Happy Tuesday, everyone!
It feels so good to be back in the mix with everyone, following a meal and exercise plan. Don’t get me wrong, I really think I needed the 2-month break that I took, and I’m happy to report that I pretty much maintained my weight throughout that time. I didn’t go too far overboard with my eating, and it was a nice respite to stop weighing, measuring, and counting during the summer. But, it feels so right to be back at it now.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I am now on a 1200 calorie a day meal plan set up by the nutritionist at Kasier. The goal is to lose the required 5-10% of my total body weight so that I can have the Lap Band surgery. I’ll find out the exact amount I need to lose on Sept. 2nd, but I wanted to get started right away.
Yesterday I began by logging my breakfast into the BodyBugg (BB) program, but found it very clunky. Many of the foods (like almond milk) that I eat weren’t in the database, and the process of adding foods is sort of a pain. I am still going to use the BodyBugg to help me track the number of calories I burn, so it will be useful for that. I decided to use the Lose It app that I downloaded a long time ago on my iPhone, and I am loving it. LOVING! It has had every single food that I’ve eaten, even random things like Greek yogurt from Trader Joe’s. It also breaks down my nutrionals for me, letting me know the percentages of protein, carbs, and fats that I’ve eaten, which is something the WW eTools didn’t do. It’s interesting to see how it all works out. I also really like that it is on the iPhone (convenient), but also has a website that I can go to, if I’m at a computer. I love that I can log exercise in Lose It as well, and it will even tweet my exercise, so those of you who follow me on Twitter will be able to see how I’m doing in that regard.
Here’s a screen shot of yesterday’s totals:
(You can click on it to really see the info).
Sticking to a caloric goal is somewhat harder than sticking to Points, mostly because Points give you a lot more lee-way. Yesterday I did fairly well, although I was over by 272 calories. I went to see Natalie Merchant in concert (which was amazing, btw) and didn’t eat dinner before, because I thought there would be something decent to eat at the venue. When I saw that they were selling $8 hotdogs, I knew I had made a mistake. I ended up getting a cheese and fruit plate and shared it with my friends; it wasn’t the best choice in the world, but given the offerings, it was decent. Plus those two glasses of wine added up. But I’m not going to get too upset about it, because it was my first day and the concert was a special thing, so I’m happy with what I did, overall.
Tomorrow is going to be my official weigh-in and, I am really looking forward to losing these 20 or so lbs. I can’t wait to get back on the scale and see progress every week. Scale Warfare said that when she returns from her honeymoon she’s going to join me in my 20 lbs. journey, which will be fun. Does anyone else want to? Maybe I can make some kind of challenge out of it. Let me know if you guys have any thoughts on that.
A couple of pictures of the concert last night. I was at the best venue for seeing artists, called Mt. Winery. It’s in the Saratoga foothills, and I love the scenic views as well as the intimate setting. There’s not a bad seat in the house, even in the general admission “bleachers,” where we were sitting.
I’m going there again next Tuesday to see Cyndi Lauper in concert, and I cannot wait! Although now I’ll know to bring a picnic with us because they have great picnic tables in the winery. And I’ll also bring a sweater, because when the fog rolls in at night, it’s cold! Natalie Merchant commented last night that it felt more like Pennsylvania in October than California in August. While lots of the country is sweltering right now, we’re experiencing much cooler than normal temps.
One thing I didn’t really do yesterday was exercise. It was an absolutely hectic day because I went in to school to update our website and start getting my classroom in order, had a dentist appointment, picked Lulu up from doggie daycare, and then headed to the concert. No time! Today will be a better day. I was supposed to go to Half Moon Bay to meet Kat for a beach walk, but unfortunately she’s feeling ill, so we had to reschedule. Which means that I am free to go to the Rose Garden at 1pm and possibly (hopefully!) run into Flirt #1. I’m also thinking we may just head to the dog park, too, so that Lulu can really run around and I could possibly run into Flirt #2. Wow, that makes it sound like I’m totally using Miss Lulu to help my own love life, but that’s really not it. She needs the exercise, and I do like the more social aspect of taking her out for long walks and to the dog park. The fact that there might be some fun flirting at the same time is merely a nice side benefit.
On the homefront, I finally heard back from my old landlord about the duplex that I am hoping to move into, and he said that he’ll call me tomorrow to set up a time so that I can go by and see it. He also told me what the current tenant pays in rent, and it’s a lot less than I thought, which is fabulous. He said that he’s going to check out the going rental market rate and then set my rent based on that, but if it’s close to what she was paying, it’s definitely do-able. Please keep some good thoughts, crossed fingers, or prayers in mind for me that it works out, because things next door to me are still really bad. More violent fighting, and just a general feeling of unease abounds.
So that’s about it, folks. It’s a busy, busy time for me, but it’s exciting too. I’m looking forward to seeing my progress with this 1200 cals/day diet & exercise. See you back tomorrow with my weigh in.
Bella on the Beach 