December 19, 2011

     Started work on November 28, in a field that is totally new to me. I will be a provider representative in a call center, answering phones with questions on benefits, eligibility and claims.  There is a seven week training course, and I am already about half way through and don't feel that I know that much yet.  A lot of different systems on the computer and many places to look for information.  I really have no doubt that once I learn it, it will be a breeze, but I do think the next few months will be a test....

     With the new job, comes many lifestyle changes.  I'll be sitting at a desk for eight hours a day (I'm going to see if I can work four ten hour shifts, but I think those with seniority grab those shifts pretty quickly).  I have only gone to the Y once in the past three weeks, but my weight is holding steady.

     Through my work, I can get a discount with Nutri-system and am seriously thinking of a two month go with them to see if I can drop the next twenty pounds or so.  I have been doing fine with my eating, but feel that my motivation is not the same as it has been, or should be.  If I do, it will be with the first of the year....

October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!!
     Had a great weekend, went to the Y on Saturday and did a mile on the treadmill on the variety option, so I felt like I had walked on a few hills. Did OK with eating the right things, once again though I feel like I am still eating too much of a good thing (too many snacks that shouldn't be necessary). All in all though I feel that I am still on track and I don't want to beat myself up as I am continuing to lose weight or am at least maintaining. (I am about 15 pounds lighter than my lowest when I was going to weight watcher meetings).

     I have a second interview this afternoon with a fast food company that I am really hoping to get the job.  I would love to be able to pay off a lot of bills and feel like I am getting a little ahead of things instead of the drowning feeling that I have been feeling lately. Fingers crossed for the job...

October 27, 2011

    On October 7, I was laid off from the doctor's office where I had been working for the past five years.  Since then I have been searching for employment, mostly on the iternet, and am having marginal success.  I have a second interview scheduled with a fast food company on Monday. I would love to be making some decent money again. That's the one thing that I really miss since I left BKC.
     My new life style has been staying pretty much on track.  With no job, I have been spending more time at the gym, and have gone from thirty minutes on the treadmill to a little over an hour each visit, plus some work on the upper and lower body machines.  My food has been great with the low calorie switch, and I haven't had much trouble with sticking to the plan.  My main problem is at night when I'm sitting watching TV.  Not sure what that is all about, but after talking with my daughter today, I think I'll try going for a short walk after dinner, just for something else to do.

Septempber 11, 2011

     It's been a pretty great week for the "new diet".  I went to the YMCA four times, and ate spinach lasagne every night this past week (we didn't have enough containers to freeze it so I had to eat it) and was able to eat popcorn for the first time in months!!! On top of all that, I lost two pounds.  It is so much easier at work now to avoid the temptataions, I've been doing it so long now.

    

Sept 5, 2011

     My husband, (Dan) went in for a physical last week and was told that he is a heart attack waiting to happen.  He is obese, has high cholesterol and high blood sugar.  We have decided that the time has come to make some drastic changes in eating habits and exercise routines.  He has never been a fan of the low carb diet and it is much easier for a household to stay united.  So we will be going forward with the "eat less" low calorie (use a lot of weight watcher recipes and ideas).

     Today we cooked up four different meals (that have about twelve dinners for the two of us).  As I was portioning them into smaller containers once cooked, my husband was asking if he could eat more.  (The doctor had specifically said "eat less").  I said that a nice salad and vegetables would accompany the meal, but the entree should really stay the same.

     Also we are incorporating exercise into the weekly routine.  Between appointments, if possible, Dan will find a YMCA and work out, then shower and go to the next appointment.  I will hopefully be able to go after work to the Y near home.  My son showed me some upper body, lower body and back exercises that I should rotate with the cardio.

     My weight right now is about 5 pounds below my low when I was going to weight watchers, so I feel that I have been doing fairly well.  I plan on using a food diary and tracking my weight and exercise on a regular basis.  Hopefully Dan will stay motivated with me, but I am pretty sure that I have a great head start.

July 1, 2011

     Had to go back and see what I posted last time... Couldn't remember where I had left off.  I think I am about 36 pounds away from my goal. I feel really good about that, as I am still feeling very motivated to eat right.  My exercise on the other hand, not so much.  This whole week has been very rainy here, and difficult to get out and walk in lightning.  Probably just an excuse because I could go to the YMCA or try on my WII.

      I dropped my son off last week for his first semester of college.  He is about four hours away, near the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of Florida.  Driving home the next day, it really hit me, and I was REALLY sad.  My daughter is 33 and my son is 18.  I have had a kid in the house (in my life) for the past 33 years, and now it is my husband and myself.

     When my daughter called to check in (she knew how I would be feeling), she gave me a great pep talk about how I now have to set new goals for myself and my husband, find new things that we may like to do, and look for any and all positives.

     So far we've arranged a visit to go and see my son.  (My husband didn't get to go with me last week so he would really like to see the room, etc.)  Included in the weekend is time for us to relax on the beach, and my son can join us if he wants to.  We are not expecting him to be with us all that much, but it should be a fun weekend.   

June 18, 2011

     Can't believe it's been over a month since I wrote anything here. Guess it's been a really busy month.  My son graduated from high school, my daughter and grandson came for the party and then I took my son to his college orientation. Next up he leaves in five days to start summer classes!!

     My efforts on the losing weight arena are going great. I'm still watching my carb intake and have started walking again.  This past week I've been trying to walk three miles a day, and instead of trying to get it all in at one time, I'm breaking it up to two walks about one and a half miles each.  That means that I can walk a mile or a mile and a half first thing in the morning and be done with about half my daily walking in a little over thirty minutes.  When I get home from work, I have only another thirty minutes to commit to.  Much better feeling than thinking I have to go walk for an hour.  (It's also very hot at 5:30pm and not quite so bad at 6:30am).

     At work, the temptations are all still there, one co-worker who had been trying to diet has gone off the deep end and was eating three pieces of a great looking chocolate cake the other day.  Yesterday we had homemade blueberry pancakes and quiches brought in. She was devouring the pancakes telling me that I should cheat every once in a while.  Luckily I have been able to resist.  The weight is not coming off as fast as I would like, but I think that in the long run this will be much better.  Slow and steady, and making changes in my habits that will enable me to keep the weight off.

May 14, 2011

     Feeling pretty good.  Went for a two mile walk on Thursday and was able to do it in 37 minutes which made me just over eighteen minute miles.  Not too bad for an old lady, would like to have them consistently at seventeen minutes, and be walking three miles.  Oh well, I'll get there.
     In the Fatsecret on line group, there are several different challenges, and I debated between walk at least twenty minutes twice a week or walk a marathon in a week. The marathon is twenty six miles, so I quickly did the math and realized that would be at least four miles seven days a week. That seemed a little too ambitious, so I settled on the first.  Not that I want to take the easy way, but I don't want to set myself up to fail that quickly.  Maybe I can keep the second in mind for something to work towards...
     I have been having the milled flax seed "muffin" for breakfast each morning this week and have had no problems making it to lunch.  It is actually very filling, and great for the digestion. I've added some cabbage to my lunch and also having some salad with both lunch and dinner. Atkins bars and shakes have been my two snacks during the afternoon and evening.
     Today is Saturday and I plan to walk early and then clean the house andhopefully do some pressure washing out front and on the back porch. Also need to send out invitations to my son's graduation party.

May 11, 2011

     Have been busy on the Atkins online and found fatsecret.com to help me with recording my foods and seeing my net carb intake. Both are really great sites.  Have been enjoying the milled flax seed bread for breakfast and am having salad with both lunch and dinner. The extra fiber is helping with keeping things moving and also keeping me feeling more full.  I've been drinking a lot of water (I gave up drinking soda back in January), and think that helps with the feelings of fullness also.

May 5, 2011

     Haven't posted lately as there is really not much going on. My weight loss is holding at seven pounds since my restart.  Not sure why the stall, as I have been very careful with my food intake.  Today I had eggs and  bacon for breakfast, tuna and hard boiled egg salad for lunch and an Atkins Advantage shake as a snack.  I've been scouring the Atkins Community on line resource, looking for clues to my plateau, and haven't seen much help.

     I do feel pretty good though, so I will continue on.  I think that I will add a half lemon in hot water first thing in the morning (from the 17 day diet) and also the milled flax seed bread for either breakfast or as a snack.  Seems so healthy with the extra fiber and the Omega 3 oil.

April 30, 2011

     Have been trying to reduce carbs way down since Wednesday and have walked all days except Thursday.  Actually feeling pretty good, even without the fiber.  The scale still doesn't seem to be going down, but I really don't want to get discouraged. I do feel better, so I guess that's the true test.

     Going for brunch tomorrow with my parents, and I'm sure they will not believe that I am actually being good while I eat omelets, bacon and roast beef!! Had some fresh made pork rinds at a little Mexican food place on Friday that were delicious. I tried to make some today out of salt pork, not quite the same. but it was pretty filling.

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April 28, 2011

     I was getting really discouraged, and wanted to start avoiding the scales. I felt that I was following low carb really well and didn't understand why the weight wasn't "melting" off. I spoke with the girl at work that kind of got me back on the low carb (she had said how easy it was and how quickly the weight came off) and told her that I was having problems. She asked if I had cheated, and I replied no, the only thing I can think of is the whipped cream, which isn't supposed to be that bad. I told her that I put it on sugar free jello and sometimes strawberries. She almost fell over, "you can't eat strawberries". I also said that I had salad and cabbage most nights with my meat course. She said that I should try to stay at zero carbs for as long as possible.

     By the time that I spoke with her, I had had two eggs and four strips of bacon for breakfast and tuna with mayonnaise for lunch (zero carbs) on the way home I stopped and bought a one pound boneless rib eye and that was my dinner. I don't really like zero carbs because that is also zero fiber. 

April 23, 2011

     It's Easter weekend and I'm going to the beach. My sister asked me to bring the blender that makes smoothies, so that means frozen concoctions of some sort (definitely not on any diet I know about), but it does also mean a couple of long walks along the beach. I'm also bringing a lot of the foods that I can have and also a lot of water. Staying hydrated helps curb the appetite, and does sometimes help with the will power.

     We are also bringing both dogs, so they will also get extra walks and water time. There's a boat ramp on the back side of the island that is perfect for them.

April 19, 2011

It's been a few days since I've written, but not because I'm not doing as I should. Sunday was another beautiful day at the beach, and another nice walk in the sand. Today is Tuesday and I did walk both Monday and today. Still not very fast, two miles in thirty seven minutes, but at least I'm walking. I've also been very diligent in my eating habits. Have to be careful though, someone at work today said it looks like I'm losing weight. (A nice thing to hear, but it can sometimes be a dangerous thing and let you believe OK great, I look better so I can return to my bad habits).

I heard about a forty year reunion scheduled for August 2012 that I would really like to attend. Friends from the American School of Paris circa 1970's. That should definately give me some great motivation. I think I need to figure out exactly where I want to be within myself by then and begin setting some short term goals to get there.

April 16, 2011

The benefits of green tea... "Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting that regular green tea drinkers have lower chances of heart disease and of developing certain types of cancer. Although green tea does not raise the metabolic rate enough to produce immediate weight loss." This quote was taken from Wikipedia, as I thought that green tea did help with weight loss. Apparently though, green tree extracts containing polyphenols and caffeine have been shown to induce thermogenesis (which is a significant component of the metabolic rate). According to About.com, "To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful: cancer rheumatoid arthritis high cholesterol levels cardiovascular disease infection impaired immune function I feel that whether green tea does indeed do all these wonderful things or not, it is definitely worth my time to enjoy a cup or two each day.

April 15, 2011

Another good day yesterday. Lunch at work turned out to be very doable, chicken fajita meat with melted cheddar cheese and romaine salad with Ranch dressing. Lots of water throughout the day and dinner was leftover salad and left over county ribs from the night before. I had gotten ambitious at lunch time when I got home (since I didn't have to eat) and made some sugar free Jello, so that was desert. I walked two miles yesterday, not very quickly, it took me forty minutes, but I did it. Tonight there is a dinner for the puppy raisers, appreciation type thing. I hope it's not all pastas!!

April 14, 2011

I did not walk yesterday, but this morning the scale is finally beginning to move downward. I'm sure the two are not related, and I will not stop walking. My son notified me yesterday that he is not doing low carb anymore because he heard that he is missing things nutritionally by doing that type of a diet. (I haven't yet told him that it's the fruits and veggies that was meant, not all the processed food!!) He really doesn't need to be dieting, just eating better. I guess that's truly the key for all of us. Expend more than we consume. Wow what a concept. Diet and exercise!!

For breakfast today I am having milled flax seed "bread" topped with Cool Whip and a little cinnamon. It actually tastes pretty good and I am getting 16 grams of fiber!! Also some natural Omega 3.

Yesterday at work there was no temptation with food, none was brought in, but today we have both breakfast and lunch coming in. I have some cheese sticks as a snack and will come home for lunch.

April 13, 2011

Been thinking about why the obesity problem is so much more prevalent now than in years past and I think that a lot of it is because we never walk to a destination anymore. We always jump in the car and then search out the closest parking spot. I have a grocery store that is within walking distance, but the only time I walk there is when I am in my health conscious mode or trying to loose weight. On Sundays I see a lot of people walking, running or bike riding, but not to really go anywhere, just out back and forth, down the trail and back, etc. I also could ride a bike to my job, but have to pick up our newest service dog in training from his school which I think is to far (I'll have to check it out). Could just be another excuse for me to hop in the car instead of using my own power and calories to get somewhere.

Did great yesterday, I avoided the potatoes at breakfast, sticking with bacon and eggs, and also avoided all the candy in the afternoon. Did my half hour walk as soon as I got home and then got in the pool to just cool down. April in Florida is summer anywhere else!!

Aprill 12, 2011

So far so good. My day at the beach was just as great as expected. Beautiful warm sunny day. Walked about two miles in the sand, and ate only what I should. My son made it home safely from his prom night, my daughter calls almost everyday to share the little daily updates with Henry (six weeks old yesterday), my husband is making sales, all is wonderful in my world right now. At work, I am no longer sitting everyday in an office next to the kitchen (where breakfast and lunch are normally catered daily), I am working in the front office and am on my feet most of the day. The first two weeks I was unsure if I could handle it, but don't even notice it anymore. I make sure that I eat a breakfast of either eggs or milled flax seed bread, and come home for lunch daily to whatever is left over from the night before (today will be a left over turkey burger). I did walk for thirty minutes yesterday when I got home from work, and felt great. I want to start out slowly this time instead of pushing myself to fast in the beginning and then burning out quickly. Right now I am committing to walking thirty minutes five days a week. If I do more that's great, but I certainly don't want to do any less.

April 11, 2011

It has been almost a year since I've been on here... Many things have happened in the past year, but not a lot of change in my life style or my weight. I've been inspired by my daughter and son-in-law who are both avid bloggers. Monday through Friday each day they are on the computer. Perhaps if I just start writing down my thoughts and feelings, I'll begin to see a pattern to my changes, when I stop trying to be healthy and just start eating whatever I like. What is it that makes me sabotage myself and not just embrace the changes necessary to live a healthier lifestyle. At this point in my life, I am eating low carb. It is usually a fast easy way for me to drop a few pounds and get myself excited about being more conscientious of my desire to lose weight. Last Tuesday I came home from work and told my now 18 year old son that I was going low carb. He said "Great, lets go shopping for some food, I'll go too". Off we went in search of the right foods. Last night was his senior prom, so he did go off the low carb, but I feel that I have been pretty good. I went out to dinner last night with friends and scoured the menu, really tempted by the prime rib sandwich (which of course would have had french fries), but went with the crab leg/grilled chicken breast dinner with a side of zucchini in a tomato sauce (the tomato sauce was my concern but I'm sure it was better than any other choice). I did also have two Michelob Ultras which do have more carbs than I want at this point, but I gave up my diet sodas last January, didn't want to order water and forgot about iced tea. Today is going to be a day at the beach, I'll take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my husband and probably egg salad and some cheese sticks for myself. It also means a walk on the beach of probably two miles which will be real nice.