I had really gotten accustomed to thinking of it as nothing more than a large, plush cushion. Now, it's quite mad at me because it kinda burns and aches.
Let me back track a little bit.
I promised that I would start jogging this week, and I just kept that promise. I went on my usual, roughly 1-mile loop around the neighborhood 3 times. I alternated between walking and jogging — walk half about 1/2 mile, then jog about 1/2 mile. The jogging I delegated to the section of my route that goes through a park behind some houses and is less frequently traveled, as I knew I would make a sad spectacle of myself. My dogs mercifully didn't drag me along too much. I think they felt sorry for me, and I gladly took their pity. I had to really push myself to go that short distance, but I did it.
Now, the muscles in my legs (and butt) are tired. I'm sure they will complain even more tomorrow. I think I will give them an nice, long soak in the bath tonight in an attempt to make it up to them.
Hubby will be home from tennis soon, and then I will make us a nice dinner. In the mean time, I'm just going to relax.
Tonight's dinner: bison steaks and not-so-cheesy mac 'n' cheese.
Why bison? It has less fat than beef, and I was curious to try it. The plan is to grill it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Have a great night, and thanks for your comments and support!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The pain will come tomorrow
Today, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Hubby and I got up this morning, packed a picnic lunch, and drove to Bastrop State Park for a day of hiking. The park was filled with gorgeous tall pines that swayed magestically against a perfect, clear blue sky. Hubby's GPS phone app said that we did 7.7 miles altogether, but Hubby thinks it was closer to 8 since the GPS app powered down due to a low battery towards the end of the walk. I really enjoyed the hike, but right now my feet are a little sore, and I have a feeling that tomorrow my legs will be feeling the pain.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Snails pace
Tonight was Mexican food night. Hubby and I went to Casa Olé for dinner and had fajitas. Suprisingly, I didn't clean my plate. I think I might actually be starting to fill up faster or getting used to smaller portions. I suppose that's a good thing.
Before we went out to eat, we went for a walk—roughly 3.8 miles. Of that 3.8, I (reluctantly) jogged about 0.1. Hubby decided he wanted to jog a bit. I was going to just walk and catch up to him later, but then I thought, what the hell. I'll be jogging next week anyways. I trailed behind miserably. I think at one point I was actually jogging at a slower pace than I did when I was walking. Not good. Oh well. I suppose that, if I keep trying, I won't really get any worse. Definitely room for improvement. Maybe eventually I'll be able to do it without panting like a poodle in a microwave.
Before we went out to eat, we went for a walk—roughly 3.8 miles. Of that 3.8, I (reluctantly) jogged about 0.1. Hubby decided he wanted to jog a bit. I was going to just walk and catch up to him later, but then I thought, what the hell. I'll be jogging next week anyways. I trailed behind miserably. I think at one point I was actually jogging at a slower pace than I did when I was walking. Not good. Oh well. I suppose that, if I keep trying, I won't really get any worse. Definitely room for improvement. Maybe eventually I'll be able to do it without panting like a poodle in a microwave.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Falling behind
Nekkid weight: holding steady at 205.0.
At least it's not going up.
I really didn't keep up with my diet or exercise over the weekend. It was Hubby's birthday, so I bought a small ice cream cake that we both indulged in. The weather was also wet and mucky, which I used as an excuse to not do anything.
Starting Monday, I got back on track with my diet. (No more ice cream cake.) Yesterday, I went on about a 4 mile walk. I think next week I will start jogging small bits of my trail. Small bits. I don't have any delusions of running the whole thing. In fact, I might be lucky to run 10 feet at time. I'm just going to go until I feel I can't keep up the pace, walk until I recover a bit, and then start jogging again. I'm dreading it, but I've got to up my activity level in order to start making progress again.
Tonight's dinner: grilled chicken marinated in a store-bought mango-ginger-habanero (by Ficher & Wieser), and a helping of not-too-cheesy mac 'n' cheese. I was slightly disappointed with the marinade. Despite (supposedly) containing the fiery and intimidating habanero pepper, the sauce was exceptionally mild. I think that next time I will have to add some peppers to it or make my own marinade from scratch. (Of course, that would involve effort, which I'm inclined to avoid.) The mac 'n' cheese was easy. Just cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, and return to pan. Then add about 1/4 cup shredded cheese and a tablespoon or two of parmesan to the hot pasta, and stir. The cheese will melt quickly and will add just a hint of flavor.
Small victory: Since I've started back up on this blog, I've successfully stayed out of the Oreo jar at work. Yes, there is a designated cookie jar at my office. They also have pretzels, goldfish, and Chex Mix. Fortunately, they also have carrot sticks. They don't quite fill the void left by the Oreos, but they at least temporarily satiate my grumbling belly. Dammit. Now I want an Oreo.
At least it's not going up.
I really didn't keep up with my diet or exercise over the weekend. It was Hubby's birthday, so I bought a small ice cream cake that we both indulged in. The weather was also wet and mucky, which I used as an excuse to not do anything.
Starting Monday, I got back on track with my diet. (No more ice cream cake.) Yesterday, I went on about a 4 mile walk. I think next week I will start jogging small bits of my trail. Small bits. I don't have any delusions of running the whole thing. In fact, I might be lucky to run 10 feet at time. I'm just going to go until I feel I can't keep up the pace, walk until I recover a bit, and then start jogging again. I'm dreading it, but I've got to up my activity level in order to start making progress again.
Tonight's dinner: grilled chicken marinated in a store-bought mango-ginger-habanero (by Ficher & Wieser), and a helping of not-too-cheesy mac 'n' cheese. I was slightly disappointed with the marinade. Despite (supposedly) containing the fiery and intimidating habanero pepper, the sauce was exceptionally mild. I think that next time I will have to add some peppers to it or make my own marinade from scratch. (Of course, that would involve effort, which I'm inclined to avoid.) The mac 'n' cheese was easy. Just cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, and return to pan. Then add about 1/4 cup shredded cheese and a tablespoon or two of parmesan to the hot pasta, and stir. The cheese will melt quickly and will add just a hint of flavor.
Small victory: Since I've started back up on this blog, I've successfully stayed out of the Oreo jar at work. Yes, there is a designated cookie jar at my office. They also have pretzels, goldfish, and Chex Mix. Fortunately, they also have carrot sticks. They don't quite fill the void left by the Oreos, but they at least temporarily satiate my grumbling belly. Dammit. Now I want an Oreo.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Backwards again.
I'm not sure what happenned — my weight went up half a pound this morning. Nekkid weight: 205.0. Hubby was suprised when I told him about it. I guess those two days of inactivity really hurt me. I probably need to reduce my portion sizes a little more, too. I need to look at this as just a minor setback and move on.
Tonight is Mexican food night (dinner out). I'm trying to balance out my Thursdays a little by making Fridays really light. Maybe that's a bit like shooting someone and then trying to hide the body with one paper towel, but I really don't want to give up my Mexican food night. It gives me something to look forward to and makes the rest of the
week a little easier.
Tonight is Mexican food night (dinner out). I'm trying to balance out my Thursdays a little by making Fridays really light. Maybe that's a bit like shooting someone and then trying to hide the body with one paper towel, but I really don't want to give up my Mexican food night. It gives me something to look forward to and makes the rest of the
week a little easier.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Dinner experiment: Parmesan-crusted chicken
Tonight, I thought I'd attempt to make parmesan-crusted chicken tenders. No recipe to start with — just winged it. Hubby was pretty happy with it. Here's what I did:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together 1 small package panko bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup parmesan, around 2 tablespoons garlic powder, and just a little bit of salt, pepper, and herbes fines (an Italian blend of herbs or pizza seasoning will suffice). In another bowl, pour about 2 cups of buttermilk. Start heating a skillet right about now, on medium-high. While that's heating, dip the chicken in buttermilk and then dredge in panko mixture. Once skillet is hot, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. The oil will heat quickly. Carefully place tenders in hot oil. Brown lightly on both sides (about 2 minutes per side, or just until browned). Remove with slotted spatula and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Pat dry. Put tenders on a cookie sheet and place in oven, 15 minutes and then turn tenders, and then finish cooking (about 8-10 minutes).
The tenders came out, well, tender. And juicy. My only regret is that I didn't use the best-quality parmesan. When you make it, splurge.
We were tired on Monday, so we didn't walk, and then it rained yesterday. So we didn't walk then, either. I think we made up for it tonight, though. Hubby's GPS phone app says that we walked 3.9 miles.
We went to a park not far from here called Wolf Pen, and we took our critters with us. We came across a statue of a wolf and pup, and Big Bear started whimpering. He cautiously approached it, backing up several times before finally inching up to it. And sniffed it's butt. I guess that's one way to tell if it's real. Big Bear still wasn't sure about it, so he carefully made his way to the front of the statue. You could see him working up the courage to approach it again. He then gingerly stretched out and touched noses. Very cute.
I didn't weigh myself this morning. I'm a little nervous about it since I skipped the evening walk for 2 days in a row. I plan to weigh myself tomorrow morning, and will post it tomorrow night.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together 1 small package panko bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup parmesan, around 2 tablespoons garlic powder, and just a little bit of salt, pepper, and herbes fines (an Italian blend of herbs or pizza seasoning will suffice). In another bowl, pour about 2 cups of buttermilk. Start heating a skillet right about now, on medium-high. While that's heating, dip the chicken in buttermilk and then dredge in panko mixture. Once skillet is hot, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. The oil will heat quickly. Carefully place tenders in hot oil. Brown lightly on both sides (about 2 minutes per side, or just until browned). Remove with slotted spatula and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Pat dry. Put tenders on a cookie sheet and place in oven, 15 minutes and then turn tenders, and then finish cooking (about 8-10 minutes).
The tenders came out, well, tender. And juicy. My only regret is that I didn't use the best-quality parmesan. When you make it, splurge.
We were tired on Monday, so we didn't walk, and then it rained yesterday. So we didn't walk then, either. I think we made up for it tonight, though. Hubby's GPS phone app says that we walked 3.9 miles.
We went to a park not far from here called Wolf Pen, and we took our critters with us. We came across a statue of a wolf and pup, and Big Bear started whimpering. He cautiously approached it, backing up several times before finally inching up to it. And sniffed it's butt. I guess that's one way to tell if it's real. Big Bear still wasn't sure about it, so he carefully made his way to the front of the statue. You could see him working up the courage to approach it again. He then gingerly stretched out and touched noses. Very cute.
I didn't weigh myself this morning. I'm a little nervous about it since I skipped the evening walk for 2 days in a row. I plan to weigh myself tomorrow morning, and will post it tomorrow night.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Weigh ins
Cheerleader got on me about when I weigh myself. She told me that I should do it first thing in the morning. Most of my weigh-ins were after my evening meal, with the exception of the last one, which was after lunch.
So, from now on, I'll weigh myself when I first get up in the morning. This morning's nekkid weight: 204.5.
On a side note, the hike out at the lake was great. Hubby has a special GPS exercise tracking app on his phone. Using that, he determined that we did 5 miles. He did a little more than I did; he wanted to take Big Bear on a quick jog. I'm not quite up for jogging yet, but I hope that soon I will be.
So, from now on, I'll weigh myself when I first get up in the morning. This morning's nekkid weight: 204.5.
On a side note, the hike out at the lake was great. Hubby has a special GPS exercise tracking app on his phone. Using that, he determined that we did 5 miles. He did a little more than I did; he wanted to take Big Bear on a quick jog. I'm not quite up for jogging yet, but I hope that soon I will be.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Good start to the week
This morning, I had a protein bar and a decaf diet Coke for breakfast. I just finished having leftover soup for lunch. What I'm trying to establish is that I've eaten and have a full belly. Why this is important is that I just stripped down to my undies and weighed myself:
Nekkid weight: 205.5!
I'm excited! Well, hubby and I are about to head of to the lake for some hiking. The weather's beautiful. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day.
Nekkid weight: 205.5!
I'm excited! Well, hubby and I are about to head of to the lake for some hiking. The weather's beautiful. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Little indulgences
I just got back from my grocery trip for the week. I've got a menu planned out through next Saturday's lunch. I found something to stave off ice cream cravings: The Skinny Cow's fudge pops. Sounds naughty, but they are only 50 calories a piece—and they're good. It's a healthier alternative to breaking down and diving head-first into a Moolatte.
Tomorrow, Hubby and I are taking the dogs out to Lake Bryan. The park has some mountain biking trails that are fun to walk and an easy way to get in a few hours of much needed exercise. I actually love going on nature walks and short hikes. I used to go regularly while I lived in the Dallas area several years ago. I'm really not sure why I stopped after moving to College Station. With the weather warming up, Hubby and I are going to try to go once a week, weather permitting. I'm looking forward to it.
Tomorrow, Hubby and I are taking the dogs out to Lake Bryan. The park has some mountain biking trails that are fun to walk and an easy way to get in a few hours of much needed exercise. I actually love going on nature walks and short hikes. I used to go regularly while I lived in the Dallas area several years ago. I'm really not sure why I stopped after moving to College Station. With the weather warming up, Hubby and I are going to try to go once a week, weather permitting. I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Our night to be bad
Mexican food night was wonderful. We went to Ninfa's, and I had the Las Verdes pork enchiladas. I was definitely being bad. We went to the Spoons frozen yogurt place afterwards for a light dessert. For those of you who aren't familiar with Spoons, you grab a cup, fill it with frozen yogurt and toppings, and then have it weighed. You pay by the ounce. With lots of nonfat flavors to choose from, it's a healthier option than ice cream (if you do it right). I got just a little bit, and topped it with lots of strawberries and blackberries. I think I actually had more berries than yogurt.
Now it's Friday, and time to get back on track. Tonight's dinner was the spinach mix salad with walnuts, apples (yes, I remembered them this time), bleu cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. It was pretty good. Later this evening, I was still hungry. I have to confess that I had some chips and salsa. However, I did limit it to just one small handful of chips. No yogurt for dessert. Hubby made some popcorn, but I didn't indulge in it. I think the slightly burnt smell eminating from the microwave helped me to resist.
Tonight, we had just a short walk after taking our critters to the dog park. There's actually a small pond in the park! Our Big Bear and Goofy Girl had a great time. We almost ended up with an extra dog. As we were getting in our car to leave, a beautiful Weimeriner with a wildly wagging, stubby tail, almost followed Hubby into the car. His owner grabbed him by the collar just as the pup was preparing to leap into the passenger seat. Dogs: you gotta love 'em.
I'm going to try to talk Hubby into going to a park with a decent hiking trail this weekend. The weather's supposed to be in the mid-70s and clear. We've still got lots of house work to do, but I think we need to do something fun (and active) this weekend. What else is a weekend for?
Tomorrow's lunch: chicken tortilla soup. Then I've got to plan out a menu for the next week and make my grocery trip. I've found that having a menu written on a little chalkboard that we have in the kitchen really helps keep on track. We haven't made any fast food runs this week, which is progress. It may not seem like much, but it adds up.
Have a great weekend!
Now it's Friday, and time to get back on track. Tonight's dinner was the spinach mix salad with walnuts, apples (yes, I remembered them this time), bleu cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. It was pretty good. Later this evening, I was still hungry. I have to confess that I had some chips and salsa. However, I did limit it to just one small handful of chips. No yogurt for dessert. Hubby made some popcorn, but I didn't indulge in it. I think the slightly burnt smell eminating from the microwave helped me to resist.
Tonight, we had just a short walk after taking our critters to the dog park. There's actually a small pond in the park! Our Big Bear and Goofy Girl had a great time. We almost ended up with an extra dog. As we were getting in our car to leave, a beautiful Weimeriner with a wildly wagging, stubby tail, almost followed Hubby into the car. His owner grabbed him by the collar just as the pup was preparing to leap into the passenger seat. Dogs: you gotta love 'em.
I'm going to try to talk Hubby into going to a park with a decent hiking trail this weekend. The weather's supposed to be in the mid-70s and clear. We've still got lots of house work to do, but I think we need to do something fun (and active) this weekend. What else is a weekend for?
Tomorrow's lunch: chicken tortilla soup. Then I've got to plan out a menu for the next week and make my grocery trip. I've found that having a menu written on a little chalkboard that we have in the kitchen really helps keep on track. We haven't made any fast food runs this week, which is progress. It may not seem like much, but it adds up.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Baby steps
Nekkid weight: 208.0
Down 1 pound. It could be just normal, day-to-day weight fluctuation, but we'll soon see. Just a little bit at a time. My doctor told me to shoot for 1 pound per week. I'm hoping that by Sunday I'll be down 2 pounds (to 207).
My hubby went walking with me tonight. We did just over 2 miles together. It was nice to have that quality time with him. I definitely enjoy it more when he's with me. One of the traps that I've fallen into that accelerated my weight gain was eating out constantly. I love food, but that's not the only reason why I really enjoyed it. I also liked that quality time spent sitting down and talking with my hubby. I felt like we got that same quality time tonight, without the expense or extra calories.
Then I went back to the house to start dinner while he went jogging for another 3/4 of a mile or so. I'm not quite up to jogging yet. My goal is to start jogging, at least for short bits, in 2 weeks.
Tonight's dinner: Oven-fried chicken and peas. I made some slight modifications to a recipe I found in Shape Magazine's Lowfat & Easy cookbook (2004, p. 129). It's basically chicken marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, then coated in a mixture of mostly corn flakes with a little bit of flour. Of course, I use a lot more hot sauce than their recipe calls for. I think it just needs that extra kick.
Today's pitfall: Rice Crispie Treats. A coworker of mine brought in a big Tupperware container of the marshmellowy goodness. I gave in. The good news is that they were almost gone by the end of the day, so I shouldn't have that temptation looming over me tomorrow. I'm skipping my yogurt dessert tonight to help make up for it.
Tomorrow night is Mexican food night — our night to be bad. Of course, I don't know how bad I will be... I really don't want to stall, or, even worse, reverse the wee bit of progress that I've made with just one meal. I am definitely looking forward to it, though, bad or good. I'm very much a food-motivated person, and it helps me to keep on track if I know I've got something I love to look forward to.
Down 1 pound. It could be just normal, day-to-day weight fluctuation, but we'll soon see. Just a little bit at a time. My doctor told me to shoot for 1 pound per week. I'm hoping that by Sunday I'll be down 2 pounds (to 207).
My hubby went walking with me tonight. We did just over 2 miles together. It was nice to have that quality time with him. I definitely enjoy it more when he's with me. One of the traps that I've fallen into that accelerated my weight gain was eating out constantly. I love food, but that's not the only reason why I really enjoyed it. I also liked that quality time spent sitting down and talking with my hubby. I felt like we got that same quality time tonight, without the expense or extra calories.
Then I went back to the house to start dinner while he went jogging for another 3/4 of a mile or so. I'm not quite up to jogging yet. My goal is to start jogging, at least for short bits, in 2 weeks.
Tonight's dinner: Oven-fried chicken and peas. I made some slight modifications to a recipe I found in Shape Magazine's Lowfat & Easy cookbook (2004, p. 129). It's basically chicken marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, then coated in a mixture of mostly corn flakes with a little bit of flour. Of course, I use a lot more hot sauce than their recipe calls for. I think it just needs that extra kick.
Today's pitfall: Rice Crispie Treats. A coworker of mine brought in a big Tupperware container of the marshmellowy goodness. I gave in. The good news is that they were almost gone by the end of the day, so I shouldn't have that temptation looming over me tomorrow. I'm skipping my yogurt dessert tonight to help make up for it.
Tomorrow night is Mexican food night — our night to be bad. Of course, I don't know how bad I will be... I really don't want to stall, or, even worse, reverse the wee bit of progress that I've made with just one meal. I am definitely looking forward to it, though, bad or good. I'm very much a food-motivated person, and it helps me to keep on track if I know I've got something I love to look forward to.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Off the wagon
Well, I blew it. I was doing good for a while, but then I just got out of control again. My weight is back up. Nekkid weight: 209.
My OB/Gyn got on me about my weight. My hubby and I have been talking about having kids. Unfortunately, I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which can make things, though not impossible, a little more difficult than for the average couple trying to get pregnant. My doc told me that my excess weight can make it more difficult to get pregnant. He also told me that if I get pregnant at my current weight that I will become diabetic. Not a good thing. He put me on a prescription for chlomid, to help with the whole ovulation thing, and also on metformin (brand name Glucophage) for the potentially diabetic thing.
Spring cleaning
Anyways, I've got to get my act together. I've got a lot of things that I need to change. I need to start taking better care of myself and my hubby.
I started a massive cleaning this weekend. Still nowhere near finished. It's taking a long time because my hubby and I are going through things and throwing out what we don't need. This will probably be a week-long process. I've really let the house, and myself, go. I don't want to end up as a crazy old fat lady starring in a TLC special on hoarding.
Making a menu
I talked to my hubby about setting up a menu for the week that we stick to. He's all for it, which is good. We've got one night to be "bad" -- Mexican food night on Thursday. The rest of the week through Saturday lunch is planned out with healthy meals. I've already done the grocery shopping to limit my opportunities to make excuses.
Tonight's dinner: Salad
I was going to put apples in it, too, but I forgot them. Still, not bad. For dessert, light yogurt.
Recommitted
Now that I've got at least one person reading my blog, I will try to be more faithful about regularly posting. And with an audience, I feel more like I've got someone to answer to.
Thanks for reading, and good night.
My OB/Gyn got on me about my weight. My hubby and I have been talking about having kids. Unfortunately, I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which can make things, though not impossible, a little more difficult than for the average couple trying to get pregnant. My doc told me that my excess weight can make it more difficult to get pregnant. He also told me that if I get pregnant at my current weight that I will become diabetic. Not a good thing. He put me on a prescription for chlomid, to help with the whole ovulation thing, and also on metformin (brand name Glucophage) for the potentially diabetic thing.
Spring cleaning
Anyways, I've got to get my act together. I've got a lot of things that I need to change. I need to start taking better care of myself and my hubby.
I started a massive cleaning this weekend. Still nowhere near finished. It's taking a long time because my hubby and I are going through things and throwing out what we don't need. This will probably be a week-long process. I've really let the house, and myself, go. I don't want to end up as a crazy old fat lady starring in a TLC special on hoarding.
Making a menu
I talked to my hubby about setting up a menu for the week that we stick to. He's all for it, which is good. We've got one night to be "bad" -- Mexican food night on Thursday. The rest of the week through Saturday lunch is planned out with healthy meals. I've already done the grocery shopping to limit my opportunities to make excuses.
Tonight's dinner: Salad
Spinach and spring greens mix
Walnuts
Bleu cheese
Fat-free raspberry vinaigrette
I was going to put apples in it, too, but I forgot them. Still, not bad. For dessert, light yogurt.
Recommitted
Now that I've got at least one person reading my blog, I will try to be more faithful about regularly posting. And with an audience, I feel more like I've got someone to answer to.
Thanks for reading, and good night.
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