6 pounds

Somewhere in my random eating and inability to work out I lost 6 pounds this week.  I do feel like we spent less time sitting around in the last week. I had a full week last week with something every night.  Then we ran all weekend off doing something each day.  This week I don't sit down when I get home.  I play with the puppy or we go for walks.  We're also eating out less.  Actually eating out none.  We stay home with the puppy.

It's Friday!  Yay!

Tonight we're going to a movie.  It's both a relaxing time for Pete and I and a chance for Nico to get used to being in his crate while we're away.  Tomorrow I have a date with a 5 year old's soccer game.  Actually Nico and I are going to the game.  Sunday is relaxing day again.  Relaxing.  I need it.

Tired.

I've had really good intentions of going to the gym this week.  Intentions.  Only my sleep pattern is shot.  The puppy is up every couple of hours and whether or not he squawks about needing to go out or just wines for attention, Pete takes him outside.  By 5am when my alarm goes off to get up, I'm so tired that I never remember shutting it off.

I'm hoping it's better next week. 

It will be better next week, right?

All Over & Nowhere

I feel like I am all over the place in my eating and nowhere in my workouts.

My workouts pretty much stopped the end of July when I was having such an issue with my feet.  I can't tell you how incredibly frustrating this is.  I'm ok for 20 minutes of walking/jogging.  But then the balls of my feet go numb and shoot pain into my toes, preventing me from continuing.  It was so bad that at the State Fair I was actually happy to go back to the car because my feet were hurting so much.  I had to tell myself, "just a little farther" repeatedly in my head.

I actually went to see a podiatrist about this.  She said that there didn't seem to be anything wrong persae and gave me suggestions.  Supportive shoes that have good, thick soles so that the soles are doing the work instead of the ball of my foot.  Small, thin gel inserts for the ball of my foot.  And keep trying.  She also told me that eventually I'll want to have surgery to correct my bunions.  I've resisted this for years because I hear that it's one of the most painful surgeries.  Someday I guess my feet will be so painful that I'll want it.

So I do have new shoes.  I have these Brooks.  Yes.  Men's shoes.  My feet are a double wide (kind of like the trailer homes!  lol) and it's hard to find those locally in shoe stores.  Mens shoes seem to fit my feet better.  Oh, I could have ordered the turquoise or purple ones, but I'm not staring at my feet as I jog and I certainly don't qualify for most fashionable at the gym.  That said, I'm almost scared to try the new shoes.  Weird?  Probably.  But, much like I'm afraid that I won't qualify for the surgery, I'm afraid that these shoes won't fit.  It would be very depression on both things if it didn't work out.

As for my eating...I'm doing healthy portions.  But the kinds of foods aren't necessarily the healthiest.  Mini cheesecakes for my Dad's birthday, pretzel dog at the Fair, Sweet Martha's Cookies.  And yet, I have been eating apples every day as snacks and pears.  I just feel all over the place with how I'm eating and what I'm eating.  To make matters worse, all I can think about this time of year is cooking.  Baking sweets and breads and treats.  Cooking big comforting dinners, chili, stews, roasts...  Not necessarily what the person who is trying to lose weight should be doing.

Nico

These last few weeks I feel like I've been trying to fit all the summer that I can into life.  As though I know that the changing leaves, cooler weather and snow is right around the corner.  So much so that I looked into my kitchen last Friday and tried to remember the last time I spent any time in it cooking.  I couldn't remember.  I think it was the week I took vacation and spent lots of time cleaning every nook and cranny and cooking.

But it wasn't meant to be that I spent any time in it on Friday.  We were up early and headed out for some shopping.  Then to the State Fair.  We started out at about noon, walking around and eating.  I had to try the sweet corn ice cream.  Pete and I shared a pretzel dog and a cone of Sweet Martha's cookies.  Then I lost my energy.  I've been fighting allergies and a cold and likely a sinus infection.  So we spent 2 hours in the car so I could sleep.  Bless Pete, the man of my dreams for realizing when I need a break and being ok with it.  Then we watched Garrison Keillor and The Prairie Home Companion Show which was pretty funny.

Saturday morning we were up and headed to the last campout for the day.  It was a 3.5 hour drive down there and I relaxed in the car on Pete's lap for most of the ride while our friends drove.  We didn't stay long because it was cold, wet and not very many people there.  But when we came home, we came home with this:

Meet Nico.  He's a Mini-Schnauzer 8 week old puppy.  He's about 5 pound right now and will only be about 15-17 pounds and 12 inches tall when he's grown.  He's the black & silver color that's not very often seen like the salt & pepper version.  And I am in L.O.V.E.  We searched for a name everywhere.  Finally decided on Nico, which means victory in German. 

Sunday we headed back to the pet store so Nico could pick out some toys and we could get some good food for him and sign up for puppy classes.  Then we left him in his crate for about 3 hours while we went out to eat with my family for my Dad's birthday.  Nico did very well and had fun with the kids when they came back to our house to meet him.

Yesterday was relaxing.  I took a 2 hour nap with Nico.  I make chili and cornbread and banana bread.  It was the most wonderful day in a long time. 

What's your drink of choice?

ATLANTA - Health officials say half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day — and some are downing an awful lot.

A new study found that one in 20 drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research also showed teenage boys drink the most soda, sports drinks and other sugary liquids.

Sweetened drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity, and health officials have been urging people to cut back. Many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices.

The CDC report released Wednesday is said to be the first to offer national statistics for adults and kids. Past studies have focused on certain groups, particularly school kids.

Half of Americans are drinking their sugar daily.  It's no wonder we're obese.  It's no wonder us kids of the 70's grew up with weight issues.

I remember as a kid drinking soda from bottles like these.  They came in 6 packs from the Red Owl store that my mom shopped at and my aunt worked at.  I remember going up and down those aisles and coming home with lots of food.  What specific food, I can't remember.  I remember the soda though.  And when it wasn't soda, it was Koolaid made with the maximum amount of sugar.  And when it wasn't Koolaid, it was Schwann's Vita-Sun. 

Water?  Water was for washing dishes & clothes, for sprinkling lawns and taking showers.  We never drank water.  Wait, I take that back.  When we played softball, we'd bring water jugs.  I remember begging for the powered Gatorade to make it taste and never getting it.  Water is something that I discovered in my 30's as a drink that I should be drinking.  Even then my relationship with water was limited.  I did it when I was really thirsty in the summer or I was sick and not feeling good.

I gave up sodas 3 years ago and I don't regret it.  But I will tell you that I rarely drink plain water unless it's from a bottle.  I use Crystal Lite or frozen fruit/fruit juice in my water.  While I like not drinking sodas and sports drinks, most times I crave flavor.  It's as though my mind expects that the drink should have taste.  I think my mind is programming to expect a flavor and it's a really hard habit to break.  There are times when I'm better at it than others.

So how many spoonfuls of sugar did you drink today?