Motivation for Monday
Per Pippa’s very flattering comment, I decided to make my Toastmaster’s speech this week’s Motivation for Monday. Be sure to adjust your sound. Enjoy.
Log My Loss
This isn't a diet, it is your life!
Day 288 – Another Death in the Family
Today we had another death in the family – my wife’s grandfather. Like my grandmother, it was his time to go. He has had a lot of pain over the last few years, primarily in his back; however, it was his lungs that gave out on him. It is another sad day nonetheless. I suppose his funeral will be Sunday or Monday. This one is out of town for us, so logistically it will be a little more complicated.
Today was another good day diet and exercise wise. I didn’t walk as much as I wanted to, but I was able to get in 1.1 miles before the rain finally got too much of me. For food, I only ate an apple with three tablespoons of peanut butter for a mid-afternoon snack and then for supper I had a tremendous salad with Bacon Ranch Dressing. I then had a small serving of green beans, a small serving of navy beans, and a small serving of roast beef. For a mid-evening snack I had several cups of popcorn.
Day 287 – Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head . . .
I have to admit, when I awoke this morning I was really dragging. Laying there in bed, I convinced myself that it was raining outside anyhow, so there was no need in getting up, all the while knowing that was the wrong attitude. I finally made myself get up (actually, I just got up to relieve myself), and I noticed it was not raining. I then thought of Mark, Ron, Mizfit, and the rest of the gang and decided I needed to get my sleepy head out the door and on the road. I am pleased to report I walked 2.2 miles today. It was definitely no 5 miles, but 2.2 is better than nothing. The worst part is that the rain started about 1/3 way through the walk, so I was pretty wet when I made it back home. I intend on walking again tomorrow, but I am give out tonight, so I think I am heading to bed early tonight.
Diet-wise, I have eaten far less than normal. In fact, I planned on making today another day of fasting, but some external consultants offered to take me to lunch today. I did good though and only ate a salad topped with grilled chicken and greek vinaigrette dressing. Other than water and coffee, that is all I ate today. I think I am going to try to incorporate a day of fasting in at least every other week, maybe as often as weekly. As odd as it sounds, I am less hungry when I fast than when I eat small meals. It may have to do with the activity of the stomach, but I am not sure.
One last thing, I think I should have some garden pics to post soon. It is really looking good. If I had enough other veggies I could make a great salad tomorrow. Unfortunately, it would only contain onions and two kinds of lettuce. :-( The radishes are getting close and there are some blooms on a couple of the pepper plants. We also have some green onions that will be ready very shortly. I cannot wait!
Day 286 – Rainy Day
I am sorry to report that I did not walk today. I actually woke up on time, on my own, ready to walk, but the weather was not cooperating at all. It was raining quite hard. I should have went ahead and done push ups or planks, but I went back to bed. Hopefully it will be a better morning tomorrow.
Have you ever wondered which oils you should be using? There was a good article by AskMen.com outlining the good and the bad fats.
The “good” fats you should consider in your overall diet include Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Fish Oil, Hemp Oil, Grape Seed Oil, and Sunflower/safflower oils. I personally find Olive Oil to be my new best friend. While it isn’t easy to cook with, you can do it. You just have to keep the temperatures low and only use it in things that don’t cook for a great deal of time. In the event you need to use the oil fore for cooking, sunflower oil will probably do you very well.
The “bad” fats include Palm Oil, Partially Hydrogentated Canola Oil, and Cottonseed Oil. As you read over this list, realize these are oils you should avoid, but also realize that Partially Hydrogentated Canola Oil is not the same thing as Canola Oil. Canola Oil that has not gone throught he hydrogenation process is a “good” oil that is okay to use.
Another interesting website I ran across which has analyzed which foods are worth making at home and which foods you should buy. I was intrigued to see that yogurt was cost effective (and better quality) if made at home. I will probably try making it this weekend. Creme Cheese, on the other hand, will not be a pet project of mine.
My South Beach Diet meal journal for the day is as follows:
- Breakfast – Two eggs and two turkey sausages. I also had 1/4 cup of wild blueberries.
- Mid-morning snack – One lf cheese stick.
- Lunch – A large salad with various meats on top and Ranch Dressing.
- Mid-afternoon snack – One large apple and three tablespoons of natural peanut butter.
- Supper – Ham, navy beans, and steamed broccoli.
- Mid-evening snack – One square of cayenne chocolate.
Day 285 – A Great Monday
When I got out of bed this morning I knew there was no way I was going to walk. The gout was making its presence known in my right foot. I still felt good that I had caught it early enough though, so I took some more Ibuprofen and took it easy. When I got home it felt good enough I was able to go for a walk and put in 2.2 miles. I did not do the push ups or planks though because of the pressure it puts on the feet. I am feeling a lot better, but there is not need in pushing it. I should be able to do those things tomorrow or Wednesday.
I had a pretty good day with regards to dieting. I don’t really feel like I overate at any meal and they were all healthy. My South Beach Diet meal journal for the day is as follows:
- Breakfast – Two eggs and two turkey sausage patties.
- Mid-morning snack – One lf cheese stick.
- Lunch – About a cup and a half of homemade chicken salad and several sticks of celery.
- Mid-afternoon snack – One apple and three tablespoons of natural peanut butter.
- Supper – Two great cheeseburgers on fresh-from-the-garden lettuce with a little onion and mustard. I also ate a very small third cheeseburger (not much bigger than a silver dollar).
- Mid-evening snack – A small handful of pecans, a cup of strawberries, and a few random sunflower seeds.
Day 284 – Working in the Garden
I am pleased to report that this is the second week in a row where I have walked more miles than my goal. Unfortunately for me, I have a lot of those weeks ahead of me to meet my 2009 goal. I am getting there though. I may have a little snag with the exercise program though. My gout is acting up a little tonight. Fortunately, it is very little; I think I caught it early enough to stop it. Only time will tell though. If it is acting up in the morning, I will not walk or any other exercise for that matter. Fingers Crossed.
Today has been a very busy day. After church, I spent a pretty good deal of time working in the garden. Things are looking good, and it won’t be long until the radishes are ready to pick. Tomorrow we are planning on having burgers for supper. If so, it will be with our home grown lettuce. Mmm! I still have some concerns about some of the tomatoes and peppers, but overall things are looking great.
I did okay on food all day until the end. From the afternoon forward I was really craving food. Nothing in particular, just food. I fought it off for most of the afternoon and evening, then just a few minutes ago I gave in, which you will see below. Now that I am typing this, I am not sure I believe it. As you will see below, my mid-afternoon snack was over the edge too. My South Beach Diet meal journal for the day is as follows:
- Breakfast – Two scrambled eggs, two turkey sausages, and 1/4 cup of wild blueberries. This was fantastic!
- Mid-morning snack – Nothing.
- Lunch – One cup of homemade chicken salad with several sticks of fresh celery.
- Mid-afternoon snack – Two sf popsicles.
- Supper – A salad with a slice of ham and Ranch Dressing.
- Mid-evening snack – A large bowl of Grape Nuts with skim milk. Grrr! I hate this cereal!
Last of all, I have a Blackberry application to report in on – GPSed. While I am using this on a Blackberry Curve, other smart phones support it as well. Anyhow, this is a terrific little app that allows you to track your walks/jogs/runs or any other activity you do. I used it on my walk this morning and found it to be very accurate. It tracked my speed, my maximum speed, my average speed, my distance, my altitude, and so on. It maintained a visual track of the walk, and it allows you to put in way-points. Once you are done with your activity, you can upload your track to share with others. My only complaint is usability. It is not really super user friendly. However, it doesn’t take too long to get the hang of it. The one thing I really struggled with was finding my track once I uploaded it. I chose to keep my track private, which meant that it was not displayed where I thought it would be. Nonetheless, I figured it out and it works great now – it does exactly what I wanted. If you have a need for such an application, you should check this one out.
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