Thoughts on Fish

So....another little green dot.  Plus 30 minutes of activity yesterday.  Good stuff.  A coworker and I walked during our lunch break yesterday.  Very easy way to get the 30 minutes in and we're going again today.  It's a quick 30 minutes...probably about 1.5 miles.  I have to map it to see for sure.  Feels good to be a little active again though.


I baked fish last night.  I'm not sure if I ever shared but I've tried making fish twice and both times turned out absolutely dreadful.  Just terrible.  Add to that the fact that neither my hubby nor my girls like fish, it was hard to find a reason to bother.  But fish is good for you so Hubby wants to try to find a way to stomach it.  Right now, he only likes it fried which defeats the healthy piece.  I guess some of the milder fish (Tilapia standing out) isn't as beneficial as other types of fish.  So we bought some code fillets and I baked them last night.  My previous attempts involved a lot of flavors, marinating, etc.  This time, all I did was coat the baking dish in olive oil, throw the fish in there, toss on some seasoning, put a couple of pats of butter on each one, covered and baked for 20 minutes.  Turned out perfect.  Hubby even like it!  My youngest didn't.  My oldest ate it all and when I asked if she liked it, she said "Not really but I know it's really healthy so I ate it anyway."  Isn't she brilliant?!?!  I'm not a doctor but here are some disputable benefits of eating fish:

• Asthma - children who eat fish may be less likely to develop asthma.
• Brain and eyes - fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids can contribute to the health of brain tissue and the retina (the light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye).
• Cancer - the omega 3 fatty acids in fish may reduce the risk of many types of cancers by 30 to 50 per cent, especially of the oral cavity, oesophagus, colon, breast, ovary and prostate.
• Cardiovascular disease - eating fish every week reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing blood clots and inflammation, improving blood vessel elasticity, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood fats and boosting 'good' cholesterol.
• Dementia - elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week may have a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
• Depression - people who regularly eat fish have a lower incidence of depression (depression is linked to low levels of omega 3 fatty acids in the brain).
• Diabetes - fish may help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.
• Eyesight - breastfed babies of mothers who eat fish have better eyesight, perhaps due to the omega 3 fatty acids transmitted in breast milk.
• Inflammatory conditions - regular fish consumption may relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and autoimmune disease.
• Prematurity - eating fish during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of delivering a premature baby. (Please keep mercury levels in mind on this one).

So you're welcome for more than you needed to know about fish.  Hope all of you going to Chicago arrive and come home safely and have a wonderful time!  Please have a drink for me while you're there and I can't wait to see all the pics when you get back!

NSV and Weight Loss in the News

First and foremost, thank you all so much for your words of encouragement yesterday.  I'm always astounded by the level of support I find here in Blogland.  Truly touched.  Doing better today.  Hubby and I had a little chat last night, trying to get to the bottom of what tipped me over the edge.  I think life stress has just taken its toll on me as evidenced not just from my eating but my night terrors have returned full force to the point where I'm almost afraid to sleep.  That always causes some grumpiness and moodiness during my waking hours.  Yesterday was a good eating day though.  I put over 80% in my primal tracker but it was actually closer to 95% but in the interest of full accountability...a green dot is only for 100%.  I made eggplant lasagna last night (a la Amanda's post) and it was very yummy!  Brought some leftovers for lunch today.  We also got in our family walk last night.  It's the same 2 mile stretch I do on my own but at a slower pace.  Nice to get out and be active as a family though.  Tonight I plan on doing 30 minutes out front trying to teach my oldest how to ride her bike.  Our maiden voyage yesterday with her was not impressive.  LOL.

NSV:  Over the weekend, I was looking at some pictures from my sister's wedding.  She got married in 2004 and I had just lost about 30 lbs on South Beach.  I remember thinking I was looking pretty good.  Ugh.  The pictures were NOT good.  I was just so flippin' fat still.  I looked at a pic and then in the mirror and while the image is a bit older (LOL), it's way more attractive.  I wish I could go back and retake the pictures from that day.  So I got curious as to how big that dress would be on me now.  Then I remembered I donated it awhile back so some other fat bridesmaid could use it.  In fact, I don't have any of my old fat clothes anymore because I don't want to keep them around and start growing into them without realizing it (side note:  Most of my stuff is too big but not WAY too big like they were).  So I dug around and found a size 12 dress that my mother bought for me YEARS ago.  Seriously...like 10 years ago my mom bought me this cute little black dress for Christmas "in case (you) need to go somewhere fancy."  It has NEVER fit.  Ever.  The tags are still on it.  I've moved this dress to Ohio, back to AZ, into our first house, into our second house, into this townhouse.  Every time I move or clean out my closet, I look at this thing and debate getting rid of it.  "It'll never fit. You never go anywhere fancy enough to wear it and it's never going to fit."  But I like the dress and always kept it "just in case."  Ladies and gentleman...it FIT.  I need Spanx to make it look really good but it fits, I can breathe and it looks GOOD.   I did a little happy dance in my closet.  I told Hubby he has to take me somewhere fancy so I can actually wear it.

Fat people in the news...New study published in USA Today says fat people think differently than thin people to where it may actually be a difference in their BRAINS.  Shocker...I know.  Link to article is here if you're interested.  Some highlights - my thoughts in blue.

• In the study, functional MRI scanners monitored the brains of five obese and nine non-obese people as researchers adjusted the levels of sugar in their blood, changing them from normal to low. At the same time, the researchers showed them pictures of foods that are low-calorie (various fruits and vegetables, tofu, soybeans, salads) and high-calorie foods (brownies, donuts, fried chicken, steak, ice cream and more).  Hmmmm...I wonder which ones the fatties prefer???
• The researchers found that the obese people had less brain activity in the area known as the prefrontal cortex, where powers of inhibition (choosing not to do things) are based, even when their blood sugar levels were normal. Again.  I'm shocked.  How much are we paying for this study??

I found the findings to be elementary and talk about a small sample size!  Why wouldn't you take an even number of regular people and obese people as opposed to slanting it this way?  And if you've done any research at all, sugar begets sugar.  The more sugar you eat, the more you want to eat.  So you're taking people who probably only eat an average amount of carbs a day and comparing them to people who undoubtedly eat more than that.  I guess this is just the "Duh" section of the paper or something.

Oh!  So good progress on Hubby.  He's been very good with his primal lifestyle (getting 100% every day the last 2 weeks) and lost another 4 lbs this week.  He has an appointment with the doc for a fill on Thursday and I just think he's doing so well.  I think when I'm eating the right things, I'm at a good fill level...it's when I eat all this other stuff that causes problems.  I'm supposed to be seeing the doc in the next week or 2 but I just don't think a fill is really necessary right now.

That's all I got.  Have a good Tuesday!

Weigh In - 9.26.11

165.  *sigh*  +2 lbs from last week.  I'm so sick of starting each week saying I'll do better, saying it's going to be different, saying I'm going to "get back on track."  It's a broken record and I'm rather done with it.  I wonder if I did a search through my posts on "back on track," how many posts would I get back?  Dozens, I'm sure.  I don't know what has happened to my motivation.  Perhaps, it's because I feel so much better about everything that it's harder to stay motivated and not think that this is "good enough."  Are there some people who were truly skinny people stuck in a fat person's body so that once they got the band, or committed to getting healthy...it was just easier for them?  How did they stay motivated through the entire journey to hit goal and not become complacent?

This weekend was good but always too short.  The girls and I spent Saturday together...went to Chick-fil-a and let them play as long as they wanted and we got a little dessert as a special treat (which we never do).  This was their reward for filling up that reward chart I started a few weeks back.  That's still working swimmingly.  Then we went for a walk to my parents house, went swimming, walked back.  Watched a kids' movie...good times.  Sunday we planned our meals, hit the grocery store, bought a new bike for my oldest (no training wheels!  We're still working on that...) and went to a friend's house for a visit.  They have daughters about mine's ages so it's always fun for them.  Eating was terrible (per usual these days) but I just didn't really care this weekend.

I've been batting around how to get my exercise in since I've decided not to renew my gym membership.  Once my oldest is better with the bike, I think we can do walks where they ride and I jog or power walk).  I want to start up family walks at night now that it's getting a touch cooler around here (still not the gorgeous Fall weather some of you are seeing).  I'm thinking if we can do family walks at least 3 times a week and then I can incorporate kettle bells and some strength training (like push ups, sit ups, planks, etc.) then I'd be OK and maybe start getting back into it.  Will talk to Hubby about this today.  I also want to try to indoor rock climbing (I know...I know...I've been saying this for months) and start hiking again.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  Here's your Monday DEMotivator:

BYOC - Why not?

It's Friday and you know what that means - yes?  It's time for BYOC.  Bring Your Own Crazy like your life depends on it!  We answer a few questions to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break.  Copy to your own blog and ENJOY!!



1.  If you were a character on Friends, who would you be and why? 


I'd say Monica because she's formerly fat but that's really the only thing we have in common.  Honestly, it'd probably be Chandler ("the funny one") who is kind of a geek and no one really knows what he does for a living.  Yep...that'd be me.

2.  If you weren't in your current career what other career do you think you would have done?

I'd like to work in a bakery or a bookstore.  I love to read, love the smell of old books (so it'd have to be a USED bookstore) and I love to bake.  So maybe a baker IN a bookstore would be ideal.  
3. What did you want to be when you grew up when you were 6?

A doctor

4.  Do you think everyone only has one soulmate or true love? Or are there multiple people for everyone?

My mom introduced the theory of soul groups to me many years ago and as I grow older, I think that may be true.  Soul groups are those who follow you from life to life.  Those people you just meet but feel like you've known them forever?  They're part of your soul group.  
5.  Repeat question.  Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.

Real life has been just OK.  Work sucks...Hubby's work sucks...money sucks... But Hubby and I got some "us" time this week which is rare and awesome.  The girls are doing pretty good and my dad is recovering.  Life seems to be taking on a somewhat normal tilt in the family way...now if we can just get the professional stuff figured out.

Blogland - typical Chicago excitement.  Very happy for those who get to go but also jealous that I'm not going...AGAIN.  Leading up to BOOBS, the posts are all about getting ready, then it'll be dead while people are gone and then it'll be a week of everyone posting about what a great time they had.  It's almost like holiday vacation around here when Chicago rolls around but I'll survive and so will everyone else who didn't get to go.  So ppfffttt!  :p



This weekend is going to be dull.  Hubby has all day Saturday to do what he wants to do - shooting range, watching the fight that night, etc.  So it's just me and the girls...not sure what we're going to do yet but we'll see.  Sunday is a hang out day I think.  


Friday Funny:

Midweek Break

Hubby and I took yesterday off.  We needed a mental health day and just a little time to reconnect.  Sometimes it's easier for us to take a Date Day instead of a Date Night because we already have childcare covered during the day.  Got off to a later start than was expected as Hubby had an appointment with a headhunter/placement agent type person yesterday.  While he's still planning to go off on his own, he was referred to this lady because they have a post to fill now and it sounds promising.  But either way, she could throw some contract work his way in the future so thought it was best to meet with her.  Once he was home, we got up and going.  We had Indian food for lunch.  It was just OK.  Indian restaurants often have lunch buffets and while the quality is good, it's not always consistent as to what is actually available.  A couple of my favorite dishes were missing.  *Side note* Indian food is very band friendly because of all the sauces and stuff so if you ever have to go out with someone new and you're nervous, you might want to suggest Indian.

Then we hit the Dollar Theater and saw Bridesmaids.  It was funny but not as funny as everyone made it out to be.  I kept hearing it was like The Hangover for women but it wasn't nearly as funny or as irreverent.  I think they were scared to go too far with the target audience.  But the problem is it would be hilariously gross and crude and then flip back to being a romantic comedy.  That shift didn't work too well with me and I felt they needed to just commit already.  But not a bad watch for sure.

Last night, we watched Gran Torino.  I realize this movie came out eons ago but I had never seen it.  Such a good movie! Hands down the best movie I've seen all year (next to Harry Potter Deathly Hallows of course).  I'm generally not a huge Clint Eastwood fan...something about his voice and for goodness sake, open your mouth when you talk!  But I was really impressed.  Highly recommend renting this one if you haven't seen it yet.

What else?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  Work is work.  I think part of my issue is that I am growing weary of corporate America.  I could go on a political tirade about my thoughts on outsourcing and banks claiming losses when they're making billions while they continue to contribute to the ongoing economic woes by shipping more jobs overseas and restricting credit.  But I won't.  This isn't that type of blog and it'll just get me fired up.

Food - not bad.  Not great.  But not terrible.  I didn't even have popcorn and soda with the movies yesterday.

Tidbit Tuesday

I have nothing but some random thoughts so I'm thinking bullets...

• Dyed my hair last night.  So last year, I went pink for my 3 Day walk.  Well, in order to go pink, we had to bleach my hair so now when the brown dye fades, it turns an annoying yellowish type color.  So I usually just dye brown over it.  I also found my first gray hair the other day.  I tried to find it again but I couldn't but I know it was there so it was time to dye it.  My goal is to never know when I go gray.  Here's a pic, snapped bright and early with my phone at my desk at work.  This is my "It's not even 6 a.m. and I'm already locked in my cube" look.

• Product Review:  Patak's cooking sauce, Butter Chicken.  Fantabulous!  Just sautee some chicken or veg, pour sauce over and let simmer for 15 minutes.  You can serve it over rice but we just had it with veggies and raspberries (for the girls - I like giving them fruit along with veggies).  My oldest had 3 helpings!  Nutritional information isn't too bad...a little more carbs than we'd prefer but not bad.  I will definitely be trying some of the other flavors they have.  The nutritional info here is for about 1/4 of the jar but you don't end up eating nearly that much of it.  
• 181 cals, Sugar 6.5 g, Fat 15 g, Protein 1.2 g

• Hubby lost 4 lbs this week!  He's a little disappointed as he's been doing really well with the low-carb primal eating but I think it's great.  He's worried that he's not posting huge numbers his first week going primal but I told him 4 lbs is a great number and he should be happy with it.  He's also not at optimal restriction yet.  Very proud of how he's doing.
• Hubby's looking to start his own law practice the first of the year.  He's really nervous which makes me really nervous but I think it's the best thing we can do.  If he can just make what he makes now (because while it's tough, we survive) but be his own boss...I think he'd be exponentially happier.  And Happy Hubby = Happy Panda.
• Did well with primal eating yesterday.  Even the butter chicken sauce is all natural so it's all good.  I did have an apple with Nutella last night so I didn't hit 100% but I'm OK with that.  

OK.  So I think that about covers it.  Hope everyone's week is getting off to a good start!

Bless me Blogland...

For I have sinned.  It has been 3 days since my last confession.  This was not a good eating weekend.  At all.  It started Friday and continued right on into last night.  I don't know what made me do it.  I don't know if it's work stuff, or personal stuff or just being tired of dealing with the idea of eating well and losing weight but I fell off the wagon...HARD.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I jumped from the wagon, rolled about 50 feet, got up ran after the wagon and kicked it as hard as I could.  I have never been a sneaky eater.  I eat out in the open.  I don't come from an overly judgmental lot and Hubby has never made me feel bad about eating but Friday afternoon, I bought a bag of Milano cookies, ate half of it and hid the rest in a cabinet.  I ate a little bit each day after that when Hubby wasn't around.  Why did I sneak it in the house and why was I ashamed to eat it?  I have no idea.  The rest of the weekend is a blur of hamburgers, french fries, beer, wine, soda (yes, people...SODA), pizza, wings.  You name it.  I ate it.  How much water did I drink, you ask?  About 32 oz.  Tops.  All. weekend. long.  It was ugly, my friends.  Very ugly.

But it's a new dawn and a new day and a new week and a new opportunity to do better.  I fessed up to Hubby about the cookies last night.  Just had to get it out in the open.  I weighed in this morning and the scale gods were kind.  No change from last week.  It could've been worse.  Much worse.

The rest of the weekend as good.  I spent Saturday cleaning my house top to bottom.  It looks great!  I went so far as to organize the girls' bedroom.  I really wish I would've taken a "before" pic.  It looked like a tornado had gone through there.  But now there's a place for everything, everything in its place and those places have labels to remind them where stuff should go.  My youngest can't read yet but I figured her older sister can help her out.  Feels so nice to have the house a bit more organized.  Last week, Hubby started clearing out the den to get his office in working order.  We found a bookcase over the weekend to put in there so that's coming along nicely as well.  Saturday night, my mother was kind enough to watch our kids for a few hours so we could go to a housewarming party.  A lot of fun and I learned how to play beer pong. Sunday was pretty mellow.  Watched some movies, did some meal planning, went grocery shopping, played with the kiddos.  Now it's Monday.  Back to work.  Ugh.  I have my breakfast, lunch and snack packed so here's hoping I'm back on the wagon with the eating.

Your Monday DEMotivator:

Liebster Award

Special thanks to Kristin for this award....here's the idea.

Liebster means ‘beloved’ or 'favorite' in German and it’s an honor to receive this award. The Liebster Blog Award is designed to bring additional recognition to those bloggers with less than 200 followers. If you receive the award, you should link back to the blogger that nominated you and nominate five more blogs. Also, don’t forget to let them know that you nominated them.

So first, go say hi to Kristin and tell her she's awesome here.

My five nominees in no particular order...

Fluffy - she's at goal and is so motivating!  I love her "suck it up" attitude!  

Shannon - She's going through a bit of a rough spot with her health but I'm so impressed how she keeps pushing forward.

Angela - She just rocks!  And she takes lots of pictures and has a great fashion sense.

Amanda - Not only does she have a great name, she owns her own business and is rockin' the band!

Robyn - She'd be liking things to move along faster but she's making great progress and always offers a lot of support.

If you're not already doing so, please go find these lovely ladies and say hello.  It's time well spent.  Truth be told, I love all the blogs on my bloglist and try to follow everyone who follows me.  There's a terrific community out here with a lot of talented, interesting people posting every day.  Weekend's going to be dull but I'm due for a boring weekend.  Of course, I wouldn't leave you without a Friday Funny.

Thanks For Suggestions

Thanks for the breakfast suggestions.  I will definitely be trying some of these next week.  Yesterday was good.  I made it 80% with the Primal.  A bag of cheetos did me in.  I was hungry all day yesterday.  It was as if nothing would fill me up.  Just one of those days I guess.  Hubby and I had a spat last night so I went for my run just to get out of the house.  It felt good as the weather was nice and it helped burn off some of the anger.  It's nice not to turn to food or something worse to handle the stress.

What else?  I've decided not to renew my gym membership.  I'm bored with the cardio equipment and I just can't justify spending the money right now.  So no more Zumba classes for me.  :(  I'm going to focus on running outside and I have kettle bells at home I can for strength training.  I have my eye on doing the Warrior Dash which is like a 9 mile urban obstacle course.  It's not until April (I think) so plenty of time to train but I've got to work on my core and upper body strength.  The weights at the gym would've really come in handy for that but we'll see what I can come with at home.

The girls had their first dentist appointment ever on Tuesday (I know...bad mommy...I'm terrible about things like that).  They did great and I was very pleased with the office.  It's a pediatric dentist so they're targeted towards kids.  That doesn't always mean they're good with kids but in this case, they were fantastic!  My oldest has two cavities.  Eek!  So she has to get those filled in October.  Let me ask you though, does it seem silly to get filling in baby teeth?  It seems to me that if the teeth are going to fall out anyway, it seems unnecessary.  Any thoughts on that?

We're having a get-to-know-you session with the new boss and his new boss today.  There's just something about justifying my existence to these people that is unnerving...especially when I know his boss doesn't have a whole lot of respect for what our group does.  Oh well.  I'll survive and just keep looking around until something better presents itself.

It should work out to be a 100% primal day today.  Got my food all packed so I should be good to go.  Not sure if I'll do a run tonight.  My legs are pretty sore this morning so we'll see.

Blogging Everyday?

Sometimes I feel bad for those who see my blog pop up on their reader every single day.  I mean...it's not like I have anything that interesting to say.  I think it's mostly because for the first hour I'm at work, there's very little to do until all my reports come in so it seems like the best way to kill time.  I also believe, without any doubt whatsoever, that blogging is what has helped me stay on track the most this last year.  Knowing that if I log on and say "I'm a loser" over and over and over again...would just be agony not only for me but for anyone actually reading, has kept me motivated.  So here we are...another day, another blog.

I would like you to take a look the right at my Primal Challenge Tracker calendar.  Do you see what I see?  That's right...a GREEN dot.  Yesterday was a 100% primal day.  Can you believe it?  I barely could.  I also can't believe that banana splits are on sale at Dairy Queen for just $2.49.  But I didn't have one.  That's mostly thanks to Hubby.  There is not a little blue diamond as we got a bit of rain last night so a run was not in the cards for me.  The high is only supposed to be 92 today though so a run is definitely on my agenda for tonight or maybe even this afternoon before I pick up the kiddos.

My dad is home from the hospital.  Still in a great deal of pain but I'm sure he's more comfortable at home.  All from a stupid cup of coffee.  I keep trying to come up with a cooler story for how he burnt his foot...like someone emptied hot coals from a grill and he didn't realize it and accidentally walked across burning coals!  But I always come back to the same problem...explaining how he only burned ONE foot and not the other.  *sigh*  I guess we'll just have to stick with the truth.

No word on any new jobs yet but I've got my references lined up so I'll be ready if when I get a call.  Definitely ready for a change but not going to rush into anything.  I want to make sure that my next move will be a good fit for me.  Hubby is starting to get his stuff together to go out on his own.  We're hoping we'll be all set by the end of the year.  We shall see.  We also learned that Hubby is a bandster who is SUPER tight in the morning.  I think he's a little sad about that as he loves breakfast food but I think he also finds it weird that just coffee with cream kind of makes him feel full.  He's prepared to make high protein smoothies if he's starving so I think he'll be alright.  I wish I were that tight in the morning.  I find primal breakfast when you don't eat at home is TOUGH.  Eggs don't really heat up well and since I have to be to work by 5:30 a.m., I don't give myself enough time to eat before I leave.  I usually don't eat until close to 7 which means I have to be able to microwave breakfast.  So far this week, I've settled for 3 pieces of cheese (I don't do the "no dairy" rule of primal.  I don't get enough calcium for a woman as it is) and it's tied me over until about 10:30 when I eat lunch.  I'm getting kind of sick of it though.

OK.  So that's about it.  Let's go with a Hump Day Happy Thought.

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys.  If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.  

~Fyodor Dostoevsky

Yep...I Ran

Yes, folks...I ran for the first time in MONTHS last night. The weather was awesome...it was nice and breezy and not sweltering hot. So I put the girls down for bed, pulled out my workout clothes that were seriously thinking of running away to someone who would actually wear them and grabbed my runner's pack (Yes, I have a runner's pack - not a FANNY pack...only dorks wear fanny packs. LOL) and headed out the door. I took the little walking trail to my mom's house, stopped, said "hi", refilled my water bottle and headed home. I ran the whole way to my mom's and made it there in about 15 minutes. Couldn't run all the way back and made it home in 20 with the wind blowing right in my face. We got a dust storm last night and I barely beat it home. It was a little sad how out of shape I am after just a couple months off.  But I'll get back into it.  Total distance was 1.8 miles.  Not a bad start for the first workout back.  Logged my 30 minutes for the day and if the weather cooperates tonight (read: doesn't get ridiculously hot again), I'll do it again.  Once I can run the entire distance, I'll change up the route.

What else?  I think my youngest is getting sick.  She was coughing quite a bit last night so I know I'll have to call in soon to stay home with her.  I hate when the kids get sick.  My dad should be coming home from the hospital sometime this week.  In fact, it could be as early as today but I don't think he's really ready.  He's having a hard time keeping food down, still on morphine, and still isn't up and walking around.  I think the nurses are just tired of him.  Either way, he'll be driving my mom crazy soon.

It's been awhile but it's time for another installment of "Weight Loss in the News!"  CNN has an article about how to avoid gaining weight as you go through life changing events: weddings, having a baby and menopause.  Article is here.
Annoying Thing About This Article #1:  It makes the assumption that women are the only ones who gain weight as they go through life changes.  I have seen many a men put on a gut after they're married.
Annoying Thing About This Article #2:  It gives this advice "As a general rule, have a serving each of carbs (fist-size), protein (palm-size), and healthy fat (around a tablespoon), and fill the rest of your plate with any non-starchy veggie."  The first thing on your plate should not be a carb and you don't need carbs at every flippin' meal.  And maybe I'm just looking at my hand wrong but it looks like my fist is bigger than my palm? You certainly don't need MORE carbs than protein.  Ugh.  Damn you food pyramid!
Annoying Thing About This Article #3:  Advice: "Just because he's a steak-and-fries kind of guy doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite healthy meals."  This makes the assumption that women don't like steak and fries.  Ummm...it's only one of my favorite meals.  So we were all eating healthy in this fast food world of ours and because we get married, we bend to the whim of our men and don't?  I'm beginning to think this article is sexist.  
Annoying Thing About This Article #4:  For menopausal women, it tells you to cut calories, get plenty of sleep and sculpt your body meaning incorporate more weights in your workout.  Why should only menopausal women be doing this?!?!  This is good advice for anyone at any age.  
Now I'm not knocking the article as a whole.  They've got some good tips.  There's nothing ground breaking here though, folks.  It's all stuff we've heard over and over and over again.  The reason it targets women?  Because women obsess about this more than men do.  Men who are trying to lose weight aren't reading about it on CNN, they're off on their own forums figuring it out.  


That's all I got.  Have a great Tuesday

Weigh In and NSV

163.  That's -1/2 lb since last week.  Given that I did not drink ANY water over the weekend and I engaged in binging behaviors that rival preband Panda days...I'll take the gift the scale gods have given me this morning.

Weekend was good, albeit much too short.  We ran some errands Saturday morning and then went in search of a new pair of shorts.  I was down to only 1 pair that fit without me constantly pulling them up and they are a cream color which for a backyard bbq just wasn't going to work.  Money is tight so we tried Goodwill first.  Apparently there was some kind of 50% off sale and the line at the registers was out the door.  Not worth it.  Then we tried Old Navy and JCPenney.  Did you know Fall has come?  Apparently, you canNOT buy a pair of shorts in either of these stores anymore because Fall Fashion is in and Summer Fashion is out.  That's all fine and dandy except it's still over 100 degrees here in AZ and I needed a pair of shorts.  Apparently, the Juniors section of JCPenney isn't as fashion forward so that's where I found my shorts.  Yes, ladies and gentleman, I found a Juniors size 13 pair of shorts that fit and fit well.  I could barely fit into Juniors when I WAS a junior but  lo and behold, there I was.  Standing in the dressing room, trying on 6 different pairs of shorts, ranging from a 13 to 15 that little teeny boppers wear.  Crazy!  Not to worry, the pair I bought are still very age appropriate.  Fabulous NSV though.

Went to the bbq Saturday night and a good time was had by all.  Ate my weight in chips (ugh) and drank my weight in Skinny Girl Sangria but that's alright.  Sunday was a hang out day, not much to report.  Hubby got the den and back patio straightened out while I accomplished virtually nothing in the house.  Oh well.  I'll get on the organizing bandwagon sooner or later.

The Primal Tracker is still there and I'm still filling it in with red dots.  This week is going to look better.  At least have more of the multi colored balls.  Also, Hubby and I are starting a new motivation technique for working out.  We're going to pay "Activity Fines" for days we don't have at least 30 minutes of activity.  So, for each day we don't log 30 minutes, we pay a dollar.  Fines are paid in weekly installments.  A couple rules, it has to be 30 minutes of continuous activity and it doesn't have to be working out...cleaning, for instance counts, as long as it's continuous.  The other rule is you can't bank minutes.  So you can't NOT do anything Tuesday and Wednesday and then go hiking for 1 1/2 hours on Thursday.  We'll see how it goes.  We figure after 6 months or something, we'll spend the money on something fun...kind of like a cuss jar.  We're also working on some kind of monthly reward system for doing well but we're not real sure how we're working that yet.  I figured the reward chart is working for the kids, might as well try it with the adults.

Now for your Monday DEMotivation:

Make Your Own Luck

So...primal eating.  I actually didn't do too badly on Wednesday and Thursday.  Made it to the 80% mark both days so that's an improvement.  Portions are still pretty good and keeping me satisfied.  I'm having the "gallbladder pain" (it's what I'm calling it even though we don't know that's what it is) the last couple days.  Ugh.  Could definitely do without that.  But otherwise, things on the bandfront are good.  Hubby experienced his first PB the other day.  I welcomed him to the club but I don't think it was one he was happy to join.  He said "PB?  I just vomited.  I don't care what you want to call it."  Men.  Sheesh.  The band is starting to work its magic on him though as he's lost 5 lbs since his fill last week.

Since I've been all Debbie Downer Doom & Gloom here recently, I thought you'd all be happy to know that Hubby and I have decided to take control of our own destinies.  We've determined that since the universe obviously isn't going to change our luck for us, we've got to do it ourselves.  We're really lucky in a lot of ways, and we've got to stop thinking that isn't good enough.  So when the announcement came about some changes to my work group, I decided that enough was enough.  I was done waiting for things to happen TO me...it's time to MAKE stuff happen FOR me.  So I've applied for two different positions at work.  Hopefully one of them will work out.  We'll see.  Hubby has decided we're going to start looking into him hanging his own shingle and venturing out into a solo law practice.  It's time we start making our own luck.

In a lot of ways, this venture is no different the weight loss adventure we started.  We could have kept sitting around waiting for the pounds to just magically disappear or we could get off our keesters and make it happen.  I've lost 65 lbs, Hubby's lost over 100 and it's not from sitting around waiting for the Weight Loss Fairy to come and wave her magic wand!  We make our own luck in this world...I'm just a little late in catching on.  It's time to get off the Negativity Train and on to the Positivity Super Highway!  Who's with me?!?!

We're going to a backyard bbq tomorrow and I'll probably go visit my dad in the hospital sometime this weekend.  He had his second skin graft on Wednesday and other than a little cardiac blip in recovery, he's doing OK.  We're hoping he can come home sometime next week.

I'm not going to do a big remembrance post but since I won't be logging on until Monday, in lieu of a Friday Funny, let us never forget.

Let's Be Honest...

So the fabulous Kristin over at My Journey Being Banded did a post today on breaking through plateaus.  She offered wonderful tips on how to change up your diet or workout routine to bust through those annoying stallmates.  She inspired me though to add one more tip to her jar...Be honest with yourself.

I've seen a couple posts recently about this...the one standing out to me is from the all time fav - Amy at Sunkist.  The fact is, sometimes you aren't experiencing a plateau, you just aren't doing what you need to do to lose weight.  It FEELS like a plateau because you aren't gaining weight.  But here's how I define a plateau...it's when you're doing EVERYTHING right but you're still not losing weight.  You're still tracking your food, exercising as much as you were and eating all the right things.  But the scale won't budge.  THAT'S a plateau.

I really think that for most of us, when our weight loss stalls, it's a direct result of something we're doing.  I have been banded for about a year.  For one year, I have devoted my time and energy to getting healthy.  I've been the most committed to this endeavour than I have ever been in my life.  And I have.never.plateau'd.  It's true.  "But MandaPanda!  You went about 2 months without losing ANYTHING.  Wouldn't you say you were on a plateau then?"  No, I wouldn't.  My lack of weight loss over the summer was entirely my doing.  I stopped working out religiously.  My portions had grown bigger and I was eating crap.  That's not a plateau...that's a lack of commitment.  Did I gain?  No.  I hovered in the same 2 lbs range all summer.  But I wasn't doing what I needed to do to lose weight.  Old habits started creeping their way into my routine - like a nightly blizzard or mcflurry..even a small one can pretty much fulfill your calorie allowance for the day.  So before you get all huffy about being "stuck at a plateau" ask yourself some questions.

1. Am I really sticking to my portions?  Am I measuring like I was, using the same size plate as I was, eating until I'm just "satisfied" or am I waiting until I'm full?
2. Am I making the best food choices?  Am I still choosing good, solid proteins or am I eating more slider foods and carbs than I was?  Have I started incorporating a night time sweet snack again?
3. Am I snacking more?  Maybe I need to write down or log everything I'm eating in a week to see if there are some hidden calories I'm not counting in my head.  Even too much healthy food can add up to unnecessary habits.
4. Is there something in my life I need to change?  Am I getting enough sleep or am I under too much stress right now that may be causing me to change my priorities?
5. Am I working out as often as I was and am I pushing myself as hard as I was?  Am I phoning in my workout and not giving it my best effort or have I stopped working out altogether?

If you answer these questions honestly and you're still doing everything right but the scale isn't moving, you're "stuck."  Go read Kristin's blog for great advice on busting through it.  But I think these questions are an important reality check to some people who believe they're "stuck" but just aren't seeing the small changes that can add up to no movement on the scale.

Primal Day yesterday - still no good. Better...but not great.  Still working on it.  But I'll always be a work in progress.  And that's OK.  Have a great Hump Day!

Weigh In 9/5/11 - Primal Fail

So it's Tuesday but I did weigh in yesterday like I was supposed to.  163.5.  That -2 lbs from last week and a new all time low.  Wahoo!  Feels like I'm getting back on track.  At least it did until this weekend hit.  Primal...hmmm...what is that again? This weekend has been an epic fail on the primal front.  But I'm back at it.  I've logged my tracker accordingly...adding those annoying red dots all through the weekend.  Time to suck it up and get 'er done!

You may have also noticed that the Mud Run ticker is gone.  I will not be doing the Mud Run at the end of the month.  I know...seeing a lot of failures here.  The point of the Mud Run was to give me something to motivate me getting to the gym.  It didn't work.  I haven't trained and, honestly, I don't see me training in the next two weeks for it either.  So there it is.  I'm starting to see an old pattern resurfacing here...me not finishing things.  That is no bueno.  I think it's just time to simplify.  Get through the primal challenge and try to get 30 minutes of activity a day.  That is the goal.  And for this month, it will have to be good enough.

This weekend was good.  Had a great time at girls' night out.  Drank WAY too much and was definitely feeling it Sunday morning but we survived.  Visited my dad in the hospital on Monday.  He has his second surgery on Wednesday...hopefully the skin graft will take and he'll only have to stay another week.  We shall see.

NSV:  I went shoe shopping on Saturday.  I needed a new pair of brown shoes and another pair of black shoes for work.  So I'm looking down the shelves and I spy a row of boots.  I haven't worn boots since I was 18 years old.  I never even used to try them on because I have a wide foot anyway and they never carry them in a wide in the store and I knew I wouldn't be able to get them up over my fat calf anyway.  Well...just for giggles, I tried on a pair of boots...just a straight size 6 1/2...no wide size, no extended calf...  They fit!  So did the 4 other pairs I tried and some were even too BIG in the leg!  Hot darn!  I did a little happy dance in the middle of the shoe store and they looked at me like I was nuts but I didn't care.  I even snapped a quick pic for y'all!

Please excuse the glare

Another NSV:  I went shopping for a new top.  Didn't buy one but the one I liked the best was a JUNIORS' Size Large!!!  That's right.  I said JUNIOR.

Shout out to new follower.  Please go see Mari at A Tale of a Band Called Beyonce.  She's working on getting banded and could use the support.

So it's the start of another workweek...albeit a short one.  I hope it goes by quickly.  Here's your Monday DEMotivator...on Tuesday...

Challenge Day 2

So yesterday shaped up to be just as I thought it would...not a great primal day.  And I knew it wouldn't be and I'm OK with that.  Tomorrow night won't be a great primal night either.  It's planned and I'm good.  Today should be a great primal day.

Breakfast: Coffee with cream (still trying to take it without sugar...doesn't taste as good but it's alright).
                Chicken Salad (I know it's weird but primal breakfasts are tough when you don't eat at home)
Lunch:  Chicken meatballs with brussel sprouts
Snack: apple
Dinner:  Stuffed Chicken with spinach

If I stick to this plan, I will be 100% primal today.  We shall see...

I did get my cake to do what I wanted it to do yesterday.  My coworker is moving to a more technical field and was talking about the new fancy laptop the company would be giving her so I decided that she needed a laptop cake.  Voila!

Yes...I'm aware I didn't make a perfectly square "screen".  Sue me.

What else?  I've got a girls' night out planned for tomorrow night and there will definitely be adult beverages involved.  I realize that alcohol isn't the best way to forget one's problems but sometimes, for me, it's just what the doctor ordered.  My youngest has a birthday party to go to so Hubby will be taking care of that while I take the other one to do something equally fun... maybe bowling?  We'll see.  Sunday will be a recuperation day and Monday...I'm hoping...is a do-absolutely-nothing day.

And your Friday Funny...

Challenge Day 1

So I know this isn't a real good way to start a challenge but I knew Day 1 wasn't going to be stellar.  It was somewhat planned not to be.  A coworker is moving on to a different position so we had a Starbucks run first thing in the morning and then I made the cake for this afternoon.  I'll take a picture of the cake with my phone to post tomorrow...that is if it works.  I attempted to make a laptop cake but I'm not sure if it's actually going to work yet...couldn't assemble until right beforehand so we'll see.  Anyway...if you look just below my Challenge Badge...you'll see my Challenge Tracker - bigger picture is above.  I have to have a label for everything...Yes...I could've just had balls for days I did well but I like all the colors.  You may also notice there is a diamond for exercise.  I want to try to see how many days I can get 30 minutes of activity in September.  I'm determined...I don't know how but I'm going to try my darnedest.  So menu for today (remember this is not a great day but this blog is all about accountability so here goes).

Breakfast: Coffee with cream (no sugar - that's right NO sugar!)
                 Nonfat, nowhip White Chocolate Mocha Fra.p.p.uccino (I know, I know)
Lunch:  Chicken Salad
            Slice of cake (have to see how it tastes)
Snack:  Apple
Dinner:  Chicken meatballs with spinach (Fruit for girls)

This is definitely an Under 80% day but that's alright...Knew it would be.

NSV:  With all my self pity lately, I forgot to report on a NSV I had over the weekend.  Family and I went to a bar/grill that we used to go to quite a bit in my "I'm just going to get fatter and fatter because what's the point of trying" days.  We don't go much anymore.  So we're hitting our deep fried goodness when a waitress comes over and says "Oh my god!  You've lost so much weight!  Have you been working on that?"  Now..understand...I don't know her from Adam...I didn't recognize her at all but I say "Yep.  I've been working on it."  And she said "Well, keep it up!  You're getting so slim!"  Very nice to get a compliment from someone who apparently knew me when I was fat and had no idea I was slimming down.  But then I got to thinking...why does she remember us so well but I don't remember her at all?  When we used to go more often was she like, "OMG.  There's that fat family again.  I can't believe how much they eat here."  I realize I should just take the compliment and be happy but I did second guess it.  But someone said I was getting "slim!"  How fun!

Alight.  That's all I got for today.  I wanted to get my accountability going for the Challenge which means I'm going to blog just about every day (except on weekends - no internet at home).  It'll make for boring reading but might help me stick to it better.  Happy Thursday everyone!