Wednesday Wisdom

Mark Twain: Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.

I can certainly understand trying to overcome habits, especially those that are not only bad but also deeply ingrained. So, I just have to keep reprogramming my brain one small wire at a time. And so, an update on how I am planning to do just that!

1. I joined the Arkansas Fitness Challenge. I am so ready to start kickin some fellow Arkansan ass!!

2. I have created a challenge for my little girl. She is really kickin my ass!!

3. Since my January Challenge kicked my ass; I have made my 7500 steps per day goal my challenge for February too!!

4. My husband's ass has been kicked into shape and things are going so much more smoothly these days!!

5. I am planning to get a trainer and start purposefully kickin my own ass 3 days a week!!

Needless to say there is alot of ass gettin kicked around here!! Hopefully, by next month there will be alot less ass to kick!!!

Funny Friday

CAT MIRACLE DIET
Most diets fail because we stubbornly continue to think and eat like humans. For those us who have never had any success dieting there is the new Miracle Cat Diet! Except for cats that eat like people -- such as getting lots of table scraps -- most cats are long and lean (or tiny and petite). The Cat Miracle Diet will help you achieve the same lean, svelte figure as a cat. Just follow this diet for one week and you'll find that you not only look and feel better, but you will have a whole new outlook on what constitutes food. Good Luck!

DAY ONE

• Breakfast: Open can of expensive gourmet cat food. Any flavour as long as it cost more than seventy-five cents per can. Eat one bite of food then look around room disdainfully. Knock the rest on the floor. Stare at the wall for awhile before stalking off into the other room.


• Lunch: Four blades of grass and one lizard tail. Throw it back up on the most expensive carpet in your house.


• Dinner: Catch a moth and play with it until it is almost dead. Eat one wing. Leave the rest to die.


• Bedtime snack: Steal one green bean from your spouse's or partner's plate. Bat it around the floor until it goes under the refrigerator. Steal one small piece of chicken and eat half of it. Leave the other half on the sofa. Throw out the remaining gourmet cat food from the can you opened this morning.

DAY TWO

• Breakfast: Pick up the leftover chicken from the sofa. Knock it onto the carpet and bat it under the television set. Chew on the corner of the newspaper as your spouse/partner tries to read it.


• Lunch: Break into the fresh French bread that you bought as your part of the dinner party on Saturday. Lick the top of it all over. Take one bite out of the middle of the loaf.


• Afternoon snack: Catch a large beetle and bring it into the house. Play toss and catch with it until it is mushy and half dead. Allow it to escape under the bed.


• Dinner: Open a fresh can of dark-coloured gourmet cat food -- tuna or beef works well. Eat it voraciously. Walk from your kitchen to the edge of the living room rug. Promptly throw up on the rug. Step into it as you leave. Track footprints across the entire room.

DAY THREE:

• Breakfast: Drink part of the milk from your spouse's or partner's cereal bowl when no one is looking. Splatter part of it on the nearest polished aluminium appliance you can find.


• Lunch: Catch a small bird and bring it into the house. Play with on top of your down filled comforter. Make sure the bird is seriously injured but not dead before you abandon it for someone else to have to deal with.


• Dinner: Beg and cry until you are given some ice cream or milk in a bowl of your own. Take three licks/laps and then turn the bowl over on the floor.

FINAL DAY:

• Breakfast: Eat six bugs, assorted varieties, being sure to leave a collection of legs, wings, and antennae on the bathroom floor. Drink lots of water. Throw the bugs and all of the water up on your spouse's or partner's pillow.


• Lunch: Remove the chicken skin from last night's chicken-to-go leftovers your spouse or partner placed in the trash can. Drag the skin across the floor several times. Chew it in a corner and then abandon.


• Dinner: Open another can of expensive gourmet cat food. Select a flavor that is especially runny, like Chicken and Giblets in Gravy. Lick off all the gravy and leave the actual meat to dry and get hard.

Wednesday Wisdom

Author unknown: The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.




We all know our weaknesses. We know exactly what calls us to a halt when we are driving along through life. I know mine. I know that I would stand outside the only Krispy Kreme in Arkansas all day everyday waiting on that beautiful red neon sign to light up. I know that it would be so easy to stop by there on my way to (and from) work every morning. But I can't!! I know that I can't!! It can be so frustrating to be so inundated with all the social pressures we have to face every day!!

• The fashion industry says you have to be skinny to wear beautiful clothes, and we believe it!!
• Fast food restaurants advertise everywhere and can be found in every single city in America touting their "healthy" menus of salads that are as high in calories as some of the smaller "less healthy" alternatives.
• Your "no fat" alternatives may be no fat, but they are deceptively high in sugar and, thereby, calories.
• There are literally 1000s of different weight loss programs and easily 1000s more people promoting each of them. How in the hell are we supposed to know what to do??
• I don't have any idea just how many diet books are actually on the market!! Amazon.com pulled 96 titles with a search for the word "diet"!! 2552 listings on eBay!!!
• In smaller cities, it is really hard to get fresh, organic produce! How are we to eat healthy foods that we can't even find!!
• Exercise programs abound and gyms are prevalent, but it can easily get expensive and a personal trainer is typically out of the question!!

Yeah, I know it sounds like I am giving you all the reasons in the world why we should just say "F it!!", but on the contrary, I just wanted to point out all the "parking places" we have managed to overcome. Some of us may still be struggling with some of these, (I have trouble keeping my car from automatically pulling me into that Krispy Kreme) but we are all making progress in some way. So, here's a quick pat on the back to all you who continue to drive on toward success. I will catch up to you eventually!! ;)

May your stops be few and your speed bumps be small!!!

So, I laid it out for him...

Well, remarkably enough, my hubby provided me with a perfect example of the differences in how we treat each other. It was brought up this morning with a promise to discuss it further this evening.


Here's what happened this morning. I hear the dogs whine in the dark of our room. I turn over to notice that the clock says 4:17. I hear him grunt and groan, but he still lies there. After several minutes of doggie cries, he gets up and struggles to find his pants. I hear lots of loud grumbling and even a curse or two before the bathroom light violently erupts in the bedroom. He leaves the door open while he urinates, and walks out out of the room pushing the door closed quickly and leaving the flood of fluorescent lights to cover both me and the bed. Upon his return, he again snaps the door closed, turns off the lights, and with a loud thud closes the bathroom door again. Finally, he plops back in the bed with me.

And here's what happened yesterday. I feel the nudge of our collie mix's nose and look up to see that it is 4:13 am. I gingerly roll myself out of bed and tiptoe to the bathroom where I silently close the door before I flip on the light. Once finished, I turn the light back off before I carefully turn the doorknob to leave the bathroom. I locate my pajama pants and carry them to the living room, easing the bedroom door closed. I take the dogs out to relieve themselves and return to our living room where I lie on the couch and watch a little low-volume VH1 and pet the pooches until it's time for my alarm to go off at 5.

I had never noticed these differences before and may not have done so this time if it hadn't been back to back mornings. I brought this to his attention this morning. I told him that it was the love and respect that I have for him that told me to be as quiet as I could so that he could continue sleeping. I also pointed out, (and reassured myself as well), that I performed the very same job BEFORE he did it. I wanted to make sure that he didn't think that I had followed his bad morning with a good one just so I could say "See, how much better I treat you!" He said he was sorry and got a little angry when I muttered "you always are". (Yes, not productive, I know, but frustration can get mean sometimes.) So, then I tried to explain that it wasn't the words that were important; it was the actions. "Anyone can say I LOVE YOU; It's your job to make me feel like the words are actually true!!" I wanted to avoid an argument, this was all very congenial, so at this point we agreed to discuss it this evening.

Basically, I am keeping my hopes high. Unfortunately, his track record isn't the best. He does really well for a few weeks then it right back to the status quo!!

On a side note, I weighed this morning and last weeks debauchle only cost me the addition of 1 pound! I can live with that!!!

Back in the Saddle Again

Okay, I am back in the game. I am not gonna dwell on the set-backs of last week. Notice that I didn't call them failures. That's because they weren't failures; they were challenges or trials or weaknesses or set-backs...whatever you want to call them. As long as I haven't given up on myself, I haven't failed. So, here I am. Ready to go. A little heavier perhaps, but a bit wiser hopefully.

My current issue is with my husband. Sometimes I think that I might actually be better off as a single mother. It often feels like I am already. To me, it's the little things that can be so important sometimes. Here are some things that I think would really make a difference in how I feel as a wife.

1. I'd like to have flowers sent to me for no reason. He has only sent me flowers twice in the 10 years we've been married: once when our daughter was born and again as an "I'm sorry" for a serious, serious screw up. My favorite flowers are carnations and daffodils. Come on!! I'm cheap!!

2. I'd like for him to take the initiative and actually cook a meal for the family once in a while. Even when he knows exactly what I have planned for the meal, he will still wait for me to cook it. And when he does head for the stove, he asks me 50 million questions: "What do you want?"; How do I _______?"; "Where is the ________?"..... I end up just getting frustrated and fixing it myself!! And I don't want to have to ASK him to help!! Basically, if I don't cook, we all starve!!

3. Help me manage our finances, PLEASE!!! I don't have enough time in my day to work 8 hours, manage the house, tend to the pets, support his career, AND keep track of the bills. It's just too much to handle and frankly, I am tired of doing it by myself!! You may not realize it, but they are your bills too, dear!!!

4. Realize when I am TRYING to be sexy and when I just want to be left the hell alone! There are so many times that I have tried to get his attention with subtlety. You know, that wild, wet headed temptress fresh from the shower or the sweet innocent on the pillow with the halo of hair around her face... Typically, I have to be spralled and naked to get him to say something!!

5. Plan a date for us! Please take me out somewhere!! And don't ask me what I want to do and where I want to eat. Surprise me. Romance me.

It's not that he is selfish. He's just so self-centered that he has no idea how much I have and continue to sacrifice for him. It's a problem we've had for a long, long, LONG time now and it just really bugs me so much sometimes that I actully start to wonder if I love him enough to keep putting up with it!!

Need help....

As you may know, I work at Arkansas Children's Hospital. They are participating in the Arkansas Fitness Challenge in competition with some of the neighboring hospitals. The challenge is designed to promote health and fitness by logging distances for activities like walking, biking, etc. There a several teams to choose from, but I don't know any of the leaders. I am attempting to choose a team based on the teams name alone. I have narrowed the list by half, but can't decide between the remaining. Let me know which of these teams sounds like the most fun.

Fitness by Design
Team Walk it Out
Globo Gym Purple Cobras (hubby loves this one!)
Muffin Top Reduction Project
Body by Cake
Ever Fit
Team Flab U Less

Which would you choose?!?!

Unknown Author: You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Funny Friday

And yet, I am not feeling very funny. I am still in a rut. And it is not destined to get better with the coming weekend. I am chaperoning an overnight band trip beginning with this evening. Of course, I have packed a few snacks. Things like those 100 calorie snack packs and beef jerky are waiting in my trunk, but I will be eating out most of the weekend including the breakfast buffet at the hotel. I am almost scared of myself. I can't pick myself back up right now. I can't escape the mentality that "Well, I've already blown it this week, so I might as well keep going." That or the other wondrous thought: "I don't get to go out of town often and it is being paid for, so I can just live it up some!!" I know it's wrong; I know it, but that doesn't make it any less believable in my mind. How am I supposed to eat right when EVERYONE else with us will be eating WHATEVER they want. I always feels so self conscious in situations like this. I feel like if I am trying to eat healthy, everyone around is thinking to themselves about the band director's fat wife trying to lose weight. Strangely enough, I feel so much more comfortable eating the way a fat girl is "supposed" to be eating. Again, I know its a mental block, but it's a block the size of the Empire State Building and would seem to be impassable. I know it's my depression and my TOM that only compound the issues. I need to find a mantra. Something that I can say to myself at my lowest points that will lift my spirits and make me stop long enough to see that the actions I am considering are not necessarily good ones. Any suggestions?

Still feeling pretty crappy...

I have been remiss in my posting the last few days, but this month's Red Dragon was quite ferocious and would not let me leave the house. I don't think details are necessary as most of my blogmates are female, so I won't share them.

I am also struggling with my depression this morning. I binged over the weekend and I am really hating myself for it now. I know that there is nothing to do but make today better, but it still feels like a serious failure when I was doing so well.

My steps at least improved over the weekend. I still have a bit of work to do to make those Saturday and Sunday stretches to 7500, but it is climbing a bit. I just didn't realize how much walking I actually do at work. Unfortunately, there are those two full days where all I did was rest on my couch with a heating pad on my belly; chocolate and beef jerky in my fists. I didn't even wear my pedometer, but I am certain that having rarely left that position my steps would have been pitiful anyway. I did put it on this morning, so we will see how it goes.

I wish more people realized that weight loss is more of a mental battle than a physical battle. I think it was Robyn who posted something like "Fat people already know everything they need to know to lose weight" (sorry about my poor quoting skills if that was all wrong). It's so true though. People who are desperate to lose weight already know all about things like calorie deficit, BMI, and cardiovascular health. We've tried all the diets and most of us have had some success, but we revert to our previous habits pretty quickly even though we KNOW that we have to stay on track to continue succeeding. I'd be willing to bet that the average obese individual knows more about the various aspects of diet, exercise, and weight loss, than most general physicians and even some physical trainers!!!

The same goes for me. I know exactly what I am supposed to do, but I can't seem to do it. I can't overcome my mentalalities toward overeating and laziness. If I can't overcome these, then I am destined to be this size forever, no matter what my goals or motivations are. I am not saying I want to quit trying, but it would be nice to be able to conquer my mind and stop letting it conquer me. So, I am headed to Barnes and Noble this afternoon to research some books that may be helpful. Here's hoping...

I apologize in advance...

I am trying so hard avoid allowing the PMS demon to take over my body. I succumbed to a caffeine binder yesterday. Something I had all but given up completely and I just could absolutely not think of anything yesterday but coffee, Diet Coke, and chocolate. So, I gave in but I did my best to make them as healthy as possible. I gave up the Caramel Macchiato I really wanted and settled for a large French vanilla coffee with fat free milk and splenda. I gingerly sucked on 6 Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses last night. Only 6, but I made those suckers last!! Today, I enjoyed a Diet Coke and chef salad with fat free ranch for lunch, which I had to walk about a mile to enjoy with my mom at her office!!! I also caved in the hospital gift shop for more chocolate: 2 sugar free peanut butter cups (160 calories) and 2 sugar free pecan delights (130 calories) . I passed up all my faves there like the chocolate covered raisins, turtles, and cherry cordials. Again, I made those suckers last for an hour and a half by sucking on them!!!

I am struggling to stay chipper, but I just want to rip the head off of something!! I found out my research study is being audited and some issues have come up today that I wasn't expecting. UGH!!! I am having a hard time thinking nice thoughts about ANYBODY, too, so here is a list of the things that have bugged be about people the last couple of days!

1. If you can't walk in the shoes, DON'T WEAR THEM!! No one wants to see your ass wobble and stumble with each step; it's just annoying!

2. I shouldn't be able to smell your hideous perfume OUTSIDE of the elevator and BEFORE it reaches my floor!!

3. Just because it's your favorite song doesn't mean we all want to hear it. And we certainly don't want to hear you sing it!

4. Of course, I was holding that parking space for you. I was just stopped there with my blinker on so that you could just swoop in and settle.

5. And, yes, I did wave at you with one finger!

6. If you don't make your kid stop pushing all the buttons on the elevator, I am gonna push him out myself on the next floor!

7. Yes, honey, I am so glad you called. Of course, I know where your keys are. Don't you remember? I took them from you right after I changed your diaper and breastfed you last night!!

8. Yes, Lord, please grant me all the wonders of menstration, pregnancy, and childbirth. And thank you for just giving my husband kidney stones. I am so sorry that my great, great, great, great, great, great, great.....grandmother "made" her husband eat that fruit. [And, yes, I do believe that He has a sense of humor!!]

Sorry, apparently the demon did attempt a possession.

So many whys.

Have you ever come to a point where you start to ask yourself, "What the hell is the purpose of it all?"

A purpose...why do I have to have a purpose? Why do I feel like there has to be some final destination to my life which is affected by every aspect of everyday living? If I am overweight when I die, will God care? Have I mistreated my "temple" by being obese? Why do I have to continually remind myself of the reasons for this journey to thinness? What the hell are my reasons? Why am I doing this?

Granted, there are days when I feel so healthy and strong. On those days, it's easy to stop the inner questions by citing the feeling itself. "I do this because it makes me feel good." But, there are many more days when I am forced to deny myself "No, you can't have that, you're on a diet"; "You can't wear that because you are too fat"; "You have to be skinny to be attractive". Of course, the next question I always ask myself is "Why?".

Why do I need to lose weight?
Why do I hate the way I look?
Why can't I just eat whatever I want?
Why am I punishing myself when I know it makes no difference to eternity?
Why do I care what everyone else sees when they look at me?
Why can't I change?
Why?

I am a biologist. I understand the potential health risks. I know the literature. Hell, I've even written some of it myself! But, I have no health problems; no real family history of health problems; no physical restraints due to my weight.

I am a outgoing person. People like me and I have never had any real enemies. I get along great with everyone and I am extremely personable. I am happily married and don't require that model's physique to catch a man. I may suffer from depression at times, but I can even hide that from most with an Oscar-winning performance of happiness. I have a successful career and decent social life. My weight has never made a negative impact on any relationship save one: my relationship with myself.

I have never been athletic and have no interest in sports. I can't even stand to watch them on television. I have no desire to train for a 5K or a triathlon or body building championship. I just don't feel that competitive drive. I don't find sweat appealing or invigorating; it's just sweat. Exercise is just a synonym for work that I don't get paid for and I really find it hard to rationalize its necessity at times.

I have always hated the idea of conformity. I can't stand the thought of one ideal body type that I am supposed to be in order to be considered beautiful. I hate to feel pressured to do something just because society embraces it. The idea that I have to change my appearance to appease other people sickens me. I shouldn't have to adjust my lifestyle to live in this world; especially when it won't matter at all in the next!

So, Why? Why is weight loss so important? Why am I doing it?

Every question I have can be answered with the same word: Megan.

Why do I need to lose weight? So that Megan will have a healthy role model to emulate. It is my responsibility to teach her how to take care of herself. It is my responsibility to decrease her chances of health issues later. Her health as an adult actually depends on my health now!!

Why do I hate the way I look? Because, I feel like I have let Megan down. I worry that eventually she will see me as a "woman" and not her mother. She will include me in society's comparison of ideals. I fear that she will someday actually dread the idea that she may become her mother.

Why can't I just eat whatever I want? Because Megan would do it to. She would think that gluttony is fine and that food is just food, no matter its nutritional value or lack thereof.

Why am I punishing myself when I know it makes no difference to eternity? My job here is to teach my child. If I fail to guide her, I have failed in my life's work. And what am I to answer when He asks me why I have taught her gluttony instead of grace, selfishness instead of self sacrifice; food instead of faith.

Why do I care what everyone else sees when they look at me? People not only see me, they see my husband and daughter as well. They see who I am and judge who Megan will be. I am a reflection of the strengths and weaknesses that I will pass on to her.

Why can't I change? Because I never truly believed that I needed to. I never had a reason to believe that my overindulgence affected anyone, even myself. I didn't realize how much Megan needs me: needs me to be around as long as possible; needs me to teach her; needs me to show her the world and all that's in it.

Why? Megan. She is the one that makes it all worthwhile. She is the reason to become the very best mother that I can possibly be. She is my ultimate goal. She is my strength. She is my triumph. She is my purpose. She is my "why".

The Fridge Revisited

So, here are the photos of my lovely, happy, healthy fridge for the group challenge. I went shopping late last week, but it doesn't seem like it!! But, most of it's healthy and what's not is considered my hubby's though I did manage to get him to switch to some more healthy versions of certain things! ;)


Freezer door: veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, corn, corn on the cob), strawberries, cheeses, pre-portioned chicken and ground beef. Freezer: breads (all whole wheat), healthy choice dinners, sugar, flour, chicken breasts, and a Harvest Wheat pizza by DiGiorno (it's awesome!!)

The door: (only the bottom shelf is mine!) sugar free strawberry preserves, mustards (dijon, spicy, brown, and regular...I LOVE MUSTARD!!), and fat free salad dressings. Note: the nightcrawlers have been moved to a solitary position in that top nook beside the egg shelf!

The belly of the beast: Here you'll find my 2 fave discoveries, Fleischman's olive oil based spread and Cool Whip free; milks, both fat free for me and 2% for the other 2; the meat cheese drawer (low fat ham, low fat cheeses or single 1 ounce serving sizes); whole wheat bread, a bowl of washed grapes (thanks for the great idea Jeanie, this thing was full 3 days ago!!!); then theres my hubby's leftover pot pie and his butter, the country crock; diet sodas; baby carrots, a ready-made salad for dinner, the crispers have onion, sweet pototoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatos, and the flower bulbs remain.

I COMPLETED MY FIRST GOAL!!

OMG!! I have actually completed the Holiday Challenge at work! I have lost 15 pounds over the holidays and I still don't weigh in at work until Friday!! I have never, EVER set a goal like this and actually achieved it!! I feel like I am already skinny!! How wonderful!!

On top of that, 2 coworkers asked me if I had lost weight and what I was doing. Keep in mind that these 2 were not together and approached me at different times... Basically, 2 people noticed a change in me that I didn't realize was evident yet!! I have always felt so self concious talking to anybody about my weight loss but I found myself just going on and on about the Nutrisystem program! I talked to them freely and openly about the foods and even sent them each a buddy program coupon!! OMG! I sounded alot like one of the hyper chicks from the commercials!!!

Then, last night I went to put my pjs on I noticed that my khakis were a bit loose. I tugged on them and actually managed to slip them easily off my hips WITHOUT UNBUTTONING THEM!! HOLY CRAP!! I am losing weight!!!! I really am!!! I am actually going to have to buy a belt!! An accessory that I haven't owned in years!!!

I am high as a kite right now! I can't imagine this feeling has illuded me for so long!! I walked 8913 steps yesterday, drank 76 ounces of water, weighed in and I had lost the last pound or so for my challenge!!! I could only feel better if I won the $200 prize drawing for it too!!

My next minigoal is to lose 14 more by February 14th!

WOOOHOOO!!!!

"I'm gonna be skinny...I'm gonna be skinny..."

Weekend Update

Apparently, I need some serious work on my weekend activities if I am gonna be PHAT someday!!! Here are some of the things I learned this weekend.

1. Yoplait Whips Dolce de Leche yogurt is good for you; as long as you don't eat 4 of them in one day!!

2. Apparently, my lazy butt moves around far more at work than at home. Saturday, I only logged 3669 steps!! And I walked the dogs, did dishes, folded laundry. I gotta figure out where to locate about 3500 more steps on the weekends!!

3. A buffet around a BBQ grill is still a buffet and should be treated as such. A friend of my parents came in from New Mexico and he prepared the most wonderful meal on the grill including some authentic Mexican dishes that were absolutely delightful!! Everything was grilled and no fat was added but he started at 1 and we were still eating at 4!!! It was so good! Corn on the cob, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, rib eye steaks, tortillas, goat cheese.... I get full again just thinking about it!! I have no idea how much I ate, but I am certain that it was too much!

4. You can't log your steps without wearing your pedometer. I kept my little nephew overnight Saturday, and I forgot all about my pedometer until Sunday evening! So, as "punishment", and a reminder to put it on in the mornings, I only logged the 2007 steps I managed to count officially. I know there were many more that I missed that morning but I can't be sure how many so, I will keep myself honest and only include the ones I can account for.

5. Jalapenos, coffee, and roughage DO NOT MIX!! I am not feeling so good in my lower stomach region, if you know what I mean!!!

Otherwise, I had a great weekend of fellowship with family and friends.

Funny Friday

Here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical studies.
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Hey Kool-Aid!!!

Okay, I decided to do my before pictures. I thought that this would be a great way to keep myself motivated. I haven't allowed a picture to be taken of me for a very, very, VERY long time, so this is quite a big deal!! I decided to wear these lovely Christmas pajamas that I got as a gift this year. It turns out they were a bit too small to wear to bed comfortably as you will soon see. Also, I thought the Christmas theme would be interesting as I am shooting for my goal weight by next New Year's. What a Christmas card it would make, huh!!!

Needless to say, my husband was quite shocked about my pic request. So, following my long standing camera aversion, he took the opportunity to take numerous "retakes". This last one above actually turned out okay even though I am not wearing make up and my dog's hair looks so much better than mine!! I may even print some copies of these up for additional motivation around the house!!!

Dirty, Stinkin, Rotten, Tricksters....

Be careful that what you think is going to be good for you, actually is!! Read up on all your restaurant choices BEFORE you head out! You can be deceived even if it's unintentional!! Last night, after 3 hours of grocery shopping, my tummy yelled "Feed Me!!". My schedule and the lack of groceries in my home, made my caloric intake quite low yesterday and I hadn't eaten since leaving the house at 6. By 9:15, I was starving so I started to survey my surroundings for a healthy, low cal, low fat item. I decided on frozen yogurt. Blast!! The TCBY was closed and I had already promised my stomach that treat and it was really demanding it now!! I tried to tell it to "shut up" but it just wouldn't listen!! I tried Baskin Robbins, they at least have sherbet... CLOSED. I got home and unloaded the groceries to the rhythm of belly grumbles. I had hoped the monster would forget that promise, but it was definitely holding me to it!! The only thing open was Sonic, but I had heard they had a fat free smoothie. It was true and so I ordered it feeling pretty darn good about myself as my husband gulped down his large chocolate malt. The creature finally satisfied, I slept very well last night.

Now, I have a little notebook I keep with me where I jot down everything that I eat, what I did that day, and how much water I drink. I also have a FitDay program where I enter EVERYTHING and keep count of all my nutritional values and calories in and out, etc. So, I have too look up anything that is not Nutrisystem or prepared by me. I almost fell out of my office chair this morning when I pulled up the Sonic website! That 14 oz. Smoothie cost me 460 calories!!! Holy crap!! I could have probably had a small scoop of real ice cream for that!!! I had been doing so well and had been staying within my max for so long now!! I hesitantly entered my meals from yesterday and watched the totals rise....1,416 total calories!! I actually came in well under my goal!!! Plus, that smoothie was fat free and packed with vitamins and calcium!! WOOOHOOO!!!! I don't have to sue them after all!!!

The moral of this story is:

If you are eating out, choose your restaurant in advance.

Try to find nutritional info online and decide on what you'll have before you leave.

Stick to your choices!!

Overslept, but just had to share this before work...

"Every time I see a skinny girl, I think that's what my momma's gonna look like soon!"

OMG!! Do I have the best kid or what?!?! And gorgeous too!!! Anyway, I told her about all the nice things everyone had posted here about her and she just had to see it!! I can rent her out as a personal trainer to anyone interested for just the cost of room, board, and travel to get her to you!!! ;)

Fridge Group Challenge

Okay, so the group challenge for the MYaP blog was to photograph your fridge in all it's temptation-filled glory. Then we have one week to clean it out, stock it with healthy stuff, and post the diet-friendly fridge pics. So...

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Here's the freezer with its strawberries, corn on the cob, portioned out chicken breasts, a couple healthy choice meals, some farm fresh black eyed peas, asiago and Romano cheeses, an empty taquitos box (WTH?!?!), and bags of flour and sugar that were bought for holiday recipes and then not really needed. (I really don't fix much of anything from scratch except on special occasions!!)

Here's the door. The only things I claim responsibility for or contact with is any of the mustards, all the fat free dressings at the bottom, and the picante sauce (I love the stuff!!). Everything else (chocolate syrup, ketchup, jelly, BBQ sauces, etc) are either Phil's or Megan's. Notice the 2 very lonely eggs up top!! I can do with or without them, and NS comes with a pretty good powder egg breakfast!!

And here's the really embarrassing part!! :0

All those plastic tubs you see...that's our fancy Tupperware filled with the last few nights leftovers. That jug of milk has soured, we've just kinda covered it up with tea pitchers that are now emptied! The upper drawer is the meat cabinet with my hubby's sandwich stuff (ham, cheese, hot dogs). That bottom left drawer has a couple onions and my daffodil bulbs I never got around to planting last year. :( The bottom right drawer has the last bit of my hubby's cranberry grape juice (gag!) and a tub on nightcrawlers (not for eating; for fishing!) It's very obvious that we haven't gone grocery shopping since before the holidays, huh?!?

Boy, do I have some cleaning to do!! I just hope those nightcrawlers haven't escaped again!!!

...just had to post this...

BATHROOM SCALE DIET TRICKS

1. Weigh yourself fully clothed after dinner and again the next morning without clothes and before breakfast, because it's nice to see how much weight you've lost overnight!

2. Never weigh yourself with wet hair.

3. When weighing, remove everything, including eyeglasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don't forget to remove jewelry as it could weigh as much as a pound!

4. Buy only cheap scales, never the medical kind. Accuracy is the enemy and high quality scales are very accurate.

5. Always go to the bathroom first.

6. Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for up to half a pound of hair (hopefully).

7. Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale. (Air has weight, right?)

8. Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto a towel rod slowly edge your other foot onto the scale while slowly releasing the towel rod. Admittedly, this takes time, but it's worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you'd stepped onto the scale normally.

Wednesday Wisdom

The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best. - Thomas Jefferson

Now who is going to argue with our third president and one of our founding fathers! And he lived to be 83!! Jefferson believed that the object of walking was to relax the mind. He advocated a walking regime that included a brisk morning walk to "shake off sleep" and an afternoon walk of about 30 minutes so as to render it a "habit [that] will soon reconcile it to health". This time was to be used for clearing the head and to divert you attention for a time toward your surroundings. In a time when scholarship was so important, he maintained that "Health must not be sacrificed to learning."

Look out Billy Blanks and Richard Simmons!! Here comes the Thomas Jefferson Presidential Workout. Beware, Michael Jordan! The Founding Father tennis shoe line may be breaking out soon!!

Anyway, I have managed to walked to my goal of 7500 steps the last couple days and I feel great! My daughter has been going for evening walks with me and we even took the dogs with us last night. She's really enjoying the private time together and has really been a great little trainer too. She hugged me this morning and said "Momma, I can put my arms all the way around you!!" I think I am gonna consider this a Non-Scale Victory!! I was about 160 steps short of my daily quota last night after she went to bed and so I just walked circles around my living room while watching "Whose Line is it Anyway" until I had all my steps in! My hubby looked at me like I was crazy, but he didn't say a word!! I am headed to the gym today for my first resistance training session. Then there is the grocery shopping to do this evening. If you ask me, being a mom should burn a whole lot more calories than it actually does!!

An ode to 2007.

January first

could be the worst

or it could change my life.

Dieting, walking,

blogging, and talking

could save me lots of strife.

I hardly know

which way to go

and yet I walk on through.

My pants, now tight;

not nearly light;

I can't keep chasing food.

Put down the spoon
you lazy loon
and get your butt outside.

Trim off the fat.

I'm done with that.

Next year, I won't be wide!!

Those Krispy Kremes

won't make me scream

and I won't eat a one.

'Cause I'll be thin

and set to win

when 07's said and done.