Day 2

Oh wow! I'm wondering why I feel so crappy today. Headache, queasy tummy... Just lousy. Is it the carb deprivation or is it just a fluke? Regardless, I hope it's better tomorrow.

And Ian, you need to try a non-prepackaged South Beach meal. How does grilled salmon and steamed veggies sound? That's beach friendly. Do you like eggs? Do you appreciate the millions of ways you can cook eggs? Eggs are very South Beach Friendly. Yesterday I had an omelette with cheese and salsa for breakfast with Canadian bacon. This morning - same eggs, different cheese, pork tenderloin (left over from last night) and mushrooms. Both delicious.

Tal, I started yesterday. Come on along. You know we'll both feel great in a couple weeks.

Goin' to the Beach

Ugh. I'm feeling fat and sluggish and going to a warm locale in six weeks. Today I'm starting the South Beach Diet Phase 1 (again). I lost about 30 pounds on the beach in 2004 and it felt really good. Unfortunately I've gained absolutely all of that back. I lost it again last year but that fat gut and ginormous ass keep finding me. They're worse than my college alumni associations!

Shopping!

I don't know what has gotten into me lately. I hate all my clothes. Perhaps it's my birthday because they're all looking frumpy or have me just plain feeling old. I also think that I need to have some dead-serious interview clothes. Can you believe that an MBA doesn't own a single suit? Well, yours truly was just that MBA until yesterday.

We got a tiny influx of cash and I have a job interview next week so I dragged the Sarge to the mall. While there, my finds included a great navy blue suit - blazer and pants that was on the clearance rack for one-third of the original price. As the suit was two sizes smaller than the size I wore two months ago, I tried it on with great trepidation - hopeful it might fit. AND IT DID! I have to try it on with my shoes to see if the pants need hemming but the pants make me look thinner and that ROCKS!

I also scored a second suit in a blue gray color with light blue and light gray pinstripes, two white shells and a long black skirt at Penney's. Blame them for the lack of pictures.

Last night we had another showing of our house (and WOOHOO! according to the realtor the woman L-O-V-E-D it!) so we went to the mall. The Queen got a haircut and a really cute suggestion for a prom hairstyle we can do ourselves and some new shoes and then she and I stopped by Kohls because...well...just because! The boys were playing with daddy and we could do a little shopping in peace.

ASIDE: I've been fairly silent about it but I am very excited about an actual real-live-not-just-dinner-at-points-friendly-Applebees date with my husband tomorrow night. We're going to see Kenny Chesney in concert and I expect the show to be awesome. Now, before you start in on me that it's a country concert, see the iPod post and tell me I'm narrow-minded. I had to pick a show that the Sarge would want to go to and The Red Hot Chili Peppers would not be it. Sarge has seen two concerts in his life (other than high school bands and one trip to the Symphony in La Crosse) and they were both The Statler Brothers. He likes both kinds of music, I guess. Kenny puts on a great show and Sugarland is on the bill as well. It should rock! And, thanks to the cash inflow, I think I'll get dinner beforehand.

So I have a real date. We never go on dates. Ever. And I have been looking forward to it since buying tickets back in February. I've lost just under 20 pounds and am feeling pretty good about that so I wanted to look kind of cute. A couple of weeks ago, when none of my summer clothes fit, I bought three pair of capris (no, I don't wear shorts ever). One brown, one navy and one denim. So I am thinking I'll wear the denim capris but I didn't really have a cute shirt to wear with them. Which brings us back to Kohl's.

Normally when I shop I am picky, picky. If the Queen is along, she often vetoes anything I might find acceptable. Last night at Kohl's however, she was feeling cute and flirty thanks to her new haircut or something. She was agreeable with me for once. "That's a cute shirt!" I would say. And she said "Yes, it is." WHAT?

I must have been feeling cute and flirty too because I picked out this shirt in a lovely chocolate brown color to wear with my denim capris tomorrow night. What do you think?

Update on the 7 in '07

Since I had previously asked you guys to hold me accountable, I guess I'd better update you on my progress with the Seven in '07 goals I set out for myself at the beginning of the year.

1. Lose 70 pounds. Well, I can't say enough good things about Weight Watchers Online. I've lost 17.5 pounds so far. I like how easy WWO is to use and the tools they have available. With Weight Watchers you can eat anything as long as you count it, you know? I wasn't doing so well at managing my points early on - like I didn't go over for days and days and then WHAM! I'd use up ten (or more) of my 35 flex points in a day. Lately, I've been trying to mix it up a little bit. After two or three days where I am at or under my allowed points for the day, I'll go five over on purpose (even if I have to suck it up and eat some chocolate;) ). It seems I read somewhere that may help the old metabolism from slowing down. I hope so. All I know is that I now have only one pair of jeans that fits me. And I hadn't been able to wear them in a year or maybe more until last week. Go me!

I'm still not where I should be on the exercise thing. Now that the weather is finally nice I have gone for a 2.5 mile walk two days in a row and have another scheduled for tonight. I also bought a pedometer. I'm just competitive enough, I guess, that every day I try to get more steps in over the course of the day. I recommend this highly. You can pick up a pedometer for as little as $6.00 at Target. Maybe they're even cheaper elsewhere.

2. Run a 5K. Well, see the above comments on the exercise thing. I had set a goal for the Madison Race for the Cure, but I don't see that happening at this point. I'll pick a different one in the fall. I'm also thinking about walking a half-marathon or biking a century. Aside from chronic laziness, the bronchitis that I had a couple of weeks ago, really did a number on my cardio fitness. I mean, it's not great to begin with. I don't exercise regularly and I am asthmatic. Of course, I know that the asthma is a much smaller factor when I exercise so I am working on it. But I am also not beating myself up when I don't. I'm just tuning in more to how I am feeling. I feel better if I exercise so I am trying to use that as a motivator. I still think the 5K could happen this year.

3. Find a job with a future. Well, the job search does not go well. I'll leave it there.

4. Build a nest egg. This would be tied to the job search. It is discouraging but hopefully it too shall pass.

5. Develop some willpower and break some bad habits. Baby steps, people. Baby steps. I think I am doing okay here. I'm focusing on how things make me feel and what are good decisions vs. bad decisions. I stopped buying soda the other day. It's an expensive habit and not good for me so I'm not doing it. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables. This is another area where the tracking stuff on WWO helps a lot. I feel accountable for what I'm doing. I also know that eating better boosts my immune system. A stronger immune system will hopefully minimize the recurrence of Pars Planitis in the future, right? Right. Now, if and when it rears its ugly head again, all my loyal readers will need to give me a pep talk. Flare-ups of pars planitis are very frustrating, depressing and very likely to steer me off course. But I know this and I hope I can stay strong.

6. Stop being my own worst enemy. Well, I am learning to like myself so if I start to really love who I am and what I'm doing, being my own worst enemy wouldn't be so bad, eh?

7. Take hubby on a vacation. I have no plans for this but oh how wonderful it would be. We haven't even had a night alone together since he got back from Kuwait last fall. For awhile, we were trying to go out to (the points-friendly menu) Applebee's once a week, but our finances aren't allowing that at the moment.

So there you have it. A status report. How do you think I'm doing? How are things with you?

Thanks for checking in. You're awesome.

Five!

Today is a better day and to keep the momentum rolling I'm going to give you five lists of five things to think about.

Here we go!

Five things that make me happy!
1. I've lost 9 pounds.
2. I dropped ten points off my cholesterol too! (I feel really old having to monitor this!)
3. JP is my friend. She's awesome!
4. Spring seems to be getting serious about showing up!
5. I had a problem free day working on SAP today. Only one thing and I got a fast answer so all is good!

Five things that make me sad:
1. I wish my siblings were closer (and nicer sometimes).
2. The Senator's been sick this week.
3. I backed out of multicultural day at his school because I just couldn't squeeze it in!
4. I have to drive to Wisconsin on Friday. I really hate that drive.
5. There's virtually no action on our house.

Five books I recommend:
1. The Ugly American by William Lederer.
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3. The Bible
4. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
5. Any collection of Mark Twain's work. He is really a brilliant satirist in my mind. Yes, I'm simple. So?

Five Movies:
1. Crash
2. Se7en.
3. Blazing Saddles.
4. The Quiet Man
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's.

5 Undeniable Facts:
1. Anyone that doesn't like children isn't to be trusted.
2. Crayons are therapy in a box.
3. So is playdough.
4. If your dog doesn't like a person, you probably shouldn't either.
5. Trying to keep cats out of the bed is a total waste of time.

Oh and a bonus:

5 things I would like to do in the next five years:
1. Adopt again.
2. Go to Italy.
3. Buy and Rehab houses.
4. Go to Australia
5. Learn to Kayak.


What's your list?

Love Myself Thursday

I found this blog by accident today and I know just how she feels.

I didn't last too long on the old South Beach because, frankly, a world in which Cheerios and bananas won't work for breakfast and neither will an English muffin with peanut butter just isn't a world I want to live in. But I'm okay. I will not beat myself up or call myself a failure. I switched to Weight Watchers online and so far - so good. I want to drop 70 or 80 pounds and I will. Just not on the beach.

More later.

Peace and blessings.