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JUNEAU2010's Recent Blog Entries
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Saturday, February 27, 2010
My friend in HI is on high ground and doesn't have to evacuate in preparation for the tsunami. My friend's family in Chile is safe, as far as we know. My brother in Japan is not yet having to do anything in preparation for a tsunami. That changes today's perspective, for certain.
But I have a lot to do:
reorganize the pantry
laundry
walking / explore exercises with resistence bands
possible purchase of running shoes
study for school next week
I am really looking forward to weighing and measuring tomorrow....
Saturday, February 27, 2010
After spending a couple of days studying the online menu for dinner tonight with my friend, eating very conservatively all day "just in case", I was still stumped because I was missing two bits of information: the nutritional information did not capture protein and I don't know exactly what "fat"means in the nutritional tracker on SP. Is it just Trans, Saturated, Mono, or a combination?
So I prepared myself and had a couple of ideas picked out before we got there. Oh, surprise! The menu at the restaurant did not match the menu online. I ended up having salmon (grilled) and had them hold the butter-lemon glaze, the veggies were supposed to be steamed, but I think they were sauted, the rice was supposed to be wild, but was white. A green side salad with a really yummy dressing on the side, which I hardly touched.
Feeling virtuous, I logged everything in when I got home and now understand why I feel hungry! I am still way under in every category. Time for a "fourth meal", but not as advertised.
But - I didn't give up and just order anything. I didn't go over because that would have been easy, I am proud of my preparation. I think that helped me make a good choice even with the menu curveball.
I felt very sore, stiff and unable to move all day. I walked around the office throughout the day, but did not burn a lot of time or calories doing so, so I did not log it in. Tomorrow is a new day and I will move!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
I'm in an inbetween stage. One size is so large, slacks don't stay up, the next size down is still a smidge tight. One of these days, I'll get a full length mirror so that I will know what I look like before I leave the house! I feel chunky and dumpy today!
I started the day off with a bang. Two glasses of water before I even left home and a brisk walk before I started work. At lunch, I took a shorter walk than usual, but I walked MUCH faster! I still felt like a turtle because some guy was walking normally ahead of me and the gap kept widening! But I definitely got my heart rate up! I also continued yesterday's use of the stairs. Amazingly, not much pain at all today! I am thrilled!
I got really hungry about an hour before lunch. Before SparkPeople came into my life, I would have shoveled crackers or some other carbohydrate in my mouth without thinking. Instead, I drank a little water (didn't help) and stayed busy. Then I took my walk and, by the time I treated myself to a frersh salad at the cafe (measured and I brought it to my desk and used my almost-free dressing), my hunger level had decreased considerably.
My life is going to become bifurcated by SparkPeople! Me before SP and me with SP! I am still at the beginning of this journey and I continue to marvel at it. I love seeing my points grow, I love seeing how close I can get every day to the midrange of my nutrition and, amazingly, I have exercise minutes!
Most of all, my SparkFriends keep me honest, keep me invigorated and keep me moving forward!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Finding balance in food is sometimes a challenge. A friend wants to go to one of our favorite restaurants Friday night and this is a minefield of overload in every category! I went to their website and downloaded the nutritional info. I do have choices (very few) as long as I am mindful and don't eat a lot earlier in the day. I am mentally bracing myself for the temptations that I know are there. My other thought is, by my choices, I can be an example. She had lost over 100 lbs before I knew her and, since she came to take my old job at the company, the weight has started coming back.
I skipped the noon Toastmaster meeting today and had a great walk. I did a lot of walking today, but not all at once. I used the stairs a lot, so I may pay for it over the next few days. We had a company wide meeting in the afternoon and a couple of people commented about seeing me walk. I am surprised how, in such a short period of time, the walks have become a part of my day. Now if only that will happen with strength training...!
One of my Spark teams has a goal for each member to do something for themselves every day. Today, I actually did two. One was not having any snacks at the afternoon meeting. The other was going up to school tonight and dropping the class that has been such a struggle. I passed the midterm, but barely. Mathematically, there was no way I could get an A in the course. Most people don't understand how important this is to me and I cannot articulate it except to say I was an A. mostly B and always one C student in my previous life. My company is reimbursing me for this wonderful educational opportunity, there's a chance for some bonus money for a stellar transcript and there is pride. Yes, pride. At this late time in my life, for me to finish the program with 4.0 is something I REALLY want. I have worked very hard to carry that this far. I do feel a bit the failure for having to drop the class, but I also knew that not doing so would eat at me even worse. With my test anxiety in the class and the fact that the final exam is the only chance to get a better grade, I had no hope of getting the grade I want...
Doing something nice for myself does not come easily and, most days, I either forget about it or, if I do something, I forget to note it in my other goals. This again highlights the wonder of Sparkpeople - restoring all these aspects to my life is already making me a better person!
And I am already looking forward to stepping on the scale on Sunday and pulling out the tape measure! Even if the numbers are not what I want or expect, I know this has been a good week. My self esteem is not measured with inches and pounds. BUT the self esteeem is increasing as those others decrease, so the link is still there a little. The other part of that is that walking, eating a more balanced diet, getting water and being able to move and wear looser clothes are a wonderful motivation for keeping on track. (How's that for a run-on sentence!)
I usually post at lunch time, but it is the evening and it has been a full day. I hope everyone else's day has been just as varied, just as interesting and even more fun!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Yesterday, a friend showed me her pedometer and it's the same model several SparkFriends have recommended to me. I had hoped to buy it from her, but she recently started using it again...I can't afford one in the foreseeable future so I was selfishly disappointed at her rededication to losing weight. Note to self, invite Renee to join SparkPeople!
This morning, after mulling it about for a few days, I emailed a coworker who recently made a Toastmaster speech about the start of her running career and completion of her first marathon. We're going to have lunch together next week and I'm hoping to get tips from her about getting started. The nay-saying has already started. BF doesn't think I can do it. I am not sure, but I haven't tried yet. My goal is to participate in a relay race to raise money for organ donation. That race happens in early April 2011.
THEN, I sent a note to the lady who posts the employee newsletter with a "Wanted" notice for a pedometer. First time I've been ready to broadcast my getting fit intentions, though I am sure people see me walking around the campus now.
It's raining today and that made my lunchtime walk wonderful! It's the slow, drippy, steady, small raindrop rain as I was used to in soggy Juneau, so I thoroughly enjoyed it! But it was not as long a walk as I wanted because I chose to go up the longest part of the hill. I read this morning that walking uphill constitutes a load bearing exercise if you're trying to build bone density. I walked faster than I have, so that contributed to the shorter time and may have contributed to my being winded far earlier than I anticipated!
I have been surprised by the speed of the changes since I joined SP on 01/27/10 - no other program has helped me move so far so fast in pounds and inches lost, energy increase, lifestyle change (exercise) and attitude. I always tried to reduce by cutting food and avoiding movement!
As with many other areas of my life, I am loving the journey and part of that has to do with the
childlike curiosity about what is around the next corner. Who knows what impacts SP will have in unanticipated ways? One of those has to be the cyber relationships that are forming!
My cup truly runneth over!
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