Book a Flight for Me...Anywhere

I need a vacation. Not a load up in my car and drive across the mountains to see my family or fiancé kind. No, I need a real vacation. The kind where I get to fly someplace I've never been, stay in a hotel, order room service, sleep late, follow no schedule, visit a spa, take fun photos, relax like I haven't in years, and pretend I don't actually work for a living. I need a real vacation. Did I mention that?

It doesn't have to be anyplace super fancy or amazingly cool. And I don't want to go alone, I want my fiancé with me. I simply need a break from the routine of life, preferably someplace pretty. I need to recharge my soul; the little red warning light is flashing. It's been 12 years since my last real vacation.

Today the temptation to pull up Travelocity, pick a random city, and book a hotel/flight/car package for two was almost overwhelming. They make it so easy. Sadly, all my vacation time has been consumed or promised to others. I have none left for my spontaneous flight of fancy. Just knowing this makes me tired, and makes me realize how much I need a real vacation (I'm also too responsible to leave on a whim).

And I know I'm not alone.

In two days I've talked to two people who have shared my lack of vacation relaxation. They told their tales of out-of-town family who believe that every free day off should be spent traveling to and visiting with them. The three of us wondered, who is more selfish? Is it us for wanting to reclaim the time we've worked so hard to earn and use it as we please? Or is it them for expecting us to drive or fly to different states for a family visit every time we take a few days off?

I don't know the answer, and today I don't care. Today, I just want a real vacation.

Bring On The New Year!

It's a new year, and I have a feeling it's going to be a good one! 

A Better Motto

Today is a holiday, it's snowing outside, my kitten is laying on my lap purring, I'm still in my pajamas, and I'm tired from not sleeping well last night. Don't all of those sound like great excuses to stay home snuggled under a warm blanket? I think so too, but alas, I can't. I've made a commitment to workout today.

One of the easiest commitments to break is the one I make to myself to workout. I've done it often. So this time, in order to keep my word to myself, I'm also telling someone else and making a definitive plan. I've created a workout calendar so I'll know what I'm supposed to do each day and can mark off the days I've accomplished my goal. I'm adding my workouts to my electronic calendar that syncs with every device I own. Now it will be an official appointment with myself, instead of just a vague idea of something I mean to do. I've told Steven my plan, so now I'm accountable to someone other than myself. I also have a friend at work who is going to help me by pushing me beyond what I believe are my physical limits.

We all have good intentions when it comes to working out or losing weight. We think we can do it on our own and often without a clear plan, but it takes more than just good intentions and hope that we can make it to the end. We have to know how we're going to get there, and we have to have people who can help us along the way.

S.E.L.F.    R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

It's fairly simple. Set goals. Exercise. Love yourself. Focus on fitness. Rest and relax. Eat right. Smile. Portray positive. Enjoy life. Care for others. Tell yourself you can do this.

I can follow those guidelines, and I've started by setting my workout goals and making them concrete, for the first time in my life. I have a plan.

13 Isn't Scary At All

In case you haven't been paying attention, I've now lost 13 pounds. It hasn't been the fastest weight loss in history, but I claim victory over that unwanted poundage. Soon I will say goodbye to more in my quest to become a healthier me.

Someone asked for one tip that's helping me lose. Here's an easy one. Most of the time I cook and eat at home, but now and then it's fun to eat out. Before I go to a restaurant, I visit their website and check out their menu and nutrition listings. A few places allow you to mix and match items so you can build your own meal. By doing this, you'll know exactly what to order before you arrive and you won't be tempted by items that aren't goal friendly. Steven and I did this while dining out and it was nice not having to stress about what I could or couldn't order. We were able to relax and enjoy the meal.

Slow Going, And It's OK

For anyone keeping track, you'll notice my weight didn't change last Monday. That isn't because I didn't weigh in or log my progress, it's because I didn't lose anything. I maintained for the week. It happens, even when I follow all the rules. Of course I'd rather lose something rather than nothing, but at least I didn't gain. This week I seem to be back to my 1 pound weight loss. I'll take it. Last week was stressful and hectic at work, but I did my best to stay healthy and it apparently paid off.

We're all going to have weeks when we don't lose anything or we gain back a pound or two. Sometimes it will be because we had some missteps during the week, and sometimes it will happen even when we do everything exactly right. No matter what the scales say, we have to keep exercising and eating right.

Last night I posted a new recipe in the Recipes section. Check it out when you have time. It's one of my favorites. I love Chinese food and this satisfies my craving while letting me control what goes into my dish. Prepared as posted, it tastes like something you get from a restaurant. Feel free to add veggies you enjoy. You can never go wrong with more veggies.

Good luck to everyone in the coming week!

Progress

I'm making slow, but steady progress in my goal to lose weight. I'll take 1 pound per week. It's a healthy rate at which to lose. How is everyone else doing? Are you hanging in there with me? Still losing?

This week I plan on posting a new recipe on my Recipes tab and a new post here about misleading food labels I've found recently. More later...

I Want My Half Pound Please

I love MyFitnessPal, but I feel cheated. I lost 1.5 pounds this week; however, the program doesn't display half pounds. Sigh. I'm sure it all equals out in the end and I'll get my half pound back in my public results later, but I'd like every bit of credit I deserve. I worked hard for that half pound.

So the real grand total of weight loss for last week is 1.5 pounds! Yay!

The Art of Lunch

I've become fascinated with bento boxes. If you're not familiar with them, I highly recommend you do a Google search and check out a few images. Some are fantastical art that only resemble food when you look closely.

What I like most about bento boxes is that they seem like little lunchtime gifts. Most aren't elaborate art, they're simply lovely food divided into small containers in a lunchbox. Simple enough isn't it? But how many of us take the time to package our lunch so it's a wonderful treat when the clock strikes noon? I don't. I throw things into baggies with one hand as I use the other to pour water into the cup that goes with me everywhere. Then I dash out the door to work. When lunchtime rolls around, I eat at my desk and hope people have the decency to leave me alone for at least 30 minutes while I wolf down whatever happened to land in the lunch bag that never keeps anything cold or warm enough.

No longer. Bento boxes have made me realize lunch isn't just about satisfying the gnawing little hunger in my stomach I keep trying to ignore. It's about taking a break, breathing deeply, relaxing, enjoying what I'm eating, reading a book, writing a story, talking to a friend, listening to music. Perhaps one of the things that's keeping me from truly being satisfied at lunchtime is that I'm not stopping to actually participate in the art of taking a lunch.

So I purchased my own version of a bento box, and today I filled it with my favorite yogurt, apple slices, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, tuna salad, veggie chips, pita bread, and string cheese. I brought a placemat, real silverware, and a cloth napkin with me to complete the experience. It's the same lunch and snacks I had yesterday, but it was so much better today. Music played as I relaxed and enjoyed my meal, which was arranged nicely in burgundy bowls. I didn't think about photographing it until I was finished, but this is the lunchbox I'm using, purchased at Amazon.

Today's experience proved to me that it's worth taking a few minutes each night before I go to bed to make my lunch so I can have an enjoyable meal every day at work. If I'm more satisfied with my meal and less stressed overall, I'll be less likely to want to have an unplanned snack later in the day.

Thank you, little bento boxes!

Monday, Monday

I may be a little nuts, but I decided to make Monday my official weigh-in day. Whether the results are good or bad, I'll share them once a week, and hopefully we'll all watch the pounds lost add up on the MyFitnessPal badge to the left. 

I'd love to know how all of you are doing too. If you've lost, share and let's celebrate together. If you've gained, let us know and maybe we can encourage you to keep trying. Your day doesn't have to be Monday, but it should be the same day every week.

And the grand total lost for week one is...

That Naughty Four Letter Word

I celebrate, mourn, kill time, and console with it. At times it feels like my best friend, and then it turns on me. The variety of it is endless, and yet I often stand frozen, staring, waiting for the perfect thing to jump out at me as I search the kitchen with my eyes and stomach.

It haunts and taunts me, making me feel like I have no more control over my appetite than I do the weather. The mere notion of being on a diet is enough to send my body into hunger shock. If I dare to take action and limit the amount and types of food I eat, my stomach rebels, going into a Hulk-like rage until I give in and down the nearest unhealthy treat within reach. I slump in disgrace as my stomach gurgles, "Puny human." I am no match for the lure of food. 

Still, I try. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Weigh Down, Slim Fast, and The Christy Knight Starvation Plan. Of them all, the best for me was Weight Watchers. I learned that I didn't have to deprive myself of things I love to eat and drink, as long as I did it in moderation. It worked. Again and again and again. But counting points or calories, and analyzing every morsel or drop that slips past my lips is simply no fun. Eventually I near my goal and grow tired of the chore that eating becomes. I think B.B. King was singing about food in his famous song. The thrill is gone indeed.

But here I sit, ready to give it another try with yet another program...make that programs. And this time I'm making it more public. Perhaps sharing on my blog how much I've lost or gained will help me keep my resolve to be a healthier person at a healthier weight. Maybe it will shame me into submission when I feel the need to rebel.

So look up and to the left. You'll see an indicator from MyFitnessPal that will show how much I've lost in total. I'm starting at zero so we have a clean slate. Along the way I'll blog about topics that are on my mind, share things I find that are useful (or not), and post recipes on the "Recipes" tab (always with nutrition info). If you're interested in joining me, MyFitnessPal is free. I'm also going to use some of the USDA SuperTracker tools. It's also free, and if you've never peeked at it, you should. I like them for different reasons. Both were very revealing to me and helped me see where I need to improve.

I'll leave you for now with a clip of a gentleman named Aaron Wilburn singing part of the lyrics to a song called The Diet Song, written by Shel Silverstein (modified by Mr. Wilburn). Wish me luck in my new journey. Join me if you dare.