Okay - I know I haven't written in a while. It's partially due to the fact that I'm still sick and partially due to the fact that when people are sick for this long, it annoys me to continuously hear about it - yet when I am sick I constantly whine. I don't want to be all "iii'm stiiiilll siiiiick" for the third entry in a row, so I was waiting for something yummy and fun to distract you, whilst still mentioning the fact that I'm still sick.
I'm still sick.
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Who doesn't like cupcakes? EVERYBODY likes cupcakes.
I like cupcakes. In fact, I love cupcakes. Cupcakes could potentially put a very deep dent in my pocket money - and not just the baked kind. I just bought a great spatula that has little cupcakes and ice cream cones decorating it.
Stop looking at me like that - I totally needed it for ... stuff.
And cupcake pins and fabrics and pincushions and ornaments and photos... And the baked kind are pretty great too.
However... My love for cupcakes -the edible kind- will have to be stifled, sent packing, and told not to call again - even at Christmas - because my husband and I have decided to go on the South Beach Diet. Really, I have decided to go on the South Beach Diet and Greg is wisely following along. He learned pretty early that I can be a touch "Willful" when it comes to food. We followed the South Beach Diet for a good 6 months a few years ago - and now we know that the roles we fall into are treacherous. He becomes the model dieter and enforcer, and I become what is known as "The Rule Breaker" or "James Dean". We are also both creatures of habit and we both prefer to devote our energies to things other than an interesting and eclectic dining experience so when left to our own devices there are months where we pretty much eat the same thing for breakfast everyday, lunch everyday, and dinner everyday. We may vary it between 2-3 dishes for dinner, but basically we're not winning any culinary awards.
When dieting and taking away delicious things such as cupcakes and replacing them with 14 days of ricotta cheese with 5 chocolate chips as dessert, I get testy. I know I shouldn't - and I know no one is at fault, but I still get testy. I'm convinced Greg could eat the same things for years and not have any issues - Ricotta, for one, being no exception. I also tend to bottle up my feelings (I guess...), and I refrain from saying anything until I cannot tolerate it anymore and I end up feeling resentful and muttering resentful things under my breath while I watch my husband contentedly eat his ricotta dessert for the 12th day in a row. When he notices me getting testier and testier he feels the need to lay down the law - even though I'm still perfectly abiding by the diet, I get more rebellious feeling every time I'm chided or reminded of the restrictions. This progresses till it gets to the point where the only thing that will restore the peace is a donut.
This time will be different.
This time I will work hard to have the menu planned out two weeks in advance. We hope to start on Monday, I am still gathering recipes (have any favorites that fit phase one? let me know!), and I am putting them into a table and we will follow it. This time Greg will refrain from solely fulfilling the role of "enforcer" and will, instead, be more open about his struggles with the diet so that we can both struggle TOGETHER. This time I will police our diet more and can relish the role of keeping us on track, together. This time we have discussed rules for every possible scenario - a dinner out with friends, vacation, our weeklend breakfasts from a local diner - and come up with what is and what is NOT allowed.
THIS time around I know that I can't just lose the weight and go back to the way things were.
I read and heard that this SBD thing is more a "lifestyle" than a "diet" but I thought that was just a catchy phrase with little substance. All the weight gained back, plus 2 sizes and I'm now a little more appreciative of what that phrase really means and of the walking that occurs when you live on a college campus.
Sometimes I mourn the fact that my body energetically conspires against any wish I have to be physicaly active - sciatica, flat feet, ankle pain, foot pain, etc. Sometimes I mourn the fact that my passions are sedentary - I can't exactly do aerobics while I cross stitch. There is no Treadmill that I can put my sewing machine on.
We are going to be taking walks at night after work. Short walks. Just to get out and walk around a touch. We are trying to get our hands on a wii fit - I've been saying for years that if someone could figure out a way to excercise with a video game, it'd be great. (And no, I've never had the opportunity to try Dance Dance Revolution).
Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. Sometimes I feel tired and don't want to do anything else.
It's still going to happen and I'm still going to feel that way. I'm still going to get pain and I still can't knit while I swim laps. But I'm going to work harder to be healthier. I'm going to change my diet, I'm going to take walks. I'm going to do it for my future children and the clothes in the back of my closet that have been BEGGING to go out, but are 4 sizes too small.
The wind's a changin'.
I do love autumn.
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4 comments:
I don't remember if this is phase one appropriate, but when my mom & I did SBD this was a staple.
And has continued to hit the meal plan every once in awhile when we need a fast dish.
Even the husband enjoys it.
It sounds weird, but it is good.
I call it "Same Ole, Same Ole" (because we had it frequently).
In a wok, brown ground turkey meat with some chopped garlic. Drain meat and wipe down wok a bit.
Put meat back in, add canned diced tomatoes, frozen green beans and like a tablespoon of tomato paste. Heat and mix it all up. Right before serving, add whatever amount of low-fat shredded mozzarella is allowed and let it get a bit melty.
Enjoy.
Good luck on round 2. I once tried to go back on SBD, but couldn't get thru those first two weeks again. I shouldn't be surprised, I can't even do the same craft project twice without being bored.
Oh, much too late at night for me to get on my soap box for you.
I used to teach a weight management class, the exercise portion, but I learned a lot from the dietitan and behavioral health specialist. I'll get back to you on this one.
I highly recommend DDR. I've owned many copies of the game throughout the past 8 years. I've recently gotten back into it. It's a great way to work out, cause it's fun, but also because all of the new versions have a built in Calorie counter, and it tracks how much you work out, etc. When you are doing the hard songs on medium or hard mode, you can burn anywhere from 25-30 Calories per song; easy to medium songs on easy mode probably net 15 Calories burned. Playing 10 songs takes about 25 minutes and burns 150-200 Calories. But best of all, it's simply THERE all the time ready to be played, and since its fun, you'll WANT to play it! By far it's my #1 favorite exercise method.
If you've never played before, you'll probably want to take it easy and do the basic difficulty (yellow), it does take a few sessions of playing to start understanding how the game works, where your feet should be, etc. If you do get it, let me know and I'll pass on more tips - I've introduced many people to it before.
Here's hoping you get better soon :)
I tell you what, you have a knack for telling little stories! I almost always laugh when I read your blog.
I have a DDR pad at home, they sell them on ebay relatively cheapish (maybe 70 -100), but it has a calorie burner on it! (not that I EVER use it - but ya know, just in case!)
If you get wii fit - let me know, I haven't bought it yet cause I'm not sure if I'd like it.
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