So Much Talking

After my kick in the face that was Monday I was slightly apprehensive
about what might be in store for me today. It would turn out I had
nothing to be afraid of. Today was run of the mill ordinary and that
was just fine with me!

I was re-reading some old blogs of mine last night and was annoyed at
how much “talking” and not doing that I have been doing lately. I talk
about how I am going to change things up and I talk about why I feel
the way I feel. I talk about making plans for change and it seems I
just talk talk talk without doing much of anything lately. I think the
reason behind it is that I had plateau-ed and I wanted to do anything
but deal with how I was feeling. Stuck at 35 pounds with so much to
lose feels frustrating. It also feels like an excuse to get agitated
and slip (just enough) into some bad habits. BUT with that identified
it is time to put on my grown up pants and do something. So I did
(am).

I am back to strictly counting Weight Watchers points and following
the good health guidelines. A rundown of my food today looked like
this:

Breakfast was a whole grain slice of toast with one egg, some sugar free juice, and fresh berries. Yum!

Lunch was left over whole grain pasta with veggies, ground turkey and white cheese sauce.

My mid-afternoon snack was yogurt and Bare Naked granola. I HEART this granola. It might just be my fave.

Tonight’s dinner is on the stove: White Bean Chicken Chilli.

I am back on a regular workout schedule. Today was 60 minutes at the gym and tomorrow will be the same plus 30 minutes of cleaning my car.If you don’t think car cleaning is a workout then you aren’t doing it right. 😉 The wonder-bug will be most pleased to be cleaned!

Yesterday marked the 2-week countdown until I start training for the
Disney Wine and Dine ½ Marathon. (July 12) I cannot wait to have that
drive and purpose spurring me forward again.

In other, more depressing news, I am still working on getting those
last couple of re-gained pounds off that showed up during my brilliant
“don’t be a slave to the scale challenge”. Ahem. Live and Learn.

Since Monday is technically a holiday I cannot resume official
weigh-ins until July 12 but rest assured I am monitoring twice weekly
at home and will be back to weekly weigh in reports on July 12.

Also, the hubs and I are on a mission for a more active summer.
Instead of movies and ice cream we are going for swimming and
grilling. I am thinking of taking up tennis .I WILL bike that 5 miles
before the summer is over. I am just doing whatever I can to change
our lifestyle not just our bodies.  What is your favorite summer fun
activity?

Finally, all of the fun changes I have been teasing for the blog will
be up and running by late August. Sometimes Fabulousness takes time
friends. Hmmm maybe I should keep that in mind for myself too. 🙂

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Simple Wednesday

Since Wednesday is almost over we are officially over the workweek hump. I am fortunate enough to really enjoy my work but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I enjoy my family/friend/me time more. Plus today was pretty dreary in VA which was a let down after to gorgeous weather we have been having.

I started my morning with a V8 fusion, which I love, and an Ezekiel English Muffin with an over easy egg smooshed on it.  I was trying to see if this lone egg would be enough protein to get me through the morning without hunger creeping in too early-It was.

For lunch I had some of the left over balsamic onion pasta. To quote the fabulous Rachael Ray “The longer it sits the better it gets”. If you make sure to stop and drain the pasta when it is very al dente then the flavors merry up nicely the longer they have to bond in the fridge. I also had a banana (not pictured).

Late in the afternoon I had some work stuff to take care of about 45 minutes away from the office. I decided on a quick snack of Organic raisin bran with flax and skim milk. It was really filling.

I was pretty excited to get to the gym today. It was cross training day which I enjoy since it is a good break from my routine. I was extra happy that it was drizzling and gross outside because it made me feel better about not being on the trail. I did 30 minutes of “fatburn” on the stair climber and30 minutes on the elliptical. I am planning another cross train day tomorrow and plan to push myself as hard as I can. It’s been awhile since I have done that and I am curious to see where I am at now in terms of endurance with things other than running.

I got home to find the hubs had brought home dinner tonight (Hooray!) We had some turkey sammies with veggies and baked chips. I love a simple dinner sometimes. No frills.

Tonight I am researching different ½ marathon training plans. We don’t “officially” start to train for the Disney Wine and Dine ½ Marathon until 12 weeks out (so July) but I definitely want to get some stamina built up before the official training begins. Does anyone have a plan or book or website they would recommend for training?

I forgot to mention that I signed up for the Virginia Institute of Autism’s Run For Autism 5k this Saturday in Charlottesville, VA. It starts at 7:45am which is crazy early but my friend Brandi is doing a trail run in FL at the same time so we are going to run together in spirit Saturday morning! Do you prefer to run with a buddy or alone?

I am off for a little bite of my cupcake that I cut into thirds (little bites of heaven) and to do a little TIVO watching while I research some training methods. Is it sad that I still multi-task while Im relaxing? Carrie and Harlow are getting in on the snuggling in action too!

Have a happy and healthy Wednesday friends!

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Shining Star

I already knew that this work week was going to be a challenge.  Add that to the fact it’s Monday and I was not a happy girl when the alarm went off this morning. It was one of those mornings where everything was rushed. I did not get to make a great breakfast so I grabbed a Luna Bar and a banana with a promise I would do better tomorrow. I actually really enjoy Luna bars but I prefer them as a pre or post workout snack.

I had a productive day at work but, just as with breakfast, I was somewhat disappointed with lunch.  I took the left over spinach pasta from last night and some grapes.  My day seemed to be getting busier and busier but I took a couple of minutes in the late afternoon to have a quick stretch at my desk and a little snack.

I love these portion controlled packs of nuts. Nuts can be a great source of fat but it is WAY too easy (at least for me) to go overboard.  Plus I like the mixture of Almonds, Cashews, and Macadamia nuts. With most items I feel good about separating a larger bag into individual portions but with foods I have trouble doing that with, pre-portioned is for sure the way to go. The stretch was great too. I could feel a definite improvement in my mood (at least for a little while).

The great thing about a busy day is it seems to fly by.  Normally this is when I would be getting geared up for a run or a trip to the gym.  However, Monday is one of my two rest days. I know that Monday is a somewhat odd choice for a rest day but for the last 7 weeks I have been going to Weight Watchers on Monday nights.

I started my journey to fitness and health in November when I decided I wanted to run the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon.  I soon came to the realization that, for the time being, I really needed to follow a program of some sort while I was learning. Weight watchers seemed like a logical choice.  Tonight was weigh in number 7 meaning I have been on the program for 6 weeks.  Now, I need to add a caveat here to say that many of these healthy living blogs have very inspiring and brave girls who will share their weight. I am not that brave. Maybe one day, but not today. I will however, share my losses and gains.  Should I get brave enough to share “the number” you will be the first to know. 🙂

When I got to the Weight Watchers center this afternoon I was feeling really worn down and ready to nap or cry or have a margarita. In other words I was feeling pretty negative. Negativity breeds negativity so I am not a huge fan when it manages to creep into my day. By the time I got on the scale I just *knew* things were not going to go well. However, I was wrong. My loss this week was 3.6 lbs bringing my 6 week total to 23 lbs.  Slow and steady.

Since I passed the 20 lb mark this week I earned another 5lb star. For those of you who have never done WW-you earn a sticker for every 5lbs you lose. You get to sort of brag on yourself a bit, people clap for you, and frankly its kind of fun. Its nice to celebrate the small battles when the ultimate goal can sometimes seem so far. Plus its a star. Who doesnt love that? I know I do!

Needless to say this little victory greatly improved my mood and when I got home I couldn’t help but giggle at my little pup Carrie all decked out in her rain gear. How could I manage to not smile at that face??

Happiness renewed I worked on something healthy (yet comforting for dinner). I got the initial recipe www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-mug-pie-recipe from Rachel Ray who I am obsessed with. Not like creepy obsessed but I do heart her. My husband calls it abnormal but I like to gently remind him from time to time if not for Rachel Ray he would still be eating hamburger helper every night for dinner. (I was not always blessed with the skills to cook but that is a story for another time. )I made some modifications to “healthify” the dish to my specifications. I tripled the veggies, used a natural low fat butter (and a touch less than called for), Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 in place of cream,a touch less potato then called for, and reduced fat crescent rolls in place of biscuits. I know the Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 isn’t a natural thing but sometimes I have to make these substitutions to save some calories. All of the veggies , meat, and broths were organic. Ultimately I was pleased with the finished product. Plenty of veggies and some nice protein. Plus it tasted very indulgent when in reality it was fairly low in points.

The rest of my night will be spent snuggling up with the puppies and Bryan.  While tomorrow might be stressful and drama filled tonight I will relax, smile, and gaze at my stars. 🙂

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