Head to stomach: Thanksgiving is over! Get over it!

My stomach was growling all day. I went back to my healthy eating, well except for the french fries I stole from my son, but those don't count since they weren't mine. My stomach is used to eating much more after the Thanksgiving four-day food frenzy! It's probably not a good idea to eat a fiber one bar and a bean burrito in one day. Between the growling and gurgling my stomach could have played the symphony!

Good news though, the scale is still the same and oh news flash, It's Not All About the Scale! I've been running more lately. . . mainly to make up for all the eating. Yeah, leading up to and following Thanksgiving, I've been kicking it up. So, I put on a skirt this morning and it was way too big! Then I put on some fairly new linen pants, too big too! I'm talking clown pants big. You look like you're playing dress up big. They were not an option. I had to pull out a skirt I haven't worn in a while that is a size smaller. Yup. The scale is the same, but the running is really trimming off the inches. I did not measure myself, so I can't say how many inches, but at lease one size down. Maybe more.

Teach your old food new tricks

By now, you're probably completely sick of your Thanksgiving leftovers, if there are any left. Yeah, I felt the same way, so I came up with some new ways to serve them. Risotto became risotto cakes by adding an egg and forming into cakes, then dipping them in flour and sauteing in a pan. Some other ideas I tried out this weekend. . .

Squash and Sweet Potato Strata:

Saute 1 cup bread in olive oil and garlic. Place in baking dish, add green onions, 1 1/2 cups grated cheese, mix 6 eggs and 1 cup milk with leftover sweet potato and or squash. You can add other leftover vegetables too, if you like. Bake and serve.

Potato Pancakes:
Leftover mashed potato
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated hard Italian cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper

For into small pancakes saute in olive oil until browned and firm. About 2-3 minutes on each side.

Turkey Pannini:

8 slices sourdough bread
leftover turkey
leftover stuffing
Brie
leftover whole cranberry sauce or cranberry chutney
fresh sage

Place brie on half the bread. Top with turkey, stuffing, and sage. Spread other half of bread with cranberry sauce. Cook in Pannini maker or frying pan with olive oil until golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve.

OK, these aren't low-fat ideas but they are a really great use of your leftovers. I really hate to waste food. Be sure to go for a long run after you eat.

That's what I did this morning after eating this for brunch. My sister and I went for a 3.6 mile run. It's so hard not gaining weight during the holiday season. It's only just begun.

I did say I was going to get all the bad food out of the house. I succeeded without throwing it away. Now I've gotta be good, at least till the weekend when I have the first of many Christmas parties. Oh what fun it is. . .

Leftovers. . . a blessing in disguise

Thanksgiving leftovers are great, except they extend the eating frenzy. I'm happy to say the scale this morning had not changed since Wednesday, before the mass eating began. I got in a three-mile run today along with an hour body pump class. I think I made up for it once I got home and dug into leftover stuffing and risotto. I need to get this food out of my house! I'm heading to my sister's tomorrow and all bad food will be gone this weekend. It's back to veggies and Lean Cuisine for me.

I think I got in a little extra weight lifting while shopping with the crazies this morning. Let's see, you have to run to beat the other customers, wrestle to get those sale items before they're gone, weight lift those bags while you continue to shop, squat to reach the items on the bottom shelf, and walk to the next store. Yes, shopping is officially a sport. It should be an Olympic event!

I did get some good deals this morning, but I could probably have done just as well by sleeping in and shopping online on cyber Monday. I think I will sleep in next year. I'm exhausted.

I ate it. . . ALL

I can't believe I ate the whole thing! Yup, I ate so much awesome food I think I could actually explode. The Julia Child in me truly came out today, right down to the 50's style apron and the pearls.

Let's see, I made the spinach with white truffle oil, Brussel sprouts with bacon, butternut squash risotto, dates stuffed with goat cheese and walnuts (I could leave those) and mushrooms stuffed with lobster and goat cheese. Those were a last-minute addition and really worth it. Here's how to make them in case you want them for your holiday party:

Lobster and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
1 pound stuffing mushrooms
3 gloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped leeks
sherry
1/2 stick butter
Lobster from about a 1 to 1 1/2 pound lobster
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Remove stems from mushrooms and chop. Melt butter, add leeks, garlic, and mushroom stems and saute until soft. Add lobster cook a couple of minutes than add sherry. Cook until slightly reduced. Add cheese, bread crumbs, cream, salt and pepper. Heat through. Remove from heat. Cook mushrooms in a pan or microwave until some liquid comes out. This will shrink them a little before you stuff them. Fill mushrooms with stuffing, drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until browned on top. Let cool slightly and serve.

Other food we had today included Cranberry and Walnut stuffing with chestnuts. I got that at Williams-Sonoma and my son's girlfriend made it. The two of them made crab mornay in phyllo cups. My sister made pumpkin and carrot soup with curry. Of course, we had all the traditions too, and pumpkin chocolate chip cheeses cake, chocolate cream pie, pumpkin pie, butterscotch gram cracker pie, carrot cake, and apple crisp. I had a small bite of everything.

Oh, and for brunch since our big meal was at dinner, I made omelets with lobster, spinach, fontina cheese, and white truffle oil. OMG! They were so good. I had something like that at a hotel once and I wanted to replicate it. I think I did it. It was a big hit!

I alleviated some of the guilt from today by going for a 4-mile "turkey trot" with my sister. Of course, I got a little case of the "turkey trots" and we had to stop after the first mile, but I was able to continue. We went jogging by our old high school and did a hurkey jump in the parking lot. You know, for old time sake since we were both cheerleaders.

I've been gearing up all week for this day by running and hitting the gym. Got in three smaller pre-turkey trots and a body pump class. I came close to walking out the other day when I realized, after I was completely changed, that I had no socks. There's nothing worse than running with no socks! I stuck it our for three miles. After all, I had spent all that time changing, which was no small task considering my five pounds of jewelry and tights! That was a workout in and of itself.

My challenge tomorrow is Black Friday shopping. I'll hit the stores at about 5 a.m with one or two of my sisters and my neice and battle the crazies. I do it more for the sport of it. Not really looking for anything. I do think shopping should be a sport. I was actually sore last weekend from carrying all my bags and walking so much.

Well, gotta rest up for the shopping. Happy Thanksgiving!

Planning for Thanksgiving.

I'm loving this warm November, because I got up early and went for a run. I knew I'd have a crazy day, so I wanted to get it in. After all, it's going to be a tough week for the diet with Thanksgiving and all. I'm planning my food. I'm going to attempt the truffled spinach I ate over the weekend because it was so amazing. The good thing about truffle oil is that you only need a small amount.

I'm also planning on caramelized Brussel sprouts with bacon, my usual pumpkin risotto, I think some dates stuffed with goat cheese. I'm still working on it. I should probably consider some really low fat options as well. I bought some chestnuts at Williams-Sonoma over the weekend. I just opened them and ate some. They are surprisingly low in fat. Only a half a gram in five chestnuts. I think I'll add them to my cranberry pecan stuffing. I may attempt a pumpkin and white cheddar souffle too. Hmmmm. I really need to find a low-fat option!

Oh wait, my sister is making Weight Watchers pumpkin pie. I'll just eat that!

OMG. I'd better get in a long run tomorrow too!

Not the biggest loser!

I'm not the biggest loser in the sister's weight-loss contest. I lost ten pounds, and my sister Laurie lost 12. I made the mistake of not making it the largest percentage of weight loss. Otherwise, I'd have won!

I'm still happy with ten pounds. I splurged a little and had the most amazing food at The Grill Room in Portland. I like to be adventurous, so I actually tried Sweetbreads. If you've never tried them, they are the edible glands of animals such as cows, lambs, etc. I know, gross, right? But they were breaded and served with a lemon caper sauce. They were really good. I also had escargot. That was OK. It wasn't garlicky enough for me. I had fillet Mignon with Bearnaise sauce, grilled sweet potatoes, and Brussel sprouts with bacon. I wanted to try a bunch of stuff, so I shared and tried bites of other people's food too. The truffled spinach and tuna tar tar were amazing as well. I did not over do though. I actually left half the fillet and gave it to my son to take home. I hate that feeling when I've over stuffed myself. I also drank lots of water during dinner, so that would fill me up some too. It was totally worth it to try everything.

It's back on track tomorrow, at least till Thursday when the Thanksgiving feast is on. I have a 4-mile turkey trot planned that morning with my sister to alleviate some of the guilt.

Some really good news though, I bought a top and a dress at Banana Republic in size medium, but they were too big! I had to return them for a small. How great is that!

Well I'm exhausted from all that shopping. I actually hurt! My shoulder is killing me from carrying all those bags. I was sweating my but off at the Mall. Oh, and I got up and ran on the treadmill at the hotel. At least I didn't totally blow the weekend!

Tomorrow, it's planning for Thanksgiving dinner!

I can't believe I said that!

I was in Body Pump class today. Feeling good. Having fun. Then our instructor was talking about growing a mustache for a Lance Armstrong prostate cancer awareness campaign called Mo (short for mustache) details are at www.livestrong.org. We were kind of making fun of him, and I meant to say he looked like Ron Burgundy, you know Will Farrel's character from Anchorman, http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4080861977/. What I actually said was Ron Jeremy, the porn star. I was about 300 shades of red, and of course he probably thought I was a complete perve! I was so flustered, I didn't change my weight for bicep curls and ended up doing way more weight than I normally do. I guess that's good, but I'm afraid I'll be super embarrassed going back.

Oh well, I have to. I have to lose 1.2 pounds by Saturday to win the contest with the sisters. I was soooo good today. I ate salad for lunch and dinner. I'll be pooping the rest of the week. I'm also going to run like I'm being chased by a crazy person. I'm determined to win! It's the competitor in me! Ok, gotta hit the hay so I can get up and run! TTFN!

Lessons learned

It ain't over till the fat lady sings! Oh wait, I sing every day. So, I ended my ten-ten-ten contest losing ten pounds. I didn't get every one's official weigh-in but I'm pretty sure I won. I'm not done yet, so I will continue my quest. . . plus the sister's contest ends Saturday.

What have I learned?

You have to move.
You have to reduce your fat/caloric intake.
You may have everything in moderation, not everything.
Hang out with friends you want to be like, not ones who make you feel better about being fat.
Work out. Whether you want to or not.
Hair color and manicures don't make you look thinner.
People won't like it when you lose weight.
True friends will encourage, not discourage.
You can't diet your entire life. You must change your ways.
Drink wine. In moderation.
Laugh at yourself.
Laugh at others.
Splurge. Not just on special occasions.
Accept compliments.
Stop making excuses.
Cook, eat and enjoy it!

Bon appetite!

The Great Pumpkin (cookie) Charlie Brown

They say never eat anything bigger than your head. The cookie I had today might be right up there. I had to go out of town, slightly. I stopped at a store I used to frequent frequently. They make these giant low-fat pumpkin cookies. They are huge and awesome. I just had to stop. It was sooooo good!

I grabbed some vegetarian sushi too that I had for dinner. Everything was organic and the rice was actually Bulgar wheat. Totally healthy. I don't usually get too concerned with organic. There's so much hype and it's way more expensive and I've read that nutritionally there's really no difference. Plus, I'm sure I've said this before, but shit is organic. I sure don't want to eat it. Even when people tell me to.

When vegetables are fertilized with manure, there's a better chance of e-coli contamination too. I just let my vegetables grow in the back yard without fertilizer or any chemicals. Yes, some things are eaten by bugs, etc. before I can get them, but for the most part they're OK and I know they haven't been contaminated.

Well, tomorrow is the day that my ten-ten-ten contest is over with my co-workers. Ten weeks to lose ten percent of our body weigh to be a ten! Not sure any of us lost ten percent, but I am probably going to win. I could have done better, but I chose to just chance how I eat and have lost nearly ten pounds. I won't feel bad about that. I'm not done yet, but I think the most important thing is to reduce body fat in a healthy way. Stay tuned!

Sorry Jack!

I couldn't let that jack-o-lantern go to waste. Actually, it was just a pumpkin anyway, since I didn't carve it up. Rather than waste it, I carved, scraped, chopped, and roasted. Ended up with some yummy pumpkin risotto and today some pumpkin chicken chili. Did I mention that pumpkin is full of cancer-fighting beta carotene? Yup. Sorry Jack, you had to go at such a young age, but just know that you'll help me live longer!

Just remember, anything you can do with pumpkin or squash puree, you can do with your leftover Halloween pumpkin. Not only will you save money by not wasting the pumpkin, but you'll benefit from the nutrition of fresh rather than canned. Oh, and it tastes way better too. You can even make it into pumpkin pie! I have another on my front step. I think I'll roast it and save it for Thanksgiving.

Too polite not to eat. . .

Sometimes it's just not polite to not eat something. I had a lunch meeting yesterday. They wanted to pitch a sponsorship opportunity to my company. I was invited, along with my boss, to the home/office of a prominent business person in the community. The home was lovely. Lunch was lovely as well. It was a very nice cream of broccoli soup, a salad with shaved parmigiana reggiano and very good quality calamata olives, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Then there were cannolis from a local Italian bistro. It really would have been rude not to partake. What do you do?

I did scoot out at the last minute before lunch to make Body Pump. I was going to skip. Didn't have any buddies, and had my excuses all lined up. Funny, those excuses don't always work with my conscience. My raking blister injury lost out in the end. My two-hours of sleep lost out too. I really did feel great after the workout. Big surprise. I always do. I was especially glad after lunch.

Funny, today wasn't much different. My son is in town, and I always like to make breakfast. I made egg and brie sandwiches on baguettes toasted in olive oil and garlic. They were quite yummy. It has been a long time though since I've eaten brie and my stomach instantly felt it. It is so rich! Then guilt set in and I went running. Then I did cardio kick boxing and skipped lunch. Good thing because I made Chicken Marsala and pumpkin risotto for dinner. I did skip the heavy cream, except a splash to finish off the Chicken Marsala. Oh how I love food! There's just not enough time in the day to work it all off. Plus, I kind of ache from trying to do so.

You know what's really cool though is that a girl in class at the gym asked if I was losing weight and said it showed. That made my day. That makes all the hard work worth it. No one wants to be a fatty!

I hurt. . . so good!

That's right! Day off today, and I made it count! Started off with a Chocolate Banana Vivano from Starbucks and a coffee. That kept me going, and it's a healthy option too. They put a whole banana in it. I didn't realize that one time, and almost gaged when I got a piece of banana in the bottom because it was all slimy. I felt much better once I found that out. For a moment, I thought the workers were playing some kind of sick joke!

I think this is the hardest I've worked physically in a long time. I cleaned out my car and washed the inside. It needed it for a while, and today I finally had the time. Squeezed in some laundry, then headed to the gym for Body Pump. All my workout buddies weren't there, since we had the day off. I actually look forward to going to the gym when I don't have to rush back to work. Not as much fun without my buds though.

Stopped at the store to get some healthy food. I actually had time to use all those coupons they keep giving me at the checkout. The clerk gave me major attitude though. I mostly bought items that I had a coupon for such as Healthy Choice, Lean Pockets, and Weight Watchers dinners. I also had returned bottles when I was cleaning out my car, so I had those slips too. So, I handed her my stack of coupons and she said "for just this?" Then she proceeded to make sure I had each and every item, like I was some kind of coupons cheater or something. OMG, no wonder I never use them. I just had so many in my purse because every time you go to the grocery store these days, they give them to you with your receipt. If they don't want you to use them, they shouldn't give them to you. And they should lose the attitude! I saved $14, so take that attitude girl!

I took a break to catch up on As the World Turns before heading out to rake leaves. That's not fun! I'm sure I'll hurt tomorrow. I think all the leaves in town are in my yard! Usually I can con someone into raking them, or at least pay someone, but I decided to do it myself this time.

After the leaves, I went for a three-mile run. I figured I had the time, might as well make it count! I felt great.

Then, I pampered myself with a manicure and pedicure. I will sleep like a baby! And, hopefully this will help my bottom line, if you know what I mean!

Well, I'm completely wiped out! Good night!

The Secret is Out!

I just watched Biggest Loser. I was very disappointing because the biggest people on the show were voted off. I hate it when the leave and they don't continue. They've had the opportunity of a life time, and they totally throw it away! Many of them change their lives, and that it amazing that they do that. I'll never let myself weigh enough to be on the show, but I'd love the opportunity to go to a ranch and only have to worry about eating well and exercising all day. It's life that gets in the way.

I felt great after a three-mile run at the gym today. I'll feel even greater tomorrow when I can go to the gym for a couple of hours. I actually look forward to going to the gym when I don't have to rush back to work. I know many people don't go when they have a day off like we do tomorrow because of the holiday. I could spend it eating badly and watching TV, or I can do something good for myself. I just love the feeling after and knowing we're heading into the holidays, I think any chance we get to work out is an opportunity.

Plus, I've gotta beat 8.8 pounds in the sisters weight-loss contest. I'm somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds. I think I need to stay away from salt for the next week and a half and find foods that are a diuretic.

I had bran cereal with bananas on top for breakfast and a bowl of fruit salad, and a Healthy Choice Turkey and Sweet Potato meal for lunch. I drank plenty of water, but there was that United Way reception tonight. There was smoked salmon, buffalo wings, and meatballs. All loaded with salt and/or fat. Good thing I ran today and will again tomorrow. I think I need to make a vegetable soup tomorrow and eat it for the next week!

I saw an old friend the other day. He asked me why I never age. How do you say to people that if you eat well and exercise, you can actually slow the aging process. You can't really have that conversation in five minutes. People just don't want to hear it. I just smile like I don't really know the answer. Just taking care of yourself is the secret, but I don't consider it a secret. People really want a quick-fix that doesn't require work. Here's a secret, there is no such secret! Oops, it's out.

The old wedding dress, and Yes! a good body day!

When I went to my niece's play last night one of the girls wore a wedding dress. It looked kind of familiar. There was a reason, it had been my sister's wedding dress nearly 24 years ago. I could hardly believe it. . . it was so tiny. The girl wearing it couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. Come to think of it, I didn't weigh much more than that when I got married ---- years ago! I could never fit into my dress again. (Then again, why would I want to?)

Why is it the we gain so much weight with age? I don't buy that our metabolism slows down, it's that we slow down. Think about all the running around we did, sports, etc. Always on the go. Never time to eat. Now we come home, eat, get ready for bed and go to bed. OK, yeah our metabolism slows down because when we are active, we speed it up! We just need to get active again!

If only I could have more days like today. I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast until about 10:30. I had a healthy egg-white flat bread sandwich from Dunkin Donuts. Since I usually eat lunch around 11:00 or 11:30, I didn't eat again. I just had an apple after the gym and a bottle of water.

That's right. . . ate light, went to the gym, ate an apple, and drank water. Like I said, if only I could have more days like this. It was a fast-food Monday I have to say. I did not have the energy to tackle the grocery store, and the cupboards are bare. I picked up some KFC grilled chicken, potatoes, and green beans for my son and I had my Fresco favorites from Taco Bell: Fresco Bean Burrito and Fresco Chicken Ranchero Soft Taco.

With only one week and a day left of the contest with my co-workers and 12 days left with the sisters, I NEED to have more days like this!

Jillian and Julia would be so proud!

Is it possible to get your whole week's worth of exercise in in one day? Not really, but I certainly tried to get in as much as possible yesterday. I walked for a half hour, did a half hour of cardio kick boxing, then a half hour of circuit training, and a half hour run. That's like a freakin' quadrathlon or something, isn't it? I know, not quite. I was determined to get in a really good workout because I only had the chance to get in one workout last week.

Since this wasn't my usual workout, I discovered some new muscles that I haven't heard from in a while. Hello muscles, thanks for reminding me you are there! Schedule looks good for making Body Pump tomorrow.

Of course, I kinda cancelled out all my hard work yesterday when I got together with friends for drinks and food. There were all kinds of little snack-type appetizer things, which of course I ate because I was starving at that point. Then I made Chicken Marsala and roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes. Oh, and my mom's Swedish Apple Pie. Oh man, I've got some running to do this week! Jillian and Julia would be proud of me! At least if you're going to eat well, you've gotta do something to burn it off!

Only one week left of my diet challenge with my co-workers and two weeks with the sisters, but we do have a new work challenge that I hope will keep me on track. It's maintain, don't gain. We all had to get weighed in and will weigh again in January. The idea is to get us through the holidays without putting on too many pounds. It's good to have some competition to keep from gaining weight.

slackin off and Big Fat and little white lies!

Oh no, I had a total slacker day today. Couldn't hit the gym because my son had an appointment, and I didn't make it there after work either. I did make it to the Ground Round for dinner. Lifting that wine glass counts as exercise, right?

So, as always, I plan to make it all up tomorrow. That means I have to work out 3 hours and 20 minutes. No problem. Anyone want to join me? This has been a bad week. A very bad week indeed. In spite of it, my scale tells me I've lost ten pounds. It will probably be a completely different story tomorrow. I will be good, I will be good.

At least I had salmon, broccoli, and a plain baked potato at Ground Round. I don't mean to be mean, but there were a lot of really large people there tonight eating giant portions of fried everything. Don't they ever feel guilty? I was feeling bad for not going to the gym, eating a few hand fulls of popcorn, and drinking wine. I guess I'm glad the guilt kicks in before I reach 200 pounds! My mirror may tell big fat lies, but my scale can only tell little white lies. It can't be off by too many pounds. Those are the cold hard facts and I know when to cut back! Some people apparently don't have a scale or mirror. Is life happier in that world? I think not. There are still dressing room mirrors. They're cruel to everyone, they do not discriminate.

Do heels make you look thinner?

If you're a woman, you know that wearing heals makes you look much thinner. I'm only 5 feet 4 inches, so heals are almost always a must. I left the house rockin' a black suit with a crisp white shirt and argyle vest, and of course some pointy-toed high heels. I didn't think my day through when I got dressed. I knew I'd be going to the March of Dimes Chef's Auction and might be helping out at the event. I ended up spending ten hours, other than a few breaks, on my feet in my high heels! That must be worth about a million calories burned, right? It's at least gotta be a great calf and but workout. Probably not, but man I was ready to get off my feet! At least I looked thinner. . . at least in my mind.

My friend's husband thinks that's the funniest thing, that women think about what they wear on their feet to make them look thinner. I know men don't have to think about that, but it's really important to us. I just heard the other day on Cosmo radio that it's true, so it must be scientific or something.

The Chef's Auction had lots of food from many area restaurants. Most of it was super fattening. The cannolis looked devine, but I stayed clear. I did indulge in some seafood chowder and a small piece of lasagna. At least I had a Weight Watchers egg sandwich for breakfast and a Starbucks Vivano for lunch, so I don't think I was too bad. There was salad, but of course I didn't make it over to the healthy stuff.

I'm pretty psyched, because I ended up with two auction items. . . one for a mani, pedi, hot-stone massage, and $50 restaurant gift certificate and one for a but-load of coffee! Five pounds of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, two pounds of Starbucks coffee, 12 cups of McDonald's coffee, and one month of Tim Horton's coffee, plus two Starbucks mugs. Hmmm. What should I keep and what should I give for Christmas gifts. That will be a tough decision.

It's snowing, and that makes exercising outside a lot more difficult. Not that I'll actually do it, because I didn't today, but I always think I'm going to get up early and run. I at least have the snow as an excuse tomorrow.

Competition heating up, asparagus, and running in the dark

Well, the competition is heating up in the sister's weight-loss competition. I have one who is at 8.4 pounds lost. My scale said 9 this morning, but that could change drastically by tomorrow.

So, I went to body pump at lunch and then went for about a three-mile run tonight. I was so tired and it was cold and dark, but I did it anyway. How did it get so cold and dark so quickly? I was a little creeped because I kept hearing things while I was running. It was only 7:15 when I went, but maybe I should run at the gym next time. I just like to go home first, check the mail, eat, etc. then go running outside. I need to get my ipod fixed so I don't hear all the creepy noises.

I ended up eating the same thing for lunch and dinner. It's a Healthy Choice Pumpkin Ravioli with asparagus and butternut squash with a sage butter. It's really good. I think they make another Pumpkin Ravioli that I didn't like as much, but this one is good. Asparagus twice today will surely make my pee smell like burnt rubber! I wonder why that is? I read once Asparagus detoxifies your liver. That's not a bad thing. Just means you can drink more wine, right?

Everyone in body pump today was really quiet. I think the time change has everyone messed up. I feel like I could sleep for a week. What happened to that extra hour? I want it back!

So many people are sick too. Maybe I'll get sick and lose some weight! That never works for me for some reason. Then again, I'm never so sick I can't eat. I can always eat. Even when I don't feel good, I want to eat. Is it "feed a cold starve a fever," or "starve a cold, feed a fever?" I can never remember, so I just feed everything no matter what it is.

My plan is to get up early and go running again tomorrow. That's if my old-lady muscles and joints aren't aching so bad I can't get out of bed. I'm going to have to do something I almost never do. Set my alarm clock. Maybe I should start doing that more often and I wouldn't always be late for work. Nahhhh, It's not that I don't wake up, it's that I don't want to get up. I want to be one of those people who don't think about it and bounce out of bed and workout before work. I know I'll never be one of those people. I hate them anyway.

Two weeks, Yikes!

I heard this on the radio today: nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin. I love that. Too bad we only feel that way after we've eaten that pint of ice cream.

No rational statement in the world can come between us and our food when we really, really want it. It's like we have no control. I mean, do people really want to weigh 200, 300, or 400 pounds? No, but sometimes (most of the time) we just have no control. Food is like a drug!

That's exactly why women pay big money to get it sucked out! Because they do not have the willpower to say no. Look at Kirsti Alley. She's gained all her weight back that she just lost three years ago. Now she's getting a television show to chronicle her weight-loss challenges. I sure hope it works for her this time.

Me, I've got my own battle to fight. Stuck at eight pounds lost the last few weeks. Only two weeks left in my challenge with my co-workers. I couldn't even talk myself into going to the gym. I think I've lost my drive. I will go to Body Pump tomorrow, and I'm not letting anything get in the way. I'm also going to try to run after work. I know, very ambitious goal. I really need to get back in the grove. Any advice? I think I need a visit from Jillian!

Time is running out!

I realized today that I only have 2 weeks and one day left of my diet contest with my coworkers. Yikes! Time to kick it up for the home stretch. That worked out well until just before lunch. I sat and waited to be called into a meeting and couldn't go to the gym. The frustrating part was that if I had known, I could have actually gone to the gym for Body Pump class.

Realizing my diet deadline, I ate really healthy, but had a business dinner, so again it all went well until around lunch. I ate a Weight Watchers breakfast Quesadilla for breakfast and a Healthy Choice Roasted Turkey lunch. I actually even drank water. I passed on the leftovers from the meeting, although they all looked scrumptious. Funny, when you really set your mind to it you can pass on anything. Why is it that that works some days and not others?

But, try to go to an upscale Italian Restaurant and eat healthy! I had a green salad and some red wine. I did go with the Tilapia with a lemon caper sauce, which came with Swiss Chard and Roasted Potatoes. I'm sure it was all cooked in lots of oil. I do think it was the healthiest option. There is a big difference between "weight maintenance" mode and "weight loss" mode. I need to get into the latter in a big way. I can get back into maintenance mode once I've reached my goal. At least I haven't gained it all back. Just one pound, and that really depends on the day of week and time of day that I weigh myself. It can all change in a second.

What's scarier than only two weeks and one day left of the contest is that there are only 3 1/2 weeks till Thanksgiving! Getting through the holiday festivities without becoming a tub of lard is always fun. It's best to head into the holidays down a few pounds.

Time to cut out the wine, the gym interferences and become one hot mama! It's on baby. It's on!

Flying Food and Burnt Chili

Nothing like a four-year-old to help you with your diet. I'm in Target picking up some Lean Cuisines, toothpaste, etc. with my four-year-old when suddenly it all turned violent. He climbed out of the cart seat, while buckled into the cart. . . you know, the one they tell you not to put your children in. That's when he started pitching the Lean Cuisines at me. I could barely dodge them. Maybe he was trying to tell me not to eat them. Maybe he was trying to tell me not to eat anymore!

Of course, there was also the major workout that I got while trying to keep him under control. I know people must have been horrified, but you'd think a few people could have helped by picking up the food instead of walking around it. I think just one person actually lended a hand. Amazing how people are unwilling to lend a helping hand. The cashier even had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to save ten percent by opening a Target credit card. Was she kidding? This was while I was being slapped in the face by my son. I know they're supposed to ask, but couldn't this have been an exception? Clearly I was not going to take the time to fill out an application.

One way to save money on groceries, I guess. Not worth the stress though.

Here's another way to cut down on what you're eating. Burn it! Yup. I made some black bean and sweet potato chili, but I cooked it in my Mario Batolli risotto pan, which I paid way too much for and I really don't like. Everything cooks on in it. So, I got a little too into catching up on episodes of Desperate Housewives and by the time I went back to check the chili, it had burned on. I still ate some, but it had a burnt taste. Just not my day today. I tried to cheer myself up by eating a Reece's Peanut butter Cup. I didn't feel better, I felt fat. I think it's time to go to bed. Maybe it was the time change that screwed everything up today. Well, good night.