In case you didn't know, it's Holy Week. For people who are affiliated in any way with church music, that means it's a very busy week. I was trying to cobble together some people for Easter dinner, until I realized I wasn't really in the mood to throw a party.
First of all, Jason and I are both singing at the Easter Vigil Saturday night and both Easter morning services. Most other church choristers are also singing every night this week (Jason sang last night at Tenebrae), but for me, 3 services in 12 hours is about all I can handle. Last year after the 2nd Easter service, I felt exhilarated by the beautiful music and the sense of community worship, but also really, really exhausted.
Plus, work has been crazy busy lately and I am selfish with my down time. Since Sunday afternoon will be the calm before the storm of work and meetings that my Outlook calendar tells me is coming next week, I sort of let the idea of Big Easter Plans fade away.
However, that doesn't mean I can't whip up a ham for me and Jason. Inspired by Jenna at The Paleo Project and Melissa at CupcakesOMG, I'm planning my own Paleo Easter. Which is also known as "regular dinner time at Jason and Kelly's", but with the added flair of a Paleo carrot cake and possibly some deviled eggs.
I'm going to make:
Honey and Citrus Glazed Ham
Some type of roasted vegetable
Spiced Carrot Cake (with regular whipped cream)
Like I said, deviled eggs may also make an appearance. As may baked sweet potatoes (with cinnamon and butter).
All of the above sound doable without making me crazy on a Sunday afternoon. Happy Easter to us!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Working Out
I was tired this morning, so I didn't go to strength training. No biggie, I thought, I'll make sure to take a lunch walk. Not as good, but it will do. Only then it started pouring rain at lunch. Well, I still have a little walk up the big hill to meet Jason after work to look forward to, so at least I'll get my heart pumping for a few minutes.
Lame.
Yesterday, though, I did well. First off, though, my alarm didn't go off. Sometimes it goes off at weird times, but this is the first time it just didn't go off, period. I woke up on my own at 6:22, jumped out of bed and managed to make it to the pool by 6:40. I must admit, it's nice to live only a couple miles away.
We proceeded to do a million 100s at top speed. We did 100s of free, 100s of drills and 100s of stroke (I did backstroke) all as fast as we could. I was exhausted by the time it was done, though my fastest 100 was 1:24, which is a new best time for me (at least since my swim team days).
I keep thinking, if I could just get rid of some of this excess fat, imagine how fast I would be! I suppose skipping strength training class is not the best way to go about that.
Tomorrow I swim. Friday is strength training. Saturday I will swim again because I want to get in 4 workouts this week.
Lame.
Yesterday, though, I did well. First off, though, my alarm didn't go off. Sometimes it goes off at weird times, but this is the first time it just didn't go off, period. I woke up on my own at 6:22, jumped out of bed and managed to make it to the pool by 6:40. I must admit, it's nice to live only a couple miles away.
We proceeded to do a million 100s at top speed. We did 100s of free, 100s of drills and 100s of stroke (I did backstroke) all as fast as we could. I was exhausted by the time it was done, though my fastest 100 was 1:24, which is a new best time for me (at least since my swim team days).
I keep thinking, if I could just get rid of some of this excess fat, imagine how fast I would be! I suppose skipping strength training class is not the best way to go about that.
Tomorrow I swim. Friday is strength training. Saturday I will swim again because I want to get in 4 workouts this week.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Determination
Work has exploded again, like it did in October, November and December, but this time I'm determined not to let it derail me. So even though I could come into work at 7:30 or 8 tomorrow, I'm going to go to Masters swimming from 6:30-7:30. And then I'm going to go to strength training on Wednesday from 6:30-7:30. And so on.
I just think it's really important to keep going. I know I'll feel better if I keep up my healthy eating and my regular workouts.
I just think it's really important to keep going. I know I'll feel better if I keep up my healthy eating and my regular workouts.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
4.5!
That's how many inches I've lost in the past couple of weeks! The scale is staying put for now, but I have lost a total of 4.5 inches. I'm thrilled with that!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
NSV
"NSV" in weight loss lingo means "non-scale victory". I don't have one yet, but I have a couple of ideas of NSVs I want to shoot for.
First, I just bought a cocktail dress (Yay for Nordstrom free shipping both ways!). I often have to go to cocktail and semi-formal affairs for work and I've just about worn my 2 other cocktail dresses into the ground. The new dress is this lovely deep purple color, with chiffon layers and it ALMOST looks amazing on me. The shape is perfect for my body, which is saying something, since I often have a hard time finding things that look right on both my hips and my waist. Usually it's one or the other.
While you might think that fitting perfectly into this dress is actually weight-related, I would argue that the number on the scale won't really matter, so long as my proportions are correct. I'm doing strength training to get toned and to improve my overall shape, and that's what looking amazing in this dress depends on. My next work event is at the end of April, and my hope is that I'll be wearing the purple dress!
My next NSV goal is about feeling good about myself when I go visit my grandma in Florida in May. I know we'll be making at least one trip to the beach, and I want to feel confident in the knowledge that I have done everything I can to be fit and healthy. I want to be comfortable hanging out in my swimsuit.
By the way, we're buying our house! I mean, the one we're living in right now. I am oddly calm about it, while Jason is kind of a nervous wreck. I'm not sure if my calmness is denial about the implications of it all, but I'm pretty sure I've thought it through and I feel A-OK. Maybe I've just decided to let Jason do all the worrying. For once.
First, I just bought a cocktail dress (Yay for Nordstrom free shipping both ways!). I often have to go to cocktail and semi-formal affairs for work and I've just about worn my 2 other cocktail dresses into the ground. The new dress is this lovely deep purple color, with chiffon layers and it ALMOST looks amazing on me. The shape is perfect for my body, which is saying something, since I often have a hard time finding things that look right on both my hips and my waist. Usually it's one or the other.
While you might think that fitting perfectly into this dress is actually weight-related, I would argue that the number on the scale won't really matter, so long as my proportions are correct. I'm doing strength training to get toned and to improve my overall shape, and that's what looking amazing in this dress depends on. My next work event is at the end of April, and my hope is that I'll be wearing the purple dress!
My next NSV goal is about feeling good about myself when I go visit my grandma in Florida in May. I know we'll be making at least one trip to the beach, and I want to feel confident in the knowledge that I have done everything I can to be fit and healthy. I want to be comfortable hanging out in my swimsuit.
By the way, we're buying our house! I mean, the one we're living in right now. I am oddly calm about it, while Jason is kind of a nervous wreck. I'm not sure if my calmness is denial about the implications of it all, but I'm pretty sure I've thought it through and I feel A-OK. Maybe I've just decided to let Jason do all the worrying. For once.
Monday, March 12, 2012
House Update
Saturday I went to lunch with a friend and then we drove around and looked at the outsides of a bunch of houses in southern Mass. One of them made us both go "oooo, pretty!" But when I looked at my notes on the house, I was reminded that it had pink carpet in several rooms.
Really? Who decided pink carpet was a good idea?
The house is kind of at the top end of our price range, and we would definitely have to put some work into it if we moved in. However, included in the price, stretching waaaay back into the woods, is 9.4 acres. My friend asked me what Jason and I would do with 9.4 acres. I thought about it for a second and determined that we would sell half of it. Then we would STILL have 4.6 acres.
Yesterday I drove around another town in Massachusetts and found a darling neighborhod, with families outside enjoying the sun, and this happy little yellow house for sale plopped right in the middle of it all. I'm kind of a sucker for yellow houses.
It's a lot of fun to look around, but in the end, I think we may stay put. The landlady has given us a price, and it's not unreasonable, though I think we're going to try to negotiate in the furniture of hers that we've been borrowing.
Last night, we were talking about little things we could do to fix the place up a bit more to our liking. Put tile in and get a new sink for the half bath. Possibly paint the dining room. Finally finish organizing the stuff we've been putting off organizing because it was a temporary home anyway. Jason was speculating on what exactly it would take to replace the kitchen cabinets.
So I think we're nesting a bit. Or talking about nesting. We'll see how negotiations go.
Really? Who decided pink carpet was a good idea?
The house is kind of at the top end of our price range, and we would definitely have to put some work into it if we moved in. However, included in the price, stretching waaaay back into the woods, is 9.4 acres. My friend asked me what Jason and I would do with 9.4 acres. I thought about it for a second and determined that we would sell half of it. Then we would STILL have 4.6 acres.
Yesterday I drove around another town in Massachusetts and found a darling neighborhod, with families outside enjoying the sun, and this happy little yellow house for sale plopped right in the middle of it all. I'm kind of a sucker for yellow houses.
It's a lot of fun to look around, but in the end, I think we may stay put. The landlady has given us a price, and it's not unreasonable, though I think we're going to try to negotiate in the furniture of hers that we've been borrowing.
Last night, we were talking about little things we could do to fix the place up a bit more to our liking. Put tile in and get a new sink for the half bath. Possibly paint the dining room. Finally finish organizing the stuff we've been putting off organizing because it was a temporary home anyway. Jason was speculating on what exactly it would take to replace the kitchen cabinets.
So I think we're nesting a bit. Or talking about nesting. We'll see how negotiations go.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Sugar Buzz
Yesterday, I was reminded what a real sugar buzz feels like, even though it was just natural sugar. I swam 2800 yards yesterday morning, then ate eggs and a banana at my desk for breakfast. Then we went to a meeting at another attorney's office, and when we got there, they offered us freshly-squeezed orange juice. Apparently they have this whole kitchen set up with a juicer and all. So I said ok, because how often do you get fresh orange juice? Well, maybe you get it a lot, but I don't.
I drank half of my glass. About 20 minutes later, my brain started buzzing. That's the best way I can describe it. It really feels like there's something going on in my head, and I feel antsy and hyper. It's a surefire indicator to me that my blood sugar is spiking. I guess the juice on top of the banana was too much.
A little while later, I crashed, and I never really recovered for the rest of the day. I was dragging around, getting my work done, but just barely.
That was a good lesson to me that I'm doing the right thing, limiting carbs. I'm feeling out the best way for me to eat and it's starting to work. I already know that my body doesn't like grains, especially wheat. I seem to tolerate corn and rice better than wheat, but I don't eat those that often either.
I don't seem to have a problem with dairy and feel perfectly fine incorporating whole milk and Greek yogurt into my diet.
I'm eating a piece of fruit every day.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are a-ok, in moderation.
The foundation of my diet is meat and vegetables, particularly green vegetables.
The scale continues to go down bit by bit. Also, weight training + swimming = I can already see my triceps even though they're mostly hidden by excess fat.
I drank half of my glass. About 20 minutes later, my brain started buzzing. That's the best way I can describe it. It really feels like there's something going on in my head, and I feel antsy and hyper. It's a surefire indicator to me that my blood sugar is spiking. I guess the juice on top of the banana was too much.
A little while later, I crashed, and I never really recovered for the rest of the day. I was dragging around, getting my work done, but just barely.
That was a good lesson to me that I'm doing the right thing, limiting carbs. I'm feeling out the best way for me to eat and it's starting to work. I already know that my body doesn't like grains, especially wheat. I seem to tolerate corn and rice better than wheat, but I don't eat those that often either.
I don't seem to have a problem with dairy and feel perfectly fine incorporating whole milk and Greek yogurt into my diet.
I'm eating a piece of fruit every day.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are a-ok, in moderation.
The foundation of my diet is meat and vegetables, particularly green vegetables.
The scale continues to go down bit by bit. Also, weight training + swimming = I can already see my triceps even though they're mostly hidden by excess fat.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
What's Up With You?
The latest news is that I think we're trying to buy the house we're living in right now. I'm not so sure that it's going to work out, so I'm stressed about that because we would have to be out by May 1 if it doesn't happen. We've talked about possibly buying the house before, but it's always been very speculative. However, I emailed the landlady last week to see if she wanted to extend our lease for another year and she said definitely no, she wants to sell.
So we're tentatively entering into negotiations with her and already it seems like she thinks she'll get more for the house than we are willing to pay. Especially considering if she sells to us, she won't have to pay realtor fees, she won't have to fix up the place before she lists it (and there are several things that need to be spruced up), and she will have a guaranteed buyer, versus having the house sit empty (and without a renter making payments) for however long it takes to sell.
Also, just to throw this in, the fact that she bought at the top of the market in 2007 and wants to recoup some of her investment? Not our fault. I'm not going to overpay.
But I'm a little concerned that by the time she realizes all of this, it will be too late and we will have moved out months before.
So we started looking at rentals yesterday and there really isn't much out there. After living in a house for a year and a half, we are loathe to move back into an apartment.
Last night we puttered around Zillow, looking at listings. There's one in Massachusetts, just over the border, that we really like. But this whole buying a house thing is kind of terrifying, especially when we still don't know what the next couple of years are going to bring. When it comes to reselling, I think the place we're in now would resell more quickly because it's basically in the city. And it's a good location for a rental if we couldn't sell right away.
Also, oh my gosh, I sooooo don't want to move right now. When I think about packing up all of our stuff - AGAIN - I just feel exhausted.
I guess it all depends on where these discussions with our landlady go.
On the upside, stress makes me fast. I swam 2800 yards this morning in an hour, and was swimming my sets of 100s at about 1:37, which is really good for me, considering I'm still getting back into the swimming groove.
So we're tentatively entering into negotiations with her and already it seems like she thinks she'll get more for the house than we are willing to pay. Especially considering if she sells to us, she won't have to pay realtor fees, she won't have to fix up the place before she lists it (and there are several things that need to be spruced up), and she will have a guaranteed buyer, versus having the house sit empty (and without a renter making payments) for however long it takes to sell.
Also, just to throw this in, the fact that she bought at the top of the market in 2007 and wants to recoup some of her investment? Not our fault. I'm not going to overpay.
But I'm a little concerned that by the time she realizes all of this, it will be too late and we will have moved out months before.
So we started looking at rentals yesterday and there really isn't much out there. After living in a house for a year and a half, we are loathe to move back into an apartment.
Last night we puttered around Zillow, looking at listings. There's one in Massachusetts, just over the border, that we really like. But this whole buying a house thing is kind of terrifying, especially when we still don't know what the next couple of years are going to bring. When it comes to reselling, I think the place we're in now would resell more quickly because it's basically in the city. And it's a good location for a rental if we couldn't sell right away.
Also, oh my gosh, I sooooo don't want to move right now. When I think about packing up all of our stuff - AGAIN - I just feel exhausted.
I guess it all depends on where these discussions with our landlady go.
On the upside, stress makes me fast. I swam 2800 yards this morning in an hour, and was swimming my sets of 100s at about 1:37, which is really good for me, considering I'm still getting back into the swimming groove.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Weigh-In
I joined Shape Up Rhode Island this year because a woman from my church set up a team and invited a bunch of us to join. What the heck, right? Well, it's amazing what a little competition will do! I log in every day and record my steps, my exercise minutes, and the fruits and veggies I've eaten. I'm also doing a weekly weigh-in.
After you log everything in, you can go to your team page and little bar graphs will tell you how you're doing compared to the rest of your teammates. This has inspired me to (1) remember to wear my Fitbit every day, and (2) get in some sort of exercise every day that I can. Competition! Love it!
This past weekend, Jason's brother was in town, visiting us before heading up to Boston for a conference. We ate. A lot.
Brandon is all about authentic experiences, so he found a divey Venezuelan place for lunch on Saturday, which was amazing, as divey places often are. Then we drove out to Newport and despite the gale-force winds, we wandered around a bit in the state parks on Ocean Ave past all of the mansions. I've never been that far out on the island and it was gorgeous!
We had a good time, but as I said, we ate a lot. Still, I'm down 2.2 pounds for the week. Woo hoo! Given my recent history of either plateauing or gaining, without any losses, I'm pretty happy about that.
Today I slept in a little (carbs make me sluggish and I definitely ate carbs yesterday), but tomorrow I will swim and Wednesday is strength training. Today's food has been stellar and I got out of the office for a 35 minute walk earlier.
After you log everything in, you can go to your team page and little bar graphs will tell you how you're doing compared to the rest of your teammates. This has inspired me to (1) remember to wear my Fitbit every day, and (2) get in some sort of exercise every day that I can. Competition! Love it!
This past weekend, Jason's brother was in town, visiting us before heading up to Boston for a conference. We ate. A lot.
Brandon is all about authentic experiences, so he found a divey Venezuelan place for lunch on Saturday, which was amazing, as divey places often are. Then we drove out to Newport and despite the gale-force winds, we wandered around a bit in the state parks on Ocean Ave past all of the mansions. I've never been that far out on the island and it was gorgeous!
We had a good time, but as I said, we ate a lot. Still, I'm down 2.2 pounds for the week. Woo hoo! Given my recent history of either plateauing or gaining, without any losses, I'm pretty happy about that.
Today I slept in a little (carbs make me sluggish and I definitely ate carbs yesterday), but tomorrow I will swim and Wednesday is strength training. Today's food has been stellar and I got out of the office for a 35 minute walk earlier.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Feeling Like Myself Again
The half cold I've been nursing for the past couple of weeks seems to have moved on. I wound up taking the entire week off of early-morning workouts and slept in every day and I think that did the trick. I did go for a walk at lunch every single day, though, and I'm going to walk the 3 1/2 miles home from work today. I am really antsy today at work and feel like time is c r a w l i n g by, so I think that's my cue that I'm well and ready to work out again.
My eating has been good this week and I've kept my carbs around and below 100 g, with the major carbs coming from potatoes and sweet potatoes from our farm share. Remember my moaning about my weight being up to a horrifying number? Well, the number is still horrifying, but it's 3 pounds less horrifying than it was on Tuesday. 3 pounds in as many days.
Oh, hai, lo-carb. I remember how u werk.
Counting the seconds until I can blow this popsicle stand. Did I mention I'm antsy today?
My eating has been good this week and I've kept my carbs around and below 100 g, with the major carbs coming from potatoes and sweet potatoes from our farm share. Remember my moaning about my weight being up to a horrifying number? Well, the number is still horrifying, but it's 3 pounds less horrifying than it was on Tuesday. 3 pounds in as many days.
Oh, hai, lo-carb. I remember how u werk.
Counting the seconds until I can blow this popsicle stand. Did I mention I'm antsy today?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Siiiiiiigghhhhh
If you can't tell by the subject, I'm exasperated
(And xkcd has given me a great way to think about big long exasperated sighs)
So here's the thing. I've gained weight. Again. I weighed myself a few weeks ago and was horrified by the number I saw there. This morning I weighed myself thinking surely with how I've been working out a bit more and trying to be more intuitive about my eating (ie, only eating when I'm hungry, not always cleaning my plate, etc.), I will be down at least from where I was a few weeks ago.
9 pound gain.
NINE POUNDS.
NINE POUNDS higher than that number that horrified me a few weeks ago.
What is WRONG with me?
I was thinking about it on my way to work and the last time I weighed what I do right now was in 2003. I am just at a loss. I told Jason and he commiserated with me and said he was sorry because he knows I've been working so hard.
The moral of the story that I'm getting from all of this is that the only possible way for me to lose weight is to be absolutely perfect. No, actually, it seems that the only way for me to not GAIN weight is to be absolutely perfect. We're not even talking about losing anymore. I need to stop this weight gain train right this second. I don't know if this is a result of getting older or what, but I'm just all around horrified.
Not to mention really, really uncomfortable in my skin.
Also, I've been nursing a low-lying cold for a couple of weeks now that won't make its way through my system, but just hangs around, making me feel kind of yucky, and making me have kind of a cough and sore throat. I didn't go to Masters last week or this week because of the cough, though last week I did get to one strength training class and one swimming session. Then my throat hurt even more for the rest of the day. It also makes me really, really tired. Seriously, cold, just do your thing and move on, or go away!
(And xkcd has given me a great way to think about big long exasperated sighs)
So here's the thing. I've gained weight. Again. I weighed myself a few weeks ago and was horrified by the number I saw there. This morning I weighed myself thinking surely with how I've been working out a bit more and trying to be more intuitive about my eating (ie, only eating when I'm hungry, not always cleaning my plate, etc.), I will be down at least from where I was a few weeks ago.
9 pound gain.
NINE POUNDS.
NINE POUNDS higher than that number that horrified me a few weeks ago.
What is WRONG with me?
I was thinking about it on my way to work and the last time I weighed what I do right now was in 2003. I am just at a loss. I told Jason and he commiserated with me and said he was sorry because he knows I've been working so hard.
The moral of the story that I'm getting from all of this is that the only possible way for me to lose weight is to be absolutely perfect. No, actually, it seems that the only way for me to not GAIN weight is to be absolutely perfect. We're not even talking about losing anymore. I need to stop this weight gain train right this second. I don't know if this is a result of getting older or what, but I'm just all around horrified.
Not to mention really, really uncomfortable in my skin.
Also, I've been nursing a low-lying cold for a couple of weeks now that won't make its way through my system, but just hangs around, making me feel kind of yucky, and making me have kind of a cough and sore throat. I didn't go to Masters last week or this week because of the cough, though last week I did get to one strength training class and one swimming session. Then my throat hurt even more for the rest of the day. It also makes me really, really tired. Seriously, cold, just do your thing and move on, or go away!
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Muscles
I've always thought, "My legs are strong! I am a fast kicker! My legs are STRONG!"
You know what strength training has taught me? My legs are WEAK. We do all these isometric exercises where you have to, say, lay on your back, thrust your hips in the air and balance the bulk of your weight on one leg, while doing many varieties of leg lifts with the other leg, and I just cannot do it. I have to keep stopping and readjusting because apparently I now weigh too much for one leg to support me. Lame.
A couple of years ago I could do these things, but I think neglecting any meaningful strength training since then has made me the weakling I am today. My goal is to complete all the leg exercises in my strength training class without stopping. Which is good motivation to keep going.
On the bright side, it turns out my abs are wicked strong. I can do all the ab exercises, no problem. Yay, swimming!
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Inconsistency
I realize that I have been inconsistent. I blame vacations, though we don't have another one of those planned, well, at all, in the coming months. I'm sure something will come up - a long weekend somewhere nearby - but for now, we're here in Rhode Island and I can have a routine again.
Judging by the very slightly looser jeans on the plane ride home, apparently eating gourmet pizza and burgers and blackened fish sandwiches (with chips) and fudgey brownies don't really have a negative impact when I'm also snorkeling for a couple hours and treading water in the ocean for the rest of the day. Again, I kick myself for entering a profession that is so very sedentary.
This week is off to a good start. Despite having late meetings at work on Monday and Tuesday nights, I went to Masters swimming on Tuesday morning and made the 6:30 AM strength training class this morning. Tomorrow, I will swim, and Friday I thought I had a meeting in Boston, but I'm going to do it via conference call, which means I can do Friday's class too.
I've been getting to bed early, much to Jason's chagrin. Late meetings plus early bedtimes means I haven't talked to him much over the last couple of days. I know I need to remedy that. On the other hand, getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep is AMAZING.
I have yet to go grocery shopping since we got home (see above re: late meetings) so my eating hasn't been the best, but it hasn't been atrocious either. I am firmly committed to restarting my 8-week challenge next week, this time with no excuses/vacations. As motivation, I like to read the Primal Blueprint Real Life Stories on Mark's Daily Apple. I sent this one to Jason a couple of weeks ago because it blew me away. I really want to be one of those people who sticks to the paleo/primal lifestyle and have my own amazing transformation.
Judging by the very slightly looser jeans on the plane ride home, apparently eating gourmet pizza and burgers and blackened fish sandwiches (with chips) and fudgey brownies don't really have a negative impact when I'm also snorkeling for a couple hours and treading water in the ocean for the rest of the day. Again, I kick myself for entering a profession that is so very sedentary.
This week is off to a good start. Despite having late meetings at work on Monday and Tuesday nights, I went to Masters swimming on Tuesday morning and made the 6:30 AM strength training class this morning. Tomorrow, I will swim, and Friday I thought I had a meeting in Boston, but I'm going to do it via conference call, which means I can do Friday's class too.
I've been getting to bed early, much to Jason's chagrin. Late meetings plus early bedtimes means I haven't talked to him much over the last couple of days. I know I need to remedy that. On the other hand, getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep is AMAZING.
I have yet to go grocery shopping since we got home (see above re: late meetings) so my eating hasn't been the best, but it hasn't been atrocious either. I am firmly committed to restarting my 8-week challenge next week, this time with no excuses/vacations. As motivation, I like to read the Primal Blueprint Real Life Stories on Mark's Daily Apple. I sent this one to Jason a couple of weeks ago because it blew me away. I really want to be one of those people who sticks to the paleo/primal lifestyle and have my own amazing transformation.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Goals
So I've set up this challenge for myself, which is a means to an end, but I've been thinking more about what I want that end to be. Not that this ever ends, per se, because ideally the steps I take toward healthy living will go on and on.
But there are a few goals in my head:
1) Lose weight. I am uncomfortable with my body right now. I'm uncomfortable in my clothes. I hate it. I put a goal down on SparkPeople to lose 37 pounds (to land on a round number) by my birthday on October 10. This is assuming I'm not pregnant by then. (Jason and I haven't really made it a secret that we're trying.) I'll reassess if a baby comes into the picture.
2) Wear a size 10. I would like to be solidly into normal women's clothes again. I've been teetering on the edge of plus size for awhile, and there are a few styles that I just can't wear in regular clothes. So I don't wear them. But I would like to be able to shop and not think about it. I don't need to be a size 0 or 2 or even a 6. 10 would be lovely.
3) Be able to hike without feeling like I'm going to die. I understand that hiking is hard and that climbing mountains is no small feat. I don't need to run up the mountain (like our crazy friend, the trail runner), but I would like to be able to complete a mountain hike in the book time rather than stop so much, and feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest every 10 feet. I still have mixed feelings about hiking. However, Jason LOVES it and it would be awesome to hike a mountain with him next summer and not feel like the fattest, most out-of-shape girl on the mountain.
I'm not actually sure if all of the goals are feasible and will work out in the end. The weight and size I'm shooting for are numbers that I haven't seen in a long, long time. I think the hiking goal is doable. I'm mixing up my workouts right now, getting in both strength training and cardio, and I hope that I can change my body composition, increase my metabolism, and finally start losing weight again.
But there are a few goals in my head:
1) Lose weight. I am uncomfortable with my body right now. I'm uncomfortable in my clothes. I hate it. I put a goal down on SparkPeople to lose 37 pounds (to land on a round number) by my birthday on October 10. This is assuming I'm not pregnant by then. (Jason and I haven't really made it a secret that we're trying.) I'll reassess if a baby comes into the picture.
2) Wear a size 10. I would like to be solidly into normal women's clothes again. I've been teetering on the edge of plus size for awhile, and there are a few styles that I just can't wear in regular clothes. So I don't wear them. But I would like to be able to shop and not think about it. I don't need to be a size 0 or 2 or even a 6. 10 would be lovely.
3) Be able to hike without feeling like I'm going to die. I understand that hiking is hard and that climbing mountains is no small feat. I don't need to run up the mountain (like our crazy friend, the trail runner), but I would like to be able to complete a mountain hike in the book time rather than stop so much, and feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest every 10 feet. I still have mixed feelings about hiking. However, Jason LOVES it and it would be awesome to hike a mountain with him next summer and not feel like the fattest, most out-of-shape girl on the mountain.
I'm not actually sure if all of the goals are feasible and will work out in the end. The weight and size I'm shooting for are numbers that I haven't seen in a long, long time. I think the hiking goal is doable. I'm mixing up my workouts right now, getting in both strength training and cardio, and I hope that I can change my body composition, increase my metabolism, and finally start losing weight again.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
2 Days In and It's All Good
I suppose I technically should have started this whole challenge thing on Sunday, since that's the beginning of the week in most people's minds.
Even though it's the sabbath for Christians, which is the 7th day, when God rested. Right? So really, starting yesterday was right on.
Anyway, last week was not too bad, other than the anadama bread I made over the weekend. And the junk I ate at a hockey game on Friday night. But check out these strides I'm making:
1) I got chicken tenders, fries and a Diet Pepsi at the game. I am not a Diet Pepsi fan, but it was the only diet option, so I figured I would get it. This is after not drinking ANY Diet Coke all week. (Proud of me? I am.) Well, Diet Pepsi is revolting. I've always thought so, but it's even worse when my taste buds aren't used to diet soda in general. So I took 2 sips, then passed it over to Jason. I ate the 3 teeny tiny chicken tenders, but didn't finish my fries. Jason polished those off as well.
2) Speaking of diet soda, I had some Diet Coke with lime on Saturday, which I declared my Diet Coke Day of the Week. Meh. It was better than the Diet Pepsi, but not my favorite. How can my attitude toward Diet Coke have shifted so drastically in just one week? Over the holidays I was planning our excursions around opportunities to stop somewhere and get a Diet Coke.
3) We ran out of cornmeal and I substituted almond meal in the anadama bread. Yum! I think it actually helped the bread bake up much lighter than usual. I'm going to dedicate some time in the coming months to some baking experimentation. My ultimate goal is to come up with something grain-free (or at least gluten-free) that I can make in my bread machine.
This week is off to a good start. I'm keeping the carbs low. We went out for a Restaurant Week meal last night (when else can you go to Ruth's Chris and not pay $45 for a steak?), so I did have dessert (an adorable chocolate mousse in a chocolate cup with berries and cream). Even so, my carbs for the day were still well under 100 grams.
After arguing with myself for about 10 minutes yesterday morning, I managed to pull myself out of bed and get to the strength training class. I think I need to bring my own yoga mat. The Y's mats are pretty foul and I actually abstained from most of the face-down stretching at the end of the hour because I caught a definite odor coming off of the mat I was using.
Then I went to Masters swimming this morning. I am slow. No, let me emphasize, I am SLOOOOOW. When I first got there, I asked the coach which lane I should be in, telling her I hadn't been in the pool since the last time she saw me sometime in November. I got knocked down a lane AND I was totally getting beat by the people in that lane. But one of my swimming buddies said she knows I'll be back up to speed in no time. I appreciate the encouragement.
Also, it was really sweet because everyone was happy to see me. I got a lot of excited greetings this morning and everyone asked where I had been. It's nice to be missed.
Now, I am sore. But it's a good pain.
Even though it's the sabbath for Christians, which is the 7th day, when God rested. Right? So really, starting yesterday was right on.
Anyway, last week was not too bad, other than the anadama bread I made over the weekend. And the junk I ate at a hockey game on Friday night. But check out these strides I'm making:
1) I got chicken tenders, fries and a Diet Pepsi at the game. I am not a Diet Pepsi fan, but it was the only diet option, so I figured I would get it. This is after not drinking ANY Diet Coke all week. (Proud of me? I am.) Well, Diet Pepsi is revolting. I've always thought so, but it's even worse when my taste buds aren't used to diet soda in general. So I took 2 sips, then passed it over to Jason. I ate the 3 teeny tiny chicken tenders, but didn't finish my fries. Jason polished those off as well.
2) Speaking of diet soda, I had some Diet Coke with lime on Saturday, which I declared my Diet Coke Day of the Week. Meh. It was better than the Diet Pepsi, but not my favorite. How can my attitude toward Diet Coke have shifted so drastically in just one week? Over the holidays I was planning our excursions around opportunities to stop somewhere and get a Diet Coke.
3) We ran out of cornmeal and I substituted almond meal in the anadama bread. Yum! I think it actually helped the bread bake up much lighter than usual. I'm going to dedicate some time in the coming months to some baking experimentation. My ultimate goal is to come up with something grain-free (or at least gluten-free) that I can make in my bread machine.
This week is off to a good start. I'm keeping the carbs low. We went out for a Restaurant Week meal last night (when else can you go to Ruth's Chris and not pay $45 for a steak?), so I did have dessert (an adorable chocolate mousse in a chocolate cup with berries and cream). Even so, my carbs for the day were still well under 100 grams.
After arguing with myself for about 10 minutes yesterday morning, I managed to pull myself out of bed and get to the strength training class. I think I need to bring my own yoga mat. The Y's mats are pretty foul and I actually abstained from most of the face-down stretching at the end of the hour because I caught a definite odor coming off of the mat I was using.
Then I went to Masters swimming this morning. I am slow. No, let me emphasize, I am SLOOOOOW. When I first got there, I asked the coach which lane I should be in, telling her I hadn't been in the pool since the last time she saw me sometime in November. I got knocked down a lane AND I was totally getting beat by the people in that lane. But one of my swimming buddies said she knows I'll be back up to speed in no time. I appreciate the encouragement.
Also, it was really sweet because everyone was happy to see me. I got a lot of excited greetings this morning and everyone asked where I had been. It's nice to be missed.
Now, I am sore. But it's a good pain.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Someday This Will Begin, I Swear
The best laid plans. Am I right?
Sunday night was...not so fun. I don't know if I had a brief flu bug, or food poisoning, but my body did not want anything in it, thank you very much, including water. By yesterday morning, I was able to drink some ginger ale and eat some Saltines, which Jason went out and got for me, lovely man. Then I had some soup for dinner. Yay soup.
This morning I felt much better, but still not super. My stomach has been a little wonky all day, but better than it was.
So I missed the strength training class yesterday morning and I missed Masters swimming this morning. I'm hoping to get to the strength training class tomorrow morning. But I think I'm going to call this week a wash and start my CHALLENGE! over next week.
That doesn't mean I'm giving myself license to fall apart, though. My eating has been fantastic today. It helps that I don't really want to eat that much. What I have eaten has been low-carb.
Sunday night was...not so fun. I don't know if I had a brief flu bug, or food poisoning, but my body did not want anything in it, thank you very much, including water. By yesterday morning, I was able to drink some ginger ale and eat some Saltines, which Jason went out and got for me, lovely man. Then I had some soup for dinner. Yay soup.
This morning I felt much better, but still not super. My stomach has been a little wonky all day, but better than it was.
So I missed the strength training class yesterday morning and I missed Masters swimming this morning. I'm hoping to get to the strength training class tomorrow morning. But I think I'm going to call this week a wash and start my CHALLENGE! over next week.
That doesn't mean I'm giving myself license to fall apart, though. My eating has been fantastic today. It helps that I don't really want to eat that much. What I have eaten has been low-carb.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
CHALLENGE
I am apparently useless without an official challenge. I'm sure there are some New Years challenges I could still jump into, but I'm going to set a challenge for myself. So here we go with:
(Sound official enough?)
Timeline: January 15, 2012 to March 10, 2012
Diet: Low-carb/Paleo
- No grains. I've realized I have some sort of wheat sensitivity, but have let other grains (mainly corn) creep in more often than I like. Got to cut it out!
- Little bit of dairy. I like cheese and milk, but it's not going to be the staple of my low-carb snacks like it has been in the past.
- Main diet will be protein and non-starchy vegetables, a little bit of fruit, healthy fats.
- One Diet Coke per week. I know I should cut them out altogether, and hopefully by the end of the 8 weeks that won't seem so insurmountable, but right now I am a big-time Diet Coke addict once again. So I'm allowing one per week in the beginning and I'll see how my cravings go.
Exercise: 4 workouts per week in the beginning.
- At least 2 strength training classes per week
- At least 2 cardio workouts per week
There is a bit of a caveat to the 8 weeks, which is that Jason and I are going on a trip at the end of the month that we've been planning for several months and which will probably involve some food splurging. Though the last time we went, we were crazy active the entire time and honestly did not eat too unhealthily, conch fritters aside. Anyway, my plan for that week is to eat as well as I can, but not be obsessive about it. If I go too far off the rails, I'll add another week to the challenge.
I'm going to start my detox on Saturday, the 14th, since it's a long weekend and I don't really want to go through carb/caffeine withdrawal at work.
Jason should enjoy that.
Also, I'm supposed to drive some teenage girls to a dance Saturday night and by then I suspect I'll really be jonesing for a Diet Coke. I predict that will be super fun.
Kelly's 8-Week Challenge!
(Sound official enough?)
Timeline: January 15, 2012 to March 10, 2012
Diet: Low-carb/Paleo
- No grains. I've realized I have some sort of wheat sensitivity, but have let other grains (mainly corn) creep in more often than I like. Got to cut it out!
- Little bit of dairy. I like cheese and milk, but it's not going to be the staple of my low-carb snacks like it has been in the past.
- Main diet will be protein and non-starchy vegetables, a little bit of fruit, healthy fats.
- One Diet Coke per week. I know I should cut them out altogether, and hopefully by the end of the 8 weeks that won't seem so insurmountable, but right now I am a big-time Diet Coke addict once again. So I'm allowing one per week in the beginning and I'll see how my cravings go.
Exercise: 4 workouts per week in the beginning.
- At least 2 strength training classes per week
- At least 2 cardio workouts per week
There is a bit of a caveat to the 8 weeks, which is that Jason and I are going on a trip at the end of the month that we've been planning for several months and which will probably involve some food splurging. Though the last time we went, we were crazy active the entire time and honestly did not eat too unhealthily, conch fritters aside. Anyway, my plan for that week is to eat as well as I can, but not be obsessive about it. If I go too far off the rails, I'll add another week to the challenge.
I'm going to start my detox on Saturday, the 14th, since it's a long weekend and I don't really want to go through carb/caffeine withdrawal at work.
Jason should enjoy that.
Also, I'm supposed to drive some teenage girls to a dance Saturday night and by then I suspect I'll really be jonesing for a Diet Coke. I predict that will be super fun.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Foiled!
The fact that my alarm keeps not going off is not helping my workout efforts. It happened last Saturday as well.
Either that, or I am an even deeper sleeper than I originally thought and am fully capable of picking up my phone when the alarm goes off and hitting the "Dismiss" button without waking up in the slightest. It's possible.
Anyway, no cardio this morning. Drat. However, Friday morning strength training class tomorrow!
Eating is going well today:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Leftover chicken soup
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: Crock pot meatballs (I'll post the recipe and the source tomorrow if they turn out well)
I'm trying to be more diligent about cooking again. I got busy and lazy (a great combination!) and stopped cooking as much. I'm making a concerted effort to plan our meals, which includes remembering to get something out to thaw at least 1 day before I actually want to prepare it. Amazing!
Either that, or I am an even deeper sleeper than I originally thought and am fully capable of picking up my phone when the alarm goes off and hitting the "Dismiss" button without waking up in the slightest. It's possible.
Anyway, no cardio this morning. Drat. However, Friday morning strength training class tomorrow!
Eating is going well today:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Leftover chicken soup
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: Crock pot meatballs (I'll post the recipe and the source tomorrow if they turn out well)
I'm trying to be more diligent about cooking again. I got busy and lazy (a great combination!) and stopped cooking as much. I'm making a concerted effort to plan our meals, which includes remembering to get something out to thaw at least 1 day before I actually want to prepare it. Amazing!
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Day the Second
Confession 1: I ate some chocolate dipped peanuts last night, which is definitely NOT low-carb. It's not even low-fat. It's just better for me all around if I don't have that stuff in the house. Jason has a whole pile of candies on the coffee table in the family room from Christmas, including the M&Ms I gave him out of my stocking because I didn't want the temptation (I did, however, hold onto the Ghiradelli squares to savor one at a time at some future dates. I'm not that generous).
I'm not really beating myself up about it. Overall, yesterday was a good day, and compared to the weeks leading up to it, it was downright stellar.
Confession 2: I didn't make it to the strength training class this morning. I was tired and it was 10 degrees outside when I woke up. Again, not freaking out. I figure I'm still adjusting to the time change from Utah and I felt tired enough that I knew it would be best to just stay in bed. So I did.
Tomorrow, however, I need to get back into it for reals. Tomorrow I'll do some cardio. Probably elliptical, since the idea of getting in a pool right now isn't super appealing. I need to work back up to this, but my plan is that in a couple of weeks, when I get on the elliptical, it will only be to do HIIT workouts.
Food for today:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Burrito belly from the Mexican place down the street
Afternoon snack: dry roasted almonds or Larabar (haven't decided yet)
Dinner: Homemade chicken soup experiment (I threw a bunch of stuff into the crock pot and I'm hoping it tastes good. Chicken breasts, Aidell's chicken and apple sausage, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, tarragon, Kosher salt, chicken broth. In related news, I need to get to the store and buy vegetables, pronto.)
I'm not really beating myself up about it. Overall, yesterday was a good day, and compared to the weeks leading up to it, it was downright stellar.
Confession 2: I didn't make it to the strength training class this morning. I was tired and it was 10 degrees outside when I woke up. Again, not freaking out. I figure I'm still adjusting to the time change from Utah and I felt tired enough that I knew it would be best to just stay in bed. So I did.
Tomorrow, however, I need to get back into it for reals. Tomorrow I'll do some cardio. Probably elliptical, since the idea of getting in a pool right now isn't super appealing. I need to work back up to this, but my plan is that in a couple of weeks, when I get on the elliptical, it will only be to do HIIT workouts.
Food for today:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Burrito belly from the Mexican place down the street
Afternoon snack: dry roasted almonds or Larabar (haven't decided yet)
Dinner: Homemade chicken soup experiment (I threw a bunch of stuff into the crock pot and I'm hoping it tastes good. Chicken breasts, Aidell's chicken and apple sausage, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, tarragon, Kosher salt, chicken broth. In related news, I need to get to the store and buy vegetables, pronto.)
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Day 1 (for the Millonth Time)
Here I am back at Day 1 of living healthy. We got into town last night and I ate some crab rangoon as my last hurrah of eating crap for awhile.
And they were gooooood!
Today has been so-so. I had some nice eggs for breakfast, then some dry roasted almonds for a morning snack. Apparently stuffing my face for days on end means that my normal breakfast won't keep me full until lunch. I'll get back to normal eventually.
For lunch I had planned on a salad, but my normal salad place is closed for the holidays until tomorrow. Plus, I ran some lunch errands and it is COLD outside. So I got some soup from Au Bon Pain. I know they have salads, but as I already mentioned, COLD. I recorded it dutifully on SparkPeople and it actually wasn't too bad.
Tonight for dinner I'm planning on making us salmon and roasted brussels sprouts. I started throwing together a chicken avocado soup this morning in the crock pot (since it's supposed to be 9!!! degrees tonight), but I waited too long to use the avocados and they were moldy. I didn't really have a good substitute, so the soup got nixed.
I have put everything into SparkPeople and I'm at 73 net carbs for the day. Not too shabby, considering today's menu wasn't aggressively low carb.
Tomorrow morning I'm hitting my first strength training class of the new year. My fingers are crossed that it won't be too packed to move.
And they were gooooood!
Today has been so-so. I had some nice eggs for breakfast, then some dry roasted almonds for a morning snack. Apparently stuffing my face for days on end means that my normal breakfast won't keep me full until lunch. I'll get back to normal eventually.
For lunch I had planned on a salad, but my normal salad place is closed for the holidays until tomorrow. Plus, I ran some lunch errands and it is COLD outside. So I got some soup from Au Bon Pain. I know they have salads, but as I already mentioned, COLD. I recorded it dutifully on SparkPeople and it actually wasn't too bad.
Tonight for dinner I'm planning on making us salmon and roasted brussels sprouts. I started throwing together a chicken avocado soup this morning in the crock pot (since it's supposed to be 9!!! degrees tonight), but I waited too long to use the avocados and they were moldy. I didn't really have a good substitute, so the soup got nixed.
I have put everything into SparkPeople and I'm at 73 net carbs for the day. Not too shabby, considering today's menu wasn't aggressively low carb.
Tomorrow morning I'm hitting my first strength training class of the new year. My fingers are crossed that it won't be too packed to move.
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