Fit by 40 - Goal 3: Exercise 3x a week (Part II)

OK, so I didn't do so great with Goal 3. My intention was to exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. I'm pretty sure I got a total of 3 hours of exercise for the 2 weeks, but I didn't break into 6 intentional workouts. My two biggest workouts were walking around Philadelphia for a few hours and mowing the lawn. I also had a big event at work that had me walking back and forth between buildings all day. Since I didn't do so great with this goal, I'm going to repeat it for the next 2 weeks with the hopes that I'll do better. I also had a bit of a setback in the eating department. I managed to stick to the first two goals of not drinking pop and preparing my breakfast (except while traveling), but I also managed to eat a ton of junk food. Between all of the candy at work and the snacks for the drive to Philly, I erased some of the weight loss from the first two goals.

Stats after Goal 3:

•  Weight: 226.4 (up 2.6 lbs from last check, down 1.6 lbs total)
• Pants size: 38 (no change)
• Shirt size: XL (no change)

Fit by 40 - Goal 3: Exercise 3x a week

Goal 2 of fixing breakfast was a success. Breakfast the first week was mostly hard boiled eggs and energy balls. Then things got a little busy and I didn't keep up with boiling eggs and I didn't get to make a second batch of energy balls, so I had to punt a few days. Breakfast on those days was a granola bar, a cheese stick, and an apple. Still considerably better than a daily heart attack in a sack from McDonald's.

Goal 3 is to start exercising. I've had a good month of making some dietary changes and now I want to bring in some physical effort. Hopefully this will give my first two changes a chance to become more automatic. I'm not going to lie, I've had a few Coke cravings and came close to giving in. As for the exercise, I'm going to focus on walking since that's relatively easy to incorporate and I can take Gunnar along with me. Freeman could use the walks too. I'll probably throw in a couple of bike rides if the weather is nice.

Stats after Goal 2:

• Weight: 223.8 lbs (down 4.2 lbs total)
• Pants size: 38 (no change; I did manage to squeeze into a size 36, but it was tight)
• Shirt size: XL (no change)

Fit by 40 - Goal 2: Fix breakfast

I have a really bad habit of picking up McDonald's for breakfast on my way to work. My usual order was either a Sausage McMuffin, hasbrown, and diet Coke or two hashbrowns and a diet Coke. I also enjoy the fruit and yogurt parfait. This habit was born mostly from laziness. Fixing breakfast takes time (either in the morning or the night before) and it was just easier to swing through the drive-thru right by work. Making a goal of fixing my own breakfast seemed like a natural progression after successfully giving up pop for two weeks. I will need to come up with some more ideas for breakfast that I can either eat quickly while getting ready or take with me to work so I don't get bored of eating the same things everyday. Some of my go-to breakfasts are hard boiled eggs, energy balls, yogurt, oatmeal (with brown sugar, walnuts, and Craisins), toast with butter or peanut butter, and bagels with cream cheese. I know, bagels aren't exactly healthy. My goal for the moment isn't necessarily to focus on the healthiest choice. I want to establish the habit of fixing breakfast first and gradually become healthier. And honestly, pretty much anything I fix will be healthier than what I've been eating.

Stats after Goal 1:

• Weight: 225.5 lbs (down 2.5 lbs)
• Pants size: 38 (no change)
• Shirt size: XL (no change)

Fit by 40 - Goal 1: Give up pop

I can drink pop like it's my job. I've been known to 2-3 large pops from a fast food establishment and another 2-3 20 oz bottles in the same day. That's a lot of sugar and a lot of calories, even if some of that was diet pop. I've given up pop in the past as part of the 17 Day Diet, but it always manages to sneak back into my life. As I started thinking about my goal of being Fit by 40, I knew pop was one of the first things that needed to go. I officially drank my last pop on September 8, 2017. I'm sure I'll get to the point where I can have the occasional Coke, but for now I need to make a clean break and not tempt myself.

 In the two weeks since my last Coke I have dropped about 2.5 lbs. This has fluctuated a little (down as much as 4 lbs), mainly because I didn't change anything else about my eating and might have enjoyed a few large natural lemonades from Wendy's. And maybe a Frosty or two. The first several days were hell as my body adjusted to not having its daily caffeine intake. The migraines were pretty crippling. I really started to turn the corner on day 5 and since then I haven't really missed the caffeine. I don't feel more tired during the day than I did before. In fact I probably sleep a little better and pretty much pass out by 9:30, even when I'm trying to work on homework. I have had some cravings for a Coke just because I actually like the flavor. The strange thing is that I have had a couple of dreams where I realized I was in the middle of drinking a Coke or had just finished a Coke and I didn't even know that I had started drinking it. Weird.

Fit by 40

I turned 39 at the beginning of September. Not a milestone by itself, but it is the last stop before a big milestone. I got to thinking during the days after my birthday that I was tired of being fat and tired. I decided something needed to be done, but I've tried making big changes in the past to only end up back where I am. We were pretty successful with the 17 Day Diet back in 2012 when I lost about 30 pounds, but that weight all came back and it brought some friends. We've tried to do the 17 Day Diet a couple of times since then and we just couldn't make it work a second time. I was up to my heaviest weight and largest pants size on my birthday. I hate outgrowing clothes, but I hit the point that I really couldn't wear most of the pants in my closet and a lot of my shirts were getting tight. I had to go up a size for my polos and my dress shirts were starting to tug at the buttons on my belly. I knew something needed to change.

I decided that if I'm going to lose weight and get in shape (and stay that way), I needed to make more gradual changes rather than trying to lose the weight quickly. I found the Runs for Cookies blog a while ago and one of her strongest recommendations is to start by making small changes that add up to a big change in the end. I also don't want to give up all the good food options :). My plan is to make a series of healthy changes during the year leading up to my 40th birthday. I've read that new habits take about 40 days to really stick. I don't want to wait that long in between changes, so I'm going to introduce a new change every two weeks. Some of the changes will be giving up a bad habit. Others will be incorporating a new healthy habit. The first changes focus on food because a healthy weight starts in the kitchen. So far I have ideas for 9 of the 26 changes. I might decide that I need to devote more time to make sure some of the changes become permanent before moving on to the next one on the list.

Here are the ideas I have so far. I would certainly welcome suggestions for other healthy habits.

• Give up pop
• Fix breakfast
• Pack lunch
• Stop eating out
• Eat at least 2 fruits a day
• Exercise 30 minutes 3x a week
• Exercise 30 minutes 5x a week
• 10,000 steps a day
• Bodyweight exercises 2x a week

 Starting stats:

•  Weight: 228 lbs
• Pant size: 38 in waist
• Shirt size: XL (16.5/17 in neck)

A Year Without Pop

So, I totally made it the whole year without pop! And when the time came to drink pop again, I didn't really feel like it.  I've had pop a few times since the beginning of the new year, but I want to drink other things instead.  I still want a Coke or a Faygo Rock n Rye every now and then, but that's it.  Now, what else can I give up...

Cheers!

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Last night was an exciting evening.  A bird got into the house.  I wish I could have recorded the whole ordeal.  Here's how it went down...

Kevin goes downstairs to do homework after Gunnar falls asleep.  I'm doing things upstairs when I get a text.

"Could you come downstairs please?"  
"Close all the doors"

So, I'm pretty much unsettled as I hurry and close all the doors and go downstairs.  Kevin meets me in the foyer and says something is in the house.  Something with wings.  Great.  It's either a bird or a bat, I think as the thing whizzes by my head.  It lands, bird is confirmed.  Now to get it out of the house.  We open the dining room windows, the front door and the living room windows.  We close off the kitchen.  I grab a broom.  Every time the damn thing flies by me I freak out, to my shame.  The stupid bird lands on the open window sills multiple times and doesn't fly out.  Then it lands right in the front door and doesn't fly out.  Freeman is jumping trying to grab it, I'm waving my broom, Kevin has a blanket in the air.  Then it poops on my couch.  

Now, if you know my relationship with my couch then you know what needed to happen next.  That bird had to die.  I start waving my broom with the intention to wack it (before I was trying to guide it) and running back and forth on the first floor.  Basically, I'm pissed. Finally, the damn bird gets tired and flies right out the dining room window.  We can be heard throughout the neighborhood frantically yelling "CLOSE THE WINDOW!  ITS COMING BACK!"

After 30 minutes, the drama is over.  The bird is out, Gunnar is still asleep, the poop has been cleaned up off the couch and walls (oh yes, it got my freshly painted walls).  

And the entire time, all I'm thinking is that squirrel scene in Christmas Vacation.  We had all the pieces for it...

Cheers!

Mom Problems #5

Ok.  I try to keep these mom problems light and funny.  Silly things that happen only when you become a mom.  But today, this problem is serious.  It's one I have been struggling with for a while.  I've tried different ways to deal with it, but they don't seem to be working.  It's fear.  Fear that something, sometime, somewhere will happen to Gunnar.  

Now, I'm not talking about crazy, freak accidents that no one can control.  I'm talking about all the things the news bombards you with on a regular basis.  Kidnappings, murder, abuse, homelessness, hunger, and let's throw in ISIS too.  These things bothered me before I had a baby.  But now, hearing any story about something bad happening to a child, or a baby animal for that matter, makes me physically upset.  Like boarder line crying and hyperventilating.  It's really becoming a problem.  I have blocked a lot of things from my FB news feed, but things still slip in there.  I'm debating about getting rid of FB for a while.  

I don't watch or read the news any more.  I don't even go to the Yahoo main site because there is bad news right in your face the second you get on there.  I have decided the only way to keep my sanity is to become ignorant.  But, if you know me, that is near impossible for me to accomplish.  I like to be well informed but it's becoming crippling to be so.  I am angry at our government for not doing a better job.  I am angry at other governments for not doing a better job.  I am mad that I can't fight to protect my family the way I would like.  I am mad that I can't fight to protect ALL the children EVERYWHERE the way I would like.  

I know that the word needs to be spread about these things so that people can do something about it.  You can't change something if you don't know it needs to be changed.  I just can't seem to compartmentalize this horrible information in a way that doesn't eat at me.  A normal person would hear a terrible story, feel bad for maybe a day, lock that knowledge away and use it when they need to.  I hear a terrible story and I think about it for a week.  Its the last thing I see before I go to bed.  I think about how it could have been prevented.  I get angry that no one prevented it.  I get scared and angry that it will probably happen again.  

This problem I have makes it difficult to enjoy the time I have with Gunnar.  I try to be in the moment, but what if something happens and I no longer have these moments with him? How can I protect him from the bad people in the world, but let let him grow to be a part of the world?  Children are so innocent.  My brain does not have the ability to understand how someone could ever hurt a child.  I wish people were better.  I will never understand how people can have the capacity for such greatness and such evil.  

I pray that in the end, the bad people in the world will all answer for what they have done.  I do not know if God is vengeful, but I do hope there is justice.

Cheers.   

The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight

Last year, I had the Halloween I have been dreaming about for years.  And it wasn't because I was taking my two year old out for trick-or-treating.  It was because our new neighborhood is amazing.

Have you ever seen Hocus Pocus?  Or Ernest Scared Stupid?  Or pretty much any kiddie Halloween movie or TV show?  All those neighborhoods are amazing.  Tons of kids in the streets running around in their costumes getting candy.  All the houses decorated.  Parents dressed up and heading to parties.  Everyone having a good time.  Everyone enjoying the festivities.  I've always wanted to live in a place where everyone, or almost everyone, is excited about the same thing.  A place where you can drop your kids off and you know nothing will happen to them.  Well, last night, after crossing the street to the connecting neighborhood, Gunnar and I walked into just that.

There were so many people.  Houses had lines of kids waiting for their piece of candy.  Kids were running around having fun.  You could hear screaming from the houses that went all out (I'm talking people dressed up and hanging out in their front yards) and see all the lights flashing.  I've never seen anything like it.  I wondered if our neighborhood was going to get as much foot traffic, we weren't as decorated as this block and our houses were spaced farther apart.  But they were crossing the street in small groups heading our way.  I asked if Kevin would stay behind and hand out our candy.  He did, and Gunnar and I went to do a round of trick-or-treating.

When we got back to the house, all the lights were on and there was a line heading to our door.  It's a testament to the kids' desire to get free candy, all of them were climbing the large hill to our front door.  Next year, I plan to pull out all the stops for decorating.  I want our side of the street to be just as popular as the other side. 

Cheers!

Gunnar trick-or-treats in style

The Bear Den #6

I know, I know.  I totally fell off the wagon.  My goal for this blog was always at least one post a month.  Clearly, that's not how 2016 and 2017 went.  The main cause was I just wasn't feeling it.  In November, I started having some weird vibes at work.  It dragged out over the holidays and finally, in December, the upper management told us that our company was merging with a much larger company.  Basically, we were sold to the highest bidder.  The company as we knew it was no longer going to exist.  If you've ever been through something like this, there are some common things that always happen.  First, some people will be retained, some won't.  Second, more than likely your job title, duties or boss will change.  Third, the dynamic of the company will change to that of the bigger company.

Now, I've been around for a while now.  I'm not a business person per say, but I do know how business works.  Nothing that happened during the course of this change was a surprise to me.  But that doesn't mean I liked it.  A good chunk of people were let go, one of which I was very upset to see leave.  My title and job duties did change as well as my salary, all for the better.  My boss was not retained but my new boss wasn't really a change for me.  I was one of the lucky ones.  But the environment that I liked working in has slowly been eroded away and that has taken its toll on me.  I'm dealing with it but not as well as I could be.  I guess only time will tell if I'll be able to continue with the company.  I'm trying to keep an open mind.

While all this was happening, Kevin's job was also going though a restructuring as well making him concerned about what the future held for him.  He came out of it ok, but with changes he is not pleased with.  Needless to say that the end of 2016 was a bit rough for us in the career sector.

2017 so far has just been really busy.  I bought a new car on New Years Eve and I've been trying to figure it out ever since.  Its a fancy car with the touch screen dash and a bunch of bells and whistles I'm not used to.  I can hear certain people laughing right now because most cars have these things these days.  I'm used to my Jeep that doesn't get fancy.  I'm old school like that.  I've also been traveling a lot.  Well, twice in a month, which is a lot for me.  Once for work and the other for our vacation.  I hate traveling for work but I went with a coworker I like so it wasn't terrible.  He got seafood with me one night and taught me how to eat Korean the next.  I think we represented our new company well.

Stay turned for some recaps from the end of 2016.  I hope to finally put up a Christmas post!

Cheers!