Happy Halloween!

Honestly, Halloween is about the easiest holiday for me. I don't have kids and don't get any trick-or-treaters since I live in an apartment building so I don't buy any candy. And I don't really like candy...if I'm going to spend my calories on something sweet, it's a cookie or brownie, homemade of course, not candy. I haven't even seen anyone in a costume yet! Well, anyways, food yesterday was good (again!), only 1735 calories. As I was going to sleep last night, I was hungry and I thought about getting up and having something small but couldn't justify eating right before sleeping. I went to bed with a headache last night and woke up with one. Immediately when I woke up, I took two Tylenol. I also felt a little sick to my stomach this morning. My head still hurts. I haven't been sleeping well at all. I don't know what it is. I've thought about going home but I don't feel that bad and I really want to stick with working out and eating well this week. I know if I go home, I won't workout and I'll stop at the store to get the things for macaroni and cheese. I'll just stick it out at least until my workout. If I still feel bad after that, I might go home. Besides I have Friday off as my AWS day so I'll get to hang out then and watch my "Gilmore Girls." (Can you tell I'm trying to talk myself into staying at work?) Well, yesterday, I did 25 minutes on the elliptical and 35 minutes on the bike. Go me!!

Okay, I need to start working on something b/c thinking about going home makes me want to go home. Later!

Going Well

Yesterday was a great day! I went to the gym and did 60 minutes on the elliptical and 25 minutes of strength training. My calories yesterday were at 1695...I could have had an evening snack but I wasn't hungry so I decided to pass. Even though you can't technically "save" up calories, I'm just going to keep them. I'm sure I'll use them this weekend when we have the new margarita machine. We've bought some margarita mix but it's 140 calories for 1/2 cup! Add that with the tequila and you're talking about 250 calories for a small margarita. I'm going to research some sugar-free/lighter options since we'll probably be having a lot more margaritas now!

Not much else to report. Got my application in this morning so I just have one left and it's not due until November 15! Since I don't have a lot of work right now that'll be easy to get done while I'm at work. I'm going to try to find some finance/accounting textbooks and review them before going to school next year. It'll be good for me plus it will give me something to do at work. Okay, well, that's all I've got today.

Later!

Weekend Wrap-Up and This Week's Plan

Well, I didn't do too bad this weekend. I definitely ate more than I needed but, for the most part, I only ate when I was hungry. Which is a huge accomplishment for me. I didn't follow my budget that well...sweaters at Old Navy, haircut and wax, eating out Friday night and Saturday for lunch, etc. I am determined that in November I will follow my budget. I really want to pay off my credit cards before going to school next fall. I had a good weekend and got quite a bit accomplished. I have an application due tomorrow but I'm not too worried about it, I have today and tomorrow at work to finish it up and get it submitted. Next weekend, S and I are buying a Margaritaville margarita machine! I'm excited! We found one at Costco for $240 (everywhere else they are $300).

So, here's this week's plan:
1. Go to the gym Monday-Friday. 60 minutes of cardio all five days, 30 minutes of strength training three days, 10 minutes stretching all five days.
2. Stay under 1800 calories all week (including the weekend).
3. Weigh in on Friday morning.
4. Follow budget and get back on track financially.

Alright, well I've got to get back to my application. Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!!

MIA

Well, I've been MIA from this blog for a while. Went back to my alma mater this weekend for homecoming and had a lot of fun. There's never enough time when we go back now b/c my family lives there as well as S's friends and now his dad lives there. So between all the people we "had" to see and juggling what everyone wanted us to do, it was a bit hectic.

I've been counting calories for the last few days. I weighed this morning and 181.0 is what I saw. Before I go back to school, I will be down to 150, at least. I walked yesterday at lunch. It's been raining here in DC for the last couple of days so I went in between two periods of rain. I won't make it today b/c I have lunch with S and S's uncle (who happens to be in town). I really fell short of my October fitness and eating goals. I think I set myself up for failure with a lofty goal. Christmas is just a couple of months away and I want to be down to 170. We're going to South Dakota to see S's family...it's a surprise for his mom!

Well, today I don't feel like doing any work (luckily, I don't have any work!). I am going to update the blog this morning with links to the blogs I read daily. I should work on my remaining two business school applications but I'm not as excited about these two schools so it's even harder to make myself work on them. Plus, S has to work this weekend so I usually go with him to the office and work on my applications then. I wanted to stay home today and seriously thought about it but I have to pick up my commuter subsidy today and that $110 is well worth my appearance at work for a couple of hours.

I'm really thinking I'm going to have to get out of this job. I don't think I can stay here until next fall. It's so frustrating. I am going to try to stick it out b/c it's minimal responsibility and work so I have lots of time to do my own thing. But I don't know if I'll make it. This job just puts me in such a bad mood everyday. I am really unhappy here. I just feel so depressed when I'm here and the only positive thing I can say about the job is that I have plenty of free time to do my own thing. The last few months when I'm out of the office, I don't even fill out the leave forms...I would sit at work and do nothing so why should I take leave if I choose to stay home and actually accomplish something. I just think about all the time I've wasted at this job. I have to focus on the changes I am making...I'm applying to school and all this ranting about my job has inspired me to put in 100% on my applications.

Alrighty...off to actually update the blog.

Been A Bit

Well, it's been a bit since I've posted. Last weekend I went to Chicago to visit two schools and this weekend I'm going to Oklahoma for my alma mater's homecoming. In the midst of these two trips, I had one application due last week and two due this week so it's been a bit hectic. Surprisingly, not too bad but I feel like I've slacked off on my applications the past couple of weeks which is really when I should have been hitting them the hardest. To my credit, the only thing I had left to do on my applications was revise my essays one more time. I'll find out in about a month if I'm still in the running for two schools. The third school I already had my interview with and I'll find out in January (at the latest). I hope I find out sooner on the third school as it is my top choice. The biggest problem has been my recommenders getting their letters in. I can't submit my applications until their letters are in so I end up waiting on them.

Enough about all that. This is a weight loss blog so back to that. Hmmm...not much to report. Holding steady right now. With the trips it's hard for me to exercise and eat really well. I was proud of myself in Chicago...I never ate until I was stuffed. When I get back next Monday, it's back to working out every day and eating right and counting my calories. I'm mad at myself for gaining back 15 pounds. Before I go to school next fall I will be down to 150, at least. My secret goal is 140 but I passed that weight somewhere in grade school. I'm going to update my blog a bit today and get some links up to the other blogs I read. Next week I want to start commenting on blogs...I've been lurking for several months now but it's time to come out of the "lurkers closet." I have some goals for the week I get back so perhaps I'll post about those later.

Off to update!

Food and Activity Log-Oct042007

Activity: none :(

Food: 2490 total calories...ouch!
I'm not going to write down every single thing I eat anymore. It's a little tiring and pretty boring. But yesterday I was over on my calories. Here's what happened...I had to hand off this project yesterday to someone else since I won't be here to finish it up and I realized that there was no way I was going to get it finished before I left for Chicago. So yesterday morning I worked on my applications and got 5 possible interview questions answered. Then I get word that I actually am passing this project off (to someone who doesn't have access to the files, can't log on to the server, and doesn't know the program) so I have to get some organization done for the project and get it where someone else can understand what I've done. Plus I had to redo some of the work I had already done. So I work away on that (hence why no workout/walk yesterday) and get it where I can comfortably pass it off the remainder of the day. On Thursdays we have a weekly seminar with guest speakers and we have a new social event after the seminars where basically we stand around and talk and eat and drink. I haven't had an opportunity to go yet so I decided yesterday I would go. So I went and ate Oreos and chips. When I got home, I wasn't hungry for dinner. I warmed up some food for S and snacked around in the kitchen. S fell asleep early and then I got hungry in the middle of The Office so I ate a bowl of cereal. I had already had 1790 calories before I got home and then with cereal and snackies, my total calories were up to 2490. But that's okay because I've been a bit low the last couple of days and I can make up for it over the next few days.

I did a sneak peek at the scale this morning, 179.6! I want the numbers to continue to go down so I do need to watch my calorie intake. Chicago will be a challenge but I'm going to make good decisions and choose the right fuel for my body!

Well, I've got some things I need to do since it's my last day at work for a week. Toodles!

It's Thursday!

Today's Thursday which means tomorrow's Friday!! I've decided to take all of next week off from work. Monday we have off b/c it's Columbus Day and I was going to be gone Wednesday-Friday anyways to go to Chicago so I decided to take Tuesday off as well. I have to get four of my applications submitted and prep for an interview before we go to Chicago and with the way things have been at work, I haven't had the time this week to make substantial progress. I spent yesterday morning uploading resumes and transcripts to schools' websites and got a little bit of work done on one essay. Today my goals are to write answers to 5 potential interview questions and get revisions done on the remaining essays so that I can send the essays out to friends and family to get some feedback. I still have this "urgent" work project to do but I'm trying to pass it off to someone else and today I'm focusing on my applications. I love how in my entire two years here, I have never had an urgent project and then I get one the week I'm trying to get my applications done. Typically I have to beg to get work and even then it's very sporadic and I'll only be busy for a week (if I'm lucky). To be quite honest, I don't have any problems working on my applications instead of my work project...there's several people in my division who can do the work project and it's selfish but these applications are my future and there's no future for me at this job.

Well, I've got a clear set of my goals for today so I better get to it!

Food and Activity Log-Oct032007

Activity: 60 minute walk on the Mall, approx. 3.5 miles

Food: 1750 total calories
6:30 AM-1 cup skim milk and 2 Tbsp. fat free creamer (both in coffee) [150]
8:45 AM-1 cinnamon apple muffin [150]
10 AM-1 yoplait light and 1 cup (total) strawberries and grapes [150]
1 PM-Veggie chili (1/6 recipe), 1 cup baby carrots, and 1 banana [500]
4 PM-1 cup chocolate covered popcorn [150]
7 PM-1 Coors Light bottle, Tortellini with homemade sauce, and Antipasto Salad w/ no dressing [650]

Second Day on Plan Thoughts

Well, yesterday I got my food in under 1800 calories but had no exercise. Today I got a 60 minute walk in at lunch. I thought about staying at work and continuing to work on this project or my applications but then I thought about how truly "un-urgent" my work is and how I shouldn't feel guilty for getting out of the office...and then I went on my walk. I fully intended to run but I haven't ran in about two weeks and when I tried to run today, it felt so hard!! So I ended up walking most of the 3.5 miles.

I think I'm going to post some recipes on here or start a recipe blog to keep track of all my healthy recipes I make. It'll have to wait a few weeks until these applications are finished.

Food and Activity Log-Oct022007

Activity: 20 minute walk at lunch (to CVS and back, looking for Pumpkin Spice creamer)

Food: 1720 total calories
6:30 AM-1/2 cup skim milk and 1 Tbsp. fat free creamer, both in coffee [70]
8:15 AM-1 cinnamon apple muffin [150]
10:00 AM-1 yoplait light, 1 cup (total) strawberries and grapes [150]
12:00 PM-1 banana [100]
12:30 PM-Homemade veggie chili (1/6 recipe), 1 cup baby carrots [400]
3:30 PM-1 cup chocolate covered popcorn [150]
7:00 PM-2 Grands biscuits, 3 cups homemade chicken noodle soup [700]

First Day on Plan Thoughts

I did really well yesterday--got a workout in and my food choices were right at 1800 calories. I did have a bit of a problem with snacking while I was starting dinner so today I plan on eating my snack a little later and closer to dinner time. I didn't get to go to the gym today at lunch...the project I have to have finished before I leave from Chicago has suddenly been given the "urgent" status. And I was fully intending to still go to the gym but I got in a rhythm and wanted to figure one thing out (which turned into another thing and so forth). Perhaps I'll get S to go on a walk this evening. I'll definitely go to the gym tomorrow. I felt so good after my workout yesterday!

Food and Activity Log-Oct012007

Activity: 60 minutes on the elliptical at WSC.

Food: 1800 calories total
6:30 AM-1 cup skim milk and 2 Tbsp. fat free creamer (both in coffe) [150]
8:30 AM-1 cinnamon apple muffin [150]
9:45 AM-1 yoplait light and 1 cup (total) strawberries and grapes [150]
1:00 PM-Homemade veggie chili (1/6 recipe), 100 calorie pack Goldfish crackers, and one banana [550]
3:00 PM-100 calorie pack Pepperidge Farms Chocolate Chessman cookies [100]
While cooking dinner-1 cup chocolate covered popcorn [150]
6:30 PM-1 BBQ Porkchop, Salad (no dressing), 1 Niblet corn on the cob, 1 small potato [430]
8:00 PM-Sugar free hot chocolate packet (made with water) served with 1/3 cup mini marshmallows and 2 Tbsp. fat free whipped cream [120]

Wish it actually felt like the first of October.

Well, today's Oct 1 and the weather feels like August. I wish it would hurry up and get cooler.

Weighed in this morning at 181.2 lb. So that'll be my starting weight. Had a good Sunday: got some work done on my bschool apps, went to Target and the grocery store, and watched "3:10 to Yuma." Really good movie, I highly recommend it. I'm so upset that I haven't been able to find the coffeemate pumpkin flavor yet. I love pumpkin and love the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte but calorie and money wise, it's getting expensive. Every weekend I look for the pumpkin coffeemate and every weekend I come up empty handed.

I did have a rough night last night. I woke up at about 5:30 this morning because I was crying. Actually S woke me up b/c I was bawling in my sleep and it woke him up. I had a dream about my grandpa (he died in April) and I was crying in my dream and, apparently, I was actually crying. Anyways, I am hitting the gym at lunch to work out some of this emotional energy.

Today's going well so far. I've got some actual work to do as well as work on my apps so I better get to it. I have a project I need to finish before I'm gone next week for Chicago.

Toodles!