*Breakfast-Egg salad sandwich on Ezekiel bread
Lunch- 2 pieces grilled chicken w/ BBQ sauce/1 chicken nugget
Dinner- 1 LC mac & cheese
Snacks-90 cal snack pack
Exercise-Fast-walked 20 CC laps (about 1 & 1/2 miles); 40 pergola steps per leg; 10 lunges per leg
*I made some pretty good homemade egg salad. Boiled eggs, dollop of light mayo, Nature’s seasoning, red onion & dill. I’m using the sesame Ezekiel bread–it’s really good for savory stuff!! 
Boy, do I feel a lot better today!! I woke up about an hour earlier thanks to a good night’s sleep. Went on out & got a workout in since I whimped out yesterday.
OK, any dudes that might read this, should stop now.
I am really not used to having PMS. My former BP pretty much eradicated the M & the PMS altogether. But it was sooo expensive. So I switched to another kind that only costs me 5 bucks a month (saving me $45 a month!). It works, but about 4 days before the big M, I get mood swings, headaches, cravings, mild cramps & I feel so bloated that I could pop like a balloon!! It’s like being in high school all over again! And the emotional crap–it’s just not like me at all!! Getting weepy, depressed, cranky & whiny. Sheesh.
This time was particularly bad. Effit Day probably didn’t help it too much, either. Lots of salt & junk.
But today, it seems to have dissipated, so YAY!!!!
So busy–priming cabinets, painting, etc. I still cannot wait to have this kitchen done!!
Breakfast-none
Lunch- LC angel hair marinara
Dinner- Egg salad sandwich on Ezekiel bread; 1 baked potato w/smart balance & lite sour cream
Snacks-handful of cheezits; SF pudding w/SF cool whip; 90 cal snack pak; 10 scoops w/ole dip (ugh)
Exercise-Skipped like a bum. Felt wonky & had headache–boooooo.
Almost didn’t post an entry for today. I stayed up too late (not partying or anything–just felt wide-awake at the wrong time) & didn’t sleep well. I’ve had a headache most of the day. Took a long nap. I’m PMSing like a frikkin bear!! All emotional, weepy & ill!!
I really just don’t feel like myself today! 
And, for the first time since I began–I skipped a workout. I’ll make it up tomorrow.
That’s all for today–can’t wait to get to sleep & put this one behind me. Ugh.
Breakfast-Piggly Wiggly biscuits & gravy & cheese/ham grits! YUUUUUMY!
Lunch- 8 (I kid you not) sister schubert rolls
Dinner- 5 pieces pizza; 1 piece cinna swirl treat
Snacks-handful of cheezits
Exercise-Off day
Temps have cooled off a bit here–thank goodness!! I’m so, so glad today is Effit Day. I slept in til 7:45! Ate a GREAT PW breakfast! (I really live for those things on Saturdays). They’ve got these awesome cheese grits with little bits of ham in them that are sooooo delish!
So I technically got started on E Day last night–we took a family friend out to dinner at a Mexican place. But I think I’ll just make sure I get one decent, healthy meal in today to make up for it. I’m not too torn up about it. I’d rather cheat a bit on Fri. night than Sun-Thurs!!
Still, I’ve got to remember that Saturday is the cheat day—not the other days. Aside from olive oil, I don’t get a whole lot of fat in my diet most days. That’s probably why I gravitate toward fatty stuff on cheat day.
We’re renovating our kitchen–finally. It needs it. We live in a really old house & this kitchen has been a sore spot for a while. Frankly, we just haven’t had the money to do anything to it. But we’re foregoing our family vacation this summer & using our tax rebate to get that sucker redone! DH & Dad have been building cabinets. We looked at backsplashes & bought fixtures last night. Plus, we’re getting a new floor & paint & some new appliances . . . I’m really excited!
It means our kitchen will be turned upside down for a few months, but it’s worth it. It seems like people tend to congregate in the kitchen whenever they visit–so it will be nice to actually have a decent one!!
If you have a decent kitchen–one with no 1970’s ugly brown flowered floor; no 40 year old laminate cabinets that are peeling away with avocado plastic strips falling off & fixtures that break off with the slightest tug; no rusty appliances with grime that just won’t scrub away no matter how hard you try; no massive island of cabinets that keep you from seeing across the room and no burned out/buzzy fluorescent office lights–if your kitchen doesn’t look like that, then BE GRATEFUL!!! We’ve lived with ours for about 11 years now. I think we’re due for a change!!
Breakfast-1 cup blueberries w/instant oatmeal
Lunch- Leftover veggie/chicken casserole; homemade lowfat slaw
Dinner-Queso dip & tortilla chips (waaaaay too many!); Mexican salad w/guac & shrimp & waaaay too much cheese. Yep, I suck.
Snacks-3 pita chips & mexican bean dip;90 cal snack pak
Exercise-Jogged 1/2 mile warmup; HIIT-8 30 second reps w/fast walk breaks; 10 minute walk cool-down
Good grief—that was a hellacious workout. Meaning, I felt like hell doing it. I wanted to quit after 6 reps–I really did. I had to PUSH myself to do 8. I just didn’t feel pumped up for it. I’m definitely not going to do HIIT again until Tuesday.
This is one of those days where I had to dig deep for self-motivation. I wanted to sleep in this morning, instead of waking up with DH. I wanted to just take it easy on my workout. Just walk or something. I wanted to quit when it got tough.
But I made myself get up & I pushed myself to get a good workout in. I’m glad I did (but I won’t lie, I really had to kick my own arse to do it!).
I didn’t get a good night’s sleep . . . again. I keep tossing & turning & I think I’m coming down with a cold or something.
I think I’m starting to get a bit of that OMG-my-break-is-almost-over-do-not-want anxiety. It happens mid-summer. Just when I’m getting into the groove of summer living & fantasizing about being a housewife, this anxiety hits me.
I may go to mom’s & get in the pool to relax today. I need to chill out & enjoy some time with DaisyKid.
Tomorrow is Effit Day & a day off from working out–I am looking forward to that!!
Breakfast-Breakfast sandwich: 2 pc Ezekial toast w/Smart Balance & FF cheese, tomato & 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch- 1/2 a Zaxby’s chicken salad sandwich
Dinner-3 big helpings of homemade veggie/chicken casserole (lite mayo & FF cheese in it)
Snacks-4 pieces california roll w/spicy mayo; 90 cal snack pak, SF Pudding w/SF Cool Whip
Exercise-Jog 1/2 mile, Walk 1/2 mile, Jog 1/2 mile–1.5 total
OK–it’s been five weeks now & today I weigh–143.5 pounds! Observations:
*I lost a pound from last week’s 1.5 pound gain. So, my total loss so far is 6.5 pounds.
*I’m proud of myself for still sticking with this . . . Would you stick with something for five weeks just to lose 6.5 pounds? Well, normally, I wouldn’t. Formerly, I would have said “It’s 2 pounds a week or I quit!”
*Drinking water–especially when I’ve been out in the Bama heat–is helpful. Now, I can’t stand to drink water out of the faucet. And I can drink bottled water if it’s super cold and I’ve just exercised. So, I like to put my water on ice & squeeze lime juice in it. Sometimes, I water down a Sprite Zero on ice & put lime in it. I also water down my Splenda tea (I don’t mind weak tea). It helps me to get it in. What’s hard is when work starts back–I am steadily running to the restroom for pee breaks!
*I have 4 pounds to go & I’m out of the 140s. It sounds easy enough. But I have to consider that I’m getting into fat pound territory, now–not just water weight. And losing the fat pounds is much tougher!
*Even though I did yard work yesterday, I still had a scheduled day off formal exercise. I think it’s important to not overdo it, so I won’t burn out. HIIT workouts are great, but they really take it out of you. I think doing them on Tuesdays & Fridays & then doing steady-state the other days would be a good idea. Don’t get me wrong–I love em! But if I do them more than twice a week, I’m afraid I’ll injure myself. Anyway, by sticking to Mon, Wed, & Sat off exercise, I’ve really been able to keep up the plan.
*I looked back at my entries and saw that I had lost to 143 within just 3 days of starting this! But I had layed out in the sun for 2 hours & hadn’t eaten much. So that was just water weight.
*Well, I haven’t felt deprived. I really haven’t. And that makes me wonder–should I feel deprived just a little bit? Is that what it takes to lose more weight? I will admit–I could probably stand to go to bed a little hungrier. I may call this a diet, but that’s just semantics. To me, I’m just making healthier choices than I used to–not really a diet per se.
*And, finally, according to every BMI calculator I could find, I’m at 23.8. The limit for my age/height is 25. The low end would be 18.5. So, I’m at a healthy weight–it’s just toward the higher end. A BMI of 21.7 would put me smack in the middle at 130 pounds.
Now, for me to maintain 143.5, I’m supposed to eat 1300 calories per day. To lose one pound a week, it’s 1200 calories per day. It’s my choice, huh?
*Oh yeah, DaisyKid has lost a total of 8 pounds!! He’s gone from 120.5 to 112.5!! WOW!!! (Don’t worry, I’m definitely not starving him! He gets much more lee-way than I do! I think it’s exercise that has really helped him! His goal is 110–so he’s almost there!!)
I know I’m supposed to wait until weigh-in tomorrow, but I decided to check out the scale today just for kicks–143.5! That’s AFTER a big lunch and a bunch of liquids!
So, whatever tomorrow brings . . . I know I’m doing ok!!
Breakfast-none (I’m going to have a big, fat salad for lunch)*Plus I had to clean cat poop off the porch this morning &, trust me, I was NOT hungry afterward.
Lunch- 1/2 a deluxe salad at Big B w/ranch
Dinner-Rest of deluxe salad w/ranch; 2 pieces Ezekial toast w/lite OO spray & Smart
Balance
Snacks-5 cheezits; 1 90 cal snack pak
Exercise-(Off day– but I pulled Kudzu & did yard work in the hot sun!)
With tomorrow being weigh-in, I’m going to try to be careful about loading up on lots of salt today. I can hold water like the Hoover Dam.
I’m not expecting a big miracle tomorrow–I’ve done fine on my eating (not going ga-ga overboard like I’m wont to do) & I’m hitting the exercise like a habit . . . but I’m also pre-TOM. So, if it’s down, it’s down & if it’s up, it’s up.
But the one thing I’ve noticed–especially today–is that my clothes are fitting differently. My tops are a good bit looser & my pants aren’t fitting so tight in the thighs. But they are fitting more snug in the butt. It’s like stuff is “lifting” a bit. At least, I hope so! After five weeks of exercising & watching what I eat more closely, I hope this is a real change & not just my mind playing tricks on me!
I still can’t wait to be out of the 140s. I don’t mind being toned in the 140s, but I’d like to see that magic 3 in the equation sometime soon. I read blogs where people drop weight most weeks & I think “OK–let that be me!” Sometimes I wish for that wonderful “flush” that happens after TOM–you know, where you drop 3 pounds of water weight overnight! But I’m still keeping at it.
Breakfast-Breakfast sandwich: 2 pc Ezekial toast sprayed w/lite OO & FF cheese, grilled shrooms & pepper, 2 pieces of turkey & 2 scrambled eggs; grilled asapragus
Lunch- 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs & black-eyed peas
Dinner-Michelina’s Lean gourmet chicken alfredo w/1 grilled skinless, boneless chicken thigh
Snacks-90 cal snack pack; wow chips; SF Pudding w/SF cool whip
Exercise-HIIT training CC for 20 minutes
So I did another HIIT workout today (DaisyKid tried it, too). I both love and hate it. I love getting a good workout in, in less time. Steady-state cardio can get soooo monotonous.
What I hate (or really just what’s the tough part) is the go-as-hard-as-you-can part. Whoa. It really does take it out of you. But I’m more motivated to push, when I know I have a small easy part afterward. It’s a lot like the fartleks we used to run in track during my freshman year. I ran pretty well that year. The coach who trained us left after that season & the other coaches had us distance runners mainly just run double distance for training. I don’t ever remember doing intervals after freshman year.
DaisyKid hated it–until we were finished (I had him go for a shorter amount than me). He was glad he got his exercise over.
There are days when I like to just go steady and zen out. But I think HIIT will be more adaptable to my work schedule once school starts back (and that makes me very relieved!).
Food-wise, the healthy eating is going ok. I’ve been getting the munchies at about 9 pm, though. I still log whatever goes in my mouth–even if it’s not good for me. I haven’t been eating quite so many carbs during my meals. Not going low-carb, by any means–but I try not to load up on them.
I noticed a big breakfast sure does help me out. That’s still something I will struggle with once school starts back. I’ll have to find a way to get it in there.
Breakfast-Breakfast sandwich: 2 pc Ezekial toast sprayed w/lite OO & FF cheese, tomato & 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch-1 grilled chicken thigh (skinless, boneless), dijon vinagrette, tomatoes & FF cheese
Dinner-Chef salad w/ranch; 1 fried green tomato & 4 fries
Snacks-90 cal snack pak; wow chips; 2 100 cal snack paks; 1 cookie
*Exercise-HIIT training CC/Played catch w/DaisyKid & DH for 45 minutes
*This was tough but fun! 30 seconds jog, 30 seconds balls-out, etc. until I hit 4 minutes total for the balls-out part–then I cooled down w/2 CC laps total time 15 minutes
Or I AM hippie, rather. Waist to hip ratio. A low one is supposed to be a good one. My waist is 27 inches & my hips are 41. Mine comes out to .66. Can you say PEAR???
It’s even funnier when I add in bust size. My measurements wind up being 35-27-41. lol 
I can wear my 11 year old’s shirts. I can wear an itty-bitty junior belt. But it’s all downhill below the waist!
I have always believed that it’s MUCH easier to dress when you’re an apple shape. Skirts, shorts, pants, etc. are easy to wear with small legs & hips. You can show off your legs & people say “Wow, she’s got great legs!” And you can hide a belly with a shirt or jacket easily.
But being a true pear shape–well, it’s not a fun experience when shopping. It’s like you basically buy for two totally different bodies. And people don’t usually say “Wow, she’s got a great waist!” Fashion experts tell you to buy skirts or wide-legged pants. Yeah, well skirts are ok, unless you’re like me & you have CANKLES! The only way to cover them is to wear boots and those are too hot in the summer and hard to fit over big calves. And wide-legged pants only look good on people who are thin (IMHO). Lord, don’t even get me started on shorts!!! You just can’t hide big, ol’ legs. Might as well learn to love em!
But I do think people tend to comment/freak out more about big legs on a woman, rather than a big belly. It’s happened to me often when I’ve been in shape/at a low weight. I’ll be in a group where some of the women have big tummies, but I’m the one “called out” with a “Girl, you’ve got some big legs!” Oh, well. Guess I could always reply with “Thanks, I’ve been working really hard to get em this way!” 
Breakfast-2 pc Ezekial toast sprayed w/lite OO & FF cheese & tomato, salt & pepper! Yum!
Lunch-Bowl of okra w/rotel & 1 can V-8/WW mac & cheese
Dinner-2 grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 1 grilled chicken finger & bbq sauce/grilled asparagus, mushrooms & red peppers w/dijon vinagrette
Snacks-4 wow chips/half a cookie/100 cal hostess pack
Exercise-Pilates/dance/weight vid for 45 min./Walked treadmill (incline 8 ) for 20 minutes
Been reading up on body types. Took a little online quiz & it says I’m closest to a mesomorph. I think most women probably are.
This got me thinking about muscle. When I was 20 pounds lighter, did I still have the same amount of muscle? Or did it atrophy & go away?
Anyway, mesomorphs can get in shape quickly–but they can fall out of shape quickly, too! Can’t say much about muscle when there’s a thick layer of fat covering it!
I tried a different workout today–I got the Method Pilates workout On Demand. OK, first, let me say that I am NOT coordinated. I had to really focus when I took TaeKwonDo just to make sure I was doing the movements right. But I like to take a while to practice what I’m doing to get it right.
Well, the warm up on the video wasn’t bad. It was ballet-based. There were a few steps I couldn’t get the hang of, but it did warm me up. The next part was weights/pilates/dance–the weights sections (focused on upper body mainly) was good. The pilates part was good. The dance part–well, I had to just make up some stuff when I couldn’t get the steps down! I sure did break a good sweat & after these two sections, about 45 minutes had passed, so I stopped & went to the treadmill. I bumped the incline up to 8 and walked a fast clip for 20 minutes. Whoa–I usually incline to 5.5 max–so this was a lot tougher! It felt good to change up the routine a bit.
I’d like to get a good pilates DVD one day. I still think a fast walk/jog is the best for my body, but it’s important to throw some curveballs in there to make it say “Whaaaat???”
Oh, & I’m loving my new kicks. I almost bought some silly summer wedges, but I thought–”OK, they’re cute, but am I even going to WANT to walk in these things??” So, yay for tennis shoes!
Breakfast-Piggly Wiggly biscuits & gravy/cheese & ham grits/eggs
Lunch-O’Charley’s potato twists/1 mini griller/Asiago cheese & shrimp dip w/tortilla chips & a 1/2 a piece of ultimate chocolate cake! So frikkin stuffed I couldn’t move!
Dinner-Don’t see how on earth I’d want any; EDIT: 9:30 pm-tater tots! Sonic run!
Snacks-2 mini donuts/2 sour cream & onion chips
Exercise-None (off day)
Effit Day #4! Yay! Man, oh, man has it been a good one! Went to Auburn & I bought two new pair of tennis shoes. We met up w/mom & dad & had a great lunch–but I was SO stuffed that I could barely move afterward. I swear I was a walking zombie!! I fell slam asleep on the way home. The weather is starting to get hot again & the humidity is creeping back in.
Let’s see . . . I’m about to fall asleep. I think I’ll go take a good, long nap.
Breakfast-2 pc Ezekial toast sprayed w/lite OO & FF cheese & tomato, salt & pepper! Yum!
Lunch-Leftover spaghetti, a pickle & a bowl of tomatoes
Dinner-Tilapia, green beans, grilled corn on cob, grilled squash
Snacks-Seasoned ranch cheezits; Wow chips & lite dip; SF pudding w/SF Cool Whip & 1/2 a 100 cal snack pak of cookies; 200 cal swiss roll pak
Exercise-Jogged 1 mile; 40 pergola steps for each leg; 40 calf raises; swam; rode bike
So after the workout this morning, we decided to head to the lake for a picnic. We had a blast! Swimming, biking, goofing, taking sun–we wound up staying all day!
Got home, unloaded, unpacked & I took a nap like the dead. The weather has been so unseasonably mild lately. The humidity has just vanished! But I’m sure it’ll come back–it’s Bama, after all.
We cleaned out the hot tub & changed the water–can’t wait to take a dip tomorrow night!
The gas on the grill went out while we were cooking tilapia–tried to finish it off in the microwave, but it just didn’t taste right. So sad.
A great day–so glad the family got to spend time together!
Breakfast-2 pcs Ezekial toast sprayed w/lite Olive oil
Lunch-Lima beans w/FF cheese, Wow chips & lite dip
Dinner-Homemade spaghetti (Whole wheat pasta; No sugar added sauce & tomatoes)-1 bowl
Snacks-90 cal snack pak; Wow chips & lite dip; 200 cal swiss roll
Exercise-Jog/walked a little over 1.5 miles; 2×25 pergola steps/Added an evening walk of 1.7 miles around the neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful weather!
It’s been a month now–and this week, I . . . GAINED! Put on 1.5 pounds. I’m 144.5–Not surprised at all. My total loss for the month has been 5.5 pounds. Observations:
*After doing ok on Effit Day, I really cheated with that soul food meal on Sunday & the Doritos (god, WHAT a bad choice!) the next day. Effit Day is there for “cheating”–NOT any other day.
*Yeah, I won’t beat myself up. This was an unusual weekend with the Jazz Fest & all. And I enjoyed myself, so no beating myself up!
*I’ve stuck to my exercise! I’m really proud of myself for keeping that “habit”! I workout Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun every week. It makes Mon, Wed & Sat. feel so decadent!! And I still get in moving around time on some of those days, too.
*Portion control ain’t so easy when I cook my own food. Last night, for dinner, I ate a small bowl of my krab/veggie stir fry. And about two hours later I ate all the rest of it (there was a lot left). I know it’s better to pig out on something healthy if I must, but it certainly adds up, doesn’t it?
*I have to resist the urge to be too disappointed. I’ve said 1000 times that fluctuations happen. But I had hoped after a month, I would be at least 10 pounds lighter. Will I ever get out of the 140s?? Some days it feels like I never will. I know that’s just self-pity. I just need to keep going. Sooner or later (and the later part is what I have to work with), my body will have to get a grip & let go of some pounds!
*I’m getting more toned. And boy did I need it, cause I’d become a jiggly mess! My clothes fit a lot better–I wore some shorts from last summer (size 12) & they’re pretty baggy now. The workout clothes I bought were size medium & they fit! My jeans fit better (starting to get looser).
*DaisyKid has lost a total of 6 pounds! He’s doing really well! He gets out there and does his workout (he jog/walked over a mile today!!) & has cut down so much on his snacking. I’m VERY proud of him. He can wear a lot of his clothes that were too tight at the end of the school year. He really inspires me!
I still have my eyes set on my goal of 130. It’s 14.5 pounds to go. If it takes me all of June & July–so be it!
Breakfast-1 pc honey/cinnamon Ezekial toast
Lunch-WW 3 cheese mac & cheese w/side of krab/veggie stir-fry
Dinner-Krab/veggie stir-fry (all the rest of it!)
Snacks-90 cal snack pak; Wow chips & lite dip; SF pudding wSF Cool Whip
Exercise-played catch w/DaisyKid for 30 min.
OK, let me just say that after two days—the rattlesnake beans have all been consumed! They were good. Instead of seasoning them with fatback (like a good Southerner does), we just added a little olive oil. Really tasty. But . . .
You know the drill about beans. Don’t get me started on Beano. Doesn’t do much for me. Let’s just say that I stepped outside more than a few times the past two days to contribute to global warming.
I’ve been thinking about the Weight Watchers program lately. My cousin has lost 25 pounds on it since April & is looking great!
I’ve done it before & still find myself saying in my head “This is two points. This is 3 points.”
For me, the meetings weren’t too helpful in terms of motivation–other than the weigh-in. I know people were just being polite, but hearing “What are you here for? You look fine!” drove me nuts. I wanted to say “Well, I’m 20 pounds over my ideal weight, so what the heck do you think I’m here for?!” Instead, I just said “I’m here to nip it in the bud.” It was almost like if you didn’t have 50-plus pounds to lose, you didn’t “belong.”
I’ve said before that I have no problem with Lean Cuisines, Smart Ones, etc. Yes, I know the sodium is bad for you–even with drinking tons of water. But my lifestyle was hectic & I found them to be the best option for me for most lunches. In fact, I lost most of my WW weight while eating them. And that didn’t put me in my group’s good graces at all. Every time our leader suggested new recipes, they called for fat-free mayo, fat-free dressing, fat-free this, fat-free that–my group just oohed & aahed about how tasty the FF stuff was. Now, I can handle fat-free cheese in cooked stuff, but unless you spruce up the other stuff with herbs & spices, I just don’t like it. Plus, I’m sure there are chems galore in many fat-free foods–just like there are in frozen dinners.
And, I know I shouldn’t say this, but I grew tired of listening to people complain about their measly 26-point allotment per day. You know what mine was? 18!!!
It wasn’t Weight Watchers’ fault–it really is a good program. I met my goal on it. I just think the meetings I went to were a bad fit for me.
I tried WW online for a while. I just didn’t feel like paying for something that I could do online myself.
On another note, I had the weirdest dream last night about calf muscles. I dreamt mine were so defined that they were “popping” out. It was very strange!! Perhaps, it’s wishful thinking??
Breakfast-2 pieces honey/cinnamon toast
Lunch-LC shrimp penne/field peas & rattlesnake beans
Dinner-Steamed shrimp w/cocktail sauce/rattlesnake beans
Snacks-100 cal snak pak; 100 cal Cheezit snack pak; Freshley’s Swiss Rolls (yikes! 200 calories)
Exercise-Walked 1 CC mile; Did 2×15 each leg pergola steps
I’ve always been an adventurous eater. As a kid, I ate tofu, dim sum, souse meat, spicy food. I’ve had eel, octopus, bison, all manner of stinky cheeses, seaweed, alligator, gizzards, livers, etc. I like to try new foods.
However, I am NOT Andrew Zimmern. Although I love his show Bizarre Foods, & I think a lot of what he’s tried must be fabulous, I can’t fathom some of the bleeding, slimy, icky, stinky stuff he’s had.
But I saw an episode where he went to a yakitori place in Japan. They serve all manner of food grilled on a stick. Even a lot of chicken parts.
So I’m in Piggly Wiggly looking for something to grill & I see . . . chicken hearts. 60 cents for a whole bunch of em! I remember seeing chicken hearts on that episode. Bet you know what I did next.
Let me just say this. If I was starving and grilled chicken hearts were my only option, I’d eat em again. But that’s about the only scenario I can imagine where that would happen. They had a chewy texture . . . and I kept thinking about the blood. And the aortas were still attached. Ugh. Lime juice & soy sauce couldn’t help them, either.
Now, I also grilled a bunch of chicken necks (never had those before)–they were better than the hearts, but too much work for too little meat. Still, they were pretty tasty with barbecue sauce.
I had also stopped off at the farmer’s market to pick up some tomatoes, field peas and rattlesnake beans (never had before). The peas & beans were really good–but the tomato I had was too mushy. It tasted like what we call “grocery store tomatoes”–blech!!
About 5 minutes after our meal, hubby & I started to feel a bit queasy (he ate some of the hearts like a trooper). I had to blend ice, water & lime juice in the blender for us to drink. It’s supposed to be the cure-all for a sour stomach. And it worked! I think part of it was the food & part of it was just the thought of what we ate.
But it won’t stop me from trying more new stuff. You never know unless you try!
Breakfast-black-eyed peas w/pimentos
Lunch-LC cheese ravioli
Dinner-Grilled chicken necks & hearts (BLECH! don’t ask); field peas & rattlesnake beans
Snacks-Doritos & mexican dip (very bad choice!); 90 cal snack pak
Exercise-Pulled kudzu–if you’ve never done that, you just don’t know!
Slept in til 8:15 today–after the past few late nights, I needed to! I treasure being off work for the summer. I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to manage my time when the school year starts back.
It’s easy to focus on meeting goals/developing good habits when you have little else to interfere with them during the day (like, say, work!). But, once I go back to work, I wonder how I’ll manage.
Wake up at 5:30.
Take 30 min. to drink coffee, watch, news, & wake up
Get dressed, get hair/face ready, make lunch, get my gear together, make bed
Be at work by 7:15
Work til 3:30 (Lunch is at 1:05)
Come home
Notice there’s no breakfast in there. Notice there’s no exercise there. Notice there’s no morning shower in there. Notice I have an hour to get a lot of crap done.
More observations:
*It takes me a good 30 minutes to wake up & become human.
*Fixing my hair is always a dreadful experience. If I fix it up, it takes at least 15 minutes. Usually, I wind up saying effit & I put it up in a ball on top of my head. Not the most attractive look.
*I’m absolutely NOT hungry until about 8:30 (which falls in the middle of class). Yep, I have learned that brekky is super important, but I just can’t force myself to eat it when it’s so early.
*I like to workout after my 30 min wakeup period. That’s how I’ve done it this summer. I’m not one to jump out of bed & go workout–I won’t enjoy it as much. And enjoying it is how I’ve been keeping consistent with it. Plus, if I wait til I get home to workout–I won’t. I’m tired & the Bama heat is just too intense at 3:30.
*Morning showers are great & pep me up–but I’m always so rushed, so I don’t take one. I take a bath right before bed. Some people might find that gross. But, hey, how dirty can I get when I’m just sleeping??? And forget washing my hair in the morning–it takes so long for me to dry (even when it’s shorter).
*Wake up at 5 on workout days during the week (that’s Tues, Thurs, Fri). Sounds ok, but not hitting snooze will be a test of will.
*Take about 20 min to wake up. Get workout gear on.
*Workout from 5:30 -6.
*Shower & get ready. This will work if I make lunch, get clothes ironed & pack my gear the night before. So simple, yet I fail all the time! Also, getting an easy to manage haircut will help. But that is hard for me to find & would require me to actually get my hair cut more than once a year! And, as bad as tans are for you, it takes less time for me to get a “face” on when I’m tan. I can grow quite pale & pasty in the fall/winter.
*Make my honey/cinnamon toast & pack it up. Eat it at 9:30 during homeroom. Yeah, it’s not nice to eat in front of the students, but I allow them to eat during homeroom, so why can’t I? This way I won’t be starving later in the day.
All of this boils down to time management, priorities & getting off my arse to do stuff. About three weeks before school starts, I’m going to start going by this schedule so, hopefully, I will be used to it when I go back.
I think my body’s natural rhythm/clock goes by the summer schedule. Like, waking up at 7 am is so much easier for me than waking up before 6. It’s funny what an extra hour or two can do for you.
At least I don’t have to worry about it until many more weeks!
Breakfast-1 sister schubert roll
*Lunch-(Kinda fell off the wagon here): Mashed potatoes w/gravy, cracklin bread & dip, fried porkchop (I know!), fried okra (I know again!)
Dinner-Chips & dip
Snacks-
Exercise-SKIPPED LIKE A BUM! EDIT: Nope, I got off my arse & actually did it! Walked almost 1.5 miles! Go me!
*Father’s Day lunch. I didn’t really eat dinner last night, either. But that’s still no excuse. Let’s just say that this day isn’t a healthy one!
Went to the second night of JF last night–had a blast w/my relatives!! Drank 5 Smirnoff ices–not my usual M.O., but it was fun!! Snacked on chips & lite dip last night–was effit day, anyway!
Today we’ve just been recovering a little–big fat naps & such! Skipped the workout for the first time (on a scheduled day). That cannot be made a habit!!
I’m so glad I don’t have to go in to work tomorrow. I have a feeling I’ll be going to bed early tonight.
EDIT:Walked about 1.5 miles. Found out that 9 CC laps isn’t a half mile like I thought–7.5 laps is! Sooo, I’ve actually been going farther than I thought. Nice surprise!
Breakfast-Wow chips w/mexican dip
Lunch-LC Spaghetti
Dinner-Wow chips & dip; 4 scoops & dip; 5 Smirnoff ices! Yikes!
Snacks-
Exercise-none (off day–decided not to after all)
Went to the Jazz Fest last night . . . had a good time despite an hour of showers. I had technically planned for a “free” night food-wise. But I wound up not as hungry as I thought I’d be. Didn’t drink alky either–just wasn’t in the mood for it. Went to bed a little after midnight (but thank god I could sleep in today!).
Saw lots of people I hadn’t seen in a long time & that was really cool. Everybody was having a great time & partying it up!
Tonight is the second night of Jazz Fest–this one is held down at the lake & it should be a lot of fun, too. Hope the weather holds out! A little rain doesn’t bother me, but after sitting in it for an hour, it starts to feel like Chinese water torture.
Today is Effit Day–but no Pig breakfast this morning (too tired). Some relatives that I don’t get to see that often are coming to stay the night & we’re all going to the JF together, so that will be fun!
Thinking about getting in a little workout–just to get the old blood flowing!
Breakfast-1piece honey/cinnamon Ezekial toast
Lunch-1 WW Santa Fe rice
Dinner-OK, here we go (Jazz Fest)-1 chicken finger, fries w/ranch, 1 cinnamon roll, 1 bite cupcake
Snacks-6 wow chips, 90 cal snack pak
Exercise-Walked 1 mile CC& did step exercises
So I always leave my tennis shoes outside to air out after my workouts. But early yesterday evening we had a whopper of a storm blow in & this morning, my shoes were soaked! Perfect opportunity to just forget the whole thing.
I didn’t exactly feel like working out, but I put on my clothes & donned the squishy shoes anyway. Then I looked at the CC course–soaking wet. The deck stairs were slippery. For a split second, I thought about blowing off my workout–hey, cross-country is tricky when the grass is wet & treacherous. Besides, I have a lot of errands to run today. Stuff to do.
And then I thought about how good I always feel after I exercise in the morning. How it charges me up for the rest of the day. How my muscles get a slight soreness later in the day to remind me that I actually used them. How nice it feels to slip into the hot tub & soak it all away in the evening.
So I modified my path a bit &, instead of jogging, I walked briskly. There’s a pergola on the course, so after 10 laps, I did step exercises on it (and boy did they make me sweat!), walked 6 more laps & did the step exercises again & then finished up with 3 more laps. 18 laps is a mile.
It was fun to change the workout up a bit. The pergola stepping worked my arse more than the deck stairs usually do. And I didn’t even fall!
Now, I’m glad I got it in. We have a lot going on this weekend, so Effit Day will be fun. And I’ll feel better about it since I stuck to the plan.
Breakfast-2 pieces honey/cinnamon Ezekial toast
Lunch-1 LC Spaghetti w/meatballs
Dinner-Curried krab/veggie stir fry
Snacks-1 pc pickled okra; 90 cal snack pak
Exercise-Jog/Walked 2 miles CC (32 min./CC=cross country, just fyi)
EDIT:Well, once my coffee kicked in & I did my workout, I weighed again just for kicks . . . 143!!!!! All of what I wrote before still applies . . . but I’m counting this!!!! Woot!
That means I’ve lost 7 pounds in three weeks and 1.5 pounds this week!!! I’ve lost around 4.6% of my body weight! I’ve lost 35% of my 20 pounds! Yay!
Amazing what going to the bathroom & breaking a sweat does for ya!!
In other words, I’ve lost 28 sticks of butter!!
Well, I guess I had a premonition yesterday . . . results this week: NO CHANGE!
So, I didn’t gain & that’s good. Sort of. This is the nitty-gritty part now . . . the little thrill of losing a pound or so keeps me going, but the weeks like this are the ones that really are going to test my committment to this. Observations:
*I have a sneaking suspicion that (god I don’t want to say this) I’m eating too many carbs. Even with better portion control, I consume bread, starchy snacks, starchy veggies, rice, potatoes. Maybe it’s just too much. I think I’ll try having at least one non-starchy meal per day. See if that helps. But I just don’t want to go back to the carbs-are-the-devil mindset that I used to have. Even South Beach, as great as it was in helping me shed many pounds last August, isn’t something that I feel I can make a way of life. I’ll start w/ that one meal each day . . . & if it doesn’t seem to help by next weigh-in, I’ll know I have to re-examine my meals again.
*I’m curious about muscle. I grew up hearing “Muscle weighs more than fat” from my folks (god love em for trying to make me understand)–but it fell on deaf ears. Still, I’ve always had a pretty muscular build. To see me from the waist up, I can still look fairly cut even at this weight. Most of my weight is carried in my butt & legs. Even at 110 pounds, my legs still look big & muscular. It’s a shame I didn’t become a bodybuilder, cause I have definitely got the genetic makeup for it! In fact, lifting weights is something that I’m going to start incorporating into my exercise plan–on my off days from cardio. I can handle being a “pear” as long as I don’t jiggle too much below!
*Speaking of exercise, I think I’m starting to get used to the distances I’m jog/walking now. Time to step up the pace or go longer. That’s the thing I specifically don’t like about it. Just when I’m comfortable and confident about what I can do, BAM!–my body says “Yeah, so this ain’t nothing, lady!” It’s like a set point. I remember Oprah talking about it once. She’d started off doing 2-3 miles. Then, she reached a point where she had to go 5-6 just to keep getting results. You can have performance training–I lost my desire for it many years ago (although that foundation is probably what has kept me from being as big as a house now).
*And, finally, the down & dirty: I’d still rather work from 144.5 than 150. One week of no change isn’t going to negate what I’ve accomplished so far. See, I CAN be positive about it!
