Week Twenty Four: The Dear-God-What-Happened? New Eating Lifestyle

I knew it was a stressful month, but wow, I hadn't expected this.

I went to the nutritionist, knowing that I blew it big-time in the calorie department. Too many days where I was out of the house and forgot to take something, or was out longer than expected and had to eat what was available- and sometimes I had "just one more spoonful" of something at dinnertime.

And I still haven't exercised regularly since I broke my exercise bike.

So why was I surprised by the numbers on the scale? I thought that maybe I lost three to five pounds, since I was almost doing what I was doing last month...right?

Nope. I lost one pound. One.

At first I was sad. One stinking lousy pound in almost five weeks? Seriously? But the scale doesn't lie. To be real, I was the one lying. 

I didn't always log calories right after I ate them. Sometimes I forgot to add something, and sometimes I 'forgot' to add something, if you know what I mean. I didn't exercise- I didn't even try. I knew it, and my body knew it. Yes, we were in the middle of a heat wave last week, but I wouldn't have gone out anyway. I knew it, and did nothing about it. And it showed on the scale.

Oh I had good intentions, but intentions don't drop the pounds. Intentions don't burn calories. And since I was eating more on the sly, my body did what it does, which is store the extra calories for later.

After giving this a lot of consideration, I was happy that I lost a pound. I could have easily gained weight.

My husband said he would try to fix the bike, but looking at his lack of time and resources for a bike that has no more available parts, we trashed the idea (and the bike) and decided it might be best to sign up at the gym again, since I'm getting in enough work to cover the small monthly fee. 
The driving jobs (though small and sporadic) will not only provide the funds for the gym, but will allow me to have the van every day so I can get to the gym faster and more often. 
I don't have to worry about weather issues either, like walking in 100 degree heat while in the middle of a hot flash. Can you say 'Human Combustion' boys and girls? I knew you could!

Lessons learned:

Calories matter. Every bite adds to the count!

Exercise matters. In my case, it's essential to getting more pounds off and shrinking my belly.

Even if you think you don't need a snack, take one. You never know when delays can happen and better to be a little hungry than starving by the time you get a meal.

Log the food. Log the food. LOG THE FOOD. If you can't log it, write down what and how much you ate in a notebook to log later.

Keep busy. Much of the time I ate because I had nothing better to do.

Keep your hands busy. Sometimes I ate just because everyone else was- like in front of the TV with cheese and crackers. Bad idea, since I knew I'd already hit my goal for the day!


I have to own up to the fact that I was getting complacent- I had it all down- I nailed it. I knew what I had to do. Yet I still figured I could get away with it even though I broke the rules. My body just thwapped me upside the head and said "What the heck were you thinking? Get back to working out, woman!"

The good side of this is that I'm now OFFICIALLY the lightest I've ever been in a decade- 291.5! Next goal? 280's- here I come!

Week Twenty Three: The Dear-God-I'm-Getting-Back-On-The-Bandwagon New Eating Lifestyle

Last week was a hot mess.

I was hot, and my schedule was a mess. It still is.

Last week I was so busy, I even forgot to make my regular post! This week I'm going to work on getting better organized- in my schedule and in the kitchen.

Fruits and veggies occupy most of my fridge space, and much of it needs prepping. I also cooked like crazy this weekend, so I have enough food to grab and go for a decade- maybe only a few days if my son eats- and since both kids are out for the summer, at least I have a few days reprieve from cooking.

I found myself eating more this week than I wanted, and had at least two days where I went over my 1500 goal- one days was over 2100. This week I'll be working on more veggie sides and main dish salads for lunch, along with fruits and veggies for snacks.

I peeled potatoes to make stew last night, and the kids love it when I deep fry the peelings with a little seasoned salt. I might just fry them up today for them as a treat, and maybe snatch a few for myself. Remember, I'm not denying myself anything- I just take less. 

This week I'm scheduled to see the nutritionist. I really hope I lost some weight, but I know it won't be as much as last time- there were just too many hurdles to jump this month.

The public pool is now open and I'll be planning swim sessions this week as well. I hope I survive this week!

Lessons learned:

Veggies good, a ton of fried foods bad. Don't expose yourself to these foods too often!

Prep those veggies!

Watermelon is a great filler-upper.

Cook in moderation. Too much prepped food could mean wasted food. That's where the freezer comes in handy.

Check the fridge before shopping to avoid overstocking on tomatoes. Again.

Buy or make a better scheduling planner.


this week was a mess, but I'm confident that things will get better. Especially now that I have kids to help with the housework!

Week Twenty Two: The Dear-God-My-Brain-Is-Fried-And-So-Is-This-Chicken New Eating Lifestyle

This is a week beyond weeks. I didn't backslide too badly, but boy, the stress is getting to me!

This was a week of chaos. I forgot many important things, and then had to run like a rabbit to get them straightened out. And just because i bought lettuce, doesn't mean I had a chance to eat any.

My husband was away last weekend and I missed him terribly. I had a face painting event that didn't profit well. My daughter graduated. I had deadlines, errands, and a ton of things on my To Do list. There just wasn't enough time in the day to get it all done and pay attention to what I threw down my throat.

Though I did try.

I didn't have much time to make dinner this week, and when I did, it had a lot of pasta. Before I knew it, I had consumed in one meal almost two thirds of my daily intake- and since that was at dinnertime, I had eaten over 2100 calories. Ugh.

But that was one day. I'll get over it.

I got a new driving job and the work is sporadic. Exercise has been hard (read: non-existent) since the weather isn't playing nice. You could row a boat on the humidity, and when it isn't beastly hot, it's raining. 

My husband said he would try to fix my exercise bike, but he hasn't had much time either- he's playing catch-up at work.

Don't get me wrong- this is not a venting post- it's just an 'I'm-going-nuts-and-am-frustrated' post. Too much to do, and not enough time to do it. Some weeks are just like that.

We don't usually do take-out; the calories are too expensive, and so is the food. But the pizza place was called at least twice this week, and the supermarket had really good fried chicken, so I splurged a bit and bought sustenance for my family. And there was no salad in sight. Just because I bought lettuce, doesn't mean I ate any.

Then I forgot I was supposed to make this post on Monday. Oops. 

No worries though- One hectic week isn't going to kill me. I hope.


Lessons learned:

Schedule, schedule, schedule! Plan things better so you aren't running about like a loon.

Better menu plans will help immensely when weeks like this come along.

More meat and veggies in the bowl- less pasta. Empty calories aren't worth it.

Eat the lettuce you bought. 

Boil eggs to have handy to add a little protein to salads.

Get the bike fixed.


This wasn't the best week, but for all the stress, I had one bad day out of it all. Not bad! The public pool will be opening up soon, and I should be able to schedule two to three decent swims a week- hot days won't matter then!
I'll be getting back to salads and continue with soups, as they are a great way to keep the calories down without sacrificing fullness. 
My only question is now- what will my weight be by my next appointment?

Week Twenty One: The Dear-God-I'm-Feeling-Skinny New Eating Lifestyle

I'm feeling skinny this week!

There's no real reason for feeling this way though. I didn't do much exercise, and I didn't dip under 1400 calories more than once this week, but my body just feels a lot thinner.

My arms look thinner- I can see a deeper angle at the elbow when I lift my arm.

My legs look thinner- especially when I lift them up while laying in bed.

My face looks thinner- my second chin is slowly but surely shrinking.

And my usually puffy feet have deflated enough that I can actually see ankles.

I just feel skinny! Not sure if it's deserved or not, but I'm going to revel in it while it lasts.

I'm also proud of myself for not binge-eating after a major disappointment on Saturday. It was something that would've changed our lives forever, but didn't happen. Instead of eating, I put that energy into making Plan B. Food never even crossed my mind, which was surprising.

This is Week Twenty One. The fact that I lasted this long is amazing, and even more amazing, my habits and mentality towards food is changing. I can now honestly say I'm eating to live, not living to eat. Probably for the first time since birth.

I don't look to food as an answer anymore. I don't find solace in food. It's no longer in control of me. I admit it's super nice to have a mug of hot soup in my hand while sitting in an overstuffed chair and reading a book, but I don't need the soup in order to relax. That's what's important. Before the soup was a need, now it's just 'something nice to have'.

Maybe that's why I feel so skinny. My brain is telling me that food is not in control anymore. I am. And who wouldn't feel good (and skinny) about that?

Lessons learned:

When you don't have a scale, take a look at yourself and feel the differences in your body shape.

Eat less on lower activity days.

Housework gets done better (and faster) when you put on your favorite music.

Wear shoes the entire day to help stifle excuses to not go for a walk.

Crockpots can be lifesavers during heat waves when you have to cook.

You are not a garbage disposal- any leftovers should be stored in the fridge- no matter how small. They can make a small lunch the next day.

Twenty one weeks seems like a long time, but it doesn't feel like a long time. I learn something new each week, and revise old lessons to better myself. And it all started with a little trip to the nutritionist. Best. Appointment. Ever.

Week Twenty: The Dear-God-I'm-Tired-And-Hot New Eating Lifestyle

This was a hard week.

Thunderstorms ripped through the area in unexpected spurts, and the temperatures were in the nineties. I'm not one to blossom in heat and humidity- me and Jabba the Hutt had something in common this week. I barely moved from my desk or the couch. Bleah.

I can feel my muscles atrophying as we speak- they cry "I want to go walk! I want to ride a bike!" and my brain cries out "Are you nuts? It's a million degrees outside and threatening rain! Go sit down and be quiet!" 

Now I'm paying the price. 

Less activity means I get bored. I get bored, I eat. I eat too much, I gain weight. And since I just got weighed and don;t own a scale yet, I can't really tell if I truly gained or if it's just in my head.

It also doesn't help that I forgot I had lettuce in the fridge and it was bad by the time I remembered. So much for salads until I get my Jabba the Butt to the store.

Good thing I do have enough veggies and fruit to snack on that if I do graze, the calories won't be bad ones.

It's times like these when I miss my exercise bike the most. I hate even blinking too much in hot and humid weather! I melt faster than butter in a hot fry pan. Ugh!

It also doesn't help that the hot flashes are back with a vengeance. I had a series of them last night, and scooted to the edge of the couch just to get my steaming body under the air of the ceiling fan. My daughter touched my back, and pulled her hand back like she was burned. "Wow, Mom- you really are hot!" No kidding- I think I left singe marks on the cushion.

The only consolation I had was that I was sweating like a race horse without having to lift a finger. Water loss still counts! At least until you drink a gallon of cold water to stifle the heat you're exuding. Oh well. I was thinner for a little while anyway.

I think we need a book like Goodnight Moon for women. Hello legs, hello knees, let's walk and feel the breeze! Hello hormones overworked, making me act like a jerk. Hello sweat upon my skin, hello puddle that I'm in...oh yeah- pure poetry.

This week will be better. It has to be. I still have veggies in the fridge!

Lessons learned:

Get AC units installed before the hot weather hits- or buy more mops.

Fans, spray bottles filled with cool water, and AC are your friends during a heat wave- and you can do housework without fainting.

Always check the lettuce before going shopping.

Get fireproof furniture coverings.

Laugh through the hard weeks and celebrate the easy weeks.

Weather reports are important. Plan exercise around the weather. Don't exercise in the heat- early morning and after dinner are good times to work out in the summer. 

If you just can't seem to cool down, get an almost cold shower, turning down the temp as you get used to it. No cold shock, and it helps ease hot flashes and core temperatures. Air dry under a fan for condensation cooling afterwards. 


This was a rough week. But I'll make it through, even if I have to be under the shower ten times a day. Sure I'll look like a big pink raisin when I'm done, but at least I won't be a hot sweaty mess!