Thanks, Carrie and Anna!

So, I didn’t make my goals this week, but I tweaked my back super bad on Tuesday, so that’s my excuse. However today we’re on massive housecleaning detail, and I’m definitely breaking a sweat. We’ve scrubbed dishes, cupboard doors, drawers and handles, dining chairs and barstools, swept and are now mopping the floors.

I will try to exercise this next week, and I think I’m a couple weeks from getting my elliptical, finally. That’s very exciting.

I’m thinking about doing a sugar fast again from Halloween to Thanksgiving like I did a number of years before my pregnancy with Clark, in which I would have starved to death without dairy and sugar. That was pretty much all I could keep down.

Anyone want to join me? If some of you are doing it, maybe it’ll strengthen my resolve.

How was your week?

I know, I know. I need to go back and count out the weeks to figure out what stupid week we’re on. But I haven’t.

So, how was your week? I did ok. Like I said Thursday night (I’m cheating. It’s still Thursday night for me. I’m really in Portland with girlfriends today), I exercised twice, which is what I’d committed to do. And I ate relatively good.

Next week, hmmm, how ’bout cardio twice and calisthenics twice? And eating good.

Sounds good to me.

I still haven’t looked up what week we’re on. And I haven’t done much of anything healthy. But I’m planning and making dinners better. I hope to start exercising soon. I feel ready, but distracted. There are so many other things I want to do with my time right now. I have books I want to read. I’m dyeing, spinning, and knitting stuff. I have packaging to think about, and a website to get built. A house to keep up and a family to keep fed and clothed. I have guitar scales to practice.

My guitar teacher is still kicking my butt. I feel like I get more and more behind every lesson. He gives me SO MUCH, and I can’t possibly master it in one week. And he doesn’t expect me to, but I do. When I get frustrated, I need to look back on how far I’ve come and it gets better. Roger never gives me time to revel in accomplishment. It’s always “on to the next step” so I always feel like I’m floundering. But really, I’ve learned so much. I have to keep telling myself that. For example, I can now do the Major scale, which spans 5 frets!!! I’ve been working on it for about a month. It was literally painful. And I was clumsy. But I can make the reach now with very little discomfort. Woohoo!

Then last week he gave me some wretched Diminished Arpeggio thing that has me feeling all thumbs again. Go figure.

So, Health Group…. I’m going to try to exercise twice this week, and eat respectably. That’s my goal.

Wow, it’s been awhile. September kicked my butt, what with being sick and all. I’ll need to go back and see what week we’re actually on, but I don’t have time today. So, I thought I’d check in at least. I think I might be able to start exercising again. I’ve been so weak from being sick. With the weather changing, I’m not sure how I’m going to get that exercise, but pretty soon here, I’ll start up with the calorie counting and exercise again. My pants are snug.

How has it been going for you all?

Ugh, I’m sick. I’m really sick. A little better today, I wasn’t able to get out of bed Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow is the first day of school. Wednesday, we head to California for a wedding and will be gone the rest of the week. We’re going to take the kids to Disneyland for the first time. We’re all excited.

Please, please let me be healthy.

So, since I missed Health Group on Saturday, I’ll just say that it’s been tough. I’ve been doing pretty good. Getting some exercise, eating pretty well. And I’m still puffy and on the high end of my normal weight range. Whatever. I have too much on my mind to worry about it now. When the kids are back in school and I’m back in a routine, I should be able to be more consistent.

So, our little trip to the cabin was super fun and Clark was just fine after sleeping the morning away.

Clark, who wouldn’t go near the trampoline in February, wanted to try this time.

Liv took to the spinning wheel and did really well. With my kids at least, they seem to do much better with a single treadle wheel. The double treadle is too much for them.

She filled a bobbin.

The spinning wheel was on this gorgeous place called Fox Island. The people selling it were a nice, older couple. Retired school teachers. The wheel is perfect and came with the lazy kate and 4 bobbins. I’m glad I thought to bring spinning wheel oil though. The wheel would barely turn and squeaked and squawked like crazy ’til I got some oil on it.

When we got home, I oiled the wood and took steel wool to the metal bits. It looks and spins great.

I think I’m going to card up the fleece I’ve been dyeing for the girls to spin. That seems like the best use for it, and they need something to learn on.

My throat is killing me and I’m tired. There’s not a TON to do to get ready to go, but I do have some work to do. Wish me luck. I’ll see you next week.

Well, I exercised hard this week. Not every day, but I feel good about it. I haven’t eaten too much, I don’t think, just not very healthy. So it was a mediocre week. I’ve gained weight, and inches. I don’t understand that. I’m guessing it has something to do with the heat and humidity. I feel gross. But aside from the fact that I’m sweating every waking second of the day, Nate’s worked 80+ hours this week, and he’ll just be adding to that today. So it’s been a difficult week all around.

How was yours?

Pretty good week for me. A lot of exercise, ate tolerably well. I’m able to lift light weights again. My physical therapist said that I can do it as long as the weight is light enough for 20 reps. So I’m doing my biceps, triceps, and some squats for my quads.

I need to be eating more protein, but I don’t want to eat more meat. I’m having a hard time figuring out how to do it. I was surprised that beans aren’t as much of a source of protein as I thought. They’re more of a carb, so eating beans doesn’t help much with my nutrient percentages. And I only like Tofu sliced thin and fried. So, that isn’t going to help. And I’d feel weird using more protein powder than I already am. It doesn’t seem like a great food “source”, but a respectable supplement, you know? I don’t know what to do.

But since I’m trying to build muscle, I need more protein.

How was your week?

Ack! What’s the deal? I keep missing Saturdays for Health Group. Sorry.

This Saturday, I spent the whole day reading Breaking Dawn. Interesting book. Probably my least favorite of the 4, but I didn’t NOT like it. It was just weird, and pretty gross in parts. But then, I am beyond pansy about medical stuff. I have to concentrate on not passing out with needles, IVs, or even smashing my finger/toe really hard.

So, yeah. It was too much for me. I had to put it down twice and focus on breathing for awhile. And the second time I set it down, I couldn’t feel my arms or see quite right.

That being said, I think that normal people would be fine with it. I’m a pansy. For reference, I was totally squirming during the fight scene with James in Twilight. I’m happy to discuss the book in email with those of you who have read it. No spoilers here. Hayden doesn’t have it yet.

ANYWAY…. Health Group.

Not a great week, but I did exercise a few times. Met my Calorie Target twice. This week will be better. There’s not a party every night, for one, and I have exercise already scheduled with my friend, Ros. We worked out this morning for 50 minutes.

My house is getting painted this week. I’m really excited.

Well, I had two great weeks this month, and two bad weeks. I did manage to exercise with my friend Ros twice this past week. I’ve been using her elliptical, and I think we’re going to do that semi-regularly. Calorie King gives me twice as many calories burned for the elliptical as it does for walking 3 mph, so I like that.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this on Health Group yet, but it’s phenomenally helpful, so I wanted to share. No matter what I eat or how well I feed myself during the day, I turn into an entire-pantry-inhaling monster around 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon. I don’t even realize it ’til I’m done. It starts with a few bites of one thing, a few bites of another, picking and grazing through the fridge… until I’ve totally blown my diet.

SO, I tried to think of what I could do that would be simple and effective to help myself through that time of day. And I found it.

I take a glass (8 oz) of 1% milk, put in a half scoop of my WPI protein powder, unflavored, add about a Tablespoon of either Strawberry or Chocolate Hershey’s syrup, and mix it with my little hand mixer.

It’s fast, it’s simple to keep on hand, it tastes good, and it immediately satiates. Completely. Cravings and hunger gone.

On occasion, I add half of a small, frozen banana and mix it up in my blender. It’s amazingly good.

The funny thing is that sometimes, I’m a step or two into my “entire-pantry-inhaling monster” phase before I even notice what I’m doing. I then look at the clock, see that it’s that time, and stop to make my little milkshake.

It has saved me literally thousands of accumulated calories, and I was doing it during my two good weeks, when I lost inches and felt like a million bucks.

So, there’s my helpful hint. I think Hershey’s makes sugar free syrups if you need that. I, personally, am against artificial sweeteners so I don’t go that route, but thought I’d mention it for those that do.

I’m really going to try to have a good week this week. I have a “special” event of some sort or another every single night this week, so it’s going to be tough. But I’m going to try.