Vacation = weight loss? Yes, yes it does!

My hubby and I flew out to Los Angeles last Thursday for a
weekend band tour. The band was set to do a series of shows in the area. I wish I could say we were able to get a lot of sightseeing in, but that just was not the case. Show business certainly isn't all glamour, that's for sure. It's an awful lot of hurry up and wait. Still, it was nice to get away--and the hotel suite was nice. I kept my eating in check (ok, well technically we went to In-N-Out twice) Other than the burgers, which by the way were delish--I did really well. And we ended up doing a lot of walking, so I am sure that helped counteract the extra calories a bit. The shows were a huge success, and we all had a really great time. I feel very fortunate that the band members are such wonderful people and enjoyable to hang out with.

We returned from Los Angeles on Monday. The bad news is, I was sick with a cold by the time I got off the plane. The good news is, I managed to drop a few pounds during a good chunk of time that involved travel. Yay! I am so excited about my loss that it almost makes up for the crappy way that I have felt the last few days. One of my issues when I am sick is that I crave comfort food. Anything creamy is what I want most--macaroni and cheese, mashed, potatoes, etc. Clearly these are foods that are high in calories and fat and certainly foods I should be avoiding and only indulging in occasionally. However, I am sure that my ability to portion-control is even more diminished since my head is congested and I'm thinking cold medication won't help my thought process. Today I was craving chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans from our local diner. Outrageously delicious --but not a meal I have more then a couple times a year. I had a left-over chicken taco instead and hot tea by what seems like the gallon because it makes my throat feel better. I am finally making some progress and I don't want to defeat myself my making a less healthy choice. I'm hoping to get to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up on healthy fare--we are dangerously low on even the basics at this point.

Anyway, back to my loss over the last two weeks---it's actually not a great loss for that amount of time, but honestly, right now a loss is a loss. I'm not going to dwell on how long it took. The scale is moving and I am getting a little farther away from 300-ville. I never want to see that number again and so the farther away I get the better I feel. My BMI went down a few points as well, which definitely feels good. So, my goal for May 10 is to lose 12 lbs, which means I have 9.2 lbs to go. That's just under a month, so it's going to be tight, but I know that if I work hard and be consistent, I will reach my goal. I need to think of a reward for myself. Any ideas for rewards?

Whoa.

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Don't look now, but it's my second post of the week. Sometimes I amaze even myself.

My week so far has been good--I'm hoping my weigh-in next Monday will reveal the evidence of my work this week. I have cut way back on diet sodas--in fact, I think I have only had a couple in the last week!

Here's a wrap up of my week so far. Thank goodness it's a short work week, yay!

Monday-- I was not feeling well and took a sick day. I made a point of eating healthy and slept a lot. We still went out for an evening walk though as I was feeling better and needed to get some fresh air. Hubby grilled chicken and we had that plus small baked potatoes and fresh broccoli for dinner. We spent the rest of the evening catching up on DVR'd shows--Amazing Race and Rules of Engagement.

Tuesday--Went to the office....tried to stay away from the The Candy Jar, but did succumb to a snack size M&M's and one rolo. Not bad. I took my lunch, skipped breakfast and ate my apple/peanut butter for a snack. We walked again in the evening and for dinner we had left-over grilled chicken, brown rice with toasted pine nuts, olive oil, parsley and a bit of parmesan and a side of lima beans. And lots of iced tea with splenda! Does anyone know of any issues with using a lot of splenda? Tuesday is Biggest Loser night! My typical routine is to watch the show while I prepare dinner, which is great motivation to cook up something healthy and not snack mindlessly, which I am so prone to do when I get home from work. I am going to be sad when Biggest Loser wraps up the season--the contestants are such an inspiration to me.

Wednesday--Worked from home...hubby made breakfast of one egg and slice of 2% cheese on a sandwich thin (love those!), coffee with flavored creamer and splenda. Lunch was left-over spaghetti with meat sauce (a small portion) and snack was popcorn. Lots of tea and water. Took our pup for a walk. For dinner, we went out (these days meals out are not common) and went to a fave italian place. I ordered a veggie calzone (which was ginormous) I took more then half of it home for lunch tomorrow. Splurged with a diet dr. pepper! ha We went to Target to pick a few groceries, a baby shower gift, and a new stability ball (ours developed an inability to hold air).

And this brings me to Thursday--my Friday this week. I just need to persevere through one more day of work and then playtime on Friday. We are planning to jump in the car with our labrador and drive to the hill country to see all the wildflowers and picnic. Looking forward to getting away from the city.

I just remembered that I didn't say what I am thankful for in my last post. That will never do!

Today, I am thankful for:
*my hubby and our home
*the money to buy fresh, organic produce
*my pup, who gives great hugs, I swear
*one more work day!

I'm back. Again.

I have been contemplating returning to my blog for a couple of weeks. I'm not completely sure why I have been avoiding it. I enjoy journaling, and I certainly enjoy reading other blogs. They inspire me, give me hope and help me press on.

I think a part of me has been a little uneasy about putting myself out there...everything...my deepest darkest...for the entire universe to see. I realize I have one follower. Thanks @Halving Hadley, by the way. But there is the possibility that someday, with a little luck and maybe some pixie dust, I could have two followers. :) And I don't know, it's just a little scary to be vulnerable in this way.

I need to get over that though, because this is helpful to me. And I have been working very hard. I got a Bodybugg for Christmas as a gift and it's made a huge difference. Just being able to see how many calories I am actually burning is incredibly empowering. I can clearly see the calorie deficit and KNOW I am making an impact. I am faithfully logging my calorie intake. I am trying to eat as clean as possible. Thank you, Super Target for all the great deals on produce lately. I keep a big water bottle at my desk to drink during the day. I've managed to cut out all the diet sodas and limit myself to just one daily. Did I mention I am drinking A LOT of water? I started doing a Leslie Sansone walk at home workout in the mornings and then elliptical after work for 20 mins for a total of 40 minutes daily. I am actually looking forward to my next weigh-in!

I am focusing on a 10% loss of my body weight. That is 30 lbs, which now that I see it in black and white, feels like too much. Let's pare that down to 15 lbs. Better. I'm also not going to commit to posting daily at this point. I want to post every couple of days for now. I can't believe it has been since October that I last posted. It doesn't feel like that long.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have completely avoided The Candy Jar. Score!

Today I'm thankful....
....that I am working from home tomorrow. Hello, pj's all day!!

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

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.