Musings about McDonalds

Through a series of choices I made this morning,  I found myself at McDonald's for lunch.  My focus was to get a hamburger and small fry... doable since I am counting calories.. but probably not the best choice I could make.  As I waited for my turn to order our lunch (Mac was with me)... I pondered the different choices (healthy or otherwise) that the menu board offered.

I decided to try the Honey Mustard Snack (grilled chicken wrapped in tortilla with cheese, lettuce and honey mustard).  And instead of fries, I ordered the apple walnut snack (with lowfat yogurt).   I thought I had made pretty good choices.  We got our meals to go because we were going to come home and watch Shanghai Noon as part of our "history" study.

Of course as soon as I got home, I checked out McDonald's website for the nutritional information for the food I brought home. And... I discovered that the wrap that actually came home with me was the Ranch version (I'm not a big fan of Ranch dressing).  At any rate, their mistake saved me about 50 calories .. I was surprised to discover that the Ranch version is lower in calories than the Honey Mustard version. 

Overall, the lunch wasn't too bad, it was certainly filling, and the taste was a nice change from the typical lunch I've been having.  In a pinch, I'd be happy to have that again, but I think I'd like to keep more of my meals at home for now, while I'm getting back in the groove with the diet.

So total calories eaten today: 1575 (goal 1550). I walked 3 miles and I did my strength/stretch program today.

Finally, a "10" diet day

Today I've managed to stay on plan with my eating.  By the time I go to bed tonight I will have met my caloric goals of 1200.

I also walked my four miles today.  It was awesome. I really like the energy that I feel after I finish my walks. If my calculations are correct (and who knows) then I am currently burning about 600 calories at the speed that this tape goes (at my current weight). 

Okay.. so 9 days of walking and one great day of calorie control.  Here's to stringing a few of these types of days together.

Monday- Week 2

I am struggling with the food.  I start out okay with breakfast, but by about 11 AM I go on cruise control and I think I'm snacking practically non-stop until 2 PM.  I think it might be time to pull out the Green Tea mid-morning pill.  These pills really help me (if only psychologically) to calm down that appetite.

On the plus side, I'm still working hard on the exercise.  I didn't get it done as early as I would have liked...but I did get around to it abotu 4PM which really helped since it was after the snack attack.

 

Spiking the ball for this week

Well.. I did it.  Granted it took me all day to find the time, but I did make my walk for today.  I did two really fast miles (jogging was involved).  I didn't do the 3 or 4 mile today because it was an incredibly busy day, with having to take Paul to the airport and getting laundry done for school this week. 

 

BUT I DID IT!!!

 

Six days and counting

Woke up this morning and almost immediately got my workout done (I had to pause long enough to call the clinic and make Paul an appointment for today).  So I am successfully 6 for 6 at this point.

I have not been doing much in the way of food control, but that is about to change for the next week. 

I almost blew it

It was a short night last night and a long day today.   I have no one to blame (for the short night) except myself.  I've been reading a book at night before I turn out the light. I was almost done, so I just read through to the end last night.

Anyway.. so I woke up groggy and nonresponsive to the idea of exercise.  I blew it off. I got the girls going, made it through the homeschooling with Mac and then I headed back to bed. 

I was cringing at the thought of the lost hours napping, but I was just not going to be good for anyone if I tried to function on just 4 hours of sleep.

Grabbed a two hour nap, woke up feeling much better.  So I jumped into getting some things done before Paul got home this evening.  I was kind of expecting him around 9 pm, so I figured I could wash and change our sheets, plus do a couple of loads of his laundry, and generally straighten things up.  

Finished up that right around 6:30 pm and decided.. what the heck.. let's go ahead and do our walk and strength training.  I managed to do the three mile walk and was about mid way through the strength/stretch when Paul called to say he was on the base and would be home soon.  He was just double checking to see if there was anything in the house for him to eat (there was).  He walked through the door just as I was finishing the stretches (he was about 90 minutes earlier than expected). 

I'm really glad that I made the time to do the walk. 

This new week I'm going to start concentrating harder on getting the meals on plan.

ARGH Thursday

Last night I wrote the most witty entry.  All about morning routines and my four mile walk (four days in a row in my new exercise program. WOO HOO)... and then AOL or journals.. ate it.  So I wrote a very succinct entry, hitting the highlights... and AOL or journals ate that one.  Frustrated, I turned off the computer and went to bed.

Ah well. Here's the condensed version. I did my four miles at 5 AM yesterday. Kendra was having side pain (a typical sympton for her for bladder infections) so she stayed home and saw her doctor. Paul will be home tonight around 9 pm. He leaves again on Sunday and he rented the compact. :)

Reduced fat recipe for Spinach Tortellini

Ingredients

9 ounces Spinach Tortellini ( I use the Buitoni brand)

1.5 tsp of minced garlic (I use the jarred Polaner's brand)

2 tsp. olive oil

9 ounces chopped spinach (frozen, but thaw before using)

1 tsp chopped basil (Polaner's brand) OR 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (YUM)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup fat free half and half

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used Kraft for speed, but I bet fresh grated would be better)

Cook Tortellini to desired state as directed on package (I cook mine for 9 minutes once the water is boiling). Drain. (If I time this right, I'm ready to drain and add it to the sauce).

Meanwhile, In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic in the oil (for just a few minutes).  Add spinach, basil, salt and pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half and half and Parmesan cheese.  Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add tortellini. Mix well. Cook additional 4 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Mixed up this way, this should make three servings (divided evenly) and the calorie count should be about 388 calories.  Aprox. 27 calories  (per serving) can be saved if you use the Olive Oil pam.  I'm sorry, but I don't know the other nutritional information.

Final Check in for the day

I broke my walk into three parts today.  I did 2 miles early this morning before I woke the girls to get ready for school.  I did 1 mile and the strength training after my morning session with Mac.  And finally I walked a mile this afternoon with Kim (her suggestion) about an hour after she got home from school.

While living in Germany one of my favorite restaurants was an Italian one, owned by Italians in our sleepy little town of Bad Windsheim.  Awesome good food there.  My favorite dish was a spinach tortellini.  The sauce was a very creamy, very green spinach sauce and I worried that I would not be able to find it here in the states.  But happily I found several different recipes on the internet.  I tried one, which was good...but I was concerned that it might be too high calorie, so I set about to make it lighter.

Then I lost that recipe and had to hunt down a new one.  This one is better than the first.. and I think I did manage to cut a lot of fat and calories out of it. Best part is, is that it's a fast meal (for me)... I can have it all whipped up and ready to eat in about 15 minutes. 

I will share the recipe tomorrow... for now I'm going to bed.

 

Explaining my "smack down" of my honey

First of all.. you all are too nice (to him) for words.  LOL...  I feel as though I have to explain my reasoning just a bit here for making honey get himself a compact rental car.

Our master bedroom is huge.. or at least it was until we started putting in the furniture.  My plans for that bedroom included being able to set up my sewing machine in one corner.  When we first arrived here, Paul bought a very small, very inexpensive computer desk for our room in order to put my computer back up.   I assumed that he would use this desk for his study desk when he came back here for school. 

Well... once he was home for good and started making his plans for his "study area" which is in our bedroom also ( I will admit that he does need to be able to sequester himself away from the rest of us), my sewing corner got kicked to the curb.  He wanted a bigger desk.. I mean.. this is a seriously bigger desk... and he wanted two book cases for his books.  Plus a new laser printer for the reports he was going to have to do for this class.  And.. he insisted on getting all this stuff BEFORE he left to go to Pennsylvania so that he could have it all set up and ready to go when he gets back. (He's also wanting to get an easy chair for the bedroom, so he doesnt have to do all his reading in the desk chair).

Now.. I do realize that the timing for all this makes sense.  But in the meantime Kendra is still living out of boxes because he wants to pay cash for her furniture rather than use credit.  And I understand that too.  This poor girl has even given up on the headboard and on the bedside table.. all she wants at this point is the dresser and the mirror.  And she's still waiting for it.

I think that man can just curl up his legs and live with the compact car. LOL...

Talking "smack" about my honey

Paul's dad called last night while I was whiling away some time on the computer.  Initially he sounded a lot like my brother.. but then he identified himself as "dad".  Luckily I had not said more than "hello" at this point (I didn't recognize the number on the caller ID beyond knowing it was an Arizona exchange).

Paul's mom was/is in the hospital again. Nothing serious I'm told.  She was feeling a bit under the weather last week and on Sunday morning asked Tom to take her in to the E.R.   Now.. I know he's probably been busy.. but can I just say how much it bothers me that they wait so long to let us know what is going on?  At any rate.. it seems it was most likely a virus, but she had some fluid retention so the doctor fiddled with her medications and kept her in for observation.  At least that is the P.R. being given to me.  She will be coming home tomorrow.

The main purpose of the call was to find out when Paul is going to be in Mesa. They had thought he was going to be there this week.  I think that was the original plan, but goodness knows nothing is set in stone in the military until you have a set of orders for it. LOL.   I told Tom that Paul was expecting to be there in  Mesa on Sunday, that I would let Paul know what was going on and I was sure that Tom and Sandy would hear from Paul as soon as he had more solid information about his trip.

So, of course I called Paul and gave him the update on his mother. I had to assure him that she was fine, it was just precautionary and they were mostly calling to find out his travel plans.  He said the same thing I thought. He was waiting to know a bit more before calling his parents. He finally had more information and is planning on calling them sometime today.

Now.. the last time that Paul was in Mesa for one of these quick trips, he was part of a group (as he will be this time) and did not have his own rental car.  His parents drove out to see him and have dinner with him. During this short trip they managed to blow out a tire on their car and had no spare.  So they ended up using a taxi to get them to Paul in time to see his demonstration (flight) and have dinner with him.   He's paranoid now about having them drive out to Mesa (about an hour drive from their house) again, so he has been pondering what to do.

This morning he catches me on line and asks how I feel about him renting a car at his own expense while he's in Mesa.  He mentions that he can rent one for between 120 and 170 for the week.  I tell him I have NO problem with him renting a car so that he can see his parents more often.. but could he please rent the cheaper car.  He says..

[10:18 A.M.]:  Yes... I am sure that I can squeeze myself into a $120 compact car.

Here's where the dissing comes in... the man is 6 ft 2 inches tall.. I totally get that the cars we buy have to allow him some comfort.. but we are talking about a rental ... it's not like he's some freakishly tall (over 6'6") giant that can't use a compact car... And it's not like he's going to be spending days and days in it.  Maybe it's just me... but I feel like he's fishing here for permission to get a bigger car.  I'm not biting the bait.  For 5 days, he can drive in a compact car.. (did I mention that the last new car HE chose was a DODGE NEON (compact car)) 

LOL.. okay.. I feel better getting that off my chest.

4 miles, and other random thoughts

I feel good!  I just finished my four mile walk.  I wasn't completely sure I was going to get that done today (it's been one of those days)... but a while after dinner, I just couldn't think of any more reasons to avoid it. :)   This new workout has you doing 4 miles in less than 48 minutes.  There is "interval" walking going on ... some of which is either a very, very fast walk, or a jog (I did the jog). 

So, I 've been pondering a friendship of mine.  And wondering what the rules are for some things.  I have a long time friend that seems to find her way into many questionable situations.  She will walk into incredibly stupid relationships with her eyes wide open and then cry and rage when it blows up in her face (a long term relationship with a married man comes to mind). 

Now... I have issues with the whole married man thing.. but putting that aside, I realize that I am not her mother and it is not my place to approve nor disapprove of her choices.  But do I have to listen to the rants when it turns south again?  She demands that he divorces, he backs off for a bit, then makes promises, she lets him back in... and then he remains married (although, in all fairness, he's been apart from his wife now for three years).  She is slowly falling into the same pattern again after telling him in November that it was over between them.

So, here's my pondering.. is there any nice way to say,  "I care about you, I'm sorry you are hurting, but I do not want to waste my night listening to you rant about something that you KNEW was going to end the same way."   Is that allowed?  Am I allowed to say I don't want to hear about it again?  or does that make me an uncaring friend?

Found a new journal (to me)

I always love finding new journals that I haven't read before.  Today's find is another weight loss gal.  She's a SAHM with three kids and I have to say I enjoyed playing catch up in her journal today.  I hope you all get a chance to swing by her spot and give her some encouragement.  http://journals.aol.com/momof3kidz/CaringForMe

Monday as day one

I have recently received the new Leslie Sansone Program.  It is called SLIM WALK.  It comes with a total of 4 DVD's (in three cases). There is a 2 mile walk, 3 mile walk, 4 mile walk and a strength/stretch workout.  She issues a challenge to all her regular walkers to "walk a meal off" each day.  I have decided to take her challenge.  For the next 13 days, I will be walking either the 3 mile walk (with the strength/stretch workout) or the 4 mile walk (and follow that up with the Bean abs).  I will be alternating days. 

I am using my 224.5 as my beginning weight for this and I will be finishing up with a final weigh in on Feb 3.

Today I did the 3 mile walk (a very fast walk) and the Strength/stretch workout.  I  know that there are many people that find Leslie a bit annoying after awhile.  I will say that I like this new set so far.  And this is another DVD that is set up to allow you to hear just the music if you prefer it that way.

I'm feeling really motivated right now, so I know that this next few days on this program should be easy-cheesy.

This joke is too funny not to share!

I received this via e-mail from Connie, the friend I blame for getting me hooked on Polish Pottery.   I had to share this.. it's too funny.

Choosing a wife

A man wanted to get married. He was having trouble choosing among three likely candidates. He gives each woman a present of $5,000 and watches to see what they do with the money.

The first does a total make over. She goes to a fancy beauty salon gets her hair done, new make up and buys several new outfits and dresses up very nicely for the man. She tells him that she has done this to be more attractive for him because she loves him so much.

The man was impressed.

The second goes shopping to buy the man gifts. She gets him a new set of golf clubs, some new gizmos for his computer, and some expensive clothes. As she presents these gifts,  she tells him that she has spent all the money on him because she loves him so much.

Again, the man is impressed.

The third invests the money in the stock market. She earns several times the $5,000. She gives him back his $5,000 and reinvests the remainder in a joint account. She tells him that she wants to save for their futur e because she loves him so much.

Obviously, the man was impressed.

The man thought for a long time about what each woman had done with the money he'd given her.

Then, he married the one with the biggest boobs.

Men are like that, you know.

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research.

This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

My Post so no one thinks I've been kidnapped.

So how did it go?  Did they kidnap you and not let you come home?  If you don't post over the weekend I am going to think they got you drunk and put you in uniform and sent you off to war! <g>
Hey how's the vertigo?
Stacy
Comment from fatbegonestacy - 1/19/07 6:58 PM

 

Lunch was very interesting.  There were about 20 women and 10 small children there. The best compliment I got was from Holly, who in one breath asked "where are your kids, you got a sitter, how smart!"  LOL... and when I told her that mine were all too old to require a sitter, she responded with "NO WAY!" And when I told her... oh yeah, way.. I have a (soon to be) 14, 15 and 18 yr old, She once again responded with "NO WAY!.. you don't look old enough!"... She's my new best friend.. LOL

     A curious thing has slowly been happening since 1984, when Paul first went full time active duty.  We slowly moved from usually being the youngest couple to suddenly being the oldest (or one of the oldest) couple.  I'm finding this view from the top to be rather curious. I'm also finding that lots of people want to know if my three teens  babysit.. LOL.  Kendra and Mac do.  Kim won't.  She doesn't like being in charge of young kids and she doesn't like being in other people's empty (sans adult) houses after dark.

My two week weigh in was yesterday and I was at 224.5, which if memory serves is down 3.3 lbs. YAY ME!   Next weigh in is 2/2/07.

The Vertigo is still with me.  Since no one has school on Monday (end of semester), I'll probably call the clinic Monday morning and see if I can get an appointment.

Paul leaves on Sunday to go to Pennsylvania for a week.  He's learning to fly yet another helicopter. <eyeroll>

 

Days of Anonymity are gone

I received a call today from the spouse of the class leader of the class ahead of Paul's class.  Say that three times fast! LOL.  Okay.. at any given time there are only two class groups in session at the NTPS.  The previous "senior" class graduated in December and those folks are now off to their next assignment. Paul's class which starts Feb 5 will be the "junior" class and will go through December of this year.  The  "new" senior class kind of paves the way for all of us newbies in the junior class.

I've been enjoying the family focused time we've been having, but I guess that is about to end.  Apparently the Navy very much enjoys having the spouses involved in what's going on.  So.. I have my first "getting to know you" function tomorrow.  And already I have two dates on my calendar in February for "events" that my attendance is requested.

I have mixed feelings on this matter. On the one side, I do appreciate the opportunity to meet other spouses and the chance to get involved.  On the other, I kind of like just piddling around on my own schedule without any "responsibilities" to weigh me down. I know that I can be as involved or uninvolved as I'd like.. but I also know how easily I say "yes" to certain things. It's my way of being supportive towards Paul.

 

 

Breaking out of the rut

I have been dealing with a bout of vertigo.  I think what I hate most about it is that I never know when it's going to hit.  Paul keeps telling me I should go see the doctor, and I probably should... but when???  Seems I always have something else that is just a little more pressing.

Last night I laid out my clothes so that I could be sure to do my exercising this morning... or at least be dressed for it.  I woke up almost an hour ahead of my alarm clock and since I don't like that feeling of just falling asleep when it finally goes off, I got up.

I walked two miles this morning using the WATP (Walk Away The Pounds) 2 mile fat burning walk. 

Up to now, our winter has been pretty mild, but according to Tom Kierein at the Channel 4 News Weather Center... it's over (the mildness, that is).  We are expecting cold winds to start cooling things down here in our neck of the state by afternoon. 

I know that a lot of states have been getting some awful storms and I think this is that weather front moving into DC/Maryland.

Today, Paul gets back into "work" mode here.  He has survival training this week.  And then we are back to our "who's Paul" status as he takes off on Sunday for two more TDY's (one in Penn. and one in AZ).   I think he's due back here on Feb 3.

 

Hunting for furniture and Future Plans

Paul and I went out furniture hunting with Kendra today.  All of the kids needed new bedroom furniture when we arrived here.  We've taken care of Mac and Kim, but Kendra's taste has been rather elusive. 

She is living out of plastic drawers and a lot of boxes.  It makes it hard for her to keep her room neat and makes it really hard for me to get in there to help. 

I had very high hopes of being able to find something that she would like today.  The first store had nothing, but at the second store she found a dresser, mirror and night stand that she really liked.  The problem is that it is a little higher in price than we would like to pay.  So, we grabbed the brochures for this set and moved on to the third store.

The third store was HUGE.  It does claim to be the largest showroom in this area, and I think it may actually be a true claim. Unfortunately, they had nothing that looked like the set that she saw at the second store, and nothing else that she found interesting.  But we did have a good time going up and down rows and rows of bedroom suites. I think I found the set that I would like for mine and Paul's room, but I think that can wait for now.  We do have a functional set, even if it's not the one I want forever.

So, now I'm stuck trying to find this set that Kendra likes at a price I can afford.  I'll let you know how that hunt goes.

 

Meanwhile, my sister and I have decided to fly back to Phoenix to spend Mother's Day with our mom.  We set up our flights today.  I do know that part of the weekend is going to include some casino hopping and (knowing my sister) dinner at Garcia's.  Beyond that, Im not sure.  I was thinking that a cool gift for my mother would be a portrait of Susan, Art(my brother) and I, but I'm not sure we can manage that in the short weekend we have there (my brother lives in Phoenix, so he would be available). 

I think I've procrastinated long enough and it's time to get back to walking. All the excuses are gone. So tomorrow I'll be back in my walking shoes, making some tracks.

Where's the Motivation? and my late christmas gift

TOM arrived Sunday  morning at my house.  While he was walking in the front door, my motivation to stay on track snuck out the back door.  It was subtle... I didn't notice at first that motivation had gone...but when I realized that I had already managed to eat out three times since Friday, it became clear that I was in the hands of something hormonal. <sigh>  I'm doing the best I can and hoping that by the end of the week, motivation and TOM will trade places.  We'll see.

For Christmas this year, Mackenzie gave me the next installment of my favorite PC game Might and Magic:Dark Messiah.  Of course, Mac seldom thinks about checking to see if the program is compatible with our computers. And.. since my computer is so old and this game is so new... there were compatibility issues. 

 My knight in shining armor, Paul.. came through with a brand new computer!  And while I think it's really cool that I can play my new game.. what really has me excited is that with this purchase, I can officially kick everyone off my computer.... even Paul! 

 For the first time ever.. we all have a functioning computer and we are all able to sign onto the internet from our respective computers.   Wow!  For me .. this is as exciting as when we first became a two car family. :)  The freedom!!

Of course, it's gonna take me awhile to reconfigure everything the way I like it...and transfer a few files from my old computer to this new computer.  I'm hoping that later, Paul will be able to upgrade some of the stuff on the old computer.... otherwise you know eventually Mac is going to get a new game that needs my computer's capabilities to be able to play it.  And I am gonna just have to learn to say "no".

For Fun- Food Survey

Food survey -  I picked this up at Heather's journal.  Something new in the way of "getting to know me" and so here's my answers.  Thanks Heather! (and Lynn, whom Heather snagged it from)

1.  What is the one kitchen gadget you couldn't live without?  My bread machine

2.  What is your favourite snack food of choice?  Chocolate

3.  What is the last meal you cooked?  Speghetti with bread sticks

4.  Who is your favorite television chef?  It's a toss up between Rachel Ray and the guy from Good Eats

5.  Who is the best cook in your family?  Everyone has a speciality. Kendra makes the best brownies EVER! Paul is our chili chef (I wouldn't eat the stuff before I tasted his). Kim is our pasta whiz... and Mac.. well, we love Mac. :) 

6.  Have you ever had any cooking disasters?  Growing up, my mother did not buy oil, so every time I made brownies from scratch I would have to melt the shortening to use it. One time I put the eggs in before the shortening cooled too much and I had cooked eggs in my brownies.

7.   If you were on death row and had to pick a last meal ever, what would it be?  Tough choice, but I would want a grilled chicken breast with a honey mustard sauce, a small side of spinach tortellini, tomato and basil bruschetta and for dessert, a chocolate lava cake.

8.  Chinese or Indian and why?  Of these two, I would pick Chinese because the few Indian dishes I know are a bit too spicy for my liking.

9.  Would you consider yourself to be a glutton?  If I'm not careful, yes.

10.  What would you never ever eat in a million years?  Any sort of bug.

12.  Have you ever made a recipe you saw on the telly?  no, but I've made plenty from magazines like Cooking Light

13.  What was the last thing you ate?  Grilled chicken with a honey mustard sauce,  grilled shrimp and a baked potato

14.  What food would you like to share most with someone you love?  Sweet Vermouth Chicken, honey glazed Carrots, chili lime shrimp skewers, yeast rolls and a twice baked potato.And maybe a bottle of a German Auslese.

15.  Have you ever cooked over an open fire?  Having been a girl scout and the mother of two girl scouts, I have learned to cook over an open fire.

16.  What would you consider to be a romantic dinner?  One in which there are few distractions. "Romantic" these days usually means having the house to ourselves, or being able to get out alone. As Heather said.. it's the company that makes it romantic.

17.   Best all timemeal you have ever eaten and why?  I think it would actually be easier to name a meal that was the worst ever. :) 

18.  Sweet or Salty?  Sweet

19.  What is your signature dish?  I think my most successful dishes are the ones that people ask me to make for them again.  So... Lasagne would be the absolute signature dish, with chocolate chip cookies being a close second.   But I think I make the Sweet Vermouth Chicken the best.  

20.  Four course dinner or finger food buffet?  In either case, it would depend on what's being served.  But generally speaking.. I like buffets.. so many choices.

REGRETS

When you ponder the regrets in your life, do they paralyze you or galvanize you? In 2007, I hope to be galvanized.

I have my 25th wedding anniversary coming up in May.  I would love to be back into my wedding dress by that date, or at least be much closer to it than I am now.

Kendra graduates from high school this June.  I'd like to be smaller for that too.

Usually if I regret anything, I regret the way I have responded to something.  Like my over the top performance on Sunday with respect to Kendra's change in flight plans.  I often regret that I didn't do something in a more timely basis, like calling family to see how things are going.

If I were going to make one resolution this year, I think it would be that I take the Serenity prayer to heart.  That I count to 10 before I respond to an unpleasant situation.  That I learn to set my phaser to "stun" instead of "kill".  Or better yet, that I learn to just relax enough to recognize that not everyone is as perfect as I am, and cut them a break.

The Numbers don't lie

It's a New Year... even if it is a few days old.  And it's time for the yearly assessment of where I am and where I want to be.

I have had several weeks of pure "I don't care" and I'm going to be paying the price for that.  This morning my weight was 227.8  I haven't seen my scale that high in years!  I think that was the final smack across the head I needed to get motivated.   So here are the numbers as they apply to me.

Weight: 227.8

Percentage of body fat: 45.9

Fat lbs: 104.5

BMI: 41.7

JCPENNEY SIZE: 22w or 2x

Total inches (from 14 measurements): 322

Exercise is clearly in the future for me, as well as modifications to my eating plan (or actually HAVING an eating plan might be the ticket).

I'm spending this morning working out the plans and I'll post them with my next entry.

My accountability is going to be through bi-weekly weigh ins and measurings.   So my next "official" weigh in will be January 19.

My initial goals for this first two weeks are as follows:

1. No More than 2 meals away from home every 7 days.

2. 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week.

3. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day.

 

Do we give him a brain?? or.... "How I spent my New Year's weekend"

Background information for this entry: My BFF Lisa and I schemed up a plan for me to visit her in Ohio for the New Year Weekend.  Her kids were going to be with their father in another state and Paul was finally going to be home to watch my three.  I have to admit, I did ponder whether I should be gone from home during the time that Kendra was in Colorado, but I thought Paul could handle anything that came up.

Friday morning, I threw my suitcase in the mom-mobile, slapped in the first disc of my book on tape, and started cruising down the highway. Once I left Maryland, I had the pleasure of getting lost briefly in Breezeway, PA (and for anyone that has been there, you can laugh that I should get screwed up in such a small town with large directional signs to the turnpike.) Once I was on the PA turnpike, it was smooth sailing. Ohio turnpike, also a breeze.  Then I had to get off the freeway in Toledo.  Since it was dark by then and I had to try and read the directions from Mapquest while watching traffic, I spent some time wandering up and down streets until I finally found the right street.

Lisa bought her first home earlier in 2006.  This was my first chance to see it.  The house is really cute, the perfect size for her and the boys (she has two sons).  One of our projects for this weekend was to paint Jacob's room.

Sunday evening, I called Paul to check on the status of Kendra's flight home.  With all the snow, I wasn't sure how much, if at all, her travel plans would be affected.  Here is my memory of that conversation

::::ring, ring::::

P- Hello?

E- Ola! Como esta?

long pause

P- I was hoping you wouldnt call today.

E- (instantly, the mom radar goes into full alert).. What's wrong? Is Kendra not flying out today?

P- (meandering, in my opinion) well.... it's .. never.. what.. you .. expect.

P- the plane she was supposed to board in Co. was coming from Phoenix. En route, the plane had mechanical problems and required the mechanics to go over it before they could take off from Co. .... ITS NOTHING MAJOR...  but she is most likely going to miss her connecting flight in Cinncinatti... BUT THE CONNECTION WE HAD WASN'T THE GREATEST.... they are going to either 1) stall the other flight, 2) depending on the time she arrives, ground transport her to another airport so she can catch a flight to BWI tonight, or 3) put her up in a hotel and get her on a flight tomorrow.  BUT SINCE I COULDN'T REALLY HEAR HER, I  TOLD HER TO JUST CALL ME WHEN SHE KNEW MORE.

E- What were you thinking? How could you not call me and let me know this sooner?  What are they going to do with her?

P- (trying to be soothing) Calm down, I have this under control

The conversation went amazingly downhill from this point.  I will spare you the minute details of my complete and total breakdown.  I spent at least two hours contemplating all the various scenarios in which things could go horribly wrong.   On the up side, the airline held up the connecting flight and Kendra arrived back in Maryland on Sunday, Paul was there to pick her up... and he text'd me to let me know this (the coward).

**** a brief note from the author.. In hindsight, Paul did know what was going on and he did have a reasonable handle on the situation.  Where he went horribly wrong was in thinking it would be "best" to not tell me anything until he knew for sure WHICH of the three possibilities was going to happen.  And then to start our conversation with "I was hoping you wouldn't call"... smacks of cover-up.  I truly had no choice but to over-react and become the uber bitch mom.  ***********

So.. Monday passed by pleasantly enough, although I was still seething a bit at Paul's text message in lieu of a phone call (the coward).   But along about 9 am on Tuesday, drama once again reared it's ugly head.  This time it was drama in the form of Lisa's Ex not having returned the boys on time.  These two have a long and ugly history with respect to the boys.  He won't pay his child support because he's convinced Lisa doesn't use the money on the kids (she does, when she gets it).  He is always bringing the kids back late or refusing to bring them at all and telling Lisa, if you want the boys, you'll have to pick them up yourself.  So... this particular event was the final straw... Lisa filed a complaint with the local law enforcement.  The EX finally had the boys back to Lisa at midnight on Tuesday.

Wednesday, I headed home... upon arriving back here, Paul and I went out to dinner.  We sat in the parking lot for at least an hour before going in to discuss what happened on Sunday.  Accusations flew, tears flowed, appologies were made and finally.. he admitted he was wrong in how he handled the communication.  And I admitted I probably over-reacted. 

I'm chalking this one up to a "growth experience" for all of us. Kendra did a great job keeping her dad informed and seemed not at all flustered by the changes that occurred. Paul and I have learned another area in which we each need to have a bit more faith in the other.  And I think Paul really learned that "I hoped you wouldn't call today" is not the best conversation starter.

Oh.. and Jacob's room did get painted.. a lovely color called "Russian Blue."  But I didn't get the chance to hem the shower curtains for Lisa.. sorry about that, hon.