One good day

So... yesterday I managed to keep my calories within my goal range, and I exercised by getting out on the bike. I went out after dinner and just rode 8 miles on the Huckleberry Trail. While I LOVE being on the bike, it's a frustrating route to take -- the path has so many sharp curves, often at the bottom of long hills, so you can't get up to full speed and you can't use your speed to carry you into the next hill. And the bridges are rough wooden planks, and the underpass for the main road has a nasty metal connection to the path that my thin tires can't take at high speed. (I have had flats from hitting spots like that too fast before). Just after a curve and this underpass I got passed by someone on a mountain bike -- she was easily 50 pounds heavier than I was and her bike should be much slower than mine, but she didn't have to slow down to take the rough patches, so she was able to fly past and have the momentum (not to mention the traction) to get up the (curvy) hill. I overtook her on the next long straightaway, but then we hit a wooden bridge and she passed me again. By then it was time to turn back, so I didn't get the chance to race her any further. But I felt very silly being passed even once. I am out of shape, and my bike just isn't meant for a path like that.

I was slow to get started drinking water during the day, but at dinner and after my ride I went through five glasses. Between the diet, the exercise, the water, and just being home and not stuck in a car, I lost three pounds yesterday. If I could keep up that pace, I'd be back at my goal weight in four days. Hee hee!

Last night we went to bed more or less on time, and I got nine hours of sleep. So I met another bullet-point goal of mine as well. I haven't done the arms and abs exercises yet, though. But it's a pretty good start.

The view's no better from here

I was 146.5 this morning. That's right back in the ballpark of where I started 2011, three or four pounds up from last week, and only a pound off my high from the year. Travel always gives me trouble, so a pound or so of that will disappear tomorrow, but the fact is I was in the ballpark of that, such that I could see that post-travel. Ugh. I haven't exercised yet today, but I'm wearing my running bra -- for some reason that's something of a motivator for me. It feels weird enough that it reminds me I have to do the exercise. I also counted my breakfast calories. Here we go...

Sleeveless? Really?

So, it turns out, I and at least three other people on this blog are going to have our arms visible to the public (or, worse, family and friends) in about four and a half months. I knew this, but it's just now sinking in. I didn't weigh myself today (no scale in Alabamaville) but I know that right now things are B.A.D. I'm flabby in every possible place for flab and a few that probably aren't technically possible, at least on someone of normal build. I've said I'll do a metric century ride this year but right now I couldn't ride 100 yards. I went running yesterday (just 5k) and can barely move today -- did I really run a marathon last year? Things have gotten very, very bad indeed.

I am home now, for approximately two weeks. Sixteen days, to be exact. That is enough time to start getting on track. After Spain I'm home for a much longer chunk of time. ("And I'm going to be forty! ...Someday...!") Over the next two weeks I will:

• Get enough sleep. (Nice start. I missed bedtime by 90 minutes already.)
• Exercise EVERY DAY. No excuses.
• Start an arm training workout. (Anyone have any good links for this? I haven't found one I like yet.)
• Continue the ab workout I did ONCE a couple of weeks ago. Among other things, I tried a plank for the first time. It was humiliating.
• Count calories. I hate this, but it's the only thing that works for me.
• Get on my overpriced bike at least twice a week. (Not really overpriced. Underused for the price, though.) I WILL find a way to do this. If sleep-deprived Sarah can get up at 5, so I can I. But not tonight, because it's already almost 11:30.

And I'll continue this after Spain, too. I have to. I'd love to lose 10 pounds by Katie's wedding but I'll settle for being under 140 again. I seriously don't care about the actual number, but I'm tired of looking pregnant in my dresses. No joke. A few weeks ago I had someone ask me when I was due, when I was just wearing an empire-waist knit dress because it's cute and comfy and marginally stylish. I think empire waists weren't made for people with SHORT waists. Sigh.

Things are bad enough that I'm getting nostalgic about the marathon training. I wake up and see the sun up early and remember getting up at dawn and seeing the whole town when there was nobody out but other runners. I also miss being able to do 6 or 8 miles without thinking about it. People keep asking me if I'm still running. I get in conversations with other runners (listen to that -- "other" runners, as though I am still one) and it's fun to be in the club. I have to remind myself how much I did NOT like the training! And how I broke my leg (probably) and had blisters the size of Rhode Island and had to tape my knees back together every morning every day for two months. What a stupid sport.

I simultaneously like and hate starting over. I'm not starting over from scratch, at least! I hate knowing that it really IS hard work and I can't just nosh on cheese or chips or chocolate or whatever other ch-thing we currently have in the house that's so unhealthy in large quantities. But starting over -- hey! It's a fresh start! Erasing all the past mistakes! I know I can make progress because I've done it before. I KNOW what works for me (except for the arm thing -- after months of pushups my arms were a little bit better, but hardly sleeveless-dress-worthy). I just have to do it. Umph. It will all look better in the morning, right?

Day 2

I've decided that three liters of water makes more sense in southern California than it does in Maryland. I actually ended up drinking well over three liters (forgetting that I get thirsty at night, I forced down close to three liters at work, when I wasn't especially wanting the water), but I do think it's excessive for our climate (or at least for sedentary office workers in our climate).

I went to bed at 10:00 last night. Everyone else was still up, and I sat there for most of an hour before falling asleep, but I wanted to get to bed that early so that I could get up at 5 a.m. for a bike ride. Turns out it's too dark at 5 a.m. to ride without lights, and I hadn't charged my lights, so I didn't go out until 5:30. So it was also a shorter ride than I had hoped--not even nine miles. I was hoping to manage 12 - 15 miles in the mornings a few days a week with longer rides on the weekends, so I guess I'll have to keep my lights charged and get used to riding in the dark.

I dropped nearly two pounds overnight. This is some diet! Not really--yesterday morning I could barely get my rings on, I was so puffy. Then I remembered that on Sunday I ate bacon for brunch, ham for dinner, and finished the day with beer and popcorn, so I was retaining water like a water balloon. I was 146 this morning (which, admittedly, still isn't great, but isn't as alarming either).

Game On!

Today is day one of the Game On diet/fitness competition here at work. I keep having to review the rules--is it a palm sized portion of protein and fist sized portion of carbs or the other way around? Is hummus a protein, a carb, or a fat? Can my "free" 100 calories a day be from the F.L.A.B.B. list (that is, a list of foods likely to get you fat) or is it just 100 extra calories of healthy stuff?

So here's the deal with this game--we have four teams of three to five people each and every day we're working on lots of fitness and diet and healthy lifestyle goals. We get points for successfuly completion of our daily goals, and lose points for various infractions.

• Diet: five small meals a day (each consisting of a lean protein, high quality carb, and healthy fat; at least two vegetable servings a day, unlimited greens with any meal, and 100 free calories a day, which, as it turns out, can be any damn thing you want). You get one free meal a week, and one free day a week where you don't have to follow any of the rules.


• Exercise: six days a week, at least 20 minutes each time, enough exercise to get your heart pounding for those 20 minutes (so pilates doesn't count for me, but you can do an interval workout that alternates aerobic exercise with fast weight work to keep your heart rate up).


• Water: Three liters a day, no flavoring added except things like lemon or cucumber slices. Herbal tea counts, regular tea or coffee doesn't.


• Good habit: take up one good daily habit (I'll be making sure to take my vitamin each day)


• Bad habit: eliminate one bad habit (I'm giving up mindless internet surfing in the evenings)


• Sleep: Seven hours a night.


• Communication: Each day you should be in contact with one team member and one member of an opposite team.

You also get bonus points for reporting your weekly results on time and you get a 20% bonus for reaching your fitness or weight loss goal each week (at the start you have to say if you're going for a fitness or weight loss goal; if weight loss, the goal has to be losing 1% of your weight each week. I was going to do a fitness goal until I weighed myself this morning--147.8!!!! So I'm focusing on weight loss!).

You lose points for snacking (10 points per penalty; given that you only earn six points per healthy meal, that's a lot to lose!), collusion (if you try to convince a member of an opposite team to cheat along with you so your lost points balance out), for obsessively weighing yourself (once a day is allowed, but if you weigh in more often, you lose a point for each time you weigh yourself), and for drinking alcohol (except on your day off).

At the end of each week, you total up your team's points and average them. The cumulative total at the end of the four week game is what determines the winning team. We've all put in $15 per person, with the winning team getting the full pot at the end.

I'm not the most competitive person in the world, but I'm VERY good at following rules, so I like this approach. The diet requirements border on the obsessive, so I might have some trouble with that (I've never liked the sorts of diets where you can have certain types of food at certain points in the day but not at other points and only in the first two weeks of the diet, blah, blah, blah). And sleep will be a problem--last night Connor had me up until 2 a.m. Fun.

I've already had to face multiple temptations today--I made pancakes for breakfast but couldn't eat any of them, then I came in to work where someone brought in the leftovers from her party this weekend, so there are deviled eggs, cookies, and chocolate covered strawberries all over the place. Tomorrow is our staff retreat, which includes breakfast and lunch eaten out. I might make tomorrow my day off to deal with that. Then next week is July 4 on Monday and a pool party on Saturday. The following week includes a division area retreat (again with lots of food). At least the game ends before Brian's birthday, so I don't have to worry about that.

An interesting although not surprising study

I found this new study on eating. Interestingly I eat yogurt daily with fresh fruit, gave up all sodas three years ago and rarely eat fries -- although they are delicious.

If I work from home I do watch TV but don't snack -- I don't buy chips or candy or any kind of junk food for that matter. I should weigh 125. What is up with that. haha

Anyway, enjoy the study.

When it comes to keeping your weight down, a new study by Harvard researchers suggests that the quality of your food matters more than its calorie count.

Intuitively, we know that gorging on burgers and French fries and slurping down soda leads to more weight gain than eating fresh fruits, veggies and brown rice. But in the most comprehensive and detailed study of its kind, researchers have figured out exactly how much weight gain is associated with the consumption of certain foods.

The worst offenders were potato chips, which led to more weight gain per serving than any other food, the study found. The best nosh for your waistline? Surprisingly, yogurt.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/23/study-the-best-and-worst-foods-for-weight-loss/#ixzz1Q930oIad

The way it should be

I was just thinking about April in Ireland and the big, hearty breakfasts we have all experienced in our lives. The ones in Ireland are memorable because a) YUMMMMMMM! and b) they really can carry you through the bulk of the day. So my question is - Why don't WE eat like that? It makes sense. The biggest meal of the day should be at breakfast. I understand the argument that the big meal of the day should be at lunch - only at lunch most of us are entering into the down swing of our daily cycles. It doesn't matter if I have a container of yogurt or a whole pizza - right after lunch I want to take a nap. But how often do you say "Ugh! I need a nap!" right after breakfast? Not counting Christmas morning...

Maybe I should test this theory. I need to start tracking my calories again - and then I want to start shifting when I eat those calories.

Only 5 posts? Seriously?

I know I can't claim any credit for the other 5 posts this month, either. I haven't checked in in weeks because I am (a) not watching what I eat AT ALL, (b) gaining weight, (c) barely exercising, and (d) unable to care about any of these. WHY can I not muster any enthusiasm for self-maintenance? Pathetic.

I think my weight was 143.0 this morning. It has gone as high as 144 and no lower than 142.5 in the last several weeks -- surprisingly consistent, actually. It would probably be worse if Daniel and I weren't keeping up our nightly walks (though not over the last week -- he was overseas until yesterday).

I need a kick in the butt!

Be Prepared... Good idea!

Now, had I followed that handy, dandy scouting motto I wouldn't be in the predicament I am. Unlike April I didn't pre-emptively plan on shrinking my caboose to fit into a plane seat. See - I knew full well I had no travel plans on the horizon. In fact - I planned a stay-cation for early July. BUT - had I started with the butt reduction I might have been in a better position for the LONG flight to Spain next month. Instead I am obsessively measuring my butt to see if I can squeeze it into a 17.25" seat (doubtful).

Pretty consistantly I come back from vacations weighing LESS than I did when I left (with the exception of the cruise Sarah and I went on - I was at the bottom of my lose 12 pounds/gain 20 cycle - which I hadn't yet identified...). I think that is because when I travel I eat WAY more regularly (even if more!). I am generally more active too - duh!

So - Spain in July - July 15-24 to be precise. I intend to drink sangria and eat paella without remorse!!

THEN - Come August 1st I am starting my own personal Game-On Diet challenge!

Stess and Excitement!

Between Stress with work (Open Enrollment) and Excitement/Anxiety over traveling, I'm holding steady but not losing very much over the last 2 weeks.  I've held steady at 213.  I'm not sure whether Ireland will bring a gain, a loss or a steady maintenance of my weight.  I guess we shall see.

Regarding food while we're over there (I've never been)...our plan is to enjoy the large breakfast at the B&Bs where we'll be staying.  Then have a late lunch/early dinner then a snack (of some sort).  With all the walking we'll be doing, I'm sure I can't do TOO BAD.  It isn't like we're going to the beach where the entire trip is centered around food and Dumsers :)

Next week on Tuesday, I'll be in Galway :)

Hope everyone has a great couple of weeks...I won't be back online until probably July 1st.  We don't get back until the 29th. 

No power = no weighing

I thought about it this morning while I was in the shower -but I forgot by the time I was out. I was too busy having no power! So - when BGE sends you the bills, they really mean it when they say they will shut off your power if you don't pay. LOL! How pathetic! The only bills that aren't automatically deducted from my bank are the ones that Katie and I split. However, I am going to be changing that now... 8-)

I haven't been exercising or eating right AT ALL for the past week or so. That means my weight is probably down. I seem to do the opposite of what I am supposed to. OTOH - I have gotten a lot of knitting done and have watched most of five seasons of Doctor Who.

Here I am!

Last time I posted was May 17, and at that point I was up to 142.8, eating well, no exercise, and Connor starting back on prednisone after relapsing into his immune system weirdness.

Now it's four weeks later, I'm up to 143.8, which I consider a bit of a victory because I'm not even pretending to eat well, still not exercising, had Connor at the immunologist yesterday and his lymph nodes are still enlarged (for anyone keeping track, this started a year ago March, and actually probably started sometime before that with symptoms we couldn't see) and just for fun he's also been battling some stomach bug for a week and a half and he's been throwing up every night, so we also get to collect a stool sample because the doctor suspects it might be bacterial and not viral (which would also explain why I didn't get this since I just don't seem to get bacterial infections).

Also in the last four weeks: end of the year with Scouts and school, starting plans for the 4th of July parade float (why did I volunteer for that one?), joining the national trip group (scouts planning a trip for next summer), dealing with car issues (stranded twice in the past two weeks), dealing with appliance issues (oven broke; didn't realize how much I relied on it until it was dead), and developing a geeky obsession with Doctor Who.

None of that has anything to do with healthy living, except tangentially. Getting stranded a mile from home meant I walked two miles that day (the next time, four miles from home with scouts starting in an hour I called Katie for rescue!) so that's something, right? Geeky Doctor Who obsession leads to lots of sitting on my butt watching television, though.

But next week I'm starting a competitive healthy living program. Seriously. At work we're starting teams to "play" Game On, which seems to be based loosely on the Body for Life diet and exercise plan, with extra healthy living bits thrown in (focus on getting more sleep, reducing bad habits, starting healthy habits). You get daily points for meeting minimum standards for diet, exercise, sleep, healthy habits, and some other things. Your team's average points are tracked, and after four weeks the team with the most points wins a prearranged prize (we're all putting in money; this seems like a more sensible use of money than a football pool to me).

Where have we all been?!?

I'm too swamped to post but was wondering what is going on with everyone?!  I am doing great with running and eating right.  Ireland is in 10 days...WOW! 

Hope all is well!!!