What is going on the past couple of days? Craving salt and sugar like nobody's business. I thought I was past this! The only reason I can think of is that it's a certain time of the month. Maybe that's causing it? I don't know if Patrick can speak to this, but maybe the ladies in the group have some insight. I usually want a LOT of sugar around this time, and I usually have some pretty bad moods. I know, it's so stereotypical, but I'll find myself being really pissed off by little things, maybe in tears over something stupid, and then I look at the calendar and it all makes a little more sense. On the upside, I'm not having any real mood disturbances at the moment so maybe this new regimen is helping with that.
On the downside, I had some crackers. Salty, delicious crackers. Dammit! There is just too much non-PCP stuff in my house, mostly still leftover from my daughter's birthday party. I forgot about most of it, but found myself prowling the pantry this afternoon. I have hardly "cheated" at all so I'm not too mad at myself, but I don't want to do that again. I'll be interested to see if these cravings go away after a couple of days. Who knows if they're physical or mental or both?
Anyway, workout was good again this morning, yay! Having a great music playlist is helping soooo much. I find myself dancing a little bit during my rests. I also paid more attention to moving through the exercises quickly, and finished in 59 minutes today! It's nice to just get it done efficiently.
This is a bit of a tough weekend -- my husband is working all day today, all day tomorrow, overnight tomorrow, and then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (Then he gets seven days off, so no worries!) The daycare is closed on the weekend and my mom is still out of town, so it's just me and the toddler, all...day...long. I've been getting up at 5:30 to make sure I get my workout done by the time my husband needs to hand off to me and get out the door. Today I took a nap while she napped, which was just luscious. Tomorrow we do it all again!
Hope everybody has a great weekend!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Day 60: Out of the valley?
I think I'm done with this whole PCP Valley thing. Yes, this is hard. Yes, I still have a lot of work to do. But the rewards are so great -- and not just physical.
Here's what I've been thinking about for the past couple of days: integrity. To me, integrity means that your actions match your thoughts, your intentions, and your beliefs. I believe in self-discipline, curiosity, openness, continuous improvement -- and yet, I wasn't really carrying out those beliefs when it came to my physical health. My intellectual, spiritual, musical, and professional development have always been important to me, and I've always pursued those areas. But I neglected my physical health and somehow decided that it wasn't as important.
I've written before about how I was sick a lot as a child -- serious asthma, a couple of cases of pneumonia that landed me in the hospital for a couple of times, most recently when I was 18 and had to be on IV antibiotics for a few weeks -- and I know that as a result of those experiences, I turned inward and turned to books. I was never very good at physical things (that B in gym class always ruined my chance for straight A's) so I didn't try very hard at them, but I won those spelling bees left and right.
As I've gotten older I've started to realize I can no longer neglect my physical health, because I don't want to spend the second half of my life hobbled by preventable illness or obesity. I see people all around me, especially here in Kentucky, who spend most of their energy just trying to cope with their poor condition. I don't want to be that person.
I also don't want to be the person who is ignoring an entire realm of her being, her body. So I feel that in order to really live with integrity, I need to be doing just what I'm doing: exercising and paying attention to what I eat. Although this body is temporary, it's the only one I have for this life.
And here's how hard the leg exercises were for me today: I was excited to do the ab exercises because I could lie down. Ab work is the toughest for me, but my legs were super-wobbly after all those sets of creep, then standing for all the shoulder work. Woo hoo!
And since many of us are thinking about good music for working out, I'll share a few of my current favorites. Most if not all of these songs are available on iTunes. I'd love to hear what you're listening to -- always need some new tunes!
ART BRUT -- Alcoholics Unanimous, DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake, The Replacements, Twist and Shout, My Little Brother, Modern Art (I think "Modern Art" is my favorite -- I scream right along with the screams in the chorus)
BEASTIE BOYS -- Sure Shot, Bodhisattva Vow, Body Movin
BECK -- E-Pro, Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
BEN HARPER -- Shimmer and Shine, Boots Like These
BJORK -- Army of Me (dear sweet little Bjork gets medieval on your ass)
THE BLUE VAN -- Silly Boy
CAKE -- The Distance, I Will Survive (best disco cover EVER)
THE CLASH -- London Calling, Know Your Rights, White Riot
DESSA -- Children's Work, The Bullpen (a new discovery for me -- amazing rapper from Minnesota)
GOMEZ -- Hamoa Beach, Airstream Driver
JANELLE MONAE -- Tightrope, Come Alive (Tightrope is THE song of the summer)
JILL SCOTT -- Hate on Me
K'NAAN -- Dreamer, Waving Flag, ABC's (if you don't know K'Naan yet, you're missing out)
NICOLAI DUNGER -- Way Up High, Hunger, Soul Rush (one of my very very favorite musicians -- Swedish singer-songwriter, shades of Van Morrison with a dash of drunken crazy genius)
RADIOHEAD -- Bodysnatchers
TROMBONE SHORTY -- Backatown, Suburbia, Where Y'at (New Orleans funk-groove)
Here's what I've been thinking about for the past couple of days: integrity. To me, integrity means that your actions match your thoughts, your intentions, and your beliefs. I believe in self-discipline, curiosity, openness, continuous improvement -- and yet, I wasn't really carrying out those beliefs when it came to my physical health. My intellectual, spiritual, musical, and professional development have always been important to me, and I've always pursued those areas. But I neglected my physical health and somehow decided that it wasn't as important.
I've written before about how I was sick a lot as a child -- serious asthma, a couple of cases of pneumonia that landed me in the hospital for a couple of times, most recently when I was 18 and had to be on IV antibiotics for a few weeks -- and I know that as a result of those experiences, I turned inward and turned to books. I was never very good at physical things (that B in gym class always ruined my chance for straight A's) so I didn't try very hard at them, but I won those spelling bees left and right.
As I've gotten older I've started to realize I can no longer neglect my physical health, because I don't want to spend the second half of my life hobbled by preventable illness or obesity. I see people all around me, especially here in Kentucky, who spend most of their energy just trying to cope with their poor condition. I don't want to be that person.
I also don't want to be the person who is ignoring an entire realm of her being, her body. So I feel that in order to really live with integrity, I need to be doing just what I'm doing: exercising and paying attention to what I eat. Although this body is temporary, it's the only one I have for this life.
And here's how hard the leg exercises were for me today: I was excited to do the ab exercises because I could lie down. Ab work is the toughest for me, but my legs were super-wobbly after all those sets of creep, then standing for all the shoulder work. Woo hoo!
And since many of us are thinking about good music for working out, I'll share a few of my current favorites. Most if not all of these songs are available on iTunes. I'd love to hear what you're listening to -- always need some new tunes!
ART BRUT -- Alcoholics Unanimous, DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake, The Replacements, Twist and Shout, My Little Brother, Modern Art (I think "Modern Art" is my favorite -- I scream right along with the screams in the chorus)
BEASTIE BOYS -- Sure Shot, Bodhisattva Vow, Body Movin
BECK -- E-Pro, Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
BEN HARPER -- Shimmer and Shine, Boots Like These
BJORK -- Army of Me (dear sweet little Bjork gets medieval on your ass)
THE BLUE VAN -- Silly Boy
CAKE -- The Distance, I Will Survive (best disco cover EVER)
THE CLASH -- London Calling, Know Your Rights, White Riot
DESSA -- Children's Work, The Bullpen (a new discovery for me -- amazing rapper from Minnesota)
GOMEZ -- Hamoa Beach, Airstream Driver
JANELLE MONAE -- Tightrope, Come Alive (Tightrope is THE song of the summer)
JILL SCOTT -- Hate on Me
K'NAAN -- Dreamer, Waving Flag, ABC's (if you don't know K'Naan yet, you're missing out)
NICOLAI DUNGER -- Way Up High, Hunger, Soul Rush (one of my very very favorite musicians -- Swedish singer-songwriter, shades of Van Morrison with a dash of drunken crazy genius)
RADIOHEAD -- Bodysnatchers
TROMBONE SHORTY -- Backatown, Suburbia, Where Y'at (New Orleans funk-groove)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 59: Grateful
As they say in the church, y'all really lifted me up. I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you to my PCP teammates who all posted helpful comments after yesterday's rant. Every one of you said something useful, which kept me going yesterday when I felt like c-r-a-p. Such a beautiful thing about this program -- that I feel like I can speak honestly when I'm struggling, that I know other people will understand, and that I can feel supported and encouraged by you beautiful people who I have never even met in person! Thank you again!!
Today has been much better. Last night we had a bunch of people over for dinner again -- two couples, with two kids each, plus my dad, so there were 7 grownups and 5 kids running around our house. It was utter pandemonium but it was fun. We grilled some steaks and had rice salad and green beans, and I ate my egg white & apple without a care. Seriously, it was sooooooo easy. I was cutting up my daughter's food and helping her eat, so I really didn't have much time to eat my own dinner anyway, and I really didn't mind. I'm comparing this to my first experience of eating egg white & apple while everybody else was chowing down on "regular" food, and I can definitely tell my mind is stronger.
Then last night, after everybody left, I sat down at the computer and made a "serious workout" playlist -- any song in my iTunes library that really had GREAT energy went on the list. I've had a "running" playlist for a while, but I'm sick of all those songs and most are too gentle for what I need now. If I work out in the morning, I usually listen to Morning Edition but the pleasant civility of NPR is not helpful in this situation!
So this morning, hopped up at 6, went to the basement, turned on my music and had a GREAT workout. I had a sense of humor this morning (as opposed to yesterday, when nothing was funny) so I didn't mind when I tripped while jumping. Triceps exercises are TOUGH for me but I got through them. Kung fu sit-ups are still just hilarious. I have no idea if anything is happening anywhere but my shoulders and upper back but I'm doing my best.
It's tough to get up early and work out first thing, but my day goes so much better when I do that. Otherwise I avoid and procrastinate and rationalize until I'm almost out of time, then I feel under pressure and I'm rushing to shower and eat afterwards. I think I'm going to plan on the early morning workouts for the foreseeable future.
Thank you again for all the help. You kept me going for another day! Only 31 days left!!
------
OH! Forgot to mention, I was listening to this Radiolab podcast during my disastrous, angry workout. It was really, really interesting -- about the limits of the human body. The story about the woman crawling across the IronMan finish line made me feel even more like a wuss for complaining about some bicep curls. Maybe not the best thing for motivation (I think I'll stick to my music for the time being) but I would really encourage you all to listen. I'm thinking differently about pain now, because of it. (And listen to all of Radiolab, too. Such great stuff.)
Today has been much better. Last night we had a bunch of people over for dinner again -- two couples, with two kids each, plus my dad, so there were 7 grownups and 5 kids running around our house. It was utter pandemonium but it was fun. We grilled some steaks and had rice salad and green beans, and I ate my egg white & apple without a care. Seriously, it was sooooooo easy. I was cutting up my daughter's food and helping her eat, so I really didn't have much time to eat my own dinner anyway, and I really didn't mind. I'm comparing this to my first experience of eating egg white & apple while everybody else was chowing down on "regular" food, and I can definitely tell my mind is stronger.
Then last night, after everybody left, I sat down at the computer and made a "serious workout" playlist -- any song in my iTunes library that really had GREAT energy went on the list. I've had a "running" playlist for a while, but I'm sick of all those songs and most are too gentle for what I need now. If I work out in the morning, I usually listen to Morning Edition but the pleasant civility of NPR is not helpful in this situation!
So this morning, hopped up at 6, went to the basement, turned on my music and had a GREAT workout. I had a sense of humor this morning (as opposed to yesterday, when nothing was funny) so I didn't mind when I tripped while jumping. Triceps exercises are TOUGH for me but I got through them. Kung fu sit-ups are still just hilarious. I have no idea if anything is happening anywhere but my shoulders and upper back but I'm doing my best.
It's tough to get up early and work out first thing, but my day goes so much better when I do that. Otherwise I avoid and procrastinate and rationalize until I'm almost out of time, then I feel under pressure and I'm rushing to shower and eat afterwards. I think I'm going to plan on the early morning workouts for the foreseeable future.
Thank you again for all the help. You kept me going for another day! Only 31 days left!!
------
OH! Forgot to mention, I was listening to this Radiolab podcast during my disastrous, angry workout. It was really, really interesting -- about the limits of the human body. The story about the woman crawling across the IronMan finish line made me feel even more like a wuss for complaining about some bicep curls. Maybe not the best thing for motivation (I think I'll stick to my music for the time being) but I would really encourage you all to listen. I'm thinking differently about pain now, because of it. (And listen to all of Radiolab, too. Such great stuff.)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 58: Tired, Angry, Frustrated
Well, there you have it. Just finished today's workout and I am PISSED. I simply do not feel capable of doing everything on the page today. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, who's to say? I'm so happy for the progress I've made so far, but I still have SO FAR to go. I'm not having much success connecting with my "inspiration person" at the moment because it feels like I'd have to work out this hard every day for the next year in order to get there. I started off SO FAR from where I want to be and I'm angry that I ever let myself get that far out of shape. The workouts used to feel tough but doable, and I thought that if I just worked hard every day I would be able to keep up. Today, I don't feel like I can keep up. I feel like the difficulty has just whisked right past me and I'm left in the dust.
The stupid f'ing planks are getting me every time. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I had rivers of tears running down my cheeks during the one-arm curls today, because my arms just hurt so badly. I managed to get through them, though, so maybe my "inability" to get through the planks is just a mental problem, not a physical one. And that actually makes me feel worse -- if my body can't do it, that's one thing, but if my MIND is failing me somehow, then I feel like a *real* weakling. I'm trying to be proud of the work I've done so far and remind myself that I'm working harder than I've ever worked. But right now I just feel discouraged.
Tomorrow is another day. I'm not throwing in the towel. I'm going to take a shower and get some lunch and try to enjoy the rest of my day. I don't like sharing these feelings of weakness with other people, but I'm hoping that writing it all down will help somehow. I have to find something within that's going to help me through next time.
Help me here, PCP friends: what am I forgetting? What am I not seeing? I don't know why anger is my reaction right now, but do you have any suggestions for being less angry? I'm not going to quit this, but I would like to feel less angry and more positive about it.
The stupid f'ing planks are getting me every time. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I had rivers of tears running down my cheeks during the one-arm curls today, because my arms just hurt so badly. I managed to get through them, though, so maybe my "inability" to get through the planks is just a mental problem, not a physical one. And that actually makes me feel worse -- if my body can't do it, that's one thing, but if my MIND is failing me somehow, then I feel like a *real* weakling. I'm trying to be proud of the work I've done so far and remind myself that I'm working harder than I've ever worked. But right now I just feel discouraged.
Tomorrow is another day. I'm not throwing in the towel. I'm going to take a shower and get some lunch and try to enjoy the rest of my day. I don't like sharing these feelings of weakness with other people, but I'm hoping that writing it all down will help somehow. I have to find something within that's going to help me through next time.
Help me here, PCP friends: what am I forgetting? What am I not seeing? I don't know why anger is my reaction right now, but do you have any suggestions for being less angry? I'm not going to quit this, but I would like to feel less angry and more positive about it.
Indulgence (a few days late)
I haven't had a chance to write about Indulgence #2 yet, so here it is! We went to a restaurant I've been wanting to try, Wiltshire on Market, with another couple. It was nice to get dressed up and go out! This particular restaurant is only open 3 nights a week (they started out as a catering company) and they focus on fresh, seasonal, mostly local food. They come up with a totally new menu every week.
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Here's the cold glass of rose I enjoyed. Just one! And it was totally enough. I actually felt a little buzzed. When I was pregnant and also not drinking, my already low tolerance for alcohol shrank to just about nothing. I think the same thing's happening again. Hey, I'm a cheap date!
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My starter: gazpacho with basil olive oil, plus some little toasted bread thingy with a little crushed olive. Gazpacho was delicious! Bread/olive were crazy salty.
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My entree: prawns stuffed with crabmeat, and that pile in the middle is some fried onions atop some corn and tomato stuff. All incredibly delicious. Note that there are only three prawns. Something I really liked about this restaurant was that the portions were pretty small, at least compared to most American restaurants.
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Dessert, shared with my husband: lemon tart, with a thin layer of dark chocolate between the lemon and the crust. This was the real eye-opener. Y'all know about my struggle with sweets -- sometimes I think I could just exist on sugar alone. The lemon tart was good, don't get me wrong, but the REALLY good thing on this plate was those raspberries sitting in whipped cream. I had a couple bites of the tart, then commenced to picking the raspberries out (I don't really like whipped cream) and moaning about how wonderful they were.
So, what did I learn? One glass of wine IS enough. I could easily have skipped dessert. The real pleasure of going out to dinner is being with friends, having a good conversation, and enjoying the surroundings. This kind of meal, enjoyed on an occasional basis, isn't going to cause a problem for me, especially if I approach it mindfully. Getting my day-to-day eating in a good place is much harder, although I'm starting to feel like I can do that.
2 downsides: I ate pretty much everything on my plate, because I'm not thinking about when I'm full these days. After I weigh my food, I eat it all because that's what I'm supposed to eat. I noticed that I was just finishing everything at the restaurant, out of habit. I'm hoping that in this last month I'll start to get a little bit more in touch with how much I should be eating. And I also had a stomachache when I went to bed. Nothing serious but I was uncomfortable. Maybe that's my lesson about eating everything on my plate!
OK, enough reminiscing. Workout time!
.jpg)
Here's the cold glass of rose I enjoyed. Just one! And it was totally enough. I actually felt a little buzzed. When I was pregnant and also not drinking, my already low tolerance for alcohol shrank to just about nothing. I think the same thing's happening again. Hey, I'm a cheap date!
.jpg)
My starter: gazpacho with basil olive oil, plus some little toasted bread thingy with a little crushed olive. Gazpacho was delicious! Bread/olive were crazy salty.
.jpg)
My entree: prawns stuffed with crabmeat, and that pile in the middle is some fried onions atop some corn and tomato stuff. All incredibly delicious. Note that there are only three prawns. Something I really liked about this restaurant was that the portions were pretty small, at least compared to most American restaurants.
.jpg)
Dessert, shared with my husband: lemon tart, with a thin layer of dark chocolate between the lemon and the crust. This was the real eye-opener. Y'all know about my struggle with sweets -- sometimes I think I could just exist on sugar alone. The lemon tart was good, don't get me wrong, but the REALLY good thing on this plate was those raspberries sitting in whipped cream. I had a couple bites of the tart, then commenced to picking the raspberries out (I don't really like whipped cream) and moaning about how wonderful they were.
So, what did I learn? One glass of wine IS enough. I could easily have skipped dessert. The real pleasure of going out to dinner is being with friends, having a good conversation, and enjoying the surroundings. This kind of meal, enjoyed on an occasional basis, isn't going to cause a problem for me, especially if I approach it mindfully. Getting my day-to-day eating in a good place is much harder, although I'm starting to feel like I can do that.
2 downsides: I ate pretty much everything on my plate, because I'm not thinking about when I'm full these days. After I weigh my food, I eat it all because that's what I'm supposed to eat. I noticed that I was just finishing everything at the restaurant, out of habit. I'm hoping that in this last month I'll start to get a little bit more in touch with how much I should be eating. And I also had a stomachache when I went to bed. Nothing serious but I was uncomfortable. Maybe that's my lesson about eating everything on my plate!
OK, enough reminiscing. Workout time!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Day 57: Back to life, back to reality
The last time I blogged was on Friday, now it's Tuesday -- that's probably the longest I've gone without checking in. I can honestly say that writing every day is a HUGE part of this program for me, and a big help in focusing my thoughts. So, it's good to be back!
I got back from Florida late last night, happy to be home with my family again. I had a really nice time in Florida, despite the insanely hot weather. My mom's best friend has a house about 1 block from the beach, and it was great to have some relaxing time with no schedule. I read an entire novel while I was there, and one rainy afternoon we all watched a movie. (An afternoon movie is basically unheard of for me!)
PCP world was challenging, but I did the best that I could. I thought we would be eating mostly at home so I thought it would be totally no problem, but the other three women were in "vacation mode" and wanted to go out to eat. A lot. Fortunately, in Florida it's easy to get grilled fish and salads, so I was in pretty good shape. One night we went out to a reallllly swanky restaurant and I was sad because I was supposed to be eating egg white & apple -- instead I ate a green salad with no dressing and some sushi. I felt a little guilty about the sushi (which I ordered because I needed some protein) but then I realized: I'm out to dinner at a fancy place, and I had no bread, no wine, and no dessert. Normally that kind of dinner would have included at least a couple glasses of wine, a couple pieces of bread with butter, a salad, a main course, and at least sharing a dessert. How far I've come! I was plenty full after my salad & a few pieces of sushi.
In a way, the weekend was like a test run for being back in "the real world." I felt like I was taking off the training wheels for a couple of days, learning to make good choices on the fly. I'm really proud of myself that I never said, "Oh, f*** it, I'm on vacation, I'll just have some ice cream" or whatever. I'm sure I took in more salt than I needed, and I'm not sure about the size of the protein portions I had. I ate some grilled shrimp that I'm pretty sure had butter on it, although I asked for it to be plain. I had a really sorry salad at the Chicago airport last night on my way home. So, no, not perfect, but I know I made the best choices I could. It's really hard to eat healthy out in the world!
As far as exercise, long brisk walks on the beach beat jumping rope any day! I was able to get the rest of my group to join me for sweating in out on the beach in the morning, then we went back to the house where they had breakfast and I did bicep curls, etc., in the living room. They were very supportive of my efforts, so that was helpful too.
I was feeling all this angst on Sunday, that I wasn't strictly keeping up with my diet, oh no, what is this going to do to me this week -- and then I had a realization. I CHOSE to have a little less progress in my body in order to have this relaxing weekend away. Mentally, I really needed it. I love being a mom but sometimes the best thing I can do is have a little time away from my daughter. It was so nice to be able to sleep in without having somebody wake me up at 6:30 singing the ABC's. (Although I LOVE hearing her sing...) So that was the tradeoff I made, and I think it was worth it.
And now I'm back, and grateful to be home where I can have more control over my food and my routine. I'm feeling REALLY motivated to redouble my efforts this week and make it a great one. Only 33 days left, gotta make them worthwhile! I'm working at the classical station today, and almost ready to eat the lunch I packed this morning. Mmmmm, roasted salmon... :)
I really missed reading all of your blogs this weekend and feeling like part of the team. Glad to be back!
I got back from Florida late last night, happy to be home with my family again. I had a really nice time in Florida, despite the insanely hot weather. My mom's best friend has a house about 1 block from the beach, and it was great to have some relaxing time with no schedule. I read an entire novel while I was there, and one rainy afternoon we all watched a movie. (An afternoon movie is basically unheard of for me!)
PCP world was challenging, but I did the best that I could. I thought we would be eating mostly at home so I thought it would be totally no problem, but the other three women were in "vacation mode" and wanted to go out to eat. A lot. Fortunately, in Florida it's easy to get grilled fish and salads, so I was in pretty good shape. One night we went out to a reallllly swanky restaurant and I was sad because I was supposed to be eating egg white & apple -- instead I ate a green salad with no dressing and some sushi. I felt a little guilty about the sushi (which I ordered because I needed some protein) but then I realized: I'm out to dinner at a fancy place, and I had no bread, no wine, and no dessert. Normally that kind of dinner would have included at least a couple glasses of wine, a couple pieces of bread with butter, a salad, a main course, and at least sharing a dessert. How far I've come! I was plenty full after my salad & a few pieces of sushi.
In a way, the weekend was like a test run for being back in "the real world." I felt like I was taking off the training wheels for a couple of days, learning to make good choices on the fly. I'm really proud of myself that I never said, "Oh, f*** it, I'm on vacation, I'll just have some ice cream" or whatever. I'm sure I took in more salt than I needed, and I'm not sure about the size of the protein portions I had. I ate some grilled shrimp that I'm pretty sure had butter on it, although I asked for it to be plain. I had a really sorry salad at the Chicago airport last night on my way home. So, no, not perfect, but I know I made the best choices I could. It's really hard to eat healthy out in the world!
As far as exercise, long brisk walks on the beach beat jumping rope any day! I was able to get the rest of my group to join me for sweating in out on the beach in the morning, then we went back to the house where they had breakfast and I did bicep curls, etc., in the living room. They were very supportive of my efforts, so that was helpful too.
I was feeling all this angst on Sunday, that I wasn't strictly keeping up with my diet, oh no, what is this going to do to me this week -- and then I had a realization. I CHOSE to have a little less progress in my body in order to have this relaxing weekend away. Mentally, I really needed it. I love being a mom but sometimes the best thing I can do is have a little time away from my daughter. It was so nice to be able to sleep in without having somebody wake me up at 6:30 singing the ABC's. (Although I LOVE hearing her sing...) So that was the tradeoff I made, and I think it was worth it.
And now I'm back, and grateful to be home where I can have more control over my food and my routine. I'm feeling REALLY motivated to redouble my efforts this week and make it a great one. Only 33 days left, gotta make them worthwhile! I'm working at the classical station today, and almost ready to eat the lunch I packed this morning. Mmmmm, roasted salmon... :)
I really missed reading all of your blogs this weekend and feeling like part of the team. Glad to be back!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Day 53: Travel day
Posting from my iPhone in the Orlando airport today. This is the land of tired kids in Mickey Mouse hats, and a GIANT poster advertising the new Harry Potter theme park that I would LOVE to visit. Just wanted to check in with my PCP peeps today during my layover. From where I'm sitting, I can see McDonald's, Sbarro, Freshens, Au Bon Pain, and Starbucks. I used to take solo airplane travel as an opportunity to eat junk -- after all, I'm never going to see these people again. If it wasn't fast food it was candy. I wondered how I would react to being in that situation today, and I can honestly say: no problem. Not tempted. I think I'm going to hit up the Starbucks for an iced tea but since I'm not hungry I think that'll be it. I scoped out a food stand with lots of fruit & veg on it, though, so I'm covered if I need something.
I worked out this morning before leaving home, and I brought my lunch to the airport and ate it at the gate. A funny thing happened while I was munching my carrot & celery sticks. (I brought them because they were what I had ready in my fridge and what I thought would still be good in an hour.) A very nice older lady next to me patted my arm and said, "You're doing a great job on your diet." I smiled and said thank you. It was funny, though: I guess the assumption is that anyone eating carrots and celery (in public, no less) must be "on a diet." I mean, I guess technically I am, but I can honestly say i preferred my fresh veggies to the Quizno's subs or whatever that people were eating nearby. Airport food, blurrrrgggh!
My mom has been at the beach house for a day already and went to the grocery store earlier today with the list I gave her, so I'll be all set once i get there. I feel more relaxed already!
Indulgence dinner was wonderful last night -- delicious, seasonal food served in reasonable (read: small by American standards) portions in a lovely setting with fun companions. I have more observations and pictures but I'll wait to write a real post about it. One interesting takeaway: the lemon tart with dark chocolate was so-so but the fresh raspberries nestled in whipped cream as a garnish were f'ing amazing. Funny, huh?
I worked out this morning before leaving home, and I brought my lunch to the airport and ate it at the gate. A funny thing happened while I was munching my carrot & celery sticks. (I brought them because they were what I had ready in my fridge and what I thought would still be good in an hour.) A very nice older lady next to me patted my arm and said, "You're doing a great job on your diet." I smiled and said thank you. It was funny, though: I guess the assumption is that anyone eating carrots and celery (in public, no less) must be "on a diet." I mean, I guess technically I am, but I can honestly say i preferred my fresh veggies to the Quizno's subs or whatever that people were eating nearby. Airport food, blurrrrgggh!
My mom has been at the beach house for a day already and went to the grocery store earlier today with the list I gave her, so I'll be all set once i get there. I feel more relaxed already!
Indulgence dinner was wonderful last night -- delicious, seasonal food served in reasonable (read: small by American standards) portions in a lovely setting with fun companions. I have more observations and pictures but I'll wait to write a real post about it. One interesting takeaway: the lemon tart with dark chocolate was so-so but the fresh raspberries nestled in whipped cream as a garnish were f'ing amazing. Funny, huh?
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