Back At It.

Another post, as promised...

I was VERY good today.  I had toast with Nutella and peanut butter for breakfast.  For lunch, I had fresh vegetables with hummus and some fruit.  For dinner, I made chicken salads with spinach, bacon bits, mushrooms, red onion, chick peas, and homemade dressing.

There is one problem.  I am still hungry and I know that Chris is still hungry.  We will probably have a snack later.

This morning I ran almost two miles at the gym.  It's been a while since I've done that.  By the way, I recently decided that I was not getting enough cardio.  I enjoyed the routine of lifting every day, but I'm thinking that the reason I liked it so much is because it was easy.  No more taking it easy!  Going forward, I plan to run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and lift on Tuesday and Thursday.  Also, Chris and I may start running in the evenings on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Of course, Jet will be running with us.  My puppy needs to get back into summer shape!

I Need Motivation.

171.2 pounds this month.  I'm not proud.

I know exactly what happened.  I've basically gone off of any diet to speak off.  I'm good at lunch during the week.  That is only because I take fruits and veggies to work and they are my only options.

There are a few things that I can work on during this month of May:

1) Stop snacking!  I work in an office.  Anyone that works in an office knows that there are always "treats" available.  I think that my office may be a particularly bad place to work for someone that can't keep their hands out of the "candy bowl."

2) Stop eating carbs after 2pm.  This is difficult for me because I grew up in a household where dinner was always the heaviest meal.  I need to teach myself to eat my carbs for the day at breakfast and lunch, rather than at dinner.  I saw during my brief stint on the 17 Day Diet that this really works.

3) Lay off the sweets.  This is a tough one for me for a couple of reasons.  First, I have a super sweet tooth.  Second, I absolutely LOVE to bake and make candy.  I've found that the easiest way to keep sweets out of my mouth is to avoid contact with them.  No more buying them at the store, and no more evening runs for ice cream.

4) Drink more water.  Lately, I am drinking less and less water.  I'm replacing it with coffee.  Not good... at all.  Starting today, I am only allowed one cup of coffee in the morning.

5) Start making daily blog posts again.  This really seemed to keep me on track in the beginning.  I can't promise that every post will be enthralling, but they will keep me honest.  I apologize in advance for some of the boring posts you are going to see in the days to come.

Anyway...

We got our Equinox on Saturday.  It is great!

I walked in the March for Babies on Sunday in honor of my nephew, Noah Michael Corwin.  He was born with anencephaly and in February of 2010 and passed away shortly after.  I hope that everyone who is able supports the March of Dimes so that one day people won't have to go through what my sister and brother-in-law went through.

I'll be back tomorrow.  I promise!

New Car!!!

That's right!  Chris and I are going to pick up our 2011 Chevy Equinox this morning.  This will be my first brand new car and I am super excited!

After we get the car, we're going to wedding.  I'm glad we're going to have nice weather for it, because lately the weather has been pretty unpredictable.

I haven't been particularly good over the last week.  I did get to the gym like I should, but I ate a little more pizza than I should have.

On Friday, I sat in the sauna for 20 minutes before work.  I've used the sauna at my gym before, but it's much quieter early in the morning.  It was so relaxing that I told Chris we should build one in our house when we renovate our second bathroom.  Of course, that isn't likely to happen, but a girl can dream.

Off to start a busy Saturday!

Easter.

I had a very nice Easter Sunday with my family.  We ate indulgent foods and had good conversation.  These were my contribution to the menu:

I am pretty dang proud of those cupcakes.  They are lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting and candied lemon peels on top.  The oatmeal raisin cookies were good, too.  In fact, I at the last one about thirty seconds ago.

After dinner, my dad took my sister and I out to the pasture to see the calves that have been born this spring on the farm.  There are few things in this world that are more adorable than a baby cow.  Although, the kittens that he showed me before dinner were pretty cute, too.

I've been pretty good this week aside from the Easter feast.  Chris and I are making a concerted effort to eat at home more often and that helps a lot.  It is much easier to cheat when you are sitting in a restaurant looking at a menu of items full of delicious fat, carbs, sugar, and salt.

We are supposed to get some severe weather tonight.  I hope the power doesn't go out!

"Flash Fried Chicken"

I made a Rocco Dispirito recipe today called "Flash Fried Chicken."  I never thought that a healthy version of fried chicken could taste so good.  Thanks, Rocco!  I will definitely be making it again.

I have not been particularly good this week.  As usual, I went to the gym like I should.  That has not been a problem for me.  Food is definitely my downfall lately.  Unless there is some drastic change in the next week, I will not be making weight on May 1st.  In fact, this month's results may be the worst yet.  Where has my motivation gone?

A Birthday and A Shower.

I've been good for the most part lately... Although there have been a few exceptions.

Last night I indulged in four, yes four, Oberons.  If you are not a Michigander, then you may not know that I am referring to Bell's Oberon, a delightful summer beer.  I have no excuse, other than it had been a very long time since I'd spent a night out on the town with friends.  I had a wonderful time at Club Bart in Ferndale and I hope to go there again some time.

I did not drink so much that I could not enjoy the lovely baby shower that we threw for my sister today.  My niece is never going to wear the same outfit twice.  I hope that she wears out the pink Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars that I bought her.  Lord knows that she has enough pink outfits to wear them with!

The truffles that we made for favors seemed to be a hit!

Flowers.

I saw a little yellow flower in one of my beds today.  It's small, but it's a start.  I have lots of daffodils and tulips that are just about ready to bloom as well.

I really want to get a garden in this year, and I need to get moving on it.  I've been so busy with other things lately that I haven't had a second to consider it, but I'm hoping that I can at least get the grass dug up next weekend.  It would be wonderful to be able to walk out to the backyard and get fresh vegetables this summer.  I will definitely have to put some fencing around it to keep the dog out (and those pesky rabbits).

I have been eating very healthy lately, but I have not been sticking to the 17-Day Diet rules.  If it is such a struggle to stay on the program, then the program probably isn't for me.  I won't deny for a second that it produces great results, but it took no time at all for those results to reverse themselves when I started eating carbs again.  I am going to do my best to eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water.  If the scale isn't showing it then maybe I am just meant to be at this weight.

I'm not throwing up my hands in defeat.  I am just coming to the realization that my weight is just a number.  If I eat right and exercise, then I'll leave the rest up to nature.  Perhaps this is just who I am.  Honestly, which is less healthy: 1) being 15-20 pounds overweight, or 2) constantly obsessing and stressing out over being 15-20 pounds over weight?  I think the stress will give me a heart attack before the weight does.  Life is too short.  If it's a couple of years shorter because I'm a little overweight, then at least I'll die happy.