Back on Track

Well, it felt good to be back on track again. Psychologically, I really think I am finally there now.

For my workout, I rebounded while watching The Firm: Ultimate Calorie Blaster.

My calorie goal was 1400.

Breakfast: Protein shake (300)
Lunch: Bean and cheese burrito with salsa (336)
Dinner: 2 slices of veggie pizza (800)

Total Calories: 1436

Back on Track

Sorry I haven't checked in in awhile, but things have been a little hectic again and I've been having a hard time concentrating.

Mostly what has been taking up my concentration is finalizing my masters thesis. My advisor and I have been going back and forth for the last month or so and these past few days I have been working to get that thing finalized and approved. The good news is....yesterday I submitted my final revisions and he sent me a message saying my project is approved "with distinction"! So I am taking that to mean it's considered above average. To say I am relieved and happy is an understatement. This project has been the equivalent of carrying around a 100 pound weight on my shoulders and now it has been lifted!!! The only thing remaining as far as that project goes is that I have to give a 10 minute presentation (along with some other students who are finishing up their masters) on the 22nd. No big deal. I just hope I can put together a decent, fairly comprehensive summary in 10 minutes. It's a 50 page paper!

Another huge relief occurred just yesterday. My advisor is also the professor who teaches the class I am taking. He said he took a look at my paper (which I recently finished and put up on a web site) and he says it looks "great". So I think I can safely say that that project is now officially behind me.

As for the diet and exercise, I have to admit it has not been good the past few days. I've only been about 50% compliant with the exercise (yes, I know that is unusual for me) and the diet has been out the window. HOWEVER, today is a new day and psychologically, I am feeling like my life is regaining some semblance of normality and there's definitely a big reduction in stress now, so I am really going to try to be back on track.

Thursday

Today's workout goal was strength training. After standing in front of my video cabinet for 5 minutes not feeling like doing any of the workouts, I finally selected The Firm: Tortoise which is one of the older Firms - and a really good one. I rebounded through the corny "ballroom aerobics" sections, though. I just can't stomach that cheesiness first thing in the morning.

I had to move some calorie values around this month so today's calorie allotment was 2000.

Breakfast: the usual chocolate banana protein shake (300)

Lunch: out to lunch with co-workers for Thai food. 1 cup cream of mushroom soup (200), 3 pieces of fried tofu with dipping sauce (126), tilapia with sweet sauce with a side of about 1.5 cups white rice (508)

Treat: Ben & Jerry's ice cream in a waffle cone (900)

No Dinner

Total Calories: 2034

(I calculated all these values using Calorie King and I think they are fairly good estimates).

Spring Fashions

Well, I was a bit short on sleep today so I was not feeling up to exercising. I intended to take a walk in the afternoon and even though I didn't really feel like it, I put my sneakers on and forced myself to go out for my walk. It was too windy and chilly though, so I lasted all of 10 minutes and then decided to duck inside at the local university to read for awhile. (I can handle cold, but not wind).

Today was a 1400 calorie day and a bit of a challenge, but I made it through okay, although admittedly, my "dinner" wasn't the healthiest.

Breakfast: the usual shake (300)

Lunch: Veggie burger with fried onions, peppers and mushrooms on Tuscan Pane bread, topped with cheddar and ketchup (410). Small amount of corn chips (130).

Dinner: 2 candy bars (560) (craving cave-in)

Total Calories: 1400

Now some happy news to report...I switched my winter clothing over to my summer clothing today and in doing so, tried on all my clothes to see exactly what fits (I have clothing in so many different sizes it is ridiculous). I was very happy to discover that a lot of clothes that did not fit me last spring now fit me, and some are even loose! A couple of these articles of clothing are things that I really love and wore several years ago but haven't fit me for a long time. I refused to get rid of these things and I was determined to keep them and eventually fit into them again and now I do! For example, I have this brown linen fitted blazer that is particularly stylish and in a size 10. The last time I remember wearing it is around 1999. It's a classic style, though, so it's still very wearable and I love it. Well, after all these years of sitting in my closet, it finally fits me again!

I was able to filter out a lot of too-big clothes. Also, I tried on my formal wear again to see what will fit me for the cruise (coming up in 1 month!) and many of my dressy clothes fit really nicely now. There will be no shortage of nice things to wear on the cruise. AND as if this was not enough to float my boat today, I tried my entire bathing suit collection (yes, it IS a collection) and most of them fit nice and I actually feel that I look pretty decent in them (not WOW - knock out! or anything, but not HIDE UNDER A ROCK either).

The only bad thing about the change in size is that often I have to say goodbye to some articles of clothing that I really like. Guess you gotta take the bad with the good, right? Gives me an excuse to go out and buy more new clothes.

Speaking of which, I have been meaning to mention that I recently discovered another new favorite clothing store - Loehmann's. I had been sent a coupon for $25 off a purchase of $50 or more, so I couldn't pass up on that deal. I went to check the place out. Well, I really like it! It reminds me a bit of Stein Mart...high quality, stylish clothes. I think the clothes at Loehmann's are a little more stylish than Stein Mart's....by stylish I mean fashion-designer, not teeny-bopper trendy.

So get this. For 30 some dollars, I got a GOWN (didn't need it but loved the color and style - it's light turquoise green which is one of my favorite colors) and a really stylin' pair of spring sandals! Both were on clearance plus I had that coupon, so what a deal! The gown is a Juniors 13 and is too tight but I imagine it's possible it will fit me in time for the cruise - it seems like it will fit me when I lose another 10 pounds. If not, I know I will be able to wear it on the next cruise. (By the way, the photo I posted is not the actual gown I bought, but it's similar).

I have to warn you, though, that generally speaking Loehmann's is not cheap. They are a discounter, but they discount higher-end designer label stuff, so for example, a shirt might be $30-$50 (which is probably cheap for designer stuff, but much more than I normally spend).

It's funny, though. Now that I am getting thinner, I don't feel as hesitant about spending more on clothing. I guess it's because I think I actually look decent in clothing now, so it doesn't seem wasteful to buy nice things. Does that make sense?

Speaking of fashions, WHAT IS UP with the maternity look this season? Man, some of these fashion trends just gotta go. Yes, pregnant women look good in maternity tops, but if you're not pregnant, it's probably best to steer clear of maternity-inspired clothing. I mean does any woman really want to outfit herself in clothes that make her look FATTER?

Oh, and also....the PRINTS this year - UGH!!! The Partridge Family on acid!!! I mean, if somebody PAID me to come up with the ugliest print in the ugliest color scheme imaginable, I don't think I could dream up anything more shiteous than what is in the stores this spring.

Terrific Tuesday

My exercise goal today was strength training, so I pulled out an oldie but goodie - the original FitPrime Crunch Time. Man! I forgot how great this workout is. It's a total body strength training workout - with a couple cardio intervals thrown in - and it's really challenging but only 45 minutes long. Lots of compound exercises so a lot gets squeezed into a short time. The music is GREAT. I'd rate this workout as one of my all-time favorites.

My calorie goal was 2000 today which wasn't too difficult. (That's why I endure those 1400 days, so I can get some 2000 days!)

Breakfast: Homemade egg McMuffin: english muffin with 1 scrambled egg, 1 slice veggie "bacon" and a little cheddar cheese (290)

Lunch: Office birthday lunch for a coworker: 2 slices of pizza (800), 1 slice of birthday cake (475).

Dinner: breaded tilapia on 2 slices of whole wheat bread with a little cheddar and mustard (435)

Total Calories: 2000