Thursday, August 25, 2011

There's no time like, tomorrow?

I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. When I slip up I throw in the towel and continue the slide.

This week started out well. I was planning my meals, bringing food to work, drinking water and going to the gym. Usually by Wednesday I start getting lazy and a lot of those things fall to the wayside. Today had a hard boiled egg, slice of toast and a protein shake for breakfast. But the day got too hectic and I had to "eat on the run," literally grabbing whatever I could because I didn't bring my lunch.

I ened up choosing potato chips, chocolate chip cookies and jelly beans as a not so well rounded meal. Then for dinner I had chicken nuggets, fries (baked at least) and blueberry pie for dinner. Skipped the gym, and now, not surprisingly, I'm exhausted.

Tomorrow will be better. I'm working from home so I'll eat a decent breakfast and lunch then swing by the gym later in the day. I have a plan, now I have to work it. I did ok the other days and I won't let one bad one ruin the whole week.

“Many fine things can be done in a day if you don't always make that day tomorrow"

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

What's on YOUR Bucket List?

I like the idea of having a "bucket list" and checking off goals as I accomplish them. When's the last time you did something new for the first time? When's the last time you did something that scared you?
The answer to both questions for me is jumping off a diving board a few weeks ago. I like to test my limits and push past my fears, but it isn't always easy. My motto is "Feel the fear and do it ANYWAYS." I have a lot of things still on the list and hope I get to check all of them off.

My Bucket List



Surf a wave - I've taken one lesson and it didn't go well...


Swim with dolphins


Ride in a hot air balloon


See as much of the world as I can (Africa, Hawaii, and Prague are on the list)


Wear a two piece bathing suit


Skydive to celebrate turning 60


Run a 10K


Run a Half Marathon



Things I've checked off the list

Learned to drive a stick shift (forced myself by buying a brand new car I could barely drive off the lot)

Driven cross-country and visited many cities including New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas


Been to London, Paris, Bermuda, Aruba, Turks & Caicos and adding Germany to the list next week


Learned to swim (took my first lesson four years ago)


Worked in New York City


Found my dream job


Snorkeled


Ran a 5K


Completed a half marathon twice


Monday, August 22, 2011

10K...And I'm Not Talking Gold

What happens when you take your eye off your goals for even a minute? You end up like me with a 10K looming in four weeks and being nowhere near prepared for it.

In April after I ran/walked a half marathon I set a new goal to run a 10K this fall. I could already run 3 miles so I figured with 5 months to train it would be a breeze. It would have been if I stayed focused, worked at it and revisited my vision board from time to time to reaffirm why I'm doing it. But I didn't.


Instead, shortly after, I regained a few pounds and noticed that it wasn't as easy to run anymore. Since it was difficult, I started running less and eventually started skipping the gym altogether. Gained a few more pounds then registered for the race two months ago thinking that would motivate me. Nope. I slacked off even more until the other day when I realized the race is now four weeks away.

Having never run six miles in my life, and the farthest being five, which I did one time over 15 years ago, I'm thinking there's not much chance of accomplishing it this go round. Yes, I could/probably will walk some of it, but the goal was to run the entire thing. I know that I can walk 6.2 miles. Now there's no one to be mad at but myself as I sit here having to relose weight I already lost and start almost from the beginning as now I can only run two miles continuously.


Thankfully I'm persistant. I never give up on a goal, which may or not be a good thing sometimes. I will refocus and find a race in the spring along with the half marathon which I hope to run almost all of next year.


"Do or do not. There is no try."









Sunday, August 21, 2011

Week 1 Recipe - Veggie Burger

One of the reasons I don't like to cook is because I find it impossible to follow a recipe. I like things more 'abstract' and tend not to be precise with measurements, or measure at all. A handful of something looks like a half cup to me. I also end up eliminating or substituting ingredients a lot because I either don't like it or can't eat it.

I found today's recipe on a great blog side called Oh She Glows. This woman is a true foodie who experiments with vegan and vegetarian recipes and makes them look terrific. I figured I'd give a whirl. What could go wrong?

I started chopping and "measuring" and throwing the ingredients in a bowl. After mixing them I realized I didn't saute the onion and garlic...oops. I eliminated the almonds and tamari because I'm allergic and eyeballed the spices. Started frying one up and realized I forgot to add the sunflower seeds. OK, that's 3 ingredients now missing.

My burger was looking kind of dry and dense so I topped it with salsa. No flavor whatsoever. I only cooked one so I added salsa to the rest of the mixture along with the sunflower seeds (see photo). This batch looked a little better so I will try it again tomorrow night and report back. If it doesn't work out, I'll look for something a little less complicated for next week.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Eye on the Prize

For as long as I can remember, I've always set goals for myself. And I've always achieved them, with the exception of eating healthy and more recently, losing weight. It's obvious that bad habits formed over many decades are hard to break.

We all know that small changes add up and equal big success over time. My problem is patience. I don't have any. If I don't lose 5 lbs the first week, I throw in the towel and go back to my old ways. But my food allergies are forcing me to make changes that have me kicking and screaming. No cream in my coffee, no pizza or macaroni and cheese. Most every product in the grocery store that isn't an unprocessed, whole food contains soy or milk in some form. For a junk food junkie, this is a death sentence. How can my only options now be in the produce aisle, a place I have avoided like the plague for most of my life?

The key to success for me is going to be making small changes over time. I can no longer cheat and eat the foods I'm allergic to without consequences. My body is tired and telling me it's time to clean up my act and start treating it better.

Goal #1 - Eliminate diet soda. I'm on day 4 and doing ok. I've swapped out my morning Coke Zero with water and Crystal Light. Pretty painless. Even I'm surprised.

Goal #2 - Stop putting cream in my coffee. This one has been a thorn in my side for over a year. I've tried every substitute available and they are really BAD. Believe it or not, non-dairy creamer isn't truly dairy free. It contains casein, milk protein, and is what I'm allergic to. Soy-based creamers are out. I used to drink it black but can't reacquire the taste. I tried SoDelicious Coconut Milk Creamer for the fourth or fifth time and can finally tolerate it.

Two accomplishments so far. I'll keep looking forward and keeping my eye on the prize. I CAN do this.

Next up:




  • Be more consistent with exercise


  • Cook from a recipe once week