mmm! Dinner tonight:

Saute cauliflower, green onions, zucchini, asparagus, carrots, and two chopped-up slices of turkey bacon in a little olive oil (I used my trusty Misto), sprinkle with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle with mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan, and voila! 220 calories of filling goodness.

Sunday Check-In #3

Great things:
*clothes fitting better
*honey-mustard dressing
*soup
*AWESOME support from Hubby
*single-serving Crystal Light packets
*more energy!
*enjoying preparing and planning my food

I had a totally busy week:

Monday was fah-bulous - Liz and I went to Indian Beach, hiked a few hours, and took hundreds of pictures. The hike kicked my butt, too.

Tuesday was a weird PBL (project-based learning) day at school and then I stayed until 5:30 for Homework Help (Liz and I tag-team it every Tuesday).

Wednesday was MACA's Exhibition of Student Work, which kept me busy from 7:30 AM until almost 9:30 PM. That's the only day I went over 1500 calories (that I can accurately count), and it was still under 1600. Woot.

Thursday I was exhausted by the time I got home (still recovering from Exhibition) but didn't want to fall asleep at 7, so while Hubby was at class I went shopping and got a couple shirts from Old Navy, and the most comfortable bra I've ever had in my life at Lane Bryant. A $50 bra for $17, and I know this is TMI but dangit, it made me happy.

Friday I was just glad to be home, and Hubby and Liz and I went to my new favorite sushi place, Fuji's. Hubby tricked me into eating a roll with eel in it, which was way better than the first time I had eel. Liz promised a shower of awesome gifts if I ate one piece of her roll with tuna in it, which I did. I couldn't resist a shower of awesome gifts. But overall, still not an eel or tuna or any raw fish fan. Sushi = yes, raw fish = no.

Saturday I slept in while Hubby went to class. I then trekked to school at 11 to finish up some grading so I didn't have to worry about it this week - it's the last day of the semester on Thursday and I figured it would be nice to not scramble to figure grades out at the last minute. Then I went shopping again for more awesomeness at Old Navy/Lane Bryant. I made Hubby wild rice and mushroom soup for dinner while we lounged on the couch. mmmm...

And now, Sunday!

Weight last Sunday: 210.4
Weight today: 208.8
Average Calories per day: 1496
Number of days I went over 1500 calories: 1
Number of days I had caffeine: 3
Number of days with fast food: 0
Number of days I had a carbonated drink: 3
Number of days exercised: 2.5 (I count Exhibition as 0.5... I DID work a 14 hour day!)
Hours exercised: 3
Not as big a loss as I was hoping, but I need to step up with the exercise thing. Still, at this rate, in two weeks I'll be halfway to my goal!

Sunday Check-In #2

Weight last Sunday: 213.4
Weight today: 210.5
Average Calories per day: 1438
Number of days I went over 1500 calories: 0
Number of days I had caffeine: 2
Number of days with fast food: 0
Number of days I had a carbonated drink: 1
Number of days exercised: 2 (illness, plus evening staff meeting hindered my efforts somewhat.)
Hours exercised: 2.5

Goal for this week: Lose another two pounds, cut days with caffeine down to 1, keep soda down to 1, and exercise four days (3 hours total).

I met about half my goals last week. Not bad, but could be better. Still, the scale's telling me I'm doing something right so I won't beat myself up about it. :)

great walk

I'm beginning to enjoy my walks more and more. Liz and her pug, Mushu, joined me this afternoon in the country for a walk/picture-taking excursion. Three things I got from this time: great company, good exercise, and time with my camera. Yay!

Some photos from today:

On Rick Astley and Nannies.

Today:

Ate cake for breakfast: 400 calories, I'm guessing. It was delicious, and I managed to skip my mid-morning snack to make up for it. Now, it's almost 9 and I've still got 150 calories!

Went on an hour-long walk after work. It was sunny and beautiful, even though it was pretty cold. I still feel good.

Stocked up on fresh veggies again (new favorite: Honeycrisp apples), and got Hubby some of those disgusting chalky Valentine's hearts. How could I resist? "Call me" in pink is just too irresistible. Also, splurged on a shirt, but when I came home and tried it on it didn't fit quite right - at least it's something to look forward to when I can wear it next month.

Laughed when I read that Nancy Pelosi Rickrolled everybody on her website. Also, a bit disturbed.

Watched Nanny 911 - just to feel better about myself. I know I'm not a parent myself, but I DO teach high school, and man, those parents are idiots.

My new favorite: Sauteing chicken, cauliflower, green beans and corn, then adding turkey gravy and serving with herb mashed potatoes. Oh man, I made a huge pan of it (just throwing stuff in there, hoping its edible) and the whole pan (including potatoes on the side) was only 1000 calories! I still had about 600 calories left for the day, so I allotted myself half of it but felt stuffed after only about a third. Woo!

Sunday Check-In #1

Weight last Sunday: 215
Weight today: 213
Average Calories per day: 1513
Number of days I went over 1500 calories: 1
Number of days I had caffeine: 3
Number of days with fast food: 0
Number of days I had a carbonated drink: 3
Number of days exercised: 4
Hours exercised: 2.25

Goal for this week: Lose another two pounds, cut days with caffeine down to 1, cut soda down to 1, and exercise five days (3 hours total).

Reward me!

Okay, so I need some help brainstorming ways I can reward myself when I'm a good girl. Rewards that don't involve food - which, generally, have been my rewards in the past. Keep in mind that my day from 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM is 100% off limits, unless it's something that can work during school hours. Rewards budget per month is about $20. Any suggestions?

New program

So I've started a new diet/exercise program and I'm really feeling good about it. I officially started it Monday and already I can feel a difference in my energy level, etc. My white binder that I made with food diary and four months worth of meal calendars goes with me everywhere, and I've been religious about putting stuff in there. This morning's breakfast: "yogurt with blueberries, 130 cal. Two carrot sticks, 20 cal."

One of the best things about eating better, besides the obvious health benefits, is that things taste better now. Those carrot sticks that I grabbed for breakfast were pretty sweet-tasting, but if I'd been eating sugar in the last four days they wouldn't have been. So, it doesn't seem like horrific punishment to eat vegetables anymore.

Also, with my food menu calendars, I've included exercise. I didn't go on a walk yesterday because it was raining, but I've got both other days and that also does not seem like punishment. I guess it might be attitude, but also that I think I'm in a better place as a person now. And this year is going super well so I'm riding that karma for as long as I can!

So, the official starting weight: 215. Blood pressure: 140/80 (as of three weeks ago).