Thought for the day:
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
-Winston Churchill
I had a difficult week, I felt like I was starving all week long.
My children's paternal grandmother, my ex-husbands mother died and that brought up all kinds of emotional baggage for me. While my kids and I were not very close to my former mother-in-law, it was still a period of grief for them and a time to offer support to them and their Father.
My relationship with my ex-husband is to put it kindly a somewhat rocky one, but I do still care about him. You don't have three children with someone and then due to divorce turn all of that caring off. Do I still want to be married to the guy?
NO!!!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
My ex-husband and I had our great moments and our marriage was certainly not all bad. However, due to our differences we consistently infuriated each other and our fights were as volatile as napalm. For me, it came down to divorce him, or kill him.
I didn't want to go to prison and our children were young; they needed parents.
After paying respects at the funeral home, it was late I was hungry and we stopped at Golden Corral for dinner, I binged. I ate too much and topped it all off with chocolate cake.
The next day I get home from work to find what I suspect was the product of some neighborhood hooligans who entered my fenced back yard, took the cover off my pool wadded it up and threw it in the mud then horsed around in the pool collapsing the back wall and allowing 2/3 of the water to escape. To put it lightly I was boiling with anger. I suspect it is the same couple of older boys that I have seen cutting through my back yard on occasion.
There is now a pad-lock on the fence gate and No Trespassing signs posted. I hope the vandalism doesn't happen again. I've fixed the pool and had to completely drain it to do so. Filling a swimming pool twice took 5,000 gallons of water, so the water bill is probably going to have me rilled again.
Friday I went out to lunch with my co-workers, we went to a bar. I thought the choice of a steak sandwich and salad was good. The salad was dressed with fat free salad dressing, had no cheese or croutons and was a good choice, but the steak sandwich was huge and served on garlic-cheese bread I figure it was at least 25 points. I ate all of it.
Yesterday was Weigh-in day and I lost .4 Lbs, at least I didn't gain, I expected to. After the week I've had, and what I've posted doesn't even include the on the job stressors, .4 pounds lost is great. Heck, not gaining is great!
I'm not even going to review this week any more, I'm just going to put it to bed and...
GET OVER IT!
Forgive me for going all Scarlett O'Hara, but really,"Tomorrow is another day".
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thinking Outside The Box
Thought for the day:
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
-Sun Tzu
The weekend is over and another busy week begins.
Last Saturday was weigh in day and those 2 pounds I had gained are off again. Yippee! May they never return!
Saturday was also my granddaughters Birthday party with cake and all of the trimmings. I did indulge, a piece of cake and a scoop of ice-cream. I had planned well and had the flex points to accommodate it but it did leave me wanting more sweets and I caved. Saturday was most definitely a sugar binge. But it's over.
Sunday I put up one of those above the ground pools with the blow up ring. Boy! You sure find out how level your yard isn't putting one of those pools up. It took all day and plenty of sweat to get a pool that was supposed to set up in 10 minutes ready for water. I must have earned about 20 activity points!
The pool is up and full so today after work I took the opportunity to use it. First I warmed up a bit by just walking around the perimeter for about 5 minutes, then I sat down in the water. The pool is only 30 inches deep which make it chest high for me in a seated position. I did a few wind mills to warm my arms up using the water for resistance. Since that felt pretty good I grabbed the Pool Noodles I had bought for the grand-kids to play with. I took one in each hand and pushed them to the floor of the pool with my arms fully extended. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then I tried putting them under my ankles and using my legs to push them down. I felt a lot of resistance with this move working not just my thighs but my lower abdomen as well.
I'm thinking you could get a pretty good work-out using pool noodles and maybe water wings as well. I'm going to do some research on the subject to find out which moves would work major muscle groups and could be done in the water.
My New project "Fat Momma's Water-Wing and Pool Noodle Workout".
If this isn't thinking outside the box I don't know what is.
Last week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked 30 minutes each day.
e. Saved some Flex Points for a special event.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Drink extra water during outdoor activities.
c. Use a few flex points each day, especially when I'm more active.
d. Research some water exercise moves to devise a pool work-out.
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
-Sun Tzu
The weekend is over and another busy week begins.
Last Saturday was weigh in day and those 2 pounds I had gained are off again. Yippee! May they never return!
Saturday was also my granddaughters Birthday party with cake and all of the trimmings. I did indulge, a piece of cake and a scoop of ice-cream. I had planned well and had the flex points to accommodate it but it did leave me wanting more sweets and I caved. Saturday was most definitely a sugar binge. But it's over.
Sunday I put up one of those above the ground pools with the blow up ring. Boy! You sure find out how level your yard isn't putting one of those pools up. It took all day and plenty of sweat to get a pool that was supposed to set up in 10 minutes ready for water. I must have earned about 20 activity points!
The pool is up and full so today after work I took the opportunity to use it. First I warmed up a bit by just walking around the perimeter for about 5 minutes, then I sat down in the water. The pool is only 30 inches deep which make it chest high for me in a seated position. I did a few wind mills to warm my arms up using the water for resistance. Since that felt pretty good I grabbed the Pool Noodles I had bought for the grand-kids to play with. I took one in each hand and pushed them to the floor of the pool with my arms fully extended. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then I tried putting them under my ankles and using my legs to push them down. I felt a lot of resistance with this move working not just my thighs but my lower abdomen as well.
I'm thinking you could get a pretty good work-out using pool noodles and maybe water wings as well. I'm going to do some research on the subject to find out which moves would work major muscle groups and could be done in the water.
My New project "Fat Momma's Water-Wing and Pool Noodle Workout".
If this isn't thinking outside the box I don't know what is.
Last week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked 30 minutes each day.
e. Saved some Flex Points for a special event.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Drink extra water during outdoor activities.
c. Use a few flex points each day, especially when I'm more active.
d. Research some water exercise moves to devise a pool work-out.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Getting Back to Work
Thought for the day:
"Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections."
-Saint Francis de Sales
Being back to my job after nine days off has been a struggle. I'm having trouble getting back into the routine. At least I have stayed on point and I'm drinking my water, but the heat and rain have prevented my walk until today.
The Time off was refreshing even though I probably worked harder and certainly more physically while at home.
While on Vacation I did try a new product that I like, Bagel Thins from Thomas Bakery. These are really versatile and only 110 calories each with enough fiber that they only cost 2 points on Weight Watchers. The following is a breakfast sandwich using Bagel Thins that I came up with as a swap for the yummy Bagel sandwiches from Panera-St. Louis Bread Company.
Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
1 Thomas Bagel Thin
1 oz lean ham
1 oz of 2% Milk Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
Butter flavor cooking spray
Lightly toast the Bagel Thin. Cook egg substitute over medium heat in a pan coated with the cooking spray, or cook as I do in the Microwave oven in a small bowl coated with the cooking spray. Warm the ham. To assemble place the Cheese on one half of the Bagel Thin and top with egg, ham and the other bagel thin half. Enjoy!
This sandwich costs 5-6 points on Weight Watchers depending upon the brand of Egg substitute you use. It makes a really good breakfast to eat while on the go.
"Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections."
-Saint Francis de Sales
Being back to my job after nine days off has been a struggle. I'm having trouble getting back into the routine. At least I have stayed on point and I'm drinking my water, but the heat and rain have prevented my walk until today.
The Time off was refreshing even though I probably worked harder and certainly more physically while at home.
While on Vacation I did try a new product that I like, Bagel Thins from Thomas Bakery. These are really versatile and only 110 calories each with enough fiber that they only cost 2 points on Weight Watchers. The following is a breakfast sandwich using Bagel Thins that I came up with as a swap for the yummy Bagel sandwiches from Panera-St. Louis Bread Company.
Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
1 Thomas Bagel Thin
1 oz lean ham
1 oz of 2% Milk Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
Butter flavor cooking spray
Lightly toast the Bagel Thin. Cook egg substitute over medium heat in a pan coated with the cooking spray, or cook as I do in the Microwave oven in a small bowl coated with the cooking spray. Warm the ham. To assemble place the Cheese on one half of the Bagel Thin and top with egg, ham and the other bagel thin half. Enjoy!
This sandwich costs 5-6 points on Weight Watchers depending upon the brand of Egg substitute you use. It makes a really good breakfast to eat while on the go.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Dissapointment
Thought for the day:
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." -Margaret Thatcher
After a week of stay-cation, taken to get some projects completed around the house. My back yard looks pretty good. My container vegetable garden is planted. The covered patio has been cleaned out and painted and quite a lot of junk was carried out to the street for trash pick up. I could go on and on but lets just say I have toiled like a Hebrew Slave all week.
My body is so sore from using muscles I forgot I had.
My new BFF is Aleve.
Today was weigh in day and I really expected to have lost weight. I stayed on point and then there was all the physical labor.
The scale was not friendly this morning. I gained 2.8 pounds.
WHY!
According to Wendy, our meeting leader, this can happen when one works out very strenuously all at once rather than gradually building up to the activity. As I understand it, muscles can become somewhat inflamed and hold on to water. I have noticed that my feet and ankles are slightly swollen so perhaps the weight gain is from some water retention.
It could be that I have not drank enough water this week even though I drank 6-8 glasses a day. It's been hot and I have been working outside so extra water was probably needed. It is also possible that I've not eaten enough to accommodate the extra activity. I've barely eaten enough food to meet my daily points target because I haven't been hungry.
Back to the drawing board!
My week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked 30 minutes each day.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Drink extra water during outdoor activities.
c. Use a few flex points each day, especially when I'm more active.
d. Find some additional ways to unwind and reduce stress.
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." -Margaret Thatcher
After a week of stay-cation, taken to get some projects completed around the house. My back yard looks pretty good. My container vegetable garden is planted. The covered patio has been cleaned out and painted and quite a lot of junk was carried out to the street for trash pick up. I could go on and on but lets just say I have toiled like a Hebrew Slave all week.
My body is so sore from using muscles I forgot I had.
My new BFF is Aleve.
Today was weigh in day and I really expected to have lost weight. I stayed on point and then there was all the physical labor.
The scale was not friendly this morning. I gained 2.8 pounds.
WHY!
According to Wendy, our meeting leader, this can happen when one works out very strenuously all at once rather than gradually building up to the activity. As I understand it, muscles can become somewhat inflamed and hold on to water. I have noticed that my feet and ankles are slightly swollen so perhaps the weight gain is from some water retention.
It could be that I have not drank enough water this week even though I drank 6-8 glasses a day. It's been hot and I have been working outside so extra water was probably needed. It is also possible that I've not eaten enough to accommodate the extra activity. I've barely eaten enough food to meet my daily points target because I haven't been hungry.
Back to the drawing board!
My week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked 30 minutes each day.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Drink extra water during outdoor activities.
c. Use a few flex points each day, especially when I'm more active.
d. Find some additional ways to unwind and reduce stress.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Accomplishment
Thought for the day:
Aerobics: a series of strenuous exercises which help convert fats, sugars, and starches into aches, pains, and cramps. ~Author Unknown
Yesterday I it! I really, really did it!
I completed a 5K walk!
It really did feel good to have accomplished the goal I've been training for over the last 6 weeks.
The day could not have been more perfect for a walk, warm and breezy. Gordon Moore Park where we walked was beautiful, the Rose Garden which was our turn around place was especially lovely.
The other walkers were folks from the Weight Watchers meetings I attend and our group leader Wendy, who is always an inspiration. We had a nice "Pot Luck" lunch afterward giving us even more time to talk and offer each other support in our common effort at a healthier lifestyle. We had so much fun that there is even talk about another walk, just for the fun of it, this Fall.
After I left the park, I decided to reward myself with a non-food splurge. Since my wardrobe is getting too big for me, and one of the ladies at the walk commented on my having to pull my shorts up, I decided to go shopping. I bought myself a new skirt and top to celebrate completing another goal!
It was hard to shop because while I have lost 1/4 of my weight loss goal I'm kind of stuck between sizes. The size I started out at is way too big and the size I'm in is too big as well, but the next size down is still a little tight. So I settled on things that were the next size down but not particularly fitted.
After all that activity I went home, took two Aleve, and took a nap.
I see Aleve and Aloe Vera in my future for the next couple of days but it still feels great to have accomplished a 5K, although I'll be living with sore muscles and a sunburn for a few days.
Next time I'll put a Post It on the bathroom mirror to remind me about the sun-screen.
Oh Yeah!
Here is another big Whoop-tee-do !
I got to shop in the Misses department, not the "Big Girls" clothes!
Woo! Hoo!
Aerobics: a series of strenuous exercises which help convert fats, sugars, and starches into aches, pains, and cramps. ~Author Unknown
Yesterday I it! I really, really did it!
I completed a 5K walk!
It really did feel good to have accomplished the goal I've been training for over the last 6 weeks.
The day could not have been more perfect for a walk, warm and breezy. Gordon Moore Park where we walked was beautiful, the Rose Garden which was our turn around place was especially lovely.
The other walkers were folks from the Weight Watchers meetings I attend and our group leader Wendy, who is always an inspiration. We had a nice "Pot Luck" lunch afterward giving us even more time to talk and offer each other support in our common effort at a healthier lifestyle. We had so much fun that there is even talk about another walk, just for the fun of it, this Fall.
After I left the park, I decided to reward myself with a non-food splurge. Since my wardrobe is getting too big for me, and one of the ladies at the walk commented on my having to pull my shorts up, I decided to go shopping. I bought myself a new skirt and top to celebrate completing another goal!
It was hard to shop because while I have lost 1/4 of my weight loss goal I'm kind of stuck between sizes. The size I started out at is way too big and the size I'm in is too big as well, but the next size down is still a little tight. So I settled on things that were the next size down but not particularly fitted.
After all that activity I went home, took two Aleve, and took a nap.
I see Aleve and Aloe Vera in my future for the next couple of days but it still feels great to have accomplished a 5K, although I'll be living with sore muscles and a sunburn for a few days.
Next time I'll put a Post It on the bathroom mirror to remind me about the sun-screen.
Oh Yeah!
Here is another big Whoop-tee-do !
I got to shop in the Misses department, not the "Big Girls" clothes!
Woo! Hoo!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Keeping Motivated
Thought for the day:
"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." -Mario Andretti
Today is the first day of my stay-cation vacation, while I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going to work either. I plan to get some much needed work done around my house. Get my flower beds weeded, plant some annuals and clean up the back yard for Summer.
Today is also weigh in day and I'm happy to report another 1.6 pounds lost, putting me over that 25% of the way there mark on this 100 pound challenge. I'm feeling a lot better and more energetic. My knees don't hurt as much either. I'm also going to walk a 5K tomarrow. I'm really excited and looking forward to this walk. Who would have ever thought just a couple of months ago that would ever happen! Me with my exercise allergy and all.
This challenge has been a serious is a life style changer.
I'm doing things I didn't think I would or could do.
I've changed the way I cook, now I'm baking, grilling and broiling instead of frying. My snacks have changed from Chips and dip or nachos with lots of cheese sauce and an ice cream sunday chaser to vegies and hummus or fresh fruit.
The biggest change however, is that I'm getting in some kind of physical activity daily. Usually a walk but I've also tried yoga postures, and I finally found a Tai Chi VCR tape at the library to try. I'm liking the jump rope and may yet get that Hula-Hoop.
I'm considering a 12' diameter 30" deep pool for the back yard. I think it would serve two purposes, entertainment for the grandchildren and resistance walking for me or possibly a water work out. The pools I'm looking at cost less than $100.00. At that price, even if I don't like it the kids will still be happy and when the thing is worn out I can through it away without much guilt and never buy another.
My week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked for 60 minutes, 4 days of the week.
e. Continued the Yoga practice. It does feel good to stretch.
f. Used the jump rope 3 times last week for 10 minutes each time.
g. Took my BFF out to dinner for her birthday and stayed on point.
d. Checked out a Tai-Chi video from the library to try.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Find another new activity.
c. Treat myself to a non-food splurge.
d. Find some additional ways to unwind and reduce stress.
"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." -Mario Andretti
Today is the first day of my stay-cation vacation, while I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going to work either. I plan to get some much needed work done around my house. Get my flower beds weeded, plant some annuals and clean up the back yard for Summer.
Today is also weigh in day and I'm happy to report another 1.6 pounds lost, putting me over that 25% of the way there mark on this 100 pound challenge. I'm feeling a lot better and more energetic. My knees don't hurt as much either. I'm also going to walk a 5K tomarrow. I'm really excited and looking forward to this walk. Who would have ever thought just a couple of months ago that would ever happen! Me with my exercise allergy and all.
This challenge has been a serious is a life style changer.
I'm doing things I didn't think I would or could do.
I've changed the way I cook, now I'm baking, grilling and broiling instead of frying. My snacks have changed from Chips and dip or nachos with lots of cheese sauce and an ice cream sunday chaser to vegies and hummus or fresh fruit.
The biggest change however, is that I'm getting in some kind of physical activity daily. Usually a walk but I've also tried yoga postures, and I finally found a Tai Chi VCR tape at the library to try. I'm liking the jump rope and may yet get that Hula-Hoop.
I'm considering a 12' diameter 30" deep pool for the back yard. I think it would serve two purposes, entertainment for the grandchildren and resistance walking for me or possibly a water work out. The pools I'm looking at cost less than $100.00. At that price, even if I don't like it the kids will still be happy and when the thing is worn out I can through it away without much guilt and never buy another.
My week in review:
What I did right-
a. Ate Breakfast daily.
b. Kept a diary of every bite that crossed my lips.
c. Drank a minimum of 6 glasses of good old H2O daily.
d. Walked for 60 minutes, 4 days of the week.
e. Continued the Yoga practice. It does feel good to stretch.
f. Used the jump rope 3 times last week for 10 minutes each time.
g. Took my BFF out to dinner for her birthday and stayed on point.
d. Checked out a Tai-Chi video from the library to try.
What I can do better-
a. Try a couple of new recipes so I don't get bored.
b. Find another new activity.
c. Treat myself to a non-food splurge.
d. Find some additional ways to unwind and reduce stress.
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