So I have been busy!

 

I haven’t been writing – but it is for a very good reason. I have been super busy starting a Multimedia documentary company with Matt… talk about both fun and stress all in one package! At the same time as getting that going – or I should say the reason we did this is because we started shooting initial interviews on our documentary about people living with epilepsy!! We have discussed this project for about 4 years but only now are in a position to get it going! I have been writing the proposal, meeting with animators and interview participants and searching for fiscal sporship and grants to apply for. All this while working full-time! So I am essentially having to give up TV – which if you know me is no small feat. I am basically down to the occasional 15 minutes of John Stewart or Colbert and maybe a drama around 11 pm. But that is it. Anyway, all this is to say that I have not just been sitting around  – or on an endless bike ride as Wen seems to think…LOL. I had said to Wen that I was giving up this blog because of all the other writing I was doing right now – but I think that I am going to try to write at least once a week to keep myself on track.

 

I have actually made a great step toward improving my health after three weeks of totally slacking off. I found out that Oxford will cover 100% of a nutritionist if I have family history of heart conditions, diabetes and other illness that benefit from preventative care so I said – sign me up! I found a really nice nutritionist named Lisa through ZocDocs.com that takes Oxford and met with her last night. She was really great and had a good sense of humor. I told her about this blog and the losses and gains of the year. I am still down – but not at the 50 lb mark I worked so hard to get to. I talked to her about my good and bad experience with Weightwatchers… too much freedom and not enough guidance when I am only able to do the on-line system.

Together we worked out a food plan that is similar to what I was doing before – but at least I feel like it is being monitored by a medical professional. She also put a nix on any ideas / fantasies about rapid weight loss. She basically said that she feel and has seen that people are able to lose more weight and keep it off only by making slow gradual changes.

A girl can dream….

I know that this is the voice of reason – however I always have this secret desire to suddenly lose all my 150 pounds in three months and be stunningly slender by Fall…. yeah, I know…. I know… Anyway – the current plan for me goes like this:

 

Breakfast (300 cal)

1 egg or 1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 to 1 cup non – starchy veggies

1 oz cheese

Salsa

1 light English muffin or a fresh fruit.

OR

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1 cup Fresh Berries

1 Cup Fiber Cereal (Fiber One)

1 tsp Agave or Truvia.

Morning Snack (200 Cal)

A Medifast Bar or Shake Plus String Cheese or 10 Almonds

Greek Yogurt with a Fruit

Lunch (400-500 cal)

4-5 oz lean protein

a fruit or yogurt

2-3 cups non-starchy veggies

1-2 servings health fat (1/4 avocado or 2 t salad dressing)

Mid Afternoon Snack (200 cal)

Medifast Shake or Bar and nuts or string cheese

or

mini microwave popcorn

or

1 packet plain oatmeal with nuts

Dinner (400-500 cal)

4-6 oz lean protein

veggies / salad w/ 1-2 tsp dressing

or

Something off the Steamed Menu Chinese

or

Sashimi with Salad and Edamame

Dessert! (200 cal)

a Drink or Wine

or

Frozen Yogurt

or anything that fits that calorie

She also said that if I find myself in a place where I can’t find what I planned I can eat something that basically fits the range of calories we set – just try for high protein and lower carbs. She emphasised that I should choose one dinner a week to have whatever I want and then stay on track the rest of the time. Basically she does not want me to feel deprived because that is when I tend to over eat or binge.

I am not over thrilled about the Medifast bars  / shakes mainly because I have to order them rather than buy them at the store. I know why she likes them. They have the best 1 to 1 ratio between carbs and protein… the ones I found for today (ZonePerfect and South Beach) are high protein but have a 2 to 1 ratio between carbs and protein. I figure that since they are within the calorie mark for now they are OK. But I e-mailed her to see what she thought. I will order some of the Medifast bars soon.

 

Getting off the Scale for a While…

I woke up this morning thinking seriously about what Wen and “The Little Assistant” said to me about lifestyle changes the other day. I know that is the key to true lasting health and real sustainable weight loss. I woke and got out of bed feeling better than the last few days.

I am starting to wonder what will happen when winter comes and I don't have fresh peaches anymore... or Berries... I don't know.

I went and headed to the bus stop and coffee shop. I have started seeing the same people in the mornings even though I don’t have any real friends in the neighborhood. I see the old man who sits in the bench every morning smoking a cigarette and drinking his coffee. I see the same barista’s frothing milk and slinging coffee.

I love the warm wafting smell of coffee in the morning.

I love seeing the orthodox Jewish woman who jobs past every morning while I catch the bus. I think she is orthodox Jewish mainly because she jogs wearing a skirt, leggings, a long sleeve shirts and a head covering even when it is ridiculously hot.  I admire her because she is so consistent with her workouts and she looks great. But no one in the area to hang out with. Of course this little town is pretty conservative and I am not sure I will find many close friends… but who knows.

Tastie!

I made it to work on time which is always a question when I have to open the phones. It basically means no reading time – but hey… gatta pay those student loans and car insurance payments… It was a delightful morning too because we had to start cancelling appointments for tomorrow right away. Great! at least our supervisor agrees that this messed up scheduling and rescheduling by the docs is totally crazy. Anyway that took me and KD the whole morning and some of the afternoon.

I am glad I grabbed the second cup on my way in!

On the bright side – while we were making all these calls and trying to sooth the annoyed nerves of the various patients I spent my time thinking about life style changes. I think that I need to change my mindset. I think that for a week or so I need to stop obsessing about the scale. I know that this project is all about losing 175 pounds…. and I am so glad that I am 35 pounds closer to that. I have celebrated every pound – but the last few days of the scaling moving the wrong direction even though I have been being pretty good has been really devastating. I need to make these changes in my life… I need to follow the plans and make the changes. Maybe if I keep up the changes and stay consistent – but just stay away from the scale for a week or some I might feel better. I don’t need obsessive disordered thinking to ruin my careful reshaping of my life and my body.

I had my chicken, Salad, yogurt and peach happily today.

In some ways I feel like this idea is counter productive… How will I know if I am doing the right things? But at the same time I know that I am good calorically, low carb-wise and nutritionally so I can’t really do poorly in the ling terms right? We shall see..

Anyway, I got through the day and started feeling better as I headed home.

I still wanted a snack - but I managed to have some nuts rather than candy. I know that it is still high in calories - but it is still much better food-wise.

 

I got home and worked on women’s health articles for a few hours because I did not have any time this week at work to do them. The I headed out to pick up Matt. He had stopped at the store for me to pick some things up and got eggs so we can hard boil them for protein snacks. Such a really supportive guy. I had to laugh though. he figured out that I did not want to go to the store because I was afraid of the candy isle. LOL… I guess I am pretty transparent.

Anyway, we came home and he cooked steak and we had a nice dinner watching last nights Colbert and Daily Show.

Steak and Green Salad... we did not grill because of the severe weather warning... No electrocutions tonight!

 

Wish me luck on the break from scale mania!

30.5 pounds Down!!!

Today started out pretty rough. I dragged my butt out of bed and had breakfast.

Peaches & Cream (well cottage cheese)

I caught the bus and headed into NYC for the day thinking that I had plenty of time. My Google calendar said I did not need to be at work until 9:30 am so I was taking my time. I bought mints for the front desk staff (sugar free of course). I headed to the East side and went to Coffee Central for an iced coffee and had time to read. I entertained the idea of going up early because I can always start writing the articles for the week and get paid for an extra hour – but I was tired and wanted to relax. I did not know what a mistake that was until I went upstairs!!!

I miss read the Schedule on Friday when I entered it into my iPhone! I was supposed to have been at 8:30 am! Fortunately I was there only 25 minutes late – but still I felt awful. The Director was pretty laid back about it, but I am sure my supervisor would have been mad if she was not scheduled for later in the day. I handled the barrage of calls that had been waiting for me – and held out until the real 9:30 am person came in.

Then I snuck into the nurses office. I was worried about weighing myself because I really wanted to break the 30 pound down mark! I really wanted it and could not wait to find out. When I saw the scale stop tipping at 319.5 lbs I was so excited!!! It totally made up for the fact that I would be playing keep up all day because I got there late. It made me feel great. But I still don’t know how to celebrate! I want a hot fudge sundae – but as we have discussed that would be counter productive – so what should I do?

Left over Salmon, Salad, A plum, An Apricot and Yogurt.

Lunch was good. I was tired because of paying catchup. I love cold salmon. I was also sort of excited because Matt and I bought a new fruit this week. We realized tath neither of us had ever had a fresh Apricot before. We had each had jam – and I have had dried apricots. But I had never seen fresh ones before.

My first Fresh Apricot!

It was sweet, and soft – not at all tangy liked I expected. Its flavor was a lot subtler then I expected. It was really good though. I enjoyed it and I am glad we got them. I am not sure that it is my favorite fruit – but it is good.

I finished work early at 430pm and headed home. I was really tired because It had been crazy all day so I came home and relaxed for about 1 1/2 hours. I had planned on doing some more cleaning but my heart was not in it. So I watched some TV and did my nails. I painted the turquoise! LOL! I am not sure I love it – but the nice thing about nail polish is you can change it immediately if you don’t like it.

Matt came home and I got the buffalo burgers ready for me and the hamburgers ready for him. I also cut up some of the star shaped squash I got at the farmers market this week. I have to admit that I bought it because I thought it was so cool looking. Then I seasoned it up with chipotle olive oil,  salish (smoked salt) and paper. The of course the garden salad. I wanted a bun but Matt persuaded me to skip the carbs. I don’t want all this work to go backwards.

The burger patty was small so I did end up eating two - but I am working my way down to eating only one. I am going to make them a little bigger next time.

The Squash was delicious!! I actually did a good job choosing seasoning for once and I loved it. I am the queen of under seasoning because I never know what it will taste like. But I got brave on this one and it payed off. Maybe I can learn to cook better through this whole experience as well as lose weight. We shall see.

Game day at home with the crowd

Early Shopping

We started our sunday with our usual farmers market trip. We got our veggies and fruit and Mr M bought some fresh bread. He got Onion pockets and garlic pockets. We enjoyed the morning watching the shoppers and talking to the pickle guy – he was less energetic then usual. He is usually a big puppy dog and Matt loves talking to him – but it turns out he had a pickle accident that morning – accidentally dumping a bunch of brine in his van so he was a little down.

Peaches and Cottage Cheese

When we got home I had breakfast. I had a peach and cottage cheese as usual. We forgot to buy blue berries so I will have to eat other stuff this week. i will miss them.

The gamers came over and we played for several hours. Everyone else had potato chips but I was feeling good and not feeling left out at all. I sort of wish that people would feel ok bringing their snacks again. I feel like I have sort of put a damper on the game because I am eating healthy.

Carrots and fat free dip!

I made my usual weekend snack. I did not get veggie chips this time because I have had trouble on Mondays and I think that eating something that starchy makes me crave a ton of starch and sugar the next day. I hope that this change will help. I don’t think i missed it that much,

Buffalo Sliders with fat free cheese slices. I cut a roll in halt for a bun and had salad.

I opted for buffalo slider because I missed the chips a bit and wanted something that tasted like dinner food but was still good for me. I like the Bison burgers better then the ostrich. I could not find me thin buns – so Matt gave me a onion pocket and I cut it up into two little buns for the burgers. The turned out yummy and hit the spot. The salad was good too. I am finding that getting the group to eat salad has been easier then expected and I get to use some of the lettuces that we have had from the week before so that they get used up and don’t go to waste.

A Crunchy Treat

I snacked on almonds as my non chip treat. It was good. i worry about the calories – but I think that this is still healthier. Besides we tend not to eat dinner on Sundays when we game so I don’t have those calories.

my new soda substitute?

As I discovered the other day Flavored Seltzer does not have calories, sodium or artificial sweeteners so I bough some for this weekend. I think that I can count this as water because it is just carbonated water and essence of flavor. Does anyone know more about this. I don’t think that it has the bad effects that soda does – but I would love to know the fact.

Anyway, it ended up being a really nice day and I think that everyone had a pretty good time.

Ostrich – it’s what’s for dinner! (And 2 more pounds down!!! Yeah!!)

So today I made a risky call. We had bought a pound of ground ostrich meat when we went meat shopping the other day because we thought it sounded interesting and exotic – and the nutritional info looked good. So it has been in the freezer for a while sort of taunting me.

You Looking at ME? You Looking at ME!

“So, when are you going to take a risk Hedda? When are you going to eat something you have never had and know nothing about?  Everyone is doing it… you know you want to… I won’t like you it you don’t…” it has whispered to me as I looked for dinner options each morning – but I have been a big chicken (or Ostrich). I have played it safe with Chicken and pork and salmon.. and more chicken… and more chicken… and more chicken… So this morning I thought I would rip off the band aid and pull out the Ostrich meat. I also pulled out some hamburger for Mr M because I am not sure he will go for the experiment or not – but who knows?

I got my usual breakfast together –

Been reading more about Blueberries - They really are suposed to be a super food.

and headed out to the beautiful suburban bus stop. I was SO tired. I have this bad habit of staying up too late and then really regretting it in the morning. I really don’t want to do that tonight because I have to open the office tomorrow and that means getting up at 4:30 am to get ready and to the bus stop for the first bus of the morning. AND I will have to brew my own coffee…. what sacrifices I make to pay my student loans!

I got an bigger cup today - but forgot to take a picture...

I snuck into the nurses office again today and weighed myself because I was feeling like my last weight in was a little bit of a downer. I was shocked to see that I lost 2 more pounds.I think that sometimes my body takes more then a 3 -4 days to process what I have been doing that week. Does anyone have any information about that? I have heard other friends who are dieting say similar things. My supervisor who is on WW was talking about that this week to. What are the mechanisms of the body that slowly adjust to our changes in diet and exercise? If anyone knows  – please chime in.

Work was work. As I have said elsewhere – I love being about to help women get healthcare  – but honestly – it is hard talking to people in crisis every day. If is just a passing thing for them – but we deal with the same crisis everyday of the year and it is wearing on us as workers. There needs to be ways to rejuvenate ourselves in order to face being support people for others day in and day out. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears – or eyes in the case of the blog-world.

I made it to lunch and had a nice piece of grilled chicken, a salad, a plum and yogurt. I think that the lower sugar yogurt was a good move. I it tastes the same and I don’t feel so tired later. So I get to have a treat and still feel good and virtuous.

I am sort of banking on consistency as being the key to weight loss. I will stick to a regime that keeps my calories low and my nutrients up.

After lunch work went faster for me. Time flies when you start your day early – that is what I am banking on tomorrow. I will be done working before I even really realize time has gone by. Little Missy was being cheerful and relatively chatty so that helped. She brought her KFC into the phone counseling space to eat though because she ran out of time on her break and that was about the death of me. She offered me some – but since I had been encouraged by the scale today it was easier to pass it up.

Anyway, On the way home I got myself a small treat.

I know.. I know... but it is not Diet Coke at least...

I also got stuff to do my nails tonight because that is a treat for me and I can do them myself cheaper then having them done. They never look as nice or last as long – but hey – if it helps me grow them out more so that I can do less costly and less complicated salon manicures eventually it will be worth it. What do you do to treat yourself? I am back within reach of the 30 lbs down mark and I want to do something cool to celebrate that goal line. Suggestions are both requested and desired…. I am sort of bad at non food related rewards.

So on the bus back to NJ i got a text from Mr M telling me that he would be working late and I should start cooking dinner without him! SOOOO – it is just me and the Ostrich for now!

They look sort of scary... I hope they tast good!

Mr M’s response to me concerned text back was that I needed to Google Ostrich and see what it said. First I found this helpful nutritional info which was why we bought it in the first place.

So it is leaner then hamburger which has about 12 g fat for the same weight (90% fat free). apparently this is one of the pluses and minuses. I read that you can easily over cook it because of the lower fat content – plus it is redder then beef so it looks rarer even when it is done. Most of the Burger recipes recommend sauteing some onion and garlic in olive oil and mixing it into the meat – then making paddies and grilling them. Since I have no grill master I will use the grill pan and see how it goes.

The recipes said to mince a cup of onion and a teaspoon garlic

The Saute that with a little Olive Oil

Mash it all together like mixing a meat loaf

form paddies and grill them for 4 minuts per side.

Then dress them up like a burger and enjoy.

The turned out pretty good. Ostrich does have the bite and consistency of beef. It has a meaty flavor – but does have a bit of an odd aftertaste. It is not bad – I liked the flavor over all. As you can see I had my usual salad. I added low carb ketchup, fat free cheese and sliced tomato. We also decided that sandwich thins are OK – even though they are carbs they are whole wheat and low calorie. At least compared to hamburger buns. I used the rest of the sauteed onion also. I think that calorie wised I came out of the day OK. Dinner was a little heavier then usual but the rest of the day was light.  Has anyone out there made anything with Ostrich that I should try? What do you guys think about it as a meat? I over all enjoyed it although the part of me that freaks out over new things had a hard time. I was really hungry though and it was very satisfying.

I did have a great chat with my college friend Wen! I am so glad I emailed her and she called me right back. She is an inspiration!! she just lost 50 pounds eating similarly to my plan – and is now only 30 pounds away from her goal. She is off Blood pressure meds and exercising several times I week. I knew when I e-mailed her that talking to her would be just the jolt of positive energy I needed. I miss CA sometimes.

Good night – and good luck!

What a Beautiful Day!

Today was gorgeous! I woke up extremely tired but quickly realized that it was because it was peaceful and cool in the bedroom – something it had not been the last few days. The heat makes the cats annoyed and they take it out on us while we sleep. Anyway, I dragged myself out of bed and had a delicious breakfast of Blackberries and fat free cottage cheese.

Yum!

The blackberries were both sweet and tart – a little stavia helped with that and I packed my lunch and headed to NYC for the day.

I really needed my coffee today. I know that I talk about coffee a lot. In fact it is one of the most used words on my FB page. I find that really funny. Anyway, The coffee shope by the bus stop was buzzing and I was happy to get a nice ht cup and hang out in the cool morning air. I knew the coolness would not last – but I wanted to soak it up as long as I could.

Not enough Coffee World Today!

I had the whole day to write today which is a real treat. I cranked out four short women’s health essays. They are only about a page or two each – but it takes a lot of reading and web searching to put them together so that eats up my day. By noon I was brain dead and headed to the break room for lunch.

I realized that my appitite has been getting smaller. Mr M had been worried last night that the chicken thigh I was taking for lunch was pretty small – but with the salad, nectarine and yogurt I was totally full. I found a lower sugar yogurt which I think might help me – especially if I end up eating it early in the day. It is sweet – but does not make me want to eat a ton of sugar. Anyway, it is like a little lunch dessert for me so I enjoy it. I think that is why I am so happy with my packed lunches.

I made it through the rest of the day at work and caught the early bus. I knew that I had to walk through the park home today. It was too perfect of a day not to. I enjoyed it mostly although I was trying to get my pace up and my heart working. My little Skunk friend was not there to greet me – but I think that is because the Parks and Rec association was setting up for a concert. It looked like a “Sopranos” Convention.

Only in the Park!

It really brought home the joke that I told Mr M when we first moved to this small town in NJ. I remember saying to him that we moved from a Spike Lee Joint into a Scorsese film. It is all White Italian  / Jersey Shore out here. One foreign culture to another! LOL!

Anyway, I wasted two hours playing on line and I need to get dinner under say. I thawed Pork chops and will make salad. I don’t know if I can convince Mr M to grill or not. We shall see – it depends on what time he gets home.

Soy & Ginger Pork Chop, Salad and Grilled Onions

I won, and Mr M grilled. Always a good thing. We watched SYTYCD and really enjoyed every performance – it is hard with all the dancers are so talented. I am glad we don’t vote. I don’t think I could pick a favorite.

And frozen treat – then off to bed! I have to get up early and I am really tired.

Stayed The Same – but OK with it

Another Favorite Breakfast ( FF Cottage Cheese 62 cal / Blue Berries 83 cal)

After several rough days I was not looking forward to weighing myself today. I was very afraid that I had gained because I had a fair amount of salt and had switched things up – but I was luck. I stayed the same which actually was fine with me. I need to add exercise to help increase my weight loss. I need to start walking more because I think that will help get me moving again in the right direction weight wise. Anyway, I am actually in a pretty good state of mind considering. I want loss – but staying the same when I have been all over the place for the last few days is not too bad.

Chicken (164 cal) & Broccoli (31 cal) - with Brown Rice ( 688 Cal) Brown Sauce (55 cal)

I had chicken, Broccoli and brown rice for lunch. I did not know that Brown rice had so many calories – but it was a nice treat. I made it through work and home with nothing else other then a diet ice tea.

A nice break on the bus home

Mr M made chicken and grilled asparagus – I made salad. It was a good dinner.

Grilled Chicken (135 cal) , Asparigus (27 cal) and Salad (88 cal + 171 cal dressing)

14 cal ice pop

I still feel a little hungry – but I think that is OK. I ate enough for the day and I want to get my weight loss headed in the right direction.

Rainy Days and Mondays…

Not My Photo - But Representative of Today

Hello anyone that might be out there. It is one of those rainy days when everyone seems far away and I wish I lived closer to my friends. I had a long talk with my closest friend from College yesterday who lives in AK who is going through a rough time health wise and I miss her. I wish I could be there to help her with all the hassles she is going through. She did so much for me over the years and I feel so helpless not being able to lend a hand. It has put me in a bit of a funk. Anyway – if you read this S Bear – know I would do anything to help…. and am trying to figure out something useful I can do.

What do other people do to keep from emotional eating? I could really use some input. I  know that there are only a few people out there that read this but I could use any advice. I am sure Mr M wishes I could channel my angst into house keeping (Yes I suck at it)  – but it does not sooth me. It just makes me feel more stressed. I need to change that somehow though. Maybe I will try that next.

Eating well has been really hard today. I don’t do well when I am alone and depressed. Sugar has always been my comfort and now that I am without it I feel very vulnerable. I tried to contain things the best I could. I had a Yogurt and peach for breakfast because I was out of cottage cheese. The sugar first thing in the morning was a big mistake because it made me crave more all day.

The First Mistake of the Day

Calories : 150 Yogurt & Peach 38

I ended up eating two more yogurts ( Another 300 cal)  – not a horrible binge but not very good. I watched TV and read some this morning. I had a bad headache so I did not accomplish much. Lethargy seems to be the theme of the last few days. I fought the impulse to go buy junk food – but it really took everything I had. I need to find things I enjoy to keep myself busy when I am like this because I just want to go on find some chocolate so bad. I had my salad and chicken for lunch but it was not very satisfying.

Good - but not good enough today...

Calories: Chicken 206, Salad 22, dressing 171,

I snacked on more carrots and finished the fat free dip while I prepped the laundry I needed to do today.

Carrots and Fat Free Dip

Calories: Fat Free Dip 95 (1/2 cup) , Carrots 52 calories

I took an hour nap just give myself and escape and some cuddle time with the kitties. They like to hang out on the bed during the day. I thought about going to a matinee but then there would be the snack bar to deal with and I am not strong enough to do that by myself yet.

Tonight we are having salmon (197 cal)  and green salad( 193 cal w dressing). This should put be at about 1519 calories which isn’t bad. 21 -30 ww points which is under my 49 point allotment based on my weight.

Salmon on the Grill

If anything changes I will up date.

Heat &Treats

Saturdays this summer have become mostly Health Fair Days for me at work. I actually pack up from home and head to where ever with my suit case full of women’s health information, candy, condoms and a big table cloths that says Women’s Medical. I got to sleep in a little today because today’s fair did not start until noon so I got up late and eat breakfast at home.

Blueberrie season is almost over for our area - I hope these aren't the last.

Then I packed up the car and headed out to the Bronx. I stopped at CVS and Stop & Shop because I wanted to make sure I had plenty to drink and I got a little cooler for the car so I could keep my sports drinks on ice. Warm sports drinks are gross! I also grabbed a chief salad from the salad bar because I was not sure what sort of lunch they would serve and I wanted to be prepared if I felt I could not eat it.

It was a long trip to the Bronx – but I made it to the park and got set up under one of the tents. I had a great time talking to people and giving out information. I kept the candy in the cooler because it started to melt as soon as I had it out on the table so I had fun getting it out for the kids and letting them choose candy bars. I am also really popular with the other health fair staff because they are always wanting candy too. It was pretty funny.

I drank my sports drinks to keep cool and replace all the h2o I was sweating out.

The only sugar free flavor they had was Strawberry - but it was OK. I figured it was worth it for the electrolytes.

I was right about the lunch. The organizers were very persistent about making sure we all went and got food so I did get my plat because I did not want them to feel insulted. However, I was too hot to eat by then and it was stuff that I shouldn’t really have. I peeled the skin off the little piece of chicken and had the meat – but I ended  up throwing the rest away. I felt bad – but I did not want to eat it just because someone wanted me to.

The chicken was a small peice so I nibbled on that. The rest I just did not eat.

I made it to the end of the fair and repacked the suite case. Getting home actually was more confusing then getting there – but I made it out of the Bronx in one piece. There were a lot of detours and construction on the way back which makes me crazy when I don’t know an area. By the time I got home it was almost 5 pm and Mr M was hiding in the AC. I don’t blame him one bit. I think that it was too hot to do much else. When I got home and cooled off then I decided to eat the salad I had meant to have for lunch.

It was Ok - but not as good as our farmers market salads. But it was different and the variety is nice.

We hung out and watched TV. I took a nap and then came down and we started dinner. Today was our day to have desert! Yeah! so I went to Rita’s and picked up some frozen custard while Mr M grilled chicken and egg plant.

Chicken and Zucchini - I skipped the salad because I had one a few hours earlier.

Then before we went to bed I had my ice cream. It was creamy and smooth and delicious! We will see if it tips the scales the wrong way – but it was so good. I calculated the WW points and I was still under so that is good – but obviously I had ice cream after 2 pm – so who knows how that will effect things. I am treating the next few weeks as an experiment. We shall see if I can work out a balance between good taste and treats and still losing s few pounds a week.

Nothing Like Frozen Custard on a super hot night!

How are you Staying Cool?

I knew even getting up this morning it was going to be too hot. The air was thick and steamy again even at 630 am. NY NJ is a sauna in the summer. It sort of reminds me of summers in Iowa… Only at least we have an ocean near by to visit if you are lucky. I am not so lucky these days. No time or energy for fighting the crowds to make the beach trip.

Hydration is key at times like this. I am as bad as everyone else – but I feel like I should mention that over 300 people die each year because of heat related illnesses that could be avoided by staying hydrated. (I say this the day before I head to the Health Fair tomorrow out side in 100 degree weather!) Even of you are use to hot weather that does not mean that you body is going to keep you fluids balanced on its own. You need to stay hydrated. Drink before you are thirsty because by the time you feel thirsty you are already at a deficit. Also avoid caffeine and alcohol. Plus sport drinks are better then soda because they help replace electrolytes. I am regurgitating all these facts as much to remind myself as anyone who runs across this. I know I am in for a tough couple of days. I have been drinking about 45-60 oz of water a day – but on weekends when I am not carrying my water bottle with me everywhere I slack off.  I of course broke the caffeine rule immediately.

got an extra giant ice coffee - but i drank if even before the bus got there.

I had part of the morning to write so I started our teen education program plan – and then I had to head to lunch. I had to be back to the clinical side to cover everyone’s breaks.

Shredded Pork with vegetables - not my actual lunch photo because my iphone was acting up.

I then spent the rest of the day covering breaks and working at the front desk signing people in for GYN. It was not too bad today. We got done around 5 pm – but then I had to lug the giant suite case of health fair materials through the city to Port Authority and drag it onto the bus to NJ. I can’t believe that amount of stuff they cram into that suite case. As I was leaving MB said that I needed to make sure to give everything away so I did not have to drag it all back from the Bronx tomorrow. I made it home with everything – but then I remember that there was a big bag of candy in the suite case because we always have  candy at the table to lure in the teens. This way we can get them to the table and try to get accurate birth control and STD prevention info into their hands while they are distracted by the sugar. I realized that I needed to take the candy out because it would be melting in the suite case all night if I just put it in the car with everything else. I am glad I remembered – but then there was candy in the house. I could hear it calling to me from the fridge all night.

"Heather, Come have some... You know you want to... every bodies doing it...You'r not cool if you don't!"

I wish I could lure teens with carrot sticks and fat free dip – but it does not work as well. I know that this whole discussion sounds terrible – but we also have abstinence info for them – I am always just concerned because the kids we see are not waiting… and I am tired of seeing the super high rates of STDs that we do.

Anyway, Mr M came home and annouced that he was not cooking because it was too hot to be out on the deck – and there was no way I was turning the oven on since the house was 80 degrees with the AC on… so Chinese it was again for dinner.

This is actually a picture of my lunch the other day - but I had exactly the same thing - wihtout the Brown Rice.

Then it was off to bed after catching up on Tivo-ed shows: Covert Affairs & Haven.