I'm not going to post my weight loss this week, but not for the reason you'd expect. I had an incredibly stressful week and basically did not eat for 7 days. I hoped on the scale this morning and lost a few pounds (I actually am very close to reaching my original goal of 10 lbs) but it wasn't because I was eating healthy/exercising. I have a feeling that as soon as I start eating normally some of it will come back, so I'm just holding off until next week so I can put a real number down.
The blogging hiatus will also be wrapping up after next week. This is the craziest time of the year for me at work and there's just no time for this at the moment. So be back next week or so!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Check in - 9/13
This is going to be super fast because life is crazy right now.
Weight change: - 3.6!
Total weight lost: -3.1
Finally. I will update on struggles/goals tomorrow or this weekend. Bye!
Weight change: - 3.6!
Total weight lost: -3.1
Finally. I will update on struggles/goals tomorrow or this weekend. Bye!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Fall Excitement!*
Do you think the disease naming people purposely named it Seasonal Affective Disorder so the acronym would [ironically] be SAD?
I've been doing a lot of googling lately. I get a very weird feeling when fall comes around. I think my friends are sick of hearing me talk about it so i'm going to write it here, then be done with it.
I'm actually fine with winter -- once it's here I've accepted the cold and I LOVE the holiday season. It's the time period from mid September until Thanksgiving that just gets me feeling off. As soon as it starts to get cold out I get this feeling of anxiety. I don't think I have a real case of SAD -- it's more of just a 'fall blues' kind of thing. I have nothing extra to be anxious about in the fall except for work events, but that can't explain why I've felt this way forever. The best way to describe it is as a feeling of dread. Dread that I'm going to be freezing and slammed with 100 mph winds every time I step out the door. I just feel like summer is so relaxed, fun and everything is easier (i.e throwing on sandals and a dress rather than socks, boots, leggings, sweater, coat, scarf, hat, gloves...ugh). I prefer baseball season over football season and hot coffee reeks worse than cold coffee. I know i'm in the minority here, but I'm more impressed with spring when flowers, plants and leaves bloom form the dead than when they change colors in the fall.
Okay enough complaining. I'm a strong believer in the fact that by simply practicing changing your thoughts, you can change your deeper attitude/outlook about something. So let's see if I can do that with fall.
Some good things about fall being here:
Eating chili
Craving soup again
Busting out the crock pot
Not feeling more pale than everyone around me
Wearing slippers
Hikes
CLEMENTINE SEASON
No humidity
Having a reason (too cold) to stay in and cuddle
The leaves are pretty nice
All my favorite shows come back on TV
The area I work in is not overcrowded with annoying kids out of school
Leggings
Vacation days (I have 2 weeks of vacation to use up before the end of the year!)
Trader Joe's pumpkin butter
Cheap apples dipped in dark chocolate peanut butter
The new grocery store in my area will be opening!
I'll be starting at a new gym so no more scary walks (more on this later)
Things to do:
Buy a box of clementines every week
Go pumpkin/apple picking
Carve a pumpkin
Go to a haunted house
Buy fall scented candals
Plan a hiking date
Watch Halloween movies (Double Double Toil and Trouble! Hocus Pocus! Halloween Town!)
Go costume shopping/brainstorming early - like now.
Have a Halloween party
Buy some cute new fall clothes
Get a massage (this just needs to be done generally, but especially in the fall)
Try to make pumpkin pie
Start listening to Christmas music (!!)
Okay, I feel better already :)
*This post was originally titled "Fall Blues" but I went back and changed it, even adding in the exclamation point for good measure. Go me.
I've been doing a lot of googling lately. I get a very weird feeling when fall comes around. I think my friends are sick of hearing me talk about it so i'm going to write it here, then be done with it.
I'm actually fine with winter -- once it's here I've accepted the cold and I LOVE the holiday season. It's the time period from mid September until Thanksgiving that just gets me feeling off. As soon as it starts to get cold out I get this feeling of anxiety. I don't think I have a real case of SAD -- it's more of just a 'fall blues' kind of thing. I have nothing extra to be anxious about in the fall except for work events, but that can't explain why I've felt this way forever. The best way to describe it is as a feeling of dread. Dread that I'm going to be freezing and slammed with 100 mph winds every time I step out the door. I just feel like summer is so relaxed, fun and everything is easier (i.e throwing on sandals and a dress rather than socks, boots, leggings, sweater, coat, scarf, hat, gloves...ugh). I prefer baseball season over football season and hot coffee reeks worse than cold coffee. I know i'm in the minority here, but I'm more impressed with spring when flowers, plants and leaves bloom form the dead than when they change colors in the fall.
Okay enough complaining. I'm a strong believer in the fact that by simply practicing changing your thoughts, you can change your deeper attitude/outlook about something. So let's see if I can do that with fall.
Some good things about fall being here:
Eating chili
Craving soup again
Busting out the crock pot
Not feeling more pale than everyone around me
Wearing slippers
Hikes
CLEMENTINE SEASON
No humidity
Having a reason (too cold) to stay in and cuddle
The leaves are pretty nice
All my favorite shows come back on TV
The area I work in is not overcrowded with annoying kids out of school
Leggings
Vacation days (I have 2 weeks of vacation to use up before the end of the year!)
Trader Joe's pumpkin butter
Cheap apples dipped in dark chocolate peanut butter
The new grocery store in my area will be opening!
I'll be starting at a new gym so no more scary walks (more on this later)
Things to do:
Buy a box of clementines every week
Go pumpkin/apple picking
Carve a pumpkin
Go to a haunted house
Buy fall scented candals
Plan a hiking date
Watch Halloween movies (Double Double Toil and Trouble! Hocus Pocus! Halloween Town!)
Go costume shopping/brainstorming early - like now.
Have a Halloween party
Buy some cute new fall clothes
Get a massage (this just needs to be done generally, but especially in the fall)
Try to make pumpkin pie
Start listening to Christmas music (!!)
Okay, I feel better already :)
*This post was originally titled "Fall Blues" but I went back and changed it, even adding in the exclamation point for good measure. Go me.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Gym Decisions
Okay so after the dramz of yesterday's post I wanted to write something normal. I'm 100% fine, I am just internally frustrated and feeling a little lost on this healthiness goal (I really dislike the word "journey").
Yoga last night was pretty good, but the Instructor seems to forget it's an "all levels" class. Luckily I've done some yoga in the past so I was able to keep up, but there's no way a newbie would have been able to follow. Sometimes it's discouraging to feel like I'm the least flexible, most break-taking newb in the class, but I just try to remind myself that everyone had to start somewhere. Every person in the room had to step into a class for the first time. I haven't enjoyed yoga in the past but am really taking to it this time around. A lot of people told me I just HAD to go to a studio to get the true yoga experience. That might be true, but I think it has more to do with the intensity and diversity of the classes rather than the studio environment. Who knows. I'm not sure what I'll do after my 2-week trial is up. It's hard to justify the high prices for a yoga studio when I'm already paying $50/month for a gym. Speaking of gyms...
My yearly membership at my gym will be either renewed or cancelled next month and I'm so torn on what to do. Here's the options:
1. Stay at Gold's:
Pros:
- Reasonably priced ($49/month)
- Lots of exercise machines (w/ TVs!)
- Decent fitness classes and schedule
- Close to home (10-ish minute walk)
- Can use Gold's gym in NY
- Women's fitness room
Cons:
- The walk is scary. It goes through a pretty desolate part of South Boston and in the winter when it's dark at 7:30 this can be really terrifying for me. **This is the main reason I'm considering switching gyms!
- Classes are *just* decent. I don't love them.
- No signup process for classes
- Will have to sign up for a year to keep the low price
- Closes early on weekdays and weekends (9:30 on weekdays)
2. Join another gym in Southie (I have one in mind):
Pros:
- Super close to my apartment (less than 5 minute walk) and on the way home from work
- My roommate is a member (motivation)
- Basic membership is cheaper than Gold's ($35/month), membership w/ classes is $50/month -- basically what I pay now
- Informal signup process for classes
Cons:
- $99 or $149 signup fee (yearly vs. monthly payment)
- Decent, but limited group fitness class schedule
- VERY small, worried that right after work would be crazy busy
- Doesn't seem as nice (in general) as Gold's
- Closes early on weekdays and weekends (9:30 on weekdays)
3. Join a gym close to work (I have one in mind):
Pros:
- Will get to the gym earlier = get home earlier, more class options
- A nicer gym with free towel, sauna, and lock service
- Huge variety of fitness classes
Cons:
- most expensive ($75 for basic membership + $99 or $149 signup fee)
- would most likely never work out on the weekends (it would take about 45 minutes to get to the gym from home)
Of course there's always the option of not joining a gym at all. But I doubt that will happen. I'm leaning toward #2 for now. The convenience + equivalent pricing + having a gym buddy is really doing it for me. I have another month to think about it so I'm going to try out both of the gyms and then will update!
I have to share this. My lunch today reminded me of elementary school! I had rolled up cold cuts, pretzels and fruit.
I used to eat this every day when I was younger because I "didn't like sandwiches". I used to ask my mom to put a piece of plastic wrap between the meat and cheese because the cheese would make the others soggy. So weird. Not gonna lie, I considered doing it last night when I was making this.
Happy Friday!!
Yoga last night was pretty good, but the Instructor seems to forget it's an "all levels" class. Luckily I've done some yoga in the past so I was able to keep up, but there's no way a newbie would have been able to follow. Sometimes it's discouraging to feel like I'm the least flexible, most break-taking newb in the class, but I just try to remind myself that everyone had to start somewhere. Every person in the room had to step into a class for the first time. I haven't enjoyed yoga in the past but am really taking to it this time around. A lot of people told me I just HAD to go to a studio to get the true yoga experience. That might be true, but I think it has more to do with the intensity and diversity of the classes rather than the studio environment. Who knows. I'm not sure what I'll do after my 2-week trial is up. It's hard to justify the high prices for a yoga studio when I'm already paying $50/month for a gym. Speaking of gyms...
My yearly membership at my gym will be either renewed or cancelled next month and I'm so torn on what to do. Here's the options:
1. Stay at Gold's:
Pros:
- Reasonably priced ($49/month)
- Lots of exercise machines (w/ TVs!)
- Decent fitness classes and schedule
- Close to home (10-ish minute walk)
- Can use Gold's gym in NY
- Women's fitness room
Cons:
- The walk is scary. It goes through a pretty desolate part of South Boston and in the winter when it's dark at 7:30 this can be really terrifying for me. **This is the main reason I'm considering switching gyms!
- Classes are *just* decent. I don't love them.
- No signup process for classes
- Will have to sign up for a year to keep the low price
- Closes early on weekdays and weekends (9:30 on weekdays)
2. Join another gym in Southie (I have one in mind):
Pros:
- Super close to my apartment (less than 5 minute walk) and on the way home from work
- My roommate is a member (motivation)
- Basic membership is cheaper than Gold's ($35/month), membership w/ classes is $50/month -- basically what I pay now
- Informal signup process for classes
Cons:
- $99 or $149 signup fee (yearly vs. monthly payment)
- Decent, but limited group fitness class schedule
- VERY small, worried that right after work would be crazy busy
- Doesn't seem as nice (in general) as Gold's
- Closes early on weekdays and weekends (9:30 on weekdays)
3. Join a gym close to work (I have one in mind):
Pros:
- Will get to the gym earlier = get home earlier, more class options
- A nicer gym with free towel, sauna, and lock service
- Huge variety of fitness classes
Cons:
- most expensive ($75 for basic membership + $99 or $149 signup fee)
- would most likely never work out on the weekends (it would take about 45 minutes to get to the gym from home)
Of course there's always the option of not joining a gym at all. But I doubt that will happen. I'm leaning toward #2 for now. The convenience + equivalent pricing + having a gym buddy is really doing it for me. I have another month to think about it so I'm going to try out both of the gyms and then will update!
I have to share this. My lunch today reminded me of elementary school! I had rolled up cold cuts, pretzels and fruit.
I used to eat this every day when I was younger because I "didn't like sandwiches". I used to ask my mom to put a piece of plastic wrap between the meat and cheese because the cheese would make the others soggy. So weird. Not gonna lie, I considered doing it last night when I was making this.
Happy Friday!!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Check in - 9/6
Spoiler alert: this is a dramatic, rambling, but very honest post. Please skip if you don't feel like hearing it. I know I don't.
Not a good week. But I'm here anyway, unhappily checking in.
Weight change: +1.8
Reflections:
I really don't understand my body. There are people who gain 2 pounds over the course of a YEAR, and I go out to dinner a few times in a weekend and the hard work of 2 weeks is gone? I'm really frustrated. I'm really embarrassed. I don't understand why I just can't do this. I'm so scared for my future. I'm so scared that I'm going to just continue gaining weight no matter what I do and the scary diseases are going to come sooner rather than later. I hate that I'm not living the life I want. I haven't been active at all and I feel disappointed every time I look in the mirror. My body is suffering the consequences of the extra weight -- I'm sure that my hurting knee has something to do with it and my lower back just hasn't felt right in weeks. I don't know what to do.
Should I go to a nutritionist? I'm scared that the 15 or so years of dieting has done terrible things to my metabolism and the way my body reacts to gains and losses. I really don't know why this is so hard for me. My mom has told me over and over that if *this* is my life struggle, I should feel lucky. And I do feel lucky. I feel perpetually overwhelmed by how blessed I am. But just because it's common doesn't mean being overweight isn't serious. Being overweight is VERY serious and I'm not looking forward to all of those extra things that it comes with (I'm thinking heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, physical pain, mental pain, cancer, etc. etc.).
Okay, letting these thoughts run wild has been both sobering and motivating. On that note....
Goals for this week:
- Continue to make lunch for work everyday
- NO alcohol
- Exercise for some time 6 days this week (I'm adding these to my work calendar)
Thursday: yoga
Friday: strength training
Saturday: yoga
Sunday: walk or rest
Monday: strength training
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: walk or rest
I'm tired today. I had another night where I woke up at 3 am from a dream about work. This is really terrible. Basically every weekday night for the past 2 weeks I've dreamt about some event-related work disaster occuring. It's so horrible that it wakes me up in the middle of the night. Then, I can't get back to sleep because I keep thinking about work and writing e-mails in my head. I end up having to watch TV on my computer until I stop thinking about work and can fall back asleep. I always do fall back asleep eventually but I end up losing at least an hour, usually 2-3 hours of sleep. Bad.
Might as well get all the complaints out of the way since I'm on a roll. I realized I never posted about Foodie Penpals. That's because I never received a package. That was really frustrating since I spent a long time thinking about and putting together my package for my penpal. Plus, USPS charged me twice and never reimbursed me. I emailed the girl I was paired up with but I haven't heard back from her. Suspicious. Anyway, if you're interested in seeing what I sent to my penpal you can read about it on her blog.
Boo. This post sucks. Ending on a positive note with this pretty photo of Boston from Georges Island.
Not a good week. But I'm here anyway, unhappily checking in.
Weight change: +1.8
Reflections:
I really don't understand my body. There are people who gain 2 pounds over the course of a YEAR, and I go out to dinner a few times in a weekend and the hard work of 2 weeks is gone? I'm really frustrated. I'm really embarrassed. I don't understand why I just can't do this. I'm so scared for my future. I'm so scared that I'm going to just continue gaining weight no matter what I do and the scary diseases are going to come sooner rather than later. I hate that I'm not living the life I want. I haven't been active at all and I feel disappointed every time I look in the mirror. My body is suffering the consequences of the extra weight -- I'm sure that my hurting knee has something to do with it and my lower back just hasn't felt right in weeks. I don't know what to do.
Should I go to a nutritionist? I'm scared that the 15 or so years of dieting has done terrible things to my metabolism and the way my body reacts to gains and losses. I really don't know why this is so hard for me. My mom has told me over and over that if *this* is my life struggle, I should feel lucky. And I do feel lucky. I feel perpetually overwhelmed by how blessed I am. But just because it's common doesn't mean being overweight isn't serious. Being overweight is VERY serious and I'm not looking forward to all of those extra things that it comes with (I'm thinking heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, physical pain, mental pain, cancer, etc. etc.).
Okay, letting these thoughts run wild has been both sobering and motivating. On that note....
Goals for this week:
- Continue to make lunch for work everyday
- NO alcohol
- Exercise for some time 6 days this week (I'm adding these to my work calendar)
Thursday: yoga
Friday: strength training
Saturday: yoga
Sunday: walk or rest
Monday: strength training
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: walk or rest
I'm tired today. I had another night where I woke up at 3 am from a dream about work. This is really terrible. Basically every weekday night for the past 2 weeks I've dreamt about some event-related work disaster occuring. It's so horrible that it wakes me up in the middle of the night. Then, I can't get back to sleep because I keep thinking about work and writing e-mails in my head. I end up having to watch TV on my computer until I stop thinking about work and can fall back asleep. I always do fall back asleep eventually but I end up losing at least an hour, usually 2-3 hours of sleep. Bad.
Might as well get all the complaints out of the way since I'm on a roll. I realized I never posted about Foodie Penpals. That's because I never received a package. That was really frustrating since I spent a long time thinking about and putting together my package for my penpal. Plus, USPS charged me twice and never reimbursed me. I emailed the girl I was paired up with but I haven't heard back from her. Suspicious. Anyway, if you're interested in seeing what I sent to my penpal you can read about it on her blog.
Boo. This post sucks. Ending on a positive note with this pretty photo of Boston from Georges Island.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
M3 - Davis Square
Hello hello! My Labor Day weekend was relaxing and packed with good food. One highlight was dinner at M3, a new-ish "meat n' three" place in Davis Square.
After looking through my yelp bookmarks, Tom and I decided to go to M3 on Friday night. Knowing that the place was fairly small and didn't take reservation, I expected a wait. When we showed up around 8:30 they said it would be 30 minutes. We headed down the street for a drink and came back about 25 minutes later. And wouldn't you know it, 30 minutes after we showed up we were sat.
M3 is just really cool. The walls are lined top to bottom with chalkboards and speckled with cute/funny sayings.
My favorite said:
The Rules:
1. Be nice
2. We are not always right
3. You are not always right
Rules 2 + 3 = Harmony!
The feel of the place is just really warm and inviting -- it's what I'd expect you would get from most Southern meat and 3 places. Our server came right over with a big jug of water and directed us to take a look at the wall listing the drinks and, wait for it.....pickles!! Yes, M3 had a variety of pickle starters for people to choose from. Obviously I couldn't resist, so we decided to order the garlic pickles. Sooo good! I would have been happy with just a heaping bowl of these babies for dinner.
After we ordered on entrees, we used the provided chalk to draw all over the table. I LOVED this. Tom and I played hangman, tik-tak toe and the food came out in no time.
I've never been to a meat and three place but the idea is that you order a meat/protein plus 3 sides. I wanted the fried chicken but they were out, so both Tom and I ordered the catfish. For my sides I went a little carb-crazy and chose the mac n' cheese, peach cornbread, and garlic chili lime fries.
The catfish was so delicious. It was my first time ordering catfish and I was a little worried, but I figured most fried things taste decent enough. The breading was crispy, the fish was flaky, and the sauce on top was just amazing. As for the sides, the mac n' cheese was great, but the cornbread was a little dry and I wasn't a huge fan of the fries. Tom ordered the cheesy jalapeno grits which were SO good. I'm no grit expert, but I wish I had a giant vat of those grits to eat right this second.
I was so stuffed so we skipped dessert, but the fried fluffernutter sounded pretty tempting! Guess we'll just have to go back.
M3 is located at
382 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144
Neighborhood: Davis Square
After looking through my yelp bookmarks, Tom and I decided to go to M3 on Friday night. Knowing that the place was fairly small and didn't take reservation, I expected a wait. When we showed up around 8:30 they said it would be 30 minutes. We headed down the street for a drink and came back about 25 minutes later. And wouldn't you know it, 30 minutes after we showed up we were sat.
M3 is just really cool. The walls are lined top to bottom with chalkboards and speckled with cute/funny sayings.
My favorite said:
The Rules:
1. Be nice
2. We are not always right
3. You are not always right
Rules 2 + 3 = Harmony!
The feel of the place is just really warm and inviting -- it's what I'd expect you would get from most Southern meat and 3 places. Our server came right over with a big jug of water and directed us to take a look at the wall listing the drinks and, wait for it.....pickles!! Yes, M3 had a variety of pickle starters for people to choose from. Obviously I couldn't resist, so we decided to order the garlic pickles. Sooo good! I would have been happy with just a heaping bowl of these babies for dinner.
After we ordered on entrees, we used the provided chalk to draw all over the table. I LOVED this. Tom and I played hangman, tik-tak toe and the food came out in no time.
I've never been to a meat and three place but the idea is that you order a meat/protein plus 3 sides. I wanted the fried chicken but they were out, so both Tom and I ordered the catfish. For my sides I went a little carb-crazy and chose the mac n' cheese, peach cornbread, and garlic chili lime fries.
The catfish was so delicious. It was my first time ordering catfish and I was a little worried, but I figured most fried things taste decent enough. The breading was crispy, the fish was flaky, and the sauce on top was just amazing. As for the sides, the mac n' cheese was great, but the cornbread was a little dry and I wasn't a huge fan of the fries. Tom ordered the cheesy jalapeno grits which were SO good. I'm no grit expert, but I wish I had a giant vat of those grits to eat right this second.
I was so stuffed so we skipped dessert, but the fried fluffernutter sounded pretty tempting! Guess we'll just have to go back.
M3 is located at
382 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144
Neighborhood: Davis Square
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