Fall Off The wagon Friday

Awwh lawd it's not good! 
My new supervisor drinks Diet Mt Dew.  I'm not even sure how I got started on it.  Oh I think I got a bottle at the gas station on the way home during my tired period training here at work.
Then last Saturday, I bought my first 6 pack of 24 ozers.  They don't have Dt Mt Dew in the machines.  What could I do?
Last night, I took Max for a walk.  When I got home at 9pm PPPSBHT!  I popped a 24 oz open and drank it?!?!?!?!??!  Need less to say, I was up late wide awake!!!
I just opened my last one from the six pack during lunch.  This WILL BE my last one.  Back to water next week!

275 - Finally 10,000

Wow!  I have not realized how sedentary I am now that I'm sitting all day long at a desk.  Since I got my pedometer I've averaged about 4500 (or so) steps a day.  How pathetic is that?!?!  I remember rocking 15,000 on any given day a few years back.  I'd love to see what a pedometer would have read on this summer's Bad Ass Morning Walking Crue treks!
So yesterday I made a few decisions:
1) I am going to park in the Way The Hell Back There parking section at work.   I think it's about 1/4 mile from there to my office. 
2) I am going to get my tooshie up on all mini breaks and on my lunch break to walk!  So yes, this means even less time  posting blogs, reading emails and IMing.  Will you still love me?  Send me a text, I always carry my phone!!!
3) I took Max for a short walk around the subdivision twice last night after the kids went to bed.  That is what pushed me over the 10k steps.  So, I'm going to try to do this every night.

To back up my plan?  I've asked my new buddy at work, Dawn, is she'd like to walk with me at lunch.  I got her to send for her free pedometer, too, so she's set to go already and said she'd like to walk with me!  So there you go!  And I'm gonna old lady it and take my shoes with me to work each day!  Bwah haw haw

The Start! program at work starts Oct 1, but I'm ramping up now!!  My goal is actually going to be 200,000 by Thanksgiving, I'm gonna blow this contest out of the water!!!!!

Day 276 - WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

278 - SIX

Since I've not felt too happy lately, I thought I'd share six things that actually make me happy to kick of my Monday and work week.....

1) My kids - I hesitated to put this because all parents say their kids make them happy, right?  No, not all of them.  And I wanted to be sure I wasn't just saying it for the mom of the year award.  But it's not that.  Seeing my kids face actually makes my chest warm and my heart swell!  When they smile, my heart then melts.  When I put them to bed after a long day of fun and happiness, or stress and frustration, I always tell them, "You make me happy!".  So yes, my kids make me happy! I could not live one day on this Earth without them!!!

2) Cold Grey Rainy days.  Yep, call me Sheri Grey!  Nothing makes my toes wiggle and my soul come alive like a rainy cold day!  I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know on days like this I'm more productive, I feel healthier, I'm more alive!!!!  I want to be outside in this weather and not having an umbrella doesn't bother me. 

3) Coffee.  A nice oversized mug, actually I prefer my particular red one at home, filled almost to the top with semi hot coffee, a large splash of half and half, and a sweet n low.  Once autumn begins, my Friday treat of Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks begins.  The smell, the taste, the whip cream.  It's just heaven, warms my body and makes me...well...happy!

4) Music - I love music!  I can escape listening to music or by playing music on the piano.  So many thoughts and emotions come to me and through me via music.  I'm not sure how some people go without it, or arent' moved by it as much as I am!  It can play on my emotions both good and bad, but none the less can move me!



5) God - this is another one I hesitated on so that I don't sound like I'm listing what I "should" instead of what I truly "feel".  But I have a very special close relationship to Him and Jesus and we spend a lot of time talking!  Ive been blessed by so much and my prayers have been answered so often!  Church doesn't always make me happy, but being there listening to His word, does!!



6) My friends.  I've never been one to have a lot of friends.  As I've gotten older, I've realized some that I thought were my friends, truely were not.  Having removed the "filler" friends from my life, the true, heartfelt, loyal, honest (even if I don't want to hear it), giving, taking, loving friends are the ones who have remained! 

And these SIX things, make me happy!

Day 282 - company picnic temptations

Once the weather chills and the sunny days become grey and foggy and rainy, I blossom!  I live for weather like this.  I am, in general, a gray person!!!!  I love it!
Usually this is the time of year that Friday's become very special days of the week for me.  Treat days!!!  I treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks!  Remember this from last year?  Well, I had to be at work at 7:30am today and was afriad if I stopped I'd be late.  However, I made it to work by 7:09 , but no Starbucks nearby.  However, we have a Panera right outside out building.  I decided to get a muffin.  I went in and got a cranberry orange muffin.  In line I looked up and they have their own version of a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Let me tell you, ladies, it was hard to resist.  But I said, I'm already treating myself with this muffin and I have a full to go cup of coffee that I already love in the van waiting.  So I resisted!

My wonderful special Friday morning breakfast!

Then today at the picnic, I tried to make good choices from the devilish food that was offered.  I did have a Kashi pumpkin bar on the drive over because all of a sudden I got light headed, hot, and tingly.  HA HA HA  They laugh at work cuz I'll say, "Oooh I'm feeling hot and tingly"  little do they know my blood sugar is dropping and not that my sex drive is ramping up!  LOL  So I had that and then of course, the food was layed out for us!  Catered Jim and Nick's Barbque.  They had pulled pork, chicken, sauce, hamburgers, veggie burgers (looked like the old kind I used to like so avoided them), cole slaw, baked beans, baked macaroni and cheese, cheesy muffins, potato salad, regular salad,  and som other things I cannot even rememeber.  And that was all before the dessert table!!!!

Here I am with my plate full of food!

Oooh I forgot they also had grilled corn on the cob and watermelon (obviously!)

 My friend Dawn said, well at least in the picture it looks like watermelon is your main course!  And we laughed.  Then I thought, well, I'd better take a picture from the top of the plate:

Barbque pork on a regular bun (whole wheat not offered - but later thought, duh - why did I get a bun at all?!?!), pickles (yuuuuuuu,!), watermelon that is covering up 1 single tiny cheese muffin, grilled corn on the cob, mac N cheese, and salad.

Now before you tear me up, I took very little mac n cheese, that corn isn't covering up another mound of it!  And the cheesy muffin, I took one bite and decided although it was good, it certainly wasn't worth cheating over and left the rest.  In all honesty, the salad was THE BEST PART OF THE MEAL!  I really wanted to chuck the rest and just go get a plate full of salad.  But I ate it all (except the muffin).  

I had a fun time and won $25 gift card to Regal Cinema's playing bingo.

Day 282 - Clean Eatting Recipe

I love getting my Clean Eatting magazine each month!  My daughter and I get so excited and sit down together, flipping through the pages, gazing at all the mouth watering photos....and then never make the recipes.  Lack of time, lack of groceries.
But this month's cover looked really good and did make me hungry just lookoing at it.  So I got all the ingredients and made it last night. 

Southwestern Turkey Meatball Skillet Supper:

Now granted, we were in a rush to head out for a performance of Cinderella, so I was not able to take the usual time to get a great clean photo graph!  However, I just can't help but notice it does not look as bright and fresh as the magazine cover:

Wiping the bowl might have helped....like I said we were in a rush and by the time the above photo was taken we'd already dug into it.

Both kids were apprehensive about this dinner when they came to the table.  My daughter, at least, was interested and willing because there were meatballs.  My son, he wasn't having it.  Pouting, squirming, making gross faces, making sad faces.  I said TRY IT!   If I present something new and possible strange looking, my only request is to try it first.  Well he wouldn't.  I had to let our dog out and I told him he'd better have tried it by the time I got back.  When I returned, slouched in the chair with his lip hanging almost to his lap, my daughter said, "He said he's gonna write in his journal at school tomorrow that mommy made the grossest dinner ever!!!!!!"  Now after working 8.5 hours and spending 2 hours in bumper to bumper traffic, I was not in the mood to come home and be insulted by my Clean Eatting dinner that was good.  "If you don't eat that, you'll get NO SNACKS at the theatre tonight!!!!"  Well after much unnecessary drama, he did eventually try the dinner.  Then suddenly, as I was cleaning up, his bowl was emptying.  Then he said, "Mom, it really wasn't that bad."  I turned around to see his bowl just about empty.  I had to contain myself as I said, "Oh good.  I'm glad you decided to try it.  Thank you."  He said, "I didn't say it was GREAT though."  And I said, I understand that, sometimes new things taste good and sometimes new things are just okay.  And I told him that coming back after such bold negative statements to tell me it wasn't so bad, was a pretty hard thing to do and that I  was proud of him.  My daughter, hearing all of this, came around the corner with her hand held high for him to smack said, "Way to fix your mistake!!!!"  Ha ha ha
Hubby tried it and said, "That is crazy good, babe!"
So 3 out of 4 members of the household enjoyed it, and 1 said "it was wasn't that bad."

Feeling Better

I'm starting to feel better.  I'm also starting to get my appetite back. One thing I've learned while living on crackers and Diet Mt Dew is that you really don't need a whole lot to sustain life.  Of course, now that my appetite is coming back, I'm having to fight that hunger that tries to creep in.   I've also noticed now that my appetite is back, although I'm trying really hard to keep it in check, the scale is creeping back up - I was down to 159.4.  Not much a pound, pound in a half?  I'm sure the Diet and regular Mt Dew's didn't help, but I haven't had one today!
My new Clean Eating magazine came this past weekend (an ongoing thank you to Kathi) and on the cover is Southwestern Turkey Meatball Skillet Supper.  It looks really good and I'm hoping to make it this week.
My cheese rebellion is going well.  Now I did have some low fat cottage cheese, which yes I know is cheese, but I don't consider it to be a problem.  I've not been melting colby jack cheese in the microwave just eat it warm nor have I been sprinkling mix cheese on my salads.  I think I can live without most cheeses.
I've not exercised, but I did receive my free pedometer from work.  Only 947 steps so far, but I didn't get to put it on until I got to work since I had left it in the van.  I'm hoping to get my minimal 10,000 steps a day plus some.  And starting Oct 1 I need 200,000 steps by Dec 31.  That should be a synch!
On a happiness note, I'm going to try really hard to not be anti-holiday this year.  It's very hard with all the traveling and shopping and family stress in general.  I can't even think about it yet, or I start getting grumpy. But I am going to try. 
So that is a little update...on me. 

My name is Sheri, and I am a chees-aholic

A friend from church is from Wisconsin.  She is older, and I just love her to pieces.  She was in Wisconsin for a few day and posted on Facebook.  So it immediately took me back to times when we had our cabin in Spooner and stopped in Chitek, Wisconsin.  We'd buy two weeks worth of fresh bacon, cheese and of course, CHEESE CURDS (not 2 weeks worth, though).  Once we moved to TN, I never returned to our  cabin, Spooner, or Chitek again.  So when Ginny posted that she was going to Wisconsin, I thought of Cheese Curds and said, "Bring me some cheese curds!!!"  Honestly, I never expected her to actually bring me any.  So when she sent me an email saying she had them I about died!!!

To be honest, I didn't really remember what chese curds were.  Other than I really liked them.  Last week, I was so sick and sick to my stomach,  I couldn't imagine I could eat any.  Ginny said not to fear, that they would last and she'd bring them to our Learning Committee Meeting at Church Thursday.  I was surprised, pleasantly! 

Sure enough she had a container of yellow and white cheese curds.  My immediate thought?  Colby Jack cheese.  I tried one immediately - smooth, salty, sooooo good!  I had my pastor try one - he liked them.  When I got home, Owen tried one - (I left he word, "curd" out, as kids in general are not going to like anything named a "curd").  He liked it.  Because my stomach was still funky, so I only had a total of 3 pieces. 

Today, at work, I decided to Google Cheese Curd Nutrition.  Nothing could have prepared me for what Google was about to appear on my computer screen:

Now, 191g is the equivalent of 6.4 oz.  So less than a cup, little more than half a cup. 

710 calories?!?!?

43g of fat?!?!?!

I knew what I needed to do.  It was hard, I won't lie.  I felt guilt for asking Ginny to bring them to me, and she did!!!!  Then to only throw them away?!?!
I was good with this cheese, but I was not good with the 2 packages of Pizza Cheese I bought today to make pizza for the family after work.  It was a Mozzarella Parm mix of shredded cheese.  I opened the first package and it had settled a bit, so it was warm and just perfect.  I took a pinch.  The later, another pinch.  It was softer and warmer.  This is so wrong I actually feel embarassed typing this.  Before I knew it, the whole package of cheese was GONE!!!!!   720 calories, 56g of fat.  I'd might as well have eaten the cheese curds!
I don't know what is wrong with me!  I've never done something as crazy as eatten a whole package of shredded cheese before.  I've never lost this much self control.
I'm going to outlaw cheese in my home.  it is going to be very very very very hard.  I'm not sure I can do this, but I am going to try.  NO CHEESE.

Day 76 (297) - better

Today I  have gotten back on track.....so far!
I have my food journal with me.  I am disappointed in myself that I find gaps of empty space.  But I'm writing things down and so far it's all boring: oatmeal, water, soup, granola bar.
Talking with a friend this morning, I just don't feel the hype of this path right now.  So I guess I've veered off the path, so to say.  And really I'm having difficulty getting excited about getting back on the path.  I mean, I'll do it, but I don't see the thrill or excitement in it.  I just think chicken, vegetables, water, bland, boring.
As I'm back to work I already since time restraints.  I'm feeling a huge desire to just sit and hug my kids and spend time with them. 
Oh well, we all lose interest in things at time, but know it's important to stay on track.
I'm still having a glass (or two) of wine tonigh!  Now THAT gets me excited!  LOL

Day 74 (299) Labor Day

Well I guess I had my days left incorrect the last few posts.  It is my 74th day of this "life change" and I have 299 more days to go until my 40th birthday. 
I wasn't going to focus on my progress in this post, but after starting out with what I did, how can I not?
I'm not progressing at all.  I'm up a pound or two, down a pound or two.  But basically staying in the 162 range. 
I was talking to my friend Tommie today who says, "I'm just not motivated.  You'd think being fat would be motivating enough."  First of all, she is not fat!!!  But I understand what she is saying.  How do you find that motivation?  I want to lose 40 pounds.  I really really do.  I was biking and walking.  But I haven't really gotten any WOW weeks on the scale.  And now, being back to work, my exercise hasn't diminished, but it has receded and changed.  I have to park a little distance away from my entrance at work and I try hard to park in the furthest corner to get that exercise.  I enjoy it.  I'm only on the 3rd floor of my 2nd floor entrance, but I take the stairs rather than the elevator - one floor.  So I get some exercise, but nothing great! 
Then there is my diet.  I was reading a post on Flylady.net where a lady made a 16 week dinner plan that she rotated through the year.  Her exact quote was about starting meal plans was:
Anyway, meals were the one thing I couldn't get my head around, specifically, the issue of variety. I tried and tried, but menu planning just eluded me, and on Friday night I found myself planning essentially the same foods. So we ate a lot of pizza, hot dogs and grilled marinated meats. After a while, my taste buds (and my waist line) got tired of that fare.
And I thought well crap that is me to a T !  And can someone explain to me what is wrong with grilled marinated meats????  I buy large flats of boneless, skinless chicken and marinade it in balmasic vinegar dressing.  Is that so bad?  
I've been taking Progresso Chicken and Wild Rice soup for lunch each day.  200 calories, 3g fat, and - oh crap!!!!  1300mg sodium!!!  I didn't even see this!  Ugh!!!  This is my go to daily lunch, now what am I going to do?  grrrrr
And this week I've been sick. I was sinus-y, congested, sweating, then cold, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat (I sound like the Nyquil commercial) and an upset stomach.  Just feeling queezy.  So you'd THINK I'd have lost 5 pounds there!  I'd live on Dayquil all day long, then come home, take a scalding hot bath with vapo, chug Nyquil and go to bed. 
Friday in celebration of my first pay check we went to our favorite Mexican restaraunt for dinner.  Chips, salsa, quacamole (which I 99.9% of the time DO NOT ORDER), 2 soft beef tacos, rice and some beans.  And, of course, 1 margarita.  I was miserable the entire night.  And have still felt miserable the rest of the weekend, which is just really the continuation of the rest of the week.  But after saying, "I feel miserable" the last several times we've eaten there (mostly cuz we stuff ourselves on tortialla chips) we've decided to start hitting Blue Coast Burrito as our new Mexican restaraunt.  It's fresher and lighter and there are no all you can baskets of chips!  So a good change there.
Saturday our whole family went for a nice long bike ride!  It was a beautiful morning, not hot, but not chilly like today (which I love!).  It was early so there weren't a lot of people out and about and we all rode a good distance.  Because it was a trail, I don't know how far we went, but my husband thinks maybe about 6-7 miles.  I can't wait to do it again with the family next weekend!  The kids really enjoyed it, too!
I'm hoping this week to be better in general.  It's a short week and I have all day training tomorrow.
I'd like to start looking into a menu plan of good food, but right now I'm eating day to day.  LOL