24 Hours....

... is how long until my first weigh in.  Yikes!

I'm really not sure if I'll make it.  I feel like I've worked really hard.  I could have avoided some diet mistakes along the way, but if you only knew what I was eating just last month.  I've come a long way.

2010 was so insanely busy for me that I can't fathom how 2011 could be any busier.  Of course I am knocking on wood and throwing salt over my left shoulder as we speak.  This year, I will have plenty of time to focus on becoming some "optimized" version of me.  Even if I don't make my January goal, I know that I've improved.  I ran a ten minute mile and ate my first grapefruit in twenty years today.

Coldstone.

I think today's title says it all.  Chris and I split a Love It size Peanut Butter Cup Perfection at Coldstone today.  However, that was the only "bad" thing that I ate.

I made some chili for dinner.  It was very good, but I had to have some Tums for dessert.  My taste buds like the heat, but my stomach doesn't agree.

One of the things that I like most about chili is that it seems like an indulgent food, but is really not bad for you at all.  The only thing in my chili that might be considered unhealthy is the not-so-lean ground beef that I use.  Considering that the entire pot only has one pound of meat and makes 7-8 servings, even that doesn't seem so bad.

Of course, I always have to add some naughty garnishes.  Chili just isn't the same without sour cream, cheddar cheese, and a couple of saltine crackers.  Lately, I've been subbing low-fat plain Greek yogurt for sour cream in just about everything.  Personally, I can barely tell the difference and I think I may even like the yogurt a little more.  I've also cut way back on the number of crackers that I use (4-5 instead of 10-15).  A couple of years ago, my bowl of chili would resemble some sort of cracker-cheese-tomato paste.

Back to the grind tomorrow morning.  If you didn't notice, tomorrow is the last day of January... Eek, deadlines approaching!

A Saturday at Home.

It's been a long time since I stayed at home for an entire day.  Chris and I got a lot done around the house.  It always feels good to have a squeaky clean home, even if it doesn't last long.  Aside from the salt and slush that gets dragged in because it's a Michigan winter, having three animals in the house makes it hard to keep the place clean.  I love those little faces too much to part with them, though...

I did not do any Tae-Bo today.  However, that is because I spent about six hours cleaning, shoveling snow, and bathing the sixty-five pound dog pictured above. (He was a pup when that photo was taken.)  Trust me, I burned plenty of calories.

I rebounded from yesterday's junk food bender.  I woke up too late to have breakfast, so settled for a cup of coffee before I started my housework.  For lunch, I made some light tuna salad and stuffed it into hollowed out tomatoes.  I had seen it on the menu at a diner and decided to try it.  It turned out to be really tasty.  Chris and I each ate two tomatoes, but I think next time I'll just have one and find something to accompany it.  For dinner, we had leftovers... nothing to write home about.

Now, I'm looking forward to a Saturday night in.  We're watching Mad Men, Season 1 Disc 2.  So far, it's an excellent show.

Mixed Emotions.

I did decide to skip the gym this morning.  It just didn't make sense to drive that far out of my way to use a treadmill.  I had planned on doing some Tae-Bo this morning to compensate, but that didn't happen either.  That was just sheer laziness.  I will do some Tae-Bo at some point tomorrow.

After our meeting this morning, we all headed to an undisclosed location to celebrate getting our bonuses and being masters of our domain (not in the Seinfeld sense).  As promised, I did my best to eat healthy.  However, that is a problem when there are no healthy things to eat.  That is, unless you want to eat cold chicken skewers and nothing else.

Upon seeing that eating healthy was going to be an impossibility, I decided to dive in head first.  If you're going to have a bad day, then you might as well have a really bad day, right?  I ate potato chips with sour cream, bacon, chives, and nacho cheese on them.  I'm aware of how weird that is, but that is what was offered and it tasted really good.  I also had a couple of scoops of ice cream, a cookie, some fried mac and cheese, and many other sinful delights.  I had my margarita.

To cap off the great day that I was having, we went out to dinner.  For $12.99 at T.G.I. Fridays, I got full-size bowl of French onion soup, a half pound burger with cheese and a side of fries, and a full-size slice of peanut butter cup pie.  That is a hell of a deal and a hell of a lot of food.  I only ate about half of what I was given, and I am stuffed.

I am happy that I got to have a surprise day off and ate all kinds of the things that I'd been craving.  I also feel pretty guilty about it.  To be completely honest, I also don't feel the best physically tonight.  There's nothing in particular wrong, I just feel weighted down.  It would be nice to remember this feeling the next time that I want to spend an entire day being indulgent.  I haven't remembered it the last 200 times, but maybe writing it down will help it sink in.

Carb Feast.

Ragu bolognese with whole wheat penne pasta and bread n' butter... best dinner since I started this thing.  It may also be the least "diet friendly" dinner I've had since I started this thing.  It was oh-so-good though.

I had a good leg workout at the gym this morning.  I'm thinking that next week I need to take the weight up a notch.  I already did that for lunges and squats (12 pounds to 16 pounds), so we'll see how I feel tomorrow.  By the way, I'll be skipping the gym tomorrow morning because it's about a half hour out of the way of the meeting I have to go to... I may get up and do some Tae-Bo before I leave though.

Another off-site meeting for work tomorrow morning, followed by a party in the afternoon.  It will be a junk-food and adult beverage haven.  I'm sure the healthy options will be limited, but I'll do my best.  It's also going to be really hard to say "no" to free drinks. (Margaritas?)

February first is fast approaching and I am not so sure it's going to be a good day for me.  Would anyone argue that I've given it at least 95% of my effort?  Trust me, I've got more to give... I'd rather not have to result to being a exercise-addict that only eats a thousand calories a day.  That's how I did it in the past, but I really hope it doesn't come to that.

Squash Fries and Motivation Issues.

I had a really hard time getting going this morning.  I got to the gym and started running.  Within ten minutes I'd had enough of that.  I didn't want to stop, but just didn't have the oomph to keep going.  I stopped and got on a recombinant bike for another ten minutes, alternating high resistance with low.  Then, I finished the workout off with five minutes on a stair climber.  There's something about cross training that keeps you going when you really want to stop.

The office food got me again, but I balanced it out by only eating part of the food that I took to work with me for the day.  I didn't have my protein shake today either... I'm just not seeing the results that I was hoping for and I don't know if choking the shakes down is really worth it.  I know that I said they were better with milk and they are.  They're still not great though.  I'm probably better off to save the 200 calories (including the milk) for something that I actually enjoy.

I made grilled chicken and butternut squash fries for dinner.  I learned to make the fries on an episode of Hungry Girl.  In spite of what she says, they do not taste like sweet potato fries.  They taste like baked butternut squash.  That's fine by me because I like squash, but Chris was not the biggest fan.  I also found that the more of them I ate, the less appealing they were.  I wish real french fries had diminishing returns.

Rude Awakening.

I woke up at 1:30 this morning because I heard our dog, Jet, pacing up and down our hallway.  Then, I heard another all too familiar sound:  the sound of our cat, Max, having an epileptic seizure.

I got up as quickly as I could get my body to function and went to find him.  He had stopped seizing by the time I got there, but was laying in a puddle of his own urine and looked terrified.  He's on medicine for seizures and hasn't had one for five months.  He seems okay tonight, but I feel terrible for the little guy.  My pets are the closest thing that I have to children.

Aside from the early morning drama, today was a decent day.  I didn't eat anything that I'm ashamed of, and I got a good arm workout in at the gym this morning.

Random fact of the day...
Did you know that a serving size of pan spray is a "1/4 second spray"?  I'd like to know who makes a pan small enough that you can coat it with a 1/4 second spray.  I would also guess that there are some people out there that can't move their trigger finger that fast.

Is It Hot in Here, or Is It Just Me?

I sweat profusely when I run.  Sounds gross, I know.  That's because it is.  I wish I knew where the thermostat in my gym was, because it feels excessively hot in there.  On the bright side, I'm burning more calories, right?  I feel like a wrestler trying to make weight.

I had one minor slip up today.  Someone left some pizza in our break room and I had a couple of pieces of thin crust.  I'm not sure what kind of sauce was on it, but it had a kick!

I made steak fajitas for dinner tonight and only had one tortilla as I promised myself.  I had one fajita and one serving of Spanish rice (the kind from a box).  It's amazing how many calories you can avoid by only eating one serving of things... Go figure.  Now I just have to figure out how to limit sodium, since there are ridiculous amounts of it in anything that you don't buy fresh.  I would love to make everything from scratch, but who has the time?

Spice Drops.

I went to visit my Grandma today.  As always, I had to have a few spice drops while I was there.  She's not doing well, and that's one thing that is always a constant with her.  She always offers you candy.  Even when she can't seem to put words together to tell you what is on her mind, it puts a smile on her face to see you grab a handful of candy out of her candy dish.

Afterword I took my parents and sister out to lunch.  I had a chef salad.  While I do consider having the salad instead of the steak hoagie that I wanted a win, I could have had something healthier.  I wish I could convince myself that a little bit of lettuce with mounds of turkey, ham, and cheese was healthy... but I can't.

Dinner wasn't healthy, but I did eat much less than I normally would.  Chris loves his Polish food, so we had pierogies and kielbasa.  I had one sausage and three pierogies (the serving sizes).  I don't think it put much of a dent in my diet, even if it wasn't very nutritious.

Chris stayed home while I was out visiting today and worked on putting together the furniture that we bought yesterday.  He also did the laundry.  All while he wasn't feeling very well.  I'm a lucky girl.

Cinnamon Rolls at IKEA.

No, I didn't have one.  I thought about them the whole time I was there though.  The smell seems to circulate through the whole store, even though it's huge.

I did well today, until dinner.  I had a grilled ham and cheese and some chicken noodle soup.  It was delicious, but I do feel a little guilty about the sandwich.

We got our new mattress set today and bought a whole new bedroom set at IKEA.  We've been putting things together ever since.  In fact, I better get back to helping with that before I get in trouble...

Whole Wheat Tortilla = 170 Calories?

I'm not gonna lie, I have been known to eat a lot.  There has been more than one occasion where Chris and I have split a medium pizza for dinner.  There have been days when I could put away four soft tacos.  Not the puny Taco Bell ones either.  I'm talking HUGE homemade tacos with ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, onion, and salsa piled on.

That was before I realized that a whole wheat tortilla had 170 calories in it.  Seriously?  That means on those sinful nights, I was consuming 680 calories before I even put anything on the tortilla.  Yikes!  No wonder I'm 25 pounds overweight.  I'm shocked that I'm not heavier.

I had ONE of these tortillas tonight.  I made turkey, hummus, arugula, cucumber, and cheese "sandwiches" for dinner.  They were good, but the recipe I used to make the hummus is not a keeper.  I would have just used pita bread (I have no idea what the calories in a pita are...), but I needed the tortillas to make fajitas on another night.  Why buy both?

Now I'm seriously rethinking the fajitas that I found in a Rocco Dispirito book that is supposed to be full of healthy recipes.  He did say to use low carb tortillas, but they are double the price of the whole wheat tortillas that I bought.  I can't afford to pay $6 for a package of eight tortillas.  I guess I'll just have to limit myself to one tortilla and eat any remaining steak and veggies with a knife and fork.

Why must everything that is good for me be so expensive?  Why does a head of broccoli cost more than a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese?  I know the economics, it just doesn't seem right.

Tripped Up by Chorizo.

I did so good today.  At our birthday brunch this morning, I opted for fruit instead of a doughnut.  I had mixed nuts and an orange for lunch.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but the post-workout protein shake did a good job of making me feel full all morning.  I probably should have had something more, but it was a busy day and time got away from me.

I made up for my meager lunch this evening.  Chris' mom, Cathy, took us out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  I ordered a quesadilla with chorizo inside, because it looked small and didn't come with the rice and beans on the side that most of the meals did.  It was scrumptious, but not the best thing in the world that I could have put in my body.

My leg workout gets easier every Thursday.  I think next week it might be time to step it up a bit.

Taking the whole day into account, I think I did alright.

Flying Solo.

Chris is at a business dinner, so I'm eating dinner alone tonight.  I've had a little bit of some leftover pot roast, but it just isn't really doing it for me.  I wasn't that impressed with it when it was fresh on Sunday, but I'm finding that it's even less appealing re-heated.  I'm thinking about finding something else.

I had two slices of Domino's Mediterranean Veggie thin crust pizza today.  This was a continuation of the work-food issue from yesterday... There is ALWAYS some sort of good food laying around my office.  However, this wasn't so bad for me, as far as pizza goes.  Eating thin crust really cuts down on the calories.

I'm not sure how, but I ended up getting to the gym later than usual.  The traffic must have been moving slower than I realized.  I had to cut my run short, but it was a good run.

Tomorrow's office food dilemma: the January Birthdays Brunch.  "No, I would not like any coffee cake."  Just practicing.  Are you convinced?

The Endless Dessert Buffet.

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I had an all day, off site meeting for work today.  I knew that food would be provided, but was unsure of what... That being said, I should receive a medal for how awesome I did today.

I got to the hotel conference center this morning after stopping by the gym for my daily workout.  Waiting for me was what they called a "continental breakfast."  No one is ever quite sure what they will get when that phrasing is used.  Well, this was a plethora of every type of carbohydrate that one could ever desire.  I was able to resist, due to the protein shake that I drank on my way over.

I walked into the conference room and there was hard candy at all of the tables.  I did not eat a single piece all day.  Not long after facing the candy, I learned that our activity to start the day was "Face the Cookie" from the tv show Minute to Win It.  I did not manage to get any cookies into my mouth with my face muscles, but my hand muscles had better luck.  Just one cookie though.

Lunch wasn't exactly healthy, but could have been worse.  Salads, spaghetti and meatballs, prime rib, roasted potatoes, etc.  I did pretty well in that I didn't eat a lot of it.  At the end of the buffet line there was a giant platter of different types of cake all cut up and plated for us.  I'm happy to report that no cake touched my lips.  That was really hard because there was chocolate cake that looked amazing.

At about 2:30, two people came around and dropped handfuls of assorted chocolate candy on all of the tables.  It was definitely needed by some of us after sitting through hours of speeches, but I almost wished that they would have just dropped a six pack of 5-Hour Energy on the tables to get rid of that 2:30 feeling.  Less calories and much less tempting.  I never gave in.

Afterwords, hors devours and drinks were served.  Everything looked delicious, but I decided I would have one beer and then get outta dodge before I could be tempted any further.  I got home and we had Rocco Dispirito's version of a cobb salad, which is quite a bit healthier than an actual cobb salad.

I am nothing but appreciative of how good my employer is to me... but my goodness.  How's a girl supposed to keep her girlish figure under these conditions?

I'm Having a Case of the Mondays...

I'm not feeling very talkative today, so I'll make this short and to-the-point.

It was just one of those days where I wanted to crawl into a hole and avoid all of mankind.  We all have them.  I'll get over it.

I ate pretty well.  I might have over done it at dinner, but not by much.  Potato soup and the other half of my hamburger from Zingerman's.  It was made from grass-fed beef, apparently that's better for you?

I did very well at the gym.  I ran 21 of the 25 minutes that I was on the treadmill.  5.5mph running and 4.0mph walking for a grand total (according to the machine) of about 2.2 miles before the cool down.  I've never been a runner, so this is quite an achievement for me.

Tomorrow is ominous.  I have an all day off site meeting for work and who the heck knows what kind of food will be available.  I do know that I won't have a refrigerator available to take my own food.  I hope there are some healthy options; and if there are, I hope that I have the strength to make good choices.

Oh Comfortpedic, How I Love Thee...

Since we moved in together, Chris and I have been sleeping on a 25 year-old, full size spring mattress.  At first, it was fine.  Probably because that was an upgrade for me.  However, in the last few months we have noticed that there is a very pronounced dip in the center.  Needless to say, we're not sleeping well.

Today, we got a smokin' deal on a queen size Comfortpedic memory foam mattress and two memory foam neck-support pillows.  It is being delivered next Saturday and I am giddy with anticipation!  Maybe next Sunday when the dog wants his breakfast at 6:15 in the morning, I won't be so mad at him for making me get up early on the weekend.  I am truly looking forward to some good nights of sleep.

I tried the chicken Fresco Tacos from Taco Bell today.  I had two of them for lunch, which amounted to about 7 grams of fat and 300 calories according to their menu.  While I would have much rather had a Cheesy Beef and Potato Burrito, they are pretty tasty if you are watching your waistline.

I made a French pot roast for dinner.  It was quite a departure from the pot roast recipe that I am used to.  It might have been slightly healthier because I trimmed the fat off of the meat, but I think that I would rather have it "the way Mom always used to make it" and just eat less.  It was tasty enough though.

Mondays come too quickly.

Zingerman's... Mmm.

I think this picture pretty well sums up my day today:

I had a great dinner at Zingerman's Roadhouse with my family.  Sometimes you have to cheat in the name of a good time, right?  I weighed myself this morning and I'm making progress, so I didn't feel too bad.  Besides, all of the hype about Zingerman's mac and cheese... it's true.

"Beat It."

I made a version of a BLT this for dinner tonight.  Don't worry, I used restraint with the bacon.  I swapped the lettuce for arugula and fried and egg to put on top.  I left the egg yolk runny, so there was no need for dressing of any kind.  I also put it on an English muffin instead of bread to save myself 50 calories.  I decided while eating it that I would name it the "BEAT It" sandwich, and that it would be fun to try and name all future cooking experiments (or at least the successful ones) after pop hits from the 1980's.

I changed it up a little today at lunch, too.  I had been eating a half tuna sandwich and some cottage cheese all week.  Today I had a Lean Cuisine with vegetables and butternut squash ravioli in it.  It was quite good and very filling.  If the heavy protein consumption does seem to be paying off by the end of this month, I may forget the tuna and start eating Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones for lunch instead.  The only problem that I have with that is that I can't pronounce 75% of the ingredients on their labels and that is a little frightening.  They are so convenient though!

I did some running again at the gym today.  Yesterday I worked on my legs and they are not nearly as sore as they were last Friday... and Saturday... and Sunday.  I love seeing improvement!

Pizza? It's delicious, but no thanks.

That's right, I turned down free pizza today.  It's not every day that your boss offers to buy you pizza for lunch.  I respectfully declined in the name of my weight loss quest.  Go me!

I did well today until dinner.  We had leftovers.  There was enough lasagna and stir fry for about 1.5 servings each and I probably had more than I should have.  I know I did, because I'm feeling pretty gross right now. 

I don't like to waste anything and I don't like clutter.  I'm finding out that is a real problem for me in regard to food.  I don't want to throw edible food away, but I also don't want it taking up space in my refrigerator or cupboard for too long.  What is the best solution?  Eat it.

I know, ideally I would only buy what I need.  We all know how difficult that is.  I go the extra mile and plan a menu for the week each Sunday and grocery shop accordingly.  I still end up with too much food.

Maybe the root of the problem is that I don't know how to cook for two.  Every time I cook, I end up with a family-sized pot/dish/pan of whatever it was that I decided to make.  It doesn't help that most recipes are designed that way.  That is also how most cookware is designed.  I can't seem to find a head of lettuce in the store that won't make three to four giant salads.  As I mentioned yesterday, I can only eat so much salad.  I'm not a rabbit for gosh sakes...

Ranting finished.

Success!

You will be shocked to hear that protein shakes really are better with milk!  As I said yesterday, that's probably the route I should have taken to begin with.  I was trying to avoid having to pack one more thing in my gym bag each morning, but I suppose that 8 ounces of milk and an ice pack are worth it if these shakes help me at all.  I'll reassess before I buy more.

My good eating habits continue.  I made lasagna for dinner, and it was not what you would call "healthy."  However, I made side salads and Chris and I ate those before touching the lasagna.  I probably ate about half of the amount that I normally would have.  I have to say though, I've had enough salads for one week.

We were able to hold off on shoveling snow until this evening, so Chris and I started off to work (the gym for me) a little early this morning.  I still ended up getting to the gym about fifteen minutes later than normal.  I was able to run a mile before it was time to stop and get ready for work.

I'm working on my legs again tomorrow.  Hopefully they aren't sore for four days this time.

Another Snow Storm.

There are several inches of new snow on the ground and it's still falling pretty heavily.  The ride home from work was a joy, and I'm sure that the ride in tomorrow will be just as wonderful.  We didn't shovel the driveway this evening, so I may have to skip my morning workout tomorrow to help Chris shovel before work.  That's okay, I will still be getting some exercise.

I tried the protein powder hot chocolate that I mentioned yesterday and it was every bit as nasty as the chocolate water.  I even used half the water.  Part of the problem is that the powder does not dissolve in the water.  Even though the directions tell me that I can blend, shake, or stir, I really think that blending might be a requirement.  Chris, being the smart ass that he often is, suggested that I take our Magic Bullet to work to make smoothies at my desk.  I have to admit, it would be pretty comical to someone making a milkshake in their cubicle with a Magic Bullet.

Anyway, tomorrow will be trial number three in the protein powder experiment.  This time I am mixing it with skim milk.  That is probably the first thing that I should have tried.  If that doesn't work, maybe I'll take my aunt's advice and stick with water.  I'd really like to find something that works though.

I was very good today.  I didn't have any sweets!  Not even low cal/Weight Watchers sweets.  Of course now that I mentioned sweets, I want chocolate.  I do believe there is some fat-free, sugar-free pudding in the refrigerator...

Ten in Ten.

Every January, my gym starts a challenge called, "Choose to Lose."  You and a partner wager $20 each that both of you will lose ten pounds in ten weeks.  If one of you fails, you both lose your money.  If you're both successful, you get to split the pot with the other winners.

This will be my third year participating, with the same partner.  We've shared in the winnings for the last two years!  The problem is, I always end up right back where I started by the next year.  This year is no different.  In fact, I've managed to put on thirteen pounds since the last challenge ended.

We weighed in today.  For the next ten weeks, I'll have a monetary incentive to lose a pound a week.  I'll take all the help that I can get.

Yesterday, I was at the grocery store and happened to compare the nutrition information on a giant jug of whey protein powder to that of a Special K Protein Shake.  At 2.5 times the protein and a tenth of the carbs, I had to give it a try.  Not to mention, it is much cheaper.  I tried the first shake today and put way too much water in it.  It tasted like chocolate water, which is as gross as it sounds.  Tomorrow, I plan to use half the water and try it as "hot chocolate."

My diet was okay today with one exception.  My boss' birthday was this weekend and a co-worker brought in a cake.  I wasn't going to have any, but he cut me a huge piece and brought it to me at my desk.  Of course, I couldn't resist it at that point.

I did well at the gym, too.  I was able to go 2.3 miles in 25 minutes.  Normally, I make it an even two.

The Productivity Continues.

Once again, Chris and I got a lot done around the house today.  The floors and the bathrooms were cleaned.  The vanity was cleaned out in the bathroom and all Bath & Body Works lotions dated earlier than 2009 were thrown out.  Laundry was and is being done.  Most importantly, the garage was finally cleaned out from a November construction project and both of our cars are parked inside.  Thank you, Chris and Mark (my father-in-law).

We had the usual egg-muffin breakfast.  There was some braunschweiger in the house from the "Poor Man's Pate" that I made on New Year's Eve.  Chris had a slice on his sandwich, but I'm happy to report that I tasted it and was not a fan.  I can't handle that much sodium early in the morning, which is good because no one should be eating that for breakfast.  It's gone now and we won't be eating it until next New Year's Eve.

I made some homemade potato soup for dinner.  I skipped the copious amounts of milk and butter that I would normally put in it (or heavy cream if you want to make it really tasty).  Instead, I used some turkey stock that I had made a few weeks ago and frozen.  To add a little protein, I cooked about 6 strips of bacon and crumbled them into the pot.  Bacon is high in fat, but I think 6 strips in about 8 servings of soup is excusable.  We used plain yogurt as a garnish.  It was really good and I'm looking forward to having the leftovers this week.

Dessert (yes, dessert!) was a Smart Ones Brownie A La Mode.  It was quite good, but I just checked the nutrition facts on my favorite ice cream (Sander's Bumpy Cake and Cream).  There are 40 fewer calories, 100 less milligrams of sodium, and half the carbs in the delicious Sander's ice cream.  I guess it only pays to eat the Smart Ones if you can't stop at a half cup of regular ice cream.  I think that I can.

Back to the gym in the morning.

A Productive Saturday.

I know it's early, but I already have dinner planned so it isn't as if I can ruin my diet in the next 8 hours.  We're having homemade chicken tikka masala, which is a delicious Indian dish if you've never had it.  It's a little spicy, but I found some Na'an bread at the grocery store to go with it.  That will help with some of the heat.  The recipe that I have makes a very healthy dish.

Christmas has officially been put away until next December.  I really wanted to take all of the decorations down last weekend, but just didn't get to it.  Aside from the decorations, I did a lot of decluttering and dusting today.  I still need to vacuum and mop, but that can wait until tomorrow.

We got a couple of inches of snow during the day and over night last night, so I went out to help Chris shovel the driveway this afternoon after we finished the indoor chores.  I actually like to shovel snow on the days that I don't work out.  It makes me feel a little better about skipping the gym.  I really wanted to get a snow blower this year, but I think my waistline would like it if we just continued to shovel.

I have to confess that I ate Jimmy John's for lunch.  In my defense, it was after 3:00 and I'd only had my usual egg white on an English muffin and a Balance Bar.  I think I'll still come out okay on my caloric intake for the day, since we're having a very light dinner.

I saw a show on the Cooking Channel this morning called Bitchin' Kitchen.  It was pretty funny, but it's a little hard to keep up with if you're serious about making the dish that the host is demonstrating.  It's definitely worth watching once... and maybe twice if you like to drink your Saturday morning cup-o-Joe in front of the TV like I do.

I found out yesterday that I'm going to have a niece!  I wasn't going to mention it, but my sister posted on Facebook about it, so I think it's fair game.  Words can't express how excited I am to be an aunt.  I'm already thinking about gift ideas.  What do you think, Beth?

Battle of the Potluck.

I guess I would call it a draw.  There were not many (if any) healthy food options at this potluck.  I think I did a pretty decent job of portion control though.  I only had a half bowl of beer-cheese soup?  I think that counts for something.  I also ate strawberry trifle instead of the peanut butter cup pie that I mentioned yesterday.  That was a challenge.

I made two pies and almost ended up bringing one of them home.  Fortunately, there were some ladies in another department that were more than happy to take it off of my hands.  I was able to help myself and make their work day a little sweeter.

I made it to the gym every day this week.  Yes!  I worked on my legs yesterday, with lunges and squats abound.  I felt okay this morning and went for a two mile run.  I stretched after my work out as always, got cleaned up, and went to work.  I tried to get up after sitting at my desk for two hours to find out that my legs were really hurting.  They still hurt, eight hours later.  Lets hope they don't hurt in the morning.

I don't plan to work out on the weekends, but that could change if the weight isn't coming off.  However, I am going to try and be more productive on my days off.  There are a lot of things that I could be getting done around the house that just haven't been getting done.  If you know me, you know that my life has been a little insane over the last year.  Therefore, I'm not very hard on myself about not getting things done around the house.  No more excuses.  It's a new year and it is time to move forward.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

I discovered today that if I put my un-refrigerated food in one of my desk drawers instead of on my desk, I feel much less hungry throughout the day.  I had that can of mixed nuts on my desk all week, taunting me.  This morning I put them in a drawer and told myself I could have some at 2:00.  It really helped me to stop thinking about devouring the whole can.  Imagine that.

Today was another good day.  I made stir fry for dinner with some sirloin steak in it.  My parents raised the steer that the meat came from, and I have to say that they did a fine job.  He was very tasty.  :-)

I don't have high hopes for tomorrow... potluck.  I signed up to bring peanut butter pies before I had decided to go on this weight-loss quest.  I made them this evening, and they contain 4 of my favorite things: peanut butter, cream cheese, chocolate, and whipped cream.  Why must everything that is so good be so bad for you?

Shoes...

I finished my workout this morning, took a shower, and got dressed.  It wasn't until that point that I realized that the cute black flats that I was going to wear to work were not in my bag.  Under different circumstances I would just go back home and get them.  However, that's difficult when you're a half hour drive from home and your husband dropped you off before he went to his own office.  I thought to myself, "Which is more appropriate for the office, dark blue flip flops or my gym shoes?"  I went with the flip flops.

I felt like a dork all day (blue flip flops did not match my outfit), but fortunately did not have any meetings.  I was able to stay in my cubicle for most of the day and only ended up explaining the flip flops to one person.  Bullet dodged.

Speaking of shoes, I really do need to invest in some new running shoes.  I've had the current pair for quite a while.  I've heard that you should get a new pair every 6 months or 500 miles, whichever comes first.  I don't think I will ever have to worry about the mileage on my shoes.

I ate pretty well again today.  I made baked chicken with Italian Mrs. Dash, boiled potatoes (also with Mrs. Dash), and some peas for dinner.  It was not the best dinner I've ever made or eaten, but it was healthy and salt free.  Well, my plate was healthy.  Chris ruined his when he put cheese and butter all over it.  Once again, I had to watch him eat the food that I wanted to be eating.

Another Good Day.

I can already tell that I am going to have a difficult time coming up with titles...

Today was another good day.  I did some weight training focused on my arms and abs this morning at the gym.  After my workout I drank a Special K Protein Shake.  They are surprisingly good, but I would not recommend the strawberry flavor.  It definitely helped with the hungry feeling that I was having yesterday.

I've been trying to drink more water and less coffee.  I've been doing well, and have only had one cup of coffee for each of the last two days.  I have had some minor headaches, but I know they will stop in a couple of days.  I have a 32 ounce water bottle at my desk and I've been drinking it twice a day.  I hear that staying well hydrated can curb your appetite and help you feel more energized.  If I'm giving up 2 of my 3 daily cups of coffee, I'll need all the energy that I can get.

I made salads for dinner and cut up some leftover pork chops to top them.  Chris and I always seem to get hungry around 8:30-9:00 when we have salads for dinner, so we had some cottage cheese on the side hoping that the extra protein would prevent that.

I wish it wasn't so gross outside.  They don't plow our subdivision on a regular basis and when they do, they do a really bad job.  I don't trust myself to run out there without falling on my face.  I'm also a little apprehensive about running in the cold.  My lungs hurt just thinking about it.  This guy would probably like it if I went for some runs with him:



No, he does not have laser beams for eyes.

Back to Work.

Getting up an hour earlier was every bit as difficult as I thought it would be.  In fact, I don't even remember hearing the alarm go off the first time.  Luckily, I was alert enough to realize what was happening after the first snooze at 5:54am.

It was decided that in order for this carpooling thing to work we are probably going to need to set the alarm for 5:30 rather than 5:45.  I'm not pleased, but I'll get used to it.

I would call this a good day, or at least a good start.  I got up and dressed for the gym pretty quickly, and was able to make breakfast for Chris and I.  That is something that I haven't done on a work day in months.  I made "Egg McMuffins" with whole wheat English muffins, two fried egg whites, and one thin slice of ham.  It tasted pretty good and kept me full well through my work out.  I envied Chris as he ate his sandwich with cheese on it, but told myself that I was better off without it.

When I got to the gym at 7:00 this morning, it was packed.  I had expected to see 4-5 other people, and instead there was about 5 times the crowd.  I'm glad that there are other people that are serious about getting fit, but I hope that I continue to get lucky and the the machines that I need are open.  This morning I was able to jump on a treadmill and ran/walked for 25 minutes and 2.1 miles.  Unfortunately, it's looking like 25-30 minutes is all the time that I am going to have for working out in the morning.

I ate pretty well for the rest of the day.  I think I will have to take more food to work with me tomorrow though, because I was definitely hungry.  An apple and a Balance Bar just don't do it for lunch.  I snacked on some Planter's Heart Healthy mixed nuts, but it just wasn't enough.

Of course some of those leftover Christmas goodies tripped me up this evening.  Soon enough they'll be out of the house and out of my mind.

Setting Goals.

Yesterday, a friend made me realize that I had not set any goals for myself.  Most people would agree that it is much easier to be successful if you've defined what success is to you.  That isn't hard for me to do.

Every year, my employer offers a comprehensive wellness assessment, free of charge.  I think it's a great idea, and it's taught me a few things about myself that I might never have found out otherwise.  I learned that I have mild hypothyroidism and an iron deficiency.  I also learned that my cholesterol is just on the cusp of going from normal to high (genetics).  Of course, I've also been told year-after-year that my BMI is too high and that I am overweight.  If it gets any higher, I will fall into the dreaded "obese" category.

Success for me would mean getting all of these issues under control.  The hypothyroidism and iron deficiency are already taken care of through medication.  That leaves the cholesterol and the weight.  In theory, a healthier diet and exercise should help with both.  I plan on managing my weight for now, and seeing where my cholesterol is at next year's wellness assessment in October.  I am hoping that it will come down on its own as I start to take better care of myself.

The healthy weight range for my height, according to the CDC's BMI calculator, is 111 to 150 pounds.  I probably haven't weighed 111 since about the fourth grade and I think that is ludicrous.  I can tell you right now that I would look like a starving Ethiopian if I weighed 111 pounds.  However, I weighed about 150 in this picture and I think I look pretty good.  Aside from my wedding photos, this is probably the best picture that's ever been taken of me.

There you have it.  My goal is 150 pounds, or a loss of 25 pounds.  I would like to get there in six months.  I am setting a monthly goal of four pounds.  I am not going to reward myself every month.  When I succeed, I am probably going to need some new clothes.  My reward will be a modest shopping spree at Twelve Oaks mall sometime in June.  The biggest reward will come from knowing that I succeeded and feeling better in every way.

I had a slightly better day today.  My husband and I celebrated a late Christmas with my in-laws today, so of course there were some less-than-healthy things to eat.  I decided that it was technically part of the holidays, so why not partake?  At the very least, I do think that I got five servings of vegetables today.

I would say, "Starting tomorrow, no more messing around."  However, there are still a lot of sweets and other sinful foods left in the house from the holidays.  If it's in the house, I will probably eat some of it.  Sweets are by far my biggest downfall.  Most of you are probably wondering why I don't just toss it.  There are two reasons: 1) I am not the only person that enjoys them, and 2) I have a thing about wasting food.

Starting tomorrow, Chris (my husband) and I will be carpooling to work. (I love having a chauffeur!) In order to make our schedules work together, he will be dropping me off at the gym an hour before I start work.  Unless I am sick, I won't be able to make any excuses for skipping the gym.  Waking up an hour earlier is going to be rough...

January 1, 2011... The Beginning.

If you're reading this, you probably know me.  If you didn't, you probably wouldn't even know that this blog exists.  That being said, I'd like to explain to you the reasons that I've decided to start keeping a blog.

You know me, so you know that I've been at perpetual war with my weight, my fitness level, and my self-esteem since I was about 13.  I turned 27 this year.  I'm not going to sit here and blame society.  Coldstone didn't force-feed that delicious ice cream to me all summer long.  Facebook has not threatened to end my life if I don't spend at least a half hour each day sitting on my ass, staring at my Newsfeed.  My husband won't divorce me if I don't make him shepherd's pie, homemade macaroni and cheese, and ragu bolognese.  I am the only person to blame.

I declared the latest battle on my waistline this morning in my Facebook status.  Every year on January 1st I start some new plan to lose weight and get fit.  Like most people, I do pretty well for the first few months and then fall off of the wagon.  This blog is a new effort to stay focused and motivated.  If you don't want to read it, that's fine.  The very fact that you can is all of the motivation that I need.

The plan is simple.  I am going to do my best to publish one blog post a day.  Each post will include three things: 1) my physical activity for that day, 2) my feelings on what I ate that day, 3) and anything else that I feel like saying.  The details may not be here... Let's be honest, no one cares how many curls I did at the gym.  I'm pretty sure that no one wants to know calorie-for-calorie what I ate on a given day.

Aside from the daily posts, I am going to publish my weight on the first of every month.  When I've lost weight in the past, I've found that the best motivator was knowing that someone else was going to watch me get on the scale at the end of the month.

Time for my first confession... I've eaten total crap for the last two days.  No joke.  I might have put on a couple of pounds in that short time.  I haven't been at work, which also happens to be where my gym is, so I have not gotten any exercise.  I haven't really even done any housework.  Basically, I've been a lazy gluton.  Today, I weigh 175 pounds.