Hi!!

I've been keeping up with the blog, but haven't been posting.  There has just been too much other stuff going on.

I had LASIK surgery this past Friday, and I am typing to you today in perfect 20/20 vision...the first time since I think I was maybe 8? Something like that. It is very weird and very cool.

We've been sticking to a decent eating plan these past few weeks, and both Peter and I are seeing weight loss, which is great, but I know it could be better as I am still struggling to fit exercise consistently into my daily schedule.  I have a plan though.  I just have to survive these next few days as we get ourselves ready for a trip to San Diego.  Come Friday, my plan can start!

Peter and I bought bikes a few weeks ago, and we used them like crazy at first, but then we had a week of rain, then we went away, etc, etc and they are sitting.  I really enjoyed riding though, so at least we have them and I am going to work them into our day when we get home from San Diego. Plus I have them parked in the dining room, so they are never out of sight.

My friend Rachael is almost done her 3rd tour in Kuwait, and she sent me a long list of exercises she does to keep herself in shape.  I like them because they require no gear at all besides sneakers.  The list is going with me to San Diego next week and we'll see how I do.

Me, too, yay! Cycling!

Yesterday my exercise consisted of me walking and jogging alongside Cecilia while she rode 3 miles, occasionally giving her boosts up hills. Plus we did plenty of walking at the Farmer's Market and the grocery store, so I had NO problem topping my 10,000 steps for the day. Today was more fun for me -- I abandoned the kids at home (Daniel was at work) and rode 16.7 miles on my bike. I stayed away from Ellett Valley entirely -- a great ride until you have to get back into town, when it's a million miles uphill with no break. (Really just two, but the grade gets up to 8% unless you make it a very long ride and traverse some very unpaved roads.) There's a lovely loop to the north of town that goes about six or eight miles, and getting there and back and adding on a few other spurs I really had quite a nice ride. I did not try to push the pace, and I averaged just under 14 mph. (That's by my bike computer -- in actuality I stopped once for several minutes on campus to borrow a water bottle from Daniel, since I'd forgotten to get mine at home, and I paused two other times to take a drink. The computer doesn't count time that you're not moving.)

I'm still keeping food in check. Today it wasn't hard because we had a lot of fruit in the house, and when I came back from riding that's what I was craving anyway. And water. Lots of water. When I got back from riding it was 87 degrees. I was dripping with sweat for half an hour after I got back.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for other rides. 16 miles was a lovely weekend ride (wish it had fewer traffic lights on the route, though -- well, none, because there were only about four -- and less traffic on the in-town parts) but it won't get me very conditioned if 60-something miles is my goal. There are some 50-mile routes, so that's something to work towards; I might even be able to tune one of those down to 30, now that I look at it. But a 20-mile route is a bit elusive, and I don't really have a 7-10 mile route that doesn't leave me fearing for my tires.

Yay! Cycling!

I went out this morning and finally tackled the Patapsco Heritage Trail--it's the bike route they've mapped out from Ellicott City to the BWI trail, going through Patapsco State Park and then Elkridge. BWI, of course, has a nice bike trail going around it (nearly entirely devoid of random people walking dogs on retractable leashes) that is just about exactly ten miles, so it's great for training. Today I only did the route there and back, taking a slightly different route home than out. My total mileage was 21, so if I start adding on the BWI trail, it'll be a great training route for the metric century. I can even add on the spur down to Annapolis if I get bored (that's about 30 miles round trip, so one loop around BWI, the path down to Annapolis and back, and the trip there and home is just about a perfect metric century).

I was a bit worried about the route through Elkridge--that's an ugly part of the world in general, all built up with huge car parks, tattoo parlors, motorcycle repair shops, chain hotels, railroads, and all of the interstates converging on the area. But the bike route is really nice--all of the traffic stays on the ugly big roads, and this bike route takes a couple of roads that are tree lined and beautiful, at least until you're in the immediate vicinity of the airport. It was a really pleasant ride, in spite of barely making it up the two hills on the route (that's the other good thing about this--it's generally flat!).

Yesterday was difficult to quantify

Last night I went to happy hour and then to a Greek place for supper, so I really don't know how many calories in tater tots or chicken kabob platter I ate. I barely ate the rest of the day, though, knowing I'd be out in the evening, so my best guess is that I ate maybe 1000 calories in beer, fried food, and Greek food, and didn't go more than 200-300 calories over on the day. It's not exactly a healthy way to eat, though.

Exercise was equally complicated. I did a walk/jog to get to downtown (about 1 1/4 miles), which left me sweaty but wasn't exactly aggressive exercise. I also spent a lot of time chasing Cecilia on her bike, and running alongside her. And I hooked a borrowed tandem up to my old bike to try it out and rode maybe a half mile with Alexander in tow -- it was pretty alarming for both of us, especially at the beginning. I'm glad I didn't test it on Cecilia first, who was at the time very nervous about riding a bicycle of any kind, and this would have scared her off them permanently. The trailer almost certainly outweighed my old bike, yet it had no steering or braking control; Alexander learned pretty quickly that he couldn't do much balancing of his own, because we'd end up fighting each other and wobbling all over the place. I think it might work better on Daniel's heavier bike, but it's still a pretty scary experience. So I broke a sweat over that, but not because it was physically strenuous. All in all, I got in a fair amount of cardio, but it wasn't really sustained, and it's hard to measure.

I did finally do some abs and arms. For abs I did crunches, oblique crunches, swimming (Pilates-style), side bends with weights, and modified planks -- 12 of everything (to each side on the sideways things) in each of three sets, except only three planks (one per set), and on the third plank I finally succeeded in holding it the full minute. For arms I did boring weight stuff (though I've always liked weight workouts for arms) -- bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, shoulder presses, and front raises. Again, a dozen of each in each set, for three sets. Today there is some soreness but nothing I won't recover from in another day. I spent about 40 minutes all told, but I wasn't trying to be efficient; I was having to look a lot of things up, and I got sidetracked a lot by things the kids were up to.

While looking around at fitness sites yesterday I came across Body for Wife -- I couldn't decide if this guy is a stupid, conceited jerk or actually quite bright and just very frank. Probably a little of both. Certainly fitness-obsessed, but that's his career. I don't know what it is about fitness gurus that make me immediately think they're all brawn and no brain. He has the academic credentials, but his photo is just kind of gross. Anyway, he was very blunt about what it takes for someone to REALLY get into shape and stay there -- he exercises about an hour and a half a day, cardio and weight training included, with some days more than others. I think my final assessment is that he is a bit conceited and possibly a bit of a jerk but that it's calculated and he doesn't have to be; he's not stupid, and he's pretty entertaining to read.

Four good days

Knowing that your points add up every day and that you could lose points for cheating is quite motivational! I've managed to stick to the plan all week, and have caught myself almost eating something without thinking a couple of times but stopped myself before the treat made it to my mouth. Today has been the toughest day so far--I had Connor down at Hopkins for an early morning appointment that ended up taking way longer than usual and I almost missed a meal (I'm supposed to eat my meals no more than four hours apart), and while there I also wasn't drinking water so I'm behind on that for the day, and catching up isn't fun. I also haven't exercised yet today. I've been doing that in the morning or at lunch, and of course couldn't do it in the morning today and won't have a lunch break because I got here late, so I'll have to figure something out tonight. Biking in the dark on a Friday night at the start of a holiday weekend doesn't strike me as a good idea, though.

I've been tracking my food on the Daily Plate as well, and each day I've come out more or less around 1300 calories, without actually counting the calories; that is, I don't take into account what the calorie count of the food is that I'm eating--I just eat according to plan and it all works out over the day. Exercise each day is burning an additional 300 - 400 calories, too, so I'm doing well.

We'll see next week what my official weight loss is, but for now I'm down to 143.4. That'll slow down in the next week as my body adjusts, and this weekend I'll take a day off and halt the progression, but if I can manage 1.5 to 2 pounds of weight loss a week for the duration of this game, I'll be happy. Well, not happy exactly (it would take more than weight loss for that!), but content.

Weight spike AGAIN!

I was discouraged this Tuesday because I had another weight spike - 6 pounds this time. It was the first day of my period, and it was a bad one - so that may have had an impact. OTOH - I had an acupuncture appointment last night and as we were going to the treatment room Shea told me that it looked like I was losing weight. Then this morning at the gas station there was a guy (cute, and young but TOTALLY not my type) flirting with me. He gave me his business card as he was leaving. VERY good for a fat old lady's ego.

AND - since I had been complimented twice in the last 24 hours, I have decided that my pants feel bigger today. They aren't really - but it is all good.

And - now for something completely different....

I think the other bridesmaids on this board (and the bride) need to change their attitudes. They - instead of trying to lose 10 pounds - should all committ to GAINING 20 pounds each. As it is I am easily going to be twice as big as anyone else in the wedding party - including the groom. So, to prevent me from looking completely like a GIANT TROLL!! they should defer to my sentitivites and GAIN some fricking weight!!!!

Regarding the comments about yoga - the goal of yoga is to do the poses correctly, not be super bendy. If I can do yoga, and fairly well I might add, then anyone else here can. There is not a single thing difficult about a sun salutation!!! I do them in my kitchen waiting for the coffee maker to heat up. The REAL KEY to doing yoga is to pay attention to what YOUR body is doing, rather than the body of someone else. It is more important that your hips are lined up correctly than your hand being flat on the floor. Understand the goal of the poses before doing them. If you don't KNOW the goal of the pose, ask someone who does. A lot of people do a lot of damage by doing sloppy yoga!!

Day two behind me

New rule of dieting: stay away from Rita's altogether. I took the kids and two friends to see a play yesterday and then I took them to Rita's, which was a block away, so I could be a cool mom. I got a regular Italian Ice (smallest size adults can get) figuring it would be the least harmful thing on the menu (not counting the Light Ice, which has artificial sweeteners, which are terrible for you, and still a surprising number of calories). Well, it WAS the least caloric thing on the menu -- yet still a quarter of my day's calories. One serving, 12 ounces, packs a whopping 77 grams of sugar. Yep, I drank an entire cup and a half of sugar water. The equivalent of two sodas in calories. With hyperactive red dye, to boot. Never again. Honestly, their "custard" would have been better -- only 20 calories more and considerably more filling, and probably at least marginally more nutritious. And no radioactive dye.

At Ben & Jerry's you can get a single scoop of their regular sorbet, it uses all natural ingredients, and it has not even a third of the calories. But it was a mile away and I didn't want to load everybody in and out of the car to get there, when Rita's was right there. I thought the Italian ice would be like a sorbet. I was wrong. Live and learn.

Despite that, I managed to keep my calories to my goal range, but I got mighty hungry before dinner. I procrastinated on exercise a good chunk of the day -- the whole afternoon was filled up with the play and visiting a friend who is currently her mother's full-time caregiver and starting to go a little bit nuts being stuck at home -- so after dinner when Daniel and I went out for our walk I convinced him we should go a little further, and he said if we were going further we should follow a real route and not just the flat school sidewalk, so we ended up walking our usual 5k route, which has hills and everything. (And stairs. The bridge is still out for another month.) It wasn't as vigorous as running or the elliptical or a bike ride, but it was still enough to qualify as exercise.

I still haven't started my abs and arms workouts, but I'm going to do it today. I think I can stick to a M/W/F schedule for muscle training. And if I start today I can recover for three days before the next, instead of the usual two -- based on my running experience this week, I may need that!

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!!!