Ruthless . . .

There is a movie called Ruthless People with Bette Midler. I loved that movie when I first saw it in the 80s. I love Bette Midler. One memorable scenes is when she is being held captive in a basement for ransom. Because she has all the time in her hands, Bette's character decides to workout and eat better. Ultimately, she loses weight and says something to the effect that she has spent a fortune on fat loss spas and products, but being held in a basement for ransom helped her lose the weight.

I will be going away for a few days for professional development. My secondary goal is to be free from the little stressors of home. I hope to exercise and eat right during my three day.  I call it a "family sabbatical".  I already do well with exercise, but I don't do well with the intake of food.  

I've downloaded enough food addiction podcasts to last me the weekend. I listened to one this morning while on the treadmill at 5 a.m. It was 5 minutes, but the most enlightening 5 minutes of my time on this blog. I'm always searching for answers as to why I overeat. I have relayed many of them here, but the ultimate reason is "GUILT". Yes, guilt.

I binged yesterday because I felt guilt over leaving my children for 3 days while I gain some more knowledge on how to do my paying job effectively. Guilt for not doing enough in my paying job. Guilt for not keeping the house up to snuff as a former stay-at-home mother. Guilt for leaving the 3 kids to work a full time, paying job so I can support them financially.  Guilt for not calling my mother enough when she is losing her memory. Guilt for being angry with my mother for losing her memory (blaming her) and doing nothing about becoming more socially active and an active participant in her own well being. Guilt for being angry with a husband who works too much (in order to take care of our family). Guilt for overeating. Guilt for not working out enough. Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt . . . GUILT!

It is debilitating to write that word so many times, so you can imagine "feeling" that word every hour of my day. I am trying to compartmentalize the guilt and resolve those feelings so I can move past them. I can't resolve all the world's problems in my paying job. I can't be the perfect mother for my 3 kids. I can't be the perfect wife. I can't keep a perfect house. I can't be the perfect daughter.  Guilt also leads me to fears.  I will write about "fears" in the future.

What can I do? I can try my hardest, everyday, to accomplish small tasks that can get me near-perfect; like taking care of myself first so that I may take care of others. This trip will allow me to step back a bit and rejuvinate, so I may come back and be more giving. I am flying to Memphis in the morning and hope to meet a lot of people in my profession. I hope to socialize with many folks at the conference.  I want to exercise everyday and walk outdoors.  I want to enjoy being in a city that I've never been in.  All the while, I will be praying for the flood victims and for receding waters.  

What's eating you (guilt, fear, etc)?

Reflection . . .

I had a great Mother's Day; excluding baby being hit on the side of her noggin by her brother's after swing of his bat (yes, a real bat).  We sat outside after a nice breakfast of pecan waffles with syrup, bacon and one egg with a small glass of orange juice. I chased that with lunch of leftover Chinese fried rice and fried chicken wings. And capped that off with a hefty serving of roasted chicken, bread stuffing, rice, and peas. I was stuffed.  Outside, we blew bubbles.  I looked over to the window and saw my reflection.  Thankfully, I had my camera in hand documenting the bubble fun, and took this pic of myself; in all my glory.

Sitting is never a lovely angle for me.  I have the gut that impending motherhood of 3 pregnancies left me with.  I do not love my arms.  I love long, lean and defined arms.  Worst of all, I feel like a stuffed turkey.  I am bloated and flabby; plain 'ole uncomfortable in my shell.  I literally feel the anxiety of wanting to zip open my outer shell and step out as a thinner and comfortable woman; just like we feel when we have had a far too long winter, and we don't want to put on our winter coats ever again.  The thought of putting on that coat makes us shiver in disgust.  I feel like shivering every time I put on jeans that cut into my flesh or wear a shirt that makes my arms feel like sausage in a casing. 

I just feel stuffed. Filled physically, to the point where I am uncomfortable. I decided I needed to step back from the eating of real food. Well, tonight is my birthday dinner with friends. Hubby arranged for us to sit at the Chef's table and have a 6 course meal with wine pairings (I abstain from alcohol) to eat myself into oblivion.  A meal prepared just for me and my likes.  I've been waiting for this meal since February when we went to a friend's Chef's meal.  But now, I am dreading it.  Simply dreading it.

Today, I am doing a liquid diet. I am eating my green monsters with protein powder. At lunch, I will have a small serving of leftover cannellini bean and shrimp soup that I made a few days ago. I have considered doing a liquid diet when I get back from a conference at the end of the week. I even thought of taking my blender.

My mind tells me that those "quick fix" diets and fasting or juicing don't work. That they wreck your metabolism and do more harm than good. My thought is more of re-balancing my intake and being more mindful of what I am consuming without gorging. I will gorge on actual food. I will not gorge on a green monster.

I am hoping to see Fat Sick and Nearly Dead when it is available on Netflix. It is about a man who goes on a liquid diet for 60 days with the goal of better health. He travels around the US promoting his plan, and "recruits" a truck driver to do the program with him. There are health and fitness bloggers who often drink a combination of fruits, veggies, and protein powders as a supplement; not so much a replacement of meals.  They've gone as far as packing their suitcase with a blender to create healthy drinks while traveling.

It is a thought.  What do you think?

Have you ever considered a liquid diet of fresh fruits, veggies, and protein powders?

Exercise Twice

When I lost 75 lbs in college, I started exercising by running around my college's football stadium that had a track.  I would walk or jog daily and run up and down the stadium stairs.  I worked at the Police Department on campus as a work study, and I was able to use the gym for lifting weights in the building's attic.  It was a recipe for success.  I often exercised twice a day without a second thought.  I was 20.  I could do that easily because I was young and getting fit.  I lost 75 lbs in 5 months.  Yes, I was like a Biggest Loser contestant without the ranch or the prizes. 

A week ago, I saw Mrs. Obama on The View.  She was talking about military families with Dr. Jill Biden.  One of the comments from Sherri Shepherd was that Mrs. Obama often works out twice a day.  Mrs. Obama responded that since her husband entered office, she isn't allowed to walk around in public, so she needs to exercise for the amount of time that she would otherwise be actively walking as a normal citizen.  This resonated with me.  Immensely!

I immediately thought back to my exercising in college.  I was always on the go.  Being in Boston, I walked from class building to class building; often one side of campus to another. Up and down stairs to get to my destination.  Walked from one side of campus to get to work. Walked back to my dorm.  Exercised for the day.  Worked a job where I often walked from dorm to job at the YMCA and back.  And would make time to workout at the Y because I had a free membership and had help from the trainers.  Walked back to my dorm or commuted on two trains and a bus to my home.  I was in a constant state of activity.  I was 20.

In 2008, when I started being most active, I had a parking spot in a Lot much farther from work.  I never took the elevator and walked up and down flights of stairs. I would often would work out at 5 a.m at home for an hour or so.  On reasonable weather days, I'd go for a walk with my coworker; even when I worked out at 5 a.m.  I strapped on a pedometer and made sure to meet 10K steps a day. 

In September of 2010, I got a new parking pass for the Lot across the street.  I started taking the elevator to get to the outside from the lot.  I then started taking the elevator in my work building.  The walks during the day decreased to nothing because of winter.  I removed my pedometer from my sneaker.  My getting up at 5 a.m. stopped because everything else stopped.  I didn't have the same vim and vigor for exercise as I did when I started this journey in 2009. 

Nothing changed in my home.  I still had a treadmill and spin bike.  My exercise DVDs were still intact and waiting to be played.  I'd even purchased kettlebells that have been gathering dust in my little corner of the play room.  My mat was rolled up in a corner without it being used for my beloved Yoga practice.

This past week on Wednesday, I'd had enough. Hubby has been traveling since Wednesday in the a.m. I got myself up at 5:17 a.m. and got dressed to workout.  I turned on the TV and pressed "on demand" to retrieve a video from Exercise TV.  I'd just changed to Uverse, so I now have access to tons of short exercise videos that I can use one alone or combine for a good workout.  I've been working out everyday since Wednesday, even on my birthday, May 1.  I woke up on my special day and put on a kickboxing video.  I've been doing kickboxing videos as a start to my morning for 6 days straight.  I cross train with either a spin session or walk/run session on the treadmill for at least 45 minutes of cardio. 

I am very out of shape for running.  I am trying to build up my endurance.  It'll be slow, but I'll get back to running shape for the 10K I plan on running in October. I also want to build up strength in my upper body.  I have a thing for long and lean arms. 

This morning as I worked out at 5:15 a.m. again, I realized that my sedentary lifestyle (a stark contrast to my college lifestyle) requires me to put in a second workout; just like Mrs. Obama.  Now, I don't want to sound like I am an obsessive compulsive who can become addicted to exercise, but "read" me out.  My life is dramatically different than when I was in college.  I drive now.  I live in a ruralesque city.  I live in the suburbs.  I have three kids that I cart around in a minivan.  I drive to the supermarket, post office, daycare, school, and work.  Once I enter my job, I sit behind a desk and work on the computer.  I sit at my desk and read briefs and make corrections.  I sit and review cases.  I sit and call or retrieve messages.  I go to meetings where I sit and communicate with others who are also seated.  I sit and eat meals and snacks at my desk.  I do a short walk to retrieve my vehicle, get the kids, go home cook, and veg out on the couch, "exhausted" from my day.

As you may empathize, that "exhaustion" is mental--NOT PHYSICAL.  I didn't do enough in my day to be exhausted.  Compared to day laborers, skilled workers and farmers, I have a sweet and easy life.  And I should be doing more activity.  I should be exercising when I put the kids to bed.  Why don't I?  Not because I am lazy, but often times it is vegging out when hubby is home.  I sit with him and talk while we watch TV or a movie.  He is gone so often (like these past 6 days that I have been working out), that I like to spend all my time with him.  I'd rather get up and workout, but I join him in the family room to sit.  I feel this sense of responsibility to be a wife and devote time to him.  I remember when I stopped being the active woman that I was in 1994 and thereafte; I started dating him and wanting to spend time with him.

Okay, now this is "blame the man" time.  Actually, when we were dating and then living together, we were quite active.  We worked out in the mornings together by walking and jogging around the cemetery in our neighborhood in Maine, and we would meet at the University's gym after work.  Often, I drove several miles after work to meet him before joining my own gym closer to work.  I would work out in the morning with him, then I would workout at the gym either at lunch or after work because I was sedentary during the work hours.  When his role at work was elevated, his exercise lessened.  Now that he travels and works so many long hours, he doesn't exercise at all.  For many years, I followed suit until I had Lootie Tootie in 2008.  I couldn't stand being sedentary anymore.  I was frazzled as a married, mid-30-year-old with 3 kids.

Going from a city girl to a rural dweller and then a mom, changed my body.  I want to get back to the body I worked so hard for in the early 90s.  I no longer want to make excuses for being this size or allowances for being a wife and mom.  I do use Mrs. Obama as a role model because she and I are in the same profession and have children.  She is a lot busier than I am with her platform and world wide travels, but we are all in the same struggle to maintain good health and moderate weight.

So, I am going to workout twice a day for at least 21 days and see if I form a habit.  Now, I don't think I will be doing the insane, intense routines as in the Biggest Loser, but I will do my weight training and get back to Yoga in the evenings after having completed cardio in the mornings.  I am going to strap on the pedometer (once I find it) to ensure I get 10K steps a day.  And I will take the stairs and walk as often as I can; even forcing myself to take a few breaks to sneak it in during the day.  Today, I made plans to walk with my coworker at 11 a.m. CT, and I am looking forward to getting some fresh air.  I hope to do Yoga tonight for my arms, legs, and flexibility.  I am excited. 

How active are you during the day?  What "obstacles" are keeping you from being more active?

God

        I've been researching Overeater's Anonymous.  I am a researcher by nature and education.  I have to read and study on my latest interest before I delve into it.  When I complete that research, I then entrench myself into the subject matter.  I keep studying and perfecting what I do.  It becomes a compulsion.  It seems to me that I get addicted to that "thing".  I've been researching Overeater's Anonymous after watching Ruby this weekend.  Everyone told her that she needed a 12 step program.  I've written about it before.  And I am going to be as honest as possible about my reservations.  Please keep an open mind when you read the following.

        I am having a problem with the word "God".  Now, I don't want to offend the readers who have a connection to a higher power and may categorize themselves as members of a specific religious group.  I read a lot of healthy living blogs that are very religious based and am not offended or turned off by the way they conduct their daily lives.  As a Catholic, I have a faith in my God.  I was raised by a parent who made sure to take me to Church every Sunday--to Catholicism school every week for my rites of passage as a Catholic.  Since leaving home at 18, it hasn't been a practice; not even during special occassions such as Easter (yesterday).  I don't want to be a hypocrit about religion and practice.  I want to keep this blog and my life in a neutral plane and not promote one side over another.  For example, Yoga, to me, is not a spiritual practice of worshipping a higher, external power, but an internal power that connects the body and mind.  But I know that many religions would not think that Yoga is a practice that should be undertaken because it takes away from seeking and finding God when you are seeking strength within yourself. 
    
        I am a person that tries to seek power within myself.  I want to be strong both physically and mentally.  I am not saying I can't have God in my life because I want to be internally strong.  However, I don't think there is anything wrong with having both. 

        My issue with the term "God" in OA, is this overwhelming thought that I am going to be shamed for not being religious enough.  Now, I recognize that the term God could be used to mean a "higher power" within the person--and just place the word to signify that.  I was introduced to this concept by Geneen Roth in Women Food and God.  But it is still quite startingly to live the 12 steps in faith of "God".

The Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous


1.We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
        This I can admit to, and this is the very statement that makes me want to go to a meeting and work hard to change my life around.  I am powerless.  I have my moments of strength, but it is overshadowed my greater moments of weakness. 

2.Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
        I do believe that there is a higher Power.  But I also feel that there is a Power within myself that is locked deep inside.  I need that Power to be released to keep me consistent with eating healthy and moderately, so I may finally lose weight; but most importantly, keep it off indefinitely.

3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
        Hmmm.  This is where I start to have trouble.  This is where I start to panic and feel like I will disappoint Him and myself for not living up to His expectations.  I don't want to turn over control to God.  I felt like I did that as a child when I was sent to Him for training and practice in Catholicism.  I fell away from Catholicism's consistency to live my life within the high morality and values I was taught, but with an independence gained from just learning and living my own life on my own terms.

4.Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
        I think I've been doing that all along.  I try to search within and figure out "why" I behave in that manner and I've been brutally honest with myself.   

5.Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
        I know that I share a lot of my "truths" in this blog. However, it is still anonymously.  You don't know me personally, and despite all the frienships made, we don't reveal every nitty gritty detail.  I do talk about it to my husband on occassion.  I have a work buddy that I talk to openly when we go for our walks.. I know why I do this. I have taken inventory of every aspect of my life in order to find meaning in my behaviors, and I've been willing to share that openly. However, I will say that I am not openly honest about the sneaking of food, the sensation of gulping down a Snickers or a saucer cookie, and the extreme guilt and frustration as the consequence of that food addiction.  I've often prayed to God to deliver me from this behavior and to Jesus to give me strength at every moment of overwhelming-ness. 

6.Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
        Maybe.  I ask Him daily to help me with these feelings and compulsion to eat.  I ask Him to help me with all the "problems" that drive me to eat more than my physiological needs.  But, a huge but, I don't know if I am entirely ready for Him to remove all the defects of character.  Why?  Because that means I must submit to Him; to a religion or a consistent practice of going to Him and seeking Him out.  I think it is what I said about "shame" for not being religious enough, not devoted enough, not loving enough (to myself, maybe), not "good enough", not deserving enough, and not worthy of His time and care.  The list can go on and on without an end in sight.

7.Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
        I don't understand how I can ask Him to help me remove all my shortcomings and the problems that drive me to eat, but can't submit to His will and guidance.  But I desperately want the shortcomings to be removed so I can get peace from these thoughts and feelings.  I want the layers of fat (my outside expression of shortcomings) to be peeled off so I can enjoy this life.

8.Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
        Wow.  Where do I start with this one?  Honestly, I feel like there are a lot more people that need to make amends to me.  Yes, I can rationalize whom I've harmed, but I feel more victimized.  Maybe that is the problem.  I don't think of the things I may have done to others, but focus and dwell on what others have done to me.  My mother worked too much.  My father abandoned me.  My husband works to much.  My husband moves me too often.  I can go on and on with this one, but must study whom I've harmed over the years of my food addiction:  my children for giving them an unhealthy and unsound mother during my depression and addiction to food; my mother for sneaking food in contradiction of her rules; my husband whose lived with a ballooning wife that chooses food over his love. 

9.Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
         Must I?  How?  Well, for starters, I can actually work hard to stop overeating and admit to them and apologize when I have done so.  In my inventory of people, I don't think my making amends would injure them; except the children who may in turn learn about food issues from my revelations.  I think it would bring us together.

10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
        Yes.  I will.  This blog serves as my personal inventory and admission of wrong doing.  I will do more of that.  And I will be more honest with myself and others about the impact and consequence of my overeating.  One thing hubby can tell you is that I hate to be wrong.  I am a know-it-all. 

11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
        I need more help with this.  Prayer and meditation is a constant.  I ask for help through my silent prayers to God, but I need to "[understand] Him" and learn more about "knowledge of His will for us".  I have a general understanding of what this means.  And I am certain that an OA meeting will help me with that, but I am afraid to commit because I fear failure and disappointing Him--which in turn fails and disappoints my mother who introduced and ensured that I receive religious training.  Let's call this a teetering Catholic's Guilt.

12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
        I can most certainly do this.  This blog is a place to carry on the message of compulsive overeating and the physical and emotional detriment it creates.  I will try to practice this principles daily, but there are many concerns and reservations from diving deep into OA. 

        I have troubles making meetings.  I have a lot of obligations to this family.  While it may be easy to say that I am most important and must make the time, it is not easy with 3 kids, full time job, and a husband who travels for many days at a time.  The meetings are varied to many locations that are a little further away from home and are in a place of worship (again a palpitating hesitance that I have).  There is one close to me at 7:30 p.m.  I want to make that meeting . . . someday. 

        In the meantime, I will keep reading, praying, planning, and putting steps into practice. 

Have you attended an Overeater's Anonymous meeting and what did you think?

Addicted to Food . . .



From 2010-11-17

I've been watching the new reality-therapy show on OWN channel called Addicted To Food.  The main therapist is Tennie McCarty who is a food addiction therapist that also has been on Ruby. 

I know that I am addicted to food to help cope with the "overwhelming burdens" of my day to day life.  Now, when I write these things out, I am able to recognize that it is ridiculous.  In the grand scheme of it all, I have a great life.

1.  I have a great husband who adores me and works extremely hard to support me and our children.
2.  I have amazing children who are smart, funny, cute, and need me to be my best.
3.  I have a mother who has sacrificed my entire life to provide for me and even wants to give her all to my children.
4.  I have a beautiful home to live in that is spacious and warm in the Winter and cool in the Summer. 
5.  We have jobs that provides the necessities: house, food, health care, internet (kidding), a vehicle, and quality childcare.
6.  Good health in all of us despite hearing loss, autism, and my obesity.  We are healthy and we are okay.

What is wrong with my life?  I can't stop eating my feelings.  I can't stop myself from eating when I am not physically hungry.  I am emotionally hungry.  I want more from my mother.  I want more from my father.  I want more from my husband.  I want more from my step-mother-in-law.  I want more from my mother-in-law.  I want more for my children.  I want more from my job.  All of these things (and a few other things), are "excuses" for me to eat; to binge . . . to hurt myself. 

Today, I dealt with another family issue that is not my issue.  It is not my responsibility to take control and solve it, but I did.  Then I left work, went to the coffee shop and bought a sugary latte with 2 cookies the size of saucers and I ate it.  I ate two cookies that I didn't need.  It was disgusting.  It was awful.  I did it.  I had guilt.  Now, I have anger--at myself.  I am hurting myself because I felt the hurt of another person.  Somewhere down the line, I must learn that I cannot abuse myself because I can't fix something for someone else.  Food cannot take the place of dealing with the accomplishments and obstacles in my life.

I can't sit back and not move my body when I abuse it so.  And despite knowing all that I described above, I am doing absolutely nothing to fix it when I keep going through the cycle of self abuse, action plan, dumping action plan, and back to self abuse. 

Yet again, I am going back to action plan.  It is what I have.  I am not a true quitter.  I don't think any of us are true quitters.   We go back and forth with our weight loss plans, but we never just completely drop it and live this overweight life.  We try "something", anything, to get us to accomplish the goal of weight loss; any loss is a victory.  This is hard.  This cannot be easy when you are confronted with the need for a drug.

"Hello.  My name is Rosa and I am addicted.  I am addicted to food."  Food is my drug.  I can't quit cold turkey.  Without it, I will die.  But with too much of it, I will die.

And somehow, I must find the balance to coexist with my drug and my biological duty to feed this body.  

What is your relationship with food?  How do you cope with feelings and food?

Happy Pills . . .

          I want to apologize for falling off the radar; in every sense of the phrase. I've been pretty melancholy lately. It is the same stuff that always gets me in a tizzy: job, Mom, kids, balancing it all, hubby's work, and still not getting to a place where I want my body to be. I have done nothing lately. Absolutely nothing.

          Yesterday, I couldn't take the fatigue anymore. I was just plain tired and miserable. After a full night's rest, I was not rested. I've been dealing with my self-diagnosis of ADHD. I can't focus or accomplish simple tasks without getting overwhelmed and doing absolutely nothing. Every time I broached the subject, my doctor asks if I am depressed.  I do suffer from anxiety and doctors have wanted to put me on medication for that in the past.  I've always been able to deal with it through relaxation techniques and exercise.  I would go for a walk or a run to burn off that excess angst and energy.  But I haven't had the interest or motivation to do so lately. 

          After reading the gossip rags and reading about one-seemingly-perfect-actress, I realized that we all have our issues. Nothing and no one is perfect. You can have the money, the homes, the lifestyle, but one thing is a given, money isn't everything, beauty isn't going to make you happy, and being thin doesn't keep you satisfied. I went out and bought St. John's Wort.

          I do not recommend this for people who have a clinical diagnosis of depression or a mental health spectrum disorder (nor on antidepressant medication), but for those of us who at certain times of the month are under the weather, this peps you up. I took one capsule, three times a day. By mid morning, I was accomplishing so many tasks and focusing on my work at the office. I was able to get some proposals done and submitted a proposal that I started in the afternoon. I didn't multitask and go from one incomplete activity to the next.  I had a lot more energy because I didn't feel this drain.

          This morning, I was able to clean and cook without hesitation and wanting to plop on the couch as soon as I woke up. Amazon and I were able to rearrange her room and make more sense of the space. She and I decluttered.  I made great lunches for everyone; including myself. It has been good so far. This isn't the cure, but I am hoping that it can help me during my PMS phase; which I realized was the culprit when I went to the bathroom mid-day yesterday.

          I don't keep track of my cycle, so I don't always have a clue as to when my mood has changed. I keep saying that I am going to get back to fitness and eating well, but that is just a lie. I have absolutely no motivation or interest. I will be spending some of Spring Break with the kids next week. If it ever stops snowing while we are home (yes, it is snowing here right now), I will take the kids out for bike rides around our community. I still have a lot of goals, but I need to take time to get to it. I am thinking that I may still be suffering from SAD because this winter and darkness hasn't gone away.  I plan on jumping on the treadmill for a short walk when Baby naps today; just me and my ipod.  Just to do something.  Sometimes you just have to do a little something to jump over that seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

What do you do to elevate your mood (anything natural, medicinal, or activity wise)?

My Fitness Pal

For the last two weeks, I've been using My Fitness Pal that I downloaded for free on my itouch and can log onto online. I didn't realize that I had signed up for it over a year ago when I started my journey of health and fitness. Undoubtedly, it was recommended by another blogger.

The reason I started monitoring my food (despite being a WW member and the "ease" of points) is that I am not capable of truly acknowledging and being accountable for what I eat when I don't write every single bite or drink to review at the end of the day. I need to see the number of calories that I am allowed, and I need to see how many calories I've subtracted from that number per meal. It is startling how much I can eat in one meal. Weight Watcher's points are great, but I needed to get back to the science of weightloss; like I did in college when I ate vegetarian and wrote everything down in a 5 subject, college ruled spiral notebook--yes, I am that specific in life.

If I am going to ingest it, I have to write it. Well, in this case, plug it all in. One thing was startling, that we can eat the calories gained from the burn of exercise. I did know this. Weight Watchers teaches this. However, I didn't quite understand it and how it relates to my body. It was a revelation that was amazing. If I want to eat a little more then I need to exercise. However, on the days I eat the amount of calories burned from exercise, I found that the next day I didn't lose an ounce. Okay, shoot me for weighing in everyday, but I was a bit shocked.

One of the things I want to start doing in April, is to use a heart rate monitor for exercise. I want to know exactly how many calories "my" body is burning while exercising. I've thought of getting a body bugg, but the expense of the device plus the membership is something I can't invest in right now. Getting back to the basics of a relatively inexpensive heart rate monitor is the way to go.

This morning I weighed in at 203.7 lbs. I've been up and down recently, but my average was always about 205, so this is great. My weightloss goal with My Fitness Pal is one pound a week. So far at the rate I am going with my calorie consumption of 1700 calories a day (without the extra from exercise), I can get to 198 lbs in 5 weeks. Pretty cool.

I am not at the point of reducing my calories to lose 2 lbs a week. I feel like I have to master the control of eating and cataloging my consumption, so I am not pushing it. I started a running program to get back to my 5k runner's status.

Goals for March 20-26:

1. log food.
2. exercise 5 times this week
3. move a little more during my sedentary office hours.

How do you monitor your calorie intake or burn? (I know you're there. Delurk and let me know what you do. Thanks.)