Funky Friday, plus SUSHI.....hmmmmm

It has been a few days since I last posted! Honestly, I have not had anything as funny and embarrassing as my 'light bladder leakage' story in the last few days, so I have been absent.

I have NOT been to the gym to work out since Monday. I have done some walking to log my daily 30 minutes, but nothing strenuous. I am still battling the 'crud' and pretty much feel like a walking zombie most days. I have done very well with my fruits/veggie/whole grain consumption, so I am proud of myself for that dedication.

Speaking of the 'crud'....I went back to the doctor again today. This makes visit #3 within the last 8 days! I am still coughing and having severe throat pain. Today she said it looked as if I was growing cauliflower in both of my tonsils. (I know....GROSS) She has started me on a new antibiotic, that is in a different drug family from my last prescription. She also told me to gargle with Listerine. Yeah....not sure that is going to happen! I can handle salt water and doing a sinus rinse, but I am pretty sure that Listerine would make me vomit. She also recommended that I have my tonsils removed. I am scheduled to see the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor next week, so we will see how that goes! I have heard that tonsillectomy in adults is very painful. I do have chronic sinus and allergy issues...so I am hopeful that the ENT doctor will offer me some helpful recommendations and guidance.

I almost forgot....I had sushi today for the FIRST TIME EVER! I know, I have lead a sheltered life. Honestly, I always thought that sushi meant raw fish. That always turned me off and I shied away. However, after visiting with several friends and then being invited to lunch at the sushi restaurant, I decided to check out the rave. Here is my official review of my experience:

First of all, the restaurant had a distinct aroma. Not that it was bad, but it was different and nothing like the fragrant scents that fill my favorite Chinese restaurant. The table was properly dressed with four round sushi plates, four sauce dishes, and four sets of chop sticks. I followed along with another patron and ordered the hot tea. I sat patiently and read over the menu, all the while taking in the atmosphere. My friends slowly arrived and they all chattered about what kind of sushi they loved the best. My tea arrived and I added a packet of sweetener. I could not find a spoon to stir in the much needed pink packet of sweetness, so I unwrapped my chop sticks and used those. I noticed that the lovely Japanese waitress was watching me, and my lack of sushi etiquette was amusing to her! We ooh and ahh'd over the plate that was delivered to the table next to us. I pretended to know what the heck they were talking about, but I pretty much felt like Joey from Friend's, just nodding and smiling and laughing as the others would laugh. After much thought and some wonderful guidance from the ladies, I ordered the house salad with ginger dressing and a simple cucumber-avocado roll. My salad arrived first and it was super yummy! The dressing was not very pretty, but it was super yummy! Slowly, our sushi rolls arrived. (Not all at the same time either....so what is the eating etiquette on that???) One of the more experienced sushi eaters at my table was using her chop sticks like she had been born with them in her hands. Another friend awkwardly used the chop sticks, all of the while giggling. The third gal just picked up her sushi with her fingers and enjoyed it that way. My salad was now finished, so there was no more delaying of the sushi eating. Now, since I had a fork from my salad, I attempted to use my fork to pick up a piece of my cucumber-avocado roll....yeah, did not work very well at all. So, I ended up using my fingers and popping that puppy into my mouth. HOLY COW is the best way to describe the experience. There was sticky rice, some weird seaweed paper, and some veggies...all wrapped into a tidy little roll that looked much better than it tasted. It was NOT what I had expected. I tried to control my facial expressions, but I fear that my nonverbal communication said more than I ever would have dared say. Now, the other girls were all dipping their pieces into soy sauce, so I thought, what the heck. It can't get much worse than it already is, so just dip and get on with it. I filled my little sauce dish with some soy sauce and attempted for a second time to pick up my piece of sushi with my fork. Again, it did not work. So, I took my previously used tea-stirring chop sticks and decided to go for it. I had nothing to lose! Guess what...I was actually able to pick up a piece of sushi, dip it into the soy sauce, and get it into my mouth! This time...it was MUCH better. The soy sauce was the magic. I enjoyed yet another piece and watched as my lunch mates mixed something green into their sauce dishes. I assumed it was guacamole, which seemed odd since we were in a Japanese restaurant and not Mexican, but whatever. I finally asked what it was and they told me it was Wasabi, a/k/a Japanese horseradish. They said it was spicy, but good. I took a small amount and blended it into my soy sauce and then dipped my fourth piece of sushi. This was not so pleasant; so I decided that I did not like Wasabi. I had four pieces left, so I drizzled the remaining pieces with soy sauce and enjoyed my fifth piece. We chattered about the differences between raw sushi, vegetable sushi, and sushi with cooked meat. I decided that I would like to try sushi with cooked shrimp. One gal at my table offered me a piece of her order, which had spicy tuna, veggies, and some tempura 'stuff' in it. I really enjoyed this piece and decided that if I ever do attempt sushi again, it will definitely have some cooked meat. We wrapped up our lunch and two of the ladies took the leftovers with them. I had three pieces left, so I sent them on their way to be enjoyed later by someone who would appreciate them. For dessert, I enjoyed some Whoppers Robin Eggs. You can take the girl outta the country....but not the country outta the girl. All in all, I am very pleased that I had this life experience of sushi! My only regret is that I did not try the miso soup.

You only get one ride on this carousel of life. Enjoy every moment!

Dance when the music plays! Sing loudly in the car!

Embrace the joys that surround you daily!

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?!?!

Wow...it has been a whirlwind of a Monday! My day began around 1:30 a.m. when toddler woke me up because she had gone 'potty'. Now, this is a good thing! We are fully potty trained, aside from bedtime...but it looks as if she is waking up in the middle of the night when she needs to go. This is exciting and I am hoping this means I will NEVER have to buy another package of pull-ups ever again! Well, never say never....but you get what I mean!

After getting toddler settled back into bed, I desperately tried to fall back asleep. This was a challenge, as I was coughing NON-STOP the moment I tried to lay my head on the pillow. I spent the majority of my night propped up on the couch, trying to sleep between random coughing attacks.

At 4:55 a.m. the alarm on my cell phone rang, as it was time to get up and head to the gym. Slowly, I rose...changed clothes...put on my shoes...and headed out the door! I enjoyed 35 minutes on the treadmill with interval walking/running. Afterwards, I finished off with 10 minutes of ab related exercises.

Back home to get ready for work! Blah! Blah! Blah! While in class this morning, I had the worst coughing attack to date. I tried to calm it down with water, but ended up stumbling to the front office to beg for a peppermint candy. People were throwing cough lozenges at me and giving me that 'concerned' look as the stumbled to the restroom. (you know that one where they are secretly waiting until you leave the room so they can spray everything down with Lysol) Now let's just say...coughing with a semi-full bladder can be dangerous! Santa may be adding Poise Pads to my stocking next Christmas! It was NOT a pleasant experience, but hilarious none the less! In my defense, "Light Bladder Leaks affect millions of women." If you cannot laugh at yourself...then you are taking yourself WAY too seriously!!!

I resumed my place in the classroom and eventually made it back to my cubicle for some alone time, lunch, and more coughing. I finished out my workday by dumping Bare Minerals down the front of my red jacket right before attending the board of trustees meeting. Luckily...it all 'buffed' away just in time.

Today was NOT a total loss, as I managed to stay within my calorie range. Calorie Budger is 1447. Calories Consumed 1478 less Calories Burned 319 with a positive balance of 288. I also enjoyed 8 servings of fruits/veggies and 1 serving of whole grains. The Walk Kansas Challenge has definitely heightened my sense of a balanced diet!

Well, I am off to relax and hopefully get a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be my LONG day, but the last of evening classes for a while. I love teaching, especially the financial education classes, but evenings are not my favorite time for delivery.

Spectacular Sunday!!!

WOW....today turned out to be a gorgeous day in Kansas! It started out overcast and cool...but ended with sunshine and warm temperatures. The kids and I enjoyed playing outside, running around, kicking balls over the house, and just being silly! We also dug out the bicycles and the kids took advantage of the driveway in the late afternoon, while I sat in the sunshine and graded papers. I am so ready for daylight savings time next weekend!


Physically, I am feeling better and better....so hopefully my activities today will not hinder my attempt to rise at 5 a.m. on Monday morning! I managed to squeeze in an hour of mixed cardio at the gym. I did 35 minutes of interval running and 30 minutes on the elliptical. I also kicked the soccer ball around with my son, so my total exercise minutes for today are 85. I will not complain, as my normal daily exercise is 45 minutes in the morning. I am hoping with the arrival of spring that I can tack on a 30 minute jog each evening!


As far as food goes, I have had an awesome day! 1564 calories consumed - 434 calories burned = 317 balance....meaning I can enjoy an evening snack, should I feel the need. I have logged 7 servings of fruits/veggies and 1 whole grain. I intended to have a piece of wheat toast with supper, but after all of my fruit...I was FULL. I hope that I can keep up this momentum all week. I have made healthy choices today and not allowed myself to get too hungry! This is a great way to start out my week.


Best Wishes to all of my fellow Walk Kansas team members!!! Bring It On ROCKS!!!

New Week! New Outlook! New Challenge!

We are almost to the end of the first week of March, 2010. I started this month out strong, but wilted fast as I endured the 'crud' that settled into my sinus cavities. My attempt to begin the 30-Day Shred was quickly postponed as I barely had the energy to lift my head off the pillow...let alone do a 20-minute intense workout with Jillian Michaels. As I slowly begin to feel better, I am excited because the Walk Kansas Challenge has officially begun today! For the next 8-weeks, I will be keeping a daily log of the number of minutes per day that I exercise; along with the number of servings of fruits and vegetables and whole grains that I consume. I am on a fabulous team with five others and we have creatively named ourselves 'Bring It On - Bitch'. We are competing against 6 others in our Beta Tau Sorority. The losing team has to be the beer wenches at this year's Kahola Lake Party. Needless to say, I will NOT be hauling beer for anyone!!! So far today, I have had a banana, a cup of V8 Fusion (1 serving fruit/1 serving veggie), an apple, and steel cut oats! I am planning on hitting the gym for some light cardio for about an hour! SURELY this motivation will help me stay on track to lose a few pounds and firm up! As soon as I can breath without coughing up a lung, I will begin my strength training video again. For now, I am going to walk or jog or elliptical until I don't feel like I am going die every time I exert any energy towards exercise!

Spring Break begins in less than a week! Whoo Hoo! I am sure I will spend most of my time off doing spring cleaning around the house, but it will be nice to sleep in and spend some extra time with my kiddos!

Where is my motivation hiding?

I have been MIA the last few days. This 'crud' as the doctor so eloquently put it, is still creating some chaos in my body! The doc is treating me for a sinus infection, so I desperately hope that the antibiotics kick in soon! I have been taking it 'easy' as much as possible....or that is allowed inside my world. With three kids and a husband, it is difficult to truly rest. At any rate, I am doing the best I can and I am hoping to feel better tomorrow...as the Walk Kansas Challenge officially begins! I will be heading to the store in the morning to stock up on extra fruits, veggies and whole grains, as I will also be tracking those items, along with my minutes of daily exercise.


I ran into an acquaintance who has recently lost 60 pounds! Now, that is a large amount of weight and I should have noticed it immediately, but since I don't see her that often, I did not realize it was that significant of a loss. At any rate, I asked her what she had been doing to lose the weight. She responded by saying that she is 'no longer eating her way through life'. That statement was profound to me! I was so impressed by her honesty! She said she used to eat for any reason and she has stopped doing that. She also said it is the hardest thing she has ever done in her life (or something to that effect). I am always so impressed by individuals who can recognize their bad eating habits and make a lifestyle change.


Food addictions are often misdiagnosed. People assume you are just lazy or weak. They have NO idea what types of internal battles people may be dealing with on the inside. Grief, depression, anxiety are the top three that enter my mind. Our emotions play such a huge part in our lives.


For me, I just LOVE food. It seems like eating revolves around all areas of my life. If I am going to meet up with a friend...we have lunch. If I am going to a family gathering...there is a meal. If we are celebrating something...we get ice cream OR if we need to heal a broken heart because we did not win a door prize at the banquet...we get ice cream (6-year old was devastated...another story). I could go on and on and on! I wish I had the answer as to how we could fix this type of addiction. For now, I will focus on eating healthy.

TOMORROW....I am hoping for sunshine and energy! I need to move!

Day #4 of Flabby~2~Firm (AM Post)

Good Morning....well, at least that is normally what I say to anyone I greet in the morning. However for me today, it is not so good. This stupid cold is really wreaking havoc on my body and my energy levels. This is day 4 of my personal challenge and I am two for two. I have worked out two days and this is my second day of not working out. No worries though! This cold cannot linger around too much longer and I will back on my feet and pushing myself to work out smarter....not harder! As with any cold virus or allergy attack...it must run it's course!


For now, I will focus on what I do have the energy for....and that is healthy eating! I have gotten lazy when it comes to food journaling. No excuses other than I don't want to write down and see what I have actually eaten. But I know from past attempts and successes, that healthy eating and food journaling is going to be key in my reaching my goal. I have used several options in the past when it comes to food journaling. The Weight Watchers Online program is excellent, if you want to spend the money. It is a great tool and I highly recommend it for beginners. Another great resource, that is also free, is My-Calorie-Counter. I also keep track of things in a basic Excel worksheet. For me, I like to track my food, the number of Weight Watchers points I am consuming, and also the number of calories.


For me, this becomes like an obsession!!! I am constantly logging into My-Calorie-Counter to look at foods and see where I am at on my daily calorie intake. I also feel as if I constantly have food on my mind. This can be dangerous, as the more I think about food...the more I want to eat! I need to find that middle ground!


Well, I need to get the kiddos around and head out for work and school. I will post this evening!

Light Bulb Moment

I came home early from work to sneak in a much needed nap before the kiddos get home. Like I have mentioned before, this cold is kicking my butt!!! I found myself watching the Discovery Health Channel. When I awoke from my mid-afternoon siesta, the show I Lost It! was on. It is a show that profiles people who have lost a large amount of weight AND kept it off. There was one woman in particular that really caught my attention. Her name is Julia Havey and I really felt as if I could relate to her story. Granted, I don't need to lose large amounts of weight; but I was able to relate to her ice cream cravings. She talks about how she would bounce checks to pay for her ice cream habit and have no remorse. Julia talked about how a light bulb went off that made her realize she needed a change in her lifestyle and her eating habits. For each of us, that moment or that 'rock bottom' is different. For me, I don't know if I have truly reached that point. There are times, like today when I am feeling lousy, that I feel entitled to eat that crap! What is wrong with me that I feel entitled....like just because I am sick, I deserve to make myself feel better by eating cookies? I mean, that mentality is NOT healthy. But how many of us do that, on a daily basis? We rationalize our unhealthy behavior because we are afraid of a little hard work. We would rather jeopardize our longevity, our health, our lives, and our families lives just for that fix! That one moment of joy will now be hours and hours of guilt! Instant Gratification!!! My problem is, I don't cheat on occasion.....I cheat on a daily basis. To make matters worse, I am a closet eater. I hide my cheating moments!!! Obviously, I am not proud of my behavior, so I do it alone! Then, I wonder why I don't see many changes in my body. Or I wonder why my digestive system is sluggish. I am on a roller coaster ride to no where!

Two years ago, I joined several of my sorority sisters in a weight loss challenge. It was about this time of the year when we started, as the Walk Kansas challenge was a major part of our motivation. I was determined to win that competition (which in the end, I did not), but during that, I lost weight....ate healthy....and felt great! The problem is/was, once that challenge ended...I stopped focusing on my healthy eating. I went back to my old ways. I am back to where I started from and that makes me sad.

Why do I keep doing this to myself????? How can I get healthy and stay healthy?????

I am not getting any younger....so the time to do something about my poor eating habits is NOW!