Day 7: Zoomin,' Playin,' & Weighin'

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

Every day

do something

that will inch you closer to

a better tomorrow.

Doug Firebaugh

Inspirational Song

Stand

Rascal Flatts

Zoomers Out of the Trunk

I've been carrying my Zoomers--smaller swim fins--in the trunk of my car for a long time. This morning I released them. Hubby & I went to our neighborhood pool ~7:45 and swam and tread and crab walked around the pool for 1/2 hour. We had it all to ourselves. It was glorious. We haven't taken advantage of the pool we pay homeowner's association fees for in the almost 2 years we've lived here. Today we did. I can't wait to go again.

Making Myself Bigger--WHAT??
Today I also had a session just for me and Puppy Yeats with Wendy, the owner of Pups In Progress. (We got a brief walk in with a new head leading leash that Wendy has had a change of heart about me using.)

Our Golden Doodle Yeats behaves Hubby beautifully. Me, not so much. He works from home and is with her more. Plus, I'm not very consistent . . . .

Today Wendy's message was to me that I had to claim more of my space and act bigger than I am. . .moving into Yeat's space to show her I'm the alpha dog. Oh, the irony. . . ! Here I am trying to be LESS big . .. C'est la vie! :)

First Weigh In

This morning was also my first weigh in since I started counting calories on July 4. I lost 6.4 pounds. Yay! Very, very satisfied with that!

Day 6: LIttle Wheel Keep on Turning

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

If I am not for myself,

then who will be for me?

And if I am only for myself,

then what am I?

And if not now, when?

Rabbi Hillel

Inspirational Song

Proud Mary

Ike & Tina Turner

The Bike Is at Work

I brought my mini exercise bike to work today. Just getting it upstairs and situated under my desk started the calorie burn! It's a tad awkward, which I hope will cease. So far I kind of have to grip my keyboard tray to stay steady, and I have to have it in more of a position like a recumbent bike (which, frankly, I probably prefer) or my knees hit the keyboard try even with it as elevated as far as it can be. I feel it in my leg muscles, not aerobically. But no one has noticed it at all unless I've pointed it out to them.

Today, just sort of doing it when I was on the phone (harder to do when keyboarding), I snuck in 40 minutes, 6 miles, and burned 225 calories. I don't think that's bad for the first day. I'm heartened.

Cookie Triumph
Colleagues delivered my team Chunky Milk Chocolate cookies to thank us for our work on a project. Getting Thanks is Nice. I saved the red ribbon around the 2 boxes of cookies that had Thank You printed in gold on it.

The cookie box, however, I put on a colleague's desk! I did eat one. . . 140 calories worth. And I walked them all around offering them to others.

There was a little card that came on the top of the box that just had a little company logo and in big print CHUNKY MILK CHOCOLATE. I kept seeing it next to my keyboard. I swear it was like a siren calling my name. I had to throw it away!

Because You Asked. . . Spaghetti Squash


This is how it looks in the store. We just bake it in the oven whole. You can cut it first, but it's hard to cut.

Bake about 40 minutes or so until it gives to your touch or even has a light scorch mark on the bottom.

Once it's baked, slice it length wise. The seeds will be in the center. Use a spoon to gently scoop them out so they don't mix in with the squash.

Then use a big spoon to scoop the strands out squash out of the shell.

I've had it with marinara on the top mostly--just like spaghetti. The first 2 times I ate it, I thought it was mushy and didn't like it much. It has a very mild flavor. But now I really like it. I think of though more of its own think that I like--not necessarily as a pasta "substitute." If I want pasta, I eat pasta. Usually whole wheat, but sometimes not.

Day 6: Rocking Steady

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

Don't think about what

you can't eat;

think about

how you want to feel--

confident,

in control,

positive, and

like a winner.

--Me

Inspirational Song

Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin

TODAY IN REVIEW

Tonight I made a dinner modeled after one I had in a restaurant recently. It was really delicious! We baked spaghetti squash, scooped it out into a strip across the center of the plate, covered it with fresh spinach sauteed in a little olive oil with shallot, garlic, a few pine nuts, topped it with sauteed shrimp, and topped that with a bit of Parmesan. Before I had a similar dish at the restaurant, I had only eaten spaghetti squash with some kind of tomato on it. This was really tasty! And since Hubby baked the squash and peeled the shrimp for me, my part went really quickly!

At work this PM, they had a cocktail party--the second one in the last 2 months, so I think they are becoming a trend. They had beer, wine, wine coolers, and tortilla chips with various toppings--guacamole, salsa, sour cream, black beans, warmed cheese sauce. I was really busy so thankfully didn't have time to linger. But I was also hungry. Here's what I did-- are you ready??

I took the smallest of the 2 plate options. Scooped out a spoonful of black beans and topped it with salsa. Felt like one big glow of nutrition self-righteousness! Woo-hoo. Go, Sandy! Go, Sandy!

Day 5: Think You Can

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

Whether you think you can or

whether you think you can't, you're right.
Henry Ford

Inspirational Song

You Gotta Be

Des'ree

What I Did Today to Feel Proud

• I planned ahead for a dinner that would work with the higher calorie lunch I had. And it was delicious: mahi mahi with a crushed pineapple salsa, with cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers in vinegar with broccoli rabe (my first time cooking it--turn out yummy!).

• Even though my lunch was high calorie, I made good choices. I ordered the special--grilled grouper with pasta, zucchini, sundried tomatoes, with a pesto sauce. I asked for pesto sauce on the side and barely used any. And I ordered a side of grilled asparagus so I would be less likely to eat all the pasta. I left most of the pasta and I barely used any pesto. Still it was a dinner-size lunch and it had a lot of oil on it. Next time, I could ask for it with extra veggies, no pasta or at least ask them not to add extra oil. But I was proud of myself for my choices!

• I took a walk this evening while I talked on my bluetooth to my friend. Woohoo. . .an old habit rekindled.

• I know these kind of food records may seem boring and mundane, but they are the kind of little choices that really make a difference toward success! It took me a while to figure out how to make these choices before and when I stop doing them they feel like a mystery, so they seem worth recording and sharing.

• I was telling PhD today that one of the new tools to stay on track that I use is to ask myself, "What would the old Sandy do?" I've done this weight loss thing before--and I did it well. I felt like a winner. I can do it again--am doing it again--because I think I can.

(The mini exercise bike was good. I only did it for 15 minutes to make sure I didn't get sore. And I did it leisurely as I watched TV. . . burning more calories that I normally would as a TV couch potato for sure! I am going to take it into work--maybe this weekend. And Big Mummy--it's just like it sounds a small pedals only bike--follow the link above to see it.)

Day 4: Keeping On

Today's Inspiration

You are amazing grace --

you are a precious jewel.

You --

special miraculous unrepeatable

fragile fearful tender

lost sparkling ruby emerald jewel

rainbow splendor person

Joan Baez

Inspirational Song

Phenomenal Woman

Ruthie Foster

Today

I ate within my calorie range.

My new mini exercise bike arrived.

I'm going to go check it out.

Day 3: Patting My Back Instead of Beating Myself Up

TODAY's INSPIRATION

Kn*ck Kn*ck

Who's there?

Dwight.

Dwight who?

Dwight way to wose weight

is the eat wess and

exewcise more.

from Jack Sh*t, Getting Fit's post

More Knock Knock Jokes

Inspirational Song

Peaceful Easy Feeling

The Eagles

TODAY IN REVIEW

The inspirations of the day are about keeping perspective. Jack Sh*t gives us all a laugh every day, reminding us to not take ourselves and our weight loss journeys too seriously. We can't get enough of him. His followers grow like gangbusters. . . he's untouchable with his daily creativity. And he's kind hearted, too. Wow.

These were the good things about my day:

• I got up very close to when the alarm went off
• I put on makeup. . .maybe for the first time this year???
• I blew my hair dry instead of letting it dry naturally which makes it look limp.
• I made coffee at home instead of stopping at Starbucks.
• I removed my gym back from the trunk of the car where it's lived quite a while and carried it to my desk area. I didn't use it but it's a start.
• I walked up the 2 escalators and I walked up the stairs at work twice. I decided it's OK if people witness my heavy breathing.
• We had lunch ordered in at work and I ordered a veggie burger with a side of fruit. It was a bit challenging to calculate the calories for (the bun seemed huge), but I feel pretty good about it.
• Monday is sushi night so we ate sushi for dinner.
• I stayed within my calorie maximum for the day and continue to find the Spark People calorie tracker easy to use on the Web and my phone.
• I laughed hard at my colleague first thing this AM and made a few people smile throughout the day.

These were the less good things about the day:

• I didn't walk this morning.
• I didn't walk at work.
• I didn't walk on the treadmill watching the Closer like I'd hoped.

Here's the bottom line:

I'm peaceful about the things I didn't do--thus the inspirational song choice for today. I was in a meeting from 10 to 2. I stayed at work until 8. During the Closer, I did the dishes, played a few minutes with the puppy, and wrote a blog. I did move a bit more today and I am taking small steps (the gym bag move is significant). I'm doing great with the food and attitude. It's going to be OK. I just need to keep perspective, stay relaxed, and remember to laugh (thanks for those, Jack!)

Day 2: It's a New Day

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

I love this losing weight stuff!

Sean Anderson,

blogger of

The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser,

from his post Day 281

Today's Inspirational Song:

Feeling Good

2 versions one by

Adam Lambert &

the other Nina Simone

THE DAY SO FAR

OK. I just got focused so the inspirational quote doesn't apply to me yet. . . but isn't it inspirational? I think it's so wonderful for it's simplicity--and it only took me about 7 minutes to re-discover it on his site. Everybody says they hate to diet. . . but the self persecution of living an obese life is worse. Thanks, Sean, for your amazingly positive life.

This was a harder day emotionally. I can't believe it's already almost 6:00. I'm making it through pretty well. Very well food wise. . .so so moving wise. But it feels like a throw away day.

I got up to a grumpy husband. This is a bad thing for me as I'm easily swayed by his moods. Ummm. . .especially if I have something to do with causing the bad mood. . .Bad moods make it harder for me to stay targeted. And I was delaying eating a bit for fear my bad mood (oh, it was supposed to be hubby's bad mood, wasn't it? How did that happen?) would lead me to make poor choices. . . It turned out great. I mixed lemon yogurt with a small peach and a few blueberries and some Kashi Lean Crunch and then even waited around for for 15 minutes to let it get a little soggy. This shows tremendous restraint for me, people. Ahh. . .thank you.. . . now I hear the roar of your congratulations.

Was sitting around after breakfast and feeling sorry for myself and starting to get sleepy. . . a bad Sunday depression response. . . when my dear friend from MA called and chatted about nothingness (as if she was in the room with me) for more than an hour. Good distraction. Didn't strike me until later that I could have been using my new head set to stroll on the treadmill at the same time.. . . next time. . .

So then I got online to start preparing for lunch. . . looked up several things on Panera and made a decision. When we got there, the soups were not as expected, and I chose one that I had not looked at the calories for. It looked creamier than I expected and tasted really good. . . I paused to look it up on my phone. . . it checked out OK. Whew.

Then grocery shopping.. . . I don't have menus set, and we are very bad about throwing away food. .. so I'm thinking about that. . . just struck me. . .I'm going to write a note on the fridge about the fresh fruits and veggies and stuff in there so I don't lose site of them!

Coming home hungry is a bad trigger for me. . . I tend to grab whatever and chow down and I get mean if there isn't anything to eat. . .was trying to figure out what I could have on hand. . . immediately on hand. . . like starving-in-the-store-on-the-way-home on hand. . . I dropped back to an old standard. . .fat free hot dogs. A doc told me once when I got hungry to eat protein. . . I'm trying to eat less meat and not processed things. . . but it seemed better than crackers. 1 hot dog is only 40 calories. Maybe I'll buy little cans of tuna. .. but then I have to keep hubby away from them so they'll be there on my red alert times. My mom used to tell me to drink milk if I was hungry before dinner. . . that would be OK. . .

I know a snack is the best option. . . eat before I get so nutty. . . but when I don't snack, I need a plan. What do you resort to in those stand in front of the fridge. . . pre dinner .. . . stomach growling moments?


THIS EVENING'S PLANS & ANTICIPATIONS

We brought home sushi for dinner. And I still have laundry today. And, alas, I also have work to do. I started sorting my closet yesterday, but it is clearly going to be a multi-day project. Last night Hubby & I did walk as I planned, but his leg is hurting tonight so I don't know if he'll be my partner. I should probably call my mom . . . a chance to check out the headset while I stroll.