I Dare You

Last night I crossed over my 1,000 cardio minute mark, and I'll be rolling over an extra 28 minutes to February. I have another 1,000 cardio minute goal for February, so the "headstart" is especially welcome in such a short month.

One of the fundamentals in goal-setting is to figure out how to make it fun. Challenging myself, daring myself to reach a certain mark or milestone is invigorating and rewarding. It doesn't matter if other, fitter, people achieve my monthly goals on a weekly basis. These goals are all stretches for me at this time, and chasing them is a great motivator. On the days when I just want to fall into bed when I get home, I remember the challenge and how good it feels to be successful. To win.

So, I'm planning for a February repeat--the two missing days be damned--and I will, of course, be rewarding myself. If I achieve 1,000 cardio minutes in February, I will win...a shiny new bicycle! Probably not the bicycle of my dreams (a leetle expensive), but one that will get me out and about this spring!

Anyone care to join me? Build a February challenge for yourself, one that will get you off the couch, or away from the potato chips, when you'd really just rather...not? A challenge that, once achieved, will have you anticipating the next one even before you've captured your reward for the first? C'mon, it'll be fun.

I dare you.

I double dog dare you. :-)

.

Heallthy You Challenge Update - 01/29/08

Normally, I'm not able to post during the day, but I'm working at home this afternoon (me and the Sears repairman), and I realized I hadn't taken a break since I walked in the door! Whew!

Okay, this week's progress:
1) I'm a happy girl. No specific reason, just happy.
2) My new gym finally opened, and I went both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday morning I had the whole place to myself. It was wonderful.
3) I'm making minor progress with the water. I finally realized I was not approaching the solution in true tippy toe fashion--small, incremental changes. So for now my focus is on getting 4 glasses of water each day, minimum. We'll add more in a few weeks.
4) I'm at 930 minutes on my cardio challenge. I should make my goal with about 30 minutes to "rollover" to February.
5) That nasty scale showed me at a 1-pound gain for the week! Boo hiss! If I'd actually *had* 3500 extra calories to enjoy during the week, I wouldn't be miffed at all, but considering I did pretty well exercise and food-wise, I'm chalking it up to water weight, muscle weight, or a governmental conspiracy.

Have a happy and healthy week everyone!

Meme Follow-up

That was fun; thanks so much for playing!

Here are my answers, embarrassing as some of them are:
1. I have 30 books on my to-be-read shelf. (Sad, but true. I didn't realize there were that many until I actually counted. Ironically, the book at the top of the stacks is titled, Getting Things Done.)
2. I love turnips! (I lied. I despise turnips. In fact, I loathe most cooked vegetables. I'll eat almost any raw veggies, but get them near heat and I'm out of there.)
3. Although I've lived in Memphis my entire life, I've only been to Graceland once and then only to tour the garden. (True. I grew up in the Graceland area, and when Elvis was alive, we would always look up at the house, wondering if he was there. Now, we're pretty sure of it.*g*)
4. I love to shop at thrift stores and flea markets. (True. Since I'm going on my third new wardrobe in eight months, I'm especially enjoying finding clothes in thrift shops. When I undergrow this size range, I'm out $50 for a week's worth of clothing.)
5. My favorite color is red. (Yes! For most of my life, blue was my fave, but about ten years ago I started noticing how much energy I have when I have bits of red around me. Now I have something red in every room of my house and in my office at work.)
6. I collect Sharpie markers. (True. It is a pathetic obsession, but colorful.)

And that's that! :)

In Which Cammy Does a Meme Thingie

I took this meme from Lidian because it seemed like fun. According to the rules, you have to list six non-important things about yourself, with one of them being a lie.

Here are my six:
1. I have 30 books on my to-be-read shelf.
2. I love turnips!
3. Although I've lived in Memphis my entire life, I've only been to Graceland once and then only to tour the garden.
4. I love to shop at thrift stores and flea markets.
5. My favorite color is red.
6. I collect Sharpie markers.

So there you have it. Which one is an out-and-out lie?

I'll follow Lidian's lead and just offer this up to anyone who wants to take it. It's a fun way to share a little about yourself, even if it is the trivial stuff.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Memories

The lovely Eva asked about progress pictures. As in, where are they? Good question.

The problem is that I don't have many before pictures. I didn't hide from the camera; I fought like a wild cat on crack to avoid having my photo taken. It would be a permanent record of my failure, you see, captured for eternity for all to see my shame and misery.

But then a very wise woman--thankfully, a friend of mine--wrote a beautiful little post in a forum we belong to, about mourning the loss of a friend, a large woman who never allowed her picture to be taken. My friend was so sad not to have a single photograph from all the wonderful times they'd shared. I've almost forgotten her beautiful smile, she wrote, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed.

Her sorrow was profound, and it made me realize how very selfish I had been. I was all wrapped up in what I saw and felt; I never considered what my family and friends saw when they looked at my photo. Sure, there might be an odd thought or two about my size, or an observation of a particularly bad hair day or unfortunate choice of blouse, but those would be wrapped in love and compassion and good memories.

Because the people who love us, love us for our hearts and minds and smiles. Our outer selves aren't as important as the good memories photographs evoke. And the people who don't love us...well, what they think doesn't really matter, especially if all they're going to see is a size.

I'll honor my friend by encouraging anyone who's hiding from the camera to give the gift of memories to your loved ones. Have your photo taken and smile like you're happy you're alive, like you're someone who's loved, like you love yourself. The people who love you deserve to see that. (You do, too!)

I'm a little better about photos now, but only a little. It's all a process, and I'm making progress. I have a few pictures here and there, and no recent ones. But when I win my January challenge and go for a makeover, I'll tote my camera with me and see what I can do. :) Meanwhile, here's a before and during:



The one on the left was a couple of years ago, and the one on the right was last October. I was somewhere around the 45 lb. mark, I think, and wearing a "before" shirt. I don't see a huge difference, except in the size of my smile. :)

I'll probably always be self-conscious when I have my picture taken, but I'm beyond the avoidance stage now. I yam what I yam, as Popeye said, and I want the people I love to remember me, especially my smile.

The Reasons Why

As I was getting my butt kicked last night at the training studio, I had this really defeatist moment when I wondered, Why in the heck do I put myself through this? I'll admit that my mind was blank for a second or two before I remembered The Reasons Why, a list I made when I first started truly focusing on this lifestyle change. I hadn't looked at it in a while, but you can bet I made a beeline for it as soon as I got home.

These reasons why were based strictly my own self-perception. Other overweight people may not (probably don't) share the same experiences or mind set that I had (have), nor should they. It wasn't a happy place to be.

So without further ado....The Reasons Why I Want to Change My Lifestyle (April 2007)

• For general health. I'm not getting any younger.
• To improve how I look (confidence)
• To change how I'm perceived by others (confident, in control, capable)
• To shop in "regular" stores
• To reduce or eliminate blood pressure medication
• To meet more people
• To try new things with confidence, or at least a sense of adventure
• To make my family proud
• To experience success
• To be my best self, the one who's hiding
• So that I can be rescued, if it's ever required (I threw this in as a bit of dark humor back then, and left it in when I read this article.)
• To travel to San Francisco and ride a bike uphill with my friend
• To help and inspire others to take on their personal demons and defeat them

In reading the list now, I can see one or two that wouldn't be applicable in today's mindset, but most of them still ring true for me. I'm proud of the progress I've made, and I'm excited for the future. So much so, that I think I'll just copy/paste this list into a new list: The Reasons Why I'm Sticking With It.

So, what are your "reasons why"? If you haven't committed them to paper or other medium, may I suggest you give it a try?

Healthy You Challenge 01/22/08

A positive report for my 2nd week on the Healthy You Challenge:
1) I'm at the 750-minute mark on my personal cardio challenge. Only 250 minutes to go, and ten days to do it. Well, nine days, because I'll take a rest day on Thursday. Since February is a short month, I've decided to allow myself "rollover minutes" from January. Everything over 1000 cardio minutes for January rolls to February. That should keep me pushing!
2) I changed training facilities last night, and it was my first time to weigh on a new scale. According to the new beast, I've lost 66.6 pounds. (Hope that's not an omen, though it might explain my mood. *G*) Who knows if it's an actual weight loss, or just a different scale. We'll know more next week. Meanwhile, I'll keep exercising and eating healthier and the scale will do what it will do.

Focus for the next week:
1) Water, water, every day – I've got to get better at consistency.
2) Home organization – I still believe my clutter tendencies and my weight are somehow linked, so I'm working on both this week.
3) Walking and walking and walking....
4) Continue to be grateful for the tremendous support and energy created in this network.

Tofu Smoothie Recipe, sort of

Hanlie asked for the tofu smoothie recipe I mentioned yesterday, and what hanlie wants, hanlie gets. :) Unfortunately, since my friend is about as much of a cook as I am, the recipe she gave me was very general:

Some strawberries
A glop of silken tofu
A splash of soy milk
A few ice cubes
Some Splenda, if you need it

You see what I mean. :)

Here's what I plan to do:
About a half cup of strawberry halves
half of a small banana
2-3 oz. of silken tofu
A cup of light vanilla soy milk

I'll add ice cubes if necessary. If I'm counting everything right, it should work out to a little less than 200 calories, with 10 grams of protein.

An Imperfect 10

I had another "first" today. First time I bought a pair of size 10 pants. They're stretchy and they're cheap, but by golly, they're a size 10. I suspect my "real" size is still somewhere between 12 and 14, but in this brand, in this style, size 10 was what worked. Considering that I started in a size 20-22, I'm a little bit pleased with any size that starts with a "1". :)

To celebrate this minor partial victory, I decided on a treat when I went to the grocery story: real strawberries! A whole pound of them and they're all mine. I would have also treated myself to fresh watermelon, but it was looking a bit mushy. At $4/pound, mushy watermelon will not do.

And so I have fresh strawberries waiting for me, post-cardio workout tonight. I'll drizzle a teaspoon of fat-free Hershey's syrup on my plate, and then dip 5 or 6 of the red beauties in the chocolate yumminess. Tomorrow morning I'll slice a few in my Banana Nut Fiber cereal, and later I'll be trying a new tofu-smoothie recipe a friend gave me. After that, I'll probably use them snack-ishly, one-by-one, until they're gone. Maybe I'll do something this week that will provoke another Healthy Indulgence.

Without jeopardizing my size 10, 12, or 14 figure, that is. :D

Foods that Make You Feel Full?

Interesting article in Yahoo!Health today on foods that make you feel full. I could use some of that around this time of the month. According to the article, protein and fiber are the keys. Protein, because it takes longer to digest, and fiber because it absorbs water and expands in your stomach (like my stomach needs expanding--snerk!) The article goes on to give some examples, which seem sensible enough.

Only, I've been eating fiber and protein and I'm not noticing any of this promised "fullness." Oh sure, for an hour or so, but then...nada. I could eat again in a heartbeat.

I'll continue to aim for protein and fiber, because my body needs them, but I really don't think they're pulling their share of the load here.

The Tippy Toe Approach

Someone at work asked me what tips I'd give to someone trying to lose weight. Considering I've been overweight my entire adult life, I was more than a bit surprised at the question. Yes, I've had some success with this whole tippy toe approach, but I'm no expert. Not even close. It's all an evolving, dynamic process, and I'm still half afraid I'll stall--or worse!--and look like a chubby fool.

Despite feeling somewhat pretentious for offering anyone advice on weight loss, I was able to come up with a short list of things that help me:

1) Logging what I eat. I use sparkpeople.com when I feel the need to be precise, and an index card when things are going smoothly. A lot of my excess weight came from not paying attention. Logging my intake helps me remain mindful of what I'm eating.

2) Working with a personal trainer. Yes, it's expensive, but I had no idea how to exercise properly. I was fortunate enough to be able to sign on for several months, but even a few sessions would be beneficial for anyone who doesn't know the ins and outs of working out. It's worth giving up a few movies or a spa trip.

3) Finding the fun in it. I almost always have some personal challenge underway. 1000 cardio minutes in January; 10,000 cardio minutes for 2008. Pretending my grocery cart is being evaluated by the trainers on The Biggest Loser. That sort of thing.

4) Dressing the part. Unless I'm at work or somewhere else that's stuffy, I'm in workout wear. Kind of hard to go for that second piece of pizza when you're wearing spandex. Plus, if I feel like breaking into a set of side lunges, I'm dressed appropriately. (Don't laugh; it happens more frequently than I ever thought it would.)

5) Surrounding myself with like-minded people. I'm blessed to have friends who have already traveled this road or are on it with me. They challenge me, provide great advice, and inspire me and lift me up every single day.

And that's the short list. These things won't work for everyone, but they've worked for me...so far. Who knows if the list will be the same next week, or next month, but for now, it's my success road map.

Healthy You Challenge Update

My first week as a part of the Healthy You Challenge, and I'm amazed at how much good energy simply joining the challenge created. I joined over the weekend, just after receiving thought-it-was-bad-but-it-really-wasn't news, and it really helped me stay on track. Thanks to everyone who has stopped in so far. I truly appreciate it! I haven't checked out ALL the blogs on the roll, but I'll get there.

My progress report:
Weight: if I did the math right, I'm down 1.5 pounds last week for a total of 64.4 pounds overall. (As you will learn, my approach is not exactly scientific.)
Nutrition: I continue to eat a healthier diet. Still too many processed foods, but I'll deal with that later. For now, I'm still just focusing on fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and avoiding the Little Debbie aisle.
Exercise: I tippy-toed across the 500-minute mark (503) in my goal for 1000 cardio minutes in January (thus passing my cardio output for the entire year 2006). Today will be a rest day as my toesies are tired. My first no-exercise day of the year!
NSV: Didn't fall victim to the emotional upheaval of the weekend. I just took a deep breath, got on the treadmill, and kept going.
This and that: Cleaned out kitchen cabinets (decluttering), joined the HYC (trying new things), and blogged almost everyday (focus).

All things considered, not a bad week a'tall.

Nutritional Self-Check

I stumbled upon this nutrition-related article on Yahoo! Health and this comment, especially, jumped out and grabbed me:

While you can't change everything at once, small changes can make a big difference in your overall health.

Apparently I'm not the only one who has adopted this tippy toe mentality. :)

The article contains a list of good suggestions, and I decided to use it as a sort of test of how I'm doing on building better nutritional habits. As measured by the author of one article, that is.

The suggestions in italics, followed by my report:
Don't skip meals; plan for three meals each day.
- Like that's a problem for me. :) I absolutely certify that I am having three meals each day. I excel at it even. Grade A+

Start reading food labels so you'll become more aware of what you're putting into your body.
- I'm better at reading labels, but I still don't have all of the bad stuff memorized. Grade B-

Plan for healthier snack choices at work.
- I take fruit to work every day, and a protein snack bar if I have a workout scheduled, but on the odd day I'm caught without, I'm blessed to have a company cafeteria with lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, and other healthy options. Grade A+

Between lunch and dinner each day, aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables.
- Hmm, I'm not sure what this means. Between those two meals and snacks, I probably get about four servings of fruits and veggies. I also have fruit in the morning, and sometimes as an after dinner snack. I've also been known to snack on carrot sticks in the evening. So I'll give myself a B+. After all, they are healthy snacks no matter when I have them.

Stop adding salt to foods.
- Er. Better than I was, not where I should be. Grade C.

Eat nothing after 8 p.m.
- Er again. Grade D. (So sue me, I get hungry at night. Again, I stick with the healthy stuff.)


Try a new food each week, to help you introduce more variety into your diet.
- How far do good intentions get me? Grade N (Not attempted)


Eat less meat to reduce your fat and cholesterol intake.
- Grade A+! I never did eat a lot of meat anyway; however, back then I replaced the meat with chocolate, a methodology that didn't work so well for me. :) I'm 98% lean meat/protein now. I allow myself one beef-oriented meal weekly, but many weeks I pass it up.

Make sure that your breads, cereals, pastas, and crackers are made with whole grains.
- Along with the one beef serving each week, I give myself a 'white bread' option. This helps if I want my red meat splurge to be a burger or a burrito or spaghetti. Again, many weeks I pass on it, but every now and then is okay. Grade A-

Okay, so I kind of graded myself on a curve. It's my blog. :) I did enjoy going through the list and recognizing the healthier habits I've adopted. I'll use the lower grades as new challenges to add here and there to improve my fuel source even more. The article's author affirms this approach:

Pick just one item from this list or come up with your own habit for healthier eating. Write it down, and try it for at least 30 days. Don't try to change more than one habit at a time.

I feel a fan letter coming on. :D

It amazes me how much fun it is to tackle these things one at a time. Sometimes I feel like a gunslinger in the Old West, swaggering through town making notches on my gunbelt. There's a profound amount of satisfaction and pride in setting and meeting these goals. Before I understood that, I made sweeping plans for losing weight. Plans that I couldn't make work. I tried to change everything at once, and success was measured by the total result, rather than the cumulative effect of accomplishing many small changes. Now, I have the satisfaction of knowing I'm successful and believing I will master each new change.

Except maybe that 8 p.m. thing. :)

Like Any Old Sunday

And it was. Today was just like any old gray January Sunday. A few nerves because of the training dilemma, but nothing overwhelming. All things considered, the entire weekend was a thumbs up.

I joined a fitness challenge group, which looks like it will be fun, and there seems to be a healthy focus on non-scale victories as well as the numbers. We know how I feel about that, so it felt like a good fit.

Thanks to scalejunkie for letting me join, and for stopping by here with a kind word.

I think simply joining the group helped me through this weekend. When I posted the button in my sidebar and previewed it, that big 60 kind of jumped out at me. Wow. I'm over the 60 pound mark. I really am. Kind of hard to go for a cheeseburger after seeing that. :)

And that was my weekend. I'll hit the 500 mark on cardio tomorrow, and I think I will declare Tuesday a cardio rest day. My toes have earned the break.

I hope anyone reading has a healthy and happy week ahead.

Turbulence

I got a stunner of a letdown yesterday. My training studio is closing next Friday. I have 38 prepaid sessions remaining. My membership will allegedly transfer to a nearby (15 minutes) franchise, but my beloved Ashley and Rachel may not move to the new studio. The new studio may not have anything close to my regular time slots available. Making this news even more troubling is that I recently encouraged a friend to join. She has at least 30 sessions remaining. God, I feel terrible about that. I'm trying not to panic, to believe everything will work out okay, but it's difficult. The whole 'tippy toe' thing is about small, gradual changes--not big, radical changes.

One of my first thoughts when I heard the news was that this change would stall my fitness efforts. I had this horrible feeling of, Well, it's all over now.

Huh? How did I reach that conclusion in a space of fifteen seconds? Since when did who I work out with and where I work out and which healthy foods I eat become about anyone other than me? I don't want to take anything away from Ashley and Rachel--they've been HUGELY instrumental in helping me see my capabilities in a different way and pushing me to push myself to a better body--but this experience isn't about them. I'm running this turnabout, and I control that aspect of my future. I'm very proud that I was able to see that, once I absorbed the bad news, and that I didn't call upon my ex-BFF, Little Debbie for comfort. Instead, I went for my post-workout turkey-on-whole-wheat sandwich and my previously planned for low-fat frozen yogurt chaser.

Today was more of the same: nervous twitters now and then, but it's all under control. I've eaten healthy foods and I'm getting the second part of my daily cardio in as soon as I hit the post button. Also, I had a hair appointment today, which always makes me feel better, but especially so today. Same basic style, shorter, a few more layers. I'm presently too cute for words. (Note: My stylist says my hair is thinning. Probably the weight loss or m-m-menopause. Or both. Or neither. )

Another also: I spent an hour or so today rambling around a Home & Garden Expo. Pocketed a few business cards for some folks who may be able to help me with some of the remodeling projects.

And a final also: I restocked my refrigerator, sort of. Until we're sure we won't have a repeat of the defrost failure, I'm not putting much in there, but for now, I have all that I need. And yes, it's ALL healthy.

The next few weeks will be a little nerve-wracking, but knowing that I handled a negative situation (real or perceived) in a positive way energizes me. I didn't cave in; I remained mindful of my actions and in control. And that's a big lifestyle change for me.

(Edited for clarity)

Freedom on Ice

On New Year's Eve, I noticed the contents of my refrigerator were warm. Room temperature warm. The freezer section seemed fine.

On New Year's Day, I noticed a small puddle on the floor and a thin stream of water trailing downward from the door ice/water dispenser. Not good.

I couldn't get a service call until last Friday, during which the repairman noticed ice crystals on the back interior of the freezer and diagnosed a malfunctioning something or other that wasn't allowing the defroster to work. Three hundred dollars was his estimate, but he didn't have the parts he needed, so I'd have to wait until today to make the repairs. Meanwhile, he advised, since we couldn't be sure the frozen food hadn't defrosted to some unsafe level, I should get rid of it. All of it. Refrigerator side, too.

At first I was horrified at the loss and the waste of food. Now, granted, about half of the food in the freezer had been there for three or four years. Chances are, I wasn't going to eat it anyway. Plus, I couldn't very well donate potentially spoiled food to a shelter or food bank. But still. It just seemed so wrong.

And then the strangest thing happened.

On Saturday, as I was tossing out my frozen collection, I felt an almost overwhelming sense of freedom. I no longer had to think about the frozen "diet dinners" I'd never eaten, or the unopened half gallon of orange sherbet my mother brought me when I was sick (two years ago). I didn't have to feel guilty for tossing out the (formerly) perfectly good tortillas I bought before I converted to whole grain everything. I do regret the loss of an unopened container of soy milk, and the Boca Burgers I hadn't had the courage to try yet, and the turkey and chicken I'd bought the week before to try out in chili recipes, and the frozen strawberries I'd planned to have for dessert on New Year's Day, and the Smart Ones Pizza. Oh, the pizza loss was difficult to overcome. It was pepperoni!

As you can see, Saturday morning was chock full of conflicting emotions. But I persevered and tossed everything except a package of carrots, a diet soda, and my last three bottles SmartWater. Oh, and some wine. I threw out everything in the freezer, including the package of sausage that had wedged itself between my stack of pizzas and the vents at the back of the freezer. (Yes, that's important as you'll see in a minute.)

The repairman had said that I should turn off the freezer for a day to allow it to defrost, and then turn it on again. If I saw ice forming again, I should turn it back off. Only I never saw any ice. The thing ran like a dream for almost a week! When the repairman returned today and I told him about the sausage/vent thing and that the fridge had been running just fine, he confirmed that it was likely the blocked air vents that caused the problem. I'm supposed to try it out for a week longer.

As I was standing there staring into the vast emptiness of both freezer and fridge this morning, after the repair guy had gone, I had that sense of freedom again. Not only have I been spared the $300 cost of repair, I now face a great big do-over opportunity. I've tippy-toed far enough that I can buy only good, nutritional foods for my fridge, and only enough for the next few weeks. Never again will I shop for food as though the grocery stores were all closing the next day. (For energy efficiency, I'll fill the unused shelves with recycled bottles of water.) Never again will I let a great sale overcome my sense of proportion and good sense. With the help of a two-(or possibly, three-)year old package of sausage, I can do it right this time! I feel proud already, knowing that the contents of my refrigerator will reflect the new, improved version of me.

Love at First Sight

Yes, I'm in love. At long last, after years of apathy and sedentarianism, I have found the Meaning of Life. I know not whether this will be an unrequited love--at close to $1000, this gem might be out of my reach. But a girl can drool.

Seriously, this bike has everything: fenders, a rear rack, and front and rear lights powered by the energy of the biker. And, its RED!!!

I may have to set my sights lower for now, but someday that bike will be mine.

This and That

Interesting Fitness Articles from Here and There...

Mayor puts Oklahoma City on a diet. Yep, the whole city. I wish Memphis had a mayor like that.

Americans Opt for Healthy Eating, Not Diets. Whatever you do, don't tell the people in Oklahoma City. In all seriousness, this statement is what jumped out at me:

The most popular diet was one dieters made up for themselves -- helped by more detailed nutritional labels on packaged foods and a plethora of guides to slimming down.

That's what I've done, with help from the folks at sparkpeople.com. On that site, I entered my health and fitness goals, and they gave me a daily calorie range along with a recommended breakout of protein, carbs, fats, and other nutritional categories. From there, I've just done my best to meet those targets. (Did I mention that sparkpeople is free?)

Bonding at the Bench Press. This is something that concerns me. At some point this spring, I'll quit working with the trainers and start going to the gym. I worry that I won't have the same drive I have now, and I wonder how easy/hard it will be to find a "fitness buddy" or some equivalent for that social connection. I met the owner of my gym-that-has-yet-to-open, and he said he'd be calling soon with the opening date. Maybe I'll mention this article to him, and see if he can put together some sort of meet-and-greet.

Personal notes: I'm at the 223 minute mark in my quest for 1000 cardio minutes in January. That's just about where I should be, but I'll have to have an off day this week. Ack! That time has to be made up somewhere.

Today, I finally gave in to my extreme craving for a Burger King Whopper Jr. with Cheese. The nearest BK is 1.5 miles away, so I walked there and back. Ah, sweet justification!

Cluttered House, Cluttered Body?

I found an interesting link yesterday, and man, was it timely. Just the thing I needed to start the weekend!

This link will take you to a wonderful article posted on The New York Times webiste about the possible connections between cluttery folks and excess weight. I'd never really thought about any sort of link between the two. Since I suffer from both afflictions, this article has me pondering mightily over the similarities in the causes (not living mindfully, in my case) and the resulting reactions.

After the holidays, many shoppers load up their carts with storage bins, shelving systems and color-coded containers, all in a resolute quest to get organized for the new year.

It strikes me now that this fits in perfectly with the Grand Fitness Plan so many of us concoct at the beginning of a new year. As with clutter control, The GFP usually involves buying things to help us: new workout videos, diet aids such as grapefruit, grapefruit, and grapefruit, fitness equipment like treadmills, elliptical trainers, etc., and so on and so on. In both of these situations, we're approaching the problem from outside the problem itelf, when the answer is inside us, waiting to be uncovered.

Ms. Johnson says she often sees a link between her client’s efforts to get organized and weight loss. “I think someone decides, ‘I’m not going to live like this anymore. I’m not going to hold onto my stuff, I’m not going to hold onto my weight,’” she said. “I don’t know that one comes before the other. It’s part of that same life-change decision.”

I've been looking at this clutter tendency of mine as a function of bad housekeeping habits. I think, in reality, it's bad Cammykeeping habits, primarily mindless acquisition combined with tchtotzke gluttony. The similarity to mindless eating, which I have already addressed with a measure of success, is what has me feeling a bit like Nancy Drew holding her Best Clue Ever. I think I can solve the case now. :)

Hope you have a nice weekend. I'll be slaying dragons here, or at least sharpening my sword. :)

Snackety-snack-snack

I'm going through one of those phases where I can't seem to get full. Today, I snacked all day long, or so it seemed. I did the same thing yesterday. It doesn't worry me too much, because my calorie counts are okay, but it just bugs me that I feel like I'm eating all the time. I don't want to overreact, so I think I'll start to address the "problem" by making sure I have a higher protein, higher fiber breakfast for the next few days. We'll see if that helps.

On the subject of snacking, here are a few of my favorites:

1. Dannon Light n' Fit Yogurt - I like the vanilla and the lemon meringue best. At 60 calories, it's a low-end but yummy treat for those days when the calorie count is climbing.
2. Fruit- Almost any kind will do: bananas, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, fresh pineapple, strawberries, or my new favorite--raisins! The mini-box of raisins has less than 50 calories!
3. Carrots - I buy the baby carrots. They're good for those days when a girl just needs to crunch!
4. Dill Pickles - A little salty, so I can't have them often, but sometimes it's the only thing that will do.
5. Hershey's 100 calorie dark chocolate bars - I'm trying to limit these 100-calorie snacks, but the Hershey's are great to keep around for those times when I Must.Have.Real.Chocolate.
6. Fat free Fudgesicles - I made it through the summer and fall without missing a single dietary beat, and I give Fudgesicles a good bit of the credit. They take a while to eat, and they do satisfy that sweet tooth.
7. Jello Sugar-Free Strawberry cups - Desperate times call for desperate measures, and these 10-calorie treats saved me from certain ruin on more than one occasion. I keep them on hand for emergencies.
8. Kraft 2% American Cheese - Gourmet cheese, they're not, but when I'm in a hurry, it's nice to grab a slice and go.

Here are a couple of snacks I'm adding to my repertoire: Quaker Instant Oats (120 calories per packet) and peanuts. I have peanuts every now and then, but not nearly enough. Good source of fiber, good fat, and protein, or so I hear.

All this talk of snacking has had a positive result: I don't feel like snacking at all right now! Hmm, maybe tomorrow I'll write about pizza. LOL

Personal note: Today was weigh day. My net for the post-surgical/holiday period (Nov 15-Jan 1) was plus 0.5 pounds. Considering the reduced exercise in late November and early December, and the number of splurges I indulged in over the holidays, I will take this tiny lump and deal with it. In fact, I hope to smash it to smithereens over the next week or so.

Happy New Year!

May you find all your dreams this year!

I've had a wonderfully unhurried New Year's Day, but it wasn't without a small dose of drama. I opened my fridge door this morning and discovered that the items inside were warm to the touch. Now, I don't spend a huge amount of time in the kitchen, but I do know the difference between the fridge and the oven. *Sigh* What makes it especially irksome is that this is one of those weeks at work that don't allow a lot of time for meeting repairmen. Oh well, I can only hope for the best and try.

Besides cleaning out the fridge, I managed to get my Christmas gifts put away and the gift wrap storage bin and decorations stowed in the den closet. I still have a load of laundry to do and a stack of clean laundry piled on top of the dryer, waiting to be put away, but I think dinner will be first. Due to the fridge problem, dinner will have to be eaten out. I honestly had planned to make turkey chili, but no more.

I also logged 45 minutes on the treadmill, making me at 45/1000 for January. It occurred to me while I was treadmilling that I could set a goal of 10,000 cardio minutes for the year (*pats self on back for doing math and walking at the same time). We'll see how January goes; I may just alter my resolution!

But first, dinner....