Week Twenty Eight: The Dear-God-I-Hope-I-Survive New Eating Lifestyle

I'm still not sure if last week was more insanely busy, or if this week will be. I guess I won't find out until I actually survive this week.

If I survive. Food-wise, that is.

I did really well last week despite my crazy schedule. In fact, I wound up having a piece of fruit instead of a full breakfast at least two days out of the week, and sometimes only had time for a light but sketchy lunch. One of the keys to my success was I'd made some really awesome low-cal soups.

Two soups I depend on are Green Soup, dubbed by my daughter. All this is made of is chicken broth, some julienne chicken or pork (this time it was chicken), carrots, rice, and spinach. The spinach turns the broth slightly green, hence the name. The best part is a half quart is less than 200 calories!

The other soup was Chicken Vegetable Soup. This is also low on the calorie scale (a little over 200) for the same sized serving. All veggies and meat does a body good. Especially when you're in a hurry and can microwave a bowl in a few minutes.

I didn't exercise as much this week. At the gym anyway. I did however exhaust myself every day prepping for the conference, and hardly any of it concerned writing! I thank the Lord each day for my daughter, who helped me make about sixty-five dozen cookies (and yes, that is an accurate count) and several banana breads. My husband is making some vanilla and chocolate pound cakes, and I'll be spending today prepping dip, veggies and fruit for the conference coffee breaks.

How can I resist not eating everything we made? Easy. I'm too darn tired at the end of the day that I forget! I usually don't taste when I bake (at least after the initial taste that's mandatory), so when I have busy baking days, I lose more weight simply because I'm too busy to eat. I just have no interest in eating until all the baking is done!

Good thing I'm taking all of this stuff to the conference- otherwise I might be in trouble. Because them cookies is good. Yes, I had to taste test them the next day. Had to. It was a moral imperative.

This week I can graze as I prep, because everything is healthy. Veggies and fruits are easy to munch on when prepping, and as long as I leave enough for the conferees, all is well. I know many of the people attending the conference are in the same boat as I am, so healthy choices will give them a chance to behave. However, if they choose to indulge, they can too. I made the cookies cute and small so if one is eaten, their whole day isn't ruined.

But man, I could sure use a nap!

Lessons learned:

Cookies in hard-to-open, air-tight containers is a good way to keep my mitts off of them the day after baking.

Being busy and have soups ready to eat is the best way for me to stay on track.

Idle hands make for determined cookie container opening. Keep busy.

Having fresh fruit handy when strapped for time helps keep the Hungries away when you can't eat a full meal at that moment.

Always try to get to the gym, but if you know you're going to be running on borrowed time all day, it's okay to skip it- just don't make it a habit!


The conference starts Wednesday and will last for four days. The menus at the conference are dicey at best, but I hope to make good choices- or at least better ones. I just hope I have the energy to survive!

Week Twenty Seven: The Dear-God-I'm-Getting-Muscle New Eating Lifestyle

Ever since my exercise bike broke (darn pedals!), I was lazing about instead of doing something physical to keep up the fat burn. So the other week I joined a gym, and started doing everything I could think of on the machines.

The good thing is I was also doing light weight training. The not-so-good news is I did too much of it.

Why is that not-so-good? Because I wasn't doing enough of the fat burning, cardio exercises I needed to burn calories. In fact, I became more concerned about toning, and became lax about the calorie crunching exercises that kept me moving. 

This week I'm focusing more on the fat-burning, cardio stuff. Oh I'm still going to work on the light weight training, just not as much. Even in the week of working out, my muscles are already stronger, and that's good.

But I'm not there to gain muscle. Not yet.

Eating has still been tough, but tweaking my eating schedule helped a lot. I ate a lot more fruit, but ran out of time to make proper dinners filled with veggies. There's always something to work on when losing weight- and I don't mean in the gym this time!

It doesn't help that I have a week-long event I'm making goodies for. It's too easy to taste-test as you bake- just to make sure they are baking correctly, mind you! But those calories add up, and I wind up eating more calories than I should. The funny thing is I'm not a 'sweets' person- I'm a 'salty'. Except for this week, where I'm surrounded by yummy sweet things every day. Ugh.

And I ran out of fruit two days ago. Yikes!

Lessons learned:

Toning muscle is good- building it too early isn't.

Focus on the calorie burning exercises for better weight loss.

Keep fruits and veggies well-stocked.

Put goodies under lock and key after baking. make it harder to get to them than to the fruit!

Look into more crock-pot meals with lots of veggies when the schedule is full. Cut, toss, season and start!

Cardio and fat-burns can also relieve a lot of stress- especially when you do it for more than twenty minutes.


Ironing out the wrinkles isn't easy. Sometimes it a right pain in the rear to work and re-work everything until things run smoothly- but one thing I did learn, which Nike has been telling us forever- Just Do It. get up. Get it done. Stop dreading and start treading. Those feet aren't going to move themselves! 

Telling myself these things each day gets me up and moving, motivating me to lose weight (and to get everything else done too!) Just Do It. Pray for strength. Try it- it might just change your life!

Week Twenty Six: The Dear-God-I-Need-To-Reboot New Eating Lifestyle

It's been twenty-six weeks. 
Six months. 
One half-year since I started this eating lifestyle. I've had great success, and I've had utter failures. But each time I got up and kicked Fat's proverbial butt. 

But the past few weeks have been a struggle.

I thought I had the food thing conquered. But I became overconfident and started eating when stressed, and eating socially with the family at night. I also got addicted to animal crackers- those things are so good! Not so good if you're eating several handfuls before bed. 

The funny thing is, I wasn't like this before I started this new eating plan! So why now? Because I've reached a plateau and my habits have changed. Even the bad ones.

It's time for a reboot.

Yep, I'm going to start from square one- actually more like square four, since I don't have to learn from the start and I'm doing exercises regularly now. I also need to promise myself to not eat the rest of those darn animal crackers! 

One of the problems is my exercise schedule upsets the breakfast schedule. I usually don't like to eat until 9am,- but since I started going to the gym, that's been a problem. I work out after I drop my husband off to work at 6am, and by the time I get home from the gym, it's another 1-2 hours before I eat. Then I get too hungry and eat too much.

Last week I worked out four days in a row. Friday I could barely move. I was useless over the weekend because everything hurt. Too much too soon, woman! So I ate more simply because I wasn't as mobile. 
This morning, however, I did three things- the bike, the arm curls (for the triceps- otherwise known as Batwing arms), and the treadmill. I was tired, but felt really good!

I came home from the workout and ate a banana. Hunger sated, and I can now relax and make breakfast at my regular time. Why don't I just eat breakfast when I get home? Two reasons; One, I'm lazy and bananas or any other fruit is just easier to pick up and eat, and Two, I'm tired from the workout and don't feel like cooking that early in the morning. 
Oh, and one more reason- eating a late breakfast allows me to space out my meals evenly, so there's no huge gap in between meals to encourage grazing.

Six months is a perfect time to reboot, because my body is changing as well as my schedule. The tactics I've been using don't work anymore; food and workouts need to be tweaked for better (and steadier) weight loss. I don't want to be on this plateau any longer!

The best part? It feels good to know I have changes to make. I've been feeling in a rut lately, and that can bring on those bad eating habits- and it did. But now I have a better perspective on what I'm capable of, and a better sense of my shortcomings, so I can better guard against them in the edible future. I really am fighting fat!

Lessons Learned: 

Just because something works in the beginning doesn't mean it will work through the entire process. Tweak and make new goals.

If possible, get rid of or reduce contact involving stressful projects, events, or people. It's okay to say no!

Don't bring any more dadgum animal crackers in the house. I should never have bought the big jar!

Want to eat socially? Eat those veggies you cut instead of crackers and cheese or cookies- even if they are yummy and animal-shaped.

Don't overdo it in the gym. Hurting all weekend because you didn't take it slow doesn't help you- or anyone else around you.


It was a very educational week. I'm really trying hard not to slip back into old habits, and to stop telling myself "the heck with it" when I want to eat more than I should. Self-discipline has always been hard for me, but I want this weight gone, and it won't leave on it's own! It likes me, and I have to kick it to the curb because it hasn't paid rent since it got here. 

You might be struggling like I am now. Maybe you lost some weight, and thought the road should be easier; maybe for a time it was. But our bodies adjust and the things that used to work don't work as well anymore, and I'm here to tell you that's a good thing- because that means you're making progress!

Tweak your eating and exercise. Go a little longer, Snack a little better. The weight will come off if you do. And you'll feel better knowing you're on your way to being a happier, healthier you!

Week Twenty Five: The Dear-God-Working-And-Working-Out-Ain't-Easy New Eating Lifestyle

It's been a crazy busy week!

The Good: I had several driving jobs. I spent the 4th of July painting faces (yes the entire day- in a nine hour stretch, I was painting for almost seven of them!) I sewed. I cleaned. I managed to get a lot done. 

That day of face painting was great calorie-wise, because I didn't have the chance to eat any fair food. I didn't have time- my husband brought me something because we only lived a few blocks from the event. I even managed to behave (sorta) at the picnic afterwards! I ate more meat than anything else, but at least it wasn't the really bad stuff, like cake and other goodies.

The Bad: Because my schedule ran amok, I didn't eat a lot of salad. I didn't prep my veggies the way I should have either, though I had time if I had gottten off the internet. Many a veggie could have been salvaged and eaten had I just turned off the computer. But I was tired, and lazy, and I didn't do it.

Just keeping it real here, folks.

The Ugly: No exercise. None. Nada. Except for the 4th, I didn't do squat. And it took me a day just to recuperate from it. Ever hold you arms in an awkward position for seven hours straight? Best resistance training ever! And sitting spread-kneed whilst bending forward to paint faces does wonders for the thighs, knees and back. I was walking like and three-hundred year-old lady by the time we had to break down and leave the grounds.

Trust me, it wasn't pretty! I was happy with the calorie burn though- a good thirteen hundred calories (and some decent fundage) made the day worth it.

This morning after dropping off my husband at work, I went to the local gym to see what programs were available. I have enough regular work now that going to the gym would be worth the cost. Twenty bucks a month will also allow me to bring a guest- so I can incorporate my family into working out as well! 
When I can I'll bring in my daughter in the morning, and my husband after work- when he's up to it. That way he can walk and not wear himself to a thread to build up his stamina again. I'm not so sure about my son though- he's a night owl, and by the time he's cognizant, my energy levels are drained. But I'll try!

I want to start at least three times a week after I drop my husband off, and see where I go from there, tweaking things along the way. This might be the best way to get everyone healthier and more active!

Lessons learned:

Too much time on the computer can lead to eating the wrong things. Take time out before turning the computer on to prep those veggies!

Exercise can be done for free, but if a gym is more motivating (especially when you're menopausal and it's hot and muggy out), go for it- the idea is to get out and be active- it doesn't matter what you're doing at this point, as long as you're moving!

On non-driving days, cook more than one meal and freeze it. No more 'finding whatever' in the fridge because a driving job ran late and you didn't have time to make dinner. 

Don't overbuy. An overstuffed fridge is almost as bad as an organized fridge with junk in it. What good is having six heads of lettuce if you're not willing to dig for it when it's lunchtime? (and yes, the Sam's Club Romaine lettuce has six heads in each package!)

Learn to be more flexible concerning your schedule. If you can't exercise in the morning, do it on the way home from a driving job, or with your hubby in the evening after dinner. Once a day, three times a week at least!


Being crazy busy is a good thing, for the most part. Idle hands (in my case) makes for snacking fingers. But there has to be a balance between busy and healthy eating that I just haven't mastered yet. Hey, it took me a few years just to get the portion part right, so this will take some time also! Just not years... I hope!