Ticking off the Days

Every morning this week I wake up having no idea of what day it is or what is planned for the day.  Then I remember the day, and I know what is scheduled.  I guess its good I wrote out that blog about my schedule for the week.  Completely unrelated to anything else in this post, but I wanted to mention it:  do you know what I TOTALLY LOVE at Christmas time?  Buying some mulling spices and keeping them simmering on the stove all day.  I found some at Pete’s Coffee this year and absolutely love the way it fills the whole house with the aroma of Christmas.

So everything has gone according to plan, and I am ready for action today!

Tuesday, started the day with an excellent protein pancake.  Lori has the best recipe for this, so I always refer you to her blog.  I have it the same way almost every time.  With some walnuts cooked into the pancake, and topped with mashed overripe bananas.

Doesn't that look tasty? It was!

Tuesday afternoon I was still feeling a little blue, so I decided to take a walk with Noah, because as Lori says, “You never regret a workout.”  I took the mailbox keys, just in case we made it that far.  And what do you suppose was waiting for me in the mailbox?  A box full of healthy treats for me and the doggies from one of my favorite bloggers, Pubsgal!  I tell you what, that someone would take the time to send such a thoughtful gift really lightened my mood.  Plus THOSE ALMONDS were just the thing I needed to refuel for the long walk home!

In the evening, I had my single-serve concert in my living room.  I even took pictures of the sleeping doggies and the lights in the dark to prove it to you all.

LIght eggnog in mug, and a few treats!

About halfway through The Messiah, at 9pm(!!!) a delivery truck pulls up in front of my house. Honest, guys.  I live one and a half miles back on a twisty dirt road with no street lights.  How the heck he found his way here is a mystery to me.  Bigger mystery–did he ever find his way out LOL!  Anyway, as promised, I was sitting in my pj’s listening to the music, which necessitated me leaping up to get my bathrobe on.  in the meantime, the guy WALKED UP ON MY PORCH.  Do you know what Noah thinks about strange men walking up on my porch in the middle of the night?  Well, now I do!  Anyway, the peace of the evening was a little disturbed.  But finally everyone settled down and we finished the concert.  It was a lovely way to spend an evening.

Not quite as relaxed, but close.

Oh, and earlier that day, I watched one of my all time favorite movies.  I found the OLD version of The King and I (with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr) at the library.  That is one of the greatest movies ever!  Of course, I LOVE the ballroom scene, but there are so many great moments in it.

Yesterday was the day to visit Mom.  It was a pretty relaxed drive (great traffic both ways) and an enjoyable day.  Too much food, and I could really relate to Cammy’s post about being done with the treats before the actual day arrives.  So today and tomorrow are for good clean food.  Of course we went to the thrift store–my last chance to find some REALLY COMFORTABLE shoes before giving up and going retail LOL.  I even tried on some cowboy boots since I am going to Texas!  The fruitcake was great, and can I just say that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to make healthy choices at The Outback.  They might have a few healthy choices on the menu.  Its just impossible to stick to them.

So today I am off and running (soon) to get stuff organized/arranged/packed for leaving.  I am hopeful that I can get everything done by early afternoon so I can make a quick run to the gym for a ‘last chance workout.’  But actually, you know what’s good about visiting my brother?  He still loves to work out, so I get a ‘personal trainer workout’ when I visit him.  Along with nice long walks with his “little dawgie”–Shelley, he has a mini dachshund too!!

This will probably be my last post before Christmas, so I will wish you all the most wonderful Christmas ever, and an even better New Year, as we all move forward in our quest for the most healthy life possible!

What a Difference a Year Makes

Being as how I don’t have much to say right now, and don’t even have any pretty pictures to share, I was looking back through my archives to see if I had any pictures from last year at Christmas that I could ‘borrow.’  Wow.  I didn’t even remember what I was doing last year.

• I made a recipe I didn’t remember.
• I had my dad up to visit for a couple of days.
• I was home alone on Christmas, getting ready to leave for my trip to Africa.  I was eating some pretty tasty food that looks healthy too.

Today I had lunch with an old friend.  I left early and went to the gym for a workout.  BTW, comments are so helpful sometimes.  I have been exercising very consistently.  And still the feeling of ‘SOO FAAATT’ persists.    Cammy said something about how she feels better about herself when she is working out.  And I thought, yeah, I usually do too.  I kept mulling this over.  And I finally realized that the missing piece just might be that I have virtually eliminated my core exercises.  And guess where I ‘feel’ fat?  Yep, the core.  This was an innocent mistake.  I was just changing up my routine a bit, and I eliminated going in the little studio at the gym.  which was where I did all my core exercises.  And I really need to do those for my back.

The Christmassy spirit seems to be eluding me this year. For me, special treats are a part of celebrating.  Still.  I am not abandoning the bobay plan, but I decided I would loosen up just a bit and have a few treats, healthy and otherwise.  It was good to go back through those few archives and see some of the healthy treats I was enjoying!  Tonight I had a bowl of some special popcorn I got at the Harvest Festival.  I’ve been keeping it in the freezer.  Weird, huh?  I tell ya, you can freeze almost anything!

Tomorrow I plan to have some delicious protein pancakes for a breakfast treat.  In the evening I am going to sit quietly in the living room with just the candles burning, and listen to Handel’s Messiah.  It is really the only Christmas music I  want to hear this year.  I researched going to a performance of it, but they are so far away.  That is part of life in the country.  So I decided I would enjoy a private performance in my own living room without the exhaustion of a long drive.  I can even listen in my pajamas if I want to!

Wednesday is a long day–gonna visit my mom, and take her THE FRUIT CAKE.  I should call this a buttery brandy pecan and date cake.  People would get a better picture of it!  We will have a good day, visiting the thrift stores, book stores, and going out for dinner, finishing the evening with a piece of fruit cake.

And then, Thursday I will be home getting ready for my trip.  I am actually flying on Christmas Eve, but am  leaving a day early because my flight leaves at 6am and I didn’t want to get up at 2 in the morning to drive to the airport.

So Friday I will be in Sacramento, and maybe I will get to visit with some of my friends from work.  I am also going to check out a certain shoe store that has COMFORTABLE shoes.  I am almost desperate for a pair of cute shoes that are also very comfortable.  All I have left are my workout shoes!  And then to the hotel to turn in early so I can fly on Christmas Eve to meet my brother and his wife in time for lunch in Texas!  Isn’t air travel amazing?  If I’m not in a Christmassy spirit by then, I give up.

Hmmm.  Not sure why I felt it necessary to share a minute-by-minute report of my plans for the next few days, but there you go.  Hope you all are taking time to enjoy a few Christmas pleasures this week!

Christmasy Stuff

Well, I finally started putting up a few Christmas decorations this week.  I think I said before I planned on pretty minimal decorating because I am not having anyone over and I am going to my brother’s for Christmas.  Did I say that?  Well, anyway, that’s the plan.  Oh, and what you guys might be interested in is that also scheduled during my Christmas travels is a couple of blogger meet-ups!!  Squeeee!!!  Presuming that the weather cooperates and the stars all line up and all that stuff!

Anyway, back to the decorating.  I have a big artificial tree.  And I knew I wasn’t dragging that in this year.  So I saw these little noble fir trees for sale and they were already standing up nicely in the little stand that came with them.  Only when I got it home it spent almost 2 weeks on the porch falling out of its stand.  So when I decided it was time to bring it in the house, I got myself a hammer and MADE SURE that baby would never get out of the stand again.  Here’s the result:

Oops.  In addition, my agressive hammering had knocked a little piece off of the stand.  I didn’t notice that the little missing piece was actually a large hole in the stand until I tried to put water in it and it ran out all over the floor.  Oops.  Never mind.  We never put our Christmas trees in water when I was growing up and they were just fine.

My plan was to bring one box of ornaments in (I probably have at least three large tubs) and whichever ornaments came out first, those would be the ones that decorated the tree.  Lucky me.  The ornaments right on top of the first box were all the little bird ornaments.  That was it then.  It would just be a little birdy tree.  Added in one string of lights, and the sparkly garlands that were right on top of that first box, and I was done!

This peacock is a favorite ornament.  I bought it on a Christmas Eve trip to San Francisco with my nieces when they were little.  That was a fun way to get them out of their mother’s way when she was getting ready for our Christmas Eve dinner!

Another sparkly bird.

The cockatoo ornament on the left is so old and fragile that little bits of his tail end crumble off every year.

Look who’s waiting patiently under the birdy tree.  I thought that was funny.

I saw this in a magazine.  Unwrapped a few more ornaments and put them in a bowl with a pretty candle.

One friend gave me the little tree with the bird, and another gave me the sparkly silver candle holder for my birthday.

And the third friend gave me this pretty Christmas teapot.  Tada.  Instant Christmas decorating.  No need to bring in anything else.

And finally, Mr. Monk has found a new favorite place to roost.  Especially on cold mornings with a warm fire in the woodstove.  And yes, those are the same poor dumbells you saw decorating the hearth last year….

I’ve stuck pretty close to the Bobay plan this week.  Thursday I had a potluck dinner to go to. Guess who was stuck making dessert?  Yep, me.  I went through my entire cookbook, from my ‘too healthy for normal people’ recipes, to ‘pseudo healthy’ (the old cake mix/can of diet 7-up W.W. recipes,) all the way back to my pre-diet days of ‘how much butter and sugar can you fit into one recipe?’  I really debated over what to make. And I finally realized that at least 3 of the five women that would be there are watching what they eat.  I don’t know what their husbands are doing.  Anyway, I decided on this recipe that I think I’ve shared on here before.  But it is so good, and so easy, and so low in calories and relatively healthy, that I wanted to share it with you again.  Just perfect if you have to make a quick dessert that is sure to impress people.

You need 30 ounces of frozen fruit, and some granola, preferably granola without dried fruit in it.  The original recipe calls for triple berry, but I decided on a one pound bag of blueberries and a one pound bag of frozen peach slices.  THAT was a great combination (hey, I did pick up something from watching Paula Deen!)  Anyway, preheat your oven to 375, get out an 8X8 pan, and dump the frozen fruit in it.  Add 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp flour and mix it around.  Put it in the oven for 20 minutes.  Take it out and stir it around, and top it with 1 1/2 cups granola and put back in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Voila!  Instant dessert.  I got some of that slow churned ice cream to put on top.  Yum yum.  The recipe serves 9 and only has 127 calories per serving.  It was good leftover with some greek yogurt too.

Today I went to the big city to meet my sister for a little pre-Christmas get together.  Gotta say, that really got me in the Christmas mood better than anything I’ve done so far.  We went to that great Discovery thrift shop, and I got a couple of designer items that fit really great.  And we were there on the second day of their big 50% off sale, so it was pretty slim pickings!

This week, in spite of sticking to the diet and exercising faithfully every day, I have really been having those feelings of being SOOOOOOO FAAAAAATTTTT.  Like I told Jill,  I know I am SO FAT, but when I am doing so well, it doesn’t seem fair to feel SOOOOOO FAAAATTTTT.  Trying to analyze just what brings that on.  Is it that I am in a losing trend, and have unrealistic expectations?  Is it because my back is hurting more than usual, and instinctively I associate that with how I felt all the time when I was at my heaviest?  Is it just that I’ve been in a protective fog this past year, and now reality is setting in?  I dunno.  I even thought that maybe it was the clothes I was wearing yesterday, so I completely changed my outfit.  Whatever it is, I am glad that my reaction is NOT to give in and eat everything in sight.

Hoping you are having a great pre-Christmas weekend.  Take a little time out of your busy schedule to just sit and enjoy a moment of peace.

Protein and Me

 

So I planned on talking about protein today.  Me and my vast knowledge of it.  Then I stopped to ask Vicky (my ex-trainer/foodie extraordinaire) if she had ever tried to make protein bars that were higher in protein.  Which necessitated me telling her that I was doing this higher protein thing, and heaven forbid, that I had reverted to eating those PROCESSED protein bars.  Vickie is well-read, and always has a pretty science-based opinion on all things health and food.  When I said this diet had about 120 grams of protein per day (actually it has about 95-100) she said that was too much protein for long term.  And proceeded to tell me how hard protein was on various systems in the body AND the possible carcinogenic factor of some proteins.  Oh brother.  So, what I already knew.  I will not eat this exact way long-term.  But I am certainly paying attention, and learning to make a few wiser choices.  She did mention that protein is good for appetite control.

I also mentioned to Vicky that I wonder if it is just the higher protein, or that the food choices are pretty much spelled out, or is it that I am just done with all the crap this year and ready to move on.  When there are multiple factors involved in a scientific experiment (the human body) you don’t know for sure what the precipitating factor is.  All I know  is that I am relieved that I am enjoying my food, I am not white-knuckling it, I am not hungry, and I am losing weight.

So.  Protein.  Since I don’t like beans and I don’t much like eggs, my protein sources are a little limited. Here’s a few ways new to me that have made protein quite enjoyable the past two weeks.

• Eggbeaters in smoothies. This is not that new for me.  I am REALLY enjoying that Egg Nog Smoothie                                      I came up with.
• Scrambled eggs/eggbeaters with a tablespoon of real bacon crumbles (Costco) and a little sugar free syrup (I know.  I even have to sweeten my eggs…)
• Lean deli ham–this has come in handy a couple of times when I was on the run.
• And I am really enjoying having salmon more often  (coated with Mrs. Dash, and dowsed with lemon juice at the end.)
• I got some frozen cod, and if I cook it on medium high, it gets nicely browned on the outside.  Splashed liberally with malt vinegar, its just like my old favorite, fish and chips.  Well, no chips.  One time I had it with some baked sweet potato fries!
• I found a new protein bar today that I like.  Detour–15 grams protein, low sugar, less than 200 calories.

As soon as I’m done writing this I am off to eat another meal of protein and veggies.  I’m gonna make a salsa chicken dish with some brussel sprouts on the side I think.

Can I tell you how much I love getting up at 5am?  Presuming I get to bed at 9pm.  I am awake before the doggies (must be what a mother of preschoolers feels like) so I have a nice quiet time to start the day.  Reading a new book I am loving called The Fire of the Word, Meeting God on Holy Ground by Chris Webb.  He is the new president of Renovare and is a very talented speaker.  And now a good writer.  Anyway, I am enjoying it.  This morning I got so much done by 11am it was amazing.  By 11:30 I had my 3rd meal of the day (that was a little weird,) and then I left to do some chores.  The grocery store to get the ingredients for my (now) annual baking of the fruit cake for my mom (here’s the recipe if you want.  I only put cherries, dates, and pecans in mine.)  Then to the library to return an overdue book.  I am liking that you can order any book you want online.  I ordered The Dovekeepers–don’t know where I heard about this, but it sounded interesting, and I ordered The 17 Day Diet, because   Sharon’s recent success has intrigued me.  Oh, and I got 3 really good movies FOR FREE at the library.  On to the gym, where I did the usual bike for 20 minutes, and weights for 20 minutes.  Lately, Paula Deen has been on the Food Network while I was biking, and I find her irritating. The way she cooks does not inspire me to do anything.  On to my treat of the day, a session at Starbuck’s.   Got settled in  my comfy chair, reached for my Kindle Fire, and IT WOULD NOT TURN ON.  Oh my stars.  The instruction manual is ON the kindle, so I was really worried that I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SLAY THE ZOMBIES today.  Long story short, I went on Amazon when I got home, did a little trouble shooting, and its working again.  Whew.

Some photos to amuse you:

Miss Sophie tires of waiting for mom to GET DONE BLOGGING.

Mr. Monk becoming one with the cushion.

Hey, all the couch pictures reminds me.  I’m toying with the idea of replacing it with a bright red ultra suede loveseat.  What do you all think?  Better or worse with the doggies?  It can’t be much worse than the old blue and white sofa with loose cushion back.  The price is right–$299.  I think its gently used, although it looks new.  Comes with a large ottoman too.

The extent of my Christmas decorating so far:

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print, here in the frozen tundra of sunny California!

 

 

The Week That Was

Oh my goodness.  That is NOT how I choose to live my life.  Having something ‘special’ every day of the week.  Eating out, eating at parties, staring at cookies for hours on end.  NOT gonna do that again.  But I made it through.  And for some reason, my plan worked.  It did not all fall apart, and I did not succumb to munching on endless cookies like I am prone to do.  I stayed pretty much on the bobay plan except for the meals out, and a few planned cookies.  And I achieved my goal–to not GAIN any weight this week.  I did not gain one ounce this week.  It would have been nice to lose 0.2 pounds like Helen did her second week.  But I ‘m not complaining!

So Friday and Saturday I exhibited my quilts at a very small art and craft show–7 vendors!  It was held at the local nursery, and they really did a very nice job of it.

Still, it was COOOLDDD!   Here is the field of frost I drove by as I left Saturday morning.

Close up:  frost can make even plain old weeds look special!

I actually sold one of my quilts, which surprised me, since they are priced quite a bit higher than what most people are looking for at a craft show.  It was one of my favorite quilts, but I actually sold it to a lady who lives on the same road as I do, and so she knew the place that it depicts.  I really like her and her husband so that is nice too.

In spite of it being cold, I managed to get quite a bit of stitching done on a new project.  It will end up being a ‘twilight garden’ quilt.

 

The other thing that was going on this week, mostly via emails and writing and thinking and praying, was preparing to make the announcement to our church about The Bridge, our little sponsorship program for the children of Carrefourpoy, Haiti.  My young friend, whose brainstorm it was, is really doing most of the work.  I am proofreading/advising(ha! my main area of expertise LOL) and giving moral support.  As the program gets going, I anticipate I will have more work to do on it.  Our announcement went really well (hey Cammie–thanks for the link to 10 Reasons You are Rich.  I worked that into the announcement!) and people really responded.  Looks like we will be able to help with their little church school down there.  Honestly, its like looking at the places I visited in Africa.  Their ‘school’ has brick sides,  I think there is a tarp for a ‘roof’, and I’m not kidding, ROCKS for a floor.  Not gravel.  Rocks.  Yes, people, we are rich.  Please be thankful, especially at this time of year when we tend to spend a little too much time daydreaming about the next THING we want.

And now back to our regularly scheduled life.  This week is pretty free and clear.  I plan to put out just a few Christmas decorations, AFTER I clean up the clutter.  And stick to the bobay plan of eating higher protein.  Today when I shopped, I bought more meat than I have bought in a long time!  I also plan to get back to my exercise schedule.  The best I could do some days was to take the dogs for a short walk right before it got dark.

The Birthday Season Ends, Now for the Rest of the Week

Oh my goodness.  As I told several of my friends, having this much fun is exhausting.   I do believe I will be satisfied with a simple single birthday celebration next year!  Two birthday lunches out.  I am very happy with the choices I made and how I stuck to the plan once I got to the restaurant.  Plus.  At Pinkberry, a small original with no toppings?  Go me!

Yesterday was shopping in addition to birthday eats.  Mostly I scored some great food items.  I left my friends at Home Goods and ran across to Trader Joe’s to get some supplies.  Got their gingerbread coffee, the only flavored coffee I still like.  Some almond breeze–I’m using a lot of this these days.  That egg nog protein smoothie is really good!  –205 calories and 33 grams protein!)  At Costco I got some blueberries and pears, some of that yummy goat cheese with cranberries on the outside, and some new little lettuces to try.  Cause tomorrow?  Another party!  This one is our sewing day party.  I am making a salad with the baby red and green lettuces, green onions, corn, mandarin orange slices, cranberries, and chicken, with an oriental ginger dressing.  Doesn’t that sound yummy?  My plan is to go heavy on the salad, and have ONE COOKIE.  Okay, you read it here.  Now hold me accountable!

Oh, I got two fun items.  Nabbed one of those lap desks at Costco–you’ll laugh–its to eat my dinner off of.  My BFF does this at her house and it is so convenient.  And, at the last store, Marshall’s, I was heading to the check out counter in a daze (I am really done shopping before 3pm, unlike the guerilla shoppers I was with) and I spied a technical shirt that looked very much like a swim shirt!  At $19, it was a heck of a lot cheaper than the $70 swim jacket that I had been contemplating.  Even if it doesn’t work for swimming, it will work great for mid-winter walks.  I bought it without even trying it on.  When I got home I tried it on and it fits and feels great!  Score!

I am still fitting in some exercise, although not to my stated goal.  With such a busy week, I am giving myself some grace.  That said, I think I will end this and get out for the long walk with Noah this morning.  Maybe I’ll give that technical shirt a try on dry land.  Swimming is on the agenda after the party tomorrow!

Official Results

And the official weight loss for one week of the Bobay plan?  Drum roll please….3.8 pounds!  Real weight.  Not Thanksgiving or travel weight.  (if I counted that it would be 5.2 pounds!)  I am hooked.  Especially considering I weighed myself all week long since I was worried I was eating too much.  With a little imagination, its not so hard to get that much protein in.  I am thrilled.  I haven’t lost that much weight in a single week since I first started dieting almost 7 years ago.

This week is my busiest week before Christmas.  After that its clear sailing.  Two birthday lunches out Monday and Tuesday.  Our sewing day party on Thursday (guess who’s bringing the salad!), and then I signed up for a small craft show with my quilts on Friday and Saturday.  I can bring my food to that, but there will be treats there.  My plan is to follow this plan except for the specific meals that I am eating out.  Most likely won’t be a loss this week (ya think?)  But if I continue to practice eating this way, it will start to become habit.  Today, being my real birthday (just a day at home) I still planned to allow myself a day off from dieting.  (BTW, please ignore my constant use of the word diet and dieting.  I am just using that word to describe that I am eating a little differently than my normal healthy ‘lifestyle’ type of eating.)Turns out I wanted to eat mostly what I had already been eating–with the addition of a couple of birthday treats.

Plus, I stuck to my exercise regime.  It feels so good to be back at the gym using the weight machines and free weights.  I am also liking the exercise bike more and more.  I think I just might be a fair weather swimmer.  Have not been able to make myself get in the water since mid-October.  I don’t want to spend $75 on a swim jacket if I’m not going in the water on a regular basis.

So today, I just wanted to RELAX.  That turned out to be a little difficult.  Started out with a lot more acitivity than normal in the neighborhood, which got Noah really riled up.  Then this afternoon, when it seemed things were settling down, the plumber showed up.  Oh man.  Noah does not like strange men clomping around on HIS property.  After the plumber left, I tried again to relax.  To relax WITHOUT LITTLE DOGS CLIMBING ALL OVER ME, and a big dog NOSING ME for attention.  Serenity now…

Here is the scene when I summoned my best Dog Whisperer impersonation.  I am sitting in the red recliner right next to them.

Awww.  She LOOKS sooo innocent, doesn’t she?

And here we go.  That’s enough relaxing Mom.

They win.  As usual.  (Please ignore the unflattering cameral angle.)

And so it goes.  Even though it was a ‘rest’ day, I got up, put the shoes back on, and took everybody out for a stroll.  No  cardio benefit from this one.  Unless walking in the COOOLD weather can raise your heart rate.  They all behaved nicely after dinner, which they usually do, so I have no complaints.