A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq!

Glad to be your window back to reality, but it sure was fun dreaming about the fun you were having while in WDW!

I wouldn't worry too much about the scale being up. You are so dedicated to this program, that I think you will have it off in no time. It's a good thing vacations don't happen all the time. I'm on a salad week myself and I think the next time I am at Panera's, I will try that strawberry poppyseed you mentioned.

Hope your detox goes better today. It may take a few days to get back to normal, but I have faith in you!

 

[pearlieq]

5/9/05 - Working Hard to Get Back on Track

9:45am

--6 prunes
--1 light string cheese

As I tell everyone else, the important thing is getting up in the morning and trying again. So here I am. The scale jumped between 333.5 and 333 this morning, so some of the leftovers from WDW have come off. I'm going to work hard to help that along today. I'll be really glad to get back to Curves tonight--I think the exercise is going to help a lot. I just need to keep in mind that while vacation was fun I can't stay there. I want my goals very badly.

2:00pm

--1 Lean Cuisine Beans & Rice
--1/2 cup peas
--1 medium orange
--1 cup low calorie fruit punch

Well, I made it to the store. They were actually having a pretty good sale on Lean Cuisines, so I stocked up. I literally must have about 25 of them in my freezer right now, but they're really great for lunch--everything is done, all I have to do is nuke. Supplemented with some peas and a piece of fruit, they're a good meal and I get a lot more veggies than if I was cooking on my own. They're high in salt, but I'm dealing with one problem at a time. I mostly got Beans & Rice, Peanut Chicken, and Garlic Chicken with Spinach--those seem to work the best for me. I added a packet of hot sauce to the Beans & Rice I'm eating now. It's a great way to keep me from wolfing it all down--I can't take more than a bite or two at a time! Plus, I'm getting tons of water!

It's funny how I never get into the aisles much anymore. Today the only things I bought from the middle of the store were some light ranch dressing and some mandarin oranges. Everything else was meat, dairy, bread, produce, or frozen. I buy a lot more frozen food these days--I find they're just as good as fresh and much easier to manage--I hate throwing out fresh food I didn't get to. I now get almost all of my veggies and some of my fruits from frozen and it's a big boon.

One grocery rant--when oh when are the kiwis going to go on sale? They've been at 2/$1 for weeks now, and as much as I love them I'm not paying .50 a piece for them! I hope it's soon!

5:00pm

--1 1/2 cups barbecue chicken succotash

A little picker-upper before Curves!

8:00pm

--5 oz chicken breast
--1 corn on the cob
--1/2 T. butter
--3/4 cup green beans

I bought a pack of chicken breasts today--little did I know they were big steroid chicken breasts! The packs were about 3.5 pounds--I had 5 breasts and one had 6! I couldn't believe it. Oh well. I think I'll have some strawberries and either ice cream, yogurt, or pudding later on. I need more calcium.

9:30pm

--1 large bowl cinnamon toast crunch
--3/4 cup 1% milk
--1 Snickers bar
--2 servings cheese dip
--4 servings Wheat Thins
--1 serving Ritz Crisps
--1 cup light fruit punch

Well, this is embarassing to have to report. But I'm committed to recording honestly, so there it is. I'm not sure why I did this--if there was a reason or just a stunning lack of discipline. We've had the dip mix for a week and I've been drying to make it--I finally sucummbed to the craving and took the whole barn with me. The thing is, any of these alone would have been fine--it's the eating them all that gets me into trouble. At least the totals for the day weren't horrific because I everything earlier was good.

 

[pearlieq]

WISHing, Month Two

My 2nd month of WISHing passed while we were at WDW, but I still wanted to put my recap of how things have changed in the past month.

Things that have changed since 4/5/05:

1.) I am 15 pounds lighter than I was a month ago. I want to go to the store and try the flour sack thing where I drag around flour equivalent to the weight I've lost. I bet it will be an eye-opener.

2.) I can actually see physical changes on my body. My behind is higher, tighter, and more toned (something for which DH expresses his constant appreciation. He keeps joking that he wants to by stock at Curves ). I've lost padding around my shoulders, making for an interesting kind of ski jump from my shoulders to the pudge of my arms, but hey, anything is better right? I can also see my chin/jaw much more defined and my cheeks are less full.

3.) I have so much more energy and stamina. I was so happy to have made it through a full week at WDW with only mild/moderate pain. That's such a huge difference from before where I was in agony after the second day and forced to keep outings to a minimum. I'm much more willing to go places and do things, simply for having the energy to do it.

4.) Clothing changes. I finally had to completely retire a few items, and most of the rest are pretty loose. As I get closer to my next goal I think I'll start looking at some new pieces. It's fun to notice specific changes. For example, when I bought all of my PJ tops, the arms were very tight. I actually had to rip the bottoms a little so they wouldn't cut off my circulation. Now they're completely open and loose.

5.) My resting heartrate has dropped. It used to be in the mid-high 90's and now it's in the mid-high 70's. It's cool to see measurable physical changes.

6.) Exercise is now critical to me--I enjoy it and crave it when it's not there. It really helps me out.

7.) I didn't have to stand up, move, jiggle, or in any way make an effort to buckle the airplane seatbelt. It slid right on with no trouble. This is fun for someone who used to have to ask for a belt extender. One of the things I'm most looking forward to is fitting in to an airplane seat comfortably. Right now we either book 3 seats, book 2 seats on planes have have rows of only 2 seats, or book business class. I can't wait until I can just snap up last minute travel deals without a care about the airplane seating. I'm getting there!!!

8.) With the exception of the last week, bad days are becoming an abberation, rather than something I'm dealing with constantly. I really felt like I was getting a handle on the routine, and I'm sure I'll get back there again.


Things I'm still working on:

1.) I have a hard time with deviations to my routine. I can handle the weekdays, but weekends and traveling are much more challenging. I need to work on ways to adapt my plan to unfamiliar situations.

2.) I'm getting much better at social occasions, but it still requires a lot of focus. I find myself avoiding social gatherings sometimes just to avoid the food struggle. I'm not sure there's necessarily anything wrong with that, but social contact is important so I need to keep working on managing this.

3.) I need to plan better. Breakfast and Lunch are usually pretty easy for me, but dinner is more of a crapshoot. I need to work on either creating menus ahead of time, or making sure that I always have the makings of a quick, healthy meal in the house. Missing shopping trips and running out of things leave me open to bad choices.

4.) I need to do more with myself. I spend more time than I'm really comfortable with in front of my laptop. I need to get out and get involved in things. I need to sign up for a class, join a church, start volunteering, etc. Being involved in things makes me happy and confident and takes my focus off of food. I really need to work on making that happen in the next month.

 

[TPCShauna]

Your list of accomplishments looks amazing! What an amazing feeling to know that all of these changes have occured due to your dedication and hard work.

I so hear you on the airplane seat thing. I can't wait to fly comfortably. I would have to say that is probably one of my biggest issues when flying and one of the biggest reasons why I don't travel as often as I used to. It's so great to know that I have that to look forward to!

 

[Lesli54]

Just wanted to let you know that I love what you have learned in the last month.

I'll bet the resting heart rate was a real eye opener as to how much of a difference you can really impact your health with good foods and exercise. We take so much for granted and never really stop to think about how much work our heart does when we are resting.

Good luck in finding some organization to volunteer for. Try to find something that you feel passionate about. It will keep you there longer and make you feel even better about yourself.

 

[TPCShauna]

I think it's great that you want to look into volunteering! There are so many organizations that rely heavily on volunteer support and would love to have someone with your talents.

If you don't have one in mind already, I would recommend going to the Volunteermatch.com website. They have a searchable listing of volunteer opportunities from organizations in your area. You can search by animal, children, senior, etc. with a mile radius from your home. Most listings even have an email address to send to on the listing or link the organization's website.

Speaking as a Volunteer Coordinator for a non-profit organization and a lifelong volunteer, there are few things as gratifying as helping someone or something. It just feels great!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq! It is so beautiful today.

I think you did fairly well yesterday at trying to get back on track. Glad to see that some of the WDW lbs is gone.

Keep up the good work and have a great day!

 

[pearlieq]

5/10/05 - Keeping at it

7:30am

--1 serving cheese dip
--1 serving wheat thins
--1 cup light fruit punch

OK, not the most stellar breakfast, but the portions were under control. I'll just have what would have been my breakfast at snack time, and hopefully that evens everything out. I really think I need to add that afternoon snack back in--I don't like how risky it feels to try to go from a 12pm lunch to an 8pm dinner. I felt so much more stable yesterday with the later snack. I think I'll try to divide it up as such--Breakfast 300 cal (that covers lots of options), Lunch 450 cal (that covers a Lean Cuisine with peas and a piece of fruit), Snack 250 cal (protien, fiber, and at least one fruit/veggie), and Dinner 650 cal (enough to cover a reasonable meal and possibly a small light dessert). That puts me at 1650 calories for the day, which leaves me plenty of wiggle room to stay under 2000. I'm willing to try it...

On a happier front, another lb of the WDW weight is gone. As long as I'm back where I started by the end of the week, I'll be happy.

11:00am

--7 large strawberries
--1 cup Jello sf pudding

It was either this or McDonalds. I'm struggling again today...

1:00pm

--1 1/2 servings of Ritz Crisps
--1 1/2 cups pasta with sauce
--2 nsa banana muffins
--1 cup peach sorbet
--1 cake cone

It seemed like I ate a lot more. This is really humbling how much I'm struggling. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to stay focused and get back on track. I will say that I don't ever think I'll do what I did last week again--I guess I can't start and stop like that. I feel like I'm starting over from the beginning here...

5:00pm

--the last of the cheese dip
--1 1/2 servings wheat thins
--2 servings Ritz Crisps
--3 nsa banana muffins
--1 cup light fruit punch

This is getting ridiculous. Why do I feel like I'm warring against myself? I don't understand how I can go from being as motivated as I was to being a complete and total mess. I'm starting to think the indulging/lack of focused exercised actually caused biochemical changes which are triggering carb cravings. Maybe I need more detox than I thought.

I comitted the ultimate sin last night--I blew off Curves. No good excuse, I just didn't feel like going and got out of it. I'm really not proud of that. That's pretty low for me. I need to remember how this feels and not do it agian.

8:00pm

--1 7" round loaf of Italian bread
--3 packets butter
--1/2 cup very greasy chicken tortellini soup
--1/2 order lasagna
--1/2 order fettucine alfredo
--1 cup spumoni

Not exactly the direction in which I need to be going. This was tasty, but too much and at the wrong time. I'm starting to panic--I don't want to lose everything I've gained (yes, that sounds backwards, but you all know what I mean!). I need to get myself under control.

 

[jay-nee]

I just read through your trip/food report. Made me so sad that our last trip was so bad... But, sounds like everyone has those days/trips... I hope to not have a bad day on vacation ever again...

It is so hard to get back on track, but we have to do this...(me too!). So, today I am going to make my 1st step. How about you? I am going to eat OP today and ride my bike for 30 minutes and do my 15 minute Bowflex routine too. I will post each day my results and after a couple (or few days) it will be much easier and I will start to feel better again too. Want to join me?

Also, did you bring your laptop with you everywhere on vacation? Or did you use a PDA? I'm not very tech savy, but your trip reports were cool, I'd love to do that, but a laptop would be a pain I would think... So, what was your method?

I'll get back on track with you, pearlieq, you are doing so well it has motivated me to realize why I did this in the 1st place, my health!

Let me know...

 

[pearlieq]

Also, did you bring your laptop with you everywhere on vacation? Or did you use a PDA? I'm not very tech savy, but your trip reports were cool, I'd love to do that, but a laptop would be a pain I would think... So, what was your method?

I'll get back on track with you, pearlieq, you are doing so well it has motivated me to realize why I did this in the 1st place, my health!

Let me know...

Oh yes we had the laptop. DH won't go anywhere without it for his job, so it goes with us--no questions. It is kind of a pain to carry around, but it's kind of nice to have it while we're there.

I'm still working to get back on track--I'm down by I'm not out! I will not, today, or ever again skip Curves unless death is imminent. I am eating my standard, healthy breakfast, I'm having a salad at Panera for lunch, and I'm either having turkey tacos or low-fat shepherds pie for dinner--healthy meals all! There will be no uncontrolled snacking, no late night pizza or Snickers runs, and no "harmless" and "fun" little desserts!

I'm with you! We'll get there!!!

 

[pearlieq]

5/11/05 - I Will Survive

8:00am

--1 cup ff yogurt
--1 cup strawberries
--1/2 cup raisin bran

Back at it--one of these days it's going to stick, right? The plan for the day is breakfast, lunch with DH at Panera (poppyseed salad with chicken, no pecans no bread--I'll share DH's), a protein and fruit snack, and then dinner of either turkey tacos or turkey shepherd's pie that I will be fixing today. Either way it should be low fat and full of veggies. I'm thinking of doing some kind of make-up exercise for yesterday. We'll see how the work schedule goes...

12:20pm

--1 Lean Cuisine peanut chicken
--1/2 cup peas
--1 orange

While I was waiting for my LC to cook I fixed up a whole bunch of taco base--should be enough for 3 meals for DH and I. I just have to wait until it cools to go put it away. It should be pretty yummy--I used extra lean ground turkey, black beans, 1 c. corn, a can of diced tomatoes with onion, lime, and cliantro, and taco seasoning. I think we'll have some tomorrow night.

4:30pm

--1 WW english muffin
--3.5 oz grilled chicken
--1/3 cucumber
--1 T cheese dip

This cheese dip is sooo darn good. I'm really developing a thing for it. The problem is that at $6.68 per ounce it's only slightly less expensive than developing a cocaine habit.

I think I'm going to try picking up some garlic & herb or chive light/whipped cream cheese and see if that doesn't satisfy the urge. I like having it to add a bit of fat/decadence to snacks--it gives it staying power. I must say, I feel 1000% percent better already. I'm meeting DH after Curves tonight--he wasn't able to make our lunch date, so we're doing it for dinner. I'm actually looking forward to Curves, which is nice. I'm just trying to get through one hour at a time here...

7:00pm

--1 strawberry poppyseed salad with chicken
--3" piece of sourdough bread

Yummy Panera! I was in kind of a foul mood at Curves--I was about 3 minutes late and the girls I work out with started without me. It was just a communication problem (their email was down for the day) but I was a little perturbed. Of course, after a few circuits the endorphins kicked in and I felt better. Now I just have to keep telling myself--I'm done for the night. I'm done for the night. I'm done for the night.

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq! Did you survive the storms? They were so crazy here that I was up half the night, or so it seemed.

I hope today goes much better for you. Really, I think the problem lies in all the bad carbs. They are so addictive and once they get a good hold on us, it is hard to shake them off. I think it becomes a "but this is easier and still tastes decent" thing. Your brain is just having a lapse and needs some retraining. You will get there and I will venture to guess that your determination will not allow the "total derailment" to get ahold of you again.

Keep working at it. I have faith that you can conquer this.

 

[goldcupmom]

Hang in there. You will get back on track. Believe me, I've had to do it SO many times and it is NOT easy. It was so hard for me to step on the scale and see that my 36.8 lb loss had become a 13.2 lb loss. Just take one day at a time and look for the small successes you have.

I think you're doing awesome! You WILL make it!

I loved your trip reports. They so make me want to go to Disney, but I'm outvoted......Someday.......sigh!

Have a great day and just keep trying...

 

[contempgal]

HELLO!

So I've spent a long time this afternoon reading through your journal and I have to say that your journey is inspiring. I love how you write about the lows along with the highs, as I'm sure all of us have and will meet these. Your attitude is fabulous and posts, entertaining. And I must say . . . . well done! I look forward to my WISH experience and journey with you.

--Amanda

 

[TPCShauna]

Hi Pearlie!

So sorry to hear that you are struggling to get back on track after your trip. Remember those baby steps your started out with at the beginning? Try them again now. You'll be back on track in no time. Your taco base sounds yummy. It's easy to eat well when you have the inspiration of tasty, low-cal, low-fat food to help!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hang in there pearlieq!

You will get back on track: I just know you CAN do it!

Have a great Thursday!

 

[rcyannacci]

Happy Thursday! I'm still struggling after my "end of the semester indulgences"- it was only 3 days of bad eating for me and it's rough, so I can only imagine how tough it would be after a week at the Mouse's House! First, don't be too hard on yourself- you will pull out of this and get back on track. You're so committed and have done such great work...eventually it will all swing back into focus.

The think I'm concentrating on now is exercise to get me back on track. It was the thing that first made me want to control my eating; think back at how motivating that first month of Curves was!

Have a great Spring day

 

[pearlieq]

5/12/05 - I'm on my way back!

9:00am

--1 cup ff yogurt
--8 extra-large strawberries
--1/2 cup raisin bran

I'm really dragging this morning. I didn't crawl out of bed until almost nine a clock, and I'm really fighting the urge to tell my boss I'm sick and spend the rest of the day on the couch. I don't know why I'm moving so slow.

Part of the problem is I really don't like my job that much. They pay me pretty well, and I get to work from home, but I find the actual work tedious, stressful, and annoying. There was a reason I quit this job in the first place. I would not quit again--this is too good of a deal to give up, but I know what when it's over I'm going to have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I don't really want to work. Doesn't that sound terrible? I mean, I'm a healthy intelligent woman--I need to contribute to my family and society. DH makes enough that I don't have to work if we're reasonably responsible with money, but my salary pays for a lot of indulgences and extras. If we do have kids, which we're thinking maybe in a couple of years, I would want to stay home with them, so anything I start now I would be quitting in 2-3 years. I know I could get my feet wet for a future career, but I'd probably be out of the workforce for at least 15-20 years, depending on how many kids we have. Part of me is thinking of exploring social service, as my degree is in psychology, and the other part of me thinks I should just get a job as a cashier at the new Lowe's they're building by us and enjoy my employee discount. I just don't know...

12:45pm

--1 LC peanut chicken
--1/2 cup peas
--1 orange
--1/3 cucumber

Deja vu, I know, but if it ain't broke, have it for lunch!

I decided to take tomorrow off from work for various reasons--dr appt, house issues, and just for fun. I'm really excited now! I'm going to try to make arrangements to get the spot in front of our house planted--I'm feeling like tackling things today, so I'm off and at it!

4:45pm

--1 ww english muffin
--1 T peanut butter
--1 light string cheese
--1 apple

Snack before Curves

8:45pm

--1 servings Ritz Crisps
--2 Beef & Cheddar sandwiches
--1 order curly fries
--1 peach sorbet cone

The only thing I'm really not happy about here was the 2nd Beef & Cheddar--that's a throwback to the olden days when I'd order way too much. I didn't need it last night and was perfectly satisfied after the first one, but ate it anyway because it was there. I need to work on staying very mindful of eating only one meal at a time--Arby's is not going to disappear off the face of the earth. Still, because I had a good day prior, this wasn't too much of a hit. Just another lesson I need to relearn--ideally I would have had one sandwich and split one order of fries with DH.

I forgot to mention yesterday that all the WDW weight is gone and I'm back to inching downwards. I'm sure as I get more into the swing of things it will start coming off again. I think my body has changed some over the last couple of weeks--things are getting looser.

 

[calena]

I was looking back in your journal and I like the way you did the month evaluation. Look back and remind yourself you are on the right track. I know it is hard to get back into the groove after WDW - I feel like I go in depression for about a month after a vacation - but you are doing this for you and for your health, so stick with it. That goes for me too!

 

[contempgal]

I've been thinking about my diet for my September trip (even though its so far away). I know I will likely break from it somewhat......after all it is Mickey's house. You seem to be doing a great job at getting back on track though!

I hope you have a nice day off tomorrow. I think days like that are just the remedy to work burnout.