I Need a New Scale

No, that's not a spiteful statement. I think my old dial-a-number scale is on its last legs. This morning, it gave me 3 different weights, widely ranged. (One of which was soul-crushing!) If this scale can't make up its mind, I think it's time to get one of those digital ones. You know, the new-fangled 1990's kind.

A Reminder

The scale this morning gave me a little reminder that I need to be good.... I went up a pound. :-(

But, I also know I wasn't as active this past week and I was really at the end of my grocery supply so I wasn't eating the greatest stuff. But my grocery delivery is coming in 2 days, so that will be a help, and I can make myself do a little more especially now that the weather is so nice.

Onward!

I'm A Walkin', Yes Indeed...

Today's weather aside, now that it's theoretically springtime, I'm back to my routine of trying to do the 1-hour, 3-mile walk from my place to downtown at least once a week. It makes for a nice weekend plan to meet someone down in the Gallery Place area for lunch or a movie or to see a museum, and as long as I have the hour beforehand to do the walk, it's easy exercise. It's actually been a great way for me to catch up on podcasts, too, so it's kinda multi-tasking!

For this week, I am *so* glad I already got the walk out of the way yesterday.... cuz even though I have to go downtown today, it's going to be Metrobus all the way!!!!

Hooray!

1 more pound gone! Haters be damned -- I'm now at the 5 pound mark. That's very good news!

Now I think I'll go back to bed on this ridiculously gloomy Sunday.....

Stress

Kettle chips and onion dip? Check.

Velveeta shells & cheese? Check.

Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough? Check.

Emotional eating? Not in check.

Perfectly-Portioned Poultry

I splurged on my grocery delivery this time to try out something I'd been seeing in stores that seemed almost mythical in concept.... perfectly-portioned, prepackaged chicken breasts: Perdue Perfect Portions. The package, $9.99 in all, includes 6 single-serving size chicken breasts, all averaging out to 4.8 oz each. Most of what I've read say that the recommended serving size for chicken is 4 oz, so this gives you a little leeway while still being sensible.

The breasts were definitely smaller than what you'd normally find in a package, but you really don't miss it when you eat it. They cook up fairly fast, too. I did mine tonight at $350 for just about 20 minutes, and it was perfectly cooked through and still juicy. With honey BBQ sauce, yum!

And an added bonus? These little beauties are individually wrapped in plastic, so you can pop them all in the freezer without having to do the messy chore of separating them out and putting them into Ziploc yourself. They make it so easy!

Site Note

Where'd it go? Somewhere along the way my SiteMeter button on this blog disappeared. Huh. So I've just made a new one... which means it's all been reset. I'm probably the only one who will even notice, but just wanted to let y'all know. I'm still watching you watching me... ;-)

I Couldn't Wait

Wheeeee!!!!

I decided to sneak a peek at the scale today to see how the last week affected the dial. Guess what? I lost THREE POUNDS! Hooray! I guess that's what sleeplessness combined with no appetite combined with drinking LOTS of water does for you! :-)

Seriously, I'm so excited. It's been a long time since I've seen anything like real progress on the scale. And I've actually FELT a little better this week - I did feel like my clothes were a little more comfortable, and even a little like I was flushing my system what with all the water and none of the caffeine. And, since my social life conspired to have me eat at home every night this week, I ate fairly decent portions and a lot healthier stuff. See, it's not rocket science. It's just a matter of doing it!

Today, my big Easter plans include walking the 3 miles downtown for a sushi lunch and movie with a friend. As long as I resist the popcorn, it's all good!

A Strange Week

This is been a very weird week, health-wise. Every year, when allergy season really kicks up, I take a 6-day course of steroids to kill my sinus pain. So, as you might imagine, there are all kinds of weird 'roid effects that play out... while my sinuses are being kept at bay, I get all kinds of jittery, flushed, hot, anxious. My appetite and sleep cycles go way out of whack for the week. I spent most of this week laying awake for hours at night but then crashing when I get home from work and sleeping until 8 at night. I haven't eaten as much, cuz my tummy has also been a bit upset, and I've had weird sort of sleepless energy. We'll see how all of this might affect the scale on Monday.

The biggest thing I had to watch out for this week is that I can NOT have caffeine while I'm taking the 'roids. Can you imagine how bad a mix that would be? So, I have actually gone a whole week without any chai or Coke zero. As much as I try not to think about how much I usually rely on caffeine, a week without it definitely showed me how much I do need those little pick-me-ups during the week. I probably have either a chai or a Coke Zero every day during the week... so without it, this week, the 3 pm-and-after part of the day was *really* difficult. That's why I found myself leaving work early and coming home to pass out in bed. It's not fun to think about needing that kind of artificial boost - and I probably could adjust the kind of lunches I eat to keep my blood sugar more regulated so I don't have that late afternoon crash. But still, I'll be glad to go back to having a little caffeine this week. Maybe I'll stick to tall instead of grande, though....

The Cherry Blossom Workout?

Since Willard Scott told me today was really the day to head down to see the cherry blossoms before the storms come through and knock 'em all down... I packed my trusty sneakers, sunscreen, a t-shirt and camera to change into after work and I made my way down to the Tidal Basin. Check my other blog for some photos I'm especially proud of.

But you know what else I'm proud of? I had a totally fantastic time, just me and my camera and my iPod, walking around the monuments for 2 1/2 hours. By the end of it, my feet and my quads were feeling it, and I'm sure I'll be stiff and sore tomorrow.

The great time that I had was totally inspiring, as I kept thinking of future Mall walking trips I want to take when the weather is good. Bringing that camera along is key. It keeps me engaged and leads to a workout by default! :-)

Tricking My Temptation

As many of you know, I used to be a vegetarian. I truly believed in what I was doing for moral reasons.... but, it was very hard to do and I didn't do it very well. I fell off that particular wagon and I'm now a complete carnivore again. And, surprisingly, one of my biggest downfalls these days is that I freakin' love steak. My friends who knew me when I was veggie still get a kick out of seeing me order and devour a big piece of steak.... but I do love it!

So, I now have to resist ordering a big slab of beef whenever I'm at a restaurant that has a decent steak on the menu. For a while, that was all I ordered at certain lunch places. But, come one, I really don't need a huge steak for lunch! I don't need the calories or the fat...even though it tastes so damn good.

Now, I have a new strategy -- it still gets me the taste that I want, but balances it out with some veggies and other ingredients -- the steak salad! Sure, it's still not hummus and veggies or salmon wrapped in a lettuce leaf. But it's a healthier option than eating an 18 oz steak for lunch...and some of the places I frequent have pretty tasty steak salads on the menu. So far, it's working for me!

Phew!!!

Oh, thank goodness. I was so bummed out last week about losing track and gaining 3 pounds. I was a lot better this week -- even though I still can't get myself to be disciplined enough to track every day on WW, I was much better about what I ate and being a little more active. And it paid off, I lost 1 pound this week. Hooray!

I'm going to update the little ticker above... the 42 lb goal is looking a little intimidating lately, so I'm going to adjust my expectations and start with a goal of 20 pounds. Let's hope that's a little more achievable. I've totally done it before. Fingers crossed!