Score 1 for me!

Just a super quick post - I weighed myself this morning and I am down 2 lbs!!!  I think that exercise and some portion control is paying off.  I made a really big salad for lunch - spinach, micro greens, radishes and feta cheese with lemon/olive oil vinagerette and ate it with a piece of homemade bread.  I am drinking an unsweetened tea right now (I've been "off" of soda for about 4 weeks now) and tonight is date night.  I'm really excited because my husband planned the date and isn't telling me what we're doing.  I'm sure it will involve some kind of dinner so I'm saving my calories for that.  Off to DC tomorrow!

On a down note - I had an upsetting conversation with a volunteer today.  I can't go into detail but it hurt my feelings and made me angry at the same time.

Summer is Here!!

Tiger Lillies at my house

I know summer is not "officially" here but it might as well be.  Today was Isabel's first day of summer vacation.  She's going to a summer program while my husband and I work; I feel kind of bad for her because she's never had a "real" summer - sleeping in, hanging with friends all day, etc.  She's always had to go to a program.  I comfort myself knowing that she gets to go swimming and...heck, other kids are in the same boat.

My very first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box came yesterday!  The vegetables are awesome and soooo fresh.  I signed up with Round Right Farm and the first box had green onions, radishes, swiss chard, spinach and mixed greens (I also ordered some bakery fresh bread).  I can't wait til July-August when the box will be full of corn, tomatoes, beans, peppers,etc. and etc.


The photo doesn't do it justice



I also finished making my jam (it's currently in the fridge waiting to be "put up") and used some of the berries to make this:

Strawberry Upsidedown Cake

It tastes nice and carmelized, like pineapple upsidedown cake, but with strawberries.  It was really easy to make and I divided cake in to two separate pans so I could give one to a friend.

I went on a 1.5 mile walk with a friend yesterday evening and it was nice and refreshing.  My muscles felt really good afterwards.  I've been trying to watch my portion sizes too, so hopefully I will see some change in the scale come Monday.  I am leaving for Washington DC on Saturday for a conference and won't be back until Tuesday night, so I'm a little worried about my eating.  It's really hard on the diet when you have to eat all of your meals at restaurants.  I will try to be consious of my choices and drink lots of water.  The hotel has a fitness center so I'll also make a point to get some exercise in while I am there.  I always feel shitty after traveling for a few days - I think it's lack of exercise and poor food choices. 

I'll share some pics of my trip upon return!

Zzzzzzz....

I think I slept the entire weekend.  I tried the new meds the doctor gave me for sleeping (amitriptaline) and they knocked me out.  It was nice to be able to sleep through the night, uninterrupted, but it was really hard to wake up and I didn't get up until noon all weekend.  I'm not an early riser anyway, but I usually get up before 10am or so.  I tried cutting the pill in half but the effects were still the same.  I told my husband that maybe I should just lick it instead of swallowing it :)!

Friday evening I took Isabel out to the Chinese restaurant and Walmart so I could get canning supplies.  I started cooking the jam and also did 22 minutes on the elliptical.  The jam tastes really good but it is not as thick as I'm used to.  I think it's because I used natural pectin (apples) instead of SureJel. 

Saturday was a lazy day and I finally finished the season of Grey's Anatomy - it was sooo sad!  On Sunday, Isabel had a soccer picnic and that was nice.  I tempered my eating, like I usually do in public, and had a hamburger, some fruit salad, some chips and a cookie. Even though we ate at 4pm I considered that dinner.  When I got home I fell asleep while reading - that medicine really hit me hard. When I woke up around 8:30p I went to the kitchen and made scones and strawberry upside down cake (TASTY).  My husband walks in and asks where I've been, to which I reply - upstairs in the bedroom, I fell asleep reading.  He wants to know if I've been there the whole evening and I, again, affirm that.  Then he tells me that Isabel told him that I went somewhere with our neighbor and that she tried to call me to see when I was coming home.  I have NO idea where she got that idea. 

So, I can cross "make jam" off the List!

I had a scone this morning for breakfast, along with a bottle of water.  I made egg salad for lunch and am thinking about grilling some shrimp for dinner.  My goal today:  30 minutes of exercise and no eating after 8pm.

PS - my last goal was to make oatmeal smoothies for the week but since I made scones I decided not to do the smoothies.  Too many breakfast options and something will go bad before it is eaten.

PPS - I weighed myself this morning - no change :( 224.4...I need to get serious to see that number change.

Home Alone

My doctor's appointment yesterday went pretty well.  I got a refill on my meds plus another script for a mild sleep aid.  The biggest complaint I have about my medication is that I can't get a good night's sleep.  I wake up 5-6 times each night and have trouble getting back to sleep.  I'm hopping this sleep aid will help with that and in turn give me more energy.

I also asked him about weight loss.  I get so overwhelmed and end up obsessing over food - I was afraid I needed professional counseling to deal.  Basically, my doctor told me to increase my exercise from 3x/week for 30 minutes to 5x/week for 30 minutes and stay away from saturated fat - especially fast food.  Obviously, that makes sense, but breaking it down for me in small, doable steps helps.  I'm working on increasing my exercise, so I started on the elliptical and did 30 minutes while catching up on Grey's Anatomy. 

Today I went to Panera Bread for lunch.  Instead of my  usual broccoli cheese soup, bread and salad I just got a whole grain bage with cream cheese and a chai tea latte.  Filling but not over kill.  For dinner I think we'll have french bread, goat cheese, roasted beets and hard boiled eggs.  I told my husband we need to cut down on eating out.  His response:  "So, no more pizza Fridays?".  Yes, I said, no more "every Friday" pizzas.  Maybe 2x/month we'll have pizza.

OK, I have to confess, I did have a Tasty Kake for breakfast this morning.  Not the healthiest or best choice.  This weekend my goal is to make 5 oatmeal smoothies to use for breakfast next week.  I am more apt to stop at a convenience store and eat mini donuts for breakfast if there is nothing in the house.  I like the oatmeal smoothies and refridgerator oatmeal so I think that if I have that already prepared I will eat it.

It's a rainy day today so I plan to get on the elliptical and watch some Grey's when I get home from work.  Hopefully, I can make jam on Saturday.

224.4 & THE LIST update

224.4 - that's what my weight is as of this morning.  Pretty disheartening but I needed to find out so I have a starting place.  My fast-food binges MUST stop!  I know that all the eating out is what makes me gain the most weight.  I have a doctor's appointment today so I can get a refill on my meds but I'm also going to ask him about weight loss.  Logically, I know it's a matter of imput vs output and I also know what I need to do to lose the weight.  I am prepared to make that lifestyle committment.  I also know that I have a serious issue with binge eating and food obsession.  It's not just about resisting the urge to eat something, it's about being obsessed with a particular food for days at a time and not being able to concentrate on other things until I satisfy that urge.  I've seriously thought about getting therapy to deal with this problem.  I think it is mostly psychological at this point.  However, I feel like a loser thinking I need therapy for eating and I also can't afford the sessions.  Maybe the doctor knows of a program that could help me that my insurance WOULD cover.  We'll see.

I had a great weekend visiting my grandma.  On Sunday we went to my aunt and uncle's for dinner.  My uncle is a grill master.  No, seriously, he made the best steaks EVER and grilled shimp too.  Then we had roasted potatoes and corn on the cob.  For dinner - banana splits.  Yum!  I drank lots of beer (because when at grandma's do as grandma does) and played games. 

On Monday morning we drove about 30 minutes, into Ohio, and picked strawberries at a farm.  They were so good I'm certain that is what the Bible meant by, "manna from heaven".  In 30 minutes we had picked 20 quarts.  My grandma too 6 home and we took 14 (well, 13 because Isabel accidentally left a quart at the farm when she set it down to pick up some onions).  I also got some beets and asparagus to take home too.  Look at these fan-freakin-tastic strawberries:

Oh yeah - 13 quarts

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all of them.  I think I'll make some strawberry jam and can it, maybe some frozen desserts and....I don't know.  I could freeze a bunch but I think strawberries lose their flavor when they're frozen so I'd like to avoid that. 

I made a tasty asparagus popover and some sauted beet greens for dinner.  Tonight I think I'll grill the beets and some baby romaine lettuce.  I've never had romaine grilled before but I've heard it's good.

Tonight my goal is to:  eat a healthy dinner, not pig out after dinner (as I usually do) and take a 20-30 minute walk outside or on the elliptical (it's super hot and humid today so I may just work out inside).  I also have a Carmen Electra striptease workout DVD that I'd like to get into...just not when my kid's around.  I soooo don't want to explain that one to her!

THE LIST

I've completed:  go to dentist, make primary physician follow up appointment, pick fruit at a farm, take a jewelry making class and I MIGHT accomplish # 15 - make jam - this week!

Come on Friday!

I'm so psyched for Friday!  After an insanely long week at work I couldn't be happier for a 3 day weekend.  I've been stuck in day long meetings since Wednesday and tomorrow is the last day for them until next month.  Not to mention, in between meetings, somehow, I've managed 3 home visits, a training class and a visit to our impending (fingers crossed) new office.  Oh, and I've survived the horror of a committee meeting and a Board meeting. 

I felt good about myself on Tuesday; I got in 20 minutes on the elliptical.  I made a point to go faster than I think I normally do.  It made me feel pretty good inside and out.  On Wednesday our house got hit by the dreaded lice.  My daughter was scratching at her head and when I looked she was infested.  I quickly grabbed the treatment and picked through her hair before bed.  My back was so stiff from being hunched over her for hours I thought I'd cry.  She's short enough that when she sits on the floor in front of the couch I have to hunch over but she's too tall to sit on the edge of the couch in front of me.  After she went to bed I finished up 2 bracelets that she and her friend had made over the weekend so she could take them to school.  Looping that steel wire and cutting it bruised the palm of my hand and scrapped the side of my finger raw.  They didn't look great but they were OK.  I'm just getting started in jewlery making so this was only our second attempt.  Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Today was another long day at work but when I got home there was dinner waiting on me in the kitchen.  My wonderful, thoughtful husband had gone to my FAVORITE restaurant in the next town over and bought dinner for me.  It was soooo good - eggplant parmesan and salad.  I just finished a beer on the front porch and now, as I am typing this, I have the urge to get on the elliptical for a few minutes.  I feel like a slacker for not exercising yesterday so I'm going to try and make up for it by doing some tonight.  Hopefully, all goes as planned tomorrow and I can come home early and get a nice 30 minutes in before the evening festivities begin.

My goal is to make myself get up early enough in the mornings to take a nice 20-30 minute walk but the road to hell is paved with good intentions so that hasn't happened yet.  Eye on the prize, eye on the prize.

Biting Off More than I can Chew

Yesterday was my first day of "training".  Let's just say I pictured myself being much more fit than I actually am. 

I waited until about 7:30p to go to the local college track and practice running.  Thankfully, it had cooled down by then and I could excercise without worrying about the heat and humidity.  It gets insanely humid in West Virginia (like 70% humidity) and hot - typical summer temps are in the 80's.  I took my daughter, Isabel, with me as well as her friend and my friend, Ashley.  She has been working out with a personal trainer for a while, so she is in much better shape than I am - plus she's a non-smoker. 

It started out pretty good.  We walked a lap  and on the second lap I was preparing to run but Ashley said I should walk one more before I started.  She said since I wasn't used to running it would be better to do a longer warm up before I tried.  I figured that after working with a personal trainer for over a year she would know better than I so I listened to her advice - I'm so glad I did! 

Ashley is a pretty fast walker and her legs are longer than mine.  Needless to say I was on the cusp of jogging just trying to keep up with her.  As we finished our second lap I told her I was ready to jog a lap.  Well, "a lap" was a giant over-estimation.

I think I made it about 200 meters.  Pathetic.  I was really ashamed of myself at first but then I realized that at least now I have a starting point.  Next time I will make it a little farther and maybe in a week or so I will be able to run/jog the entire lap. 

We finished that third lap, and a fourth, walking.  Before we started I thought I'd be able to go for, about, 6 laps (1.5 miles).  But, after the fourth lap I knew if I didn't stop my legs were going to boycott and I'd just end up on my face in the middle of the track.  My calves and ankles were on FIRE!  I had to sit down and stretch for a good 5 minutes before they stopped. 

Despite these set-backs I was feeling pretty damn good when I got home.  I'm looking forward to a nice walk this evening in my neighborhood.  I decided that I'll go to the track 3 times/week and the other days I'll just walk where I live.  I like using the track because I can judge the distance better, track my progress, and not have to think about where I'm walking.  But it is nice to walk around the neighborhood and not have to drive to the track.

After I got home I made a chicken salad and it was quite tasty.  I am disappointed in myself, though, because later that evening I was still hungry and ate a bunch of oyster crackers.  I need to ban oyster crackers from the house, they are my weakness.