No Fast Food Month....

I have been watching Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days series during the past few weeks...both the new season and the previous season on DVD. It got me thinking about the amount of change that can happen in 30 days time.

Yep...that's right....I am proclaiming no fast food/take out food for the month of August. I have decided that I need to have a month where none of my food is on-the-go. I need to plan my meals...carry them with me if I need to. I need 30 Days of forcing me to think about every meal...by making it and not allowing someone else to make it for me.

That means no Dunkin' Donuts...no Panera...no Pizza...that's right no PIZZA...no Taco Bell....no Subway....no Quiznos....

No...nada...nothing.

I think it might be the motivation and kick in the butt that I need.

And to top it off...I am not ordering any fast food/take out tonight. In previous challenges, etc...the night before I would endulge in whatever it was that I was fasting, etc. NOt this time...no fast food for the next 30 days.

I can do it.

Tomorrow is Day 1....

struggled a smidge...

I struggled a little bit on my diet, etc this weekend....I was just so exhausted which led to me eating too much and not working out.

I closed at the video store on Thursday night...which didn't sabotage my eating (which it usually does), but it completely zapped my energy. I was too tired on Friday night to workout...and I should have gotten a strength training workout in. Then...on Saturday I had an 8am meeting at the video store...which meant that I couldn't sleep in. So...another dreadfully tired day. I ended up going to bed a little before 10pm...but still woke up on Sunday exhausted. And Sunday...complete lazy day as well.

Today...I am committed though...no matter how tired I am..I am going home and jumping on that elliptical machine. I know that it will perk up my energy level...I just need to get my ass doing it.

Do it! Do it! Do it!

I have my official monthly weigh-in tomorrow...and given my crappy weekend, I don't think I will see much change...BUT...I also don't think I will see a gain which is what I have seen the last 2 months. It's a start...slow and steady...just need it to be a little less slow and a little more steady.

Friday Feast #104

Here is another Friday Feast. Hey...they are fun...and it is Friday, so why not!

Feast 104

Appetizer
What's the funniest dream you can remember having?
I know this is uber boring...but I don't tend to remember my dreams. The last dream I can remember...and this isn't really funny, but it is a dream. I dreamed that I was driving to work and every time I turned down a different road...I would end up some place bizarre...like in a field...or in the forest, etc. I kept calling work and telling them I would be right there, but never was able to make it. Hmm...maybe my sub-conscious is trying to tell me something, eh?

Soup
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?
A golden retriever. One, they are so damn cute...this golden yellow color. And two...they are really good dogs...or so I hear. Plus, I always wanted to own one...and call it pumpkin...so, I guess if I would be a dog...that is the kind I would be. And No...that does not mean you should start calling me pumpkin! *winks*

Salad
Continue this sentence: "I get confused when..."
I am over-tired...actually that is a lie...I get bitchy when I am over-tired. I get confused when there is too much going on around me. I always want to know what is going on with things, so I easily get over my head and confused.

Main Course
Name two things that need to be done, but you are procrastinating in completing.
I am the master procrastinator. I could teach seminars on how to procrastinate like the best of them! Finishing unpacking...there are so many things in my apartment that aren't in their correct and right place yet. I keep convincing myself that I have time...because I am ahead of my roommate in her unpacking. And the second...I have so much laundry that I need to get done. I just hate doing it...so I keep putting it off.

Dessert
When was the last time you tried something new, and what was it?
Well...I tried living with someone. I am such an independent person that I haven't often had roommates. So far...going well....we are getting used to living with other people. You know...I have such a desire to learn new things, I just don't do them. I want to learn how to fly a plane. I want to learn to be a volunteer firefighter. I want to learn how to scuba dive. I want to learn something like karate or tae kwan do. I think I need to pick one of those things...and just do it.

the thursday test....

I have to work at the video store tonight....this is always the test of all tests for my diet...if I am able to behave while I am at the video store. There are a couple of reasons why it is so tough.

1) I am working until 12:30ish...and usually I am asleep at about 10 or 10:30pm. So, I am awake a lot longer than I usually am...which also makes me more likely to eat more and eat later.

2) I am working over the dinner hour...and it is a on the go job...so I often don't have time to make my usual healthy dinner. I can just eat and grab...and if I don't...then I get starving...and I end up eating candy or ice cream or pizza.

3) I often work with people with some not great eating habits...and well, I let that effect me. I am often talked into some candy or pizza, etc...when if I was home...I would be eating my own food, etc.

4) The FREE pizza...it's so hard sometimes. The cute boys often come over and give us free slices. I have said no...but not often. *sighs* Come on...they are cute boys...with pizza for god's sake!

So...wish me luck tonight...and hopefully I am going to do alright. I am going to bring a dinner that I can eat on the go. I am going to know exactly what I will eat....and I am attempting to have willpower of steel. Yee Haw!

and let the tivo addiction begin....

One of the many benefits of having a roommate...is that she brings TIVO into the household. I have never used a TIVO or a DVR before...one, because I am the cheapest person alive and can't see spending money on something that I could easily watch or tape for free...and two, because I have a fear of the TIVO.

Yes, I said I have a fear of the TIVO...I fear that I will become one of those people...you know, those people who all they do is watch tv. With the TIVO, I don't need to find something on...there is ALWAYS something to watch. I fear..with some level of seriousness...that I will become the uber couch potato...and that I will be one of those 700 lb people that needs to be fork-lifted out of the house...while Geraldo interviews me. *shudders*

But none the less...fear or no fear...we know have TIVO in the house...and let me tell you...in many ways, I love it. I love that I don't ever have to schedule my life around TV...and I know I did that before. I would run home to watch something that was on at 8pm...and now I know that when I get home the show will be waiting for me. I also use it to workout...which helps combat the 700 lb nightmare. I am able to watch whatever TV show I want to...while working out...instead of waiting until there is a show on that I want to run on the elliptical to.

Plus...I get to see some tv shows that I would normally miss. I am still using it sparingly...since I don't think having a TIVO should mean that I add a lot of extra TV to watch....and my roommate already has a bajillion programs scheduled, so I have just added a few shows I like and watch into the rotation.

I *heart* TIVO...I really do.

yawns...how is it monday already?

This weekend...in terms of eating and such...I wasn't perfect, not my a long shot. I did workout though...even though I got my 4 planned workouts in by Friday. So, I ran on the elliptical for about 45 minutes. And...when I worked at the video store on Saturday night...I didn't eat too badly and said no to free pizza when it was offered.

I did eat M&Ms on Sunday...and probably more than I should have had. But...if that is the worst that it is...then I am okay with that.


This week...my plan is to workout at least 4 times and to write down everything I eat. I didn't write down what I ate this weekend, so I think that is what led me down the road of trouble. I weigh myself in at the beginning of next week...so hopefully I will see a loss.

*yawns* alright off to work I go...and so begins another week!

P.S. I saw Benchwarmers this weekend...it is being released on DVD on Tuesday. it was hilarious....definitely check it out. It was written by one of my fav comedians...Nick Swardson.

Friday Feast #103

Hey everyone...I haven't done a Friday Feast in the LONGEST time...but I am bored and the roomie isn't home from work yet. So, here it is...enjoy!

Appetizer
Fill in the blanks: I ____________ when I _____________.
I bite my lip when I am nervous.

Soup
Name something you use to make your home smell good.
The glade plug-in things...I am obsessed with them. My fav fragrance is the mixed berry...been using it for years.

Salad
If you could receive a coupon in the mail for 50% off any product, what would you want it to be for?
A car...cause that would be sweet. Nah...I take that back, I don't need a car right now. I would love a 50% off coupon for groceries for the year...some card that made it so that all year I saved 50% on groceries...since shopping for food can be so damn expensive.

Main Course
Besides sleeping, what do you spend the majority of the hours of your typical day doing?
It's a boring answer, but true...working.

Dessert
What can you hear right now while answering these questions?
The TV....watching some crap tv.

hard work pays off....

Hey y'all...this week I have really rocked my diet and fitness kick. I have spent a little over a month...not working out...eating out...eating more pizza than any person should. Each week I said...OK, on Monday...I am all business again. Then Monday would come and go...and I would still not be getting the job done. We all know how that goes.

Well...this week, I was all business. I bought healthy food. I planned my meals everyday. I brought my lunch to work...and on 3 occasions said "no thanks" when someone offered to pick me up lunch.

And...I felt better about myself this week. I worked out...and feel stronger and healthier. My pants were a little looser this morning than they were on Monday.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed and frustrated...and just want to kick in the towel and give up. Sometimes I think that I will never achieve my goal. But...in the end, I know that is just fear. This week rocked for me...it showed me that I can be successful...I just need to put the work in.

recharging the batteries....

I took yesterday off work....and I am so glad I did. I have just been exhausted lately...with working a lot and moving and the heat. I just needed a day to recover and recharge my batteries, so to speak.

I didn't do a heck of a lot...I watched Good Morning America, cleaned a little in the apartment, unpacked and put a lot of stuff away in my apartment...and went over to the old apartment and cleaned out everything. I am officially out of there now. All I need to do...is go over and quickly clean the fridge...and I am done, done, done. It's a nice feeling.

Oh...and I set up the wireless network in my apartment, so now I can email and check my daily sites from the computer in my room. It's sweet...and I am proud of myself that I could set it up all by myself. *sings* "All by myself...." I know...I am a dork.

And...I also reconnected with a friend through email yesterday. It was really nice...we don't talk all that often, but she is one of those friends that I just never feel like time has passed. I wish that we lived close so we could actually hang out.

That's about it...I should get back to work since they pay me and all.

Is it only Tuesday?

Hey y'all....I am adjusting to the new apartment and the new roommate. I just know that I am going to have to get used to living with someone...since I am so used to living on my own. I think I will really enjoy it once I adjust.

And...in terms of my fitness/weight loss goals...I have joined another challenge of Renee's. It is a really interesting challenge...it is all about fitness and not about the lbs lost. I love the idea of that because I know the scale isn't the only thing that define me and my health. My health is defined by the mass amount of veggies and fruit that I eat. My health is defined by the tons o' water that I drink. My health is defined by the fact that I can run on my elliptical for 45 minutes.

I am not abandoning the scale by any means....but I am looking at more than just the scale, which really excites me about this challenge.

If any of the other challenge-ettes happen to come across my site...feel free to say hello! Hello!

Not exactly on plan.....

Yep, I am feeling like a big tub of goo today...not really, but well...I ate tons o' food at the video store last night. It was horrific. I had dinner before I went to the video...so I wouldn't be tempted to eat tons of crap food. Wishful thinking.

Candy was on sale there...buy one, get one free. So, I bought two and ate a few pieces out of each bag. Then, a guy who used to work at the video store brought in Klondike bars...so I had one.

That's bad, right? It couldn't get worse, right? Oh...it did. Then the adorably cute guy from the pizza place came over and asked if we wanted slices. I said no. The other guy I was working with said yes. The pizza guy...in all his cuteness...brought over a couple of slices for both of us. Damn him and his hot self. So, I ate a slice...it was a great, great slice of pizza. Mmmm...so, I ate the other slice.

Yep...that's my night of eating about as much crap food as possible. Oh well..it's just one night. I am back on plan tonight...and not going to worry too much about it. I swear...the video store is going to keep me pudgey.

Sidenote...and a good thing. A woman came into the video store last night and as I was cashing her out...she asked, "Have you lost a bunch of weight?" I said yes...and then she asked how...and I said I have been avoiding the pizza next door. She said that must be hard...and it is. Obviously. lol

Another sidenote...I am kind of sad today. One of my favorite websites was Put Down The Donut It was a really great site...run by some really wonderful women. It had a lot of information...with a sassy sense of humor. I always liked logging on and reading what was going on there. So, I will miss the site. It's too bad...since I know that a bunch of people read there. So sad.

New Fitness Plan....

So...given the 10 lb weight gain in the last month...it is obvious I haven't been doing much health related lately. It's amazing how quickly I return to old patterns...even though I had been going in the healthy and fit direction for months.

I have made some new goals. I am going to calm down...I am going to allow myself a break if needed. I figure that even if the weight comes off uber slow, it will still come off. I don't need to push myself as hard as I was..I can allow myself a slice of pizza from time to time and not beat myself up. I can not workout one day and not feel like a failure.

Also...I just moved in with a roommate...which in terms of my workout/eating schedule is going to take some time to get used to. I am used to living on my schedule...and eating when I want...and working out whenever I want. I can still do those things, but they take some more coordination when you have a roommate.

Here are some things I am going to do:

1. Think about joining the gym. It's an expense...about 30 bucks a month...and I have tons of videos and stuff at home, but I think it might really help in terms of being able to work out whenever I want..no matter what my roommate might be doing. Also, I know I don't always like working out when other people are there...and watching, etc. I feel like a zoo exhibit, etc...know what I mean. Plus, if I joined the Y...then I could start taking my cardio step classes again. I miss those classes.

2. I am going to do the Power 90 Circuit training...and then for cardio, I am going to try Couch to 5K again. I put as a goal that I wanted to be able to run/jog a 5K this year and this year is burning up quick.

3. I am going to keep drinking this water....100 oz. a day. I realize how much better I feel when I am drinking water.

That's about it for me...I am not going to make huge goals...because I know that then I just put pressure on myself. I am going to plan my food, eat healthy and attempt to move more. That's simple...that's dealable.

Biggest Loser Survey

Hey y'all....I am in my new apartment. We don't get cable until Friday, so I am hurting until them, but other than that...I am enjoying the new shindigs.

So, I imagine you are wondering what that subject line is all about. I filled out this survey online for The Biggest Loser. It was for a school study on people's perceptions of reality tv makeover shows. Anyways...the woman who made the study, she emailed me and asked if she could interview me. So, she called last night and interviewed me for about a half an hour about my thoughts on the Biggest Loser. I thought it was pretty cool...but also felt like an uber, computer geek. I was in my new apartment with my new roommate when she called...and I had to go into my room to do the interview because I just felt like such a dork.

What did I say? Ummm...a lot of things. But in general I said that I thought it was an entertaining show, but not necessarily an education one for the average viewer at home. I said that because of how the show is set up...there isn't a lot that the person at home, working a full time job, eating normal food can take with them and apply in their life. I think Celebrity Fit Club is actually much more educational for the at-home viewer. CFB shows people dieting and living a healthier lifestyle...while still living their normal lives at home.

My other beef with The Biggest Loser is how fast they lose weight. I watch the show, but on a few occasions I have almost decided to abandon it because of it. I think that a show where people lose 10-15-20 pounds a week is a really bad and even damaging image to show on tv. Also, I have heard numerous times that a healthy lose each week is between one and two pounds....and then we hear people on Biggest Loser saying things like, "I suck..I only lost 5 pounds this week." Really...did you just hear yourself? You lost 5 pounds in one week. So, I think that someone at home who is working out and eating right...and losing 2 pounds a week may end of feeling like a failure if they watch and really buy into what Biggest Loser is selling. That's another really why I like Celebrity Fit Club. On Fit Club the weight loss goal is usually not more than 5 pounds...over a 2 week period.

Anyways...so, I got interviewed...and who knows...maybe the world will be changed because of my comments about The Biggest Loser. ha ha!

been a few days...

I have had a few exciting...yet tiring days. On the 2nd and 3rd...I went over to my aunt and uncle's summer house in Upstate New York. It was SO nice to see all of them again. I went tubing and canoeing and took long walks around the property, etc. It was so nice. And, I also spent time with my cousins...some of them I haven't seen in probably tens years. It was just a great time.

And I also spent a lot of the long weekend...moving all my stuff into the new apartment. I am about 80% there. I am going to take another car full today and then I should be all ready to move in. We have a dishwasher...which brings me such joy. We have a washer and dryer...once again, immense joy. And, I don't have an annoying, loud, obnoxious neighbor above me. Whoo hoo!

And for the final piece of good ol' news in my life....today there is a special birthday. No...not the president. ick. It's my daddy's birthday. Happy, happy birthday to him. He rocks. He's awesome.

moving, locks of love and all that jazz....

Here is a new audioblog...yes, I know...I haven't done that in a while. It's a blathering recount of how much I hate moving! *winks* Enjoy!!!