1. I just discovered I can post on this thing via email. Which is to say that I can now post from my blackberry. Who else is excited about knowing what I'm having for lunch because I can post it from my phone?
2. Another small victory! According to my scale and the calendar on which I keep track of these things, I've lost 9 pounds in the last thirty days. While this isn't exactly monumental, considering I feel like I've done a lot of cheating it is not too bad.
So, I'm hoping July can build on what I've done this June. I'm not planning on adding/subtracting/changing anything in my regiment. I'm still moving towards (which is to say, cheating away) from South Beach, eating as many veggies as I can put in my mouth (this past week, in the form of many, many BLTs), and going for walks when I motivate myself up off the sofa. Of course, perhaps I could motivate myself into doing one of the many work out DVDs I own. We'll see about that.
To celebrate this month's small victory, I had some baked cheetos today. 34 cheetos is 130 calories. I had more than 130 calories worth and now I feel sort of sluggish and gross. I think I may very well break what's left into individual serving sizes. Not that I'll likely make the same mistake again.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Vegetables
So, some friends and I went into together and bought a share in a local farm (two farms, actually) through a Community Sustained Agriculture program. We have a fruit share and a summer vegetable share. (We're on the wait list for a winter share.) We got our first shares of veg yesterday. I have sweet onions, all different types of lettuce.
I bought bacon and eggs to go with my lettuces. I've had two sandwiches today. I'm pretty excited about the rest of the lettuce. Although, I don't imagine it will last as long as I think it will. The quart of strawberries we got last week lasted me four days. I love vegetables! I hope that this will help my efforts to help my health efforts!
I bought bacon and eggs to go with my lettuces. I've had two sandwiches today. I'm pretty excited about the rest of the lettuce. Although, I don't imagine it will last as long as I think it will. The quart of strawberries we got last week lasted me four days. I love vegetables! I hope that this will help my efforts to help my health efforts!
Friday, 19 June 2009
Small Victories
On Monday I went clothes shopping with my Mother. We looked in a few shops, picked through the sales racks. Mostly, we just chatted and walked. The point of the excursion was to visit Torrid so that I could use the ten dollars off coupon they sent me in the mail for my birthday. I don't go clothes shopping very often. I don't because I have a lot of clothing. And, graduate school isn't the sort of place that keeps you in piles of cash. Also, I don't because I'm hoping to not be this size for very long (a hope that I have long nursed) so I don't want to add to this wardrobe if I'm not going to get a lot of use out of something.
As a result of this, I get a lot of use out of the items I have. Our mission was to find me another pair of work pants because I pretty much live in black trousers whether I'm working or not. We accepted it. We stopped at Torrid, which had a number of cute summer dresses that I thought were a little overpriced and some nice black slacks in tall. The tall is very necessary. Sadly, they were out of what I thought was my size. But, they did have the next size down. I figured, what the hell, I'll try them. And, they sit. So, I'm now (currently at this moment) wearing a size that is 3 sizes smaller than the last pair of pants I bought at Lane Bryant. Now, I know that different places size things differently, so this might not be the victory I think it is (although, of the two, I think Torrid's sizes tend to run smaller. Any thoughts on this?), but its still a victory and I'm going to take it.
As a result of this, I get a lot of use out of the items I have. Our mission was to find me another pair of work pants because I pretty much live in black trousers whether I'm working or not. We accepted it. We stopped at Torrid, which had a number of cute summer dresses that I thought were a little overpriced and some nice black slacks in tall. The tall is very necessary. Sadly, they were out of what I thought was my size. But, they did have the next size down. I figured, what the hell, I'll try them. And, they sit. So, I'm now (currently at this moment) wearing a size that is 3 sizes smaller than the last pair of pants I bought at Lane Bryant. Now, I know that different places size things differently, so this might not be the victory I think it is (although, of the two, I think Torrid's sizes tend to run smaller. Any thoughts on this?), but its still a victory and I'm going to take it.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Picking A Plan
I have decided to re-read The South Beach Diet and The Eat Clean Diet. While they might deny that they are the same thing, they are pretty similar. They are both plans that focus a life-long overhaul of how you eat focusing on complex carbohydrates like the ones found in whole grains and fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. I have also decided to cancel my eDiets subscription. In March, I signed up for their Glycemic Impact diet (which is, again, a diet focused on complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.)
I have made this decision for two reasons. The first reason is that I don't sign into eDiets frequently enough to justify the expenditure. While I can see how it would be a tremendous resource, I found that when I was following their menu I was buying way more food than I actually ate. This meant that I wasted a lot of food. And, when I was going through the menus and trying to decide what not to buy (because I knew I wasn't going to eat as much as they predicted I would eat) I would just end up creating my own menu anyway. And, the second reason? I feel like South Beach and Eat Clean are geared towards learning principles to live by. I would like to (re)learn some general principles as I hope to one day live in a world where I do not feel like my life is centered around food and eating. I'm hoping I'm not the only person out there who feels like this, but I feel like most of my day centers around what I can eat, what I should eat, and (sadly) what other people are thinking about what I eat. I know, its ridiculous but I probably spend as much time scrutinizing food choices for their social consequences as I do actually preparing and eating food. (If you're one of the people free of this affliction, let me just tell you that it takes pretty much all off the fun out of eating. It makes it impossible to really enjoy the things that are bad for you and it makes the things that are good for you, whether they are tasty or not, a chore.) I know this is crazy; I would like to someday be free of it. But, today is not that day. Today is a salad with peppers, tomatoes and grilled chicken breast served with a big glass of water day.
I have made this decision for two reasons. The first reason is that I don't sign into eDiets frequently enough to justify the expenditure. While I can see how it would be a tremendous resource, I found that when I was following their menu I was buying way more food than I actually ate. This meant that I wasted a lot of food. And, when I was going through the menus and trying to decide what not to buy (because I knew I wasn't going to eat as much as they predicted I would eat) I would just end up creating my own menu anyway. And, the second reason? I feel like South Beach and Eat Clean are geared towards learning principles to live by. I would like to (re)learn some general principles as I hope to one day live in a world where I do not feel like my life is centered around food and eating. I'm hoping I'm not the only person out there who feels like this, but I feel like most of my day centers around what I can eat, what I should eat, and (sadly) what other people are thinking about what I eat. I know, its ridiculous but I probably spend as much time scrutinizing food choices for their social consequences as I do actually preparing and eating food. (If you're one of the people free of this affliction, let me just tell you that it takes pretty much all off the fun out of eating. It makes it impossible to really enjoy the things that are bad for you and it makes the things that are good for you, whether they are tasty or not, a chore.) I know this is crazy; I would like to someday be free of it. But, today is not that day. Today is a salad with peppers, tomatoes and grilled chicken breast served with a big glass of water day.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
But, I'm on Vacation
To Celebrate the end of the semester, hitting it (metaphorically) out of the park in terms of grades, and because my sister got tickets to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I am currently sitting on her couch in Brooklyn. We have a big day today. We may see a movie. I have a spa appointment this afternoon. (I'm getting a manicure! This is great because I've cracked one of my nails down in the nail bed and I'm hoping if they can't save it, they can at least trim it in such a way that it will stop snagging on things and it won't be sore.) And, this evening we are going to a book signing.
I love this city. It is a town of hills and stairs and people who love giving you directions, even if you haven't asked. I'm on vacation, so we've been living it up. Which brings me to the concern of this post. What do you eat on vacation?
I find this to be a particularly troubling question. I've done all this hard work up until this point and fought and clawed for small gains that have been real victories. Its a diet. But, really its a process meant to help me mend the errors of my ways. I don't want to break the habits I've working so hard to establish. And, I don't want to get home and feel regret or guilt. But, I'm on vacation. So, what do I do?
I have no solid answers, only the rules I've laid out for myself. They are pretty basic and I meant them to be accommodating. It is important to me, after a long semester, to really enjoy this time off. But, its also important that my short term fun not be counterproductive in the long term. So, here are my rules:
1. If you really want it, go ahead and order it. I came into town with a serious red meat craving. The first day I was here I had a hamburger and curly fries (which were magnificent) and then later in the evening a steak spinach salad. It was not the best spinach salad, but as far as steaks go in the States it was a reasonably sized one. I'm not sure I would have chosen so well if I hadn't just let myself get stuff.
2. If there is a healthy option that sounds pretty good, shoot for that. New York City puts calories after things on menus, so you have the numbers staring at you while you're making your decision. Yesterday, I was hungry but I wasn't craving anything. The chicken pesto sandwich looked good, but so did the fire roasted veg for 200 calories less. I went with the veg. Although, I did have half a cookie at Barnes and Noble later in the day.
3. Eat Breakfast. Its so obvious and yet its so easy to forget or to skip it.
4. Take water with you! We forgot this the first day, so we had to buy water after we'd explored the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've been reusing the bottle, actually. I've made it my goal to finish at least one bottle of water every day. Plus, the more you drink, the lighter the bottle gets. So, at the end of the day when you don't want to hike up the hill to go home, at least you're not carrying a full water bottle. (Of course, it makes no difference if you're first stop of the day was Lush and you bought the whole store.)
So, this is what I've been working with on this trip. I'll let you know Friday morning, when I'm back to my scale at home (and my regular weighing in time) how much damage I've done. Even if I've put a few pounds back on, I figure I've not done too badly since I've remained conscious of my eating.
I love this city. It is a town of hills and stairs and people who love giving you directions, even if you haven't asked. I'm on vacation, so we've been living it up. Which brings me to the concern of this post. What do you eat on vacation?
I find this to be a particularly troubling question. I've done all this hard work up until this point and fought and clawed for small gains that have been real victories. Its a diet. But, really its a process meant to help me mend the errors of my ways. I don't want to break the habits I've working so hard to establish. And, I don't want to get home and feel regret or guilt. But, I'm on vacation. So, what do I do?
I have no solid answers, only the rules I've laid out for myself. They are pretty basic and I meant them to be accommodating. It is important to me, after a long semester, to really enjoy this time off. But, its also important that my short term fun not be counterproductive in the long term. So, here are my rules:
1. If you really want it, go ahead and order it. I came into town with a serious red meat craving. The first day I was here I had a hamburger and curly fries (which were magnificent) and then later in the evening a steak spinach salad. It was not the best spinach salad, but as far as steaks go in the States it was a reasonably sized one. I'm not sure I would have chosen so well if I hadn't just let myself get stuff.
2. If there is a healthy option that sounds pretty good, shoot for that. New York City puts calories after things on menus, so you have the numbers staring at you while you're making your decision. Yesterday, I was hungry but I wasn't craving anything. The chicken pesto sandwich looked good, but so did the fire roasted veg for 200 calories less. I went with the veg. Although, I did have half a cookie at Barnes and Noble later in the day.
3. Eat Breakfast. Its so obvious and yet its so easy to forget or to skip it.
4. Take water with you! We forgot this the first day, so we had to buy water after we'd explored the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've been reusing the bottle, actually. I've made it my goal to finish at least one bottle of water every day. Plus, the more you drink, the lighter the bottle gets. So, at the end of the day when you don't want to hike up the hill to go home, at least you're not carrying a full water bottle. (Of course, it makes no difference if you're first stop of the day was Lush and you bought the whole store.)
So, this is what I've been working with on this trip. I'll let you know Friday morning, when I'm back to my scale at home (and my regular weighing in time) how much damage I've done. Even if I've put a few pounds back on, I figure I've not done too badly since I've remained conscious of my eating.
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