Pretend Reality

Well there was just not one extra minute yesterday. No kidding. So, rather than just throw in the towel because I missed one day, I'm writing again today. Cause that's what skinny people do, that's why.

I'm not skinny, not by a long shot. In fact, I think I get fatter by the second. Whoops, there I go again.

But even though I feel fatter than I've ever been, I can still act like a skinny person. I can pretend.

And that means exercising, drinking water, eating smaller portions, choosing to skip dessert. It means all that and more.

So I'll keep pretending. 'Cause by pretending, I just might change my reality.

Decreasing in make-believe,
Aileen

Little bits

I did a little bit right today. I exercised--45 minutes on the elliptical. I drank lots of water. I had a smoothie for lunch, packed with fruits. I chose not to give into the temptation to overeat when that was precisely what I wanted to do.

But I have a long, long way to go to get my eating habits in line. Except, wait. I'm not sure that's really true. To reset my eating habits, I need to eat right the next time I eat. I can really do this just one meal at a time. I don't, today, have to eat right every day from now on. No. I just have to eat right for the next meal.

I think I can do that. I'm sure I can.

Decreasing one spark at a time,
Aileen

Fitness sparked

Today I taught not one, not two, but three fitness classes. The first one was a step class and I did a truly awful job. The class did not complain too much though, and I think we all got our heart rates up at least. The middle one was senior fitness--not too difficult. The last one, though, was muscle pump. I logged 110 minutes on the fitness tracker; I probably did more than that, but I was being conservative in my estimates.

Anyway it felt good to work out really hard today. I haven't worked out like that in well over a year. I'm thankful that I could still survive it.

These small steps are totally working for me. I just have to keep taking them. So far, so good.

Sparking right along,
Aileen

Sparking right along

So this website, www.sparkpeople.com, is totally awesome. totally. Okay, so don't tell anyone, but I am a bit fond of computer games. And Spark, when you get a certain number of points, you get a little virtual trophy! Love it. How do you get points? By achieving your goals and logging in--recording your accomplishments. Sick, maybe, but this accumulation of points, this awarding of trophies: I like it.

When I was in Weight Watchers, I loved getting my weekly stickers. Loved it. This is kinda the same thing. sweet.

Little bitty goals--that's what this program is all about. This week, I'm to write in my journal daily (that's you), exercise for 10 minutes a day, and drink 8 glasses of water. I can do that. Me, I need to feel successful in order to succeed. Achieving these itty bitty goals helps me feel accomplished and thus empowers me to achieve more. Nice.

Not really decreasing, but not so much increasing either.
Aileen

Restarting with a Spark

So I joined sparkpeople.com today to try to get myself on track. It's a great site. It urges you to set 3 goals in different categories to get started. One of mine is "write in a journal daily." So, here we go.

I truly must like my problems. At least I won't do what is necessary to solve them. It frustrates me that I'm caught in this crux: don't like the problem/don't like the solution either. What I would like is the result of the solution: a healthier weight, a more controlled life, increased longevity. Maybe that's where my focus needs to be--not on self denial, but on these benefits.

And yes, I know i've said that before. But I'm saying it again because I have to remind myself. Habits--good ones--are slow in forming.

Always starting over,
Aileen

Another day . . . another tip.

Okay here's a tip for the gourmands (is that a word?) out there. When I was frustrated by my constant desire for sweets, my sister said to try dark chocolate. Knowing me, she cautioned me to spend some money on it--not to get something too cheap. So I bought a smallish bar for three bucks. She said she breaks off pieces of it and eats it more like a lozenge than like a cookie. I tried it and wow oh wow how satisfying! Plus dark chocolate is good for you, right? At least a little bit?

Still drinking water. Up to 90 something ounces already today and it isn't even dark.

Seriously considering decreasing,
Aileen

Ounces, Favorites, and a Recipe

Good suggestion by my friend because I've been drinking water like a maniac. Yay me. Yesterday I got in about 150 ounces. Today over 100. So, good for me.

I started thinking about what makes eating right easier for me. One thing is fresh fruits and veggies. I will almost always make a healthful choice if it is available. The problem is when I have no good choices available. Like, I'd always prefer an apple to a vending machine snack. But if I don't have an apple, I feel compelled to get M&M's from the machine. Sure, I could get pretzels, but if I want something sweet . . . .

So having good foods in the house and not having redlight foods (read cheetos, Captain Crunch cereal, chocolate chip cookies) helps me a lot.

What good foods you ask? Apples. Always apples. And clementines. I don't care how much they cost because they are cheaper than a lap band, thank you very much. Bananas too. Oh, and a bunch of frozen and canned fruits. These things make it possible for me to make smoothies which save me on those days when I realize it is 7:00 and I've not had any foods from the ground all day.

Sandwich thins are my new favorite bread, but I still love wraps too. Salsa is a great snack enhancer. It can turn pretzels into a real treat. (1/2 cup = 1 veggie serving too!) Popcorn is another snack stable for me.

But here's what I did today that I'm just tickled pink over. See, I have the mega sweet tooth. I want sweets all the time. In fact, I think that I could eat sweets and only sweets and I would be happy as a clam. (For those who are counting, that's two cliche's in one paragraph. . . so far.) I'd forgotten about a great sweet that saved me when I was on WW before: frozen graham cracker and coolwhip sandwiches (we call them frozen grahams). This, by the way, is not for the gourmet cook. (You folk can just skip right onto the next paragraph with my sister.) This one is for the quick, short-cut, easy recipe cooks like me. Ready? Here's what you do: You take two graham crackers (squares not the full rectangle), put a dollop of fat free coolwhip between them, freeze, and feast. Yum! They are great. I'm not even kidding.

Still loving my shape-up athletic shoes. Awesome.

That's all for today. Wanting to decrease,
Aileen