Year to date I have lost 16 lb. Yay me! To avoid plateau, I have a method. I did this once before, and it worked really well: Put $10 into savings for every pound lost. I had a decent conversation with a person about food this weekend and have been able to bounce a lot of possible ideas off of them. If I can maintain a steady decline (read: 1lb/week - success!!) through help/pestering/support, then we both will win. Come December 1, I will look superhot and they will get a tidy sum.
xo
Monday, August 13
Saturday, January 15
a diatribe regarding hip hop music
Let's start with a little time line. Obviously some people will be offended that I left out MC so-and-so or DJ whats-his-face, but I am looking at milestones that are significant to ME.
Old School (Sugar Hill Gang/Grandmaster Flash) era: Proving to the world (or at least the 75 people tuning in on the local AM stations) that there can be more than one type of music to listen to that wasn't candy-coated, cocaine-filled and Euro-trashy. take THAT, disco.
New School (Run DMC, Beastie Boys, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Tribe) era: Yum. I eat this stuff up with a spoon. These guys weren't out to prove anything to rival record labels, or trying to contend against pop music. This genre started out grassroots and would have been very happy to keep it that way. Three Feet High and Rising kicks my ass every time I put it on to this day.
Crap Rap (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Montell Jordan): enough said. Moving on.
Gangsta Rap (Ice T, NWA, and later Tupac, Dr. Dre & Snoop) : You love it or you hate it. You pick a crew and you love them, and you pick another just to hate them. I think these West Coast guys had a lot of bottled up tension, and for the most part it never really appealed to me.
East Coast Explosion Round 2 (Wu-Tang, Nas, Bad Boy, Jay-Z) : These guys loved at least one of the following: money, slingin' drugs, freeing Africa or trying to keep it free, money. How can you argue with that? Well I'll tell you how. You go on the Source Awards and accuse the entire East Coast of having no love for you. This lovefest ultimately ends with the two kingpin performers being worm food. Tough words lead to a tough life, guys.
The Southern Invasion (Outkast, No Limit, Juveneille) : Who let these guys in here? While other guys were telling stories about being poor and killing people, these little tykes were actually LIVING that mess. Lest we forget that Lil Wayne came out of this fresh crop of talent - back dat Azz up, folks. For the most part this stuff was good to get girls to shake their booty. I'm not sure if their message was quite as relevant as "THE Message."
Commercialism and Capitalism at its best/worst (Eminem, DMX, 50 Cent, MORE Jay-Z, MORE Bad Boy) : Every time this song is played, a rapper somewhere is getting paid.
Which leads me to the origin of this post. Today's "hip-hop" garbage. When did it become cool to synth your voice, basing your ideal sound on the EXACT SAME sound as 10 other artists out there? It doesn't have to be a competition, but can I get a tiny bit of originality? Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T sound like Drake? Giving yourself a cutesy name like Young Jeezy or Wacka Flocka doesn't make you any bit more original than the last guy. I scowl every time I turn on the radio and I am greeted with "You fancy, huh?" or someone reminding me to go "bottoms up". I can't afford these ridiculous lifestyles that you are trying to trick me into wanting, so shush. And give me back my musical integrity. Only a sheep needs a leader.
Old School (Sugar Hill Gang/Grandmaster Flash) era: Proving to the world (or at least the 75 people tuning in on the local AM stations) that there can be more than one type of music to listen to that wasn't candy-coated, cocaine-filled and Euro-trashy. take THAT, disco.
New School (Run DMC, Beastie Boys, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Tribe) era: Yum. I eat this stuff up with a spoon. These guys weren't out to prove anything to rival record labels, or trying to contend against pop music. This genre started out grassroots and would have been very happy to keep it that way. Three Feet High and Rising kicks my ass every time I put it on to this day.
Crap Rap (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Montell Jordan): enough said. Moving on.
Gangsta Rap (Ice T, NWA, and later Tupac, Dr. Dre & Snoop) : You love it or you hate it. You pick a crew and you love them, and you pick another just to hate them. I think these West Coast guys had a lot of bottled up tension, and for the most part it never really appealed to me.
East Coast Explosion Round 2 (Wu-Tang, Nas, Bad Boy, Jay-Z) : These guys loved at least one of the following: money, slingin' drugs, freeing Africa or trying to keep it free, money. How can you argue with that? Well I'll tell you how. You go on the Source Awards and accuse the entire East Coast of having no love for you. This lovefest ultimately ends with the two kingpin performers being worm food. Tough words lead to a tough life, guys.
The Southern Invasion (Outkast, No Limit, Juveneille) : Who let these guys in here? While other guys were telling stories about being poor and killing people, these little tykes were actually LIVING that mess. Lest we forget that Lil Wayne came out of this fresh crop of talent - back dat Azz up, folks. For the most part this stuff was good to get girls to shake their booty. I'm not sure if their message was quite as relevant as "THE Message."
Commercialism and Capitalism at its best/worst (Eminem, DMX, 50 Cent, MORE Jay-Z, MORE Bad Boy) : Every time this song is played, a rapper somewhere is getting paid.
Which leads me to the origin of this post. Today's "hip-hop" garbage. When did it become cool to synth your voice, basing your ideal sound on the EXACT SAME sound as 10 other artists out there? It doesn't have to be a competition, but can I get a tiny bit of originality? Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T sound like Drake? Giving yourself a cutesy name like Young Jeezy or Wacka Flocka doesn't make you any bit more original than the last guy. I scowl every time I turn on the radio and I am greeted with "You fancy, huh?" or someone reminding me to go "bottoms up". I can't afford these ridiculous lifestyles that you are trying to trick me into wanting, so shush. And give me back my musical integrity. Only a sheep needs a leader.
Wednesday, December 22
Monday, November 29
My cat is getting fatter.
There, I said it. She is almost at the 10lb mark and I am not happy.
I have 25 days to knit a bunch of stuff. I still can't find my Christmas cards, my nativity set or my good address book.
On that note, I will now shower and contemplate what to have for lunch tomorrow.
I have 25 days to knit a bunch of stuff. I still can't find my Christmas cards, my nativity set or my good address book.
On that note, I will now shower and contemplate what to have for lunch tomorrow.
Thursday, November 18
a glimpse into my mind.
I'm sitting at my desk and see an armored car pull up. The driver gets out, and heads into our building, clearly to do a pick-up at our on-site bank. A few minutes later, I see him walking out with a full bag.
ALONE.
I say "Does this guy have any idea how easy it would be for me to take him out with ONE shot from a sniper rifle?!? This guy is a moron...look at him!!! It's almost too easy."
At which point I realized that I was saying this aloud.
Oops.
ALONE.
I say "Does this guy have any idea how easy it would be for me to take him out with ONE shot from a sniper rifle?!? This guy is a moron...look at him!!! It's almost too easy."
At which point I realized that I was saying this aloud.
Oops.
Tuesday, November 16
Then and Now, Part 1
Kyra made a really inspiring post a few months back called "Then & Now". As I sit here waiting for my spinach-stuffed chicken to bake and ponder washing my hair now or in the morning, I had a few little revelations of my progress in recent weeks/months.
THEN - I would sleep until 9am on workdays, 2pm or later on weekends, and loaf around until I was dying of hunger, which was solved by running to Dunkin or McDonald's.
NOW - I have my alarm set, even on weekends, and wake up on time! I don't lay in bed wondering how much longer I can waste, but I jump out of bed, do 10-20 minutes of stretching/yoga, cook myself a REAL breakfast, sit down and eat, take my time to get ready and make it to my destinations on time.
THEN - I hid food in my bedroom. Secret stashes of cookies, "protein" bars (tasty Luna bar, you can't trick me, you are dessert), Dunkin Donuts, crackers, Doritos.
NOW - I do not allow any food into my room except cat food. I have plenty of water, seltzer, tea, but nothing that I would regret eating at 2am.
THEN - I gave up once I started sweating or once something started to ache. I would consider that to be "accomplishing" something.
NOW - I know that if I don't push myself, I will become stagnant and never reach my full potential. Not just physically, but on so many different levels.
THEN - I was interested in what was going on with everyone else, as a way to avoid what was going on with me.
NOW - I am allowing myself to be selfish, to think about myself, and not be concerned with things that I cannot control or that do not involve me.
I am also trying to keep these points in mind every day:
Very much worth reading.
xo
THEN - I would sleep until 9am on workdays, 2pm or later on weekends, and loaf around until I was dying of hunger, which was solved by running to Dunkin or McDonald's.
NOW - I have my alarm set, even on weekends, and wake up on time! I don't lay in bed wondering how much longer I can waste, but I jump out of bed, do 10-20 minutes of stretching/yoga, cook myself a REAL breakfast, sit down and eat, take my time to get ready and make it to my destinations on time.
THEN - I hid food in my bedroom. Secret stashes of cookies, "protein" bars (tasty Luna bar, you can't trick me, you are dessert), Dunkin Donuts, crackers, Doritos.
NOW - I do not allow any food into my room except cat food. I have plenty of water, seltzer, tea, but nothing that I would regret eating at 2am.
THEN - I gave up once I started sweating or once something started to ache. I would consider that to be "accomplishing" something.
NOW - I know that if I don't push myself, I will become stagnant and never reach my full potential. Not just physically, but on so many different levels.
THEN - I was interested in what was going on with everyone else, as a way to avoid what was going on with me.
NOW - I am allowing myself to be selfish, to think about myself, and not be concerned with things that I cannot control or that do not involve me.
I am also trying to keep these points in mind every day:
Very much worth reading.
xo
Monday, November 15
seize the day...by the throat.
QUESTION.
How is it that even though I got a pedicure 10 days ago, my feet are peely like nobody's business?
FUNK DAT!
How is it that even though I got a pedicure 10 days ago, my feet are peely like nobody's business?
FUNK DAT!
Tuesday, November 9
Romper Room. Romper Stomper. Same difference.
I've read that some people need an "a-ha!" moment to motivate them to start working towards losing weight. I thought that my moment was when I left Boston and after not owning a scale for years, I was disgusted to find myself weighing in at an obese 220 lb. Through no fault of my own (read: moving away from an area with unlimited take-out food, bars, Dunkin across the street), I lost a LOT of that weight. Then I got sick and lost another 20lb at a very unhealthy weight. Needless to say, I gained a lot of that weight back.
So back to the "a-ha" moment. Part 2. On Halloween night, I was sitting in bed working on a crossword puzzle and realized I had misplaced my pen. I looked all over my bed, in my purse, under the pillows, etc. but it was nowhere to be found. Then I stood up...and it fell out from my gut. UGH. At that moment, I made an official commitment to work HARD to get myself beck into shape, the shape I was in not too far back, and to do it in a healthy way, closely monitoring what I do and not falling into despair.
Enter www.bostonbootycamp.com . I know, you're all saying "you don't live in Boston anymore, dumbass." But my friend Kyra, the trainer who runs the facility, also has a GREAT virtual training program. Last week I got in touch with her and pleaded for guidance and advice. Little did I realize that if you ask a trainer for advice, they will actually have a PLAN for you to follow. OUTSTANDING! So the official deconstruct/reconstruct project started this weekend. I did a huge grocery shopping of "clean foods", most of which I had been eating already. On Sunday, Kyra got in touch with me with my first week's schedule.
And yesterday, I did it. I woke up at 7:15am (as opposed to the usual 8:30), did a half hour of Wii Fit to get myself awake, made myself a breakfast of 2 CT-farm fresh eggs, 1 piece of toast and 2 turkey sausages. yes. I woke up early voluntarily to do something I wasn't getting paid to do. Then I went to work, ate the food I had packed for myself, went home, and did my first Kyra-planned workout.
And it was HARD.
I mean...dripping sweat, yelling at myself for stopping at 15 reps instead of 20, blasting No Warning "Ill Blood" hard. And I loved it. By 8:45pm, I had already eaten all of my meals for the day, worked out twice, showered, and generally felt more productive than I had in months...possibly years.
And then today I woke up.
And I did it AGAIN. I was out of bed by 7:20am, did 30 minutes of yoga, made my breakfast at home, didn't even think about stopping at Dunkin, and I look forward to going home and busting my ass on workout #2 and waking up tomorrow to do it all over again.
To be able to see results in the next week isn't anything I am thinking about. Even to see results by New Years is a stretch. But I know that I am feeling so much better about myself. And feeling good with me instantly drives me to want to look better. It will hurt to brush my teeth, and I will go through more laundry in 3 days than most people do in 2 weeks, but I am so glad to be getting back into MYSELF. It is about damn time that I start being selfish and worrying about me, and my health, and my self-confidence.
Seriously. www.bostonbootycamp.com . Check it out. get into it. Get into yourself. Get into those jeans you bought 2 years ago, because they are going out of style soon.
So back to the "a-ha" moment. Part 2. On Halloween night, I was sitting in bed working on a crossword puzzle and realized I had misplaced my pen. I looked all over my bed, in my purse, under the pillows, etc. but it was nowhere to be found. Then I stood up...and it fell out from my gut. UGH. At that moment, I made an official commitment to work HARD to get myself beck into shape, the shape I was in not too far back, and to do it in a healthy way, closely monitoring what I do and not falling into despair.
Enter www.bostonbootycamp.com . I know, you're all saying "you don't live in Boston anymore, dumbass." But my friend Kyra, the trainer who runs the facility, also has a GREAT virtual training program. Last week I got in touch with her and pleaded for guidance and advice. Little did I realize that if you ask a trainer for advice, they will actually have a PLAN for you to follow. OUTSTANDING! So the official deconstruct/reconstruct project started this weekend. I did a huge grocery shopping of "clean foods", most of which I had been eating already. On Sunday, Kyra got in touch with me with my first week's schedule.
And yesterday, I did it. I woke up at 7:15am (as opposed to the usual 8:30), did a half hour of Wii Fit to get myself awake, made myself a breakfast of 2 CT-farm fresh eggs, 1 piece of toast and 2 turkey sausages. yes. I woke up early voluntarily to do something I wasn't getting paid to do. Then I went to work, ate the food I had packed for myself, went home, and did my first Kyra-planned workout.
And it was HARD.
I mean...dripping sweat, yelling at myself for stopping at 15 reps instead of 20, blasting No Warning "Ill Blood" hard. And I loved it. By 8:45pm, I had already eaten all of my meals for the day, worked out twice, showered, and generally felt more productive than I had in months...possibly years.
And then today I woke up.
And I did it AGAIN. I was out of bed by 7:20am, did 30 minutes of yoga, made my breakfast at home, didn't even think about stopping at Dunkin, and I look forward to going home and busting my ass on workout #2 and waking up tomorrow to do it all over again.
To be able to see results in the next week isn't anything I am thinking about. Even to see results by New Years is a stretch. But I know that I am feeling so much better about myself. And feeling good with me instantly drives me to want to look better. It will hurt to brush my teeth, and I will go through more laundry in 3 days than most people do in 2 weeks, but I am so glad to be getting back into MYSELF. It is about damn time that I start being selfish and worrying about me, and my health, and my self-confidence.
Seriously. www.bostonbootycamp.com . Check it out. get into it. Get into yourself. Get into those jeans you bought 2 years ago, because they are going out of style soon.
Saturday, August 21
Job requirements:
Must prefer the following:
-Rolling Stones to The Beatles
-DC to Marvel
-Jason to Freddy
Embraces change in their life. Thrives when surrounded by new options in life, whether it be food or city of residence. Monotony is not an option.
Can hold a conversation with my father.
General chivalry, including but not limited to: Holding doors. Picking up the check once in a while. Telling me I'm beautiful. Making the bed.
Sees potential in himself, me, and others. Nothing makes a person less attractive than when they start issuing criticism.
Realizes the importance of fidelity.
Using a crutch is a sign of weakness. If you aren't strong enough to support yourself, how can I expect you to support me as well?
-Rolling Stones to The Beatles
-DC to Marvel
-Jason to Freddy
Embraces change in their life. Thrives when surrounded by new options in life, whether it be food or city of residence. Monotony is not an option.
Can hold a conversation with my father.
General chivalry, including but not limited to: Holding doors. Picking up the check once in a while. Telling me I'm beautiful. Making the bed.
Sees potential in himself, me, and others. Nothing makes a person less attractive than when they start issuing criticism.
Realizes the importance of fidelity.
Using a crutch is a sign of weakness. If you aren't strong enough to support yourself, how can I expect you to support me as well?
Monday, May 3
Serenity now.
I need someone to tell me one of those bullshit "Nobody can hurt your feelings without your permission" quotes.
Trying to be fair to myself and making the world happy seem to be on polar opposites.
Time to step up and make the right choice.
Trying to be fair to myself and making the world happy seem to be on polar opposites.
Time to step up and make the right choice.
Tuesday, August 18
The (still not too) grody adventure of the (no tacos allowed) cleanse - DAY FOUR
Passed the half-way mark today! The scoop:
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 3 lb. !!!
Foods today:
-lemon water
-blueberry almond smoothie
-detox tea
-Arbonne detox drink
-salad w/ ginger carrot dressing
-sunflower seeds
-guacamole on a flax pita
-3 slices salsalito turkey
-1 skim string cheese
-teriyaki chicken breast
-grilled zucchini with lime juice
Ok I completely strayed when I got home and ate non-approved foodies out of frustration. But it wasn't taco bell (which is all I wanted today), so I will chalk today up as successful.
Headache started around 9pm, not sure what brought that on. I didn't even really get hungry today until 3pm, when I realized I hadn't eaten my lunch yet. I just took an aleve (probably not ok for cleanse but eff it), finished a book and am going to finish off my last bottle of fiji before I go to sleep.
Three days to go...tomorrow is deli sammich day at work, I may possibly cave. We shall see.
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 3 lb. !!!
Foods today:
-lemon water
-blueberry almond smoothie
-detox tea
-Arbonne detox drink
-salad w/ ginger carrot dressing
-sunflower seeds
-guacamole on a flax pita
-3 slices salsalito turkey
-1 skim string cheese
-teriyaki chicken breast
-grilled zucchini with lime juice
Ok I completely strayed when I got home and ate non-approved foodies out of frustration. But it wasn't taco bell (which is all I wanted today), so I will chalk today up as successful.
Headache started around 9pm, not sure what brought that on. I didn't even really get hungry today until 3pm, when I realized I hadn't eaten my lunch yet. I just took an aleve (probably not ok for cleanse but eff it), finished a book and am going to finish off my last bottle of fiji before I go to sleep.
Three days to go...tomorrow is deli sammich day at work, I may possibly cave. We shall see.
Monday, August 17
The (almost hit) grody adventure of the (time-consuming) cleanse - DAY THREE
Finished my day 3 meals. The skinny:
WEIGHT LOST: 2.6 lb.
foodies:
-lemon water
-herbal detox tea
-oatmeal & almond milk
-basil cucumber lime apple juice
-blueberry raspberry almond milk smoothie
-sort-of super greens juice (1/2 a pear, 1/2 a cucumber, 1 lemon)
-1 pear
I sort of strayed from precise recipes, mixing raspberries with my blueberries for the smoothie, replacing celery with carrots in the super greens juice, and taking 1 pear out of the juice so I could eat it separately. I also skipped the coconut water again. If I ever drink that stuff, I will be amazed. But for the most part I am being amazingly responsible. I think knowing that I can go back to dairy on Saturday is a big part, but a lot of these new meal plans will stick with me. I could have one of these smoothies every day and be content.
Had a mini-scare this morning when I woke up, went to turn off my alarm and got dizzy and blacked out. I think I may have been a. super-hungry and b. sleeping very oddly/poorly since the lovely cat woke me up at 3:30am and threw me off. After that, I recovered and weighed in. Holy wow, I dropped 2lb since yesterday AM! I also dropped what looked like a box of crayons into the toilet. I haven't had any hunger pangs except for the usual "wow I really want a burger" or "taco bell sounds good about now." The things that I think about...tacos and pears.
Tomorrow's meals are all set - salad for lunch and chicken for dinner. I have some basil cucumber juice left from today to tide me over at work, and I am determined to wake up in time to make myself a smoothie before I leave. More to come tomorrow...
WEIGHT LOST: 2.6 lb.
foodies:
-lemon water
-herbal detox tea
-oatmeal & almond milk
-basil cucumber lime apple juice
-blueberry raspberry almond milk smoothie
-sort-of super greens juice (1/2 a pear, 1/2 a cucumber, 1 lemon)
-1 pear
I sort of strayed from precise recipes, mixing raspberries with my blueberries for the smoothie, replacing celery with carrots in the super greens juice, and taking 1 pear out of the juice so I could eat it separately. I also skipped the coconut water again. If I ever drink that stuff, I will be amazed. But for the most part I am being amazingly responsible. I think knowing that I can go back to dairy on Saturday is a big part, but a lot of these new meal plans will stick with me. I could have one of these smoothies every day and be content.
Had a mini-scare this morning when I woke up, went to turn off my alarm and got dizzy and blacked out. I think I may have been a. super-hungry and b. sleeping very oddly/poorly since the lovely cat woke me up at 3:30am and threw me off. After that, I recovered and weighed in. Holy wow, I dropped 2lb since yesterday AM! I also dropped what looked like a box of crayons into the toilet. I haven't had any hunger pangs except for the usual "wow I really want a burger" or "taco bell sounds good about now." The things that I think about...tacos and pears.
Tomorrow's meals are all set - salad for lunch and chicken for dinner. I have some basil cucumber juice left from today to tide me over at work, and I am determined to wake up in time to make myself a smoothie before I leave. More to come tomorrow...
Sunday, August 16
The (still lacking) grody adventure of the (not too bad) cleanse - DAY TWO
End of day two. Here's the scoop:
WEIGHT LOST: 0.6 lb.
consumed:
-12 oz. room temperature water & juice of half a lemon
-herbal detox tea
-raspberry & almond smoothie
-sunflower seeds
-detox chicken teriyaki & grilled squash
-1 slice salsalito turkey
-1 blueberry pancake
-Arbonne detox spa drink
I did have 2 little hiccups (the turkey and pancake) in today's menu. I really don't think that it's healthy to deprive yourself, it only leads to a huge binge in the end. Or at least it is in my case. I also made miso soup, which I found out that I hate. Gross. I will categorize that one with the broccoli arugula soup in "COMPLETE FAILURE" of my palate. The coconut water did not make its way into my body today, but I am bringing it to work with me tomorrow so hopefully I will be able to get that down.
I have a decent amount of energy, today I was wiped out playing catch after 15 minutes, but I assume that was because it was 90 degrees. I have a cute little sunburn though! I got overwhelmed and frustrated today when I realized I was hungry but hadn't accounted for the prep time needed for my lunch and would have to wait to eat for another hour.
I pee at least once every half hour. Finally pooped, all is well in that area (nothing explicit). No foul odors coming out of my pores except that garlic from the soup that I made last night. Tomorrow is day 3, I am expecting my weight lost to hit 1lb.
WEIGHT LOST: 0.6 lb.
consumed:
-12 oz. room temperature water & juice of half a lemon
-herbal detox tea
-raspberry & almond smoothie
-sunflower seeds
-detox chicken teriyaki & grilled squash
-1 slice salsalito turkey
-1 blueberry pancake
-Arbonne detox spa drink
I did have 2 little hiccups (the turkey and pancake) in today's menu. I really don't think that it's healthy to deprive yourself, it only leads to a huge binge in the end. Or at least it is in my case. I also made miso soup, which I found out that I hate. Gross. I will categorize that one with the broccoli arugula soup in "COMPLETE FAILURE" of my palate. The coconut water did not make its way into my body today, but I am bringing it to work with me tomorrow so hopefully I will be able to get that down.
I have a decent amount of energy, today I was wiped out playing catch after 15 minutes, but I assume that was because it was 90 degrees. I have a cute little sunburn though! I got overwhelmed and frustrated today when I realized I was hungry but hadn't accounted for the prep time needed for my lunch and would have to wait to eat for another hour.
I pee at least once every half hour. Finally pooped, all is well in that area (nothing explicit). No foul odors coming out of my pores except that garlic from the soup that I made last night. Tomorrow is day 3, I am expecting my weight lost to hit 1lb.
Saturday, August 15
The (not-yet) grody adventure of the (so far peachy keen) cleanse - DAY ONE
Day one of meals is nearly complete - I am cooling my final meal as I type. Here is the rundown:
-12 oz. room temperature water & juice of half a lemon
-herbal detox tea
-blueberry & almond smoothie
-coconut water
-salad with ginger carrot dressing
-sunflower seeds
-broccoli & arugula soup
-Arbonne detox spa drink
I slept in today and started the routine at noon instead of 8am, so everything is delayed by 4 hours. So far, I really really liked the blueberry smoothie (with 1 scoop each progreens and whey protein), and the salad dressing was STELLAR - if you like ginger, I highly recommend this one. I HATE coconut water. It tastes like sugar and I want to throw it up with every sip. I may take that one out, it just does not want to be consumed.
I am peeing nonstop. I got a crazy bout of hunger around 3pm, I blame that more on shifting the time schedule that I had set up for myself. I also am not pleased with the garlic and onion aspects of everything. I am omitting it as much as I can but allowing it in tonight's soup. I don't have my full budget at home but I am pretty sure that it cost about what I estimated.
PS - In case you were wondering, I haven't pooped yet.
If you are curious, please feel free to ask me questions! Tomorrow I will start posting my weight loss as I progress through the week. I am expecting to lose 3 lbs. putting me at a number I haven't seen on a scale since 2003.
-12 oz. room temperature water & juice of half a lemon
-herbal detox tea
-blueberry & almond smoothie
-coconut water
-salad with ginger carrot dressing
-sunflower seeds
-broccoli & arugula soup
-Arbonne detox spa drink
I slept in today and started the routine at noon instead of 8am, so everything is delayed by 4 hours. So far, I really really liked the blueberry smoothie (with 1 scoop each progreens and whey protein), and the salad dressing was STELLAR - if you like ginger, I highly recommend this one. I HATE coconut water. It tastes like sugar and I want to throw it up with every sip. I may take that one out, it just does not want to be consumed.
I am peeing nonstop. I got a crazy bout of hunger around 3pm, I blame that more on shifting the time schedule that I had set up for myself. I also am not pleased with the garlic and onion aspects of everything. I am omitting it as much as I can but allowing it in tonight's soup. I don't have my full budget at home but I am pretty sure that it cost about what I estimated.
PS - In case you were wondering, I haven't pooped yet.
If you are curious, please feel free to ask me questions! Tomorrow I will start posting my weight loss as I progress through the week. I am expecting to lose 3 lbs. putting me at a number I haven't seen on a scale since 2003.
Wednesday, August 12
The (presumably) grody adventure of the (soon-to-be-launched) cleanse - PREFACE
As most of you may know, I've lost an assload of weight over the last year- literally. Unfortunately, as many people do, I plateaued after losing a little over 40 lbs. After trying not to dwell on this, I decided to take some action. I did some reading and investigating and decided to try out a cleanse/detox Gwyneth Paltrow does a few times a year. I like this program because 1. it only lasts a week and 2. I can actually EAT while on the program. (check it out here http://www.goop.com/newsletter/15/ ).
My game plan is to buy all the required ingredients Friday PM, start the concoctions that night and Saturday AM that the ball rolling. Along with the GOOP plan, I will be replacing her suggested herbal tea with Arbonne Detox tea and adding 32oz of Arbonne's 7-day detox drops to my daily water consumption. So far here are my observations:
-This seems like an expensive endeavor. By my calculations, I will be spending $120 on food, $30 on whey protein and ProGreens (blecch!) and $40 to get a juicer. However, I have become quite thrifty in my meal planning ways, so $190 may be the norm for a week's groceries for most people. It averages out to $9.05 a meal.
-Over 40 ingredients. I know it says "cleanse", but come on, Gwyn! Luckily I have a complete schedule for hour-by-hour meals, drinks, etc. so I will be able to (hopefully) prepare things the night before.
-Any time I mention "cleanse" to someone, they instantly want to know when I expect my bowels to give out. Hopefully this won't be too err...messy, but only time will tell.
I plan on blogging on my daily menus, progress, weight loss, health and general well-being feeling. Hopefully I last the full week, ending on Friday night!
My game plan is to buy all the required ingredients Friday PM, start the concoctions that night and Saturday AM that the ball rolling. Along with the GOOP plan, I will be replacing her suggested herbal tea with Arbonne Detox tea and adding 32oz of Arbonne's 7-day detox drops to my daily water consumption. So far here are my observations:
-This seems like an expensive endeavor. By my calculations, I will be spending $120 on food, $30 on whey protein and ProGreens (blecch!) and $40 to get a juicer. However, I have become quite thrifty in my meal planning ways, so $190 may be the norm for a week's groceries for most people. It averages out to $9.05 a meal.
-Over 40 ingredients. I know it says "cleanse", but come on, Gwyn! Luckily I have a complete schedule for hour-by-hour meals, drinks, etc. so I will be able to (hopefully) prepare things the night before.
-Any time I mention "cleanse" to someone, they instantly want to know when I expect my bowels to give out. Hopefully this won't be too err...messy, but only time will tell.
I plan on blogging on my daily menus, progress, weight loss, health and general well-being feeling. Hopefully I last the full week, ending on Friday night!
Wednesday, August 5
busy being bored.
Alliteration at its finest there.
Slow night, I should be folding laundry but get so easily sidetracked. I keep thinking of random things to post, so this will stay up while they come back to me.
Why is it that Victoria's Secret undies are the most expensive but the elastics and detail always fall apart before any other brand that I've bought in my life?
I have a bike and ned to inflate the tires and don't know how. For all I know, they may be flat.
I need to go to IKEA if only to buy myself some more candles. I have no female friends to do this with. Any takers? Seriously.
*deleted random thought for privacy of others*
I sometimes think I like summer then I realize it's really spring and autumn that I enjoy. I LOVE winter though, it means Christmas, my birthday, visiting with my sister and lots of fun outfits to wear that I forgot about for 6 months!
Out of stuff for now.
Slow night, I should be folding laundry but get so easily sidetracked. I keep thinking of random things to post, so this will stay up while they come back to me.
Why is it that Victoria's Secret undies are the most expensive but the elastics and detail always fall apart before any other brand that I've bought in my life?
I have a bike and ned to inflate the tires and don't know how. For all I know, they may be flat.
I need to go to IKEA if only to buy myself some more candles. I have no female friends to do this with. Any takers? Seriously.
*deleted random thought for privacy of others*
I sometimes think I like summer then I realize it's really spring and autumn that I enjoy. I LOVE winter though, it means Christmas, my birthday, visiting with my sister and lots of fun outfits to wear that I forgot about for 6 months!
Out of stuff for now.
Wednesday, June 17
...let it shine.
All my kids in a row! Sunflowers, tomatoes, mystery 1, mystery 2 and carrots
CARROTS! 
MYSTERY... 
MYSTERY... 
TOMATOES!!
SUNFLOWERS!Tuesday, June 16
I'm gonna let it shine.
After giving two of the seven seedlings to their new foster mama, Sasha, I have moved my remaining five duders into their own larger homes. Today, after a bit of poking around, I came to the conclusion that I have the following:
POT 1: Tomatoes! They smell so darn good.
POT 2: Sunflowers! I didn't know what they were until I saw the soft thorns on the stems and did a bit of homework. They are probably the fastest growers right now.
POT 3: Carrots! Most likely, Sash agrees with me that they were leafy like the tops of carrots. If so, I need to thin these guys out FAST and put them into the ground or a bigger pot.
POT 4: Dill? The sprouts seem very frustrated right now with all the rain and not having a chance to dry out, so I hope they last long enough to give me a hint as to who they are.
POT 5: Spinach or rosemary. This is the biggest mystery pot of all. I will have to just wait and see.
I forget how fulfilling it is to grow little guys from seeds and check on them every morning and evening to see what's been going on since I last visited. These sunflowers blew me away, I can't wait to separate them into their own pots and give them to people as gifts. I just need to find the perfect spot for them, sunflowers will always turn themselves so they face the east.
Photos soon, it's too dark now. they need their rest. sshh...
POT 1: Tomatoes! They smell so darn good.
POT 2: Sunflowers! I didn't know what they were until I saw the soft thorns on the stems and did a bit of homework. They are probably the fastest growers right now.
POT 3: Carrots! Most likely, Sash agrees with me that they were leafy like the tops of carrots. If so, I need to thin these guys out FAST and put them into the ground or a bigger pot.
POT 4: Dill? The sprouts seem very frustrated right now with all the rain and not having a chance to dry out, so I hope they last long enough to give me a hint as to who they are.
POT 5: Spinach or rosemary. This is the biggest mystery pot of all. I will have to just wait and see.
I forget how fulfilling it is to grow little guys from seeds and check on them every morning and evening to see what's been going on since I last visited. These sunflowers blew me away, I can't wait to separate them into their own pots and give them to people as gifts. I just need to find the perfect spot for them, sunflowers will always turn themselves so they face the east.
Photos soon, it's too dark now. they need their rest. sshh...
Tuesday, June 9
this little light of mine.
A few weeks ago (I believe it was Memorial Day weekend), Dan and I decided to plant a bunch of seeds. We set up dixie cups with some potting soil and planted the following:
-tomatoes
-carrots
-spinach
-dill
-rosemary
-dahlias
-sunflowers
We had 2 extra cups, so we did 2 mystery batches with leftovers.
After a week and a nice long sunny weekend with my dad tending to the little goobers, they were coming along nicely:
That was May 31.
Today I have success in 7 of the 9 cups! I tossed the 2 duds - the seeds were purchased over a year ago and kept in less-than-ideal conditions, so I was pleased with having ANY results, let alone 7 cups of plant shoots.
I have been able to determine by sniffing that 2 of the plants are tomato seedlings, and the leaves of another 2 cups make me think they are either dill or carrots. I can't tell yet, so I may have to wait another few days for a more fragrant growth spurt. The other 3 are mysteries, I am suspecting spinach and rosemary, I think the sunflowers and dahlias were quitters.
Now comes the emotional part - I have to get rid of some of these plants that I grew from tiny little nothings because I just don't have the room for them. Tonight I will try to swap them out into bigger pots and save as many as possible and give them enough light and sun and love.
And to keep them out of the hands of Floof. Rotten plant-eating jerk.
-tomatoes
-carrots
-spinach
-dill
-rosemary
-dahlias
-sunflowers
We had 2 extra cups, so we did 2 mystery batches with leftovers.
After a week and a nice long sunny weekend with my dad tending to the little goobers, they were coming along nicely:
That was May 31.Today I have success in 7 of the 9 cups! I tossed the 2 duds - the seeds were purchased over a year ago and kept in less-than-ideal conditions, so I was pleased with having ANY results, let alone 7 cups of plant shoots.
I have been able to determine by sniffing that 2 of the plants are tomato seedlings, and the leaves of another 2 cups make me think they are either dill or carrots. I can't tell yet, so I may have to wait another few days for a more fragrant growth spurt. The other 3 are mysteries, I am suspecting spinach and rosemary, I think the sunflowers and dahlias were quitters.
Now comes the emotional part - I have to get rid of some of these plants that I grew from tiny little nothings because I just don't have the room for them. Tonight I will try to swap them out into bigger pots and save as many as possible and give them enough light and sun and love.
And to keep them out of the hands of Floof. Rotten plant-eating jerk.
Tuesday, January 20
Boogedy boogedy boogedy.
Today Dan asked "what should we do?" and I somehow remembered a castle in Danbury he told me about a while back...so we went for a mini-field trip to Hearthstone Castle in Tarrywile Park.
http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/hearthst.htm
Examining the fence that will be keeping us from getting into mischief:
Back door. There was a basement door to the left of this (pictured below):
Lots of good detail went into this place. I tried to get some good shots of the stained glass but the sun wasn't cooperating. Check out these windows though:
There was a creepy staircase inside that window. Once you get up close to the building, you realize just how eerie the situation is.
A view off one of the steeper ledges. Don't slip...
Having a moment on the ride home:
http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/hearthst.htm
Examining the fence that will be keeping us from getting into mischief:
Back door. There was a basement door to the left of this (pictured below):
Lots of good detail went into this place. I tried to get some good shots of the stained glass but the sun wasn't cooperating. Check out these windows though:
There was a creepy staircase inside that window. Once you get up close to the building, you realize just how eerie the situation is.
A view off one of the steeper ledges. Don't slip...
Having a moment on the ride home:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
