I did a quick 2 miles today. Sometimes I just hit a wall. Yesterday I just couldn't do it. I just didn't want to! Usually I make myself go forward even when my heart isn't in it. But not yesterday. I just didn't have the gumption.

Oh well, I'm back at it today.

I'm back

I just got off the tred mill. 35 minutes - 2.75. A quarter mile was a cool down/walk. I'm pleased. So I've set this goal of running 10 miles a week. It really works for me. I run about 4 days a week. And some days, I have the time but not the gumption. Then I just go for about 1.5 miles or something and not too fast. By the end of the week it all add up. Right now on Wednesday I'm at 7.75 miles. Good mojo.

I work today and I'm excited. I get to make a gazpacho, which I've never done so I hope it is good. And the recipe I'm really looking forward to is a grilled zucchini and summer squash salad with Parmesan/balsamic vinaigrette. Will let you know if these are worth repeating.

Harry Potter Question

What is the deal with JK Rowling crying about HP? Does he die? Birdie! Help! Then it is Nevil if he does.

Time For Some Good News

I am down 35 lbs as of this morning! 6 more and hot fudge sundae, here I come.

Sting

Not the artist.

Yesterday afternoon I stepped on a bee. I was wearing my sandals and somehow it flew in between my foot and sandal. It stung me twice in quick succession in the same little area. So, no running today. But I did run yesterday before this all happened.

I went back to the chiro today and had another good visit. She is so very gentle.

Don't call the police!

I am here! Sorry guys - I bugged everybody about doing this again, and now I have been totally slacking off. Care to venture a guess as to why?

A-I won the lottery and have been busy living it up!
B- I magically lost weight and became extra healthy so I no longer felt the need to post!
C- I have been so super unhealthy, I have had nothing to post!

If you guessed A or B....you are insane! I don't know what happened-I was doing so well. Then I started roasting again and I just fell back into bad habits. Boo me!

I did ride my bike into work today and I have had a healthy eating day. A walk will happen tomorrow!

Of Note

Of Note:
I'm reading up online, thanks to Birdie's suggestion, about TMJ. It seems that a typical diagnosis includes testing (simple jaw stuff) that my doc didn't do! Why I wonder? This is not really a complaint, just a curiosity. I'm convinced that I have TMJ so it matters not if he did these tests.

I do feel this is ok to talk about here since this is a health issue.

Also, I HIGHLY recommend making protein shakes. My current fave:

1/3 can oj concentrate (w/ added calcium)
1 scoop whey protein powder (available in the health food section of stores)
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
3/4 cup vanilla soy milk

It is the ultimate orange Julius!

Appointment

It went well. My chiropractor, Dr. Nathalie (she is from France), was wonderful. She encouraged me to pursue wholeness and balance. Never once did she complain about doctors, rather she was positive about what my doctor had already told me and about her recommendations. She was really wonderful. Of course I was full of complaints about my situation, but she didn't take the bait and join in my complaining. I am pleased with that!

So...I'm going to see her twice next week. She thinks that 4 visits will show me major improvement and 6 will last me about 6 months. This was a gentle adjustment. I was nervous about going because of all the stories I've heard. People love their chiropractors but also rave about the back cracking, etc. She is not a bone crusher. This was gentle and wonderful.

Next time I go we'll talk nutrition too. She thinks that I ought to do this current diet for another week. But she also said that I should take whole foods and grind them (vegies especially because that is what I'm longing for) so that I'm getting the nutrition I need. I'm for that!

I'm feeling great today - the first time in a week. I ran nearly 3 miles today and loved every step. It just felt great.

Chages ahead

Tomorrow I'm going to a chiropractor for my TMJ. I am thinking this will help a lot. I found this particular person through dual, independent recommendations. I didn't even know my friends saw a chiropractor so it was neat to get this same suggestion twice. I am praying that this helps. I decided to go this route because the white coat doctors don't seem to be making much progress. I'm miserable and depressed on this stupid liquid diet! So I hope it helps.

Hot outside

Just off the tred mill - 2.5 and running hard! That felt good. I've been very depressed since my steroid injection. Actually it is getting kind of scary because there are entire blocks of time that I cannot recall. I need to contact the doctor and see if this is related and/or normal. But having the energy to exercise felt sooooo good.

My eating is difficult but good. I'm really learning about eating until I'm full. Just like you said dad. It is easier to get full when your choices are so limited. But I'm rocking on the smoothies and my friend, Brandy, will loan me her juicer. THAT will be good.

Both boys are napping. He he!

I didn't fall off the wagon.....

It was more like a spectacular leap! I am not sure if it is just habit from roasting or if it was the unstructured time over the weekend, but I did not exercise or eat healthfully at all!

I am starting fresh today. I had a healthy breakfast and I am riding my bike to work. I will let you know how it goes at the end of the day!

Could it be that I am not alone in having this problem? Where are you people?

Good times!

I had a really fun day yesterday - not difficult to achieve since I was not at work!

I did not walk or go to the gym (I was just not feeling it!) but B and I rode our bikes to a local park and played catch. I also took the opportunity to swing! It was a beautiful day yesterday and we had a lot of fun.

Yesterday for breakfast/lunch I had toast, beets, an apple, and some melon. And I made a pretty fantastic dinner....if I do say so myself! I steamed artichokes for an appetizer and then I made Turkey Tenderloin in Cherry Whiskey sauce. That recipe came from Eating Well, and it was really good. I also made a little salad with a citrus vinaigrette. It was very easy to make. I just mixed some white balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then added the zest of an orange and the juice of same said orange. Pretty yummy and it made for a good and healthy dinner!

Up and At It

I wanted to sleep in this morning but was awake before 7:00. No fair. So, I'm going to get busy. Have flower bed and garden weeding to do. Will save the mowing until Monday when it's supposed to be 95 here and muggy. Ah, sweat. Also have a wedding at 4:00 today so I suppose I'll have to go and do that. We went to dinner last night at the Shoreview over by Amery. I ate very well. They have the best prime rib anywhere around here and that's what I always have when we go there. But last night I settled for a big salad, a cup of soup, and a poached fillet of cod. Wasn't satisfied but I was full. Also skipped the potatoe in favor of some terrible carrots and brocolli. Obviously, that crap didn't come from my garden so it wasn't very good. I am determined to lose this last 9.6 lbs.

MASH

Do you get MASH still on reruns? Geeze I love this show. It is good for a person!

I went to my ENT doc today and had another steroid shot, but this time in my jaw to combat TMJ. Last time I was there he said I had this, but of course I didn't do anything he wanted me to do. Well, I did. I gave up caffeine entirely which I feel is a HUGE deal. He thinks it isn't. I don't think King needs caffeine so can't appreciate that sacrifice. (For the record I really like this guy. He is the one who took out Carter tonsils. )

So what he wants me to do is, for the next month eat foods with the consistency of pudding. Can you believe that! He told me this before and I reminded him it was spring and there was too much good stuff in the garden to obey a dumb rule like that. This time he serious about it. And frankly, I am too. My sinuses hurt so much and he feels a lot of the pain I experience is due to referred pain from the TMJ. If I can avoid surgery for my sinuses I will! So I'll do my best to obey Dr. King.

That said, I'm open to recipes.

Walking Recruitment

I am happy to report that my neighbor, Miss S., joined me on my walk today. We walked from Nottingham to Georgia street, which is almost 4 miles. It is the same route I have been doing all week. It was a beautiful day for a walk and it was really fun to visit all the way. It sure made the walk seem a lot shorter. To me anyway!

The best news of the day for me was when Miss S. said "You look a lot leaner already". That made me feel good. I can feel a real difference in the way my cloths fit but it is nice to know that it is actually noticeable. Also, insane neighbor lady asked me today if I was losing weight. She is still insane, but that warmed me toward her a tad!

In addition to my afternoon walk, I rode my bike to work today and I was the roaster today, as well. That means a lot of up and down on the ladder, a lot of bucket filling, and a lot of bean lifting. So I feel like I moved a lot today.

I have had a good eating day thus far. The usual breakfast. I did not have my act together enough last night to bring lunch to work but the sandwich side today was a little salad with chickpeas, pinto beans, yellow and red pepper, red onion, and carrots tossed in a vinaigrette. It was really good and really healthy and really cheap. Cost me a buck! Now I am making some beets for dinner. I love beets. One of my favorite vegetables.

Time to clean up and rest up!

Good Morning

I had a very long day yesterday but well worth it. Up at 4:45 am (!!!) and into downtown Minneapolis at the Target Center by 8:00. Whole staff went to a Get Motivated Seminar. About 10 speakers ranging from "how to make a killing in real estate" to "give your heart to Jesus to find meaning in life." We had no idea that last one was even a part of this. But the best were Bill Cosby and Collin Powell. Excellent. Both funny and had lots to say that was worth hearing. Got back to church just in time for the 7:00 pm service and home for a late dinner at 8:00. We never eat that late but I was starving.

Had my usual breakfast of oatmeal and tomato juice. Had a Chicken Caesar Salad for lunch. Didn't care for that. Way too much parmesan cheese which I don't really care for but I ate it all. I was starved by 1:00. Then some leftovers for supper and an apple before bed. No walk yesterday but did plenty of walking and climbing stairs at the seminar so didn't worry about it.

My usual lunch these days is a can of Progresso Soup and some crackers. It's very good soup and comes in lots of different kinds. I'm buying it at Menard's (!) for $1.78 a can. Much cheaper and healthier than the burger and fries I use to eat every day. For supper I eat whatever we're having and eat until I'm full. Don't stuff myself but eat until I'm satisfied.

Down 31 lbs as of this morning. Just 10 to go before that hot fudge sundae!

Gotta get to work.

What a dinner!

I had my standard good day today. Had a healthy breakfast. Rode my bike to work. Ate a good lunch. Rode my bike home. Took a four mile walk.

Then I ate the best (and biggest!!) dinner that I have had in two weeks! For B's pre-birthday we went to The Linkery. I finally had some carnitas and it was wonderful! The carnitas was baked in a pasilla chili and that was served on top of black beans and grilled corn that was removed from the cob. It was excellent. I also had two glasses of wine and now I am afraid of waking up with a headache! So I am going to down some water and hit the hay.

I'm worn

I had a good day today and I imagine I will sleep well tonight because I am worn out!

I rode my bike to work today and after work I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the treadmill (incline walk, of course). I am going to wait until next week to change my routine because I will be roasting on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I do not want to have sore muscles when I am doing all that work. I am interested to see if I will have any energy to walk or go to the gym after roasting. It is a lot of work. I am not worried about it, though. I will be active all day long so that will be fine.

Short and sweet, friends. I hope everyone is having a great night!

By the way, I am thinking that perhaps my headache was sinus related. Now that I am feeling better I have a very runny nose and feel a little drippy in the back of my throat. It is just odd because it was not the classic sinus pressure ache that I usually get. That, combined with the lack of congestion made me discard the idea that it was a sinus/allergy issue. Well, all that matters is that I feel better now!

Vegetables....It's what's for dinner!

Amy was interested in knowing what we are eating. I am pretty easy because I am a creature of habit and I will eat the same things until I get utterly sick of them and then I will find something new and repeat the same process!

For breakfast right now I have been eating a piece of whole wheat toast (Milton's, 5g of fiber per slice) topped with yogurt butter (thanks Amy!), peanut butter (crunchy, natch!), and jelly. Then I have some fruit. Usually kiwi but if I have some melon or pineapple cut up I may go crazy and have that instead. Yeah, I too am surprised when that does not make the news. I also have some yogurt and right now that yogurt is Horizons FF vanilla.

Lunch has been consisting of an egg salad sandwich on the afore mentioned bread and maybe a lettuce free salad of peas, carrots, and peppers. If not that, I might have a sweet potato with the yogurt butter and some sugar. At some point at work I generally eat and apple, as well.

For dinner I like to do a little stir fry. I use soba noodles (3g of fiber) and again with the pepper, peas, and carrots. Yeah, I know. I need to mix up the veggie situation a bit. But, hey, those are the ones I love!

I know, not too exciting. But when you are cooking for one it is best to make small portions so things do not sit around and go bad. Also, this really is the way I like to eat and since I don't have anybody else telling me they are getting bored I don't really don't have to worry about variety if I do not want.

And, heck, it keeps me happy!

Good News This Morning

I've broken the "28 lb barrier." Am down 29.4 as of this morning so hopefully will continue downward now and lose another 11.6. Then I'll have reached my goal and will have a hot fudge sundae! That's going to be my reward.

Got up at 6:30 to walk before work but just didn't feel like doing it. So, will go later I hope.

I finally slept!

I use my cell phone (set on vibrate) as my work alarm in the morning. And for the first time since I started working at the cafe, I slept through my alarm. I could not believe it, but the good news is that it means I finally slept! I have not had a good night's sleep for days. I have been like the waking dead. It took me a couple of hours last night to finally get to sleep, but once I did I guess I was sleeping solid! Thankfully, I only overslept by 10 minutes so it was really no big deal.

A good eating day, even though I went out for dinner. Breakfast was the now standard toast, yogurt, kiwi and lunch was a sweet potato and some peas, carrots, and pepper salad. Dinner consisted of two shared appetizers (brie and mango quesadilla and calamari) and a shared entree (small - three pieces, but excellent and worth every penny....especially since business was paying!) of scallops. Really excellent. Beverage was sparkling water. Oh, we did share dessert which was small, too. So I feel none too bad about my dinner out. I am pretty sure I was well within my suggested daily caloric intake.

I did not have time after work to go to the gym so I went for a walk in my neighborhood. I walked for 30 minutes and then turned around and headed home. According to walkjogrun.net I walked 3.82 miles. It was fun and it was a beautiful day out. As an added bonus, I not only got exercise, I got Vitamin D!

Early Morning Walk

That's right! We walked before we went to Duluth today. Hit the road about 7 am. Was nice out and, of course, not too hot. Might have to make that the routine during the summer here.

I feel better!

I do feel a lot better this afternoon! I did not ride my bike today (because my riding partner has a sore bum from a long bike ride yesterday!) but I did manage to get to the gym this afternoon. I did an hour of cardio: 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill at a 5% incline. I was going to lift some weights but I was tired by the time I finished. Because I am just restarting the exercise gig and because I have not been feeling well, I decided not to push my luck.

Good eating today. I had a chicken pita at the farmers market. Mainly I just ate the chicken (grilled) and the vegetables. I cannot even venture a guess at the calories but I imagine it could not have been too horribly unhealthy. I had a kiwi before the gym. Right now I am having some pineapple (my new favorite addiction!). In a bit I am going to make some more vegetable stir fry but I finally picked up some soba noodles so that will make me really happy.

That's all I got! Happy Father's Day!!!

Hope you're feeling better

Sorry you are so sick. No fun. Hope you're better today.

What is carnitas? You mentioned it in a post.

Church this morning and then I came home and mowed the lawn and worked some in the garden and flower beds. Gave it up about 4 though. Too damn hot to be out there any longer. 90+ here today. And we had a little shower early this morning and got a whole tenth of an inch of rain. Not enough but we'll take it.

Angie and the kids are coming over for supper pretty soon. BBQ's ribs and then potato salad and cole slaw from last night.

Grandma V went to Antigo with Carol today! We couldn't believe that Carol asked and also couldn't believe she wanted to go. But she did. So, we are all alone here for 3-4 days!

Didn't walk today. Too hot and then I did that mowing and gardening so will count that as exercise.

I am down 30 lbs but seem to be stuck there. Maybe this is my ideal weight?

Good News!

I woke up with my killer headache again this morning but the coffee has chased it away! I am actually feeling pretty good right now so I imagine that I will be able to go for a bike ride and then hit the gym today.

My boring evening

I am feeling substantially better this evening but not well enough to go out. So, I am just sitting on my couch waiting for my headache to cause my eyes to pop out of my head!

My tea tasting went well today but I could not wait for it to get over so I could come home and rest! I did not go to the gym today because of the way I was feeling. And I know I am sick because I did something today I never do. I took a nap. A two hour nap! And now I am just anxiously awaiting 10 PM so I can go to bed for real.

I hear it was a beautiful day here today. Since I do feel better today I imagine I will feel even better tomorrow and be eligible for a bike ride.

Pig Roast a big disappointment

I don't know. Last year we served 201 and so hoped for and prepared for 250 this year. Served 168. 5 gallons of potato salad and 4 gallons of cole slaw left over! And enough baked beans still on hand to sink a ship. Will try to sell off what we can in the morning but we'll never get rid of that much stuff. Weather too nice today I guess. Not much pig left but I sent some of that home with the guys that worked. They took the other stuff, too, but not enough!

The good news? I worked off all the calories I ate I'm sure. On my feet moving for 4 hours. At least I hope I worked them off. Lot of calories in potato salad!

I am sick!

I am sad to say that I really do not feel good. It started yesterday afternoon with a headache and by the end of the day (which did not end until 8:30 due to a tea tasting) I added an aching body to my illness list. Woke up, after yet another night of tossing and turning, with the same symptoms. I have another tea tasting this morning at 10:00 am and then I plan on just resting the remainder of the day. That makes me sad because I was planning on going to the gym this afternoon. Well, I shall see what the day brings. I could feel like a brand new, shiny penny this afternoon!

I would not call my eating "good" yesterday because I probably only had an intake of about 1000 calories. I would never do that purposefully because I know it is very unhealthy but I worked a 13 hour day yesterday and it was just really busy. By the time I got home, just before 9, I was so tired I just wanted to go to bed. So I did! Obviously, I did not get to the gym yesterday but I did have a generally active day running around the office and going upstairs to downstairs to upstairs many a time.

I will let you know if I feel better today and get to the gym. I am hoping to take a bike ride tomorrow but if I feel like this, it is not gonna happen!

When can I eat some pizza????

I had another good day again today. I have been getting up an hour and a half before I have to leave for work so I have plenty of time to drink coffee, read comics, and eat breakfast. This routine helps my attitude a lot! Anyway, I did the standard toast/fruit/yogurt breakfast. I virtually never eat lunch at Calabria but I did today even though I brought my lunch. Scott made a beautiful salad that was $2 for employees and I just could not pass it up! It was really healthy, too. It was made with arugula, cherry tomatoes (yes, I ate them!!), a few toasted pine nuts, and a few thin shavings of romano cheese. He tossed the lettuce with a tiny bit of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Can you see why I could not pass it up? It was excellent. But I still wish I was having pizza for dinner instead of a sweet potato!

I did go to the gym tonight. I used the elliptical for 30 minutes and then I walked on the treadmill for a mile at a 5% incline. So, pretty good!

By the way, I cannot tell you my weight loss goal because I refuse to weigh myself! Childish, I know.

We walked today

and nearly died in the process. Too damn hot to be walking at 4:30 in the afternoon. But we did it. Then we had a nice taco salad for supper which Mom had ready to go when we got home. Not too exciting but that's the report for today.

A good day

I rode my bike to work again today. It is getting hot so I am pretty moist by the time I arrive at work! I skipped the gym again tonight and got together with my girlfriend to take a really fun, beautiful, and peaceful nature walk. It was none to strenuous but we walked for over an hour. It was a good time. But I will be going to the gym tomorrow for sure.

Eating was healthy today. Here is a picture of my dinner:
This was a spicy little stir-fry which was made with brown rice, carrots, yellow pepper, snap peas, water chestnuts, and mandarin oranges. Pretty darn yummy, if I do say so myself! And I do!

I will probably have some melon before I hit the hay. Actually , probably not since I am really tired right now!

No Walk Today

Just didn't have time. But I've eaten healthy so that's good. Could have walked after supper but I had to water the garden so got that done instead. Dry here again and we need rain but none in sight they say. So it's up to me to do Mother Nature's job for her. Still have to lose 12 lbs to reach my goal. Seem to be on another plateau here at the moment.

To my health!

I am skipping the gym tonight. And I ate a white chocolate cookie tonight. And I am going over to my neighbor's house to drink two beers.

My rationalization is that I have set a limit on the quantity of adult beverage and it is good for my mental health.

I did ride my bike to work today, though.

I'm tired, too!

Worked too hard this weekend for an old man! And ate too much, too. Up 1 lb this morning so have to get back on track today. Now, have 13 lbs to lose to reach my goal.

Hope you have a good day!

Dad

I'm Tired!

Today was my first non-roasting day at work! Yay! I rode my bike to work, which is just over 1.5 miles each way. After work today I went to the gym and just did 30 minutes of cardio. I just want to get back into that routine.

A healthy eating day for me, too! Breakfast consisted of a piece of whole wheat toast with PB&J, yogurt, and a kiwi. Lunch was an egg salad sandwich (on whole wheat, natch!) and a vegetable salad with snap peas, red pepper and carrots. Then I did a little stir fry for dinner with brown rice and basically the same lunch salad ingredients. So, all in all, pretty darn good.

You can probably tell by this post that I am tired! I will probably go to bed at 10 but I am thinking of having another piece of fruit before I hit the hay. I have some really nice and sweet melon in my fridge!

What do you call two lawyers on the bottem of the ocean?

A good start! And that is what I had today. I rode my bike to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market which is 2.5 miles from my house and features some gigantic hills. B and I were both worn by the end! Then I went for a walk with Miss S and the dogs. She is in trouble with her vet right now because one of the boys is a tad bit stout so it was a little more then a leisurely stroll but nothing too intensive. Finally, I walked over to Vons this afternoon. I contemplated going to the gym but I don't want to suffer burn out! Oh, also, I am lazy!

Miss S and I are going to start walking two evenings a week without the boys so we can really do a health walk.

So, what about everyone else?

Let's do this thing!

Hello friends! It is spring (almost summer!) and I am done being unhealthy. Are you interested in a rebirth of Fitnatics?