I’ve been tagged by Ann of Livin’ Large No More to answer some questions and then I guess the object of the game is to tag four other bloggers and they are to tag someone else with new questions, so here’s my questions from Ann to answer
1. How often do you go to the grocery store (which one/ones)?
Since my husband retired and started doing all or at least most of the cooking, he also does most of the grocery shopping. I may go with him on a weekend once a month. We usually go to Meijer or Kroger.
2. What is your favorite activity, and why?
I like to be active and get out and do things. I’d have to say being involved with My high school class and reconnecting with classmates. I’ve been in charge since Our 35th reunion in 2002 and the committee has become very close. The committee has several annual events and we continue to try to get together on a monthly basis. We also have a class blog where I send out questions each month for classmates to answer and post those on our class blog. We will start planning our 45th reunion next year to occur in 2012
3. So far, what has been your favorite reaction, when someone notices your weight loss?
That’s tough because I’m just getting to a point where it’s noticeable. I guess it’s compliments which are always good to hear and being told that I’m doing well with my program.
4. Within 5 hours from your house, what is your favorite destination, why, and when did you last go there?
Wow, Ann, you’re making me think way too hard. I love to travel and I’m trying to think of places that are within 5 hours which would be Milwaukee or the Lake Erie area … maybe Put In Bay, Ohio. I do have a favorite Inn in the Cincinnati area that we have been to several times, but I’m going to say just the State of Indiana. When Gary retired we started this adventure of wanting to visit all 92 counties in the state and learning a little history about each of them. We try to stay overnight in a B&B and have stayed in some interesting places and learned a lot about our state. It’ll take us 20 years probably to cover the state but it’ll be fun.
Okay here are the four people I’m tagging and here are my questions for them.
Tess
Sharon
Gertie
and my beautiful daughter Stephanie
1. What is your favorite holiday and why and how do you celebrate it?
2. Do you relish time alone and what was the last thing you did when you were alone for 24 hours?
3. What is your favorite type of ethic food and when and what was the last time you ate it?
4. Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
I'm Feeling It
Yesterday was a real busy day and I couldn't find time to do any blogging, even though I had a lot to talk about. We had our annual staff meeting yesterday at work where we honor staff with service awards. It is my responsibility to organize, set-up and purchase the awards. Yesterday, I was busy making nametags, purchasing refreshments and supervising the room set-up as well as attending the meeting and also making 100 brownie sundaes, scooping out the ice cream . If I couldn't eat 'em, at least I could make 'em and inhale the aroma.
When I left this blog, my last entry was about getting in touch with all of my emotions not just the bad but also the good. Being able to express myself more openly and find the "JOY". Gary and I went on a wine trail event on Saturday, visiting four wineries where they were also providing samples of food that were made with wine. Don't get ahead of me ... the wine didn't bring out the exuberance in me. When we first started out on our adventure, we were going down this country road and I said "Woo--Hoo, we're gonna, have a great day." I guess I said it too loud, or too shrieky cause Gary said "do you wnat me to have a wreck" ... he thought something was wrong on the road. When I 'splained it to him, he was okay and we talked about being in a good mood, being happy, being blessed that we could do all we do. I may have acted a little silly at times on Saturday, but you know what ... when I did, it put a smile on my face. We also stopped at a Riverboat Casino where we both played the penny slots together and had a ball ... I let myself go and screamed when I thought I was getting close to hitting a bonus spin and again had fun. I only ended up winning fifteen cents but felt like I had won fifteen hundred dollars by the time we got home which was pretty late.
Fast forward or I guess it's really back it up until Sunday. We went to noon mass and Gary asked if I wanted to go to Jockomo's for lunch. I love their spinach salad and we used to travel about 60-90 minutes roundtrip to visit this pizza place. They have now opened a restaurant five minutes from our house. The thing is, as I have written before, I don't like to eat salad the day before I weigh in because it tends to make me hold water. At first, I asked if we could go somewhere else but I stopped myself and said I've tried really hard this week and I'm sure I'm losing, if I do have a gain at TOPS, I'll know it's from water weight and that won't stop me. I had my salad and one slice of pizza and I felt great. We both decided we'd eat light at dinner. The result at my weigh-in last night ???? ... it didn't affect my weigh-in. Maybe it's a salad made with iceberg lettuce that holds water and spinach salad doesn't have the same effect because I lost two pounds. I am now at 30 pounds lost and it feels great. WOO-HOO .... yes, WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!
One thing I forgot to mention was when we went out on Saturday, I put on a pair of black jeans. Like with some jeans that tend to stretch out a little after you first put them on ... well, we did quite a bit of walking and it wasn't too long before they were like the pants in the song "pants on the ground" hanging around my butt cheeks and I was constantly having to pull them up. I'm starting to see results. YEAH-YEAH-YEAH!
When I left this blog, my last entry was about getting in touch with all of my emotions not just the bad but also the good. Being able to express myself more openly and find the "JOY". Gary and I went on a wine trail event on Saturday, visiting four wineries where they were also providing samples of food that were made with wine. Don't get ahead of me ... the wine didn't bring out the exuberance in me. When we first started out on our adventure, we were going down this country road and I said "Woo--Hoo, we're gonna, have a great day." I guess I said it too loud, or too shrieky cause Gary said "do you wnat me to have a wreck" ... he thought something was wrong on the road. When I 'splained it to him, he was okay and we talked about being in a good mood, being happy, being blessed that we could do all we do. I may have acted a little silly at times on Saturday, but you know what ... when I did, it put a smile on my face. We also stopped at a Riverboat Casino where we both played the penny slots together and had a ball ... I let myself go and screamed when I thought I was getting close to hitting a bonus spin and again had fun. I only ended up winning fifteen cents but felt like I had won fifteen hundred dollars by the time we got home which was pretty late.
Fast forward or I guess it's really back it up until Sunday. We went to noon mass and Gary asked if I wanted to go to Jockomo's for lunch. I love their spinach salad and we used to travel about 60-90 minutes roundtrip to visit this pizza place. They have now opened a restaurant five minutes from our house. The thing is, as I have written before, I don't like to eat salad the day before I weigh in because it tends to make me hold water. At first, I asked if we could go somewhere else but I stopped myself and said I've tried really hard this week and I'm sure I'm losing, if I do have a gain at TOPS, I'll know it's from water weight and that won't stop me. I had my salad and one slice of pizza and I felt great. We both decided we'd eat light at dinner. The result at my weigh-in last night ???? ... it didn't affect my weigh-in. Maybe it's a salad made with iceberg lettuce that holds water and spinach salad doesn't have the same effect because I lost two pounds. I am now at 30 pounds lost and it feels great. WOO-HOO .... yes, WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!
One thing I forgot to mention was when we went out on Saturday, I put on a pair of black jeans. Like with some jeans that tend to stretch out a little after you first put them on ... well, we did quite a bit of walking and it wasn't too long before they were like the pants in the song "pants on the ground" hanging around my butt cheeks and I was constantly having to pull them up. I'm starting to see results. YEAH-YEAH-YEAH!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
I love Friday since I only have to work until noon but it seemed to drag yesterday. I guess I was excited about having lunch with a friend I haven't seen for awhile. She had just returned from Rome and I was anxious to hear about her trip and get caught up in general. We had lunch at a quaint restaurant and both of us chose the 1/2 sandwich and soup. We spent a couple hours just chatting and it made me realize the importance of friends.
I had to make a stop on the way home to pick up some awards for our staff meeting on Monday and of course it was way out of the way on an opposite side of town. I couldn't believe that it was almost 4:00 when I got home. So much for getting anything done on my afternoon off but it was nice to have a "me" afternoon. I still intended on going to Zumba but thought ... it's going to be harder because of not being able to go last week. I also remember the episode with the light headedness and dizzyness and decided to have some nuts and a banana on my way and made sure I took water. When I got to the rec center, I was the first one there and while talking to the instructor learned that I was in an intermediate class. Why that should make a difference I don't know, but I thought wow, I'm almost keeping up and it's more than a beginner's class. I was just proud of myself for that ... don't know why. I still had some weird sensations and had to stop in the middle of step sometimes ... but don't want to give this up. Something is pushing me to continue Zumba.
Last night while watching "What Not To Wear", there was a scene when the gal that was getting a makeover came into the room dressed beautifully and her friends and family were screaming and clapping. Gary said why do girls scream. I couldn't answer that question, because for some reason I've never done that. I don't tend to get overly excited about anything. Why ... do I also suppress my emotions when I'm happy or excited. I'm told alot to "smile" ... do I need to question getting in touch with my emotions ... will I be happier then? I'm pleased with my life. I'm content with my life. I AM happy, but do I feel really joy. Is joy letting out those emotions. They say when you look good, you feel good. When you let it out do you feel the joy.
I don't know how this post ended up with this but I guess I needed to write about it. Gary and I are going out and do a lot of things today. Things that can be a lot of fun. We'll see if I get in tune with my emotions.
I had to make a stop on the way home to pick up some awards for our staff meeting on Monday and of course it was way out of the way on an opposite side of town. I couldn't believe that it was almost 4:00 when I got home. So much for getting anything done on my afternoon off but it was nice to have a "me" afternoon. I still intended on going to Zumba but thought ... it's going to be harder because of not being able to go last week. I also remember the episode with the light headedness and dizzyness and decided to have some nuts and a banana on my way and made sure I took water. When I got to the rec center, I was the first one there and while talking to the instructor learned that I was in an intermediate class. Why that should make a difference I don't know, but I thought wow, I'm almost keeping up and it's more than a beginner's class. I was just proud of myself for that ... don't know why. I still had some weird sensations and had to stop in the middle of step sometimes ... but don't want to give this up. Something is pushing me to continue Zumba.
Last night while watching "What Not To Wear", there was a scene when the gal that was getting a makeover came into the room dressed beautifully and her friends and family were screaming and clapping. Gary said why do girls scream. I couldn't answer that question, because for some reason I've never done that. I don't tend to get overly excited about anything. Why ... do I also suppress my emotions when I'm happy or excited. I'm told alot to "smile" ... do I need to question getting in touch with my emotions ... will I be happier then? I'm pleased with my life. I'm content with my life. I AM happy, but do I feel really joy. Is joy letting out those emotions. They say when you look good, you feel good. When you let it out do you feel the joy.
I don't know how this post ended up with this but I guess I needed to write about it. Gary and I are going out and do a lot of things today. Things that can be a lot of fun. We'll see if I get in tune with my emotions.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Ming Boggling
As I mentioned in my last entry, we had our annual chili cook-off at work yesterday. We have this event this time of year to raise money for our Christmas families that we provide gifts and food. We had good response and raised over $200 to put into this fund. Last year I participated by bringing in chili and would have done so again this year if the number of entries were down. With other things going, I was glad we had enough cooks. Staff also brings in accompaniments for the chili, as well. Cheese, crackers, sour cream, corn chips, bread and of course there were brownies for dessert. I mean what's chili without all of the goodies that you pile on. What is it? It's added calories and talk about pile on ... yep with me it piles on my hips and thighs. So, yes I participated but my chili stood alone ... I did bring in a veggie tray, so I guess those were my add ons ... but not in the chili, you know what I mean.
After lunch we celebrated a department member's birthday. I wish we would do this activity like I've heard others do and that would be to have a gathering for all those with birthdays in the month on one certain day of the month, but we take turns hosting and today it was up to me. I stopped and got a colorful plant and put up decorations around my fellow employee's door. The night before I made a chocolate cake from a recipe that I found online. It was actually low cal not using any oil or shortening in the cake and the frosting was made with sugar-free pudding. Since Gary now does 98% of the cooking, I struggled making the cake. It wasn't baking or raising the way it should. I think maybe when turning on the timer, I turned off the oven after it was pre-heated. Gary came to my rescue and finally it was done. It looked okay and the toothpicks came out clean so I assumed it wouldn't be half-baked .... mmm, I've heard that description before. Anyway, I had to give a preamble before I served the cake that this was all an experiment and then when I was the only one that didn't take a piece, people wondered ... but said it was good. That's right ... after all the struggles I went through, I didn't have any cake. I didn't feel deprived or anything, it was just my choice. It seems for the past few months, desserts are something I just pass by. Maybe even without any thought. I'm not tempted or crave them. On one of the blogs I read, Leslie wrote a great post and mentioned something about not being able to handle sugar. I took it as sugar addiction but the more I'm thinking about it ... maybe she wasn't talking about it as addiction but just the way the body processes it. Maybe I avoid desserts because of something subconsciously going on. I have never considered myself a person that binges but maybe there is something going on in my head that tells me that dessert isn't the right fit for me right now. This probably doesn't make any sense but I'd like to know more about this sugar thing and what it does to your body. Things with natural sugar like fruit seem to be okay, it just things like cakes, pies, cookies, donuts ... you know. Okay now I'm really confused. I hope Leslie continues on this topic.
After lunch we celebrated a department member's birthday. I wish we would do this activity like I've heard others do and that would be to have a gathering for all those with birthdays in the month on one certain day of the month, but we take turns hosting and today it was up to me. I stopped and got a colorful plant and put up decorations around my fellow employee's door. The night before I made a chocolate cake from a recipe that I found online. It was actually low cal not using any oil or shortening in the cake and the frosting was made with sugar-free pudding. Since Gary now does 98% of the cooking, I struggled making the cake. It wasn't baking or raising the way it should. I think maybe when turning on the timer, I turned off the oven after it was pre-heated. Gary came to my rescue and finally it was done. It looked okay and the toothpicks came out clean so I assumed it wouldn't be half-baked .... mmm, I've heard that description before. Anyway, I had to give a preamble before I served the cake that this was all an experiment and then when I was the only one that didn't take a piece, people wondered ... but said it was good. That's right ... after all the struggles I went through, I didn't have any cake. I didn't feel deprived or anything, it was just my choice. It seems for the past few months, desserts are something I just pass by. Maybe even without any thought. I'm not tempted or crave them. On one of the blogs I read, Leslie wrote a great post and mentioned something about not being able to handle sugar. I took it as sugar addiction but the more I'm thinking about it ... maybe she wasn't talking about it as addiction but just the way the body processes it. Maybe I avoid desserts because of something subconsciously going on. I have never considered myself a person that binges but maybe there is something going on in my head that tells me that dessert isn't the right fit for me right now. This probably doesn't make any sense but I'd like to know more about this sugar thing and what it does to your body. Things with natural sugar like fruit seem to be okay, it just things like cakes, pies, cookies, donuts ... you know. Okay now I'm really confused. I hope Leslie continues on this topic.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
**POOF**
I think a good mood is much like a balloon ... it brings joy and it floats around in a carefree manner. Much like I felt when I got up yesterday, ready to face another day with optimism. Then later in the morning when faced with frustration, my good mood had some of the air let out. and before I knew it poof, it was gone. I didn't want to do anything because whatever I did wasn't turning out the way it should. Something that should have taken no time at all couldn't be done the same way it had been done in the past and in some cases I had to go back to GO and NOT collect .... well, whatever they do in Monopoly. It was so defeating, so frustrating, so tiring, so ....
I had my workout clothes again to do a short sprint on the bike and treadmill during my lunch hour but with my mood ... could anything motivate me. Well, something did. It was the comments I received about yesterday's post that I checked out before lunch. Thanks ladies. So even though my heart wasn't in it, I headed downstairs at noon. Funny thing, a lot of the tension I was feeling was gone when I had put in my time. It's becoming a trend. I forgot my lunch again and ended up having to walk for my lunch too. It was a couple of blocks to Subway and I thought that was my best bet.
I was ready to crash when I got home but I was faced with baking a cake and getting a veggie tray together. We're celebrating a birthday in my department today and it's my turn to bring the goodies and to top that off we're also having a company wide chili-cookoff to raise money for our Christmas families. My evening had extra activities in it, but I made the effort to still get to the gym for a mini-session before dinner.
All I can say is I must REALLY want a loss next Monday.
I had my workout clothes again to do a short sprint on the bike and treadmill during my lunch hour but with my mood ... could anything motivate me. Well, something did. It was the comments I received about yesterday's post that I checked out before lunch. Thanks ladies. So even though my heart wasn't in it, I headed downstairs at noon. Funny thing, a lot of the tension I was feeling was gone when I had put in my time. It's becoming a trend. I forgot my lunch again and ended up having to walk for my lunch too. It was a couple of blocks to Subway and I thought that was my best bet.
I was ready to crash when I got home but I was faced with baking a cake and getting a veggie tray together. We're celebrating a birthday in my department today and it's my turn to bring the goodies and to top that off we're also having a company wide chili-cookoff to raise money for our Christmas families. My evening had extra activities in it, but I made the effort to still get to the gym for a mini-session before dinner.
All I can say is I must REALLY want a loss next Monday.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The "Why" Has It
Yesterday I was full of determination. I got up ready to face the world and what it had to offer. I knew there would be plenty of opportunities for me to take advantage. I had been too complacent the last couple of weeks and I wanted to see those scales move the next time I got on them ... really move.
Monday I carted my work-out clothes to work with me because the fire was starting to ignite then but I wondered if working out right before a weigh-in would have any bearing. I've heard muscles can retain water after exercising, so I decided not to chance it.
The company where I work has workout facilities. Do I take advantage of them ... mmm. I did when we first moved to our new building but just like anything else the excitement soon wore off. But are there reasons to take advantage of things around you, that can help you get where you're going. YOU BET! Why do I let these moments pass me by? I'm not looking at big chunks of time. I don't have time for that but with all the little bits of time here and there I'm wasting, I think 20 or 30 minutes just isn't that significant to make it an excuse. I brought my clothes again with me yesterday. I wasn't going to use all my lunch hour, just part of it. I did 10 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the treadmill. Was that enough to make any difference? The readout said I did burn some calories.
Was I done ... nope. I had put in some exercise for the day, although a small amount but I had another small block of time after I got home and there was no reason I couldn't go to the community center and workout before dinner. I'm very fortunate that since Gary retired he does most of the cooking, especially during the week. I don't have to rush home to make dinner so there is no reason why I shouldn't put in a little time at the gym in the evening.
It's not that I enjoy working out. I don't hate anything or anybody but exercise is just not one of the loves of my life. Maybe I could say it's one of those necessary evils like cleaning the toilet. Nothing glamorous or exciting about that, but it needs to be done. Anyway, even in short segments, it seems to help and I can push myself through those small blocks of time and not give up.
Monday I carted my work-out clothes to work with me because the fire was starting to ignite then but I wondered if working out right before a weigh-in would have any bearing. I've heard muscles can retain water after exercising, so I decided not to chance it.
The company where I work has workout facilities. Do I take advantage of them ... mmm. I did when we first moved to our new building but just like anything else the excitement soon wore off. But are there reasons to take advantage of things around you, that can help you get where you're going. YOU BET! Why do I let these moments pass me by? I'm not looking at big chunks of time. I don't have time for that but with all the little bits of time here and there I'm wasting, I think 20 or 30 minutes just isn't that significant to make it an excuse. I brought my clothes again with me yesterday. I wasn't going to use all my lunch hour, just part of it. I did 10 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the treadmill. Was that enough to make any difference? The readout said I did burn some calories.
Was I done ... nope. I had put in some exercise for the day, although a small amount but I had another small block of time after I got home and there was no reason I couldn't go to the community center and workout before dinner. I'm very fortunate that since Gary retired he does most of the cooking, especially during the week. I don't have to rush home to make dinner so there is no reason why I shouldn't put in a little time at the gym in the evening.
It's not that I enjoy working out. I don't hate anything or anybody but exercise is just not one of the loves of my life. Maybe I could say it's one of those necessary evils like cleaning the toilet. Nothing glamorous or exciting about that, but it needs to be done. Anyway, even in short segments, it seems to help and I can push myself through those small blocks of time and not give up.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Where Am I?
My body is adjusting and learning how to maintain its weight ... ya think? Second week in a row where the number on the scale remained the same and I am fine with it because the last couple of weeks I feel that I haven't been totally true to the journey.
I need to get my head back into the game instead of coasting along. There will be enough time for that when I'm at my journey's destination and then again .... I'm not so sure about that!
I've evidently learned some things because I didn't totally cave when I could have the last two weeks. I also made better choices than in my past attempts but that in no way means that I can do this without trying. I need to focus in on my day and my week. Set some parameters to help me succeed. Mainly, get back to the basics.
I stayed busy last week and was pretty active with the grandkids on our trip to Cincinnati. I went to the workout room once at the hotel for ten minutes but my heart (or head) wasn't in it and I didn't even break a sweat. I feel that I do need a good workout at least twice a week ... probably even more than that, but that should be the minimum. I really do think that proper eating is #1 but I'm pleased with the exercise that is toning and shaping my body. I finally am seeing a difference in my clothes and there are a couple of items I may be retiring from my closet.
So, all is good ... but it could be better!
I need to get my head back into the game instead of coasting along. There will be enough time for that when I'm at my journey's destination and then again .... I'm not so sure about that!
I've evidently learned some things because I didn't totally cave when I could have the last two weeks. I also made better choices than in my past attempts but that in no way means that I can do this without trying. I need to focus in on my day and my week. Set some parameters to help me succeed. Mainly, get back to the basics.
I stayed busy last week and was pretty active with the grandkids on our trip to Cincinnati. I went to the workout room once at the hotel for ten minutes but my heart (or head) wasn't in it and I didn't even break a sweat. I feel that I do need a good workout at least twice a week ... probably even more than that, but that should be the minimum. I really do think that proper eating is #1 but I'm pleased with the exercise that is toning and shaping my body. I finally am seeing a difference in my clothes and there are a couple of items I may be retiring from my closet.
So, all is good ... but it could be better!
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