Looks Like Yum

Breakfast today: Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh raspberries. Deeeee-licious!

NSV Day

I had a couple of nice NSV's today, and while my dinner cooks (pork chops and roasted brussels sprouts - yum!) I figured I would share. :-)

I ran into someone I haven't seen in a few months today and got a, "DAMN girl! You lost some weight, huh? You look great!" That was super nice to hear.

I ran around and did some errands (haircut, drug store, library) and was planning to go to the gym. It was about 97 degrees and sunny out - very hot, but there is a really nice park with a nature walk area right near the library and as much as I usually hate to sweat and I like to be distracted by TV or music when I'm exercising, I went and walked the nature path a couple of times around. It was beautiful! There were lots of birds (including a mama duck with a bunch of babies and a huge egret with a big black snake in its mouth), TONS of dragonflies in the most amazing colors, turtles...I was alone with my thoughts for 45 minutes and enjoyed the sunshine and the warm breeze. The place was completely empty and I loved the solitude. I felt so incredibly good when I was done. The coolest part was that I wasn't thinking about how many calories I was burning or that I couldn't wait to be done - I felt the joy in moving just for the sake of moving. That probably sounds all hippie-dippyish, but it was just a really good moment.

Friday BYOC

Because I Heart Drazil!

1. This comes from my post yesterday about me bragging that I can still wear the same earrings I wore in high school….got me to wondering…how many piercings do you have? (the ones you can tell us about anyway – *wink wink)

I used to have 5 or 6 in each ear, but I let them all close except for two. I almost never wear earrings.

2. I’m asking this one because I’m getting another tattoo soon…and even have plans to get one of a lizard – my little Draz – because this blog and you all have become a major part of my life. Anywhoozle – how many tattoos do you have? If you have none and wanted to get one – what would it be?

I have two. I have a purple and green Grateful Dead bear on my left thigh. It has loads of meaning for two reasons. First, the Grateful Dead have been a huge part of my life for years and touring with them was one of the happiest times of my life. Second, my dear friend Mike who I toured with and has since passed away had a purple and green bear tattoo and I got it in memory of him. My other tattoo is on my right ankle and it's one big dragonfly and several small ones in a field of flowers. Dragonflies are just such beautiful creatures and I feel such a connection to them.

3. If you’ve ever suffered from a weight-loss plateau, what’s your best advice to get past it?

I think you just have to change something up, like eating whatever you want for one day and then switching to very low carbs for a few days and increasing exercise.

4. This is a repeat. I liked last week’s challenge for BYOC and I saw a lot of people this week follow through on the promise they made last week. You pick one thing for just one day next week that you want to do….and mentally doing it for the one day can totally jump start more successes. And I feel like I can do anything for just one day.

I will finally try Zumba next Wednesday, as long as the instructor is back at the gym.

5. Repeat *make someone a Superstar* question – what's your favorite blog or comment of the week?

My friend Sheryl, a.k.a. Bitchcakes, inspires me every single week, and I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished. I don't know too many formerly 200-pound people who could ride a pink Hello Kitty bicycle 70 miles in a skirt and heels. Isn't she gorgeous?

New Picture

I changed my profile pic. Do you like it? It's me, right before surgery, at the hospital and trying to put on a brave face. My husband took pics before and after "happy medicine" A.K.A. Versed. I posted the happy one as my profile pic, but here's both:






Silly huh? I look back on that day as one of the best of my life, pain and all.

Processed Crap = Yuck

I lovingly packed myself food for the day. 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast. String cheese for a snack. Leftover grilled chicken breast and salad for lunch. A peach.

And I left it sitting in the fridge and didn't realize it until I was 3/4 of the way to work. Damn.

I gave myself exactly enough time to get to work. Stopping for breakfast wasn't on the agenda so I didn't exactly have time to stop at the grocery store.

I did something I never do anymore. I am embarrassed to say...I drove through McDonald's. I figured I'd get an Egg McMuffin - not too horrible in the calorie department. Yeah. I was stressed, in a hurry (yes, I know these are all excuses), and "Old Stephanie" came out...I ordered a Sausage McMuffin. Ewww. It was so greasy and nasty. Ah well, at least I didn't get hash browns and a diet Coke too.

Lunch was a 6 inch turkey sub from Subway. Not too bad but my left arm was starting to hurt from all the salt.

After lunch I ran into the Fresh Market to get a piece of fruit for my afternoon snack. I got an individual serving of Ciao Bella blood orange sorbet. Only 110 calories, totally refreshing, mostly fruit, and I don't regret it one bit.

I was so exhausted by the time I got home that I was planning on having a Lean Cuisine. Thank goodness for my husband - he had already lit the grill and started burgers. I had a burger patty wrapped in lettuce leaves with relish, ketchup, and a slice of lowfat pepper jack cheese.

All I want tomorrow is protein and veggies and fruit. Ugh. I feel gross. I need to start keeping my keys in the fridge with my lunch bag.

Oh yeah, also I noticed I have some new followers. Welcome! I would love to follow you too, but sometimes when I click on followers, I can't see what their blog is. So if you're following me and I'm not following you, pleeeeeease leave a comment and let me know!

What a Weekend

I don't think I've needed a weekend as badly as I needed this one in quite some time. After some crazy/bad/heartbreaking stuff happening at work this week, I needed a couple of days to regroup and get my mind back in order.

I did a little stress eating (bad bad bad, I know) but got right back on track. And it wasn't even THAT bad (not like a pre-band episode of stress eating) but I need to confess, I went for Mexican food on Friday, ate about 1 and 3/4 chicken enchiladas with sour cream, some beans, and a few chips and felt AWFUL for the rest of the day. Physically, not mentally. I ate too much, too fast and it felt like it was just sitting in my throat. That was around 1:30. I got home from work and went to the gym - not to punish myself for eating crappy but because I felt like I NEEDED it. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill, it worked, I felt better, and I ate a small dinner around 11:00 PM. I was truly not hungry before that.

On a good note, that made 4 workouts during the week, which was my goal. I'm going to have the same goal this week.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet a lovely band blogger, Melissa. She is thinking about getting banded. She asked about a gazillion questions about the band and my experiences thus far (which was totally cool with me since it's my favorite topic of conversation). She and I went swimming, went out for a yummy dinner which was my first time having sushi since getting the band (and it went down fine, thank goodness, as I have really missed it), and talked and talked and talked and...well, you get the idea. I really enjoyed meeting her, even though she thought I might be a rapist and murderer. I did not rape and/or murder her. However, I did make her feel my port. She was surprised how unobtrusive it was and that it really wasn't a big deal to have it there under my skin.

Last night my dear friend Jen came over to my parents' house (I was house sitting - that's what I call it when I go over there when they're not home to use their pool and get some quiet time) to hang out with me and sleep over. We went out for brunch (I had a veggie omelet with artichokes, onions, avocado, and goat cheese - YUM!), got pedicures, and shopped. It was a nice relaxing day.

As for the Summer Meltdown - I "only" lost 1.6 pounds this week for the challenge. And I don't mean "only" as in "I didn't do well". I mean it was just a whole lot less than last week. And that's ok. I'm not in a race. I'm thrilled that with the truly awful work week I had, I didn't gain weight. That's pretty awesome.

No Zumba :-(

I showed up at the gym bright and early for the Zumba class. I had a Flatout bread and some hummus for breakfast to get some complex carbs as suggested. I had my towel and a bottle of water. I was nervous, but so excited. Well, the lady who teaches Zumba is out sick this week. The substitute teacher did a sculpting class instead. It was a good class and I DID IT and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow (lots of squats and lunges) but...it wasn't Zumba.

As Grace would say: Awesome. Except for not really.

Oh well. Next week.

Shakin' in My Boots

I am going to Zumba at the gym tomorrow morning. I am SCARED. Hearing about how so many of my band sisters love Zumba has encouraged me to try it, but hearing about the soreness and hurting in muscles that you didn't know you had is just a bit frightening. Any last words of advice? I'll make sure I have a protein shake before I go, and a nice big bottle of water for during, and a nice big bottle of Tylenol for after.

I saw a new low on the scale yesterday morning - 244.8. However, after Mexican food with some friends last night, I bounced back up to 245.6 this morning. I am totally cool with that because I'm still down a total of almost 7 pounds this week after my bounce up after last weeks pizza fest.

I <3 my band!

BYOC on June 11, 2010

1. What was your first pet?

A cat named Stormy. We got her when I was in 7th grade because I got all A's and B's on my report card. I desperately wanted a cat for my whole life before that, and I loved her so much. She lived to 19 years old and I was very sad to have to take her to the vet when my parents were out of town to have her put to sleep. She was a good kitty.



2. (I am SO skipping this one altogether. Sorry!)

3 & 4 – I’m combining these two cuz this answer could be long. A follower (thanks Steph) asked if I could ask what a daily meal plan looks like for each of you – out of curiosity and out of possibly learning new foods to try.

Breakfast: Coffee with Splenda and milk, and 2 hard boiled eggs. On gym mornings I might have a sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast made with skim milk before the gym and one egg afterwards, or some leftovers. This morning I had the instant breakfast before the gym and about 1/3 cup of leftover turkey taco meat with a sprinkle of cheese, a dab of light sour cream, and a spoonful of salsa. Tomorrow I will have my leftovers from today's lunch.

Lunch: Chicken breast with black beans and salsa, a "power lite" burrito (under 500 calories) from Tijuana Flats, meat or seafood with brown rice and veggies, a Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine frozen meal, leftovers, chicken meatballs (I like the Aidell's pineapple teriyaki ones) with steamed broccoli...it totally varies from day to day. Lunch is my biggest meal of the day.

Dinner: A piece of meat or fish and some roasted or steamed veggies. Tonight we had pork chops and roasted broccoli.

Snacks: Light string cheese (I like the 2% milk twisty cheddar and mozzarella one by Polly-O), Greek yogurt, Skinny Cow ice cream, South Beach Diet high protein cereal bars (the peanut butter ones are amazing). I haven't really been doing a lot of snacking lately. My 3 meals a day have been satisfying me pretty well, especially when I am super busy at work. I haven't even really been tempted by the Twizzlers my dad brought in to work to keep in his desk, which used to be a huge favorite of mine.

5. Repeat question: What blog or blog comment stayed with you or stuck with you the most this week and why?

Sherry's (Two Sticks or a Lighter) post about refusing to diet anymore made me want to shout, "Right on, band sister!" And TracyZ's (One Foodie's Band Quest) post about the way her old self ate and how Old Tracy would laugh at New Tracy made me think about the way that Old Stephanie was. I like the new me a whole lot more.

Hot Summer Meltdown Challenge Starts Tomorrow!

Yay Weekend and BYOC!

What a week! I am so happy it's Friday night and I don't have to set the alarm clock tomorrow. Today was a little tough, eating wise. One of the women in my office baked up a storm and brought all the "goodies" in - TWO kinds of oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cup cookies, lemon bars...and guess what? I did not have a single crumb. I told her that I was just starting to like her, but that was over. I kinda meant it too. I was tempted...oh boy was I ever...but I felt like it would have been a very bad idea since I just had pizza for dinner last night (and a leftover slice for breakfast). The good news is that I STILL have another slice leftover in the fridge...and this was an "individual" pizza. I ate at this place (Mellow Mushroom) in the past and was easily able to eat the entire individual pizza in one sitting. So, big improvement, but after a carb-fest like that, I thought a bunch of sugar would have been stupid.

I got home from work and my husband wanted to...order a pizza. I refused the pizza, but ordered chicken with lemon wine sauce on it, ate half of the chicken, most of the side salad (but skipped the croutons), and about 1/2 cup of pasta, and put the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow. You'll never guess what I did next. I threw the garlic rolls in the garbage, without taking a single bite of one! I don't think I've ever done that in my life.

*************************

BYOC Time! As Drazil says, "It's Friday again - time for 5 teeny questions you can copy and paste into your own blog so we can all get to know each other better! Play if you want to!"

1. If you could live anywhere in the world - where would it be and why?

Probably somewhere in North Carolina or Georgia. I think I'm a little bit of a southern girl at heart. I think it's hilarious that I need to go north to be in the south (since I live in Florida) but I absolutely love the Blue Ridge area. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in a gorgeous cabin (with a hot tub in the bedroom!) in Blairsville, Georgia and I fell in love with that area.

2. How old were you when you got drunk for the 1st time?

I'll tell you, but you have to promise to not have my parents arrested, ok? I was 10-ish and in fifth grade. It was Passover and I kept sneaking sips of the four traditional glasses of wine. I was wasted by the end of the night. My parents made me go to school with a hangover and it's a lesson I have NEVER forgotten. I rarely drink. I'm going out with friends tomorrow night and guess who's driving, as usual, so everyone else can drink?

3. What was your favorite toy growing up?

Spirograph, gears, and magic sand. I was a geek even then.

4. What's your favorite season and why?

I LOVE the fall. Living in Florida, I don't get to experience it much, but the cool, crisp weather, apples, and the smell of the leaves are just so amazing.

5. Repeat question....which blog or comment spoke to you or stuck with you the most this week?

Grace's vlog made my heart hurt for her. I've been thinking a lot about her and hoping she's feeling a little better.

Day on My Plate

I like reading all of the menus of what different bandsters are eating. I'm trying to get a better idea of how many calories I am eating per day, and also have a record of what's working and what isn't, so I'm going to try to do a few of these per week. So, here's what I ate today, along with approximate calorie counts. My goal is 1400-1600 calories per day:

Breakfast:

2 coffees with 1% milk and Splenda (100)

2 hard boiled eggs (120)

Morning snack:

Chobani 2% Greek yogurt - pineapple flavor (so delicious!!!) (160)

Lunch:

Healthy Choice frozen meal (chicken parmesan, pasta, broccoli, and apple crisp) (350)

Afternoon Snack:

String cheese (60)

Dinner:

4 oz. flatiron steak (300)

White beans with carrots and spinach (90)

1/3 cup (probably not even that much) leftover tortellini with pesto (150)

Bedtime Snack (I didn't even want anything, but I'm on these damn antibiotics that need to be taken with food):

String cheese (60)

Total: 1390 calories

I'm not eating anything else today and now it is bedtime.