SLJWATTS's SparkPeople Blog

First Day of a new time in my life

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:32:43 EST

Back from school today after graduating from my master's degree program and I am bringing in an entire dorm room into my living room. I have to get these things fitted into my house somewhere- ok I confess, in addition to eating more than I should, I have a major book addiction. then I need to figure out how to get this house as clean as I would like it to be.... this will be a journey.

But I am staring out with healthy food- and have my exercise plan ready to go..

I am...

Graduation Day

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:43:46 EST

After 3 years of being in a dorm room, sitting on my backside reading like a crazy person about 600 pages a week, eating from a refractory that thinks salt is a base food and everyone wants comfort food all the time- I am ready to get back on track.

I have my diploma and I have a home that needs 3 years worth of dirt removed... so I am ready to go...

Exercise, eating healthy and checking in to sp every day.

End of the school year parties

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:06:55 EST

So the third year of school is coming to an end and we are having parties left and right. We had a great party last night that had grilled salad, couscous, salad, and so it was healthy... until desert. I am still full and have a party at least 2-3 times the next three weeks. I am so looking forward for things to get back to normal and to have control over my eating habits. So I have been eating lean, lean, lean before the parties and today I have been eating that way also... so healthy eating...

Comfort food is not so comforting

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:29:14 EST

My daughter once said to me that comfort food does not bring comfort- and boy is she right. As soon as it leaves your lips, then the gult begins. Why did I eat that? Did it really make me happy?

At my school they bring comfort food out all the time- macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches... ok and the list goes on. But I find myself eating more and more because this food does not satisfy me. I think my body is crying for real nutrition. And when I get on the sugar roller c...

Did not do to badly at Seder

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:21:46 EST

I always start Holy Week out with my husban at Seder- and last night was a wonderful time with some very valued Jewish Friends. We celebrated the freedom of Jews who left slavery in Egypt and opened their eyes to a new relationship with God in the desert. It is always wonderful to celebrate people who get closer to God.

The dinner however is a challenge- salt is part of the ceremonial foods, and many are from cooking in years where calories were not an isse... but I dd ok- still we...

Back to Basics

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:45:33 EST

I have worked really hard this last quarter- I have one of my seven courses done and I will have four more courses done in the next two weeks if all goes well. So that said I have some time for me this quarter. My goal is to work on me- I am going to exercise and eat healthy. I am excited and my goal is to get into the 180's by graduation.

So back to SP- I am going to exercise 6 days a week, and to log on my food... then I am going to saturate in worship the last 7 weeks- it is Hol...

A up and down week, but a great day today

Sat, 3 Nov 2012 06:58:08 EST

This week has been up and down with eating- my stress level is high with 3 difficult classes that I am taking and for the second quarter I added a 4th for graduating credit... I hope I will do better this quarter with eating, exercising and keeping up with my reading.

But today I won a lottery- no not one of those big million dollar ones, but one that I value a lot. You see I never win anything- but today I won a seat at a conference with Barbara Brown Taylor. She is an Episcopal P...

Today not my best...

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:17:37 EST

The amount of reading has me on edge and I caved today and ate unhealthy- not even halloween stuff, just not healthy- I'm going to the gym..

good day

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:43:50 EST

I stayed on my eating program and exercised...

and then my husband gave a wonderful discussion on gun control at his synagogue (he is an ex police captain so we are talking from a law enforcement perspective) where he discussed how much control the local and federal govt had in modifying a constitutional right and the bill of rights. He took it away from the political discussion all together of how many people are shot by criminals and how out of control people are who have guns i...

Fall Break... Hi SP

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:42:01 EST

Well I have ended the first quarter of my school year and it has been challenging. After loosing weight this summer by eating 1,200 calories a day and exercising 1.5-2 hours 6 days a week- I am back at school.
I started by eating off the salad bar, but I must say- 2 meals a day off the salad bar gets a little old after a while. Breakfast is the best meal- I drink 1 cup of FF milk and do one apple with 1 t of peanut butter. But after that... -
So a special meal menu- fried chicken,...

Pressure is hard to handle

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:04:31 EST

This Sunday was a weak day for food. I wrote a blog that everywhere I went there was fried chicken... and it got me hungry and craving food. Well.... that and I realized after I was reading a 1550 theologican Richard Hooker whose sentence structure is dense and complex. His ideas are wonderful and I loved reading him, but he is definitely a bear to decipher... think that had anything to do about my increased hunger??? I love stress and my eating habits.

Well today I am writing a pa...

Yesterday was Fat Sunday

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:41:17 EST

I went to church and found out it was Fried Chicken Sunday... Ok I ran from the chicken, fat filled cole slaw and biscuits. Althought the sent got me hungry and thinking of food all day.

When I got back to school one of the Professors had her church over to a picnic on the grounds with all the students invited- and you guessed it fried chicken, BBQ ribs, an entire tent with desserts, and an ice cream truck.

I was hungry and knew if I went to the fair I would eat more c...

I got the courage to face the scale and I'm jumping up and down with happiness!

Sat, 8 Sep 2012 10:23:55 EST

When my friend's husband died, I got off track with my weight loss. I was not tracking my food and was not exercising regularly. However I worked at her house helping her get her life back in order- removing years of paper and rearranging furniture and books. I tried to eat well, but I was not sure if I had or not because there was no record to track.

School started and the same thing- I was just scared to step on the scale... I never lose weight easily- I put in a great deal of e...

Got my cardio on

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 22:31:36 EST

So today was a better day- I got my cardio going- 1.5 height on the tread mill- and walked for 5 min at 3.6 and ran for 3 min at 4.5... kept that up for 45 min and was a happy camper.
Lifted for 40 min for upper body and felt good-

For the last two days I have tracked my food at school- and eaten from the salad bar- got some whilte fish to put on top of my salad that looked grilled... hope it was=-didn't see grease laying on it so I thought it was safe to eat... but I've stay...

Didn't want to do cardio- but did it anyway

Wed, 5 Sep 2012 20:06:31 EST

Today I wanted to exercise at 2 PM- but they changed the hours at school that we can exercise. I thought about just doing some SP videos, but it is core day and I like using the ball to do that series- so I thought I'd just do it together. I went and got dinner and put it away until after I exercised, but when I got there at 6 PM all the people who said they went at that time were not there... I was alone. I got a stability ball and did 40 min of core work, but when it came to cardio... I jus...

Thank Goodness for a hard head

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 11:09:29 EST

Several days ago I was zooming around my house and I opened the attic stairwell to put some things up in the attic and a big wooden chess board fell out on my head... It hurt, but I didn't get knocked out, didn't have problems with memory or processing information and didn't break the skin. I spent the rest of the day in bed with an ice pack on my head, took motrin and was in a panic. I could have gone to the ER, but with no symptoms except for localized pain I didn't think it would be worth ...

It is good to be home

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:11:00 EST

I have had a wonderful time today being at home. I have not been home for a several weeks and I am loving getting my house in order. The bathroom, entrance, and den are looking good today. I am getting my exercise groove on- today is the lower body. I am having a great time lifting and feeling like things are back to normal. Getting my water in.

Sugar is better- I had to do one sugar thing, but it is less than the last several days... I ate two cookies- a plain vanilla. I was havin...

Doing great until...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:25:12 EST

I realized that I have let sugar creep into my diet again- being away from home and eating out a lot I think the amount of sugar in restaurant food got me triggered again. I have been eating as healthy as I can while helping my friend get her home under control. She has been taking my husband and I out to eat to thank us for helping her... but I realized yesterday as I returned to my home eating pattern that I am craving sugar AGAIN... so it's back to a no sugar diet for a while... once I get...

Two weeks before school...

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:48:26 EST

I am assessing my loss this summer. Not what I wanted, but it have been a successful summer. I have revamped my eating patterns and hope to continue it into an action plan over the next year. I am printing some pics out so I can stay motivated. I don't want my graduation pics to be fat pics...

So I am going to eat my apple and peanut butter for breakfast at 5 am and then my hot chocolate and a whole grain 7:30 before morning prayer. I will eat lunch at 11:30 before communion and a ...

It's on...

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 09:53:52 EST

It's on... time to reboot...Since the death of my friend I have tried to eat healthy, but that has taken thought as I have eaten out in restaurantes with my friend...sometimes several times a day... have eaten as healthy as I can, and I have been helping her lift heavy boxes and move things and clean- so that has been a workout for real,

but... it is time to start focusing on my goals. I am getting back to exercise today and logging my calories. I have been sticking to my basice b...

A nice man to know

Wed, 1 Aug 2012 10:52:07 EST

My friend's husband has died, he was the joy of her life. I am missing him myself. He was brilliant and read more than anyone I ever knew. His home is burried below the weight of 10,000 books... and I am doing a low estimate. I have never seen so many books outside of a library and he read most of them....ok just about all of them. I am helping my friend go through things. We have gotten out all his clothing from the closets and have 12 drawers to go through.
He loved Marilyn Monroe, the...

Hungry, Hungry, Hungry!!!

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:05:38 EST

I am sooo hungry.

I ate my regular breakfast.

I ate a lunch of 400 calories- and I thought I was doing great... and then the time came... 4:30- 5:30 and I was famished. I was not home and would not get there until 6:30... and sooo I was in trouble.

I stopped at the local Farm Fresh... and got a small hamburger... then I went to the grocery store and got a 97 cal bag of pop corn... and then I got an apple... ok I was just trying to stay away from the sweets.....

Buttoned up my Jacket

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:52:48 EST

I put on a suit yesterday that I was unable to fit in for the last 6 months. I was not only able to fit in, but I was able to button up the suit jacket... bonus... I was smiling all day.

Eating better at restaurants

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:02:35 EST

Yesterday I was helping my friend clear out her recently deceased husband's wardrobe. We ended up eating out both lunch and dinner. It was a stressful time as the clothing brought back happy memories of places they went and things they experienced together- and I was attempting to support her in the best way possible.

Food could have been a real issue....

We had lunch at a new restaurant that has calories on the menu- I choose a 3 salad plate- with edamanee salad, fruit ...

Tomorrow

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:49:03 EST

Tomorrow- a walk, a double day of exercise and eating well. I am getting back on track...

Upper and lower body lifting... walk and maybe some 1-3 min running times.

Lost the battle for a few days, but I'm back

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:10:11 EST

Sooo Friday a very close friend of mine had her husband pass away. We are the only real family she has, so I got her ready for the funeral and my husband and I went with her to set up the funeral. There has been several difficult interactions between the family, so I spent time helping them to negotiate the way they would mourn my friend's death and respect each other's space. It was stressful to say the least. I pushed my friend hard on buying a dress, shoes, and getting her hair done all on...

catching up on exercise

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:56:32 EST

OK today is a bit tough- I did yesterday's core work, today's upper body lifting and one hour of walking/ running- I ran less min, but I did two 3 min runs and one 4 min run...it is a lot harder to run longer than the 1 and 2 min runs I did last week. I am done, done, done- 2.5 hours of exercise has me feeling a bit exhausted- after I finish some house work I am getting a nice bath and washing my hair... it will feel sooooo good.

Food is going good- I am making my husband's fav. c...

Entertainment Eating

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:09:46 EST

Entertainment eating is a problem for me. I love to taste a variety of foods and flavors. I love a well cooked meal- something that I can't do at home. I love to cook and I love to try new things- and it doesn't have to be high calorie. I love a variety of flavors when I am bored- not hungry.

I was reading a book that talked about head hunger- and I related to that. The author stated that when you suddenly feel a need to eat a specific item= you are imagining the flavors or texture...

The Case of the missing Tennis Shoes

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:48:48 EST

I was ready to go on my walk/run and could not find the Tennis Shoes. I looked on the first floor- in the basket where I always keep them- not there.

I looked in the upstairs all around- not there.

They must be in the car- I did go to the library to make my SP fix in after my last walk/ run (since my internet line is still out)- not there.

Went back in the house and looked it over a second time more carefully... you guessed it- not there.

OK i coul...

Temptations

Mon, 9 Jul 2012 10:46:07 EST

All of the sudden after being off sugar for 5 weeks (ok not all i have had several T of catsup, but all sugary treats that are large amounts of sugar) I started to have cravings again. Ice cream and cake was in my head- with ideas of how good they taste. I have not had cravings for 3.5 weeks and have been delighted that they are gone from my life.

However- I was able to not give in. I had enough time to talk to myself and say- eat something wholesome and a second time to say- you h...

No internet connection

Sun, 8 Jul 2012 15:56:52 EST

Sitting outside the closed library using their internet from outside to get my dose of sp support- can you believe the length I need to go to talk with you all.

Day of rest from exercise, but my food intake is going great.
Made a crustless pumpkin pie with splenda and my husband has dug into that with gusto. (OK i made it for me, but he is diabetic and i will just have to make another- he looks so happy I made him a dessert that I didn't have the nerve to tell him it was for m...

Ever feel like your metabolism shifted gears?

Sat, 7 Jul 2012 10:44:14 EST

I don't know if I am crazy or just imaging things or if this is real. But yesterday after spending 48 days getting my diet to a level that is more consistent than it has ever been in my adult life- and probably forever- and working out starting at 30 min and building up to 2 hours a day for 5-6 days a week... I am feeling changes.

I think it's the little bit of running that maybe pushed it- 11 min with the rest of an hour power/fast walking.

Or maybe it's the consistency...

Third walk/run this week- 11 min running!

Fri, 6 Jul 2012 17:13:05 EST

My internet is out- so this will be a quick note, but I walked/ ran 11 min of it to do a 5 K of 49 min. I have no idea if that is good or bad- I have 4 big hills that are really steep, and so I do not run those, but I run the 4 steep downhills and the rolling gentle hills which are mostly up and down flatish- so I am sweating and feeling exercised when I finish.

Eating in calories and lifting for lower body today to do an exercise points of 24... I'm zooming the best I can in this ...

Sleeping too well????

Thu, 5 Jul 2012 10:25:49 EST

The girl who can never sleep past 7 am, usually gets up at 5 am in school to study... slept to 9 am this morning. No worries about my 10 hours of good quality sleep and I feel rested. SP works with us to get good-night sleeps- and that goal was accomplished. So what is the problem?

Well I was going to go out and do another walk/run to follow up on my success yesterday and the temp is 98 degrees- with warning of over 100 degrees today in Baltimore... and when I got up I could feel t...

Is that me running???

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 10:25:32 EST

Ok I signed up for the 5 K on SP- what do I know about 5 k? Just that people say they run them or walk them... so I did my normal walk which I have been working on pretty regular this summer and today decided to measure it accurately- I knew it was around 3 miles, but found out it is actually 3.6 miles that I walk- with 5 major inclines (containing two treats- a wooded section and a brook half way through).

So I googled today how many miles in a 5 K and I walk a bit over a 5 K ev...

The 3 things I love about electricity

Tue, 3 Jul 2012 12:15:02 EST

I love electricity- being without it for 4 days has taught me what I really hate about living without electricity.

First of all I miss a cooler area to sleep in- it is very difficult to sleep in hot and humid weather- I wake up all night and have trouble falling back into sleep- SP is right poor quality sleeps triggers hunger and you do not make good food choices without great effort.

Second I hate not having light to read by. I can read by candlelight, but it's not com...

Eating better and living better- it's my turn for health

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:45:08 EST

This summer is the first time since I can remember when I have had time to collect my thoughts about personal self care in the form of treating my body a bit better. I am eating better than I have my entire adult life. My project is to build nutritional routines that will last through the years. I am trying to find food that I can enjoy and will nourish my body for life. Instead of the excessive variety that I usually gravitate to I am limiting foods and tastes to support nutritional levels t...

victory at restaurant for lunch

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:15:56 EST

Went to a restaurant that is known for it's mounds of food and I was able to get a meal in my calorie range. They had at the bottom of the page a grilled chicken sandwich on pita. I got it with lettuce and tomato and the blue cheese dressing on the side- didn't need it at all- the sandwich had plenty of flavor. Ate 1/2 the pita and the grilled chicken with a fork when I got to the second half of the sandwich. Ate salad with just a T of dressing over 3 cups of lettuce which was just enough and...

on target and making progress

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:56:41 EST

My exercise is done for the day- eating is on target- just have a bit more milk to drink...

Progressing with my cleaning- 6 rooms done and working on the hallway- making progress!!!

Day 38 of my 20 lb challenge
13.4 lbs to go
weigh in next Mon
66 more days to go

A turtle stroll down the scale

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:42:00 EST

It's slow- I thought I would be at the place I am today at the end of May and 3/4 through June I am still slugging my way down the scale. But it's moving and moving in the right direction. I am hopeful that I can move it a little more before having to go back to school with no control over my food.

I am heading to the half way mark on my weight ticker and hoping I can reach it soon- 1 lb at a time...

Day 37 of my 20 lb challenge
13.4 lbs to go
weigh in next Mon...

Builder's Week for Habitat for Humanity

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:11:37 EST

It is builder's week in Baltimore in Sandtown where 6 houses are being worked on. It was wonderful to meet the workers and to get to see some of the houses as we served lunch to everyone. I am grateful to those who have volunteered to help those in need of a home.

Day 37 of my 20 lb challenge
14.6 lbs to go
weigh in when my ring feels the salt is out of my body
68 more days to go...

Happy Sunday

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:57:10 EST

Having a wonderful Sunday- dinner with a friend, church this morning- and assisted in making 250 sandwiches for Habbitat for Humanity work week- my church is serving lunch for them tomorrow.

Day 36 of my 20 day challenge
14.6 lbs to go
weigh when my rings feel the salt is out of my body
69 more days to go

Restaurants are such a challenge

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 09:56:17 EST

Brother's Birthday and Parent's 61 wedding anniversary... Time for fun and cheer- right?

Restaurants are such a challenge. I read the SP article on eating at an Italian Restaurant and went to the web site to pick out a recipe that would not go over my cal. allotment. Called the restaurant and found that the chilled sea food salad was grilled or steamed sea food over a bed of mixed greens and veggies. No cheese, no nuts, just clean sea food and greens... sounds great...right????

Eat healthy and let the body heal

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:18:28 EST

Yesterday was a great day for exercise and good eating and a rotten day for my hip...

I was doing some one legged squats 2 weeks ago and my form was not right and I could feel a slight tug on the front/side of my right hip...so I have watched my form and been careful of my hip and yesterday I did it... I don't know whether it was yoga where I stretched in a spinx pose on blocks stretching the front of my body that triggered it or walking in the heat my form got bad and I swung my h...

Top 10 list of eating better

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:52:03 EST

Well I had hopes of loosing 20 lbs- I'm not giving up on that dream, but maybe not during the summer. I am now focusing on getting my eating groove on correctly. This has not been a waste as I have learned several things about myself...

1. I CAN stay within calories, yes even me.
it is harder when my days are filled with outside temptations and I am under stressful conditions, but not impossible.

2. Multi-tasking as a way of life is not good for my health.
My ...

Got in a ton of weight lifting exercises

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:51:40 EST

Yesterday I didn't get on the road- just didn't feel like getting my shoes on and hitting the pavement, but I did a ton of weight lifting scattered through the day. My metabolism felt like it was up, but I need to hit the road a bit longer than usual to make up for the drop in cardio yesterday... plus get my core work on today...

Eating foods that are dense in nutrition and low in caloires are the work of the day. Don't get discouraged- JUST DO IT!!! If I don't make my 20 lb chall...

Keeping on with healthy habits- but it gets discouraging

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:25:25 EST

I am definitely loosing steam with my weight loss program. I have not weighed this week and think I will go to next Mon and not worry about the numbers- just keep doing my eating plan and exercising. It is so hard to get weight to drop off, and the salt thing just kicks me. I had some soup which was only 86 calories a bowl so a good choice for filling me up and eating right- Good also- Wolfgang Puck's Tortillini Soup- but salt comes with soup... soooo I am not weighing today either. I am just...

Yesterday was a lovely day of celebration for the two Fathers in my life- my Dad and Husband

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:30:59 EST

It was such a lovely day yesterday and we had a family picnic that was diet friendly- crab cakes, green salad, fruit, and roasted potatoes and strawberries for dessert with some low carb ice cream. I passed on the ice cream and had no roll or butter with potaoe or crab cake... It was a relief not to have to work to hard to find foods to eat.

We talked and just had a good time. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy- just enjoyed the weather and each other.

Had a bit of salt on bec...

Tall Ships and the Blue Angels

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 04:58:43 EST

My husband and I went down to Fort McHenry for the Blue Angel show- it was amazing to see the skill of the pilots who flew at such fast speeds with those planes so close together. The formations were so tight that from the ground it looked like the planes were stacked one on top of the other. When they did the tight flying formations and then split it was spectacular.

The celebration is the beginning of the 2 year bicentennial for the War of 1812 which gave us definition as a natio...

weeeellll didn't get much done today

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:13:10 EST

a bit bummed out- the job I was hoping to get didn't come through- and I have one more I am hoping to get... but until I am able to get it we are a bit strapped financially. I am just keeping on. it would be easy to just eat a bit from the stress, but I am just going to keep on working on my plan and try to eat healthy and exercise.

Went to see Fort McHenry yesterday in Baltimore and we are going to get up and go to see the 40 tall ships tomorrow- it should be fun... I think if we...