Category Archives: in control

All in a day’s work.

Another day, another dollar, right?  My plan was to bike this morning, but then I laid there and thought I would go out later.  So, I just got up and made some brekkie!


I have a problem wolfing down my waffles.  I think it is because they are never as hot as my oat dishes, so I can eat faster.  That’s a project to work on.

We are getting set up for the new windows.  I think we chose the right company, which actually happened to have the best price, too!  We got a very good vibe from them, and the person that came in to do the final measure this morning was great and answered every little question.  It will take about 5-7 weeks or so before our windows are done.  They have to be made.  Nice that these windows are made in the US, too.  Plus we get the tax credit on them.  The company better appreciate doing 17 windows!  That is a chunk of change.  Once the windows are installed, I will talk about the company.  Don’t want to recommend before the job is finished!

Lunch break included some vanilla yogurt mixed with pumpkin and All-Bran.

Plus a kiwi on the side.

This tasted so refreshing and yummy!

I spent some time this afternoon getting set up with my new company.  The software installation is what takes the time, and I have to fit it in while I am still working the other job.  I was told that nobody runs out of work, but you never really know if that is true or not, because there are slow periods for everyone around holidays.  I should start training on my new accounts later this week.

Time for a chocolate snack with my latte:

Dark chocolate with raspberry bits.  Tasty!

Can you believe it is almost the end of June?  I am going to try something really, really different for me in July as part of my goal series.  At least I think I am, as I have some trepidations about it.   I’ll outline my goals on July 1.  I still can’t believe I am writing out the word July!

Dinner time and I went old school with some seasoned french fries.  John put these in the grocery cart, and I had thought they were sweet potato fries, but they weren’t!  I liked them, too 😀

Chicken topped with caramelized onions.  We made up a bunch and froze some.  I can’t imagine life without a freezer, can you?  That’s a little pluot on the side, there.  So juicy.

After some self debate, I decided to take a day off of exercise.  I have not had a real rest day since last Thursday,  and the rest of the week is booked up with workouts.  So instead, I am going out with my mom for a little R&R!  The question is…. coffee or frozen yogurt???

Challenges in weight loss and maintenance

I was going to title this something like struggles in weight loss and maintenance, but I really want to focus on reframing that word.  

Debby wrote an eloquent post on this subject the other day, and she commented to me about how it was good to hear someone else with the same issues.

I get emails or comments from time to time about how I stay so focused and determined.  Here’s the secret – I struggle, too!  I really think being a successful loser and maintainer is understanding that you are going to face tough times and you won’t always win.  Put me around certain foods or in certain situations and I will face plant into enough food to make me uncomfortably full – even when that was not my plan.

Sometimes it is just the urge to let up and eat.  When that happens, I refer to it as the old me having a temper tantrum.

Old me:  I want to just eat without thinking about it.  It’s not fair that other people can eat food and not gain weight.  Why can’t I just eat what I want when I want?

Following cues from the Beck book, I try to reason with said self with things like:  You know you don’t need to eat 6 servings of cereal, 1 is enough.  Of course it isn’t fair, but you just have to accept that and move on.  You can eat whatever you want when you want, but you have to be prepared to weigh 250 pounds again.

The old me sounds pretty petulant, right?  That voice pops out from time to time and sometimes reasoning with it just doesn’t work.  It’s much easier to give in.  We’ve all been there.

I have learned that when I do give in, it isn’t the end of the world.  I won’t gain back 100 pounds with 1 day of bingeing.  I do seem to be able to stop it pretty quick these days, though, and I think that is the result of years of practice.  I am not like a lot of the bloggers or people on forums I read that charge on down to goal losing a large amount of weight and keep it off.  It’s been such a long process (years) for me both physically and mentally.  This blog has actually been a useful tool for me to ponder things and get feedback (so thank you, gentle readers!).

I do win sometimes, though.  And all that good food you see on my blog is the result of learning to love different foods and making them taste good.  If you haven’t read my food philosophy, you can here.

I guess I would leave you with the thoughts that even when you get down to a happy weight, don’t expect to magically stay there, or that you are completely changed.  Heck, the journey down is the same way.  As imperfect beings, there will always be challenges, but what will make you successful is how you cope with those when they arise and learning how to speak to yourself with kindness.

No caffeine woes

Got up this morning and decided on a jog/walk combo.  No weight lifting this week as it is my rest period.  I’ll be biking tomorrow, so a wog seemed like a nice change.  Did 3 miles this way.

Came back to banana chocolate oats!  These were good.  I haven’t had the banana oat bran in a while.

brekkie2

I have my mammogram Friday, and since it is my first and they want a baseline, I was told no caffeine for 72 hours prior.  Waaaahhhhh!!!   I usually drink decaf at night, but never in the morning.  So, made some decaf that we got at the store.  It just isn’t really good decaf.  I should have gotten decaf green beans and roasted them myself.

I cannot stay awake to save my life today.  No headache, though, thank goodness.

Lunch was a yummy combo of 1/2 cup pumpkin, vanilla chobani greek yogurt and Kashi Heart to Heart cereal.  Great combo!

lunch3

I have been having a hard time even keeping my eyes open this afternoon.  Do you ever get like that where you physically can’t keep your eyelids open?  I need a couple toothpicks or something.

Afternoon latte was decaf 🙁

latte

John drizzled a little chocolate syrup on it – yay!

But the side snack was good:

bread

Pumpkin bread that I made the other day!  With 1/2 whole wheat flour.

I had someone email me asking about how I stay in control with food.  Well, the truth is – I don’t always.  I struggle sometimes (sometimes a lot).  I quite often have to ask John to put things out of reach for me if I find myself continually snacking on something.  I’m still not sure why that is, and I don’t really know if there is an answer to it.  I kind of have a feeling that my body genetically wants to be heavy (obesity gene) and it tells me to eat more than I need to be eating in order to gain weight back.  That’s the reason I don’t trust intuitive eating for me, at least at this point.

Dinner was a quick egg sandwich on an arnold thin with a laughing cow wedge.  My meals have been so easy lately – they are probably boring you LOL!

dinner4

Snack tonight is more decaf tea and a clementine.  My tag was a little easier to understand today and seems appropriate 🙂

tag1

Thanks Mr. Lincoln!

And on one last note, Pixie is doing better.  She is still tender on her feet, and I feel bad watching her try to knead, because she keeps starting and stopping because it hurts.  She is a happy convalescent, though – check out this face:

happy

Dont’ forget to check in for the challenge if you haven’t done so!

Realizations

 

Another rambling post coming up!  First off, I had a great day eating wise (and just in general because every day is pretty much a great day:D  ).

I am only a little way into the Beck book and have already found some great tools in there.  Even though there is stuff I don’t need, like planning what diet to follow and how to add in exercise, I have learned a few things about myself already. 

You know as time goes on, little things creep in and you really aren’t aware of them until your attention becomes focused on it.  I think this is a good reason to sit down and re-evaluate your plan periodically, whether you are newly into a program, a long way into one, or maintaining.  Take a good hard look at what you are doing and don’t let yourself skim over any details.  What you think is an undeserved plateau may very well be self imposed.  Whether you want to hear that or not.

One tip that really surprised me in the Beck book is her request that you sit down to eat, no matter what that is.   I thought, okay – no problem.  Nothing will pass my lips unless I take a seat. Well, wouldn’t you know it – I have been snacking way more than I realized, and nibbling while cooking or passing through the pantry, or free samples at the grocery store.  It is especially noticeable while I am preparing meals.  I tend to lick the utensils after measuring (hello extra nut butter calories).   And those calories don’t always make it into my tracker.  Oooops.  This is how maintenance can go awry in a hurry.  I bolded this for myself so I can reread it and remind myself.  So  my task this week is to continue to nix the nibbling habit.

Also, letting myself be hungry is okay.  Not ravenous, because that is dangerous for me, but if I eat lunch, I don’t have to eat an hour later.  Perfect example was today. After an afternoon latte at around 2:30, I was working and felt like I was hungry or wanted to eat.  Normally, I probably would have, but then thought that I had just had a snack an hour earlier and dinner would be in a couple hours any way.  But I kept thinking about it, and told myself I would take a break at 4pm and have a snack.  Wouldn’t you know at about 5 minutes before 4:00, this happened (had my camera right there,too!):

pixie

and I just couldn’t make myself wake her up to get up and get a snack.  And you know something? I survived the next hour until dinner just fine without being famished.  So thank you, Pixie.  She doesn’t even know what she did.  I have to say that it is an extra challenge to do computer work with her there LOL!

So, the work day is done, and I have eaten my planned evening snack and know that I will not need to eat for the rest of the night – and it’s okay!

So – Sat and Sun were successful eating days. Happiness reigns supreme!

On plan day and Beck Diet book

 

I have had a very in control Saturday eating wise.  Exercise wise as well, ran for 3.5 miles this morning and then we took a 40 minute walk after dinner  (and a little strolling at the mall).    I don’t know if it was the Kirstie Alley thing or what that got my butt really in gear to be in control today, but I’ll take it.  Sundays are super difficult for me, so we shall see what tomorrow brings.

Yesterday I went to the library and got out (amongst a bunch of other books!) the “>Beck Diet solution. I hadn’t bothered looking at this book before because I thought it was just another diet plan book, and I thought it was all about intuitive eating.  Well, after reading another blogger’s review (whom I can’t remember…) I realized I was incorrect.  I cracked the book open at Starbucks today and think that I am going to get some good use out of it.  I’ll do a full review once I finish and implement the things, but I definitely see many things of value in what I have read so far.  Tonight I am going to write out some action cards and such.

 

Have any of you read this book and have any thoughts about it?

Feeling good.

Sometimes really being on plan over the weekend can really make a difference in how I feel the week following.

I have had great workouts the last couple days (have some DOMS today), and feel very much in control of food. I’m not even worried about whether the scale will cooperate because I feel like I am the one in control.

I like periods like this!

I never know if it is hormonal or not, it’s kind of hard to figure out.

On a side note, my swimming is getting better. Still pretty pokey, but I can do 300 yards without stopping. Doing a Lori stroke, probably not sanctioned by the Olympics, but it works for me! I am really just learning about how to move in the water and get used to laps. I haven’t done actual laps since high school 20+ years ago (did I really just write 20????).

Feeling good!

A good eating day today. Got up this morning and did a 3 mile jog. I can’t seem to jog as fast in the morning as in the afternoon or evening. Today was 36:30. Maybe I am just tired or stiff in the morning, even though it doesn’t feel that way.

I have to say the the jog bra I got last week (Bestform) is super! The tag said with extra ‘Bounce Control’ LOL. I love it!! I think I am going to go buy a spare so that I don’t have to keep washing this one. I’m a super sweater. Guess that was TMI from the beginning of this paragraph…..

Will end the day at 50/25/25, with my last planned snack of soy crisps. Going to eat those during Monday Night Football!! Yippee! It always feels good to be in control.