The Garmin Forerunner!
Why?
To be honest, the votes were split down the middle. Half of you love your Polar HRMs and half of you worship the Garmin.
I chose the Garmin simply because it had a lot more to offer at a reasonable price. There are many things that I can do with it, if I can get my fitness level to a place where I can get into running and to cycling.
Because I am a not ever going to be a tiny person, no matter what I weigh (I’m 5’10” – I tend to be noticed no matter what), I don’t think that the size will bother me.
And I love gadgets where I can download information and analyze it (I’m a geek at heart.)
So, this little baby is on its way to me now and I will have it before the weekend, I think. Yay!!
I love getting new accessories for working out – it always motivates me.
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
~ Doug Larson
My poor honey is sick. 
No, it’s not more than a stomach thing, and not even a bad one at that. But I just hate to see him so low and not feeling well. He’s my sweet man and I only want the absolute best for him.
Did I ever tell you that when I lie down next to him at night, I always put my hand on his back and say a little prayer, asking for whatever health and strength has been given to me to be given to him as well? What was so absolutely amazing to me is that when I was sick a few weeks ago with the stomach flu, he put his hand on me and said, I’m trying to put my strength into you. Isn’t that sweet? I just love that man so much!
Okay, I know, you all have a toothache from all of the sweetness here.
So I spent today hovering (which he hates) and babying him (which he hates even more). He was feeling weak and shaky and I wanted to stay nearby in case he needed me.
As such, I wasn’t very hungry myself. I did cop out on my raw lunch, though, and instead had some organic chicken burritos. And I felt satisfied.
Here are the details:
|
Actual |
Goal |
|
|
Calories |
2103 |
2500 |
|
Fat (g) |
60.5 |
65 |
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
137 |
300 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
3950 |
2400 |
|
Total Carbs (g) |
317 |
130 |
|
Fiber (g) |
31 |
35 |
|
Sugar (g) |
96 |
35 |
|
Protein (g) |
101 |
136 |
|
Vitamin A (%) |
57 |
100 |
|
Vitamin C (%) |
105 |
100 |
|
Calcium (%) |
116 |
100 |
|
Iron (%) |
66 |
100 |
|
WW Points |
43 |
42 |
Certainly a pretty great day. Look at those fat grams!! Woot woot!!
Tomorrow I have news about whether or not I chose the Garmin Forerunner or the Polar HRM.
I hope that all of you had a great Monday!
You may or may not know that when I’m employed, I am a corporate trainer. This means that I work either directly in HR or I work very closely with them. So, I read a lot of HR blogs. However, this article really incensed me.
Fistful of Talent: Fat Is the New Skinny
I agree that obesity drives up healthcare costs. I agree that it’s something that needs to be addressed. But for this supposed “professional” to address it this way…that just speaks to every single stereotype of overweight folks out there. That we’re somehow choosing to be this way. That it’s just so easy to put down that food and lose weight. That there isn’t an emotional connection.
Obesity and alcoholism are both diseases. They are both addictions. But for some reason, people don’t get that. Is an alcoholic “cured” just by telling him or her to stop drinking? Not often.
Until obesity is recognized as a psychological disorder as well as a physical disorder, there will not be any great progress toward helping those of us who suffer from it.
~ Author Unknown
How’s your Sunday going? Is there some sort of big sporting event going on? I keep hearing bits and pieces of something. 
We’re not football folk here, so we have found other ways 
to entertain ourselves today. One was the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. I love puppies!
I did do some cleaning last night and was rewarded handsomely by my man today. He was very happy.
I forgot to tell you that I had spaghetti squash for the first time in my life last night and I loved it! I think it’s my favorite squash of all. One squash to rule them…ooo sorry. That won’t happen again.
Anyway, I had a warm but veggie lunch today – 3 squash. I cooked them. Yes, I did. At more than 118 degrees. I did it. And you know what? No 4pm cravings. Well, that could have been also because I was asleep. But the point is, that I think it’s that I need a hot lunch right now. I rarely eat hot foods in the summer time – or heck, any time the temperature is above freezing. But right now, I miss a hot lunch. So I’m going to have to start cooking more of the veggies.
However, I don’t like my fruit warm at all. I don’t like pie much in general and certainly not fresh from the oven. I prefer it to be room temperature at the most.
Wow, that was a fascinating trip down my quirky lane. If you’re still reading. thank you.
So here are the deets for today:
|
Actual |
Goal |
|
|
Calories |
2560 |
2500 |
|
Fat (g) |
106 |
65 |
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
765 |
300 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
4364 |
2400 |
|
Total Carbs (g) |
309 |
130 |
|
Fiber (g) |
39 |
35 |
|
Sugar (g) |
161 |
35 |
|
Protein (g) |
113 |
136 |
|
Vitamin A (%) |
120 |
100 |
|
Vitamin C (%) |
150 |
100 |
|
Calcium (%) |
200 |
100 |
|
Iron (%) |
148 |
100 |
|
WW Points |
57 |
42 |
I am addicted to those Strawberry Flax Waffles. AND I love how much protein and fiber they have in them. It makes them so filling.
Okay, tomorrow I need to do a bit o’ shopping. I need to think of something to get Future Hubby for Valentine’s Day. His gift to me is the trip this weekend but then he also said that he bought me something else. I am the worst romantic in the world, if I haven’t mentioned it before. I may love with all of my heart, but I am not a romantic. And, I only have about $40 to spend. Thoughts?
Okay, peace out. Enjoy your Sunday night!!
You should be reading:
1. *Bitch Cakes*A Neurotic Glamour Girl’s Weight Watchers Experience – Title says it all. I love all three of Sheryl’s blogs!
2. Choosing Raw – I’ve linked to one of her posts before. Gena does a great job of explaining the raw diet.
3. Daily Goods – Ashley gets to take some wild adventures. She just went to Costa Rica for a yoga retreat.
4. Endurance Isn’t Only Physical – Tricia lost 122 lbs and is now a runner!
5. Fit to the Finish – If you are looking for inspiration in your life, look no further than Diane of Fit to the Finish. She lost 150 lbs. AND she is going to be on the Dr. Oz show soon!!
6. One Mile at a Time – She’s lost 70 lbs and is now a runner. She also teaches 2nd grade.
7. Opposite Life – PubsGal is a lot of fun to read. She usually updates weekly, but it’s worth the wait. She writes about living with Type 2 Diabetes.
8. Single Serving – Krissy has lost over 60 lbs through healthy eating. She lives in NYC and features recipes on her blog.
9. The Fat Lazy Guy’s Log – Kepa is in New Zealand, but he and Mary of A Merry Life are having quite the love affair. They’re so cute!! But it’s also nice to hear about self-esteem/confidence issues from the male point of view.
10. The Fitnessista – Gina has worked through her food issues and is now in fabulous shape. Enough so that she is a personal trainer.
11. Healthy Living with Kelly – Kelly has been such a wonderful cheerleader for me. She’s also a personal trainer and a Nutrition Manager.
Hope you enjoy!
A pedestrian is someone who thought there were a couple of gallons left in the tank.
~ Author Unknown
Happy Saturday everyone. How has your day been?
Not much going on here. We are staying low with about a foot of snow on the ground. 
Future Hubby had to go out earlier to check on someone’s furnace, but other than that, we’ve been home. We spent most of the day trading naps – I would nap, then I would get up and FH would nap and so on.
I did manage to actually write up some posts ahead for my other blog, so it’s not been a totally wasted day. After FH goes to bed I plan on doing some cleaning and organizing. It will make a nice surprise for him when he wakes up.
Today for my raw lunch I had two zucchinis along with part of a Bolthouse Farms protein drink.
I’m on day….3? 4? of trying to eat a bit more raw. I have to say, there are many pros:
- More fruits
- More veggies
- Less calories
But there is a HUGE con:
- I crave something thick and savory later on. (Andrea!)
Anyway, I am having a hard time not wanting to stuff myself with calorie-laden foods in the afternoons. I’m not hungry, per se, but I become obsessed with wanting something. On the one hand, since my lunches have dropped in calories so much, I can squeeze in something like that. It’s just that I don’t want to create a bad habit.
If you eat a raw lunch, how do you combat these cravings or do you even get them? Today I satisfied it with having some of the Strawberry Flax waffles. That helped.
|
Actual |
Goal |
|
|
Calories |
2230 |
2500 |
|
Fat (g) |
75 |
65 |
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
130 |
300 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
3447 |
2400 |
|
Total Carbs (g) |
297 |
130 |
|
Fiber (g) |
33 |
35 |
|
Sugar (g) |
99 |
35 |
|
Protein (g) |
118 |
136 |
|
Vitamin A (%) |
109 |
100 |
|
Vitamin C (%) |
68 |
100 |
|
Calcium (%) |
160 |
100 |
|
Iron (%) |
70 |
100 |
|
WW Points |
43 |
42 |
And I want to point out those fat grams again. Woot woot!!
Not too bad of a day, eating-wise. I just have to get past those 4 pm cravings for anything dense and flavorful.
Hope everyone you love is safe and warm.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a lover of gadgets. And to me, gadgets are not limited to ones that I can hold in my hand. They can also be computer programs that just make my life easier. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorites:
1. Google Reader.
Stay up to date
Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you can be sure that you won’t miss a thing.
Simplify your reading experience
Google Reader shows you all of your favorite sites in one convenient place. It’s like a personalized inbox for the entire web.
Discover new content
Millions of sites publish feeds with their latest updates, and our integrated feed search makes it easy to find new content that interests you.
I have 238 websites/blogs that I follow. Having Google Reader allows me to read them all from one page, rather than having to go to each blog individually.
2. Tweetdeck.
TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and more.
With TweetDeck anyone can tweet like a Pro. Customize your Twitter experience with columns, groups, saved searches and automatic updates helping you to effortlessly stay updated with the people and topics you care about. See what people are saying about you and join the conversation by tweeting, sharing photos, videos or links directly from TweetDeck. We like to think of it as air traffic control for Twitter.
Connect with your Facebook and MySpace friends directly from TweetDeck by updating your status, posting photos or videos, commenting, liking and groups your friends to make it easier to follow only those you really want to see what your friends are doing by creating columns for each of your groups of friends.
Writer makes it easy to share your photos and videos on almost any blog service—Windows Live, WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, and many more.
It’s fast and easy to make your photos look great on your blog. Insert them and apply cool borders and effects. You can even pull your photos together into an album—just select the style you want and Writer takes care of the rest. When you publish, Writer automatically saves your picture or album online and links them to your blog.
Writer can help you publish videos to Soapbox on MSN Video, or to YouTube, and embed them in your blog. And just like photos, it’s easy to align, resize, and caption your videos, so they look just the way you want them to.
Because I have 2 blogs that I update regularly, I would have to sign in and out of each one to update them. With Windows Live Writer, I can blog to multiple blogs from one platform. So much easier! It also allows you to schedule your updates. For example, I’m writing this at 3pm, but you won’t see it until 8 pm.
4. Evernote.
Chances are, if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. Type a text note. Clip a web page. Snap a photo. Grab a screenshot. Evernote will keep it all safe.
Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable. If you like, you can add tags or organize notes into different notebooks.
Search for notes by keywords, titles, and tags. Evernote magically makes printed and handwritten text inside your images searchable, too.
I used to have about 60 million windows open, trying to remember blogs on which to comment later or my favorite pics from my favorite sites. Now I can just select what I want to save, click on my Evernote button and it’s saved for me.
5. Cut My Pic
An extremely useful and simple site to cut your picture and to add a drop shadow in just 3 simple steps.
My car is a 2000, so it doesn’t have the nifty line in for iPod use. I’ve tried many of the FM transmitters and they either never quite have the sound for which I’m looking or they break easily. So, instead, I am just going to use this little speaker for when I’m in the car. The sound is pretty darn great for the price and size!
7. Tuneband.
I have a big arm. And most of the armbands out there are of a fixed length. What I love about this one is that it is elastic and yet comfortable. It stays in place, yet isn’t constricting. And yes, I took this from Miss Andrea!
8. Kindle – I love Love LOVE it. But I want to do a much longer review for it later, so I’m saving it.
So, those are just a few of the items that make my life easier. I’m sure you’ve heard of some, but may not have known of a few. Hope that this helps!
It’s now over a month into the new year. Where did January go?!?! I was, honestly, happy to see it go.
1. To overhaul this blog and my other blog into one blog.
- I believe it will be ready by the first week of March, if not sooner.
2. To participate in a 5k once every quarter this year.
- I have registered for my 5k in March, Miles for Smiles.
- I have also picked out two more 5ks:
- The Komen Race for the Cure
- JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes (2 miles instead of a 5k)
3. To learn Adobe Captivate.
- No work on this yet, although the job for which I interviewed last week is using this. Hmmm.
4. To learn Pivot Tables in Excel.
- No work on this yet.
5. To create and maintain my online portfolio.
- No work on this yet.
6. To work out with Ashley (my trainer) at least twice per month.
- Need to get ahold of Ashley on this.
7. To learn about eating a raw diet.
- I am slowly trying to integrate more veggies and fruits into my diet but having a tasting plate of them for lunch every day. It’s getting there. I enjoy them, but by 4pm I am looking for something…more savory.
8. To make time for one dinner out per week with friends.
- Had dinner out with Robbin for her birthday this week.
- Need to work on this one some more.
9. To answer emails in a timely manner.
- This I am doing really well on. I am committed to answering emails and my comments on my blogs within 48 hours of receiving them.
10. To commit to walking, then jogging 4 miles per week.
- Been hit and miss with this one. I love the feeling after I work out, it’s just getting there.
11. Financially, I am just surviving until I get a job. So, I’ll revamp those and make financial goals after I get one. If I ever get one.
- Still no job.
12. If I can swing it, I want to do some traveling this year.
- Future Hubby and I are traveling to a new location next weekend for a Valentine’s Day Romantic Getaway!!
13. Start to learn Italian.
- Nothing yet.
14. Volunteer at a local animal rescue on a regular basis.
- Nothing yet.
15. Organize a charity walk for Cozy Cat Cottage.
- Nothing yet.
16. To join a CSA.
- I just need to send in the paperwork.
17. Learn how to can veggies and fruits. Goes along with #16.
- This will not begin until fall.
So, not too bad. I think I’m pretty much on target right now.
~ Steven Wright
Are you experiencing the Snowpocalypse? We’re up to about a foot of snow here. I made it out for a little bit, just to pick up a few things but more because I knew that I was most likely to be housebound for the next few days. It’s one thing for me to choose to be a bum and stay home all of the time. It’s quite another for me to be forced into it.
When I went grocery shopping the other day, they were out of egg whites. The NERVE!! I don’t want to eat whole eggs too much, so I picked up an alternative breakfast source:
6 g of fiber and 8 g of protein. And sooooo good!
The smell of the strawberries was just wonderful.
I treated them like toast and smeared some
Earth Balance on them. Yummmm!! And kept me
full for about 3 hours.
I know I had shrimp for lunch but that’s all I can remember. Oh yeah, a pear, too. I think that’s it.
Otherwise, not much new or exciting going on. Well, except that we booked a Romantic Getaway for next weekend!!
Here’s my food stuff for the day:
|
Actual |
Goal |
|
|
Calories |
2589 |
2500 |
|
Fat (g) |
118 |
65 |
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
876 |
300 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
4392 |
2400 |
|
Total Carbs (g) |
282 |
130 |
|
Fiber (g) |
30 |
35 |
|
Sugar (g) |
119 |
35 |
|
Protein (g) |
111 |
136 |
|
Vitamin A (%) |
71 |
100 |
|
Vitamin C (%) |
38 |
100 |
|
Calcium (%) |
97 |
100 |
|
Iron (%) |
86 |
100 |
|
WW Points |
56 |
42 |
Dinner is what killed my numbers. We had breakfast for dinner, which means everything was fried up in bacon fat.
Hope everyone is safe and warm!
I am not sure what came over me yesterday, but for whatever reason, I was completely exhausted. I had trouble getting out of bed (and sometimes, that is just my fibromyalgia crap rearing its ugly head.) Then, I was falling asleep as I was getting my nails done (it is a boring thing to do, though).
I could have napped before dinner, but didn’t. During dinner, I was literally eating while holding my head up. I went to bed and was asleep by 9:30 last night. I don’t think I’ve done that since….2006ish. Wow!
So, I didn’t go to WW last night. Yes, I can admit that it was partially because I didn’t want to see the gain I’m sure was there.
This week, I have been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde about my eating. Breakfast and lunch? All healthy. And then 4pm rolls around and I am sure that I want to hit up an All You Can Eat buffet and personally put them out of business. I will say that my clothes are still loose.
I ultimately didn’t go to WW last night because I was just feeling so drained. I’m glad now that I didn’t, since I was obviously just out of it and needed to rest.
Yesterday, I continued my “raw” lunching ways and had:
- 8 oz of pineapple
- 4 oz of carrots with some Whole Foods guacamole (which turned out to be very spicy)
And again, I felt mostly full and satisfied. I just need to find the right combo. And I have to admit, I’m kind of missing a hot lunch. But I’m determined to make this work. I know in the end it will be better for me.
Here are my numbers:
|
Actual |
Goal |
|
|
Calories |
2500 |
|
|
Fat (g) |
65 |
|
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
300 |
|
|
Sodium (mg) |
2400 |
|
|
Total Carbs (g) |
130 |
|
|
Fiber (g) |
35 |
|
|
Sugar (g) |
35 |
|
|
Protein (g) |
136 |
|
|
Vitamin A (%) |
100 |
|
|
Vitamin C (%) |
100 |
|
|
Calcium (%) |
100 |
|
|
Iron (%) |
100 |
|
|
WW Points |
42 |
It’s Friday people!! I want a job so that can mean something to me again.
