Recovering...

...from a visit to "I don't give a &%*!" world.  Oof.

After a week of consistent exercising and mindful food choices, I was rewarded with a 3 lb weight gain.  Not a plateau.  A gain.  3 lbs.  I think I stood on the scale for a whole minute, frozen with disbelief.  Then came anger.  A week of it.  "If I'm going to gain, g*ddamnit, I'm going to know why!!!"  So I ate.  Cheese, chips, butter, chocolate, cupcakes, muffins, bagels, sugar, sugar, sugar.  ~sigh~ 

Last night I finally hit the wall with a double helping of take-out Chinese, and woke up this morning with a sense of resolve I haven't felt in a few weeks.  It felt good.  And I'll take this refreshing perspective one day at a time.  No big claims, no big goals... just day-by-day mindfulness.  The best I can.  Though I won't be stepping on the scale for a couple more weeks, that's for damn sure.

Today my goal was to eat "clean".  Here's how I did:
1 cup of lemon/ginger tea.  No sweetener, no sugar, nothin'. 
An egg (just one) and mushroom scramble, cooked with a little bit of coconut oil, on two slices of sprouted grain toast and sliced tomato.
1 apple, 1 tangerine.
Large salad: mixed greens, 1/2 avocado, red grapes, red peppers, onion, carrots, tomato, cucumber and 2 Tbsp ginger dressing.
1 cup decaf Earl Gray tea w/ stevia and a splash of soy creamer.
A handful of raw pecans.

If I stop eating now, and that's the plan, it will have been a very successful food day.  Being only 7:30pm on a Saturday, I may have to fight some sugar cravings before I hit the sack.  That's okay.  I'm still feeling that resolve I woke with this morning.

One day at a time, ladies and gents.  One day at a time.

Experiment roundup...

Not a lot to report since my last post.  I'm no lighter/skinnier, though I am on a good rip with my treadmill; putting in 30 minutes every other day, now alternating 90 seconds of jogging with 120 seconds of walking.  Not too-too shabby.

Getting back in the habit of taking pix... so a quick montage from last week.
(Pictures already queueing up for my next post.)

Two cans of corn.  Same brand, same everything... except for their size and one is vacuum-packed...

...then why the difference in portion size and nutritional values?  All I can figure is a portion of the non-vacuum-packed corn includes the salty water it's packed in.  I can't imagine anybody NOT draining the corn before eating it... right?  Hm...

An experimental batch of: corn, quinoa and roasted parsnip...

...divided into 4 servings equated to 7 WW points each.  A healthy,  yummy, protein-packed, vegan lunch.  Though I think roasted carrots would be better in this concoction.

5 oz grilled tuna, roasted root veggies (carrots & parsnip), ~1/4 cup chickpeas and some steamed broccoli of sorts. 6 points.  Nice!

Talk about "experiment"!  Roasted duck breast (next time, I must remember not to be frugal with the seasoning), bulgar wheat and a simple bit of salad.  I sautéed the bulgar in some of the duck fat and it should have been yummy but what do I know?  Blech.  It was a poor companion to the very promising (though a bit bland) duck. 

 

Salad without the lettuce: apple, carrot, cuke, red pepper, radish, onion and a Tbs. Good Seasons Italian dressing.  2 pts.
VERY nice!

 

Hello old friends.

Coming soon: comments on our first snow of the season, much more food & exercise commentary, and a little snark where appropriate.

Ghosts of efforts past...

...There it loomed.  Hiding in the corner.  Taunting me with its silence.   My vacuum cleaner?  Nooooo.  The toilet bowl brush?  Euw ~I mean nooooo.  It was my treadmill.  Patiently waiting... and waiting ... and waiting.  Well, today I approached my old friend with downcast eyes and humility in my heart.  And you know what?  I was welcomed back as if I were never gone.  "Hop on up!  Let's go, we have some miles to trudge today!"  So after work today I dusted off my sneakers and there I was, alternating 90 seconds of walking with 60 seconds of running for a half hour.  

I was grumpy when I got home.  No particular reason, though I may have been subconsciously planning to bail on the treadmill and was already feeling disappointment with myself.  But surprise, surprise, I didn't bail.  And I got'ta tell ya, I feel pretty damned great about it.  I'm lovin' me my endorphins right now.  I even felt a drop of sweat trace down my face as I was cooling down.  Hello another old friend!

My 3rd visit with the nutritionist was earlier this week and the only thing that I brought to the table was an extra pound.  I'd like to believe it was all in my clothes and... well... yeah, that's it.  I'd like to believe it, that's all.  :-)  I'm not stressing about it because I still have a happy glow from my treadmill experience earlier tonight. 

The past two weeks I've resurrected my WW food journal and have been keeping diligent track of my points.  Truly, my downfall is evenings after dinner.  I want to snack. I want dessert.  I want my Nutella concoctions and salted chocolate and Skinny Cows.  I've been keeping within my allowed points, but it's very obvious to me that my late night snacking is my weak link here.  Or it may just be another demonstration of my raging sugar addiction.  Oof.

I took some pictures over the last couple weeks of several extra yummy meals.  I'll post them next time, for the sake of publishing this blog entry tonight.  So, on that note, it's time to publish and call it a night.  I'm tired.  It's almost like I exercised or sumthin'.