California!

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I don't think I have mentioned it in my blog, but my hubby is a musician. He's always been a musician, but currently, he is working musician. The band that he is playing with is doing very well and it looks like we will be going out to California in the spring for group of shows. Yes!!! I am SO excited. This is another motivating factor for me, because California means sun, sea, and beach appropriate clothing, ie....skin baring clothing. We are going to Northern CA and so the plan is to take an extended trip and visit Napa and San Fran. Love, love, love Northern CA. Hubby has never been so I am very excited to be able to see the sights with him.

I have been very focused this week. I realize it is only Wednesday, but I feel very good about my efforts this week. I have been very careful about my nutrition, being sure to track every morsel of food that hits my mouth and painstakingly count calories.(which I dislike, but realize I have to do it, otherwise I will eat mindlessly and rack up huge calorie numbers for the day). I had visited a nutritionist a few months ago and we figured out my calorie deficit target. I have been able to stay within my calorie target for the last three days (I consider this huge progress, for me) and I have worked out in the office gym twice. This means that I am hitting my calorie deficit. Yes!

I'm thankful.....today is Wednesday, which means I am half-way through the work week, The Office is on tomorrow, and Friday night is my pumpkin carving party!

Back from a break

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I hadn't realized that it's been so long since I last blogged. Time flies when you're having fun, I suppose. My hubby said that all of my followers would be wondering what happened to me. Ha, all one of you. (But yay for one follower!)

Well, I've been on vacation for most of the time. Actually, a staycation. I took about a week off from work and it was fantastic! I feel rested and ready to roll. Hubby and I celebrated our 5th anniversary of marriage and had a lovely time celebrating. I haven't been super careful about my nutrition though, so it's time to get back on track. I started tracking my food again today and I'm back to counting calories (which I hate), but it's necessary because calories have a way of sneaking up on me. I also got back into the gym today and will start strength training as well as doing the standard cardio routine.

It's good to be back!

Today, I'm thankful for ...

my sweet hubby
a steady job
that my parents made it to NY safely today

It's Oh So Quiet

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Ahhh....finally winding down after another busy day. Work is seriously kicking my butt this week. I am covering for a colleague who is currently enjoying a Mediterranean cruise. Sigh. But, it's hump day, so the weekend is approaching along with a much needed break.

I had church after work tonight so I was not able to do cardio, but plan to after work tomorrow. I've got my gym bag packed already and waiting to go in the car in the morning. Now, I think I am off to bed. So sleepy!

Today, I am thankful for....

..... my sweet hubby and a nice comfy bed (similar to this one) to climb into in approximately 5.2 minutes. :)

feelin' guilty

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Had a rough day.....work was crazy. I hadn't really craved The Candy Jar, but I did give in today and grabbed some chocolate out of the jar. I immediately felt guilty. Not because I had chocolate, because I don't really believe in completely depriving myself. One or two little pieces would have been acceptable. Unfortunately, I grabbed more like 10 pieces and devoured them. Boy, they were good. The steaming hot bowl of guilt that accompanied the chocolate was less than pleasant. I had also fully intended to work out tonight before leaving The Office, however I ended up working until almost 9pm and by that time all I really wanted to do was go home. So I did. Other than the candy, I stuck with my eating plan and did really good. Hopefully, it will all balance out.

I arrived home and ate a bit of dinner (roast beef) and settled in to watch Melrose Place on DVR. Starting to feel a little better now.

Today, I am thankful for....

....my DVR. (What? That's the best I can do right now.)

Monday Madness

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This morning started off nice and easy but by 10 am my workload increased to a frenetic pace and was non-stop until 7pm. However, I had several victories today. I was able to A) completely avoid my neighbor's candy jar and B) I STILL worked out before I went home for the night. YES!!!

I am so proud that I stuck with my plan today. I ate breakfast (oatmeal), the lunch I brought (turkey sandwich, snack size bag of fritos, kiwi, and had a healthy snack (yogurt, small apple, 2 tbsp peanut butter.) For dinner I had (grilled fajita chicken, 2 corn tortillas, 1/4 c. beans and 1/4 c. rice and 1/2 c. sherbet.) Plus, even though I had a rough day and was tired, I stuck with the plan and worked out anyway. I feel great.

Tonight was spent enjoying our mexican take-out and watching our DVR'd episodes of The Office, Big Bang Theory and CSI Miami. I am so excited that Jim and Pam are getting married in this week's episode. Finally!!!

Today, I am thankful....

....that as crazy as my job is sometimes, I am gainfully employed. Because a lot of people aren't right now.

Sunday Weigh-in

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Well, weigh-in day has arrived, and as I suspected, I did not lose any weight. I did, however, gain 2.8 lbs. I am not going to freak out about this because I am 98% certain this is water weight. I picked a lovely week to start my weight-loss endeavor. Anyway, hubby reminded me that I should take measurements and track more then just poundage. He's right. Here goes:

(cringe)

B: 44

W: 45 1/4

H: 58

I am all set for this week with meals planned out, snacks ready to go, and work outs scheduled for M-T-Th-Sat. Goals for this week are:

1) Cardio 4 times this week

2) Weight routine 2 times

3) 1600 cal daily

4) Track food

5) 64 oz water daily

Today I plan to do some things around the house and then get ready for book club tonight. I am taking whole-grain crackers, cheese and hummus, along with a good chardonnay. I plan to only have one glass of wine and stick with the healthier fare at the gathering. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone! We are discussing All About Lulu. Should be fun!

Today, I am thankful...

.....that I'm staying positive and not letting myself get discouraged.

Hitting the Mark

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I spent three hours wandering around Target this afternoon. I went in for groceries, but the store wasn't that busy and it was so much fun just perusing the aisles. I cannot express how much I enjoy shopping in Target. Ahh, so many cute things. I really tried to remain focused on groceries. Necessities. So I didn't even venture over to electronics, bed and bath or accessories and I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also visited the red Kitchen Aid mixer. I am going back to get it one of these days.

We have been on a strict budget since the beginning of August. We are working on getting rid of some debt and saving money to buy a piece of land on which to build our next house. The point is that due to our budget, I have cut out nearly all unnecessary spending. And previously, I was a shopping fool. So, it turns out that ANY shopping is fun, and it doesn't necessarily matter WHAT I'm shopping for. Even grocery shopping is fun.

I picked up alot of fresh foods and healthy snacks to take to The Office. I also chose meals for the week and bought the required ingredients so we won't be tempted to eat out.

Well, tomorrow is weigh-in day. I won't lie, I'm nervous. I know I'm retaining water, so we'll see what happens. Hopefully if nothing lost I will at least have maintained. At any rate, I'm all set with food for next week and have my workout schedule set.

Lucky Ducky

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Wow! What a day! Serendipity, all day long.

At lunch time, a co-worker and I headed out for lunch and we decided to go to a local restaurant, Shady Grove. We didn't think for a minute, however, that today thousands of people are in town for the Austin City Limits music festival--a destination in which this particular restaurant is practically across the street from. So we pull up and are told that the charge is $25 to park at the restaurant. We plead our case as downtown corporate office dwellers and are graciously allowed in sans $25 bucks. Yippeee! A delicious lunch and no parking fee!!

We returned to the office to discover that our CEO had sent an email informing us that our office will close for the day at 4pm. What?! I work 9am-6pm, so woohoo, I get to leave work 2 hours early on a Friday? On a payday? Could this day get any better?!

Tonight has been spent making dinner, watching a movie with the hubs and totally relaxing. Bliss!

I have managed to post every day and am loving it. It's incredibly cathartic and entertaining all at the same time. I love reading blogs from the amazingly funny and genuine people that I have had the pleasure to come across in the last week. It is very reassuring to read the struggles, mishaps, adventures and general shenanigans of women, in particular, that seem to mirror my own in so many ways. And I've even had a handful of comments, which is so exciting! Thank you, Melissa, Ex Hot Girl, and Insatiable Host--for the lovely compliments, encouragement and in general the "hey we are with you" feeling that I got from your comments. I would tag your fabulous blogs in my post, but I am a newbie and have no clue how to do that.


Today, I am thankful....

...that I reached another person today. (Thanks, Insatiable Host!)

p.s. Is anyone else just a little creeped out by the gaggle of rubber duckies? The more I look at them the creepier they get. One rubber ducky = cute. Fifty rubber duckies with 50 pairs of eyes staring at me = Steven King material.

Feel the burn

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I started working out again this week after a seriously long hiatus from all things healthy and my body is confused and possibly staging a revolt.

I started out slow so as not to shock my body, but man I am feeling it. And not just in that "Oh, I worked out and now I feel that soreness that lets me know I am building muscle" kind of way. What I'm feeling is that "Oh my 80 year old body just can't get around as well as I used to" sort of way.

I was back on the elliptical today anyway, and I did 22 minutes today. My plan is to increase slowly in both intensity and time. I think I need to download new tunes for my work out sessions. Going on to the To Do list for the weekend.

Weigh-in is on Sunday and I am looking forward to see the scale move. I'm a little nervous because I know that I am going to be retaining some water so I really need to watch the salt this weekend. I'm ready to make some progress!

Today, I'm thankful for....

• the exuberance with which the pup greets me at the end of the day.
  
• The Office. The show and not the one I spent my entire day in.
• Weekends!!!! Enough said.

Wrapping up September

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Today was a very good nutrition day. I was able to stay within my 1600 calorie limit without feeling starved. Success! Work was low-key today. Steady, but not craziness. Tomorrow is a cardio day, so I need to be sure that I pack my work out clothes for tomorrow. I am also eating out for lunch tomorrow--so the plan is to drink water, choose a healthier option and halve my portion. I can do this!


It's hard to believe that September has come and gone. September brought Autumn, and lots of other good things. Let's recap the things I loved in September....

1. Cooler temperatures
The summer has been wicked hot in Austin and it was even joyous when it got down to the low 90's. We had a mess of rain and it actually became cool, which brings me to....

2. Cuddling
It was so nice to have cool enough weather to allow for cuddling with the hubs. I even felt inspired to bake....

3. Pumpkin bread
The first batch of the season was delicious and really signals that Autumn has arrived. That is, along with the start of...

4. College Football
Hubs and myself are big college football fans, so most Saturdays in September have been spent watching our fave teams hit the grid iron. Go Texas Longhorns and Virginia Tech Hokies!!!! Late in the month brought a major weekend of...

5. Birthday celebrations
Hubs as well as a couple of good friends celebrated birthdays in September. Lots of parties and good times were had by all.

October is expected to be even better--have vacation time and our wedding anniversary coming up. 5 years!!!

Today, I am thankful...

...that I have a break coming up in a few weeks so I can recharge and refresh.

Everywhere I look....Cake!

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Cake is following me. It knows my name and how much I like it. It's in my fridge, in the form of my hubby's left-over birthday cake. It's at work too. A celebration for something or other. A gift of chocolately goodness provided by the evil wenches in the marketing department. No, I'm kidding, they're sweet. Sort of.

I ate a piece before I even realized what I was doing and before I remembered...wait! you are supposed to be cutting back on sugar! How does that happen? How does one scarf down cake on auto-pilot?

Thankfully, the rest of my eating habits today were decent.
Oatmeal, grapes, a turkey sandwich, a hamburger (however--made at home with 97% lean beef and the tiniest wheat bun you have ever seen), 120 calories worth of baked french fries, fresh carrots and celery, and yes, more cake. Oh, and coca-cola. Darn it. I need to switch to diet. But I mostly drink water.

Today was a scheduled work out day. I multi-tasked and read my book club book while on the elliptical. I was able to do 20 minutes, which is super considering my most recent exercise routine has involved getting off the couch to get a soda from the kitchen. It is really convenient to work out in my office's gym right after I stop work for the day. I also belong to a 24hr Fitness, but am much less likely to head there after work. I save alot of time doing cardio at work and am much less likely to blow it off.

Today, I am thankful....

...that Autum has finally arrived. I love this time of year!

Calories, Schmalories

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Ah, calorie counting. The great American female past-time. I don't enjoy it in the least. It's not so bad if you are eating something that has the calories right there on the side of the box. It's also pretty easy to look up how many calories are in an apple. But when you are talking about a home cooked meal with alot of ingredients and then trying to figure out how many calories are in each item and then how many servings in the finished product.....eesh. That's alot of effort involved just to figure out how many calories are in my dinner.

But hey, I know that in order to combat mindless calorie munching, I have to know what I'm taking in and how much more I left to work with at the end of the day. I need to know if I can have that fudgsicle, you know, the really important things. So, I jot it down and then try to figure it up. Gee, and I thought by becoming a therapist I could effectively avoid math for the rest of my life.

Here's the (fairly accurate) list of what I ate today.

granola bar...180 cal.
fresh broccoli, carrots, celery, 2 Tbsp jalapeno ranch dressing
1/2 c. spaghetti, 4 oz chicken breast, 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese
5 individual rolo candies and 2 mini milky ways (thank you, cube mate's candy jar)
apple, 2 slices pumpkin bread
5 oz grilled chicken, green beans, 3/4 c. herbed rice
Slice of left-over birthday cake--red velvet, and (gulp) two scoops of vanilla

Ok, so I really don't have the energy or patience to look up the calorie counts of anything besides the granola bar. Pathetic, right? Well baby steps is what I'm shooting for. I mostly stuck to my plan, I drank lots of water and ate something every couple of hours. Yeah, I had too much sugar. Will work on cutting that down. Tomorrow, 4 rolos!!!

Today was pretty good for a Monday. I have been working on a project at The Office for over a month and it was due today, so it feels really good to have that finished. One thing I have to do this week is read the book for book club. We are reading All About Lulu. I could tell you about it, but I don't know much about it yet. I have, however, heard it's great. Book club is Sunday, so I have 5 days. It's kind of funny, though that now we only promise to read the first half of the book. That's because historically, half of the group doesn't actually read the whole book. We figure half of the book is not so intimidating!


Today, I am thankful...

....that not only did my sweet hubby grill chicken for us for dinner, he is now currently doing the dishes while I write this. Wow, how did I get to be so blessed?!

Beginnings

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I weighed this morning first thing.

302.8

Wow. And it's not my all-time high, which if I am not mistaken was 310. I think I fell off the scale and passed out at the sight of 310. I never want to see that number again.

Since I have such a long road ahead of me, I thought this picture was appropriate. The road to a healthy weight is long. However, every pound I lose improves my well-being. I feel like I have a fresh start and I am optimistic.

My first goal is to be safely below the 300's. Ten pounds sounds like a good number to focus on.

Goal:
Lose 10 pounds
Current weight: 302.8
Goal weight: 292
Target date: 11/1/09
Reward: Shopping excursion

Plan:
Stay at 1600 calories daily
Drink 64 oz water daily
30 minutes of cardio 3x/week--Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Post daily

Today was a busy day. I had to go into The Office for a bit and ended up missing church, which I don't like. However, I have a project due at The Office tomorrow and I couldn't quite make myself go on Saturday, so it had to be done. Next it was back home to prep food to take to a friend's celebration. I took a veggie tray instead of baking. I sampled the food at the party, but did not go nuts. The best news is I now have tons of fresh veggies ready to go for snacking. Yes!

I did not get a chance to take current photos, though hubby reminded me that we took "before" photos a year ago and suggested I use those. That's a clue how long I have been working on my weight. FOREVER. Definitely longer than a year. I want new photos though, so I will work on getting those done this week to post.

I plan to post daily. In my daily posts, I want to talk about how I have done each day with my daily objectives and how the day went. I also want to express how I am feeling and really use this blog as a tool to examine why I make the choices that I do so that I can make the changes I need to make. I also want to make note of what I am thankful for. If eventually someone decides to read along with me and comment, offer support and/or feedback, then I certainly welcome that!

Today, I am thankful....

...that every day is new beginning.

365 days, 365 reasons

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I am a beginner blogger, but I am no stranger to weight issues. I want to use this blog as a place to record my goals, chart my progress, vent my frustrations, celebrate my victories, and everything in between.

The Challenge?

365 days. Keeping a record of each day through this blog. The highs, lows, and plateaus.

Eating healthy, getting exercise. Sounds so simple. We all know that it's not. Because there is the emotional aspect. The shifting moods, PMS sugar cravings, boredom related binges, social gatherings, office birthdays, the candy jar on my cube mate's desk, holidays---temptation lurks around every corner. The overwhelming road ahead reminds me that there is much at stake. My health, my future, so many reasons why I must do this. I probably could come up with 365 reasons to lose weight. Here, the top ten:

1. Improve my chances of conceiving a child. I have PCOS, so already the cards are stacked against me. I am also now considered "advanced maternal age." Nice.

2. Reverse my pre-diabetic condition and prevent Type II Diabetes.

3. To no longer require medications for high blood pressure/GERD, etc. My health issues are starting to stack up and I am only 35.

4. Shopping for clothing is neither enjoyable or good for my self-esteem. I want to be able to buy whatever I want instead of only being able to shop in the big girl stores.

5. I don't want to stress over whether I will fit in a theatre seat, plane seat, or feel uncomfortable in public because of my weight. No one should have to feel that way.

6. I want to be physically fit and keep up with my husband, energetic labrador and our hypothetical children. Right now I can't.

7. I want to be able to be adventurous--go parasailing, skiing, wear a bathing suit at the beach, swim with dolphins (requires said bathing suit in public), rides at an amusement park with no fear of not fitting.

8. I want to look damn good in sexy lingerie.

9. I want to look damn good in general.

10. I want to succeed so I can show other curvy girls that if I can do it, they CAN do it too.

Tomorrow, initial weigh-in and photos.