Friday, April 16, 2010

Challenge Day 17

First off, I need to declare that I am NO LONGER OVERWEIGHT!!!! I weighed in at an even 136.0 this morning, which puts my BMI at exactly 25.0, which is the cut off for "normal"! Seeing the label "overweight" has been so difficult for me, so this is huge!

I ate well yesterday!
B - 1/2 bagel with cream cheese
S - plum
L - mixed salad with turkey and oil and vinegar dressing
S - a handful of almonds, banana
D - toast, two eggs, 2 sausage links and hash browns (yep, there is a story there)

Last night, I went with my mom to see Elizabeth Gilbert (author of "Eat, Pray, Love") give a talk. I left work early so I could spend some time with my babies, but didn't manage to squeeze in dinner before I had to leave. The talk was AWESOME - I think Elizabeth Gilbert is an incredibly compelling person. But, I was STARVING afterward. The only thing we could find open that late was Denny's!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Challenge Day 16

Finally, a good food day!!!

B - Kashi with blueberries
S - 6 almonds and 1/2 a cucumber
L - soup and a plum
S - greek yogurt
D - 1/2 a crab cake (Carter stole my other 1/2)

I'm still hungry, so I think I'm going to make a sandwich in a minute :)

No workout today. Bennett came in our bed in the middle of the night, then Carter this morning, and I wasn't about to give up my sleepy cuddles :) Too much work to do it tonight. Tomorrow morning, its ON!

60-20-20

Over two weeks into my "Get Fit Challenge" and I have to be honest and say its been a total FAILURE thus far. I've lost one whopping pound. Whoo-de-doo. **rolls eyes**

I try to lay blame on my crazy job for sucking all the energy and life out of me. But really, there is no one to blame by me, myself, and I.

I read somewhere that your physique is determined 60% by diet, 20% by exercise, and 20% genetics. I won't go into the genetics here. But, its been clear that my pitfall has been with the diet element. I could exercise from now until the end of time, and it will only account for 20%. I cannot make long term and sustainable (hell, even short term) progress if I don't get my act together and start eating right.

Generally, I would say that most of the time, I eat well. However, a single day has not gone by during this Challenge that I didn't splurge and eat something off plan. I want to kick myself in the butt now! If I add up all that crap I've eaten the past 15 days, I bet you that would account for MANY pounds I did not lose.

Planning is the critical element. I've been so pressed for time lately that I have really slacked on this element. Heck, I haven't even set foot in a grocery store in like a month. Bad. I HAVE to plan me food. If not, then I grab "whatever" and I guarantee you, "whatever" isn't good for the waistline.

Another issue is that I usually splurge out of emotional eating. FOOD IS FUEL, NOT MEDICATION! I need to emblazon that on my forehead. I eat when I am stressed. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I want a pick-me-up. This pattern is definitely not healthy.

Anyone else like that? How do you overcome that? Logic says that one should recognize the triggers and come up with alternative coping mechanisms. Sounds good, but what exactly do you do?

I've got to do it ladies. I have just GOT to. Nothing will ever truly change unless I do!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

29

Today is my 29th birthday. How is it that I feel so old, and yet, so young at the same time?? I'm definitely on the younger end of my "mommy friend" peers. I guess its just something about teetering on the edge of moving into a new decade that makes me feel like I'm almost grown up. SO much has happened in my 20s! I graduated from college, got married, went to law school, had a baby, graduated law school, passed the bar exam and started practicing law, had another baby. Phew! Its been a busy decade!

I have one year left. Which leads me to think - how do I want to end this decade?

The thing that pops foremost into my mind, is that I want to really "regain" control over my life again. The past two years have been a whirlwind, a true blur. I've definitely been off my game. I've been basically struggling to "survive" - and I hate that! That just isn't me.

I want to go into my thirties as the woman I KNOW I am inside - strong, organized, efficient, energetic, positive!

I also find it sort of "funny" as I reflect, that throughout my 20s, I've been very focused on tangible accomplishments. And I've accomplished quite a lot. When I think ahead to my 30s, there really isn't much left by way of a tangible solid goal that I want to do. I think more along the lines of "I want to be a more present mother with my children;" and "I want to enjoy the day-to-day business of life more." I'm still pondering whether that stream of thinking is the problem or the cure.

Well, nothing like a birthday to make you contemplate your life. And your wrinkles and gray hairs :)

By the way - I love my husband, but he SUCKS at birthdays. In the 14 years we have been together, he has completely forgotten my birthday three times. A handful of other times, he's barely acknowledged its passing. This is one of those years. I got a "happy birthday" this morning, and that's it! Hmpf.

Ketchup

Hello all. I'm a few days behind, huh?

Let's see Day 12 (Saturday), I had a pretty good day, all things considered. I had Kashi for breakfast, and then a salad for lunch, when I met my best friend to celebrate are very close-together birthdays. For dinner, I had some pansit (Filipino noodle and veggie dish), and that's it. Then I had a beer. Oh, and I think I ate some of Carter's Yan Yans. No exercise, but did spend lots of time running after kidlets!

Day 13 (Sunday), I don't remember breakfast. I think I made eggs. Yep, eggs. Lunch was a turkey sandwich with pepper relish. Dinner was pizza. I didn't work out, but Ace and I spent 3 hours doing carpentry work together!

Day 14 (Monday), I ate really really well! I had Kashi with blueberries for breakfast, some whole grain crackers for a snack, some soup for lunch with celery sticks, a plum for a snack, and then I split a small dish of pesto cavatappi with chicken with Bennett for dinner!

I also tried out Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 workout. These workouts sound so alluring. They are 20 minutes a piece, and have intervals consisting of 3 minutes of strength training (resistance and some free weights), 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. The Level 1 workout didn't really challenge me much. And with only 6 minutes of cardio total, I am skeptical that it would actually make me lose weight! I plan to try out the Level 2 workout tomorrow. This would probably be a good thing to do for days where I don't have a full hour to workout, or I'm kind of tired, and would otherwise skip my workout.

Day 15 (Tuesday) - MY BIRTHDAY!!!! So, all bets were off. I won't even go into it. Thanks Ann Ann (my darling sister in law) for the "razbaby" ice cream cake!!!!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Challenge Day 11

Diet:
B - bacon, egg and cheese biscuit
L - Lean cuisine
S - almonds
D - Mushroom and swiss burger and a few bites of chocolate

No exercise today. Total exhaustion has set in. Way too much work. Hopefully, tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter!!!

So, I'll just cut to the chase, because I know what you really want are pictures!


Yummm, ring pop!

Mommy and her precious boy :)

Cheese!

The "brotherly-love" choke-hold.

Peek...

a-boo!

Look mommy, I'm flying!

Does it GET any cuter than this??

A rare family picture!

CONKED!

For dinner, we met my parents at a park for an Easter picnic! They did an egg hunt for the boys, and they loved it!



My dad used to carry my sisters and I this way :)

Happy Easter!
(only a few days late...)

I know you all want the pictures, so I'll cut the the chase.

Play ball!

There is some background you need to know before we get to the meat of this post (and the pictures, of course). Last fall, when we signed Carter up for soccer, he literally screamed and threw a tantrum the entire way to his first practice. He was dead set convinced that he wouldn't enjoy it and wouldn't be any good at it. He refused to participate for the first 10 minutes. Then, he tried it. And decided he liked it! Plus, he was pretty darn good at it!

So, I had this bright idea that I wouldn't tell Carter that he would be playing tee-ball. I just packed him up in the car and drove him there. When he realized what he was in for, he became sullen. He pulled me down and whispered in my ear - You tricked me!! Uh oh. Yeah, I felt like crap.

Once again, he refused to participate. He wouldn't even stand with his team (which included three of his best school buds!). We kept trying to conjole him into just trying it. He just cried and refused to budge. Then, one of the coaches asked him to run the bases with him. And well, he knows he can run, so he did it! And from that point on was really into it!

Introducing Carter, #2 for the Orioles!

Running the bases with Coach!

Learning to throw the ball - he had great form!

Learning to catch the ball - a huge accomplishment considering heretofore he's only closed his eyes and put his hands over his face when a ball was thrown at him!

It was really so cute. We're really excited to watch Carter play this season, and progress and grow!

I do, however, keep wondering how I should have handled the situation from the start. It frustrates me that Carter won't even try anything that he doesn't already know he's good at. I'm just not sure how to handle it.

Carter asked me why I tricked him the other day (kids never forget anything). I told him that I hoped he'd see his friends and think it would be fun. His response? Well, that didn't work out so well, now did it. You're plan blew up! Yeah, he may not have a good dose of courage, but the kid has a lot of sauce!

How would you have handled it?

Challenge Day 10

Diet:
B - Cinnamon Toast Crunch :) 1/2 Coke for caffeine
L - 2 Taco Bell Bean Burritos (had to buy something I could eat while driving)
D - apple with organic peanut butter

Def. didn't eat enough today, but I wasn't feeling well and had NO appetite.

I was out of the office taking a deposition until about 3:00 this afternoon. I got back to work, then immediately had a conference call with an expert, then immediately went into a meeting with a client. Then I had a meeting with my boss and left at 6 for the day. Busy much?? I've been going non-stop since 6 a.m.!

The GOOD NEWS - I exercised! Woot! We went to the high school when I got home and I ran 2 miles around the track, 1/2 of that with Bennett in the jogger. I tell ya - the jogger makes it twice as hard!

Bennett decided he wanted to run too - and actually ran 1/2 a mile around the track! It was the CUTEST thing ever. He's such an athlete. Of course, I was panicking about the calories he was burning. Plus, he was wheezing like a maniac. But boy was he happy!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Challenge Day 9

Diet:
B - Non-fat Greek Yogurt
S - whole grain crackers
L - spinach salad with turkey and oil and vinegar
D - BBQ chicken, a few bites of potato salad, and green beans (okay, I also stole a few of Bennett's fries...)

No exercise again today. I slept in this morning (trying to recover from only 4 hrs of sleep the night before), and I have too much work to do tonight :( So many deadlines!!!

Challenge Days 6, 7, and 8

My dear friend Alice Anne (who is currently training for a Figures Competition and is absolutely inspiring) asked me yesterday "Where did days 6 and 7 go?" I had NO idea what she was talking about - but duh...

So, I honestly don't remember much about this past weekend. I remember staying up until 2 a.m. on Friday/Saturday racing against deadlines for work. I remember taking the kids to Noodles Co. for lunch on Saturday ans splitting a dish with Bennett. I remember eating hot dogs for dinner. I didn't work out, but I DID chase after my crazy kids all day since daddy was busy moving into his new office!!!

Sunday, of course, was Easter, so we had lunch at my In-Law's house after church. I don't remember what I ate, other than a slice of mocha bread and a pink lemonade cupcake from Touche Touchet. Then, we went to the park with my parents for a picnic dinner and had grilled chicken, pasta salad, and fruit salad! And more running around with kids.

Yesterday was a hard day for me. Bennett woke up around 3:30 a.m. needing a diaper change. So, I got him back down to sleep, but then I couldn't sleep thinking about all the things I needed to do that day. I gave up and just got up and did a few hours of work before the morning hustle began. I should have worked out, but I really as tired, and I was on a roll with work.

Diet:
B - Kashi with raspberries
L - Grilled chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A (was on the road taking depositions at another office)
D - a few bites of cheese tortellini, three blue Peeps.
S - an organic apple

Definitely didn't eat enough yesterday, but I didn't have much of an appetite either.

I couldn't work out in the p.m. because I was driving Carter to my parents' so he could spend the night and go to the ZOO today! Lucky duck!

I weighed in this morning and am still sitting at 138.

I really need to get my "cheating" under control!!! I know meal-planning is a big part of it. I just haven't had time! Work has been cra-azy lately. I'm lucky to have TIME to eat!

I know it isn't about sticking the rules, but it IS about losing weight and getting in shape, and making excuses (however valid they may be) isn't going to make that happen!

Anyway, I owe ya'll a Tee-ball post and an Easter post, so I will try to upload pics tonight and get those up!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Challenge Day 5

I want really badly to bluff right now and tell you all that I had a GREAT day, worked out hardcore and ate like a bird. But alas, that would defeat the whole purpose of posting these mundane details - to be held accountable.

So, I will brace myself for the tongue-lashing. Here goes:

My alarm went off at 5 a.m., but instead of hitting snooze, I turned it off, thinking, "I'll get up in just a minute." Two hours later, I wake up to Bennett calling "mama, mama, mama." Classic. So, no workout this morning.

It was a hectic morning because Ace had an early appointment and I had to get Carter to school and rush home to finish up some work before I had to be at a mediation. So, I poured Carter some Cinnamon Toast Crunch per his request. I go about packing his lunch, dressing children, and generally running around exasperatedly. Carter refused to eat his breakfast, feigning a stomach ache. Well, I hadn't eaten yet and we were on the 5 minute countdown to blast off, so I downed his uneaten bowel of sugary cereal with lightening speed.

I came home, rushed to get some work done before I had to leave. The mediation started at noon, so I had to find something quick to eat at home. So, what makes more sense than an almond butter and jelly sandwich? It was all organic, so that counts for something, right??
Well, the mediation turned out to be a COLOSSAL waste of time and money since the other side basically refused to even really mediate (even though THEY suggested the mediation...). Four hours later, I trudge back home and needed to find something to quell the hunger pangs. Of course, Doritos are the only solution, right? I mean, some fat free Greek yogurt or a nectarine just would never do! Ugh.

So, in no time we're rushing out of the house again to take Carter to tee-ball practice. And since I'm operating on genius-mode today, I suggest we grab some KFC at the drive through and picnic at the field. Then I proceed to gorge on two pieces of grilled chicken breast, potato wedges and Pepsi. Nice.

After tee-ball (which warrants a whole 'nother post all by itself), we rush to church to attend the Good Friday mass. Mass was at 8:00 p.m., which is prime melt-down time for tired kids. Bennett actually was pretty darn good in comparison to some of the other demonstrations we witnessed, but we still had to dart early so not as to screw up our kids' sleep schedules too much. Utterly stressed out and exhausted from this whirlwind day, my eyes became fixated on the Dove chocolate bunny my mom sent me for Easter. "I'll just eat the ears," I reason. Well folks, there is a half-eaten bunny sitting on my counter at the moment. Who wants to cast bets that the entire thing will be gone before tomorrow - given my stellar exhibition of self-control today???

All I can do is shake my head. This has self-sabotage written all over it. Three days in a row of screwing up. I need a shot of will power. Because THIS my dear friends is my pattern and the very reason why I've been chubbnormous for the past nearly two years since Bennett was born. Must.break.the.cycle!!!

Phew - it felt good to get it off my chest. Bring on the chastisement so that I double-think before I put crap into my mouth, knowing I will have to confess my sins to the interwebs!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Challenge Day 4

Diet:

B - 1/2 cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese
L - hummus with whole grain crackers and a cucumber
S - small piece of cake (Firm's 35th Anniversary Party....)
D - chicken, tortilla chips and salsa

Exercise: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance. Way too many push-ups - 'nuff said.