Week 1(ish): Down 6.2 lbs!

Week 1(ish): -6.2 lbs!

Pretty good start for a first week, though that is usually the biggest (shocking your system and all). I did really well on my gym commitment, too!

Keys to this week:

1. Going to the gym three times. I want to go more, but it's a very solid start.
2. Resisting the booze damage during Birthday Season kickoff weekend. I only had two drinks on Friday and two on Saturday. Less beer = less beer bellies.
3. Thinking before eating. "Do I really want a hamburger - or will a turger burger be just as good for less calories?" "If I order a side salad, I can always steal one or two of Nick's fries to satisfy my craving without eating a whole pile."
4. Competition. Made a bet with Steve. Loser buys dinner in June.

New things to try this week:

1. Vinyasa Yoga class at BSC.
2. Recipes from Fitness magazine (will post on how it goes!).
3. Minimizing booze damage during Birthday Season

"Everyone who got where he is has had to begin where he was."
[Robert Louis Stevenson]

Out with the Old, In with the New (2010 Resolutions)

I still get emails from my old WW meetings leader, even though I'm a lapsed member and haven't attended in quite awhile. I always love her emails and have used today's as a framework for.... 2010 Resolutions!

Out With The Old, In With The New!

It’s a brand new year; a chance to start 2010 as you mean to go on. Ditching old habits which are unhelpful to your goals and replacing them with new ways, will hold you in good stead on your weight loss journey.

In With...

1. A positive attitude. Think of 3 positive affirmations about your weight loss. [...] Everyday write a positive message to yourself with your affirmations. [...] Whatever way you choose to do it, you’ll discover that a positive attitude can have a powerful effect on your success and help boost your confidence.

1. I am losing weight and gaining confidence.
2. I love to fuel my body with the healthiest food so it runs its best.
3. I am a healthy, capable, fit person.


2. Healthy habits. Ditch the old, negative ways and liven up your life with new lifestyle habits. Healthy eating, moving more, and managing your thoughts, feelings and environment will all help you lose weight. [...]

3. Making the most of mistakes. [...] believe in yourself and your ability to get back on track. This will help you re-focus [...]

4. Rewarding your achievements along the way. On your weight loss journey, depending on how many pounds you need to lose, it may take you some time to achieve your Goal Weight. To stay motivated, it’s vital to set smaller weight loss goals along the way [...] Non-scale goals, like dropping a clothes size or decreasing belt notches, also help. Think about how you will reward yourself when you get to each goal you set.

Short-term Goal :: -10 lbs :: pedicure
NSV :: collar bones, skinny jeans, dress
Long-term Goal :: -30 lbs (by June 1st) :: Steve owes me dinner (if I win)


5. Trying something different. Being adventurous and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be a boost to your confidence. [...] Whatever you choose to do in 2010, banish self doubt, visualize yourself at Goal and remember – the old you is so last year!

Small :: Learning yoga/pilates.
Small :: Cooking with spices/produce out of my comfort zone (Adventures in Cooking).
Big :: Hiking Bald Peak & Kinsman in the Spring.

Weight Watchers - Again! (For the Last Time!)

Last Monday I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting in about 7 years. In 2007 I had success with WW Online, but recently it just hadn't helped me be accountable to myself. The logical choice was to join again right before the official Beginning of Summer Weekend - you know BBQ, beer and fried seafood season.

I won't have my first weigh-in until Monday, but I'm hoping it will go well. The reason I've always picked Monday as my weigh-in day is because it really helps remind me not to go overboard on the weekends. (Update: I was down only -1.6 lbs, which was good but not stellar. Working on hitting 5% by Family Picture Day on June 29th.)

I'm also working on building my running endurance. My goal is to make it all the way around the lake (3 miles) without walking by the end of the summer. So far I can make it about 1 mile, and then alternate running and walking the last 2 miles.

So here's to joining again, hopefully for the last time. WHEN I reach my goal weight I will become a Lifetime Member. Here I go again... wish me luck!

The Hardest Part of Exercise

Is getting dressed. Tying your sneakers usually takes more mental and physical effort than actually moving your body.

After working all morning in the mall, I was determined to go for a walk and get some fresh air this afternoon. It started raining just as I had finally convinced myself to get up and go, so I threw on my rain jacket with a hood, and hit the pavement.

I walked up, around, over, and back around Corey Hill, which is near my house. There are several paths that cut up the terraces, which are extended sets of stairs - intense! But it was totally worth it because I remembered there was a swing set at the top of the hill where the playground and park are.

Then I walked down the hill toward Beacon Street and power-walked the rest of the way home, past some very tempting restaurants (who wants to try Roadhouse or Dalia's with me?).

This is exactly the kind of exercise I used to love when I lived in Ownings Mills (Baltimore). It's exercise disguised as neighbordhood expoloration, fresh air and occassional sunshine. And because it didn't leave my bronchitis-wrecked lungs gasping for air, I might actually do it again - on a regular basis!

What's your favorite kind of exercise?

Neighborhood Walks & Adventures in Cooking

Working part-time is really working well for me. My bank account could be a little fatter, but I feel so balanced in my life right now -- for the first time in a really long time. I got out of work today at 2:30 and (finally!) finished reading Dangerous Liasons on the bus home. It's taken me longer to read that book than almost any other (excluding Ayn Rand's Fountainhead).

Since it was a balmy 30 degrees today in Boston and I was home while the sun was still up, I decided to go for a neighborhood walk this afternoon. I went up, over and then around Corey Hill in Brookline.

I made a stop on the way home for some dinner provisions. As part of Resolution #1, I'm trying to get out of my food rut. So each week I'm going to try a new recipe or food item and report on the adventure with pictures. Expect updates around Thursday of each week.

This week's adventure in cooking was KALE. It's a type of wild cabbage. I also decided to try chorizo sausage (hence the stop at Whole Foods) to include in my soup for tonight.

Lost

Somewhere in the last year I've managed to lose myself. I've always been kind of manic - going 1,000 miles a minute - from classes, to working, to volunteering (usually with Girl Scouts), and family committments. When I was in Baltimore I was forced to stop all that noise and focus on myself. The company apartment and sufficient 9-to-5 salary afforded me tons of free time. Being removed from my roots also meant that I had no one to responsible to but me. I ate healthy; I relaxed; I exercised everyday (even weekends!). I was healthy, but more importantly happy. I was content.

And now, having been back in Boston for a full year, with classes, a part time job, Girl Scouts (basically an unpaid part-time job), an internship, a boyfriend (relationships are hard work, who knew?), I have so many obligations again that I've lost myself. I've been eating crappy fast food because there's no time to sit down and I'm usually not home or too tired to cook. I haven't really been exercising because after working for 4 hours on your feet the last thing you want to do is hit the elliptical machine.

So I'm making this promise to myself to find the time - to make the time - to find myself again. I hate looking the mirror lately. I'm exhausted all the time. I feel sick and weak. I feel like shit, basically. I've been to the gym both of the last two days. I'm going to re-read Tosca's book about Eating Clean. I'm also going to try to stop drinking (or seriously minimize it) until Halloween. I want to feel fabulous on Halloween and my birthday. Something has to change, now.

Competitive Eating

I feel better about myself when I eat healthier than my roomates. Or when I run more than they do. Or when I eat less than they do. There's some kind of satisfaction that comes through my inner monologue that says, "Yeah, you're WAY better than them. You're being healthy."

Last night was like that. I got home after a whole day in my cubicle and could not wait to get outside. I grabbed some sushi on the way home because I was starving and a big bottle of water. I found two of my roommates playing cards in the dark living room and I secretly gloated to myself.

I ran hard for about 2 or 3 miles (quite an accomplishment for me, but I want to learn/train to run farther). From my apartment out to MIT across the Charles and back. Some girls even (drunkenly) cheered me on as they thought I was finishing up the Boston Marathon on my trip back down Mass Ave. It was pretty fun to have people cheering for me, even if I didn't actually deserve it.

I felt great and energized and focused. All the annoyances and frustrations of the day washed away as I got lost breathing, listening to my feet pound the sidewalk as I dodged tourists and commuters.

And then there's this morning. Free breakfast foods at work. I just realized I've eaten a pastry, half a muffin, half a bagel, a slice of pizza, and coffee already today. What happened to my healthy eating? It frustrates me because I will eat it and then I will berate myself later. I miss the discipline and self control I had on Weight Watchers. I might go back just for the structure. Start tracking again. I miss how strong and full and energized my body felt when I ate salads, fruits, lean chicken, salmon, and gallons of water.

I think the competitive eating syndrome can be useful to motivate you to do things your body is craving anyways - healthy habits. But I think that if you're doing it for the competition then you lose your inner focus (and end up eating 80 grams of sugar before noon!). I also don't want to let the competition turn into an ED because I know that's entirely possible. I think I need more time for myself and less time working/volunteering for other projects right now. I need to streamline, I need to focus on me.

Nomads

Is it possible to forget so completely how busy your life is? I have not stopped since arriving back in Boston/NH. It is fantastic and exhausting. I've been couch crashing and spending a lot of quality time in my car. I'm also carrying around about 25 lbs. of luggage everyday -- althought as a bonus I guess that means I'm burning extra calories!

So far classes are going well. I'm glad I made the decision to take TV Newswriting with Schroeder this summer. He's such an excellent teacher. Plus, he provides some of the best off-the-cuff quotes during class. Islam is interesting in that it is paced completely different from TV News. It's a straight-up lecture for an hour and forty minutes. Granted, we cna ask questions if we want too, but mostly we just scribble notes and attempt to absorb everything El Shihibi throws at us. He's a soft-spoken man who just has so much knowledge to impart that it all tumbles out too fast for us to grasp sometimes.

I had my first bartending class last night. Within ten minutes of being there the six of us were shooting the shit and cracking jokes. The instructor, Tom, was a classic old-school Boston guy. Got to love local flavor. Apparently I'm a natural and pretty decent at it for just trying it out last night, which was really cool. Can't wait to see where the rest of the week goes and where I end up working.

There are so many people coming to visit in the next few weeks! There's some kind of party every Saturday for the next month. First, Solstice on Saturday (a little late this year), Josh & Angies Reception, Mookfest, and finally Michele is coming into Boston with her two kids. Going to see John Mayer next week with Nicolle for her birthday.

Alright, it's time for some lunch and trying to keep my brain from exploding. I will be in and out for the next month or so -- please bear with me.

A weekend of tourism

[Friday]
Seeing as how this was our last Friday with no big plans and that we both had A DAY (you know, when you're just so fried/out of it/don't care/stressed), Dana and I decided a roommate happy hour was in order. So good to just kick back. I also gave up on counting points for the weekend, and just let myself enjoy eating or drinking anything that I wanted. I had beer, salad, shrimp, salmon, cocktails, buttery roll things, and a white russian. After dinner we laid around the apartment for a little bit, and then both ended up going to the gym for about 45 minutes. It was empty - surprise! But we both felt so much better after making ourselves go. It's nice to have someone around to motivate and inspire you. I can guarantee I would not have gone if Dana had not put on her sneakers and marched out the door. We also saw Knocked Up, which I highly recommend. We were laughing so hard the entire time, plus the back story was pretty cute.



[Saturday]
Saturday we headed out for DC in the late morning. Dana had yet to do the grand tour of the monuments. We walked from the Washington Monument, around the WWII, and up to Lincoln. We were talking about how much more we appreciate monuments and things like that now that we're older. We also went over to the Vietnam Memorial. There were pictures with names, rank, where they died, and how old they were. I almost lost it right there -- out of a row of six pictures, only one of the boys was over 21. But what really hit me was a fellow soldier's letter to his friend AJ, who has offered to cover another soldiers post and died in the line of duty. It makes me wonder what kind of memorial, what kind of atmosphere will surround Iraq when our kids look back on it? After the Vietnam Memorial, we visited the Korean War Memorial, which is home to one of my favorite quotes, "Freedom is not free."



I finally got a chance to visit the FDR Monument during the day. What a well designed space. And the abundance of quotes was amazing. Plus I'm pretty much in love with any kind of sculpture that involves water. From FDR we walked down the edge of the tidal basin to the Jefferson Memorial. I never realized you can see the White House from the Jefferson steps! Apparently FDR wanted to be able to wake up each morning and see Jefferson, which is why there are no cherry trees planted there. After Jefferson we made our way to the White House in the stiflingly hot afternoon sun.

With our day of tourism near its end, and our feet crying for a reprive, we headed to Historic Georgetown. It took us a little while to find the area from the Metro stop, but we finally did. It's basically like Newbury Street, with a little extra European flair. When we couldn't stand window shopping anymore, we stumbled across the cutest italian restaurant on the corner of M and 31st Streets (NW). Dana busted out her wine ordering skills, and showed me how to properly swirl and taste the wine. The waiter never rushed us and we enjoyed the view from our corner table on the second floor balcony. The food was perfect. All of the fish was cooked immaculately -- nothing was dry or undercooked. It was one of the absolute best meals I've had in a long time.



[Sunday]
Sunday morning we were at the pool by 9:45 am, which is technically before it even opens. It was so nice because there really weren't any kids there. Just laid around in the sun, read my book, and took a nap. We splashed around to get some relief from the heat, but we had to stand in the shallow end so Dana didn't have to tread water.

Sunday afternoon we donned cute outfits and headed to Annapolis. After a bit of an ordeal trying to find a parking spot, we wandered up and down Main Street. Bought some jewelry at one of the shops with a very dymanic (and slightly pushy) jewelry maker/sales lady named Amiee. So many people down there speak French. I was really shocked! We ended up on the docks about 5 minutes before a tour of the harbor and Naval Academy was supposed to leave, so we hopped on. The narrated tape was kind of cheesy, but it was still fun. And it was probably the best way to see the USNA without trekking all around it. Afterwards we had drinks and dinner at one of the restaurants on the docks. We people watched and chatted about how we're pretty much always going to have to live near some body of water. (Coincidentally or not we're both water signs.)

And to top the weekend off, I finally got a REAL ice cream cone (none of this frozen yogurt junk) from a local ice cream stand. We sat next to some Navy boys in their dress whites and just relished in the summer-ness of it all.

Being a tourist can be so much fun. It just keeps reminding me that I need to do it more often in the places that I'm from. And now it is Monday, with only 10 days left in Baltimore.

A weekend of unplanned adventures & inspiration

Today I woke up at 9 am with no roommates and no plans. Sometimes I hate being alone, I'm just in the mood to be with people. But today was a good alone day. Had breakfast and came up with a game plan for the day, talked to Kightlinger way over in NZ, and headed out the door at 10:30 am. I really love driving down the road, blaring the radio, singing at the top of my lungs. I mean, really, is there anything that compares to that?

Some guy was driving like a complete asshole getting onto the 795. Karma came around to bite him in the butt when along came Mr. State Trooper.

My first stop of the day was the American Visionary Art Museum down in Fed Hill. Some of the exhibits were interesting, some were ridiculously hilarious, some made me think, and some really made me think. I've never just done a museum by myself before (other than the MFA, but that doesn't count). It was interesting to get lost in my own thoughts about a piece or installation without comparing them with someone else's. It was nice to be able to stare at a pencil drawing, finding humorous vignettes only upon close inspection, that I might have otherwise passed by because someone I was with was ready to move on to the next gallery. My favorite part of AVAM was the expansion warehouse. (I would love to live in converted warehouse space one day, so cool!) I've discovered I really like provocative pieces that are designed to catch you off-guard. And I especially enjoy environmental pieces, as opposed to paintings or drawings.

This quote was mounted on one of the walls:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa (Adapted from The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent Keith (1968))

I really think there's a lot to take away from that. Forgiveness, inspiration, drive, passion, ambition. And remembering that what you do should be for no one other than yourself (and your god).

I finally made it over to Blu Bambu in Inner Harbor, an Asian kitchen Blake has been bugging me to visit since she found out I was moving down here. I was surprised, I thought it was going to be take-out typical Chinese food. But they had this really cool Mongolian stir-fry bar. Nice and healthy with lots of flavor and not that expensive. Then I stopped by the Hard Rock Cafe to get a pin for John.

Next it was over to the Mount Vernon neighborhood to visit the Contemporary Art Museum. They're currently displaying an entire collection by Joseph Grigley. He became completely deaf at the age of 10. His pieces "explore the idiosyncrasies of language and the dynamics of everyday communication." Totally unexpected and definitely got me thinking about something I wholly take for granted. The coolest installation was called "We're Drunken Bantering about What's Important in Life" (2007). It's a collection of notes - snippets of conversations people had with Grigley - posted to a wall. "With these works, Grigely asks the question: “We presumably know what a conversation sounds like—but what does a conversation look like?”"

The rest of the day was filled with the delightful routine chores of a sunday -- produce market, grocery store, nap, and gym. I also watched a documentary called F**k (at least, that's how it's listed on Netflix). It explores the nature of the word fuck, where it comes from, how we use it, why it's such a big deal, and the pervasive use of the word in American society. I might also watch another movie -- we'll see.

Yesterday was the Race for the Cure 5K at work bright and early am. We were going to do the last 1 mile Fun Walk, but at the last minute I convinced my roommate to do the full 5K with me. So we grabbed numbers, ran about half of the course overall, and I finished my very first 5K with a time of 38:25. I didn't get a plaque, I think we may have even been the last people doing the full 5K to finish -- but we did finish. And it was fun. I will definitely do more charity walks/runs in the future.

I spent most of yesterday doing a whole lot of nothing by the pool. Then went to an O's game with Kristen because she had free tickets. Nothing eventful, but fun to hang out with someone new!

Overall, it was a really nice weekend. I can't believe this chapter of my life is coming to a close so soon already. I'm finally feeling settled here. I almost forget what it's like to just hang out with everyone... I haven't been to Boston since February and haven't been home since Easter. Who knows -- more adventures ahead!

What happens when you try to not think

Went for a 4.5 mile hike/trail run after work and errands today. No headphones, no phone calls, no one else with me. I love hikes like that. Start out thinking about things and then your mind wanders, comes across something interesting, and you start thinking about how you're thinking. Start the process over again and again. I did two separate loops at Soldiers' Delight NEA. I saw one cute little bunny and FIVE beautiful white tail deer. It was a really good head-clearing hike. I didn't try to tackle any particular problems -- just thought about some upcoming goals and what life's going to be like when I get back home.

I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through Brazen Careerist. Definitely some interesting take aways. I like the quick-hit feel of it. Especially after the rambling discoveries in Tipping Point. Thinking about it -- I've never had to interview at more than one place before getting a co-op job. I've never had an interview that didn't result in a job offer. Does that mean I tell good stories? That I'm personable? I guess so. I guess it's like softball -- I have to learn to stop swinging at that first pitch. Maybe my goal for my next co-op cycle should be to do at least 2 interviews before accepting an offer?

I spent about two hours this morning (while I was at work "working") writing emails for Pursue the Passion. Last night Brett wrote to ask me how I thought we could get more college kids involved. I was so incredibly flattered. I also decided that since his blog post today was about how they need more interviews that I would finally get around to asking Barbara if we could talk to her. Turns out (as I pretty much expected) she was more than willing. And now I get to do the interview (since she'll be out of town when PTP comes through Boston) and do the write up. Great clip for the portfolio. I'm sure Barbara is going to have a lot to say. I'll have to re-listen to the interview I had with her for my Education in the Community project. I also had an epiphany at some point between last night and this morning. I thought Steve Cody (aka RepMan) would be perfect to not only ask for viral marketing advice, but to interview. And turns out Steve was really enthusiastic about it! I'm so excited. I can't wait to read what he has to say. I also think I'm going to see if anyone at my current job would qualify as passionate about their positions. Oh! I just thought of the CEO of Eduventures -- that's on my list of things to do tomorrow.

I also apparently blew the socks off my big boss today. I'm working on getting custom chocolates for an annual client meeting in the fall. I finally got a pricing quote from the chocolatier this afternoon. So I forwarded the contents of the email to the BB. But I also remembered that last time I needed her to follow-up with me she told me she had printed the email out and physically put it in her TO-DO/INBOX. So I printed the email and the attached pricing and handed it to her. She was like, "WOW! You're really getting to know me." She seemed absolutely blown away. Do other people not pay attention to things like that and make modifications? Am I really doing something above and beyond here?

Tomorrow is another CX Quarterly Meeting off-site and softball game. I'm excited. It's also one of my roommate's last weekends, which I'm not so excited about. I was mad at the scale yesterday, so I ate too much and drank a few glasses of wine. Then was a bitch to one of my best friends who's leaving for Iraq in a month. But I woke up today and put it all in perspective. One of my goals while I'm losing weight is to learn to forgive myself and move on. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be -- the self-chiding followed by pity-spiral is such an easy cycle to fall into.

Goal tonight is to go to bed before 11:30.