it works!

tracking, that is...

2 pounds gone this week...

sweet! :-)

huh

so i hopped on the scale yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see that i lost a few pounds (instead of gaining)... i was down almost another pound this morning so i'm saying 161 for right now... i lost track of the last challenge i was doing and yes, i stuck to the green monster every morning (even while on vacay) but don't think i did my part re: exercise... but no worries... i was back at the gym yesterday and will be creating a new workout plan esp. for the arms since those are what i'm most concerned about for the wedding... i'm also planning NOT to go hog-wild and try to lose 20 pounds because you know what - i will gain probably half of it back when it's over... and because of the time-frame, i don't have the option of having several fittings either so i may just have to buy something off-the-rack, have it altered once and be done with it! :)

speaking of wedding, my weekend is filling up fast... i won't bore you with the details since you can click on the new link in the sidebar and read to your heart's content... my mom and i are meeting my sister and two nieces in frederick tomorrow and i'll be having my first wedding dress try-on session at 1:00... it happened so fast so i haven't had time to really think about it but yes, i'm excited... i've already sent the owner some ideas, so she knows what i'm going towards, as well as my size/shape... i have no idea what their prices are so this just may turn out to be something where i just see what looks good on me and what doesn't... wish me luck!

sunday seems to be my only free day this weekend, and even that isn't so "free" since we have some good friends coming over with their kids for dinner... i hope the weather is nice so we can grill outside... my friend will also be dropping off his tix for the steelers/skins pre-season game that eric & i will be going too next weekend... as usual, his team won last night and mine didn't... maybe i need to become a steelers fan 100%... ;)

well, it's off to get something to eat (leftover homemade, tomato and basil soup) and then to the gym... have a lovely weekend...

TGIF!

i hate you scale

so i've been weighing myself daily since this challenge begins, i'm really torn on whether i should continue because it's not really helping... the scale was up a pound this morning and i know it's a number, and i know it's only been a week, and i know it's 'that time' but still... a cloud instantly covered my morning and has left me wondering: why am i stuck in the 160s, why does it get harder to lose weight, and why do i even care? i take good care of myself, i'm exercising every fricking day, and have never been a binge-eater or one that raids the fridge at 10pm... :(

these aren't really questions that i'm expecting answers too - i'm just thinking outloud/complaining because that's what this blog is for... to share my feelings and thoughts, and to show i am human and go through the same crap that other people do... this process has never been easy for me, i'm not sure why i expected things to be different this go-around... perhaps living with someone and the whole food/exercise business is more of a struggle than i'm wanting to admit... though eric has always been very supportive - when i was living on my own, i was eating pretty well during the week and exercise wasn't a problem... the reason for this challenge was to not only get back into the swing of things, but to force myself into being a priority again...

slowly but surely, i will get there...

happy hump day... :)

must be stuck

i've been feeling more on-track these days, so not losing this week was a bit of a surprise yesterday... but then again, it's that time of the month so maybe it will be down a lot more next week - let's hope so anyway... i didn't get a chance to go for a jog yesterday but am making it a priority today, come hell or high water... work has been so crazy PLUS two of my coworkers are out sick today - let's just hope it stays home with them... :(

i had a wonderful salad for lunch today (with lettuce from our garden) and i also tried a new dressing - asian toasted sesame... leave it to me and not pay closer attention to the label because it certainly isn't low-calorie by any means... it was really tasty though so at least that's good... ;)

i'm glad the week is almost over and that monday is a holiday... we really don't have plans, besides going to his brother's for a cook-out, but will definitely take the bike out if the weather is nice (they say maybe saturday)... i have my annual check-up tomorrow afternoon (blood results looked good) and then i may do some shopping since my blouse selection isn't quite up to par yet... we're going to try and catch star trek tonight since everyone will be going to see terminator: salvation (which i'd also like to see)...

what about you? any plans for the long weekend?

happy thursday...

almost there

quick post since i'm busy, busy, busy at work...

scale said i gained. .2 pounds but considering i haven't exercised in over a week (because of my foot), i will take it! :)

eric and i got the 2nd coat on the bedroom walls done last night - all that we need to do tonight (hopefully unless i have to work late) are some touch-ups and then we're done... minus cleaning the windows, putting up the new blinds, reassembling the ceiling fan, cleaning the floor, and moving all my furniture in... ha! should be exciting! :)

looking forward to LOST tonight, as usual... :)

happy hump day...

15-minutes of fame

something exciting happened last night - eric was on the 11:00 o'clock news to talk about the new computer virus, conficker... when i went to meet him last night - his boss met me at the door and said, "he's being interviewed by channel 9 right now"... so i went to get my usual cup of coffee (since they have one of those cool machines that make individual cups and you can chose the blend) and waited for the interview to be done... he wasn't sure if he'd actually BE on tv so when it was the lead story - low and behold, there he was - pretty cool! my boyfriend is locally-famous! he said that he thought he looked fat - i tend to disagree since we all know tv makes you look bigger, but i did say the grey in his gote showed up nicely... anyway, if you'd like to see it - the video can be found on the right-hand side of the page here... :)

i haven't gone to the gym since friday and with being so busy with the move, then injuring my foot - exercise has been null and void as of late... the scale did show a tiny loss though (.2 pounds) so i'll take it and hopefully i can get things back to normal soon... i AM looking forward to taking more walks/jogs now that i have some great neighborhoods around me - i could do a different route every night if i wanted too... :)

sorry for the short post, but work is calling...

happy hump day...

*whew*

for what it's worth, thank-you scale gods for being so nice to me this morning (2.4 pounds gone!)... :)

had a busy day at work but managed to squeeze-in a 30 min. treadmill workout (intervals)... :)

mom came over to help pack-up my kitchen, she made dinner so that was nice (pork, sour kraut, and mashed potatoes - yum!)... we used up most of the boxes i had, so i'll have to bring more home this week so i can finish up tomorrow night and friday... my bedroom and closet are still a disaster area, but think i can just throw stuff in shopping bags, etc. and call it a day on saturday... i'm hoping to have most everything out by then, so all i have to do on sunday is clean and remove anything that's still here like food in the fridge, etc.... poor max is so confused - all the furniture is gone and he keeps walking around like he's lost... i can't wait til he's with his bothers 24/7... :)

oh, and check-out what was waiting for me on the front steps when we got home from work yesterday... eric said that i kept talking about wanting a real mixer, so he bought me a belated bday present - how awesome is that! now i just need to figure out what recipe i'm going to christen it with... and yes, it's sitting on our new baker's rack since it's too big to fit on the pantry shelf - this sucker is heavy too! :)



happy hump day...

why did i just eat that?

ugh, i'm just not working WW like i should be (gained 1.6 this week), and i have no real excuse besides (a) i've been lazy, (b) i tend to stop tracking on the weekends, and (c) other things have been made a priority... like packing & moving, but even then i can't blame that 100% because it hasn't been taking up all my time - just bits and pieces... i hate complaining and giving excuses, but that's part of the weightloss game - facing your issues, accepting them, and then moving on... always seems easier to type, then to actually do - funny how that works... anyway, i'm going to make a conscious effort to track all 7 days this week and just take things one day at a time... :)

update: i got back from a great weight-workout and found one of those big chocolate chip cookies on my desk... apparently, a coworker didn't want to feel fat on her own, so she bought one for each of us... and i ate it... the whole damn thing... WTF! :(

anyway, i have a chiro appt. after work and then it's home to maybe see if there's anything else i can pack... the weather is supposed to be really nice this weekend so we'll make as many trips as we can - i keep telling eric that i have NO idea where all my stuff is going to go... and that we need a bigger house... he thinks i'm joking - a woman needs space! ;)

i can't wait for LOST tonight! whoo hooo! :)

happy hump day....

i hate even numbers

so today is my 38th birthday - seems odd to write that number since i certainly don't FEEL like i'm that old (okay, maybe on some days)... and honestly, i don't think i LOOK 38 either but i guess i'm a little biased... according to my spreadsheet from 2008 - i weighed 155.2 and as of this morning, i was down to 163.0 (7.8 pound difference in 1 year)... ugh that's horrible, but i'm not going to dwell on it because i'll be there again eventually... i had one of my faster jogs yesterday though - only had 30 mins to workout so increased my treadmill speed by a few notches... i did pretty well so i'll take that as progress... :)

i've had several texts, phone calls, and facebook messages this morning, which has been nice, and eric is taking me to dinner after my chiro appt. tonight... i'm leaning towards seafood, since that sounds more healthy, and if the desserts look good - then i may just have to splurge... he already said that i won't be getting something 'sparkly' for my bday, but offered to buy me a nice desk from IKEA since the one i'll be using at his place isn't very modern (or feminine)... hey, i can't hate him for being honest and letting me know ahead of time - you know how girls like to expect things to happen... ;)

happy hump day...

back and forth

i'm thankful that the scale was kind to me this morning and only showed a .4 gain this week... with everything that i have going on these days - painting, packing, moving - it's easy to put exercise on the back-burner on the weekends... but my goal this week is to get outside at least once on sat/sun, esp. since they say it's going to be in the high 50s... though i feel like i've done okay with WW since re-starting in january - one can see that i've had more gains than losses so i need to pick-up the pace a bit... i could easily put the blame on my body, since it's still adjusting to no b/c and being on synthroid again, but i feel that's a cop-out and need to take more responsibility for what i'm doing... i stopped tracking last weekend and understand that's not an option if i want to be successful at this game, so off to eTools i go... :)



my apartment is starting to resemble a war-zone - boxes everywhere, stuff on my dining room table, and piles of things going to goodwill... the only room that looks semi-normal is my bedroom and will probably remain that way until closer to moving day... i was going thru the drawer of my hutch and found a bunch of pictures that my sister had given me - most were of me when i was very small, some with my beloved dog, sandy, and some with my hamster, spot... one picture made me choke-up for some reason - i was maybe 3 or 4 and it was of me, helping my mom icing a cake in our kitchen... funny how things like that can affect you 30+ years later... there was also a photo of me wearing a sombrero and one of me sitting next to a b/w cat on the couch - it's obvious my love of mexican food and animals started early... so after i had a good cry - i cleared out some kitchen cabinets (how much corning ware can a girl own?) and a shelf in the kitchen - tonight, i will tackle my walk-in closet... :)

and yes, i watched that stupid after the rose show last night - i think i'm going to be sick...

happy hump day...

to weigh, or not to weigh

the scale at eric's said i was down 2.2 pounds this week, but i'm just not sure how accurate it is (i tend to recall it weighs a bit on the heavier side, compared to mine)... since i have to stop by my place tonight and grab more clothes, i will also grab my scale and see what it says tomorrow morning... i'm a sucker for consistency, what can i say... ;)

painting update: i finished all the trim last night so the only thing left, is the ceiling... i may take a night off but we'll see - a part of me wants to keep going and get it done, and the other is like "take a damn break already"... the small of my back aches, from morning to night, so i need to ask my chiro again why that's happening... i haven't been moving anything and when i'm done painting, it usually feels better... go figure...

have any of you seen/tried yoplaits new yogurt flavors? i was at the store the other night and picked-up cherry cobbler, cinnamon roll, and lemon meringue - the first two were pretty good and i'll let you know what i think of the lemon... to see all their flavors, check out their website... :)

happy hump day...

my life in boxes

after my horrendous eating-weekend at my sister's, i was going to skip my weigh-in this morning... but then i decided too and thought i wouldn't post the number, but i did anyway - i'm up .2 pounds from last week... it's not much but since i know i was back down the day after (last thurs), i know it was a hefty gain... from friday thru yesterday, i was off-plan and there was no turning back because for me - once you know you've gone over, there's no turning back... and because it snowed the whole time - i didn't get to exercise so there you go... i've had 3 great weeks and now 3 crappy weeks but know they even out eventually... just glad it's wednesday and that my slate has been wiped clean... :)

so besides the eating and the snowing - it was a good weekend at my sister's... got to spend some time w/my dad on saturday and for once, he was alert and talking (though it's hard to understand)... i fed him lunch and gave him a good shave, which i always enjoy more than him i'm sure... my sister's log cabin is about 75% done but they still don't have tv, so it was the movie 'dream girls' on sunday night... it's very open and airy but with the hardwood floors, it's also hard to be quiet and can get dirty very quickly... my mom and my sister got into a few times since my mom is very opinionated and thinks her way, is THE way - it's always fun to be around, that's for sure... my mom made all this crap to bring along - cake, chocolate bread pudding, etc. so eating healthy went right out the window... plus, we had mexican for lunch on monday and every single one of us, nieces included, had fried ice cream for dessert... oh the horror! :(

my back has been bothering me almost every day so i need to talk to the doctor about what's going on - either my body isn't liking this one-day a week adjusting OR i pulled something when i carried stuff to my car last week... i hope that's not the case because i'll be doing that a lot in the next few weeks, no way to get around it... last night i packed-up all my cds, dvds, books, photo albums, starbucks bears (from back in the day), and my boyds bunny collection (also from back in the day)... i just need to keep packing-up what i'm not using and get it over to his place so closer to moving-day, it's just furniture and basic stuff... honestly, i don't think eric is ready but i'm trying to not let that bother me... in my eyes - he has the easy part, since he's already there, and all i've asked is for him to organize a few closets and help me paint (when the time comes)... is that too much to ask? i mean really... it's almost been a month since i gave my rental office notice and even though what he does after work is none of my business, i feel that he should be helping just a little... or am i being a total b*tch about this? honestly, i don't think that i've asked for too much but maybe i have...

sorry for the rant, just had to get it off my chest...

happy hump day...

c'mon now

note to self: eating-out 3x in one week isn't a good idea when you're trying to lose weight (or maintain for that matter)... i know it's only 1 pound, but i forgot how crappy it feels to gain two weeks in a row... BUT on the bright side - the good news is, i am wearing a pair of pants that were tight about a month ago so i know progress is being made even if the scale is being mean to me today... i met a girlfriend for dinner last night - she chose whole foods and before you laugh - i was surprised at how wonderful their salad and hot food bar was... though it's not cheap ($8.99/lb), there was a good selection of veggies, meat, and starches (the veggie lasagna was awesome!) so i had a bit of this and a bit of that, and some great girlfriend company to boot... :)

the weather forecast says it will be in the low 70s today - perhaps i should go for a walk and enjoy it while it lasts... they're also saying it might snow this weekend, which is not surprising considering i was going to head out to see my sister and dad (3-day weekend)... perhaps if the weather is too bad - i can stay home and pack... my place is full of boxes right now so i guess that means it's time to start filling them up... :)

not much else has been going on - sorry that the blog has been rather boring these days... hopefully i'll have more stuff to talk about once it gets closer to moving day... i did get my new checks and address labels yesterday - they are very cute so i can't wait to start using them... :)

happy hump day...

gotta take the bad with the good

i'm not surprised that the scale was up this morning (.4 pounds) but i was expecting it since (1) i only exercised twice last week and (2) i used more than a week's worth of flex points on sunday... such is life - no reason to freak-out or run for the hills, and so starts another week with a clean slate... amen to that! :-)

i have my first functional training session tonight - not sure what to expect or how it's even going to fit into my schedule... i would prefer mornings but there's just not enough time so i'm limited to evenings and even that will be touch & go because of work... i used to be able to leave at 5:00 most days but now it's busy and my roll has changed - staying later is just part of the game... we'll see how it goes - i'm not bound to any contract so if i decide it's not for me, then i can just stick to my adjustments... :-)

in other news - i made a spreadsheet of all the things i'd like to do before moving into eric's house... stuff like organize closets, basement, paint - you know, the usual stuff that girls need to do before they can feel settled and "at home"... i also asked him to figure out what my part of the monthly expenses will be - it HAS to be less than what i'm paying now so i'm excited about being able to save more $$ each month... i started having a brief freak-out moment last night, thinking about all the stuff i have to pack and how little time i really have (7+ weeks)... once we get things organized better at his place, i can start bringing over boxes of non-essentials but still the thought is daunting... guess i need to get boxes and start packing! ugh!

i've given up on watching 24 - i didn't watch the episode from two weeks ago and usually when that happens, it means my interest has disappeared... something about the bad'tony really being good, and that female FBI agent just irks me for some reason... maybe i'll come around and catch-up online but for now - i'm saying adios to jack... sorry guys... :-(

happy hump day...

two days in a row?

the good:
my weigh-in went well this morning - i was down another 2 pounds... since i've been back on WW, that's over 5 pounds gone and i'm feeling really good! i've been tracking my food everyday, thinking about what i'm putting into my mouth (and how much), and moving like a mo-fo... so let's just hope this trend continues and if not, i'm okay with that too - i AM human afterall... :-)

the bad:
the DC had a nice snow/ice storm overnight and after realizing that i was never going to be able to get my car ice-free, i opted for the bus... usually, it runs like a charm and even on bad-weather days - it's still realiable... well, not this morning - i waited for over 45 mintues and there was another woman there who had been waiting for over an hour... we kept watching buses go the other way but none were coming back - WTF! needless to say, it finally came and it was packed but at least it was warm (my feet were frozen, i tell ya!)... once on the metro, riders were faced with yet ANOTHER delay because of a station fire - are you kidding me! so i was late, again, even though both things were out of my control... stupid weather and stupid metro! :-p

tonight:
i just had dinner (didn't really like what i made though), plan on watching LOST, and then will take my nightly bubble bath... :-)

happy hump day...

in the groove

i forgot what it was like to worry about weekly weigh-ins but being back on WW has really made me pay attention to what i am eating... after staying at eric's for the extended weekend - i was anxious esp. since we had that pizza on sunday and then italian leftovers on monday... either way, i prayed for the scale to stay the same this morning but was blessed with a 1 pound loss instead... i know there will be many weeks where that won't be the case so i'm enjoying it while i can... :)

work is picking-up against hence why i haven't been able to read/comment on your blogs as of late... we are in the process of launching a new website and there's much work to be done - my boss is the project manager and though she's done much of the painstaking work herself, there is plenty for others to do in the next few weeks... ontop of that - i have some big projects coming up so i'm trying to not get stressed-out ahead of time and make sure i take time for ME everyday... i had a good cardio workout today and need to make more of an effort to go after work if there's no time during the day... it's so easy to say, "screw it, i'm going home" but if all i'm doing is eating dinner watching tv - a workout will be much better for me in the long run... :)

i taped last night's LOST so for those of you that watch it - how was it? i'm also taping CSI - am just too tired to watch anything... i barely have the energy to type this so as soon as i post - i'm hopping into bed, watching some tv to wind-down, and then going to sleep... i have another early day tomorrow too (chiro appt) so 6am will be here before you know it - at least it's friday... :)

happy thursday...

jack is still jack

my first week back on WW has resulted in a 2.4 pound loss, not too shabby... I was so hungry last night so after having my homemade chili over a salad - i had to try one of of the sugar-free puddings that i bought at the store... holy cow! it was amazing - chocolate/banana is now my favorite thing and it only has 60 calories... no wonder some of you have 2-3 day, they are damn tasty! :)

today is eric and i's 4-year anniversary - we're doing dinner and opted not to go see a movie since that would rush things and get us home pretty late... i told him that since we both have a 4-day weekend, that we'll make a point in going then (both of us have off on inauguration day because we're within DC-limits and it will be a mess trying to get to work)... i have no idea where we're going, perhaps the place where we had our 'official' first date would be nice... eric called me at the end of the day and asked for a raincheck - something about work and not being in a good mood... i'm not going to force the poor guy to take me to dinner, just because it's our anniversary, but i DID say that he owes me big for this weekend... guess that leaves max & i to get caught up with 24... ;)

how many of you are watching '24' this season? i'm trying to get caught up - had to watch 'redemption' from last fall before i started with this year's... almost caught-up now, just have monday night to watch yet... (spoiler alert!) i'm really like tony as a bad guy, he seems sexier to me now... is that weird? ;) i'm also looking forward to CSI tomorrow night when grissom leaves and the premier of LOST next week... those are about the only shows i watch religiously - oh there's scrubs too, and sometimes SVU... :)

happy hump day...

did you miss me?

i rejoined weight watchers (online) yesterday and couldn't be happier... there's something to be said about being accountable for what goes into your mouth - i somehow forgot how important that was... i wanted to wait until after the holidays and until after our trip to pittsburgh because i knew there would be no immediate obstacles in my way... i printed-out all the necessary info yesterday from their website (filling foods, etc.) and will slowly learn the new momentum plan, even though it doesn't seem THAT different to me... i have, however, gone down a point since last time so i'm at 21 for the day - it will take some adjusting and getting used too, esp. on the weekends, but i know i can do it... i did it before and i will do it again... :)

after getting home from our holiday weekend (which was great, by the way - got a 6-quart crockpot and a new canon printer/scanner/copier), i decided to try on some pants... well, it didn't take long before i was staring at myself in the mirror, crying, and wondering what had happened and why i had let myself go... there is no ONE answer really - looking at the few weigh-ins from late last year, i was steadily gaining since i officially stopped WW in july... but sometime around october - things just downhill and i never looked back (i blame the annual report for screwing up my workout/eating habits!)... then it was the holidays and even though i've been good in the past - i just did not have it in me to do anything about it... i was ignoring my body and i was ignoring my health, but i didn't care because i wasn't ready... for me - it's always been more of an emotional thing than a physical thing... i can workout 5 days a week and track what i'm eating but if my heart/mind isn't into it - i will fall by the wayside in no time... i know for some though, it's easy to get back on the saddle as if nothing happened but for me - i need time to think, time to plan, and time to get my shit together...

i haven't set any major goals besides getting down to a comfortable weight again (low- to mid-150s) and will start off small by getting to the 5% weightloss mark... i don't know how long it will take me but i'm determined to do this and to do this right... even though i'm embarrassed to tell you how much i've gained, i feel it's something i must do so here's a quick snapshot:

lowest weight of '08 (4/16) --> 153
highest weight of '08 (10/8) --> 161.6
highest weight of '09 (1/7) --> 169

ugh, that is such an ugly weight (for me) but i still know that numbers are numbers... they do not and will not determine who i am as a person, that i do know... i have learned, however, that being accountable and taking care of oneself is so VERY VERY important so if you take anything from today's post - remember to love yourself every single day... there should always be one person, on the top of your priority list, and that's YOU... :)

happy thursday...

weigh-in

thought i'd share two of my horoscopes from today - it's funny how both seem to be saying something to me, but in different ways (i don't take them that seriously, mind you)...

1. you may find that you've been playing with fire lately, and this is a good day to change your ways and focus on a safer way of life.
2. as much as you would love for someone to know that fantastical version of yourself that you've created in your head, the real you is more lovable. so when the questions arise, you tell the truth. helplessly so.

man, oh man - these are so dead-on, i can't even tell you... somehow these horoscopes just knew that i was going to be reporting my weigh-in and today, and they decided to send me a little message... i will not lie to you guys - i have gained a few pounds (4.4 since july), so to say that i've been playing with fire is an understatement... though i've enjoyed not keeping track, perhaps i've been enjoying my comfort zone a bit too much... i am not saying, however, that i hate the way i look - i have worked way to hard at accepting myself, just the way i am, and will not let a few pounds get to me... yet on the otherhand, i can see/feel where the extra pounds have come back and even though my clothes still fit (thank god!), things like tights are a bit more snug these days...

so the fantastical me (created in my head) isn't as thin as she used to be a few months ago... is that a bad thing? not really but i guess it's all depends on how you look at it... i made an honest decision to stop tracking and gaining weight shouldn't be that big of a surprise really... i have never pretended to be perfect or to be someone that hasn't struggled while trying to lose weight... for me, i came to place this summer where i was just tired of everything... tired of counting, tired of keeping track, tired of bargaining this food for that food, and tired of reporting the same loss/gain each week... it was a choice i made and i'm not regretting it by any means but i do think i'm at a place now where i need to be careful... just thought i'd share... :o)

now back to my regular blogging...

i tried yet another new recipe last night - greens, tomato, and white bean soup... i found the recipe in the morning paper and believe it or not - i had all the ingredients in my pantry... unfortunately, i could only find a PDF of the whole paper online so i made a graphic of just the recipe and you can check it out here... the only thing i substituted was the last ingredient - i had a bag of spinach and am pretty sure it would be tasty with any greens you might have on hand... this soup was really good and it would be perfect for a chilly night at home or rainy weekend, and even better with a warm loaf of bread... :o)

work update: my boss gave me the good news on friday afternoon - sorry i haven't posted since then but friday was a blur with the whole photography thing, and then i was super-busy over the weekend... anyway, she had been waiting to get final approval (from the big cheese) and told me that even though i don't have a job description yet - i will receive the promotion which includes a new title (design director) and a 12.8% increase... i know, i know - i shouldn't be bragging about this, considering the state of our economy right now, but damn - i really worked hard for this and am SO happy! she said basically the same thing and that i deserved it, so yay me! my first goal will be to pay-off my car loan and then i'll be upping my 401(k) and putting more in savings... whooo hoooo... :o)

happy hump day...

p.s. i'm back to being a (lighter) blonde again and have updated my photo... ;o)

weigh-in

well, it has been 4-weeks since i officially stopped counting points and i told myself that i would not be stepping on the scale every week... i succeeded in that department and have to admit it's been really nice not worrying about what number was showing up and/or how it was going to affect my day... my goal was to concentrate on HOW i was feeling instead of having the scale TELL me how i was feeling, if that makes any sense... all my clothes are still fitting and though i need to work harder in the cardio dept (who doesn't?), for the most part - i'm doing rather well... and like i said yesterday, july was very busy for me and being away every weekend certainly didn't help things - my goal for august is to get back on a normal schedule... anyway, onto the results... :o)

july 9: 157.2
august 6: 157.8
result: +.6

since i had forgotten my last weigh-in number - i have to admit that i freaked out just a little when i saw that number this morning... my first thought was, "what i have done? am i really going to be able to not keep track AND maintain my weight?" but then i took a deep breath and remembered why i was doing this... after 3 years of slowly losing and then basically maintaining for the last few months - i really wanted to focus on the me of today... would i love myself more if lost 10 more pounds? no, because i would be the same person that i am right now but with a new wardrobe... :o)

last nights how to look good naked really hit home to me because it showed how easy it was to let something like thigh-size or hip-size be a distraction from your daily life... how many of us chose not to go out because of how we looked, or chose not to buy a new outfit because it wasn't the 'ideal' size? does anyone really notice? does anyone really care? and the answer to that, my friends, is no but it's all on how you CHOSE to view things... are those things WORTH worrying about and stopping you from doing things you love? how much TIME have you wasted worrying about cellulite when in reality - most of women have it! again, i'm just expressing my opinion in hopes that others will realize there's more to life than what the tape measure may be saying... feel free to chime-in on this conversation... :o)

regarding yesterday's 5:00 meeting - i can't really say it went well because the president basically said he didn't like my design... he REALLY likes last years and granted - it's a good design but my goal was to freshen it up, add more color, and NOT have it be identical... i have to remember that he's the client and though i almost burst into tears - i tried my best to not take it personally... after the meeting, my boss said he came up to her and expressed concern about how his reaction might've sounded... io know where he's coming from but it just makes me so mad when i try to improve on something, and it ends up being nixed... anyway, i now have to rework my design and show him something when he gets back from vacation - at least i have a few weeks... :op

since i missed my pilates class, i had some extra time when i got home so i made stuffed tomatoes, from our garden, as well as another batch of pesto... i must have 6 containers in my freezer and i'm sure there will be more before summer's over - i don't mind because i LOVE it... see photos below... :o)

stuffed tomatoes with ground turkey, onion, green pepper, yellow squash, a dallop of goat cheese in the middle, and some breadcrumbs ontop... totally yummy!



another basil leaf from my herb garden...



happy hump day...