Down A Pound

Well after 4 weeks of doing Thrive Weightloss, I'm down a pound. This after blowing it for 4 days during the holiday weekend and blowing it both days the previous weekend. All in all, I don't consider that bad, but I do consider my poor resolve bad and realize I need to work on it.

Today was my 2nd perfect day and I hope I can keep it up. I'm taking a class out of town all week so I'll be eating out for lunch most days. They say it takes 48 hours to get into efficient fat burning mode and that's where I want to be.

• Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups Special K Protein Plus, 1/2 cup skim milk and a little bit of hemp hearts. I also choked down the a tablespoon of the Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother, which is supposed to have thermogenic properties.
• Lunch: Salad from Firehouse Subs with smoked turkey, no dressing. I brought my own Italian dressing made with the Braggs, MCT oil and the seasoning packet
• Dinner: Chicken Alfredo (recipe from Thrive) and another tablespoon of the Braggs.
• Snack: 2 Glenny's Brownies (haven't had them yet, but drool thinking about them)

If you've never choked down the Braggs vinegar before, it's harsh. I mix it with a little water and some Splenda. It's the only way I can get it down. Yes, 2 of those brownies is considered a snack.

New Attitude

Well today officially the holiday is behind me. I can finally relax and get back on plan. Put away the alcohol, the casserole dishes and the sweets and get back to the lean proteins and vegetables that are so much better for our bodies.

My menu for today:

• Breakfast: Special K Protein Plus with hemp hearts and 1/2 cup skim milk (tastes like cardboard)
• Lunch: leftover stuffed bell pepper from yesterday (I loved this, Mark hated it)
• Dinner: Thrive recipe for Chicken Alfredo (definitely not like the real thing, but creamy and satisfying all the same)
• Snack: I have no idea, probably a Power Crunch bar

My goal this week is to have a Thrive perfect week through Sunday. Sunday will be a blow it day as I'm cooking crab cakes and chocolate mousse for mom for her birthday.

Thriving Saturdays

So I've been doing Thrive for 3 weeks now and haven't been all that successful. The first week 3 pounds fell off. The second week I had a blow it day and then on Sunday had to go to my dad's for a Thanksgiving meal of ham and the usual casseroles that go along with the holiday. And of course everyone knows what Thursday was, which means Friday was leftover day.

Today I've been fairly good, well except for the light beer. And when you're doing Thrive, you either have a perfect day or a blow it day, so technically and in the Thrive journal, this will be a blow it day. Weekends are my worst days. I'm a creature of habit, so as long as I'm working and following my workday routine, I have perfect days. Well as long as I prepare by grocery shopping for the right foods.

Today I had:

• Breakfast: Quaker Oats Weight Control Oatmeal with hemp hearts in it for my protein.
• Lunch: Thrive approved stuffed bell pepper which was great, but after stuffing myself with Thanksgiving casseroles for the last 2 days, I'm suffering from from feeling hungry all over again.
• Snack: Power Crunch bar, which was great. BTW, that link has a great price, so if anyone knows if that's a good place to order from, please let me know.
• Dinner will probably be: another stuffed pepper and maybe a salad with it. And I'll more than likely eat another snack (women only get 1) when Mark gets home from working bingo tonight at 9:30.

No exercise, unless you count cleaning out a closet. My hip is still hurting too much for exercising. Once some of this weight melts off, I will be back to doing Turbo Fire, which will help with getting the rest of the 15-20 pounds off.

Thanksgiving is Over

Time to celebrate, the holiday is finally behind us. That is one holiday I have so much trouble with. All the food, all the relatives insisting I eat it. But I digress.

I started Thrive Weightloss 3 weeks ago. Actually this is my 2nd time doing it. The first time (2 years ago) I lost 15 pounds in 8 weeks and maintained it for about a year, after which time the weight slowly crept back on. This time around, I'm having an awful time following it due to several factors:

1. I like to drink beer and my husband refuses to not drink it just because I can't quit shoving food in my mouth
2. My husband, as great a husband as he is, has absolutely nothing in common with me and we have grown so far apart we can barely see each other when in the same room, leaving me uncomfortable in my own home and feeling guilty for wanting to escape
3. My mother recently started staying in town every weekend, which requires me to entertain her all weekend and when I walk in the door, the first thing she does is make plans for dinner. When I mention something that doesn't involve carbs, sugar or fats, you can see her face fall

I know, I'm making excuses. Truth is, I love carbs and beer and that is why I'm starting to put on weight. I'm just thankful I'm blessed with a naturally high metabolism or I'd be huge by now. BUT, I know if I lived alone my kitchen would be stocked with foods I can maintain my weight with, not cheese its, candy, beer and potato chips. My closets wouldn't be crammed with sh#$ we will never use, because I can actually throw crap away which would mean i could actually use the closet in my bedroom again. Everything would be neat and tidy, instead of disorganized and buried under more crap. There would be no such thing as clutter. Oops, I'm showing my passive-aggressive side. Things I will post on the world wide web but won't mention at home.

Unfortunately, this extra weight at my age is causing pain. My arthritis in my hip has really kicked it up a notch this year, to the point that my favorite form of exercise (karate) causes miserable pain every time I do it and I really want to get back to Turbo Fire workouts but can't do that either because of the pain. So the weight has to go. And now that the holiday is past, I have to resolve to stick with the diet plan, at least until Mom's birthday Dec. 7.

Wish me luck.

Goals Part 2

I'm still not smoking. No Smoke America you have really helped. My mood is good for the most part and lord knows I love that you dole out drugs if I call saying I have anxiety! That's right. They told me to call if I feel anxious and overwhelmed, which I did. I wanted (and still want) to smoke so badly I can taste it. According to them, this isn't withdrawal, it's anxiety. See, a pack of smokes is like a best friend that you share the good times and bad times with. Lately, I'm having a constant and equal mix of both. And I've always been a slight basket case anyway. So a low dose of xanax is helping me keep from smoking.

However, that is going to run out not too long from now and they won't prescribe a refill, so at that point, I'm on my own. Think I can get my life together in 30 days or so? I serously doubt it. I'm one of those people that can't make major decisions. I wait for others to decide for me, which would explain the predictament I'm in now. I'm also terribly terribly passive agressive, which means I stay angry and bitter about things but do absolutely nothing to communicate those feelings to the parties causing the turmoil. Oh i've made it clear that things need to change, but haven't expressed the anger that wells up every single time I get reminded of what is causing that turmoil. And it's not just one thing, it's a few things.

But I digress, this blog is not for my passive agressive release. It's supposed to inspire others to improve their lives, like I try to improve mine. Well I talk a good game, anyway.

I've gone 9 days without smoking now. That's an improvement, and I do feel more energetic. I'm slowly getting back to Thrive Weightloss eating, at least during the week, although I'm still drinking 1 or 2 beers a day, which defeats the diet. It's impossible to follow on the weekends while living with someone that has no weight problem and does our grocery shopping and cooking so I haven't even been trying to follow it then.

I still haven't started back with Turbo Fire and I'm still having joint pain in my lower back. It seems these days anything I do makes it hurt. But I think the 10 pounds I've put on is what's causing a lot of the back pain, so getting that off will get me closer to being able to get back to Turbo Fire.