5/28/09 Obstacles, Motivation and a New Discovery, Oh My!

Good morning dear reader!  I say 'reader' in the singular form, because I believe I'm the only person reading my blog. 

Well after the long holiday weekend...the holiday eating...and the gym being closed....I've managed to only gain one pound.  As of Tuesday (not my normal weigh day, I know) I weighed 181.  All in all, I was pretty happy with that.

I ran 3 miles on the elliptical at the gym yesterday, and I did it within a great amount of time too.  I made a goal of 2.5 mi, but just kept trucking along.  Also yesterday I discovered a great website called http://fitday.com   There are a ton of tools where you can input data to measure progress and keep on track - including a food journal.  I know most people dread those, but I find it to be an incredibly useful tool.  Many dieters seem to be surprised when they're not losing weight as rapidly as they'd like, but they think they're eating healthy.  They don't seem to count all the little snacks and beverages that they consume within a day.  The food journal forces someone to be honest about what they put into their bodies.  I've been using it myself - granted not for long yet but I'm finding it really useful.  It even calculates nutritional content and tallies things up so you can track nutritional progress as well. 
The best part - all these tools are available for free!  SCORE!

Last night for dinner, I had poached chicken, peas (with a squirt of EVOO), approximately 2 Tbsp of whole grain orzo pasta and a whole wheat hamburger bun made up like garlic bread (evoo and garlic).  Quite tasty.  I was craving chocolate last night - which is EXTREMELY rare for me.  We happened to have none in the house though, so I was safe.  I need to get some really good, organic, dark chocolate bars.  Then I can break off one or two squares when I crave them, and stick the rest back in the freezer.  I figure, dark chocolate is less bad than milk chocolate....and I prefer plain as opposed to something like a milky way or some other bar w/added "stuff" in it.  I know it's not healthy either way...but "less bad" makes it...well...less bad for me.

Today I'm feeling quite motivated.  It's funny...my body does NOT feel like it's in best form though, but I'm feeling great!  I have done so much yard work the past weekend...I have a crick in my neck and my shoulders and lower back are really sore.  Yoga was awesome this week...I asked for more stretching than usual, and that's just what we did.  It was fantastic and felt like it really stretched me out.  I'm still sore...but I feel better...not quite as stiff.  Thursday is always my only day not going to to the gym, so I'll relax my tired bones and hit it hard again tomorrow (Friday). 

I'm feeling 'snacky' right now...and I think I'll take care of that by having some raspberries and/or blueberries.  If I need a crunch, I've got some almonds to satisfy my mouth.  They're a bit too salty for me, but they'll be good in small quantity.  I think a serving size is like 28 nuts, but I can never eat that...I'm usually good for like 8. 
My next obstacle...what to do for lunch!!!