FMM: Travel

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything and I’ve been purposefully staying away from my blog.  The reason?  I know I’ve been eating poorly and I haven’t wanted to be accountable for that.  Since today is Monday (Friend Makin’ Monday), I thought it would be a good way to get back on the horse (so to speak) and be more committed to sharing the good and the bad in my journey to lose weight.  That’s a topic for tomorrow though – tonight, it is on to this week’s topic: travel.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Travel

1. Where did your most recent trip take you?  That depends if we’re talking about a weekend trip or an airplane trip!  The last weekend trip we took (other than this weekend’s trip back to my hometown, which we do regularly), was to Chicago.  The last airplane trip we took was to Philadelphia.
2. Is there a place that you’d like to visit that you haven’t yet?  If so, where?  If I were more comfortable with long flights, I would love to go to Greece or Italy some day.
3. Do you travel lightly, or do you cram as much into your luggage as possible?  I tend to cram a lot – I just want to be prepared for anything you know?
4. Do your eating and exercise habits change when you travel? If so, how?  Yeah, unfortunately they do.  When I travel I still try to exercise if at all possible.  Usually if traveling for work I’m so exhausted after a long day that I don’t, but if I can make my days a little shorter then I’ll use the recumbent bike at the hotel.  In terms of eating, I’m pretty awful.  I have big meals (to make up for the fact that I’m missing my family) and tend to “snack” a lot out of boredom and loneliness.
5. Tell us about a place you’ve been that you’d like to go back to.  Niagara Falls was beautiful.  I’m sure it is a huge cliche to say that, but it really was!
6. Do you prefer to travel at a certain time of year?  I prefer traveling in the spring or the fall.  I don’t like winter because of the chances for ice/snow and don’t like summer because it can be too hot to be out and about.
7. If you had to choose, would you go to the beach or the mountains?  Mountains.  Hands down.  Preferably in a cabin/house with an outdoor hot tub.
8. Have you ever needed a passport to travel?  No.
9. Do you collect anything in your travels? When we go to museums and things as a family we bring back a magnet for our refrigerator.
10. Where do you plan to go next?  We’re going to Philadelphia this summer and hope to take a couple days to go out to Washington D.C.

Two NSV’s in one day!

This week has been another rough one.  I continue to have sleep disturbances due to the new medicine I’m on and it is really starting to affect me physically.  Last night was the first night in many that I actually was able to stay in bed all night.  I still woke up plenty, but at least it wasn’t the wide awake, staring at the ceiling, not wanting to leave the comfy-warm-snuggly that is the bed.  So, here’s hoping that tonight will be even better.

This shouldn’t be an excuse to eat poorly, but I let it become one this week.  And it is a lesson for sure that even though you eat salad for lunch, if it is a salad from a restaurant it doesn’t come cheap in the calorie department!  Panera chicken Caesar salad and a Quiznos cobb salad were in store for 3 meetings this week.  And of course I can’t just eat half of one, so it ends up being a 500 calorie lunch.  Not completely awful, except when you add the Panera cookie…ugh!

Of course this all means that I’m not looking forward to my weigh-in this weekend.  Just going to chalk it up to a bad week and work harder next week.

Regardless of what the scale reads, I had two non-scale victories today!  First, I exercised just over an hour today.  Usually I do 30 minutes and call it good.  But tonight, I rode the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and walked (to my favorite Wii game, Walk It Out) for 45 minutes.  YAY!  My DH and I take turns putting our son to bed, so on my “off” nights, I have a little more time to exercise.  If it gets past 8:00, I try not to because it leads to poor sleep, but before then is fair game.  So, let’s see if I can make this a regular thing.

The other NSV is the fact that when I put on my jeans this morning, they were loose.  They’re normally a little tight (though lately have been fitting “well”) until they loosen up a bit, but this morning they were literally loose from the start.  So, for shits and giggles, I figured I’d try on a pair that I had bought a few years ago that were a size smaller.  AND THEY FIT!  They are a little tight in the waist, so I’m going to wait another 5, maybe 10 pounds before putting them into the rotation, but it felt realllllllllllly good!

Gotta love progress, right?

FMM: Habits

I look forward to Friend Makin’ Mondays as a way to get my mind out of the negative places that it sometimes goes.  And that’s exactly what I need today!  If you haven’t done this before, the idea is that you answer these questions on your own blog, then visit Kenlie’s blog All The Weigh and link up in the comments.  It is a neat way to meet other bloggers with similar interests!  And now, my answers…

FMM: Habits

1. Are you proactive, or do you procrastinate?  It really depends on the task at hand.  If it is something that I really want to do (like going on vacation with the family), I’m way proactive.  I can definitely plan things many, many months in advance!  Other things (like making doctors appointments) I definitely procrastinate.
2. Do you eat breakfast everyday? If so, what’s a typical meal like? I eat breakfast every morning and it is almost always the same – a Fiber One bar (chocolate or peanut butter) and a coffee sweetened with sugar-free syrup and fat free half and half.  Occasionally on a weekend, I might have an Egg McMuffin (no canadian bacon) or a whole grain bagel from Panera (yum!)
3. How much time do you spend watching TV on an average day?  Oh gosh – maybe 2-3 hours or so?  I definitely have several shows that I love watching and they help me relax.  Lately my DH and I have been watching an episode or two of Big Bang Theory on DVD before bed.  Funny show!
4. Do you talk on the phone, or do you prefer e-mail and/or text messages?  I really dislike email, because I have to deal with so much of it at work.  So I’d much rather talk on the phone.  I’m not a big talker, so it’s all good!
5. Do you exercise in the morning, afternoon or evening? Always in the evening.  I really wish I could force myself to get up early in the morning and exercise but it just isn’t me.
6. Do you take time for yourself regularly? Oh definitely.  I have a really sweet DH that helps me make sure that I have time for myself to take a bath or do some crafting or things like that.  Watching the awful TV shows I watch is my guilty alone time pleasure.
7. How often do you make your bed? Right before bed.
8. Do you plan meals? If so, how far in advance? I plan the upcoming week’s meals on Friday night or Saturday sometime.  I use this cool website called Plan to Eat.  It stores recipes, lets me plan out a week (or more) and then makes a shopping list.  Pretty cool.
9. Do you wake up at the same time everyday? Usually 7:00am during the week and 8:00am on Sunday.  On Saturday, anything goes – from 8:00-9:30ish!
10. How often do you brush your teeth?  In the morning and before bed.

Lazy Day Sunday!

I’m having a lazy day today.  Yesterday’s weigh-in was 316, which is pretty good considering I didn’t eat all that well last week.  DH celebrated his birthday, so we had Coldstone Creamery cake.  Oh dear.  My exercise routine last week was pretty awful as well.

I also stayed off the computer for a good bit last week.  For the last few weeks, I’ve been struggling with increasing anxiety about my health.  Everything is just fine and I’ve had tests to prove it and multiple doctors have told me so.  However, I just have had a hard time letting go of that one doc that misread a test and wanted to put a pacemaker in ASAP.  If I hadn’t requested a second opinion from an actual specialist, I would probably be sitting here with one right now!  Needless to say, I had a couple of panic attacks the other week within just a few days, so I went to see my general doc for help.  He put me on a med to help me regain the balance that I’ve been missing.  I just want to go for a couple of months feeling “normal” and not scared.  Hopefully it will help.

Of course a side effect of this new med is sleep disruptions and boy did I ever experience them last week.  During a 3 day stretch I had only had about 13 hours of sleep and I’m one of those people that usually needs 8-9 per night.  So, all that translated into a bad week for exercise, and with DH working late a few nights and my preparations for his birthday, there were several nights of not eating well to boot!

This week will definitely be better.  I’m focusing on taking things one day at a time and taking care of myself emotionally.  Before, that translated into eating Cheetos or copious amounts of chocolate   Now I want it to be about doing things that I enjoy – papercrafting, reading, taking a bath, etc.  The DVD I had ordered about beginning Tai Chi also arrived last week and that seems to be helpful for calming my inner turmoil as well.

What non-food strategies do you use for dealing with stress?

FMM: Makeup Favorites

Today is Friend Makin’ Monday (FMM) and since I’m way behind on my blog reading, I’m just going to do this quick post and then go do some reading!  (Plus, I got The Help from Redbox last night and I have to finish it up to return tonight!)  Want to play along?  Just copy the questions below to your own blog and give your answers.  Then visit www.alltheweigh.com and link up in the comments.  Easy peasy!

FMM: Makeup Favorites

1.  Do you wear makeup everyday? I wear the basics to work every day.  On the weekend if I’m just running errands I usually don’t.

2.  Does your routine change if you’re going out with friends/on a date/to a party? It depends on what we’re doing.  If I’m going out to dinner with my husband, then I add mascara, sometimes a little eyeliner, and lip gloss.

3.  Are you loyal to one brand, or do you use different brands for different things? For makeup I’m pretty loyal to one brand (Bare Escentuals), simply because I found it works for me and I can’t be bothered to mess around with trying other brands!  I never really learned how to apply makeup so having to pick it out is more of a nightmare than a fun experience.

4.  Do you wear primer/concealer? If so, what’s your favorite kind?  Well, I use the Bare Escentuals foundation as concealer.  Plus there is this eye brightening stuff I use under my eyes a lot of days.  See how much I know about makeup?  I refer to “eye brightening stuff”.

5.  What’s your favorite brand of foundation? Bare Escentuals

6.  Do you use blush and/or bronzer?  Not on a regular basis.  If I do, then it is….Bare Escentuals.  I apply it with an extremely light hand because I don’t look right with a lot of makeup.

7.  Do you wear eye shadow/eye liner?  I usually wear eye shadow just to brighten my lids.  It is BE…one is some sort of eye primer and the other is an actual eye shadow.  I don’t know names or colors without looking at them.

8.  What’s your favorite kind of mascara?  Right now it is Clinique because I got it as a sample last time I bought my moisturizer.  I don’t typically wear mascara so a sample lasts me a while.

9.  Lipstick? Lip gloss? Both? Favorite? If I want to do something a little special for date night or something, I use lip gloss.  My favorite is one of the Buxoms by – you guessed it – Bare Escentuals.  Otherwise, Carmex.

10.  Do you wear nail polish regularly?  If so, share a few of your favorite brands/colors.  No.  I love looking at nail polish colors, but I am so bad at applying it that I wear it maybe once or twice a year.

11.  How do you remove your makeup at the end of the day?  Clinique liquid soap.

12.  Do you feel prettier when you’re wearing makeup?  To a certain point, yes.  The makeup I wear every day, plus the extra I add for special occasions makes me feel pretty.  But when I try to go all out, I feel more self-conscious than anything because I don’t look like me.  One time, I went to a Bare Escentuals store and they did the full treatment – fully made up for a night out…and my DH looked at me and even though he said I looked pretty, I could tell he wasn’t really into it!  Maybe it was the dichotomy of being in jeans/tshirt and yet fully made up…but I just don’t look right with a lot of makeup.  I prefer a more natural look.

13.  Do you have any beauty tips that you could pass along?  Well, I’m not the best one to ask!  The only thing I can think of is don’t smoke, drink plenty of water, and moisturize

Sunday Weigh-In

Today is my “official” weigh-in day and even though I posted yesterday about my informal weigh-in, I thought I might as well step on the scale again today so I keep things consistent.  This morning the scale read 317.2.  I’m pretty shocked!  That makes a total of 4.6 pounds lost last week and overall total pounds lost in the last year to 32.8.

So what made this difference?  I’ve been trying to keep my net calorie intake to about 1200 calories per day.  We ate out several times this week and even though I didn’t always keep to 1200 calories, I did pretty well.  But, I thought I did well the week before and only lost 1.6 so who knows!  Another difference this week, is I didn’t snack at all at night except to have some air popped popcorn one evening and a Fudgsicle another night.  So, that’s what I’m chalking it up to.  This week I’ll try to do the same and see if I can get another big loss.

The next “scale goal” I’ve set for myself is 300, mostly because it just seemed like a nice round number and a big milestone before getting into the 200′s.  The only time I’ve been close to 300 during the last 12 years or so was after I had our son.  I actually lost weight while pregnant with him (not intentionally, but I was taking better care of myself and my OB was okay with it) and after he was born I was around 305.  Then my gallbladder started acting up and I had gotten down to about 290 right before it was removed.  So the true celebration is when I get to that point because I honestly don’t remember any other weigh-in that’s less than that (though I know there were some in younger days).

Ironically, I’m off to make brownies.  We’re finally joining a church here in town and I signed up to bring dessert for the little getting to know you dinner tonight.  So I won’t be able to eat a whole pan all by myself.  Which, considering they’re my favorite Ghiradelli brownies, I probably could do!

Weighing In Quickly

I’m doing a quick post because I just had to document this moment!  This morning I woke up and decided to weigh myself.  The other morning I was 320.6 and pretty excited because that was a 1.2 loss from my weigh-in last Sunday.  So this morning…drumroll, please…318.6!  That’s a 3.2 pound loss for the week and I’m absolutely beaming right now.  After a plateau for 6 months, it is nice to see this much movement.  Plus, I’ve met my goal of getting back down to 319 (a place where I was shortly after DH and I got married all those years ago)

This week, I think I might work on setting some new goals

FMM: Short Answers

Today was a crazy day. A long day.  A frustrating day.  But, it is Friend Makin’ Monday and that makes me happy, so without further ado…  (If this is your first time seeing FMM, if you want to play along just copy these questions to your blog and give your own answers.  Then, visit www.alltheweigh.com and link up in the comments.  It is fun to read everyone’s answers!)

FMM: Short Answers

1. Mac or PC? PC for sure.  I’m much more programming/data oriented than I am graphics oriented, so PC works best for what I do.
2. Do you paint your own nails? When I do (maybe once a year), I paint my own.  I did get a manicure once.  I enjoy picking out nail polish more than I enjoy the actual act of painting my nails!
3. Beach or mountains?  Mountains all the way.  DH and I didn’t honeymoon somewhere nice and warm – we decided to go to a cabin by a lake in the middle of October.  I’d much rather be cold and snuggly under blankets than hot and baking in the sun.
4. What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading?  The Fire by James Patterson.  It is part of a trilogy(?) about a futuristic time with a dictator taking away freedom and imagination and a brother/sister wizard/witch duo fighting against the new order.  It is probably more of a young adult title, but I enjoy the series!
5. Do you dance?  Only in the privacy of my own living room
6. CNN or Fox News?  CNN, but I only watch it when I’m traveling for work.  I find it all too depressing.  Yes, that means that most of the time I am not up to date on world events!
7. Do you ride a bicycle?  Only my recumbent bike.  I would really love to ride a real bike and am thinking that when I hit a certain weight I will get one.  I read recently about a bike that would support my weight, but it is like $1,000 – a big investment!
8. Do you get a yearly flu shot?  Sometimes.
9. Best movie you’ve seen in 2012?  I haven’t seen any movies in the theater in 2012.  We rented Mr. Popper’s Penguins a couple of weeks ago and that was quite funny!
10. Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym?  Home.  I haven’t worked out at a gym since college.
11. Last airport you were in?  O’Hare on my way home from Philadelphia w/ my family.
12. Married or single?  Married for almost 12 years.  Sometimes I can’t believe it has been so long!
13. iPhone or Android? Android
14. Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures?  I prefer to take pictures – my favorite subject is my son.  But, I really want to be in more pictures with my family so that I have those memories preserved.
15. Favorite brand of sneakers?  New Balance fit my feet so well!
16. Do you like snow?  Like?  Try LOVE!  I don’t really like driving in it, but I love watching it fall and then playing in it!
17. Do you have/want to have kids?  We have a 5 year old boy.  I’d love to have another child, but we’ll see if that’s in the cards.  It was an emotional roller coaster trying to have our son and if he’s our only miracle that is okay with me.  We hit the jackpot with him!
18. Summer or Winter? I prefer Winter over Summer.  But I like Spring and Fall even better.
19. Do you know how to swim?  Yeah, I was a fish when I was a kid.
20. Do you prefer to shop in store or online?  I prefer shopping in a store so I can really see/touch things.

Have a great week!

Sunday Weigh-In and Temptation Thy Name is Pinterest

After last week’s tiny loss (which I chalked up to retaining water), I was hoping to see a good loss on the scale this morning.  And, I saw a loss!  It wasn’t huge, but it gets me moving in the right direction.  Last week I was 323.4 and today I am 321.8 – a 1.6 pound loss!

This week I didn’t do very well sticking to 1200 calories – a few days I did, a few days I didn’t.  My problem was that I thought for a fun treat I would pick up some whole wheat Ritz crackers and pub cheese.  Not an awful treat if you can stick to about 5 crackers.  Of course this week all my television shows were on and I planted my butt in front of the TV while I ate…which resulted in me eating a half sleeve of crackers…and one night, I actually ate a whole sleeve.  What I learned from this?  I can’t “eat just one”.

Point taken.  Moving on.

So my new addiction is Pinterest.  What a neat concept!  When I see neat things on the web I bookmark them – which results in hundreds of bookmarks in random order, which I sometimes try to organize but quickly give up because it takes too damn long.  For me, Pinterest is the perfect way to bookmark things and have a visual cue as to what I actually found interesting.

One of my boards is dedicated to cupcakes.  Why do I do this to myself?  I have probably 15 different scrumptious looking cupcakes staring me in the face every time I check out my boards.  Which is daily.  I really love to bake, so my attraction to cupcakes is natural.  The good news is that I haven’t actually made any of the cupcakes I’ve pinned (or any cupcakes, for that matter).  Many of the recipes you have to make from scratch (no boxed mixes), so that has been my saving grace.  See, while I like to bake, usually I’m a lazy baker and prefer to make it from a box.  (Except cookies, but that’s a different story.)

Who knows how long I’ll be able to stave off the temptation of these glorious cupcakes.  At least since the frosting is homemade it wouldn’t contain all the trans fat that canned frosting does.  And, what I will have to do is bake on a Sunday so I can have one cupcake and take the rest in to work to share.  That way I can have my (cup)cake and eat it too, right?  As long as this doesn’t become a weekly activity, I can see it being a good way to engage in something that relieves my stress and that I enjoy, while still being responsible with what I put into my mouth.  Plus, my co-workers will enjoy the treat as well!

A loss is a loss…

I stepped on the scale this morning and saw 323.4 – which reflects a 0.4 pound loss from last Sunday.  Considering I averaged about 1200-1300 calories per day (except for last Monday which was 2100), I would normally be very depressed.

However.

I’m bloated and think a lot of this is water retention.  Ladies, you get what I mean.

It is actually rather exciting.  This doesn’t happen to me without medication, but low and behold, I did it all on my own.  Even though I haven’t lost any weight since June (unless you count the 4-6 pounds I continue to gain/lose), maybe the consistent exercise and better eating has helped to get my hormones in order.

Who knows!

I’m going to just wait until next Sunday before I decide how this lower calorie range is working for me.  Unfortunately my mom is here for a visit and not only did we go to Olive Garden tonight (I at least had the lunch-sized portion), but she made scotcharoos.  And I’ve had 6.  My 40 minute walk tonight doesn’t even come close to making up for that.

So, I’m going to just pick myself up and dust myself off.  Tomorrow’s a brand new day!