Great Week: Down 1.6 lbs

I had a great week this week. My eating was on track. I did cardio twice and made my 2.7K goal every day but my cheat day. 

Feeling my belly (my barometer) before I weighed in, I figured I had lost about a week. I was wrong. I lost 1.6lbs, which is pretty much my goal every week (an average of 1.5 lbs.) I'm so glad I lost, after two weeks of not losing, I was questioning whether what I'm doing was working! But, we are on track!

I need to really kick it in gear as I'm going to have a rough time around Thanksgiving. Not because of Thanksgiving meals, per se, but because I'm going to Toronto for 4 days. And Toronto is a party town and has AMAZING veggie options. 

It is really becoming obvious that I am losing as my clothes are fitting a LOT better!

What went well last week

- I was disciplined 6 days! (Six days of A- or better!)

- I did cardio on two days

- My energy was really up

- My cheat day was in check and it didn't extend into Friday and Sunday

What I could have done better last week

- I did drink during the week (a couple of glasses of wine after a really hard day and I went to a celebratory happy hour yesterday for a friend who got a new job.

- My portions are probably too big. I need to consciously cut them by 10%

Healthy Lunch

I worked from home today and was able to heat up something a little special.: Fish ("Hake en Papillote") with roasted veggies and quinoa.

Where I know origami, I really need to learn to make these "papillote" parchment paper boxes. They steam perfectly in the microwave.

Fruits of my Cooking Labors

Yummy 400 calorie dinner. (Brown rice, sautéed mushrooms, carrots with dill, quinoa and roasted brussels sprouts.)

Weigh In: Zero Net Gain

So, before I weigh in each week, I think to myself, how do I feel? How did I do the previous week? How much do I think I will lose?

I felt pretty good. I'm a bit sore from exercise this week. Yesterday, I was able to fit into a vest that has been "off limits" for some time. I feel my gut is getting smaller. As for the week, I had a not so great start, off on Friday, Saturday and to a lesser extent on Sunday. Still, I had 4 straight days with an "A" rating (and met my Fuel Points 2.7K goal every day but Saturday.) So my answer was, I felt I deserved a modest 1 lb loss.

I didn't get it. I didn't lose but I also didn't gain. 

Even so, I'm not discouraged. I'm back on it this week! I can do this!

What went well last week

- I was disciplined 4 days! The other 3 days, I did have movement and made my 2.7K goal 6 of the 7 days.

- I started having more exercise in my routine, adding cardio and weight training.

- I ate my own food all but 2 meals. I ate nutritious, flavorful things which I was content with.

- I didn't drink through the week.

What I could have done better last week

- I should have only had one cheat day (not let the cheat day bleed into Friday and Sunday.)

- Even though I am eating a LOT of proteins and veggies, some of the portions were kind of big and I probably underestimated the number of points (when I work out, I get even more hungry.)

- I should have watched my portions of peanut butter (again, probably underestimated.)

FIVE Ways My Current Eating/Exercise Plans Are Different than Before

So, I'm about a month into my eating and exercise plan and wanted to reiterate what I'm doing different this time around compared to my eating campaign earlier in the year. More than anything, I'm basing my new plans on knowledge of what works for me, for my body and what is sustainable. 5 main differences this time around:

1. "STAYING WITH IT" - I'm being a bit easier on myself. I am lightening up a bit and not punishing myself if I veer from the plan. I partied around Halloween and didn't lose that much. So what? I have to be social or I will quit it. The goal is to get back on the wagon the following day.

2. "EXERCISE" - I dislike treadmill and stepper and cardio, in general. I will do these from time to time, but the focus will be on low impact exercise and LOTS of weight training (Goal: 3x per week.)

3. "HOMEMADE FOOD" - My goal is to prepare, from scratch, 95%+ of what goes into my mouth. Preparing multiple meals over the weekend to munch on over the week keeps me eating healthy and my body is responding well to less preservatives. Beyond being practical, it's also a time saver as I just reheat things during the week.

4. "NO ALCOHOL" - I have largely cleared my apartment of alcohol during the week so I'm not tempted to have a drink. I do believe no alcohol (except on splurge days) does boost my metabolism. It also makes me a "cheap date" on the night I go out.

5. "LITTLE OR NO POP" - I was in the habit of having a can of pop with lunch in the afternoon. While I'm not completely cutting it out of my diet, it is kinda bad for you, so I am drinking as little as possible.

Food or Beer?

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love to drink beer. 

Tonight I had a realization that I could eat three of these nice crackers with some goat cheese or I could have one beer. 

I chose the food.

Secret Protein Tip

I learned this in Poland, where soups are really big. Be it barszcz or pickle soup or chicken noodle soup, often they will be served with a hard boiled egg on top, as shown.

As a vegetarian, I sometimes have problems getting enough protein. This is one yummy way I can. An egg has a mild flavor is meshes well with most soups, including my homemade chili.

Happy Refrigerator: Food for the Week

I've been busy cooking healthy food. I'm set for the majority of my cooking for the rest of the workweek. (I'll supplement this with fresh veggies and some frozen stuff.)

Saturday, I made quinoa firecracker chili. Then tonight, I prepared rice, indian style roasted cauliflower, roasted vidalia onion, polenta with peas in cream sauce (not low fat, but I keep the portion low!) as well as thai stir fry.

Week 2: Down 2 More lbs

Woo hoo! I lost 2.0 lbs on my second "official" week on my eating and exercise plan. While I gave myself Bs and Cs for the week (most notably because of the fact I have a healing broken toe and could not extensively diet,) I did manage to be very disciplined for 5 of the 7 days. I had a lot of fun at Buckeye and Blue Jacket Games on Saturday and Sunday nights. I lived.

To keep up this velocity and since my toe is basically healed, I'm going to add mild cardio to the mix this next week.

What went well last week

- I was disciplined 5 days and my two bad days, I was disciplined right up until my first beer and bite of bad food. 

- I ate an apple every day

- I cooked a lot of yummy, tasty food on Sunday which I grazed on all week, including roasted succotash, couscous, baked vidalia onion, polenta (Trader Joe's frozen thing.) I felt full and satisfied all week.

- There was pizza in the break room at work and I didn't eat any

- I didn't drink through the week at all

- I spent almost no money on food or drink (besides my two cheat days which were expensive) 

What I could have done better last week

- I should have only partied one night last week, not two

- I should have made the minestrone soup that I had intended to make (Instead I had store-bought soup.

- I should have made my 2.7k Nike Fuel Points goal each day

Satisfying Dinner

I've been happy with myself this week. Despite being very busy at work, (10+ hour days) I've been on my eating plan. Tonight, I had a series of homemade leftovers:

Starting at 12 o'clock: polenta with peas, baked vidalia with breadcrumbs, roasted succotash, couscous and roasted yellow squash and portobello mushroom. Total: 11 points (pre Nov '10 WW points)

Soup and Salad

I was working from home today and fixed this for lunch:

Homemade bean soup with chopped salad (cabbage, red onions, carrot, celery, cashews with peanut butter vinaigrette) topped with fresh avocado.  

New Eating and Exercise Plan

So, I was getting ready for work last week and I realized that one pretty standard pair of pants I wear was pretty tight. I jumped on the scale and was appalled. I had gained a considerable amount of weight over the spring and summer.

I'm not going to beat myself up. I've had a lot on my plate:

- Sprained ankle

- Moving apartments

- House sale in Cincinnati 

- New assignment at work that was extra stressful

- Financial concerns

- 5 weekends in a row of items

- Broken toe

So, that morning, right then and there, I decided that I'm going back on my eating plan. 

My official starting weight was 207 lbs on October 11. I have a goal to get down to 185 lbs by the new year.

So, I'm starting with packing a lunch for work like this:

This is my NEW 14 week contract for my eating and exercise plan:

General Rules

- The week begins with a weigh in each Friday morning.
- The week will last 14 weeks. From 10/11/2013 until 1/17/2014.

Eating Rules

- No meat or meat products. Barf.
- The plan encourages fresh, healthy foods over fatty foods and carbs.
- The plan will be loosely based on the "old" Weight Watchers points system to ensure proper mix of food and correct portioning. (I'll bucket breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner points to equal approximately 32.)

- No alcohol during the week.

- Dietary supplements.
- One "cheat evening" will be permitted per week, for mental health.
- Each Sunday, I will prepare several meals for the week (minimum one main dish or soup, and one side dish) to facilitate healthy eating.

Exercise Rules

- a Nike+ Fuel Band will be used to track general activity; the goal is 2,700 fuel points per day.
- Separate to the Fuel Band, I will workout a minimum of 3 times per week (minimum of 30 minute cardio activity or 20 min cardio/20 min weight training.)

Tracking 

- A paper journal will be used to track eating and exercise
- This blog will be updated regularly. Minimally, each Friday, this blog will contain: screenshot of scale, screenshot of diary for the week.

Motivational Tools and Penalties

This time around, I'm not going to focus on public humiliation and penalties. Instead, I'm going to attempt positive reinforcements, as follows:

200 lbs - "Union Jack Suit" - it's a kind of pajama thing

195 lbs- "Segno" tattoo  

190 lbs- Vacation trip to Toronto 

185 lbs- $500 shopping spree for new clothes

Week 8 Weigh-In: Down Another 2.4 lbs

After all that complaining this week, I ended up having a good weigh in this morning, thankfully. I did work for it though! I worked out for over 4 hours this past week (more per week than I have this year.) Also, I met my 3K Nike Fuel Band goal every day. Indeed, I gave myself an A- or better all days but Friday. (Saturday might have normally been a B+, but I worked out pretty damn hard and ate well right up to my cheat meal/evening.)

I would say that I was unnecessarily obsessed with weight loss this week, which is probably not healthy.

I'm down 15.8 lbs and as of this morning and on track to be at my next goal of 190lbs by St. Patrick's Day.

What went well

- I was focused, both in eating and exercise
- 4 days of aerobic activity (choreography practice DOES count as I burned 500 calories in 2 hours!)

- Met the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day

- 6 days of "A-" or better 

- I did not go overboard on my cheating on Friday and Saturday

What needs improvement

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night

Skinny Bitch in Atlanta

There's this skinny bitch in Atlanta who stays up until late hours of the night thinking how she can demoralize and degrade Americans. She has a cushy job, so she spends 1-2 hours per day in the gym.

"Like! Oh my God! I just love going the gym!" she said.

She works for the CDC and came up with the latest BMI regulations:

As it turns out, at the new year, my weight was such that I was considered "OBESE." Now, I'm just considered "OVERWEIGHT." To be considered "NORMAL," I need to be AT OR BELOW 174lbs (more than 35lb weight loss.) 

You can take that 3lb purple barbell and shove it up your anorexic little..!

Bloated

It's been a pretty good week so far! I've exercised more this week than I have previous weeks (4+ total hours of cardio and weight training) on The Plan to really push my metabolism in light of last week's meager loss.

Even so, I feel bloated. I know I'm not supposed to weigh in during the week but I did and my weight was up a bit.

I fear I'm not going to have a good weigh in on Friday. I am really hoping to be at my next goal (190lbs) by St. Patrick's day.

Theories for being bloated:
- Metabolism slowing down
- Gain in muscle?
- More salt than previous weeks? I have been eating nuts
- Too much sugar? I realized that the the only thing I'm having with sugar in it is my yogurt. I thought because the Chobani yogurt was 0% fat that it would be "healthy"--not with 19g of sugar

I'm a bit discouraged.

Poem II: A letter to G

Dear G,

You are leaving and I'm not going to miss you
Yes. We partied together. Had some amazing meals!
Pizza and lasagna and sushi together
The times we had carousing the town
I  will  never  forget

But you are ugly and you make me feel bad
So you have to go and I never want to see you again

MeV

Sample Dinner: Biryani

This meal came out particularly well. First I fried 1 full egg and 2 egg whites and set the egg aside. In the same pan I friend 1.5 cups Trader Joe's biryani for a few minutes while I microwaved a container of frozen vegetables. I threw them all together for a delicious, not too fattening meal!

Week 7 Weigh-In: Down Another 1.2 lbs

Meh. Not a big loss this week. Just a puny 1.2 lbs. Unlike last week when I lost 2.6 lbs, I do deserve the puny loss. I partied both Friday and Saturday nights. I was crap each of the following days. I also ate out (on a date!) on Wednesday night and went over my points.

I lost focus. But I got up the next day and got back on it.

Oddly, to see how far off I was, I weighed in on Sunday and on Wednesday. On Sunday, I was really bloated and weighed in about 5 lbs heavier than this morning. Wednesday morning and was 2 lbs or so lighter than today. So there have been some pretty major fluctuations in my weight this week.


I'm down 13.4 lbs and as of this morning, I'm halfway through my program!

Being so close to the 190 mark on Wednesday, I got excited thinking about my next non-food reward. I've decided that it will be a small tattoo on my upper right chest. It's going to be of a segno.

Definition: The musical term segno – Italian for “sign” – refers to a symbol involved in a complex system of musical repeats. 

Here's what it looks like:

Not all of my tattoos will be musical in nature. I saw this recently on a piece we are doing for Illuminati and liked the fluidity of it. It's kind of fun to me in that it's a "symbol" of sign. Also, this denotes "complex repeat." Let's face it, life is a complex systems of repeats, i.e. the daily routine.

What went well

- Despite being in a bad mood for a couple of days, I stuck with it!
- 4 days of aerobic activity (choreography practice DOES count as I burned 400 calories in 1.5 hours!)

What needs improvement

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night
- No more 2 night party weekends

- Meet the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day
- 6 days of "A-" or better (one cheat day is cool)

Week 6 Weigh-In: Down Another 2.6 lbs

Wow! I'm down another 2.6lbs this week on The Plan. While I'm content with the loss, I have to say I'm a bit surprised as well. I started the diet week with friends in town from Cincinnati and was not careful about eating/drinking for two meals. Then I didn't make my 3K Nike Fuel Bank goal on Monday (I was watching a movie and forgot about it.) Then I had some stress over my house sale and drank some beer (still more or less within my points.) I only had three "A" days out of 7.

I don't really deserve the loss, but I'll take it! So, I'm down 12.2 lbs and just a week from being halfway through my program! I have to say this has been the most aggressive and consistent eating/exercise plan I've ever done.

What went well

- I stayed on the plan

- Despite being in a bad mood for a couple of days, I stuck with it!

What needs improvement

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night

- Meet the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day (I missed the first day because I didn't feel well and it was very cold and snowy outside.)
- 6 days of "A-" or better (one cheat day is cool)

Focus!

With friends visiting over the weekend, it was not possible to completely diet. Having said that, my cheat period was contained to roughly 24 hours. The greasy empanada lunch on Saturday got me craving the old fatty food. And I briefly considered falling off the wagon again on Sunday.

But I woke up Sunday and got back on The Plan. I had a nice 35 minute cardio workout before singing with Illuminati at a church in Bexley. I was very cautious as to what I ate yesterday.

I peeked at the scale this morning (to get an idea of the damage, if any.) It read 199.4. I'm down 0.6 lbs over the weekend (and officially below the 200lb mark!) I'm going to again be very focused this week and hope to have a good weigh in on Friday.

Moral of the story: Don't beat yourself up when you fall from grace. Just get back on track and regain focus.

Week 5 Weigh-In: Down Another 2.0 lbs

I'm down another 2.0 lbs this week on The Plan. I'm happy with this because it puts me at a 2 year low in terms of weight. I figure I was at 200 lbs about 2 years ago when I was living in Cincinnati doing contract work here in Columbus. (I was on an expense account and could eat ANYTHING I wanted. Naturally, I put on 5lbs in 7 months...) So, I'm down 9.6! I can ALMOST say that I'm down 10 lbs!

I was joking with people yesterday that I was hoping to lose 2.2 lbs or MORE to get me below the psychological 200lb mark. I've realized that I can and WILL do it this time. I will be at 185ish (with muscle) this spring.

The weight loss is very noticeable in my gut. There had been certain shirts that I had not been able to wear because of my gut. I put them on with no problems now. Strangely, I have not seen so much difference in my pants size. I may retain my J' Lo butt after all!

The routine of eating soup and individual package of hummus (with carrots and/or celery) has worked out very well. The bean and veggie soup I made last week was perfect and filling. I ate it 5 days in a row for lunch without complaint. While I don't want to get bored with soup, if this works, I should stick with it!

What went well

- I stayed on the plan

- My alcohol consumption is very low. Sensible snacks, not so many carbs

- Despite being in a bad mood for a couple of days, I stuck with it!

What needs improvement

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night

- Meet the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day (I missed the first day because I didn't feel well and it was very cold and snowy outside.)
- 6 days of "A-" or better (one cheat day is cool)

Lunch Temptations at Work

I LOVE food. That is the main reason why I am fat!

The company cafeteria in my building is cool in that it has rotating guest vendors most days. Two coworkers told me of two different veggie friendly options for today: Indian (Saag paneer and/or garbanzo bean dishes over rice with nan) and Mediterranean (Falafel over a salad with hummus and veggies.)

So, I could either eat the soup and carrots/hummus OR splurge on the food from the cafeteria.

I thought of myself at the pool at the campground, skinny. Then I went to the fridge on my floor to heat up my soup.

It's not that I'm punishing myself or denying myself food I love. I'm making a short-term decision maintain my control and to eat alternative things (that I still like a lot) to get to my goal.

Besides, I do have a cheat night coming up on Saturday! :)

Sample Dinner

Quinoa, roasted succotash with jalapeño, veggie burger with avocado and roasted cauliflower.

TWO Easy Low-Preparation Items to Eat

I spent a lot of the weekend organizing and working on reformatting my computer, so while I was around at home, I did have time for heavy cooking. I made two EASY items (per my 14 week contract to myself:)


1. Quinoa - Reading the back of the quinoa packet, they suggested making it in the rice cooker! No way! I had to try. I put 2 cups quinoa and 4 cups water into the rice cooker. 45 minutes later, it was done! Sweet! (Last time I made quinoa was a failure, so this approach is a GREAT find!)

2. Roasted Succotash with Jalapeño - Super easy:

Ingredients

1 Bag frozen Succotash (16 oz?)

1 large onion

2 jalapeños

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Partially defrost the frozen Succotash 3 min at 50% in microwave.

3. Place Succotash in a mixing bowl.

4. Chop 1 large onion and add to bowl.

5. Devein and deseed jalapeños, chop finely and add to bowl.

6. Stir in olive oil.

7. Spread ingredients over large clear Pyrex dish

8. Cook for 40-60 minutes stirring halfway in-between until toasted. 

Week 4 Weigh-In: Down 2.4 lbs

I'm down another 2.4 lbs this week on The Plan. Things are going well. I was a bit concerned I would not lose this much because I started the week off badly and was a bit over my points via beer at the OSU basketball game on Tuesday. Plus, I had stresses at work. Still, I largely stayed on plan!

What went well

- I stayed on the plan

- My alcohol consumption is very low. Sensible snacks, not so many carbs

- I was better about getting enough sleep

What needs improvement

- Stay at 32 pts. Don't overeat!

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night

- Meet the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day

January Nike+ Fuel Points: 87% Goal Hit Rate

Although my throat is a bit scratchy, I did stay up tonight to walk around to meet my Nike+ Fuel point total for the day. It's kind of amazing when you look at the total numbers. In the past month, I walked from Dayton and back (in miles) and burned 40,709 calories. :)

Next month, I'm going to shoot for 100%! 

(My outliers for the month where January 12 when I went went crazy moving stuff around my storage area and January 25 when we had really bad weather and I felt really bad.)

Typical Lunch at Work

This is an example of a typical lunch at work. Homemade split pea and vegetable soup with hummus and carrots. 3 hours later, I had a blood orange and low fat Greek yogurt. I was not at all hungry that afternoon. It was a bit lighter as I was anticipating having a bigger dinner.

Three Happy Thoughts

Inspiration today:

1. I'm down one belt buckle size on my belt
2. I was told that I look skinnier in the face
3. One of my normal sweaters is kind of hanging on me. Looks big. I feel fat and bloated, but clothes are beginning to fit looser

Week 3 Weigh-In: Down 1.2 lbs

I'm down another 1.2 lbs this week on The Plan. For a total of 5.2 lbs since 1/7/2013 when I officially started. I should feel good about that. What I like about The Plan is that it is something I can live with for the next 2-3 months; it is sustainable.

What went well

- I stayed on the plan
- I felt good, was rarely hungry. My portions were in control

- My alcohol consumption is very low. Sensible snacks, not so many carbs

- I muddled through 3 weight lifting workouts
- I was better about getting enough sleep

What needs improvement

- Stay at 32 pts. Don't overeat!

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night
- Meet the 3,000 Nike+ Fuel point goal every day

Recipe: Split Pea and Vegetable Soup

Bean soups are great in the winter and they are well suited for dieting. I made this soup tonight. Yes, cooking for the 3rd night this week and it's only Thursday. :)

It's a pretty inexpensive soup. I figure about $4 including the mushrooms which add a little extra flavor and interest. I separated the soup into 5 containers which I will heat up in the container and consume.

Ingredients
1 bag Goya green split peas (16 oz package)
1 potato shredded
2-3 cloves garlic
6-8 cups vegetable stock

1-2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 finely chopped jalapeños
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped carrot
2/3 cup copped zucchini
8-10 corsely chopped mushrooms
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

Directions
1. Sort and rinse peas and soak overnight or at least 8 hours.
2. In a 6 to 8 quart pot combine the split peas, potato, garlic and vegetable stock
3. In a frying pan, sprinke extra virgin olive oil and sauté the jalapeño, celery, onion, carrot, zucchini and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes until slightly tender.
4. Add sautéed mixture to beans and cook until the peas are soft

Garnish ideas
- croutons
- dab of sour cream
- parmesan cheese
- sliced hard boiled egg

Self visualization

So, I walked by the pool this afternoon on a puppy walk (in 11 degree weather.) I had a warm feeling, thinking about the pool being crowded with attractive, mostly 30 something residents of the complex.

I thought of myself with them, with a flat stomach. I could actually see myself skinny. I'm going to make this happen!

Tuesday Night Cooking

I did manage to cook rice and a nice soup on Sunday. Still, I had some cabbage in my fridge and saw some nice organic cauliflower and North Market.

So, I decided to make two things: German red cabbage with apples (Rotkohl) and spicy-Indian inspired cauliflower.

Both turned out well and are relatively guilt free eating!

Week 2 Weigh-In: Down 1.2 lbs

The scale says I'm down 1.2 lbs for my second week on The Plan. I was expecting a bit more and my goal is 1.5 lbs per week on average. But 4 out of 7 days I was in the "B" range... I'm now down 4 lbs total.

What went well

- I stayed on the plan

- I got my 3 workouts in and they were good ones!

- My alcohol consumption is very low

- I had a setback and a stressful situation, yet I stayed on plan (and not resort to fattening comfort food or lots of drink!)

What needs improvement

- Reduce carbs by 10%-ish. Focus on more fruits and veggies and less on carbs

- Watch my portion size for nuts & dried fruit (I think I went overboard a bit one or two days)

- Get a full 8 hours of sleep each night

Red Kidney Bean, Spinach and Brown Rice Soup

I love trying new recipes! This is a light, vegetarian soup with kidney beans and fresh spinach. Some veggie soups seem like they are missing an ingredient. This one is filling and great for winter. 

(Click image to enlarge)

Instead of chicken broth, I used veggie broth. Also, I added celery, doubled the garlic and added red pepper flakes. Next time, I might even try shitake mushrooms! Oh, after cooking the base soup, I did not add the spinach at the end. Instead, I added it the next day, right as I put the soup in the microwave.

Update: Talking with coworkers about this soup recipe, I've decided that I'm going to make more soups like this. From begging to end, the preparation took 1 hour (with 5 minutes of chopping.) It tasted better, cost less and had a hell of a lot less sodium than canned soup. Plus, if I make it, I don't have to worry about hidden bacon (which happened to me last weekend!)

Post Work-Out Dinner

Still going strong on my plan! After a tough workout (30 min cardio, 20 min upper body weights,) I was starving and my body was starving for protein!

Brown rice, Adzuki beans, green beans and a Trader Joe's organic veggie burger. Hit the spot!

The organic Adzuki beans were grown right here in Ohio by Shagbark Seed & Mill. Preparing them was easy! Per the directions on the back of the bag, I soaked the entire bad of smallish red beans overnight. Then I cooked in water for about 2 hours until they were somewhat soft (then gave time to continue cooking while cooling.) I added salt at the very end.

Reheating the beans, I add Sriracha hot chili sauce and salt and pepper. Really yummy and healthy!

Full Day of Moving / Grove City Witch Project / 7,000+ Fuel Points

So, as mentioned today I shopped then built an extensive set of IKEA shelves-by hand with a screwdriver and ratchet! It was unseasonably warm and I was motivated! After lunch, I manually moved the entire contents of my storage area from one unit to another about 200 feet away with a dolly.

Although tired, (after moving 13+ hours!) I was surprised when I got home how many Nike Fuel Points I had earned. My daily goal is 3,000. And it said I burned 2,630 calories! Yeah, my target food consumption is 1,600 per day.

I'm happy that I got off my ass and did this manual work which I've been putting off for some time. In general, in 2013, I'm getting my shit in gear and it feels great!

Hearty Breakfast

I'm going to be doing a fair amount of manual labor today putting up shelving, so I needed a hearty breakfast: homemade black beans, microwaved carrots and eggs (1 full egg, 2 egg whites.) 8 pts.

10 Day Streak

I got this Nike+ Fuel band right before the new year. New Year's Day was pretty rough and I didn't make my 3,000 fuel point goal. I'm excited that I have made the goal every day since then. For 10 consecutive days.  I was rewarded with a video celebrating my 10 day streak:

Resistance.

So a woman in the area is moving on to a new assignment. To celebrate, the department got gourmet cupcakes. This was what was being offered to me:

This is what I actually ate:

I was proud of myself for resisting.