Lucky In Love

One of my friends has a wonderful tradition to celebrate her loved ones on their birthdays.  She takes to facebook, and lists her favorite things about that person.  I love it.  We don't honor our loved ones enough like that. Why shouldn't we proclaim the depths of their awesomeness to the whole world?  Or at least to our corner of it?

Today, my husband Andy and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary.  We met at the end of our junior year in high school, and started dating during our senior year.  We were married a week after I graduated college.  I mean,  just look at us...babies!

May 21, 1994

In honor of this day,  I've made a short list of some of my  favorite things about being married to this man.

1). My husband is a grown-up. Evidently, there are guys who experience something called a
"man-cold"?  I've read about men who feign helplessness to get out of performing traditionally female tasks.  I've heard of men who seem perpetually stuck at 12 years old, and are coddled by their wives.  I've never witnessed these things first-hand because I'm married to a grown-up.  Don't get me wrong - you aren't likely to find a bigger goofball than Andy, but he's also a strong, secure, emotionally healthy, got-his-stuff together grown-up.  His legendary togetherness partners nicely with my legendary not-togetherness.

I need my grown-up husband because sometimes I'm a mess.
 Print from The Little Illustrator (Etsy)

2). My husband remembers things. He remembers dates, milestones and moments and then randomly  reminisces about them.  Like what I wore on our first date.  Or how, at three months old,  G.  was exactly the length of his forearm and fit so perfectly there.  Or the very moment he knew our youngest son decided to love him.  I can't think of a single thing that makes me feel more important and loved as his wife than this. 

3). He's predictable in the best sense of the word.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that predictable equals boring in a marriage. If there is a rough patch in life,  it's a guarantee that at some point Andy will kiss my forehead and say, "But we lucky in love, baby!"  If we are having a disagreement, I know he will say, "Never forget that we're on the same team, ok?"  My strong, predictable soft place to land.  Always.

4) He's an extraordinary father.  He would - and actually has -  traveled to the ends of the earth for his family.  He can tell you all about being alone for 36 hours on planes and in airports with a grieving toddler after the adoption of our youngest son.  For many years, Andy worked nights and was the at-home parent during the day for our children.  I worked during the day, and we really had no extra assistance day to day; no daycare, no sitters, no non-working available grandparents.  Andy did it all - doctor appointments, multiple weekly speech, occupational, and auditory verbal therapy appointments for our youngest, library story times, play groups, field trips.  And he did it all with very little sleep and great patience (this is actually when he coined another catchphrase:  "I'll sleep when I'm dead" (always said with a smile :-).  And while today he dispenses both sage and practical advice to his children, he's an even better listener and supporter of their dreams.  He's crafted such a close and beautiful relationship with our sons.  I don't think anything can make you happier as a mother than witnessing that kind of bond between your kids and their Dad. 

3.5 year old G. seeing his Daddy seeing at the airport after Andy's return from Cambodia with baby brother S . One of my favorite pictures of my husband though you can't see his face.  This look doesn't just happen - you earn it by being a very special father.

5)  He's my biggest fan.  I don't entirely get why he believes in me so thoroughly, but he does. I'm pretty sure if I announced today that I wanted to be a rodeo clown, Andy would tell me "That's perfect! You would be the best rodeo clown! What do we have to do to make that happen?"

6)  He really is a goofball, and my favorite friend.  We have a lot of fun together, as a family and as a couple.  Andy enjoys entertaining horrifying the children with his dance moves.  When they were little, he had them convinced that he did not work nights at UPS - he was really The Batman, and the bat cave was hidden in the backyard.  For the last few years, we've driven the boys to summer camp in New Jersey.  This has meant driving 40 hours in less a week - half with kids, and half alone.  Family fun for half that trip - Jen and Andy shenanigans and hijinks for the other half.  When you are married for nearly 20 years and you both look forward to a crazy long time in a car with each other, I guess things are going pretty well.

7)   He still gives me butterflies.   I love the little birthmark under his eye.  And his arms, once poetically described by a stranger as "f*cking Popeye arms".  And that he calls me Jenny sometimes.  And the way he always makes sure my car is filled with gas.  I love the way he plays the Blues on his bass on a Saturday night.  And all of those things listed #1-6?  Super hot.


I know you are totally about to gag now, right?   HA!

We do not have a perfect marriage, and we are not perfect people.  However, I think we are pretty good at loving each other. There are little things that Andy does that make me crazy.  And I am quite certain there are things I do that frustrate him as well.  But we try not to criticize each other.  I know Andy has made us his first priority.   He's made countless sacrifices for us, and the amazing thing is that he doesn't think of any of it as a sacrifice at all. Andy's life for the last 19 years has been a grand gesture of unconditional love, and I appreciate that every day. How can you really wig out about dirty clothes left on the bedroom floor when the big picture is so clear and good?

Next year we will celebrate our 20th Anniversary.   God willing,  it will be on a beach in Mexico with sun, sand, and tasty cocktails. 

A middle-aged couple still going strong. 

Because we lucky in love, baby!

I'm alive! and I have a plan!

It's been almost two months since I've posted to this blog.

Time flies when you're drowning in life!

Well, "drowning" isn't the right word, I guess.  Far too negative.

My cup runeth over!  Life is so very full!  I'm blessed beyond measure!

.......and I'm damn tired, and can't seem to find the time to put away all the laundry!

Spring is a busy season in our family.  Work picks up to a crazy pace for my husband. The kids are involved in a lot of sports and activities (track, multiple soccer teams, hip hop - including recital preparation).  School starts to hit that frenetic pace when every special project, field trip, field day, ceremony is jammed into the fourth quarter.

I love my life.  I love the fullness, and even the craziness at times.  I love that I have two healthy and active kids who embrace trying new things.  But I'm not going to lie - sometimes this fullness makes it very hard for me to slow down enough to focus on my own health and weight loss goals.

First, the good news:  I am a person who works out 4-5x per week.  Period.  It's what I do now, and I find a way to do it no matter what.  I still find this very cool as someone who avoided sweating for the first 38 years of my life.  Lately,  I've had to get serious about shoehorning workouts in wherever I can.   This means running in the neighborhood near the soccer fields while one of the kids is practicing.    Or racing home from work to get to a 4:30pm Jazzercise class, and then racing a child to a 6pm activity while I'm still a sweaty, gross mess.   It's meant a lot more crockpot dinners so that I can run at the time I would normally be preparing dinner.  And it's definitely meant getting up super early on both Saturday and Sunday to work out before starting the day with the family.

My longest run in the last few months.  Slow and steady, and a look at that calorie burn!

Now, for the less than good news:  Diet.  I've been struggling. I've indulged in more processed food.  We've been eating out about once a week - some celebratory meals but mostly due to the busyness of life, and I've been very lax about those meals. We've had a few more at-home cheapo date-nights, and the wine has been flowing as Andy and I have enjoyed binge watching Game of Thrones.  All of those things add up to 5 extra pounds according to my scale.

However, I finally feel back on track with diet.  Meaning it might not be a coincidence that today is the day I'm resurrecting my blog. Ha! I'm pretty excited because I just may have found the perfect approach to long-term health.

Mark Bittman is a food and cooking writer.  His classic book "How to Cook Everything" is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time - although, it's really much more than just a cookbook.  It's the best cooking reference book ever.

Bittman has a new book out based on a diet (lifestyle) philosophy that has worked well for him for weight loss and general health, and it just makes so much sense to me.

A real foodie, Bittman had no interest in giving up animal products forever when his doctor suggested that a vegan lifestyle would benefit him due to his emerging health issues.  Instead, Bittman came up with a simple way to bring much more of the good stuff, and far less of the bad stuff into his daily diet.   Bittman explains that the reason he chose to eat vegan only before 6pm is because dinner tends to be the most social meal, and would be the hardest time to not share the meals he loves with the people he loves.

The premise is simple - before 6pm (really before dinner - the time is arbitrary), Bittman eats no animal products - his diet is consists of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and legumes.  He also doesn't eat processed sugar or refined grains before 6pm.   After 6pm, Bittman eats what he wants within reason.  He still tries to greatly limit any processed junk food or alcohol, but will have those things without guilt if he really wants them.


I started the VB6 approach just four days ago, and so far I'm really loving it for many reasons.

1).  I really do enjoy a real food diet, and such a diet is important to me for health, ecological, environmental and even social justice reasons.    This is a great plan if those issues are important to you, too.

2). I enjoy simple rules.   Counting calories, points or carbohydrates really does not work well for me.  I want to eat intuitively, but still need guidelines to help me make better choices.

3). It works with my current lifestyle.  I already eat different breakfasts and lunches than the rest of the family.  With this approach, I can continue to make the dinners my family loves.  The majority of my dinners are based on whole grains, organic vegetables and lean meats, but I also make a mean Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Buffalo Chicken Casserole.  None of that is off-limits in this approach.

4).  It's not pulling any of my emotional triggers. With different approaches, I would feel a lot of guilt and hopelessness if I screwed up (ate something I shouldn't eat).  With this approach, I can't really screw up.  Each day starts anew.  Of course, every day does ;) - but I've tried a lot of diets where it didn't feel that way.  Weight Watchers, for instance, always seemed "One Week At a Time" to me with the focus on weekly meetings and weigh-ins.   If I screwed up one day, I was likely to throw in the towel for the entire week and that could snowball very quickly.  Now that's not Weight Watchers' fault - that's my fault, but it was a problem I consistently had with that program.  With this approach, if I'm a little overindulgent after 6pm - well, I'm back to veganing it up the next morning.  Something just feels good, and self-limiting with this approach.   I'm definitely at the beginning stages of this, but I also don't feel any desire to go crazy at dinner time just because I really can eat whatever I want.  Surprisingly, this plan doesn't make me feel like I need to eat whatever I want.   

Here's an example of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast:  Overnight Refrigerator Oats (Mix 1/4 cup quick cooking oats, 1/2 cup rice milk, handful of blueberries, packet of almonds, 1 tsp chia seeds, dash of cinnamon in mason jar and refrigerate overnight.  In morning, take out of fridge for 30 minutes to take chill off.  Eat and enjoy)

Lunch:   Big Salad (spring mix lettuce, bean sprouts, homemade whole wheat croutons, tomato) with red wine vinegar and oil. 1/4 cup tahini-free hummus and baby carrots.

Snack: grapes

Dinner:  2 cup serving of Mulligatawny Soup (chicken, butter and cream in this soup - all off-limits prior to dinner foods) and Ak-Mak crackers

Snack: 1/2 cup Trader Joe's' Honey Greek yogurt (the best greek yogurt, IMO) and a cup of hot tea.

A pretty satisfying and tasty day of eating!   I'm pretty optimistic about these guidelines, and definitely looking forward to taking off those 5lbs that crept up on me, and then moving forward with my greater goals.   I promise I'll be checking in sooner than two months from now.


Finally, on a totally unrelated note- Gotta share my new favorite running song (although not a new song).  Seriously...add this to your playlist, and fly! I 'm pretty sure I skip and wiggle when this one comes on, but I don't really care.

 

St. Malachi Race Report

 
To make a long story short - I DID IT!  I finished the 5 mile St. Malachi under an hour AND was treated to my entire delicious cupcake because of it.   Evil Andy foiled again! ;-)  It was a great day :)

I will admit I almost backed out at the last moment.  Andy and I were running late after dropping off the kids at an early morning soccer game and meeting up with my mom.  By time we got near the race, a lot of roads were closed because the 2 mile run had already started.  We couldn't get to the major parking lots, and were stuck looking for on street parking.   The weather was horrible at this point - 33 degrees and icy rain pelting the windshield.  Andy turned to me and half-jokingly said, "It's warm in here.  We have cupcakes and you already have your race shirt.  No one needs to know."

I swear that man is the bad angel on my shoulder sometimes!

But then he's also my good angel, too.  I gave him the old side-eye, and he knew I meant business. I would be running this race no matter what!  Andy then treated me to the most ridiculous rendition of Alicia Keyes' "Girl on Fire" while we looked for parking.  I love this man.

With 15 minutes to start, I jumped out of the car, and headed to the start line. But first I had use the  bathroom.  The line for the indoor bathroom was insane.

Right before the start of the race

This is the part of the story where I become a folk hero!   Just as I was nearing an open stall, a woman yells out, "All the toilet paper is gone!  All of it! In the entire bathroom!" (she seemed a little freaked).  I remembered that I had about half a box of kleenex shoved up my sleeves because I was so worried about my nose running during the race so I shouted back, "I have tissues! Lots and lots of tissues" And then I became a human kleenex dispenser with women pulling tissues out of my sleeves and thanking me.  Like these women LOVED me, and couldn't thank me enough.  It was all very touching, and I received many warm wishes for a good race, and was even told I was the nicest person EVER.  Women really value toilet paper.

By some miracle, I made it out to the start with a minute to spare, and by a greater miracle Andy found me in the crowd of thousands getting ready to run. He gave me a last minute kiss, hug and threat against my cupcake and off I went.

So many people running on such a yucky day! Runners are tough!

This was my first time wearing my new GPS watch for a race, and I can't stress how much I loved it and how motivating I found it to be.   The field was so crowded that I didn't even get to the starting line until 90+ seconds after the gun.  I was able hit start on my watch at the exact moment I crossed the start, and get an accurate pace for myself when I crossed the mile markers rather than just hearing the clock times shouted out.  I loved it!

After a quick turn down W. 25th street,  we turned again to cross the Detroit Superior bridge heading towards downtown Cleveland, and that's where it really became obvious that the conditions sucked. Bridges are the pits for running as far as I'm concerned - they seem harmless enough, but that slow, steady incline is killer.  And the wind is pretty bad too, especially on a day like this one.  The road was really slick, and there were many pot holes and big puddles.  I was sliding everywhere, and my feet were soaked almost immediately and I was regretting this whole thing. I was really hoping Andy wasn't taking my under 60 minute promise too seriously  because I was pretty sure I would be lucky to just walk this entire race. And that's when I saw it.

The crowd of runners thinned a bit and I found myself running behind a man whose shirt read "In Loving Memory of Katie Rees.  Fight the good fight.  Finish the race.  Keep the faith."  I started crying.  To an embarrassing degree; thank goodness it was raining. I promised myself right there I wasn't letting this man, this shirt, this memorial, these phrases out of my sight.  I had no idea how fast he was going to run - and prayed it wouldn't be too fast -  but I knew I was staying with him for the duration.

And I did....down W. 3rd,  all the way around Cleveland Browns Stadium, past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, around Voinovich Park, down to Burke Lake Front Airport, and back again, I stayed behind him repeating in my head, "Fight the good fight.  Finish the race.  Keep the faith."

I tried to focus on the stories going on around me.  There are so many stories you see on a race day.  Some people make their stories perfectly clear  like the man in front of me running in Katie's honor.  Other stories you can only guess at, or maybe overhear, or kind of make up in your head. 

When I ran the Cleveland Half-Marathon last year, I ran several miles with a young, attractive, fit looking couple.   The girl was injured, and really struggling.  Every so often, they would stop, stretch, walk, then run again.  He was always encouraging her, and was incredibly supportive.  At mile 11, he put her on his back and ran over a mile that way in 85 degree heat.  That made me cry, too, and I thought to myself - Don't let this guy go!  Ever! He's a keeper!  This shit is more romantic than The Notebook!

During the St. Malachi Run, I saw two older women running together in green tutus, laughing all the way. race.  I saw two young men running together who gave a big ole "screw this" on the final pass back over the bridge, and instead happily called it quits, high-fived and ran down a big hill to the designated after-party bar in the Flats. Tee hee. I saw a father and his little girl - no more than 7 years old - running together.  She was getting tired, so as I ran passed I said, "You are impressive, young lady!  You are totally going to beat me!".  She smiled and said, "Yes, I am!" and took off like a shot.  Her Dad seemed really happy that she got a little extra boost.   I saw another Dad with a young teen daughter - she was slowing down, and he was running backwards trying to encourage her.  She was having none of it, as a 13 year old might, and told him, "OMG, Dad!  You are like the worst EVER!"  and "No. Just No.  You are too enthusiastic."  It was cracking me up and reminded me of some conversations I've had at home with my own teenager.  I saw another runner take a horrible tumble early in the race into a big, freezing puddle.  He was soaked.   Another runner who didn't seem to know him ran up, made sure he was OK, and gave him the pair of gloves off his own hands so that the soaked runner would at least have warm hands.

This is why I love runners and racing.   I am a generally positive person, and negative people baffle and exhaust me.  I can think of no other situation I can be in where there are just thousands of people gathered together, helping each other, and putting out such good positive energy.   It's indescribable, and just so good for the soul.

Despite the conditions, my race was going very well.  I was stunned when I hit the 3 mile mark at 32 minutes. This meant I was actually getting my first sub-33 minute mile 5K (3.1miles) even though it wouldn't technically count as such since it was a longer race.

As I came up on mile 4 and the big hill on West 3rd next to the Stadium, I started to lose steam, and had to stop and walk for about 20 seconds.   And *just* as I started to panic and worried about falling behind the man in the inspirational shirt, I noticed the song I was listening to on my iPod - Mumford and Sons "After the Storm":

Get over your hill and see
what you find there,
With grace in your heart
and flowers in your hair.

 

Get over your hill and see what you find there. 

Get over your hill.  

Get over this hill. 

Fight the good fight. 

Finish the race.  

Keep the faith.

And I did.  As I came up to the bridge, I saw that I was at 51 minutes and had half a mile to go.  I had this!  I would finish under an hour.

My feet were numb at this point, but I just kept moving and hoping it would soon be over.  As I made the turn onto 25th, and could see the finish line, I also saw Andy just as he saw me.  He looked at me, he looked at the clock, and he started wildly clapping and yelling for me because he knew I was exceeding even my highest hopes for this race.   His joy and my own made me tear up AGAIN.  I freakin' cry a lot when I run!!

Bringing it in.  I swear I'm running!

I finished at 56:29 with an average pace of 11:18.

 And you better believe I enjoyed that WHOLE cupcake!!  Here is the embarrassing photographic evidence to prove it..

After the first bite.  This takes guts to post, people!

My next race is on Sunday, April 27 - The Cleveland 10 Miler.  This is a big one for me!  Every year this race has the most awesome shirts.  They always say "Run Like A God" on the back, which is the theme of this Hermes' sponsored race.  I. Want. That. Shirt.  I've wanted one since I've started running, and I am so excited to earn it next month!

My one non-grubby picture from Saturday.

Just like the movie Speed, but with a cupcake and no bus..and no one's in danger of dying or anything

This is my cupcake.

It is not "real food" in any sense.  It smells amazing, and is loaded with sugar and chocolate.   And booze.   It's an Irish Car Bomb Cupcake, and there is Guinness, Jameson and Bailey's in this here thing.  And it shall be mine after running the 5 mile St. Malachi Run tomorrow morning.

I first saw this cupcake last week at Grandma Campbell's stand at the West Side Market, and thought I NEED THIS. Oh yeah.  But I have to earn it first - I mean, I am in the middle of  weight loss contest  and all. Andy bought this little beauty for me today, and will have it at the finish line tomorrow as my reward.

I've been obsessed  talking about this cupcake since last week.  I 'm nervous about the  race because it's going to be cold, windy,  hilly and the weather forecast predicts 1-2 inches of snow may fall.  I hate all four of those things when I am running. So I definitely think a reward will be in order when I successfully complete my self-inflicted torture.

Andy and I have a playful marriage, and we're strange.   I just need to mention that first.

So....I've been talking about this race and this cupcake and my lofty goals with my husband.  I would LOVE to finish in under 60 minutes.  That would be good for me on a flat course with perfect conditions. Maintaining something under a 12 min/mile pace tomorrow might be impossible for me, but I'd love to go for it.

So my ever supportive husband is holding my precious cupcake hostage.

If I clock-in under 60 minutes, then she's all mine.

Come to Mama, you boozey sweet thang.

For every minute more it takes me,  Andy will take one nibble.  Of the cupcake.  Torturous!, silly, fun and motivating.

Andy's joking about the text messages he's going to send me during the race:

Get your ass moving! Or the cupcake gets it!

If you drop below 5mph, this cupcake blows up. What do you do? What do you do?! 
(because it is kind of like the movie Speed,  but with a cupcake, right?)


So tomorrow morning, there will be runners out there running for glory, personal satisfaction and charitable reasons, but I shall be running for the most important reason of all - a cupcake that can get me tipsy.  And I will do anything to keep that Snidely Whiplash of a husband from getting my cake. 

What's the point if you can't have fun, eh?

Post Race Report to Come!

 

 

Believe it or not it's just me

Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
It should've been somebody else.
Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free-.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.

 
I'm in a pretty good groove here :-)

Working out is going very well.  I'm settled into a 5x per week pattern, mixing it up between the elliptical, running and jazzercise.   I had a great three day stretch over the weekend where I did a double in jazzercise (two classes back to back!) on Friday, 45 minutes on the elliptical Saturday (hill climbing, level 11), and a 6 mile run on Sunday.  Felt awesome! - and boy was I ready for a rest day on Monday.  It's Tuesday now, and I'm feeling recovered and ready to go again.

A hot, happy mess after a 6 mile run.

I love feeling strong.  Love, love, LOVE it.   I always used to joke that if a serial killer was chasing me through the woods that I would immediately drop to the ground, cover my head, and just beg for him to make the murder as quick as possible.  Now?  Heck no!  That serial killer better be super duper fast, or have amazing cardio because I am running forrrrrreverrrrrr.   Or I might just turn around and kick his butt with my cardiokickboxing moves.

"Excuse me, Mr. Killer.  Can you stand still while I execute my impressive "barn burner" upon you?"

It's crazy enough that it just might work!

I also love the idea that I'm a person that could run for help if needed.  I know that sounds stupid, but I am a crazy worrier and I tend to rattle around some pretty strange scenarios in my head.

What if we're driving through the mountains and have a car accident....and Andy is hurt....and we don't have cell phone reception....and the kids are hungry and cold and I NEED to run for help.

Back in the day,  the family would have been screwed.

But today?  I'm your gal!  Send me, send me!  I can do it!

Stupid?  Maybe.  But I think it's more about having another way that I can take care of my family if needed.  I am not helpless.  I'm strong.

Maybe this is because eating healthy and working out sometimes makes me feel like a superhero.  I'm sure y'all are thinking I'm nuts right about now.  But for a woman who felt so tired, fat, low energy, sick and out of breath for years being healthy and strong does feel superhuman.   I never knew that people went about day to day feeling *this* way - and let me tell you, it is infinitely better than eating brownies, pizza, fettuccine alfredo and all of that stuff I used to love.

******************************************************

I've got a few new favorites in the food department.

Here's today's lunch:

Isn't that pretty?!  I'm on a bit of salad kick which is kind of unusual for me. I love a good salad, but I'm not crazy about making one for myself.   Lately I've been buying a container of organic spring mix lettuce, and chopping tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers.  I boiled a bunch of chicken breasts with seasoning, and then cooled, chopped and popped in the freezer in 1/2 cup servings   I've also discovered an amazing recipe for healthy croutons. Whole Wheat Croutons - 1 WW Point per serving.
Throw a little balsamic on top of this beauty and you are good to go!


Oh, and see those blackberries?  That's part of a great deal I got from Basketeria at the West Side Market.  12 pints of organic blackberries for $8.  I mean, really???!  That's crazy cakes.

I froze a lot of the berries, but I'm  also eating them every which way - making smoothies, muffins, etc.  Blackberries, blackberries, blackberries!

Basically I'm feeling a little like this right now.

 

Speaking of those blackberry muffins I made.  Follow this fabulous recipe.    I used coconut oil and no-sugar added apple juice in the recipe.  Really tasty.   They are approximately 115 calories each, and all real food ingredients so an excellent healthy choice for breakfast or a snack.    My kids dig them, too!

Good day, friends!

 

Making sense of weeks that don't make sense

Two weeks ago, I had an okay week.  I worked out hard, but my food choices were only so-so.  There were a few too many indulgences, and I was very lazy about measuring my portions.   Lo and behold, I lost 3 lbs that week.  Odd.

Last week, I was hit with a yucky stomach bug.  For three days I had nothing but water, hot tea, and a handful of pretzel rods.   When I started feeling a bit better, my eating resumed as normal.   When I weighed in on Tuesday night, I was down .3lbs. 

Excuse me?
And a hearty WTF?! for good measure.
I didn't eat for three days and didn't even lose a pound.

And here for me is one of THE biggest challenges in my weight loss journey.

How do I deal with  weeks when the scale does not reflect reality?  How do I not get discouraged when the scale doesn't confirm the good things I've done, or perhaps more detrimental in the long run,  the mistakes I've made?

First of all, I am VERY glad that I did not lose the 4-5lbs I expected to lose after being sick.  I knew that wouldn't be a real and lasting weight loss, and I would just be worried about not showing a big gain the following week.   On the other hand, I can not figure out how it is humanly possible that I weighed (nearly) the same at the end of the week that I did at the beginning. 

But what about those weeks when you are just a weight loss star?  Killing it at the gym.   Avoiding temptation at every turn.   Filling yourself with reasonable portions of healthy, whole foods.   Then you take to the scale and......

That hurts!  And it's confusing, and  makes you second guess EVERYTHING.  What am I doing wrong?  And if you are like me there is that thought...."Well Eff It All!  If I'm going to work so hard and lose nothing/only x, then I might as well eat those Oreos/Doritos/cake/chips."  That thought can easily turn into a very destructive course that can derail you from your goals.

But what about those other weeks?  The weeks where you're a bit off - eating bigger portions and more indulgent snacks, having a few drinks with friends, not working out as much, sneaking some of the kids' leftovers after dinner and....Bam! You actually lose weight.

Honestly, I think these are the hardest weeks for me.

Oh, don't get me wrong! They feel GREAT when they happen,  kind of like winning a little weight loss lottery.

But these happy surprises can also bring their own destructive thoughts:  Hmmmm, maybe I don't have to work quite so hard? Maybe I can cheat a little bit more and still lose?  And the unspoken mental game I start playing with myself...How far can I push this and still lose/not gain?

When I give in to these thoughts the outcome is always the same - push it a little more each week and then eventually stop losing and start gaining.  And that brings me right back to the whole  "Well Eff It All!" line of thinking and licking the double stuff off a whole box of Oreos. Or standing over the kitchen sink stuffing Doritos in my mouth so quickly that I'm actually poking myself with the sharp edges (truth).

This is bad, my friends.  Bad, bad, bad!!


Ideally, effort would always equal results on the scale. It is so easy to be discouraged if that number is surprising, inexplicable, frustrating or otherwise wacky. 

Maybe you had too much sodium?
Maybe you didn't have enough water?
Maybe the body gonna do what the body gonna do?



Don't let that number get in your head.  Let it go, and keep moving forward.


You can analyze this stuff to death.  And for those of us with food and weight issues, we probably have.  We've got to stop.

I can say that every time I have failed when trying to lose weight it's been because I 've lost sight of the big picture and let one moment - one failing, one weird weigh-in - have too much sway.


I refuse to do that any more.  I do find weekly weigh-ins important  because of the trends they help me see over time. But a single weigh-in?  Nope! Just like a single high calorie meal or even a weekend foodfest it does NOT mean much in terms of your long term goals.   Every time I convince myself otherwise, it's nothing more than self-sabotage. I've got the power here - not the scale.  Consistent effort will be rewarded.  That is a fact. 

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert J Collier

Since that surprising Tuesday number, I am happy to report that I have gone about things as business as usual and have not given in to head games.  I've stayed on target with both eating and working out.  Hopefully, the scale will reflect that next week.  If it doesn't, then I will soldier on until the scale can't ignore my efforts :-)

 

Another Challenge Ends!

I know I'm really kind of weird with all of these challenges.

We have successfully completed our annual February "No Eating Out!" Challenge.  For the month, this meant no restaurant eating of any type (fast food, dine-in, carry-out), no vending machines, no coffee stops, no purchased school lunches.  Everything we ate had to come from what we bought while grocery shopping, and could be consumed at home or anywhere else.

The challenge was both easier AND more difficult for us this year.

It was easier in that we had practically given up fast food prior to this.  It's become so rare, that no one really missed it or wanted it.  In the past, that was the hard part for the kids - wanting fast food after soccer or basketball practice.  We often would stop for an ice cream cone or smoothie from McDonalds, or  some fries and pop at Wendy's. And I would *love* getting a fast food fountain drink when they would get their snack.

The challenge was difficult - a lot more difficult - because we don't really eat processed food at home.  Andy and I don't eat it at all, and the kids are limited. Basically, I cooked a ton this month, and I'm really kind of tired of it.

When we've done this challenge in the past, a lot of time our meals would consist of processed food - the frozen food options at Trader Joe's being a favorite.  Or frozen pizzas with a bag of steamed veggies. 

We don't eat that way any more, and I had no idea how extra difficult that would make the challenge for me as the family cook.  I made a lot of dinners, and a lot of snacks this month.

Mama needs a break, yo! Or these people I live with need to stop eating!

Here are a couple things that helped:

1.  Prep fruits and veggies as you buy them.  We do all of our grocery shopping on the weekend.  By Sunday evening, I have all of the week's fruits and veggies washed, prepared and chopped, if necessary. Dinner time is easier when the carrots, celery and onions are ready to go.   The family is more likely to choose fruit or veggies for a healthy snack when the melon and pineapple is cut or when the cucumbers are sliced and salted. S. is the world's best helper with this task!

2. Make more elaborate meals on the weekend - and make more.  Not that I really have a ton of time on the weekends to do this, but my time is really limited during the week.  I am very lucky to get home from work at 4pm, but we are usually running back out the door by 5:30-6:00pm.  I have a great slow roasted sticky chicken recipe that takes 5 hours to make.  If I make that on a Sunday, I then have a good 1-2cup portion of cooked chicken left over for another meal during the week - either a soup or fried rice usually.   Or I make a lot of slow cooked pasta sauce for dinner on Saturday and on the same night assemble a lasagna to put it in the freezer for us to eat later in the week.

3. Use the crockpot.  There are so many good, healthy crock pot recipes out there.  It doesn't have to be the tasteless mushy meat of your youth, or things made with cans of cream of sodium.   There are a lot of great crock pot recipes available at skinnytaste.com.  We love the chicken enchilada soup and the cuban picadillo!

4. Keep it simple.  You work hard, and you don't have a lot of time.  It is ok to feed your family simple meals.  One night we had fried eggs, whole wheat toast and strawberries for dinner.  Another night was a quick salad with a couple of chicken breasts cooked on the Foreman grill.   We had a night of grilled cheese on whole wheat with raw veggies with dip.   Quesadilla night happened weekly - cheese, avocado and tomato plus leftover chicken/beans/veggies/eggs- on whole wheat tortillas. None of these meals took more than 15 minutes to put together, and while not fancy they are so much healthier and cheaper than eating out.

We saved close to $400 this month by not eating out.  That is two weeks worth of groceries!  Or the new pair of soccer cleats, running shoes and spikes my son needs for spring sports.  Or  6 months of club soccer fees. Or 8 months of hip hop classes. That's a lot of money!

We are going out to eat today to a  fabulous pizza place to celebrate my Dad's birthday.     The whole family is excited - but I'm thinking no one is more excited than I am!  First meal "off" in a month!!