February 23, 2010

Oohh, my aching...WAIT. It doesn't hurt?

I cannot believe the month of February is almost over!
I mean, I know it's the shortest month and all, but WOW.
Since it is the shortest month, I had made that goal to use my elliptical for at least 20 intense minutes for every weekday this month. And I think I just might make it.
*HOLD FOR APPLAUSE*
Four more days to go. This past weekend, I've even added in some strength training with handweights. To make it all more effective, I've joined Sparkpeople.com and am now tracking my nutrition as well. Last month, I cut back on my carb intake. BIG TIME. While it works well, it only works when you take it to the extreme. Then, when you decided to rejoin the human race and eat REAL FOOD, all the weight just comes back. Sometimes, those original pounds bring a few friends too!
And I was really starting to miss toast.
It took me two weeks of staring at the 'My Nutrition' page. I would click around a little bit, then move to another page. After all, I didn't need that, right? It all just seemed so complicated. Then, my scale stopped moving. Things had come up and I had days where I would be stuck at a birthday party somewhere and there would be nothing for me to eat but junk food. I wouldn't overdo it, but it would totally mess with the whole low carb thing I had going on. So, I started plugging in some foods that I almost always eat into the little database on the page. I saved them to 'My Favorites' and added them into the meals when they were eaten. I just ate in a way that I thought was healthy. And then I looked at my page at the end of the day. I wasn't eating enough calories or carbs and I had eaten too much fat. Even though it still seemed like I was eating pretty well, it wasn't well enough to make a difference. It seemed that my low carb tendencies were rearing their ugly heads.
So, I now try to plan out my meals at the beginning of each day. I log everything I plan to/did eat into my meals for the day. At the end of each day, I know exactly how many grams of carbs, protein, fat, fiber and calories that I am eating. I aim to hit the goal that the site sets for me for all of those counts. And you know what? I'm doing it! I'm eating real food, too! The more fruits and veggies I add into my diet, the more easily I hit those goals. But, I can ultimately eat whatever I want. I just modify the rest of what I'm eating for that day. And if I eat too much? Well...tomorrow's another day, right? In the meantime, my clothes are fitting better and I have more energy than I ever thought possible. The scale still isn't moving too quickly, but I'm not sure that it should. I'm just glad to know that I'm not depriving myself of any nutrients to lose weight. I guess I could call this losing it the 'right way.'
Whoodathunkit? I KNOW!
Slow and steady wins the race. And I no longer think that my elliptical machine is trying to kill me. We've been getting along pretty well lately and I no longer curse its name under my breath. As a matter of fact, I'm starting to look forward to getting all red-faced and gasping for air each day. The sense of accomplishment I get is totally worth it!

February 11, 2010

Cynicism and the People Who Like It

I'm in a bit of a cynical mood today yet am oddly amused by my own evil thoughts.
Have you ever had someone that just bugged the crap out of you, even though you have no rational explanation as to why? Is it just me and my twisted little mind? Every time you see them or even hear their name you just want to roll your eyes and make a little 'gaggy' face...even if it's inside your own head? You have no concrete explanation for such hatred, yet this person just gets under your skin?
Ladies and gentleman, that's how I feel about Celine Dion.
I don't even know why. I can't put my finger on it, but she just bugs me! I have no reason that I can actually put my finger on....but she stil makes me growl.
After Celine Dion was no longer on my television this morning, I was already on a roll. Since it's just me and my 4YO here, I'm having to stick to entertaining myself with my bitter, petty comments. And I'm finding myself to be very funny...
I really need to get out more.
On the plus side, I have been exercising regularly for the past two weeks. I. FEEL. GREAT. My love/hate relationship with the elliptical is turning into one of mostly love. Remember when I got that silly thing?
I can proudly say that no laundry has been dried on this elliptical...YET. It has collected some dust due to its bouts of neglect, but that's to be expected around here! I've since discovered the Sprint 8 program, which is only 20 minutes and KICKS MY BUTT. (Hopefully, it will kick it in the direction of SMALLER, but only time will tell.)
Well, 4YO is watching GMA and doing her darndest to sing along with Selena Gomez, even though I'm pretty sure she hasn't actually heard this song before. I've even allowed her to paint her own nails AGAIN. She's actually pretty good and I make her sit on the tiled kitchen floor when she wants to do it herself and she's actually rather good.
I hate to say it, but I think my amusingly cynical outlook is beginning to fade. All this talk about blizzards and snow in other parts of the country got me to look out my window. Bright, shiny skies and green grass are all around me. Phil the groundhog doesn't really know what he's talking about; it feels like spring is showing signs of an early arrival around these parts.
Have a great day!

February 5, 2010

Because sometimes there really are no words

Internet, write this date down because I have seriously been at a loss for words this week.
(I know, right?)
Someone very important to me has suffered a terrible loss and it's still really hard to wrap my head around. While this week is coming to a close and the weekend is upon us, I have this song stuck in my head. I find a bit of comfort in it, especially today.
I hope that everyone keeps their loved ones close. Every minute counts.