Checking In

I wanted to stop in & say "hey" after another loooonnnng absence!

After riding a precarious roller coaster with my hubby's health for so long, I'm hoping we are finally seeing some light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. He has just begun seeing a new pain specialist at the nearby university hospital, she changed his meds and they seem to be working so much better than the others he had been taking that were offering little to no relief for his constant, excruciating pain. Because he is feeling so much more relief, we were able to spend the last couple of days out doing some shopping for things for the garden and other miscellaneous goodies.

Needless to say, since he is feeling better, I am feeling better. Not only for him, but because I know that he isn't suffering as much, it has freed my mind and spirit to become more productive and (obviously) less constantly stressed. Many prayers have been answered!

Anyway, I'm still here and since I have missed my little blog so, I'm hoping to share snippets of my life more often again. One thing I'm so excited about is a delicious oatmeal cream pie cake inspired by a certain cute little hat wearin' girl whose name begins with a "D" that I came up with for the fam recently. It's gotten two thumbs and two big toes ( ;) ) up from hubby so it's definitely a keeper. Oh...DD, DF (Dollface our mini weanie) and I love it too! So if my camera cooperates, I'll be sharing that soon! 

Take care, and if anyone is still out there..."see ya soon!~TJ

No Meals But Exercise

I'm not going to record my meals today because I wasn't very good in making the best choices. I did have a couple of cups of fruit/veggie smoothie and a handful of almonds so all my food choices weren't bad, but too many were, involving sweets & simple carbs. Ugh.

I did ride for twenty minutes on the recumbent bike but didn't go walking in the rain.

Here's to better choices tomorrow!~TJ

Meals, Snacks & Exercise

In an attempt to keep track of what I'm eating so I don't lose focus on my objectives of getting healthier, I'm recording my meals &, snacks as boring as it may be to any poor soul that happens to stumble upon my blog, lol!
I do find it is keeping me more aware of what and how much I'm eating on a daily basis and actually causes me to think through what I eat even when tempted by not so healthy things. Like today...

Upon awakening: 1 reg coffee & 1 decaf coffee both with 1 teaspoon each of heavy cream.

Meal 1:  1/2 egg white veggie omelette, sliced tomatoes

Meal 2: the other half of my egg white veggie omelette & sliced tomatoes

Snack: 7 candy corns (craving sweets BUT used portion control)

Meal 3: brown rice & mushroom recipe I tried. It contained cream of mush soup, butter, brown rice and addition fresh mushrooms.    1 &  1/2 cups. Dessert: I treated myself to 2 rectangles of Hersheys dark chocolate. Again, portion control, which for me is HUGE.

Drinks throughout the day: unsweetened iced green tea, water

I took my dog for a twenty minute walk and then also went for a 45 minute spin on the new recumbent bike we bought yesterday (& hubby put together today!).

Todays Meals & Snacks

I find that the more I incorporate the extra fruits and vegetables into my daily diet, the less I crave the usual junk that I normally am drawn to. Interesting.

Today-

Upon awakening: 1 cup reg. coffee with 1 tsp cream & 1 cup decaf wih 1 tsp. cream

"Meal" 1: 2 1/2 cups fruit & veggie smoothie (leftover from last night)

Snack: 1 oz. natural unsalted almonds

Snack: 5 of those new Burger King lower fat & calorie French fries, "satisfries" is what I think they're called. Out running errands & shopping & wanted a little something before I went into starvation mode (which could equal binge mode if I'm not careful).

"Meal" 2: BK fish sandwich, large lettuce & tomato salad (w/ mung bean sprouts) & lemon vinaigrette

Snack: banana "shake" made with only frozen bananas, rice milk & a bit of Truvia

I did weigh in today so every Thursday will be my weigh in day.

Have a great day!~TJ

Some Objectives of Mine

I thought I would post some things I would like to work toward with my eating and nutrition and the "whys" behind them. These are "for now" as I'm sure, like the oceans tide, they may change.

Objective 1- Weight loss of 50 pounds. This is the big one. For aesthetic purposes, yeah. But the main reason is that I want to be vibrantly healthy as I get older, not sick and suffering as I am now. And I believe that a healthy weight is the foundation in many other health related issues.

Objective 2- Get off my blood pressure meds. Which I believe is tied into Objective 1.

For now, those are two lofty goals I'd like to focus on in my journey for better nutrition. Again, this is for me and I realize food and nutrition are very, very personal. I'm not trying to preach to anyone. I'm just recording this journey so I can look back to see any changes and how long they may have taken.

How do I plan to obtain these objectives? For starters, I am aiming for more fruits & veggies in my diet. And portion control.

That's it. For now. I don't want to overwhelm myself as I have always done in the past by trying too much, too soon, getting overwhelmed, losing focus & then quitting. I tend to be all or nothing in so many areas but find that that tendency backfires on me all too often.

So, for now that's it. If I can maintain these simple changes, I feel I'll be on my way to great changes!

With visions of broccoli and berries in my head~TJ

Meals & Movement

As I've alluded to previously, this past year has taken it's toll. As many of us do when faced with a loved ones illness, we put ourselves on the back burner. It's all a matter of priorities.

Some days, I don't put on makeup or go beyond making sure I'm bathed, wearing clean, presentable clothes that aren't too slobby looking and popping in some earrings so I look like I've put in some effort.

Yeah. It's been pretty bad. Because that's really soooo not like me. I've always enjoyed primping, wearing makeup, jewelry, nice clothes, smelling purty and getting out of the house once in a while. And while this past year hasn't been the cause of my excess weight-I've been carrying around a good (bad) extra 50-60 pounds for a few years now-the stress of it all sure isn't helping matters. I also find that since I'm heavier than I would like to be, I'm not compelled to dress up this package and, heaven forbid, draw attention to myself. Some women, I've heard, overcompensate by wearing extra makeup etc., to distract from the fat. I'm the opposite. I guess it's all a matter of perspective in how you view your camouflage.

Anyway, to add insult to injury, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure a while back, which I don't have to tell you, could lead to devastating health complications. Oh, and let's not forget, mildly high cholesterol. In spite of all that, I still have the bad eating habits that I established in my youth: binging, emotional eating, and a few sweet teeth the size of Texas y'all. It's all a viscous cycle exacerbated by stress. Oh. And even my weenie dog's fat. Something's reeeeally gotta give.

Today my meals & snacks look a little something like this (keep in mind, I don't eat on a strict schedule at set times so that's why I label my eating times as I do):

Upon awakening: 2 cups of coffee with a teaspoon of heavy cream in each (heavy cream=a delicious indulgence/habit started in my Somersizing WOE days)

"Meal" 1: One cup of fruit/veggie smoothie (contained spring salad mix, broccoli florets, mung bean sprouts, pineapple, banana, strawberry, apple, mango, grapes, blackberries, water) . Threw it all in my Ninja the night before for morning convenience...and to not wake the whole household up to the blending noise.
One ounce of natural, unsalted almonds.

"Meal" 2: One and a half Lean Pockets 3 Cheese Spinach (whole) & spinach, artichoke & chicken (half).

"Meal" 3: 3 cups of fruit/veggie smoothie (broccoli, mung bean sprouts, celery, carrot, grapes, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe, lemon juice,  maqui juice and water. Oh, and a couple of packets of Truvia to counteract the tartness of the lemon juice! *pucker*)
I know to some, these smoothies might sound disgusting but I like them and I am getting in a greater variety of fruits and veggies than if I were to try to eat all the different items separately and whole. I don't follow a recipe, I use what  have on hand. I hope to eventually work up to a higher veggie to fruit ratio.

Snack: 1 ounce of Tostitos & 2 Tablespoons of salsa

Beverages (throughout the day): unsweetened green/black tea blend, iced; water; hot herbal tea, unsweetened

I have been trying to get out in the evenings and walk my pup but since today was fairly busy taking hubby around for errands and shopping, I was whipped by the time we got home so our walk didn't happen. I just made an effort to chase her around the house for a bit playing "I'm gonna get you". She loves that! (: It gets us both up & moving, *giggle*.

I want to add that, while I don't want to be a slave to counting calories, carbs etc., I don't mind measuring & weighing so that I have right portions when necessary.



my handy, dandy, trusty food scale

Thanks for stopping by & here's to a happy, healthy YOU!~TJ

PS~I totally forgot to weigh myself this morning...

Diet: Something's Gotta Give

After watching my sweet hubby go through his health issues this last year, it has made me realize I. DO. NOT. WANT. TO. GO. DOWN. THAT. ROAD. PERIOD.

Peer-eee-od.

'Cause it ain't been pretty. And I have decided that if I don't do everything within my power to age healthily then, well...shame on me. What a fool I will be.

Now just so any of you high minded, know-it-all, sassy, young 'uns who might be reading this and going through that lovely "I'm invincible and will never die" time of life are thinkin' "who are you trying to fool? You won't live forever, so why not live it up? Enjooooooy life!" Well, I know I won't live forever (but I do plan to live to at least 144 :D ) And if I'm going to live that long, I want to be as healthy and vital as possible. I don't wish to be a burden on my family, live in some sort of home while dying a slow death or have someone wipe my butt. And I figure that if I don't do what I believe I should be doing for my health and I end up in one of those fashions, shame on me. However, I do understand that we can do everything possible, be healthy as a (healthy) horse, and still have a devastating, traumatic health catastrophe happen to us. But still, NOT to try and treat our bodies as the temple it is would just be wrong.

I've said before that I have major food issues. Food addiction if you will. If it's fattening, creamy, decadent, down home, junky, sweet, salty, crunchy, crispy, ooey, gooey, Paula Deen-ized, super sized, chewy, chocolatey, fried, drizzled upon, iced, frosted, candy/candylike, cake/cakelike, cookie/cookielike...(well, shall I go on?), I LOVE it. And to add to the food addiction, I have a condition: I have a large amount of lead in my butt. And that makes it very difficult for me to move. At. All. 

No...really.

And since I've tried (no, I haven't "tried them all") enough diets to know I'm OVER them, I have given it a lot of thought and come up with this: I need to do something. And I need to do something that 1) works for me; 2) I could conceivably do the rest of my life and not feel that it's an imposition; 3) allow me to eat anything I choose and not forbid any food and...(drumroll) 4) (MOST IMPORTANTLY TO ME) be healthy. Because I've already been diagnosed with high blood pressure and mildly high cholesterol so we know where that can lead if not kept in check. And honestly, I would love to reverse those conditions and not have to take those meds and then I could be med free. (Not a bad thing for a fiddy year old.)

What does all this mean TO ME (not wanting to come off as an expert or pretend I have all the answers for others since food and "dieting" is such a personal issue)? What I've concluded is this: I feel I need to 1) eat more veggies and fruits; 2) implement some semblance of portion control (ugh) and 3) move my oh-so-sedentary body. For now, that's it. Sounds simple enough. But can I carry it out? Do it meal after meal, day after day?

So, here's a what I'm a gonna do. I'm gonna keep track of my meals, snacks & what not on here as a journal of sorts, since this is really intended to be a journal for me anyway in general. And yes, I've started record keeping before and life got in the way (I MUST quit allowing that to happen!). So, tomorrow, I will weigh in (won't be sharing that number with the general population however), and begin posting and sharing the journey.

I can begin by saying this:

• As of this moment, I'm 5'5"
• a size *semi-tight* 16 (but I refuse to buy any bigger sizes. Just wont do it.).
• My blood pressure remains in a good normal range with meds.

Here's to great, fantastic, super, excellent health!~TJ