I'm starting to get nervous about this week's weigh in. While my eating has been pretty much on point, I have still not be to the gym in 4 weeks. Oy vey! As I sit here on a Friday night watching DC Cupcakes, the fact is I am realizing I am almost exactly 10 weeks from the Oktoberfest 5k I am planning on RUNNING. Uh, what was I thinking again!?!
So I guess I better get to running, huh?
New Hobby
But I haven't been just wasting all this time I should have been using to work out. I finally broke out my sewing machine! After 7 months of sitting in its box collecting dust in my room I began using my sewing machine last weekend. And I used it for good. I began, and almost finished, a baby blanket for a dear friend that is pregnant. I will post it after I give it, just in case some snoopy little eyes take a peak at my blog.
101 in 1001
With all my creative juices flowing I decided to create a 101 in 1001 list. This is something I first discovered on a random blog I read. If you aren't familiar with the 101 in 1001 concept, basically the short answer is that you choose 101 things to complete in 1001 days (2.75 years). I tried to make my items completely quantifiable by putting quantities or time lines on them. I also stuck with only things *I* can control. You can read more about the concept at dayzeroproject.com.
After I enjoyed reading friend's and fellow blogger's lists, I decided to do my own. Mine isn't complete yet, but I started it on July 25th with the beginning of the baby blanket :) I will complete the items on my list on April 22, 2013 - just 8 months and 5 days before my 30th birthday.
What do you always say you want to do, but never get around to doing?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
6.8 pound weight loss
Last week's weight 327.4
This week's weight 320.6
Weight lost this week 6.8 pounds
Total lost since June 6th 8.8 pounds
I'm wondering this week if my scale is broken. I haven't been to the gym or done any extra physical activity in over three weeks so where did this weight loss come from?
I'm sure some of it comes from the 4 pounds I gained on vacation and my body is still in detox from a week of gluttony. I also watched what I ate this week. I only ate out once and that meal was grilled shrimp and couscous.
I came to the realization that weighing in on Sunday mornings has done wonders for the choices I make Friday night - Saturday. Weekends were always the worst for me. It used to be when I ate out the most, baked cookies, cakes or other sugar and butter filled goodies and just generally lost control of what I was eating. For the most part, I am fine Monday - Friday so this schedule is working to my advantage.
I have plans to go back to the free employee gym this week. I'm ready to keep this up.
This week's weight 320.6
Weight lost this week 6.8 pounds
Total lost since June 6th 8.8 pounds
I'm wondering this week if my scale is broken. I haven't been to the gym or done any extra physical activity in over three weeks so where did this weight loss come from?
I'm sure some of it comes from the 4 pounds I gained on vacation and my body is still in detox from a week of gluttony. I also watched what I ate this week. I only ate out once and that meal was grilled shrimp and couscous.
I came to the realization that weighing in on Sunday mornings has done wonders for the choices I make Friday night - Saturday. Weekends were always the worst for me. It used to be when I ate out the most, baked cookies, cakes or other sugar and butter filled goodies and just generally lost control of what I was eating. For the most part, I am fine Monday - Friday so this schedule is working to my advantage.
I have plans to go back to the free employee gym this week. I'm ready to keep this up.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
These ain't your grandmother's zucchini muffins
My grandmother never made zucchini muffins (her specialties were German potato salad, homemade biscuits, pot roast with mashed potatoes and chicken with homemade dumplings), but growing up a dear family friend always had an extraordinary amount of zucchini and inevitably would turn it into zucchini muffins/bread. As a child, I didn't appreciate the awesomeness of this baked confectionery but as a baked good obsessed adult I do, oh I do.
As I've written about before, I split a CSA this year with some friends. Zucchini is practically a staple in our box each week. I don't mind since I love lots of zucc and lots of zucc means I've been dying to make zucchini muffins.
I used this lowfat recipe and made alterations by doubling the nutmeg (love nutmeg), adding 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, using natural applesauce instead of canola oil, and substituting 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips for the raisins.
A cup of lovely zucchini shredded
Batter filled muffin cups awaiting the oven (sans walnuts for KG)
Hot out of the oven zucchini muffins with chocolate chips
After putting my altered recipe in this nifty recipe analyzer, it appears each muffin is only worth 94 calories and 1.6 grams of fat. A treat that will satisfy my baked good cravings, but won't produce a lot of guilt - success!
I also brewed some sun tea and infused it with fresh lemon and basil. How refreshing on this 100 degree summer day!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
BLTA and Weigh in
Homegrown tomatoes are in full swing in Tennessee. S0, one of my attempts at a healthy meal this week was a BLTA. What is a BLTA you ask? Bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado - a yummy twist on the classic BLT!
Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
4 slices turkey bacon
1 slice juicy tomato
1/4 avocado, sliced
I go back and forth between center cut bacon, which is a leaner cut of real pork bacon, and turkey bacon. The calorie and fat content is almost identical. Sometimes I don't like the way turkey bacon looks and tastes completely fake and processed. Anyone else have this issue?
My sister recently told me a secret to crisping up turkey bacon by adding a bit of EVO (extra virgin olive oil) to the pan when frying. Even though this adds calories, I tried this secret in the form of EVO Pam cooking spray when I made this turkey bacon and it really does work though the turkey bacon does come out a lot more greasy.
Bacon and fresh CSA tomato - best tomato I've ever tasted!
Finished product - only 300 calories - yum yum yum
Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
4 slices turkey bacon
1 slice juicy tomato
1/4 avocado, sliced
I go back and forth between center cut bacon, which is a leaner cut of real pork bacon, and turkey bacon. The calorie and fat content is almost identical. Sometimes I don't like the way turkey bacon looks and tastes completely fake and processed. Anyone else have this issue?
My sister recently told me a secret to crisping up turkey bacon by adding a bit of EVO (extra virgin olive oil) to the pan when frying. Even though this adds calories, I tried this secret in the form of EVO Pam cooking spray when I made this turkey bacon and it really does work though the turkey bacon does come out a lot more greasy.
Bacon and fresh CSA tomato - best tomato I've ever tasted!
Finished product - only 300 calories - yum yum yum
Weigh in #4
So I've missed the last two weeks of weigh ins because of vacation. As you know from my previous post, I have been dreading this weigh in. It actually wasn't AS BAD as I thought it would be. In all honesty, I weighed myself when I returned and I've lost quite a bit just by being back in my normal routine.
6/27 weight 323.4
today's weight 327.4
Total gain: 4.0 pounds
Total lost: 2.0 pounds
My fear initially was being back to square one (or worse weighing more than when I started this blog), and although I did gain, I didn't gain it all back so now in my mind it's just something I have to work at - learning to be in control of my new lifestyle.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A cause of the slump
Thanks to everyone that left me encouraging words on the last post. It really is amazing to receive such support from friends and strangers alike.
I've had a lot on my mind regarding this journey for a happier, healthier self and weight loss aside I have other things on my mind tonight.
What I've been pondering for the last few days; is anyone truly happy in their job? I mean is it possible to have complete and utter satisfaction at the job you keep because you have to in order to pay the bills? During an argument, my mom once told me, "Emily, no one likes their job, so just live with it." I'm starting to believe her.
I'm on my 3rd position (second company) in 3.5 years since I graduated (not counting the dozens of odd jobs I took during a 6 month bout of unemployment in 2007) and I'm still not completely satisfied with where I am in the workforce. Since this is a public blog, I won't go into details, but one thing I realized this week, coming back from vacation, is that I'm not happy where I'm at. How long do I wait to see if things will even out? Am I searching for the elusive wild boar?
Yesterday I contemplated quitting my cozy office job to join the ranks of Starbucks baristas worldwide. Do they make good money?
I've had a lot on my mind regarding this journey for a happier, healthier self and weight loss aside I have other things on my mind tonight.
What I've been pondering for the last few days; is anyone truly happy in their job? I mean is it possible to have complete and utter satisfaction at the job you keep because you have to in order to pay the bills? During an argument, my mom once told me, "Emily, no one likes their job, so just live with it." I'm starting to believe her.
I'm on my 3rd position (second company) in 3.5 years since I graduated (not counting the dozens of odd jobs I took during a 6 month bout of unemployment in 2007) and I'm still not completely satisfied with where I am in the workforce. Since this is a public blog, I won't go into details, but one thing I realized this week, coming back from vacation, is that I'm not happy where I'm at. How long do I wait to see if things will even out? Am I searching for the elusive wild boar?
Yesterday I contemplated quitting my cozy office job to join the ranks of Starbucks baristas worldwide. Do they make good money?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Post vacation blues
I returned from vacation on Sunday night. Oh what a glorious vacation it was. I relaxed. I drank. I ate. And I didn't think about work at all. I was completely happy. I guess ultimately this is why I've been avoiding the blog for the last two days - I fell right back into my 'normal' eating and drinking habits.
After thinking about it, I have never been able to attend family holidays or vacations without falling back into these habits. In my family, we regularly serve a spread of appetizers before the actual meal. Then, by time the meal is served everyone is full, but we all eat anyway. We joke about it and it may be funny for everyone in my family who is normal sized, but for me it is really prohibitive to how I am trying to change my lifestyle. Of course, I don't blame my family for my current eating habits. I am an adult, I decide what I eat and how much. And I choose whether I go exercise or not.
So for the last two days I have made the decision not to eat healthy and to sit on the couch and go to bed at 9 pm. These are the decisions I have made and I know the scale will make me pay.
I'm suffering from having no motivation at all. Why am I so obsessed with changing my eating habits and becoming "healthy" when I am seemingly just as healthy as the size 2 I sat next to at the hair salon tonight?
Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. This is just a small sampling of the diseases that affect most people who have the same BMI as I do. But I suffer from none of them. Not even pre-Diabetes or borderline blood pressure. Ok so I had low good cholesterol (though not high cholesterol) 2 years ago at my yearly exam, but I've since introduced avocados, almonds, etc into my diet.
My paternal grandmother ate high fat, high calorie foods, drank beer and lived to be 86 years old, so why can't I?
Do I feel better when I exercise? Absoslutely. For some reason that alone isn't enough motivation or enough to fuel my willpower for long.
I'm not asking for someone to give me the magic answers. Mainly I'm just putting my thoughts out there for everyone to read because I haven't posted in over a week and felt guilty about that.
After thinking about it, I have never been able to attend family holidays or vacations without falling back into these habits. In my family, we regularly serve a spread of appetizers before the actual meal. Then, by time the meal is served everyone is full, but we all eat anyway. We joke about it and it may be funny for everyone in my family who is normal sized, but for me it is really prohibitive to how I am trying to change my lifestyle. Of course, I don't blame my family for my current eating habits. I am an adult, I decide what I eat and how much. And I choose whether I go exercise or not.
So for the last two days I have made the decision not to eat healthy and to sit on the couch and go to bed at 9 pm. These are the decisions I have made and I know the scale will make me pay.
I'm suffering from having no motivation at all. Why am I so obsessed with changing my eating habits and becoming "healthy" when I am seemingly just as healthy as the size 2 I sat next to at the hair salon tonight?
Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. This is just a small sampling of the diseases that affect most people who have the same BMI as I do. But I suffer from none of them. Not even pre-Diabetes or borderline blood pressure. Ok so I had low good cholesterol (though not high cholesterol) 2 years ago at my yearly exam, but I've since introduced avocados, almonds, etc into my diet.
My paternal grandmother ate high fat, high calorie foods, drank beer and lived to be 86 years old, so why can't I?
Do I feel better when I exercise? Absoslutely. For some reason that alone isn't enough motivation or enough to fuel my willpower for long.
I'm not asking for someone to give me the magic answers. Mainly I'm just putting my thoughts out there for everyone to read because I haven't posted in over a week and felt guilty about that.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Leaving on a jet plane
Just a quick post to let you know that I'll be MIA for about 9 days. I'm going on a much needed VACATION!
This means I'm going to miss 2 weigh ins, but eventhough I'm on vacation I'm going to try and stay on track as much as possible.
I'm going to my family's lake house in Missouri. I spent my childhood summers at this lake house and there is a long history of overeating, not eating the right foods and major alcohol consumption. It's overwhelming to think about because I feel like I'm going to gain back everything I've worked weeks to lose in a matter of days.
I've made the decision to focus more on HOW MUCH I am eating rather than WHAT I am eating (although the latter is almost 2nd nature to me now). I will also get up a few morning and go for walks (there is a massive hill that leads down to our house - great cardio).
Bonjour everyone! I hope you all have a safe, happy and healthy 4th of July!
This means I'm going to miss 2 weigh ins, but eventhough I'm on vacation I'm going to try and stay on track as much as possible.
I'm going to my family's lake house in Missouri. I spent my childhood summers at this lake house and there is a long history of overeating, not eating the right foods and major alcohol consumption. It's overwhelming to think about because I feel like I'm going to gain back everything I've worked weeks to lose in a matter of days.
I've made the decision to focus more on HOW MUCH I am eating rather than WHAT I am eating (although the latter is almost 2nd nature to me now). I will also get up a few morning and go for walks (there is a massive hill that leads down to our house - great cardio).
Bonjour everyone! I hope you all have a safe, happy and healthy 4th of July!
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