Saturday

It was an incredibly beautiful day here today, but I was flat out lazy today.  I walked for just a short time.  I lacked the motivation to actually do something on my day off.  I didn't eat very much, but I look back on the day reflecting on how I could've been more productive.  This is the problem with really caring about how much energy you're expending, all of  a sudden I see my relaxing days as a curse.  I went shopping with "my family" today, which was a fun.  The girls needed a few new school clothes.  We went to dinner, and I think I did pretty good.  I ate a small mexican salad.  No dressing, sour cream, or much else.  It did have refried beans, but o well.  It was delicious. 
I did buy my very, very cheap plane ticket to Florida today.  Which means that I'll be walking a half-marathon in just two short months.  Now I have a real need to train.  As of yesterday I'm pretty sure I would have a tough time finishing 13.1 miles.  Walking is one of those things that you sort of get in a grove and cruise but I'm not sure I could go 13 miles.  I'm hoping that this training will be motivating enought to help me stay on track. 

Playlist:
Today was a Mat Kearney pandora day.  All day. 

2 for 1

(Thursday)

I went to bed rather early last night, at 9:30.  I woke up at 5 this morning ready to get moving.  It's a nice change of pace since usually I have to drag my butt out of bed at 5:45.  It was the easiest morning this week.  The girls got ready quickly, and there weren't any tears.  When the morning goes smoothly it helps me feel optimistic about the rest of my day.  I had a lot to do yesterday, but I spent most of the day moving my room around a bit, and organizing things.  I also went and bought some curtains for my bedroom, and a new shower curtain.  It's crazy how quickly my 4 hours without the girls cruises by.  Before I know it I'm sitting outside of Alicia's school waiting for my crazy afternoon to begin. 

My challenge with managing my time well is the same as it always is when I have to summon the will power to do what I should be doing.  Even taking the time out of my day to write this blog can become an excuse not to exercise.  I'm going to try to write in the evenings when it's to dark to go walking.  Eating has been easier than expected, mostly because there isn't a ton of junk to munch on in this house.  Yes, there is some, but so far it's been easy to avoid. 

Breakfast: I ate a whole wheat tortilla with a little bit of peanut butter and honey(Laura sent me the most delicious Honey from a farmers market).   

Lunch:  I can't remember...which isn't good...but I seriously can't remember

snack: I ate reduced fat wheat thins again....yum. 

Dinner:  I made a delicious salad with onions, peppers, apple, and lettuce.  Even Gigi had some because she said it looked so good...and it was.

Gigi and I made cookies for dessert(a small batch).  I ate only one small cookie after they came out.  It was delicious...not low on calories...but delicious. 

Playlist:

Disney Music in the morning

I didn't listen as much to Pandora, but I was jamming out on the piano for a bit.

(Friday)

Lovely Friday, how I love you.

What a day.  I drove the girls to school, went grocery shopping, and came back to the house.  Telling myself over and over that I would make time for a walk today.  I put the groceries away, made myself a bowl of muesli with yogurt, and sat down at my computer for the first time in a while.  I sipped my coffee for a bit, responded to a few emails, tried to hunt down a ringtone for my dad to no avail, and finally drug my lazy self outside for a walk.  And walk I did.  I decided to take a bit of a different route, and ended up walking over 5 miles.  I haven't walked that far in a long time, and my foot that was already hurting was screaming at me by the end of the walk.  The last mile or so I was able to talk on the phone with Hilary which really helped take my mind off my aching foot.  She called with some news.  December 4th there is a half Marathon in Panama City Beach, FL(where Hilary lives) so, if I can find a ticket, I'm going to fly down there and walk the 13.1 miles with her.  She can only walk since she'll be 8 months pregnant, but she wants to do it.  If she can't finish then I'll have to finish on my own, but I'm excited at the possibility of being able to do this with her.  A goal!  Something to work towards.  I like it. 

Breakfast:  Muesli with yogurt and 1/2 banana

Lunch: 1slice of bread, hummus, and a little bit of leftover pasta

Dinner: Salad, and a small piece of homemade calizone.

Playlist:

Mat Kearney is awesome.

Paramore is too.

John Mayer....hum, John Mayer.

Norah Jones made for a pleasant morning.  The girls really enjoyed her CD when they were getting ready.

Bored

Its a great day so far... I woke up and got my behind right out of bed... I have a wedding this weekend... and I am beginning to wish that I had taken my weight loss a little more serious for this wedding, but hey I still will be a smoking hot Bridesmaid! Its in my blood what can I say...





Yesterday happened to be one of the longest boring days... I was home alone... no bueno... being lazy is going to be my downfall in this transformation... I sat around most of the day, but one thing that I can say is that I didn't eat nearly as much as I would have normally when bored... I just eat my normal lunch of a turkey and cracked wheat sandwhich... not sure if thats way bad for me or not... but I love them! And I drank water... and more water... I actually didn't have a single drop of juice yesterday which is a great accomplishment.





I am worried about this weekend... Eating and drinking... and eating and drinking... hopefully I can do it in moderation...

No Bueno round 2

Wednesdays are probably the busiest day of my week.  I somehow survived, but it wasn't easy.  It requires being up early, and out late.  I'm really sad to be so far from Kendra during this project, because it would encourage me so much more if I had someone to go on these long walks with me.  They get boring...and even though I have Paramore, Beyonce, or Glee to keep me company, nothing compares to the joy of walking and talking with a friend.  I will continue to pursue the outdoors now while I still can.  I'm figuring that in a few weeks time I'll have to join a gym when it starts getting colder outside.  I hate gyms and much prefer the outdoors, but what can you do. 
I ate Muesli for breakfast again.  I love muesli.  I also bought a new brand to try, so I'm excited about that.  For lunch I munched on a few bites of roasted tofu, and some leftover foccacia from the night before.  Snack I ate a few low-fat wheat thins(they are better than the regular anyway).  And, for dinner Henry had tortilla chips with a little bit of cheese and then we had hummus, avacado, and tomato to eat with our "nachos".  It doesn't sound that healthy, but I limited the amount of chips, and it was delicious(mainly because I LOVE avocado).
I at 6 dark chocolate almonds for dessert, and they were amazingly delicious. 

My music for the day was definitley very laid back:
Ingrid Michaelson
Norah Jones
And Chopin.

I went for a walk, but it was short since it was getting dark. 

A lovely day overall. 

Tuesday

Tuesday.  I woke up this morning with a running dialogue of blog in my mind.  Things I wanted to share.  Unfortunately I didn't have the time today to sit down and actually write out all the things I was thinking until now....nearly 8pm.  I'm pretty tired but I'll do my best. 

I didn't have time to actually go for a planned workout today, but I was very active.  So, even though this doesn't count as an actual workout, it'll have to work for today.  I cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned.  My room, my bathroom, and a few other places in the house.  I measured my windows and worked some more on my room decorations.  (I'm still very annoyed with my white walls).  I played soccer with Gigi for an hour which was both humiliating and hard.  I was sweating hard, and we ran a lot but I'm miserably bad at soccer.  She really enjoyed it though, and we had a good time.  While she was at her actual practice I went for a walk, and stretched my legs a bit since they're still sore. 

As far as food, I had a great day.  I did(sadly) cheat a little, but I don't feel to bad. 

For breakfast I had muesli with fruit.  Super healthy and delicious. 

For lunch I had a beautiful salad with a very small amount of raspberry dressing. 

Snack(where I cheated) I had a few of the girls yogurt stars, which sound healthy but are mostly sugar.  They're basically yogurt pretzels in a star shape.  Delicious until I read the nutrition facts.  Way to much sugar. 

For dinner we just ate a delicious fair of edamame, hummus with a bit of flat bread, homemade foccacia, tofu, and a mushroom turnover.  I think I got my protein in for the day.  :)

(This salad looks bigger in the picture then it actually was)

It is challenging getting protein when you can't eat any meat, but they're very good about eating high protein food.  Henry cooks everything so I don't have to...which I love.  It's nice coming home from after school activities with dinner on the table. 

I'm going to go do a core workout and go to sleep. 

Playlist:

Mostly Christian: I love the song, "At the Cross" by Hillsong. 

We listened to the Beyonce Pandora station when the girls were getting ready this morning.  That makes you want to get up and get moving for sure.   

No Bueno

I am beginning to think that this is a great idea... But I think that my approach to it might be a little different then Carrie's... which is alright... I'm not so much for the break down of food. Maybe because its out of my comfort zone to share everthing I am eating... Maybe its a bit of a security blanket. Yesterday was a busy day... I only had time to eat once... and honestly I had a Ham sandwich on cracked wheat bread, with a ton of Mustard... As you will soon find out I have an extreme love for mustard... went as far as naming on of my purses Musty... and how I miss her so! Anyway back on topic... And I had a handful of chips... Yes, I had chips... Not something I am proud of, but they were calliing my name. I definitely need to work on my will power, and soon it will be easy to say NO to the crunchy salty deliciousness of Lay's Potato Chips...





No exercise happened yesterday unlike Carrie's 4 mile walk... maybe I will start today? A walk down my driveway would be a good start! Its about a mile down and back... yeah thats where I will start. So expect to hear about an adventureous walk down a halfway graveled road! Haha!





Is having friends over a good enough excuse to eat like a savage? I think not! Its all about portion control....


(Wednesday Morning...)


Well I don't think I ate like a savage, but I can tell you now I didn't do well at all last night... My Mom made enchiladas... of course I was going to enjoy them... and I did... They were fabulous... I think Megan (the Bride) was trying to sabotage (Sabotage happens to be one of my favorite words, best said in a creepy voice) my diet... Haha... I didn't feel bad though beaus ehse was right along side of me eating those yummy delicious enchiladas... I have got to start taking this more serious... And I will trust me on that one... Its important to get heathy and be fit!

Monday, Monday

(This is Carrie)

So, My first day of this new journey.  One of the things I didn't mention before was my idea to incorporate a time of prayer each morning.  Although I've tried, my morning quiet times have been sporadic at best.  I often find time in the evening to read and pray, but it's shameful how slack it has been.  So, each morning with breakfast I want to read a chapter and pray.  So, I'll be keeping you updated on where I'm reading, and please pray with me for diligence.

It's funny how when you're writing out everything you eat you think twice before eating something.  My initial instinct is, "are you going to be embarrassed to post this to the blog?"  Well, it's such a good conscience to have.  My day started out like any other.  Get up, shower, make coffee, make lunches, wake up girls, make breakfast, and get out the door as close to 7:15 as possible.  I did, consciously eat a whole wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese this morning.  It's not my normal breakfast, but I woke up later than usual, and succumbed to the time crunch.  I put very little cream cheese though, so that wont hurt as much as the 40 carbs from the bagel will.

I've been walking a lot, but days like today make staying inside look better and better.  It's raining, and the wind makes it feel quite chilly.  I'm liking the idea of tea more and more.  I kept telling myself, "don't procrastinate.  Go for a walk now before you don't have the time.  You wont have the time to go after work tonight...take advantage of the day time. GO!"  My internal struggle is something I'll continually be fighting on this blog, hence the reason for the blog.

I went for a decent walk, about 4 miles.  It wasn't supposed to be a workout as much as just moving.  My legs are really sore from a brilliant idea I had yesterday to do a leg workout....I could hardly walk up the stairs this morning.  It was a nice walk though.  I really enjoyed the fall air.

So, today my journal is as follows:

breakfast-bagel and light cream cheese

lunch- chicken egg roll-it was low fat, and had lots of protein.  Which is good because I live with vegetarians.

snack-6 triscuit....yes, I counted, and a small apple

dinner-lentil soup, a little bit of mushroom pasta, salad, and a delicious apple from my sister Laura!

I'm still figuring out how to count my exact calories, but I know that I was eating small portions. 

Music:

I decided to include the pandora stations I listened to throughout the day...random, I know.

Lots of Paramore-great for walking, my Paramore station rocks.

Mumford and Sons-they fit the dreary, cloudy, fall feel

Ingrid Michaelson while I was waiting a the school for Alicia. 

Yay for Pandora.