Sunday Snapshots

I love the coolness of Fall in Texas. Here's what I saw while taking Sydney for a walk.

Banana Tree

My favorite tree, basking in the sunset.

Fall color, Texas style!

Have a wonderful week!

And drink plenty of water :)

Is this a test?

I came home to the aroma of baking bread. Whaaaa. My mom was baking bread. Yesterday, we discussed how important it is for family to be supportive of those that are trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

Hello? Did we not just talk about being supportive? My mom doesn't even care for bread that much. At least, that what she says. So why, pray tell, is there bread baking in our kitchen?

Then she says, well, you have try just a bite! You have to know how GOOD this bread tastes. *blink*blink*excuuuuse me?*

I just politely said, no thanks. One bite would just make me KNOW it was good and then I'd want more. Honestly, it wouldn't even have to taste that good. I'd just want to eat it because it's bread. Pathetic, huh?

Well, ya know what? I felt just fine about NOT eating a single crumb. I've made it through today without one bite of refined carbs or whole grains, for that matter. I need to avoid them for a few days to give my body a chance to get over them. Then, I can face whole grains and stay in control. They have a power over me like nothing else.

The weather here has turned fall-ish. It rained buckets this morning but after the rain left town, we had clear skies and cool temps. Perfect.

Have a wonderful Friday. Take care and don't forget to drink your water!

Munch. Munch. Munch.

I don't know what the deal is. I just want to eat. I wish I could find something with zero calories that I could just stuff in my mouth, all day long. Munch, munch, munch. That's what I want to do. A bag of Lays is sounding mighty good and I don't even like potato chips. I think I'm having hot flashes. All of a sudden I'll feel like the room is on fire. Oh, isn't this fun?!

I've strayed from the clean eating regime and I think that's were the problem lies. Too many processed things have passed these lips lately.

We had our blood tested at work yesterday. It's something our insurance company offers us so we can have our pharmacy deductible waived. I was hoping for better numbers but compared to last years numbers, yesterday's report was much better in a few areas:


Last year:
Weight: 285
BMI: 43.1
Total Chol: 158
HDL (good chol): 34
Triglycerides: 182
LDL (bad chol): 88
Blood Sugar: 119

This year:
Weight: 236
BMI: 37
Total Chol: 183
HDL (good chol): 25
Triglycerides: 146
LDL (bad chol): 129
Blood Sugar: 94

I don't understand the whole cholesterol thing. I don't eat fried foods and I rarely use butter or the dreaded margerine. I am happy to see my blood sugar is much lower. I'm going to my doctor on Monday and will have to see what his report says. My thyroid was low last month when he did bloodwork and that may account for the elevated cholesterol. Before I was diagnosed with hypothyroid, my cholesterol was 320! Then after I started the medication, it dropped to 149.

Anyway, sorry if this bored you. I'm just trying to get healthy and it seems like it's not happening fast enough for me. So, I'm having a few special dark Hershey's Kisses right now because, well, because I want them.

Maybe I need to drink more water :D It's raining here today so no bike ride :( I hate it when that happens. I NEED to ride. I NEED to find something else to when I can't ride. Nothing else quite hits the mark.

Slideshow: 10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Slideshow: 10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

As always, pay special attention to the slide about drinking water :D

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Instant Karma

Today I changed my attitude at work. I have decided to embrace the difficulty of it and move on. Life is too short to get bogged down in muckity-muck. And it always seems that when I change my attitude, things roll a little smoother, for everyone. It's not what I want, but it's what is best so I can keep my sanity. I need peace and acceptance and if I harbor ill feelings, there is no peace.

Karma, baby. Anyhoo...

Here it is the middle of October and I have not been focused on losing weight. I've been munching on Goldfish Graham Crackers and a few other munchie type foods that are easy to binge on. It's time to stop screwing around and get back to business.

Focus. Focus. Focus. See it and want it. Know it and do it. And don't forget to drink your water :p

Ahoy! Happy Columbus Day!

Thank you, Mr. Columbus, for sailing the ocean blue to give us a holiday full of sales and time off. :D

It rained cats and dogs today but we got out anyway. Ran an errand, went to Whole Foods. I managed to get out of the store without a loaf of bread. I'm not sayin' I didn't sample the bread, I just didn't buy a loaf. I've been known to eat an entire loaf of their bread, any luscious loaf the sell, in a matter of hours. There's just nothing like a good loaf of bread. *sigh*

To keep me motivated to exercise, I signed up for another bike ride that takes place on November 7th. It's the NovemberFest Metric Century. I signed up for the 40 mile route, woo hoo! I don't have to raise money for this one, I just pay my entrance fee and that money benefits The Center, Serving Persons with Mental Retardation. They have a festival after the ride and it sounds like a fun day. Gotta keep moving!

Enjoy your week and don't forget to drink your water.

Sunday Snapshots - Fairy Ring

Fairy Ring - a dancing place for fairies

Ewwww. Ahhhhh. Ohhhhh. Whatever.

Ewwww: I've really been depressed this week. It's so amazing how when things go bad at work, it affects every part of your life. I've been angry, sulky, mad, had ugly thoughts about what I'd like to do to (never mind), snappy, pissy, sad, well, I think you get the picture. Just all around sh*tty. Man, I think the onset of pms is in the air or something. And hot flashes have been a daily occurrence or is that just this damn Texas heat.

Ahhhhh: Today, I decided to give it up. The anger and frustration is wearing me down and I'm just done with it. I can only do so much. If my work isn't good enough, then whatever happens, happens. The stress of having to be perfect is making me screw up even more. Today I had to admit to posting an event for the wrong date. One of my many jobs at work is keeper of the calendar. I was given a date over the summer, and I forgot to change it on the website calendar. It was just the date for the end of the first nine-weeks of school so not really a big deal. But to Somebody, it might be a big deal so I just have to pray that things work out for the best. Whatever that is.

Ohhhhh: I've been trying to get these questions answered for the "Your Blog is Over the Top" award that Karen gave me. I have to admit I've had a tough time trying to stick with one word answers. Some of these questions just need more than one word, imho. But here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? near

2. Your hair? natural

3. Your mother? loved

4. Your father? deceased

5. Your favorite food? hummus

6. Your dream last night? can't remember

7. Your favorite drink? coffee (with Splenda & creamer-I know)

8. Your dream/goal? singer, dancer, photographer, travel guide

9. What room are you in? bedroom

10. Your hobby? photography (someday kayaking)

11. Your fear? rejection

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? traveling by bike

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren't? dependent

15. Muffins? deadly

16. Wish list item? nikon d300

17. Where did you grow up? Texas

18. Last thing you did? biked

19. What are you wearing? shorts

20. Your TV? newfangled

21. Your pets? adored

22. Friends? need one here

23. Your life? what life?

24. Your mood? anxious

25. Missing someone? hellno

26. Vehicle? CRV

27. Something you’re not wearing? lotion

28. Your favorite store? REI

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? yesterday

32. Your best friend? moved :(

33. One place that I go to over and over? bathroom

34. One person who emails me regularly? REI

35. Favorite place to eat? Fadi's (middle eastern food)

Whatever: This weekend is a 3 day weekend for me. We have Columbus Day off - yay! So maybe I can catch up on what's going on in your world. I've missed you all this week! Have a great Friday and don't forget to drink your water.

ps-after I wrote this post, my graphic program acted up so i couldn't add cute pictures and my mouse battery died. i think it's time to go to bed, lol

Sunday Snapshots

Last night, the dinner at the boss's house was good. I spent most of my time chatting with my fav people from work, so that was nice. We had Greek food. I love Greek food and it was very good. The catering company was great. Since I didn't really take any photos today and I'm thinking about Greece, here are some pictures from my trip there (Corfu) several years ago.

Our very cute waiter.

Stressed Me - Maker of Bad Choices

I've made some bad choices over the last few days. It's the stress, I know. The fear and insecurity that takes over when I feel threatened. It drives me right into a bag of cookies, or a loaf of bread. Or dark chocolate covered almonds. Hmmmm. Carb-a-licious. Crap. Who am I? Why do I revert back to that person who didn't give a care about the food she put in her mouth?

Today I have to go to a social event for work. It's be there or be, well, there's just no other choice. It just won't look good if you don't go. We'll make small talk, which is hard for a wallflower like me, and harder when I feel pressured.

I'm going to get a grip and get back to the "eat less and move more" thing that has been working for me. Less carbs, too. They make me feel so good, but it's short lived and then the weight just doesn't budge. I'm going to be 53 in January and I hope to lose at least 25 lbs by then. With the holidays coming soon it will be tough, but I'm done with all this back-sliding stuff.

My goals for the rest of this year:

1. Eat less and make it worth it
2. Exercise 5 days a week
3. Ride in another bike ride before the end of the year
4. Do something artistic every week (for stress relief)