A Time For Everything

It's been quite a while since I reported in about my weight loss efforts. Mainly because I fell off the wagon late last year. I've been meaning to get back on plan... Week after week, I intend to and I plan my salad lunches, but then I derail myself by week's end with a fast food lunch or a bowl of cereal for dinner.

Despite all of that, I'm only four pounds over my lowest recorded weight. Needless to say, I'm very surprised, and I attribute that fact to the amount of yard work I've done over the last three weekends, especially everything I did this past weekend. Apparently, chain-sawing and roto-tilling burn up a lot of calories. I had been walking the dog more often than not too, so that probably helped as well. Now that I no longer have Sammy as a motivation, I guess I'm gonna have to JUST DO IT. Especially seeing as how I'm so close to that lowest weight. I still have 25 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight.


In addition to keeping up the exercise regimen, I'm gonna start using MyFitnessPal again. If you don't know what it is, it's a website/app where you key in some info (Current weight, goal weight, age, height...I can't remember exactly.) and it tells you how many calories you get per day. Each day you log what you've eaten--it has a huge database--and it tallies it all up. You log your exercise as well and you gain additional calories for intake.


As you lose, it adjusts the number of calories you're allowed to consume. And since you just count calories, you don't necessarily have to give up the things you love. Of course, carbs and sugars usually contain a lot of calories, so you have to moderate your consumption.

So I'm proclaiming to all of you faithful followers that I'm back to watching what I eat and back to exercising once more. Please keep me accountable!

Anyone else watching their weight??

I'm thinking of copying my friend/critique partner Chrissy's idea in using the alphabet to inspire/generate blog content. It intrigues me.... I think her idea of posting extras about her fantasy book series is a fun exercise and is probably helpful to her in fleshing out characters. Though I know she'll say a) she got the idea from someone else and b) she already knows her characters really well as it is.

Immediate work crisis has calmed and as it is the 1st of the month I do have other administrative tasks to accomplish. It's a welcome change of pace.

Oh-I've just noticed that it's raining. YAY. We need rain so badly. It could rain for days on end and I wouldn't complain. (Well, only about the dirt the dogs would end up tracking into the house.)

My diet and exercise plan is progressing. I'm walking three full blocks most days, which takes me between 25 and 35 minutes to accomplish. I probably spend 10 to 20 minutes a day in 3 to 5 minute increments doing calisthenics in conjunction with my trips to the restroom. Over all, I feel pretty good physically.

As for the diet, I've given up starches: bread, biscuits, pasta (sob), tortillas, etc, and eating a lot more green veggies and proteins. Trying to cut back on my sugar intake, but I love, love, love my sweet tea, whether hot or cold, so that's a big challenge. With this work crisis, I haven't been trying too hard as sweet hot mint tea is my comfort food and I really needed a lot of calming comfort this past week.

I do feel as if I've hit a plateau. I don't have a regular scale to track actual weight loss, though I suppose I could get out the Wii. Then I could get the aerobics going too. Maybe that'll bump me over the plateau. (I think, though, I'll just be more hungry.)

Well, Happy Mother's Day--

I know it's a day late, but I was busy on Mother's Day.

Let's rewind just a bit...I have been active. I've walked around the block every weekday evening for the last two weeks, except this past Friday. I gave myself a day off as I woke up with very achy legs. The weekends have been busy with shopping or museum visits and chores.

My diet is not going as well as I'd like. I thought maybe I'd lost some pounds or inches, but I'm not so sure. I've drinking Slimfast for lunch and trying to eat healthy snacks when the hungries get me, but I don't think that's working. Maybe my snacks aren't healthy enough--I know the yogurt I eat is still full of sugar and carbs. But it's sooo yummy. And it's yogurt so it's healthier than say a Snicker bar or a Big Mac, right?

Bah--I've really been trying to cut back on the carbs, but I think that's why I'm still so hungry all the time--not enough *something* for my body to process. I was talking to the gal at the post office on Friday and she suggested more protein. And I think that's probably a good plan. So more hard-boiled eggs, more nuts, more beans. Tomorrow.

I was gone all day yesterday at my MIL's house so I didn't get to prepare for the week like I usually do.

So all of my mothers seemed pleased with their gifts, which is good. And I felt very good about being in a position to give those gifts. That wasn't the case last year.

Yesterday was spent in a small town in the central wilds of Texas. A place I'm hoping to live someday soon. My FIL cooked a brisket--which I'd been craving and we had a nice visit. DD had bought $1 kites for her and brother a week or so ago and on a whim they took them. Now DD is 21 and sonshine is 15, so to see these two enjoy the great outdoors flying kites together was very neat and way cool. They even sucked DD into playing WOW for while. She's resisted so far because she can just be stubborn that way, but hubby said he'd pay for an account for her if she wanted to play regularly. I cautioned her since she's in college and I hear it can be quite addictive, but she's also getting fairly serious about school so...

For prezzies, I really had no great wants or needs. (Especially after last weekend's spending spree.) I just wanted to have a fun day. So I ended up with a plant (I had none.) and two yummy smelling (but too expensive) Yankee candles. I really didn't even want those, but thought the kids needed to give me something regardless. I don't say that in a greedy way, but it's important for them to learn to give gifts (whether to me or whomever).

And amazingly I got some writing done. The word count wasn't off the charts or anything, but a) I wasn't really expecting much of anything and b) I'd been struggling with a few aspects of writing. My plot ideas are really few and far between and everytime I end up with a sex scene, I get performance anxiety. :) So I tricked the muse and was able to write the sex scene.

Well, that's about it.

Have a good week--

Yay for my younger daughter--she lost six pounds this past week.

She's a big girl. And I have been worrying about her for a few weeks. I was just getting ready to talk to her about her weight when she announced that she was gong on a diet. Her good friend and friend's mom have been on some program and have lost some weight. So DD (darling daughter) took notes about what and how much she could eat and dutifully went shopping last Monday am and started her diet. She's pretty sick of chicken salad, but if her excitement last night was anything to go by, she'll keep on eating chicken salad if it means she'll lose a few more pounds.

She got a few more items to add to her 'can eat' list and some recipes, too, so hopefully it'll be enough to keep her going for a few more weeks and pounds.

Go, DD!