Back to Basics

I got sick last week. I fell off the wagon big time. I haven't had strep in a long time. When I was younger it would suck, but after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours I was good as new. Well apparently it wasn't quite so easy this time. It took me 48 hours to get back to work and almost 5 days to get my ass back to boot camp. Basically... it took me out! For days I lived off of ginger ale, MILKSHAKES, pasta and eggs. And laid on the couch watching TV or sleeping. If you're curious what this will do to your weight loss efforts I'll fill you in. It'll derail them. Completely. In 5 days I gained 5 pounds. (179.6) Yup.

However yesterday I was feeling 100% better. I went to boot camp and it was actually fun. I could tell that my cardio was hurting but that's ok. Of course it's going to take me a few days to get fully back in the game. I tracked my calories (more on that later). I ate fruits and veggies. I drank water like it was going out of style. And this morning I'd already dropped 2 of those 5 pounds. So if I keep it up all week long I should hopefully be right back to where I started. I can do this. And I WANT to do this.

I've also decided to look at tracking calories instead of points. Well more than that really... to focus on my protein intake. Weight Watchers is amazing, however I can easily eat 23 points worth of prepackaged carbs. Sure if I follow the system I'll still lose, but it's time to take it to the next step and really look at what kind of stuff I'm eating. So I'm giving The Daily Plate a try. My friend has been using it for a few weeks and likes it so I figured I'd give it a go. I've got nothing to lose (but wieght!) First... it's free! Second the data base of foods seems to have almost everything it it... it's a lot better than SparkPeople in my opinion. And there are charts and breakdowns and all sorts of fun stuff. It tells you how many calories you should eat to lose a certain amount of weight per week. I have it set up to lose 2 pounds per week. You can also track your workouts so it figures out how many extra cals you can eat each day (yes!).

Here's my breakdown from yesterday (click on it to enlarge):
Not too shabby, I went over by about 30 cals. And I think I underestimated my workout. I just haven't figured out how to record boot camp yet. But I'll figure it out eventually.

Here's hoping I can do the same for today! I just had a massive bowl of cereal for breakfast. Check it out.
If this doesn't keep me full for a while we've got a problem!!

On today's agenda is the following:

1. Hang pictures (I don't have any pictures hung up in my bedroom! Unacceptable)
2. Perhaps this should be first... buy some picture frames at Hobby Lobby
3. Possibly buy a new bike upon which I could COMMUTE to WORK when the weather is nice!
4. Grocery shopping
5. Gym
6. Laundry

Completely doable. But I better get started!!

Home Sick

I'm having a rough day, maybe I should have gone to work. I cut my finger with my new sharp knife. Lesson learned: don't try to cut an English Muffin with a sharp knife while under the influence of NyQuil. WOOPS!

I'm also ravenous. I've eaten 12 points already today. And can't choke down any water but I'm working on my second mug of tea so that's gotta be something.

But I've caught up on lots of TV and am thinking about showering and cleaning the kitchen. And maybe then making some pumpkin oatmeal cookies or muffins or something. I need to be busy so I don't keep eating :)

I also have to go to the bank... hmmm.

I'm rambling. Again, I'm blaming the NyQuil.

Food!

Bfast:
pumpkin waffles - 3
TJs cheese sticks - 3

Lunch:
2 eggs, center cut bacon and light EM (and a big fat slice on my ring finger... which is now bandaged and I can't really type because of it) - 6

Snack:
choc covered edemame - 2

Trying to go light the rest of the day -- I WI first thing tomorrow. Then to the gym and then to get a haircut!!!

Just got back from the gym. Is it possible that I sweat out some of my cold??? I actually feel better than I did before working out. Trainer Boy really had no sympathy -- just made fun of me because I told him I had allergies as I was trying to convince myself I didn't have a cold. He thought that was a riot. I still don't feel great though. I'm eating ice cream right now.. bad, but it feels oh so good on my throat.

In about 10 minutes I'm going to take some liquid crack -- AKA NyQuil: the cherry liquid kind. I plan on passing out and hopefully sleeping off the rest of my ickies. If I still feel bad in the morning I'll call out sick though. No need to pass it on to everyone at work.

And, not sure if it's good new or bad, but next week Trainer Boy is off for Spring Break. So I don't see him again til Thurs the 13 (at 7pm for when I forget).

Ok, I'm off to my NyQuil induced coma. Ahhhh....

Blech

I'm coming down with something. I haven't really been hit at all with this nasty flu bug that's been going around and I really hope I'm just getting a little cold and nothing more.

I'm downing tea and trying to talk myself out of this little sickness.

My plan for tonight? Go home, eat something (soup probably), change and go work out with Trainer Boy. Come home, take NyQuil and go to sleep. Hopefully the NyQuil will knock this out of my system and I'll be good as new tomorrow!

Here's hoping.

Back to the Begining

I went to a meeting yesterday. I've been meaning to start up again, and have put it off for a week and a half. I was SO tempted to skip it yesterday to... but I went. And while stepping on the scale and seeing that in the past year I really haven't lost ANY weight... it felt good to know I'm back at the starting line. And back there BEFORE the holiday yummies get in my way.

Rewind to Thanksgiving. ar and I didn't have plans, which ended up being good as I came down with a mild case of the flu. No throwing up, but fever, achey, cough, cold, sore throat and headaches. I was laid up for about 2 days. So I didn't overindulge in any Thanksgiving food, but I didn't eat well either.

I'm really trying to stay within my points today. I mean I get 26... shouldn't be TOO hard. But we'll see.

Breakfast:
Nature's Path Flax Seed waffles w/ sugar free jelly - 4
Sugar Free Jello (I was hungry) - 0

Lunch:
Chicken salad (see below) - 2
Trader Joe's pita - 1
Progresso light soup - 0
Trader Joe's flat bread - 1

Snacks:
TJs candy cane joe-joe cookies - 3
snacking here and there - 3
pretzels - 2

Dinner:
It's just me, so I'm going to be lazy and just have a bowl of cereal or french toast - 6

Snacks:
Apple crisp w/ light whipped cream - 3

Now if I can just stick to this menu I'll be good! I'm holding off on the gym for this week as I am going to focus on eating right and making sure I'm 100% better before hitting up the germ filled gym.

Wish me luck!!!! It's sort of scary to know that I have to go weigh in next week! Eeek! I'm going to keep my weigh in day Sat. This week it won't be an official weigh in since I was there on Mon, but the woman said if I go to the meeting just ask them to do a courtesy weight and it should be fine.

The end is in sight!

It's finally FRIDAY! Woohoo! I'm super excited as this has been a CRAP WEEK! I'll try to keep my complaining to a minimum, but it was just one of those weeks where one thing after another just kept going wrong... and on top of it all I'm PMSing AND have a nasty cold. So I've basically been a big crank head all week.

I can't wait to just go home tonight and say goodbye to this week! I do have to come into work tomorrow for an hour to answer the phones. We have tickets going on sale for A Prairie Home Companion and people have been going nuts over it. We had a presale yesterday and I got a MILLION calls with people who were pissed because they didn't get tickets. I dont get what the fuss is about the show -- but either way I figured I'd be a good employee and come in to sooth the pissed off people. Better than coming into to 400 angry voicemails on Monday morning, right? ha!

I can say that my appetite has diminished quite a bit from my cold. So I've been eating pretty well. I have 5 flexies left for today and I'm hoping to not use any of them. I weigh in tomorrow and am just hoping to maintain. I had such a big loss last week that I know this weeks won't be huge, so I'm just hoping I dont see a gain. Eek!

I DO need to drink lots of water today as I've been slacking on that.

Ok todays menu....

Bfast:
life cereal (3)

Lunch:
crock pot chili w/ 1 tbsp light sour cream and 1/2 oz cheddar cheese (5)
2 pieces whole wheat bread (2)

Snacks:
pretzel slims w/ laughing cow light (3)
grapes (1)
apple (1)

Dinner:
chicken and veggie stir fry w/ brown rice (6)
biscuit (3)

Ok - off to drink some water! Have a good Friday everyone...

Sunshine!

I feel like I have a lot to say this morning... so perhaps I'll do bullet style so I can be quick and to the point:

1. Broke my cleat on my Sat bike ride (theres 4 screws that hold it in place and somehow THREE of them fell out on my ride -- I couldnt clip out because of it and I was standing in the street in front of my house after the ride and couldnt figure out how to get my shoe out of the clips... it was a riot! Finally I just took the shoe off and got my foot out then figured out what the problem was haha. Lets just be thankful it was the foot that stays clipped in during the whole ride or else I would have ended up on the ground with my bike on top of me haha! Whew!) Anyway because of that I didnt get to ride on Sun -- but Ar brought home the stuff and fixed me up last night - so tonight after work I"m back on the bike!
2. My mystery rash is back -- I dont know whats causing it but its driving me BONKERS!!! I'm scared its from the sun :( I'm going to my Dr on wed for a 'girlie' checkup (aka gyno visit) so I'll be able to talk to her again about what I should do. I fall else fails I hope she can get me the steroids again (even if that means I'll be ravenously hungry)... here's hoping it goes away!
3. Babysat the twins yesterday afternoon. They were on their best behavior! We played outside on the deck; blew bubbles and ate goldfish! We also just hung out inside and played. Yay for cute kids! (and getting a bit of workout chasing them around and holding them for 4 hours)
4. Went out to dinner last night and ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries. All I could think of as I stared at the plate was how many points it was. I had 3 bites of the sandwich (if that) as it wasnt that good and I wasnt that hungry and refused to waste 15 points on something that wasnt amazing, and at HALF the fries! I stopped when I was full, put my napkin over the plate and pushed it away... I could have easily stuffed the rest of my fries down... but I didnt! And they were so good it is a miracle that I resisted the rest. So a potentially 25 point meal ended up being like 10!!!
5. Went to the Gap Outlet on Sat and got a pair of white capris, and adorable shirt and a khaki skirt for 50 bucks! And I had a $50 gift certificate so it was freeeeeeee! And I also found the cutest orange purse at TJ Max which I'm in LOVE with. If I remember I'll take pictures tonight
6. Its going up to 82 today! So after work I'm going straight home and going out for a ride. I'm excited!
7. I'm still going strong with my April challenges - but have been slacking a bit on water and veggies. I get my fruit in no problem and have been great about not eating after 9pm. So this week I'm focusing on veggies and water!
   

Whew...ok I think I covered everything! Heres my menu for today:

Breakfast:
puffins w/ milk - 2
small piece of cake at the staff meeting - 5

Lunch:
pb&j - 3
veggie soup - 1
asian pear - 0

Snacks:
granolla bar - 2
ww lemon cake - 1
apple - 1

Dinner:
meatloaf - 5
rice - 4
asparagus - 0

Snack:
skinny cow ice cream sammy! - 2

Total Points: 26
APs: short ride after work - 5
Flex Used - 0

The Universe Is Telling me Something

I went out to lunch with a bunch of people from work on Wednesday. I said "screw it" to the healthy lunch I'd packed, and even to my 40 day challenge of no french fries and ordered a hamburger and fries. It was good...

But I got back to my desk and literally within 15 minutes was a mess. I was light-headed and dizzy and felt like I was going to faint. I felt naseous. And I felt like I had a fever. Luckily I was emailing one of my friends and she said she'd come get me as I was in no shape to drive. I got home fell into bed, where I slept for 3.5 straight hours. I woke up still feeling dizzy and sick but CRAVING a brownie and ginger ale. And not the diet variety. Ar stopped and got 2 bottles of ginger ale on her way home from work, and around 8:30 PM we decided to venture out to Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins for something chocolatey. As that was all I thought I could keep down. Most people want scrambled eggs and toast... I want chocolate.

I got some horrible milk shake that I drank 5 sips of, and then we got 25 munchkins both chocolate and glazed. They hit the spot. I ate a few the other night and then a few more yesterday. And by a few I mean that of the 25 I think there are 3 left in the box. (Though Ar did have 5 or 6 of them at least....).

Anyway... I'm finally feeling better today. And I think I get that the entire universe is trying to tell me something. STOP EATING LIKE CRAP! I dont think its a coincidence that I ate french fries (and a cheese burger) and was violently ill less than an hour later. So today I'm back on track. Hopefully my little donut-fest wont do too much damage as I really didnt eat much else yesterday.

I'm back on the no-fry, no baked goods plan as of today. I majorly slipped up a bit there, but I'm starting fresh today!

Oh! And I have to thank my awesome February partner Carrie for my present!!! She sent me the CUTEST dream journal and some chocolate treats (which I also housed yesterday when I got the package). And I must say she seems to be kicking some MAJOR ass in March.... getting up at 5am and hitting the gym. Keep up the good work Carrie!

We're going out for sushi tonight, so I should be able to have a somewhat healthy dinner. I'm excited for Miso soup and some veggie rolls!

Menu for today:



(info from sparkpeople)

Happy March

Its March! That means Spring, my Birthday and lots of other fun things! Yippee!!

My March challenge is on hold til Monday. See I have this horrible rash on my arms and legs and I've had it for over a week now. Its wretched and I cant figure out what it is. So I finally went to the drs today and while she doesnt know she suggested I try a new detergent... so thats on the agenda for tonight. But the point of my story is that I cannot sleep at night because I itch like hell. So I toss and turn and generally fall alseep around 1 or 2. Which means that getting up for the gym at 6am is just not going to happen. So I decided that I'll let myself slide until next week. Come Tuesday morning (I'll go to spinning after work on Monday) rash or no rash I will be up and at the gym!

I also think that if I worked out really hard right now it would irritate my rash even more. It kind of feels like I have a super bad sunburn. You know how it just sort of burns and itches? So I think if I worked out that it would swell up more and irritate it. So in the sake of my sanity I'm taking a bit of a back seat for working out right now. (As if I didnt do that ALL of Feb!)

Also, the doc gave me steroids to help with the itching. And her direct words were, "Now these steroids are most likley going to make you ravenously hungry, so just be aware of that." Greeeeeat. Just what I need! I feel like now I'll just be subconsciously thinking about it, like oh I must need ice cream because of the steroids! haha

Oh well. I''m trying to be good today and not think about the stinkin 'roids. Wish me luck!