The Snowball Effect

Babyfriend and I have the same taste in shoe color.

About a month ago, inspired by my buddy Helen, I decided to join a team weight loss thing --although mine is at my fancy gym. I hadn't been there in months and months, and I wanted to try going again but I didn't know how to start. The promotion is 90-Day Challenge from August 3 to November 3. There is an optional weekly weigh-in (or just weigh in at the beginning and end), and the option to sign up for an extra 10,000-Steps-A-Day Challenge, which I did. There's huge prizes for the winner (it's a nationwide contest since it's a nationwide gym), but the biggest enticement for me was Try It Tuesdays. Every Tuesday there is a free class, sometimes about food but most of it are sample classes in TRX, yoga, pilates, treadmill/cardio, etc. Here was my perfect opportunity to get into a gym routine AND to try exercises I never would on my own! The timing was not good initially -- I was headed for vacation, but I had to go for it.

So I did.

I weighed in, took a godawful "before" picture in a sports bra and shorts (I kind of hope I don't win just so I never have to show anyone that picture) and promptly left town.

Had a super-awesome vacation (which I will post pics of soon). But I was proud of myself there -- I didn't just shut down the whole Getting Skinny project because I was out of town. I tracked my food and drink every day, and I made smart choices and ate tons of fresh, local-grown fruits and veggies, and I tried hard to get as many steps as I could. I even went to a WW meeting during the week!

And laid on the beach for a day.

I felt great about it, and I met all my goals. I made the 10K target 4 out of 7 days, I lost a pound and a half, and I had an awesome, awesome vacation with my husband and friends (and Abby).

Then it was back to work, where I was promptly felled by the flu. The one day I stayed home sick, my Fitbit counted 1,054 steps for the WHOLE DAY. From bed to bathroom to kitchen to bed, hahaha. Luckily it cleared up after a couple of days.

This week is my first full week without vacation or sickness -- and my husband went out of town with his brother for the week. So while it is not quite "back to normal" it's darned close.

As I am sure you are all worried, I am here to say that Abby and I are managing okay in my husband's absence. I went out to the Try It Tuesday class (a lesson about and *at* the grocery store, which..okay, actually I did learn that just as I use real butter and full-fat cheese I should probably eat more low-fat and regular yogurt too; I bought some lemon flavored Noosa to try) and put her back in the crate after our post-work dog park trip, so she was off her nightly routine and didn't realize that Hubby wasn't there and wasn't coming home until pretty late that night. I am sure there will be more pouting by the door tonight. She just lays next to it, and sadly rings the bells with one slow swipe of her paw. Chime, chime, where's Daddy? Chime, chime...I couldn't take it and took her upstairs to bed early. She was fine after that.

As for me, the cleaning ladies came yesterday, so I am doing my best to keep the house as spotless and unrumpled as when they left. The couch is still neatly stacked with pillows, half the bed is still made, and the kitchen counters are still empty. I'm going to see how long I can keep that up, just because I am a weirdo.

Not to jinx anything, but now that all my vacations are over and I am back to my regular work-a-day routines, my commitment to the 90-day challenge is starting to produce results. I've hit the 10K-step mark 5 days in a row, and for two of those I managed to get to the gym and figured out how to work the dumb treadmill.

I think I found a good way to get myself to do it -- if I don't make my 10K steps by 7pm, then I have to go to the gym and treadmill until they are done. If I can get my 10K in, I get a night off. So far the carrot/stick approach is working -- I'm a lot more conscious of how much I am moving/not moving during the day at the hospital, and I try to take Abby out for a long time and long walks in the park or around the neighborhood. If that fails, then I am getting in the habit of just popping over the gym and getting some sweat going.

Next Tuesday is a TRX class, which fills me with both dread and curiosity; there are only a couple of genuine fatties like me doing this challenge, so I feel pretty awkward and noticeable at the trial classes, but I am really grateful for the opportunity to just go and try out these things without having to commit to any of them. Yet. I'd love to find a couple of exercises from this that I can enjoy going forward. Once the challenge is over, the 10K thing won't be the main goal, and my hope is by then the habit of going to the gym several nights a week will be set, so mixing up my exercise routines and trying things other than walking will be the next adventure.

All in all, I am pretty happy with the way this is snowballing; I know myself, and incremental change that builds from one success at a time is how I change my habits best. I look back at myself a year ago -- I was hobbled from still-undiagnosed foot pain. I could barely get up the stairs! Then came the blessed appointment at the ortho, and a long, long winter of twice-a-week physical therapy, and then starting to take Abby to the dog park daily this spring, and then getting my Fitbit...and now I am finally at the point where walking 4-5 miles in a day doesn't cripple me for the rest of the week. Hell, I am starting to look forward to next week with Hubby's return so I can go to the gym even if I do make my steps! From my viewpoint of a year ago, it feels pretty damned miraculous that I got this far at all.

The competitive side of me is a little upset, I will admit. I've been watching the leaderboards for both challenges, and most of the people started out making their goals right on the first day. One person has already lost 11 pounds in three weeks! (I hate that person.) I have eased myself into it, because that's how I incorporate things into my habits. It's tough to see myself in the back of the pack on the scoreboard (the only people below me have already clearly dropped out) but I keep reminding myself that I just need to keep doing it.

Tortoise and the hare, tortoise and the hare.

Even if I don't win a prize, I definitely will have won.

The best selfie I have yet to take.

Bottom Line Challenge Results

 
(Photos taken at the Jellyfish Exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium this April, by me.)


Yesterday was our weigh-in and measurements for the Bottom Line Challenge.

I recorded 885 minutes of aerobic activity (walking, stairs, more walking, a little dancing around).
My blood pressure went down 4 points.
I lost .6% body fat. 
I lost 6.5 pounds. (I enjoyed my extra-long weekend a little too much, LOL.)
I lost 4.5 inches from my waist, 2.5 inches from my hips, 2 inches from my thighs, 1 inch from my chest.

I wasn't enough to win a t-shirt, but it was enough for me. YES!!!

I came in 3rd on my team for success; Phillip was really motivated and dedicated, and lost 28 pounds, our admin was also fantastic at exercise and lost 11. The other 3 sort of forgot about it mid-challenge. :)

(I am going to do another photo shoot with Phillip at work -- he may let me do a follow-up post on his weight-loss success -- and he proudly informed me that he lost so much the blue sweater is too big on him now. Woohoo!)






Bottom line (ba-dum-bump), I am glad they coerced me into it, petulant attitude and all. As I said to my friends in email, all I really did was get off my dupa a little bit, and ate a whole lot better. And it worked.

I am really glad I didn't take an all-or-nothing approach to the exercise; I was completely daunted by the 30 minutes a day requirement, but instead of just giving up entirely, I did as much as I could. I take the stairs now every day, and it doesn't hurt my knee. I walk further to my car (boy, that asphalt project sure helped!), or I schedule plans on the weekend that involve a lot of walking (Botanic Garden, farmer's market). Like I said in my foodstyle reflections, those little pieces of routine have become habits, and now that it is summer there were will be more walking events (or downtown yoga trips) on the weekends.







My next challenge to myself is to start including more consistent exercise on the weekdays as well. I really, really, really want to swim, and now that my new boss is not a fan of us working so late anymore, I think I might be able to do something after work. Time to start investigating lap times at gyms and pools nearby!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY ME!!!

Internet Magpie

Even though I don't blog everyday, I am definitely online, reading and thinking and being inspired by various sites. These are a few of the ones I have read this week that I think are worth sharing.

1. My Dad is hilarious. Now I have to go buy Whoppers and ship them out. :)

2. Helen from Doing a 180 linked to these Tupperware containers for keeping lettuce fresh, and I have to admit I am tempted. I get my veggies from soups in fall and winter, but in the spring and summer I am all about salad. A lettuce keeper would come in very handy...

3. I've talked about it before; I've been wearing hearing aids for several years now. This blogger just started, and I well remember everything she is going through. It's a really major adjustment, and even now, I much prefer the weekends when I can go without wearing them. I do have to wear them everyday, because it's impossible to carry on conversations at work without them. But it is such a relief to burrow into my quiet cocoon at the end of the day.

4. I just loved this examination of 15 Powerful Things Happy People Do Differently. I try very hard to be an optimistic person, focused on finding solutions instead of complaining and wallowing in what is going on. But I find myself slipping into negativity and inertia more frequently than I would like; this list really articulates the specific attitudes and emotions that I can work on changing to help keep me on the optimistic side of the fence: being kinder, trusting more, giving more praise, being present, accepting more.

5. Barking Dog Shoes followed up her fantastic summer sandal post with one for stylish flats for narrow heels. I do tend to fall out of my flats a lot, so I love the ones with elastic around the ankle. How cute are those Me Toos? I swear, Kirsten tempts me with shoe purchases more than any other blog I follow.

6. Eating Well had a slideshow about healthy burrito/wrap recipes that is inspiring me for next week. I have to work over the weekend for a go-live so time will be very scarce for cooking. I think a pot of freshly cooked and seasoned pinto beans, a couple of packs of whole-wheat tortillas, a bag of shredded cabbage and a rotisserie chicken is going to go very far. I am planning on turning that (and some items in my cabinet) into the following:

-chicken salad wrap (with celery, grapes, ff mayo, and some shredded lettuce)
-fish tacos/burrito (with the fishsticks still in my freezer and a spicy cabbage coleslaw)
-BBQ chicken burrito (with pinto beans, and avocado for Hubby)
-scrambled egg wrap (with chopped basil pesto chicken sausage and sauteed peppers and onions)
-fajitas (with strip steak, peppers, carrots, onions and leftover pinto beans and avocado)

Hubby makes great fajitas so I could pick up the steak late in the week as our Pizza Prevention. LOL!

7. Thanks for all of your suggestions online and off about how to stop the Thursday pizza orders. I went shopping last night for Trader Joe's turkey meatballs so I will be happily eating my comfort-food spaghetti squash tonight, and the fajitas should save us next week. But for the weeks where it sneaks up on me, Hubby and I discussed options and decided that I would go to Whole Foods instead on those I'm-too-tired nights and grab a salad and soup from their huge bar. Because even if we fell into the pizza trap there, we would be getting a SLICE of pizza, not a WHOLE pizza for the two of us. We both like that idea.

8. I am officially falling into middle-age-dom and considering joining Curves. Has anyone done it? Likes, dislikes? It's within walking distance of my house and seems simple enough that it just might be the thing to get me moving. Thoughts?

Sunday Cooking: Making it a Habit

Back at New Year's, I elected not to make any resolutions for 2012. I said things were too chaotic and uncertain, and that all I really wanted to do was this: the Foodstyle continues to go along; I've lost the weight I gained back over Christmas, and I continue to plan my meals and get plenty of cooking in to prepare for the coming week. I'm hoping to add in some minimal exercise soon, just to get myself moving and get my core stronger. I've started making some long overdue appointments, like the dentist and some home improvements. We just ordered new living room furniture and have our paint colors picked out.

On the last weekend in March, I've come to realize that the food prep of Sunday Cooking has become a habit. It's no longer the thing that takes up my whole weekend; by now I know how to browse recipes and shop in such a way that if I don't have a lot of time on the weekend to actually cook, I can still provide for us for the week. Whereas before if I didn't have time, I would throw up my hands and we would eat takeout, now I am able to squeeze in at least an hour and stock us up.

Instead of takeout, we now have:


Strawberries


Red peppers




Spaghetti squash (the last of the sauce is in the freezer)


Roasted Brussels sprouts


Veggie-Chicken meatballs (a recipe from Helen). I went with a spicier seasoning -- Northwoods and Worcestershire -- since that's what we like, and I switched out almond crumbs for real bread crumbs, but otherwise I followed the recipe. I assumed Hubby would not be interested, but he taste-tested one and gave it a big thumbs-up. Who knew?  These will go well with the spaghetti squash and maybe in sandwiches.

I also bought a ton of stuff for salads: spring/spinach mix, seedless cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms. There is also the rest of the chicken thighs marinating in the fridge; tonight they will be broiled or grilled, then we have the protein topper for the salads. Along with the red peppers and strawberries, it should be a tasty spring meal.

All of that took me 90 minutes. Not bad!

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So what else was I doing this weekend? Besides writing reports for work for a couple of hours of Saturday and a pretty full day on Sunday, plus treating myself to a casino trip (and winning a good sum of money to boot)?

Getting our new furniture!! The stuff we ordered way back in January from Laz-y-boy finally arrived. The rug won't be ready until April, and we are scheduling the painter this week, but the furniture was delivered on Saturday and I could not be more pleased.

This is what it looked like before. That recliner was like sinking into a leather swamp; no support whatsoever. Probably the source of most of my chronic back pain.



My house is very colorful! We are painting over the blue now; it's just too dark and sucks up all the light. So we're going with "tiger stripe" orange, and keeping the mustard walls because I love that color. :)



We cleared the recliner out, as well as the cat perch and coffee tables. As I insisted to Hubby it was time for there to be more human chairs than cat chairs. They, of course, disagreed and wandered all over.



The new furniture. LOVE IT.





We got two chairs. This one is the Fletcher model; it swivels and is very soft and comfy. You just want to curl up in it.



This one is the replacement for the recliner, so will be "my" chair. I forget the model name, but it's a great mix of looking very sharp with plenty of back and butt support.



And it's a secret recliner too! So clever.



The salesperson found us a great between table, plus the pretty cushions use all the colors in the room. Another super-colorful patterned rug arrives next month. All that is left is more lamps. I will be on the hunt for those next weekend.



I love my new furniture. Now I have to go to work to pay for it. ;-) Not true; I have a special savings account for home repair and decor that we auto-transfer money into with every paycheck. It had built up a nice nest egg over the last nine years since we moved in. So we've cracked open the piggy bank to pay for all the house repairs and changes this year, including the painter, new water heater, new garbage disposal and possibly new bathroom vanity. Auto-saving accounts are the way to go, my friends. I have another one I call my Christmas club account; we never feel the pinch of the holidays because we've saved up for it all year. Of course, these are in addition to our regular savings account (which also has automated deposits), which I try not to ever touch.

So endeth the unexpected and unsolicited financial advice. :)

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Heh, looking back up at my non-resolution, I can see I also noted that I wanted to start some kind of minimal exercise eventually. The Bottom Line Challenge starts today; looks like "eventually" is here!

Friday Bouquet

1. Wow, thanks to everyone who chimed in with some awesome righteous indignation on my behalf as well as some excellent ideas to get me to incorporate 30 minutes of daily exercise for the Bottom Line Challenge at work. Lots and lots of good ideas, and you all definitely nudged me out of my foul mood about it.

Especially my sister, who responded with a cheery, "Suck it up, buttercup!" 

Nice, right? ;-D



 2. Since it is going to have to be every day, I think using a flexible combination of exercise types will work best; I can adjust depending on my time and stress levels of the day. Some of the ones I will be doing are:

-Wii yoga in the morning, either 15 or 30 minute increments
-Wii dancing in the morning, either 15 or 30 minute increments
-walking with Hubby in the early evening
-walking on breaks with co-workers
-walking on my own, with my "cans" on and zoning out to my music
-possibly swimming on the weekend mornings. I have to check if the park district pool has morning lap time on the weekends, or I might look into joining another gym with more pools.
-10-minute increments with the weights and heehee the Shakeweight I bought and never used while watching TV
-make sure my membership at the Chicago Botanic Garden is renewed and do some weekend morning walks there. (Where all the photos in this post were taken over the years. You can thank my mom and dad for buying me a membership for Christmas for many years.)

I'll be starting this weekend.



3. Weirdly, the one suggestion that I won't be doing right away is buying new exercise clothes. I have drawers full of them already; buying cute workout clothes has been my usual default preparation step when I think I am going to start working out, and honestly, those drawers of barely-worn clothes have been just another reminder of my repeated failure to actually implement those plans. So I don't really need them, and I don't want them. I don't want to do this the same way I've done it before; clearly that hasn't worked. So I am just jumping in and wearing what I already have. Maybe later as a reward I'll buy something cute. :)



4. I am so, so glad you guys are enjoying the "They Walk Among Us" series. I am absolutely loving it; while everyone is so different, there are certain themes that echo among all of them, and have already taught me a lot about my own journey.

• Losing significant weight stretches out over a long period of time. Patience and persistence over the ups and downs is necessary; just don't give up.
• There isn't one particular diet that works for everyone, and many of them used a variety of them along the way. 
• Eating whole, healthy food is how you take it off and keep it off.
• Exercise in some form is required.

5. I do have several more interviews queued up, but if you are a maintainer and are willing to tell your story, I would love to have you join us! Email me at lowfatdressing1012@gmail.com and I will send you the questions. I hope to hear from you!!



6. This week has been so strange: my husband has been in London for work, I've had a training class onsite for most of the week so there have been new people roaming the office and I've been working late, and of course the weather has been so amazing the windows are wide open at home all day long.  The cats are completely befuddled; all of their routines are disturbed and there is a person missing in the house. They are not pleased.

Hubby comes home this afternoon, and next week will be our first week of having a full staff on my team. I am sure the first few weeks will be just as busy as the last ones, since the two new people need to get up to speed, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hurray!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.



1. African Daisies, 2. Purple echinacea, 3. Field in wider perspective, 4. Orange and Purple coneflowers in a field, 5. Gargoyle Fountain, Spring, 6. Irises around the pond, 7. Faces to the sun, 8. A welcoming entrance, 9. Baby Blue Eyes, 10. Inverted Baby Blue Eyes, 11. Like, wow. Totally., 12. Lilies of the Valley, 13. Bleeding Heart, 14. Allium, 15. Colombine, 16. African Daisy

Don't Poke The Bear

I cannot believe it is only March 20. First, it feels like a hundred years have passed since my birthday...which was a week ago. Second, it is more gloriously warm and sunny than it is in June. I am in a horrible mood, but I can't deny how great it is outside.

I'm trying to wear more spring in my outfits without really buying anything new or trendy (you will never catch me in floral ankle pants, in case you were wondering). Since it is so legitimately nice out, all of my sandals from last year are already out and in rotation. So glad I got a good set of them that are still in excellent shape. The orange, the turquoise, the olive -- all are being happily worn. The olive peeptoe booties do a good job of lightening up an otherwise dark black-pants outfit. (The melon cardigan and gold jewelry helps too.)



Then on Friday I took the bears out of hibernation. Shaved 'em and everything!



Wearing nude microfishnet stockings, which are almost the same as wearing no hose at all. A cute dress and a long-lost purple cardigan, some embellished flats and I was good to go!

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In other news, my co-workers talked me into doing a team challenge to lose weight and exercise more. We weigh in and get measured tomorrow, then it starts for 8 weeks next Monday. The challenge is about scoring points, depending on how much exercise you do and how much weight and body fat you lose over the time period. I was all for it -- I could use a good structured kick in the pants -- but then today when we were going over the rules in detail, I got really panicked and now I am dreading it.

I didn't catch before today that you have to do a minimum of 1440 minutes of exercise -- which is 25 minutes a day, seven days a week (or 36 minutes, 5 days a week). Do you know how much I do right now? NONE.

I know, I know, deep in my gut I know that I need to move more, and I was looking forward to this challenge to get that going. But I was expecting to have to do a half-hour 3-4 days a week. I was thinking I could ease myself into it, and then maybe by the end of the challenge add more than that. I was NOT expecting to have to start right off the bat at a sprint. I can't even really miss a day, or I will fall behind, and skip more days, and fall more behind. And then let all my teammates down (there are some nice monetary prizes for competing and winning, and several of them really want to win.)

I am just so...pissed off about the whole thing. I feel like I am doomed to fail before I even start, and the pressure is pissing me off even more. Everyone else was talking about how they already work out 2 hours already a week, and so adding another hour wouldn't be so hard. I wanted to cry.

It feels impossible to me. I can't even get up the stairs without my knee giving out. Which I know should be even more incentive to exercise, but it's not. All I can think about is even if I just do 30 minutes of walking every day, how much every inch of my body is going to hurt, and how little rest I will have before having to do it again the next day, and how I am working 10-12 hours a day and am stressed beyond belief and am barely hanging onto eating right by my fingertips. When the hell am I supposed to even find the time for this? I was just thinking that I needed to start going into work earlier because so much is piling up. I never leave before 6pm, and I am in bed early too. But no, now I need to find a free hour somewhere every day. And my f***ing running shoes. Which probably don't fit. (Can you hear me cursing? I am cursing a blue streak!)

This doesn't feel like something that is motivating me to keep improving myself; it feels like just one more expectation that I can't meet that is crushing my lungs so I can't breathe.

I have 6 more days to get myself into the right headspace for it. Great. First I have to get over being so pissed. Why didn't I read it more closely before I agreed? Damn.

Sigh.

So that's what I'll be working on this week. My f***ing negative attitude.

Animal, Vegetable, Kristen

Saturday was busy! First up was a lovely yoga session at Millenium Park downtown. Both Jessie and I were dragging ass to get there, but I am so glad we did; our favorite hippy-dippy instructor from last year was back! She's amazing; her routines are all about breathing and reaching to the sky and rooting yourself in the earth like a tree, but about halfway through you realize you are sweating your brains out and pushing your body harder than you would think from her manner and language. "Namaste, you guys! Awesome!" is her catchphrase. I love her.

Then we headed out west to pick up Babyfriend's mother and grandmother to go to the Oak Park farmer's market. Oak Park is great because there are lots of heirloom breeds of everything, plus cinnamon-sugar donuts and roasted corn cooked right at the market. I had one of each. :)

The skies opened up in the middle of our trip.







There was not a baby in that stroller. :)




It was even coming down between the cracks in the tent. Didn't let up for about 15 minutes. I bought some cippolini onions to pass the time. (And melon, and blackberries, and new potatoes, and red wine vinegar with garlic...)

Lunch was at Marion Street Cheese Market, where all the ingredients are purchased locally. It was stunningly good. There was roasted garlic soup with rutabega that I would kill to eat again, and a grilled cheese sandwich with 4 kinds of cheeses and a seeded wheat bread that fulfilled all my expectations.

Later that night, Hubby and I tried to go to the rooftop bar (Tabitha, it's at Old Orchard and called the Rooftop Bar at Wilde & Greene), but it was closed because the rain had been so bad all afternoon. Instead we went to Bonefish Grill, where we had a brilliant idea; since we weren't very hungry (and I had indulged at MSCM for lunch), we each ordered a drink and an appetizer (sashimi for him, wagyu beef and ginger dumplings for me). Hit the spot perfectly.

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Art display from the top of the Art Institute downtown.




Same shot using a fisheye setting.

Sunday was more topsy-turvy; after some yogurt, berries and cereal, I had to go into work to finish a critical project (ugh!). There may have been some peanut M&Ms during work. After that I stopped at McD's for a cheeseburger on the road. We made up for it with dinner, as Hubby grilled all of our favorites: plums, corn, onions, zucchini, and mushroom brats for him, wild-caught salmon burger for me. 

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Two books in rotation currently for me are Mark Bittman's Food Matters and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I finished AVM this weekend, and had a long talk with Hubby about it. Both books are about the "slow food" movement, the idea of moving away from convenience foods back to whole, homecooked meals. AVM covers one family's year of eating only locally-grown foods; most of what they ate they grew themselves on their farm, which of course is ridiculous for us. I can't even keep a basil plant alive.

That said, I can find a lot of locally-grown foods; Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan have many small farms around, many of which are part of either the farmer's markets in every town or are in a CSA (community-supported agriculture) association. We got a CSA box for a few years but the amounts were too much for us, and there were too many things we don't like. Farmer's markets (and Whole Foods) are better for our lifestyle because we can control the amount and types of foods we buy. There is also a local chicken store. Chicken! And eggs, and turkey, and all kinds of good stuff. (Hubby hates the smell of the place, but I don't mind. Fresh, free-range, no-hormone chicken, cut up anyway I like. I'm in!)

We've already started incorporating more local foods into our diet this summer, but now it will be more of a concerted effort. Kingsolver talks a lot about reducing one's carbon footprint (your food doesn't use as much oil to travel as far) but for me, the reasons for doing so are more selfish.  Eating locally forces us to eat more seasonally, to select foods that are available NOW and are at their freshest, and most delicious. We already do a lot of this, just from my years on Core:
-salads, peas, asparagus, and strawberries in spring
-zucchini, corn, new potatoes, cherries, berries, melons in summer
-pumpkin, squash, potatoes and Brussels sprouts in fall

Winter is tougher, of course; Kingsolver canned, froze, and pickled their summer bounty to get them through the winter. That's way beyond anything I am prepared to do. But we can continue with many of the fall veggies that are still available through the leaner months, and will probably indulge in my beloved citrus then (navel oranges!!!).

The slow food movement also pushes us to stop our reliance on processed foods. Again, we've already been moving in that direction; fast food has become an infrequent stopgap instead of a daily one. That stop at McD's was the first in weeks! Most days, cut up oranges and berries have replaced the candy bar on my desk. I am hoping in the next couple of weeks I can convince my husband to try homemade pizza for dinner; he used to make a great one when we first got married.

I am also ordering Deborah Madison's Local Foods. Her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone cookbook is amazing, even for a devoted meat-eater like me.

But mostly, it's about continuing to move in the direction we are already going: more vegetables and fruits, less processed foods, balanced and healthy meals.  And getting as much of that as we can from local vendors.

What about you? Do you try to eat locally? Any great tips to share?

When fighting the urge for pizza, it's best to have figs in the fridge

My friend Annie (the same one who suggested my blog name) had a fantastic Twitter entry the other day:

Women's summer fashion in a nutshell: Wear just enough to prevent chafing. No more, no less.

Which is pretty much the definition of my summer flop-proof formula.



I looked back to confirm; I haven't worn this dress since June! But it's perfect for heat-wave temps; it's breathable cotton but still has a great shape and looks polished. I had fun with this one, adding an open silver floral pendant necklace and my orange wedges to go with the bright blue of the dress. Neutral, schmeutral.

My hair turned out pretty well too, now that I have moved my base of operations down to the downstairs bathroom. We don't get great circulation upstairs so I often end up getting my hair wet with sweat while I am trying to blow it dry. I moved my makeup and blow dryer to the cooler first floor, and presto! No more ruining my hair before it's even dry.



As I was telling some friends in email, I also swallowed my pride and bought some bathing suits in my current size. Lands End was having a 50-70% off sale so I got a "swimdress" for an upcoming weekend beach trip and a lap suit for exercise. I miss swimming, a lot, and my friend Shelley at My Journey to Fit has been inspiring me to pick it back up. It's time.

Plus, wait until I take some photos of my town pool. You guys are gonna kill me. It's really luxurious and lovely, just perfect for evening swims.

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Daily Food Tracker: Wednesday
Breakfast: two pieces of ww toast with peanut butter, strawberries
Lunch: Panera pick two: tuna sandwich, broccoli cheddar soup
Snack: watermelon
Dinner: HAHAHA. I DID IT. Hubby ordered pizza. I made myself a glass of wine and a lovely bowl of sliced figs, chopped peppered turkey bacon, blue cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of light balsamic dressing. It was delicious, and felt sinful.
Then I had one small slice of pizza. This, my friends, is a modern miracle.
Snack: WW ice cream popsicle



Now, what other kinds of salad did I say I wanted to try from Bittman's article? This was a rather brilliant combination.

Ahhhh, yeah, I'll try this one next: 38. Cube watermelon; combine with roughly chopped mint, crumbled feta, sliced red onion and chopped Kalamata olives. Dress lightly with olive oil and lemon juice. Despite saltiness of feta and olives, this may need salt.

Helen, to answer your question yesterday, my husband took off 75 pounds when we did Medifast together a couple of years ago, and he's kept a good amount of it off. But he's not lean, so our issues are a little different than yours. We're just lazy as all get-out, and pizza is our default. :)

But he's gone on a trip until Sunday, so I have no excuses except for my own willpower. And I am getting better at my food choices -- my real choices, not a fake Taco Bell "choice" -- everyday. I can do it.

The Click

I woke up with a sore back on Friday, for no reason other than I am out of shape.

I finally weighed myself again. 226, right back where I started.

I am actually tired of junk food.

My size 18s are starting to not fit.

Work is stabilized, and after five months of insanity I no longer have to do the work of 2 people.

I am out of excuses.

This is rock bottom. I have nowhere else to go but start digging myself out of this hole. To get up, I must go down.

It's time to start eating right. To sweat. To get myself into healthy routines.

Luckily, my mind is there too. I'm craving big salads and strawberries. I want to put on my headphones and go walking, turn on the Wii and stretch with the little yoga man, hula hoop and dance with the figures.

Spring is here, and I am embarking on the same renewal. My friend Jill calls it "clicking", when suddenly things just click into place and it starts working.

CLICK.

(Comments turned off. I'm not ready to get into details yet until things are up and running; I just wanted to note this moment on the blog.)

Monday: Dressing Marathons

It seems impossible, but I just didn't have the right shoes to go with today's outfit! I ended up with my new Seychelles silver-gold sandals, which were okay, but I think a heel would have worked better. My husband would probably disagree, since a huge pile of heels were stacked up in the middle of the bedroom, rejected during the daily Dressing Extravaganza. Clearly it wasn't for lack of trying that none of my heels worked!

How long does it take you to get dressed, on average? I can be anywhere from 10-40 minutes, usually clocking in a good 25 minutes. I know it's excessive, but I've built in the time to my schedule to do so. To me, it's often my one chance at creativity for the day; I get to play with colors and textures, ensuring everything from the accessories to the shoes creates a cohesive ensemble. It's fun, and I try to make the most of it.



Today's outfit started out as a totally different dress, but the fit was not right (I'm super-bloated this week) and it was driving me nuts. Then it became a goal of hiding my pooch without bundling up too much; it's a meat locker at work but it IS mid-June. I can only concede so much to the cold before I rebel. I ended up with my Target cascading cardigan tied with a plain black cotton tie from some other outfit. I liked how the pointelle stitching let the bright colors of the Jones New York dress peek through, and the sandals kept it summery enough.

+++++

Well, the majority ruled! 66% of the voters asked for daily workout outfits. As Sheila pointed out, public accountability is probably good for me again, and I will admit it is much more fun to do it this way than listing out my dieting goals and how I failed at them every week.



I went walking after work yesterday, a first for me. It used to be if I couldn't get in my exercise in the early morning I skipped it for the day. But I've got the time in the evenings since it doesn't get dark for a long time, and there's nothing interesting on TV right now. I've never been much of a walker, so this is a new experience for me; every day I am exploring a new path in my area. Very fun!

Old Navy provided the tops again: a striped tank from last summer, and a hot pink hoodie I bought on super-clearance over the winter. I think I need to pick up some longer tanks for The Dupa Project; I love the colors of this, but it keeps riding up as I am walking and exposing my belly to the world. Trust me when I tell you no one needs to see that! :)

My bathing suits come from Lands End soon; I cannot wait to hit the pool again! Laps are the best summer exercise of all. :)

Birthday Review and 5K Run

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I had a fabulous weekend in every respect. I spent time with good friends, had a wonderful time with my husband, got to watch my favorite city celebrate its favorite holiday, ate a ton of delicious food, dressed up in pretty clothes, did some browsing-shopping with a girlfriend, and then ran a 5K race and went home and collapsed in a heap. What more could anyone want for turning 42?

I have decided, based on all the food and drink that I freely and unapologetically enjoyed this weekend, that I am giving myself a birthday present and NOT getting on the scale until next Monday. I need a week to recover and get back into the Medifast rhythm, so that's what I am giving to myself.

Here are a few fashion-related shots of the weekend. Didn't get all the outfits documented, sorry!

Friday night: Drunken grin at Weber Grill. This was my work outfit as well: the brown-and-white Alfani dress, a pearl necklace on brown string, black cascading cardigan.


Saturday night dinner with Hubby: Black Target moto jacket, maroon scoop Loft tee-shirt, black knit Loft dress, gold locket necklace, black patterned hose, plum patent La Canadienne rainboots. Did I mention it was rainy and cloudy all day?



The amazing capper to the best meal of my life at Sepia. Hee!


++++++

Onto the big news: my first 5K! Hubby was only there for a few minutes before he took off to go fish, so there is only one photo of me, and the rest I took while I was running. :) The theme was St. Patrick's Day, so again there were lots of people dressed up in costumes. I stuck with just a dark green top (peeking out under my running jacket).



It was really freakin' cold out. So glad I had invested in all the cold-weather gear; I wore every single thing! We also got a t-shirt for signing up, and I added that to the layers as well.

The race was at Diversey Harbor. It's too soon for any of the boats to be in yet, but it's still a pretty area. We lucked out; the rain and fog that had permeated the area broke up in time for the race, so it ended up being a really nice day!



People getting ready:




Then we were off! It was pretty muddy with lots of puddles on the path, so it was slow-going in spots as we all navigated through narrow running areas in a large group. I think next time I will try to get a spot further up in the crowd; I know I ended up running with the slower people around me, but we were very far back and it was almost all walkers behind us. That actually doesn't do well for my motivation because it makes me feel even slower than I am, if that makes any sense.

The two mile mark (the time is from when the race started, not my actual time):


I averaged just under 13 minutes per mile. Not bad, not great. It gives me lots of room to improve as I keep racing! I won't lie; I did stop and walk 3 times during the race, for short stints. I'll be looking to improve on that too.

The three mile mark. I got a good hard run in after that, with my final burst of energy:


My final time was 39:26, my pace was 12:44, and I came in 815 out of about 1800 participants. 37 out of 48 of my division (Women ages 40-44), and 457 out of 545 for my gender overall. Not that any of those stats really matter, except as a personal baseline so I can see my improvement as my 5K year progresses.

They were serving bananas and green bagels to runners afterward. Ha!



Instead, Hubby and I went out for pancakes. I love pancakes after a run; that's a tradition I think I will keep.

If you are interested in seeing what went on at the Dying of the Chicago River, check out my photography blog for the scoop.

Now it is time for reality to start up again. Back to work!