I'm an auntie again!

Calories eaten yesterday: 858
Fat: 29g (32%)
Carbs: 76g (37%)
Protein: 64g (31%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 374

I'm tired today. I had trouble sleeping last night. I got up and went to the gym. I did 55 minutes of weight training and 40 minutes of cardio on the stairmaster. I love dripping sweat on the floor. :) I walked to work from BART but am totally beat now. I couldn't even do leg lefts in the Captain's Chair at the gym. I had to settle for bending my knees to my chest and even that was hard. I just had so little strength.

I am back on my diet and will hopefully stay on it this time. Hopefully subbing the chicken back in will calm my cravings.

Tomorrow is hopefully a sleep in day for me. :)

Oh...if I forgot to mention it, my sister had her baby! Welcome to little Maxwell born on October 9. :) Starting here, click on the thumbnail on the far right hand side to see Maxwell, Mom, Dad, and big sister Marina (now 2 years old). Mom and baby are both doing fine.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

"Community Workshops"

Calories eaten yesterday: 1391
Fat: 27g (18%)
Carbs: 84g (26%)
Protein: 162g (49%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 233

Here's another "retro" photo from 1991. I'm in the middle with my sister and Mom. I was 20 years old and already overweight. Click the photo for a larger size.

Did laundry today. I walked to the laundromat and back, then down toward the train station. I wanted to take the 50 bus through Alameda all the way to the WalMart near my work, but I got on the wrong bus, causing a 10 minute walk back. I finally did catch the 50 and did the shopping I needed at WalMart. It’s payday so time to buy the necessities. Tomorrow Brad is driving me to Costco so I can buy their cheap salad. I also want to see what other basics they might have cheaper than WalMart. Time to start pinching pennies!

Tomorrow I also need to hit Safeway for wine, cottage cheese, and celery. Yes, Safeway has wine cheaper than Costco. You just have to shop the sales and drink the cheaper stuff.

Saturday Brad and I are leaving church a bit early to go to the "Community Workshop" in Alameda about changes in bus service. The proposed changes to the 53 line on Fruitvale Avenue (the line I take home at night) would leave me with no way to get home.

They want to replace the 53 with two new lines – the 20 and the 21 – but these lines would only run until 10 pm. I don’t get off work until 11, as do other people who ride that bus. I’m going to have my say about keeping some sort of late night service on Fruitvale Avenue – not just for me, but for all the other late night riders. AC Transit is once again completely clueless on how to best serve the community.

Hell or high water, I will weigh-in on Sunday and assess the damage.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Retro & Responses

Calories eaten yesterday: 998
Fat: 20g (20%)
Carbs: 58g (27%)
Protein: 122g (53%)
Calories burned in exercise today: 388

Here's an old photo of my family from 1991. I'm the one in the tie dye on the far right. I cannot believe how overweight I was then. I was 20 years old. Click the photo for a larger size.

I'm still afraid to get near the scale.

Made it to the gym today. Woot! I may be feature on a board of "member success stories" from my gym. They have a board of members of that particular location and are looking for more stories to post. My older friend John at the gym introduced me to Sandi. I told her I'd e-mail her the link to the story I posted on the 12 Million Lives website and attach some photos.

My butt is sore today. Just about everything from Monday is sore. That's what I get for not getting to the gym for a week and a half, but my butt is the worst. Cardio was 40 minutes on the stairmaster. I'm kind of tired from Monday's workout so I spent most of my time at level 5 instead of 6.

Because of my weight training and how much cardio I do I have been having 1 1/2 scoops of protein powder before and after my workouts instead of one scoop each. This gives me 30g of protein before and 30g after and I think it will help protect my muscles.

I'm nearing 13 million steps! I should hit it tomorrow. :) Tomorrow is also laundry day - fun, fun.

I downloaded a new game onto my iPod. It's a word search game and was only $1.99. I figured I could swig that given how much time it will help me kill.

Ok, now for the comments people leave here.

Janey - You have been commenting on my blog for a while now. I noticed you never have anything positive to say. All you ever do is criticize. I'm tired of it and will not allow that anymore. It must be a hard life to always see the negative in stuff and put people down. I feel sorry for you. If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all.

The diet pills are because of everything happening - I need to stock up while I can because lean times are ahead.

Justine - Thank you for your concern. I do know about water weight fluctuations. It freaked me out at first, but now I know that I usually weigh the most on Sunday and the least on Friday. So the ups and downs don't freak me out too much and I can usually predict whether my weight will be up or down on any given day.

I'm not as hard on myself as I sometimes show here. I just don't log the everyday successes in staying on plan.

I don't measure myself, but I do have a body fat scale. My body fat has remained pretty stable over the last couple of years - about 25%. I try to measure body fat once a month.

Vickie - I'm not just figuring out how to lose the weight I gained while I was away. I knew I would gain when I was on my trip so I dieted like crazy before I left and did manage to lose a couple pounds. But even at that weight I was above my ultimate goal. So there was some foresight and I worked really hard before I left, but I am still not where I want to be.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

From One Hell To Another

Calories burned in exercise today: 175

My time off was a long, hard, and horrible. I never want to go through that again, but know I will have to.

Ok, my time off:

Last Thursday I flew to Seattle. My sister April picked me up and the airport. We picked up Dad from the adult care home and went back to April's house. I took my suitcases upstairs while April reheated dinner. After dinner we took Dad back to the home.

Friday we spent all day driving from Seattle to Grants Pass in southern Oregon. During the trip April said, "You are completely useless to me" simply because I can't drive. Um...who took care of Marina (April's baby) during the trip? Who fed her and watched her at the baby store while you shopped and stood in line? You've made the same trip without me and you still say I'm "useless"?

Saturday we spent all day working in Sunny Valley at my Dad's house (mostly throwing out food or taking it to the food bank) and the storage space in Merlin where Mom put her storage stuff when her and I moved to California 24 years ago.

Saturday night everyone took showers, went for a swim, and went out to dinner. I showed Brad around Sunny Valley and Wolf Creek, took a shower, and had dinner with Brad in his hotel room - PB&J, beef jerky, granola bars, and wine.

Sunday we all packed up and headed home. Dad said he would sell the van to Brad for $4000 (he wouldn't budge on that price), but he threw in a one year warranty on the engine and Brad said okay. April had a few things to do at Dad's house, but told Brad and I to go ahead and leave since the house was in the opposite direction from where we were. Brad and I drove back to California.

Monday Brad and I were both off. He left early to do stuff on the car (getting it cleaned, etc.). I was sick all day. I threw up twice that morning. I think it was a combination of too many days of stress, too much alcohol (to help deal with the stress), and too many Alli pills to deal with my horrible diet while I was away. I crawled out of bed only once to buy some groceries and stayed in bed other than that.

Tuesday was a binge day for me - eating whatever I wanted in whatever amounts I wanted. In the evening Brad and I went to Applebee's for dinner but I didn't feel like drinking much. I had a half glass of wine (couldn't finish it) and a Mochatini and that was it.

Today I am back at work. I slept in again today, getting disturbed three times by phone calls (once on my phone and twice on Brad's phone that he left my apartment). Tomorrow is laundry.

I ate horrible during the time I was gone and am just getting back on track today. The last time I was off plan this long I gained 10 pounds. I'm not getting on the scale for a while and am doing a 24 hour fast today.

Yesterday April e-mailed me that Dad and her will no longer be giving me the $200 a month they have been. The reason they gave was the cost of Dad's care was too high and he couldn't afford it anymore. I know he can.

The real reason if they want me to not be able to afford to stay in California so that I will move to Seattle and help take care of Dad. They have both made it very clear to me that the "right" thing to do is quit my job, move to Seattle, somehow find work there (even my sister couldn't find work and she has a college degree, I don't), learn to drive, then then work full time and take care of Dad after work. They reason that I am single and therefore have no obligations.

At any rate, the deal with the money is an effort to make me move to Seattle. I've been in California since I was 14 (the end of 1986) and and was born here. I have no intention of moving; being blackmailed won't change that.

April also said that I spend too much money on fresh food and wants me to eat frozen food because she claims it's less expensive. What can you do with a sister who wants you to quit eating fresh food?

I'm most likely canceling my trip to Florida this November/December. Mom and Bill are paying my way but I can't afford the time off. They will call the travel agent tomorrow. I also will not be visiting Dad in Seattle (again, can't afford the time off). I will take off as few days as possible (1-2) when I return to Oregon next spring. Hopefully Mom will come and rent a dumpster so we can get rid of a bunch of stuff.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, family

Waka Waka Waka

Calories eaten yesterday: 872
Fat: 18g (21%)
Carbs: 52g (28%)
Protein: 100g (50%)
Weight this morning: 131.2
Calories burned in exercise today: 423

Today is my sister April's birthday! Happy birthday, sis! She's 37. I tried to call her to wish her a happy birthday, but had to leave a message on her voice mail.

Did a lot of walking today just getting things done. I walked down to BART intending to go the the Mission Distract of San Francisco where I knew they sold the type of rolling cart I need. I walked to Fruitvale and saw a bank branch. I needed to make a deposit and get cash for my trip so I did that.

As I exited I saw a store across the street with a rolling cart on display outside. Score! It was just under $20. I got the cart and pulled it back home.

After dropping off the cart I had enough time to go to Safeway to pick up the bread and peanut butter I need for my trip. I get a healthy whole wheat light bread and peanut butter without added sugar.

I dropped that stuff off at home, washed my hair, then walked down to BART. I took it one stop, then walked into work.

Total walking time - almost 2 1/2 hours!

Tomorrow I think I can hit the gym, then I am doing laundry on Wednesday so I can pack on Thursday. I fly out Thursday afternoon.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Easy Come, Easy Go, & Family Craziness

Calories eaten yesterday: 1316
Fat: 29g (21%)
Carbs: 80g (26%)
Protein: 169g (53%)
Weight this morning: 127.2
Calories burned in exercise today: 175

Not much to report today except a weird incident that happened as I walked to the train station. I walked down Fruitvale as usual, absorbed in the music on my iPod and my own thoughts when I suddenly came up a bunch of money! I don't know how much it was but there were 20s, 5s, and 1s - I'd say $75-80. I didn't see anyone immediately around. The wind was blowing and I knew it would scatter the bills so they had to have just been dropped. I picked everything up and stuffed the bills in my backpack.

I spotted a guy walking down the street who had been close enough to me that the money might be his. I tailed him, lost him at one point, then found him coming out of a store. I walked up to him and asked him if he had dropped something several blocks back (not stating that it was money). He checked his pockets and finally pulled out his wallet and said yes, he had had more money in it. The two bills remaining in his wallet looked crumpled, just like the one I had found. I told him I had found his money, pulled it from my pack, and gave it to him. He was grateful to get it back.

It's too bad I found him because I could have used the money, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I kept it.

No exercise today. I was able to sleep in and then did an hour of walking (30 minutes to the train and 30 minutes from the train to work). I stopped at Starbucks and downloaded the New American Standard Bible from Amazon Kindle to my iPod. :)

I hope to make it to the gym tomorrow.

Now for family stuff. I've been in contact with Dad, my sister April, and Mom working out my transportation to and from Seattle and trying to get Dad's permission to sell his van. It's been crazy and it's not over yet.

I'll post my itinerary when I finally get it nailed down and say whether Dad will sell the van. I think I finally wore him down today. All I know for sure right now is I am flying to Seattle the afternoon of Thursday, August 27. I will not have computer access at all during the time I am gone.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Family insanity

Calories eaten yesterday: 1190
Fat: 25g (20%)
Carbs: 76g (28%)
Protein: 148g (52%)
Weight this morning: 130
Calories burned in exercise today: 348

Made it to the gym today. Did an hour of weights and 30 minutes of cardio. I've been trying to do 40 minutes, but I needed the extra time to stop at the store today.

Anyway, I walked to work from the BART station (30 minutes), carrying a bunch of salad over one shoulder for more than half the distance.

Busy day at work - one of those days where I actually work for my pay, lol! Having great fun with the translators dropping out and calling boss J. and J. in Sacramento and another J. over the the TV station. Fun fun.

When that was all settled I called my sister because the money she wired still hasn't showed up (also ran a couple ideas past her about the apartment building she is overseeing for Dad). Sis said the money will be here and then proceeded to ream me out for 10 minutes about how irresponsible I am and how I should have renter's insurance and pay of my credit card every month and that an iPod isn't a necessity and it's not an investment like a house. Hello? This is NOT just a music player. It connects to the Internet and is a bit like a mini computer.

But all that doesn't matter. All that matters is that she can pretend to be my mother. I said I had a mother. She said "But not a very good one." Direct quote there and one of the worst things I have ever heard her say in my life! That was just mean and a horrible thing to say about mom. She was a good mom.

Called Dad to say hi. He was moved from the nursing home to a "family care home" where he should be happier. He was not in a good mood when I called, wants me out of the city I live in, and then railed about the economy. I tried to ask him about his new living arrangements, but it was hard to communicate. He was difficult to understand because he was slurring his words because of the Parkinson's, and he still doesn't have a hearing aid so it was hard for him to what I said.

*sigh* This is why I hate spending time with my family.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Week 108 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Week 108: 137.4 (-0.8)
Total loss since starting a low-fat diet: -16.6
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -68.6

Amazing I lost any weight with the amount I ate yesterday! :)

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1039
Fat: 18g (16%)
Carbs: 74g (30%)
Protein: 97g (38%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1417
Fat: 25g (17%)
Carbs: 84g (26%)
Protein: 112g (33%)

Weight Thursday morning: 130.4
Weight Friday morning: 130.4
Weight Saturday morning: 135.8
Weight this morning: 137.4

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 324
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 117
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 77
Calories burned in exercise today: 177

Friday I had to spent time with my sister. To the right is the photo we took right before I left. Click the photo for a larger size. From left to right: niece Marina, brother Rob, nephew Jebediah, sister April, & me.

The day was stressful for me, but I survived. I took BART out to Lafayette and saw April and Eleanor. Then Rob picked us up at 3 and took us to his house. I stayed there until about 7:30.

By 7:30 they were getting ready to order dinner and I was supposed to meet Brad back at my house. I was starving. April, simply wanting to spend time with me with no regard for the fact that I was also hungry, asked me to stay and watch them eat (!). I knew that I would end up giving in and eating all the bad food they had planned (it was down to either pizza or Chinese), so I said I needed to leave. Rob gave me a ride home. When Brad came over we hung out for a while and then went to bed.

Saturday at the church potluck I ate way too many raviolis drowned in cheese sauce. They were just sooo good. After church Brad and I came home and did the grocery shopping that I normally do on Friday, but couldn't this Friday because of seeing my sister.

Then we walked part of the way to BART, then took the buses the rest of the way into Alameda. We stopped at Tuttimelon for frozen yogurt (I had a small chocolate with granola topping and Brad got gelato), then took the bus to the shopping center. We went to Applebee's and I had two Mochatinis and one glass of red zinfandel. Brad had a small beer and an iced tea. Then we went to Zeytinis and had a couple of their appetizers and two more glasses of wine each. We stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that my Safeway either no longer carries or or was out of.

We went home, stopping at Tuttimelon again on the way. I wanted more frozen yogurt; this time I got just the plain yogurt in a sugar cone. The banana we had bought at Safeway wasn't in our grocery bags, so Brad went up to Safeway to buy me another one (about a 10 minute walk each way). I was craving it which is why we'd bought it. I fixed him a mojito while he was gone.

Later we ended up getting into a fight. Brad wasn't hungry for dinner after that. I was. He made me some low-carb pancakes and went to bed. I ate the pancakes, then made myself a low-carb, low-fat turkey and cheese sandwich, and finished with three cups of cottage cheese.

Today Brad was really sweet to me. Because I couldn't prep veggies on Friday, I complained yesterday that there would be so much work for me to catch up on later this week. Brad got up early this morning (and let me sleep) and chopped and bagged the salad we bought yesterday, then even took the cucumber I'd bought and washed and cut those! I didn't even ask him to do that. He also scooped the cat's litter box. All that leaves for me is to take the celery and pull it apart into sticks and wash the outer stalks.

Brad is taking Tuesday off to work on his car and his upcoming move. He said he wanted tomorrow off too, so when we got in we talked to P. on shift and he said he can work 7-11 a.m. tomorrow. I will come it at 11 and work 12 hours. I soooo need the overtime so this is great! Overtime always comes before going to the gym because I always need money.

I have a little more to tell about Friday (not dealing with my sister), but I will save that for tomorrow's post.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, overweight, weight loss, obese, fitness, weigh-in

A response to my critics

I'm receiving more blog comments from critics. Let's get a few things straight since people seem to think I live some sort of high maintenance lifestyle.

1) The iPod is a big deal for me for the simple reason that I am NOT rich.
2) I live in a tiny studio apartment for which I struggle to pay the rent each month.
3) The only reason I can afford my gym membership is because I pre-paid 3 years when I moved out of my old apartment and received my security deposit back. This was back before things got really bad when the economy went south.
4) I have never claimed to be a perfect Christian. No Christian is perfect. We all have our demons and struggles. This blog is all of me - the good and the bad.

I don't even own a car. I take the bus or train or walk everywhere. Bus and train fares have gone up recently, grocery prices have gone up, and my pay rate at my employer - let's just say that no one got a "cost of living" adjustment this year.

My friend and I never go out to eat anymore unless it's someplace really cheap. I shop at WalMart for everything I can. I'd buy groceries there if it was a Super WalMart, but it is just a regular one. I buy shoes from Payless and usually only when they have a "buy one get one half off" sale.

I don't need anybody to finance my "lifestyle" because I have a simple lifestyle. Here's a YouTube video I made of my apartment so you can see what a "high maintenance" lifestyle I live. :-p

By the way, the laptop computer in the video was bought quite a while back, in better times. My old Mac lasted 9 years, but finally gave up the ghost. No one put one dime toward the new one except me. I paid it off by myself and it has long since been completely paid off.

Next, for those of you who think I drink too much, you are probably right. It's one of the demons I struggle with. When does "enough" become too much? I have severe depression, and while my medication helps a great deal, I have a tendency to resort to alcohol when things are crazy. However, I want to make it clear that I don't drink every day. My diet simply can't handle that many calories.

It's no secret that my sister and I don't get along. We have nothing in common and while I love the heck out of her, I don't like to hang out with her. She considers me the "weird" sister, sort of like how we made fun of Aunt Margaret when we were kids. Margaret and I are similar and I get viewed like her - never married, don't want kids, only a couple really close friends, and neither of us ever learned how to drive. I can be a bit anti-social. My sister doesn't understand me because she is a social butterfly and loves being married with kids. I'm happy for her, but it's not the life I want.

Sisters & Cell Phones

Calories eaten yesterday: 1097
Fat: 22g (19%)
Carbs: 70g (27%)
Protein: 143g (54%)
Weight this morning: 132.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 402

When to the gym and did an hour of weight training, 10 minutes on one of the new stationary bikes, and 30 minutes on one of the new ellipticals. Walked from BART to work for extra exercise.

My sister wants to see me. She's in town. So instead of buying groceries and prepping veggies for next week I get to see her, her baby, Eleanor, and Rob, Julie, and their baby. :-p *sigh* I hate family stuff.

In better news, my new cell phone came today! I get a $50 mail-in rebate, so my only final cost is the sales tax. They tax on the original price of the phone, so my cost is $27.30. This phone had a built in keyboard so now I can text much easier. :)

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Week 74 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60: 134.6 (-2)
Week 61: 137 (+2.4) - Week 62: 138.6 (+1.6)
Week 63: 137 (-1.6) - Week 64: 137 (-0)
Week 65: 141.8 (+4.8) - Week 66: 135.4 (-6.4)
Week 67: 136 (+0.6) - Week 68: 139.2 (+3.2)
Week 69: 137.2 (-2) - Week 70: 138.2 (+1)
Week 71: 136.4 (-1.8) - Week 72: 140 (+3.6)
Week 73: 139.4 (-0.6) - Week 74: 140 (+0.6)
Total loss: -14

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1313
Fat: 21g (14%)
Carbs: 88g (26%)
Protein: 157g (47%)
Weight Thursday morning: 129 (One week ago: 131)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 205

Calories eaten Friday: 1400
Fat: 17g (11%)
Carbs: 86g (25%)
Protein: 145g (42%)
Weight Friday morning: 128.2 (One week ago: 131)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 328

Weight Saturday morning: 130.4 (One week ago: 133.6)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 141

Calories burned in exercise today: 271

First, it's my sister's birthday. She's turning 36! Eek!

Happy birthday, April!

It looks like the 0.6 I lost last week managed to find me this week. I just keep bouncing up and down but never losing. :(

Friday Brad and I walked around the West Ridge Trail area via the Orchard Trail, then down another trail, back up via the Golden Spike Trail and back down via the Chown Trail. We had to go up the the West Ridge Trail twice to get in 2 full hours and it came to about 2 hours and 15 minutes when we were done.

Saturday after church we walked once around Lake Merritt and then relaxed and drank wine. We had Dreamfield's pasta for dinner topped with no-sugar-added pasta sauce that was super thick with all the ground beef Brad cooked and added to it last week. We topped it off with low-far Parmesan cheese. Brad also talked me into Pay-Per-Viewing The Secret because it stars David Duchovny. It's a supernatural thriller and I enjoyed it. Though it's rated R, it seems to be so because of people doing drugs in the movie and not for blood and guts. Even the car crash scene was done well and not gory.

Ug! Today I am hung over, compounded by lack of sleep. Yesterday I had too much wine, too much food, and too little sleep. :-p

Brad had to be into work at 7 a.m. today since "P" is on probation and had two shifts taken away from him (he had to check in but is not allowed to work). Brad said if I wanted some extra hours I could come in early. He got up around 5:30 a.m. and headed into work. I made coffee and a protein shake for him last night to have this morning. I got up at 8, went to the gym, did just a quick cardio session (30 minute run, 5.2 mph, 2.6 miles) and then walked into work from the BART station. I clocked in a little before noon so that'll be about 3 hours of overtime.

Brad and I are both tired. We were up late last night after the movie talking about heavy stuff and life. At the gym I locked my key in my locker. I asked them to cut the lock off. Instead, she cut the little half circle the lock goes in, rendering that locker no longer useful until that part is replaced, but leaving my lock in good working condition. A lot of the lockers at the gym are scarred in such a way.

Brad's absentmindedness was different. I asked him to get my an iced coffee from Starbuck's. He got it, but came back without a straw and I asked him to please go back and get one. He's taking the rest of the day to go do some hiking and pray. He didn't want want to work today so I knew he would be happy for me to show up early so he could go do what he wanted to.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Staff dinner at El Torito

Calories eaten yesterday: 1302
Fat: 34g (25%)
Carbs: 101g (33%)
Protein: 127g (42%)
Weight this morning: 134.4 (One week ago: 133)
Calories burned in exercise today: 260

Abby ran away again. I left the door ajar while I took out the trash and she got away. This is the third time since I moved into the apartment so I'm not really worried. She'll come back in three or four days when she gets hungry enough.

I have more info. on my sister's baby. Her name is Marina Celina. She was born at 10:00 pm, weighed in at 6 lbs. 9 oz., and was 19.25 inches long. She's a little small, but she was three weeks early. Pictures will be posted on my Flickr account as soon as I can clean them up and post them up. So far, I have six photos posted, but the remaining ones need some cleaning up. I'll get them up in a day or so.

My department at work had a staff dinner at El Torito Mexican restaurant. I had the beef, chicken, and shrimp fajitas with no rice, beans, guacamole, or sweet corn dessert thingy - just meat and grilled veggies. No tortillas. I think they used a lot of oil though, so it had a lot of calories. Unsweetened iced tea and Diet Pepsi to drink. I had a few tortilla chips and several bites of the appetiser platter, but mostly just dipped on NutriSystem chips in the salsa and ate those. I tried to be good. Pictures forthcoming, including a photo of my dinner. I am going to weigh a ton on the scale tomorrow. My metabolism is very slow and my body stores every calorie I eat as fat.

I made it to the gym today. I am a certified gym rat. The front desk staff know my name without looking at my membership card!

I got a compliment at the gym today! I was resting between sets on a machine and a guy walked past me and paused. He said something like, "You need to stop (working out). You are looking too good." I live for compliments like that! (c:

Today was a semi-cheat because of the staff dinner, so I bought a a box of Oreo 100 Calorie Packs and had one after my workout - the theory being that you need fast digesting carbs after your workout to replenish muscle glycogen and help the protein get into your muscles. So I had my regular protein shake plus the 100 Calorie Pack. Eventually I hope to have a 100 Calorie Pack after all my gym workouts, but I would like to reach goal first. I gave the box to Brad to hold onto for me so I won't be tempted. I really love these packs - they taste great! They taste so good and are perfect for after the gym - bleached flour and sugar. You don't get more high-GI than that.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem

My sister had her baby, and my life

Calories eaten yesterday: 1276
Fat: 33g (24%)
Carbs: 93g (30%)
Protein: 137g (44%)
Weight this morning: 135 (One week ago: 134)
Calories burned in exercise today: 87

First, yes, my sister had her baby. Marina was born late on the night of September 10. I have no further information and have been waiting for an update. I spoke to April briefly on the night of September 10 and she sounded fine. She had a very short labor. So I am now officially an aunt. :)

I'm broke, so eating out this week is off. I just did the math and I have a total of $141 in overdraft fees. Geez, how did I let that happen?!? *sigh* Anyway, payday is tomorrow but I will be lucky just to pay my bills and eat this month.

I did buy some more NS eggs from someone on the forum. I'll be sending them a check. I got a pretty good deal - 16 eggs for $25 including shipping.

I haven't lost in the last month. I thought I was part of a Halloween challenge at the NS boards, but found out today that they didn't have a start weight for me. I asked them what day the challenge started (just after vacation), so I took the following Sunday's weight as my start weight. It is exactly the same as this Sunday's weight - 139.6. That is extremely depressing. I am starving myself on 1300 calories most days, and I have lost zippo.

And did I mention that I have a staff dinner tomorrow night as a Mexican restaurant? No matter how healthy I eat I always gain when I eat out because my meds make me hungry. *sigh*

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, fat, NutriSystem, baby

Labor!

This is just a quickie post. My brother-in-law just called and said my sister has gone into labor and is at the hospital now! The baby is coming! I'll update more in another post when I know more.

Technorati tagged: labor, baby, birth

Week 5, Day 2

Calories eaten yesterday: 1462
Fat: 41g (26%)
Carbs: 97g (27%)
Protein: 130g (36%)
Weight this morning: 145.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 299

I realized I said I was going to post a pic of myself taken at dinner Saturday night and then I didn't. Here's the paragraph I wrote, and this time, the photo. Click it to enlarge it.

Here's a picture of me taken last night at Applebee's. The dessert is the Weight Watchers chocolate raspberry cake. It was totally not worth it in terms of price, size, or taste. It was expensive, tiny, and didn't taste great. It was okay, just not worth it. I won't do that again.



And here's my sister's ultrasound photo. Yes, my sister is preggers! She's about 12 weeks along. You have got to see the larger size of this by clicking on it.

Made it to the gym. Did one hour of weights and a half hour cardio. Bought more Creatine and it was even on sale. Coolness.

My gym has another deal going. Five half hour sessions of personal training for $99. I had them check if I'm eligible for this deal, and I am! I really do want this, but now I've got to find 99 more dollars on top of what I owe for NutriSystem, and trying to get the money together for Conference this summer. Argh.

Speaking of NutriSystem, my shipment is en route and will arrive tomorrow or Wednesday.

I think I am getting sick again. My throat feels weird today. What is it with this sudden spate of sickness? I used to never get sick and now I have already had two colds this year! All I have on hand is Vitamin C so I'll dose up on that. *sigh* I only have three sick days left until September. I can't afford to get sick!

More NutriSystem food reviews:
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Biscotti dessert - Pretty good. In fact, pretty darn great as long as you have coffee to dip it in. :) I only reordered one because my order shipped before I had a chance to try this.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, NutriSystem

Wedding photos!

This will take some time to load on a slow connection. The original file size was 1.6 megs, and I think I managed to cut that in half, but it's still quite large. Anyway, I chose these pictures because I'm in most of them, even if just in the background. I also tossed in a few of people I know, and of course, one of the bride and the groom. They are arranged roughly in chronilogical order. There are 23 pictures ranging from 14k to 30k.


Me in my Maid of Honor dress sipping champaigne. Bogie, the Dog of Honor and Ring Bearer, is in the background.



This photo shows off my beautiful collar bones (now visible from the weight I've lost), and my beautiful Arwen necklace (elf princess from Lord of the Rings).



My sister gives me some of her eyeshadow to use.



What a special day for my sister! I'm so happy.



April and I pose for photographers.



More posing.



And even more. :)



My sister and my Dad.


April and her fiance. Isn't April the most beautiful bride? And she's so photogenic. There isn't one bad picture of her. I'm jealous!



From left to right: me, Dad, Mom, April, Renato, Renato's Dad, Renato's Mom, and two of Renato's sisters who were bridesmaids. Yes, Dad is missing a leg.




Mom, me, and 3 bridesmaids. Renato's Mom is on the stairs.



In the procession with Renato's Dad.



April and Renato exchange vows. I'm on the left.



Another picture of exchanging vows.



After the wedding each person is announced, including of course, me.



April and Renato share the first dance. Me, Dad, and Mom are in the background.



Still dancing.



Just people. I'm in the pink dress next to Dad. I think this was at the cake cutting.



I dance with my cousin Eric from San Francisco.



Eric and I laugh.



From left to right: Rob's wife Julie, Rob (my long lost brother), Mom, and Mom's husband Bill.



From left to right: Julie, April, Mom, Rob, me, and Bill



I ask Renato and April to intertwine their arms and drink champaigne.

back home & sick

The wedding went well and I'll have to update when I can. My sister was kind enough to share her cold with me, so I'm down for the count and home from work which is actually kind of nice because I have time to get things done. There were parties every night and it was just exhausting - too many parties, too much to drink (although almost always within my limits), and too little sleep. Thursday was the rehearsal and dinner, Friday was April's bachelorette party, Saturday was the out-of-towners' party, and Sunday was the wedding (the only night I drank too much).

The wedding was outside and dry, but it started raining shortly after the wedding was over, and didn't let up. What good timing!

I have no pictures, but there were two pro photographers there, so hopefully I can see some of those pictures. I'm wearing a wig, so you won't be able to pick me out by my blue hair. ;) However, as the Maid of Honor I got to wear a peachy pink dress instead of the lime green the rest of the bridesmaids had to wear.

(Speaking of which, now that I have my home computer back as of yesterday [yay!] I am working on getting my Conference pictures up. They are being worked on. Hopefully being sick will give me time to make a good dent in all the work.)

Sorry there were no updates while I was gone. April kept us crazy busy and there was no computer at her house (I guess it had already been moved to her new house).

I'm eating bad today. I just can't eat semi-bad over a vacation and come home and NOT binge. Back on the wagon tomorrow for sure. The carbs and heat together are making me REALLY thirsty.

Leaving Thursday

I'm leaving Thursday morning for my sister's wedding. I return next Monday. I'll see about posting anything important here on her computer. We'll see if I can get her to let me use it.

Bought a wig today since she said she doesn't want her Maid of Honor to have blue hair. She wants the attention on herself that day, and I totally understand that. Hopefully the wig will meet with her approval and look natural enough. It's sort of a light brown color with blonde highlights, or maybe a blonde color with light brown highlights. It's lighter than my real color, but as long as it can pass for natural I'm cool. I've never owned a wig before.

I used all but 4 hours of my comp time on my last vacation. This coming 5 days will eat what little remains of my vacation time. But my anniversary date is coming up soon so I will get more vacation time.

Weightwise these vacations are wreaking havok with my weight loss. A one week vacation where I maintain means that I see NO loss at the end of the month after that time of the month (the only time I ever see a loss). I've gone from hovering just above 150 in June to hovering just below 150 in August. July was the only month with no vacation - and the only month I lost.

Sister & finace have a Web site

It's for their wedding.

www.renatoandapril.com