on my nerves!

But this week, for no apparent reason whatsoever, my weight finally budged.  I woke up the other morning and I was at 1_9.  I FINALLY got below the 1_0 mark!  It was reason for celebration!  Now I can say I've lost 15 pounds - actually it's 16 but 15 is a nice round number.  And people are starting to notice!  That's the best thing.  My weight loss has been pretty unnoticeable compared to my husband, who's lost 40 pounds.  Which is awesome - I'm psyched for him - and he did have more to lose than me, but it's motivating when people actually notice that there's a reason for all those weird things you put in your lunch and for always having to say no when everyone goes out for lunch at work.

So life is good today!  It's springtime, the sun is shining, and I've lost 15 pounds!

*Sorry for the cryptic numbers regarding my weight.  There's no way I'm actually going to tell you all - especially you tiny ones - what I weigh!  Only my husband and my driver's license know.  :) 

 

It's not often that I actually do something worth writing about on a weekend, so when I do it's definitely getting a blog entry. 

We had a nice family weekend.  On Friday I took a half day since it was the last day of Spring Break for Brian and the kids.  We went up to the Twin Cities for the afternoon.  We'd debated museums and zoos, but in the end decided to save those endeavors for warmer weather and to take the kids to Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America instead.  Plus, that's what they chose. 

It's about 50 miles from here to the southern edge of the Cities, and about halfway lies a town named Cannon Falls.  Since this was a day meant for fun, we decided to stop at the Cannon River Winery, located in a renovated downtown building.  We got to taste three wines each, and ended up buying two.  They also let us wander around their tasting room/dining room/winemaking area.

 

 

 

 

 

After that stop, we proceeded along US 52 to St. Paul, from whence we commenced travel on Interstate 494 to St. Louis Park, a Minneapolis suburb.  Our next stop was a place we've been wanting to visit for quite some time, not only for the cheap wine but also because we thought they would have some fun, SBD-friendly items:

 

We found some fun trail mixes and whole grain pastas, not to mention some chip/snack options for those days when you just need something.  I was disappointed that most of their sauces and salad dressings contained a lot of sugar.  I thought for a store that seems to stress "natural" and "organic" and "healthy" items there would be less sugar.  Oh well.  It was fun anyway.

So from Trader Joe's it was back down to Bloomington: next stop Ikea!  Such a fun store.  You can get a lot of stuff there for cheap.  I've only bought little things like towels and gadgets there.  I haven't bought furniture there - most of it is too contemporary for my taste, but I always like to look.

I got that cast iron skillet for 8 bucks!  And a set of 6 little wine glasses for 3 bucks.  We wanted some smaller ones for diet (read: portion control) issues.  Joey could've gone to the kids' area.........

.....but decided to stay with the rest of us.

Overall, they were very patient because they knew that after Ikea would be the rides!

Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor amusement park that's located smack in the middle of the Mall of America.  Once upon a time it was known as Camp Snoopy and had a cute Peanuts-woodsy-camp feeling to it.  Now it's true Nick.

 

 

 

 

The kids had to choose their rides carefully because we are mean parents and refused to spend unlimited amounts of money on overpriced rides.  They chose the Farily Odd Coaster first.

 

 

Then they were on to their next ride.

 

 

After that it was time for supper.  The kids wanted to go to the Rainforest Cafe, but when we got there and saw the line of people waiting for a table, we quickly decided to implement Plan 2.  Only we didn't know what Plan 2 was.  We had passed a little walk-up fast food place that boasted of healthy food so we went there.  Brian and I were able to get something that was fairly SBD-friendly, and even the kids found something they could/would eat.  After that Brian took the kids back to Nick Universe for one more ride while I went up to the third floor to check out my favorite store, Nordstrom Rack.  This is Nordstrom's outlet store and it is wonderful!  Normally I can find at least 5 great pair of shoes when I go there (unfortunately I don't buy 5 great pair) but this time despite 6 aisles of size 10 shoes there wasn't really anything that really struck me.  I did, however, find two awesome skirts and a sweater, all for 60% off the lowest marked price (who needs rides when you can get bargains like that!).  Before I was done there, Brian and the kids showed up.  The kids were exhausted and more than ready to go home.  I paid my bill and we hit the road.  It was a fun day.

On Saturday we were out and about running errands.  We decided that since we were in the winery-visiting mode, we would take in a local one that just opened this year.  It really felt like a start-up place.  The guy's tasting room was in his garage.  It had been fixed up and was quite clean so it wasn't gross or anything, just not what you'd usually expect.  I wonder if he'll build a "real" tasting room after he becomes a little more established.  His wines were good, though.  We bought a white grape wine (Edelweiss, a hardy grape hybridized for wine and the ability to survive northern climates) and a rhubarb wine.  He showed us his vats and told us one or two things about the winemaking process that we didn't know - something we might be able to try at home.

Today was a really thought-provoking church service.  Tonight we were supposed to have our small group Bible study.  There are four couples and right now we're watching a DVD series called The Truth Project.  One couple said this morning that they wouldn't be able to make it, then another couple decided later in the afternoon that they wouldn't make it either.  They just got home from vacation so I'm sure were exhausted.  So that left us and the couple that was hosting it tonight.  Their kids are about the same ages as ours so they told us to bring the kids and we'd watch the DVD anyway.  When we got there, one of the kids opened the case....and the DVD was gone!  It must have still been at one of the other couples' houses.  So we just hung out and had dessert while the kids played.  It was a nice time.

And now, it's bedtime!  Good night.

Things I love:

• Let the demo begin!  Brian is using his spring break week to start tearing out walls for the bathroom remodel.
• Cinnamint tea from Caribou.  I think I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating.  If you appreciate herbal teas at all, you must try it.
• Healthy food that actually tastes good.  I made a killer lasagna last night with lots of veggies & whole wheat noodles.  I did use Italian sausage, though.  Even Picky Bailey liked it!
• My coag test this morning.  I think I did well!  It was easier than I expected.
• It's Steve and Janie's anniversary!  I love that they found each other.
• The B-52's have a new CD out.  I'm streaming it right now.  I'm only on the first song but I love it!  It sounds pretty much like their 80's stuff, which in my book is great.
• Raising Sand, a duet CD by Robert Plant & Allison Krauss.  Whoever thought of putting the two of them together is a genius!  One of my favorites is below.  I think it's actually used in a commercial of some kind.  (I'm not sure who that guy in the picture below is but if you click the video you can hear the song.  You will see pictures of RP & AK.  I had to link to YouTube because while I think I'm going to download the whole CD, I haven't yet.)

 

Things I loathe:

• All the mess from the aforementioned remodel.  I hate sheetrock dust.  I hate it.  I suffer through because the end result will be well worth the hassle.
• Snow on April 1.  I only wish it were a joke.  I heard it's supposed to be in the fifties by Friday.  We'll see.
• Speaking of commercials, there's this one for Benadryl where the person can't sing at all.  I think it's intentional, like it's supposed to be cool or edgy or something, but it just comes across as tone-deaf.  I wonder if that means I'm getting old.  (Back in my day, people who sang could actually sing!.....well, not really.  Anyone remember Tiffany?)

Hey, how 'bout that?  The good outweighs the bad!

I have a headful of fragmented thoughts running around, but nothing that forms into a coherent blog entry.  I also have a great picture that I want to post, but it's at home and I am not.

So, I will say instead that when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was 9 pounds down!  Not bad for just over two weeks.  Today we begin Phase 2 of the SBD, where I get to start eating fruit & whole-grain breads (not to mention wine and the occasional dark chocolate).  The weight loss will slow down, but they say that's really the more healthy way to do it.  Healthy, sure, but I hope it's noticeable enough to keep me motivated. 

New Shoes

I got these for $6.60 in the shoe room at Herberger's.  How much does that rock?

They hurt a little bit on Monday when I wore them for the first time, but whaddya gonna do?  They'll stretch.  I'm going to need surgery someday because I will have destroyed my feet from wearing high heels all the time.  The problem is, though, that most "comfortable" shoes look like they should be worn by my grandma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New TV

Brian surprised me with this on Tuesday night, after telling me we weren't going to get one, after telling me for months that we'd get one with our tax return.  He claims he did that on purpose; I think he changed his mind when I got mad at him.

It's a 46" LCD HDTV.  We don't have HD yet, maybe later.  Just for now it's fun to have it be big.  This TV replaces one that's about 30", and that one was taken upstairs to our bedroom to replace the 19" one that died (which is how this all started).  The new/old one looks pretty ginormous in our bedroom:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Number on the Scale

I'm happy to report that after 8 days on SBD, I've lost six pounds.  Brian's lost 11.  I have yet to see the weight loss in the mirror, but for now the number on the scale helps keep me motivated. 

Today I'm feeling pretty good.  Brian and I went to the grocery store last night and stocked our kitchen so full we didn't have space to put everything away.  Because of that, I had lots of things to choose from for lunches and snacks.  I've also had 2 liters of water over the course of the day.  My body likes being hydrated - which probably contributes a lot to the fact that I'm feeling more energetic.  I think I had a touch of the "crud" yesterday too, which I seem to be over already. 

I think I can do this!

So Brian and I - well, I - decided that we're going to do the South Beach Diet.  I'm not really excited about it, because I don't really have the energy to deprive myself, but it's time.  It needs to be done.  We both need to lose weight.  Oh, to be one of those who can eat whatever they want and not gain weight.  But it's not in my genes (jeans?).  Time to suck it up.

SBD isn't too bad.  I signed up for their online program for long enough to familiarize myself with the program and beyond the first two weeks I think it seems very do-able.  The first two weeks you basically deprive yourself of all carbs, after which you can start to reintroduce fruits, starchy vegetables, and "good" carbs.  We did Atkins for about 4 months back in 1994 and we did pretty well but eventually failed because when it came down to it, we missed breads & carbs too much.  I'm hoping this can be more of a long-term thing.  The nice thing about SBD is that you're allowed to cheat, just as long as it's not often and not bad.  So if we decide that we just have to have some mozzarella sticks, then by golly, we're going to have them!!  And I don't have to give up my beloved wine either, although I will try to cut back to 1-2 glasses per week.  (SBD says you can have 1-2 glasses per day with meals, but to me that sounds like a lot of calories.)

The two biggest challenges for me are going to be to drink 2-3 liters of water every day (I like water, I just hate running to the bathroom constantly, plus it makes me cold if it's not room temp), and eating 4.5 cups of vegetables every day.  There's a whole huge list of vegetables you can eat in Phase 1 but most of it is either weird (okra, bok choy, kohlrabi - who eats this stuff?) or things that seem more to me like salad garnishes than real vegetables (shallots, capers, fennel - would you make a side dish out of this?)....plus a few things I've never even heard of (chaote, nopales - huh?).  But even if we choose to not be adventurous, we can still do fine sticking to our basic green beans, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, and tomatoes.  And V-8 counts.  I love that stuff.

Since today is Day 1 of Phase 1, and Phase 1 is all about breaking your dependence on refined starches & sugars, I'm feeling quite tired.  I also have a headache, which may or may not be related to the diet, but it makes it that much harder to work.  I have to teach a lab at 4:00 and I hope I'm not brain-dead by then.  I'll have a snack beforehand, but a handful of green peppers will only take you so far.  Tonight after I get home, we get to do our grand SBD kickoff trip to the grocery store.  That'll be fun.  I'm one of those lucky few who actually likes to grocery shop.

Oh yeah, goals.  I'm not good at setting goals.  But if I had to put a number on it, I'd say I'd like to lose about 25 pounds.  I'd settle for 15.  Brian's got more to lose, so I'd like to see him lose about 30.  On Atkins, we stalled out at 15 and 30 pounds respectively - a lot of which we think was probably related to the fact that we weren't exercising.  We have that going for us this time around.  We're not ready to run a marathon by any stretch of the imagination, but we try to do something most days of the week. 

It's going to be a long, slow, difficult process full of sacrifice and self-discipline.  Two of the things I hate the most.  Wish me luck.  I have a bad attitude but at least I have this going for me: I'm not all motivated right now only to lose it later.  I will do this with the same dogged, feet-dragging determination that I bring to my classes.

Aren't I lazy?  :)

After Labor Day weekend, it took me a few days to get back onto any kind of discipline as far as eating goes.  It doesn't help that our associate pastor and his family are moving and there either has been or will be three different farewells that I've been a part of (1 b/c they're in our small group, 1 informal one for women, then the all-church one this Sunday).  Food is everywhere and I keep waiting for things to normalize so I can stop being tempted - but it seems something always comes up.  Why is all the good food bad for you?  Does this go back to original sin, alongside the other curses like weeds and pain in childbirth?

Here's another thing: unfortunately I need to study a fair amount for my classes because I'm just not that smart.  The catch-22, though, is that the more I sit and study, the fatter my fat butt gets.  Maybe I should try to rig something up so that I can prop my books & notes up on the treadmill.  Then I don't have to feel guilty for studying instead of exercising, and I don't have to feel guility for exercising instead of studying.

Grr...why do I have to be fat in the first place?  I want to be one of those natural skinnies.  Why wasn't I born that way?  So unfair.  I guess it could always be worse, but it's hard to think about the good things in life when your pants don't fit.