KCCC's check-in

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:42 pm

Emily, it does help to hear that others are trying to meditate.

Got up early to get real exercise today. Walk/run for 20, followed by pushups and yoga stretches for another 20. Not too bad.

Eating okay as well.

Missed meditation. Maybe if I'd read your post last night.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:45 pm

Doing well on food and GREAT on exercise (went up on weights in my Muscle Strength class today... expecting to be sore tomorrow, but at the right level of soreness).

Meditation still in the toilet. And I have no motivation to improve it at the moment, so I'm just going to take a break for a while.

A few menus, just b/c I haven't done it in a while

yesterday
Br - yogurt, toast, tiny bit of fruit, cafe au lait
L - Panera. 1/2 serving black bean soup. 1/2 salad, whole grain baguette (I think their "1/2's" are still pretty big, but I ate and enjoyed.)
D - salmon burgers, strawberries

Today
Br - PB&J on homemade bread, cafe au lait
L - Split pea soup (homemade), carrrot sticks, strawberries, half-slice homemade bread.
D - Planning on tortellini with pesto and salad. We'll see.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:48 pm

Have pinched a muscle or nerve in the side of my neck - not feeling too great. Still, walked on Sunday and did Pilates on Saturday. Had yoga this morning, and my very sweet teacher focused on neck/shoulder stretches. Between that and the ibuprofen, I'm doing better.

A bit over-the-top for the weekend. Made cookies on Friday night, and ate a bunch. Saturday I went to a party, and ate a good bit there. (Not too bad overall.) Sunday, I pigged out right before 6:00, when the "rules" go back into effect. Ended up only eating salad for supper, because I didn't want anything else. I've done better, and I've done much worse.

And it's Monday, and I'm back on track.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:12 pm

Copying from a thread I posted on the main board which pretty much sums it up:

Yesterday, I had a great big RED day, the first in a while. I ate four slices of pumpkin bread (which is really much more like cake than bread) after supper. After the first slice, I was in full "I've blown it anyway" mode and was packing it in. (Like saying "Hey, I just put a tiny dent in the car - think I'll run it into a tree and completely total it! I mean, it's bent anyway...")

Yes, I had "reasons." They don't really matter. Eating did not at all address the actual issues I needed to address. It was just a bad choice.

I felt awful when I went to bed, and woke up with heartburn. Heartburn! I never used to get heartburn! Nasty stuff. I spent most of the night not-really-sleeping on a stack of pillows.

This morning, I still felt yucky. Even thought about skipping breakfast, but knew that would undermine habit in the long run. So I had a tiny cup of yogurt and told myself firmly "this is your meal." Yogurt was actually a good choice. Lunch was salad with tofu, also a good choice. After those two light meals, I'm only just starting to feel normal.

In my recent history, this is a pretty major binge. I do pretty well on No-S, and don't have a lot of red days. But in long-term history... I blush to say I've done much, much worse. So I'm a little surprised that I felt SO miserable.

My only explanation is that my body has gotten USED to reasonable portions and decent food over the last few years on No-S, and is letting me know in no uncertain terms that it doesn't like being maltreated. I wonder if I was so out-of-touch with my own needs that I just missed those signals in the past, or if my body was so out of whack because of the lousy eating I did that it couldn't even protest?

At any rate, I have no desire to do this again any time soon, if ever. I feel that I owe myself an apology for doing this to myself!

Time to get back on track for real.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:25 pm

I'm glad to report a nice solid green day yesterday (if you don't count meditation. Hm...I'm wondering if my slackness on meditation contributed to my failure. Not impossible...)

Exercise was "bedtime yoga" - slow gentle stretches, but still something. The right thing, given that my shoulder was still wonky. It feels better today, knock on wood, and I've already done Pilates.

Feels good to be back on track. My body has forgiven me, but has informed me that I am NOT to do that again.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:27 pm

So far, still successful in eating and exercise since my big failure on Monday.

I was reading through my daily check in thread, looking for a recipe that I thought was there (but couldn't find) and was dismayed to notice two other instances of "eating until I felt yucky." It was like I'd totally forgotten that - my mental impression is that Monday was an aberation, and that I usually do okay on No-S. One was in early January, one before that. And it seemed like a LOT of failures.

My faith in my compliance was severely shaken.

I was bummed, but then this morning thought to look at my Habitcal in table view for the last year. The nice, reassuring rows of mostly green/yellow really helped me put those failures in perspective. They WERE isolated, if extreme. However, from the time I added the "non-idiotic" Habitcal, I could see some of that excessive eating fell on S-days - they'd be yellow, but still too much food. (I could also see a hormonal pattern that I had not recognized was that strong. Hm.)

Reminder to self - watch out in about two-three months, right before "that time" - lest you have a recurrence of "over-eating to distress".

Love the Habitcal.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:47 pm

Doing fine overall... well, much as usual, which means okay on exercise and no-s, not doing meditation (will start again in April - oops, that's TOMORROW! Okay, then.) Weekend a bit excessive again, but back on track now. I don't have the energy to worry about it right now.

Didn't get usual levels of exercise during the weekend, combination of guests/funeral/rain. Just 15 minutes of Pilates on Sunday. Monday was Yoga class, and this morning I did the Muscle Strength class. And... my shoulder is complaining again, like last week. I must be doing something wrong with the weights. I've already started ibuprofen - don't need a repeat of last week, which was pretty awful for several days.

Except for the shoulder, exercise feels great. I like the general routine I'm in right now. I get Pilates/Yoga twice a week (M/W), weights twice a week (Tu/F), and cardio twice a week (Th/S) - sometimes 3x on the cardio if I get it in both weekend days. None of it is as long as I'd like, but it's still a good routine.

Ate rather a lot at lunch today, and though it was mostly veggies and only one plate, I'm sorry that I had so much. (Biscuit, one roasted chicken drumstick, and a great big salad with all kinds of yummy stuff on it. Late lunch, so I was very hungry. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but I ate it anyway because it was good.) Memo to self: It's okay to leave food on the plate, even if you paid for it and even if it's good.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:51 pm

Have had an erratic week, thanks to a "girls' weekend" with old college roomies. We ate a lot of indulgent food. We also walked for hours on the beach, which I loved, but I didn't get "normal exercise."

Picking up on April 1 (Wednesday)
Wed = Pilates
Thurs = walked and did yoga in the AM (before travel)
Fri and Sat = walked on the beach, about 2-3 hours on Friday and an hour or so on Saturday.
Sun = none (traveling)

Was "good" until Thursday PM, then it was S-days from there. Lot of big meals (seconds) and some really wonderful sweets... and a good bit of wine. But it wasn't non-stop eating, and a much of the food was broiled seafood. Just a lot.

Those were my yellow days for the month, and they were well-used. Back on track now.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:04 pm

Good on Monday, FAILURE on Tuesday.

Sigh. I don't even want to talk about it.

Well, okay, I will. Ate at a Mexican restaurant for lunch (colleague's celebration, their choice). Somehow, I cannot resist the chips on the table. When it's just me, I ask them not to bring the basket. When it's a crowd... well, the internal dialog goes like this...

... I won't touch them. Not one.
... Maybe just one.
... Well, a few. I can virtual plate them.
... Woof. I'm so full of chips that I don't know if I have room for lunch.

And then I ate more in the evening - had to make cookies for an event, and fell into "blown it anyway" territory. So I "totally wrecked the car."

Today is better. But I am not amused with myself. If my mantra here hadn't become "be gentle with yourself," I'd be in real trouble.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:19 pm

KCCC,

In 32 words, you described what so few people face when researching obesity. Of course, my husband did better than you. He described it in two: "feeding frenzy."

I think that "unconditional permission to eat" on S Days is what allows a person to avoid binge behavior, at least on N Days.

You're doing well to simply face what happened.

Kathleen

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:04 pm

Kathleen wrote: You're doing well to simply face what happened.

Kathleen

Thank you for the kind words, Kathleen. I think one of the strengths of No-S is the supportive community, and as long as I've been doing this, I still appreciate it.

I do think you're right - I AM doing well to "simply face" what happened... and then move on. Wednesday and Thursday were back on track. In the old days, I'd have spent a lot of energy beating myself up, which would have led to "defiant eating" and on and on in a downward spiral. "Simply facing" it, while hard, is more productive in the long run.

Vickie's "Mark it and move on" is excellent advice, though hard to implement some days. I guess I just got some practice in it.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:50 am

Haven't been tracking here, but have in Habitcal.

Exercise fell down on the weekend - too busy, with the holiday. (Hm... I never take "extra" S's on exercise. To be considered.) Up until Saturday, did just fine.

Monday - yoga. Tuesday - late for Bodypump, so did 30 minutes on the Elliptical (a little over 2 miles) plus some abs. Later in the day did a yoga routine focusing on neck/shoulders.

Back on track as far as No-S, though the weekend was a bit over-the-top with Easter candy. Ah well.

joasia · Post by **joasia** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:36 am

Hello again KCCC, I am back

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:07 pm

Hiya, Milczar! Very glad to see you. I said "hello" on your thread.

Doing okay with No-S eating.
Pilates this morning.
Actually meditated last night.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:59 pm

Thursday - No S, walk and stretches
Friday - Muscle strength

Lot of lunches out, because of work requirements, which are not good. I'm trying to make decent choices and have made ultra-healthy dinners - fish, beans, etc.

Missed on meditation on Wed and Thurs. I am wondering if this is even a good goal for me right now... don't seem to have the energy to cope.

Weighed recently and was bummed. I know it's my failure right after extended S-days on the "girls' weekend," but the scale is up about 4 lbs over where it was on my last check in. Not loving that.

But I know what to do... mind the N days (and be strict), keep up with exercise, and DON'T PANIC. (The panic will get you every time.) Take the S-days, but be very, very proactive with a few "good treats" so I don't perma-snack.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:38 pm

Walked Sat and Sunday, though both shorter than normal.

Saturday was my husband's b'day, so we ate out and I made a cake. So ate a good bit this weekend.

Ate a LOT of cake on Sunday at lunch.

I'm rethinking the "Friday at 6 to Sunday at 6" S-days after reading a question about them... maybe I am spreading out too much over three days. I started b/c Sunday night was "binge night," and I was trying to head it off, and that worked for a while. But my weekends have been out of scale a LOT lately, and maybe this is no longer working.

I have a while to think. I also think the too-many-restaurant-meals is an issue. Working on that.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:14 pm

This is a hard evening.

There was a cookout at work today, a big faculty/staff thank-you. It was important that I be there, and I ended up eating. I'm counting it as early dinner (one reasibable plate), but it was at 4:00. I usually eat at 6-7.

It's now 7:00. If I crack now, I will eat the rest of the evening.

I think a glass of milk is in order.

Sigh.

Exercise = yoga. I love yoga.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:16 pm

I am pleased to report that a glass of milk and a later glass of wine got me through the long evening. Oddly, I wasn't really hungry - it was just "time to eat." And I wanted to... but I knew in my heart of hearts that if I did, it would lead to a binge. Glad I didn't - once I was past normal dinner time, I was just fine. I'd had enough to eat, really.

Exercise today - 35 minutes on an Elliptical (300+ calories burned, it said) plus a round of "hundreds" for the abs. I have been trying to get a bit more cardio, so this is good.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:05 pm

Success yesterday on No-S. (Going fine today.)

Exercise = Pilates.

I am taking meditation off my habitcal for a while. Just not working for me right now, and I'm tired of feeling guilty about it.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:50 pm

Okay on N day for Wed

Exercise for Th = 1/2 hour on the Elliptical plus some Pilates (about 45 min total)

I have taken off the meditation habitcal.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:12 pm

Success in No S yesterday
Exercise this morning - muscle strength class.

Too busy.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:44 am

Dang it, just wrote a long, bloggy post and lost it to network burp.

I hate that.

In summary, I have been taken in by restaurant food, and am venting. Went to the Cheesecake Factory with a friend (her choice). I planned to have cheesecake, since it was an S-day, so purposely picked something that looked light and healthy from the appetizer menu.

Looked it up when I got back to the hotel. It was NOT light and healthy (though the food NORMALLY is) and the cheesecake was MUCH worse than I'd expected (though I'll grant it was delicious).

I am annoyed. It is an S day, but STILL... I don't regret my choice of having cheescake. But I really hate that eating out leaves me so vulnerable to hidden calories in food-that-should-be-reasonable.)

The good news is that I couldn't even eat half my cheesecake - too rich, too much.
The bad news is that the rest of it is in the hotel fridge.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:29 pm

Circle of life...

A friend of mine had a baby yesterday.
Another friend died of heart failure early this morning.

I am struck by how complex and textured life is - rarely "pure" emotions of any kind.

==
Doing fine on No-S. I did nibble on my cheesecake a little, but threw most of what I took back to the hotel away. I truly didn't want it. I limited my S's to Saturday/Sunday this week, and did not "binge out" Sunday night.

I did want a treat on Sunday night (sweets are my big "S," and I'd not had any), but was full from dinner. So, when we went grocery shopping, I bought a single petit-four with a chocolate-covered strawberry on top. Perfect, just perfect - totally satisfying.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:49 pm

For Monday, exercise was a Pilates routine (the Siler intermediate one).
No-S was fine.

Made fish (baked with "crust" - panko and parmesan), pasta, veggies (mixed, with baby corn in it), and fresh fruit salad. Yum! Very good, very filling. The fruit was like dessert - I'm tasting fruit as "sweet" much more than I used to. Was a big hit with the family too.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:12 pm

Tues exercise - about 20 minutes walking. Not great, but best I could do.
Wed - Pilates class
Thurs - 30 minutes on elliptical

Good on No-S.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat May 02, 2009 1:43 am

Posted on the main board about how good it felt to have a lunch with colleagues, and not angst over my choices... one plate, no dessert - all good. Lovely feeling.

Today was just fine, even though I was in the situation where I have caved before - a meeting where there is junk on the side all day, and unsatisfying meal choices. I've caved in that situation before. But today I was prepared to make the best choices available, and it was just fine. Ate a normal supper, and decided to wait on S's.

Explanation... I did my S-days from Friday evening to Sunday evening for a while. And that was a good plan for a while, because it helped me break the "Sunday evening binge" habit. But things change... I decided (prompted by some other posts) that spreading my S-s over 3 days wasn't really working for me. So, I'll either do Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun, depending on what's going on, but not both. And if there's nothing special happening on Friday, then it seems to me that sticking with Sat/Sun is optimal.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed May 06, 2009 12:36 am

Exercise:
Pilates/Yoga on Saturday
Walked on Sunday
Yoga on Monday
Walked on Tuesday

Going well on No-S.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat May 09, 2009 2:39 am

Pilates on Wednesday
30 minutes on the elliptical no Thursday
Muscle Strength class (plus some gardening) on Friday.

Had a WONDERFUL dinner the other night. Was going to be just me (hubby and son were out), and it needed to be fast. I had homemade bread that needed to be used, so was planning on a sandwich... but had already had PB&J (which I do like) several times, so it didn't feel "special." (If I eat by myself, it needs to be a little "special" so I don't feel that I haven't had a real meal.)

So I was casting around for a fast-but-special sandwich from stuff I had on hand, and ended up with toasted cheese, salad (mixed field greens), and marinated artichoke hearts on the sandwich. It was AWESOME. I had it again for lunch today, using up the rest of the artichoke hearts.

I keep marinated artichoke hearts on hand b/c I use them in a pasta dish. But in pre-No-S days, I don't think I would have eaten them because "too much oil." But really, it's not all that much - I just had diet blinders on, which labelled a lot food as inherently "bad."

A note on homemade bread... I've been making it a lot recently. Everyone likes it, but I've been making it frequently enough that the entire loaf doesn't immediately get inhaled anymore (as it did at first). And I've learned something: real bread is delicious, but without all those nasty preservatives, it goes bad fast! I suddenly understand all those recipes for bread pudding that our grannies had to use up old bread...Or Panzenella, a sort of bread salad from Italy. Luckily, I live in the age of freezers!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon May 11, 2009 11:12 pm

Exercise on Saturday - walking
Exercise on Sunday - walking and playing on the new WiiFit I got for Mother's Day... when I could wrest it away from my son!

The WiiFit is fun. However, it gauged me as 4 years OVER my actual age,which I did not appreciate. I think that's because it uses balance as its primary metric, which is my weakest area (plus, I don't know the controls very well, which may have contributed).

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu May 14, 2009 7:00 pm

Rough week. Fitness center is closed, I'm in non-stop meetings. Sigh.

No exercise on Monday at all.

Pilates on Tuesday.
Just bedtime yoga stretches on Wednesday - barely enough to count.

And a red day on Tuesday... My first in a while. It was one of those all-day meetings with a table of food right there that are my downfall. I did fine until afternoon, when the cookies and snacks were placed directly on our workspace. Sigh.

But I'm back on track for food, and am looking for exercise. I really need it!

ETA - did 20 minutes on the Wii fit tonight, mostly aerobic. More of a workout than I expected - I was sweating!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue May 19, 2009 12:52 am

Exercised Saturday and Sunday on the Wii - a surprisingly good workout now I've gotten the hang of it.

At a conference, which was supposed to be a warm sunny beach location and instead is cold and rainy. LOTS of food. I have managed not to have snacks or sweets, but think tonight's dinner probably crossed into seconds even though I was trying to be moderate. I'm giving it a yellow, because I truly don't think I deserve a red. (Especially for broiled seafood.)

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu May 21, 2009 7:12 pm

No exercise Mon/Tu. Alas.

Wednesday - 15 minutes of bedtime yoga
Thursday - 30 minutes on Elliptical

Not much, but doing the best I can.

Fine on No-S.

butterfly1000 · Post by **butterfly1000** » Thu May 21, 2009 11:26 pm

KCCC wrote: Not much, but doing the best I can.

"No much", is better than nothing at all -- I'm starting to realize that.

Butterfly

joasia · Post by **joasia** » Fri May 22, 2009 2:30 am

Hello KCCC,

How are you doing? I have not been here in a while, but have not gained. So that is good news. My divorce is final! Which is a relief and a blessing. Thank you for all of your kind words.

joanna

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri May 22, 2009 5:15 pm

Butterfly and Milczar,

It is so nice to check in on my thread and find encouraging notes! Especially since...

I had a red day yesterday.

It happens. Long hard week, no time for a "real" dinner, munchies at a meeting... I just gave up. It was definitely a red, and I just take comfort that (1) most of the day was fine (2) it wasn't as "bad" a red as I used to do and (3) I got over it fast, and am totally back on track today.

Butterfly, you are SO right that something is better than nothing! I have a theory that "a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest" is not really about physics, but exercise. If I do even a little, I stay "in motion," but if I stop, it's very very hard to start again.

Milczar, I am really glad to see you, and hope you'll be around more now that you're through with your divorce. One of life's most difficult transitions, IMHO - though it can also be a new beginning. I am hoping that your "new life" will include much happiness!

butterfly1000 · Post by **butterfly1000** » Fri May 22, 2009 5:33 pm

KCCC wrote:Butterfly, you are SO right that something is better than nothing! I have a theory that "a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest" is not really about physics, but exercise. If I do even a little, I stay "in motion," but if I stop, it's very very hard to start again.

I've always been an All or Nothing person when it comes to dieting, and I'm starting to learn that some effort is better than no effort -- it's hard to change old habits, but I'm working on it. The same applies to exercising --I tend to set unrealistic objectives, that deep down I know I can't meet, so I end up doing nothing. With the new habits I'm trying to develop, I'm thinking that even if my exercise objective were to take a walk around the block every day (unless the weather is really horrible), at least it would get my body used to being in motion, as you say. And sometimes, the hardest thing is to get started, so a potentially 5 minute walk around the block can lead to a 30 minute walk instead.

WE CAN DO IT!
Butterfly

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:49 pm

Difficult Memorial Day... went to the mountains, but it rained most of the time. Food was very good - I had a lot of seconds/sweets, but no snacks... until Monday, which was red. (This has not been the best month for me in terms of No-s compliance.)

Got in a hike Sat/Sun - not much, but something. Monday, no exercise. Tuesday, a good walk plus 30 minutes on the Wii. Wednesday (today) Pilates plus 30 minutes on the Elliptical. Getting back on track.

Ate decently on Tuesday. I weighed that morning, and was shocked at the amount. I don't normally weigh on Mondays, so I know it's higher then. However, on top of an indulgent long weekend and a red day, it was a good 5 lbs higher than I'm used to seeing. Already down 2, but I intend to get rid of it before it feels at home. Some extra cardio and attention to meals - lighter food that I like, which is fortunately easier in spring, should do it.

And I think I'll meal-track for a bit. That will keep me honest.

Tuesday
Br = 1/2 multigrain bagel w/PB and banana
L - Spinach/chicken salad with blue cheese and walnuts, crackers
D - Pasta with pesto, portobella mushrooms stuffed with ricotta, salad and strawberries, plus a slice of bread. Rather a big meal - I could have left the bread, except that I love homemade bread.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:08 pm

Wednesday...

Pilates and Elliptical

Br - yogurt and banana
L - Leftover pasta and pesto (big serving, once I put it on a plate), salad, strawberries
D - Scallops, couscous, salad, peas-and-carrots, with 1/2 slice homemade bread. I love homemade bread!

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Thu May 28, 2009 1:55 am

KCCC,

Your talk of homemade bread. . . over and over. . . just makes my mouth water and it occurs to me that what I'd really love to find is an effective "homemade bread diet" . . . . but I'm afraid seconds would always be in order and I'd want to snack on it all the time. Ahhh, warm freshly baked bread with real butter--what a treat. I could always forgo sweets if I could have bread or yeast rolls or even good cornbread. OMG, I must stop before I go into "bakery arrest!"

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu May 28, 2009 1:35 pm

Lol! I have a breadmaker, and I absolutely LOVE it. I usually just make a standard 100% whole-wheat bread, which is healthier than most stuff I can buy.

What happened in my family is that at first, we all gobbled it down - which was okay, b/c I started making bread just on S-days.

But over time, you get used to having it. It's still yum, but the almost-desperate eat-all-you-can impulse is gone. In fact, I've had weeks where it would have gone bad if I hadn't planned it into a menu! (Homemade bread does spoil faster than bought, b/c no preservatives.) Now, I can make it mid-week and still have an N day.

So, I enjoy it hot the first night, take some with lunch the next few days, and then plan something to use it later if need be. Tonight we're having "fancy sandwiches" for supper, with veg on the side. And I'm thinking I may try a bread pudding at some point (S-day, obviously).

Menu for the day (some done, some planned):
Br - oatmeal (cold - I guess it's really muesli), banana
L - Spinach salad, apple, 2 hard-boiled eggs, and BREAD!

D - Sandwiches (toasted cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts - all on my homemade bread, of course!), peas-and-carrots, peaches (canned in juice - wish we had fresh). Will probably add some baked beans for the guys, but I think this is plenty for me.

Exercise for the day (already done):
Elliptical (30 min) plus about 15 minutes of yoga stretches. Feels great!

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Thu May 28, 2009 3:55 pm

for an N-Day treat made with leftover bread, you can do a strata! basically a savory bread pudding. Or stuffing or panzanella. There's that whole world of recipes made up by desperate cooks to use up their stale bread ...

You are making me want to start baking again!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu May 28, 2009 5:51 pm

Thalia wrote:for an S-Day treat made with leftover bread, you can do a strata! basically a savory bread pudding. Or stuffing or panzanella. There's that whole world of recipes made up by desperate cooks to use up their stale bread ...

You are making me want to start baking again!

Thanks, Thalia!

I like panzanella a lot, but my guys don't, alas. Hadn't really considered stuffing - not a bad idea.

Strata is a really good idea - I would consider that as an "N" for a meal. Hadn't really thought of that, b/c most of my strata recipes are HUGE. I serve them when we're having company for a brunch, b/c if I make them for just us we get sick of them. But there's no law that I have to make that much... and the recipes are pretty forgiving if you mess with them.

I consider "permission to bake" as one of the great benefits of No-S. I can make cookies or pies on the weekend, and (gasp!) just eat a reasonable serving. Whoda thunk it? One side effect is that I've become a SNOB about most store-bought baked goods at this point - honestly would rather do without! (I don't consider that a bad thing.)

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Thu May 28, 2009 6:34 pm

Oops, I edited. I meant "N-day treat."

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri May 29, 2009 1:33 pm

Ah, that makes more sense. I would call it an N, and was surprised that you didn't since you and I seem to have similar attitudes toward food.

However, the bread got used up in the sandwiches last night, except for one heel that I commandeered for my breakfast this morning. So... time to set the breadmaker up again! I'll make another loaf tomorrow. Maybe that one will be a strata. Or not - I need to take a meal to a new mommy, and will probably include some bread in it.

Menu for today
Br=bread with PB and banana
L - "leftover experiment" and apple. The leftovers are a sort of pilaf concocted from leftover couscous, leftover peas and carrots, with a handful of nuts on top. (Yes, I like experimenting like this. There's a deep satisfaction from using up bits and ends. Must have inherited that from my thrifty parents.)
D - Salmon burgers, last of the spinach salad, some other veg/fruit but not sure what.

Exercise will be hard - gym is closed today for a campus event. We'll see. I do have one more "pass" this week (my goal on exercise is "5 of 7" days - which amuses me b/c it sounds like a Borg name from Star).

ETA - I didn't know there was a lunch provided today, in conjunction with a work function I was attending. Little 6" plates (I think). I decided two would about equal one ordinary plate - felt about right. One chicken strip, two meatballs, and 3 cubes of cheese, plus a good bit of fruit/veg... and I get bonus points for ignoring the incredibly yummy-looking desserts they had out. (No points for skipping the mayo-laden sandwiches, because I just don't like 'em.)

I like being able to join the group without having to do tons of mental re-calculating.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Fri May 29, 2009 6:42 pm

Me too, KCCC - I love to be able to join a meal with others and not have to look like I'm dieting or have to offer any explanations as to why I am or am not eating something! That's such a nice perk of Nos.

And kudos for turning down the deserts - not sure if I could have done that!

Mimi

P.S. A peanut butter and banana sandwich is my breakfast of choice! Sometimes I don't even make a sandwich - I just smear some good ol' peanut butter right on the banana

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun May 31, 2009 9:09 pm

Mimi, with practice you'll turn them down easily. The thing is, they do look good, but after having enough yummy stuff on S-days, there's a growing confidence that "there will be nice food again." So, no need to eat it because you'll never get it again...

SAT
B - scrambled egg sammich. A childhood favorite
L - one plate at my favorite food bar (at the organic grocery)
D - spanikopita casserole, watermelon, bread.
Dessert - oatmeal-chocolate bar that I made. A good bit.

Snacks... cashews, chocolate (a theme here)
Exercise - a good walk

SUN
B- leftover spanikopita, and leftover oatmeal-choc bar
L - church dinner. One plate, plus dessert
D - burgers on the grill, baked beans, salad, watermelon. Root beer float for dessert.
Snacks - ice cream, cashews, chocolate, watermelon. Not huge quantities of any of these, but still a bit over the top today.

No exercise.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:55 pm

MON

Pilates for Exercise

Br - yogurt, peach
L - Spanikopita, salad, watermelon
D - TBA

At another conference, so exercise/eating will be challenging this week.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:28 pm

At a conference, but doing well. I have ignored some amazing desserts and breaks! The main food looks healthy, though I'm always a bit distrustful. Getting in low-level exercise, but that's okay.

MON
Dinner was a reception. Two small plates, starting with raw veggies/fruit. Some chicken wings and cheese/crackers, etc. I've started using 2 reception plates as the equivalent of one real plate - feels like a good amount.

Got in a 40-minute walk at the end of the day too.

TUES
Br- scrambled eggs, fruit, juice
L - grilled veg (yum!), chicken, tiny servings of potatoes and bread (I'd filled my plate with the veg)
D - Applebee's chili-lime salad (basically a spinach salad with chicken. Meh.)

Exercise - 15 min of stretches

WED

Exercise - same as Tu
B- sausage biscuit, fruit (decadent, but better than many other choices - croissants, pastries, etc.)

I really am surprised that I was able to pass up the dessert bar at the poster session on Tuesday - incredible stuff, but I just walked away...without regret. Wow.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:09 pm

You rock!!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:55 am

Rest of Wed...

L - was Quizno's small sub and chips
D - tortellini with pesto, salad and cut veggies, bread
Two glasses wine

And I am home. And grateful.

Got to watch it, though - came in feeling like as if it were the weekend, and it's NOT... but I want it to be.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:43 am

Glad you're home safe and sound! No place like home, huh? I admire the way you can walk away from all the deserts KCCC! I also liked your post on handling the buffets and other eating at conferences. Should come in handy, although I usually only go to one teaching conference a year...with the economy in the state that it's in, there most likely won't be any money to send any of us to conferences, so maybe I won't have to deal with it. Thanks for all your input, you seem very logical and wise!

Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 2:27 am

Mimi, that's so nice of you. Hope you get to go to someplace wonderful when you do go to a conference.

Alas, one of the things I have to watch is that I tend to lapse right after great instances of willpower - and did tonight. It's like I exhaust a muscle (and there's research to back up that description)... and it tends to blindside me still.

Tonight, fixing lunches for tomorrow, I grazed a bit. Some cheese and crackers - not a lot, just "snitches."

Despite what I told Butterfly on her thread, I counted it as an S-day yellow rather than a red. Psychologically, it's easier to "waste" a NWS than to call that a red this early in the month. (Two NWS S-days a month is my informal limit. So, one down.) I have been SO GOOD this last week under great temptation that I just can't beat myself up for that little.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:15 pm

Exactly! I agree!

butterfly1000 · Post by **butterfly1000** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:16 pm

KCCC wrote: Despite what I told Butterfly on her thread, I counted it as an S-day yellow rather than a red. Psychologically, it's easier to "waste" a NWS than to call that a red this early in the month. (Two NWS S-days a month is my informal limit. So, one down.) I have been SO GOOD this last week under great temptation that I just can't beat myself up for that little.

No, you can't beat yourself up. I'm starting to find that if, in a particular situation, you make the better choice (even if it's not the best choice), example: choosing a piece of cheese over a piece of cake, or not turning a little slip-up into a full-day eating binge, treating it as yellow rather than red yields better results because it won't totally derail my day.

We're not perfect -- we're doing the best we can.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:35 pm

Butterfly, I'm glad you came by - I'd made a mental note to go back and explain on your thread.

(Though, when I read what I said on your thread, there wasn't much contradiction except in my head... I usually think of NWS as planned ahead, and this one wasn't.)

Calling it a yellow does feel fair - I really have been SO GOOD at conferences and receptions all this week. All the same, my limit of 2 NWS/ month stands. Since I used one for this, I have one less "choice" day... and the third will be red no matter how minimal! (THAT will give me incentive to clean up my act - third strike and I'm out. No excuses.)

Exercise this morning - 35 minutes on elliptical, plus a few stretches. Cardio feels good. And breakfast oatmeal was great too.

Br - oatmeal with raisins and cashews
L - 2 HB eggs, crackers, apple, watermelon
D - TBD. Child will be at a friends, and dinner will need to be fast since I have a meeting. But I want something nice. (Because of being at the conference, my meal-planning has been sketchy this week.)

ETA: Dinner was a feta/pepperoni/lettuce sandwich with trail mix, extra raisins, and some sliced raw zucchini on the side. Better than PB&J - I like strong flavors.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:55 pm

Copied from the challenge thread on the main board:

I'm home (from traveling). Weighed for this challenge, for the first time in a while, and was slightly surprised by how high the scale read. I did expect it to be over 145, because I've had a lot of reds/yellows recently (and it takes me a while to recover), but it was 150. Humph.

Some of that is muscle, though thanks to exercise. I know because I'm wearing a pair of pants that I normally couldn't even zip at this weight.

Still, there's a bit from excess, and it's time to attend to that. The pants could be looser.

The nice thing about No-S is that I'm calm about this. In the past, when the scale went up a bit, I would panic. Then the "can't eat/must eat" internal warfare would start, and I'd end up gaining even more. This time, thanks to the HabitCal, I know EXACTLY where I've been slacking off, and I also know what I need to do to take care of it. Total calm - just a mental "rolling up the sleeves" to do what I need to do. That's a very good feeling.

==
Br - bagel (whole) with cream cheese
L - pepperoni and cheese on whole wheat - with lettuce picked from my garden (how cool is that?); 1/2 apple; peach; small handful cashews.
D

Will be traveling today (for pleasure, with the family this time), so may not get exercise again - but we'll see.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:57 pm

Home again!

Took "Friday at 6 to Sunday at 6" S-days this week - it works better for road trips. Can't reconstruct everything, but I essentially ate seconds Friday night (my son's fries, on top of my steak salad), ate a good bit on Saturday (a bit over the top), and Sunday just had a tiny piece of fudge in the afternoon. Good enough.

Managed "15 minutes" of yoga on Sat and Sun - not a lot, but enough to count. Full Pilates this morning - yay!

Br - oatmeal w/cashews and raisins
L - cheese, pepperoni, crackers, apple, broccoli
D - Fish, couscous, mixed veg, salad (as planned)

ETA: was out of couscous, so had pasta instead. Added cinnamon apples to the meal, b/c I had some apples that needed to be used and my family loves them. Fish was great - put honey-mustard glaze on it, made with really good mustard. Yum!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:09 pm

Tuesday

Exercise - 2.5 mile walk in the morning. My schedule doesn't generally allow me to do this, so I really enjoyed it. Especially this time of year, it's great.

Br - 1/2 bagel w/cream cheese, my usual cafe au lait (which is so much a part of routine that I don't even put it on normally)
L - Slice and salad at a local restaurant. Slice had spinach and black olives; salad was field greens and tomatoes, with bleu cheese crumbles in place of dressing. Salad was served separately, but... well, it was salad, and I just can't bring myself to worry about it. I could probably have piled everything on one plate, though I admit it would have been a big plate.
D - sausage, bread, broccoli, strawberries, and 1/2 baked potato. (The 1/2 is because I just got full. I saved it for a future lunch.)

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:34 am

Still no baby as of this evening KCCC! Be sure that I will let you all know when he gets here! I'll be sure to post on the main board so that no one misses it! Technically she's not due until next Tuesday, but after last week's check-up her doctor said could be any minute...or could be next week! Hmmm! I think she's getting very close, however, cause she's in the *nesting* phase now - baking, cleaning, and all that good stuff you have to do before baby comes! Making friendship bread...you know!
Thanks for your kind support - hey, I actually gave away homemade chocolate chip cookies today that one of my little girls baked for me...after school, of course, so she wouldn't know. It was the best thing to do because I can't be trusted around *real* cookies - or put them in the freezer...been down that road.
Have a great day tomorrow!
Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:11 pm

Wow, Mimi, good for you! Home-made are the hardest, aren't they?

Wednesday
Exercise - Pilates class, very good session

B = oatmeal w/ raisins, cashews
L = pasta salad (made with leftover pasta mixed with leftover peas and carrots, with feta added), broccoli, olive bread (yum!)
D = TBD. I'm thinking tortellini with homemade pesto, but we'll see. Either that or chili.

ETA: Got home late, so just had green salad (from the garden, with a tiny baby squash!), dried figs, tuna salad, and two slices of the awesome olive bread with butter. Sort of like a tuna sandwich, but open. I guess the butter would be extra, but I don't use much.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 1:34 pm

Thursday...

Exercise - 30 minutes on the Elliptical, plus a few minutes of stretching.

B = oatmeal with cashews and raisins
L = baked potato with feta, dried figs, apple
D = "Tower of Tortilla," veg (as planned)

We were out of town this weekend, and I didn't do my normal meal planning, which shows a bit. But it's all working out.

ETA: Did the Tower of Tortilla, plus broccoli and cinnamon apples. They're a bit borderline in taste, but they really have less than a tablespoon of honey for the whole recipe (serves 4) - the cinnamon and butter make them taste sweeter. So, I took a small-ish serving and let it go.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:20 pm

Friday, June 12

Exercise

Our instructor was late for the body strenght class, but there were just two of us there (wonder why?). So, we did a 20-minute Pilates routine I had loaded on my iPhone, and by the time we were done, the instructor was there (apologizing for mistaking the time) and we did an upper-body routine plus some crunches. Definitely stuff I wouldn't have done on my own, lol!

Br - I'm going out for lunch, so didn't pack it... and thus forgot to pack breakfast as well. A granola bar from the bookstore (a relatively good and healthy one - they have quite a selection) and an applesauce cup from my emergency stash will have to do. Not as filling as I'd like, though.
L & D - will be eating out both meals - will keep to one plate and report back.

~~~
L - We went to a Japanese restaurant, which served a "set lunch." I had some of the soup (essentially broth) and a bit of salad, but "virtual plated" both by totally ignoring the HUGE serving of rice that took up a third of my main plate! The entree was grilled veggies and shrimp, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Probably a slightly-larger-than-normal plate overall, but I don't feel stuffed, so I don't think it was too over-the-top.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:29 pm

Saturday, June 13

Well, dinner last night probably went into seconds territory. It was a date with my dear hubby - dinner at my favorite restaurant, and a movie. I'm marking it as an S day. No sweets or snacks, but the salad was large, and they had the yummiest bread and white bean dip - I could have made a meal on that, really. But my pasta with zucchini and shrimp was too good to leave. Even though I left half of it, the portion size was such that I'm sure it was seconds. I was stuffed. Not into miserably uncomfortable range, but definitely into "this was a lot" range. However, a date with my sweetie is "special" at this point in our lives (we got it b/c our son was on a sleep-over) and I don't mind taking a yellow for it.

Exercise

An hour total, mostly walking but some ab and shoulder work (planks, etc.)

Food thus far...
B - yogurt
B2 (brunch?) - scrambled eggs and one slice bread

I have a turkey in the oven, and am not sure if I'll have it for late lunch or hold it for supper. I got it in later than planned, so it comes out at 1:30 - rather an awkward time. Oh well. It will be nice to have cooked food for the weekend.

~~
Lunch - small amount turkey with stuffing and the FIRST cucumbers from our garden. A very late lunch - around 3:00. Mealtimes are just "off" today.

Dinner - around 8:00, also late - the last of the leftover "Tower of Tortilla," salad, broccoli. (The guys had turkey, but while I like it well enough, I like the Tortilla too and it needed to be eaten or tossed.)

Snacks - small ice cream sandwich at the pool, some chocolate (not the really good European stuff, alas - I DID leave it at the office!) mixed with cashews and raisins for homemade trail mix.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:17 pm

I did 15 minutes of Pilates/Yoga on Sunday morning, and that was it. Still, enough for a "green" - that's my baseline.

Food was over-the-top. I'm not going to list it, b/c I can't. I CAN see the pattern, though - got up extra-early to go to a meeting (which made me feel a bit martyred), had already agreed to give up church service (which I love) to sub in RE (which is fine, but doesn't restore my spirit - if anything, a bit draining). Then was "hit" with a ton of work-that-had-to-be-done-today, and was just blindsided. So, I fell into "I deserve" defiant/comfort eating for much of the day. Snacky stuff instead of "real food."

It was not satisfying. I felt yucky this morning. A bit better now, after real exercise and normal breakfast.

I did get through most of the urgent work, and am feeling better about that. So, moving on... It was an S-day, and I'm done.

(Oddly, I went less to sweets and more to savory/salty. I made a garlic bean dip that was awesome, and had that with homemade bread for "supper." Good - I just ate too much overall.)

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:55 pm

Sorry to hear about your rough Sunday KCCC - someone forgot to tell them it should be a day of rest! Sometimes it IS up to us to feel sorry for ourselves because no one else will rise to the occasion! At least it's Monday and you're right back on track!

Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:20 pm

Thanks, Mimi. It is so nice to log on and find a bit of encouragement!

I did REAL Pilates this morning, and had reasonable meals (so far, and expect to continue).

br - Oatmeal with raisins/cashews
L - PBJ on homemade bread, apple, banana
D - chicken quesadillas (turkey, really), veg of some sort - maybe baby squash from the garden!

On the good side... we had our first cucumbers from the garden, and they were great. Squash is on the way. How cool is that?

I made homemade bread on Saturday, but was talking on the phone while making it and put in an extra cup of flour. The loaf rose to only about 1/2 its normal height. However, I remembered advice from an old cookbook about dense bread - "slice it thin and call it pumpernickel." Lol! It actually was quite good sliced very thin, and made a great sandwich.

It was also very good with my roasted garlic and bean dip yesterday... though I am finding that too much garlic-bean dip is pretty rough on the digestion! THAT ought to teach me!

There are some Mondays when I'm so RELIEVED to be on No-S! It keeps feeling more and more normal to me over time. I like that a lot.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:23 am

Br - PB sandwich on my "pumpernickel"
L - out - a wonderful salad with spinach, feta, shrimp, and grilled pineapple. Plus bread.
S - BBQ Turkey (the last of what wasn't frozen), baked beans, salad with mandarin oranges and... bread!

No exercise as of yet, but we'll see. I bet I can find 15 minutes before the end of the day.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:28 pm

Wednesday

No exercise on Tuesday, but a good Pilates session this morning.

Br - PB&J on "pumpernickel", apple
L - leftover veggies (squash and onions), some turkey, bread, applesauce
D - grilled cheese sandwich, apple, raisins

I did "snack" on fresh green beans from the garden - just tasting. They'll be ready in the next few days. Yum!

Just finished dinner and really have the munchies. I think it's task avoidance - I do NOT want to clean the kitchen.

So I'm procrastinating here instead of eating. That's a slightly better choice.

~~Later. I set a timer for 15 minutes (an old Flylady trick), and sure enough, the kitchen was cleaned in less than 10 (including setting up coffee for the morning, starting laundry, and various other chores).

So now I'll go REALLY relax.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:51 pm

Exercise

- 35 minutes on the elliptical, some stretches

B - oatmeal, cashews, raisins
L - hard-boiled eggs, triscuits, salad, peaches in juice
D - salmon and whatever veg I pull together.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:51 pm

Friday... Exercise

Muscle strength class - a real workout!

Dinner last night was salmon with honey-mustard glaze, baked potato, corn, and salad-from-the-garden.

Br - oatmeal with raisins (out of nuts!)
L - I have a potato/egg salad from a leftover baked potato and two hard-boiled eggs (I probably make one of the few potato salads without mayo - hate the stuff), plus some Triscuits, a carrot, and peach slices
D - TBD, but it will include garden squash!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:58 pm

Friday dinner was pasta with clam sauce and sauteed zucchini. Very good.

The chocolate from Europe starting calling to me Friday night. I managed to resist its siren-call, but ate half the bar Saturday morning! (I'd already given away half, and left it sitting half-finished for days... it had no power until Friday.) Only about an ounce and a half, but I usually don't eat sugar first thing in the morning. But it didn't seem to set me off or anything.

Saturday, we took our son to Six Flags for the first time. After the chocolate, we ate a HUGE breakfast about an hour away from the park entrance. Eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, bacon... wow. (But it meant we were full enough to be able to resist the over-priced food at the park. I HATE how they gouge you for even water!) We were there when the park opened, and stayed until about 3:00 when we had to prepare for an evening wedding. Drove to a friend's, where we were staying, and who was taking our son to dinner/movie while we went to the wedding. Dinner was at the wedding - very good, though the cake was the normal wedding cake (which is mediocre most of the time). I was very hungry by then, but found one fully-loaded plate and a bit of cake was enough (to my surprise).

In between the wedding dinner and breakfast, we had ice cream to cool off, and some fruit and crackers at our friend's. That was it - too hot, and we stayed full from all that breakfast protein. So, the day as a whole wasn't too bad.

Today we ate another (very large) brunch out with friends before driving home, and will have pizza at the pool for dinner. Don't know about anything in between. I'd like something special, but there's not anything on hand and I don't care to bake - just too hot here.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:39 am

Well, I got Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream for a special treat. Perfect. We all had a serving, and there's a little extra in the fridge for my hubby b/c it's his fave and Sunday was Father's Day.

(Note that there really ARE four servings in a pint of B&J. I didn't used to believe that.)

Ate major seconds on pizza in the evening, and was glad to be back on No-S this morning.

Exercise - Pilates class
B - oatmeal w/almonds and banana
L - Work meeting, but good choices. Salad and fruit, plus ham/cheese on 1/2 pita. Pretty good, really. (And I resisted the afternoon cookies.)
D - Out again, with friends. Ravioli with tomato/eggplant/ricotta dressing - very good. I gave some to hubby, which allowed me to virtual-plate the bread. Full but not stuffed. I did taste a half-bite of my son's cheesecake, because he really, really wanted me to try it - but I won't count that as a failure b/c I took the tiniest bit I could manage and then STOPPED - it really was a "taste."

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:35 pm

Tuesday June 23

Exercise - Yoga, just 15 minutes

Br - bagel w/PB & banana
L - Out - Japanese stir-fry... chicken, shrimp, veggies, just a little of the rice.
D- Pork chop, green beans with almonds, watermelon, cucumbers, crackers

Wed, June 24
Exercise - Pilates class

Br - leftover pizza and watermelon (brought for lunch earlier, and didn't eat b/c went out)
L - provided. Will update later.
D - TBA, but will include garden squash

This week I have a lot of lunches that I don't control... but the choices are pretty decent.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:30 am

Lunch was 1/2 veggie wrap,with a plate full of salad and fruit. I love that we always have veggies/ fruit as an option.

Dinner was tuna melts, squash w/onions and cheese, watermelon.

All good.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:10 am

Exercise - walk/run intervals, some planks/abs after

Br - 1/2 bagel w/cream cheese and fruit (at a meeting, and not too bad...except I do wish they had multi-grain bagels)
L - one plate of buffet food, half veggies - chicken "fingers," pasta salad, real veggies, and a roll
D - 2 slices pizza and a large serving of pretzels. Helping someone move, and that was the shared dinner. Not the best, but liveable.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:15 am

Exercise - walk

Br - coffee, banana, WW bagel w/cream cheese (whole one - I had a blood test this morning and couldn't eat until late, and was hungry)

L - work meeting, ate out. A lovely Southern restaurant, with oversized portions. I tried to be reasonable - didn't finish my platter, but think it was more than a normal plate.

D- "Egg in a hole," cucumber salad, dried figs. Light and satisfying.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:11 pm

Two S-days.

Saturday went well overall - a bit of perma-snacking in the evening. Sunday was one long permasnack after 12:00, due to parties/get-togethers. Not enough to feel sick or anything - an improvement in itself - but enough that I can't mentally tabulate it. That is a "sign" that it was too much.

But those were S-days, and I'm back on track now.

Exercise Saturday - yoga
Exercise Sunday - Couch to 5k, level one
Exercise Monday (this morning) - yoga

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:10 pm

Monday meals:
Br - bagel w/PB and banana
L - sushi, hard-boiled egg, salad
D - Tower of Tortilla, cucumber salad

Tuesday exercise
Couch-to-5k, week one/round 2 (will do 4 instead of 3, to stay even with my friend) plus about 15 minutes yoga.

Tuesday meals (had breakfast so far, rest is planned)
Br - oatmeal with cashews and dried figs (2)
L - potato/egg salad, wheat crackers, carrot, two more figs
D - salmon burgers, green beans, salad, baked beans (so my son has a choice)

Had a physical on Friday - first in forever. I'm doing just fine, though. BP was 102/70, chlorestoral 149 - with the "good" kind at 66, which is supposed to be a plus. Guess the oatmeal is beating the cheese in my arteries! Weight was a little higher than I liked seeing, partly b/c it was Monday, partly my clothes. But it was medically okay, so I'm ignoring the number and focusing on habit.

Looking forward to my potato-egg salad for lunch. It's 1 small potato, 2 HB eggs, LOTS of relish (I like it, plus I hate mayo so need it for moisture), a bit of dijon mustard, and 1/2 cucumber very finely chopped. The cucumber is for crunch, b/c onion is not a good choice in an office. Think it will be yummy!

~~ ETA: It was yummy. In fact, lunch was just SO GOOD!! Its amazing to me how much No-S allows me to enjoy "normal food."

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:22 pm

Wednesday...

Exercise was Pilates class this morning. I'm a bit sore from yesterday -not bad, just noticing a few muscles that my regular routine evidently neglects.

Br - Oatmeal with cashews and dried figs (was SO good yesterday, I had to have it again!)
L - Tower of Tortilla (leftover), carrot, last 2 dried figs
D - Pork loin, potato, asparagus, strawberries. Probably leftover baked beans as well - son hates asparagus, so it will give him a choice. (And he LOVES baked beans.)

I've noticed I buy much smaller potatoes for baking than I used to. My estimate of "what is a serving" has really shifted there.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:43 am

Menu for Thursday (I'm going to start posting them in advance. I've already packed breakfast/lunch, so they're givens, and I want to pre-plan dinner anyway...)

Br - oatmeal, cashews, raisins (out of figs)
L - more potato salad (I liked it!), crackers, carrot, plum
D - grilled cheese sandwiches, watermelon... not sure what for a veg. Something from the freezer.

~~ETA - Did another week 1 C-to-5K session this morning. Getting easier. One more on Saturday, then I bump to level 2.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:01 am

Dinner plans changed... only had to feed myself, since child got invited to dinner at a friend's and hubby was working late. So, I essentially did a reprise of lunch...

D - potato salad, crackers, plum, raisins/cashews (a few... raisins b/c I was tired of carrots, and cashews b/c the serving of potato salad was smaller, so I wanted to bump up the protein).

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:27 pm

Friday

No exercise, but it's okay. "Five of seven" is my goal, and I'm more than good on that.

An odd day... not really July 4, but off work. I kept it normal N until 6:00, when we had company arrive, then started my S-days.

Br - bagel and peaches
L - out w/hubby - slice and salad. Maybe a bit large, but okay
D - grilled cheese sandwiches and watermelon
S - 3 choc chip cookies, some cashews

Saturday, July 4
Finished Week 1 of the C-to-5k program.

Br - waffle with home-made pear syrup (was supposed to be jam, lol!), small portion fruit smoothie

L - pasta with pesto, mixed veg, watermelon chunks.

Dinner will be burgers for the 4th - the local swim team sells them as a fundraiser, and they're great. I'll take the rest of the watermelon and maybe some cookies.

And there will probably be some snacks.

It's an S-day.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:53 pm

Saturday was a full-on S-day. Sunday was more normal except for a lucious slice of warm homemade cherry pie with vanilla ice cream around 3PM. (On Sunday, the S-day ended at 6PM b/c I started Friday at 6PM. Weird, and I don't do it unless we have a social event of some kind on Friday, but it works well enough.)

Exercise on Sunday - 20 minutes Pilates. This is an audiotape that fits in an AMAZING amount of work in 20 minutes.

Ready to start the week... Well, actually, I'd rather have more time off. But I'll deal.

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:24 am

KCCC- I had to laugh at your "homemade pear syrup" reference. . . a few years ago, a friend used my recipe (that I'd only made once, based upon a store bought version that is hard to find) for amaretto peach pecan preserves. She made it and brought us a jar, sadly explaining that she didn't think it had turned out right. . . we ended up using it as ice cream topping! Very tasty -- but certainly not preserves.

She eventually played with the recipe enough to get it perfected and now every time she comes to visit, she brings my husband a couple of jars!

So not only do you have syrup -- you have ice cream topping! Yum!

masher · Post by **masher** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:36 am

I follow your well written daily check ins with interest as I am a newbie. The way you make No S work for you is impressive.

I also adore Pilates and go to classes 2 or 3 times a week. We are going away for 3 weeks in August and I'll miss class so am looking for a substitute. Can you give me the details of your Pilates audio tape?

Huge thank you,
Masher

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:38 am

Ready for week two of C-to-5K? As I recall, it's not too bad - it begins to get a little rougher nest week! But it sounds like you're doing great!

Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:31 pm

How nice to get responses!

Hi Masher! I'm a long-time No-Ser (here before the book!), so I've had a lot of practice... and still have to re-boot from time to time.

My whole story is on the testamonials page if you want some background.

My Pilates audio is from a Brook Siler set - it was "pose cards" plus a 2-CD set for beginning/intermediate series. Most of the CD works through doing each pose precisely, then there's "full workout" segments(beginning/intermediate) at the end. I use the intermediate one, which I think is the basic "classical Pilates," if that makes sense. About 20 minutes, very fast-moving, gets the full stomach series, little bit of back/legs, and finishes with teaser and the seal. I like Brook Siler (Brooke? Not sure.) because I think her form is very good and she offers helpful visualizations that assist with form. I also have at least one of her books.

Mimi, that was my first foray into jam. I'm actually not disappointed - the syrup is great! And the apple pie filling I made at the same time was to die for - everyone who got a piece of pie made from it swore it was the best they'd ever had.

I'll start week 2 of Couch-to-5K tomorrow, and see how it goes. My foot is starting to bother me a bit, which is aggravating. This is something that was going on quite a while back when I was doing a lot of walking, and I thought it was better. So I'm hoping the extra rest day today helps. (Running days are Tu/Th/Sat.) I did find the intervals easier toward the end of last week, so we'll see how the bump-up goes.

Exercise today: Pilates class
Br - oatmeal w/cashews and raisins, and of course my usual cafe au lait (I don't even write that most days, it's such a given.) I enjoyed my weekend breakfasts, but now I'm really enjoying my oatmeal.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:51 pm

Finishing off yesterday...

Lunch - out with colleagues. Steak salad at Longhorns, one piece of bread
Dinner - chicken quesadillas, watermelon. I really wanted seconds on the quesadilla, but I know how much is a legitimate serving.

Tuesday
Exercise: Ran week 2, round 1 of C-to-5K. This week, it's six sessions of 90 second runs with 2 minute walking sessions between (with walking warm-up and cool-down, of course). Only one minute more actual running time than last week, but the longer sessions make it more challenging.

Br - bagel w/ cream cheese - a whole one.
Lunch - out with colleagues again. There's a local Tex-Mex chain that has does burritoes like Subway does sandwiches, where you pick what goes on as it's made. I love it - I get a mini (which really means a it's based on a normal-sized tortilla, not one of those huuuge ones) with chicken, black beans, spinach, avocado, tomato, cucumber, jalepenos (only a few) and black olives - no sauce or cheese. It will barely close from all those veggies! A half-portion of tortilla chips, and I have a delicious and very filling meal.
Dinner - TBA. I'm thinking pizza. (Yes, I really can cook, thank you... though I realize it doesn't much look like it today.)

Vigilant2010 · Post by **Vigilant2010** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:16 pm

I'm getting hooked on your check-in thread because the food you eat sounds so delicious and gorgeous and balanced! Gives me something to shoot for.

In the meantime, I'll sit here with my mouth watering.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:43 pm

Vigilant2010 wrote:I'm getting hooked on your check-in thread because the food you eat sounds so delicious and gorgeous and balanced! Gives me something to shoot for.

In the meantime, I'll sit here with my mouth watering.

Lol! That's so funny that you wrote this when I was thinking that I'd eaten "out" too much lately! But I'm glad you find the thread interesting. Most of my weekday cooking falls into "thirty minutes or less" recipes.

The people who I think eat really wonderfully are wosnes and blueskighs - blueskighs isn't here anymore, b/c she met her goal, but she created a blog with PICTURES that had me drooling!

Dinner was pizza, but at least I put salad with it. And I'm making apple crumble for everyone else, so I've actually done a LITTLE cooking. (It's a good way to use up slightly soft apples - we like them crisp for eating).

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:52 pm

Add Masher to the list of "people I want to come cook for me." Her meals look great!

July 8, Wednesday

Did yoga for exercise - 20 minutes when I got up. Feel the need for something else, but not sure what. It helped a lot - I didn't have time for much stretching after my run yesterday, and could tell I was stiff.

Br - Scrambled egg sandwich (2 eggs on 1 piece whole-wheat toast, cut in half). Childhood comfort food
L - (planned) leftover pizza and salad.
D - (planned) Pasta with pesto and chicken, zucchini, some other veg that my son likes better than zucchini.

Oooh, I could set up my breadmaker and make bread! (Working from home today - love it!)

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 4:33 pm

Okay, I've given out homework, so I'm going to be a good role model. (This exercise is nice done every few months anyway - the responses tend to be kind of seasonal for me.)

I love the SOUND of...waves at the beach, children laughing, my husband's voice (especially when he reads aloud), New-Age music (some), windchimes.
I love the SMELL/SCENT of... new-cut grass, baking bread, campfires, cedar, rosemary.
I love the FEEL/TOUCH of... hugs, kitty fur, luscious knitting yarn, my body after yoga or other good exercise, my comfy chair
I love the SIGHT of... old friends, a stack of good books waiting to be read, smiles, a clean house, sunrises.
I love the TASTE of... my morning coffee, made just the way I like it; veggies from my very own garden; feta cheese (or goat, or bleu...); fresh strawberries; dried figs (I want to get more for my oatmeal - they were so good last week!)

Okay, for the rest of the day I know I'll be paying attention to things so I have more to list tomorrow!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:25 pm

Thursday, July 8

Dinner last night was a cooking frenzy... I made pesto with basil from the garden, which I served with some leftover cooked chicken over spaghetti; homemade bread with rosemary from the garden (I meant to make foccacia, but I used half whole-wheat flour. It was good, but not foccacia); zucchini from our garden; and cherries (no, not from my garden - they don't really grow in this area, so are a real treat).

Can you tell I'm delighted with my garden?? First time I've really had one.

Today's exercise: Week 2, Round 3 of Couch-to-5K. I'm so proud of myself for getting that in.

Br - Leftover pizza and a banana on the run (very early meeting, and I'd used all the time I had for exercise)
L - Leftover chicken and pasta, salad with goat cheese and dried figs (SO good! Didn't even need dressing.) and a plum.
D - (planned) Inspired by Masher's menus, I'm making a Spanish Omelet tonight, which is kind of like a fritatta. Leftover bread, salad, and some other veg... Would like to have tried the zucchini salad she mentioned, but it calls for young zucchini and the ones I had were mature. Next picking!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:36 pm

I love the SOUND of... my husband's car pulling into the drive, my son describing his latest "invention" to me, purring cats, my Pilates instructor's voice (she has laughter running through it like a brook in the background - so pleasant to listen to), kids splashing in the pool.

I love the SMELL/SCENT of... fresh-cut basil(!), peppermint tea, soap, lavendar, lemon

I love the FEEL/TOUCH of...a massage, comfy shoes, loose pants, having my hair brushed, my favorite dangly earrings

I love the SIGHT of... "memory items" from trips (often a piece of jewelry or pottery); newly-created order in a corner of my home (such a sense of accomplishment!); the picture in my office (a "we can do it!" poster that was a gift from a former boss/mentor); the sky in all phases; the moon as I exercised this morning.

I love the TASTE of... peppermint tea, figs (I bought some after yesterday), fresh cherries, homemade bread, cheese. (All of which are N-day-safe!!)

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:04 am

Well, bummer... my first red in a while.

Dinner was late, and I was hungry. Made the Spanish Omelet, which was wonderful...and I took too small a serving. It looked quiche-like, but really was more like an omelet, fluffy and light. The recipe said "serves 4," but I cut it smaller. And was sorry.

So I cleaned up what my son left... and then, since I'd blown it, had another small piece while cleaning up.

And then I caught myself, and stopped. So it's a non-idiotic red.

I'm having leftovers for lunch tomorrow - but it's packed as a fixed quantity.

(And it IS good. I've made it with feta before, and it's much better with goat cheese!)

Ah well. Mark it and move on...

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:20 am

Well, I hear ya KCCC - it happens...calorie-wise a couple extra bites of Spanish omelet won't do too much damage...but, it wrecks the *no seconds* rule, doesn't it. So, you're right - mark it and move on. Tomorrow's a new day! We live and learn.
How's your running going?

Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:01 pm

Hi, Mimi! Hope your dog bites are healing well, and the wait isn't driving you stir-crazy.

Running's going pretty well. Will do the last round of week 2 tomorrow, then time for another bump-up. Will see how THAT goes!

==
Friday
Exercise - Muscle Strength class. I haven't been in a while, so am expecting to FEEL it tomorrow!

Food has been disappointing today. I packed a LOVELY breakfast and lunch... and left them at home. So I was scrounging today. Fortunately, I'd left some food in the work fridge that would do for breakfast, and was able to get some food that was left from a meeting for lunch. (Pays to know the right people.) Not what I wanted, but edible.

Br - yogurt and grapes
L - 1/2 a veggie wrap (rather icky, actually - I threw part of it away b/c it was just "wrap"), one spoon of pasta salad, some fruit. The fruit was the best part.
D - TBA. It's 4:00 and I'm hungry already, so need to watch it! What I WANT is my forgotten lunch, but I need to feed the family too. They may get Mac and Cheese.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 1:37 am

My sweet hubby took our son out for dinner and let me eat my longed-for lunch for supper - big salad with almonds and figs, leftover Spanish Omelet, homemade bread. I topped it off with wine and was happy.

Today (S-day)
B - yesterday's forgotten breakfast - oatmeal, almonds, figs
L - Chinese. One big plate plus dessert. Okay, 2 desserts.
D - ham sandwich, cherries, nuts.
Evening snack - chocolate. A good bit.

And I'm done.

Oh, and I got up and did my C-to-5K... even though I slept badly and really didn't want to. But I knew there would be no other time, so I did it. (Mimi, that's for you!)

masher · Post by **masher** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:34 pm

Poor KSSS

Oh how I empathise with the frustration of a forgotten packed breakfast and lunch! When one cares about food and delights in the "good stuff" PLUS goes to the extra time and effort required to prepare scrumptious transportable meals, to have to "make do" with leftovers is TOUGH.

Thank goodness you were able to enjoy the food you had planned, even if it was a bit later.

You are inspiring despite the red day.

(One day I will learn how to do quotes....)

Masher

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:41 pm

Hi Masher! Thanks for the sympathy.

(To do quotes, you can use the "quote" button instead of "reply", or surround your text with the following code, minus the periods I put in so it you could see it in the example: [.quote.] text here [./quote.])

Sunday was an idiotic S-day. I'm not reporting it... but am back on track today. It was too over-scheduled, and I ended the day in defiant-eating mode. ("I deserve..."). Ah well.

Monday
Exercise - Pilates class
B - oatmeal with mixed nutes and raisins
L - Ham, homemade bread, apple, peaches
D - TBD. Something fast and easy...

ETA: Dinner was ham sandwiches, baked beans, and "fried" (in the oven) green tomatoes.

Everyday Systems

KCCC's check-in

Ice cream topping!

Pilates audio tape?