Stole this from my friend Celeste's blog [thanks sweetie!] and I just love love love love it. I wish they did this everywhere! Enjoy! Have a great day! Smile, it increases your face value! ;)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day 6...and we step it up
Hiya. So, I've made it six whole days without any carbs. Well, except for a little in my luna bar and my low carb tortillas [which taste just as odd as they sound] and my low carb yogurt. I've almost finished the first week, which is supposed to be the hardest! WOOHOO! It's been really tough, actually. And not because I want bagels [but I do], but because I want FRUIT. I can't have fruit until week 2, and then it has to be low glycemic index fruits. I have been eating nothing but meat and nuts and veggies and dairy, and the thing I miss the most is fruit. Ugh, I cannot wait to be able to have that.
But the funny thing is that I usually feel pretty good. Different, but good. My body is still adjusting to the new energy source, so there are rough spots. Mornings in particular are hard, and there have been some minor, but still annoying, headaches. But I am determined to not give up. I need to prove to myself that I can do this. So far, I've been really good. I haven't even taken my freebie treat yet! And Mom made cookies the other night! GO ME!
Working out has been interesting as well. I have not been able to push as hard as I would like simply because the energy is just not there. Today was better than Monday, though, so I know we'll get there. And since my schedule just got crazier this week, it's going to be hard to find time for everything. But I'll figure it out.
And I now have a new incentive beyond my own personal satisfaction and pride. I have been challenged by my friend that if I am really good with this diet for the four weeks that I had originally planned on, she and I will go get pedicures. And since we all know how I feel about pedicures, thanks to my recent education, I was totally game.
So. It is on. September 16th will mark the end of the 4 weeks, with the 15th being the last full day. That is 23 days away. I can do that. And if I do it better than I thoguht [not by numerical results, per se, though those would be nice] then maybe I'll get my first ever manicure too. We shall see.
You know, this Cookie Dough Luna Protein bar is not that bad....if you don't expect it to really taste like cookie dough and you are used to the Luna bar taste.....which I do and am. 2 days til fruit, 2 days til fruit....
But the funny thing is that I usually feel pretty good. Different, but good. My body is still adjusting to the new energy source, so there are rough spots. Mornings in particular are hard, and there have been some minor, but still annoying, headaches. But I am determined to not give up. I need to prove to myself that I can do this. So far, I've been really good. I haven't even taken my freebie treat yet! And Mom made cookies the other night! GO ME!
Working out has been interesting as well. I have not been able to push as hard as I would like simply because the energy is just not there. Today was better than Monday, though, so I know we'll get there. And since my schedule just got crazier this week, it's going to be hard to find time for everything. But I'll figure it out.
And I now have a new incentive beyond my own personal satisfaction and pride. I have been challenged by my friend that if I am really good with this diet for the four weeks that I had originally planned on, she and I will go get pedicures. And since we all know how I feel about pedicures, thanks to my recent education, I was totally game.
So. It is on. September 16th will mark the end of the 4 weeks, with the 15th being the last full day. That is 23 days away. I can do that. And if I do it better than I thoguht [not by numerical results, per se, though those would be nice] then maybe I'll get my first ever manicure too. We shall see.
You know, this Cookie Dough Luna Protein bar is not that bad....if you don't expect it to really taste like cookie dough and you are used to the Luna bar taste.....which I do and am. 2 days til fruit, 2 days til fruit....
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Day 2
Just as a note, I will not be writing about this every day. But since I need to be accountable, and I'm sure you are all extremely entertained by this, here I go again. Day 2 of the diet was rough. It could be for a number of reasons: 1) It's the weekend. 2) I'm not at work. 3) It's the weekend.
But my mommy loves me, so she took me shopping to get some good food for me to eat. Breyer's CarbSmart fudge bars anyone? Soooooo good. And sugar-free Jello is going to save me.
I even went to a wedding reception tonight. Oh boy, that was rough. Chicken salad on croissants, potato salad, chocolate fountains,...... It was like "let's get all of Becky's favorite foods that she can't have and put them all in one place!" Thankfully, they had meatballs and little hot dog wrapped in bacon things and TONS of veggies. So I was okay.
Workout was a little rough today. It probably didn't help that I tried to start with an advanced Tae-Bo workout called Cardio Inferno not too long after breakfast, which was scrambled eggs with Canadian Bacon and cheese. I was not impressed with my efforts, but I took comfort in the fact that I pushed really hard last night and I tried something new. Monday I start back at the gym, so we'll get going really hard then.
If anybody has ideas for some good, low-carb meals, PLEASE let me know. I'm getting bored already! Here's hoping the rest of the rather intense and strict first week will get easier!
But my mommy loves me, so she took me shopping to get some good food for me to eat. Breyer's CarbSmart fudge bars anyone? Soooooo good. And sugar-free Jello is going to save me.
I even went to a wedding reception tonight. Oh boy, that was rough. Chicken salad on croissants, potato salad, chocolate fountains,...... It was like "let's get all of Becky's favorite foods that she can't have and put them all in one place!" Thankfully, they had meatballs and little hot dog wrapped in bacon things and TONS of veggies. So I was okay.
Workout was a little rough today. It probably didn't help that I tried to start with an advanced Tae-Bo workout called Cardio Inferno not too long after breakfast, which was scrambled eggs with Canadian Bacon and cheese. I was not impressed with my efforts, but I took comfort in the fact that I pushed really hard last night and I tried something new. Monday I start back at the gym, so we'll get going really hard then.
If anybody has ideas for some good, low-carb meals, PLEASE let me know. I'm getting bored already! Here's hoping the rest of the rather intense and strict first week will get easier!
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Four Letter Word
So I have decided to start something that I had hoped I would never officially have to do. A diet. [duh duh DUHHHHHHH] In general, I am against diets. I am more for keeping tabs on your weight and/or health as it fluctuates and make changes accordingly, as desired. But that's not the only reason. I have a serious problem with cutting foods I love. I just love food too much. But the time has come for me to make a change and try out this four letter word that I have avoided. And as a way of being accountable, I will talk about it on here.
My reasons for doing this drastic thing are as follows: 1) I want to look better and 2) I want to feel better. And for those to occur, I want to temporarily limit what I eat while I increase my exercise so that my body will go through a change that will make me happier with it. Get it? Good.
I've opted to go for at least a month on a low-carb diet. Not NO CARB, but LOW CARB. I will try to minimize my carb intake while increasing my protein and veggies uptake, and still having some dairy, and every once and again, a low-carb something or other. And lots and lots of water. And a bit of dark chocolate [Sounds crazy, but good quality dark chocolate is actually good for you in moderation, and it's on the diet! I'm saved!] And once a week, I can have a treat. A real, honest to goodness, carb laden treat. But that treat will not come without consequences.
You see, I am also going to start a serious exercise regimine. At least 3 days a week, I will be doing cardio of some kind, whether it will be running, swimming, eliptical, or something else I can figure for at least 30 minutes. Also, at least 3 days a week, I will be doing yoga. I think/hope it will help me with my stress relief and my flexibility as well. In conjunction with those, I will also be doing some core work, as I want to have a flat tummy, which I haven't managed since I was...well, it's been a long time. I don't want washboard abs or anything, and I know that all females have some natural fat in the tummy area, but I want to get mine as flat-ish as I can. So my once a week treat will mean an increase in the workout in the day or two following, depending on the treat and the danger it provides to my self-control.
Why am I doing this, you ask. There is no wedding, no guy, no jeans to fit into, and I've completely missed swimsuit season. This is for no other reason than that I want to. I know I will never be a size 2, and I never want to be. It is not in my body frame to be a 2. I want to be healthy. I want to look good and feel good for me. I have a set poundage in mind, but that is not set in stone. If I lose less but look and feel good, I'll be happy. If I can lose more in a healthy way and not go crazy without bread, all the better!
Once the time is up and I am satisfied with my [gulp] diet, I will return my eating habits to their former apathy. Well, okay, I'll TRY to be better, but I'm still going to have toast. And bagels. And muffins. Ohhhhhh, muffins.... AH! Get out, get out, get out!
Today was day 1 of this endeavor. I have a slight headache, which is natural, considering what my body is trying to work with. But I feel good. I don't want to go into the gory details, but let's just say I have been dealing with some...issues of the digestive nature, and I feel really good today in that area. That alone is making this worth it. And that is what it is all about. Feeling good.
My reasons for doing this drastic thing are as follows: 1) I want to look better and 2) I want to feel better. And for those to occur, I want to temporarily limit what I eat while I increase my exercise so that my body will go through a change that will make me happier with it. Get it? Good.
I've opted to go for at least a month on a low-carb diet. Not NO CARB, but LOW CARB. I will try to minimize my carb intake while increasing my protein and veggies uptake, and still having some dairy, and every once and again, a low-carb something or other. And lots and lots of water. And a bit of dark chocolate [Sounds crazy, but good quality dark chocolate is actually good for you in moderation, and it's on the diet! I'm saved!] And once a week, I can have a treat. A real, honest to goodness, carb laden treat. But that treat will not come without consequences.
You see, I am also going to start a serious exercise regimine. At least 3 days a week, I will be doing cardio of some kind, whether it will be running, swimming, eliptical, or something else I can figure for at least 30 minutes. Also, at least 3 days a week, I will be doing yoga. I think/hope it will help me with my stress relief and my flexibility as well. In conjunction with those, I will also be doing some core work, as I want to have a flat tummy, which I haven't managed since I was...well, it's been a long time. I don't want washboard abs or anything, and I know that all females have some natural fat in the tummy area, but I want to get mine as flat-ish as I can. So my once a week treat will mean an increase in the workout in the day or two following, depending on the treat and the danger it provides to my self-control.
Why am I doing this, you ask. There is no wedding, no guy, no jeans to fit into, and I've completely missed swimsuit season. This is for no other reason than that I want to. I know I will never be a size 2, and I never want to be. It is not in my body frame to be a 2. I want to be healthy. I want to look good and feel good for me. I have a set poundage in mind, but that is not set in stone. If I lose less but look and feel good, I'll be happy. If I can lose more in a healthy way and not go crazy without bread, all the better!
Once the time is up and I am satisfied with my [gulp] diet, I will return my eating habits to their former apathy. Well, okay, I'll TRY to be better, but I'm still going to have toast. And bagels. And muffins. Ohhhhhh, muffins.... AH! Get out, get out, get out!
Today was day 1 of this endeavor. I have a slight headache, which is natural, considering what my body is trying to work with. But I feel good. I don't want to go into the gory details, but let's just say I have been dealing with some...issues of the digestive nature, and I feel really good today in that area. That alone is making this worth it. And that is what it is all about. Feeling good.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
True Happiness
I have been feeling very stressed lately, what with my studying for the GRE, moving back home, my frustration with my life situation, trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing, struggling to understand the Lord's will for me, etc etc etc. These are things we all deal with [well, maybe not the GRE] and there are more things that other people deal with that I cannot even imagine, but that does not make any problem less. Our problems and our situations are unique to us and we all have challenges that weigh us down. But I found this video through Mormon Messages, and it lightened my load.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Random thoughts
Maybe it's due to the fact that I've been studying too much, maybe it's because I didn't get very much sleep last night, maybe it's just because I have a cazy random brain, but I have about a bajillion thoughts running through my head, and while 77% of those thoughts involve very large words and algebraic equations, the other 23% is not. In an attempt to relieve the strain on my brain [heehee, I rhymed], I think I'll just spill some of them out here.
~~ I'm almost done working on my room! All of the major stuff is in there, so it's just the little things that are still sitting in the "spare room" that I have to deal with. I've already gone through and made a rather extensive pile for Goodwill/sibiling(or Mom) scouring, and I even cleared out HALF of my lotion collection. Sniffle. I miss them already. But it was getting ridiculous, so it's a good thing. I think.
~~ I have no idea what I'm doing for dinner while my parents are gone. I know it's silly, but I don't cook for myself. I can, don't get me wrong, [not very well, but that's a moot point] but I don't see the point in cooking for one person, particularly when most of my recipes involve cooking for 6 or more. And I'm not much of a leftovers person. Granted, it depends what it is [ahem, Thanksgiving dinner leftovers...], but generally, no thank you. So frozen food and takeout it is. I'm going to end up being one of those single women who sits at home and eats Chinese takeout in her sweats.......hmmm.....Chinese sounds good....
~~ Occasionally in my work, I come across things that I don't want to know about. Sometimes that's just TMI on an injury or a person's way of life or just their life story. Sometimes [most of the time, actually] it's people on the phone who just talk and talk and talk, and I'm usually torn between wanting to interrupt so I can get off the call and get to the next one and wanting to laugh my head off. Or just cover my ears and sing "la la la la la" so I don't have to hear. Today I came across the most disturbing story ever, and I have had a really hard time getting over it. I will not go into any details about how I know this or what it is because 1) I cannot, 2) You don't need to know. But suffice it to say that children were involved. I felt so sick after this all was made known to me. How could anybody knowingly injure a child, whether it be emotional, physical, or otherwise? What part of that person's brain made them think that was a plausible conclusion? How could anybody let that sort of evil seep into them until it takes hold? I cried when I got home tonight, thinking of those kids. I just thought of how the Savior loves children and how tenderly He watches over them, and I hope and pray that wherever those kids are, they will find some peace and comfort.
~~ Thinking about that made me think about family life. I know that not everybody is blessed to have a happy home like I did, and it makes me sad. A child derves to be in a home where they are not only loved, but cherished. They deserve to have parents who will teach them right from wrong, who will sing the ABC's with them, who will play catch outside or have tea parties or make forts out of chairs and blankets. They deserve to live with joy, and not fear. I see people in the world who are raising children and doing the very best they can, and it's not perfect. No life is ever going to be. But sometimes, they are not doing their best. Sometimes the children are seen as a hindrance to the parents way of life. How selfish! You made the decision to be a parent, whether you meant to or not, and you have to live with the consequences of your choices. I think about friends of mine who have adopted, and in so doing, have taken infants that would otherwise have been raised in situations that would not have been condusive to a healthy or stable home life. I applaud anybody who can see the severity of their situation enough to know that they cannot raise the child they have created and place that child with a family who can. I cannot imagine the pain that doing so engenders, but surely the knowledge of the rightness of the decision will be a great comfort to them.
~~ On a MUCH lighter note, I love Covert Affairs. It's a TV show on USA and I am SO addicted. There is a character on it that I simply adore, and he is a blind CIA agent who works in Tech Ops, which I think is the coolest thing ever. He was also Special Forces in Iraq, which I LOVE. I kind of have a thing for armed forces.... Anyway, what I love most about this guy [besides his abs, I mean, come on] is the fact that the actor takes such pains to make sure he portrays the character right. After discovering that the character would be blind, he contacted the Canadian Institute for the Blind and took lessons, met people, and did hours and hours of research so that his portrayal would be accurate. When he found out he would be doing an episode about the character's past involving his time in the military, he contacted military advisors and again spent hours and hours doing reserach and learning how he needed to act in order to be accurate. I LOVE that he felt so deeply about being truthful to both of these aspects of his character's life and behavior. And if that wasn't enough, during that episode that aired, he did a public service announcement about disabled veterans. I LOVE THAT. It made me so happy. We hear such crap from a lot of the media about military and it always makes me so mad when I hear people criticize them. It is sooooo refreshing to find someone in the media realm that still honors those men and women and the sacrifices they make for us.
~~ On a much MUCH lighter note, I really want cookies right now. But that would require me to make them, which would mean I would have a bowl of cookie dough, and in my current state of study burn-out and all alone-ness, I do not think that such temptation would be a good idea. Particularly if I want to maintain my determination to be healthier...
So those are my thoughts right now. Well, some of them. I'm also thinking about sleep, dishes, California, apple pie, Carly, bubble baths, and Panda Express. I told you, I'm random.
Oh, and by the way, Happy August.
~~ I'm almost done working on my room! All of the major stuff is in there, so it's just the little things that are still sitting in the "spare room" that I have to deal with. I've already gone through and made a rather extensive pile for Goodwill/sibiling(or Mom) scouring, and I even cleared out HALF of my lotion collection. Sniffle. I miss them already. But it was getting ridiculous, so it's a good thing. I think.
~~ I have no idea what I'm doing for dinner while my parents are gone. I know it's silly, but I don't cook for myself. I can, don't get me wrong, [not very well, but that's a moot point] but I don't see the point in cooking for one person, particularly when most of my recipes involve cooking for 6 or more. And I'm not much of a leftovers person. Granted, it depends what it is [ahem, Thanksgiving dinner leftovers...], but generally, no thank you. So frozen food and takeout it is. I'm going to end up being one of those single women who sits at home and eats Chinese takeout in her sweats.......hmmm.....Chinese sounds good....
~~ Occasionally in my work, I come across things that I don't want to know about. Sometimes that's just TMI on an injury or a person's way of life or just their life story. Sometimes [most of the time, actually] it's people on the phone who just talk and talk and talk, and I'm usually torn between wanting to interrupt so I can get off the call and get to the next one and wanting to laugh my head off. Or just cover my ears and sing "la la la la la" so I don't have to hear. Today I came across the most disturbing story ever, and I have had a really hard time getting over it. I will not go into any details about how I know this or what it is because 1) I cannot, 2) You don't need to know. But suffice it to say that children were involved. I felt so sick after this all was made known to me. How could anybody knowingly injure a child, whether it be emotional, physical, or otherwise? What part of that person's brain made them think that was a plausible conclusion? How could anybody let that sort of evil seep into them until it takes hold? I cried when I got home tonight, thinking of those kids. I just thought of how the Savior loves children and how tenderly He watches over them, and I hope and pray that wherever those kids are, they will find some peace and comfort.
~~ Thinking about that made me think about family life. I know that not everybody is blessed to have a happy home like I did, and it makes me sad. A child derves to be in a home where they are not only loved, but cherished. They deserve to have parents who will teach them right from wrong, who will sing the ABC's with them, who will play catch outside or have tea parties or make forts out of chairs and blankets. They deserve to live with joy, and not fear. I see people in the world who are raising children and doing the very best they can, and it's not perfect. No life is ever going to be. But sometimes, they are not doing their best. Sometimes the children are seen as a hindrance to the parents way of life. How selfish! You made the decision to be a parent, whether you meant to or not, and you have to live with the consequences of your choices. I think about friends of mine who have adopted, and in so doing, have taken infants that would otherwise have been raised in situations that would not have been condusive to a healthy or stable home life. I applaud anybody who can see the severity of their situation enough to know that they cannot raise the child they have created and place that child with a family who can. I cannot imagine the pain that doing so engenders, but surely the knowledge of the rightness of the decision will be a great comfort to them.
~~ On a MUCH lighter note, I love Covert Affairs. It's a TV show on USA and I am SO addicted. There is a character on it that I simply adore, and he is a blind CIA agent who works in Tech Ops, which I think is the coolest thing ever. He was also Special Forces in Iraq, which I LOVE. I kind of have a thing for armed forces.... Anyway, what I love most about this guy [besides his abs, I mean, come on] is the fact that the actor takes such pains to make sure he portrays the character right. After discovering that the character would be blind, he contacted the Canadian Institute for the Blind and took lessons, met people, and did hours and hours of research so that his portrayal would be accurate. When he found out he would be doing an episode about the character's past involving his time in the military, he contacted military advisors and again spent hours and hours doing reserach and learning how he needed to act in order to be accurate. I LOVE that he felt so deeply about being truthful to both of these aspects of his character's life and behavior. And if that wasn't enough, during that episode that aired, he did a public service announcement about disabled veterans. I LOVE THAT. It made me so happy. We hear such crap from a lot of the media about military and it always makes me so mad when I hear people criticize them. It is sooooo refreshing to find someone in the media realm that still honors those men and women and the sacrifices they make for us.
~~ On a much MUCH lighter note, I really want cookies right now. But that would require me to make them, which would mean I would have a bowl of cookie dough, and in my current state of study burn-out and all alone-ness, I do not think that such temptation would be a good idea. Particularly if I want to maintain my determination to be healthier...
So those are my thoughts right now. Well, some of them. I'm also thinking about sleep, dishes, California, apple pie, Carly, bubble baths, and Panda Express. I told you, I'm random.
Oh, and by the way, Happy August.
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