Clare's Journal - new here - comments welcome!

[Clare]

Well, it's weigh-in time. I'm down to 150, only a pound, but it's better than nothing! Haven't had a chance to exercise yet today, but I will this evening. And thanks Perlieq for the comment about the laundry It's hard for me to let things go around the house, but I've just decided that the exercise is just as important as everything else!

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[Lesli54]

Congrats on getting to 150! That is so cool and is my goal. Anything beyond that would be gravy for me. It may only be 1 lb, but you deserve it and grab it while you can!

 

[Clare]

Another week begins! I got my 12 miles in last week.....I had to do 4 yesterday to make it!! I wasn't on the treadmill over the weekend because we were outside doing yardwork, yardwork, yardwork. But, I guess I got some exercise doing that too.

I didn't do very well with my water Sat. and Sun. and I can really tell today, so I'm going to really focus on drinking LOTS today.

 

[pearlieq]

Congrats on another lb gone!!! You're doing great!

I hope you have a great Monday! Drink up!!!

 

[Clare]

Just got off the treadmill & did my 3 miles for today. I feel good about that, but today was terrible food-wise. Too much junk in the house leftover from company. I will do better tomorrow.....no sweets!!!! I'm vowing it here in front of everyone & I will report tomorrow on how I did!

 

[Lesli54]

You're doing great! My day with food wasn't good yesterday either, but sometimes that happens. Just keep pushing forward.

 

[Clare]

Thanks Lesli! I just hate the fact that once one bad thing goes in my mouth, my whole day falls apart food-wise. What kind of backward thinking is that? But, so far today has been great & I'm determined to keep it that way!

 

[goldcupmom]

Don't let one bad food day start you down the slippery slope. You CAN do this. One day at a time and MOVE ON!!

This is very hard to do, believe me, I know, but just keep starting over EVERY day!

Hang in there!

 

[Clare]

Well, yesterday was a good day all around. I stayed away from junk food & I did 3 miles on the treadmill in 39 minutes. I won't always go that fast, but it felt really good! I had fresh strawberries and a handful of almonds for breakfast (a big handful ) today. They are the Diamond brand and soooo good. I don't know what they do differently, but I'm not even a nut person & i LOVE them. Anyway I ate breakfast late, so I'll probably have a light lunch like popcorn and fruit. For dinner tonight I'm making low-fat chicken/corn/blackbean quesadilla, strawberries and salad.

The scale is really moving slowly, but I'm hoping for another pound gone tomorrow.

I may not have a chance to post tomorrow because my husband and I are going to Chicago for the weekend. My parents are picking up DD in the morning & we're taking the train in until Sunday. Yes, that's 2 nights for just the two of us. We'll miss DD like crazy, but we are very excited. If anyone knows Chicago and has any good restaurant suggestions, let me know. We have most of our activities planned, but I'm open to suggestions for those too!

 

[Lesli54]

Hit the button too many times.

 

[Lesli54]

I love going to Chicago! Just noticed you were from IL. Where are you located? I am over on the Mississippi just northeast of Moline/Davenport. Do you have a place to stay yet? I love staying at the Homewood Suites. They are close to the downtown, are very well updated, have a kitchen area and serve the most excellent "continental" breakfast, which is included with your room rate. I was there a few years ago and thought, juice and a muffin...........no...........a huge buffet of fruits, juice, breakfast cereals, eggs, mini belgian waffles, bread, etc.

One of my favorite restaurants is Tutto Orsi located at 324 S. Racine, just a block off UIC campus. It's not much on the outside, but it is a great little Italian restaurant with wonderful atmosphere on the inside. I would say at least a dressy casual during lunch and maybe a little more for dinner. Excellent food! Didn't try dessert, but it looked very sinful.

Good luck on another lb. down! Go see Pearlieq, she lives near Chicago and probably knows lots of great restaurants. Have a good trip and enjoy time with your DH!

 

[mking624]

Have fun in Chicago, Clare!! My husband and I are originally from there and we love it!! Mine & my husband's favorite restaurant is Frontera Grill (owned by chef Rick Bayless)...it's Mexican food and is SO good. He also owns the restaurant next door to it called Topolobampo which is also Mexican food...but more gourmet style. They use all fresh ingredients grown locally on farms (Chef Bayless will not even buy it from "gourmet grocers") so the food winds up being healthier because you know the ingredients are fresh fresh fresh. Both restaurants are downtown. What area will you be in? That helps tremendously in knowing what to recommend. Chicago is a huge city and if you're only going to be in a certain area, I don't wanna recommend something on the other side of the city.

 

[TigerCheer2009]

Hi Clare...welcome (a little late). Sounds like you're doing absolutely FABOO!

 

[Clare]

Hi everyone! We got back last night from a fabulous trip!! I didn't get a chance to even check back here so didn't get to use everyone's suggestions, but I wrote them down so we can use them next time we go! I wish I would have known about Rick Bayless' restaurants.....I love him!

We stayed at the Burnham Hotel in the theatre district because we had tickets for Wicked on Friday night. Fabulous hotel! We went to the Field museum, Art Institute, Millenium Park, shopping, etc. We just happened to be walking by Grant Park during the ceremony to turn on Buckingham Fountain so we heard the mayor speak and got to see the fountain go! They were filming a Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie about a block from our hotel. We got to see Sandra Bullock from a distance & watched them do a few takes. It was very interesting! It was just a great trip all around.

The only problem (and you knew this was coming..........) was we ate way too well!!! I had consiously decided before we went to enjoy myself and we really did. We had some fabuous food! I didn't go crazy & of course we did a ton of walking, but I still think I'm probably up a couple pounds. I told myself it's not like I ate a bag of potato chips......these were high-quality calories & worth every bite!! Haven't weighed in yet.....I'm scared! But, I'm back on plan now that we're home. I'm determined not to be discouraged that I'm probably going to have to lose weight that I already lost. I will just plug along.

 

[mking624]

Welcome back!!

Chicago is definitely the place to be to be eating very well. My husband and I loved checking out all kinds of restaurants because there's such an ecclectic mix. We love Rick Bayless...he's our favorite chef. I have all his cookbooks and frequently use them. I got to meet him and his daughter last September when they did a cooking demonstration at a store nearby his restaurants. He also did a demonstration at the Food & Wine Festival in WDW back in November.

I'm so glad to hear you had a wonderful time!!!

 

[Clare]

Well, I weighed myself this morning & I'm back at 150. Really, not as bad as I expected. Yesterday was great "plan"-wise. I ate well & did lots of exercise. I did 3 miles on the treadmill (40 min.) & then my friend called in the evening and wanted to go walking. So we went another 3-4 miles. So I definately have a good start on exercise for the week. I upping my goal to 15 miles for the week since I already have 6 down.

So far, so good today. We leave for WDW in 16 days. OH. MY. GOSH. I have so much to do. Time has gotten away from me. Of course I'm excited, but a little nervous. My DH is flying down a few days before DD and I to attend a conference. So, I will be flying with DD alone. This will be her first plane ride and she's 13 months old so I'm not sure how all that sitting will go! I'm planning to bring lots of snacks, toys, books etc., but I'm still nervous.

Fortunately, we're flying non-stop out of a very small local airport, but I still haven't figured out how I'm going to navigate the stroller, carseat, carryon & baby through security and to the gate. Oh well, it will all work out. I'm just freaking out a little because I didn't realize how soon it is until we go.

 

[Clare]

Today was a good day. Food was fine (except for those few bites of DH's ice cream...........shhhhh don't tell!). I did 3 miles on the treadmill in 40 minutes, free weights for my arms, and my 8 minute abs & buns videos. I also took about a 1/2 mile walk with DD in stroller earlier in the day. So between yesterday and today, I've done about 10 miles (not counting all the running around my house chasing my daughter ). Lately, when I'm on the treadmill I do a combo of walking and jogging. I think tomorrow I will just stick to walking at a pretty relaxed pace because my legs are a little sore tonight. I think I need to let them recover a bit.

On another topic, I think I need to take my measurements and track them as well as my weight. I know that muscle weighs more than fat & I've been working out more lately than I have since college. I'm hoping that will help keep me motivated since the pounds don't drop as quickly as I'd like.

I just want to say thanks for everyone's support and encouragement. I've never been one to announce to everyone I know that "Hey, I'm on a diet. Support me!". So, it's been really great to get that support from you guys. Just knowing that I need to check in here every day keeps me honest and motivated.

 

[Lesli54]

Glad to hear that you had a good time in Chicago. Even better is the fact that you ate and it didn't do as much damage as you thought! You're doing good!

 

[rcyannacci]

Hey! Thanks for stopping by my journal. It sounds like you are on the right track!!!

What did you think of Wicked? I saw it last summer in NYC and really liked it; I'm so glad they tamed the book down for a family audience because I think it's a great story for kids to hear.

BTW- I'm a sucker for ice cream also, which will only get harder as the summer progresses.

Have a good Wed.!

 

[mking624]

On another topic, I think I need to take my measurements and track them as well as my weight. I know that muscle weighs more than fat & I've been working out more lately than I have since college. I'm hoping that will help keep me motivated since the pounds don't drop as quickly as I'd like.

I hear you on this!! I remember reading that the scale isn't always the best determination of how your body is changing, because you could be trading out fat for muscle...but your body is actually getting smaller even if the weight doesn't change. This one book I own says to keep a pair of jeans or something out and trry them on once a week. So I'm doing that with my favorite pair of shorts that have been so tight on me the last few years that I can't wear them. I also take my measurements to help me stay motivated because sometimes the slow pound loss can frustrate me...but seeing smaller measurements helps to remind me that my body is getting smaller even if the pounds aren't changing. Still, it'd be nice to see a larger decrease in the scale.

Keep up the good work, Clare...you're doing EXCELLENT!