Log

Breakfast was a bowl of cream of wheat, no butter, kiwi, cantaloupe, red grapes, coffee (soy, Splenda, tablespoon or so of hot cocoa.) Water.

Lunch was a small bowl of potato-broccoli-cheese soup; raw broccoli, tomato, cucumber, and kidney bean salad with honey balsamic vinaigrette. I crashed and ate half of a sandwich on wheat-- tuna, apple, celery, mayo. Water. Coffee, soy milk, Splenda.

Late snack of small apple, too many cheese cubes, two handfuls of croutons.

Dinner-- grilled portabellas, vegetarian rice/beans, pico, some cheese. Two tortillas. Rice krispie treat. Water.

And licked the (big) bowl of the dark chocolate Bundt cake Richard is baking. Dumb move. More water.

Did a 20 min dancey fitness video this morning, and worked out last night.

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Seven months.

Fifteen minutes of pilates, five minutes 4.2 mph run, 20 minute walk in the hills.

Reading "The China Study" by T. Campbell and "Food Matters" by Mark Bittman.

Contemplating veganism. Part time definitely; perhaps full time minus holidays. Haven't decided yet. Wish I enjoyed eating more almonds, and lived near a dece whole foods grocer.

Drinking a glass of wine in the evening more often. Yum.

Location:CFA

On the (better) track

Well, my neighbor moved, and I will say it has given me a major change in habits. I've been cleaning my own apartment more, and I've been eating at home more.
The only thing I've been slacking on recently is my lunch bringing. I need to start bringing my lunch again, and stop eating fast food. When I have been eating out I've at least been trying to do so at Subway and other slightly better for you places.

I am meeting a potential new roommate today for coffee, but otherwise I haven't had coffee for several days. Or soda! I have been making tea at work and trying to make that my caffeine/hot drink of choice. Work ordered some tea to keep at the store and I tried the orange spice tea. It was delicious.

I've been slacking on health lately and I need to get better. I want to feel better about myself and just feel healthier.

I've also been either running two laps or walking three laps around the apartment complex for the last week or so, almost nightly. It's good for Oscar and it's good for me too!

Daily mile

www.dailymile.com

My first goal is 10 miles per week, better than 13:50 a mile. Pretty humble beginnings, but I think I need to feel like I can actually accomplish something.

When I was 21, I picked up running without any study of the sport. Probably averaged less than 15 miles a week at my peak, which isn't anything. But the changes in my body with just those miles in just a couple of months were incredible. I'm not stuck in a fat suit. Some people have a lot to overcome to lose any amount of weight– I'm not one of those. My body can be lean. I'm just lazy, partially, and mainly a huge overconsumer.

How many resolutions does it take to be in the shape I want to be? No idea. But here goes another one!

Oops

My neighbor's boyfriend moved in due to some unfortunate circumstances, and it's created some ripples, both good and bad.
The bad being: he has a dog also, and 4 dogs in a small one bedroom apartment (when two don't get along, one feels the need to mark his territory everywhere, and one is so stressed from the change she pees anytime someone looks at her weird), Oscar is One Dog Too Many, even though he's none of the ones listed above.
The Good: He's really nice, has stepped up to help my neighbor when she's needed it (and almost losing your job is one of those times), and LOVES to cook.
The Bad: They are not healthy meals.
The Good: They are delicious, and make me want to cook more as well. Hopefully I can inspire a few more healthy recipes.
The Bad: I have eaten like a gluttonous pig lately, and it shows.
The Good: I have worked out more, and I am going to the barn tomorrow. Not to ride, but to visit and hopefully traipse about to groom some ponies.

A couple here...

...and a couple there!! I tried on a pair of jeans that haven't fit for probably 8 months.... a wee bit tight but they FIT.
What changed?
A lot less soda and keeping groceries at work. I buy a loaf of bread, lunch meat, cheese and snacks (sun chips and yogurt and/or some version of pudding, and sometimes oreo's... oops), and now iced tea also.
I'm not sure if Snapple iced tea is really that much better than soda, but we're going with it.
I have been REALLY bad about Starbucks. I blame the pumpkin spice latte, and to help negate that I've also stored a small thing if pumpkin pie spice creamer at work to make coffee there. It's not that it tastes like a pumpkin spice latte (it doesn't, but it IS very good) but it helps.
I think it also had to do with my minimal once a week KILLER riding workouts. Which have stopped recently, and have me concerned. I desperately need to get back into the habit of walking. I also wish Houston had more options for hiking, instead of shady back-alley trails running along somewhat shady neighborhoods that just scream "Someone was murdered here recently."
Or maybe I'm paranoid.
I have also been working upwards of 50 hours a week, and not taking lunch breaks (I have been eating, just working while eating).

P.S. I loved checking on this blog and seeing so many posts from Mashley! It was motivating and as soon as I finish blogging I have every intent of flopping on the ground for a few minutes in an "ab exercise" fashion.

Hey hey, blog-ay-ay..

Welp!

I didn't drastically lose ten pounds in two weeks, but I am doing decidedly better. Good choices are coming more easily. Having the house clean helps. I can't explain why, but it does. I'm more inclined to cook, maybe. Or eat here.

Today, Polly and I struck out at 7 for a 40 minute powerwalk in the wet air. I came home and sauteed some Idaho Gold potatoes in olive oil and scrambled eggs and put it all on whole wheat tortillas for breakfast. Coffee too, plus the requisite water.

Lunch was unexpected; my former boss took me out to Elaine's (Richard's restaurant) and I had the tortilla-crusted trout, one buttered roll, and some slices of watermelon and plum. And iced tea with lime. Yum.

Snack was a glass of 2% organic milk with Ovaltine. Super chocolatty, but it lasted me 'til well after six.

Dinner I just finished. I sauteed an entire zucchini, threw most of an old jar of Prego mushroom-y spaghetti sauce, and at the end threw in several huge handfuls of spinach to make the consistency really fibrous and yummy once it all boiled down. Ate that on top of whole wheat rotini, sprinkled some fresh Parmesan, and a plain slice of sprouted grain bread, toasted.

Right now after a few glasses of water, I'm enjoying a Diet Dr. Pepper (hey, it's been a little while since I've had one.. like since Monday, whoops) and thinking about the ice cream sandwich I have stashed away in the fridge for later.

I can't give up chocolate altogether. There's no point. I eat some version of it every day, but I think that's just The Way It Is. I was a little bad Monday - Tuesday, eating out twice (one time it was salad!) and frozen pizza (but Kashi!) and like an entire bag of edamame to myself on Tuesday.. And 1.5 glasses of wine. And two other drinks Monday. Whoops. Not willing to give that up altogether.

I feel better. I think my clothes are fitting somewhat okay. I went off of birth control pills —and onto condoms, which we are religious about, please note— and am interested to see what results that may yield in a month or two.

I think my baseline is getting better. Eventually I'd like to add more exercise, but just making sure I do SOMETHING 30 to 40 minutes three times a week is a nice change in consistency. I would like to run again.. It's just that I sort of hate running.. Hm!