This and That

Hey y'all! I hope everyone has been having a good week. It was/is being a pretty hectic one for me ( when is it not?). All that crazy weather talk made for a lot of weather anxiety around here and people flocking to the grocery store to buy food they don't need for the snow we didn't have. 

Of course, the northern part of the state got a nice foot or so which is very unusual for us. I got about an inch or so and this was my mandatory snow pic the next morning lol 

 I have been doing pretty good with my food. I have found that the longer I go without breads and such, the less likely I am to want them. This is not to say I NEVER crave them, because ocassionally I do. But I seem to be better, for the most part, at letting my brain do the right thing for my body.

 I have increased my walking goals and try to fluctuate between 4-5 miles a day (7days/week). I have been doing real good with that, it helps me that I am active during work hours. However, I feel like I should be doing more.

 I had read and heard a few people talk about daily burn. I usually don't follow recommendations of programs, especially when it feels like a paid infomercial. But since they had a 30 day trial and some pretty good reviews I gave it a try. Let me tell you one thing, These could be the most amazing workouts in the world but it wouldn't make me want to join for good. I had so many technical issues with accessing the workouts and so many problems with my account that I was left with no desire to even make it a week through since I was dreading having another issue and being locked out of my account for the millionth time. I ended up doing just a handful of workouts and cancelling my trial early. If you love this, I'm glad for you. As for me, 10/10 do not recommend. Not worth the hassle.

 I do have the eliptical at home but by the time I make it home and through all I got to get accomplished before bed, I sure don't feel like doing it. But I probably should. Kind of like finding me time,  Ihave to get it on the list or it will never happen. I will try to get on the elliptical 3 times a week to begin with for maybe 20 mins. We all have 20 minutes right? I think my body needs that extra push to get going again. My daily walking goal plus this should help. I will report back.

 One other tweak I have been considering is adjusting some of my food. But I am no sure what it should be. I have a pretty set food routine currently. I alternate between 3 different breakfasts which include: 

1) 1 ounce almonds, 1 ounce cheese and a hard boiled egg 

2) 2 egg omelet with 2-3 cups of spinach/power greens 

3) 1 small avocado mashed with 1 hard boiled egg 

 Lunch is either a hamburger patty, tuna, chicken,fish or leftover meat from the night before with a chopped salad and a piece of fruit. The salad lately has been chopped radishes, onions, carrots and tomatoes with cilantro, lemon juice and about 1 ounce of feta. 

 Dinner is about the same as lunch but instead of a salad I will have roasted or sauteed veggies. I have leaned towards sweet taters, fordhook lima beans, broccoli cauliflower mashed or sauteed squash and onions a lot. We usually have 2 or 3 veggies with dinner. For "dessert", I will usually have a small no sugar added fruit cup or a piece of fresh fruit.

 Snackwise, I don't do it all the time. It pretty much depends on how crazy my day gets. However, when I do snack, I have jerky, oranges, cheese or nuts available. Overall I do not think it is terrible, but probably have room for improvement. I wonder if I may be using too much salt when cooking? I have never thought about it but it is a possibility. 

I know my diet sodas are another thing that are no help at all. I have cut way down but somehow I refuse to just completely stop. Keep telling myself, I have 'earned' them but maybe I just need to give a cold try and see if anything changes. Do you have any recommendations for me? Let me know! Until next time!

No Snow Day

We have been having some crazy weather here in Al. From the 20's to the mid 60's -70s and back around over and over. Tons of wind. Plenty of rain with a few sunny days sprinkled in. We have had several "snow and ice threats" that do not help in the northern states laughing at our overreaction to a snowflake or winter weather watches. Today was a snow day for most people. They had predicted between 2-8" but as of now all we have is very cold rain. They keep pushing the start time further into the evening but something tells me the snow will be a no show!

I was glad today is my day off since I didn't have to worry about taking time off work. Hospitals never close! I have been enjoying catching up on chores and getting everything done as this is my only day off after working 7 days in a row. In a couple of weeks, I should get a little  more time so that will be great.

I have been obsessed with my new fave salad. A combo of carrots, tomatoes, radishes,onions and cilantro. With some lemon juice and feta....delicious!

The scale is stuck once again at slight or no losses,even though I haven't veered off path. I have more than plenty left to lose so I know that's not my issue. I think I need to retweak and find a way to kick it up a notch.

I  Will have to consider my options and revisit this soon. Until next time, stay warm!

Finding me time

                 

     

Hey everyone, its been about a week since my last post. I keep saying I am back and then drop off for a week. Everything is going well for me, in some ways so well that I feel like I am crammed full of things to do and take care of that I ended struggling to find what I used to call my me time. When it comes to the journey to a better me, I cannot complain. I continue to make progress slowly but surely and that is amazing. I am committed and continue to try to learn and tweak as I go.

 We all enjoy different things and in different ways. For me, one of the ways I have found me time was by getting up a little early, taking a few minutes to meditate and enjoy a cup of coffee then maybe write on here before I got started with my day. Having that slow start sets the tone just right for my day, which is usually full of unexpected and most often than not a lot of organized chaos haha. 

 I am still getting up extra early, however time seems to be flying too fast for me to have my old me time and I have been leaving earlier and earlier for my commute because of the crazy weather. By the time I get home, there's dinner and chores and what not to take care of and before you know it, you better get your butt in bed since you gotta wake up early. My day starts and end in a rush. And I have no kids..How do you all Super Moms do/did it??? 

 I think that when I first started my new job, so many other things were changing that I just went with the flow. Instead of trying to find and adjust to a new routine I just tried to do it all at the same time.Now, after a couple of months, the original adrenaline is tampering off, the lack of structured routine paired with the longer to do list, and trying to find a way to juggle what I NEED to do with what I WANT to do is feeling a bit much at times . Sounds like such a first world problem huh? I know, I know.

 On my drive home yesterday, I was thinking about all of this and realizing that if at this point my biggest issue is how busy my days are...instead of fussing I should be thanking the *insert whatever you believe in* above. How lucky I am to have a home that needs to be cleaned, maintained and taken care of. How blessed I am to have a job that not only fulfills me but also provides for my needs. How proud I should be of how my hard work when it comes to taken the extra time to prepare meals or get a walk in when I am exhausted keeps paying off as I can see and feel the results. Do I really have much reason to complain about? Nope.

 I have to have these kinds of talks with myself every now and then, reframing and putting things into perspective does wonders for me. So this morning, I MADE the time to sit and enjoy my coffee, to catch up on my fave blogs and start my day in a way that makes me more likely to be in a better mood. If it really is that important to me, I should work harder at making sure I do it. Just like anything else. So here I am, meditated ( not medicated ;) ), two cups of coffee in and several blogs read later taking a few minutes to write out my thoughts before heading off to work...Until next time!

Monday Musings

I was off today and I am off for the next two days!! so excited to actually get some down time where I can do what I want and need to do without feeling sick and struggling to get out of bed and feel productive . It makes it really feel like a mini vacation!

The weather men had been hyping some awful weather for the area since last week that was supposed to begin today. However, all we've gotten has been tons of rain. I'll take that over an ice storm any day. It will be tricky next couple of days with all the water on the road and our temps dropping below freezing for the next 48hrs. Crazy Alabama weather...as they say around here: don't like Alabama weather? Wait a minute, it will change. Glad I don't have my commute to worry about during that time.

I went shopping today and got me a nice fitted long sleeve white blouse in an xxl from Costco. I know xxl is big...too big but It has been so long since I've worn something that "small". I have gone ahead and retired my biggest sized clothes from my closet and al I can say is: 3x at the plus size department... I sure don't miss you at all!

That NSV should remind me not to attempt to have a controlled treat like that ounce of cookie cake. My tummy is finally back to normal! As Gwen would say it was an n=1. 

Once again I realize and my body reminds me that when it comes to certain things I can't do moderate...truthfully, I'm ok with that. Hope everyone started their week off right.until next time!

Not so Sweet Consequences

Happy Valentine's Day weekend everyone! I hope all of you who celebrate had a good time. I had to work late all weekend and didn't have any special plans so I thought I couldn't get into too much trouble. Boy, was I wrong haha!

I had gotten past the valentines donuts, the endless bowls of conversation hearts as well as the mason jars full of m&m's. I was so proud of myself for getting through all of that and then I came home to this:

                                     

I am not an all desserts all day kind of person. Bread and chips are/used to be more my thing. But the chocolate chip cookie cakes were always one of favorites. The person who gifted this to us was being 'nice' by buying us the small version of it as opposed to those huge ones from the great american cookie place.

No one forced me to eat it but I did. I cut a tiny piece and weighed it. I ate exactly a one ounce piece with icing on it.

Either the sugar, the fat or both did quite the number on my tummy within a couple of hours. I felt bloated and my tummy hurt. Shortly after I was making trips back and forth to the potty! Not fun at all, I am still bloated even though I've dropped another 0.5 pounds since Friday. Talk about a never doing this again kind of thing!

It is funny how our body can reject something that a few months ago wouldn't have cause any symptoms. I am 100% sure it was caused by it since that's the only time I did anything off plan.lesson learned. 

Sorry for another entry of "what's ailing Alati's this week"... Hopefully my body will get back with the program soon! Until next time!

                                     

     

A sweet but short lived experiment

      

Hey yall! I am finally snot, sore and ache free! I feel like I need to throw myself some sort of party to commemorate. Feels like it took forever to get back to normal. Part of the reason that it's taken me longer than usual is because I've having to do and take care of so much. However, things are now going back to my regular routine...I love my routine let's hope it can stay that way for a bit ;)

Yesterday, was my Saturday but I was asked to cover as we were short staffed. I was feeling pretty run down from the moment I woke up. When I am exhausted, I tend to get hyper in the sense of I need to stay extra stimulated or I will crash. 

On my drive in, I was listening to a podcast on the evils of sugar and found myself nodding during different times, it was so funny that when I came into the office, there were a couple of boxes full of Krispy Kreme Valentine's donuts for everyone to have. I immediately had two thoughts:

1.Its not Valentines yet!!

2. How fitting that I had been hearing about how bad sugar is for you and I have to come straight to this in the office!

As I was standing there, one of my coworkers came in and went straight for the luv bug donut. Between bites I was encouraged to eat one. I declined but continue to catch up with everyone. In the back of my mind, I was trying to guess how many grams of sugar she was eating so I turned it into a little game. I decided I would "pretend" in my head to be the old me, and figure out how much sugar I would have eaten in a regular day. I decided to use my coworker as reference when it came to taking a break and/or eating a snack. She's not big at all, but she's seems to eat ALL day like I used to. Unfortunately, I lack the genes and metabolism she has but that's another story .

So that's how I set out about my sweet experiment. I decided that I would have most likely gone for the luv bug donut as well because it sure was the cutest. That would have started me off with 30grs of sugar on an empty stomach. Because we had come in about half an hour before we were supposed to, my coworker asked if I wanted to walk to the starbucks. We are very fortunate (or unfortunate) to have a full starbucks within the campus. I grabbed a dark roast no sugar no cream but my "old self" would have chosen a venti  white chocolate mocha with whipped. 

As I'm writing this post, I'm looking up the nutritional data. I'm blown away by the fact that I would drink 75g of sugar in that!! Not to even mention the calories sheesh! Paired with the donut I would have started my day with 105grs of sugar and probably about half of my calorie needs for the day! I know not everyone is a calorie counter and/or food logger but it is something I have done and a big part of my success. The structure of it is something that I need in order to be successful. I have a hard time not being mad at my old self for being so careless....however, food and sugar addiction is a disease. Fortunately one I believe you can reverse through honesty, commitment and hard work.

When we got back to the office with our coffees, more people had come in and were partaking. We were both highly encouraged to partake as well. It's sad that I know I would have for sure had a second donut with my coffee only a few months ago. That would have added another 30 grs of sugar for a total of 135g before 8am!! I was comforted that currently, with my black coffee and hard boiled egg breakfast I wasn't putting any of that in my body. That's a relief! Now if I could just not need my coffee so badly it would be even better ;)

I decided right then and there to wrap up my sweet and short lived experiment. It was depressing to realize how huge of a grip sugar has had in my life for so long. I don't encourage comparisons normally. I believe you should NEVER compare yourself to others whether it's friends, family, celebrities, fitness trainers or your favorite bloggers. However, I do think you should compare your old self to your new self. Find in that comparison ways to learn about you and your behaviors and take a moment to give yourself a high five for how far you have come. It doesn't matter how far down the road you are, what matters is that you are on it! It doesn't matter what anyone thinks or if no one gets it. Keep pushing upward and onward!

                

I am here....again

       

    

Well, it has been a week since I last posted. I am fairly new to the blogging world but not new enough to not know that in this world, abscence most often means that the blogger has fallen off the wagon. So let me start off by saying, I HAVE NOT FALLEN OFF THE WAGON! Yay! lol 

 Like I mentioned on my last post, I had gotten sick with some awful crud and then had another ovary cyst rupture. This was then followed by a really painful episode caused by my uterine fibroids. Then at work, even though we deal with death constantly, we had a harder than usual week. Very emotionally draining. I will spare you the details, suffice to say that I went from feeling crappy, to feeling worse to f%$&&** bad ;).

 I have dealt with many womanly issues for several years which got increasingly worse as I got bigger. When I started dropping the pounds I immediately noticed a change for the better. However, for the past two months, some symptoms have gotten so much better but my pain has gotten so much worse.

 Just like I used to avoid the scale, I have also tried to avoid the doctor. Its funny to even say it, considering my line of work. I have the knowledge of what is happening to me but I don't want to hear someone say it out loud. Kind of like when you can tell you have gained and you are scared to step on the scale because you know the number is not going to be nice? Stupid, I know! 

 When I faced the doctor, the possibility of having major surgery became closer to a reality. It is not the surgery itself that is scary. I know there are always risks and that is not what I am worried about. Several years ago, I came to the decision that I really did not want children of my own. I chose to put my all into my career and have been very happy with my choices. 

 I never anticipated that the thought of a hysterectomy would affect me the way it has. It is not because I have suddenly decided I want to have children. It is because, not having them would no longer be my choice but my circumstance. Am i crazy? Nothing has changed in the way I feel or what I want in regards to kids. I love working with them on a daily basis, I just don't want to have any if my own. Yet tell me it wouldn't be an option and it throws me off. I am just having a hard time with it. It is a procedure that I will most likely need and it will positively impact my quality of life. But yet, I was still all bent up about it. 

Then, a few days ago ,I came back to reality when a family we had grown to love lost their young child to cancer. When you look at what some are dealing with, whether physically or emotionally, you realize that you are so blessed. That you  don't have it as bad as some might. That for some, surgery of any kind would be scary because they lack the funds, the insurance, the support system or even the option to do so. All of a sudden, it gets easier to reframe and move on. I tell y'all, our minds are sure funny in how they work sometimes!

 I try to keep this a fairly motivating and positive place. Not just for whoever may be reading but also for myself. I often go back and read what I have written and don't really want to read post after post of complaints. This is why I decided to take some time to get my brain together and feeling more like myself both physically and emotionally. After a week of mental break, self analysis and calmness,I am in a better place. I am feeling back to myself even though my crud is not all gone. Even with all the drugs I am on, my symptoms have lingered. BTW, my coworkers blame it on all the salads and veggies I eat paired with the lack of junk lol apparently low carb supresses your immune system ;)

 Through it all, I have stuck to my plan because I am commited to doing all I can to better my health.I have continued to stay active except for the two days that fever had me in bed all day. So while I have have been quiet on here, my inner voice and keeping up with my fellow bloggers has kept me in check. Slowly but surely I keep moving along this journey...the daily journey to a better me. Until next time!