It's Halloween!!!

And I didn't have to deal with a single ghost or goblin (thank God for basement suites!!). Now, before you think that I'm totally anti-kid - let me clarify...halloween candy is not safe in my house...I tend to snack on it, so it's an added benefit that I don't have to hand it out (otherwise, it would be "one for you - two for me", etc., etc...so I choose not to). On top of that, I did a 10 hour shift today, so by the time I got my running around done and got home, they were pretty much done in the neighborhood here...so I didn't really miss out on much.

The flip-flop between nights and days continues to be a bit of a bear on my system, but I think I'm holding up okay...I got all the bookkeeping work that I'd been working on done, and am now looking to do some serious work on the course. I have two modules to go before I'm ready for the midterm, so hopefully I can get them done by the end of the week and be ready for the midterm by November 10th.

I need to get a new picture up on here - I'll try to do that in the next day or so...might be able to get Gabriele to snap a quickie of me with the digital tomorrow...then I can put it up, and get some opinions as to my progress...and see if there's any change.

Eating today: I had a protein shake for breakfast, on the way out to Cochrane, along with some green tea, then had some of the leftover chicken, rice and some green beans for lunch along with an apple. Dinner was some shepherd's pie that I made at the home for everyone and some yogurt (fat free).

Total calories: 1984 (sounds like a book, doesn't it?) Fat: 14% (3% sat, 3% poly, 7% mono) Carbs: 53% Protein: 33% (man, I was actually OVER - must have been the shake!).

Off to do my abs and then get to bed...

Another day is done...

It's Sunday night, and I just got home from the wrap-up spin for the Tour d'Octobre that Janna and Ross organized. It was a ton of fun, and I really enjoyed myself (despite being a bit sleep and calorie deprived). I did about an hour and a quarter on the bike, and fooled everyone by showing up in my riding togs toting a saddle saying "where's the ride?", which I think got some laughs. It was a great evening and I had a blast!

I keep thinking of how lucky I am to have so many great friends and so many wonderful supporters on this little quest I'm on. It was great to see everyone again and to just mingle and people watch - and well worth missing some sleep over!

Eating today was a bit weird, as I slept until pretty much just before I left for the spin. I had an oatmeal bar at work last night at about 4 am, then came home to sleep. I didn't have time to make anything before the spin, so was basically spinning on an empty stomach. I had some stew, a bun, and one of Ross's decadent brownies and an apple cranberry tart for dessert along with a beer and a small glass of wine. So....my totals are a bit screwy, and hopefully I haven't done any serious damage.

Total calories: 1465 Fat: 27% (6% sat, 7% poly, 12% mono) Carbs: 51% and protein: 11%. I really have to get that protein thing up again - but there's always tomorrow - think I'll start the day off with a protein shake for breakfast on the way out to work. That should do the trick.

Anyway, I'm beat - just have to do my abs and then crash for the night again...A huge thanks to Janna and Ross for getting me back into training mode and for organizing a great month worth of training and comeraderie! G'night all...

'Tis the weekend

I made it home and to Primal for breakfast with the gang - and managed to stay awake!

Got home and finally had to use earplugs to get to sleep - it was noisy upstairs and they're great little gizmos! Worked like a charm and I managed to get about 5 hours of sleep.

Okay...not much time now...gotta get going here...

Eating today - breakfast bagel and chai tea for brekkie, an almond butter and jam sandwich for lunch, and some chicken, brown rice, and veggies for dinner...I'm full and feeling great!

Total calories: 1607 Fat: 25% (8% sat, 4% Poly and 10% mono) Carbs: 47% and Protein: 28% so it's getting there!!!

Gotta go do abs, shower, do dishes and get to work again!!! Hi-ho, hi-ho!!!

And another week is almost done...

I just got off my bike and am now plagued by the turkey burger burps...UGH! I really should wait a bit before I get on the bike, but I promised myself that I would try to eat before 6 every night (and I've been pretty good regarding this aspect so far). I had a really restful day - didn't do too much and read some more of my course (I really have to get ready for the midterm).

I'm a bit stiff after all the raking yesterday - my right arm is a bit sore, but it's a good kind of sore. Nice to use the muscles in a different way from time to time.

The eating is still on track. Today was oatmeal for breakfast again with a banana. Lunch was the last of the spaghetti and meat sauce (now I have to think of something else to keep for extras) - it makes it easier to stay on track if you have something sensible already made that you just have to nuke for a meal. Dinner was turkey burgers and veggies. Thanks to Daniel for the secret to keeping them together - all it meant was adding an egg and some bread crumbs and they turned out great!!!

One hour on the bike tonight and my usual ab workout - the bike ride seems to have burned 560 calories according to my HRM. I think the crunches that I do burn about 100 as well, so I guess I'm running well with burning what I'm eating.

Total calories today was:2366 Fats: 30% (finally nailed it!!) (8% sat, 8% poly, 11% mono), Carbs: 46% (at least that's down a bit) and Protein: 23%. Things are definitely looking up!!

Okay...gotta go feed the dog who's hovering at the moment, finish the abs and then get to work...g'night all!!

Things are definitely looking up

I finally got the full payment for a business plan that I did in March!!! It's been like pulling teeth to get this guy to pay, but he finally came through today.

I raked leaves today...it felt good to do something that didn't involve a bike, running or swimming, and still get a pretty good workout out of it. It makes it a bit harder when all you have is a thatch rake and not a grass rake. Fall is defnitely here though, there's a sharpness in the air that warns of the white stuff that isn't far off.

It's been a pretty productive week, all in all. I have managed to get some more work done on my CAPPA course, did some bookkeeping work for one of my clients (for the whole 2 hours that it took!!!), and got my house clean again. I even washed a pair of runners - I must be getting bored!

My bad habits seem to be coming back. With all of the running around today, I forgot to eat lunch - which normally is a big no-no. I missed it, so had a reasonably early dinner.

So today's eating is relatively short, but I did manage to get two fruits in (there ya go, Diane!!). Breakfast was the traditional mush and a banana, then dinner was more spaghetti with the meat sauce I made (I have enough left for one more meal), and another banana and some yogourt. I'm totally stuffed, but I'm going swimming tonight with G so, hopefully that will burn some off, in addition to whatever raking leaves for three hours burns, so I think things are looking good.

Total calories: 1533 Fat: 24% (6% sat, 6% poly, and 8% mono) Carbs: 59% and Protein: 18%

Bush's government is crumbling, his economy is in the tank, he's decided that he doesn't want to pay Canada for the billions of dollars owed in the Softwood Lumber debaucle, the CIA's been infiltrated, he's got at least three cities in serious trouble in the aftermath of natural disaster...hmmmm...who's gonna pay for all this????? Karma's a bitch...

And then there's the native community in Canada - you know, the one in Northern Ontario (I'm not even going to TRY to spell it!). The dumbasses put the intake for the water system DOWNSTREAM from the sewage output into the lake - now that takes a special kind of stupid to do something like that. I heard the report on CBC radio last night and just shook my head in wonder. Now a whole community has been placed in shelters while they try to figure out: a) who's responsible and b) who's going to fix it. Native Affairs is washing their hands of it from as near as I can tell, and the government is totally on the defensive...I don't get it - it's a problem, get it fixed - it doesn't matter who's responsible. People are suffering and have been forced to leave their homes (such as they are)...stuff like this just makes my blood boil.

There you have it...the rant du jour...I'm going to bed...

Boy, I hope that sweat is a byproduct of fat metabolism!

If that's the case, then the spin I did this afternoon probably burnt off about a milion calories!! I'm ramping up the intensity, with 3, 4 minute sets of "ups and downs" for 2 minutes (30 seconds up, 30 seconds down) followed by a minute of overcadence, then a short rest, followed by 5 minutes at 100 rpm, some one-legged drills, and a 10 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down. I think that I'm almost ready to tackle the "stairway to hell" along with some acceleration pyramids. It's good to feel like my body's getting back into the swing of the whole activity thing again, and with the eating being in line, hopefully the results will continue to come.

I still have abs to do, but will wait for a bit before I do those (I usually do it after dinner - to get my metabolism up again).

So, there's snow in the forecast again...UGH!!! I guess it had to happen sooner or later, but geez...I have this love/hate relationship with the white stuff...I love the fact that it seems to bring the gang together for more spins on the weekends, but I hate the cold!! I'm still thinking of trying to get back into the running thing at the oval over the winter months a couple of times a week, just to give myself a tune up and focus more on my running (they say it's a good way to burn off calories). I think that the goal this time will be to try to build on the length of time that I can run for, as opposed to trying to do 5 and 2's. I hope I can stick to it - last year was all about the bike, and I think that this year needs to be about the run.

Eating today so far: I got home from my night shift and had some oatmeal - lunch was more spaghetti and meat sauce, and tonight, I'm going to Dad's for dinner - so we'll see if I can keep to the program here...he's notorious for offering all kinds of rotten things for dessert and the like - typical Brit...he served beef stoganoff, some green beans, some red wine, and yes, I caved and had some ice cream for dessert (but it was a small amount - and man, was it sweet!!).

Diane suggested that I get back with the fruit, so tomorrow, the plan is to have at least two fruit servings, although I've never been good with fruit - I'm much better with veggies - but hey...why not try. I have some tinned pears and peaches (in natural juice), and some apples and bananas, so there's no excuse. So, Diane, just for you, I'm going to give it a shot!!! No point letting them rot, right?

Total calories: 2481 (it was the wine and the ice cream that bashed that one up) Fat: 41% (16% saturates (damn ice cream), 8% poly, 13% mono), 36% Carbs (that's the lowest that's ever been), and 18% protein (that's way too low!!!).

So, I've had my treat - tomorrow it's back on track.

One final thought...can we finally DROP the whole Dingwall gum fiasco??????? Please?????

Another beautiful day wasted by sleeping...

I hate these night shifts!! Here it is, like 23 degrees outside, and I've been sleeping!! I would so much rather be out on my bike enjoying this rather than stuck prone in bed!!

Okay...what else can I rant about today? Hmmm....there are now 4 people living upstairs (soon to be 6 from the sound of it)...hot water is scarce, and although they're really nice, I think I need to invest in earplugs so that I can sleep during the day...one of the cats got sick on the blanket that I cover my couch with...thank God for the protective gear there...Aramis is doing great though...

I'm going to try to get on my bike again tomorrow - if the weather holds, it would be nice to get oustide for a ride. Cross your collective fingers!!! Tonight is a sleep shift for me, so hopefully I'll be able to get some and get out on the bike tomorrow. Dad has invited me over for dinner tomorrow night, which is nice (at least I won't have to cook!!).

No word from Stephen and Rosemary - I'm assuming they're well on their way on the Annapurna trail and internet access is left behind. I hope they're having a wonderful journey (something that I've always wanted to do).

Eating so far today (as I may not have time to update before I go to work):

Brekkie: oatmeal, lunch (a latish sort of meal as I tried to sleep as long as I could) leftover spaghetti with the meat sauce. I'll update this tomorrow when I get home from work, as I haven't quite decided what to have for dinner yet.

Okay, I'm home from work and I had two chicken drumsticks, a cup of salad greens and a cup of spaghetti for dinner - then actually came in UNDER my usual calorie count (much to my surprise!!)

Total calories: 1826 Fats: 32% (8% sat, 8% poly, 12% mono) Carbs: 48% and Protein: 20%

I'm running out of titles...

Got up this morning and decided to catch up on everything that I've been ignoring lately - cleaned the house, did a bunch of laundry, washed walls (could you believe that a Great Dane could actually throw slobber up on the ceiling???), and washed my sheets and made my bed. Man, I'm pooped!!!

I have to go do another overnight awake shift tonight, and then a sleep shift tomorrow...when...oh when will I find a job?

eating today went well - brekkie was oatmeal, lunch was some brown rice and some tuna and dinner was spaghetti (whole wheat) and a spaghetti sauce made with extra lean ground beef and some spices and sauce, with some mixed veggies.

I'm a bit over in terms of calories, but my fat content and protein are pretty good.

Total calories: 2210, Fat: 24% (6% sat, 7% poly, 9% mono), Carbs: 52% and protein: 24%. Off to do abs and get to work!

Thus ends week 4....

I squeaked my second wind trainer session just in the nick of time...got an hour in and managed some drills and hills to break up the monotony. I think I have it figured out so that I don't get too bored either - all you have to do is turn the TV on mute (so that you don't get too caught up in any plot lines) and turn on some great music to keep your mind on the task at hand. I'm feeling a bit better, and I think that if I can get the swimming 2x a week integrated as well, I'll be doing fine. I'll save the start of the running thing for a bit yet...no point rushing it - although I talked with a friend of mine who also works at the group home, and he's looking for a running partner, so maybe I'll be able to run with him a couple of nights a week.

I've been going on basically no sleep all weekend and now have one of my classic "no sleep" headaches - wonderful! I also got asked to work tomorrow night - oh joy! LOL

Anyway...the eating thing today went fairly well. I managed to keep everything in line and am feeling pretty good. I had a quasi breakfast during my overnight shift which consisted of some stoned wheat thin crackers, a small bran muffin, and a granola bar. I got home and had a banana, then slept for about an hour, then got up, had a shower, then took off to Cochrane again, as one of the clients was having her birthday party. She's really come a long way in the last 8 months or so, and I was happy to go. I got home at about 4:30 or so, and had bought one of those cheapo do it yourself acrylic nail kits, so I decided to pamper myself and do my nails. They turned out great, and I'm glad I haven't lost what I learned from a friend of mine who taught me how to do them. After that, and some chicken for dinner, it was time to get on the bike. I did my hour (still gotta do those abs), but I'm still feeling good.

Total calories: 2296, Fat: 36% (14% saturated, 7% poly, 11% mono), Carbs: 44%, Protein: 21%. Things are still kosher (although the fat is a wee bit high today - must have been the grub at the birthday party that did that).

I'm off to do my abs and get some much needed sleep!!! G'night all!!

Well, it's been an interesting Saturday again!

I've had to go on no sleep again...had to take a course this morning right after work and I was there from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm - and I've only managed a couple of hours of sleep - ARGH!! I'm sort of feeling like the walking dead at the moment.

Not being able to have my breakfast bagel at Primal almost put me into the withdrawal jitters, so I tried to do the next best thing - I stopped at McDonald's and had two breakfast burritos. I figured that substituting the tortillas for the bagel, and just having egg and a bit of sausage mixed in would be a better choice than the alternative (an egg McMuffin or their breakfast bagel) and I think I made a good one. Lunch was some tuna, a banana and a huge salad (man, the custom food builder in Fitday is wonderful!), and dinner was some chicken breasts, brown rice and some veggies. I'm pretty close to hitting the 40/30/30 today, but still not quite on the mark. One of the newer developments as well is that I'm finding that I'm able to get full on less food. That's got to be a good thing!

Anyhoo...gotta do abs before I go to work, so here's the summary for today:

Total Calories: 2052, Fat: 32% (7% saturated, 17% poly, 7% mono) Carbs: 42% (finally got that sucker down), and Protein: 25%.

No signs yet of the usual sabotage bug - let's hope I can stave it off for a bit yet!!

I'm hoping to go into hibernation on Monday...I may have to go out to celebrate one of the client's birthday tomorrow, so I'm not sure how sleep is going to figure into it...

I've also turned on a word verification here, so that if you want to leave comments, you'll have to type in a security word - hopefully it will kill all the ridiculous spam that I've been getting here!!! Keep your fingers crossed that it works!!

Drum roll please...

Okay, I know it's only October 21st, but I had to post this a bit prematurely...I have now lost 10 lbs in about a month...weighed myself before I went to bed this morning, out of curiosity, and sure 'nuff...I've managed a 10 lb weight loss since I started this whole thing...let's just hope that I can keep it up...

So far today: Brekkie (the usual...mush), and an All Bran bar when I woke up...I have some ground turkey that I've thawed for dinner, and I may accompany it with some veggies and brown rice...just not sure what to do with the ground turkey...it may come to me...maybe turkey burgers would be nice.

More later...I was just so excited, I had to post something!!!

Okay...had the turkey burgers, some brown rice and veggies for supper...

Total calories: 1753, Fat 28% (6% sat, 8% poly, 10% mono), carbs: 53%, and protein: 19% (which I thought would have been higher given the turkey I ate for dinner! RATS!

It's going to be an interesting weekend - I have to work tonight, then go and do a course from 9:30 am to 3:30pm then back out to work - sleep, I'm thinking, won't be possible ....YECH!!

Wish me luck!!!

It snowed today...

And I'm hating the thought that winter is trying to bash at the back door!!!

I'm off to do another night shift tonight - 12 hours instead of 10, but it's all money in the bank I guess.

Eating today went well: Oatmeal for brekkie (well, it was more like brunch - I had to go for a mammogram this morning, drop off my time sheets at work, fill up the truck and get to bed. I think it was 11:30 by the time I had breakfast). I had two All Bran Bars for "lunch" and then went for sushi for dinner, complete with miso soup and a salad. I'm going to do the same thing as last night and take some yogourt and a banana with me for "snacks" if I get hungry during the night.

Total calories: 1883 Fat: 26% (5% sat, 7% poly, 7% mono) Carbs: 49% Protein: 26% (I'm getting closer at least). I think the sushi helped!!

Anyway, gotta get to work...no rest for the wicked (and I must have been really, REALLY bad in a previous life!!!)

G'night all!!

Missed another one!!

and had a bit of an "oops" yesterday...I tried having a protein shake for a snack yesterday, and it totally blew my calorie count. I was only trying to get my protein levels up, but that may have been a mistake. The good news is that it may not have been quite as bad as it could have been, as I did an hour on my bike for a workout and did my abs, so I hopefully haven't done any damage.

It went something like this: breakfast was the standard oatmeal (yes...I'm able to eat breakfast at home again), then I had a protein shake mid-morning (which accounted for 434 calories), then had some ground beef and whole wheat spaghetti for lunch. Dinner was some corn, mashed potatoes, and ham.

Total calories: 3357 (ugh!) fat: 18% (5% sat, 3% poly, and 8% mono), carbs were 58% (yowsers! a bit high there!!) Protein: 24%.

I forgot to wish my sister a happy birthday yesterday...another oops...I'll try to rectify that today...

I'll update for today later on...

Okay, I've been called in to do another overnight awake shift...so I'll try to keep this brief before I have to go to yoga...eating today: breakfast was oatmeal, lunch was some leftover beef and spaghetti noodles, dinner was the leftover wraps from Gabriele's shower on Sunday (and they needed to be eaten)...I'm a bit short on my calorie count, so will be taking some yogourt and a banana to work tonight to stave off the munchies...hopefully I'll make it through.

Total calories: 1902, Fats: 25% (9% saturated, 3% poly, 11% mono), Carbs: 52% (finally got them under control again), Protein: 23%....seems to be the closest I've gotten to the 40/30/30 for a while...YAY!!!

Okay...off to yoga and then to work...abs are done, dog is fed, and I have no idea why I torture myself this way!!! Later...

It's a new day...

I'm not sure why Michael Boble (is that how you spell it?) is running through my head today...but it's been with me since this morning, which I guess isn't such a bad thing...

I realized yesterday that taking a month off from all exercise (save for the VERY occasional swim and even more occasional bike) has taken its toll on me. I got on my bike for the first time since Ironman yesterday...and aside from feeling like crap, having my heart rate spike at 170 bpm, and not really sweating all that much (good signs, all that I'm totally out of shape), I have realized that I need to do more than abdominal workouts to get my fitness back - yes, folks, it's time to pull out the ol' wind trainer and try to get at least one or two spins in a week...

The goal for the next three weeks then will be to make sure that I get an hour spin in at least two times a week. It's time to get back on the fitness track again, and yesterday was a huge awakening...I've turned into a blob again...YECH!!

So...that being done...it should help with burning off some excess calories, and at the same time, hopefully get me back on track with my fitness regime.

Okay, eating today - brekkie was two All Bran bars and a banana. I then had two Almond butter and jam sandwiches for lunch with a second banana (I have to go shopping again and get some more fruit!). I made dinner at the group home that was fairly reasonable, some pasta with chicken breasts done in a fairly simple white sauce. It went over well, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Total calories: 2016 fats: 35% (6% satuated, 11% poly, and 16% mono), Carbs: 49%, and protein: 16% (gotta get that up again!!).

I'm feeling good again, and am trying to make sure that I eat dinner before 6 pm (sort of a side goal), which, according to the almighty "O" (Oprah) is one of the keys to weight loss.

And so it goes...

Here it is...Sunday night again

I made it through another night at work, and it was a good one, actually...everyone was very well behaved. I got home and managed a couple of hours of sleep before I had to go out shopping with Kirsten. We managed to get everything for Gabriele's shower, then went home and Kirsten wrapped while I showered and tried to get organized for the spin.

Did an hour on the wind trainer (man, am I out of shape!!!). Note to self - must do more work on the wind trainer in the next coming weeks.

Eating today: breakfast was 2 All Bran Bars and a banana, lunch was a hamburger (no bun), dinner was some meatballs, 2 shish kebabs, 2 parts of wraps (one with ham, the other with roast beef), some brie with crackers, and some mexican dip type thing with green peppers, some sour cream (I think) some cheese, tomatoes, and salsa. I also had three glasses of red wine, which may have been a mistake, but I think that with the spin, I may still be okay.

total Calories: was somewhere around 2100 I think (fitday is somewhat limited to what it can take), Fat was somewhere around 43% (15% saturated, 6% poly, 17% mono), carbs were 25% and protein was around 24%. It was a bit of a bad evening, but hopefully I'll get back with it tomorrow.

Okay, I'm off to do abs then get to bed. It was a good day, all in all, and it was great to get back on my bike for the first time since Ironman.

A-ha...I finally remembered to blog on Saturday!

The day went well - got off work and went to Primal to meet the gang for brekkie - then home and cleaned up the back yard then off to sleep. I only slept for about four hours though, as I did manage to get some sleep last night at work.

I got up and puttered around a bit, then headed to Sean and Lizzie's place to watch Ironman Hawaii...Natasha Badmann won for the women and Feris Al-Sultan won for the men...both my picks - Lisa Bentley for the women and Peter Reid for the men were close, but no cigar. Peter came in third and Lisa Bentley got sidelines with some sort of stomach ailment, and although she still competed, she didn't finish Top 10.

Eating: Breakfast bagel and chai latte for breakfast (skim milk, of course!), then once I got up, I had a couple of All bran Bars and some whole wheat spaghetti. At the party, I ate some grapes, strawberries, canteloupe, and pineapple, along with a triangle cheese samosa. I thought my protein may be a bit low, so I came home and made a hamburger to keep me full.

Total calories: 2010 - Fat: 34% (11% saturated, 7% poly, 12% mono), carbs: 43%, and protein: 23%, so at least I was a bit higher on the protein levels, which is good.

Off to work again...the abs are done for another night - I just hope that everything at the home is quiet!!!

Another one for the History Books

Well, another week has come and gone, and with it, I've managed to stay pretty much on track again. I guess that should be a good thing...

Stephen and Rosemary are now in Kathmandu, waiting to get onto the Annapurna trail...lucky them!!!

I'm pulling a double shift tonight, so don't have much time to update this...forgive me!!!

My eating has become somewhat mundane...LOL

Breakfast was 2 All Bran bars. An apple mid morning, then PBJ sandwiches and a banana for lunch, then yogourt for a mid-afternoon snack, followed by two pieces of pizza and a HUGE salad for dinner. I did have a bit of a slip, and had about an ounce of chocolate chips....MAN, they were sweet!! You don't realize how you get sensitized to it until you don't have anything horribly sweet for two weeks...it really hits your system!!!

Total calories: 1688 fat was 35% (11% Saturated, 8% poly, and 13% mono), Carbs were 51% and protein was 14% (I still have to bump up my protein intake I think).

Okay...off to do my ab exercises, shower, feed the dog and get back to work...

G'night all!!!

Where does the time go?

Just realized that it's almost the middle of October...where on earth did the whole year go? Only two months left and what have I accomplished? Hmmm...well there are a few things, but I'll leave that for my NYE blog...

The week has been eventful, at least - I've forgotten how hard it is to work with developmentally challenged people - it's definitely had it's ups and downs, but all in all, it's been a pretty good week (at least on my shift). Tomorrow's going to be the test though - I'm working 20 out of 24 hours (all awake), so I should be well into Zombieville come Saturday morning.

I was wrong about Stephen and Rosemary, they're safely sequestered in Singapore for the time being, which has put my mind at ease somewhat.

Life continues...

Today: total calories: 1714, 26% fat (7% sat, 6% poly, 11% mono), 56% carbs and 18% protein - guess I should try to up the protein and drop the carbs somewhat - I have to go grocery shopping (which probably won't be until Tuesday at least!!!).

Breakfast was an apple and an All Bran bar (and yes, they really do taste great - although almost too sweet), lunch was some peanut butter and Jam sandwiches and a banana, and dinner was chili with some macaroni. Snack was some fat free yogourt.

Ahhhhh the Joys

True to form...they had a rough night out at the home, which made for a rough morning for us. After some brief altercations, we got the day underway, and everything went without incident. Not sure what's going to happen tonight though...could be interesting.

I have a headache - again - not quite clear on what's causing it this time, but it's most certainly there. My sleep patterns are all messed up again, so that may have something to do with it. I'm still doing my situps and bridges, and it's actually getting a wee bit easier every evening when I do them, so maybe it's starting to kick in. I dunno...I'll be back on my bike again this weekend (albeit on the wind trainer), but it will be the first time since Ironman that I've been on it.

We're going shopping for Gabriele's shower tomorrow night. K2 is coming with me, and she says she's been to a ton of baby showers, so I'm hoping that she has some useful advice regarding what to get...I'm such a rookie!!

I'm hoping that Stephen and Rosemary are okay. They were scheduled to land in India the day of the earthquake en route to Kathmandu - so I sincerely hope they're okay.

Okay, 'nuff waxing poetic here - I still have to do my ab workout for today and have a bath before I go to bed - so here goes:

Breakfast: granola (no milk), mid-morning snack: apple, lunch was a salad and a banana (again), mid-afternoon snack was some fat free yogourt, then some turkey pot pie for dinner.

Total calories: 2045, 41% fat, 44% carbs, and 15% protein...yikes...fat breakdown was 13% saturated, 8% poly, 17% mono. I'll have to be careful tomorrow!!!

The train is back on track

I'm working this week out at the group home - so it's a bit of money at least. I still haven't heard back on any of the resumes that I've sent out - there are a bunch of them floating around these days...I keep telling myself the Law of Large Numbers will kick in eventually. Guess I'm just a bit down in the dumps these days again. I hate being unemployed (well, at least where I think I'll do the most good), and on top of that, I hate having to dip into my savings to try to keep ends meeting. I know there's a whole lot more people in the world who are struggling with more than just not being able to work. I look at New Orleans, the remnants of Hurricane Rita, the earthquake in Pakistan/India, the famine in Africa, unmentionable atrocities that befall anyone who has to endure crimes against humanity, and it kind of puts my perspective back into whack again.

Hopefully something will come up soon to put my mind at ease - let's hope anyway...

The day went something like this: one can of ensure for breakfast, an apple as a mid-morning snack, then salad and a banana for lunch, followed by some non-fat yogourt for a mid-afternoon snack. Dinner consisted of chicken, whole wheat spaghetti, and veggies.

Total calories:2194 Fat: 26% (7% sat, 8% poly, 9% mono) Carbs: 52%, Protein: 21%

Because of my whacked-out work schedule, I've curtailed the next goal until next week. I have a mammogram and ultrasound next week, as well as a mole removal...hopefully everything will be okay, and I can continue life as usual.

Monday again...wow! Two weeks already!

Okay...I'm dead dog tired and will try to make this short...

Eating today: 1 can Ensure on the way to work this morning, then some granola (sans lait) as a mid morning snack. Lunch was a big salad and some tuna mixed with the no fat miracle whip. Dinner was turkey with all the trimmings...so I was a bit (okay, WAY) over on my calorie count today.

Total tally: 2870 calories, 31% fat (7% saturated, 9% poly, 13% mono), and 51% carbs and 18% protein (I ate a lot of veggies with dinner!!)

Okay...off to shower now, and then I'm going to crash...

I keep missing Saturdays...

Well, work this weekend was uneventful - no issues and everything and everybody in the house behaved themselves.

Met up with the Gang at Primal on Saturday morning for breakfast, then home to sleep. Dad called me at about 4, saying that I've been invited over to Brian and Candice's for dinner on Monday - hope it works out okay, as I'll be in Cochrane until 6 or so (one of the clients will be coming back after a home visit, so I'm not sure what the protocol there is). Hopefully I'll be there before it gets too late, and I'll be able to behave myself!!

Eating on Saturday went like this: Breakfast was the traditional Primal Grounds Breakfast bagel, along with a chai latte made with skim milk. I slept until 4, got up and made a peanut butter and jam sandwich (unsweetened peanut butter and a low sugar fruit compote). I did my crunches (wow, has it really been almost a week?) and then had dinner which was brown rice and yogourt (not the best, but hey, I was in a hurry).

Total Calories: 1647 Fats: 24% (8% saturated, 4% Poly, 9% mono) Carbs: 58% Protein: 19%

Must sleep..will report back later...

Okay, Sunday's eating went something like this: I got hungry at about 3:30 am and had some sun chips (about 10) and some st0ned wheat thins (4)...then got home and slept. I woke up at about 4 and had a pbj sandwich, and then waited until about 8 to eat. Dinner was some chicken, whole wheat spaghetti and some mixed veggies. I'm all full up now!!!

Total Calories: 1639, fat: 33% (7% sat, 9% poly, 14% mono), Carbs: 43%, and protein: 24%.

Time to set a new goal tomorrow, and Thanksgiving dinner to boot!! YIPES!!!

Well, that totally sucked

and I'm feeling defective again. I had arranged to meet this guy at 11:00 for coffee this morning at the Starbuck's way down by 90th Avenue. Well, it would seem I got stood up. I left him my cell phone number in case he wasn't able to make it, and the bastard didn't even have the guts to call me...GRRRR...

Why do men have to be such dorks? I'm going back into "no man's land"...seems I'm happier when I'm not trying to prove to myself that I'm still attractive - which seems to be backfiring with the opposite sex. Healthier to just keep to myself. There, I said it...now keep it positive...honestly, I don't know why I keep trying to meet guys and they're all the same. It gets really frustrating. I knew there was a reason that I didn't want to get back out on the dating scene again. Done, finished...

Anyway...weighed myself again this morning, and am now down a total of 6 lbs. This made my morning at least start out well, even if it didn't finish too well. And, I did it..had my back adjusted. HOLY COW did he ever find some pressure points too...says I have a disc injury, although with umpteen falls off horses, bicycles, one sort of bad car accident when I was 20, one wipe out on a Lambretta scooter, other bumps, bruises and otherwise just growing up pains, I have no idea how I could have injured it. Nothing recently has happened to make me think "ahhh...that's when I hurt my back" or anything along those lines...so, I'll keep at it and see if he can do anything to make it work better.

Eating was fine today...albeit a bit repetitive - oatmeal for brekkie, then one chicken breast and brown rice for lunch, followed by some yogourt, then another chicken breast and brown rice for dinner. I'm off to work tonight too. Hopefully I won't get the munchies, but I'm thinking that I have both some tinned fruit and some apples - I may take an apple and some of the fruit just in case.

Total calories: 1991 Fat: 22% (5% Saturated, 7% polyunsaturated, 9% monounsaturated), Carbs: 56% and Protein: 22%. Time to bump up the protein or cut down on the carbs!!

Thursday...maybe a bit of a bad day

but, I donated blood today, so I'm trying to cut myself some slack.

Yep, went and made donation number 17 today, then treated myself to an afternoon at the spa. I finally used the gift certificate that I had won at Heritage Pointe, and have never been to a spa before, so it was all new to me, and definitely something that I could get used to!

I had a honey herbal wrap to start things off...warm and gooey and they wrapped me up like a tuna fish sandwich in cellophane while I cooked. It was glorious!!! I got a scalp and neck massage while I was bundled up, which almost put me to sleep. Afterwards, I had a nice long soak in a jacuzzi tub, which was great until I got out...hmmm...hot...blood vessels dilate...I'm a pint down...haven't eaten since breakfast...NOT a good combination!!! I got back into the room for my massage, and promptly almost passed out...now that would have been elegant!!! I told the esthetician who was working with me that I needed to lie down, and she was really accommodating. So, I laid down for a bit and waited for my blood pressure to get back up to normal...then had a great massage. It wasn't a therapeutic one, just a relaxation one, but we found out that there might be something messed up in my sacrum. All the muscles in my lower back are extremely tight, and she wasn't applying much pressure, yet I felt like I wanted to climb onto the ceiling. Now I have to decide if I should go see a chiropractor - UGH...I've never been to one before, and I'm not sure if it would actually help or hinder any damage I've done. Any suggestions from anyone who's seen a chiro? I have a friend who I know would help me out (yes, he's a chiropractor), but I don't want to make it worse than it is.

After the massage, I had a manicure and a pedicure...the pedicure was simply the best thing ever...I soaked my feet, had them all scrubbed down, had them tidied up, the nails dremmeled down and shaped, got told that I keep my toenails too short...LOL. Then I had them soaked in paraffin wax. It kind of reminded me of what it's like when you're a kid and you make mud pies on the shore of the creek, warm and mushy. I even have nail polish on them now...which is something fairly new to me as well, and the callouses are all gone, dead skin removed, and they're soft as a baby's bum!!! The manicure was almost a no go...mostly because I have no nails...but getting the hand massage, more paraffin, and having them filed, shaped and polished made me feel really pampered!!! I left feeling like a big blob of jello, and very, very relaxed.

Okay...here's the scoop on the eating. Breakfast was the usual. I then went to donate blood and had two cookies afterwards. Then I hit the spa, where I had some carrots, grapes, cheese and after I almost crashed, I had some cookies (again) to try to spike me up. Dinner was a chicken breast, some brown rice and mixed veggies.

Total calories: 2749, 18% fat, 70% carb, and 12% protein...not very pleased with that...I think the cookies did me in...6% saturated fat, 3% polyunsaturated fat, and 8% monounsaturated.

Back on the wagon tomorrow...

Just thinking 'bout...

Hmmmm...well, maybe something will come to me...I feel like my mind's a void tonight.

I spent today recertifying my Emergency First Aid. The company I do the relief work for on weekends pays its employees a whopping $13.30/hour for work. The nature of the job puts the front line workers in danger occasionally, due to the nature of the people we work with, especially with the hard core cases out in the town I work in. This means on an annual basis, even for full time work, the employees are faced with incomes that barely (if even) put them above the poverty line. On top of that, the company feels compelled to "ding" the same employees for certifications that all the companies in the field use to train employees and yet, continues to remain profitable. We get charged to take First Aid ($65), for taking our Crisis Prevention courses (initially $22 and then a $10 charge /year to recertify), for completing a security search through the police (which usually costs $15-$20), for adding third party insurance to our vehicles in the amount of $1 million (depending on insurance carriers, it all adds costs), and we only get paid a pittance for mileage that accrues when we transport clients around (not even 10 cents/km). Is there any way to standardize the requirements and funding for these things? The argument that has been raised to me is that we are asked to pay for the courses that we take because they are standard requirements across the board and that there continues to be a drive to move to other companies if the opportunity arises. Why not have employee loyalty built upon by actually paying for them to take the courses? I don't understand it at all. I think that if the employees see that the company is offering perks to their employees in terms of the training they receive, that it should contribute to loyalty, rather than take away from it.

Okay there's my rant du jour.

I found out this evening that core strengthening and yoga are a pretty good combination, if you can bear the pain of stretching everything that has been tense out again. Yowsers!!! I came home and did my core exercises again - still waiting for the stiffness to subside, but hopefully it won't be long before that happens. I have my appointment at the spa tomorrow and am really looking forward to it. I'm still getting weird aches down my legs, although I'm not nearly in as much pain as I was last weekend. Maybe the massage tomorrow will help.

Eating was still on track. Had my cup of coffee for the week this morning, along with the standard oatmeal. Lunch was two of the leftover hamburgers from last night with a big salad. That held me over until I got home, then I had some yogourt (fat free) and a couple more hamburgers before I went to yoga (boring, but functional, and I didn't have time to prepare anything fancy - the joys of being single!!)

Total calories: 1853 - 34% fat, 39% carbs, and 27% protein. 12% saturated fat, 3% polyunsaturated, and 14% monounsaturated fat. Guess I'm still on track.

Stephen and Rosemary have arrived safe and sound in Britain, and are currently hanging out with my cousin in London (and it sounds like they're trying to shake the 7 hour time difference).

Funny sometimes...

how you sort of forget a part of your body that's been ignored until the day after you work it - then it becomes all too clear that you've been neglecting it.

Such was the case of me and my core. As part of the Tour d'Octobre challenge that the Garage Gang is putting on, we have all committed to at least 7 days of consecutive core work. Holy cow - it was hard last night, but tonight I think I was in more pain than I've ever been in my life!! To do another 11 minutes of core work tonight seemed impossible! But I sucked it up, and despite my medial abs and upper abs screaming blue murder at me - I managed to make it through to almost 11 1/2 minutes. The plank went easier - just a couple of quick breaks to round out the minute hold, and the muscles in my hips aren't quite as stiff and sore as they were last night, so maybe it's a good thing that I'm getting back into the groove. It's certainly going to make yoga tomorrow night VERY interesting!!!

Okay...I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record here...eating today: 2161 calories 21%fat, 22% protein and 57% carbs. 8% Saturated (see I changed the order...HA! Bet you weren't expecting that!!), 1% polyunsaturates, and 9% monounsaturates.

The actual food consisted of my usual breakfast - yeah, oatmeal again - Diane told me that she'd get bored of eating the same thing every morning for breakfast - but with me coming from a history of not eating a regular breakfast though, it works - I buy the wild oats, which take a bit longer to cook, but are every bit as yummy, they fill me up, and keep me going until lunch.

Lunch was Vietnamese - I had a bowl of noodles with some beef, chicken, bean sprouts, lettuce and whatever else they put in there in addition to some salad rolls (I kinda miss the spring rolls - but swore to myself no deep fried foods). I was hitting a lot short on the protein and fat by the time dinner rolled around, so made myself some extra lean hamburgers for dinner. I topped them off with some mustard and some relish, and voila!! Dinner.

Man, my abs hurt!!!

Missed the phone call from my brother (who I'm assuming called from Vancouver International) to say goodbye and see you next June - Happy travels, Stephen and Rosemary!!!

Gabriele is in Britain now, visiting Dave, meeting his family, and spending Thanksgiving (do the Brits HAVE Thanksgiving???). She'll be back next week.

Still no sign of a job, but the savings are holding up, and the weekend work will keep me going for a bit yet. Keep your fingers crossed that something comes up soon!!!

Well, here we are at week 2...

Okay...I'm going to the spa...get a massage and hopefully release whatever it is that's annoying my hips so much...also made an appointment for a mammogram (doc found a lump that she just wants to monitor - so far, nothing to worry about).

I started a core strengthening regime tonight - 10 minutes every night for a week and beyond (hopefully, anyway), and I found out that whatever is wrong with me really doesn't like doing planks!!! If I can get into the spa, it should help. But, the overall goal is to make it a habit, and hopefully stick to it and make it part of an every day sort of thing.

The eating today went something like this:

Breakfast: oatmeal with a touch of brown sugar
Lunch: tin of tuna packed in water with a bit of ultra low fat miracle whip and a dash of relish (it's good - really), about 2 cups of whole wheat pasta and some mixed veggies
Dinner: Some more of the pasta, some protein and calcium enriched skim milk, and fat free yogourt (I know, not very original, but functional).

Total calorie count was 2155 - 21% fat, 8% monounsaturates, 7% polyunsaturates, and 4% saturates, so I guess I'm still on track. The total breakdown was 21% fat, 55% carb, and 25% Protein, so still pretty close to the 40/30/30.

The party that we put on for Janet on Saturday was a lot of fun...I was just sorry that I couldn't stay longer...hopefully I'll get a full time job soon and won't have to do the night shifts for much longer, although on a good night, it's easy money (although not much money). It was great to see such a huge turnout, and it was nice to just "hang with the gang".

My brother is off on his long adventure tomorrow...eastern europe, some time in London, and India and Nepal...lucky guy...he'll be back next June. It will be a good test of his relationship with Rosemary, but I'm sure they'll be fine!!! Bon voyage, l'il bro...

My energy levels are coming back, and I think I'm ready to get back into training...just waiting on that ever-elusive job scenario to play out. I've got a First Aid course to do this week, and will be donating blood again on Thusday. Doing my bit for society...

I can't think of much more to say tonight...I'm feeling better and much more energized!!! Funny how what you eat can directly affect your moods, huh?

Sunday

Well, my hips are still bugging me, but they seem to have calmed down a bit. I may have to finally bite the bullet and use the gift certificate that I won at Heritage Pointe and use it on a massage - see if that rectifies anything. I think it's an IT issue, as the pain goes right from the top of my hip right down the back of both calves to my ankles. I've never been through something like this before - and I'm not enjoying it much.

Other than that, I sort of had a crash at about 4 am at work, and ate two small granola bars. 130 calories each, but I guess in the grand scheme of things, the only thing that might be adversely affected is my fat intake for the day - no worries, trudge on. I woke up at about 4:00 p.m. and made a couple of poached eggs on some yeast free toast (really yummy multi grain toast too). Sushi for dinner complete with a tossed salad, miso soup and some edamamme. So...tally for today looks like this:

1470 calories. 40% fat - of that, 15% Monounsaturates, 13% polyunsaturates, and 8% saturates - better than yesterday in terms of the saturated fats. My body seems to be remembering how to burn too...as I'm down again (according to my scale). I think I'll hide the scale though, so that it doesn't become an obsession.

It's the weekend!!!

Okay...I forgot to post yesterday...apologies everyone!!

My day went well, and ended up something like this:

I had the usual breakfast, had some sushi for lunch (and edamamme), then some chicken sandwiches and mixed vegetables for dinner. Total calories 2107, total fat 32% (16% Mono, and 6% for both poly and saturates). Went to work last night, and I think that there's going to be a bit of a challenge here - especially when you hit about 5 am and your stomach starts to growl. I managed to keep it under control until I went for breakfast this morning, but I guess staying up all night may have an effect on your normal hunger/satiation cycle.

So...so far today, I've had a breakfast bagel from Primal Grounds and tried to sleep, but something's gone a bit strange with my hips - I can't get comfortable when I lie down. Hmmm...weird, that...we had quite a crowd out at Primal this morning after the swim, and it was great to see some new faces, intermingled with some much more familiar ones. I've also told as many people as I can that I'm usually all gung-ho for the first three weeks of this kind of stuff, but tend to fall off the wagon after a month or so. Hopefully everyone will be there to kick my butt in line if I get to that point again. The journalling that I'm doing here seems to be helping though, so you never know...

The total tally from yesterday went something like this - Breakfast Bagel and some chai tea for breakfast, sleep, then got up and made myself a chicken breast sandwich with some ultra low fat Miracle Whip, then went to Jack Astor's for Janet's going away party. Had one paralyzer (it's always better when someone else makes it), and a thai beef salad. Then it was off to work again.

Total calories: 1756, fat content was 35%, 13% Monounsaturates, 6% polyunsaturates and 13% saturates (bit high). I weighed myself (don't quite know what the starting point was, but I'm estimating that it should have been somewhere around where I was post Ironman) - and it would seem I'm down 4 lbs this week. It's a start anyway, and I'm not feeling hungry, so that's a plus - I'm going to have to play with it when I get back into training though, to see how my caloric needs change.