It's 4 weeks, and I've lost 10 lbs. I'm pretty happy about that. I still need to find more time to squeeze in exercise, and I had a cold for part of those 4 weeks. We keep having ice and snow storms, making outdoor exercise hazardous to perform, and with a cold I didn't want to exercise in the basement last weekend.
I still feel great.
Oh, yeah: I've stopped taking my daily asthma medication! I know I might need it when pollen season comes around, but for now, I think that's terrific news. I haven't needed my emergency inhaler in months, and now I don't need my maintenance medication either.
People are starting to compliment my looks. It's no secret that I'm on a diet: I go to so many business networking events. When there are other established reps there, I just give a testimonial to them. When no one else is there, I represent my Your Green Club business (I have my web design business to promote at other times). Some of these people only see me monthly, so the changes will really show.
Off to exercise and take off my next 10 lbs! Yay me!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
How's the shampoo?
Mom said "If the hand wash is this good, I wonder how good their shampoo is!" or something to that effect, and I had tried samples of the shampoo. Now I own the shampoo, and used the first combo -- the smaller bottles are for occasional use to remove the residue of products from the hair and do a deep-conditioning.
My hair the next day feels great. Soft, healthy and clean. There's a scalp nutrient that comes separately. I didn't bother with the hairspray, I don't use hairspray often enough to warrant owning it.
My scalp had been itching, and I think I may have been developing an allergic reaction to the normal shampoo. Today, after 2 days of using the scalp nutrient, no itches, flaking, etc.
I'm trying out all types of products, having a lot of fun with it. I hope you're having fun too!
My hair the next day feels great. Soft, healthy and clean. There's a scalp nutrient that comes separately. I didn't bother with the hairspray, I don't use hairspray often enough to warrant owning it.
My scalp had been itching, and I think I may have been developing an allergic reaction to the normal shampoo. Today, after 2 days of using the scalp nutrient, no itches, flaking, etc.
I'm trying out all types of products, having a lot of fun with it. I hope you're having fun too!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Another terrific product line...laundry care!
Ok, a second load of dishes, with a bowl with oatmeal from the day before glued to it, nested in the middle of other bowls to make double sure the dishwasher detergent is making a difference proves to me that I wasn't dreaming about the tiny hands at work in my dishwasher.
So on to laundry. I can't believe how little it takes to wash the laundry. I'm going to have to try the brightener again, but the liquid HE compatible detergent uses very little to wash a whole lot. Everything comes out smelling fantastic -- not heavily perfumed, just lightly scented. The reason I'm going to have to try the brightener again is that I didn't follow the instructions. :( I tried putting it in with the detergent in the compartment and it just caked on the bottom of the compartment, hardly putting any into my load of whites at all. Next time I'll dissolve it in water like the instructions say to. They certainly know best and I shouldn't second-guess them. I'm hoping that they'll erase my son's bad habit of wiping his hands and face on his shirts.
I also used the dryer sheets which I like because when you're done you're left with recyclable paper rather than some nasty man-made material you're not sure if it belongs in the garbage or in the toxic waste facility.
Clean clothes that smell great -- at 1 ounce of liquid detergent per load. An environmentalist's dream.
So on to laundry. I can't believe how little it takes to wash the laundry. I'm going to have to try the brightener again, but the liquid HE compatible detergent uses very little to wash a whole lot. Everything comes out smelling fantastic -- not heavily perfumed, just lightly scented. The reason I'm going to have to try the brightener again is that I didn't follow the instructions. :( I tried putting it in with the detergent in the compartment and it just caked on the bottom of the compartment, hardly putting any into my load of whites at all. Next time I'll dissolve it in water like the instructions say to. They certainly know best and I shouldn't second-guess them. I'm hoping that they'll erase my son's bad habit of wiping his hands and face on his shirts.
I also used the dryer sheets which I like because when you're done you're left with recyclable paper rather than some nasty man-made material you're not sure if it belongs in the garbage or in the toxic waste facility.
Clean clothes that smell great -- at 1 ounce of liquid detergent per load. An environmentalist's dream.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
On my way to size 16
I haven't weighed in or measured this week -- my Week 2 weigh-in is tomorrow morning. BUT, I just had to say that I'm fitting into my size 18s better and better all the time. I'm not sure when I'll hit size 16, but it's not far off. My thighs were bursting the 18s, now they're comfortable. I bought 18 stretch because I NEEDED 18 stretch, now I don't need the stretch anymore.
I asked my partner if he'd still love me when there's less of me to love, and we had a good laugh. He's mimicing what I'm eating and taking a different brand of protein products -- he should be on an 1800 calorie diet, so his cheating here and there is probably OK -- and he said he lost a couple pounds too.
Here's a tip I wish I could follow: When you're bored -- exercise! :) Talk to you soon!
I asked my partner if he'd still love me when there's less of me to love, and we had a good laugh. He's mimicing what I'm eating and taking a different brand of protein products -- he should be on an 1800 calorie diet, so his cheating here and there is probably OK -- and he said he lost a couple pounds too.
Here's a tip I wish I could follow: When you're bored -- exercise! :) Talk to you soon!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
The youngest bag lady!
I asked my partner to come to the grocery store with me, and he eventually gave in (muhahahah!), and on the way out the door he said we'd take his car because it was already clear of ice. Ok, no problem. Then I said "Oh, I have to get the bags out of my car!" He stops and looks at me funny. "Bags?" "Yeah, bags for the groceries."
At this point I'm a little puzzled by his reaction, he's looking a little incredulous, like he's indulging a weirdo at a funny farm. With a little shrug he's off to his car, and I fetch a bag -- full of bags -- and get into his car. I'm puzzling over what's so odd about bringing my own bags to the store.
Mind you I have one of the most eclectic collections of bags. I have many more bags, but here's a sample in a photo of the types of bags we're talking about -- the ones that were in my car on Saturday.
So we fill up a shopping cart with more things than we intended to buy, and at the register, I put 3 bags on the belt and start putting the groceries on the belt. The cashier nonchalantly takes the bags I offered and starts checking out groceries and filling the bags. It's a Redners, and they have a bag policy (2cents off for every bag you bring -- it's not much: it's the environment that matters). At this point, my partner is watching. When the guy is running out of bags, I hand him a few more. He uses one plastic bag for the yogurts (the ones with only a flimsy tin lid now that they've dropped the extra plastic one (yay!)) in case they leak. When he's done he tallies the bags in my cart, and refunds me. Never mind that the bags in my cart hold 2-3 times the number of groceries -- the point is still clear that we're saving something. Money, environment, whatever it takes to motivate people.
We leave with about 6 or 7 of MY bags full of groceries. We're putting them into the car, and finally it's all filtering in and digesting in my partner's brain. When we're unloading the car carrying 6 comfortable bags over our shoulders and in our hands, packed to the brim, instead of 15 flimsy plastic bags with tiny uncomfortable handles, half-filled because the stuff weighs too much for the bags to handle he finally gets it. By now he's muttering, "This is brilliant! I hate even touching the plastic bags. And they gave you a refund for them!" I'm not impressed about the $.12, but I chuckle knowingly.
I always loved to carry a backpack with me in the city. A notebook, a fiction book, pens, pencils, maybe a sweatshirt, and often an extra string bag. It always gave me a pleasurable feeling to tell merchants to skip the bag and toss something into the backpack. I've been doing it for years and years. That's how Europe works -- they don't do the whole massive plastic bag thing like the US. We think it's a major hassle to carry a bag around, but they fold up really small or the string bags easily stuff into a spare compartment of another bag. My bag-of-bags fits easily in my trunk, and is easy to grab the big bag's handle and run into the store.
I have string bags from food coops, a couple paper bags just because they're large and it's a shame to not reuse them a few times -- they also hold their shape really well for bread and other soft foods. I have a huge(!) shopping bag -- certainly a 3-4 bag capacity -- from Prisms Promotions, a local promotional products consultant. I have another smaller bag from the Sullivan (NY) County Chamber of Commerce that specifically talks about going green. A very large plastic bag (in case I purchase pillows or blankets -- craft store purchases, etc. fluffy light huge things or big boxes) from a wholesale liquidation outlet. I don't always remember to take my bags into stores, I'm trying to get better at it. If you add my collection of "gadgety bags" like messenger bags, waist pouches, briefcases, computer bags, etc. I really start to look like a bag lady. I even crocheted my own string bag, and create bags when I do craft projects. Just call me a bag lady!
At this point I'm a little puzzled by his reaction, he's looking a little incredulous, like he's indulging a weirdo at a funny farm. With a little shrug he's off to his car, and I fetch a bag -- full of bags -- and get into his car. I'm puzzling over what's so odd about bringing my own bags to the store.
Mind you I have one of the most eclectic collections of bags. I have many more bags, but here's a sample in a photo of the types of bags we're talking about -- the ones that were in my car on Saturday.
So we fill up a shopping cart with more things than we intended to buy, and at the register, I put 3 bags on the belt and start putting the groceries on the belt. The cashier nonchalantly takes the bags I offered and starts checking out groceries and filling the bags. It's a Redners, and they have a bag policy (2cents off for every bag you bring -- it's not much: it's the environment that matters). At this point, my partner is watching. When the guy is running out of bags, I hand him a few more. He uses one plastic bag for the yogurts (the ones with only a flimsy tin lid now that they've dropped the extra plastic one (yay!)) in case they leak. When he's done he tallies the bags in my cart, and refunds me. Never mind that the bags in my cart hold 2-3 times the number of groceries -- the point is still clear that we're saving something. Money, environment, whatever it takes to motivate people.
We leave with about 6 or 7 of MY bags full of groceries. We're putting them into the car, and finally it's all filtering in and digesting in my partner's brain. When we're unloading the car carrying 6 comfortable bags over our shoulders and in our hands, packed to the brim, instead of 15 flimsy plastic bags with tiny uncomfortable handles, half-filled because the stuff weighs too much for the bags to handle he finally gets it. By now he's muttering, "This is brilliant! I hate even touching the plastic bags. And they gave you a refund for them!" I'm not impressed about the $.12, but I chuckle knowingly.
I always loved to carry a backpack with me in the city. A notebook, a fiction book, pens, pencils, maybe a sweatshirt, and often an extra string bag. It always gave me a pleasurable feeling to tell merchants to skip the bag and toss something into the backpack. I've been doing it for years and years. That's how Europe works -- they don't do the whole massive plastic bag thing like the US. We think it's a major hassle to carry a bag around, but they fold up really small or the string bags easily stuff into a spare compartment of another bag. My bag-of-bags fits easily in my trunk, and is easy to grab the big bag's handle and run into the store.
I have string bags from food coops, a couple paper bags just because they're large and it's a shame to not reuse them a few times -- they also hold their shape really well for bread and other soft foods. I have a huge(!) shopping bag -- certainly a 3-4 bag capacity -- from Prisms Promotions, a local promotional products consultant. I have another smaller bag from the Sullivan (NY) County Chamber of Commerce that specifically talks about going green. A very large plastic bag (in case I purchase pillows or blankets -- craft store purchases, etc. fluffy light huge things or big boxes) from a wholesale liquidation outlet. I don't always remember to take my bags into stores, I'm trying to get better at it. If you add my collection of "gadgety bags" like messenger bags, waist pouches, briefcases, computer bags, etc. I really start to look like a bag lady. I even crocheted my own string bag, and create bags when I do craft projects. Just call me a bag lady!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Dishwasher concentrate powder is like a hundred tiny hands in the machine!
I'm not a big fan of electric dishwashers. Energy-star-water-conserving or not, if they don't clean the dishes, you have to hand-wash the dishes yourself.
We got a dishwasher when we moved in. My partner hates hand-washing the dishes. I don't like hand-washing dishes, but I like hand-washing them after wasting water and electricity in the dishwasher even more. So after 1-2 years of using the dishwasher it started to leave a film of icky white stuff on the dishes, especially the top of cups, and hardly cleaning the silverware. Nothing I wanted touching my or my children's food. So I end up hand-washing the dishes. Bummer.
My roommate, the anal one who does most of the cleaning and hand dish-washing, is of basically the same opinion I am. If you have to re-wash, pre-wash, soak, spit, rinse and shine by hand, why the heck are you using the electronic dishwasher in the first place?
My partner doggedly insists on using the dishwasher. Me and my roommate wash by hand. It's a neverending battle. He's probably right that the residue and water sitting in the machine does it no good, but running it just for the sake of running it isn't good either.
That experience was with typical bulk-store-bought Members' Mark (Sam's Club) detergent -- your results may vary, mine stank. I bought it figuring that at least if I had to buy evil chemical waste producing dishwashing detergent, I would buy it in bulk and save waste on the garbage end of the cycle. Does anyone want a nearly-full container of conventional powdered dishwashing detergent? I didn't think so.
I may have a complete change of heart about the electronic dish washer. You see, I got the terrific starter kit for the green household cleaning products (and blogged about said green cleaning kit), and it came with automatic dishwasher concentrate powder. My partner had the conventional stuff out ready to use it, but he didn't run the dishwasher last night. I thought to run it this morning, and looked at the detergent sitting on top of the dishwasher. No Way, I thought. I put that box of detergent away, and I ran the load of dishes with the new eco-friendly dishwasher powder. One scoop in each cup -- it's a small scoop -- 2 teaspoon scoop. So 4 teaspoons of concentrate went into the machine.
And nothing's wrong with the dishes. They're mostly dry, we air dry the dishes -- there's a couple drops of CLEAR water on the rim of the bowl.
They don't smell like a dirty swimming pool.
They shine.
There are no spots -- I'm not a spot hawk, so don't quote me on this one, but I don't see the streaks and spots I've been seeing from the conventional detergent.
Everything is clean.
Everything smells safe.
I'm amazed. It's like a hundred tiny fairies were at work in my dishwasher making everything perfect. I had to blog about it immediately and let you know. I'm tempted to wake said partner and roommate and rush them into the kitchen to show them. That's why I have to blog. :) They'd kill me.
I hate having to say it, but your results may vary. Maybe we didn't have oatmeal this week. I don't know, but I know this load of dishes came out exactly the way I want them to!
Delicious Choices
I received more products, and that means I now have chocolate shake mix and peanut-butter chocolate chunk meal bars to add to the plan. Yay. I brought home a sizable chunk of last night's dinner, so lunch is ready for me when it's time to have it, and I'll probably do the diet products for dinner, since Fridays are "Kid exchange nights" where I'm always dashing out of the house to drive kids back and forth for visitation.
I had the chocolate shake for lunch yesterday. At dinner, one of my clients, who sells exquisite therapeutic magnetic jewelry, was remarking on how great these products taste (She has a photo at her website -- I hope she doesn't mind me giving her a little plug!). :) She doesn't LOOK like she needs a weight loss plan! Maybe I'll look that terrific someday. :)
I really have to say something about the peanut-butter chocolate chunk meal bars now that I'm having one as a meal. WOW! These things are fabulous! I've had a taste-test, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to actually sitting down and eating them as a meal in itself. It's great! It was on back-order for a week, arrived yesterday, and finally I'm eating it right now. [I had eaten over half the bar before realizing you might like to actually SEE it. Oops! :) What can I say, I was hungry! :) ]
I'm thinking of calling this "waist watchers" as in watch your waist disappear :)
Have a great weekend! I'll probably be blogging, but I thought I should say that.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Question from mom on my Week 1 Weigh-In post
My mom wrote me: "You didn't mention how you felt... do you have more energy? are you sleeping OK... I did notice that you wrote your Blog at 3am..."
No, I was sleeping at 3am EST. The silly blog software clock is set wrong -- I fixed it so now the times are correct. I'm sleeping the same as I was before.... no noticeable difference. I get up at about 6am, which is hard right now because the sun isn't really up yet, and I'm more biologically in-tune with the sun's schedule. Sunrise was 7am in the dead of winter where I am, now it's creeping earlier. I'm not getting up with trouble either, I'm just a little slow to wake up in the dark.
Energy level: I'm fine. I don't need the energy tea. I don't "slump" in the afternoons. Note that I'm not a caffeinated person in the first place. If I do notice a slump some days, it would be normal for me, and I'd consider using half the tea powder for a little pick-me-up but I don't want to do it daily or full-dose and become caffeine dependent. The tea is good, though, don't get me wrong -- it's yummy and brings me back to my tea drinking days. I'm just overly cautious about caffeine intake.
Hunger level: I'm still a little hungry if I have only a shake and nothing else for breakfast or lunch. Mixing in a serving or half-serving of fruit (eaten whole, or a smoothie) really makes a difference there. Maybe because it takes longer to drink the shake :) or because my stomach hasn't shrunk yet. I usually have only the snack bar in the afternoons, but the software recommends a heavier snack in the afternoon (like a fruit and spoon of peanut butter with the bar) and a lighter dinner. Since I know there will be days that I eat at restaurants for dinner up to 4+ times in one week, I'm generally "saving" those extra foods for one meal a day. Today is one of those days, I will be at a restaurant for dinner.
No, I was sleeping at 3am EST. The silly blog software clock is set wrong -- I fixed it so now the times are correct. I'm sleeping the same as I was before.... no noticeable difference. I get up at about 6am, which is hard right now because the sun isn't really up yet, and I'm more biologically in-tune with the sun's schedule. Sunrise was 7am in the dead of winter where I am, now it's creeping earlier. I'm not getting up with trouble either, I'm just a little slow to wake up in the dark.
Energy level: I'm fine. I don't need the energy tea. I don't "slump" in the afternoons. Note that I'm not a caffeinated person in the first place. If I do notice a slump some days, it would be normal for me, and I'd consider using half the tea powder for a little pick-me-up but I don't want to do it daily or full-dose and become caffeine dependent. The tea is good, though, don't get me wrong -- it's yummy and brings me back to my tea drinking days. I'm just overly cautious about caffeine intake.
Hunger level: I'm still a little hungry if I have only a shake and nothing else for breakfast or lunch. Mixing in a serving or half-serving of fruit (eaten whole, or a smoothie) really makes a difference there. Maybe because it takes longer to drink the shake :) or because my stomach hasn't shrunk yet. I usually have only the snack bar in the afternoons, but the software recommends a heavier snack in the afternoon (like a fruit and spoon of peanut butter with the bar) and a lighter dinner. Since I know there will be days that I eat at restaurants for dinner up to 4+ times in one week, I'm generally "saving" those extra foods for one meal a day. Today is one of those days, I will be at a restaurant for dinner.
Weigh-in - Week 1
Here are the results of Week 1 of my Waist-loss plan :)
I weighed in this morning: from 197 I went down to 193lbs, My waist went from 40 inches to 38 inches, my hips went from 38 inches to 37. My size, instead of bursting the seams of a size 18, is much more comfortable. My winter coat, while not loose, is no longer bursting.
I'm very happy with the results of Week 1 on the diet! 4lbs and an overall 3" waist-N-hip loss, and I fit in my size 18 which is my first goal/milestone.
I'm required (legally) to say my results are not typical. My results may not be typical. But then there's many people out there with good results. For other disclaimed "results not typical" success stories, visit the waist-loss plan website's success story page.
I'm glad everything is working out OK, now if only I could work out more! I have 3 appointments in my calendar today for work. :/
I weighed in this morning: from 197 I went down to 193lbs, My waist went from 40 inches to 38 inches, my hips went from 38 inches to 37. My size, instead of bursting the seams of a size 18, is much more comfortable. My winter coat, while not loose, is no longer bursting.
I'm very happy with the results of Week 1 on the diet! 4lbs and an overall 3" waist-N-hip loss, and I fit in my size 18 which is my first goal/milestone.
I'm required (legally) to say my results are not typical. My results may not be typical. But then there's many people out there with good results. For other disclaimed "results not typical" success stories, visit the waist-loss plan website's success story page.
I'm glad everything is working out OK, now if only I could work out more! I have 3 appointments in my calendar today for work. :/
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Shake Styles
I'll probably have more to say on this as time goes on -- I've been using the vanilla waist-loss protein shake powder as directed and mixing in fruits and having mixed results. Banana -- stellar combo. Blueberries are OK. Raspberries from my garden -- well, if you like a LOT of seeds, try it, but this was positively chewy at the bottom -- I can't blame anyone but me, though, it was all my idea. Another chewy combo: this morning I did 1/2 cup blueberries and about 1/8 cup of oat bran. I feel like a horse chewing on mash. However, 1 frozen banana + 1/2 cup frozen mango -- that was delightful, if very hard to shake, it was too thick.
The program suggested 1/2 apple, but it never specifies whether to put that IN the shake or just eat the apple, so I just ate the apple with the shake. That was a very good combination.
Variety is the spice of life, right? At least I'm not bored of the shakes :) I have more on the way of the vanilla, and my first try of the chocolate shakes are on the way. I'm also expecting a delivery of the meal replacement bars. I am not used to drinking 2/3 meals a day.
I'm not exercising enough, and I'm not drinking enough water :/
Oooh -- I get to weigh in and measure myself tomorrow. Stay tuned!!!
The program suggested 1/2 apple, but it never specifies whether to put that IN the shake or just eat the apple, so I just ate the apple with the shake. That was a very good combination.
Variety is the spice of life, right? At least I'm not bored of the shakes :) I have more on the way of the vanilla, and my first try of the chocolate shakes are on the way. I'm also expecting a delivery of the meal replacement bars. I am not used to drinking 2/3 meals a day.
I'm not exercising enough, and I'm not drinking enough water :/
Oooh -- I get to weigh in and measure myself tomorrow. Stay tuned!!!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Getting Greener & Cleaner
My big green cleaning kit finally arrived. I've been waiting on the edge of my seat. I now have a 2nd bottle of the all-purpose concentrated cleaning solution -- and the hand "soap" is on back-order, but I already bought a bottle several months ago. Since these products last for quite some time, I better batten the hatches and go all out for spring cleaning.
Now my cleaning contingent is complete (see photo) with laundry products on the far left, general cleaning product wipes, then dish products in the center and the general cleaning solution, with all the bottles to fill on the right. In the forefront on the right is the heaviest duty oven cleaning non-toxic stuff, and microfiber towels with measuring instruments in the forefront.
I'm eager to run around my house, do laundry, a load of dishes, fill all the bottles, and generally make a menace of myself cleaning stuff. I spot-cleaned only a part of the oven so I could go "See, it works!" when my partner gets home. I have to do my car windows with the window-strength (2 drops in 16oz water) of the general cleaner. Oh, yeah, the degreaser.... on (part of) the range hood. Yep, that works. One pane of the 2-pane bathroom mirror.... oh yeah, I didn't really want to see myself that clearly yet. Shoot.
I better stop cleaning and go back to work. This way my partner and roommate will get tired of all the half-clean stuff and maybe they'll finish it off -- mu-ha-ha-ha!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Infernal TortureTrack
[forgive my basement!]
Ok, who invented this device? It looks like something out of an inquisition's nether chambers. But it's a NordicTrack, skithing. I'm not a skier, much less cross-country (or is that cross-county?) skier. I have this thing thanks to Freecycle. I got on it for 20 minutes yesterday. I attribute my lack of tremendous backaches to the leucine. I have a minor ache reminding me to warm up before exercising.
I like that the machine is very very low-tech. I don't have to turn on the heart monitor, which runs on 2 AAs (and I have rechargables anyway). I know I'm a computer geek -- see all the computers in the basement? -- but it's nice to know that I don't have to use any electricity to get my workout.
My iPod will be my sanity savior. I did 20 minutes without my iPod yesterday. Dumb. But at least I got some time in getting used to the motions to make on this thing, and I'm not sure if I was more sweaty and tired when I was "done" or just plain bored. To ease the boredom, I became a member of the Manager Tools website which is terrific for entrepreneurs, business people, and geeks who are wannabe managers to learn business etiquette and good practices. I usually listen to them while driving. Episodes are a 1/2 hr long or longer, which is perfect as a distraction from the fact that time is passing that I could be doing something else for my business while I exercise. I'll be actually doing something for my own professional development while exercising. Guilt-free exercise. Yay.
If you're not a business person, check out the choices of podcasts out there, whether through iTunes or other podcast directories (podcast alley, etc.) because there is tons of interesting programming out there -- probably even podcasting about weight loss -- that you can listen to while exercising (or driving, but I'm not sanctioning any activity that causes anyone to sit on their rump one minute more than necessary! If I spend a few extra minutes exercising for a show that goes overtime, it's ok....). If you don't have an iPod or other "Mp3 player" you can still make audio CDs from them, or maybe you exercise near your computer, then you can just play them over the computer speakers. I like an in-my-ear experience, so my iPod is great.
My other exercise-of-choice (and this one DOES use electricity) for the winter is DDR (Dance-Dance-Revolution, on the Playstation 2) which is fun, but I can't really listen to podcasts while doing DDR, I'm too busy listening for music queues for dance steps. However, that has it's own advantages, so I'll blog about that once I'm back on the dance mat....
Say cheese!
It's almost a struggle to figure out what I can have for my "real meal" that fits my suggested protein/carb/fat ratios. Thank goodness for cheese. When I'm stuck needing some extra protein and fat, cheese to the rescue!
I calculated my entire intake using the application that comes with my diet program. I had 8 lean chicken meatballs with mozzarella (2 servings), green beans, brown rice -- and even had butter on the beans & rice! But I darned well needed more fat and protein, so I was able to have 4 1" cubes of cheese last night. That's a lot of cheese. This is a mixture of local farmer's cheddar and horseradish cheddar. Mmmm.
If I'm struggling to lose weight, I'll adjust my carb intake down, but I'm trying out about 1500 carbs a day.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Do I weigh too much? The camera lies....
Just kidding about the lying. It's true. I weigh too much. Egads. Hard to look at. I hope I look fatter on camera than I do in real life -- eternal optimist, I guess. I'm glad I'm on a diet. I have to keep this blog around as a reminder. Whew.
I hate taking photos, but at least my partner and I can laugh together. That makes it far more tolerable. I stood in front of his pies, laughing about playing Vanna to them, then I did it....here I am showing off the pies. They're the Pièce de résistance! I'm going to resist. Nya.
So I weighed-in at 197lbs at 5'3" -- and I'm on a diet. I told you about the pies, and took a photo yesterday evening -- well, now there's about 1.125 pies left -- that's to say about 1 pie and one whopping slice or two petite slices. And it really wasn't me. I had a shake this afternoon with a frozen banana blended in. It was awesome. I got to choose a free item from the unmentionable company today, and I chose the 28 day supply of the supplements (metabolism regulation) you're supposed to take on this plan, because they're one of the more expensive single items, and I want to make sure I stay on the plan.Anyway, time to run to see a potential client. I hope Ecto is working to post on my blog.
Am I in denial?
Is this denial of pleasure?
I have Ghirardelli chocolate chips in the cabinet. Pita chips. Sun chips. Blue corn chips. Surrounded by what might be temptation.
My partner, who purchased a different brand of fake-sugar protein products to help control his own weight also just baked 2 apple pies.
Me, I bought a food scale.
I don't think of this as "denial" -- I think of this as discipline. I'm drinking the 3rd shake, having gotten through yesterday A-OK. This thing is really good. No "getting used to" needed. Ok, maybe I have to get used to drinking my breakfast until my meal replacement bars come (they're backordered). But I don't feel like I'm missing out on something sweet, because this shake really is sweet. Maybe too sweet, because I don't usually run around having very sweet things.
Still, I'm glad he baked apple pies and didn't make another cheesecake. Once the inches start coming off and I'm seeing real results, I can probably resist cheesecake. That's a tough one.
I'm actually an all-around cheese freak, so I'll have to make sure I can get in doses of cheese, too. I'll check the meal tracker to make sure they're allowable, and figure out how to add cheese to this diet plan -- even if it's lowfat, I'm just cheese-dependent :)
[By the way, said pie was baked the night before, and wasn't touched until the morning. Half a pie was eaten by my roommate and my partner. This photo is before my son tried a small slice in the evening. I can resist apple pie, it's not my favorite. I'm glad my pie-website client didn't offer barter as a form of compensation, though. :) ]
Thursday, January 24, 2008
My first (real) diet plan
Ok, today my weight loss plan starter kit arrived and I'm ready to take a plunge. [Product name and company logo smudged out on purpose.]
It was like opening a box for an Apple laptop -- an experience in design. I dutifully put the battery into the pedometer, used the enclosed measuring tape to measure my waist & hip size -- wonder if I should measure bust, thighs, or arms, too....I can't enter my weight in the charts or the software because I don't have a scale, so I guess I should give in and buy one, just for curiosity's sake.
Then it was time to have a shake. I washed the shake cup. I measured a cup of (organic) milk (I have only 1% -- need to get skim!) into the cup ("Is that ALL?") and went to add some protein shake powder into the cup. Opening the canister could have been easier, but I managed that.
Then it was time for the scoop. Scoop? "2 scoops of powder." Yeah, that implies a scoop. So I tapped the powder around, with inevitable small dust clouds and breath-holding (I'm not supposed to BREATHE the protein powder!) and then I had to make the plunge. I stuck a finger in and pushed around, located the scoop, and managed to dig it out with minimal mess and a powdery finger.
2 scoops of powder into the cup, screwed on the cap, put on the two safety belts (there are closures for the drinking hole and the airhole), and shake shake shake.....hrm, a little powder on the sides, shake shake shake....hrm, it's a tiny bit but I can't get it into the liquid ....shake shake shake aw fergettit. Must have gotten powder on the freshly washed side of the cup.
Well, here I am about to take a sip.... I better gulp to get it over with faster. Oh -- that's pretty good. It's heavy (probably should be), and a little powdery but what do you want from something so full of protein? (16g) But it actually tastes good. Like real vanilla. Almost -- dare I say it -- like the flavor (not the temperature) of ice cream. I'll enjoy blending it with frozen mango or banana in the summer. Mmmm. Ok, that was good. I was really hungry. I still feel a tiny bit empty but since there's actually some protein powder and drink stuck to the container, I'm going to wash the pill I'm supposed to have with it down with a water rinse of the container.
...addendum: This was about 1pm. About 5-10 minutes later, I felt full. At about 3:30 I was hungry again, and I had the chocolate snack bar because lately I've been grazing on chocolate chips. So I figured this early in the plan, I better make sure I get a chocolate fix. The chocolate bar is sufficiently large -- not large, just sufficiently large :) and the taste is fine. It's not like a terrific brownie, but it is much better than a brownie (a la mode) I had at an ice cream parlor at one point. That brownie was not worthy of the name. So I can certainly live with this chocolate snack bar in place of that brownie.
Now off to see about a scale. More later...
40-inch-waist, 48-inch-hips -- and counting. [ed - got the scale: 197lbs, size 18 (almost 20). Goals: size 12 or 135lbs. Whatever looks and feels the best.]
It was like opening a box for an Apple laptop -- an experience in design. I dutifully put the battery into the pedometer, used the enclosed measuring tape to measure my waist & hip size -- wonder if I should measure bust, thighs, or arms, too....I can't enter my weight in the charts or the software because I don't have a scale, so I guess I should give in and buy one, just for curiosity's sake.
Then it was time to have a shake. I washed the shake cup. I measured a cup of (organic) milk (I have only 1% -- need to get skim!) into the cup ("Is that ALL?") and went to add some protein shake powder into the cup. Opening the canister could have been easier, but I managed that.
Then it was time for the scoop. Scoop? "2 scoops of powder." Yeah, that implies a scoop. So I tapped the powder around, with inevitable small dust clouds and breath-holding (I'm not supposed to BREATHE the protein powder!) and then I had to make the plunge. I stuck a finger in and pushed around, located the scoop, and managed to dig it out with minimal mess and a powdery finger.
2 scoops of powder into the cup, screwed on the cap, put on the two safety belts (there are closures for the drinking hole and the airhole), and shake shake shake.....hrm, a little powder on the sides, shake shake shake....hrm, it's a tiny bit but I can't get it into the liquid ....shake shake shake aw fergettit. Must have gotten powder on the freshly washed side of the cup.
Well, here I am about to take a sip.... I better gulp to get it over with faster. Oh -- that's pretty good. It's heavy (probably should be), and a little powdery but what do you want from something so full of protein? (16g) But it actually tastes good. Like real vanilla. Almost -- dare I say it -- like the flavor (not the temperature) of ice cream. I'll enjoy blending it with frozen mango or banana in the summer. Mmmm. Ok, that was good. I was really hungry. I still feel a tiny bit empty but since there's actually some protein powder and drink stuck to the container, I'm going to wash the pill I'm supposed to have with it down with a water rinse of the container.
...addendum: This was about 1pm. About 5-10 minutes later, I felt full. At about 3:30 I was hungry again, and I had the chocolate snack bar because lately I've been grazing on chocolate chips. So I figured this early in the plan, I better make sure I get a chocolate fix. The chocolate bar is sufficiently large -- not large, just sufficiently large :) and the taste is fine. It's not like a terrific brownie, but it is much better than a brownie (a la mode) I had at an ice cream parlor at one point. That brownie was not worthy of the name. So I can certainly live with this chocolate snack bar in place of that brownie.
Now off to see about a scale. More later...
40-inch-waist, 48-inch-hips -- and counting. [ed - got the scale: 197lbs, size 18 (almost 20). Goals: size 12 or 135lbs. Whatever looks and feels the best.]
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
It's not REALLY clean if it makes your family sick
I guess I can say it until I'm blue in the face, but I'll say it again. We're intimately connected to our environment. Everything we put into our body, we are putting into our environment. Everything we put into our environment, we're putting into our body.
There's no way to escape this basic fact of nature.
It's true of toxic chemicals, from chemotherapy and household cleaning products (link to Household Products Database by the US National Institutes of Health) to the jet fuel used to get an airplane from one place to another. No matter how far away something is, it's in your environment -- indoor or outdoor -- and it will find you.
The flip side of this is that it doesn't matter who puts it into the environment. If industry does it, it still ends up in our bodies and homes. Neighbors. Friends, parents, children, government, someone on the other side of the planet. We are directly and indirectly responsible for each other's health and well-being.
So, let's start with an easy example. You use toxic household cleaners, and you clean your house. You wash some tile and bathroom cleaner down the sink, toilet, tub drain. It ends up in your cesspool, septic tank, etc. It leaches into the ground, even though it goes through a filtration process and could theoretically biodegrade. These toxic cleansers are not biodegradable, so they leech into the ground, and into the groundwater.
Many of us drink from this groundwater. Or at the very least, we wash our bodies with it. Our skin is our largest organ, and it DOES absorb chemicals. We think of it as a barrier, but it's a barrier that will allow things in. The same chemicals from cleaners with huge warnings on their labels are now in our bathwater. Maybe we drink that water. Maybe we cook with it. It probably isn't the chemicals I put into the water that I wash with. It's probably the neighbor's chemicals. Or someone across town. Or someone in the mountains. The basic point is that it's now in my water supply.
If we can convince our neighbors to change to natural biodegradable cleaning fluids, this wouldn't happen, or, assuming we can't convert everyone, at the very least it would be possible to lessen the impact of these chemicals on our bodies.
But what if we're cleaning with those chemicals. We may be poisoning our neighbors' groundwater, and we're certainly poisoning ourselves (link to a page by the National Organization for Women Foundation - stay at home moms & dads, and babies, beware!). Every spray, sprits, stream or the use of any product with fumes adds to the air pollutants in our homes. We breathe that air. Opening windows only helps a little, the fumes are there, we breathe them in, and it causes us to become sick -- either quickly, or a little at a time over a span of years.
What if we could change it? And still be clean and sanitary? Please join me in changing this. Once you've made the switch, tell your neighbors -- the life you may be saving could be your own. By purchasing environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, so safe you can let your baby and pets crawl on the floor, cleaning products you'll be making a change that makes sense (and cents, but I'll talk about packaging another time).
There's no way to escape this basic fact of nature.
It's true of toxic chemicals, from chemotherapy and household cleaning products (link to Household Products Database by the US National Institutes of Health) to the jet fuel used to get an airplane from one place to another. No matter how far away something is, it's in your environment -- indoor or outdoor -- and it will find you.
The flip side of this is that it doesn't matter who puts it into the environment. If industry does it, it still ends up in our bodies and homes. Neighbors. Friends, parents, children, government, someone on the other side of the planet. We are directly and indirectly responsible for each other's health and well-being.
So, let's start with an easy example. You use toxic household cleaners, and you clean your house. You wash some tile and bathroom cleaner down the sink, toilet, tub drain. It ends up in your cesspool, septic tank, etc. It leaches into the ground, even though it goes through a filtration process and could theoretically biodegrade. These toxic cleansers are not biodegradable, so they leech into the ground, and into the groundwater.
Many of us drink from this groundwater. Or at the very least, we wash our bodies with it. Our skin is our largest organ, and it DOES absorb chemicals. We think of it as a barrier, but it's a barrier that will allow things in. The same chemicals from cleaners with huge warnings on their labels are now in our bathwater. Maybe we drink that water. Maybe we cook with it. It probably isn't the chemicals I put into the water that I wash with. It's probably the neighbor's chemicals. Or someone across town. Or someone in the mountains. The basic point is that it's now in my water supply.
If we can convince our neighbors to change to natural biodegradable cleaning fluids, this wouldn't happen, or, assuming we can't convert everyone, at the very least it would be possible to lessen the impact of these chemicals on our bodies.
But what if we're cleaning with those chemicals. We may be poisoning our neighbors' groundwater, and we're certainly poisoning ourselves (link to a page by the National Organization for Women Foundation - stay at home moms & dads, and babies, beware!). Every spray, sprits, stream or the use of any product with fumes adds to the air pollutants in our homes. We breathe that air. Opening windows only helps a little, the fumes are there, we breathe them in, and it causes us to become sick -- either quickly, or a little at a time over a span of years.
What if we could change it? And still be clean and sanitary? Please join me in changing this. Once you've made the switch, tell your neighbors -- the life you may be saving could be your own. By purchasing environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, so safe you can let your baby and pets crawl on the floor, cleaning products you'll be making a change that makes sense (and cents, but I'll talk about packaging another time).
Does one light bulb really make a difference?
I've already swapped out nearly every light bulb in my house for a compact florescent, but of course there's that "nearly". I figured I could go on a miniscule crusade to find just ONE MORE BULB to swap out. I found one.
This crucial little beauty is tucked behind a glass shield by the bathroom mirror. My roommate spends the most time in front of that bulb, and has a tendency to wander in and out of the bathroom in a ice-coffee-induced trance back to her computer for Just One More IM before she finishes her hair or brushing her teeth (or whatever other mystifying act she's performing). Of course, wandering in and out of the room does not require turning off said light. Even if aforementioned IM conversation becomes engrossing and takes up a half hour.
I swapped in a 26w in the place of a 60w bulb. If it's too bright, I can change it to a lower wattage bulb. That's a savings so far of 34w. If she uses the light for 2 hours a day (1 hour in the morning, 1 hour at night) for a whopping total of 72watt-hours a day that becomes 25KWH per year of savings. That's just savings from my roommate hogging the bathroom for 2 hours a day, not the entire family's use of that light.
On that savings alone, at the prices on my last (Orange & Rockland -- Orange county New York) bill: In a year I will save $1.39/year on the cost of the electricity and $2.01/year on the delivery of said electricity. A whopping $3.40/year savings on that one bulb, without counting any government surcharges. It doesn't seem like a lot, but since I've changed out about 18 bulbs in the house, if they're all only used 2 hours a day (most are used more, and some are lower wattage bulbs or were 100w bulbs swapped out to 26w bulbs - which saves 73w per bulb!) then I'm saving well over $61.20/year. That's definitely worth the cost of replacement, because some of those lights are on much more than 2 hours a day especially in the winter when the house is dark longer.
So, I can say for certain that YES, one light bulb does really make a difference. Please swap out your light bulbs today.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
What's all the fuss about?
Our planet is in trouble. I'm trying desperately to get this point across, without sounding like someone shouting about doomsday on a soapbox. I'll be heading out to Abundant Life Farm later in the month for the 2% Solution, but this is not the type of thing I wait to do. I just get up (or in my case, sit on my fat duff) and do something about it. Whether it's something to help the planet, or something to change my own life.
Picture this: Lex Luthor (symbolic of all the multinational conglomerates and large industry -- and nations -- run by greedy barbarians disguised as men-about-town in their 3-piece suits) has our planet by the horns, and is driving humanity into extinction. But what if there's no Superman to fly backwards and reverse time for us? Oh, yeah, there isn't! So what do we do? Like proverbial lemmings we increase the rat race, head straight for a cliff and into our doom? Well, yeah, as a species that's exactly what we do. Am I the only person who finds that frustrating?
But as individuals we can each make a difference. Change your shampoo. Change your deodorant. Bring shopping bags when you buy groceries. Change a lightbulb. That's all a good start. Keep it up. It's not just doing one thing each, try one thing a month -- then one thing a week. Before you know it, you'll be doing one new GREEN thing a day. Blog about it. Shout about it. Call your mom and have her join you on your mini crusade. Feel good about it. Celebrate it. Wear it on your sleeve. Brag about it. Make being GREEN the next big IN thing (it is anyway, so get a head start before the runway models and supermarket rags realize it!).
Let's make being green a no-brainer. Make it so easy to be green, it gets to be CHEAP to be green. Yeah, it would take a few months, maybe a year, but take it to the point where NOT being green is like smoking in New York State. People look at you like you've got 3 heads. Where you used to stand outside puffing with the "In" crowd, now you're outside in the cold alone with your stained fingers and bad breath wondering when you missed the new health wave.
I want you to join me in Your Green Club. It's about all of us.
So, I want to be a guinea pig for a bit. I've been doing things different for a while, now I'm going to do thing differently and loudly. I have the right lightbulbs, but maybe they're not in every socket in the house. I have a box of ecologically friendly cleaning products on their way -- maybe I'll clean and blog and clean and blog and videotape and blog and you can see what I'm up to. I'm going on an eco-friendly weight loss program. I'll blog about it to you. I'll let you know how it feels. My next post will be a benchmark for my house. Later, I'll benchmark about my weight. Right now, I want to benchmark my state of mind. More later. Ciao, bella!
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