Wind, Wind, Go Away...

Lately, the wind has been really harshing my mellow when I ride Ipoholo. It has been trying to rain every day for almost a week...instead, we get wind. Lots and lots of wind. I finally checked on weather.com last night to see how strong it was blowing...20 mph (from the South, in case you were wondering) with gusts up to 44 mph. No wonder I have been dying out there! I rode Wednesday night around my neighborhood and while riding back up the long, long, loooong street that leads to my own street, I was in second gear and barely moving. I seriously wondered if I was going to make it...riding into the wind is NOT in my exercise plan. I do not need that challenge, thank you very much! Again, last night was the same. So I'm beat, but not getting to ride as much as I would like. I even thought about getting up this morning and riding - no, the winds had not started up yet, but the temp. was 81 degrees and the humidity was 84%. It felt like a sauna when I opened my front door. No.thank.you. So I'm disappointed because A) I like riding my bike and B) I know the weight loss will not be very good with so little exercise. *pout*

It's been over a week since husband and son left for Canada...and I have to say, I'm a little bored. I did go see The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) with a couple of friends at one of our local community theatres Friday night, and it was excellent! So funny - they had a lot of audience participation, and as we were in the front row, I was afraid that they would do something embarrassing to me. But other than one actor borrowing the empty chair between myself and another person (we had our purses sitting on it), and later a different actor sitting in that chair (which had been returned by then) to watch part of the play from the audience, nothing too crazy happened. I got a nice compliment (or what I consider a compliment, anyway!) from one of the actors after the show...he said I had a great laugh and that he liked hearing it throughout the show! Cool! Did I mention that there were only three actors in this production? They were busy, and I'll bet they ran around enough to enjoy a huge meal after the show!

Anyway, back to the boredom. I do ok with staying on the diet, as long as I have a shake early enough in the day. However, if, like yesterday, I get busy, then when I finally have time to eat, and of course I'm pretty hungry by then, my mind strays to not-on-the-diet-foods. And then I start looking things up online - calories and nutrition facts...and even if I don't actually go and buy the food, I feel terrible for considering it. I have to stay focused on this shake program. But I will admit, it's hard when there is no one around to see if you cheat!

Another quiet day ahead. I have a great book to read (Harlen Coben's Hold Tight), and I can wash the sheets on the guest bed. Other than that...

Random Observations...

It took me six weeks to lose 20 pounds. I was really counting on four weeks, but I'm actually OK with it.

Apparently one can have chocolate (shakes) every single day and never get sick of it.

I was feeling really good about my weight loss until I was sitting on the couch tonight, glanced down and saw my stomach. Blech. Why won't it go away?!?

I bought a "Chuck It" ball throwing thingie for Paco and now, after three days of using it, my left forearm is sore. This counts for exercise, right?

Yes, I'm left-handed. Stop thinking to yourselves "well that explains a lot!"

Feeling Good!

I sucked it up and went to my weigh-in yesterday...and boy howdy did I get rewarded for it!!! I lost...are you ready for this...FOUR, count 'em, FOUR pounds!!!!! In one week!!! Woot! Happy Dance!! I needed that boost, I'm telling ya!!! Now, if I review what I did last week, aside from a couple of days of not-on-the-diet eating, the only thing I did differently, and I hate to say this so I'll just whisper it, was to...exercise more. Gah!!! I hate it when everybody and the experts are right!!! But I got my new bike on Friday and have definitely been riding longer each evening...crap, I guess that works!

I am definitely more motivated to stick with the diet now...amazing what a good result can do for you! Today I'm going to start using the hand weights I was given for my birthday three weeks ago (What can I say? I'm a slow starter!). I'm also hoping to get in a nice long bike ride this evening, although thunderstorms are predicted. That is my only issue with bike riding in the summer in Texas - I can take riding in 95 degree heat as long as the sun has gone down enough to shade my neighborhood, but I don't think I could last more than five minutes riding in the 95 degree heat with the sun beating down on me. I really need to get in the bike ride tonight, because tomorrow is Thursday and I have a meeting that I attend every Thursday evening and don't get home until 9 pm (too dark to ride) and Friday evening I'll be going to a play with some friends. Two nights in a row of missing the bike riding will mean that I'll feel it when I finally get to ride on Saturday.

And now for the moment I'm sure you all have been waiting for: the naming of my new bike!

After much (really, too much) thought and consideration, I have decided on...drumroll, please...

IpoHolo

Which means "Sweet Ride" in Hawaiian. Yes, the guys at the bike shop inadvertently named her for me! But it just fits her so well! And on that note...Aloha for now!

Summer Vacation!

So my husband and son left for a canoe trip to Canada on Saturday...it's just me, the dog and the cats until July 2nd. I spent a good part of Sunday cleaning my house: vacuuming, dishes, cleaning out the fridge, laundry, laundry and more laundry, wiping down surfaces, getting junk back into the garage where it belongs...and this morning I woke up to a lovely, STILL CLEAN, house! I am going to enjoy this while I can! This is MY vacation! I get to do what I want! And today, I wanted to read, catch up on some shows I had DVR'd, drink iced tea, and of course, ride my bike. So that's what I did, and it was great!

In diet news, I made a salad today and it was yucky. I used hearts of romaine lettuce and home-grown tomatoes and cucumbers. The lettuce was tough - really thick - and too chewy. The tomatoes and cucumbers tasted funny - I guess I am used to the pesticides that come on the veggies I buy in the stores. Anyway, I only had a few bites and ended up throwing it down the drain. I had 2 shakes, a V-8 and a LC dinner. I'm kind of hungry now, but not going to bother having another shake so late at night. It's been strange because I haven't been very hungry until mid-afternoon the past couple of days. Calorie total (yes, I'm keeping track again) for today was 560 and Sunday was 550.

And now for my dilemma: Should I go weigh in tomorrow, which will be a week? Or should I get back to my Wednesday weigh-ins? Things to consider: 1) I feel like a fat cow right now; 2) I'm trying to limit my driving to save $$ on gas, and I have saved a bunch of errands for tomorrow, since I have a standing lunch date on Tuesdays, and while I'm out I could knock off that errand as well; 3) I will be really sad if I haven't lost a pound or three, and maybe waiting one more day might help in that aspect. Overthinking much?

I rode my bike around my neighborhood tonight (sans the bad, bad dog). I didn't go down every street, but I spent about 20 minutes riding around before getting back to my street and doing laps around the pond. Have I mentioned how comfortable this bike is? The seat is so nice! Going over bumps is not an issue, unlike my old bike, where I rode over a bump and OWIE did I feel it!!! I adjusted the seat a tiny bit up...still tweaking the fit. As for naming my girl, I have narrowed it down to:

Ipoholo - sweet ride
Kamea - the one and only
Akalapua - pink flower/blossom
Leilani - heavenly flower

I may stop by a bookstore tomorrow and look at a Hawaiian dictionary to see if anything else jumps out at me...I swear, this is harder than it was to name my children!

Back On Track...

Sunday night, and I'm back on track, diet-wise. I spent yesterday at the Texas Reds Festival, where I did enjoy a steak - and boy howdy was it good! Even though I ate the steak, I behaved myself somewhat because I only had a couple (ok, three) red potatoes with onions for the side dish. That's right. No potato salad, no corn, no green bean casserole and no roll. I could have been so bad! I did get the peach cobbler dessert that came with - luckily it was a very small portion, as it was so good I ate the whole thing!

And now a confession: I bought a sheet of food tickets, intending to have a "bucket"* of fresh-squeezed lemonade and something else...they had all sorts of fried treats, from the ever-popular funnel cake, to homemade potato chips, onion blossom, corn dog...you name it - if it could be deep-fried, it was there! Well, the day was brutally hot - the temperature reached 99 degrees and it was incredibly humid. I stood in line for the lemonade and by the time I got to the front, the smell of the fried foods was making me queasy. So I just got the lemonade. But I was going to go back later and get something else!!! Luckily, the lemonade really filled me up, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. So I never went back for my fried treat - I ended up giving my extra tickets to a couple of Bryan Fire Department guys who were working the first-aid station. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't have the fried food for a couple of reasons: 1. It probably would have made me so sick after being on this diet for over a month; and 2. That would have really been over-the-top in going off the diet. A steak is one thing, but the funnel cake is a whole 'nother story!

So today I have had 3 shakes and a LC meal, and lots of water and iced tea (still a bit dehydrated from yesterday). I am pretty proud of myself for getting right back on the diet wagon! And I don't regret having the steak yesterday...no matter what the scale might say at weigh-in this week!

I rode my bike for about 20 minutes tonight, not counting the time I had to spend chasing down Paco, who has decided that he needs to explore beyond his set boundaries, which is the street we live on. Bad, bad dog. Every time I got close to him, he trotted about five feet away. So. He's grounded from running with me while I bike - my husband will bike with him on the leash, but I'm not comfortable with that because he runs in front of me and I'm afraid I would have an accident with him. I am going to have to go back to the basics of Puppy Kindergarten and have him re-learn "come when called" this week. Bad, bad dog. No bike for you, one week!**

*When my best friend Barbara visited me in 2000, she was amazed at the Route 44-sized Diet Coke you could get at Sonic Drive-In, and began referring to it as a "bucket o' cola." Eight years later I still laugh about that!

**Apologies to the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Wait, should I really be apologizing to a Soup Nazi?!? I have to rethink this one!

Even Better Than I Expected!

My new bike is here!!! I can't believe it got here so quickly! When I got to the bike store to pick it up, there was a small crowd around it - and all the guys working there kept calling it a "sweet ride" and yes, they are correct! One man wants to buy the exact same bike - even in pink - for his wife for their anniversary and gave me his phone number and asked me to call him in a couple of days to tell him how it rides, etc. Too funny! I have a feeling I will not be invisible on this bike, that's for sure! And now, without further ado, I present to you...my AWESOME BIKE!!!

The Electra "Hawaii" Cruiser

The seat is embossed with flowers!

The tires are embossed with the flower design - I just about DIED when I saw this!!!

I left my street tonight and rode it around my neighborhood - my horizons have expanded! I bought an odometer for the bike, but haven't installed it yet...couldn't wait to start riding!

I need a name for this girl. Something Hawaiian, that's a given. I'll have to think about this.

Oog

Thursdays kill me. Worked from 9 am to 7 pm, with a reception going from 5:30 to 7. Left work and went to my Thursday night meeting - got home at 9 pm. Tired and hungry, and it's too dark to ride my bike. So...let's take a look at what I did and did not eat today:

Did Eat (in this order)

1. Shake
2. Shake
3. Cup of Bouillon
4. Pita Pit garden veggie pita
5. Large Diet Coke from McDonald's
6. LC Pepperoni French Bread Pizza
7. LC Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
8. Small scoop ice cream
9. Mini (90 cal.) bag of M&M's

Did Not Eat (in this order)

1. Strawberry and Pineapple pieces
2. Three kinds of desserts
3. Shredded Pork mini sandwiches
4. Guacamole and chips
5. Cupcakes (at meeting)

I didn't eat all that, but then I came home and started with #6 and on. I think if I hadn't been so tired and hungry combined, I might have been able to stay on track. No sense in beating myself up over today...it could have been much, much worse.

Oh, and another thing...Saturday is the Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival - we will be there for the Artist's Showcase all day. A couple of days ago I was trying to figure out what to do regarding food while there, because there really won't be any healthy choices. So my friend offered to lend me her shake "shaker" so that I could stay on track all day. Then today, when I came into work, there was a steak meal ticket waiting for me...my boss had bought one for each of us. I can't not use it! I do need to remember, however, that I don't have to finish the entire steak, good as it will be, nor do I have to eat all the fattening sides that come with it (or the dessert).

Goal for Friday...4 shakes and a LC meal - that's it! Oh, and a bike ride.

Ups and Downs

Ups: My new bicycle! I went to the only bike store in town that sells Electra bikes, "test rode" one for a while, LOVED IT, and ordered my super-cool Cruiser in the Pink Hawaii model!!! It's supposed to be in next week (oh please oh please no delays!) and I cannot wait! The store will assemble it and then "fit" it to me seat-and-handlebar height-wise. Did I mention that I cannot wait?!?

Along the biking news, I have been riding more and more - in fact, last night I had to stop before I was really ready to, because my dog was worn out, and he won't just go lay on the front lawn when he is tired...he HAS to run with me. Of course, I could have just brought him inside the house and continued biking, but that option didn't occur to me until later (Are You There, Brain? It's Me, Shelley*). I was counting the laps I ride around the "pond" in the center of my street, but I lose track because I'm riding so many. Which is so ironic because not too long ago I was doing three laps, and pushing myself to do a fourth! I was thinking about getting one of those "clicker-counter" dealies, but I also saw that they make bike odometers starting at about 20 bucks, and I may see if the local bike store carries them. I can just see myself glancing at the odometer and thinking "I can't stop yet - 1.3 more miles to go!"

Another Up: I had a comment from someone here in town who is also doing the NutriMed 420 diet - so YAY, I have someone to connect with!

And now for the Downs: Because we have been having car issues, and three people are currently sharing two cars, I went for my weigh-in on Tuesday rather than today since I knew I wouldn't have a car today. I was down one freaking pound. One pound!!! I was door-slamming mad!!! What the frick is up with this stupid diet?!? Ahem. So after I calmed down, I realized that this is the week that bitch Aunt Flo should show up for a visit (she may or may not actually show, as I am *finally* beginning to see the signs of menopause) (wait...is this TMI???) and things get all messed up. Plus, last week I was counting calories more than just doing the shake program (some days only having two shakes, but still eating 700 - 800 calories in healthy food), and I read somewhere on the internet that the reason why the NutriMed 420 plan works is because it is high-protein and therefore you lose fat before muscle. Sigh. So I have re-dedicated myself to sticking to the four shakes a day, plus LC dinner and some veg (British way of saying "vegetables" - I'm SO cosmopolitan!) (<----sarcasm intended). Hopefully next week I will be back on the three pound loss track (Hah! Remember when I was complaining about ONLY losing three pounds?!? Karma, much like Aunt Flo, is such a bitch!).

Add to the list of Downs: PMS and carpet issues (which are getting resolved today). OK, I guess the UPs outweigh (hah!) the Downs.

*Apologies to Beverly Cleary

I Cannot Believe I'm Actually Going To Write This...

...I enjoyed bike riding, aka EXERCISE, tonight. I know! Who is this person and what have you done with the real Shelley?!? I rode 15 laps without stopping! What is up with that??? And, even stranger, I was on my old bike! Sadly, I made the decision to return my cute pink Schwinn cruiser to the store today, as my knees kept hurting every time I rode it. I tried raising the seat, adjusting the handlebars...but nothing made a difference. The seat is directly over the pedals, and I think this was just too awkward for me...I hated to let go of the bike, but I was starting to dread riding it because of the pain, and HELLO, I started riding a bike instead of walking to avoid knee pain! Hopefully tomorrow I will have some time to get to a bike store in town and try out an Electra Cruiser - apparently it rides more like a recumbent bike, but looks really cool. They even have a "Hawaii" model in pink, with a cute Hawaiian floral design on it, and since I was born in Hawaii, I'm thinking that this might just be the bike for me!

So my diet has been a little off for the weekend...yesterday I didn't eat enough, and today I am probably at 1000 - 1200 calories. Helped my son make a Father's Day dinner for my husband - small steaks, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies and ice cream. Yes, I had a scoop of ice cream - boo on me! I have to say, that the grilled veggies were excellent - zucchini and summer squash sliced lengthwise, sprayed with Pam, then sprinkled salt, pepper and some herbs - came out great! Also marinated mushrooms in Italian dressing, then skewered them and put them on the grill as well. Lastly, I sliced an onion into three really thick slices, Pam'd them, and grilled them - too good! I will have to do this again, only with no meat or potatoes.

I plan on getting back to my shake routine tomorrow, except that dinner will be out, as we are celebrating our 24th anniversary, and my husband is actually in town for it (for the last 10 years, at least, he's been away at Boy Scout summer camp with one or both of our sons and their troop). So we are going to Carino's for the Rosemary Lemon Chicken. My biggest challenge will be to not order dessert! I guess it's a good thing I'm riding more and more laps on my bike, eh?

Food, Glorious Food!

It's Saturday...where did the week go?!?

Yesterday was SnoCone Friday - YUM! The big Kahuna (aka my boss) treated us to the SnoCones - I had sugar-free Caribbean Splash - tasty, and this time I had an orange tongue, LOL!

The other delicious item yesterday was a garden pita from Pita Pit...they have all their nutrition facts online, so I was able to "build" a pita for 304 calories (260 is the pita) - Romaine, Spinach, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Pickles, Onions and Pepperoncinis, with Salt and Pepper and Dijon Mustard...holy crap it was excellent!!! My diet plan calls for 900 calories/day - 320 should be the shakes, approx. 300 for the LC dinner, and another 300 for veggies/low-to-no-fat food, so this pita fit in! Still, I only had one shake for the day, plus dinner...didn't want to overdo it. But after eating mostly shakes, frozen meals and some fresh veggies for a month now, it was nice to have some "fast food" for a change - and considering I had something from Jimmy John's, Taco Bell, Wendys, etc nearly every day, this has been a big adjustment. So, I'm thinking that Thursdays should now be Pita Pit Days!

More fun...I got my awesome new bike on Thursday!!! It's a Schwinn Cruiser, in PINK!!! Very retro looking, with whitewall tires, fenders and the whole nine yards. I have been wanting it since last summer, but had to wait...and wait...and wait some more. Finally, it's mine! I've ordered some pink pompom streamers for the handle bars, along with a pink bell and some dice (guess what color...just guess!) valve stem covers. Pics will be posted when everything is here and on the bike! Interesting thing about this bike - I'm feeling soreness in different muscles in my legs after riding it for a couple of days. Weird, but oh well, I guess I'm sitting higher/lower or whatever...

And now for something that was just cute: Last night, while riding around my court with Paco, the neighbor's 3 year old grandson saw Paco and yelled "It's a Dalmatian!" - kids are so funny! BTW, Paco is a white with black spots Fox Terrier mix (we think he's mixed with Whippet, since he runs so fast).

4 Weeks, or 3 1/2 Weeks in Diet Time

It's kind of like when you are pregnant for 9 months but in reality it's 10 months...I had my 4 week check with my doctor (let's call him Dr. Welby) today, but when I started bitching to him about how little I've lost in a month, he actually pointed out it's only been 3 1/2 weeks (or 26 days) and that I've done extremely good! Gah! This is why I hate math...I can't even figure out simple weeks according to the calendar!

So...I lost 2 pounds for the week (hence the bitching). Which is a total of 15 from when I started this crazy diet. Which is averaging 3 - 4 pounds a week (yet more math!). When I pointed out my calorie intake, Dr. Welby said that people who are on a complete "Gandhi-type" fast only lose about 3 pounds a week, so I can't expect more than what I am losing. I don't know if the Gandhi fasting story is really true, but I'm choosing to believe it, for my own sanity. After going on some more about calorie intake versus what I'm allowed to have (e.g. allowed 900 per day, averaging 700), and going from zero exercise to bike-riding most evenings, I paused to take a breath, saw the slightly stunned look on Dr. Welby's face, and said "I told you I get insane when I diet!" Guess what he answered back? "I believe you now." Sigh.

So, the plan for this next month, or 3 1/2 weeks, or WHATEVER, is for me to increase my exercise and keep on keeping on with what I've been eating. I did go two additional laps on my bike this evening...progress, right?

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

So I'm not feeling great, but not any worse. I had a lot of energy today and got a bunch of stuff done around the house that I've been meaning to get to, so that is a positive.

I wasn't really hungry today...weird, I know! Anyway, had 3 shakes, 1 V-8 and a LC meal. Planned on having a salad as well, but decided to skip it since I wasn't starving.

Calorie count update:

Wednesday - 730
Thursday - 700
Friday - 800
Saturday - 640
Sunday - 650

I go back to the doctor on Tuesday for my 4 week check-in...bet I clock in at a whole 3 pounds lost for the week. :/

TGIF?

I think I'm getting sick...maybe a sinus infection. I just felt crappy all day, and I was so much hungrier than I have been in at least a week that I actually considered cheating and EATING A MEAL. But I didn't. Calorie intake: 800 (I had a big salad with Paul Newman's Spray Dressing - Balsamic Vinegarette) so that's why the number is higher today. Rode my bike with the dog. Just headachey and ready for bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Calories

So for the next week, I'm going to keep track of how many calories I ingest each day because I really think I should be losing more than three pounds per week (yes, I'm back to that). Yesterday I had a total of 730 (4 shakes, 1 bottle V-8, 1 LC dinner) and today it was 700 (same food as yesterday, but the meal was lower in calories). I plan on presenting this to my doctor next week at my four week appointment to show him that I am NOT losing like I should. No, I'm not always this obsessed. Well, actually, I really do get a little crazy when I diet. What can I say...this is me!

Three Weeks!

So here is the inner dialogue of a crazy person who steps on the scale today:

What?!? Only three pounds again?!? But I've been really good! Exercising more and more!!! What is wrong with me?!? So this means I've only lost 13 pounds in three weeks...I'll never reach my goal of losing 60 pounds by the end of August!!! At this rate (does some math in her head) I'll lose 16 pounds in a month, times it by 3 months, add 8 pounds for half the month of May (see, Barbie was right, math is hard!) ... that's only 56 pounds! Oh, wait...I guess that is pretty damn close to 60. Fine, fine, I'll stop complaining.

And so it goes...

45, or Halfway to 90

Happy Birthday to me! My parents, husband, younger son and I went to Carinos tonight to celebrate...I planned this in advance and only had 2 shakes earlier in the day. Had a house salad with no dressing or croutons...squeezed some lemon juice over it and sprinkled it with pepper and it was good. Split the Rosemary Lemon Chicken (which is listed as low-fat on the menu) with my mom...had half the chicken, a decent amount of the Italian green beans, and a tiny bit of the angel hair pasta with garlic, tomatoes and spinach. It was so good! And I was satisfied! Ordered the chocolate cake for dessert (my favorite) and after I blew out the candles (!) I had one lovely, chocolate-y, super delicious bite. So yay me - I had a special meal and didn't blow the diet! It can be done!!!

Day Nineteen, I Think...

So I had 2 shakes this morning, and then my mom and I went to the movies to see Sex and the City (which was really good!) and I didn't get to have anything in the afternoon. Had quite a headache and felt a little queasy by the time we got home at 5:00 pm. Ate my LC meal, plus some steamed broccoli and a sliced tomato and felt better. Only had one more shake tonight, so my total calorie intake for today is something around 575. Probably not quite enough, but oh well.

Rode my bike and my thighs were still killing me. But I did it.

Pants are a bit looser - yay!