I was going to blog today about my eating habits -- what I generally eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, including drinks -- but I'll spare you for at least another day. It's not all that interesting anyway, trust me.
Instead, you should go read this story. It made me laugh so hard I almost spit water out my nose ... is that even the correct verb to use? Spit? Well, whatever, it almost made water come out my nose as I was drinking and laughing at the same time.
Funny stuff.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Hot, Hot, Hot
This morning I did something really dumb. I was heating up water for my morning cup of tea, and after the water was boiling, I picked up the teapot with my left hand and my travel mug with my right hand to pour the water (normally, I leave the mug on the counter when I pour; it's safer that way). What's really stupid is that as I was getting ready to pour the water, I thought, "I'm going to hurt myself here."
Well, I did hurt myself. I splashed boiling-hot water on my index, middle and ring fingers of my right hand. I was kind of in a hurry (I lost my passkey to get into the garage, and I was hoping to get to work early enough that the two spots reserved in the parking lot for visitors would still be open, and I could nab one of them, but that didn't work out as planned. Of course.) so I spent some cursory time running my hand under ice-cold water until it was time to go to work.
And my hand hurt the whole way to work. Throbbing, burning pain. There is nothing like burn pain -- it sucks. I got to work and thought I'd try some of the aloe vera gel I keep for sunburn relief in my cubicle, but that didn't help at all. So then I went to the kitchen to investigate and see what we have for burn relief in the freezer.
There are no ice packs in the freezer, but there is ice. I looked around for something to put the ice in, and for some reason I ended up just grabbing a length of Saran wrap. When I got back to my desk, I thought to myself, "This is silly; when the ice melts, water is going to get everywhere." I went back to the kitchen to find one of our plastic cups to put the ice in, but we were totally out of both plastic cups (for drinking water) and Styrofoam cups (for coffee).
That meant I had to start looking through the cupboards to see what was available. The best thing I found was this big, shallowish mug with Mickey Mouse on it. So I put the ice in there and spent most of the morning with my right hand chillin' in the mug, and trying to use my mouse with my left hand (not nearly as easy as it sounds).
It was a really good look.
Well, I did hurt myself. I splashed boiling-hot water on my index, middle and ring fingers of my right hand. I was kind of in a hurry (I lost my passkey to get into the garage, and I was hoping to get to work early enough that the two spots reserved in the parking lot for visitors would still be open, and I could nab one of them, but that didn't work out as planned. Of course.) so I spent some cursory time running my hand under ice-cold water until it was time to go to work.
And my hand hurt the whole way to work. Throbbing, burning pain. There is nothing like burn pain -- it sucks. I got to work and thought I'd try some of the aloe vera gel I keep for sunburn relief in my cubicle, but that didn't help at all. So then I went to the kitchen to investigate and see what we have for burn relief in the freezer.
There are no ice packs in the freezer, but there is ice. I looked around for something to put the ice in, and for some reason I ended up just grabbing a length of Saran wrap. When I got back to my desk, I thought to myself, "This is silly; when the ice melts, water is going to get everywhere." I went back to the kitchen to find one of our plastic cups to put the ice in, but we were totally out of both plastic cups (for drinking water) and Styrofoam cups (for coffee).
That meant I had to start looking through the cupboards to see what was available. The best thing I found was this big, shallowish mug with Mickey Mouse on it. So I put the ice in there and spent most of the morning with my right hand chillin' in the mug, and trying to use my mouse with my left hand (not nearly as easy as it sounds).
It was a really good look.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Progress Now
Looking in the mirror this morning, I swear I saw the slightest bit of definition in my abs. It was up at the top, where the muscle meets the ribcage. Only very tiny, but noticeable in the right light.
Now, I'm not blind, and I also still have my sense of touch just fine. I know there's still a layer of fat there. But I've never, ever had any definition in my abs, so to see even a little smidgen of a hint of some was most certainly progress.
Also, I beat Diner Dash. The whole game.
Now, I'm not blind, and I also still have my sense of touch just fine. I know there's still a layer of fat there. But I've never, ever had any definition in my abs, so to see even a little smidgen of a hint of some was most certainly progress.
Also, I beat Diner Dash. The whole game.
Monday, July 7, 2008
I Hate Plateaus
If you're wondering whether I've been keeping up with the whole healthy-living lifestyle, the answer is yes, I have. Which is damn frustrating, because I've actually been amping up my workouts for the past couple of weeks, and guess how much weight I've lost?
Pretty much none.
I've lost some body fat, I think, at least based on my bathroom scale (which I love, by the way -- the digital body-fat reader isn't for everybody, but it helps me keep things in perspective; I may be within the correct height/weight ratio, aka BMI, but I'd like to cut the fat down by quite a bit). But the scale refuses to budge, and it's driving me a little bit crazy. I tend to get obsessive about these things, and when I've been working out six days a week, and my workouts finish with me dripping sweat, you'd think I'd have more to show for it.
Of course, I know I could be putting on muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. And really, it's not so much the weight that bothers me (it's not!). It's the fact that I still can't fit into my favorite pair of jeans. It's the size that bothers me.
The real kicker is that I know what I need to do. Lately (over the past couple of weeks, actually) I've been getting ravenously hungry at night. I know why -- it's because I'm burning more calories, and my body, which would like to maintain its weight, is pushing me to eat to regain those lost calories. And I, mindlessly, agree. It's not like I'm binging late-night on fried food and doughnuts (god, I wish sometimes ...), but even though it's healthy, it's still keeping these last stubborn five to ten pounds on my ass and thighs and belly.
Frustrating.
So ... no more late-night snacks. Dinner, and that's it. I find that a cup of tea and a glass of wine helps, but not lately; lately, it's food or nothing. But I can deal with a little before-bed tummy growling for a higher cause.
And on the bright side: I've lost more than fifteen pounds to date and -- most important -- kept it off. No signs of a fat relapse. If I have my say, I'll never see 130 pounds on the scale ever again. Unless I become pregnant. But what I really want to see on the scale, repeatedly and forever, is 115 pounds or thereabouts. Maybe even 110 if it's healthy for me to get there. Is that so much to ask for my 5'4 frame? Apparently so. Apparently, 120ish is where it's at for me right now. But not for long ... this I promise myself, which is more effective than promising you, elusive reader.
And to close, a random thought: Morning glories are kind of weird, don't you think? I do. I see them every morning as I'm leaving for work, and I think, "pretty flowers." They are pretty -- white with hints of pink and purple sometimes -- and then when I get home, I forget we even have flowers in the yard at all. They vanish, only to reappear again the next morning. I've never sat to watch and see at what point they decide to hide. I just think they're weird. But pretty. But weird.
But still pretty.
Pretty much none.
I've lost some body fat, I think, at least based on my bathroom scale (which I love, by the way -- the digital body-fat reader isn't for everybody, but it helps me keep things in perspective; I may be within the correct height/weight ratio, aka BMI, but I'd like to cut the fat down by quite a bit). But the scale refuses to budge, and it's driving me a little bit crazy. I tend to get obsessive about these things, and when I've been working out six days a week, and my workouts finish with me dripping sweat, you'd think I'd have more to show for it.
Of course, I know I could be putting on muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. And really, it's not so much the weight that bothers me (it's not!). It's the fact that I still can't fit into my favorite pair of jeans. It's the size that bothers me.
The real kicker is that I know what I need to do. Lately (over the past couple of weeks, actually) I've been getting ravenously hungry at night. I know why -- it's because I'm burning more calories, and my body, which would like to maintain its weight, is pushing me to eat to regain those lost calories. And I, mindlessly, agree. It's not like I'm binging late-night on fried food and doughnuts (god, I wish sometimes ...), but even though it's healthy, it's still keeping these last stubborn five to ten pounds on my ass and thighs and belly.
Frustrating.
So ... no more late-night snacks. Dinner, and that's it. I find that a cup of tea and a glass of wine helps, but not lately; lately, it's food or nothing. But I can deal with a little before-bed tummy growling for a higher cause.
And on the bright side: I've lost more than fifteen pounds to date and -- most important -- kept it off. No signs of a fat relapse. If I have my say, I'll never see 130 pounds on the scale ever again. Unless I become pregnant. But what I really want to see on the scale, repeatedly and forever, is 115 pounds or thereabouts. Maybe even 110 if it's healthy for me to get there. Is that so much to ask for my 5'4 frame? Apparently so. Apparently, 120ish is where it's at for me right now. But not for long ... this I promise myself, which is more effective than promising you, elusive reader.
And to close, a random thought: Morning glories are kind of weird, don't you think? I do. I see them every morning as I'm leaving for work, and I think, "pretty flowers." They are pretty -- white with hints of pink and purple sometimes -- and then when I get home, I forget we even have flowers in the yard at all. They vanish, only to reappear again the next morning. I've never sat to watch and see at what point they decide to hide. I just think they're weird. But pretty. But weird.
But still pretty.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Sunday, Liquor Sunday
Work was super lame today. To give you just a taste of how bad it was, I'll merely say this: The power went out at the end of the day, and I had to calculate all my remaining tables' tabs, plus sales tax, by remembering exactly what they had. Less than fun.
I wanted to report mostly on my very first purchase of alcohol from a liquor store on Sunday in the history of my life in Colorado. (It seems weird that in Missouri, you can buy whatever you want at the gas station -- talk about convenience -- and yet Colorado makes noise about being a more forward-thinking state, doesn't it?) I actually made it all the way home after my shift was over and the power-outage fiasco had taken its toll on me, then said, "Oh, shit! I forgot to go to the liquor store!" I mostly wanted to go for the novelty, but there's also something about serving people alcohol all day long and then not having any for yourself when you get home, that makes it extra-terrible when the liquor store is closed on Sunday.
I bought: A six-pack of iced tea, a box of cabernet (four bottles' worth, and it's decent wine) and a $5 crossword puzzle scratch-and-win. I lost.
But it was nice to be able to embark something as trivial as a visit to the liquor store that, while trivial, also has political significance -- who is anyone to say you can't buy alcohol on Sundays? It's a silly and arbitrary rule. As the Colorado legislature proved.
I wanted to report mostly on my very first purchase of alcohol from a liquor store on Sunday in the history of my life in Colorado. (It seems weird that in Missouri, you can buy whatever you want at the gas station -- talk about convenience -- and yet Colorado makes noise about being a more forward-thinking state, doesn't it?) I actually made it all the way home after my shift was over and the power-outage fiasco had taken its toll on me, then said, "Oh, shit! I forgot to go to the liquor store!" I mostly wanted to go for the novelty, but there's also something about serving people alcohol all day long and then not having any for yourself when you get home, that makes it extra-terrible when the liquor store is closed on Sunday.
I bought: A six-pack of iced tea, a box of cabernet (four bottles' worth, and it's decent wine) and a $5 crossword puzzle scratch-and-win. I lost.
But it was nice to be able to embark something as trivial as a visit to the liquor store that, while trivial, also has political significance -- who is anyone to say you can't buy alcohol on Sundays? It's a silly and arbitrary rule. As the Colorado legislature proved.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Lazy Saturday
Actually, it's not all that lazy -- I'm getting a decent amount done -- but I'm also indulging in one of my favorite past-times, which is sure to make everyone laugh.
Here it is:
I like watching exercise DVDs.
Don't get me wrong; I also like doing the exercise DVDs. That's my fitness program, after all. But I like getting the chance to watch the videos at lesat one time all the way through before I actually am ready to do the video.
I just started using the Hip Hop Abs series a couple of weeks ago (visit beachbody to learn more about this) and so far I've only had to do two videos as part of the program. But this is the start of the third week, introducing two new videos. Plus I got the deluxe package, which includes six extra dance workouts and three advanced workouts. So what I've been doing today is watching a video, then doing 15 minutes' worth of cleaning/decluttering, then watching another video, then another 15 minutes. I've managed to get quite a bit done this way. The 15 minutes on and off is one of my favorite cleaning tricks.
Here it is:
I like watching exercise DVDs.
Don't get me wrong; I also like doing the exercise DVDs. That's my fitness program, after all. But I like getting the chance to watch the videos at lesat one time all the way through before I actually am ready to do the video.
I just started using the Hip Hop Abs series a couple of weeks ago (visit beachbody to learn more about this) and so far I've only had to do two videos as part of the program. But this is the start of the third week, introducing two new videos. Plus I got the deluxe package, which includes six extra dance workouts and three advanced workouts. So what I've been doing today is watching a video, then doing 15 minutes' worth of cleaning/decluttering, then watching another video, then another 15 minutes. I've managed to get quite a bit done this way. The 15 minutes on and off is one of my favorite cleaning tricks.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Glorious Fourth
Today, as announced, I went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, where I was duly annoyed by humanity: First by the man at the gate who told me that they highly discourage dogs from coming into the arts area (coulda told me sooner!), then by the teeming hordes of pretentious people, which were everywhere, and which prompted me to don my "VIP Media" badge so they would stop shoving me out of the way while I tried to take pictures, and finally, by the man who told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures because he was too self-centered to see my "VIP Media" badge.
Oy.
Also, I got sunburned just on my neck. Not a good look.
But the art, as it is every year, was way cool.
It feels weird that I have tomorrow off, too. Like a real weekend. Usually I only have one day off a week, and really not even that, since every other week I do volunteer work. I keep thinking I have to go bartend tomorrow, but I don't.
My brothers want to go watch fireworks later and I guess they expect me to go with them. I don't really feel like it, is the problem. I couldn't care less about fireworks and brouhaha. I love my country, but I don't really like the Fourth of July and all the surrounding accoutrements.
Oy.
Also, I got sunburned just on my neck. Not a good look.
But the art, as it is every year, was way cool.
It feels weird that I have tomorrow off, too. Like a real weekend. Usually I only have one day off a week, and really not even that, since every other week I do volunteer work. I keep thinking I have to go bartend tomorrow, but I don't.
My brothers want to go watch fireworks later and I guess they expect me to go with them. I don't really feel like it, is the problem. I couldn't care less about fireworks and brouhaha. I love my country, but I don't really like the Fourth of July and all the surrounding accoutrements.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Always On My Mind
Not always, actually, but here's what's on my mind today:
* I got a phone call from a woman who set up an interview for me with Alex Gibney, the man behind the new Hunter S. Thompson movie, Gonzo. She was brusque -- actually, kind of rude -- and wanted to know why the interview wasn't in the paper. Well, it wasn't in the paper because a) we don't run interviews in the movies section of the paper, as a general rule; there isn't enough space to run as many movie reviews as I would like, and I'm not wasting that space on an interview, and b) I arranged for the interview with the understanding that it would be posted online as a supplement to the film in the paper. I did make Gonzo the top film for the week -- because I thought it deserved the standing: I fully enjoyed it and think everyone interested in Hunter's life should go out and see it immediately (or at least when it opens tomorrow).
So anyway, she calls me and she's rude in the voicemail, so I call her back and leave what I thought was a very nice message explaining that there must have been some kind of misunderstanding, that the interview is posted online and I would be happy to send her a link if she would like one. And then she figures out that she was, in fact, wrong, and sends me an e-mail saying "Sorry! And could you send that link?"
It miffed me. Mostly because for me to even get the screener for Gonzo, I had to explain exactly what I was going to use it for, and I told them we would use that and the director material for supplemental stuff online. The paper is shrinking, and we simply don't have the space to run everything in print, but I personally have been posting a lot on the website to make up for the fact. To the point: People shouldn't be rude until they have their facts in order and are certain that they actually have a reason to be rude.
* Aside from that, work today was kinda brutal. I have tomorrow off (good!) but that means I have to do my usual Thursday and Friday tasks today (not so good). It seemed to go pretty smoothly until about 3 p.m. when I realized I was missing a story for Night&Day. And not missing a story as in someone was late turning it in -- missing it as in no one realized it was missing until just then. Luckily, I had something I had written for online that could fill the spot. And it was especially fortuitous because while writing this particular online piece, I had told my contacts that it was going in the paper (people get a little weird about being "only" online, even though quite a few people still see it on the website). I figured I would just deal with the fallout next week when they didn't see it in the paper, but now it actually will be in print, and I didn't have to do any extra work to get it there. Then all I had to do was upload the online stuff and wipe down my desk with my grapefruit-scented cleaner to get rid of the toxic black dust. Hello, weekend!
* I'm wearing these cute slide wedge shoes that I bought one or two summers ago (can't even remember). I never wear them because they're not properly broken in, so they tend to hurt my feet (although they must be getting close; they're rather comfortable today), and also because summerwear is so time-consuming. I usually miss it when it's gone and can't wait for it to come back so I can put on my cute summer clothes, but seriously ... you have to shave, if you're wearing open-toed shoes then your toes should be painted, and that by itself is more maintenance than I usually give my body. But today I've got a green shirt, my brown city shorts and the shoes, which go perfectly with the shorts. I guess it's worth the effort.
* I get to go to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival tomorrow! I love the arts festival. It's all way too expensive for me, but the work is beautiful and it's fun just to walk around and take it all in.
* I have about four or five broken small appliances that need to leave my home, but I'm not sure what to do with them. I can't just throw them away; how wasteful! I'm looking into recycling them -- but some places charge to recycle small appliances. Which I guess makes sense if they can't make their cash back through the actual recycling, but it still feels a bit extortionate to me.
* Why is it that vitamins make your pee bright, radioactive yellow? I've been taking this stuff called Passion4Life that my brother Art introduced me to; it's a good vitamin. It's liquid, so 98 percent of it gets absorbed (way, way more than regular vitamins). It tastes nasty, so I blend it into a breakfast smoothie every morning. And then I pee bright yellow. Why is that?
* Finally, if you want to read my blog (and the following comments) on Widespread Panic that I wrote for Westword, go here. And if you're so inclined, leave a comment; it'll help me with my plans for world domination.
* I got a phone call from a woman who set up an interview for me with Alex Gibney, the man behind the new Hunter S. Thompson movie, Gonzo. She was brusque -- actually, kind of rude -- and wanted to know why the interview wasn't in the paper. Well, it wasn't in the paper because a) we don't run interviews in the movies section of the paper, as a general rule; there isn't enough space to run as many movie reviews as I would like, and I'm not wasting that space on an interview, and b) I arranged for the interview with the understanding that it would be posted online as a supplement to the film in the paper. I did make Gonzo the top film for the week -- because I thought it deserved the standing: I fully enjoyed it and think everyone interested in Hunter's life should go out and see it immediately (or at least when it opens tomorrow).
So anyway, she calls me and she's rude in the voicemail, so I call her back and leave what I thought was a very nice message explaining that there must have been some kind of misunderstanding, that the interview is posted online and I would be happy to send her a link if she would like one. And then she figures out that she was, in fact, wrong, and sends me an e-mail saying "Sorry! And could you send that link?"
It miffed me. Mostly because for me to even get the screener for Gonzo, I had to explain exactly what I was going to use it for, and I told them we would use that and the director material for supplemental stuff online. The paper is shrinking, and we simply don't have the space to run everything in print, but I personally have been posting a lot on the website to make up for the fact. To the point: People shouldn't be rude until they have their facts in order and are certain that they actually have a reason to be rude.
* Aside from that, work today was kinda brutal. I have tomorrow off (good!) but that means I have to do my usual Thursday and Friday tasks today (not so good). It seemed to go pretty smoothly until about 3 p.m. when I realized I was missing a story for Night&Day. And not missing a story as in someone was late turning it in -- missing it as in no one realized it was missing until just then. Luckily, I had something I had written for online that could fill the spot. And it was especially fortuitous because while writing this particular online piece, I had told my contacts that it was going in the paper (people get a little weird about being "only" online, even though quite a few people still see it on the website). I figured I would just deal with the fallout next week when they didn't see it in the paper, but now it actually will be in print, and I didn't have to do any extra work to get it there. Then all I had to do was upload the online stuff and wipe down my desk with my grapefruit-scented cleaner to get rid of the toxic black dust. Hello, weekend!
* I'm wearing these cute slide wedge shoes that I bought one or two summers ago (can't even remember). I never wear them because they're not properly broken in, so they tend to hurt my feet (although they must be getting close; they're rather comfortable today), and also because summerwear is so time-consuming. I usually miss it when it's gone and can't wait for it to come back so I can put on my cute summer clothes, but seriously ... you have to shave, if you're wearing open-toed shoes then your toes should be painted, and that by itself is more maintenance than I usually give my body. But today I've got a green shirt, my brown city shorts and the shoes, which go perfectly with the shorts. I guess it's worth the effort.
* I get to go to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival tomorrow! I love the arts festival. It's all way too expensive for me, but the work is beautiful and it's fun just to walk around and take it all in.
* I have about four or five broken small appliances that need to leave my home, but I'm not sure what to do with them. I can't just throw them away; how wasteful! I'm looking into recycling them -- but some places charge to recycle small appliances. Which I guess makes sense if they can't make their cash back through the actual recycling, but it still feels a bit extortionate to me.
* Why is it that vitamins make your pee bright, radioactive yellow? I've been taking this stuff called Passion4Life that my brother Art introduced me to; it's a good vitamin. It's liquid, so 98 percent of it gets absorbed (way, way more than regular vitamins). It tastes nasty, so I blend it into a breakfast smoothie every morning. And then I pee bright yellow. Why is that?
* Finally, if you want to read my blog (and the following comments) on Widespread Panic that I wrote for Westword, go here. And if you're so inclined, leave a comment; it'll help me with my plans for world domination.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Just for Jocelyn
My car has a ghost in it. I've taken it into the mechanic and he doesn't know what's wrong, so I'm saying it's a ghost. Every once in a while, it refuses to start. The only thing you can do is just wait for about five minutes and then try again, and usually it starts right up.
The reason I think it's a ghost is because it always refuses to start when I'm at the post office. And I have to go to the post office every day because I don't have a mailbox, just a P.O. box, and I have to check my mail.
I went today to check my mail (there was a really ridiculous packet in there from Dodge urging me to buy a new car; it said "OMG" on the envelope. I wanted to mail it back and be all, "OMG, Dodge! I'm not buying one of you!) and when I went back to my car it, of course, would not start.
I'm not the most patient person on the planet, and it's frustrating to wait for the elusive start, so what I've been doing is playing my new favorite game on my phone. It's called Diner Dash. It follows Flo, a waitress who's trying to make her diner into an empire. You go through different shifts with Flo and it gets progressively harder. First they add tables. Then they start adding different types of customers -- old people, businessmen and food critics. If you ever take too long to get to a customer, they start to get mad, until steam comes out of their head and they leave; if they leave you lose 750 points. Then they add a drink station, a host podium, appetizers, that kind of thing.
I'm on level six of the seafood restaurant and I cannot get past those unlimited free crab cakes for the life of me.
The reason I think it's a ghost is because it always refuses to start when I'm at the post office. And I have to go to the post office every day because I don't have a mailbox, just a P.O. box, and I have to check my mail.
I went today to check my mail (there was a really ridiculous packet in there from Dodge urging me to buy a new car; it said "OMG" on the envelope. I wanted to mail it back and be all, "OMG, Dodge! I'm not buying one of you!) and when I went back to my car it, of course, would not start.
I'm not the most patient person on the planet, and it's frustrating to wait for the elusive start, so what I've been doing is playing my new favorite game on my phone. It's called Diner Dash. It follows Flo, a waitress who's trying to make her diner into an empire. You go through different shifts with Flo and it gets progressively harder. First they add tables. Then they start adding different types of customers -- old people, businessmen and food critics. If you ever take too long to get to a customer, they start to get mad, until steam comes out of their head and they leave; if they leave you lose 750 points. Then they add a drink station, a host podium, appetizers, that kind of thing.
I'm on level six of the seafood restaurant and I cannot get past those unlimited free crab cakes for the life of me.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
food for thought
Last week I was in the office kitchen at about 3 p.m. preparing my afternoon snack (I bring morning and afternoon snacks, plus lunch, with me to work). It was a stalk of celery with some Laughing Cow light garlic & herb cheese spread on it -- rather tasty. One of my male co-workers walked in and said, "Celery, huh?"
"Yep," I replied.
"Is that, like, your lunch?"
I laughed. "Um, no. I ate my lunch about three hours ago. This is just my afternoon, hungry-but-not-hungry-enough-to-eat-a-full-meal snack," I explained.
He looked at me like he didn't believe me.
Now, I understand that some women have issues with food. I probably fall into that category. And although I'm not fat, I don't exactly look like a woman who eats nothing but a stalk of celery for lunch. At least I hope I don't. I've always eaten pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want (that is my food issue). I remember one time in college going on a ... well, it wasn't exactly a date, but I went out to dinner with a friend of mine and his neighbor, who was captain of the Mizzou football team and with whom I entertained a brief fling (very brief). We went to Chili's, I ordered the grilled shrimp alfredo and proceeded to eat the entire plate of pasta, cream sauce and shrimp right in front of these boys.
Football Player was flabbergasted. When they put my plate down, he said, "Are you gonna eat that whole thing?" I looked at him like it was a stupid question, which it was, and said, "Yes." And then I did. And he marveled like he'd never seen a girl eat an entire plate of food before. Maybe he hadn't. I still remember to this day how shocked he was at my appetite.
Point being, no, I do not eat just celery. Or just grapefruit. Or just anything. I make it a priority in my life to eat a balanced diet, which means carbs and fats are most definitely included.
Anyway, this morning I went to breakfast with Damon and I ordered a black bean burrito (black beans, potatoes and optional scrambled eggs, smothered with green chili. Bombtastic). I asked for scrambled eggs but instead of actual scrambled eggs, I wanted Simply Eggs. My doctor said to eat only one egg a week, so I figure no eggs a week has got to be better than one. Our waitress was an older, motherly type. She said, "You're a little young to be ordering the Simply Eggs."
"I have cholesterol issues," I explained, not really wanting to detail those issues further.
The food came and it was really good; they had given me about half a plate of iceberg lettuce and tomato to eat with my burrito if I so chose. I don't like iceberg lettuce. I'm a lettuce snob. Spring mix, romaine, baby spinach? All good. Iceberg? Good for nothing but fiber, really, and I don't eat anything that is only useful for one of your dietary needs. Or I try not to. I get plenty of fiber in my diet; I don't need to eat a nutritionally void lettuce to up my fiber intake.
Waitress comes back and says, "You know, eating some of that lettuce would help with your cholesterol." I kind of laugh and say yeah, I know. Then I ask for a box. I put only the burrito in the box. When she's clearing my plate, she remarks again that I left all the iceberg on the plate. I said that I didn't really enjoy iceberg lettuce but I do manage to eat one big salad a day (true), so I was good on that.
And then again when we're paying the bill, she says, "She ordered Simply Eggs but put everything but the lettuce in her take-away box."
Funny what people will comment on when it comes to what you put in your mouth. They comment if it's not enough (in their mind): celery boy. They comment if it's too much (in their mind): shrimp alfredo boy. They comment if it's not correct (in their mind): iceberg lettuce waitress.
"Yep," I replied.
"Is that, like, your lunch?"
I laughed. "Um, no. I ate my lunch about three hours ago. This is just my afternoon, hungry-but-not-hungry-enough-to-eat-a-full-meal snack," I explained.
He looked at me like he didn't believe me.
Now, I understand that some women have issues with food. I probably fall into that category. And although I'm not fat, I don't exactly look like a woman who eats nothing but a stalk of celery for lunch. At least I hope I don't. I've always eaten pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want (that is my food issue). I remember one time in college going on a ... well, it wasn't exactly a date, but I went out to dinner with a friend of mine and his neighbor, who was captain of the Mizzou football team and with whom I entertained a brief fling (very brief). We went to Chili's, I ordered the grilled shrimp alfredo and proceeded to eat the entire plate of pasta, cream sauce and shrimp right in front of these boys.
Football Player was flabbergasted. When they put my plate down, he said, "Are you gonna eat that whole thing?" I looked at him like it was a stupid question, which it was, and said, "Yes." And then I did. And he marveled like he'd never seen a girl eat an entire plate of food before. Maybe he hadn't. I still remember to this day how shocked he was at my appetite.
Point being, no, I do not eat just celery. Or just grapefruit. Or just anything. I make it a priority in my life to eat a balanced diet, which means carbs and fats are most definitely included.
Anyway, this morning I went to breakfast with Damon and I ordered a black bean burrito (black beans, potatoes and optional scrambled eggs, smothered with green chili. Bombtastic). I asked for scrambled eggs but instead of actual scrambled eggs, I wanted Simply Eggs. My doctor said to eat only one egg a week, so I figure no eggs a week has got to be better than one. Our waitress was an older, motherly type. She said, "You're a little young to be ordering the Simply Eggs."
"I have cholesterol issues," I explained, not really wanting to detail those issues further.
The food came and it was really good; they had given me about half a plate of iceberg lettuce and tomato to eat with my burrito if I so chose. I don't like iceberg lettuce. I'm a lettuce snob. Spring mix, romaine, baby spinach? All good. Iceberg? Good for nothing but fiber, really, and I don't eat anything that is only useful for one of your dietary needs. Or I try not to. I get plenty of fiber in my diet; I don't need to eat a nutritionally void lettuce to up my fiber intake.
Waitress comes back and says, "You know, eating some of that lettuce would help with your cholesterol." I kind of laugh and say yeah, I know. Then I ask for a box. I put only the burrito in the box. When she's clearing my plate, she remarks again that I left all the iceberg on the plate. I said that I didn't really enjoy iceberg lettuce but I do manage to eat one big salad a day (true), so I was good on that.
And then again when we're paying the bill, she says, "She ordered Simply Eggs but put everything but the lettuce in her take-away box."
Funny what people will comment on when it comes to what you put in your mouth. They comment if it's not enough (in their mind): celery boy. They comment if it's too much (in their mind): shrimp alfredo boy. They comment if it's not correct (in their mind): iceberg lettuce waitress.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
ALI WON!!!
I have been watching The Biggest Loser all season. This show is my secret passion; I get sad when I miss it. My favorite contestant is Ali Vincent (I liked Brittany Aberle a lot, too). Ali got eliminated (I think at Week Four) but came back in a surprise twist; they allowed one eliminated woman and one eliminated man back on the show, and Ali got it.
And she freakin' won the whole thing last night!!!
She lost 112 pounds, 47.86 percent of her body weight. That's amazing!
She is the first female Biggest Loser.
It was awesome watching the finale -- first to see all the transformations people made in six months. Six months! Most of them looked like completely different people. And second to see Ali win it all. I was rooting for her to win. When she got eliminated, she blurted out, "I'm the Biggest Loser." At the time it seemed wishful thinking. But no! She really is!!
I was so proud of her. It was funny -- I really felt this swelling of pride in my chest, like Ali was my child and had just won this awesome prize. And the really great thing about the show is that even everyone who didn't win got the benefit of training by Bob and Jillian (two kick-ass trainers!) and learning about appropriate nutrition. Even the ones who didn't win look fantastic, which is a prize in and of itself (I'm corny).
Some people on some of the blogs are saying Ali took diet pills. She was off the ranch for a while and lost 33 pounds by herself; they're saying that we don't know what she did or didn't do, and it's unfair that they had her come back. Well, it was unfair that she was eliminated in the first place; she never once fell below the yellow line. It was a freak elimination. And all the contestants had at least six weeks at home by themselves. Anyone could have taken diet pills.
But I don't think she did. I think if you watch the show, and you see how hard she pushed herself and how determined she was to be the first female to win, you know that she didn't need diet pills. She's hot now, and she did it using the tried-and-true method. I think some people want to believe she used supplements because it's tough to lose weight like that the proper way. It's really, really difficult. I admire the hell out of anyone who can do it. And if people believe that Ali went from 234 pounds to 122 by using diet pills, that means they don't have to do all the hard work that Ali did to get to where she is. They can just pop a pill and eat whatever they want and not move their bodies and it will all be okay.
It's not about taking diet pills or even "going on a diet." It's about lifelong dietary changes. Lifestyle changes. I could take some medication to deal with the cholesterol issues I've inherited, or I could get off my butt and do something about it other than filling my body up with chemicals. Guess which way I'm going?
New season starts in October!
And she freakin' won the whole thing last night!!!
She lost 112 pounds, 47.86 percent of her body weight. That's amazing!
She is the first female Biggest Loser.
It was awesome watching the finale -- first to see all the transformations people made in six months. Six months! Most of them looked like completely different people. And second to see Ali win it all. I was rooting for her to win. When she got eliminated, she blurted out, "I'm the Biggest Loser." At the time it seemed wishful thinking. But no! She really is!!
I was so proud of her. It was funny -- I really felt this swelling of pride in my chest, like Ali was my child and had just won this awesome prize. And the really great thing about the show is that even everyone who didn't win got the benefit of training by Bob and Jillian (two kick-ass trainers!) and learning about appropriate nutrition. Even the ones who didn't win look fantastic, which is a prize in and of itself (I'm corny).
Some people on some of the blogs are saying Ali took diet pills. She was off the ranch for a while and lost 33 pounds by herself; they're saying that we don't know what she did or didn't do, and it's unfair that they had her come back. Well, it was unfair that she was eliminated in the first place; she never once fell below the yellow line. It was a freak elimination. And all the contestants had at least six weeks at home by themselves. Anyone could have taken diet pills.
But I don't think she did. I think if you watch the show, and you see how hard she pushed herself and how determined she was to be the first female to win, you know that she didn't need diet pills. She's hot now, and she did it using the tried-and-true method. I think some people want to believe she used supplements because it's tough to lose weight like that the proper way. It's really, really difficult. I admire the hell out of anyone who can do it. And if people believe that Ali went from 234 pounds to 122 by using diet pills, that means they don't have to do all the hard work that Ali did to get to where she is. They can just pop a pill and eat whatever they want and not move their bodies and it will all be okay.
It's not about taking diet pills or even "going on a diet." It's about lifelong dietary changes. Lifestyle changes. I could take some medication to deal with the cholesterol issues I've inherited, or I could get off my butt and do something about it other than filling my body up with chemicals. Guess which way I'm going?
New season starts in October!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
health nut
In my continuous quest for self-improvement, I've been working on my health. I remember when I was a vegetarian, my dad always used to ask me if I felt better eating no meat. I didn't really understand what he was talking about, but now that I'm older (and my body is maybe less resilient than it used to be), I definitely notice a difference.
That's perhaps the most surprising thing -- living well FEELS good. Exercise releases endorphins, those happy chemicals. Here are the things I've been doing that have resulted in good feelings, and also some tips as to how I've kept it going.
* QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES! For real. It's been over a year and a half since I sucked down one of those little monsters, and I haven't had even a smidgen of a desire for once since I quit. I know it's hard; I smoked for almost ten years. I used a method of a combination Zyban/Wellbutrin prescription plus reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which I highly recommend. Quitting lowered my cholesterol. Quitting got rid of that awful morning hacking cough to get the residual muck and phlegm out of my lungs, and it made it easier to breathe. Hence easier to work out, and work out effectively. Not to mention the money I've saved not buying cigarettes.
* Drink enough water. I drink right around 100 ounces a day, because I work out and I live at a high elevation. They have water calculators where you can figure out how much you need. I have a 32oz water bottle I carry everywhere with me. It's probably my favorite possession. At first you have to pee a lot, but keeping yourself hydrated is important -- sometimes you reach for food not because you're hungry, but because you're thirsty. Once you become accustomed to how it feels to be fully hydrated all the time, you really notice when you start to become dehydrated. And you can feel the difference between hunger and thirst. And if you want clearer skin and weight loss without a lot of effort, drinking more water is an easy and obvious solution.
* Quit drinking coffee. This one was tough for me; I love coffee, and I drank a lot of it every day. I had to catch the stomach flu to be able to quit; my stomach was far too upset to drink any coffee, and I was so miserable I didn't even notice the effects of caffeine withdrawal, which I know are brutal. But once I started getting better, I decided not to start a daily habit of coffee-drinking again. Instead, I drink tea -- black tea in the morning for breakfast, green or herbal tea in the afternoon and a peppermint/chamomile, caffeine-free tea in the evening. I still drink coffee every once in a while, like less than once a week. But with the lattes I was drinking, that meant a significant number of additional calories, plus I didn't really enjoy the jittery caffeinated feeling. The tea I drink in the morning has just enough to be a pep-up, and my desire for a cup of something hot and comforting a few times a day is satisfied.
* Follow a sensible diet. Don't eat out every day, preferably even every week. And fast food is included in eating out. I use mostly a South Beach Diet-style of nutrition; I eat whole grains instead of refined (pasta, bread, etc.); I try to have a big salad for one of my meals each day; the cheese I eat is exclusively low-fat or fat-free; the meats I eat are lean (mostly fish and poultry). It's not as hard as it sounds. Last night, I had burgers and grilled corn for dinner, except the burgers were turkey burgers, the buns were whole wheat (no enriched flour), the cheese was low-fat, I used mustard instead of mayonnaise and the butter flavoring for the corn came from an olive-oil based spread instead of actual butter or even margarine. And it still was delicious. I eat turkey bacon and turkey sausage for breakfast sometimes, whole-grain waffles ... you get the idea. It's still yummy, and it's much better for me. D and I sit down and make a grocery list together about once a week, talking about and figuring out what we want, and once at the store, we buy only what's on the list. Saves time and money.
* Exercise regularly. I do a combination of dance, yoga and pilates. I have quite a DVD collection that I've accumulated over years; so the difference is, I just use them. I rotate my workouts throughout the week. Every day I exercise, I give myself a sparkly star on my calendar and I note which workout I did; that way, I can look over the past few days and see what areas I need to focus on. After I collect a certain number of stars, I'm allowed a workout-related reward -- like a couple of new DVDs, a new pair of sneakers, some new clothes, whatever.
* Meditate. I meditate for about ten minutes every morning before I leave for work. It keeps me focused throughout my day and it's also easier to control my emotions; I'm calmer.
*Quit biting nails. It's better for my nails and my teeth. And now I have pretty nails. The trick is to get the nails long enough to where you can start taking care of them. Once they start looking truly lovely, it's a lot more difficult to bite. I also carry a file around with me everywhere I go in case I get a snag or rough spot that needs to be smoothed out. Don't use teeth for that.
* Get enough sleep. Seriously, I need about eight hours a night. If I don't get that, I'm cranky. If I get more, I'm cranky. Figure out what you need and then make sure you get it.
* Weigh daily. I use a scale that also calculates body fat percentage, and when I'm done weighing I write my weight and body fat percentage on my calendar. It's really motivating when I'm feeling blah about myself or my body to look at the calendar and see how much I've improved over the past week or month. I write the numbers tiny; probably no one but me would know what they are, but I don't really care if they do. It's for me and improving MYself, not for anybody else. And like the stars, it's a way to track where I've been and where I'm going.
* Clean house. It burns calories; it provides you with a calming, restful, peaceful environment instead of a chaotic one; it gives you the space to work out you didn't think you had. Because I do most of my workouts at home, I've designated the study as my workout room. I have all my DVDs in there, my weights, my yoga mat, my exercise ball. There's a mini DVD player I use to play the workouts. It took some time to get there, but because the desk is pretty neat and the floor is clear, I have the room to do the dancing and everything else in my DVDs without having to stay in one place the entire time. Plus, if your kitchen and dishes are clean, you're more likely and better able to make dinner yourself instead of going outside the house. Cleaning house is an improvement project in and of itself for me; I'm not the most organized person, and it took a long time before I figured out how to get it clean and keep it that way. Flylady.net was an invaluable resource for me.
* Take care! Take bubble baths. Lay clothes out the night before, with jewelry, which gives time to find a super-cute outfit that's coordinated and clean, and keeps mornings calmer. Just the little things that make you feel special and loved. I use my nice china on a daily basis. I burn the special candles. Why save it if you're not going to enjoy it?
And here are some of the wonderful benefits I've been reaping:
* I really enjoy breathing. That sounds weird, but when you do yoga and don't smoke, breath becomes a treat.
* I have more money because I don't eat out nearly as often and I don't smoke cigarettes.
* As stated above, my skin is clearer and softer.
* I've lost weight -- to date, almost 15 pounds.
* I can feel and see my muscles starting to really tone and define under my skin, which is awesome. I think I'm starting to get the body I've really always wanted. And it feels good!
* My posture has gotten much better (the yoga and pilates), which means that at the end of the day, I'm not as sore or tired, or as tight in the shoulders.
* Stretching regularly detoxifies me.
* I feel fuller after fewer calories. Combination of the types of food I'm eating and the water I'm drinking.
* My fingernails are, seriously, beautiful. They look awesome because I take care of them regularly, filing them to the same length, plus they're strong and not all discolored because of my diet. They make my hands look really pretty.
* I'm calmer throughout my day. I don't experience emotions like anger or sadness very intensely. Conversely, I can feel intensely happy just by being alive and breathing deeply.
* I have more gratitude and appreciation for life.
* I can have friends over whenever because my house isn't embarrassingly messy.
* I have time and focus to concentrate on more areas of my life where I want to improve.
* I have the energy to do what needs to be done with my day and not feel tired or sluggish throughout. I feel great.
* I have the satisfaction of having these goals that I've accomplished and seeing how far I've come since I started seriously working on myself.
* Basically, I feel better -- great -- in every aspect of my life: body, mind, spirit.
I have to note that these are all serious lifestyle changes that took a long, long time to implement. Part of my problem up until now getting really serious about living well was my tendency to crash and burn. I had all of these things I wanted to change about myself -- as you can see above. I started drinking an appropriate amount of water about three years ago. I quit smoking nineteen months ago. I've been working on my diet and finding recipes and meals that both D and I can eat for a while now. And the house has taken a long time to come together as well.
The only way I could have gotten this far and enjoyed the process this much is by just taking things one step at a time. There's no way I could have made all these changes at once and been successful. I've picked one aspect or problem to focus on and I've tracked my progress, day by day, on my calendar. I've given myself rewards for keeping the habit going once I got to a certain number of days following the habit. And the nice thing about going slowly is that you really notice the life and body changes that follow your behavior changes.
And now, I can start making broader goals for myself because I feel like I've got the basics under control. I am by no means done. I have problems and issues in my life that need changing, but they need the kind of time and attention I was unable to give them until now, because my body or my brain or my motivation or whatever was not in the right place. Now it's all falling into place, and I can pursue higher goals. Go me!
That's perhaps the most surprising thing -- living well FEELS good. Exercise releases endorphins, those happy chemicals. Here are the things I've been doing that have resulted in good feelings, and also some tips as to how I've kept it going.
* QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES! For real. It's been over a year and a half since I sucked down one of those little monsters, and I haven't had even a smidgen of a desire for once since I quit. I know it's hard; I smoked for almost ten years. I used a method of a combination Zyban/Wellbutrin prescription plus reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which I highly recommend. Quitting lowered my cholesterol. Quitting got rid of that awful morning hacking cough to get the residual muck and phlegm out of my lungs, and it made it easier to breathe. Hence easier to work out, and work out effectively. Not to mention the money I've saved not buying cigarettes.
* Drink enough water. I drink right around 100 ounces a day, because I work out and I live at a high elevation. They have water calculators where you can figure out how much you need. I have a 32oz water bottle I carry everywhere with me. It's probably my favorite possession. At first you have to pee a lot, but keeping yourself hydrated is important -- sometimes you reach for food not because you're hungry, but because you're thirsty. Once you become accustomed to how it feels to be fully hydrated all the time, you really notice when you start to become dehydrated. And you can feel the difference between hunger and thirst. And if you want clearer skin and weight loss without a lot of effort, drinking more water is an easy and obvious solution.
* Quit drinking coffee. This one was tough for me; I love coffee, and I drank a lot of it every day. I had to catch the stomach flu to be able to quit; my stomach was far too upset to drink any coffee, and I was so miserable I didn't even notice the effects of caffeine withdrawal, which I know are brutal. But once I started getting better, I decided not to start a daily habit of coffee-drinking again. Instead, I drink tea -- black tea in the morning for breakfast, green or herbal tea in the afternoon and a peppermint/chamomile, caffeine-free tea in the evening. I still drink coffee every once in a while, like less than once a week. But with the lattes I was drinking, that meant a significant number of additional calories, plus I didn't really enjoy the jittery caffeinated feeling. The tea I drink in the morning has just enough to be a pep-up, and my desire for a cup of something hot and comforting a few times a day is satisfied.
* Follow a sensible diet. Don't eat out every day, preferably even every week. And fast food is included in eating out. I use mostly a South Beach Diet-style of nutrition; I eat whole grains instead of refined (pasta, bread, etc.); I try to have a big salad for one of my meals each day; the cheese I eat is exclusively low-fat or fat-free; the meats I eat are lean (mostly fish and poultry). It's not as hard as it sounds. Last night, I had burgers and grilled corn for dinner, except the burgers were turkey burgers, the buns were whole wheat (no enriched flour), the cheese was low-fat, I used mustard instead of mayonnaise and the butter flavoring for the corn came from an olive-oil based spread instead of actual butter or even margarine. And it still was delicious. I eat turkey bacon and turkey sausage for breakfast sometimes, whole-grain waffles ... you get the idea. It's still yummy, and it's much better for me. D and I sit down and make a grocery list together about once a week, talking about and figuring out what we want, and once at the store, we buy only what's on the list. Saves time and money.
* Exercise regularly. I do a combination of dance, yoga and pilates. I have quite a DVD collection that I've accumulated over years; so the difference is, I just use them. I rotate my workouts throughout the week. Every day I exercise, I give myself a sparkly star on my calendar and I note which workout I did; that way, I can look over the past few days and see what areas I need to focus on. After I collect a certain number of stars, I'm allowed a workout-related reward -- like a couple of new DVDs, a new pair of sneakers, some new clothes, whatever.
* Meditate. I meditate for about ten minutes every morning before I leave for work. It keeps me focused throughout my day and it's also easier to control my emotions; I'm calmer.
*Quit biting nails. It's better for my nails and my teeth. And now I have pretty nails. The trick is to get the nails long enough to where you can start taking care of them. Once they start looking truly lovely, it's a lot more difficult to bite. I also carry a file around with me everywhere I go in case I get a snag or rough spot that needs to be smoothed out. Don't use teeth for that.
* Get enough sleep. Seriously, I need about eight hours a night. If I don't get that, I'm cranky. If I get more, I'm cranky. Figure out what you need and then make sure you get it.
* Weigh daily. I use a scale that also calculates body fat percentage, and when I'm done weighing I write my weight and body fat percentage on my calendar. It's really motivating when I'm feeling blah about myself or my body to look at the calendar and see how much I've improved over the past week or month. I write the numbers tiny; probably no one but me would know what they are, but I don't really care if they do. It's for me and improving MYself, not for anybody else. And like the stars, it's a way to track where I've been and where I'm going.
* Clean house. It burns calories; it provides you with a calming, restful, peaceful environment instead of a chaotic one; it gives you the space to work out you didn't think you had. Because I do most of my workouts at home, I've designated the study as my workout room. I have all my DVDs in there, my weights, my yoga mat, my exercise ball. There's a mini DVD player I use to play the workouts. It took some time to get there, but because the desk is pretty neat and the floor is clear, I have the room to do the dancing and everything else in my DVDs without having to stay in one place the entire time. Plus, if your kitchen and dishes are clean, you're more likely and better able to make dinner yourself instead of going outside the house. Cleaning house is an improvement project in and of itself for me; I'm not the most organized person, and it took a long time before I figured out how to get it clean and keep it that way. Flylady.net was an invaluable resource for me.
* Take care! Take bubble baths. Lay clothes out the night before, with jewelry, which gives time to find a super-cute outfit that's coordinated and clean, and keeps mornings calmer. Just the little things that make you feel special and loved. I use my nice china on a daily basis. I burn the special candles. Why save it if you're not going to enjoy it?
And here are some of the wonderful benefits I've been reaping:
* I really enjoy breathing. That sounds weird, but when you do yoga and don't smoke, breath becomes a treat.
* I have more money because I don't eat out nearly as often and I don't smoke cigarettes.
* As stated above, my skin is clearer and softer.
* I've lost weight -- to date, almost 15 pounds.
* I can feel and see my muscles starting to really tone and define under my skin, which is awesome. I think I'm starting to get the body I've really always wanted. And it feels good!
* My posture has gotten much better (the yoga and pilates), which means that at the end of the day, I'm not as sore or tired, or as tight in the shoulders.
* Stretching regularly detoxifies me.
* I feel fuller after fewer calories. Combination of the types of food I'm eating and the water I'm drinking.
* My fingernails are, seriously, beautiful. They look awesome because I take care of them regularly, filing them to the same length, plus they're strong and not all discolored because of my diet. They make my hands look really pretty.
* I'm calmer throughout my day. I don't experience emotions like anger or sadness very intensely. Conversely, I can feel intensely happy just by being alive and breathing deeply.
* I have more gratitude and appreciation for life.
* I can have friends over whenever because my house isn't embarrassingly messy.
* I have time and focus to concentrate on more areas of my life where I want to improve.
* I have the energy to do what needs to be done with my day and not feel tired or sluggish throughout. I feel great.
* I have the satisfaction of having these goals that I've accomplished and seeing how far I've come since I started seriously working on myself.
* Basically, I feel better -- great -- in every aspect of my life: body, mind, spirit.
I have to note that these are all serious lifestyle changes that took a long, long time to implement. Part of my problem up until now getting really serious about living well was my tendency to crash and burn. I had all of these things I wanted to change about myself -- as you can see above. I started drinking an appropriate amount of water about three years ago. I quit smoking nineteen months ago. I've been working on my diet and finding recipes and meals that both D and I can eat for a while now. And the house has taken a long time to come together as well.
The only way I could have gotten this far and enjoyed the process this much is by just taking things one step at a time. There's no way I could have made all these changes at once and been successful. I've picked one aspect or problem to focus on and I've tracked my progress, day by day, on my calendar. I've given myself rewards for keeping the habit going once I got to a certain number of days following the habit. And the nice thing about going slowly is that you really notice the life and body changes that follow your behavior changes.
And now, I can start making broader goals for myself because I feel like I've got the basics under control. I am by no means done. I have problems and issues in my life that need changing, but they need the kind of time and attention I was unable to give them until now, because my body or my brain or my motivation or whatever was not in the right place. Now it's all falling into place, and I can pursue higher goals. Go me!
Friday, April 4, 2008
deep thoughts
Just some random things I've been thinking about lately ...
*That lawsuit that was just overturned on appeal about the light cigarettes. People: Come on. It's not the tobacco companies' fault that you're an idiot. Light cigarettes aren't any better for you than heavy; the only reason you preferred light is because cigarettes taste nasty, and lights don't taste as strong. If only heavies were available, you would have smoked heavies instead. I used to smoke, I know these things. How about this instead: Quit smoking any of them. Then, you won't need to sue anybody because you'll already be richer from not spending money on cigarettes.
*Lately I've been losing some weight via the usual method: eat less (or better) foods, move your body more. The other day one of my cute little friends who's seven years my junior was like, "God, you've gotten skinny!" (That sounds like she was being mean, but really it was a compliment.) And I didn't really know what to say. Is "thanks" appropriate in that situation? I don't know; I guess I just feel that weight is such a personal thing, but obviously it's also a very noticeable thing to the people around you. Of course someone is going to comment if you've lost some weight (but not, funnily enough, if you've gained any weight). It's just always one of those moments that throws me for a loop; I don't know what to say to people.
*There was an interesting article in the New York Times about willpower. Everyone has a set amount of willpower. You can increase your level of willpower throughout your life, of course, by exercising willpower -- like a muscle, kind of -- but on any given day of our lives, we have a set amount of willpower. So if you spend that willpower by not eating any of the chocolate cake that your coworkers had for their birthday, you'll then find it more difficult to exercise it later -- like if you were intending to work out after work, you may not have the tenacity to follow through because you already used up a portion of your willpower on denying yourself the cake. Interesting stuff. It ties in with the weight loss thing, because I've been taking it slow, documenting my progress and when I reach a goal, I'm going to reward myself nicely. I've been doing the same thing with housework lately, and it's been going quite well. So hopefully my willpower muscle is getting stronger.
*That lawsuit that was just overturned on appeal about the light cigarettes. People: Come on. It's not the tobacco companies' fault that you're an idiot. Light cigarettes aren't any better for you than heavy; the only reason you preferred light is because cigarettes taste nasty, and lights don't taste as strong. If only heavies were available, you would have smoked heavies instead. I used to smoke, I know these things. How about this instead: Quit smoking any of them. Then, you won't need to sue anybody because you'll already be richer from not spending money on cigarettes.
*Lately I've been losing some weight via the usual method: eat less (or better) foods, move your body more. The other day one of my cute little friends who's seven years my junior was like, "God, you've gotten skinny!" (That sounds like she was being mean, but really it was a compliment.) And I didn't really know what to say. Is "thanks" appropriate in that situation? I don't know; I guess I just feel that weight is such a personal thing, but obviously it's also a very noticeable thing to the people around you. Of course someone is going to comment if you've lost some weight (but not, funnily enough, if you've gained any weight). It's just always one of those moments that throws me for a loop; I don't know what to say to people.
*There was an interesting article in the New York Times about willpower. Everyone has a set amount of willpower. You can increase your level of willpower throughout your life, of course, by exercising willpower -- like a muscle, kind of -- but on any given day of our lives, we have a set amount of willpower. So if you spend that willpower by not eating any of the chocolate cake that your coworkers had for their birthday, you'll then find it more difficult to exercise it later -- like if you were intending to work out after work, you may not have the tenacity to follow through because you already used up a portion of your willpower on denying yourself the cake. Interesting stuff. It ties in with the weight loss thing, because I've been taking it slow, documenting my progress and when I reach a goal, I'm going to reward myself nicely. I've been doing the same thing with housework lately, and it's been going quite well. So hopefully my willpower muscle is getting stronger.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
things I'm loving to hate
*Colbie Caillat and that stupid "Bubbly" song. The first time I heard it? Kinda cute. The five millionth? I want to puncture my eardrums with a screwdriver.
*Best Of. Enough said.
*Being sick.
*Spyware. I fail to see how spyware is profitable for anyone. I've figured out how to get to the sites I'm trying to reach, despite the fact that my computer (at work) is infected as all get-out. But honestly -- does anyone who's trying to Google something, and then gets rerouted to a random NEW search page while trying to reach some other completely different site, actually think, "Oh. A new search page. Maybe one of THESE results will take me where I need to be." And how long does it take to remove spyware? Sucks.
*People who drive vehicles far, far too large for their needs, then complain about the cost of gas. Oh. I'm sorry. You needed that Escalade because Buffy and Spencer are getting so big now, and you simply must have some behemoth of a vehicle in order to shuttle them around to their after-school activities. Gee. Sucks that it costs $400 to fill up your tank -- maybe next time you'll consider a hybrid, Mrs. Selfish McMeMeMe.
*China. I am in no way a racist. But if China is that schoolyard bully who started growing facial hair in third grade, then Tibet is that most obvious of targets -- the underfed, weedy, pale child with glasses, who's always picked last in gym class and who probably has some "weird" habits, like refraining from eating meat. And, China? Your little theory that the Dalai Lama is masterminding the protests in Tibet and attempting to incite violence? It's not really gonna fly. The Dalai Lama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, you see, and he's a Buddhist. He's the head Buddhist! I -- and the rest of the thinking universe -- am pretty sure that he's not the evil plotter you say he is. If you could provide some evidence of your claims, I would be happy to look at it. You don't have any proof? Listen, guys, just stop. Just quit bullying poor little Tibet -- why do you want it, anyway? I know you say it's yours, yadda yadda, but what resources, exactly (besides the Dalai Lama, who hasn't been able to live there since you took over -- I mean, reclaimed -- Tibet) does Tibet contain that will benefit you in any way? Just give it up, please, because you're only making yourself look bad. And worse. And even worse still. Just stop.
And you know what? Just for that, China, I'm not watching the Olympics this year. At all. So there.
*Best Of. Enough said.
*Being sick.
*Spyware. I fail to see how spyware is profitable for anyone. I've figured out how to get to the sites I'm trying to reach, despite the fact that my computer (at work) is infected as all get-out. But honestly -- does anyone who's trying to Google something, and then gets rerouted to a random NEW search page while trying to reach some other completely different site, actually think, "Oh. A new search page. Maybe one of THESE results will take me where I need to be." And how long does it take to remove spyware? Sucks.
*People who drive vehicles far, far too large for their needs, then complain about the cost of gas. Oh. I'm sorry. You needed that Escalade because Buffy and Spencer are getting so big now, and you simply must have some behemoth of a vehicle in order to shuttle them around to their after-school activities. Gee. Sucks that it costs $400 to fill up your tank -- maybe next time you'll consider a hybrid, Mrs. Selfish McMeMeMe.
*China. I am in no way a racist. But if China is that schoolyard bully who started growing facial hair in third grade, then Tibet is that most obvious of targets -- the underfed, weedy, pale child with glasses, who's always picked last in gym class and who probably has some "weird" habits, like refraining from eating meat. And, China? Your little theory that the Dalai Lama is masterminding the protests in Tibet and attempting to incite violence? It's not really gonna fly. The Dalai Lama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, you see, and he's a Buddhist. He's the head Buddhist! I -- and the rest of the thinking universe -- am pretty sure that he's not the evil plotter you say he is. If you could provide some evidence of your claims, I would be happy to look at it. You don't have any proof? Listen, guys, just stop. Just quit bullying poor little Tibet -- why do you want it, anyway? I know you say it's yours, yadda yadda, but what resources, exactly (besides the Dalai Lama, who hasn't been able to live there since you took over -- I mean, reclaimed -- Tibet) does Tibet contain that will benefit you in any way? Just give it up, please, because you're only making yourself look bad. And worse. And even worse still. Just stop.
And you know what? Just for that, China, I'm not watching the Olympics this year. At all. So there.
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