23 posts tagged “diet”

The only thing I loathe today is that I'm having a hard time concentrating enough to study for my board exam. I'll absolutely die of embarrassment if I don't pass....which to a normal person would be impetus to buckle down & study. Me, I got as far as coming upstairs to get the laptop for the CD-ROM that came with the study guide. Now I'm blogging.

What do I love today? Lots of things.

1. I love that Bailey starts at her new school tomorrow and is very excited. (And a little nervous.)  We had Meet the Teacher last week and Miss Williams (soon to be Mrs. Douglas - she's getting married a week into the school year!) seems very nice. I think Bailey's in good hands. Now to make sure we can manage the tuition payments every month. We've got a decent little tuition nest egg stashed away should we need it, but we're hoping we can absorb it. (Which means no more shopping for me - waaah!)  When Joey starts, it's going to be a little more challenging. But it'll work out.
2. I love my Minnesota Twins! Seriously, when did I get to be such a baseball fan? I've kind of slowly gotten into it over the past few years but this year has been my dive off the deep end. We have the best back-to-back hitters in the AL (if not all of MLB) and the best catcher and first baseman in the AL, and possibly some of the best right fielders and second basemen as well. What we really need now is some good pitching. Watch out, Detroit!
3. I love Joe Mauer. He's dreeeeamy and so awesome. Well, ok, I don't love him, but I do like him. A lot.
4. I love that I finally found the wherewithall to go back onto South Beach. I wasn't going to, but I spent most of last week hating myself for having gained 10 lbs back over the past 6 months, and I finally decided to quit whining and do something about it. What a concept. It's only the second day of Phase 1, and I'm not as motivated as I was last time, but maybe after the scale moves I'll get more excited.
5. I love that my house has been painted (exterior) and partially relandscaped, and that a new sidewalk is on the docket for sometime this month. It's a mess right now - all buckled and crazy. I'm surprised no one has taken a face plant on it yet.
6. I love that, after a first week of saying he hated it, that Joey has finally decided that he likes being on his football team. He's going to be a defensive end and possibly a tight end as well - I think it helped to know where he's going to be. He was kind of hoping for something a little more glamorous (who doesn't want to be th QB or RB or WR?) but now he's convinced that every position is important or else they wouldn't be out there.  He was so excited last night after practice that one of the coaches had watched him hit and told him "That's the way to make a hit, Joey!" I guess the coach even told a couple of the other guys later that they need to hit like Joey had.  And? He's totally adorable in his pads & helmet. :)

Alright, time to study. I was tempted to study blood bank today because I knew I'd know 99.9% of the answers, but I actually found that boring. How weird and sad to find it more interesting to realize how much you don't know.

Thanks for the well-wishes regarding my coccyx. It hurts like crap this morning, but I'm pretty sure it's not broken because while it's painful, I can still move around. I had already decided to take today off of work, which turned out to be a good thing even better than it normally would have been. I couldn't imagine having to spend all day in a desk chair. I haven't gotten any rest, though, since this morning we had to take the van in for some work and also run some errands. This afternoon will be at least physically more restful, as I'm planning to listen to some hematology lectures online. I might have to have Uncle Rico come over & take care of things for a while.

So yeah, we took the van in this morning for that oil-change-and-27-point-check deal that GM has been offering. We were afraid the brake lines were leaking fluid, so wanted them to look at that as well. So we took it down there (as the driver of the getaway car, let me tell you that driving a stick shift was not fun this morning) and they told us it would be ready in an hour. We ran to Wal-Mart & Kohl's and it was probably more like 2 hours when we got back there. They told us that in fact, the brake lines were not leaking, but the brake pads were bad, the tie rods were bad, and the water pump was bad. Sheesh. So by the end of today and eleven hundred bucks later, our van will be good as new. Oh wait, that's not entirely true. They gave us a whole list of things that really need to be done, but can wait a while. Sure, I'll get right on that. Good thing this is a 3-paycheck month (I get paid every 2 weeks so 2 months out of the year I end up with three paychecks. It feels like a nice bonus and seems to always be very timely).

We did our periodic Sam's Club shopping today as well. We've decided that we're going back on the South Beach Diet starting either Sunday or Monday, so we stocked up on things we can eat in Phase 1 - the no-carb phase. It's going to be hard - I think harder than it was last time. I'm not as motivated, plus I've been so carb-dependent with all the junk food I've eaten to get me through the spring semester. It was so bad. I've put on somewhere between 5 and 10 lbs but it feels like a lot more since I haven't exercised regularly since February and I'm losing muscle tone - especially noticeable in those trouble spots. So just to warn you, I'll probably be blogging about my diet again - it helps me stay focused, even if no one reads it.

I guess the big news of the day in our house is this:

BEFORE

Nice fake smile

The classic Joey pout

It was so long in back

AFTER

Another fake smile

P6120166

He looks like a different kid! Maybe it's just because I haven't gotten used to it yet, but I'm missing the long hair. But at least he'll be able to get his baseball cap on.

Check out the place where he got it cut: http://www.thebarbershops.net/ I only wish they did women's hair.

One other interesting thing....a week or so ago we accidentally got a package delivered to our house. It had the right address, but the name of the daughter of the family that lived here two owners ago. So we called them and when they came to get it, I asked if they'd like to see the house. It seems like kind of a weird thing to do, but I know in the places we've lived in, I would LOVE to see what has been done to them since we left. I thought they might get a kick out of it, and they did. A few things were the same as when they lived here, and many things had changed. (They sold the house in 2000, we bought it in 2003.) They had a lot of memories here, and they liked being able to come back through - I could tell they were feeling reminiscent. They were so nice.

All right, well, it's off to work I go! Schoolwork, that is.

Me & bailey

First of all, how cute is Bailey in her new glasses? She has actual double vision. Strange, huh? I'd never heard of it. It's not astigmatism, either. Apparently her eyes truly don't work together so she sees two images. She was so excited to get them and wear them.

Second, check out my new shirt! I'd posted a while back that I saw a shirt with this saying on it and thought it was so funny. Steve Betz, being awesome, found this shirt & sent it to me.

Since I haven't written anything on here in 11 days (that's got to be a record), I suppose an update is in order. Really not much has happened around here, and I've been extremely worn out.

• Class has started and I really hope I don't drown in all the work.  This semester is something they call study guides, meaning it's all review. Which is good in that I'm not comfortable with everything I've learned up to this point. There are a lot of questions I have to answer, followed by online open-book questions and closed-book tests. I'll be done with my first one soon, one credit worth...only six more to go.
• The diet's going awful. I have not lost one pound, but I've definitely cheated. I'm not giving up, though, just modifying my plan a little. I at least want to lose the 5 I gained over Christmas, and with any luck, five more.
• We made a whirlwind trip to Illinois last week for the funeral of Brian's uncle. I think I'd only met him once, but I'm glad we could be there for them. It was a very nice service. They seem to be doing well, although now that things are settling down and they have to establish a "new normal," this might be when things really get hard.
• We decided to have a Super Bowl party this year. I did it on a whim and invited ten families (11 counting us). So far 7 of them have said yes and the other 3 haven't replied yet. We could be up to 50 people!! My house isn't really that big, but we'll make it work. These are all friends from church, and in our church this year we're trying to be better about connecting with each other - which means getting together. The more I think about it, the more I am PSYCHED!
• We have two birthdays in February in our house, so thus begins the party planning. So far it's looking like American Idol and Indiana Jones. (How much do you suppose it would cost for Indy himself to make an appearance?)

I think that's about it. Happy Monday!

My first Things of the year.

Bad:

• That I can't apply for this job. Well, I could, but then what would I do after six months? But it's a job I could totally do. Except that I assume they'd want me to actively participate in the nightlife..that would depend on just how wild they'd want me to be. I'm so not wild!  [Although, it's probably a good thing that I'm tied down because at this stage in my life I feel like I do want to go out and be wild, only it's not appropriate for me to do so. I had no desire to be wild when I was 20, which was good because now I have no regrets.]
• (This is likely why the above bullet item is so enticing) That it's -18 degrees outside. You know, there are lots of people who come to Rochester for jobs at the Clinic, and just by sheer probability most of them are coming from the south. At this time of year I always feel a little bit sorry for them because of the bitter cold. On the other hand, I don't really feel sorry for the ones who are only here temporarily....

Good:

• 104.1 JACK-FM from the Twin Cities. It plays all the music I like (the secular stuff anyway). A little 70's, some 80's, some 90's, some alternative, some softer stuff. I discovered it a couple of years ago when I would drive up (through the Cities) into the central part of the state for some meetings, but the signal fades out about 30 miles north of Rochester. I just learned yesterday that they broadcast online! (Yeah, I know that's a given for most radio stations these days; truth is, I never thought to look for it online until a coworker played it yesterday.) Take a listen.
• The scale registered some weight loss today. Not much, but enough to make me feel like something's happening.
• That I got on the treadmill this morning, even though I got up later than I wanted to and I DID NOT want to run. But I forced myself to do it. I set it for 10 minutes at running speed - which still didn't get me to the mile I could do before Christmas - and was dying after about 3. I pushed myself, though, and I did it. I love that feeling of beating my inner I-can't-do-it!
• On that note, I love that I can be very determined when I want to be.
• Sale shopping at Victoria's Secret. FOR CLOTHES. Do you think I'd mention it if I was buying other stuff? I love VS pants because they're about the only ones I can find anywhere that fit me. And the more weight I lose, the harder it becomes to find jeans/pants that fit.
• That a project I'm leading at work is going well. My original timeline is way off so we're not going to be done when I'd hoped we would be, but we make good progress at every meeting so I'm considering it good. I'm hoping we have enough good information that I can submit an abstract for a poster to our annual trade meeting in October. It'll be in New Orleans, a place I've never been.

Hm, well, I guess that's it! Have a lovely Tuesday.

Mondays are my 'official' day of weighing in. So this morning after I got up I got on the scale....and guess what! I weighed exactly the same as I did one week ago. 

Man.

Without being all TMI about it, I'll say that I think that my lack of weight loss is hormonal. And even though the number on the scale is the same as it was a week ago, I do feel slimmer. I'd darn well better, after a week of zero carbs less a square of 85% cacao chocolate & a couple of glasses of wine. I have no stamina, though. I've barely been able to run on the treadmill - but I'm going to push through. Today I couldn't run due to a (very) minor ankle injury incurred over the weekend but I'm going to try tomorrow and see how well I can do. Heck, I figure even if I can only run half a mile and have to walk the other half, that's still better than nothing, right?

I mentioned that I could justify the wine. Here's how: I was reading on the South Beach Diet website and it said that I could opt to start my diet in Phase 2 if I had less than 10 pounds to lose. I want to lose about 10. So technically I could be eating some carbs now. That means if I eat no carbs except for a glass of wine here & there I'm doing well. :) OK, so that logic might be slightly skewed, but if it keeps me on track then I'm going with it.

I'm determined to not be swayed by the numbers on the scale. If I am, then I'd quit. I will see this through! I WILL lose those 10 pounds!

And a glass of cabernet. It was a little overboard, but oh well. I'm sure I'll regret it in the morning when I'm all headachy & cotton-mouthed, but tonight it sure tasted good!

I can justify it, kind of.

Either way, tomorrow it's back on the wagon!

My weight has not budged a pound since Tuesday. And yeah, I know all of the you're-not-supposed-to-weigh-yourself-every-day bit, but I do anyway. Especially on Phase I of SBD where the weight loss is supposed to be quick and rapid. It was last time I did this. And I know all the you're-not-suposed-to-lose-more-than-a-pound-a-week stuff too, but right now I am.

I'm pretty ticked about it. Particularly so because I'd really like to have a glass of wine but I'm not supposed to have any carbs for 9 more days. I've gone almost 5 days now and am not craving too much, but it is work to eat a certain way, and why go to the trouble if I'm not going to get the benefit?

I'm about to say just screw it and eat whatever I want, but I don't want to undo everything I've done so far.  Plus I feel fat and gross and need to lose at least 8 lbs. So what the heck do I do?

Stupid diet.

Another day without failure - yay!

I think the above sounds kind of cynical, doesn't it? While I don't go into every day expecting to fail on my diet, I spent a bit of today thinking I might. I got a little bit hungry and really kind of craved some carbs for a while. Fortunately, sugar-free hard candies are allowed in Phase I of SBD, which saved me. That and a Northern Lite Latte from Caribou. :) Not exactly ideal diet food, but it sure satisfied my craving - and in a non-damaging way. Plus I had a $1 off coupon.

I weighed 1 1/2 pounds less today than I did yesterday. I know that probably none of that is true weight loss, but it sure is encouraging to see a smaller number on the scale.

Something I'm trying to do lately is to be more positive.  So in concert with that, I'm going to change my diet report for today:

Another successful day - yay!

Because I don't make New Year's Resolutions. They tend to be made with the mindset that they're going to be broken anyway. I'm changing my life but not because it's a new year - it's because the holidays are over and it's time to get my eating under control.

Today was Day One of the re-diet. As I've talked about [extensively] on this blog, over the last year I've gone on the South Beach Diet, and I've lost 20 pounds! I'm quite proud of that accomplishment, because it's not often that I have the stick-to-it-iveness that a diet requires, as I'm easily bored. As it turned out, the first few carb-addiction-breaking days were tough, but once I got through those first few days it went pretty well...and actually, overall we ate better than we've ever eaten. Ever.

[Aside: It bugs me when people hear that we're doing SBD and get all freaky about it. "What? You're giving up carbs??" It's only for two weeks - sheesh. And then you phase back in GOOD carbs.  It just seems like I can't eat anything because everything in restaurants is made with white flour / pasta. On SBD you eat constantly, and it's not weird stuff, it's just stuff that's somewhat outside the typical American diet: whole grains, fresh fruit & veggies. Things that are actually good for you.]

Anyway.

Over the Thanksgiving / Christmas break, I gained back 5 of the pounds I'd lost.  Funny story about that, on Brian's side of the family we'd set up a weight loss challenge, and the two of us joined thinking we'd continue to work on those last few pounds. Yeah, that didn't happen. So now in addition to those "last five" I have five more to work on.

Today was Day One back on Phase 1. It went well. I was hungry for a while but was able to do ok. I drank lots of water. We went to Sam's after work and stocked up on veggies, eggs, & other stuff we can eat. We're locked & loaded. Now we just need to stay motivated. [Which is another nice thing about SBD - you see weight loss almost immediately, and no, it doesn't come back on as soon as you bring carbs back in because you're bringing in the RIGHT carbs.]

Wish me luck! I'm sure you'll be seeing fairly regular updates on my progress.

Real quick, since I have stuff to do:

I do not like:

• Green eggs and ham.  (Just kidding.  I've actually never had them.)
• Homework that never ends.
• Being cold!
• Having to watch my weight.
• Being bored at work.
• This nasty cold that everyone around here seems to have.

I do like:

• People who take the time to be encouraging.  Too many people don't give a crap about others.
• Getting 2 shirts & a skirt for me, and a shirt for Bailey, all for $21 at Kohl's.  Yay for new clothes!
• Cheese.  Mmmmmmm.......
• Have I mentioned that Joey gets to skip ahead a grade in math?  I have?  :) 
• Thinking about future job possibilities and realizing that maybe this dog isn't too old for some new tricks.
• Glenn Beck moving to FOXNews!  Sounds like in addition to having his own show he'll be a regular on O'Reilly.  Good times!

Short & to the point.  I have to go read about competency testing now.