Just sayin'

Do you ever wonder what the master plan is? We all know WHO makes the master plan, we just have to figure it out!!

I knew I needed to dust, dry mop and get laundry done along with finishing the de-cluttering in my 'cave' aka bedroom. I have been avoiding a couple of baskets for a week now. I kept saying there is always tomorrow and the weekend is coming. Yeah, I have been saying that for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I purchased a fitbit. It is on the idea of a body bugg but it clips to your clothing and tracks activity. As a user I need to enter all food intake and identify exercise.

I was very excited. I got the unit charged up and this morning I got dressed and put it on. I took the dog for a walk, came home to get the bags that were going to amvets, and did some general cleaning. I sat down with a cup of coffee and thought 'hey...why not see how many steps I've done so far'.....and it was GONE. I was sick......I felt the wind come out of my sails. I thought hard and figured it popped off when I was bending over upstairs. So up the stairs I go, check the linen closet (nope), the walk in closet (nope), under the bed (OMG)...still nothing.

I then decided it had to be downstairs. I fed the dog, filled her water bowl, etc....maybe it fell off there. Still nothing.....looked under the bakers rack, the funiture in the living room....still nothing. I wanted to cry. This was an expensive unit.....similar to what Weight Watchers is (or will be) offering.

Last choice was I lost it on the walk. I retraced my steps including going down to the dumpsters. I wandered up and down the complex looking for my black and purple friend. Once I got home, saddened I did not find it, I decided maybe I just missed it in the house. I grabbed my dry mop and went upstairs. I dusted under the bed (rabbits were there......no bunnies!), under the dresser. I dusted the hallway/landing and the stairs. I continued the dusting in the living room under the couch (the cousins to the rabbits were there!) and the chairs, by the printer and under the stairs. I ran up and down the stairs with more and more ideas as to where my contraption was.

Well, once all the dusting, dry mopping and laundry were done I figured I had to give it just one more shot through the 'hood. As I was walking I started talking to 'Tony'....or St Anthony to those who are not on a first name basis with him! St Anthony, St Anthony, please look around. Something is lost and cannot be found. Please help me find my fitbit!......it was like a chant as I was kicking the snow as I walked. I got all the way to the end of the complex....*sigh*....chat with 'Tony' again and voila! Fitbit found!!

Now that I have 24+ hours with my new friend, I have to say I don't like when it tells me that I have spent x hours doing nothing. Sometimes my brain is working when my body is not moving BUT I have to admit it is making me rethink when I say "I was crazy busy all weekend". Now I would have to say I sat on my butt because my fitbit said so!! Being active is a good and healthy thing....something I have been trying to do (and saying that I am doing!)

Another thing, I have never been a big fan of crockpotting. I spend a lot of time cooking and sometimes I get frustrated that it takes so long and I am not out enjoying doing things. I have always been the type to cook on the weekend and reheat all week long. I did ask for a new crockpot for christmas so I guess I have to use it! Friends have told me for years how they love their crockpots and I would pooh pooh them. Shame on me because I am LOVING it. I have been able to make black beans (delish...thanks to my friend Peg); last night I made a quick pork roast with onions and apples.....and I don't have to spend my whole weekend in the kitchen listening to how my friends are out having fun. I can set the crockpot before I go to bed and have a great meal done that I can port to work for lunch.

Lastly, being that I love the store Sur la Table and work with all their great gadgets I got myself a vitamix. Want to talk about over the top blending!! At first I did not use it much.....it was a show piece. How silly!! Since getting over the fact I can play with a new toy I enjoy I make a wonderful yogurt smoothie every morning. (Fat free greek yogurt, banana, frozen fruit, spash of milk and ice cubes). The best part though is after eating some canned tomato soup and realizing it was over 200 calories for tomato soup with water. How crazy is that for something in a can that I could not just heat and eat. Dieting and trying to eat clean has make me think about doing things differently. That being said, I was able to make some roasted tomato soup from scratch. Once all the tomatoes and vegetables were roasted they were plunked into the blender. Seeds, skin and all! Once I heated it all up you could never tell that there was so many vegetables in there in their semi cooked natural state.

Now that I have rambled on.......I'm just sayin' that life is good! HE is making me think and be good to me....and I am loving it!

100 days.......

A lot can happen in 100 days. If you are in payroll, quarterly taxes are due; some schools are having exams.....or you could be reading the book "100 days to weight loss" by Linda Spangle. A friend of mine is working the book (sort of like the diet version of a Love Dare!!) where there is something to think about every day. Journaling thoughts, actions and contemplating life as we know it and how we want it to be.

From what I have read in the preface of the book this is a different way to take the concept of dieting and make it our own. Each day we have a task; something to think about. What has been an eye opening experience for me is all the examples given so far about how we can be wishy washy about dieting is all me! I so recognize myself. I am praying for the wisdom to understand what will propel me forward to my ultimate goal....weight loss and well being.

I find it odd how as a society we are always on the look out for the next miracle that will give us the results we are looking for .....whatever it might be. Are we looking for the best fry pan that nothing will stick to? Are we looking for the rotisserie that will cook all food by setting it and forgetting it? What about stain removal?? I know there are hundreds of diet books. Everyone has an idea as to what we, the overweight population, are doing wrong. Not one of these books ever says "Just keep eating and you might lose weight"! What is so different about this book?

It has told me that whatever diet I choose this CAN be a path to success. It is not suggesting I give up bread, or eat all the fat and meat I want. It is not saying that frozen foods are the way to go or let's drink our health is funky shakes.

I am encouraged that I am being asked to think about what I want and what am I willing to put forth. It is telling me that being perfect is not a requirement but I need to truly have a commitment (not to be confused with being committed!) to myself and my health.

I have worked the first 3 days and find that I am pleased with myself and lessons read. Today was not perfect but not once did I throw in the towel and say to heck with it. I made minor adjustments and continued to make the day a success.

Making 10k steps each day is on my agenda.....still not liking the correlation to walking a professional golf tournament but trying. 6" of snow makes it a bit difficult to take a long walk with the dog but it won't stop me tomorrow when I feel the need for some retail therapy!!

First weigh in of the year....

Ok, I realize that it was the 12th yesterday, but it was my first appointment with the doctor. I got my blood pressure taken (136/79), pulse (72)...and other stats. Um, yes and the scale. I could not remember what the last weight was so I had no idea if I was up or down....then she told me....down 2.5! That was huge considering the holidays had just passed.

I met with the exercise guru, Joey. He is a sweetie. I told him I had not been as good about following his routine set up...I had a couple of bouts with the stomach flu and my persistent issues with my knee and the surrounding muscles. We chatted about stretching and not to over do it ( I had no clue you could over do stretching!). He did up the number of reps so I guess I need to get on the stick with it.

Next I met with the nurse practitioner. I cannot say I was impressed with her. I may have to make that known but in the mean time I guess I need to see her again before I make a formal complaint. First thing was that she was offering me stronger drugs for my muscle aches. I am not so inclined to take lots of drugs. I will stick with ibuprofen for now.

Lastly I met with Dana, the dietician. She is pretty cool. We walked about eating clean. We talked about Paleo. We talked about fiber and protein. I got kudos for making my fruit smoothies and for using soups (broth) as ways together large volume foods for little calories.

I am full of ideas for the coming weeks. I am scouring my cookbooks to see what trouble I can get into. I am publishing my exercise plan for this new week (as it has taken me a few days to get this far!!)

Monday.....day off

Tuesday....Jazzercise in the am and in the pm

Wednesday....light weight work as per Joey

Thursday....Jazzercise

Friday....Jazzercise / stretching in the evening

Saturday.....light weight work as per Joey

Sunday...Jazzercise

Each day I will strive to hit 10,000 steps. There is a new commercial that says if you get 10,000 steps it is like walking a professional golf course. For me, they need to change the analogy....I hate golf. It ruins a perfectly good walk!!

One small step for me.......

One giant step outside of my comfort zone! I have been trying to help a friend get started on her road to losing weight and feeling better/stronger. I have been encouraging her to 'step out side of the box' and do something different. We all know that doing the same thing over and over expecting different results does NOT HAPPEN. Imagine my surprise when I had a session with a counselor hearing my words come back to bite me in the butt.

I was asked what I did in the past when I had success that was different than today. That made me sit back and think....and think.....and think. I can honestly say I was still cooking (my comfort zone). I did, however, move more. A lot more! I was walking every morning with a friend at 5am (days before I had Jazzercise early morning) and we would do between 2 and 3 miles depending on our energy levels or work committments. I walked the dog for nice walks every day. Later in the program I did work with a personal trainer. Since my knee scope I have some limitations. I have cut back on some of my jazzercise..I am now doing 4-5 classes per week. My girlfriend that I walked with got married and moved away. After my knee scope I have lost some range of motion and stopped working with the trainer. What are all of these comments? EXCUSES!

I am now going to post what my 'dates' with exercise are going to be. It is how I got started with Jazzercise 16 years ago (omg...it almost hurt to say that!!). It is not hard to do. I need to be honest with myself. I need to make a committment to myself and my fitness. This is not going to be a 'biggest loser' kind of exercise program but one that I am very confident with that I can meet.

Along with the exercise, I do wear my pedometer daily. Regardless of the exercise I track my steps for the day. My goal each day is 9000 steps with a stretch goal of 10,000 steps. That being said, here is the plan for week 1.

Sunday: Jazzercise in the morning/take sassy for a minimum 40 minute walk
Monday: light weight work (following the routine the trainer gave me); walk the dog for a minimum of 30 minutes; walk at lunch weather permitting
Tuesday: Jazzercise in the morning/ Jazzercise in the evening; walk at lunch time weather permitting
Wednesday: Yoga or stretching; walking at lunch weather permitting; light weight work and resistance ball work
Thursday: Jazzercise in the morning; walking at lunch weather permitting; walk the dog for a minimum of 30 minutes
Friday: Jazzercise in the morning; walking at lunch weather permitting; stretch or yoga in the evening.
Saturday: House cleaning; walk the dog for 1 hour

With all of this, I will continue to cook good and healthy food. This does not mean that it does not have taste! I love spices and vegetables to spice up food....it is not all done with oil and fat. I will be journaling my food intake every day online (not here) to be sure I am meeting the requirements of the doctor I am working with.

I am taking a big chance on myself. I am doing something DIFFERENT hoping for new and lighter results.

I will keep you posted!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

Here I am late in the afternoon on the first day of the new year. Following through on the non-alcohol induced resolutions, I have gotten over 6500 steps (goal of 10k per day) and have eaten pretty clean today. The only processed food I have had was the creamer for my coffee...otherwise I cooked it all. Fresh. From scratch. Locally grown. What more could a girl ask for..

I have tracked my food...everything has been added into my fitness pal account. At the end of the day. I will also post my steps.

This has not been a hard thing today. I really find that I enjoy journaling. What is frustrating is when I pick a meal that I don't plan for. I am pre planing my meals... I want succes. I can see it....there is a newer little black dress in my future. Isn't that a pretty dress?!

There are many things I want to experience and accomplish in the coming year. I will take care of me first and listen to my body relating to both food and exercise.

One goal is to take a boot camp from the Culinary Institute of America. There is one coming to Illinois in March. I am checking it out......more to follow!