Talking with a co-worker who is also a fellow blogger I started to feel guilty for not having posted in a while... It feels like it has been a month since my last post... I guess that's what "smoothing" can do to a person...
In all actuality it has been a mere two weeks since my last post. Still too long since I was kind of on a roll. I think.
So, the smoothing; I think it went well. we both dropped about ten pounds of water weight and god knows what in the two weeks. It (as it had in the past) helped me to realign my eating habits. Not that I was gorging myself on burgers and fries and pizza, but I was eating more than was necessary. Now, my at work snacking throughout the day consists of two pieces of fruit during the first half and two to three servings of veggies during the second half along with either hummus or peanut butter (only with carrots... it'd be weird with tomatoes). I do keep one of my homemade protein bars handy in case I really get a case of the hangries. I really don't eat much in way of breakfast during the work week. I know, this may sound like I am starving myself, but I am not. I am only eating when I am truly hungry, and considering that my job is pretty damn sedentary it's not like I need to take in a 500 calorie lunch. I feel full and satisfied. I also consume about 100-120 ozs. of water throughout my shift, and maybe a cup of coffee or green tea if I need a pick me up.
Before the smoothing cleanse I was eating a small serving of oatmeal, an apple with peanut butter, various fruit and berries, string cheese, a homemade protein bar and anything else that was offered. So and so brought donuts? Oh, hell yea. I was on it, because of course otherwise I was being "so good". Realistically, I was being good, but it was still more than I needed to consume.
Work snacks honestly are not my true demon. My true demon is evening snacks... I'd eat a delicious and healthy dinner and then two hours later when we are relaxing after the wee one went to bed I'd begin the snacking. Maybe some Cheerios, or some graham crackers with a bit of peanut butter, or a handful of goldfish. I knew it was getting out of control again, but all my efforts were half-hearted and a struggle. I knew from a not so fun experience last time we juiced/smoothed that if I over ate at any point I would be singing my praises to the porcelain gods. This was a good motivator to just cut that shit out. Now, if we are truly hungry in the evening we have an "approved" list of snacks for after dinner. Not that we won't occasionally have a small treat, but I think this is a better way to keep focused on our goals.
In case you are curious, this is what our evening snack list looks like:
- Veggies
- Apples w/ or w/o peanut butter (or this wicked fruit dip I make)
- 1/4 c. unsalted nuts
- Veggies
- Lowfat chocolate milk
- Lean meats (I am trying to keep lunch meat in the house for this; it's also good for the little monster)
- Did I mention veggies?
- Cottage cheese
- Berries
Before I even consider consulting the snack list I make sure I am not just thirsty. This means I consume roughly 32 ounces of water. If I am still feeling hungry after 15 minutes post water consumption I'll look at having a snack. My go to is chocolate milk.
Let's see... In other news, I joined a gym.
Shocked? Me too. I have never been a big fan of gyms or the atmosphere within, but I have hit a critical point in my journey where I feel like if I don't go leaping off this plateau soon I might give up. Okay, not really. But I am on the verge of throwing my hands up and going to see the doctor to see if there is something more I am missing. I have given myself a reasonable deadline. I am so close to diving off the plateau that I figure if I can't get off of it by the end of June I will make an appointment. It's literally a matter of 2-4 pounds... They feel like the heaviest and most difficult couples of pounds I have tried to drop so far. Which is saying something having lost 170 pounds so far.
Back to the gym thing. Collin has been going for a couple months and truly enjoys it and the people there so I thought what the hay, might as well give it a whirl. It kind of helps eliminate the excuses regarding the summer heat... I can run in ice and snow, but I hate anything over 80 or so. Last night was my first night, and it was awesome. The people are great. All different ages and physical abilities. It's month to month with absolutely no commitment other than the one to myself. Oh, and did I mention it's only $10 per month? Yea. That's like buying myself coffee twice... I think I can spare that bit of change for my health. They have tons of equipment and even when they are "busy" you can find an open treadmill. They also have an express circuit that is a full body workout in 30 minutes. It's comprised of 10 machines and 10 step stations. You do each one for about a minute and a half or something and when you are done you'll have worked your entire body. I tried it out after my 25 minutes on the treadmill and 5 minutes of hating myself on the stair machine... It's no wonder no one else was on them... I got in a great sweat and I truly look forward to going tomorrow.
We have divvied up the week so that I go Tuesday and Thursday and he goes Wednesday and Friday. I will continue to road run on the weekends. In fact, in just over two weeks I will be completing my first official 5k in over two years. I am super excited about it. My goal for this weekend and the next is to run 3.5 to 4 miles each run just to have the comfort of knowing I can go beyond the 5k... I know I can and have done so in the past, but it's a psychological thing I need to do.
One of a million great ideas from the world wide web (either Facebook or Pinterest, can't remember) had me spending about a half hour tonight scanning almost every piece of art that my mini Pollack has made at daycare. The purpose of this is to then make "yearbooks" (photo books) and have a compact way to save all the art work you want. Me being me loves this idea. so I have now successfully scanned all the art I could readily find. I figure I will do my best to make it a bi-weekly routine so I don't have quite so many next time.
I decided to share one of her masterpieces with you all. Hopefully some jackass doesn't try to print it on canvas and sell it for $90k.... (current events regarding Suicide Girls).
Kitteh! Which, according to her when she is mocking Spaz, kittehs say, "Nao!"
Lord know when or what the next one will be about, but I hope you come back for it.
(Did you notice I finally updated the layout/design?? The background is one of my original digital pieces.)
